"Great, they finally invented the neuronic whip"

I find the implications of the technology described in this article very disturbing. The development of an effective non-lethal crowd control device would lead to the effective ending of public political protest. This paragraph from the article sums up my misgivings:

The development of a truly safe and highly effective nonlethal crowd-control system could raise enormous ethical questions about the state's use of coercive force. If a method such as ADS leads to no lasting injury or harm, authorities may find easier justifications for employing them.

Numb fingers

I have just finished watching season 2 of Weeds. I love this show. I love the funny scary characters and the way the plot has more twists than a snake on acid. Given the theme of the show it seems trite to wonder what the writers are on, but I wonder anyway. Except that right now I am pissed off at the writers. The last episode has a really huge cliffhanger ending. Apart from the intrinsic annoyance that such an ending invokes, don't they know the rule that the bigger the cliff the greater the chance that you will not be picked up for another season. Grrr.