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2012

According to the Mayan calendar, the world will come to an end in 2012. Books and movies have been written about how this will happen... asteroid impact, alien invasion, hypervolcanoes, you name it.

Maybe they were just predicting the U.S. economy:

In 2012, every business, including sole-proprietorships, will have to issue a 1099 to anyone from whom it buys $600 worth of goods or services. The IRS’s Tax Advocate Service says, “For example, if a self-employed individual makes numerous small purchases from an office supply store during a calendar year that total at least $600, the individual must issue a Form 1099 to the vendor and the IRS showing the exact amount of total purchases.”

When I try to explain this to business groups, they invariably reply, “No, that can’t possibly be right. You mean if I buy $600 worth of paper from Wal-Mart in the course of a year I have to get their IRS number, the address of the corporate accounting office, send them a 1099 and another copy to the IRS?” Yep. That’s exactly what it means. “What does this have to do with health care? What is wrong with these people?”

I don’t know, but the Tax Advocate Service estimates 40 million businesses will be affected. And no money was appropriated to cover the cost.

Source: Greg Scandlen, Consumer Power Report

Ten Books Everyone Should Read

I was asked to provide a list of ten books that everyone should read. (Not a list of "my ten favorite books" or "the ten best books ever written"... that's hopeless.)

I didn't put as much time into it as I'd like to, since the author is on a deadline, but here's what I came up with. What's your list?

A Step Farther Out by Jerry Pournelle. Straightforward discussions of how technology can help us solve energy crises, cope with environmental disasters, and thrive both on Earth and in space. Almost thirty years old, long out of print, but used copies are readily available.

Radical Evolution by Joel Garreau. What happens when we use technology now on the drawing boards to transform ourselves? What does it mean to be human?

The Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjorn Lomborg. A well-documented and readable examination of many claims of the environmental movement. The mathematical reasoning -- as opposed to the philosophical or emotional underpinnings of many environmentalists -- is critical to understanding the real state of the world.

Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths by Bruce Feiler. An excellent historical overview that's easily accessible to Christians, Jews, Muslims, or those of any faith. Helps us understand that the current problems in the Middle East didn't start in the 20th century.

Alias Shakespeare by Joseph Sobran. A completely convincing argument that, whoever wrote the works of Shakespeare, it wasn't the man from Stratford-upon-Avon... and it convinced me, at least, that Edward de Vere was the likely author.

Truman by David McCullough. An excellent biography of one of the three great presidents of the 20th century (the others being Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan).

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman. An entertaining, funny, and thought-provoking autobiography by the Nobel Prize laureate. Includes his time on the Manhattan Project during World War Two.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. A brilliant novel that chronicles the construction of a (fictional) cathedral in medieval England. Great characterization and detailed historical research by a highly-skilled writer.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein. Arguably the best book by the inarguable best science fiction author of all time.

The Elements of Style by Strunk & White. I'm continually amazed at how many college graduates can't write a coherent well-edited page of text.

Goodbye, Space Program. Hello, Space Industry!

I was planning to write a blog post about the Obama administration's cancellation of NASA's Constellation program, but I found that Michael Mealling has already written it for me! Read it here.

Michael doesn't blog very often, but when he does, he nails it. [Read more...]

Thoughts on the iPad

When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad yesterday, my first thoughts were "Ooooh! Shiny! I want one!"

Then I read the orgy of criticism that washed over the blogosphere last night about all the device's perceived failings and, on mature and considered reflection...

I still want one.

(Maybe two, so I don't have to fight with my wife over it.) [Read more...]

Why a Tablet?

The Apple faithful are all a-twitter about the possibility of Apple introducing a tablet computer at the end of this month. [Read more...]

My Favorite Airport

I'm at Melbourne International Airport (MLB)... the one in Florida, not the one in Australia! And I've been killing a couple of hours with a rain delay. The weather is fine here, but nasty back home in Atlanta.

This is my new favorite airport.

Take a look at the booths in the airport restaurant: Ample space to spread out, easily accessible power outlets in each booth, friendly service, no blaring televisions, and free no-hassle Wi-Fi.

I spent three hours here, ordering a hamburger and tipping the waitress an extra five dollars for occupying the table. (It wasn't crowded, or I would have moved on.) Who needs a Crown Room?

There's a nifty little military aviation museum... only a couple of rooms, but a nice set of exhibits, including a restored Link trainer. (One of my aunts met one of my uncles when she was instructing on these trainers during WW2.) There are models of spacecraft strewn about the terminal, from the Redstone through Apollo to the Shuttle.

Even the bathroom floors have a "space" theme, with Hubble images at the entrance and a galactic mosaic on the floors:

Then you go out to the concourse, through an efficient security checkpoint. (I am continually amazed at how friendly and helpful TSA agents wherever I travel except Atlanta. At ATL, the agents have the demeanor of prison wardens in a bad movie.) And there are more power outlets near tables everywhere, including these little self-contained carrels:

(There are power outlets on the desktop surface, but my angle was wrong, and I didn't realize it until after boarding.)

The only bad thing I can say about Melbourne International is that Delta serves it with the dinky little CRJ jets that are comfortable only for children and hobbits. A guy my size can be crippled by sitting in one of those things for a couple of hours. But that's not the airport's fault!

I don't know who is running this place, but they're doing a darned good job. Can we put them in charge of Hartsfield, please?

An Absurd “Plan”

Another of my letters-to-the-editor that will never be published, so you can read it here. This one was sent to Scientific American regarding their November 2009 issue.

---

In September 2006, you published a special issue on "Energy's Future" with a well-reasoned mix of articles on energy conservation, renewable energy, and nuclear power. I've referred to that issue frequently. It was a quality piece of work on a topic that is frequently demagogued.

Imagine my dismay, therefore, when this month's issue arrived [Read more...]

Music Technology Cluster?

A funny thing happened at the various events last week (VentureAtlanta, Future Media Georgia, and GVU's Demo Day...

I suddenly noticed how many music technology companies have recently sprung up in Georgia! [Read more...]

Back to the Moon?

Forty years after Apollo, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wanted to run a brief pro/con on "Should we go back to the Moon?" They called Georgia Tech. I volunteered to do "No," and Dr. Loewy from our School of Aerospace Engineering volunteered for "Yes." The catch: a tight limit of 150 words. That's hard. [Read more...]

ATDC Open Forum Follow-up

We had two incredible open forum sessions yesterday to discuss the future of ATDC. The Hodges Room was pretty much filled both times, so I suspect nearly 200 people took the time to come down and share their ideas with us. [Read more...]