Remember Fukushima?

Take a few minutes to peruse an excellent, in-depth analysis of the ongoing Fukushima nuclear plant accident.

Here’s a quick quote from the piece, which interviews nuclear expert Arnold Gundersen:

If there’s any good news from Fukushima it’s that the wind was blowing offshore most of the time. If the wind was blowing onshore, Japan would be cut in half. There would be an uninhabitable zone going right across the island if the wind was blowing the other way.

Several more detailed stories about Japan’s recovery efforts can be found here.

Amazon Introducing Library Lending to Kindle

Here’s a nicely written, detailed piece from the LA Times about Amazon’s plans to make Kindle books “loanable” through public libraries.

The inability to borrow Kindle books from the local library has kept several of my friends from purchasing Kindles, opting to buy a Barnes & Noble Nook instead (much to my dismay and their ultimate disappointment).

Now, with Borders in bankruptcy and the future of conventional booksellers in question, Amazon (the world’s largest online retailer) has stepped up to the plate, listened to customer demand, and is in the process of creating a library lending program.

Go Amazon!