Headline of the day...

Headline of the day...

Debbie Does Denial on Doobie Deal

From Scott Shackford, writing at Reason...

This is going to revolutionize optics...

This is going to revolutionize optics...  The first applications mentioned are for cameras, but there's much, much more potential.  Any optical device that uses lenses today will be lighter and cheaper using these meta-materials.  Because they're made using silicon, the manufacturing techniques developed for integrated circuits apply – and that means they can be cheaply mass-manufactured.  There are obvious applications not only in cameras, but in telescopes, binoculars, microscopes, and so on.  Furthermore, the light weight enables some further applications, including (especially) in stabilization: light-weight lenses are much easier to move quickly, which is at the core of how image stabilization systems work.

I'd be willing to bet that this development transforms the world of optics as fundamentally as digital cameras have transformed photography...

Quote of the day...

Quote of the day...  From Conor Friedersdorf, writing at The Atlantic:

The power to require permits is the power to prevent something from ever existing.

That short, simple sentence beautifully sums up the prosperity-sapping friction of one kind of government regulation: building permits.  Once the form is defined, one can easily coin the equivalent for any regulatory process.  For instance, my take on professional licensing:

The power to require professional licenses is the power to prevent someone from ever pursuing their chosen career.

Do go read Mr. Friedersdorf's entire piece – it's a peach...