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In the news this week...
- Parallel universes.
- Cyber-insects
that eavesdrop.
- Creative destruction in the American
economy.
- The physics of social networks.
- Outsourcing
at the United Nations.
- Drought in Africa.
- The future of international development.
We also highlight...
Fred Pearce's book, When the Rivers
Run Dry: Water -- The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First
Century: Many of the world's great rivers are
running dry, the author says. The mighty Aral Sea
is shrinking. Well water is disappearing, too. Within
20 years, Pearce says, water scarcity will reduce
world food production by 385 million tons a year --
more than the current annual U.S. grain harvest.
The website of the Cyber-Geography
Research initiative: The site provides a diverse collection
of maps of the Internet, and visualizations of the
information landscape of cyberspace, exploring intersections
between the real and virtual worlds.
An audio clip: National Public Radio
reports that the Bering Sea is changing fast. Warm
winds and water are moving in from the south, and
the Arctic ice is retreating. The changes are affecting
fish, wildlife and the local native people.
David Forrest
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SCIENCE
Top
Story: Is
Our Universe About to Be Mangled? - [New Scientist]
Our universe may one day be obliterated or assimilated by
a larger universe, according to a controversial new analysis.
The work suggests the parallel universes proposed by some
quantum theorists may not actually be parallel but could
interact – and with disastrous consequences.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
TECHNOLOGY
Top
Story: Pentagon
Plans Cyber-Insect Army - [BBC] The Pentagon's defence
scientists want to create an army of cyber-insects that
can be remotely controlled to check out explosives and send
transmissions.
Web
watch...
most
recent articles
BUSINESS
Top
Story: Creative
Destruction by the Numbers - [Business Week Europe]
One of the major strengths of the US economy is its willingness
to accept change. While it is not always comfortable, change
is a necessity for progress. The pain inflicted on those
who are on the receiving end of economist Joseph Schumpeter's
creative destruction" can be great, but without it,
the US would not have progressed as quickly as it has, especially
in moving away from an industrial economy.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
SOCIETY
Top
Story: The
Physics of Friendship - [PhysOrg.com] By comparing people
to mobile particles randomly bouncing off each other, scientists
have developed a new model for social networks. The model
fits with empirical data to naturally reproduce the community
structure, clustering and evolution of general acquaintances
and even sexual contacts.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
GLOBAL
POLITICS
Top
Story: Annan
Plans Sweeping Overhaul of United Nations - [Middle
East Times] UN chief Kofi Annan on Tuesday called for a
drastic management reform to make the world body leaner,
more effective and more accountable, sparking an outcry
from staff concerned about proposed outsourcing.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
ENVIRONMENT
Top
Story: Drought
Threatens to Kill Off Nomads' Way of Life - [Telegraph]
A centuries-old way of life in Kenya's wild north is under
threat as recurrent drought forces nomads to give up roaming
and settle near permanent water.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
THE
FUTURE
Top
Story: An
International Development System Fit for the 21st Century
- [Guardian] Full text of a speech given in the British
Parliament by the secretary of state for international development,
Hilary Benn.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
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Featured Book:
When the Rivers Run Dry: Water
-- The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century
by Fred Pearce
Resource
Page
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Featured Link: An
Atlas of Cyberspaces - [CASA] An atlas of
maps and graphic representations of the geographies
of the new electronic territories of the Internet,
the World-Wide Web and other emerging Cyberspaces.
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Audio Clip: Effects
of Global Warming Apparent in Bering Sea -
[NPR] Global warming has struck the Bering Sea between
Alaska and Russia. A new study shows that shifting
temperatures are already having an impact on one of
the Earth's richest habitats. (March 9, 2006)
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