Less than two decades after the world first got a look at the [F-117 stealth fighter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-117 “Wikipedia F-117 Article”), the first aircraft built specifically to elude radar, is scheduled for retirement by the Air Force, and some wonder whether the planes mothballing is a bit premature.

The reasons for shelving the plane that played a key role in the first Iraqi war are to make room for such aircraft as the [F-22 Raptor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-22_Raptor “Wikipedia F-22 Article”), which has been under fire for being too expensive, but the Air Force has reasoned that the F-22 can do what the F-117 does, and more.

Pentagon analysts point out that the F-117’s lifespan will wind up being much shorter than most other Air Force aircraft. It’s due to come out of service in 2008. It’s probably the fastest aircraft retirement since the 1960’s.

[Read](http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=%7B55E62F15%2D3013%2D4A2F%2DAB85%2D452B89303C95%7D&dist=rss “Read the Story”) (MarketWatch)

The 800-number, which has been around since 1967 is doomed. Its fate will be the same as pay phones and milkmen. This would be very bad news for phone companies, which rake in $12 billion a year from toll-free numbers.

Why?

Just about everyone who has a cellphone has a flat rate package for local and long-distance calls. In other words, when you use your cellphone, there’s really no difference in your cost whether you call a company’s toll-free 800-number or a toll number. Both calls would cost you essentially nothing, but if you call the company’s 800-number, the call costs the company at least a few cents a minute. Those calls add up to millions of dollars a year for many companies.

Most home phone plans now bundle local and long-distance calling into a flat rate — so calling an 800-number from a home phone isn’t any more free than calling a regular number.

Why would a company spend all that money it didn’t have to spend?

[Read](http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kevinmaney/2006-11-07-800-cellphones_x.htm “Read the Story”) (USA Today)

A network of high-tech sensors installed on some U.S. passenger planes are part of an experiment to more quickly predict weather conditions that endanger flights.

[Read](http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,72030-0.html?tw=rss.index “Read the Story”) (AP via Wired)

Thanks to technological breakthroughs, at least six automakers – starting with Mercedes on Oct. 16, Jeep in early 2007, and eventually even Honda – will be launching a fleet of New Age diesels. They promise to boost fuel economy by 25% to 40%, with huge torque and turbochargers to deliver the power American drivers crave.

Though initial models will not pass air-quality standards in five states, including California and New York, Mercedes has announced three 2008 SUV’s that will achieve 50-state standards. Honda, VW, and GM are close behind. [J.D. Power](http://www.jdpower.com “J.D. Power’s website”) estimates that diesel sales will triple to 9% of the U.S. market by 2013, compared with a projected hybrid share of 5%.

[Read](http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/16/8390259/index.htm “Read the Story”) (Forbes via CNN)

Zapping thick crude oil with a magnetic or electric field could make it flow more smoothly through pipes. The technique, which reduces the viscosity of the liquid, could make transporting crude through cold underwater pipes easier and cheaper.

[Read](http://www.newscientisttech.com/article.ns?id=dn9871&feedId=online-news_rss20) (New Scientist)