New drug lets us work harder, longer

File this (which I read on Slashdot) in the "sometimes scientific advances AREN'T advances" department:

Ryan O'Rourke writes "According to a study led by Dr. Sam A. Deadwyler and published by the Public Library of Science Biology, a new drug called CX717 developed by Cortex Pharmaceuticals has been shown to reverse the biological and behavioral effects of sleep deprivation. Tests performed on monkeys that were subjected to 30-36 hours of sleep deprivation revealed an average test performance accuracy drop to 63 percent, but that performance was restored to 84 percent after administering CX717. During normal alert conditions, performance accuracy of the animals was improved from an average of 75 percent to 90 percent after an injection of CX717.

What an awful drug! Who can't see where this will end? With humankind forcing itself to sleep less and work longer just to keep even with the other guy, and nobody being as happy. Even with the drug, I am sure sleeping less than we already do would be bad for our health and sanity. Eventually, a drug won't hold off mother nature, and we'll start falling to pieces.

Good night! I'm going to bed to sleep this bad dream off.

Google to provide free WIFI?

Slashdot reports today that Google might be thinking about providing free WIFI to everybody. One more piece of evidence that Google understands the new information society. By spending the money to provide free WIFI to everyone, they would increase, exponentially, the access people have to Google's services! Plus, what wonderful PR--who won't love Google when you can open up your laptop anywhere and get connected.

I'm crossing all fingers and toes that this idea becomes reality, and doesn't get stalled like the Google Print plan ...