Astronomer (Release: 2018)
Alex Pietrow made a splash in 2017 when he published endearingly lo-res photos of the moon and Jupiter shot with a 2-bit Game Boy camera. The Dutch PhD student quadruples his bit count with his latest retro project, an astrophotography videogame he developed for the Atari 2600. You can buy the cartridge for $18 and plug it into the late-’70s console, or just play for free online. To earn points, swing the beam of a telescope through the night sky to photograph a moving celestial object. But watch out for those pesky clouds, which can block your target—and vaporize your high score.
Opener BlackFly (Release: 2019)
Quadcopters make fine toys, but true flying cars need eight rotors. Opener’s single-seat octocopter classifies as an ultralight plane, but with its vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, you can skip the runway and touch down in the office parking lot. The 13-foot, 5-inch electric “personal aerial vehicle” gets 25 miles per charge and tops out at the federally mandated limit of 62 mph. Each one costs as much as an SUV, but just think what you’ll save on bridge tolls.
Silent-Yachts Silent 79 Cruiser (Release: 2019)
Circle the globe—sans the diesel fumes—in this solar-powered yacht. Photovoltaic panels on the roof of the 79-foot catamaran feed the 200 kWh battery. Dual 80 kW electric motors can propel you from Boston to Bali, as long as you don’t mind dropping anchor each night. The luxe cabin hosts up to 10 fellow sun-worshippers. $3,946,528 and up.
Debut: Aug 1995 | Retirement: Dec 2001 | Appearances in print: 75
“Just Outta Beta inevitably served as an unholy sanctuary for product managers outta their minds. But once in a while, we identified a next big thing, like ReplayTV and PayPal.” —Bob Parks, former editor of Just Outta Beta
This article appears in the October issue. Subscribe now.
WIRED@25: More Retro WIRED
- Editor's Letter: Tech has turned the world upside down. Who will shake up the next 25 years?
- Jargon Watch: Silicages and gene therapy
- Cheat Sheet: Location-based VR
- 3 Smart Things: Gorilla Glass
- Mr. Know-It-All: Honesty and social media
- Most Dangerous Object: Segway Drift W1
- Angry Nerd: We're all sunk
- First to Market: Facial recognition
- Real or Fake: YouTube sensations
Join us for a four-day celebration of our anniversary in San Francisco, October 12–15. From a robot petting zoo to provocative onstage conversations, you won't want to miss it. More information at www.Wired.com/25.
