Up, Up and Away: Moller International


DAVIS - Untold visionaries from Jules Verne to George Lucas have been fascinated with the idea of personal-use aircraft that would be as simple and safe to use as a bicycle; an expatriate entrepreneur engineer from Canada has made that vision a reality with the development of the SkyCar, a vertical takeoff/landing (VTOL) aircraft for those who want to make waiting in freeway traffic jams a thing of the past.

Composite Dreamin': Segway Concepts Inc.


COLTON - Mention the word ''California'' almost anywhere in the world and immediately iconic visions of ''Baywatch,'' pristine beaches, and tanned surfers challenging tsunami-like waves start crashing against the jagged rocks of reality. Needless to say, while an undisputed generator of at least the illusion of worldly hedonism, California is much more multi-faceted than many people seem to think. And so are its small business entrepreneurs.

Making a Big Splash: Wet Design Inc.


LOS ANGELES - Handel composed music about it, Keats said his name was written in it, and Moses parted it. Every day we wash with it, drink it, make electricity with it, swim in it, cook with it, irrigate our crops with it, and, sadly, pollute it. But Mark Fuller choreographs it and makes it dance. If you haven?t guessed already, it?s water.

Blowin' in the Wind: Wind River Systems Inc.


ALAMEDA - The development of wind power generation systems is the fastest growing energy sector in the world. Last year, ''wind farms'' churned out a staggering $6 billion in business in 2002, with facilities in the US alone producing a record-breaking 10 billion kilowatt hours of energy.