When I was a Christmas postman, many years ago, some of the bored guys in the sorting office's loading bay liked to play a boisterous game of "catch" when parcels marked "video recorder" and "fragile" arrived. How they guffawed when one landed in the bottom of a skip with a sickening crunch, ruining somebody's Christmas.

Some time soon, you'll be able to go to Disney theme parks and pay for stuff using nothing but wireless bracelets. It's magic! Or uh, is it laid-bare commercialism desensitizing visiting families from the wads of cash they're spending?

UK booze brand Strongbow has designed what it's touting as the world's first digital bottle cap that doubles as a rudimentary remote. Using RFID technology, the StartCap can do everything from turning off the lights to powering up your stereo when you crack open a cold one.

Pushing war and world hunger to the back of the line, the next important issue that technology is tackling is mismatched and missing socks. A company called Blacksocks has developed what it's claiming are the world's first smart socks that make them virtually impossible to mis-match, and incredibly easy to find in a…

The Netherlands is rolling out some 6,000 smart garbage cans that can only be used when residents scan an RFID-enabled ID card. Besides monitoring just how much trash someone disposes of, the cans will also measure and charge the user based on how much refuse they tossed.

For most, AT&T is simply seen as the company that delivers phone and internet and TV service to the masses. But they also have a full-fledged R&D program, which spans multiple countries. Today they offered a glimpse into the fruits of those AT&T labs, with innovations ranging from clever to "OMG I WANT THIS NOW." Here…

Scientists at Princeton University have developed a sensor that could be tattooed onto your tooth, diagnose an infection, and transmit that information to medical professionals.

The money of the future won't be cash, or even sliding plastic—it'll just be a wave of the hand, we're all told. RFID-enabled credit cards sound great, but add an unprecedented theft risk. So how about an on/off switch?

RFID chips are super cool because those little buggers can beam things wirelessly. The guys at Mythbusters totally thought so too and wanted to make an episode about how trackable and hackable RFID chips were. Sounds amazing! Everyone would've learned more about the technology that's invisibly invading our lines.…

Every circle of friends has one—the guy who's only willing to chip in "a couple of bucks" for the night's keg but double fists his brews the entire evening. Well, no longer! This suds security system will only pour for authorized imbibers.