Science & Technology

Steve Jobs was born on February 24, 1955 and died last fall. In his short life, he revolutionized the world of personal computing, digital animation, music distribution, and portable computing. Today I pay tribute to Jobs by writing these words on my 24-inch iMac running the state-of-the-art Lion operating system,…

Daniel Wahl reviews If I Die in the Service of Science: The Dramatic Stories of Medical Scientists Who Experimented on Themselves, by Jon Franklin and John Sutherland, MD.

In his latest video, Peter Schiff observes that the government has no right to force any employer—no matter his religion—to provide “free” birth control for his employees. He discusses some of the absurdities that may result if the government assumes this right. And, as usual, Schiff points out that economically-illiterate…

Catholics angry at President Obama over the insurance mandate to cover birth control should blame one organization above all others: the Catholic Church. In 1993, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, declaring health care “a basic human right,” released a statement calling for government-imposed universal health care, based upon the…

“Facebook Inc. filed for an initial public offering [IPO] that could value the company at between $75 billion to $100 billion,” reports the Wall Street Journal. The scope of the company is extraordinary: It “had 483 million daily active users on average in December 2011.” People use Facebook because it…

Why is energy production in the United States subject to so much political oversight? Public News Service reports the latest news about oil shale: “Two competing plans for the development of oil shale in the West are making their way through Washington, D.C.” Both plans involve government-owned lands, and both…

Kodak “will stop making digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames,” the AP reports. “The death of Kodak's camera division is the end of an era for photography,” notes Digital Trends. But, whatever Kodak’s current struggles, those will never overshadow the productive genius of George Eastman, founder of…

Planned Parenthood claims to uphold freedom of choice for women in planning their families and their broader lives. Yet the organization seeks to force people to buy birth-control insurance coverage against their will (whether they use birth control or not). Thus, Planned Parenthood is anti-choice when it comes to people’s…

Conservatives and Catholics have lambasted President Obama over his plan to force insurance providers, including Catholic ones, to cover birth control. Wayne Laugesen explains for the Colorado Springs Gazette: President Barack Obama’s administration finalized orders last week that will force all Americans, with few exceptions, to buy health insurance plans…

Colorado legislators are considering a bill to limit the liability of spaceflight companies. The bill’s sponsor says the measure would recognize “the inherent risks of spaceflight activity,” reports the Denver Post. New Mexico’s legislature also took up legislation to limit the liability of space companies. No doubt abusive litigation in America has…