I don’t have a wood stove (or live in a cold climate) but if I did I would so buy the Heat Wave fan. It pushes 300 cubic feet of air per minute, and requires not an erg of external power. The secret sauce? It’s driven by a Stirling engine.

The cancellation of a London conference on social networking due to lack of interest from potential delegates has The Guardian wondering whether social sites are going the way of the dodo. Though I’m inclined to believe that the end-cap to the piece is more accurate in its assumption:

“Alternatively, the cancellation of a social networking conference in London may just be another example of the sad reality that European companies just don’t get the web.”

Clever advertising can be a great tool for getting out an important message – like this bicycle-powered billboard that promotes the efficiency of LEDs over normal bulbs. Sadly, it’s an industry that is more widely concerned by barraging us with images and products at times when our attention is captive by circumstance – like when you’re checking your grille in a public washroom mirror.

NASA and Google plan to work together. I for one welcome our new GOOSA overlords. At least for now they’re only working together with pictures and real-time weather overlaps for maps.

Modafanil and other sleep-modification drugs are on the Christmas lists of American military planners this year. The ability to deny sleep without suffering the side effects of sleep-deprivation would be a significant force multiplier. [boingbiong]