Because I haven't posted in a while

I'm grinding out papers so I have no been in the mood to write summaries of tech stuff. I expect this to continue for a month or so because I'm currently in thesis-writing mode with hopes of finishing the draft before the end of July.

Meanwhile, I'm simply posting the links of things that caught my attention. There's quite a backlog, but I'll keep the list down to no more than 10 per post.

From Rick Mercer's blog

Canada a creditor by 2010? - Canada could be become a creditor nation for the first time in its history by the end of the decade.

Free speech goes up in smoke at Saskatchewan school - Saskatchewan student's marijuana research spurs lockdown and suspension

India rattled by vibrating condom - A vibrating condom has sparked a fierce debate in India, over whether it is a sex toy - which are banned - or a means of birth control.

Quebec to collect nation's 1st carbon tax - Quebec will implement Canada's first carbon tax in October, collecting just under one cent a litre from petroleum companies in the province, which will raise about $200 million a year to pay for energy-saving initiatives such as improvements to public transit.

Students invent powdered booze - Dutch students have invented powdered alcohol which they say can be sold legally to minors. The latest innovation in inebriation, called Booz2Go, is available in 20-gram packets that cost €1-1.5 ($1.35-$2).

From New Scientist

New 'space jet' proposed for suborbital jaunts - The European firm EADS Astrium plans to build a rocket-powered jet to take tourists to the edge of space – if funded, it could begin flights in 2012

Uncrewed space plane passes first key test - An Italian prototype for a future space plane performed nearly flawlessly in a drop test designed to simulate the stress of atmospheric re-entry

From New Scientist

US military wants $10m space-weapon funding - Defences could be "greatly enhanced" with space-based interceptors, say military officials, but critics worry about triggering an arms race in space

US satellite to test missile defence technologies - A military satellite called NFIRE will study rocket plumes, which could help future interceptors home in on enemy missiles – but critics say it could lead to space weapons

More quick tech posts

From EurekAlert!

Satellite images show destroyed and threatened villages in Darfur - A pioneering AAAS program that provides technical expertise to human rights groups is helping Amnesty International USA with a new online effort to monitor threatened settlements in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan and provide evidence of destroyed villages.

HiRISE releases 1,200 images, launches viewer tool on Web site - Anyone connected by Internet can now see planet Mars better than at any time in history, through the eye of HiRISE, the most powerful camera ever to orbit another planet.

From Physics Org

New View of Doomed Star - Eta Carinae is a mysterious, extremely bright and unstable star located a mere stone's throw - astronomically speaking - from Earth at a distance of only about 7500 light years. The star is thought to be consuming its nuclear fuel at an incredible rate, while quickly drawing closer to its ultimate explosive demise.

Could Some Win With Global Warming? - Northern homes could save on heating fuel. Rust Belt cities might stop losing snowbirds to the South. Canadian farmers could harvest bumper crops. Greenland may become awash in cod and oil riches. Shippers could count on an Arctic shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific. Forests may expand. Mongolia could see a go-go economy. This is all speculative, even a little facetious, and any gains are not likely to make up for predicted frightening upheavals elsewhere. But still ... might there be a silver lining for the frigid regions of Canada and Russia?

Boring Star May Mean Livelier Planet, Astronomer Says - "Boring" light from red dwarf star Gliese 581 means better odds for extraterrestrial life in that planetary system, according to University of British Columbia astronomer Jaymie Matthews.

7M Pounds of Trash Pulled From Waterways - Smokers are littering shorelines and waterways worldwide with millions of cigarettes, and their filters topped the list of trash items culled during last year's annual international coastal cleanup, according to a new report.

ESA presents the sharpest ever satellite map of Earth - The most detailed portraits ever of the Earth's land surface have been created with ESA's Envisat environmental satellite. The portraits are the first products produced as part of the ESA-initiated GlobCover project and are available online.