Happy New Year! January 2, 2012March 26, 2017 THE ARTIST The stock market is closed today. Go see “The Artist.” The only three things to know about it are: it’s a silent movie (with a great soundtrack), it’s in black and white, and you will love it. GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE A bright way to start the New Year. Kevin Rasmussen: “This cool map shows when solar becomes cheaper than grid electricity.” ☞ Just a few more years. 2011 IN 100 SECONDS Here. ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE Oh. My. God. Type in any address and see the street level view or the aerial view. ShowMyStreet.com. I know some of this isn’t new. But I could see the flowers on the bush in front of my house. It’s all gotten amazingly fast and comprehensive. (In terms of privacy, I guess it’s worth noting that nothing is visible here that wasn’t visible to anyone walking down the public street. So is privacy being eroded?) GOLDEN RETRIEVERS Warren Kaplan: “By coincidence, Charles Krauthammer’s column in last Thursday’s Washington Post makes a very similar point to your own: our planet is in danger of oblivion (from nuclear war or biological warfare), and all that can save us is if we somehow manage to hang onto a functioning political system that has the right values. Read his column. You will like it: creative and provocative. (And I have not previously been a Krauthammer fan.)” ☞ Yes. Terrific.