One of my favorite disability-related blogs was The Gimp Parade. Its proprietor, fellow Minnesotan Kay Olson, always had something interesting to say about her own experiences as a person with a disability, as well as the intersection between disability and feminism. But Kay hasn’t posted anything in over a year and I often wonder if she’s okay. The disability blogging community is a small one and it’s a loss when one of us goes silent. Kay, if you’re reading this, drop me a line so I can convince you to return to blogging.

My employer is back in the news today with the Strib reporting that personal care agencies are still submitting fraudulent claims that are being paid by the Department of Human Services. This news comes about a year after a legislative auditor found numerous instances of fraud committed by PCA agencies. This might seem like a black eye for the agency, but a closer look at the numbers reveals that the paper might be engaged in a little hyperbole. The Strib, according to its own data, looked at 4,000,000 PCA claims. It found about 580 instances of PCA agencies billing for too many hours. That’s an error rate of about .01%. We launch space shuttles under a bigger margin of error. And yet the article’s tone implies that my colleagues are borderline incompetents who can’t do simple math.

Of course, government agencies should do everything within their power to eliminate fraud and abuse. But until PCA services are administered and delivered by robots (sexy, highly compliant robots), the human factor is going to introduce some element of error and fraud. And based on these numbers, government workers are doing a pretty good job of keeping the human factor in check.

I’m not sure if I have any readers in Singapore, but in case I do:

I will totally make it worth your while if you can get me any of the exotically-flavored Pringles pictured above. From left to right, they are Seaweed, Soft-Shell Crab, and Grilled Shrimp. I didn’t know these flavors even existed ten minutes ago, but now I am filled with overwhelming desire to try at least one of these flavors before I die. For some reason, I find the soft pink of the shrimp Pringles can especially alluring.

Make it happen, people.

Ask Metafilter, sister site to the always interesting Metafilter, is one of my favorite sites to peruse when I’m idly surfing. Anyone can ask a question on any topic and other community members will respond with smart, thoughtful answers and opinions. I’ve asked a few questions there myself and I’ve always been impressed with the community’s knowledge and insight. MeFites (as members of the community refer to each other) may have had their finest hour a few days ago when one member posted a question requesting help for a couple friends recently arrived from Russia who may been about to become victims of human trafficking. Within hours, the community mobilized to find resources that could help these women; one Mefiite even went so far as to meet the women when they got off the bus in New York and keep them out of harm’s way. The whole thread makes for gripping reading and is worth checking out. It’s a great illustration of how the Internet can be a force for good and not just a giant repository of porn and cat videos.

A team of scientists have successfully implanted a synthetic genome into a bacterial organism, creating the first synthetic life form. Start buying your surgical masks now because the first rogue superplague should make its debut in the next 12-18 months.

Seriously, this is a major advance, but I’m not sure we’ll be seeing smart vaccines or petroleum-devouring bugs any time soon. It usually takes several years for the gee-whiz laboratory innovations to make their way into the commercial market. But I’m sure the cable news outlets will, over the next few days, gleefully explore how this technology will turn the entire planet into a ball of gray goo.