News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
Due to the massive increase in the price of gasoline, the Internal Revenue Service has raised the standard mileage deduction. As of July 1st, it is $0.585 per mile instead of $0.505. The new rate applies to travel performed from July 1st to the end of the year. Note that the old rate still applies from January 1st to June 30th, 2008.
Link: http://www.irs.gov/…
(via The Consumerist)
The linked article lists the top 10 most common passwords. I remember that, some time ago, there was a virus that used a dictionary attack, with only a few hundred common passwords. Despite the limited number, it was surprisingly successful.
It’s a situation I’ve read about in at least two science fiction books. You’re kidnapped by aliens and transported away from Earth. You heroically manage to win your freedom but then tragically realize you have no idea where Earth is. (Given a map of the Milky Way Galaxy, I defy you to point out the general location of Earth. Can’t do it, can you?) And it gets worse—for all you know they may have taken you to a totally different galaxy. Well fear not, intrepid Chad’s News reader. Should this happen, all you’ll have to do is whip out your “Location Earth Dog Tag” and you’ll be back home before you know it. There’s even a guarantee: “Should you ever be abducted by aliens while wearing Location Earth Dog Tags and not returned safely to Earth you will be entitled to a full refund of the purchase price.”
Link: http://www.earthbounddog.com/
(via Daily Illuminator)
Update: After doing some investigating, it turns out the dog tag is missing some crucial information. There is supposed to be binary information along the pulsar lines, indicating the periods of the pulsars. Looking at the picture of the dog tag, I don’t see that data. Additionally, even if the binary numbers existed, they specify the period as a multiple of the hyperfine transition period of hydrogen (the spin-flip frequency). That fact isn’t included on the dog tag either. Sigh…
A woman got belligerent and physically violent on a JetBlue flight, causing it to be diverted so she could be de-planed and arrested. She claims that she was in an alcohol-induced blackout and doesn’t remember the incident.
Link: http://www.examiner.com/…
(via The Consumerist)
Web designers have long known better than to use the annoying tag (or even its CSS counterpart). But there are some not-so-good designers who seem to consider the <BLINK> tag to be an elegant and forceful statement. Fortunately the linked article tells how to configure Firefox such that blinking text is disabled.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
The linked article describes various ways to safely clean LCD monitor screens. It was written in response to a situation where grandkids used permanent markers to draw on a monitor.
Link: http://www.komando.com/…
Should you ever get into trouble with the MPAA or RIAA for illegally downloading copyrighted movies/music, the linked article will be very helpful.
Link: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/…
(via Slashdot)
Researchers have discovered that people who put bumper stickers on their cars, regardless of topic, tend to drive more aggressively and use their vehicles to express rage. This also applies to decals and personalized license plates
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/…
(via digg)
Chad’s News has previously discussed compact fluorescent lightbulbs, but this 5-minute speech by US Representative Ted Poe provides an interesting counterpoint (as well as a political statement on government regulatory authority). Personally, I think my CFLs will hold out until LED lightbulbs are ready—I’ve lived at my current address for 2½ years and have had only one CFL burn out.
Link: http://youtube.com/…
(via Presurfer)
The linked article contains the short history of New Coke. Interestingly enough, the whole debacle ended up raising Coke’s market share.
Here at the Chad’s News network command center, we plan to continue using Windows XP for a long, long time. But we recognize that some people have purchased new equipment and are pretty much forced to use Windows Vista. The linked article has some nice tips for making Vista less annoying.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
In an update to this Chad’s News article, the researchers at LS9 have made some significant advances with their genetically-engineered bacteria that create gasoline, especially in terms of what can be used as raw materials. From the article: “The company is not interested in using corn as feedstock … instead, different types of agricultural waste will be used according to whatever makes sense for the local climate and economy: wheat straw in California, for example, or woodchips in the South.”
Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/…
(via Engadget)
