An anonymous reader points out this daunting construction plan in Japan. “Japanese authorities have unveiled plans to build a giant 250-mile long sea barrier to protect its coastline from devastating tsunamis. According to the proposals, the £4.6bn ($6.8bn) barrier would reach 12.5m high in some places – stretching taller than a four storey building. It would be made out of cement – and actually be composed of a chain of smaller sea walls to make construction easier. The plan comes four years after a huge tsunami ravaged Japan’s north-eastern coast.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Read the original post:
Japan To Build 250-Mile-Long, Four Storey-High Wall To Stop Tsunamis
Promising public access legislation FASTR (Fair Access to Science & Technology Research Act) has been re-introduced by a bipartisan coalition in Congress. Lawmakers now have an important opportunity to strengthen and expand rules that allow taxpayers to freely read articles resulting from research their tax dollars support. EFF continues to encourage legislators to pass this bill as an important step forward—though there are still some measures to improve. Read more… 
Nature doesn’t end at the borders of a city — it’s just transformed. That’s why scientists are finding new animal species in urban areas, where the ecosystems favor scavengers, hardy weeds, and junk-eaters. It probably comes as no surprise that the sprawling city of Los Angeles is home to its own unique fly species. Read more… 
Watch out Dropbox, Amazon’s coming at you with a new cloud storage plan that’s ridiculously cheap. You can now store an unlimited number of files in the cloud for $60 a year. That’s five bucks a month for everything. Read more… 
A decent surge protector is an important piece of equipment in any office or entertainment center. They don’t last forever, though, so make sure you take the time and purge your surge on occasion to keep your electronics protected. Read more…