This is the first mention of this that I've seen, and it's a good and timely warning. The August earthquake may have damaged more than the National Cathedral and the Washington Monument. Be careful.

Thanks to our friend Nevin Sorik for the heads-up on this new use for old nuclear power plants. Hey, no need to buy the kids those glow sticks after dark!

Thanks, as always, to the very prolific Robert O'Brien for sending us this story about what the brains at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have come up with. This is great stuff and it comes from the campus that did so much of the research on early hydronic systems. M.I.T.? Your turn!

Some more info from Mr. O'Brien. If you're in the plumbing business, you can now forget about all other methods of leaving the building when your time arrives. This one tops them all. And away go troubles, down the drain!

Okay, that didn't take long. Rising to the challenge of what's next in the world of wonder that is M.I.T., they offer us this new development. I'm not worthy!

Thanks to subscriber, Mary Robinson, for sharing this story with us. It involves solar, Google and lots of unanswered questions. Read it and let me know what you think. Thanks, Mary!

I love Chicago, and feel a bit of ownership toward that city, having once completed the Chicago Marathon (not fast, but done). This story is one that's worthy of the late, great columnist Mike Royko. I can just imagine what he would have written.

Here's a new twist on wind power. Green enough for you? Thanks, once again, to Robert O'Brien, who is relentless in his pursuit of interesting stuff. Man after me own heart.