This time it didn't take any spy-work to get a look at Boeing's new plane. Yesterday the company officially unveiled its long-awaited 787 Dreamliner at the Everett, Washington plant. The lightweight, carbon-fiber plane promises to be more fuel-efficient than existing models, and has already earned more than $100 billion in orders, suggesting that the risky investment should pay off. At this point, a customer placing a new order will already have to wait until 2015 for delivery. The plane comes in three models, seating from 210 to 330 people, and is priced between $146 and $210 million. And while spectators gushed about the exterior, the cabin should also prove pleasing to weary travelers - with improvements in seating, bigger windows, better air quality and overall interior design.—Gregory Mone

American motorcycles have a reputation for being low-tech machines stripped down for speed. But there´s only so much a bike can do without. So Confederate Motor Company (confederate.com) replaced every metal piece possible with a lightweight carbon-fiber one. The company hired industrial design firm Foraxis to help fabricate the new parts and produced a bike that weighs a mere 375 pounds: the B91 Wraith.

Next spring, General Electric will inaugurate the Arklow Bank Offshore Wind Park, a wind farm just off the eastern coast of Ireland. The plant is already operating at nearly full capacity, its seven massive 3.6-megawatt turbines cranking out enough electricity for 16,000 households. Arklow Bank is Ireland´s first offshore wind-energy project and Europe’s 19th, with at least 10 more slated to go up in 2005.