National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physicists have demonstrated a version of quantum computer memory that lasts longer than 10 seconds, more than 100,000 times longer than previous experiments with charged atoms (ions). These experiments pave the way for reliable quantum computers that will not be harnessed to the limitations of transistors and silicon-based hardware.
Length of Quantum Memory Extended 100,000 Times
Posted by geeknews at 8:08 PM on August 21, 2005Posted in Dave's Muse
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Light Speed: Turn It Down, Turn It Up
Posted by geeknews at 10:21 AM on August 21, 2005Light always travels at 186,000 miles per second (300 Million meters per second) in a vacuum. Well, almost always. A team of scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has been able to control the speed of light, both decreasing and increasing it using off-the-shelf instruments under normal working conditions.
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No More Pencils, No More Books, Now I’ve Got an iBook
Posted by geeknews at 10:26 PM on August 19, 2005Well written and accessible electronic texts are the holy grail of the digital classroom, and now, an otherwise traditional public school in Tucson, Arizona, Empire High School, has issued Apple iBooks to each of its 340 students, making the notebooks a core component of the academic environment. Students will have access to electronic text books, rather than printed texts.
Posted in Dave's Muse, internet
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GoogleNet Hotspots Coming To A City Near You
Posted by geeknews at 8:53 AM on August 16, 2005Commercial internet wi-fi hotspots are popping up in coffee shops and bookstores around the country. Most universities and many public libraries offer free wi-fi service. A quick drive though any but the most downtrodden neighborhoods yields signals from at least a small percentage of the residences. With wi-fi being as popular as it is, why is it that wi-fi infrastructure isn’t as well developed as cellular telephone service? Why hasn’t someone made wi-fi even more accessible?
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U.S. Copyright Office Fumbles, Bit by Bit
Posted by geeknews at 6:32 AM on August 11, 2005The U.S. Copyright Office is soliciting opinions, through August 22d, about it’s planned website upgrade that will require the use of Microsoft Internet Explorer, effectively banning most technically-advanced users and all Linux and open-source advocates from its service.
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MBA Interns Head to India to Learn Outsourcing Firsthand
Posted by geeknews at 2:53 PM on August 10, 2005Infosys Technologies, Ltd., the Bangalore-based outsource services company featured in Thomas Freidman’s book, The World is Flat, has admitted 40 interns to it’s global internship program, InStep. Rather than seeking coveted corporate internships in the United States, graduate business students are finding fertile fields abroad. Learning firsthand how outsourcing works, by viewing the process from the money-making end, future business leaders also gain an opportunity to network with peers from 70 international universities; some from the U.S., Japan, Canada, Germany and France.
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Google News Goes RSS and Atom
Posted by geeknews at 6:35 AM on August 10, 2005Google, the premier internet search engine is fast becoming one of the favored sources of news on the net. Now, rather than requiring users to visit the Google News website, Google is delivering information via RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and Atom formats. Using XML (Extensible Markup Language), RSS and Atom formats enable users of aggregation software, commonly called RSS readers, to select topics and receive all available articles currently in publication that are related to that topic.
Posted in Dave's Muse, Search News
IBM Skips Past Google and Microsoft
Posted by geeknews at 6:22 AM on August 9, 2005In the global search engine war, Google and Microsoft each thought that they were in a head-to-head race for the laurel wreath. But, after getting a late start, IBM may very well pass both competitors by moving the finish line.
Posted in Dave's Muse, Search News
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Energy Bill May Make Americans Late
Posted by geeknews at 7:34 AM on August 8, 2005With the upcoming change to how the United States will calculate Daylight Saving Time (DST), users of digital calendars may find themselves arriving late for appointments. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, expected to be signed into law today, will cause unexpected havoc for electronic calendars, including those in PCs, handheld computers, and even personal digital recorders. Who would have thought?
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Microsoft Windows Piracy Check Cracked
Posted by geeknews at 7:00 AM on August 7, 2005Microsoft Corporation requires users of it’s flagship operating system, Windows XP, to verify the authenticity of their software installation before downloading patches and updates from Microsoft’s website. The validation tool, called Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), can easily be cracked without much trouble. This allows users of pirated copies of Microsoft Windows to verify their installation and receive the extra bennies offered from the manufacturer.
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