Overcoming Lego Bias

Lego has been christened the most popular toy ever made, despite -- or maybe because of -- its bias toward males over females in its Minifigures. But Lego has at least one other bias: the company produces a full line of Star Wars sets, but not a single set for Star Trek fans. So, in the spirit of creative misuse, one boy has set about converting his Star Wars Legos into Star Trek figures, with the end products chronicled here. (HT: BoingBoing)

Never Pay a Speeding Ticket Again?

Photo: alicegop
A couple weeks ago, I became briefly fascinated and somewhat appalled by the appearance of a new Internet business that offered a sort of insurance against speeding tickets. In return for an annual fee of $169, ticketfree.org promised to reimburse you for the costs of up to $500 in moving violations. Its webpage enthused:


We don

"The Donors Are Taking the Place of the State"

A group of 40 American billionaires, led by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, has

Will Your Kids Be Better Off Than You?

Gary Becker and Richard Posner debate a timeless question: Will the next generation be better off than their parents

Biden's Prediction: Inside Information or Pure Bluster?

Vice President Joe Biden, quoted in the Times a few days ago: