Brian Gongol
Speeding up radioactive half-life
Scientist thinks he can accelerate the process of nuclear decay
Working for a Communist editor
The curse of Comic Sans
The font family the masses love and designers loathe. Why is it so hated? Because it's a childish font, hard to read at any length, that was designed to solve a Microsoft software problem -- not for anyone to use vigorously (though it is the official typeface of homosexual paramedics). Comic Sans lacks helpful serifs and it's mono-stroked (everything's the same width), which gives the eye no helpful clues about word forms.
What in the world is Congress talking about?
Research project sifts through Congressional Record to figure out the ebb and flow of Congressional attention to issues. According to the results, they yap most about education and the debt, and whatever they start talking about on one day is mostly off the table nine days later.
Tropical Storm Chris is gone
FEMA will test some Katrina trailers for toxic gas
There's suspicion some of the trailers used for temporary housing may be releasing formaldehyde. It's hard to believe people wouldn't be better off with Katrina cottages. The faster people get into permanent housing, the better for everyone involved. The whole idea of rapid-built permanent housing is nothing new at all: Sears sold more than 100,000 mail-order houses between 1908 and 1940.
Iowa Supreme Court upholds criminal HIV-transmission conviction
25-year-old gets big prison term for having unprotected sex with four women without telling them he knew he had HIV
Egypt finds lack of water is its biggest obstacle to growth
MTV turns 25
And nary a worthwhile music video in sight
Text of Fidel Castro's power-handover letter
It's no Lou Gehrig speech
83 to 17