New Tech

When the weather cools off (we hope) this fall, the active man and woman will hit the trail. Whether you hike, bike, run or bird-watch, carry a giant backpack or a pocket-sized water bottle, push your heart rate to the limit or barely break a sweat, the items below will add to the fun - helping to speed you along, keep you on track, record the adventure and get you home safer and sounder. Smart head light Petzl NAO: Patented, self-adjusting headlamp for all-night marathoners, mountaineers and rock climbers that automatically alters light output based on how far you are from an object, theoretically maximizing safety and battery life.

NASA wants to send haikus to Mars, and you - yes, you! - might be just the poet for the job. The space agency plans to launch a spacecraft to study the upper layers of the Red Planet's atmosphere in November. But before the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission (known as MAVEN) blasts off, NASA is asking the public to submit their names for a DVD that will be loaded onto the Martian satellite. If you missed your chance at getting your name engraved on microchips on the Mars rover Curiosity (along with the names of 1.2 million other people)

SAN LUIS OBISPO - Jake Devincenzi was thrilled to get his hands on Google's new Nexus 4 smartphone. He admired its sleek black case and large touch screen - and he couldn't wait to tear it apart. In a small room cluttered with discarded computer parts, Devincenzi picked up a blue plastic stylus and eased the tool into a seam on the side of the phone as three co-workers watched. Minutes later, a pop. The tear-down had begun. "We're in," he said, and grinned. Each time Devincenzi plucked a part from the Nexus 4, he took a high-resolution photo and posted it online.

Flies' multifaceted eyes have long allowed them to elude frustrated swatters from all directions. Now, inspired by insects' vision, researchers have built a digital camera with an array of tiny lenses lining a bulging eyeball, allowing an undistorted, nearly 180-degree view. The new camera, described in the journal Nature, could one day guide miniature spy planes, search-and-rescue vehicles and even endoscopic procedures.  All vertebrate animals (including humans) possess single-lens, rather flat eyes that are great at picking up light and offering high spatial resolution.

USC's Viterbi School of Engineering is launching an early-stage technology accelerator to help student and alumni entrepreneurs start their fledgling technology companies in the Los Angeles area. The newly created Viterbi Startup Garage is designed to foster an environment where start-ups could flourish in Southern California with financial resources and business expertise provided by the school and its partners, United Talent Agency and the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

The wait for tables is getting longer at Buck's, a popular breakfast spot for the tech elite and a weather vane for the Silicon Valley economy. Here, like everywhere else, Facebook is the talk of the town. "Charles Schwab was in the restaurant the other day, and I asked him to hook me up with some Facebook shares," said Jamis MacNiven, owner of Buck's, in the wealthy suburban enclave of Woodside. "He told me even he can't get Facebook shares. " The new tech boom officially gets underway Friday when Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg rings Nasdaq's opening bell remotely from the company's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, launching the largest initial public offering of stock in Silicon Valley history.

NASA wants to send haikus to Mars, and you - yes, you! - might be just the poet for the job. The space agency plans to launch a spacecraft to study the upper layers of the Red Planet's atmosphere in November. But before the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission (known as MAVEN) blasts off, NASA is asking the public to submit their names for a DVD that will be loaded onto the Martian satellite. If you missed your chance at getting your name engraved on microchips on the Mars rover Curiosity (along with the names of 1.2 million other people)

Who was that man wearing super high-tech, $1,500 smart glasses on the New York City subway? According to a tweet by a guy who got a picture of the mystery glasses-wearer, it was none other than Google co-founder Sergey Brin, wearing a prototype of one of the most highly anticipated new tech products -- Google Glass. Noah Zerkin, who took the picture and tweeted it, describes himself as a wearable computing enthusiast and "prototyper" on his Twitter profile. He said he just happened to run into the most famous piece of wearable technology Sunday and the man behind it. PHOTOS: Tech we want to see in 2013 Zerkin tweeted a picture of his encounter with Brin, saying "Yeeeah ... I just had a brief conversation with the most powerful man in the world.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will announce two new citywide tech initiatives during a Google+ Hangout news conference Wednesday afternoon. During the video chat -- the mayor's first-ever news conference using Google+ Hangout -- Villaraigosa is expected to announce the first major redesign of the City of Los Angeles' website . The mayor's office also says it will "unveil an exciting new tech addition for Angelenos to enjoy. " The new website features social media connectivity, online 311 services and a directory of city services.

Imagine having the fountain of youth as close at hand as the bathroom. We're not there yet — but there's a burgeoning number of at-home, high-tech beauty gadgets that claim to smooth wrinkles, whiten teeth and remove hair without the need to invest in pricey beauty treatments at the spa, dermatologist or plastic surgeon's office. Some of these gadgets are so high-tech the Food and Drug Administration considers them medical devices, so approach the world of cosmetic gadgetry with caution.

USC's Viterbi School of Engineering is launching an early-stage technology accelerator to help student and alumni entrepreneurs start their fledgling technology companies in the Los Angeles area. The newly created Viterbi Startup Garage is designed to foster an environment where start-ups could flourish in Southern California with financial resources and business expertise provided by the school and its partners, United Talent Agency and the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will announce two new citywide tech initiatives during a Google+ Hangout news conference Wednesday afternoon. During the video chat -- the mayor's first-ever news conference using Google+ Hangout -- Villaraigosa is expected to announce the first major redesign of the City of Los Angeles' website . The mayor's office also says it will "unveil an exciting new tech addition for Angelenos to enjoy. " The new website features social media connectivity, online 311 services and a directory of city services.

Who was that man wearing super high-tech, $1,500 smart glasses on the New York City subway? According to a tweet by a guy who got a picture of the mystery glasses-wearer, it was none other than Google co-founder Sergey Brin, wearing a prototype of one of the most highly anticipated new tech products -- Google Glass. Noah Zerkin, who took the picture and tweeted it, describes himself as a wearable computing enthusiast and "prototyper" on his Twitter profile. He said he just happened to run into the most famous piece of wearable technology Sunday and the man behind it. PHOTOS: Tech we want to see in 2013 Zerkin tweeted a picture of his encounter with Brin, saying "Yeeeah ... I just had a brief conversation with the most powerful man in the world.

2012? That is so last year! As we ring in the dawn of 2013, let's raise a virtual glass to all the tech that is yet to come in the new year. We're hoping for waterproof gadgets, bendable cellphones, a closer look at Google's mysterious Nexus Q and, God willing, a new way to watch television that involves just one remote. Here's our list of the technology we can't wait to obsess over, write about and try out in 2013. 1. iEverything:  We already know Apple will come out with new versions of all of its mobile devices, as it always does, but that doesn't make the announcements any less exciting.

SAN LUIS OBISPO - Jake Devincenzi was thrilled to get his hands on Google's new Nexus 4 smartphone. He admired its sleek black case and large touch screen - and he couldn't wait to tear it apart. In a small room cluttered with discarded computer parts, Devincenzi picked up a blue plastic stylus and eased the tool into a seam on the side of the phone as three co-workers watched. Minutes later, a pop. The tear-down had begun. "We're in," he said, and grinned. Each time Devincenzi plucked a part from the Nexus 4, he took a high-resolution photo and posted it online.

When the weather cools off (we hope) this fall, the active man and woman will hit the trail. Whether you hike, bike, run or bird-watch, carry a giant backpack or a pocket-sized water bottle, push your heart rate to the limit or barely break a sweat, the items below will add to the fun - helping to speed you along, keep you on track, record the adventure and get you home safer and sounder. Smart head light Petzl NAO: Patented, self-adjusting headlamp for all-night marathoners, mountaineers and rock climbers that automatically alters light output based on how far you are from an object, theoretically maximizing safety and battery life.

2012? That is so last year! As we ring in the dawn of 2013, let's raise a virtual glass to all the tech that is yet to come in the new year. We're hoping for waterproof gadgets, bendable cellphones, a closer look at Google's mysterious Nexus Q and, God willing, a new way to watch television that involves just one remote. Here's our list of the technology we can't wait to obsess over, write about and try out in 2013. 1. iEverything:  We already know Apple will come out with new versions of all of its mobile devices, as it always does, but that doesn't make the announcements any less exciting.

Compared with most of the region's white-collar office market, the less corporate environs of Santa Monica and Venice are looking sharp. Technology and entertainment companies that long ago mastered the knack of making money without dressing up are now paying top dollar to rent space in some of Southern California's most desirable neighborhoods. The office vacancy rate in downtown Santa Monica is a mere 4%, a fraction of the county average, said real estate broker Craig Kish of Jones Lang LaSalle.

Not since the waning days of World War II have the mammoth wooden blimp hangars at the former military base in Tustin seen as much airship manufacturing work as they do today. Inside the 17-story structures that rise above southern Orange County, Worldwide Aeros Corp. is building a blimp-like airship designed for the military to carry tons of cargo to remote areas around the world. "Nobody has ever tried to do what we're doing here," Chief Executive Igor Pasternak said of the 265-foot skeleton being transformed into the cargo airship.

The wait for tables is getting longer at Buck's, a popular breakfast spot for the tech elite and a weather vane for the Silicon Valley economy. Here, like everywhere else, Facebook is the talk of the town. "Charles Schwab was in the restaurant the other day, and I asked him to hook me up with some Facebook shares," said Jamis MacNiven, owner of Buck's, in the wealthy suburban enclave of Woodside. "He told me even he can't get Facebook shares. " The new tech boom officially gets underway Friday when Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg rings Nasdaq's opening bell remotely from the company's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, launching the largest initial public offering of stock in Silicon Valley history.