Reported by Michael Reilly and Niall Firth, in New Scientist, 21 Dec. 2011.
It’s been an astonishing year, packed with technological wizardry. A computer has bested the top human minds on the Jeopardy! quiz show. Thousands upon thousands of mind-blowing apps – not to mention Apple’s super-smart, artificially intelligent Siri software – have remade our relationships with our cellphones. And new developments in green technology have given us a glimpse of a future unburdened by fossil fuels. Most of these stories mark beginnings, meaning this list of our favourite stories of the year is more than a look back – it’s a reminder of all the exciting things yet to come.
Inside the race to crack the world’s hardest puzzle
DARPA’s crowdsourced efforts to reconstruct shredded documents – which was solved two days early.
Yacht attempts to smash sailing’s ‘sound barrier’
The Vestas Sailrocket 2 is based on an 40-year-old design but could be the first boat to ever sail at 60 knots.
How innovative is Apple’s new voice assistant, Siri?
Users of the new iPhone 4S can just speak to book restaurants or make appointments – or adjust your thermostat. How has Apple done it? Continue reading »