$500 million later: San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences has solar panels and a living roof. By Tim Griffith

The Cal Academy of Sciences opened this September after their remodel and I absolutely can’t wait to go. Before this year I had barely visited one aquarium and now I’ve seen 4 going on 5 this year alone. But what I’ve always wanted to do and have never done is go to a planetarium. I don’t know why… maybe it was all those years of Star Trek that did it to me, but i’ve always wanted to see what the universe can look like.

So what do Star Trek and Finding Nemo have in common? Why the Cal Academy of Sciences of course! That place is like Disneyland for nerds of all kinds. Planetarium, rain forest, huge saltwater reef tank….it goes on and on.

I met one of the guys that works there, Richard Ross from The Daisy Cuttle Fish Farm at MACNA this year and he seemed like a really great guy. Needless to say I fully intend on shamelessly trading in on any good graces I may have with him to obtain a behind the scenes look when I get there.

Read more here:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2008-10-16-cal-academy_N.htm