Stuff I notice, stuff that happens, you never know...
For those of you who haven't read Executive Orders, the main plot of the book involves Islamic terrorists conducting biological warfare on the United States using the Ebola virus. Near the beginning of the book, the terrorists purchase a consignment of rhesus monkeys in order to 'grow' the virus.
Today, in the real world: Serbia is missing 600 lab monkeys, originally intended for polio vaccine testing.
You are now free to panic.
I was riding in my friend's Jetta the other day and noticed badges all over the car marking where all the various airbags were. It occured to me that repair costs for cars that may have only been in minor accidents are probably increasing at an alarming rate, given that airbags and their associated electronics must be replaced every time they are deployed. A few days later, I came across this article.
It's not just airbags, either. More cars are using metals other than steel (such as aluminum and magnesium). Most body shops aren't qualified to reform and repair aluminum frames or body panels, and magnesium is simply too brittle to be reformed. Parts like HID headlamps and LED taillights are more expensive to replace when they break. These rising costs are causing insurance companies not only to raise premiums, but also to total cars with minor damage simply because it's too costly to buy the needed parts or pay for the labor. The next time you get into a fender-bender in a parking lot, your insurance company may simply pay you to junk the car.
OK, this one is wierd... The Austrailian airline Qantas has launched a new domestic low-fares airline called JetStar Airways. Unfortunately, the name JetStar was already in use by an American airline called JetStar International. This company has now sued the Austrailian airline for copyright infringement (among other things).
Here's the strange part, though. JetStar International isn't a real airline at all... it's a fake airline that exists only in the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Seriously. Try buying airline tickets from their site... it sends you to Expedia.
I wonder if MS Flight Sim predate's Ultima Online as the first online MMORPG. Probably not, since it wasn't an online multiplayer game at the time... but an interesting thought, nonetheless.
