television

We've all been there, angrily jabbing the remote control at the cable box in a futile attempt to change the channel. When remote control batteries die, my sanity often follows closely behind. Well, soon that will be a problem as quaint as running out of whale oil for a lantern, thanks to a new remote control that charges itself with the energy from its buttons.

The death of television and the advent of online-only programming has been upon us every week going back at least as far as the first Hulu stream, and perhaps much further depending on which rumor-monger blogs you subscribe to.

While the first 3-D television sets may start shipping as early as next year, they don't represent true three dimensional images. The televisions require 3-D glasses to work, and only present an image when viewed head on.

No, that glowing pickle isn't a promotion for rave night at Katz's, it's a demonstration for how your TV works. In this ingenious twist on the classic potato clock, MIT professor Vladimir Bulovic transforms a humble full sour into a giant OLED pixel for our learning pleasure.

Baratunde Thurston delves into technological and scientific innovations in the new television series Popular Science's Future Of, premiering on the Science Channel Monday, August 10 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). As a comedian, political pundit, and author, he guides us through the future of play, war, sex, security, and many other topics affecting human life. In Monday's premiere episode, he will go to the MIT Media Lab to try out new technology that will shape our leisure time in the future.

PopSci talked to the man about television, the future, and defeating Michael Phelps.

Not just content with making a splash on the big screen, content providers are also set on bringing 3-D programming into the home as well. Sky TV plans to launch a dedicated 3-D channel in the UK next year.

The station will offer a smattering of sports, movies, and entertainment-related content, all piped through to the living room via a set-top box. This seems to lineup with Panasonic's plans to have 3-D movies in the home by 2010 as well.

Blue is the new black--or so Planet Green would have us believe, with their month-long Blue August television special focusing on all things aquatic. Planet Green will present water-themed documentaries and programs throughout August, with topics ranging from clean drinking water to the Great Barrier Reef.