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Ebola is back
Almost 1,000 people have gotten it (in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone), and the majority are now dead. This is a very serious problem.

"No wonder the government can't find needles in the haystack -- it keeps storing irrelevant hay"
The same government that can lose all kinds of e-mails from high-level IRS officials somehow manages to keep incredible amounts of data on airline passengers

Cisco wireless routers need updates to prevent crooks from breaking in

Beating cancer is going to take a lot of genetic research
Salk Institute scientists think they've found a gene that signals a cell to stop moving...and when that gene is turned off, it permits the cell to move freely -- which is what causes cancer metastasis.



Even computer companies aren't immune to layoffs
Microsoft is laying off 18,000 people over the next year. Some think the company's internal announcement could have used a little more direct language.

"South Park" cuts a deal with Hulu
There's no better draw than great content. But great content is hard to create.

Wait -- is the Weather Channel getting back to science?
Their new show "Weather Geeks" is being spun as a show for the real science fiends out there. It's to be hosted by a university professor.

Self-driving cars are coming, and it's time to consider the implications
One writer came up with a list of 17 things that could change. There are undoubtedly many, many more.



Weird Al Yankovic: "Word Crimes"
(Video) One of his best pieces of work, and that's saying something

Chicago Tribune puts most of its archives online
Everything from 1847 to 1991 is now available.



How the Obama Administration tracks sentiment on Twitter
A staffer is assigned to carefully track what press corps reporters are saying in addition to their conventionally published reports



Iowa data centers play a central role in Microsoft's cloud-computing strategy
They're big investments in equipment with a small impact on the labor market, which is exactly the kind of thing a company like Microsoft is wise to invest in.

The continued saga of the Midwest's skilled-worker shortage
A dispatch from Omaha



Amazon to try dragging FAA into the drone era



Smartphone memories don't really get fully wiped


Yellowstone is an active seismic area
And a hot spot is melting an asphalt road. We ignore the hazards beneath the magnificent national park at our own peril.

New neighbors don't like Iowa City drum circle
Someone call Eric Cartman, hippie exterminator



More machines means fewer low-skill jobs
It's an ongoing development (one that's been underway for generations), but we only tend to notice it when there are periodic down-cycles in the economy...and we've recently been through one of those. The challenge is to think and act upon ways to accommodate the inevitable during the up-cycle, when we have the available surplus resources to invest.

Wrigley Field slated for half-billion-dollar renovation
New bullpens, more signs

Interesting: UPS uses a lot more rail freight than you might expect


New "Homestar Runner" material is on the way


Your relationship with Facebook is not one of equals




Neil DeGrasse Tyson: I'm not worried about the kids
(Video) In an unscripted moment, the public face of astronomy points out that it's adults who have the stupid beliefs, not kids

The Federal Reserve is cutting off its bond-buying program in October
At least, that's the current plan. That may be a rather abrupt stop for a lot of people who aren't expecting it.

2014 reading list -- a mid-year progress update

Tornado warnings mean take cover immediately
Some people in Grundy County barely escaped serious injury because they didn't have time to fully react. Related: Public tornado shelters may be on the verge of becoming a widespread thing.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune to lose a lot of staff veterans in ownership change
Meanwhile, speculation has it that News Corp. is looking at buying the Tribune newspapers.

The legend of the "tavern" sandwich




How many direct subordinates is too many?


Chicago needs to get its act together
An absurdly violent holiday weekend should have people saying that enough is enough

Uber's effect on the market for New York City taxi medallions


The Panama Canal may just get a competitor in Nicaragua


Ideology divides the House from the Senate
Of course, the practice of catering to interest groups is neither new nor avoidable, but its results may cause us to need to push the "reset" button



Target Field rolls out self-service beer stations
Just one more amony many small signs that the era of low-skill jobs for humans is over

Google's take on artificial intelligence


Video of the tornado in Newton


Train derailment lands 737 fuselages in a river


A Kickstarter campaign for a bowl of potato salad




June 29 to July 5, 2014
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June 1 to June 7, 2014
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April 27 to May 3, 2014
April 20 to April 26, 2014
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March 30 to April 5, 2014
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March 16 to March 22, 2014
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March 2 to March 8, 2014
February 23 to March 1, 2014
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January 26 to February 1, 2014
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January 5 to January 11, 2014
January 1 to January 4, 2014

Fourth quarter 2013
Third quarter 2013
Second quarter 2013
First quarter 2013

Fourth quarter 2012
Third quarter 2012
Second quarter 2012
First quarter 2012



Archives (2001 to present)

Comments or questions? Contact Brian Gongol