With states like Connecticut and Colorado passing strict new restrictions on gun owners and the President flying around the country to drum up support for national gun control, ammo buyers are like consumers queuing for gas or loading up on gold in the inflationary 1970s.

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Still, Schmidt prefers beating the drum for Novell's "digitalme"-software that gives Net surfers control over their identities.

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In the plant's control room, Penrice's workers watch crystals form on the outside of a vacuum-drum filter.

ECONOMIST: Petri-dish economies