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THUMBS UP? Scientists Preview Th e Day Af ter To m o rrow 47 HOT PRODUCTS AND IDEAS IN WHAT’S NEW DEFENSE 2020 ThePentagon’sWeaponsof the Future [SPEARS FROM SPACE [SUPERFAST TORPEDOES [KINETIC MISSILES [JET-BASED LASERS PLUS: WE FORCE A GEEK TO LIVE ON TECH FROM 1954 AND: CAN THE HIGH-TECH 7E7 SAVE BOEING? US $3.99 CAN $4.99 JUNE 2004 popsci.com CONTENTS JUNE 2004 VOLUME 264 #6 Founded in 1872 The Acura came roaring out of the gate hard left and knocked over a two-and-a-half-foot-high concrete guard before DARPA could hit stop. DARPA’S DEBACLE IN THE DESERT p. 86 tech O N T H E C O V E R : J O H N M A C N E I L L ; I N S E T P H O T O G R A P H , C O U RT E S Y T O Y O TA M O T O R C O R P. ; T H I S PA G E , C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T: C O U RT E S Y T O Y O TA M O T O R C O R P. ; T O M E R H A N U K A ; G A R RY M A R S H A L L ; M I C H A E L D A RT E R ; J O H N M A C N E I L L ; RYA N H E S H K A ; E D W I N F O T H E R I N G H A M ; A L A I N P I L O N 15 What’s New Toyota’s prescient concept car; 1MP camera phones; portable PlayStation; geek campsite; remote-control lawnmower; 20 products in 2 pages 101 How 2.0 ACQUIRE Digital SLRs vs. all-in-ones INTEGRATE Trekking Tajikistan with GPS HACK Unlocking your cellphone BUILD Eight steps to a classic arcade 15 101 38 44 32 84 94 62 news 43 Headlines RESEARCH Bacterial microbots DEFENSE Gaps in the new missile shield GREEN TECH 2,000 miles on one charge PHYSICS Tabletop fusion reconsidered stories Hollywood, Science, and the End of the World The Day After 56 Tomorrow is a severe weather warning. How’s its science? By Matthew Teague Is This What War Will Come To? Five strange