Not inclined to wait for a suborbital ride on Virgin Galactic, Noah Fulmor and Erin Finnegan became the firt couple to be wed in microgravity this past weekend over the skies of south Florida.

They did it aboard G-Force One, a modified 727 similar to the Air Force's "Vomit Comet" which can provide periods of weightlessness lasting several minutes via a parabolic flight path. It's operated by Zero Gravity Corp., the first and so far only company cleared by the FAA to offer simulated-weightlessness flights to the general public.

The couple, of course, wanted to be married in space. But failing the availability of space tourism, they went with the next best thing. Richard Garriott, an actual space tourist who has flown to the ISS, officiated the ceremony for the lucky couple and their wedding party of ten. I'm jealous.

For more on their zero-g nuptials, the couple has created a website: Zerogravitywedding.com.





Solar power is an exciting source of renewable energy, but has so far mostly been used to power little things like homes, cars and small villages. But what if solar energy was used on a scale that would power the majority of Europe? The Desertec Foundation, a Jordanian and German company are hoping to secure financing for a radically ambitious project to harness solar energy in the world’s most barren, sun-drenched expanse, the Sahara Desert. Desertec claims that if only 0.3 percent of the expanse of the Sahara was covered with solar panels, it would power the entire European continent. If up to 1 percent of the desert were covered, it could power the entire world.

Desertec hopes to construct decentralized solar fields across different parts of Northern Africa within the next 10 to 15 years. They predict that these installations will generate about 100 gigawatts of power, which would be sent over high-voltage DC lines buried under the Mediterranean and power about 15 percent of Europe. Their plans get even more ambitious from there. The company hopes to also set up a series of desalinization plants in the area as a source of clean water and for irrigation in the region in hopes of reclaiming portions of the desert. They even have a long-range plan that adds wind farms to the mix.

These solar installations would constitute the world’s largest, 80 times larger than any currently planned solar arrays. However, getting it up and running is still a ways off, and will require an investment of up to €400 billion before it gets off the ground. The project could also face certain dangers, such as damaging sandstorms and political instability in the region. Yet despite the potential setbacks, many large European companies are backing the project. If realized, this could set the standard for the future of renewable energy.





HP is hoping there’re a lot of people out there with mass printing needs but without regular Internet access. Their new PhotoSmart Premium printer has a Wi-Fi-enabled touchscreen on the front that allows a user to print directly from the Internet. The idea is that the printer would be a quick way of printing out online directions, pictures, movie tickets, and so forth, without the need of a computer.

HP even plans on teaming up with Google, Fandango, Snapfish, and other websites to provide easy-access widgets for the printer. But at a price of $399 and with a screen rivaling an iPhone's in size, it’s unclear if this printer will capture the computer-less market from people who could probably afford a netbook and cheap printer for the same price.

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P.R.