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.

Pixel-stained what? It’s a little complex; it all got started when Dr. Howard Hendix, the current vice-president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, posted a rather ill-advised rant about the members of his profession who choose to make their work available for free on the internet; as one of many voices of dissent, Jo Walton declared April 23rd as Pixel-stained Technopeasant Day, and now here we are. What does this mean to those of you who haven’t even heard of the SFWA, let alone care about its internal political wranglings? It means that the internet has been veritably flooded with loads of great genre fiction for you to read for free. Here’s hoping this becomes an annual festival!

As an added bonus, here’s a podcast of a panel from last weekend’s Penguicon, featuring John Scalzi, Charlie Stross and Futurismic’s very own Tobias Buckell talking about the pros and cons of giving fiction away for free.

Yeah, I know – it’s Friday. Friday demands eye-candy. I imagine a fair few of you are subscribed to the NASA Image of the Day feed already, but for those that aren’t – well, if pictures of distant galaxies like this don’t make your heart flutter with the faint clear sound of infinity, nothing ever will.