With masterful dry wit, ars technica skewers a new Defense Department research project. The idea? Using technology to find information.

The Air Force’s Office of Scientific Research has commenced a study called “Automated Ontologically-Based Link Analysis of International Web Logs for the Timely Discovery of Relevant and Credible Information.” In translation, that means, “We’re going to pay attention to blogs.” Price tag: $450,000.

Talk about government waste. I would have sold them that idea for $399,000.