Wet computer project kicks off

A promising push toward a novel, biologically-inspired "chemical computer" has begun as part of an international collaboration, reports the BBC.

The "wet computer" incorporates several recently discovered properties of chemical systems that can be hijacked to engineer computing power.

The team's approach mimics some of the actions of neurons in the brain.

Virgin Atlantic has signed a multimillion-dollar deal with airline IT specialist SITA for voice and data services as part of a cost reduction exercise, states Computing.co.uk.

The five-year deal will see SITA provide services to more than 100 sites worldwide, as well as take over contracts from about 40 suppliers.

The transition should be completed by summer 2010.

Arthur Firstenberg is suing his neighbour for $530 000 for refusing to switch off her iPhone, claiming the electromagnetic fields generated are destroying his health, says The Register.

He also believes that leaving the iPhone and a laptop charging overnight is denying him the sleep he so badly needs, according to the filing spotted by the Santa Fe Reporter. This is apparently why his half-million-dollar claim includes $100 000 for pain and suffering.

Firstenberg isn't new on the campaigners-against-stuff circuit. Last year, his Cellular Phone Task Force campaigned to have the government pay for EMF-Free zones where fellow sufferers could hide out.

The US Supreme Court has put a halt, at least temporarily, to plans to let Google's video site stream coverage of the "Proposition 8" trial, which kicked off on Monday in a San Francisco courtroom, writes CNet.

California voters approved Prop 8, a ban on same-sex marriages, and the court is now being asked to overturn the law. US district judge Vaughn Walker was going to allow the trial to be covered, on a tape-delayed basis, on the world's biggest video site.

However, the Supreme Court has granted a temporary order overruling Walker. The court didn't explain its reasoning, according to the Los Angeles Times, but the ruling is only supposed to remain in effect until Wednesday.