• Second Life Community Convention 2007
• Chicago, IL
• August 24-26, 2007

• Federal Communications Commission 700 MHz Band Licenses Auction
• January 24, 2008

• International Conference on Aging & Longevity
• Moscow, Russia
• August 27-28, 2007
• Description (announcement from Dr. Leonid Gavrilov, Ph.D.):
  

  I am pleased to announce the upcoming International Conference on Aging & Longevity Studies, which brings together researchers from Russia and the United States at Moscow State University, this month.

  This unusual, brain-storming Conference is organized by Professor Vladimir Skulachev, the member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Director of the A. N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology at Moscow State University, Moscow.

  Note that the term “phenoptosis” used in this conference program is a code word for “programmed death,” and that the title of the conference (see below) may cause an excitement in the transhumanism movement. Frankly speaking, the conference is centered around this ‘crazy’ scientific idea:

  Is aging an atavistic program that can be ’simply’ switched off?

• MEDICINE MEETS VIRTUAL REALITY 16
• “parallel, combinatorial, convergent: NextMed By Design”
• Hyatt Regency Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA
• January 30 - February 1, 2008
• Description:
  

  MMVR is the premier conference on emerging data-centered technologies for medical care and education.

  MMVR is an interdisciplinary, vanguard community of computer scientists and engineers, physicians and surgeons, medical educators and students, military medicine specialists, and biomedical futurists. At MMVR, developers and end users collaborate to design the next in medicine.

  MMVR offers a critical review of current progress: from initial vision and prototypes, through assessment and validation, to clinical and academic utilization and commercialization. Extrapolating from the state of the art, MMVR examines and guides the future of healthcare.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/C. Martin (Caltech)/M. Seibert(OCIW) - “Johnny Appleseed of the Cosmos“

The first star discovered with a comet-like tail was announced today by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) team. While exploring the sky in ultraviolet light, GALEX spotted a tail of material streaming behind the binary star Mira, or Omicron Ceti, located 450 light year from the Earth. The red giant member of the binary, Mira A, appears to be ejecting material as it hurtles through the galaxy at 130 kilometers per second (291,000 miles per hour).

The tail visible today stretches nearly 13 light years long, representing an estimated 30,000 years of history. Scientists plan to study the tail to learn more about the evolution of red giants as well as how such tails form in the first place. The discovery came a surprise as such a phenomena had not been predicted before.

More Information

• Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
  • Wednesday, August 15, 2007 Press Release: “SPEEDING BULLET STAR LEAVES ENORMOUS STREAK ACROSS SKY“
• Wikipedia: Mira

• Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime
• by Aubrey de Grey and Michael Rae
• September 04, 2007

• Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference 31
• Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA, USA
• March 9-12, 2008
• Description:
  

  Presenting the geospatial industry’s first and only industry conference completely dedicated to exploring, discussing, and addressing the growing issues, challenges, and solutions for America’s and the world’s infrastructure.

  The Geopatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference (formerly Annual Conference) offers geospatial professionals and professionals involved with all levels of infrastructure planning, design and management the opportunity to convene in one place to identify leading geospatial solutions in the context ofinfrastructure management. The program features 111 technical sessions, 14 half-day seminars, a massive products and services exhibition, and so much more.

• AGI-08 - The First Conference on Artificial General Intelligence
• FedEx Institute of Technology, Memphis, TN, USA
• March 1-3, 2008
• Description:
  

  Artificial General Intelligence New Window (AGI) research focuses on the original and ultimate goal of AI — to create intelligence as a whole, by exploring all available paths, including theoretical and experimental computer science, cognitive science, neuroscience, and innovative interdisciplinary methodologies.

• Virtual Worlds Forum Europe
• London, England
• October 23-26, 2007
• Description:
  

  Welcome: our pan-European virtual worlds conference is the meeting place for brands, corporates, virtual worlds, entertainment, media, IT and all those interested in exploring the business possibilities of virtual worlds. If you’re interested in harnessing the power of virtual worlds to engage with clients, suppliers or customers, this is the place to be.

• Virtual Worlds 2007 Fall
• San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, CA, USA
• October 10-11, 2007
• Description:
  

  Virtual Worlds Conference and Expo Fall dedicated to helping businesses harness the power of virtual worlds to engage with their customers, partners and employees.