Marshall Brain's Blog

This article talks about all the reasons that batteries stink -- everything else in the computer realm gets better/faster/cheaper at a remarkable rate, but batteries are really holding us back because they improve so slowly:

Batteries Not Included

Notice how, in Star Trek or Star Wars, you never once hear anyone say, "I've got to get new batteries for this communicator" or "Damn, I need to recharge this blaster." That's what we are looking for. What we are all looking for is something like a nuclear battery -- a little fleck of Uranium in a small case that powers a laptop for several years without ever having to think about it.