WHO NEEDS A FURNACE, WHEN YOU’VE GOT computers around? “Thanks to a novel on-chip water-cooling system developed by the company, the thermal energy from a cluster of computer processors can be efficiently recycled to provide hot water for an office, says Bruno Michel, manager of advanced thermal packaging at IBM’s Zurich Research Laboratory, in Switzerland. The goal, he says, is to improve the energy efficiency of large computing clusters and reduce their environmental impact.” Actually, you can see this on a smaller scale in many places — my study is noticeably warmer when all the computers are running. In the winter, that’s a plus. In the summer, not so much.

A NEW TECHNOLOGY for high-speed data transfer.

HERE’S PART II of my interview with The Atlantic. Not sure why they broke it into two parts — it wasn’t that long, really.

A LOOK INSIDE the Vatican’s observatory.

G.M. SALES SKYROCKET, in China.

IN THE MAIL: Dick Morris & Eileen Gann’s Catastrophe. A not very positive take on the Obama presidency.

Plus, from Robert Scheer, The Pornography of Power.

BYRON YORK: Getting to the Bottom of the Americorps IG Firing.

Knoxville, Tennessee. Big Brother is watching you! I’ve seen these things used sensibly in big mall parking lots, where one officer can survey the terrain and direct others to thieves, etc. But in this downtown setting, where sightlines are short, it just takes an officer who might profitably be walking around and puts him in a box where he can’t do anything particularly useful. This is typical of police surveillance efforts in general, I think.

RASMUSSEN: 54% Oppose “Cash for Clunkers” Plan To Spur Purchase of Greener Cars. “Government employees like it more than those who work in the private sector.” Plus this: “Because of the government’s ownership stake in the automakers, most Americans (57%) believe it’s likely the government will pass laws and regulations giving those firms an unfair advantage over other car companies.”

KEITH HENNESSEY: Director Orszag’s 10th year test and the health spending gap.

IS THAT SWAMP DRAINED YET? G.E. Hires Linda Daschle as Lobbyist.

ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTION becomes environmental problem. D’oh!

MORE ON WALPINGATE: Bad Times For Whistleblowers. “As Walpin told me, when any group misuses AmeriCorps money for a political campaign or to get a free car wash, ‘That’s like stealing a welfare check from a single mother.’ And Obamaland thinks he’s confused.”

Remember: Under a Republican President, whistleblowers are brave heroes, standing up for accountability and the rule of law. Under a Democratic President, they’re deranged partisans.

MICHAEL LEDEEN: Lessons learned from events in Iran.

POLL: 9 of 10 Americans Worry About Obama’s Spending Deficits. “90% of Americans are worried to some degree about the exploding federal spending deficit, a galactic number certain to gain politicians’ attention on both sides. And yet to come is the final bill for Obama’s healthcare legislation.”

GOT THOUGHTS ON THE HEALTHCARE PROPOSAL? Call your Senators and Congressperson. (202) 224-3121, or — better — call the local office in your town. Complaining on the Internet isn’t enough . . . .

IF THIS HAPPENED IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, WE’D BE HEARING ABOUT “GREED:” D.C. subway crash: Regulators had warned to replace aging fleet.

AN EVANGELIZING VEGAN: I suppose a literal kick in the ass is impolite.

ANN ALTHOUSE’S BLOG HASN’T UPDATED because it’s stuck.

UPDATE: She’s now posting on her backup blog.

SACRAMENTO BEE: Dan Walters: Pension hike of a decade ago backfires. “A milestone on California’s meandering journey toward fiscal insolvency occurred exactly a decade ago when the Legislature enacted a massive increase in state employee pensions on the expedient assumption that it would cost taxpayers nothing. Although the new pensions would generate almost countless billions of dollars in extra income for retirees in the years ahead, the CalPERS board, dominated by union representatives, told legislators that taxpayers wouldn’t have to bear the load because investment income, which was flowing into the pension trust fund from high-tech stocks, would continue indefinitely.” Shockingly, that turned out not to be the case.

REVIEWING THE REVIEWERS: A roundup of book reviews from all over.

WILLIAM FORSTCHEN, the author of One Second After, talks about the danger of an EMP attack.

JEFFREY GOLDBERG: What Roger Cohen Saw.

IRAN: ‘Don’t Worry. It’s Just One Bullet and It’s Over’.

TEA-PARTY ORGANIZER DAVID KIRKHAM EMAILS: “ABC is going to give Obama an hour long infomercial to promote his utopian vision of socialized medicine. At least ABC has finally admitted to being the All Barack Channel–no surprise there. The All Barak Channel is not even going to allow any opposing views on socialized medicine to be aired–even ones that were paid for. A 912er friend called…time for a rally. Tea Party #6 so far this year!” They’ll be protesting at the ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City Wednesday night at 8. (Here’s the Facebook page). Interesting. Is this sort of thing happening elsewhere?

UPDATE: There will be one in Cincinnati, and one outside ABC studios in New York, according to readers. Let me know of any others.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Also Houston. And Dallas.

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: A reader emails: “The Tea Partiers in Kansas City are holding a protest outside KMBC Channel 9 on Thursday. These folks do a good job.”