I have been writing about quantum computing for a while now. If you look at my recent writing, though, you won’t find much about quantum computing. Why? Well, it all felt a little repetitive. The publications were still coming, but each new one seemed very much like the previous one. I’m not being cynical here; sometimes you just burn out on a subject.

In that light, it takes something special& … Read More → "Could this quantum computer be the real deal?"

A company called Nth Degree Technologies hopes to replace light bulbs with what look like glowing sheets of paper. The company’s first commercial product is a two-by-four-foot-square light, which it plans to start shipping to select customers for evaluation by the end of the year.

The technology could allow for novel lighting designs at costs comparable to the fluorescent light bulbs and fixtures used now, says Neil Shotton, Nth Degree’s president and CEO. Light could be emitted over large areas from curved surfaces of unusual shapes. The printing processes used to make the lights … Read More → "Lighting sheets made of tiny LEDs"

(Photo: Eindhoven University of Technology/Bart van Overbeeke)

By now, many readers are probably familiar with the da Vinci robotic surgery system. It allows a seated surgeon, using a 3D display and hand controls, to operate on a patient using robotic arms equipped with surgical instruments. Not only does the system allow for more laparoscopic surgery (in which surgical instruments access … Read More → "Robotic system designed to perform delicate eye surgery"

Project Shellter is a MakerBot community initiative by Miles Lightwood to design and 3D print shells for pet hermit crabs, who like their wild relatives, are facing a global shortage of donor shells. Lightwood hopes the man-made shells will stop the practice of removing shells from the wild for use by pet hermit crabs. via Laughing Squid

Wired.com readers have spoken, voting for their favorites from the list and submitting many awesome literary picks of their own. 

See the list here

If you’ve ever wanted to make your own holograms you’ve probably realized that it’s difficult, expensive, and complicated. No so if you have this new DIY Hologram Kit from the Maker Shed, it’s easy! Just set up the included jig, use the laser to illuminate your object, and expose the self developing film. You’ll have your very own high quality hologram in less than an hour. … Read More → "DIY Hologram Kit (new in the Maker Shed)"

It’s alarming enough when robots ingest plant detritus like twigs and grass clippings. It’s another thing entirely when they can start chowing down on members of the animal kingdom. A pair of prototype robots are designed to catch bugs, a major step on the path toward robots that can hunt, catch and digest their own meals.

The tiny robots are modeled after the lobes of Venus flytraps, which snap … Read More → "Robotic venus flytraps will trap bugs and eat them for fuel"

Plenty of tales have cropped up through the years focusing on the roots of Arduino — a tiny circuit board that holds a special place in the heart of every modern-day DIYer — but a recent expose from the folks atIeee Spectrum has a behind-the-scenes look that’ll impress even historians. via Engadget

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Get out your pumpkin carving gear, folks (or boxes of Legos) — Halloween is almost here! But you won’t find any generic monster faces or black cats here — oh no. We’ve searched high and low for the very best geek-o’-lanterns the Interweb can provide, whether they’re carved from the flesh of a pumpkin, or suggest the shape in other creative ways.

< … Read More → "31 geeky jack-o’-lanterns to inspire your Halloween pumpkin carving"