billso.com

Tech: A research study indicates that it’s difficult to talk and drive at the same time:

A new study, released on Sunday, measured what happened when drivers were sent out into traffic and given a variety of mental tasks to perform. The researchers found that internal distractions — that is, what was going on inside the driver’s head — could impair visual skills while driving as much as external distractions, like a baby crying in the back seat. But they also found big differences in the amount of interference caused by different kinds of mental activities.

Africa: Bush 43 is exploring all options on Liberia. I presume this includes ignoring the problem because Liberia has lots of rubber trees, but there’s no oil to grab or big pipelines to build.

Media: Two actors’ unions failed in their proposed merger bid. After seeing the pictures of Sally Kirkland and Valerie Harper in this story, I can easily see that they and “most actors have found it difficult to deal with rising health care costs and economic uncertainties”. Time isn’t kind.

Mideast: Reflective strips are being used to protect camels. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

Iraq: From the AP, investigators claim the CIA did not exagerrate WMD intelligence data. And just who is leading the investigation?

U.S. intelligence analysts in some cases had little current, reliable information to go on when judging whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, according to a former analyst now heading the government’s internal review of the matter.

Despite pressure from Bush administration officials who were trying to build a case for war, the analysts cataloged some uncertainties about the data in internal intelligence reports and did not exaggerate their findings, Richard Kerr, a retired senior analyst and former deputy director of central intelligence, said in an Associated Press interview.