Vintage car enthusiast Peter Bett, attends a auction at Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club on April 2, 2011 in Glamis, Scotland. Buyers from around the UK and Europe are attending the auction of cars collected by William Cunnigham. Among the many rare classics on sale is a 1939 McEvoy Steyr, thought to be the only one in existence along with a Hotchkiss Grand Sport Roadster from 1936. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Collin Williams (front) and Sarah Putnam of Nevada, protesters affiliated with the Occupy Las Vegas movement, participate in a “zombie walk” on the Las Vegas Strip October 30, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The demonstrators are protesting what they believe is greed and corruption among banking and business leaders in solidarity with other Occupy movements around the world. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

David Beckham and Victoria Beckham arrive to attend the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne is to be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Who Left The Tap Running by artist Simon McGrath is seen as part of the Sculpture by the Sea outdoor exhibition along the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk on November 4, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

A model showcases designs by Isola by Megan Gale on the catwalk at the David Jones Spring/Summer 2011 season launch at the Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park on August 3, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

“Cassowaries are large, flightless birds related to emus and (more distantly) to ostriches, rheas, and kiwis”, writes Olivia Judson in the September issue of National Geographic magazine. How large? People-size: Adult males stand well over five foot five and top 110 pounds. Females are even taller, and can weigh more than 160 pounds. Dangerous when roused, they’re shy and peaceable when left alone. But even birds this big and tough are prey to habitat loss. The dense New Guinea and Australia rain forests where they live have dwindled. Today cassowaries might number 1,500 to 2,000. And because they help shape those same forests – by moving seeds from one place to another – “if they vanish”, Judson writes, “the structure of the forest would gradually change” too. (Photo by Christian Ziegler/National Geographic)

Assistant Manager Jayesh Vaghela brushes a vintage silk top hat at Lock & Co. Hatters on March 22, 2011 in London, England. Founded in St. James's in 1676, when Charles II was on the throne, this family owned business has provided hats for Royalty and the gentry for over 300 years. Staff report that sales of formal hats are booming ahead of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.

William Gibson is not one of the authors that spits out novels like a machine – in his long and fruitful career he has only published 11 novels andof short stories and articles in the tens each. Still his impact on modern literature was huge – the “noir prophet” of the cyberpunk subgenre (that he was one of the pioneers of) has predicted the rise of reality television, virtual reality, video games and the internet. He is a Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction writer, with a special eye for what the future might bring.