Facebook has agreed its first-ever acquisition, buying Web start-up Parakey. How Facebook are going to use the technology they have bought is still unclear. However, there seems to be much speculation that it could allow Facebook to more deeply integrate content on your computer with the multimedia features already available on the Facebook site itself. [...]

“In a little over half a decade, Japan’s military has carried out changes considered unthinkable a few years back … Japan is acquiring weapons that blur the lines between defensive and offensive … Small [changes] or not, they are causing anxieties in a region where distrust of Japan has deepened in direct proportion to Japanese [...]

I especially love the colours in this photo of Kjeungskjaer lighthouse. Released under Creative Commons licence by elmyra. Original on Flickr, here.

“Since 1971 the commune’s 800 residents, inspired by the ideals of peace and free love, have maintained a free-wheeling idyll in this former navy base … But the clashes with the authorities [on issues such as tax, benefits and marijuana use] has brought about changes in the attitudes of a traditionally tolerant Danish society.”
Time [...]

Developments magazine has a fascinating article on microfinance, which could help lift millions of people out of third world poverty. The problem for many entrepreneurs in these countries is that the informal, cash-only financial system and their hand-to-mouth financial circumstances do not have enough give to expand their business. Whether it’s to weave silk saris [...]

“The reason for his conversion to political activism, he says, is that his country is facing the gravest threat to its secularist identity in more than 50 years.”
Time looks at Turkish politics, and the worries of some that the ruling party may threaten the country’s secularism. The BBC reports, however, that the party has been [...]

“It is a misconception that recycling costs less. The current production is so geared towards quantity and subsidised for this type of production that, when you make it by hand and recycle the products, you are actually fighting against a lot of economic forces in the market that make you more expensive.”
PingMag has an interesting [...]

“Credit information group Equifax said members of sites such as MySpace, Bebo and Facebook may be putting too many details about themselves online.”
Much of the advice is common sense. For instance, if you’re going to use your pet’s name as a password (a pretty basic mistake from a security standpoint, anyway) you should ensure you [...]

From the brilliant xkcd, here.

BBC News reports that the US has set up a panel to look into the safety of imported goods. While the move follows a string of safety concerns involving Chinese imports - including toys coated in paint containing lead and food contaminated with banned chemicals - the US claims that the move is not specifically [...]