The Thorp nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield, Cumbria, has recycled its final batch of reactor fuel. But it leaves behind a hugely toxic legacy for future generations to deal with. So how will it be made safe? Thorp still looks almost new; a giant structure of cavernous halls, deep blue-tinged cooling ponds and giant lifting cranes, imposing in fresh yellow paint. But now the complex process of decontaminating and dismantling begins.

Rolls Royce has revealed its plans for making autonomous naval vessels which will be capable of surveilling the waters for 100 days at a go with a range of 3,500 miles at maximum speeds of more than 25 knots. "Rolls-Royce is seeing interest from major navies in autonomous, rather than remote controlled, ships. Such ships offer a way to deliver increased operational capability, reduce the risk to crew and cut both operating and build costs…Over the next 10 years or so, Rolls-Royce expects to see the introduction of medium sized unmanned platforms, particularly in leading navies, as the concept of mixed manned and unmanned fleets develops. With our experience and capabilities we expect to lead the field," Benjamin Thorp, Rolls-Royce, General Manager Naval Electrics, Automation and Control, stated in the press release. The self-navigating ship will be capable of navigating entirely without a human crew and will not be affected by human issues such as tedium.

Many of Claude Shannon's off-the-clock creations were whimsical--a machine that made sarcastic remarks, for instance, or the Roman numeral calculator. Others created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and father of information theory showed a flair for the dramatic and dazzling: the trumpet that spit flames or the machine that solved Rubik's cubes. Still other devices he built anticipated real technological innovations by more than a generation. One in particular stands out, not just because it was so far ahead of its time, but because of just how close it came to landing Shannon in trouble with the law--and the mob. Long before the Apple Watch or the Fitbit, what was arguably the world's first wearable computer was conceived by Ed Thorp, then a little-known graduate student in physics at the University of California, Los Angeles.

By most accounts, the movie adaptation of Ghost in the Shell didn't live up to the visionary manga and anime it's based on, but it did create some stunning visuals. The film's holo-saturated neon cityscape was designed in major part by digital creative Ash Thorp, who recently put together a highlight reel of concepts and animations created for the film. Part mood board and part tech demo, the short video blitzes through some of the most vibrant concepts that characterized the film's world. True design nerds will want to dive into Thorp's post on his personal blog, where he explains his philosophies behind the movie's murky, neon-drenched cities and geometric-styled props: "Pulling muse from the amazing original source material, I aimed to craft a look and style that would match [director Rupert Sander's] vision, while still maintaining the essence of the original manga and anime. By merging physical buildings with the Solograms, old neon lights, and holograms, I aimed to paint a multi-layered facade over the city to bring it to life. I wanted it to feel as if the viewer was taking a psychedelic journey wavering between the realms of alternate reality and virtual reality."