This article from New Scientist News discusses the possibility that Sony might be able to develop a real life matrix. That is, people may be able to watch movies and play computer games in which they can also get to smell, taste and perhaps even feel things. The prospect was raised by Sony's approval for a patent on a device for transmitting sensory data directly into the human brain. The author...

Created in 1999, the goal of The Futures Channel (TFC) is to use "new media technologies to create a channel between the scientists, engineers, explorers and visionaries who are shaping the future, and today's learners who will one day succeed them." The site provides visitors with access to new movies and educator favorites at no charge, and visitors can also purchase compilations of past...

What's That Stuff? Well, the Web site provided by Chemical and Engineering News answers this question on many of those everyday items that are just a bit curious. For example, Silly Putty is a "dilatant compound, which means it has an inverse thixotropy--that is, as a viscous suspension or gel, it becomes solid under the influence of pressure." The site explains the history and characteristics of...