Weigh in on sci-fi to technology inspirations
435034
Blog: CNET News.com is interested in readers' favorite examples of science fiction that inspired real technology
74601
Some able-bodied people want to improve their bodies with artificial parts. But their dreams may outpace the capabilities of technology. By Chris Oakes. Part four in a four-part series.
147267
By Jim Rossman, The Dallas Morning News  Jun. 8--One perk of technology writing is getting to play with new technology.
708630
(InfoWorld) - What makes a great geek vacation? Well, high-speed access from even the most obscure locale is a given. Then throw in some activities to stimulate the brain cells, maybe a dose of electronic entertainment, possibly a bit of techie history, and youâre most of the way there. Of course, it also helps if your chosen location is frequented by similarly techie folks and has some out-of-the-mainstream cred, meaning it would make your non-alpha geek friends roll their eyes. Our readers weighed in with their choices, and hereâs what InfoWorld editors came up with as the favorites. (And be sure to check back tomorrow for Part II, with more top hot spots.) Bangalore, India                                                     Why should Thomas Friedman have all the fun? Bangalore readily appeals to geeks with exotic tastes, given its dual status as both the Garden City and the Silicon Valley of India. While you couldnât actually visit the local offices of tech giants such as Intel, Sun, or HP, you could explore the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, with its exhibition halls that cover engineering, biotech, space travel, and the like. Check out the view from the southern hemisphere at the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. Internet cafes and Wi-Fi hotspots are everywhere; get your fix between visits to the 240-acre Lalbagh botanical gardens or the 300-acre Cubbon Park. Ulsoor Lake offers boat rides among its many small islands. Tipu Sultanâs palace and the Raj-era Bangalore palace offer a dose of lush architecture. Hindu monuments abound: The Bull Temple is dominated by a massive, monolithic sculpture of said beast. Another bull figures prominently in the main event at the Sri Gavi Gangadhareswara Temple: Every Jan. 14, a ray of sunshine aims through the horns of a bull statue to illuminate another statue, of Shiva Linga. Buy a gadget or a sari on Brigade Road or Commercial Street, and your South-Asian geek experience is complete. Dinosaur Dig      Digging up dinosaur fossils: It's not just for stuffy paleontologists anymore! If you've ever been awed by dino-skeletons at a museum, wanted to reconnect with a youthful (or not-so-youthful) love of dinosaurs, or just wanted to see if that whole Jurassic Park thing could work for real, then are you ever in luck. You can, in fact, get right down into a real dig site. And it isn't some sort of fantasy camp-style interpretation of digging where all the hard work is done for you and the fossils are teed up for you to "discover," either -- these camps are the real deal. You get to do the actual dirty work yourself, side by side with scientists and experienced diggers. Who knows -- you might be a part of the next major fossil discovery! There are dig vacations of all sorts of durations across the United States and all over the world. A sizable list of options can be found here. CeBIT, Hanover, Germany; and Munich, Bavaria Mark your calendars: March 2008 will see the next incarnation of the worldâs largest computer-technology show. If you manage to tear yourself away from the exhibits, the Laatzen Museum of Aviation offers a less crowded dose of technology. The History of Energy Museum blasts you back to a past of radio, lightbulbs, and other electrical devices.      But the real technical center of Germany is in Munich, Bavaria, home to Siemens, Infineon, and the European outposts of many American high-tech firms. Itâs also a city that knows how to have fun. Where else could you quaff a liter of beer at HofBraeuHaus, then walk (please donât drive) to the Deutsches Museum, where you could spend several days among its exhibits of mining, electronics, engineering, flight, and more? Another huge outpost of the museum houses autos, trains, and more. With an advance reservation, you can take the BMW Factory Tour and see (but not buy) more beer, available in vending machines on the shop floor. Check out the temporary BMW Museum in nearby Olympic Park, or wait for the grand opening of the renovated museum in spring of 2008. Don your lederhosen and come during Oktoberfest to see all of Bavaria dancing on tables. Antarctica Yes, you can take pleasure trips to Antarctica, assuming you're one to define a visit to the coldest, most desolate place on earth as "pleasure." It may not be hip, sexy, or urbane, but Antarctica certainly holds quite the travel cachet      for its sheer remoteness and largely unspoiled landscape. Believe it or not, Antarctic tourism is a successful industry -- successful enough, even, to have its own association of tour operators. As for what you'll see and experience, well, that depends largely on when you go. There is, of course, lots of ice, not to mention mountains, which some tour packages will allow you to climb and camp on. You'll also get to see seals, whales, and, of course, penguins, among other flora and fauna unique to this part of the world. The most popular form of Antarctic tourism is a cruise. Yup, the same industry that promises to whisk you away to a tropical paradise also has a segment dedicated to the land of ice and snow. You can check out a FAQ and get some basic cruise info at the Antarctica Cruise and Travel Guide. Silicon Valley, Calif. The 30 miles between San Francisco and San Jose contain enough high-tech to sate even the most serious geek. InfoWorldâs hometown of San Francisco boasts two excellent examples: the distinctively hands-on Exploratorium      and the California Academy of Sciences. It would also be fun to watch the new Academy of Sciences building rise in Golden Gate Park, complete with an undulating green roof of native plantings. Hop across the bay to the UC Berkeleyâs Lawrence Hall of Science, named for Ernest O. Lawrence, the university's first Nobel laureate. Lawrenceâs actual Nobel medal used to be displayed there, but after a recent, unsuccessful theft, itâs under wraps until a safer display case can be built. Farther south, you can park the family at Stanford Shopping Center while you pay discreet respects to the HP Garage in Palo Alto, then move the party to Six Flags Great America, a stoneâs throw from Intel headquarters and its own museum. Want more? Check out the NASA Ames Exploration Center to learn about aerospace projects; visit Stanfordâs Linear Accelerator to brush up on your particle physics; or see replicas of early flight machines and real modern aircraft at the Hiller Aviation Museum. Geeks like to shop, too; around here, they flock to one of many Fryâs Electronics stores, each with a distinct decorative theme such as a Wild West saloon (Palo Alto) or a giant motherboard (Sunnyvale). The DIY crowd goes to WeirdStuff for a wide-ranging, motley supply of used equipment and parts ranging from huge servers to tiny transistors.
243000
It sounds like something out of Star Trek. Austrian researchers have teleported photons (particles of light) across the Danube River in Vienna using technology that calls to mind Scotty beaming up Captain Kirk ...
231578
Blog: Exploring future product opportunities using the iPhone's components
600963
The yearning for timelessness in a constantly renewing tech culture has led to a spike in interest in the steam-powered, brass-encrusted world of steampunk.
512578
While some scientists try to build nano machines from scratch, others are discovering uses for single-celled organisms that are already available. By Monya Baker from Wired magazine.
565638
What's the universe made of? Why can't we regenerate lost body parts? Wired magazine and top science thinkers tackle the quandaries others are afraid to touch.PLUS: Wired Editors Offer Smart Answers to Silly Questions
591197
A sampling of ideas from the next generation of consumers--and entrepreneurs.
304332
Blog: How close is modern science to an era when technology can restore lost motor functions. Scientists say we're getting close-but a huge effort still remains.
140176
Readers remark on our This Day in Tech feature. Plus: Links to our most popular blog posts.
460611
Orbiting hotels, transatlantic tunnels, android armies -- these are all technically feasible projects given today's technology, if you just have a big enough budget. But how big exactly? Wired's Rob Beschizza does the math.
197597
The science-fiction writer and former astrophysicist ponders the meaning of technologically advanced life, in the third installment of Wired Science Wonders.
125493
Technology brings a whole new light to history.Technology brings a whole new light to history.Technology brings a whole new light to history.
607872
Researchers are trying to turn the simulated realities of science-fiction movies into the armchair realities of everyday life
352819
Game animator I-Wei Huang is getting rave reviews for his steam-powered robots. How does he hack RC kits with steam engines? And will he ever make a rideable robot? By Griffin Wright.