The toshiba micro-nuclear reactor sounds like a neat idea. Too bad it was a hoax.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiba_Micro_Nuclear_Reactor

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/blogs/185/Toshiba-nuclear-reactor-hoax.html

I can imagine a similar discussion in 1875: "What will telegraphs look like in the future?"
 

This is a neat piece of technology. It looks to me like they've used a grid of electrodes + FSR ink to create an array of force sensing resistors.

I'm guessing: isolate a pair of electrodes (an X and a Y), and measure the resistance between them to get a reading of the pressure applied at that point. Scan the entire pad to get a pressure map.

This would be really cool for a touch screen interface, except for the fact that IT WOULD BE TOTALLY OPAQUE! The FSR ink is black. Maybe a thin enough layer could be used to be transparent and ITO electrodes could be used. I'm not sure. Sounds more expensive.

In other news:

* $100 Car Downgraded By Reality; Now Used Bicycle
* $75 House Now Tent
* $1 GPS System Now Toy Compass from Box of Cracker Jack