Imaginary flying cars have been around since, well, cars. Actual flying cars, though, (such as the Moller M400 Skycar, right) remain grounded in reality.

Twelve years before Sputnik, the late science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke wrote a 1945 story in Wireless World magazine describing a ring of geostationary satellites orbiting Earth, all part of a system that relayed communications anywhere on the planet. Clarke, who died in March at the age of 90, considered patenting the idea, but a lawyer dissuaded him, arguing that the notion was so far out there that it would not be taken seriously.

Yesterday's Comic-Con “Preview Night” kinda seemed more hectic than previous editions, but we're no experts. So let's consult one: Gil Arzola of West Covina. What makes him an expert? He's a veteran of 15 Cons. He sells comics, DVDs, toys.

• Comic-Con 2008
• Con-Fab! What not to miss
• Pop culture, sold by the booth-load
• A full opening day at Comic-Con
• 17-hour wait wins first-in-line bragging rights

Argentine scientists studying the contribution of cows to global warming have developed a method to collect the burps of cows in plastic tanks strapped to their backs.