Short Takes – 7-31-23

Harvesting Mechanical Energy From Falling Rain. HackADay.com article. Pull quote: “The hope is for all of these improvements to be combined into a system which could do things like augment existing solar panels, allowing them to additionally gather energy from falling rain drops. We’d expect that the cost of this technology would need to come down considerably in order to be cost-competitive, and be able to scale from a manufacturing point-of-view before we’d see much of this in the real world, but for now at least the research seems fairly promising. But if you’re looking for something you can theoretically use right now, there are all kinds of other ways to generate energy from fairly mundane daily activities.”

CDC detects coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis and herpes at unlicensed California lab. NBCNews.com article. Pull quote: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested the substances and detected at least 20 potentially infectious agents, including coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis and herpes, according to a Health and Human Services letter dated June 6.”

Frustration emerges among GOP spending ‘cardinals’ as conservatives push for cuts. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Adding to the August workload, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) suggested earlier this week that bicameral negotiations could take place over the weeks-long recess as lawmakers stare down the shutdown deadline.” But any negotiations with Senate Democrats will have to result in spending levels higher than those demanded by Republican 11.

Leprosy cases surging in Central Florida: CDC. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “In a news release Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that Central Florida has accounted for 81 percent of reported cases in the state and almost one-fifth of reported cases nationwide.”

Trump attempt to derail Georgia election investigation rejected by judge. ABCNEws.go.com article. Pull quote: “In a caustic footnote, seemingly nodding to Trump's status as the dominant frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination for president despite having been indicted twice already, the judge added, “And for some, being the subject of a criminal investigation can, à la Rumpelstiltskin, be turned into golden political capital, making it seem more providential than problematic.””