Recently in National Category

UPDATE 2/09: IT'S OFFICIAL.

Looks like Toyota is about to throw the emergency brake on the brake problems the 2010 Prius is experiencing.  "Ouch," say forward-thinking automotive pundits everywhere.

Expect the inevitable overwrought American consumer backlash against anything not .  Hell, with any luck we'll be back to burning whale oil by 2011!

But seriously, I've been wary of the Prius' brake system since its inception.  Not because of any precognitive ability re: the current situation, mind you.  I just think that it's playing with fire to throw too many variables in there with the big damn clamps that keep me from dying.  Academically, I like the idea of reclaiming kinetic energy and channeling it back into a usable form, but not at the risk of screwing up a mission-critical system.  Put some solar cells on the roof or something instead, Toyota. 

As far as I can tell, my misgivings are entirely theoretical in nature, and the issues currently facing the Prius are not related to my loony rants.  Which is a shame, really - risk management consultants make a lot of money.

LORAN-C, the successor to the LOng-RAnge Navigation (get it?) system that your grandfather used to beat back the Japanese during WWII, will be going offline soon, according to this AP report.

Cost concerns are cited as the primary reason for the shutdown, which will begin February 8th and is expected to end with the final LORAN tower going offline by October 8th.  With GPS receivers cheap and the infrastructure pervasive, LORAN is seen as obsolete, and unplugging the system will save an estimated $190 million over five years.

Unless you've been under a rock for the last week, you're probably aware that after a series of dick moves from NBC, Conan O'Brien has finally been cleared to take his ball and go..somewhere else with what appears to be few if any stipulations from the network, leaving The Tonight Show open for a second usurpation by Jay Leno.

If you're unhappy about NBC's decision to strongarm O'Brien out of the spot in favor of the least-funny person in late night, why not let your parental controls do the talking?

(And yes, it's my group.  It's also my blog, so there.)