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[Granite26]

Another really neat trick would be to randomize the costs. 

MoO2 had that really neat micronization mechanic (where things became smaller and less expense the better your tech was).  Keep that, just make the initial size/cost requirements *.25 - *4...  The tech tree is known, you know what effects you can expect, but whether it's going to be cost effective or not is a total unknown.

Also, Flying Cars.... Create a 5% too large tech tree and then just make 5% of the techs 'not feasible'.  You learn enough to go to the next step, but you don't actually get the benefit for that level.

Edit: 
These're kinda off topic though.  Randomization has two purposes.  Change the game on the ground, and serve as a game mechanic.  These work as game mechanics (I.E. Roll to Hit) but wouldn't change the game on the ground.

A randomized Tech Tree that you could see in advance would be required for that.

It's all back to making meaningful choices.  If you don't know whether a tech is going to be good or not in advance, it's not a meaningful choice, it's just a random roll, like the layout of the universe.

[Mephansteras]

There was an interesting game I played years ago that had an interesting way of handling Tech. You would focus your scientists on doing research in various areas (Metellurgy, Biology, etc) and they would occasionally get basic science breakthroughs. Breakthroughs would then allow them to research functional uses for this new technology.

So, nanobots might be the Breakthrough and then they'd go off and find uses for nanobots. It was a pretty cool system. You didn't know what you would get or when you would get it, but you could focus on specific areas if you wanted. You could also specify funding for Basic Science to get new breakthroughs or focus on Functional science to get new uses for tech you already have (or improve tech you already have).

[Sean Mirrsen]

There was an interesting game I played years ago that had an interesting way of handling Tech. You would focus your scientists on doing research in various areas (Metellurgy, Biology, etc) and they would occasionally get basic science breakthroughs. Breakthroughs would then allow them to research functional uses for this new technology.

So, nanobots might be the Breakthrough and then they'd go off and find uses for nanobots. It was a pretty cool system. You didn't know what you would get or when you would get it, but you could focus on specific areas if you wanted. You could also specify funding for Basic Science to get new breakthroughs or focus on Functional science to get new uses for tech you already have (or improve tech you already have).

That's the principle behind Remember Tomorrow's research system. Space Empires V uses something similar, IIRC.