Renewable energy remains too expensive, too land-hungry, too unreliable and too small-scale to take up much slack, so cheap coal and newly abundant natural gas will do the job.

WSJ: After Japan's Earthquake and Fukushima Disaster, Matt Ridley on Gas-Fired Generation and Thorium | Mind & Matter

All of which leaves riders wondering why Amtrak has spent so much effort advertising its free Wi-Fi as a reason to take the train when the service is so unreliable.

ECONOMIST: Business travel