It’s really only logical when you think about it. The relationship between industrial agricultural and the land, sun and rain is as tenuous as anything in this post-post-modern world, so why not snip that thin cord and grow crops underground?

Cory Doctorow’s got a new writing gig at Locus. His first column is vintage Doctorow: it’s all about copyright, content, and how science fiction writers get it when it comes to connecting to an audience.

Here’s a quick, interesting overview of the directions designers are taking email clients.

The gadgets and technology that fill our world assail our senses constantly. Well, all but one of them – touch is largely ignored in favour of the visual and audio channels. That is all set to change in the next few years, as manufacturers seek to use technologies that engage the tactile senses to broaden our experiences. Such ‘haptic’ devices will appear first in the gaming business (where they have already established a foothold), but as the technology improves, every device we have will be trying to reach out and touch us in some way.

If there’s one major priority in space, it’s making sure you’ve got enough oxygen available. A close second is recycling – not just packaging and so forth, but ‘human by-products’ as well. The crew of the ISS are about to start killing two birds with one stone as they install a device prosaically named the Oxygen Generation System, which is designed to make breathable air from purified urine. Brings a whole new meaning to ‘atmosphere leak’.