Gongol.com Archives: August 2012
Brian Gongol


August 9, 2012

Iowa Cedar River falls to 3' near the Palo nuclear power plant
The Catch-22 to the situation is that power plants need more water when it's hot outside, because that's when people use more energy (for air conditioning). But the same hot weather has reduced the supply of essential cooling water available in the rivers.

Science and Technology NOAA says nature is absorbing half of humanity's production of excess carbon dioxide
But they don't understand the processes well enough to anticipate whether that will continue

Agriculture Drought's impact on the price of food may be exacerbated by panic buying on an international scale

Iowa DOT to Windsor Heights: How about a new merging lane instead of speed cameras?
Engineered solutions are better than surveillance

The American Way Why didn't we celebrate July 31st?
July 31st should have been an international holiday to celebrate the centennial of the birth of Milton Friedman. His influence on economics -- really, the establishment of the Chicago School of economic thought -- and of the public's understanding of economics should not be understated. In short, the Chicago School can be said to assume that liberty has value unto itself and that government should be powerful where needed but aggressively limited in its reach. Metaphorically, a powerful referee is needed to ensure that games are played according to the mutually-agreed rules, but the referee shouldn't himself be a player.

Computers and the Internet FTC hits Google with $22.5 million fine for tracking Safari users

Science and Technology Evolution: It's still happening
Apes are getting smarter, for instance: They're figuring out how to dismantle traps set by human hunters

Health On hitting the sweet spot between over-parenting and under-parenting

Business and Finance Despite massive government intervention, the economy hasn't really kicked it up a notch
Has the government intervention smoothed out what would have been a much lower trough, or is it creating so much fear and uncertainty that it's limiting anyone's appetite for risk?

Weather and Disasters There's never been a hotter month than July 2012
(At least, not in the United States)

Broadcasting There really will be a revival of "Arrested Development"

Health Fighting back against antibiotic resistance -- with viral proteins

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