You've got sensitive data on your laptop, or you don't, but either way you don't want customs agents nosing through it. So you encrypt it twice, mail one key to a trusted friend near your destination, shred that key, use your laptop on the flight with the other key, and shred that key just before customs.

At this point, you will not be able to boot your computer. The only key remaining is the one you forgot in Step Three. There's no need to lie to the customs official; you can even show him a copy of this article if he doesn't believe you.

This idea from, who else, Bruce Schneier.

PowerPoint is evil:

Students in the survey gave low marks not just to PowerPoint, but also to all kinds of computer-assisted classroom activities, even interactive exercises in computer labs. "The least boring teaching methods were found to be seminars, practical sessions, and group discussions," said the report. In other words, tech-free classrooms were the most engaging.

Fix the economy by improving the reputation of manual labor.

Seed offers a debate about competing energy technologies. My favorite is from Gwyneth Cravens, the nuclear power advocate:

And as far as pollution goes, 120 million tons of unregulated coal fly ash pours into thousands of American slurry pits each year. It contains toxic heavy metals and enough U-235 to run all of our 104 power reactors. Coal pollution exposes people within 50 miles to low-dose radiation—about 100 to 400 times greater than from a nuclear plant.

But several contributors disagree with her, and they have some good arguments. So make up your own mind.

Caitlin Flanagan on marriage:

There is no other single force causing as much measurable hardship and human misery in this country as the collapse of marriage. It hurts children, it reduces mothers' financial security, and it has landed with particular devastation on those who can bear it least: the nation's underclass.

It's a great article - go read it.