HOT5 Daily 5/3/2010

1. "Peace Without the Process" About the best that can be hoped. Excellent article.

Representative Sample: instead of some grand bargain, we should be looking for some way to quarantine the quarrel — some way to de-escalate the issue’s power to do harm.

2. "The world as we knew it passed away" Top 10 things ruined by the internet, and 5 that have thrived.

Representative Sample: What has (and hasn’t) The Internet killed? From sex to Nigeria to Chuck Norris, the Internet has affected them all ~”For some people, the Internet is the killer app — literally.

3. "Yeah, Like Enough Ignorant And Stupid People Don’t Already Vote" Department of bad ideas: mandatory voting.

Representative Sample: In every election there are people that do not vote. Some people stay home because they just cannot be bothered to participate in the process and some simply admit that they don’t know enough to make an educated selection at the ballot box. In the other department, those that do vote, we have people that are educated enough to make an informed decision and, sadly, just a lot of plain old ignorant and down right stupid voters

4. "Arming Container Ships With Anti-Ship Missiles"A really bad idea from the Russians. Naturally they are selling them.

Representative Sample: A Russian firm is marketing a version of the Klub cruise missile that can be carried in a 40 foot shipping container. The launcher and the missile have to slide out of the container before firing, thus limiting where it can be placed on a ship, particularly your typical container ship. But you could get two or three of these shipping container Klubs on most cargo ships, turning the vessel into warship.

5. "Asteroids and Earth: Time for the Space Patrol?" Add this to your list of things to worry about.

Representative Sample: Whatever fell into Jupiter's atmosphere last year was probably a few hundred feet across. As it fell below Jupiter's cloud deck, it heated up - a lot. Then, released the energy it had collected: about as much as you'd get, setting off a few thousand megatons of TNT.

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