Americas

US: Science-fiction films deal with subjects like time travel, supernatural beings and alien monsters. Should they also be required to obey at least some of the laws of real science? Physics professor Sidney Perkowitz says yes.

US: While it might be romantic to sit by a fire and watch the snow fall, there’s nothing romantic about being stuck in an airport because your flight can’t take off. That’s why some US airlines are cancelling flights even before the snow comes down.

US: The international auction house Christie’s plans to hold a “green” auction on 22 April, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Called “A Bid to Save the Earth”, the auction will allow people to bid on the chance to meet film stars like Hugh Jackman.

US: You may have heard of Honda’s ASIMO robot, which was introduced to the public ten years ago. Honda is no longer the only automobile company to produce humanoid machines. Now American car maker General Motors, together with NASA, has created the “Robonaut”.

CANADA: In just six months, a Facebook game called FarmVille has gained nearly 74 million users who use it every day worldwide. FarmVille is so popular that even real Canadian farmers are playing the social media game.

US: Silicon Valley in California is known as the home of technology companies. A growing trend there has nothing to do with technology, however. It's based around a popular board game invented in Germany.

 

US: American homeowners may soon be getting government money to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Even President Obama says insulation is “sexy”.

US: Maybe it’s the popularity of reality TV shows. Maybe it’s a way to earn money in a recession. Or maybe there are just a lot of cute kids out there. Whatever the reason, many American parents are registering their children with modelling agencies.

CANADA: As more and more people are becoming infected with the H1N1 virus, businesses are implementing plans to deal with the virus. One thing they won’t be able to offer, however, is workplace vaccination clinics.

US: Even the thought of electronic books makes many purists shudder. But in the US, sales of electronic reading devices are rising. What’s more, the people buying them say that they are reading more than ever.