• The Defense Department still uses 1980s-era 8-inch floppy disks on computer systems that handle part of America's "nuclear umbrella," including ballistic missiles. Also, according to a May report by the Government Accountability Office, systems using 1970s-era COBOL programing language are still used for key functions of the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service, among others (including Veterans Affairs, for tracking beneficiary claims). Agencies have reported recruiting retired employees to return to fix glitches in operating systems long since abandoned by Microsoft and others. [CNBC, 5-25-2016]
• In April, police in Boise, Idaho, told KAWO Radio that they will not relax the year-old ban on dachshund "racing" that was a traditional family entertainment highlight at the annual "Arena-Wiena Extravaganza" -- because all dog-racing in Idaho is illegal. The station had argued that the law intended to target only greyhound racing; that an exception had been carved out for popular dogsled racing (reasoning: individual dogs were not racing each other); and that, in any event, the "race" course was only about 40 feet long -- but reported that the authorities were "dead serious" about the ban. [LoweringTheBar.net, 4-25-2016]