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January 2009 Issue

Features

In-depth articles from top experts, Spectrum editors, and contributors

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Insight and analysis on the latest advances in technology

Opinion

Spectrum editors and columnists comment on major tech trends

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Articles on DIY projects, engineering careers, and tech history

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January 2009 Issue

Special report

Intel’s Larrabee is a chip every designer already knows how to program

Darpa’s prosthetic arm gives amputees new hope

10 New Year's resolutions to take control of your work life

TruMedia’s facial-recognition system lets advertisers watch you watching their ads—whether you want them to or not

Stadium acts like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead are trading pyrotechnics and JumboTrons for LEDs and software

Quantum-dot lasers from Japan’s QD Laser will make high-speed “fiber to the home” networks simpler, cheaper, and more power-efficient

BlackLight Power says it’s developing a revolutionary energy source—and it won’t let the laws of physics stand in its way

The Wii Fit will get you in shape--if you can get the kids off it

ImSAR’s synthetic-aperture radar is both small and affordable

Geodynamics is turning Australia’s natural radioactivity into the country’s first geothermal power plants

Emotiv says its game controller works at the speed of thought, but it doesn’t

A strawberry-picking robot won’t be displacing farmworkers anytime soon

In the teeth of a global recession, an aquatic-car company ramps up to enter a market that's never made money

A backyard still that turns sugar into ethanol fuel may look sweet, but under scrutiny it turns sour

Scientists search for a replacement for indium-tin oxide, a transparent conductor that's vanishing fast

The state of Saxony's risky rescue of European DRAM maker Qimonda

The big picture

Chu's atom interferometer could lead to GPS without the satellites

Spectral lines

Reflections

The back story

RepRap, a new open-source hardware project, goes a long way toward fulfilling the dream of self-replicating machines

Display glasses still aren't ready for prime time

The data

The world’s leading designer of scuba gear brings closed-circuit rebreathers to the masses

An overseer of remote employees stops by their virtual cubicles every few minutes

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