According to wikipedia, "Substances that are negligibly affected by magnetic fields are known as non-magnetic substances. They include copper, aluminium, water, and gases.". Note that negligible is not none - its just very small. So I wonder - how much less magnetic is water, than iron?

Wow! Go Japan! This project would not only further develop space based technology but also would support politically correct green energy production needs. Space based power might actually benefit mankind, as opposed to exploring Mars! Why can't the U.S. come up with space projects which are actually practical? I can just see the next James Bond movie - where the bad guy gets fried by a space-beam of microwaves.....

I'm predicting that people providing shortened blog entries like a diary will go in the direction of every-detailed-thought you could imagine. This will end up in court-cases proving a person's state of mind at a given time. Also predicting that teens will share every single 'emo' they have during the day. Pairing this with GPS technology, people's whereabouts, destinations and emotional state could be public domain. Predators will exploit this. If everyone were constantly tweeting, and the emotional content could be analyzed in real-time, think of what google maps could show! Imagine blue splotches at a blues music venue or red-splotches at a boxing match or a riot.

Nuclear waste can't be shot into space because current rocket-based technology is too expensive and the rocket may explode over populated areas. However if cheaper launching technology were ever developed, such as the 'space elevator', we might have a solution.