High tech in the high desert

I just spent a few days in Phoenix at a conference about flexible displays. People are busy making display panels that can wrap around corners, drape across surfaces, or unroll like a magic scroll. (Don't expect to buy one soon, but some very nice demos have been made).

After a couple of intense days talking about organic semiconductors and web processing, I was ready for something tangible, even a little gritty. A desert hike-- perfect! Just up the road from my hotel was the Dreamy Draw Nature Park (there must be a story behind that name, but I don't know it). I spent an hour at sunset climbing among rocks and cacti, filling my shoes with reddish dust that later proved problematic when packing my bag to go home.

Looking across the desert as the sun dipped below a distant outcropping of rock, I felt a bit sorry that people may someday have flat-panel displays on the sleeves of their chamois shirts, tempting their eyes to watch sports clips and cartoons instead of the surrounding terrain. But then again, an interactive map could be really handy.