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]

According to a new study published by the Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), peak oil is a faulty theory. CERA argues that the world oil resource base is triple what peak oil proponents argue, and that rather than a single peak production will reach an undulating series of peaks. [kurzweil]

We’ll be upgrading the Movable Type engine that keeps Futurismic chugging along tonight, so expect some weirdness as we work through the upgrade issues.

A couple in the United Kingdom used a new technique for screening embryos to select children without the genetic fingerprint of cystic fibrosis. The embryos were tested in vitro prior to being implanted. It’s a controversial precedent: detractors argue that it’s a slippery slope from here to Gattaca.

All those evanescent bits flying about the world’s networks aren’t as free as we’d like to think. Server farms generate a huge energy bill, and the economics are starting to drive innovation in energy thriftiness.