Perceptive Pixel is developing YAMTS, but this one has moments of organic, intuitive genius. There is nothing readily on display at their site,so be sure to watch the video. [deathboy]

Tom Doyle’s story “Art’s Appreciation” is now available as a podcast read by the author. This is the first of a new series of podcasts. We’re aiming to publish more often, mixing new stories, old stories, and the occasional column. You can subscribe to the podcast on the the iTunes Music Store. You can also get the podcast directly from our RSS feed.

The Chinese are wasting no time in developing new technologies to further their ambitions in space. A team at Beijing University have developed a test prototype of a concept first mooted in the 1980s, the magnetic levitational launch assist vehicle, which could drastically cut the to-orbit cost of space missions.

It’s well known that incandescent bulbs are wildly inefficient means of lighting – in a decidedly forward-looking move, Australia will phase them out by 2010.

Artificial intelligence is a long-standing trope of the science fiction genre. Robert J. Sawyer, Canadian SF supremo and multiple award-winner, has a great essay up at the Lifeboat Foundation that examines the different ways our relationship with artificial intelligence has been portrayed in genre literature and movies.