And now for a topic a little closer to my heart:  Lasers. The always-terrifying Wired had a write-up a few days ago about a new technology that sounds just swell, the laser-controlled man.

 The essential idea is that by introducting a very  carefully-constructed virus into a person's brain, scientists of the future may be able to mark off neurons they want to activate by dumping a genetic payload that causes light-activated ion gates to form. Since ions are how a neuron shoots signals, this in theory gives the well equipped geneto-optician control of a patient's brain to the level of the individual neuron, which is much higher fidelity than previous methods as clunky as drugs and electro-shock.

If there's ever been a better reason to learn a little science, nobody has told me it. I can picture the mass-produced versions of this technology already. Infini-boner Bluray orgasm gas: you're one huff away from effortless spastic laser-tantra. Even though you're technically snorting a virus.