Current "muxes" typically can push up to 100 light waves down a single fiber, but by year-end Nortel will begin shipping test gear that pushes 160 lightwaves, each carrying 10 billion bits of data per second.

FORBES: Hooked on Photonics

Current "muxes" typically can push up to 100 light waves down a single fiber, but by year-end Nortel will begin shipping test gear that pushes 160 lightwaves, each carrying 10 billion bits of data a second.

FORBES: Hooked on photonics

Similarly, the origins of the microwave oven (an offshoot of radar), the folding baby buggy (the brainchild of a test-pilot inspired by aircraft landing gear) and traffic lights (one of the first of which exploded outside the Houses of Parliament) are not widely known.

ECONOMIST: Encapsulating a century in gadgets

Orion itself is an amazing machine, but the gear being used to design, build and test it is equally impressive.

ENGADGET: Lockheed Martin shows us how it's getting Orion ready to explore the cosmos

Now, with the holiday shopping marathon in full gear and during a season when frugality is still key, retailers are starting to test the waters a bit.

FORBES: In Retail, "Splurge" Is The Word This Holiday Season