"For example, when we started, 87 per cent of the owners said 'range anxiety' — a concern that the car would run out of power and strand them — was their biggest concern about an electric car. "Now that they have some real-world experience with (the 135 km range of ) the car, they know how far (or, actually, how little) they drive, where they can recharge, and so on. (Now) only 17 per cent still have that concern."
—Jim Kenzie, "First electric Smarts arrive in America," The Toronto Star, June 18, 2010

But there's something about the precision of a DNA test that can make people believe that chemistry is destiny—that it holds dark, implacable secrets. This is why genetic information is sometimes described as "toxic knowledge": Giving people direct access to their genetic information, in the words of Stanford bioethicist Hank Greely, is out and out "reckless."
—Thomas Goetz, "Sergey Brin's Search for a Parkinson's Cure," Wired, June 22, 2010

Data stored in digital photographs can help criminals locate individuals and plot real-world crimes, a practice two researchers called "cybercasing" in a recently published paper. The site Pleaserobme.com was one of the first to expose the problem by displaying tweets tagged with location information, although it has since stopped the practice.
—Niraj Chokshi, "How Tech-Savvy Thieves Could 'Cybercase' Your House," The Atlantic, July 22, 2010

Wonder how the Bush administration arranged for the destruction of the World Trade Center? Curious why the government planes are releasing toxic chemtrails into our atmosphere? Step right up, because for a record 26 days, KPFK-FM (90.7) not only provided answers but offered to hook you up with that sweet DVD set, unveiling the fuller, darker truth.
—James Rainey, "Schism at KPFK leaves factions warring over programming, fundraising and leadership," Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2010

One common bug that researchers have turned up is staphylococcus aureus, a classic causer of food poisoning, signs of which include nausea and diarrhea. Accordingly, stomach sicknesses caught from computer equipment have been dubbed "qwerty tummy" after the "Q-W-E-R-T-Y" keys on a keyboard.
—"Your keyboard can give you food poisoning," MSNBC.com, July 2, 2010

Heading into one of the most important climate-change summits ever, global warming has an image problem. For the first time in 25 years, a majority of Americans rank economic concerns above environmental ones, a major poll shows. People also are exhibiting signs of what some environmental experts call "apocalypse fatigue."
—Mike Lee, "Climate-change skeptics getting warmed up," The San Diego Union-Tribune, December 6, 2009

But what about people who rape and murder — should we feel empathy for them? Should they be allowed to argue in court that their brains made them do it? Enter the new world of "neurolaw" — in which neuroscience is used as evidence in the courtroom.
—Barbara Bradley Hagerty, "A Neuroscientist Uncovers A Dark Secret," NPR, June 29, 2010

A growing number of eclipse-chasers, or umbraphiles, as they are also called, travel to the corners of the earth specifically to see total solar eclipses, and tour operators have sprung up to get them there. Beyond providing the thrill of standing on the moon's shadow, or umbra, an eclipse is often the centerpiece of a travel adventure in exotic climes.
—Christina Koukkos, "Eclipse Chasing, in Pursuit of Total Awe," The New York Times, May 17, 2009

If you don't have the time or the money for vacation this summer, maybe you can spare a few hours for a daycation. Somewhere between the staycations of 2008 and the naycations of last year there's the daycation trend of 2010.
—Christopher Elliott, "6 tips for taking a summer daycation," MSNBC.com, July 6, 2010

Approaching his tkday — or 10,000th day on Earth — Horne decided he wanted to leave a permanent mark on history, and as a lover of language and devout Countdown fan, he decided that the best way to do that would be to get a new word into the dictionary.
—Steve Bennett, "Wordwatching by Alex Horne," Chortle, January 14, 2010

In court papers, the FDA said it considers the devices, also known as e-cigarettes, to be unapproved drug-delivery gadgets. e-cigarettes are the size of regular cigarettes and deliver a vaporized nicotine mixture to users. It contends that e-cigarettes are not traditional tobacco products and that the products promise, among other things, to "alleviate nicotine withdrawal symptoms." The FDA compares the devices to nicotine gum, which it regulates because suppliers promote the gum's ability to help people kick smoking habits. FDA officials are also concerned that e-cigarettes could increase nicotine addiction and tobacco use by children.
—Del Quentin and Lyndsey Layton, "FDA can't block importing of 'electronic cigarettes'," The Washington Post, January 15, 2010

The question your editorial board should be asking is not, "Is it safe to 'vape' ?" You should be asking, "Is it safer to continue smoking tobacco cigarettes?"
—Elaine Keller, "'Vaping' is safer than smoking," USA Today, November 10, 2009