Michael Rogers:  Some predictions about the future remain forever etched in history: Lord Kelvin’s 1895 declaration that “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible” or Digital Equipment Corp. head Ken Olson’s 1977 statement that “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”  But far more predictions and visions of the future are forgotten [...]

The United States has ceded to Russia and France last year its role of the top arms supplier to the developing world as it failed to take full advantage of emerging markets and opportunities created by booming oil prices, according to a new congressional study.

Stars don’t always rip apart in violent explosions. Some blow up in an orderly fashion. A star named Cassiopeia A blew up in such a tidy manner that it retained much of its original onion-like layering. (w/pic)

A think-tank has called for outdated copyright laws to be rewritten to take account of new ways people listen to music, watch films and read books.

Remote control insect toys? What could be cooler!

After 50 years and billions of customers, the fast-food giant is getting a face-lift. Plasma-screen TVs, soft couches, coffee tables and wireless Internet access are just some of the new features customers will begin to see at their local McDonald’s.

A boat that "looks like something the Romulans would travel in" will be attempting to break the eight-year-old speed record for racing around the world in a powerboat. That record is held by the British boat Cable & Wireless Adventurer, which covered 26,000 miles in 74 days, 20 hours, 58 minutes in 1998. Bethune believes [...]

Beijing, China will use three satellites to monitor land use as part of a crackdown on illegal real estate development activities, a local land official has said.