Technology Quarterly
The truth about recycling
As the importance of recycling becomes more apparent, questions about it linger. Is it worth the effort? How does it work? Is recycling waste just going into a landfill in China? Here are some answersJun 7th 2007
Also in this Technology Quarterly
Getting wind farms off the ground
Energy: If people object to wind farms cluttering up the countryside, one answer might be to put them in the air insteadJun 7th 2007
A cool concept
Energy: Hydrothermal cooling is a novel approach that uses cold water from lakes and oceans to run air-conditioning systemsJun 7th 2007
Seeing the light
Visual implants: An electronic retinal implant uses technology borrowed from digital cameras to restore some sight to the blindJun 7th 2007
Bubbling under
Microbubbles: A new technique to treat disease involves the careful injection of tiny, drug-coated bubbles in the bloodstreamJun 7th 2007
Overdoing it?
Networking: Internet-service providers are worried that new online-video services, such as Joost, will overload their networksJun 7th 2007
Robot wars
Military technology: Unmanned vehicles and robot soldiers are on the march. Can such machines be programmed to act ethically?Jun 7th 2007
The trees have eyes
Conservation: An elaborate combination of technologies is being deployed to try to curb the illegal hunting of endangered speciesJun 7th 2007
Online gaming's Netscape moment?
Video games: Existing virtual worlds are built on closed, proprietary platforms, like early online services. Might they now open up, like the web?Jun 7th 2007
Sharing what matters
Software: A computing maverick hopes to upgrade the web, transforming it from a document collection into a data commonsJun 7th 2007
Home truths about telecoms
Technology and society: Anthropologists investigate the use of communications technology and reach some surprising conclusionsJun 7th 2007
Turning surgery inside out
Medicine: “Natural orifice” surgery could have a number of benefits, but it requires an entirely new set of toolsJun 7th 2007
Radio silence
Wireless technology: It was hailed as a breakthrough that would revolutionise logistics. What ever happened to RFID?Jun 7th 2007
Taking storage to the next dimension
Computing: After years of development, holographic data-storage systems are finally ready to go on saleJun 7th 2007
Are you talking to me?
Speech recognition: Technology that understands human speech could be about to enter the mainstreamJun 7th 2007
Bringing free software down to earth
Mark Shuttleworth, software entrepreneur and space tourist, believes that open-source software is not just for geeksJun 7th 2007
Editor interview
A discussion with Tom Standage, editor of Technology Quarterly Jun 7th 2007 Web only
Offer to readers
Jun 7th 2007
Technology extras
TECHNOLOGY MONITOR: Storing electricity
It looks good on paper
Cellulose and nanotubes combine to bring flexible batteries to the world
GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY FORUM
Business strategy for the digital economy
From the Economist Intelligence Unit
Earlier Quarterlies
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Previous Quarterly
Woodstock revisited
Could new techniques for producing ethanol make old-fashioned trees the biofuel of the future?Mar 8th 2007
Plan B for global warming?
Environment: “Geo-engineering” is the direct use of technology to counteract climate change. The idea is highly controversialMar 8th 2007
Displays to keep an eye on
Consumer electronics: New displays are starting to appear in consumer devices, offering advantages over today's liquid-crystal screensMar 8th 2007
Let's get physical
Video games: “Exergaming”, which combines on-screen action with physical exercise, shows that gamers need not be couch potatoesMar 8th 2007
Call and response
Computing: Nobody enjoys telephoning a call centre. Could “chatbot” technology make the experience less painful?Mar 8th 2007
Working the crowd
Online advertising: New business models let communities of internet users control how their personal information is bought and soldMar 8th 2007
Beyond the stagecoach
Transport: Fans of “personal rapid transport” claim that nifty individual pods are the future of public transport—againMar 8th 2007
Three wheels good?
Transport: The Can-Am Spyder RoadsterMar 8th 2007
Big Brother just wants to help
Software: The use of data mining by governments need not be sinister, and could help to deliver public services more efficientlyMar 8th 2007
The slow death of dial-up
The internet: The spread of broadband connections heralds the demise of dial-up access. But it will take a long time to dieMar 8th 2007
Bright sparks
Innovation Awards: We invite nominations for our annual prizes recognising innovatorsMar 8th 2007
Go with the flow
Visualisation: Data from mobile-phone networks can create maps that show how people are moving aroundMar 8th 2007
Bright prospects
Energy: Solar power is in the ascendant. But despite its rapid growth it will not provide a significant share of the world's electricity for decadesMar 8th 2007
How touching
Computing: “Haptic” technology is gradually bringing the neglected sense of touch into the digital realmMar 8th 2007
What's in a name?
Computing: Intelligence agencies are using new software to handle the arcane business of comparing lists of namesMar 8th 2007
Watching the web grow up
Tim Berners-Lee created the web in 1991. Now people are talking about Web 2.0—but he is more excited by other thingsMar 8th 2007
Editor interview
A discussion with Tom Standage, editor of Technology Quarterly Mar 8th 2007 Web only
Offer to readers
Mar 8th 2007
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