If you want to keep track of some of the most intriguing innovations and scientific advances, check out http://www.technovelgy.com/. It’s a collection of articles, books and news pieces covering inventions and ideas inspired by science fiction writers.
Everything from robotic chefs to bionic arms and legs to software that can translate your voice into almost 1,500 different languages. (Is this the first step towards a universal translator?)
All the sciences are here, from genetic manipulation, robotics, aviation, nanotechnology. I’ve spent a few hours browsing through here, and a lot of these ideas have made me perk up with some new ideas myself, plus a few topics for future story research.
I enjoy seeing the result of other’s inspiration, because it reminds me that while there may not be “anything new under the sun,” and writing a novel is basically telling the same 7-10 (depending on how you count them) stories over and over, that there will always be new perspectives and new methods of approaching characters, plots and worlds that make them unique.
I see that smile.