The Mandelbear's Musings

Dyson's CR01 Contrarotating Double-Drum Washing Machine - Gizmodo

Dyson, masters of the cyclonic vacuum cleaners are taking on the task of washing out your dirty laundry. The contrarotating, or rotating in an opposite manner, design uses two drums to get clothes cleaner, by "flexing" fabrics more. Sounds like its rough on the delicates, but we're not laundry men, so what do we know?

The drums have about 5,000 perforations, while most have about a 1,000, presumably to get better water flow during a cycle. And the front door is made from polycarbonate plastic, hard and light enough to be used in riot gear shields. There's also a pull out handle for moving it around. Which is cool, but really useless at the same time. Who moves a washer? Never mind the gripes, though. We just like it because its freaking purple. –Brian Lam

Senate gives final approval to detainee bill - Yahoo! News

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania said the right to challenge one's detention was fundamental in American law, and the Supreme Court would reject the plan if it were stripped.

"This is wrong. It is unconstitutional. It is un-American," said Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the committee's top Democrat. He said it was intended to choke off access to Guantanamo to "ensure that the Bush-Cheney administration will never again be embarrassed by a United States Supreme Court decision reviewing its unlawful abuses of power."
[...]
"This bill gives an administration that lobbied for torture exactly what it wanted," said Sen. John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat.

Additional comments by ravan [here], filkertom [here], kyburg [here], and Wil Wheaton