Time Magazine has released their annual list of the 50 best inventions from 2008. It’s a great overview of recent innovation, and even if you’re well versed in the field, something interesting should catch your eye. Although the ranking does not make a whole lot of sense (Hulu.com is at number 4, sandwiched between The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and The Large Hadron Collider) - the selection overall is stellar.

Start from the beginning here, or check out the complete list.

Invention of the Year

• 1. The Retail DNA Test

The Other 49 Best Inventions

• 2. The Tesla Roadster
• 3. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
• 4. Hulu.com
• 5. The Large Hadron Collider
• 6. The Global Seed Vault
• 7. The Chevy Volt
• 8. Bullets That Shoot Bullets
• 9. The Orbital Internet
• 10. The World's Fastest Computer
• 11. Green Crude
• 12. Housing Funds
• 13. The Memristor
• 14. The Bionic Hand
• 15. The Direct-to-Web Supervillain Musical
• 16. The Dynamic Tower
• 17. The Mobile, Dexterous, Social Robot
• 18. The New Mars Rover
• 19. Montreal's Public Bike System
• 20. The Everything Game
• 21. The Synthetic Organism
• 22. The Shadowless Skyscraper
• 23. The Branded Candidate
• 24. Bionic Contacts
• 25. Thin-Film Solar Panels
• 26. The Speedo LZR Racer
• 27. Bubble Photography
• 28. The Invisibility Cloak
• 29. The 46th Mersenne Prime
• 30. The Internet Of Things
• 31. Einstein's Fridge
• 32. Facebook for Spies
• 33. Biomechanical Energy Harvester
• 34. Made-in-Transit Packaging
• 35. Airborne Wind Power
• 36. The New Ping-Pong Serve
• 37. Smog-Eating Cement
• 38. The Baseball Instant Replay
• 39. Enhanced Fingerprints
• 40. The Seven New Deadly Sins
• 41. The Peraves MonoTracer
• 42. Disemvoweling
• 43. High-Tech Running Shoes
• 44. Sunscreen for Plants
• 45. The Short Refinance
• 46. Aptera Electric Car
• 47. Google's Floating Data Center
• 48. The Time Eater Clock
• 49. Sound-Enhanced Food
• 50. A Camera For the Blind

[time]