MIT, funded by Boeing, is building software to control a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (in this case helicopters). Says Jonathan How, aeronautics professor, “You can have a student essentially operate this from their bedroom.” And thus the participatory panopticon is born, on the wings of bored college students and open source drone clouds. [digg]

Modafanil is one of a class of drugs that seems to allow its users to sleep less with no side effects. Modafanil is likely just the start of a trend. According to New Scientist, “…to all intents and purposes we are already too far down the road of the 24-hour society to turn back.” I like sleep, but I can already feel the social pressures that will be brought to bear when sleep becomes voluntary. [slashdot]

I’m anxious to give Wesabe a try. Basic idea? People who use the website share (anonymized) financial account information and tips about saving money to help each other get control of their financial lives. Check out the FAQ for the details. [boingboing]

The New Scientist reports that Mars has flowing water right now.

Digg this, Digg that – crowdsourcing is the ultimate way to unearth what’s newsworthy. Or at least it would be – if its user-base actually did some real ‘digging’ and checked the facts behind a story (or at least the comments string beneath the post) before giving it the thumbs up. Coincidentally, Hal Finney has some thoughts on the ‘wisdom of crowds’ concept – it looks like the Digg hive-mind experienced an ‘information cascade’.