A list of the best of anything is a sure-fire publishing technique to attract an audience—and, true to form, our annual December Top 20 Technology Picks is one of the most-read articles online throughout the year. In this issue, senior editor John Wallace has again reviewed our coverage in 2014 and chosen technologies that seem the most promising from basic and applied R&D, as well as those providing important extensions or new technical direction (see page 25).
His picks range from augmented-reality displays, superlenses for microscopy, and visible tunable fiber lasers, to perovskite VCSELS and LEDs, a SWIFTS miniature spectrometer, and single-photon lidar. It's a formidable list that should be well read for many months to come, as will other features in this issue, including the excellent cover story from Philips Photonics on industrial VCSELs (see page 19), and contributing editor Jeff Hecht's review of recent developments in visible solid-state and laser diodes (see page 37). There are also two other not-to-be-missed articles: one on the growing maturity of luminaire LEDs (see page 43) and the second on another technology sure to impact our everyday lives-plastic micro-optics for automotive head-up displays (see page 53).
Anniversary year
For several reasons, 2015 looks to be a very notable year. Of course it is the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (www.light2015.org), and it coincides with several major photonics-related anniversaries, including the 1000th anniversary of The Book of Optics, written by Arab scientist Ibn Al-Haytham, who is sometimes known as the father of modern optics. It is the 100th anniversary of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, the 55th anniversary of the invention of the laser, and—not to be shy about it—the 50th anniversary of Laser Focus World. We'll be celebrating in many ways throughout the year, including articles of technical, application, and product interest that look both back and to the future.
Thank you for your support in 2014, and best wishes for the New Year.
Conard Holton
Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.