Wired has an entertaining review of the new Jaguar XK. Worthy of a technology magazine’s attention is a highly automatic control system that’s designed to let you feel dangerous without being dangerous, and carefully crafted engine noise deliberately mixed to “European” perfection and piped at appopriate volumes to the cabin.

At least two companies are working hard on technology to reduce CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions from power plants by routing the exhast through algae farms. The algae scrubs the emissions and can then be processed to make biodiesel and ethanol for sale at a profit.

“Employees who are secure and happy can better focus on customer success.” Sounds like something Paul Hawken might say, but it’s a description of the philosophy at HCL Technologies, an Indian IT outsourcing company. Vineet Nayar, president of the company, has implemented innovative practices to keep employees secure and happy, including publicly available ratings for all managers and the ability to open tickets on any issue an employee thinks needs attention.

The Space Review has an ultra cool article about taking the ‘Ultralight’ Approach to Human Spaceflight. This article advocates flying up without a large capsule but just in a spacesuit, and coming back down strapped to a personal re-entry system!

Most of us that live in suburban or even urban environs don’t have the kind of detailed knowledge of the immediate area around our homes that would make living within walking distance possible. Alex Steffen at WorldChanging speculates about the kinds of tools that might make that possible.