Apparently, some senior officials in the US Department of Homeland Security have expressed interest in an electronic bracelet for all airline travellers. It seems pretty handy- it contains your boarding pass and your personal info all in a handy piece of disposable jewelry.

Oh, and it also contains a tiny taser that, when activited, completely immobilizing the wearer. Yes, if the security wonks get their way, we may all soon be wearing tiny shock collars. You can read the letter where Paul S. Ruwaldt of the Science and Technology Directorate, office of Research and Development for Homeland Security expresses interest in the shock bracelet here. And if video is your thing, you can watch a little promo for the pain bracelet.

I respond thus: What the Hell? Sure, one can think of a dozen ways where a shock bracelet would be useful in a hijacking situation. But what price security? I would never knowningly equip myself with a mini-torture device and give someone else the ability to shock me at will. What guarantee do I have they will exercise their power appropriately? Will I get shocked if I ask for extra peanuts? Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Ridiculous. In response to the article on the WaPo, Lampard Less Lethal, Inc., the CANADIAN company that designed the bracelet, posted this little gem:

We believe that all passengers will welcome deliverance from a hijacking, as will the families, carriers, insurance providers etc. The F-16 on the wing-tip is not to reassure the passengers during a hijacking, but rather to shoot them down.

Super! So our choices are being electrocuted or being shot down. Gotta love this brave new world. Thanks to AB for the link.

Looks like no matter what people do, we’re all doomed.

Depressing new research out today that suggests the surprising rate of temperature change in Europe is due to cleaner skies. Without all that lovely pollution hanging about, more of the sun’s radiation can penetrate the atmosphere. And that leads to warming temperatures.  So, the cleaner the sky gets, the faster global warming will go. Cheery. So our choices are asthma or catastrophic climate change.

I’m moving back into the tree. I’ll be dirty, naked and ignorant, but by god, I won’t be making anything worse. Until they prove that being dirty and naked also accelerates global warming. Stupid inconvenient science.

Contrary to the popular adage, it appears there are plentry of atheists in the American military. And they may be facing discrimination.

Army Spc. Jeremy Hall went to war a true believer. But after two tours of duty in Iraq, he no longer has faith in god. Apparently, the army is no place for a non-believer:

His sudden lack of faith, he said, cost him his military career and put his life at risk. Hall said his life was threatened by other troops and the military assigned a full-time bodyguard to protect him out of fear for his safety.

So, Hall is now suing the military. Not for cash, but to ensure atheists receive their constitutional rights to freedom of religion- or lack of religion- while serving in the armed forces. Among Hall’s claims is that the US Army is turning into a de facto Christian organization through the work of evangelical groups like Christian Embassy. And that’s a big problem, considering the whole separation of church and state thing enshrined in the constitution the military ostensibly exists to protect.

I hope Hall is successful. For constitutional and scary “God’s army” reasons, but also to protect a vital principle of our civic lives together: it’s cool if you want to believe in God. But in no way does that give you the right to impose that belief on others.

Disturbing news today- humanity is consuming Gallium, Indium and Hafnium so quickly, we may soon run out. I would be even more disturbed if I had the first clue what we used these things in.

To wikipedia! And may the devil take the hindmost! Or something.

Gallium is apparently used in semiconductors, photovoltaic cells, and some high-temperature thermometers. Indium  is used in liquid crystal displays. And Hafnium is pretty useful in nuclear reactors. All three are classified as ‘poor metals’. I’m no expert at Chemistry, but that seems a little harsh.

So, remember kids: always recycle your Gallium, Indium and Hafnium. If you can find it. Via Kottke.

Last week, the Canadian government reached a deal with Kandahar University to build a three kilometre wall around their campus. The new fortification will improve safety for female students, deter theives and keep nomadic goat herders from camping out in the quad. No fooling. Apparently, the place is almost totally besieged by shepherds.

Also nice to see a bit of old-school flavour to Canada’s reconstruction efforts. Can’t ensure security through military action or public diplomacy? Just build a damn wall. Hell, it worked for the Ming Emperors.

…or you to could experience the joy of an airtanker dropping fire retardant in your backyard.

For more amazing shots, check out The Big Picture

Dubai is not a place for the subtle. Fancy cars, conspicuous wealth, ginormous hotels…and now, the world’s biggest fountain.

The new $281 million water thingy will open in 2009. It will be able to shoot 22,000 gallons of water 450 feet into the air. And, it will have over 6,000 lights and 50 projectors to make it look real purty.

Well, I guess you have to spend your money on something.