Humanity took another sturdy step forward this week. We learned to see through planes, get a robotic suitcase to follow us around, chill beer in an instant, and blow up a building in Vegas (they've got enough of them out there anyway). As if that wasn't enough, this week also brought us the world's fastest elevator and two — yes, two — nutty concept designs we might never see. Meanwhile, in Shift, Leslie Shapiro took a look at the technology that drove the Writers Guild of America to go on strike.

More top tech stories from the week:

Saturday: Japanese Toshiba toilet seat keeps the bum warm, green
Sunday: Peer Review: gPhone dreams smothered by Google's Android announcement
Monday: The coolest, most futuristic chandelier ever?
Tuesday: Hiroki Tsukuda unveils machine men designs in Tokyo
Wednesday: Fall of the Damned lamp will give you nightmares
Thursday: MC Square provides 'relaxation' via strobe torture
Friday: Honda FCX Clarity fuel-cell car to roll out sooner than expected, in Summer 2008