But most have a good distance still to go before they can hope to make their long-suffering investors really happy.
Our favorite wished-for items, though, were those that were imaginative, useful and a good distance beyond the state of current technology--but with that ring of plausibility that characterizes the best science fiction.
Its Mount Seymour Provincial Park - just moments from the city centre - provides more than a dozen popular hiking trails and the possibility of sighting (preferably from a good distance) a bear or cougar.
I've got photos of the tiny thing standing a good distance away from me at the park, arms folded defiantly, eyes glaring as if to say "No way am I doing what you want, lady!"
An accredited distance-learning programme offers them a good alternative and access to a world-ranked school, no matter where in the world they are based.
Skype is well known for its low-cost, long-distance calling rates, and makes a good chunk of its revenue from international calls to landlines and cellphones.
FORBES: Skype On Google Voice: We Never Said We'll Be The Cheapest
John Merry, vice-chair of the Local Government Association's Children and Young People Board, said there were often good reasons for placing a child in a residence some distance away from their home.
The camera is certainly a bit larger and heavier than it looks from a distance, but housed within the slightly oversized shell are some pretty good optics and some snappy performance.
ENGADGET: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 hands-on, with 720p test footage!
But the hosts used their pack to good advantage and drove to within touching distance of the Bath line and forced a close-range scrum.
The long-distance Javerts in the tough-on-immigration movement need to take a good long look at Les Miserables, whether the book, the movie or the musical, and see the bit of Javert in each of us.
FORBES: Law And Grace In Best Picture Nominee 'Les Miserables'
Although we're quite a distance away from any of those muscle-bound ideas becoming everyday realities, it's good to at least see them on the horizon.
ENGADGET: Turing machine built from artificial muscles may lead to smart prosthetics
应用推荐