ITT we discuss random tech of the future that we want to see, and similar cool nerdy stuff. We also don't bitch about anything belonging in /tech. Finally, we get some activity in here so I don't have to see my "single-quark transistor" reply over and over and over again.

Cool tech 1:
Vacuum-lifted dirigibles. Advances in nanotech make dirigibles that use vacuum for lift more efficient than their hydrogen/helium counterparts. Efficient solar energy collectors of the future provide more than enough power for the active propulsion.

Cool tech 2:
Vacuum lift technology is used to build "lighter than air stairs" into space: successively lighter airships are used to carry payloads to space.

Cool tech 3:
Space stairway is used to carry an extremely lightweight solar sail craft into space. A combination of advanced space sailing techniques and efficient use of gravitational slingshots ultimately permit the craft to exit the solar system without using a single gram of propellant in any part of the mission.