INTERESTING TIMES

This might end up being important:

Under the deal announced Friday, Verizon will pay $3.6 billion to Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House Networks to use a swath of cellphone airwaves that the cable giants own but do not use. That would cement Verizon’s status as the dominant wireless carrier and give it access to valuable spectrum at a time when its primary rival — AT&T — is struggling to expand its network through a controversial proposed merger with T-Mobile.

The rest of the story on the Washington Post

I'm between an iphone and a cheap prepaid phone. I now have an LG. I could live without texting though it is cool. My finances are uncertain, so it is tempting to live on the cheap to sustain. On the other hand, it is tempting to get the tools that are likely to make me most successful, and the iphone could be one of those tools. What say you?
( notes on what you guys say will accumulate )

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2009/06/please_dont_text_me.html?sc=fb&cc=fp

I was pleased to find that I am not the only one who doesn't want to pay extra for the ability to text, and doesn't appreciate the fact that if someone texts me (regardless of my desires) I get charged for it.

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/multimedia/2008/12/gallery_microscope_phone
detects HIV, malaria, etc

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/health/03well.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1213909270-opP/M8RsqLT1tFiNFQ/cmQ

It turns out the type of cancer caused by cell phones is a glioma. Glia are the support cells of the CNS. I am definitely cancelling my cell phone contract this August, and switching to a land line.

I've posted before about the recent dramatic reduction in bee populations across the North American continent. It has spread to Europe, now. I love to eat honey, and the folks at the market tell me every time I buy it that the prices are going to increase. The loss of bees is bad for all agriculture, though, because they are major pollinators. The loss of bees is probably bad for all living things, it is a disruption of equilibrium which will have unforseeable cascading effects. One of the most predictable effects: food shortages.

"The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast." in October, 2006.

Here's the NPR story on the loss of bees from 10/06:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6299480

This one explains why scientists think cell phones could be responsible for CCD, colony collapse disorder:
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/wildlife/article2449968.ece

The mercenary in me asks the question: what should I invest in based on this trend?

On NPR this morning, a report says that in 2001 16% of US drivers surveyed said their next vehicle would have a manual transmission. That percentage has fallen, in spite of the fact that standard transmissions are 10-15% more fuel efficient than automatics. One commenter noted that teenagers don't want stick shifts because "they can't talk on their cell phones and drink their starbucks" while they drive. YIKES!! It is cell phone talking idiots who most often fail to notice me riding my bike wearing bright colors in full view. The report noted that many people don't know HOW to drive a stick anymore. Just like most people don't know how to grow food anymore. When the shit hits the fan in this country, it is going to be UGLY. Ignorance of basic life skills is rampant, but we all know how to use a cell phone while driving.