I’ll just land my space craft on the dark side of the moon.

Having conquered cyberspace, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have set their sights on the moon. They have arranged for their Mountain View company to fund the Lunar X Prize, a competition that will award $20 million to the first team that lands a private unmanned spacecraft on the moon - and broadcasts high-definition video back to earth. In a video statement prepared for Thursday’s announcement, Brin said he had been interested in space exploration as a kid and began following it more recently as his peers - technology geeks who had grown rich off the Internet - turned their attention to space. 

With space travel in the not-so-far future, this places space education as a high priority. The team at the Lunar X Prize has prepared free learning guides, videos and other resources to help stimulate student interest not only in space but in math, science and technology as well.  The X Prize Foundation, founded by Peter Diamandis, a medical doctor with a degree in genetics from MIT, completed its first competition in 2004, awarding $10 million to Burt Rutan, an aircraft designer, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, after they successfully built an aircraft that flew 100 kilometers into space twice in two weeks.

Who needs a car when you can fly your way to work

After 30 years of research, a California company unveiled plans for a $90,000 hovercraft called the M200G Volantor. Moller’s machine can fly up to 100 mph at 10 feet off the ground. The disk-shaped craft runs off of ethanol and is an ultra-low emissions vehicle. It predicts making about 250 a year. Start saving for one now! The price is down from its $1 mil predecessor. The firm said the craft is relatively quiet, registering about 85 decibels from 30 feet away. Though a whisper compared to a jet taking off, 85 dbs. is the threshold for hearing loss if exposed to it for a period of time. Sign me up!

Rivals Match Southwest Fare Hike

U.S. air carriers increased fares after Southwest Airlines boosted its one-way ticket prices by as much as $10 over the weekend, citing higher fuel costs. Southwest hiked fares by $1, $3 and $5 in select short and medium-haul markets. It was the low-cost carrier’s fourth fare increase this year, and other airlines quickly followed suit.United Air Lines, a unit of Chicago-based UAL Corp., matched the increase in markets where it goes head to head with Southwest. US Airways Group Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp. and Delta Air Lines Inc. also matched the fare increase. Rising fuel costs are among the problems the industry still faces as it emerges from several years of difficult losses. Southwest, the only major U.S. carrier to remain profitable through the recession and terror attacks of 2001, has said that fuel-hedging contracts will save it money. Let’s hope so.

Ads On Your Cocktail Napkins, Tray Tables, Overhead Luggage Compartments and Barf Bags

As airlines look for new sources of revenue to offset rising fuel costs, more carriers are turning planes into marketing vehicles, installing advertising in hard-to-miss places. Several American carriers, including US Airways and AirTran, recently started selling advertisements on napkins or stickers that appear on open tray tables. Over the summer, Ryanair, the European low-cost carrier, has gone further, installing advertising panels on the covers of the overhead luggage compartments and on the backs of closed tray tables. The overhead bins have had a slightly faster uptake than the seatbacks at Ryanair, with advertisements being placed by companies like the Dutch bank ING; Red Bull, the energy drink; and Meteor Mobile Communications, an Irish cellphone operator. Several carriers have even experimented with advertisements printed on airsickness bags. Hey, it works. You’ll always remember that time when you puked in a Red Bull barf bag.

Will other advertisers and airlines climb aboard? Even though marketers are eager to connect with consumers in new ways, they are also wary about annoying them. They’re guaranteed to annoy flyers who forgot to bring a book/DVD player and are just starring at the ads for hours.

Mile High Club To Add Thousands of Members

German airline Lufthansa is adding a “bunkroom” full of triple bunk beds for their coach passengers. It would be in place specifically for overnight flights, so you wouldn’t get to take a nap if you just wanted to fly from Frankfurt to Paris, but it could make the difference between arriving refreshed and arriving feeling like a zombie. Don’t think that you’d get to bounce back and forth between your seat and your bed, however: you’d be booking a bed instead of a normal seat. I hope those stewardesses carry Febreeze.

Vacationers From Taiwan On The Go

The estimated number of Taiwanese travelling internationally will grow by 3.6% in the second half of 2007, according to the latest travel survey by MasterCard. While the first half of the year saw some 4.38 million international travelers from Taiwan, this number will increase in the second half to an estimated 4.6 million. In terms of business travel, Singapore and Thailand were the overall top destinations for all travelers in the Asia Pacific region.

Why Pay Salaries When The Customers Can Fork Up The $$$$ Instead

Wal-Mart prides itself on cutting costs at home and abroad, and its Mexican operations are no exception. That approach has helped the Arkansas-based retail giant set a track record of spectacular success in the 16 years since it entered Mexico as a partner of the country’s then-leading retail-store chain. But some of the company’s practices have aroused concern among some officials and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that Wal-Mart is taking advantage of local customs to pinch pennies at a time when its Mexican operations have never been more profitable.

Wal-Mart is Mexico’s largest private-sector employer in the nation today, with nearly 150,000 local residents on its payroll. An additional 19,000 youngsters between the ages of 14 and 16 work after school in hundreds of Wal-Mart stores, mostly as grocery baggers, throughout Mexico—and none of them receives a red cent in wages or fringe benefits.

The company doesn’t try to conceal this practice: its 62 Superama supermarkets display blue signs with white letters that tell shoppers: OUR VOLUNTEER PACKERS COLLECT NO SALARY, ONLY THE GRATUITY THAT YOU GIVE THEM. SUPERAMA THANKS YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING. In Mexico City, for example, the 4,300 teenagers who work in Wal-Mart’s retail stores free of charge. Exploitation at it’s best.

25 of the Most Frustrating Traffic Jams

You might have heard that your commute is killing you. What’s really taking a toll on your health is the polluted air you’re breathing, lengthy traffic delays and dodging accidents to and from work. Even as the stress mounts, we put up with it, since most of us can’t afford to or don’t want to live near our offices. To figure out which region is faring worst, Forbes Magazine looked at three issues facing the country’s 25 largest metropolitan areas.

1. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
2. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta
3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
4. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown
5. Washington- Arlington- Alexandria
6. Detroit-Warren- Livonia
7. Chicago- Naperville- Joliet
8. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
9. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
10. St. Louis

For The Complete List

Tourism Between The U.S. and Europe’s Affluent To Escalate Despite Out Weak Dollar

For Americans visiting Europe this summer, the steep decline of the dollar against the euro and the British pound has made eye-popping prices a lamentable part of the traveler’s tale. By now, five summers after the dollar began its long swoon against the euro and the pound, American travelers are used to $5 cups of coffee and triple-digit dinner checks in Europe’s great capitals. But the dollar’s latest plunge — to $2.05 to the pound and to a record of $1.38 to the euro — has turned mere sticker shock into a form of suspended disbelief for many tourists. The tourism statistics in France, Germany, Spain and other countries, which show that the number of Americans visiting Europe has increased this year, even as the value of the dollar has eroded. Travel experts say this speaks both to the resilience and rising affluence of American tourists, as well as to the perennial appeal of Europe as a destination. Imagine if Europeans made an “American Vacation” movie (as opposed to Chevy Chase’s “European Vacation“).

“Americans who visit Europe tend to be more educated, with higher incomes, so they are less affected by the exchange rate,” said Joachim Scholz, a researcher at the German National Tourist Board. “Even backpackers have more money than they used to, if you look at the price of hostels.” Americans spent $3.8 billion on travel-related services in Europe in the first quarter of this year, a 5.5% increase from the quarter a year ago, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. They spent $22.8 billion in 2006, nearly 10% more than in 2002.

Across the Atlantic, the weaker dollar has encouraged a European travel boom to the United States. The currency squeeze is toughest on Americans who live in Europe and are paid in dollars. They suffer from erosion in their real income that, in many cases, is not fully compensated by their employers.

The Deepest Hole of Debt If That’s Your Yearly Income

What comes with a $40,000 per night in Las Vegas? If you’re a well-heeled traveler, it’s one night at the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa, a two-story, 10,000-square-foot hideaway with a $700,000 cantilevered Jacuzzi that juts over the Las Vegas Strip, a rotating bed beneath a mirrored ceiling and around-the-clock butler service. The Playboy-themed escape, which opened last fall at the Palms Casino Resort, is the most expensive of 101 hotel suites featured in a just-released annual survey by Elite Traveler, a magazine distributed aboard private jets and mega-yachts to readers with average household incomes of more than $5 million. Priced from $1,500 a night and up, the 101 suites come with various perks, such as a private indoor lap pool, personal chef and use of a six-figure Maserati Quattroporte sedan.

Campaigning For Legislation To Guarantee Workers 3 Weeks

The United States is the “no-vacation nation,” the only advanced economy in the world that doesn’t guarantee its workers any paid vacation time, says a recent report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. 28 million Americans are no-vacation workers, receiving no paid time off, vacation or holidays. On the other hand, managers and professionals often get a good deal of vacation. Then there’s a large group in the middle that gets some time off, but not much — and they can’t even count on that time being all fun and games. It’s the time they use to take care of business. On average, full-time American workers receive 19 annual paid days off, according to the report (12 vacation days and seven holidays) compared with 31 guaranteed days in France.

In May, Take Back Your Time, a 10,000-member organization that thinks work is out of balance with the rest of life in America, began a campaign calling for national legislation to guarantee every worker in the United States three weeks of paid vacation. “Americans are the workaholics of the world,” says John de Graaf, Take Back Your Time’s national coordinator. “Having three weeks off wouldn’t make people lazy. It would prevent burnout, make them better workers when they’re working and give them a chance to pay attention to other aspects of their life.”  Extra perks for other countries: Some workers get a bonuses: Austrians get a tax break on the salary they draw while on vacation; Swedes get 108% of their normal salary on vacation; and New Zealanders get 112%.

The World’s Tallest Living Wall

Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, India’s largest private sector company, has been mooting the idea of a groundbreaking residence for his family for almost a decade.  The world’s most lavish private home on the site of a Mumbai orphanage has run into red tape, showing that even India’s richest man is not immune to the complexities of Indian bureaucracy.The Maharashtra state government has issued an order to confiscate the land, which it alleges was sold illegally to the oil and petrochemicals baron. He is already part way through building his 27-story “palace in the air” on the site.

The design of the Residence Antilia, as it came to be called, was kept a close secret even after construction started a couple months ago. Anees Ahmad, a minister with the state government, said the Ambani property “is really an orphanage house. As per the government constitution of this country, these lands cannot be sold or purchased.”

The new Ambani family home would rise 570 feet — the equivalent in height of a 60-story residential building — and would have six levels of parking, a pool and a helipad. It is designed as the largest and tallest “living wall” in the world — a seamless, vertical garden that encompasses all walls of the building climbing to the 40th floor. Within this Vaastu tradition, the spine is regarded as the main source of support of the building, symbolically leading upward toward enlightenment. The various floor planes encombass a variety of garden tiers, terraces, water falls, ponds, recreational facilities, and enclosed, living areas that takes advantage of the most spectacular views of Mumbai and its waterfront.

The tower will have 6 floors of parking; several floors of just gardens; a couple “entertainment” floors including a massive theater; 2 floors of guest apartments, and various floors dedicated to the kitchen, laundry and other services. Reliance Corporate offices will be in the bottom floors and the private Ambani family residence will make up the topmost several floors. A helipad is designed on top, but there is mixed reports on whether this feature has been actually approved by the authorities.

Setting Their One-Month Record: $1.14 billion in May

The state Gaming Control Board reported Thursday that the casinos’ “win” for May was about $2 million higher than the previous record, set in January 2006, and a 1.5% gain compared with the same month a year ago. Gov. Jim Gibbons said that along with the record win for casinos the state saw an increase of 16.4% in its percentage fee collections from resorts, which enabled the state to end its fiscal-year collections from the casinos slightly ahead of earlier projections. Gamblers wagered $14.7 billion in Nevada during May, betting $11.8 billion on slot machines alone. Resorts on the Las Vegas Strip reported a 1.4% gain while downtown Las Vegas casinos were up 0.3% in May.

Japanese embrace the rules because following them assures there will be no offensive or embarrassing moments.

From the proper degree of a bow (15 to 45 degrees depending on occasion) to how a lady eats a rice cracker (broken by hand into bite size pieces with handkerchief on lap), a complex and subtle etiquette code dictates the proper way to do everything in Japan. Japanese embrace these rules because following them assures there will be no offensive or embarrassing moments.Due to increased social interaction and new technology like cellphones and computers, diversified scenarios give rise to more rules and a big demand for the latest etiquette guides. Last year, long-time former bureaucrat Mariko Bando set out to write a book on how professional women could maintain their emotional dignity in a male-dominated workplace, but her publishers urged her to cover etiquette tips like attire, manners and polite language. She complied, and “Dignity of a Woman” has become a best seller. If only the U.S. could publish a best selling etiquette book….

Manners books traditionally focused on “kan kon sou sai” - literally meaning the rites of coming of age - weddings, funerals and ancestor worship. Now they offer titles like “PTA Dictionary for Getting Along with Others and Writing Notes,” which tells you how to inform the teacher that your child has to sit out gym class or how to wiggle out of committee duties. A letter-writing guide offers tips on composing an apology note to a store where you have shoplifted two packs of gum and some AA batteries, (express deep remorse even if the items are small). Funeral preparation books offer pointers on how to be well-regarded after death. Yep, those books cover everything!

There are plenty of etiquette guides for foreign visitors, but it’s probably most important to try to do as others do instead of flaunting what you think you may know. For instance, showing off your chopstick moves. Not happening! A likely infraction that is a topic of much discussion these days is applying makeup on trains (in public). It’s become a common sight to see young women drawing their eyeliner and brushing on mascara with great dexterity in crowded morning commuter trains. Grooming is a private act that others don’t wish to observe, so take it to the ladies room.

Konichiwa!

The best tourists in the world are the Japanese, followed by Americans and the Swiss, a survey based on views from 15,000 European hoteliers said Wednesday. Japanese tourists stood out for being polite and tidy, securing 35% more votes than the Americans who came second. Swiss tourists were commended for being quiet and considerate, unlike the Britons who were judged to be the fifth worst tourists because of rude behavior, noise and a miserly attitude to tipping. Survey carried out on behalf of travel Web site Expedia showed that the worst tourist nation was France, followed by India, China and Russia. Britain was second in the worst-dressed tourist table which was headed by the Americans, and fifth in the least-generous table which was headed by the Germans.