Lunch links

A few good reads today:

• Bruce Schneier compares genetic engineering with software engineering, and its security implications.
• The Atlantic has goes deep into the Palace of Westminster, and its upcoming £3.5 bn renovation.
• NOAA's chief scientist publicly released a letter to staff discussing the "complex issue involving the President commenting on the path of [Hurricane Dorian]."
• Illinois has pulled back some regulations on distilleries, giving them an easier time competing with bars and restaurants.
• Matthew Dallek calls the president "the most aggressive micro-manager in the history of the Oval Office."

Haven't decided what to eat for lunch yet...

The BBC ran a fascinating series a few years ago about the workings of the Palace of Westminster. Among the people featured was the then Clerk of the Commons, Robert Rogers (now Lord Lisvane), who lamented that keeping the basic infrastructure going was a constant headache, especially the very real risk of fire breaking out in electrical wiring that is dangerously old. Frankly, it might be no bad thing if the entire place burned down, provided nobody got hurt. Perhaps then we would get a modern Commons chamber to match the Scottish Parliament or the U.S House of Representative or the European Parliament.