Buttonless elevators are beginning to make an appearance in high end towers. Technically, they’re not buttonless: the buttons are in the lobby, not in the elevator. You punch your floor and the lobby tells you which elevator to take. These elevators are more efficient at moving people than traditional elevators, but I gotta say I wouldn’t much enjoy a ride in one. I cherish my illusion of control. [digg]

Spain has just passed a law requiring every new or renovated building to have solar power systems (solar hot water systems for homes, solar electricity for businesses). The building lobby is upset, but if you buy into the idea that a move toward renewable energy systems is a societal good, this kind of law at least levels the playing field so builders don’t have to compete on cost. [treehugger]

Space advocacy has really picked up again in the last few years, and some of the current claims and ‘road-maps’ are fairly far-fetched. One that sounds a little crazy at first, but then steadily makes more sense the longer you think about it, is Buzz Aldrin’s proposal to set up a system of reusable spacecraft continually cycling round an orbit that closely passes both Earth and Mars. Sort of like city bus services that run a circular route all day; cheap, efficient and (so Buzz believes) ‘politician-proof’.

With all the recent media interest in Second Life, it’s probably no great shakes to hear that there will be a virtual version of NBC’s New York Christmas lights switch-on ceremony. What may make the experience a little more interesting for the horde of n00bs expected to attend is that many of the hastily arranged sites of the virtual ceremony are located right next to areas of SL devoted to festivities of an entirely different nature. Watch for a leap in the Amazon rankings for old Gor titles over the next month or so …

Levitating inert matter using acoustic wave fields is a decades-old science, but a group of Chinese researchers have become the first to acoustically levitate small animals for sustained periods of time. Although confused and alarmed by the experience, most of the insects were unharmed by half an hour floating immobile in mid-air. The fish didn’t fare quite so well, as it was hard to keep them immersed in water …