I missed this one from SNL, but it's a goodie. Robert Smigel's "TV Funhouse" has some "fun with real-audio."

It's funny because it's depressing. It's funny and depressing!

MyDD has the details, but basically there's a new bill to restore Net Neutrality provisions which will serve the same function as the amendment which was previously defeated. It just passed committee with good bipartisan support.

The lobby efforts of individuals is having a definite impact here, as it's harder and harder for Reps to ignore the fact that the only people who want Net Neutrality gone are big telcos. Everyone else (literally, from MoveOn to the Christian Coalition to Lawrence Lessig to Gleynn Reynolds) is in favor of keeping physical network owners from discriminating about which TCP/IP bits they pass around.

Looks like the good guys may win this one, but it's far from a done deal at this point.

Bioengineering is hot. Scientists are looking at how to get bacteria to make electricity, which could open up some very interesting solutions to the 21st Centiry energy crunch.

Bacteria that convert hydrocarbons into power will still vent CO₂ of course, but it would be a hell of a lot more efficient than burning the hydrocarbons and trying to capture that heat to boil water to spin a big magnet around to make electricity.

The real mojo would be if someone started engineering a way to get juice from photosynthesis. Biologically-captured solar power is where we get most of our energy (food, oil/coal/natural gas) from anyway. Theoretically it should be possible, but it's a whole different thing to work with plantlife as opposed to bacteria.

Connelly is bloggin' again.