Alexander Hamilton and Android Phones

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So this article is making the news today: Researchers find backdoor on ZTE Android phones The summary is that "Two mobile phones, developed by Chinese telecommunications device manufacturer ZTE, have been found to carry a hidden backdoor, which can be used to instantly gain root access with a password, that has been hard-coded into the … [Read more...]

Drug Labelling

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I got into a Facebook debate last night with some very smart, well-informed, and well-meaning individuals... but I think they are completely wrong. The trigger event was the FDA voting to remove certain formulations of painkillers from the pharmacy. Here's the link: http://t.co/19CmGb4y. I understand liver failure due to acetaminophen … [Read more...]

Go Get an Asteroid!

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So it appears that a group of billionaires are going to announce the first asteroid mining company tomorrow. (You don't need me to repeat the news here. Visit http://planetaryresources.com and follow their Twitter account @PlanetaryRsrcs.) Buried deep in this site, you might stumble across a Letter to the Editor that the Washington Post … [Read more...]

An Afternoon with Micky Bly

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On a beautiful spring day last week, I was lucky enough to meet Micky Bly, a 1990 Georgia Tech BSME graduate, and the man in charge of the Chevy Volt. His General Motors business card reads, somewhat splendiferously, "Group Global Executive Director, Global Electrical Systems, Infotainment, and Electrification." … [Read more...]

Take the Money

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After my post on the JOBS Act last night, I got an email from a friend with a good question. As I composed an answer, I realized it might be of general interest, so I'm putting it here. … [Read more...]

The JOBS Act

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I was asked to write "a few sentences" about the JOBS Act for another website. Since I found myself with over 500 words, I decided to post it here. In today's political climate, it's hard to believe that a major bipartisan reform has passed both houses of Congress and -- as I type this on Wednesday night -- is scheduled to be signed by the … [Read more...]

Buying a Coal-Powered Car

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I'd read all the news stories about NHTSA-induced fires, laughed at all the jokes, and watched Newt Gingrich claim that "You can't put a gun rack in a Chevy Volt." (Wrong.) But I also read "Car Guys vs. Bean Counters" by Bob Lutz, who knows more about the automobile business than anyone alive... and who proudly declares himself to be the father … [Read more...]

Traffic: What the Heck Do I Want?

Derek Edwards found my ancient post Packets beat Circuits and wrote this response. I replied in his comment stream, but decided to duplicate my comment here on my own blog. … [Read more...]

The “Invest Georgia” Program

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Last week, State Rep. Allen Peake and his co-sponsors dropped HB 718 into the legislative hopper. It's an effort to put state resources into venture capital, and I think it's worth supporting. But, like all bills, the legislation is a little hard to read, so I'm translating it into English here. … [Read more...]

The Green Thing

Received in email, and too good not to post here in its entirety... Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." … [Read more...]