Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not all) of our delicious 
Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door!
Can Self-Driving Cars Solve Ethical Dilemmas?
from Science Daily– A massive new survey developed by MIT researchers reveals some distinct global preferences concerning the ethics of autonomous vehicles, as well as some regional variations in those preferences. The survey has participants from over 200 countries weighing in on versions of a classic ethical conundrum, the “Trolley Problem”, which involves scenarios in which an accident involving a vehicle is imminent, and the vehicle must opt for one of two potentially fatal options. “The study is basically trying to understand the kinds of moral decisions that driverless cars might have to resort to,” says Edmond Awad, lead author of a new paper outlining the project. “We don’t know yet how they should do that.”
Uncle Sam’s Achilles Heel… Hackable Weapons
from Washington Post– Almost all of the U.S. military’s newly developed weapons systems suffer from “mission-critical cyber vulnerabilities,” a review of government security audits conducted from 2012 to 2017 found, suggesting military agencies have rushed to computerize new weapons systems without prioritizing cybersecurity… “From 2012 to 2017, DOD testers routinely found mission critical cyber vulnerabilities in nearly all weapons systems that were under development,” GAO researchers wrote. “Using relatively simple tools and techniques, testers were able to take control of these systems and largely operate undetected”…
New Faults on Mt. Hood Could Trigger “The Big One” in Portland
from Willamette Week– Geologists have discovered new faults on Mount Hood that could trigger a highly destructive earthquake in the Portland area. The faults are separate from the Cascadia subduction zone, which for nearly a decade scientists have warned could cause a massive earthquake dubbed The Big One. There is an “extensive network of geologic faults extending north and south of Mt. Hood,” that could “generate large earthquakes and may pose a significant hazard to surrounding communities, critical infrastructure, and even the city of Portland.” Researchers predict the faults could trigger a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, larger than the Loma Prieta earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989…
What to Do If a Parking Garage Damages Your Car
from Jalopnik– “One day when the valet pulled the car out, I noticed a fresh scrape along the right side of the front bumper. I called the valet back over and pointed it out to him. Predictably, he didn’t know anything about it. He might not have even been the one who put it there. I asked if the manager was around. He said no, as it was a Saturday. I demanded a damage claim slip. The valet had no idea what I was talking about. Furious, I took multiple photos of the scrape, took down the name of the valet, and went on my way. There was nothing else I could do. Once I got to where I was headed, I called Steve Lehto, an attorney who specializes in consumer protection law and a friend of Jalopnik. Lehto gave me a few points of advice, should something like this ever happen to you”…
