It is people like you who amaze me, and for whom I have the utmost respect. It seems ludicrous to think that humans would voluntarily live in, as you say, extraterrestrial temperature zones, but all of you do so! for science and human discovery! It's simply awesome. :)

This news item is oddly refreshing. It's because of my fellow netizens that, for once, I am not at all worried about what this might portend for the future. Seriously, if people don't want to pay for music, what makes anyone think that news media will be any different? In news, there is even less of an inherent monopoly regarding the content's source, and it's even easier to transmit on a whim, for free (gratis). Sure, Murdoch will end up making some money, but I expect this is a flawed business model, and it is certainly Yet Another desperate attempt at recovering the information/entertainment-distribution status quo.

Basement suites are a way of life in Vancouver, where for many the only way to afford a house is to have "mortgage helper" suites. This city is insane for housing.

I spent three years living in a basement room. It was about two years too many, but such is the life of a grad student...

Now I've been in a shared house, above ground for nearly three years, and I have to say, I've never appreciated the sun more.

I'd like to have the normal gravity as much like Earth's as is practical, but I want the ability to change it at any time to anything. Or maybe have a variable-gravity section of the spaceship.

Perhaps in Canada? Without going looking, I'm not sure. I seem to remember hearing about such laws in Korea and Japan as well, and the comments I've read attached to this article at least suggest that it is true about Japan.

I know that my phone makes that click noise, and it's quite loud. I can replace it with things like a quacking duck if I want, but there's no "silent" option (without hacking).

I can certainly see the logic for that claim if your entire goal for travel is geographic diversity. What about cultural tourism, though? Despite there being a not-unreasonable level of ethnic diversity in the United States, the cultural diversity is decidedly less noticeable; "melting pot", remember. So if I want to travel to experience a different way of living daily life, or to meet people who live in a certain country, or whatever, then it's a little harder to do that in the USA.

As a Canadian, I also lament the fact that we don't have the ability to travel as extensively for so comparatively little as do those living in the EU. Simply getting anywhere else in the world is so frickin' expensive...