New Hoover Dam

What was once the pinnacle of engineering technology is now dated -- so we're reinventing the Hoover Dam.

Obama On Board

National Geographic joins Barack Obama as he flies to Washington D.C. for his inauguration.

Sea to Shining Sea

American landscapes, presented for the Inauguration of Barack Obama, Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Congratulations, and God Speed, Mr President.

Bush's Secret Visit to Iraq

Bush's secret mission: to visit the troops in Iraq for Thanksgiving. Transportation: Air Force One.

Alaska

Experience Alaska with Lonely Planet author Greg Benchwick. You'll see more than 80 straight days of 24 hours of sunlight giving you plenty of time to admire the icy white landscapes of the Arctic ocean that's been home to the Inupiat people for thousands of years. Special note from Greg: Oops, I called the sealskin boat an upiak, but actually it's an umiak, 24 hours of sunlight can really mess with your head!

Winter in Colorado

After years of holidaying in the tropics, Randy and Jenny spend the holidays in deep in snow in Colorado.

76th Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting ceremony

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The 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is pictured after the lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

The 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree stands after the lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

The Rockettes perform during the 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

The Rockettes perform during the 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

Performer Kristin Chenoweth poses during the 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

Actor Jamie Fox poses after performing at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

World's largest pinata unveiled in Philadelphia, USA

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Spectators get a close up view of a huge record-breaking pinata in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Nov. 2, 2008. Breaking the Guinness Record for the world's largest pinata, according to an onsite Guinness adjudicator, the giant mock donkey measures 28.5 meters long; 7.2 meters wide and 18 meters tall and is filled with 8,000 pounds (3,628 kilograms) of candy. A wrecking ball is to be used later on Sunday to help smash the pinata during a public event, where Carnival Cruise Lines is producing a television commercial.

Spectators get a close up view of a huge record-breaking pinata in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Nov. 2, 2008. Breaking the Guinness Record for the world's largest pinata, according to an onsite Guinness adjudicator, the giant mock donkey measures 28.5 meters long; 7.2 meters wide and 18 meters tall and is filled with 8,000 pounds (3,628 kilograms) of candy. A wrecking ball is to be used later on Sunday to help smash the pinata during a public event, where Carnival Cruise Lines is producing a television commercial.

Spectators get a close up view of a huge record-breaking pinata in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Nov. 2, 2008. Breaking the Guinness Record for the world's largest pinata, according to an onsite Guinness adjudicator, the giant mock donkey measures 28.5 meters long; 7.2 meters wide and 18 meters tall and is filled with 8,000 pounds (3,628 kilograms) of candy. A wrecking ball is to be used later on Sunday to help smash the pinata during a public event, where Carnival Cruise Lines is producing a television commercial.

Another Hot Day On The Beach, USA

More highlights of an afternoon on Miami's South Beach. Plenty of sunshine and "eye candy".

San Francisco Soapbox Derby 2008, USA

"Crazy hippies," one man yelled as the insane contraptions passed him by. The collection of soapbox cars created for the 2008 Red Bull Soapbox Derby in San Francisco inspired a variety of reactions.

Mostly they were oohs, ahhs and cheers as the cars flew down Dolores, powered only by gravity, wind and human willpower...and then they were the crashes!

Beauty and beast dance in water, USA

A female trainer and a one-year old tiger dance in the water in a zoo of South Carolina.

A female trainer poses with a one-year old tiger in a zoo of South Carolina.

Saving the Nude Beach 2, USA

Save the Nude Beach! (San Onofre)

World's biggest computing grid launched

The world's largest computing grid is launched on Friday, ready to tackle mankind's biggest data challenge from the earth's most powerful accelerator, according to local media reports.

Three weeks after the first particle beams were injected into the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG) now combines the power of more than 140 computer centers from 33 countries to analyze and manage more than 15 million gigabytes of LHC data every year.

A technician walks under the core magnet of the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) experiment at the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN (Centre Europeen de Recherche Nucleaire) in the French village of Cessy, near Geneva March 22, 2007. International physicists at a vast underground complex near Geneva launched a 20-year project on Wednesday to re-enact the "Big Bang" to try to explain the origins of the universe and how it came to harbor life.

The United States is a vital partner in the development and operation of the WLCG. Fifteen universities and three U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories contribute their power to the project.

"The U.S. has been an essential partner in the development of the vast distributed computing system that will allow 7,000 scientists around the world to analyze LHC data," said Glen Crawford of the High Energy Physics program in DOE's Office of Science.

"Particle physics projects such as the LHC have been a driving force for the development of worldwide computing grids," said Ed Seidel, director of the U.S. National Science Foundation's Office of Cyber infrastructure. "The benefits from these grids are now being reaped in areas as diverse as mathematical modeling and drug discovery."

When the LHC starts running at full speed, it will produce enough data to fill about six CDs per second. Dedicated optical fiber networks distribute LHC data from CERN in Geneva, Switzerland to 11 major "Tier-1" computer centers in Europe, North America and Asia. From these, data is dispatched to more than 140 "Tier-2" centers around the world.

Physicists in the United States and around the world will sift through the LHC data torrent in search of tiny signals that will lead to discoveries about the nature of the physical universe. Through their distributed computing infrastructures, these physicists also help other scientific researchers increase their use of computing and storage for broader discovery.

"Grid computing allows university research groups at home and abroad to fully participate in the LHC project while fostering positive collaboration across different scientific departments on many campuses," said Ken Bloom from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, manager for seven Tier-2 sites in the United States.

U.S. scientists one step closer to cloaking device

A Klingon's warship in "Star Trek" -- a Bird of Prey used a cloaking device to become invisible.

U.S. scientists are getting closer to engineering material that could make three-dimensional objects invisible to the human eye, though they're nowhere close to duplicating the "cloaking device" used by alien Klingons in "Star Trek," according to media reports Monday.

Previously, they only have been able to cloak very thin two-dimensional objects.

The findings, by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, led by Xiang Zhang, are to be released later this week in the journals Nature and Science.

Cloaking uses metamaterials to deflect radar, light or other waves around an object.

Metamaterials are mixtures of metal and circuit board materials such as ceramic, Teflon or fiber composite. They are designed to bend visible light in a way that ordinary materials don't. Scientists are trying to use them to bend light around objects so they don't create reflections or shadows.

Stone me! It's naked climbing

Naked climbing is the new craze sweeping the U.S., pioneered by photographer Dean Fidelman. The Californian snapped these images for his 2009 calendar Stone Nudes. He said: "This is the sport at its purest. It captures the true essence of the climbing spirit."

Naked climbing is the new craze sweeping the U.S., pioneered by photographer Dean Fidelman. The Californian snapped these images for his 2009 calendar Stone Nudes.He said: "This is the sport at its purest. It captures the true essence of the climbing spirit."

Statue of Liberty's crown may reopen to public

Photo taken on June 30, 2008 shows the Statue of Liberty at the New York Harbor, the United States. Statue of Liberty's crown may soon be reopened to the public, according to New York local TV "NY1". It is reported that the U.S. federal government is taking steps to reopen the crown, which has been closed since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The number of visitors to the statue has dropped by about 40 percent since visitors are limited to the statue's pedestal.

The Statue of Liberty and the New York City Skyline are seen in this photograph taken from a tour boat in New York Harbor, June 30, 2008.

The Statue of Liberty is through a cabin window in this photograph taken from a tour boat in New York Harbor, June 30, 2008.

Photo taken on June 30, 2008 shows the Statue of Liberty at the New York Harbor, the United States. Statue of Liberty's crown may soon be reopened to the public, according to New York local TV "NY1". It is reported that the US federal government is taking steps to reopen the crown, which has been closed since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The number of visitors to the statue has dropped by about 40 percent since visitors are limited to the statue's pedestal.

Photo taken on June 30, 2008 shows the Statue of Liberty at the New York Harbor, the United States. Statue of Liberty's crown may soon be reopened to the public, according to New York local TV "NY1". It is reported that the US federal government is taking steps to reopen the crown, which has been closed since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The number of visitors to the statue has dropped by about 40 percent since visitors are limited to the statue's pedestal.

Photo taken on June 30, 2008 shows the Statue of Liberty at the New York Harbor, the United States. Statue of Liberty's crown may soon be reopened to the public, according to New York local TV "NY1". It is reported that the US federal government is taking steps to reopen the crown, which has been closed since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The number of visitors to the statue has dropped by about 40 percent since visitors are limited to the statue's pedestal.

Good bye, Bill Gates

Bill Gates in 1965. Bill Gates steps down on June 27, 2008 from the daily duties at Microsoft

Bill Gates (last row, central) in 1966 with his school football teammates

Bill Gates (R) in 1969 with his classmate Paul Allen

Bill Gates' business card during 1975-1979

Bill Gates in 1977 when he was arrested for driving with overspeed

It's the original 11 Microsoft employees at their office in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1978. Gates is sporting a toothy smile in the bottom left corner

Bill Gates in 1979

Bill Gates (L) in 1985

Bill Gates (R 1) in 1986

Bill Gates (C) in 1991

Bill Gates (R) in 1993

Bill Gates (L) in 1993

Bill Gates (R) in 1994 with his newly married wife Melinda French

Bill Gates in 1995 with children who won in a writing contest supported by Microsoft

Bill Gates visits China in 1995

Bill Gates (R) in 1996 with then U.S. president Bill Clinton

Bill Gates and his wife top Times "Person of the Year" in 2005

Bill Gates on cover of newsweek in 2008