Unplug! Wireless power is coming soon

Tired of tripping over the cables in your house? You may be in luck I was watching a really bad movie the other night (“The Great Outdoors,” with John Candy and Dan Aykroyd) and I was about to turn it off, when it became clear that even lousy stories can have great lessons. Here’s the truth I was reminded of: Ever since man first walked the earth, he has wanted to break free of tethers and wires. So what did a brainless tale about bald grizzly bears and water-skiing have to do with the history of mankind? I’ll give you a hint: It involved a cell phone. The movie was made 20 years ago, in 1988, which was the year that technology emerged into American life. And what I saw in the movie was Dan Aykroyd sneaking into the bathroom, putting a huge, log-sized wireless phone to his ear and making lots of fancy financial trades with... [read full story]