A study has found that routine mistakes are predictable:

Monotonous duties switch our brain to “rest mode”, whether we like it or not, the researchers report in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.

They found mistakes can be predicted up to 30 seconds before we make them, by patterns in our brain activity.

Sounds like an Asimov novel is about to come true.

The team hopes to design an early-warning brain monitor for pilots and others in “critical situations”.

The scientists say the device would be particularly suitable for monotonous jobs where focus is hard to maintain – such as passport and immigration control.

Robots handling passport and immigration control? No, this group predicts that they can help people by forcing their brains to stay alert instead of switching to “autopilot”. I wonder if there is a trade-off in terms of risk or health costs.

“Autopilot would be a better metaphor,” he explains. “We can assume that the tendency to economise task performance leads to an inappropriate reduction of effort, thus causing errors.”

Since this state begins about 30 seconds prior to a mistake being made, it could be possible to design an early-warning system that alerts people to be more focused or more careful, said the researchers.

Alternatively, maybe human jobs could be made less monotonous so that the brain is not tempted to economize? What if, for example, people were rotated and given shorter shifts, with more breaks?

The AP reports that the US Army has this year enlisted nearly double the number of convicted felons as last year. The Pentagon is said to believe that a “thorough” review can overturn prior convictions:

For example, in several of the Marine sex crime cases, the offender was a teenager involved in consensual sex with another underage teen. In one Army case, a 13-year-old who threw a match into his school locker was charged with arson and had to receive a felony waiver six years later.

“Waivers are used judiciously and granted only after a thorough review,” said Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington.

He added that “low unemployment, a protracted war on terror, a decline in propensity to serve,” and the growing reluctance of parents, teachers and other adults to recommend young people go into the military, has made recruiting a challenge.

Who would have thought the Army would be leading the way in consensual sex rights? I mean what if it had been same sex? Something tells me in that case they might say rules are rules.

Ok, so a kid threw a match into a locker. The question is what flammable or explosive material was in the locker. I don’t think you can judge such a situation on the lighting mechanism alone, can you?

I understand most of the reasons for recruiting challenges that are mentioned, and they are certainly hard to measure, but does he really mean to say unemployment is low? A quick check of the “Employment Situation Summary” at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests high unemployment:

The number of unemployed persons increased by 434,000 to 7.8 million in March, and the unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage point to 5.1 percent. Since March 2007, the number of unemployed persons has increased by 1.1 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 0.7 percentage point.

The unemployment low in the US was around 3.5% in 2000, according to the Sacramento Forecast Project but now it is clearly trending above 5%. Kennedy once said that full employment is 4%, but I just don’t see what the Pentagon spokesman is pointing towards.

Leave it to The Onion – America’s Finest News Source to bring you the latest developments in gun culture:

Florida legislators passed a bill allowing citizens to bring their guns to work. Here are some of the other pro-gun laws enacted recently.

Alaska—Members of endangered species now permitted to carry concealed firearms for self-protection Louisiana—Now legal for residents to shoot at hurricanes

Minnesota—Any resident may fire a single shot every five years, or when Vikings win

Idaho—You can have a gun, or a grenade, but not both

Virginia—Non-gun-owning residents must apply for a permit to not own and operate a firearm Gun

New York—Guest stars on Law & Order may bring their own guns to the set

Kansas—Children as young as 8 can bring guns to school on the condition that there’s no funny business

Texas—That huge cattle gun used by Javier Bardem’s character in No Country For Old Men now legally available at Fiesta Mart grocery stores

Hard to pick a favorite. The commentary on Minnesota sports is a low blow, but I think the Virginia joke takes the cake. The only thing better would have been if they had been able to work in a term like “whitelist” or “macaque”.