CodeCon is coming up at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco this weekend. The presentations look great and lots of neat people will be there.

It’s already too late to register online, so you’ll just have to show up at the door. See you there!

Artificial wombs are here. The only thing stopping scientists from growing a baby to term in one (or even very far past fertilization) are the government regulations prohibiting such activity.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this article were all of the good things that could come from an artificial womb. Then I read about how some women felt threatened and thought “kinda like the way that some men feel threatened by a turkey baster?”

But I suppose there are a ton of ethical implications that need to be considered now, and quickly, if we suddenly have the technology to create baby factories a la Brave New World. Much to consider indeed.

Take a look at:
Men redundant? Now we don’t need (no stinkin’) women either ,
by Robin McKie for The Observer .

Teleportation is as close (or as far away) as it’s always been — theoretically, in our minds. The stuff in this new scientist article doesn’t sound any different than the stuff my old roommates were talking about in 1986. (Yes I was in high school – but they were chemistry graduate students at CAL.)

It’s still nice to see these ideas in print in a popular magazine. Beam me up Scotty!

Check out:
Teleporting larger objects becomes a real possibility,
by Anil Ananthaswamy for New Scientist.

Kraft is using genetically-altered corn and soybeans in its food products (particularly Tombstone Pizza and Stovetop Stuffing).

Take a deep breath, and then read:
Kraft Target Of Anti-Biotech Food Campaign,
by Deborah Cohen for the Environmental News Network
(ENN.com).

A coalition of green health-policy groups Wednesday called on Kraft Foods Inc., the largest North American food maker, to remove genetically altered ingredients from several of its popular products, including Tombstone pizzas and Stove Top stuffing.

The Washington-based coalition, called Genetically Engineered Food Alert, said an independent laboratory had tested several Kraft products and found they contained genetically altered corn or soybeans. The U.S. government has approved the use of the ingredients, but the coalition said they have not been adequately tested to determine their safety.

GE Food Alert is the same group whose findings in 2000 led to the recall of Kraft taco shells containing StarLink, a gene- spliced corn not approved for human consumption. The organization is also calling for mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which the government does not currently require.

Concise and easy-to-digest coverage of the ongoing Pressplay vs. MusicNet war, courtesy of Walter S. Mossberg for the Wall Street Journal.

The verdict: Pressplay wins. (But it still sucks.)

Looks like plans are right on schedule for implementing a biometrically-fueled “trusted-traveler” program.

See:
ID card for air passengers,
by Tom Ramstack for The Washington Times.

The trusted-traveler card is
part of the Aviation and
Transportation Security signed by
President Bush Nov. 19 that
authorized the Transportation
Security Administration to
“establish requirements to
implement trusted passenger
programs and use available
technologies to expedite the
security screening of passengers.”

Trusted-traveler cards would
authorize passengers to bypass
extensive security screening at
airport checkpoints. The Israeli
government instituted a
trusted-traveler program five years
ago in an effort to speed up long lines at airport security
checkpoints.

The electronic card would have an encoded biometric
description of the owner to ensure that the person using it is
the same person identified on the card. Biometrics refers to
computerized systems that identify a unique part of each
person’s anatomy, such as fingerprints, facial structure or
irises.

Eventually, the Transportation Department task force
wants the cards to be used throughout airports and
transportation services internationally. The card is intended to
shorten lines at airports, but FBI background checks would
disseminate information about the owners to many law
enforcement agencies.

Another spammer is trying to get California’s spam law overturned before it starts catching on in other states.

See:
Second Opinion Sought In California ‘Spam-Law’ Challenge,
by Steven Bonisteel for Newsbytes.

Darn. No room in Bush’s new budget to help bridge the digital divide.

See:
Digital Divide’ Plan In Peril,
by Jonathan Krim for the Washington Post.

PayPal will be going for their IPO soon. Good luck guys!

Sounds like they have a chance, too.

See the Wired News article:
Who’ll Pay, Pal, for This IPO?, by Joanna Glasner.