November 2009 issue
COVER STORY
Flexible Microsystems Deliver Drugs Through the Ear
A MEMS-based microfluidic implant could open up many difficult-to-treat diseases to drug therapy
By Jeffrey T. Borenstein

FEATURES

Biofuels Aren't Really Green
Cultivate inorganic energy sources instead of biofuels
By Deepak Divan, Frank Kreikebaum

Deflating the Air Car
Green cars could run on compressed air instead of batteries. But don't rely on the new AirPod minicars to prove it
By Peter Fairley

Rebuilding the IBM 1401
A gang of veteran engineers breathes new life into the hulk of an old IBM 1401 computer
By Philip E. Ross

Zink: Inkless Printing With Colorless Color
A magical new inkless printing technology has risen from Polaroid's ashes
By Tekla S. Perry

UPDATE

Chip Design Thwarts Sneak Attack on Data
Cache architecture harnesses the power of randomization
By Sally Adee

New Director for U.S. Energy Department's Mad Science Wing
Energy efficiency will likely be the focus
By Sally Adee

Plastic Solar Cells Roll Into Unlit Villages
Printed roll-to-roll organic PVs may not be the most powerful, but they're cheap
By Peter Fairley

OPINION

Engineering Achievements: The Two Lists
Will the grand engineering challenges of the 21st century be unlike the greatest achievements of the 20th?
By Robert W. Lucky

It's the Stupidity, Stupid
What the demotion of classical station WQXR to 600 watts means for civilization
By Glenn Zorpette

DEPARTMENTS

A High-Pressure Assignment
Contributing Editor Peter Fairley scrutinizes a novel means of propulsion

A New Spin on an Old Toy
The humble yo-yo gets a high-tech makeover
By Mark Anderson

Aerospace Job Forecast: Skies Are Clearing
Long-term contracts buffer the aerospace-engineering market
By Prachi Patel

Do-It-Yourself Hydro For Kids
A new science kit brings hydropower to the playroom
By Mark Anderson

If You Build It, Santa Will Come
Kits for building musical pencils, Theremins, crystal radios, and shortwave radios
By David Schnieder

Long Live Analog TV—on Cellphones
Mobile phones breathe new life into a dying technology
By Steven Cherry

Robotic Putting Pal
You don't have to putt like Tiger Woods to practice like him
By Susan Karlin

Yamaha's Grand Illusion
The world's first digital grand piano plays like the real thing, at a fraction of the cost--and size
By Mark Montgomery