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A new connector that transmits information using pulses of light could replace the copper wires that connect computational cores in supercomputers. IBM's "silicon Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator" takes up less space than traditional copper wires--and 90 percent less energy. At speeds up to 100 times faster than wires, it's a likely harbinger of smaller, faster, more energy-efficient supercomputers.

Read the full story at BBC: "Light to shrink computer clusters"

Space shuttle Atlantis was scheduled to make a run to the international space station today, to carry Europe's lab "Columbus" to its new home. But of the four gauges for the ship's liquid hydrogen fuel tanks, two were malfunctioning, indicating a dry tank when it was full. Atlantis and its crew of seven astronauts will stay Earthside until the problem is fixed.

Read the full AP story on CNN: "NASA scrubs Atlantis launch"

Microsoft shut down the automated Santa Claus that it created for children to chat with on Windows Live Messenger, after an article from The Register reported that it had an objectionable chat with a reader's underage nieces. Microsoft said Santa's comment on oral sex was provoked by a person who could make the tool "do things it wasn't supposed to do." Santa ended the chat with a cheery, "dirty bastard."

Read the full story on MSNBC: "Microsoft shuts down Santa for talking dirty"

File this one under: Yet another depressing study about the potential dangers we are exposed to on a daily basis.

In an experiment, lactating rats were fed butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), a widely used chemical used in pipes, vinyl floor tiles, and carpet backing. Their rat babies ingested the BBP via breast milk. Researchers then discovered that the chemical induced changes to the baby female rats' mammary tissue.

Read the full story on PhysOrg.com: "Household chemical may affect breast development."

Bic, the French company that's sold over 100 billion pens, is designing disposable cartridges for fuel cells that could end the need for recharging batteries in electronic devices such as cell phones and laptops. Bic doesn't want to make the fuel cells but is more interested in making the cartridges that are similar to ink cartridges in pens.

Read the full story on BusinessWeek: "Bic wants to flick your cell phone"

In an unsurprising but perhaps disturbing move, search giant Google is partnering with state governments to index public records. According to Associated Press, you can already find some online, but you have to go through each state's government Web sites to locate a particular piece of information.

Google's mission is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." But public records are available that some people would prefer not to disclose with the casual click of a mouse--for instance, who they used to be married to, or what they got arrested for in their misspent youth.

Do you trust neighbors, co-workers, corporations, thieves, and stalkers to use the information wisely and to your advantage?

Read the full AP story on MSNBC: "Google to dig up more personal records".

A controversy over last week's photo of the lunar surface, allegedly from China's lunar spacecraft Chang'e, appears to be resolved. It's real, but it isn't. An expert says the photo's resolution shows that it is of recent origin. However, for some inexplicable reason, someone on Earth edited the photo and moved a crater to a different location.

Read the full story at MSNBC.com.

GPS navigation devices in England show truck drivers a shortcut through the town of Wedmore. But Wedmore's roads are ancient--too windy and narrow for a tractor-trailer.

Read the full story at The New York Times.

One can always rely on Maxim for briefings on popular culture. Somehow, it had slipped our minds that male readers in the 18-to-35 demographic would enjoy bringing scatological humor and video games together at last. The popular men's magazine has got this insightful angle covered in a best-of list.

Warning: Contains lurid situations and references to lower intestines.

See the image gallery at Maxim.

You know that extra refrigerator you keep in the garage, the one that's full of soft drinks, extra holiday turkeys, five cartons of your favorite ice cream, and, yes, surplus cases of beer for poker night? Every third Canadian household has one, and it's costing the already-chilled nation in extra power.

The "beer fridge" is usually an older machine that's been replaced in the kitchen by a newer model, and their owners don't really consider that the dinosaur iceboxes emit a lot of greenhouse gases and eat tons of electricity.

Popular Mechanics makes a compelling case for cost savings: "(An older fridge can) cost an extra $150 a year to run, Young says. Four-fifths, or $120, of the costs could be saved by replacing the fridge with a more energy-efficient unit--enough for at least 10 more cases of beer."

Read the full story at Popular Mechanics.