There’s another competitor in the race to develop a sophisticated hands-free computer interface. While there are already eye-controlled computer interfaces on the market, an eye-controlled laptop is on display at a technology show that’s aimed at the general consumer market. According to the article, the eye interface is designed to complement existing controls. I’m not sure how useful it would be to someone with a severe physical disability, but I’d be interested in knowing more. Perhaps the manufacturer would consider flying me to Germany so I can check it out.

Den of Geek looks at the rise and fall of the Sci Fi–now (gag) Syfy–Channel. The niche network that once aired some pretty great science fiction series (Farscape, Battlestar Galactica) now relies on a heavy rotation of cheesy reality series and wrestling. The few original series that remain on the schedule can be called science fiction only in the loosest sense of the term, much in the same way that Kraft Singles can loosely be called cheese. The blandification of the Sci Fi Channel was probably inevitable, given the brutal economics of cable television and the inherently small audience for true-blue science fiction. The rise of reality TV simply hastened its demise.

It’s not as if geeks have nothing to watch. Quality genre shows like Fringe continue to attract rabid followings (even if the ratings aren’t great). And through the magic of streaming video, we’ll eventually be able to drown ourselves in the cult classics from decades past. But at a time when just about every niche interest has found a home on the entertainment spectrum, it’s a little sad to note that we nerds have to content ourselves with the bones pop culture tosses us.

The owner of the downtown Block E development is proposing to build a high-end casino on the site. The idea probably won’t go anywhere, which suits me just fine. Any plan that takes away the conveniently located movie theater currently located in Block E would be a crushing blow to my weekend entertainment agenda.

The Strib covers Dayton’s proposed cuts to nursing homes and the shock that greeted those cuts among lobbyists for the nursing home industry. Disability advocates would likely be quick to point out that proposed cuts to home and community-based services are much deeper than those targeting facilities and that facilities have escaped previous cuts while HCBS providers have already suffered cuts in recent years. There’s no sign that the two groups are openly squabbling about which group is more deserving of public dollars, but the likelihood of such ugliness can only increase in the coming weeks. These groups would be smart to join forces and seek a fair and equitable solution to the deficit that does minimal harm to both of their interests. But given the sometimes rocky relationship between the two groups in past legislative sessions, any notion of a united front may be a faint hope.

The bigger problem, of course, is the continued institutional bias in Medicaid that is perpetuated by both Republican and Democratic leaders. The fact that nursing facilities employ lots of people and are often the sole drivers of economic prosperity in rural communities has given them political clout, which sometimes overshadows more fundamental questions about whether nursing facilities can provide the best care to people using limited public funds. Maybe they are are still a good investment, but I’m disappointed that the Dayton administration seems unwilling to examine the issue more closely.

It’s become en vogue to bash public workers as spoiled layabouts with overly generous benefits who are out of touch with the hardships facing workers in the private sector. Wisconsin’s newly elected governor, Scott Walker, made a point of loudly criticizing public workers during the election. He and his Republican allies in the state legislature are now on the verge of passing one of the most sweeping pieces of anti-union legislation in recent memory. The bill would, among other things, strip unions of the right to collectively bargain wages and benefits. Opposition to the bill has sparked massive protests in Madison.

Full disclosure: I’m a unionized state worker as well. And I have good friends who are state workers and teachers in Wisconsin. They are smart, hard-working people who are in their chosen professions because of a desire to serve. It’s certainly not because of the money. Public workers can and will make sacrifices to help states balance their budgets. We’ve already made sacrifices in the form of frozen or cut wages and furloughs. But those sacrifices were negotiated then and they should be negotiated now. Walker may claim that he’s trying to create parity between the public and private sectors, but I doubt he and his allies have any plans to make life better for all workers. To strip unions of the basic right to negotiate has little to do with balancing the budget and everything to do with a desire to realize a Randian fantasy where employers are no longer confronted with irksome regulations that protect workers.

If the protests continue, Walker may have to make good on his promise to have the National Guard do the work of state employees. I’m sure they’re well-prepared to process Medicaid applications, inspect housing, and teach geometry.