7:49 PM
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan (it apparently has been upgraded from 8.9) apparently has shortened the length of each Earth day (by 1.8 microseconds) and shifted the Earth's axis (by 17 cm):
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-080
Californians are concerned whether or not the state's 2 active nuclear power plants are vulnerable to the same sort of chain reaction that has caused such a huge problem in Japan. PG&E runs the plant near San Luis Obispo and they just discovered a previously unknown seismic fault running underneath the nuclear plant in 2008! Southern California Edison runs the nuclear plant in the northern corner of San Diego County (San Onofre) and that plant is also in an active earthquake zone! Both plants were built more than 25 years ago, just like the plant in Japan, with the San Diego county plant built 42 years ago. Southern California Edison says that the plant is safe because it was built to withstand a magnitude 7.0 earthquake and has a 25-foot-high "tsunami wall" (the Japanese quake and tsunami far exceeded those specs)...but if either plant loses power or the ability to cool the plant, it could have a catastrophic effect on the nuclear plants and the closed nuclear plants that still store nuclear waste:
http://www.mercurynews.com/california-earthquakes/ci_17612421?nclick_check=1
The Large Hadron Collider may be the world's first time machine, with the latest theory apparently not violating any laws of physics or experimental constraints. The singlets should have the ability to jump into an extra, 5th dimension where they can move either forward or backward in time and reappear in the future or past. If scientists could control the production of Higgs singlets, they may actually be able to send messages to the past or future!
http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2011/03/hadron-collider-time-machine/
The US Army is deploying the individual gunshot detector this month in Afghanistan. Soldiers will have 4 small sensors and a small display screen attached to their body armor that shows the distance and direction of incoming fire. So, when they are shot at the system will tell them where the shots is coming from:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/34168/Army_Deploying__Individual_Gunshot_Detector_.htm
UAVs are being used by the US to combat drug gangs from Mexico:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/u-s-drones-are-now-sniffing-mexican-drugs/
The DOD is taking a number of steps to prevent future Wikileaks-type postings of classified data. One major change is that 90% of classified computers now will not have the ability to copy data to external devices, and the rest of the classified computers can only write to removable media under strict controls:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/34105/DOD_Takes_Steps_to_Secure_Classified_Data.htm
Poll found that 73% of Americans support permitting women in the military to serve in ground units that engage in close combat. The Pentagon is preparing to review whether women should still be barred from combat units--women frequently engage opposing forces in Iraq and Afghanistan even though the current policy forbids women from serving in combat units:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/7-in-10-americans-support-allowing-women-in-ground-combat/2011/03/16/ABqJ6Be_blog.html
The Obama administration has taken back the $2.4 bil allocated to Florida for high-speed trains and is inviting other states to apply for the money. The bullet train project would have connected Tampa and Orlando, but was rejected by Florida Governor Rick Scott even though a study showed that the train line would have had an operating surplus in its first year of operation (instead of running at a loss like what he said). It sure would be nice for the state of California to get that $2.4 bil...
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/mar/15/florida-loses-24-billion-for-high-speed-trains/#ixzz1GhxOnf7m
The government of India is really tired of the pirates operating in the Indian Ocean, especially since they are getting closer and closer to the Indian coastline--one tanker was attacked only 40 nautical miles off the coast of India. The Indian government is evaluating a plan to authorize armed guards to protect ships flying the Indian flag, similar to how Sky Marshals fly aboard aircraft:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/indian-ships-may-get-armed-anti-pirate-guards/
Article about how people who haven't installed Windows 7 Service Pack 1 yet should probably wait some time before installing SP1 due to the variety of errors (some that Microsoft says they will release fixes for in a month or so) and the slowdown that some SP1 users have reported:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsoft-windows/what-you-need-know-about-windows-7-service-pack-1-699
House Republicans continued their push to block the FCC's net neutrality rules for wireless and wired networks, endorsing a resolution to block the FCC rules from going into effect:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/house-republicans-continue-attack-fccs-net-neutrality-rules/2011-03-16
Nokia teased its push for Symbian-based smartphones for the US market--they plan to sell 150 million more Symbian phones during their transition to the Windows Phone platform, and they have an installed user base of around 200 million Symbian phones today. But why would T-Mobile customers get a new Symbian phone when they know that Nokia is abandoning the platform?
http://www.fiercewireless.com/ctialive/story/nokia-teases-us-symbian-push-ctia-event/2011-03-16
Motorola will release the WiFi-only Xoom Android tablet on March 27, charging the same $599 for its 32 GB tablet that the iPad 2 costs for its 32 GB device. That is notable because Steve Jobs said during the iPad 2 unveiling that Apple's tablet competitors couldn't compete on price and he pointed to the Xoom's $799 price tag for the 3G/4G verision:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/motorola-primes-retail-pump-600-wi-fi-xoom-tablet/2011-03-16
Netflix is going to start getting original programming exclusive to its subscribers, outbidding HBO and AMC for the rights to the series House of Cards. The deal is worth over $100 million, so Netfilx is going after original programming in a big way!
http://www.deadline.com/2011/03/netflix-to-enter-original-programming-with-mega-deal-for-david-fincher-kevin-spacey-drama-series-house-of-cards/
California man paid his $6,500 credit card bill in *pennies* at a Chase branch in Mira Mesa:
http://www.wvec.com/video/featured-videos/Man-pays-6500-credit-card-bill-in-pennies-117997444.html
When trying to get the public to side with the players instead of the owners in the NFL labor dispute, Adrian Peterson should probably avoid saying that working in the NFL is "modern-day slavery"...especially when he signed a $40.5 mil contract after being drafted by Minnesota:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Adrian-Peterson-expresses-frustration-on-labor-i;_ylt=AnEt7w7NlUiwnGeHL7UFjHhDubYF?urn=nfl-wp206#slavery
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-080
Californians are concerned whether or not the state's 2 active nuclear power plants are vulnerable to the same sort of chain reaction that has caused such a huge problem in Japan. PG&E runs the plant near San Luis Obispo and they just discovered a previously unknown seismic fault running underneath the nuclear plant in 2008! Southern California Edison runs the nuclear plant in the northern corner of San Diego County (San Onofre) and that plant is also in an active earthquake zone! Both plants were built more than 25 years ago, just like the plant in Japan, with the San Diego county plant built 42 years ago. Southern California Edison says that the plant is safe because it was built to withstand a magnitude 7.0 earthquake and has a 25-foot-high "tsunami wall" (the Japanese quake and tsunami far exceeded those specs)...but if either plant loses power or the ability to cool the plant, it could have a catastrophic effect on the nuclear plants and the closed nuclear plants that still store nuclear waste:
http://www.mercurynews.com/california-earthquakes/ci_17612421?nclick_check=1
The Large Hadron Collider may be the world's first time machine, with the latest theory apparently not violating any laws of physics or experimental constraints. The singlets should have the ability to jump into an extra, 5th dimension where they can move either forward or backward in time and reappear in the future or past. If scientists could control the production of Higgs singlets, they may actually be able to send messages to the past or future!
http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2011/03/hadron-collider-time-machine/
The US Army is deploying the individual gunshot detector this month in Afghanistan. Soldiers will have 4 small sensors and a small display screen attached to their body armor that shows the distance and direction of incoming fire. So, when they are shot at the system will tell them where the shots is coming from:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/34168/Army_Deploying__Individual_Gunshot_Detector_.htm
UAVs are being used by the US to combat drug gangs from Mexico:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/u-s-drones-are-now-sniffing-mexican-drugs/
The DOD is taking a number of steps to prevent future Wikileaks-type postings of classified data. One major change is that 90% of classified computers now will not have the ability to copy data to external devices, and the rest of the classified computers can only write to removable media under strict controls:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/34105/DOD_Takes_Steps_to_Secure_Classified_Data.htm
Poll found that 73% of Americans support permitting women in the military to serve in ground units that engage in close combat. The Pentagon is preparing to review whether women should still be barred from combat units--women frequently engage opposing forces in Iraq and Afghanistan even though the current policy forbids women from serving in combat units:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/7-in-10-americans-support-allowing-women-in-ground-combat/2011/03/16/ABqJ6Be_blog.html
The Obama administration has taken back the $2.4 bil allocated to Florida for high-speed trains and is inviting other states to apply for the money. The bullet train project would have connected Tampa and Orlando, but was rejected by Florida Governor Rick Scott even though a study showed that the train line would have had an operating surplus in its first year of operation (instead of running at a loss like what he said). It sure would be nice for the state of California to get that $2.4 bil...
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/mar/15/florida-loses-24-billion-for-high-speed-trains/#ixzz1GhxOnf7m
The government of India is really tired of the pirates operating in the Indian Ocean, especially since they are getting closer and closer to the Indian coastline--one tanker was attacked only 40 nautical miles off the coast of India. The Indian government is evaluating a plan to authorize armed guards to protect ships flying the Indian flag, similar to how Sky Marshals fly aboard aircraft:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/indian-ships-may-get-armed-anti-pirate-guards/
Article about how people who haven't installed Windows 7 Service Pack 1 yet should probably wait some time before installing SP1 due to the variety of errors (some that Microsoft says they will release fixes for in a month or so) and the slowdown that some SP1 users have reported:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsoft-windows/what-you-need-know-about-windows-7-service-pack-1-699
House Republicans continued their push to block the FCC's net neutrality rules for wireless and wired networks, endorsing a resolution to block the FCC rules from going into effect:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/house-republicans-continue-attack-fccs-net-neutrality-rules/2011-03-16
Nokia teased its push for Symbian-based smartphones for the US market--they plan to sell 150 million more Symbian phones during their transition to the Windows Phone platform, and they have an installed user base of around 200 million Symbian phones today. But why would T-Mobile customers get a new Symbian phone when they know that Nokia is abandoning the platform?
http://www.fiercewireless.com/ctialive/story/nokia-teases-us-symbian-push-ctia-event/2011-03-16
Motorola will release the WiFi-only Xoom Android tablet on March 27, charging the same $599 for its 32 GB tablet that the iPad 2 costs for its 32 GB device. That is notable because Steve Jobs said during the iPad 2 unveiling that Apple's tablet competitors couldn't compete on price and he pointed to the Xoom's $799 price tag for the 3G/4G verision:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/motorola-primes-retail-pump-600-wi-fi-xoom-tablet/2011-03-16
Netflix is going to start getting original programming exclusive to its subscribers, outbidding HBO and AMC for the rights to the series House of Cards. The deal is worth over $100 million, so Netfilx is going after original programming in a big way!
http://www.deadline.com/2011/03/netflix-to-enter-original-programming-with-mega-deal-for-david-fincher-kevin-spacey-drama-series-house-of-cards/
California man paid his $6,500 credit card bill in *pennies* at a Chase branch in Mira Mesa:
http://www.wvec.com/video/featured-videos/Man-pays-6500-credit-card-bill-in-pennies-117997444.html
When trying to get the public to side with the players instead of the owners in the NFL labor dispute, Adrian Peterson should probably avoid saying that working in the NFL is "modern-day slavery"...especially when he signed a $40.5 mil contract after being drafted by Minnesota:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Adrian-Peterson-expresses-frustration-on-labor-i;_ylt=AnEt7w7NlUiwnGeHL7UFjHhDubYF?urn=nfl-wp206#slavery