There's always loads of new tech aiming to be the next big buzzword for the web, however there are a couple that have the backing to actually make a big push to move things in their direction, Sun and Microsoft.  Sun will be announcing JavaFX soon which seems to want to be an AJAX replacement and more, while Microsoft's Silverlight seems to be gunning for Flash.  While our technology primarily places us within the PHP and Flash realm we're very interested in seeing what these technologies have to offer.  Will JavaFX be compelling enough to bring me back to JAVA, I don't know but it might be nice to try my hand at something new.  That's also another reason for me to check out Silverlight since I'm the resident weak link when it comes to media based interactivity (I'm a backend guy, what can I say).  Silverlight presents a more equal footing between me and the rest of the guys here since it's new to all of us, but the initial downloads (Visual Studio Beta and Silverlight framework) to even start with Silverlight seem way too much trouble for a mere curiosity at this point.   If I get a free weekend soon I may delve into it more, but for now I'll be watching eagerly from the sidelines until these technologies become more widely accepted and more accessible.