Lazy Linking, Fourteenth in an Occasional Series

What I've liked on the Internets lately:

* I'm telling you, every part of Minority Report is going to come true - now we can do mass retinal scans.

* Megan McArdle's quote of an old saw - "recessions uncover what auditors can't" - reminds me that downturns represent opportunities for organizations to get things right, and let's hope that applies to countries as well.

* I like "Race to the Top" because it brings out the competitive spirit in the very best of education innovators at the district and state level; David Brooks likes it because it's a sensible, locally respecting approach to the federal role of education.

* I learned from reading "The Green Book" this weekend that every time I flush the toilet or take a two-minute shower, I've just used as much water as the average African person has available in a day.

* Who knew that two-thirds of city grids in the US don't face straight north? Thanks to my blogger friend over at Discovering Urbanism, we all know now.

* Ryan Avent is as tired as I am of the notion that raising the gas tax is a non-starter, given how effective it would be at remedying present environmental and land use inefficiencies, and in a simple manner.

* No surprise here, given how entitled we all are about health care and how much older our population is getting, but it's still useful to walk through a good fiscal analysis by none other than the director of the Congressional Budget Office, which reaches the conclusion that there does not appear to be any cost curve "bending" possible.

* Think buying a Prius is eco-friendly? Since it costs energy to build it, you're better off buying a used car; even with a significant per-mile energy efficiency advantage, the Prius will have to be driven over 129,000 miles before it's a better move than driving a 1998 Tercel.

* I've been railing about how California's primary system encourages extremism, so I am happy to hear voters there will get a chance via Proposition 14 to implement Washington State style primaries and reward moderate positions from both parties, and even happier to hear polling suggests it will pass.