The internet has been abuzz over a secretive June 18th event taking place at 3:30 PM in Los Angeles. The Wrap believes that this event will be to showcase a new Microsoft product in a realm that have astonishingly yet to delve into; a tablet computer.

Microsoft, innovators of the personal computer, have been notably absent from the 202nd decade’s trend of flat, handheld computers. Meanwhile Apple, who has already released three versions of the iPad since 2010, is sitting pretty with a 67 million unit head start on CEO Steve Ballmer and Microsoft.

While the iPad’s CPU, memory, display and dimensions have improved each year, there haven’t been any major leaps towards the nuttier sci-fi breakthroughs we’ve been waiting for. Barring any sensational top secret advancement by Microsoft, their product won’t be much different either.

If you have yet to purchase a tablet, or are still holding onto a first generation model, now may the perfect time to tame your insatiable desires. If you somehow stop yourself, you’ll be handsomely rewarded with some truly revolutionary technology.

In the 21st century, we’re wired to multitask. Even behind the wheel, we’ll perform as many activities as possible while maintaining a crash risk above 50%. Besides eating and putting on make-up while driving, we want access to a worldwide library of music, we want to hear step by step directions instead of learning the local terrain, and we want to stay connected with friends. We also don’t like clutter. How is all of this possible?

For as smart as our phones have become, the battery life and charging constraints are pretty dumb. If you’re not a classically trained ‘always prepared’ Boy Scout that brings your charger everywhere, a dead phone has been a frequent foe. The phone taps out at the most inopportune times; when you really need to talk to someone, when you run into your favorite celebrity, or when you really need to play Angry Birds. Even if you brought your charger along, where are you going to find an outlet? Most establishments guard their electricity like L.A. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick guards the net. Lucky for us, we live in the 21st century, a magical time where outlets will soon be a thing of the past.

Children in the United States are raised differently based on their gender. Girls are given dolls, and boys are given guns. This early exposure embeds guns in our psyche, and leads us to long for bigger and better technology. Traditional bullets just aren’t cutting it these days, we need weapons that shoot cooler things. Engineers have been listening, if you see someone wielding one of the following guns, run.

Greek philospher Aristotle was one of the first humans to ever study and attempt to define dreams. Aristotle believed that we lost all ‘common sense’ of what is real while we dreaming, allowing us to have indescribable visions in our heads. He was one of the first people on record to describe lucid (controllable and seemingly real) dreams, saying that “often when one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which declares that what then presents itself is but a dream.”

Buddhism’s take on the issue predates Aristotle though, and those who practice this religion have consistently sought enlightenment through lucid dreaming. A main tenet of Buddhism is to follow the eightfold path; and one leg of that path is referred to as Right Mindfulness. Buddhist individuals must contemplate their state of mind, and state of phenomena in order to find reality; but how can I control my dreams without becoming Buddhist?

With gas prices at an all time high, people are scrapping their gas guzzlers for more eco-friendly bicycles. It’s tough to beat the dual benefits of toned legs and a rested wallet. While many consider riding a bike to be a smart move, there aren’t too many smart bicycles out there. A slew of big name companies are working tirelessly to change the way we get from A to B.

With advancements in current technology, we are seeing objects that were once dull and boring take new life and perform tasks our grandparents never could have dreamed of. A couple of the most recognizable brands in the world are at the forefront of a move towards smarter, more efficient surfaces around our homes.

People love their pets. Many people love their pets more than they love other people. Despite this unwavering affection, we’re still unable to communicate with them. What are they thinking? How are they feeling? Where do they want to go? Well we’re reaching a point where all of those questions may soon be answered.

Over the last few decades, we have become unbelievably spoiled with technology. Everything is becoming faster, slimmer, lighter and more efficient. The materials that we produce our gadgets with are becoming more impressive seemingly by the day.

By now you’ve probably heard of graphene, if not you can read more about it’s potential capabilities here. Graphene has been lauded as the perfect future material for our technological needs, but it does have one major flaw: it conducts electricity too well at this point to be used in electronics. Graphene in it’s purest form is unable to control the electricity flowing through it; it would thus be difficult to make future gadgets out of it. Fortunately, there have been a couple of recent major breakthroughs in the supermaterial realm including a genetic modification to graphene and a material cousin. Both hold a lot of promise for the future of sweet gadgets.

While apps and alarm clocks that predict the weather and help you prepare for a trip are convenient, who really likes guessing what that means to the body? Wouldn’t you rather just feel for yourself?

A young prodigy engineer and designer named Robb Godshaw is heading a project that changes the way we see, err feel, weather forecasts. Robb has a history of thinking outside the box, and his latest endeavor is no different. Godshaw has created an aluminum box with a metal haptic (touch) senor on top that is capable of duplicating temperatures in “the most extreme climates on Earth.” He is calling it the Cryoscope, and it can let you feel temperatures ranging from freezing to 108° fahrenheit.