The American space program may be in a moribund state right now, but smart people are still thinking big about the future. A recent conference examined various theories for achieving interstellar travel, such as solar sails and fusion drives. I’m skeptical that I’ll even see a return to the moon in my lifetime and the logistical challenges of traveling to another star are colossal, but it’s reassuring to know that people much brighter than me continue to dream and imagine the possibilities. And in a hundred years, Apple and Google may be in a position to jointly subsidize the first starship.

The disability rights movement has long gotten short shrift in history books, documentaries, and the like. Most Americans aren’t even aware that such a movement has and continues to exist, despite its significant impact on our nation’s laws, institutions, and citizens. That’s why I’m excited to learn that PBS will be airing “Lives Worth Living” as part of its Independent Lens documentary series beginning on October 27th. “Lives Worth Living” looks at the disability rights movement from its inception to the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Jeff Shannon’s enthusiastic write-up for the film in the Chicago Sun-Times only adds to my excitement.

“Lives Worth Living” doesn’t air in the Twin Cities until December, but I’m guessing it will be up on the PBS website well before that. I’ll post my thoughts on it once I’ve had a chance to see it. It might be interesting to convene a group of disability bloggers and share our collective impressions. Email me if you’d like to participate.

Thanks to Roger Ebert’s eminently readable Twitter feed for the tip.

I think I’ve blogged previously about this wheelchair that can be controlled via facial muscles. The video accompanying the article shows a demonstration of the chair and it seems to work quite smoothly. The electrodes on the face are a bit unsightly, but the designers have plans for adapting the interface to a pair of goggles. The chair also has a proximity sensor that slows the chair down when an obstacle is near. I’m not sure this feature completely addresses my concern that a speck of dust in the eye could send the user careening into the street, but it’s better than nothing. This interface might have promise for other environmental controls as well, like turning on a television or opening a door. Until true neural interfaces are ready for prime time, this could be the next best thing for people with the most severe physical disabilities.

I was returning home through the Minneapolis skyways earlier today, a path that usually takes me through the Wells Fargo building. But a security guard indicated that the building was locked down because of something to do with the OccupyMN protest that is currently occurring near the Government Center. I took an alternate route home and glanced down at the protesters as I passed over them. They certainly looked peaceful enough. But after I went through the Government Center,  security guards began locking those skyways as well.

This rather modest protest seems to be making the-powers-that-be inordinately jittery. One wonders how they would react to a truly massive demonstration. Based on what I saw today, not well.

Reviews of the new iPhone 4S are popping up on the web. While it certainly looks shiny, I still may wait for the iPhone 5 and its telepathic interface. It has to have a telepathic interface, right? Because anything less would be disappointing.