It’s about time we get the adapter equivalent of the Universal Remote Control. Ever since engineer Doug Palmer lost his cell phone charger (a hardship that has practically become part of the shared human experience), he has sought to develop an adapter that supplies power to every last iPod, laptop and digital camera.
Google added its own version of life to the Web this week with its launch of the animated program "Lively." A "20 percent project"—one borne from Google's policy of allowing its staff to spend 20 percent of their work time on their own projects—Lively is much like another Second Life. Its users can enter 3-D worlds, engage in real-time avatar interactions and express their thoughts and feelings all in a virtual community. What distinguishes it, though, from its competition is that it can be controlled from any Web page.
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Science is reinventing play, from extreme sports to gamification to ridiculous roller coasters to the playgrounds of tomorrow, and this issue is chock full of fun. Also, on a less fun note: Did global warming destroy my hometown?