Scientists Can Now Inkjet-Print Lasers  Scientists have
developed a technique that uses an inkjet printer to make
lasers—which could lead to a future filled with cheap laser-
driven displays and smart surfaces.  A team of scientists from
the University of Cambridge has used liquid crystals in place of
ink in order to print tiny dots onto a specially coated surface.
Once everything dries, the dots become lasers.  So how the hell
does that work? Well, the researchers already knew that liquid
crystals—the same ones that are used in the screen you're
probably reading this on—can be used to make lasers, but only if
the crystals are forced to align properly. Usually, that means
pouring the liquid crystal between two glass sheets, coated in
molecules that force the crystals to align.  Instead, the
Cambridge researchers have used inkjet printers to carefully
deposit the same crystals on a surface coated with a polymer
solution similar to PVA glue. Incredibly, that's enough to align
the crystals in the same way as prev