3:34 PM
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/12/mysteries-surround-afghanistans-stealth-drone/
The Obama Administration will apparently increase the Pentagon's base budget by $60 billion between FY11 and FY15. The extra $15 billion per year is apparently going to pay health care bills for the DOD due to significant underestimations by the Pentagon on their personnel costs:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/12/obamas-financiers-okay-extra-60-billion-for-pentagon/
New nanomaterial (via peptides) could result in a coating that keeps windows and solar panels clean and expand battery storage capabilities for electric cars:
http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?news_iv_ctrl=-1&page=NewsArticle&id=11125
New type of natural-gas electric power plant could provide electricity with zero C02 emissions, at costs comparable to or less than conventional natural-gas plants or even coal-burning plants:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/natural-gas.html
Women bodyguards are in great demand right now because they blend into crowds better without being spotted by and attacker and are often mistaken for a female friend instead of a bodyguard. The doubling of demand has pushed salaries up to around $2,000 per *day*:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/national/women-bodyguards-113009
Two Kansas men have been charged with making $1 million by buying computer networking equipment in China and putting fake Cisco labels on them, putting them in fake Cisco boxes and counterfeit Cisco manuals:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/04/cisco_counterfeit_gear/
AT&T and Verizon are aggressively trying to market smartphones for the Holiday season--AT&T is giving 50% off Blackberries while Verizon is giving buy-1-get-1-free deals for Android phones:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/t-verizon-unveil-new-holiday-smartphone-promotions/2009-12-04?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
Study found that 10% of teenagers "sext" (send sexually explicit photos of themselves from their phone or computer), even though it might be passed on to others. Over half of the teenagers admitted to being victims of digital bullying, with sexting content a common technique in the bullying:
http://www.telecomtv.com/comspace_newsDetail.aspx?n=45802&id=e9381817-0593-417a-8639-c4c53e2a2a10#
Two brothers living in poverty in a cave outside of Budapest have apparently inherited $2.2 billion each! They said that no women would date them when they were living in a cave...somehow I do not think that will be a problem for them once they clean up and get their $2.2 billion!
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/cavemen_bros_to_be_billionaires_V3mGDIKosZRv9nEHKoj8hN
Cool photo of the world's smallest snowman--1/5 the width of a human hair!
http://www.rdmag.com/News/2009/12/Materials-Worlds-smallest-snowman/