I have a friend leaving for Japan next week. I'm not sure if that's terrible planned-trip timing, or really excellent interesting trip timing.

These before-and-after images are heart-wrenching.

(Grab the blue "handle" and slide the divider back and forth.)

Powerful stuff.

I noticed that there are slight positional differences and was wondering if that is due to the 8' land shift or just normal variations (satellite position, graphic artist variation, etc.)

I find myself wondering what this will mean for the future of nuclear power.

Personally, I think it's a ringing endorsement. While nothing is yet certain, signs right now are pointing to no catastrophic radioactive meltdown. So, in what is arguably as close to worst-case-scenario as you can get for nuclear power, I'd say chalk one up for modern nuclear facility safety. Not such high marks for durability perhaps, but tragic disaster has (thus far) been avoided.

But I suppose not everyone's going to see it that way.

I think the nuclear power industry needs to get their PR people on this right away - Fukushima is older technology, from a design standpoint, and things have only gotten better, right?

GD: In the same vein, I think the quake was a great test for Japanese earthquake-safe building standards. Learning what worked and what didn't, gives us a huge measure of security against our own Big One.

Yup, he was home and being a flake. Jerk.

Erica, has Mima heard anything?

This event has made me not want to be a Japanese farmer

I'm trying to get Chris to chime in about the nuclear issue. He did start his career at SONGS.