Why the USPS is running out of money.

I thought that the USPS was in financial trouble because they’d over-promised pensions. Nope. It turns out that a law passed by Congress in 2006 requires the USPS to save up enough money to pay 100% of their pension obligations for the next 75 years by 2016. That’s unheard of. So why require that? To …

Links for December 25th

New York Times: Climate Scientists Hampered in Study of 2011 Extremes“'I’ve been a meteorologist 30 years and never seen a year that comes close to matching 2011 for the number of astounding, extreme weather events,' Jeffrey Masters, a co-founder of the popular Web site Weather Underground, said last month. 'Looking back in the historical record, …

Links for June 15th

Wikipedia: “A” size illustrationThis is a simple chart demonstrating how “A” sizes of paper (e.g., an A1 sheet is similar in size to an 8.5"x11" sheet) are sized, from A0–A8. It's a golden spiral! I'm really impressed by the elegance of this. USPS Postal Addressing StandardsEver wondered what the proper format is for an address …