All Posts Tagged With: "23"

If this round-up were any juicier, you’d totally stick a fork in it…

1. It is long overdue to retire this policy. Gay soldiers should not be held to a higher standard than straight soldiers who are free to date who they like and not conceal their attractions. It is the gay soldier who is expected to keep their mouth shut and their pants zipped, for fear of losing their job. The military does not have room for discrimination, particularly if they hope to continue with war without end in the Middle East.

KOAA.com - Lawmakers reconsider military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy
Tauscher is convinced it’s time to allow gays in the military to be open about their sexuality, and she’s not alone. Three-fourths of those surveyed in a Washington Post-ABC News poll over the weekend said openly gay people should be allowed to serve. That’s up from 62 percent in early 2001 and 44 percent in 1993.

2. Even relying on some resource other than coal or oil to produce our energy needs is going to come with a very steep price tag.

CNN.com: Wind power: A reality check

One of the big challenges with using wind to replace natural gas is that, unlike the steady flame from natural gas, the wind doesn’t blow all the time.

To make sure enough power is available when the wind isn’t blowing, backup generators would be needed, said Paul Fremont, an electric-utility analyst at the investment bank Jefferies & Co.

That could mean maintaining those natural gas plants in case of emergency, or implementing even more novel ideas like systems in Europe that use excess wind electricity to pump water uphill when the wind is blowing, then release it through hydro dams when the wind stops.

Either way, any type of backup system comes with a price.

3. Sorry, guys. It won’t fit in your wallet. But, on the upside, it will be a perfect fit (that is, if it ever gets mass produced…).

Cool Hunting: Spray-On Condom
While most technologies advanced by leaps and bounds in recent decades, condom design has been relatively static for the last century or so. One visionary German scientist is working to change that. Jan Vinzenz Krause has spent recent years trying to make the world’s most common prophylactic available in spray-on form. The technology’s draw, according to Krause (pictured), is that conventional condoms often don’t fit penises of varying sizes (also pictured, sort of).