Alien hunting, Windows through the ages and Christmas gifts
Photos of the month - December 2008
With Christmas just around the corner, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the hordes of people watching the horizon for signs of an otherworldly being are in fact watching for the arrival of Santa.
Not so – it's aliens. The Hat Creek Radio Observatory, in Northern California, is home to the Allen Telescope Array. The ATA, as it's called, is a collection of radio antennas, that together make up the world's first telescope dedicated to the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence project.
See the array in action in the full photo story here.
Photo credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News
silicon.com's Natasha Lomas caught up with chipmaker Qualcomm for a sneak preview of its prototype touchscreen laptop-to-tablet. Take a look at the shape-shifting PC in action here.
Photo credit: Natasha Lomas/silicon.com
In another glimpse of the future of technology, Microsoft unveiled a new look for the Windows taskbar coming in the next iteration of the operating system.
To take a look at the "beachfront property of Windows 7", take a look at the full story here.
Photo credit: Microsoft
As well as looking to the future of Windows, silicon.com trawled through its past, with a selection of photos from Windows 1.0 to Windows 7.
To get nostalgic with the full selection of Windows blasts from the past, click here.
Photo credit: Microsoft
What's the most effective way to tell the future? Tea leaves? Crystal balls? Apparently, it's betting, with online betting exchange Betfair showing silicon.com how closely bets can reflect future outcomes from politics to football.
This chart shows how Betfair's punters trying to guess who will be made manager of a football club.
See the full story here.
Photo credit: Betfair
December naturally saw silicon.com's thoughts turn to Christmas, with a selection of presents CIOs, including a Wii Fit for the more sedentary IT boss and a laptop bag that can actually charge the laptop inside via clever use of solar panels.
To see the full range of presents, including this Sony e-book reader, click here
Photo credit: Sony
If the IT team are on your Christmas present list, then silicon.com has put together a top 10 presents list for them too, albeit a slightly more irreverent one.
Suggestions include a light sabre, USB pop up pirates game and this radio controlled version of Knight Rider's Kitt. Check out the full list here.
Picture credit: Firebox.com
If the festive season inspires your thoughts to turn to what sort of presents to buy yourself, then check out our top ten presents for the techie that has everything, including a few handy suggestions for what to stick in your USB port from this sushi to a dinky R2-D2 memory stick.
To explore the full list, click here.
Photo credit: Dynamism.com
One of the more extravagant suggestions for the techie who has everything was the highly desirable Nokia N97.
To get up close and personal with the Swiss Army knife smartphone, click here.
Photo credit: Nokia