An updated and more automatic version of this technology is offered by a company I've been following for a while, PixelOptics, Inc., http://www.pixeloptics.com./ Since I'm part of the presbyopia-suffering-over-40 crowd I have a vested interest in something better than the reading glasses I currently wear. Although it's still vaporware at this point, they claim to have an electronically focusing lens that dynamically adjusts to current conditions. A short explanation of the tech involved is here... http://www.pixeloptics.com/pages/electro.html. I look forward to the summer of 2010.

Additional obligatory comment:
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of them....

From TFA..."with a reversing magnetic field comes a weakening in the Earth's ability to deflect cosmic rays. Our armada of communication and military satellites will drop from orbit, adding to the chaos on the ground.
There will be social unrest, warfare, famine and economic collapse."

So..., what's new?