The brown revolution: on the rise of "megacities", primarily in developing countries, as their economies move to a more urban basis.
In the long run, that is good news. If countries now industrialising follow the pattern of those that have already done so, their city-dwellers will be both more prosperous and healthier. Man is a gregarious species, and the words "urbane" and "civilised" both derive from the advantages of living in large settlements.
History also shows, though, that the transition can be uncomfortable. The slums of Manchester were, in their time, just as awful as those of Nairobi today. But people moved there for exactly the same reason: however nasty conditions seemed, the opportunities of urban life outstripped those of the countryside. The question is how best to handle the change.
Polar bears on the web: the Norwegian Polar Institute and the WWF (no, not that WWF) have tagged two female polar bears and put the tracking system on the web.
See also: Polar Bears at Risk
The Cuneiform Digital Library: cataloging the thousands of cuneiform tablets scattered around the world.
Microsoft to launch massive online games network
The network will allow large groups of Xbox users to play tournaments together via the internet. But access to the network will come at a price. It will reportedly cost $9.95 per month to connect to Xbox Live, on top of the price of each game, and the service will only be available to those already paying for high-speed internet access.
The first security holes games are expected to be
open this summer.
