The Big Idea

  • The Big Idea

    Robugs, biologically based software, the GeoWeb, transgenic art and other hot frontiers in technological innovation.
    By David Pescovitz November 30, 2005

  • The Big Idea

    Bodyguards for sheep, plug-in hybrids, edible yards and other environmental innovations worth celebrating.
    By Sarah Karnasiewicz and Salon staff October 21, 2005

  • Making it new

    From affordable housing to beautiful highways and computer-monitor gargoyles, the Big Idea looks at architecture and design ideas to build a future around.
    By Karrie Jacobs October 5, 2005

  • Cheap = Good

    Affordable housing -- more necessary now, post-Katrina -- is not just better than it used to be, it can be more stylish than any garden-variety McMansion.
    By Karrie Jacobs October 5, 2005

  • Nice ice

    Lab-made diamonds are as dazzling as those mined by third-world labor. This bling may be easier on your conscience -- and your wallet.
    By Corrie Pikul December 24, 2004

  • The year in games

    Developers, critics, gamers and analysts weigh in: What they loved, what they learned, what they worried about.
    By Wagner James Au December 22, 2004

  • Digital fashion design ain't as easy as it looks

    The computer-generated clothing in Pixar's "The Incredibles" required real tailors and years of programming.
    By Sarah Lidgus December 21, 2004

  • The Friendster of photo sites

    On the photo-sharing site Flickr, instant and unlikely communities spring up around a wild universe of images, from cats and grocery day to giving birth.
    By Katharine Mieszkowski December 20, 2004

  • Car ports

    How those eerily beautiful bubble cars in "The Incredibles" may well appear in our not-too-distant future.
    By Priya Jain November 19, 2004

  • Good wood

    How to indulge in beautifully designed wood furniture and keep your tree-loving conscience (mostly) clean.
    By Miranda Purves November 12, 2004

  • Bright lights, big savings

    Believe it or not, a dazzlingly gaudy Vegas light display actually represents a major step forward in energy conservation.
    By Corrie Pikul November 5, 2004

  • The rise of the insta-doc

    Through documentaries like "Outfoxed," "UnConstitutional" and "Control Room," digital technology has revolutionized the box office -- and democracy.
    By Corrie Pikul October 29, 2004

  • Would you drink this water?

    NEWater looks like any other glacier-clear bottled H20. Except it gushes from the toilets of Singapore instead of a bubbling spring.
    By Corrie Pikul October 22, 2004

  • Bamboom!

    It's long, strong and pleasing to the eye. So -- who needs wood?
    By Cynthia Joyce October 14, 2004
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