Free Republic

The rancor over the coming insolvency of Social Security portends a future in which the secure will be those who exercised personal responsibility in saving for retirement. So it's disheartening to read that 45 percent of employees who change jobs cash out their 401(k)s, despite having to forfeit 30 percent to the government for taxes and penalties. Among them are more than three in 10 workers in their 50s who unless they plan on working into their 70s will need all the money they can put their hands on to supplement their meager Social Security pensions. This is a poor...

With afternoon temperatures frequently pushing the triple-digit mark, many law-enforcement officers dread donning their cumbersome gear, especially their bulky bulletproof vests. Some of those saddled with the lifesaving gear must contend with an additional problem created by the extreme heat: sweaty fur.

High speed actuators enable the robot’s fingers to move through 180 degrees in 0.1 second (Image: Akio Namiki/University of Tokyo) If robots are to inherit the Earth, then they should at least be able to catch. So say the researchers behind a bot that can match the most skilled human baseball player faced with a hurtling ball. The robotic catcher, developed by scientists at the University of Tokyo, Japan, can comfortably grab a ball careering through the air at 300 kilometres per hour, or 83 metres per second, its creators say. And, of course, the robot never gets tired...