Scientists at Intel’s research lab in Pittsburgh are working to find ways to read and harness human brain waves so they can be used to operate computers, television sets and cell phones. The brain waves would be harnessed with Intel-developed sensors implanted in people’s brains.

The scientists say the plan is not a scene from a sci-fi movie — Big Brother won’t be planting chips in your brain against your will. Researchers expect that consumers will want the freedom they will gain by using the implant.

Check out the whole article to see just how close this is to being a reality. While the science and technology aspects of this are amazing, I find the most interesting element to be the general consensus of the researchers that this is something we will all want. What’s sort of scary is that I totally agree. I mean, do you want to be the last person on your block who’s able to tweet telepathically?

Wired writer Evan Ratliff tried to disappear behind a fake identity for one month while the collective resources of hundreds of strangers tried to track him down.

If you ever thought your private life was private wait until you read how much info was dug up in just the first week after he went AWOL.

This is such a clever idea that takes the simple format of industry news and totally raises the stakes. Granted this looks like it costs a whole lot more than a girl in front of a green screen but the result is also far more compelling. We’ll have to see if their target audience shows up in numbers large enough to justify the production costs.

This is an incredibly informative video tracking the history of one of the most popular drum breaks ever created. It’s a great example of the problems facing those dealing with copyright issues. What is content that can be owned and how can it be shared and reused?

Yet in Britain music file-sharing seems to be in decline even though a graduated-response law has yet to be introduced. The country also boasts one of the broadest selections of legal music services: Spotify and Comes With Music were both launched there before most other countries, and two of Britain’s biggest internet-service providers have borrowed TDC’s bundled-music model. This suggests that when it comes to discouraging music piracy, carrots may in fact be more important than sticks.

All of this offers a lesson for other types of media, such as films and video games. Piracy thrives because it satisfies an unmet demand. The best way to discourage it is to offer a diverse range of attractive, legal alternatives. The music industry has taken a decade to work this out, but it has now done so. Other industries should benefit from its experience—and follow its example.

Sure, there isn’t a lot new in this Economist piece but it is nice to see one of the most respected magazine’s out there lay it all out in a clear format. While this will likely have little effect on the actions of the RIAA and the MPAA, it certainly adds fuel to those arguing that there is simply a better, new way to do business.

I adore this dream product conceived by BoingBoing’s Mark Frauenfelder. I can’t wait until this is on every desktop in country. And I don’t think we’ll be waiting all that long, either.

Charging can be expensive. It takes quite a bit of effort to charge, to take money, to manage the money, to set up the accounting and bureaucracy for managing each transaction. And, even worse, if you’re working with third party distributors, like news agents, then you have to handle financial relationships with them as well. Getting rid of the per paper price changes the economics not just on the revenue side, but on the cost side as well — something that’s rarely discussed at all.

The always insightful TechDirt has a great little post on the apparent success of the London Evening Standard becoming a free newspaper.

I’d never given a lot of thought to costs associated with charging for the paper. Beyond the costs mentioned above, I would guess that eliminating paid subscriptions also means you can cut way down on customer service issues.

BoingBoing brings a rare example of a time long past when MTV was cutting edge, providing exciting and challenging programming for a generation tired of the mainstream.

These days, when I hear MTV is struggling to keep their audiences around once they tire of THE HIILS, all I can do is shake my head and wonder why they lost all faith in original programming.