Debt-free Russia, ISS expansion, China as a space tourism market…

• 1 – Second Life Sketches
  Warren Ellis is roaming the metaverse again…or at least he is when invisible forcefields don’t stop him.
  (tags: frustration ejection fields no-entry metaverse Life Second Ellis Warren)
• 2 – The Soviet Union Pays Off Its Last Debts
  “Russia is sitting in a pile of oil cash as America sinks in mire of debt. Welcome to the 21st century.” The irony is tangible – another reason for Americans to kick their government’s arses.
  (tags: fuels fossil repayment early Club Paris debts Russia economy world)
• 3 – The Cruel Irony of the Thirsty Rich
  “There’s a cruel irony in a new report just out from the World Wildlife Fund: Water crises, long seen as a problem of only the poorest, are increasingly affecting some of the world’s wealthiest nations.” Hiding our heads in the sand isn’t going to help.
  (tags: ecology change climate management poor infrastructure ageing use efficient drinking drought countries rich shortages water)
• 4 – Space station set for massive expansion
  “With the space shuttle Atlantis scheduled to launch on Sunday, construction of the unfinished International Space Station (ISS) is set to pick up again after a 3.5-year hiatus.” About bloody time, too.
  (tags: expansion construction station International ISS mission Atlantis shuttle space)
• 5 – Tiny ion pump sets new standard in cooling hot computer chips
  “…a cooling device tiny enough to fit on a computer chip that could work reliably and efficiently with the smallest microelectronic components.” Er, cool. (cough)
  (tags: prototype pump ion technology hardware cooling chip computer)
• 6 – Military robo-surgeon prepares for battle
  Surgery by telepresence – a great idea, but I can’t imagine people being too keen on it at first, as patients at least.
  (tags: technology operations medicine health telepresence surgeon robot controlled remote surgery battlefield military)
• 7 – Company trying to get under soldiers’ skin
  VeriChip wants to tag the entire US Armed Forces – that could be a lucrative deal. Shame their product sucks dangerously.
  (tags: technology privacy surveillance identification security Pentagon Forces Armed US implant VeriChip arphid RFID)
• 8 – Space Tours for Taikonauts
  “Space Adventures of Arlington, Virginia, is opening its first office in Beijing to introduce space tourism to well-heeled space tourists in the biggest and fastest-growing economy on the planet.” You gotta go where the market is, baby.
  (tags: business market economy growth fast Beijing China office company US tourism space)
• 9 – Economist Explains Why Heat Waves Spur Electricity Blackouts
  Interesting little piece. I’d like more data, though.
  (tags: efficiency weather hot heatwave demand peak distribution power blackouts US grid electric energy)
• 10 – Your Digital Wallet
  “With new technology called near-field communications, you could use a cell phone to make purchases, or even download a movie trailer from a poster.” Is there anything that your mobile phone won’t be able to do within the next five years?
  (tags: purchasing commerce ubicomp devices portable phone cell mobile arphid RFID technology communications near-field NFC)