As if yesterday’s gamut of technopeasant outpourings wasn’t enough, there’s more quality free fiction available on the web today – in the form of the third (double-sized)issue of Rudy Rucker’s free webzine, Flurb. Contributors include Prof. Rucker himself, Paul Di Filippo, Eileen Gunn and Mac Tonnies, among others. That should keep you busy for an afternoon.

Via Ken MacLeod (whose new novel, The Execution Channel, is out now and well worth the asking price) comes news that the UK Ministry of Defence has been playing the futurist game by producing a [PDF] report on possible problems the world could face in the near future – most of which have been mentioned in science fiction stories at one time or another. It’s interesting to see an organisation like the MOD finally waking up to the realities of our time – even if they’re a little late to the party.

As computing becomes cheaper and more powerful, highly-realistic historical simulations will offer us a great tool for learning about ourselves as a society. But these things are never simple – and Melanie Swann takes a look at the potential ethical conundrums that such virtual realities will produce. For example, if you’ve created a world full of self-aware software agents with a degree of sentience, how can you ever switch it off without effectively becoming a mass murderer?

I checked the date, and April 1st is long past. So we have to assume that when New Scientist announces a patent from electronics giant Philips for television screens that are soft and furry to the touch, they aren’t joking.

Second Life is becoming a new frontier, not just for businesses looking for a new way to reach potential customers, but for politicians and their supporters to campaign country-wide with low logistical costs. The Democratic candidates for the 2008 US Presidential elections are already hard at work thrashing out the details, for example, and the main opposition party of Brazil have also crossed the membrane ahead of their competitors. I can envisage a close future where all political discourse is conducted in virtual environments; sadly, I can’t envisage it being any less bitchy and partisan than it is in the real world.