Morning Media Summary

Tech:

Top 10 Tech Disasters That Haven’t Happened… Yet:
“Congratulations: You’ve survived another year, and 2010 was quite an eventful one. For all the technological advances we made his year including iPads and colored e-readers, we still fear the day where our electronics and inventions will rise up against or fail us, rendering the human race extinct. In honor of the book A is for Armageddon by Richard Horne, which is on sale today, we’re counting down the top technological disasters that we feared were going to happen, but never did – although we’re not ruling out the possibility that they still might occur.”

Mich. Man faces charges for reading wife’s email:
“A Rochester Hills man who says he learned of his wife’s affair by reading her e-mail on their computer faces trial Feb. 7 on felony computer misuse charges.”

Hooked on the Internet:
“I finally had to acknowledge that I was helpless in the face of my addiction, which has had me, especially in recent weeks, tapping my e-mail “refresh” button like a lab rat trying to get cocaine.”

Global Warming / Environment / Energy:

End the Ethanol Insanity: Ed Wallace:
“It is now conceivable that the myth of ethanol as the salvation for America’s energy problem is coming to an end. And maybe we always should have known it would wind up in italics, underlined, with the real facts of the damage ethanol can do to gas-powered motors laid out for all to see in a court of law. I say that because this past Monday a group calling itself the Engine Products Group, comprising small-engine manufacturers, automakers, and boat manufacturers, filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to vacate the EPA’s October ruling that using a 15 percent blend of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supplies would not harm 2007 and newer vehicles.”

The Abiding Faith of Warm-ongers:
“Nothing makes fools of more people than trying to predict the weather. Whether in Los Angeles or London, recent predictions have gone crazily awry. Global warming? How about mini ice age?”

Insurance / Gambling:

Online Poker Players Keep Jobs Thanks To Republican Lawmakers:
“Professional online poker players were facing the harsh reality a couple of weeks ago that they may have been unemployed come 2011. Luckily for them, they will still be able to conduct their business in an unregulated industry thanks to Republican lawmakers.”

Health / Safety:

Cold Remedies: How To Stop A Cold In Its Tracks:
“A tickle in your throat. A cloudy head. An achy body. Yep, you’re coming down with something. Again. The average adult gets three colds per year, each lasting an average of nine days, says Jane Sadler, M.D., a family practice physician at Baylor-Garland Hospital in Garland, Texas. But you don’t have to surrender. Here’s how to stop a cold before it takes hold — and feel better by tomorrow.”

Economics:

Stocks set to dip after Chinese rate hike:
“It is the second time in three months that China has taken steps to slow the pace of its economic expansion. Inflation jumped to its highest levels in two years in November. Rising prices have led poor families to spend more than half of their incomes on food.”

Legal:

Woman arrested at ABIA after refusing enhanced pat down:
“Early Wednesday morning, a computer glitch shut down a security checkpoint for a couple of hours at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The line snaked out the door as many travelers waited for more than an hour and some missed their flights. One of the first people in line after that shutdown never made it through. She was arrested and banned from the airport.”

Labor:

Border guards’ union worried about safety:
“The union representing customs agents says the new decision by the Canada Border Services Agency to curtail its involvement in assisting other police forces across the country raises safety issues.”

Transportation/ Land Use:

High-speed rail deal puts Ill. On faster track:
“Several entities involved with the push for high-speed passenger rail in Illinois have spread some extra holiday joy by coming to an agreement about how to proceed with development.”