The NHTSA is considering changing the classification rules for cars and trucks. If SUVs, minivans, and other weirdo things like the PT Cruiser are reclassified as cars rather than “light trucks”, automakers would likely be required to improve their fuel efficiency under CAFE.
Monkey Crisis! The US is apparently facing a “monkey deficit”; rhesus monkeys (the favorite flavor of mad scientists of all stripes) are getting harder to come by these days. They used to go for $100 a pop in the old days, but India clamped down on the supply in 1978 after they realized that we were using them for nefarious purposes. These days, the street price of a healthy female has ballooned to $6,000 - $14,000. The government is working to ease the pinch with eight federally funded primate centers.Sony finally drops the price of the Playstation 2 to $199; Microsoft expected to follow suit.A bunch of scrappy and creatively-spelled upstarts are competing to provide cheap intra-European fares: Ryanair, easyJet, Go, bmibaby, and buzz.