ArsTechnica has an interesting piece about the price of internet service in Kazakhstan, and lemme tell you, it ain’t cheap. Currently, unlimited phone modem service will run you about $111 dollars a month, DSL 1.5Mbps is $3,355 a month, and a 6Mbps cable connection is a whopping $22,032 dollars monthly. (Note to the readers, I can’t even get a 6Mbps connection, not that I’d pay twenty grand for it anyways) Not only are the prices completely insane, but you have only 1, count ‘em, 1 choice for your service provider, Kazakhtelecom, who also reserves the right to block any web addresses it likes as well as reporting you for “unlawful activities of political and economic organizations in creating, disseminating, and using information.” Yikes, that’s one spot officially crossed off the vacation list. Hit the link to Ars for the full story.

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We’ve covered the “active denial” systems on the Unsayable Podcast before, but it appears as though Ratheon Inc. actually has a model ready for production and it is currently being field tested at Moody Air Force base in Georgia. So, what are we talking about here? Basically you have a high voltage power unit, beaming equipment, and a rectangular dish antenna for transmitting the energy. A system like this could be mounted on the back of a humvee, and used to quell nasty rioters and civil disturbers. What is the effect you ask? Let’s get some quote action on here. From the sciam article:

The so-called Active Denial System causes an intense burning sensation causing people to run for cover, but no lasting harm, officials said.

“This is a breakthrough technology that’s going to give our forces a capability they don’t now have,” Theodore Barna, an assistant deputy undersecretary of defense for advanced systems and concepts, told Reuters. “We expect the services to add it to their tool kit. And that could happen as early as 2010.”

Basically what we have here is a big microwave antenna that you can point at people, and instead of heating up your food, it heats up your enemy. Is this good or bad? To be honest, I don’t know.

However, take a look at this guy.

Does he look like he’s having a good time? If they would do this to a journalist who works for Reuters, would they hesitate to use it on you?

I happen to think these these people are the more likely target

I HATE hippies

hit the jump for the full story - SCIAM

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Is anyone surprised? The fact is that most school children who are “net savvy” are more than capable of outsmarting whomever it was who put their proxy filter in place. I’d be willing to bet that a fair number of grown up children are clever enough to outsmart the IT folks at their companies. Should we even bother? You be the judge.

Read the full story:
Kids outsmart Web filters | CNET News.com

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Turns out that being blond is an 11,000 year old mutation that developed simply for, you guessed it, getting laid.

At a time when males were dying out rapidly on hunting expeditions women developed the blond mutation to increase their visual appeal. The Down side is that the blond gene is expected to be extinct in 200 years. Good thing you discovered bleaching ladies.

Read the full story on the BBC

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