Annalee Newits at io9 has put together a long, detailed narrative of just what the Google Book Settlement might mean to you, me, Ursula le Guin, and the author of hypothetical '50s-era pulp series Journey To My Tentacle Cave.

     The huge ocean of fluid over our heads has equally impressive waves. They are huge and fast, and now we can observe them thanks to advances in technology.

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Well, this was interesting. Alarming, too, at least at first. It seems that our magnetic field isn't protecting our atmosphere from the solar wind as much as we thought. In fact, our atmosphere is being carried off at a rate faster than that of either Mars or Venus. (!) It seems we have plenty for a long, long time, but still...

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In fact, not only the big ones, but even more recent smaller ones appear to be the results of multiple objects - even tens of thousands per event! Click the title for more.

Signs of the Times reports that governments don't want to increase spending on NEO tech/programs because it would cost more than the damage that might be done by an object exploding/impacting. The real frequency of atmospheric explosions and meteor impacts is much higher than is reported. Surprised? Even if you aren't, click the title for more.