Recent studies in nonlinear optics have led to the discovery of a new class of ultrashort pulse generated in fiber amplifiers by the self-similar propagation of an arbitrary input pulse. These pulses with a parabolic shape and linear chirp, called `optical similaritons,' represent asymptotic solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with gain, towards which any initial pulse of given energy converges, independently of its intensity profile. Parabolic pulse amplifiers can be easily developed with standard optical fibers and commercial devices. Our goal here is to emphasize the main properties of similaritons and to discuss a few of their numerous new applications.