Technology
Technological applications and advances in computers, agriculture, industry and transportation
1923 Envisions the Two-Wheeled Flying Car of 1973
As cars got larger in the 1920s, the "Helicar" was presented as the solution to congested city streets
June 06, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Saab Reinvents Air Traffic Control With a Digital Panorama
With Saab's new digital panorama, the local air traffic controller may soon go the way of the technical support specialist.
June 04, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The Evolution of the Homepage
Using the WayBack Machine, we looked back at how the homepage has changed since the early days of the Internet
June 04, 2012 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
The Peas that Smelled the Leaky Pipe
In 1901, a 17-year-old Russian discovered the gas that tells fruits to ripen
June 01, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Don’t Let Your Money Fly Away: A 1909 Warning to Airship Investors
Flying aboard aircraft? Just a passing fad
May 31, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
How a Federally-Regulated Safety Message Distinguished a Brand
If you've flown Virgin America, you've seen its distinctive safety video. But what's the story behind it?
May 31, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Travelers’ Tales in Utah’s Canyonlands
The trail is rough and hard to follow, marked chiefly by cairns; water is intermittent; and if something bad happens help is not at hand
May 30, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
Big Things Ahead… But Keep Your Shirt On
Americans in the 1940s had wondrous expectations about the post-war world. Meet one author who advised them to curb their enthusiasm
May 25, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Take a Vacation on Volvo
Once you get your car you’re free to hit the road along the west coast of Sweden with its fishing villages, traditional folkways and islands
May 23, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
The 86-Year-Old Company that Still Designs Your In-Flight Experience
Seattle-based design firm Teague has designed every Boeing aircraft interior since the 1940s, from the post-WWII Stratocruiser to the 2009 Dreamliner.
May 22, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Maps of the Future
A 1989 prediction about portable GPS devices was right on the money
May 22, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
A Medieval Castle in the Making
The construction of a medieval fortress in France is answering important questions about 13th-century building techniques
May 21, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
A More Efficient Airline Meal Tray
A recent innovation in the design of the airline meal tray has resulted in massive savings. Maybe the next innovation should focus on the actual food.
May 17, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Jobs of the Future: How Accurate Were the Soothsayers of 1982 At Predicting Today’s Top Careers?
College graduates take note: Your dream career as a robot psychologist or nasal technologist is just around the corner
May 15, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Rebuilding Rainwater Collection in India
From one conservationist's perspective, harvesting rainwater doesn't necessarily mean high-tech strategies—traditional techniques have been around for centuries
May 09, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
The Snows of…Tenerife?
The white stuff can fall at any time and almost anywhere, from the streets of Rome to the subtropical Canary Islands
May 02, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
Groundwater, Gravity and Graphic Design
An important piece of science recently popped up in Times Square, in the form of a 19,000-square-foot interactive map by a Dutch information designer.
May 02, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Document Deep Dive: A Firsthand Account of the Hindenburg Disaster
Frank Ward was a 17-year-old crewman when he saw the infamous disaster, but his memories of that day are still strong, 75 years later
May 02, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Found: Letters from the Hindenburg
A new addition to the Smithsonian collections tells a new story about the legendary disaster
May 2012 |
By Abigail Tucker
Resurrecting the Dead With Computer Graphics
As computer graphics improved in the 1980s and 1990s, people imagined that actors like Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and even a Laurence Olivier/Abraham Lincoln mash-up would star in the movies of tomorrow
April 30, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
