Daily Interlude

Microsoft Shows off Prototype Next Generation Office Wall

Say what you might about their products on the market, but when it comes to flashy prototypes and revolutionary concepts, Microsoft is indisputably a clear leader in the industry ... more >>

Next: The Pill Bottle Cap with a Cell Phone

"Hi! This is your aspirin bottle calling. I haven't seen you in a while. Why don't you come see me soon? I'm good for the heart, you know." ... more >>

High-Tech Companies Face Shortages as China Hoards Metals

Germany is pinning its economic hopes on future-oriented industries such as solar panel manufacturing. But high-tech companies are facing shortages of essential metals as China, which dominates the world market in so-called rare earths, begins stockpiling the highly sought-after resources ... more >>

‘Augmented reality' comes to an iPhone near you

Imagine your iPhone interpreting your reality in real time?  The phenomenon already has a name: “augmented reality.” It is getting bigger by the day. Just last week, a batch of new AR applications appeared for iPhones and their ilk – apps that will give "subtitles" to your waking world ... more >>

Edit This Page! Is it the end of Wikipedia?

Wikipedia: what makes it work—and can it last? ... more >>

The Fusion Illusion

Nuclear fusion, the process that makes stars shine, could power everything on Earth if we could tame it. But alas, the last half century of fusion research has been a tale of failure and fraud. Max Schulz reviews Charles Seife’s engrossing book Sun in a Bottle ... more >>

Roll Over, Beethoven

How Yamaha's new electronic piano improves upon a 300-year-old instrument ... more >>

Coming Soon to a Battlefield Near you

WIRED FOR WAR: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century ... more >>

Technology brings new insights to ancient language

New technologies and academic collaborations are helping scholars at the University of Chicago analyze hundreds of ancient documents in Aramaic, one of the Middle East's oldest continuously ... more >>

Is Nanotechnology Dangerous?

A background paper by Germany's Federal Environment Agency earlier this week triggered fearful headlines in some of the country's biggest newspapers. But the agency is distancing itself from the coverage, saying it had presented nothing new in the report -- and that it also sees opportunities in nano ... more >>