Of course, Allen points out, IBM is not itself a healthcare company or a chemical company, so moving its research into the application phase is done through a network of partners.

FORBES: How IBM Plans To Kill the Staph Superbug

Allen, now seventy-six, revisits some of his old ideas and devices, but he keeps moving ahead.

NEWYORKER: That��s Amore

The latest problem, according to a new article in Acta Astronautica (we've really been meaning to renew our subscription), is that a space elevator would be so slow-moving (200 kph, or 124 mph) that the half-week spent in the Van Allen radiation belt would kill any living thing without proper shielding.

ENGADGET: Space elevator ride may kill humans due to ionizing radiation