Tuesday, February 14, 2006
MAGNETIC MICROCHIPS - A Revolution
New Microchips Shun Transistors
The Game Graphics Chip Race
By John Hudson | Also by this reporter
02:00 AM Feb, 14, 2006
For the first time researchers have created a working prototype of a radical new chip design based on magnetism instead of electrical transistors.
As transistor-based microchips hit the limits of Moore's Law, a group of electrical engineers at the University of Notre Dame has fabricated a chip that uses nanoscale magnetic "islands" to juggle the ones and zeroes of binary code.
Wolfgang Perod and his colleagues turned to the process of magnetic patterning (.pdf) to produce a new chip that uses arrays of separate magnetic domains. Each island maintains its own magnetic field.
Because the chip has no wires, its device density and processing power may eventually be much higher than transistor-based devices. And it won't be nearly as power-hungry, which will translate to less heat emission and a cooler future for portable hardware like laptops.
Computers using the magnetic chips would boot up almost instantly. The magnetic chip's memory is non-volatile, making it impervious to power interruptions, and it retains its data when the device is switched off.
The magnetic architecture of the chip can be reprogrammed on the fly and its adaptability could make it very popular with manufacturers of special-purpose computing hardware, from video-game platforms to medical diagnostic equipment.
"The value of magnetic patterning in storage devices such as hard drives has been known for a long time," said Wolfgang Porod, Freimann professor of electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame. "What is unique here is that we've applied the patterning concept to the actual processing."
The chip's nanomagnets -- on the order of 110-nanometers wide -- can be assembled into arrays that mirror the function of transistor-based logic gates, in addition to storing information. These logic gates are the building blocks of computer technology, giving microchips the power to process the endless rivers of binary code.
A NAND logic gate for example, accepts two inputs to arrive at one output. If both inputs are one, the NAND gate spits out a zero. If one or the other or both inputs are a zero, the NAND gate provides a one as an output.
Porod and his colleagues equipped their new chip with a universal logic gate -- a combination of the NAND and NOR gates. Together, these two logic gates can perform any of the basic arithmetic functions intrinsic to all computer processing.
This exotic method of transistorless processing -- known as magnetic quantum cellular automata -- originally used individual electrons as quantum dots, arranged in a matrix of cells to handle logic operations. But nanoscale magnets proved to be a much better alternative because they were not subject to stray electrical charges, and they were easier to fabricate.
"The magnets were created from ferromagnetic nickel/iron alloy," said Porod. "We evaporated a thin layer of the alloy onto a silicon surface, then patterned the islands using electron-beam lithography."
Logic operations within the processor commence with a pulsed magnetic field on the input magnet, which alters the orientation of its magnetic field. This creates a cascade effect across the array, as magnetostatic attraction and repulsion cause the fields of adjacent magnets to "flip".
"To read the output, we used a scanning probe to infer what the magnetization was," said Porod. "Ideally, in the future, we would like to achieve this (input and output) with the simple application of an electric current."
Although existing technologies use magnetic fields to store information on small chips called MRAMs, this is the first application to produce a chip that can process digital information in addition to storing it.
The potential of chips driven by nanoscale magnets was considered five years ago at London's Imperial College. Russell Cowburn, professor of nanotechnology -- along with his colleagues -- observed that the magnets could exchange information as their fields interacted with each other.
Cowburn is encouraged by the technological leaps made at the University of Notre Dame. "What's really exciting here is that you can implement all of the Boolean functions without using a single transistor," he said.
The new chips also have some important characteristics that might make them ideal candidates for use in future space hardware. "You can't just put a regular DRAM into space, because it won't tolerate the environment. The magnetic technology is radiation-hard, and will be a huge improvement on what they're using now," Cowburn said.
New Microchips Shun Transistors
The Game Graphics Chip Race
By John Hudson | Also by this reporter
02:00 AM Feb, 14, 2006
For the first time researchers have created a working prototype of a radical new chip design based on magnetism instead of electrical transistors.
As transistor-based microchips hit the limits of Moore's Law, a group of electrical engineers at the University of Notre Dame has fabricated a chip that uses nanoscale magnetic "islands" to juggle the ones and zeroes of binary code.
Wolfgang Perod and his colleagues turned to the process of magnetic patterning (.pdf) to produce a new chip that uses arrays of separate magnetic domains. Each island maintains its own magnetic field.
Because the chip has no wires, its device density and processing power may eventually be much higher than transistor-based devices. And it won't be nearly as power-hungry, which will translate to less heat emission and a cooler future for portable hardware like laptops.
Computers using the magnetic chips would boot up almost instantly. The magnetic chip's memory is non-volatile, making it impervious to power interruptions, and it retains its data when the device is switched off.
The magnetic architecture of the chip can be reprogrammed on the fly and its adaptability could make it very popular with manufacturers of special-purpose computing hardware, from video-game platforms to medical diagnostic equipment.
"The value of magnetic patterning in storage devices such as hard drives has been known for a long time," said Wolfgang Porod, Freimann professor of electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame. "What is unique here is that we've applied the patterning concept to the actual processing."
The chip's nanomagnets -- on the order of 110-nanometers wide -- can be assembled into arrays that mirror the function of transistor-based logic gates, in addition to storing information. These logic gates are the building blocks of computer technology, giving microchips the power to process the endless rivers of binary code.
A NAND logic gate for example, accepts two inputs to arrive at one output. If both inputs are one, the NAND gate spits out a zero. If one or the other or both inputs are a zero, the NAND gate provides a one as an output.
Porod and his colleagues equipped their new chip with a universal logic gate -- a combination of the NAND and NOR gates. Together, these two logic gates can perform any of the basic arithmetic functions intrinsic to all computer processing.
This exotic method of transistorless processing -- known as magnetic quantum cellular automata -- originally used individual electrons as quantum dots, arranged in a matrix of cells to handle logic operations. But nanoscale magnets proved to be a much better alternative because they were not subject to stray electrical charges, and they were easier to fabricate.
"The magnets were created from ferromagnetic nickel/iron alloy," said Porod. "We evaporated a thin layer of the alloy onto a silicon surface, then patterned the islands using electron-beam lithography."
Logic operations within the processor commence with a pulsed magnetic field on the input magnet, which alters the orientation of its magnetic field. This creates a cascade effect across the array, as magnetostatic attraction and repulsion cause the fields of adjacent magnets to "flip".
"To read the output, we used a scanning probe to infer what the magnetization was," said Porod. "Ideally, in the future, we would like to achieve this (input and output) with the simple application of an electric current."
Although existing technologies use magnetic fields to store information on small chips called MRAMs, this is the first application to produce a chip that can process digital information in addition to storing it.
The potential of chips driven by nanoscale magnets was considered five years ago at London's Imperial College. Russell Cowburn, professor of nanotechnology -- along with his colleagues -- observed that the magnets could exchange information as their fields interacted with each other.
Cowburn is encouraged by the technological leaps made at the University of Notre Dame. "What's really exciting here is that you can implement all of the Boolean functions without using a single transistor," he said.
The new chips also have some important characteristics that might make them ideal candidates for use in future space hardware. "You can't just put a regular DRAM into space, because it won't tolerate the environment. The magnetic technology is radiation-hard, and will be a huge improvement on what they're using now," Cowburn said.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Quotes
186,000 miles per second. It's not just a good idea, it's the law. Tech Quote Sticker Bumber
Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology: There's always one more bug. Tech Quote Lubarsky
If you put garbage in a computer nothing comes out but garbage. But this garbage, having passed through a very expensive machine, is somehow ennobled and none dare criticize it. Tech Quote
Technology is dominated by two types of people: 1. Those who understand what they do not manage. 2. Those who manage what they do not understand. Tech Quote Putt
How many hardware engineers does it take to change a light bulb? None: “We'll fix it in software.” Tech Story Anon.
Pick any two: GOOD FAST CHEAP Tech Quote Anon.
It is not necessary to be first to be successful - X -1 also works. Tech Factoid Anon.
It is appallingly obvious that our technology exceeds our humanity. Tech Quote Albert Einstein
There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home. Tech Quote Ken Olsen
I think there is a world market for about five computers. Tech Quote Thomas Watson, Sr.
THE ZEN of COMPUTING "Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory." ~Mahatma Gandhi
In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft Error messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haiku poetry has strict construction rules. Each poem has only three lines, 17 syllables: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, five in the third. Haiku is used to communicate a timeless message often achieving a wistful, yearning and powerful insight through extreme brevity -- the essence of Zen.
Your file was so big. It might be very useful. But now it is gone. The Website you seek Cannot be located, but Countless more exist. Chaos reigns within. Reflect, repent, and reboot. Order shall return. Program aborting: Close all that you have worked on. You ask far too much. Windows NT crashed. I am the Blue Screen of Death. No one hears your screams. Yesterday it worked. Today it is not working. Windows is like that. First snow, then silence. This thousand-dollar screen dies So beautifully. With searching comes loss And the presence of absence: "My Novel" not found. The Tao that is seen Is not the true Tao-until You bring fresh toner. Stay the patient course. Of little worth is your ire. The network is down. A crash reduces Your expensive computer To a simple stone. Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred. You step in the stream, But the water has moved on. This page is not here. Out of memory. We wish to hold the whole sky, But we never will. Having been erased, The document you're seeking Must now be retyped. Serious error. All shortcuts have disappeared. Screen. Mind. Both are blank. Tech Quote
The average American depends on over 264 computers per day. ~ 1999 Coundown to Y2K Tech Factoid
Children are native to the digital age and adults are immigrants. Students grow up digitally and as a result they learn differently. The challenge to educators is in understanding what that means. Education & Technology Judy Salpeter
Americans spend six times as much on home video games ($5.5 billion) as they do on school library materials for their children. Tech Factoid
Technology is part of a child’s world - they have disregard for those who won’t or don’t use it. Education & Technology Susan Cole
PREDICTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE....George Washington University .... predicted with a 75% confidence in the outcome of these predictions. 1998 - Note: there has been more information created in the last 30 years than in the previous 5,000 years. 2003 - information will double every month 2004 - Video conferencing will be widespread and commonplace 2006 - Distance Learning will be widespread....this will have a profound effect on teaching....talking head. 2007 - Groupware and the internet will allow the sharing of document over a network and collaborative writing. 2007 - On-line publishing will account for 75% of all books and magazines (today there are 900+ newspapers and 2000+ magazines) 2007 - Voice and handwriting recognition will be common - We have it now but with a 5-10% error rate. 2009 - Intelligent agents & knowledge bots will become our research librarians, secretaries, mothers and caretakers. 2011 - Self learning and self programming computers (where the computer will learn from our actions and queries) Note the Furby’s (1998). Computers will logon, keep your O/S up to date, query, etc. 2012 - Foreign language translation will be fulfilled 2015 - factory workers will fall to 10% of the work force. 2019 - 85% of the US workforce will be telecommuters (work at home) Tech Factoid
Technology makes it possible for people to gain control over everything, except over technology. Tech Quote John Tutor
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. Tech Quote Pablo Picasso
ENIAC, the first electronic computer, appeared 50 years ago. The original ENIAC was about 80 feet long, weighed 30 tons, had 17,000 tubes. By comparison, a desktop computer today can store a million times more information than an ENIAC, and 50,000 times faster. Tech Factoid
The World Wide Web (WWW) as we know it was first created in 1993. Tech Factoid
640K [memory] ought to be enough for anybody ~ 1981: Tech Factoid Bill Gates
This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us. Tech Factoid
Technology: No Place for Wimps. Tech Quote Scott Adams
Everything that can be invented has been invented. Tech Factoid
The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Tech Quote Alan Kay
Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh 1 1/2 tons. Tech Factoid
Knowledge doubles every fourteen months Tech Factoid Anthony J.D’Angelo
If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate. Tech Quote Thomas Watson, Sr.
The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers. Tech Factoid Syndey Harris
Less than 1% of the world population has access to the internet; 50% has never used a telephone ~ Tech Factoid
Newsweek reports that the World Wide Web now contains approximately 1.2 billion pages, and that around 38 new pages are added every second. That translates into 136,800 new Web pages every hour. Yet few people are doing anything to ensure that the information contained on the Web is accurate or trustworthy. Tech Factoid
During the Second World War the Island of Corregidore was about to be captured by the Invading Japanese Army. The US Armed Forces had resources to only save a small number of the men trapped on that island. So the order was dispatched to save airline mechanics, pilots, engineers, and health professionals. When some of the Officers asked why they were not being taken out first the reply was givven - "You can make an officer by a act of Congress by an airline mechanic takes seven years." Tech Story
If 99.9% is good enough...then in the USA…. * 12 newborn babies will be given to the wrong parents each day * 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes will be shipped/year * 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled every hour * 2,000,000 documents will be lost by the IRS this year * 2.5 million books will be shipped with the wrong covers * 315 entries in Webster's Dictionary will be misspelled * 20,000 drug prescriptions will be filled incorrectly in a year * 880,000 credit cards in circulation will turn out to have incorrect cardholder information on their magnetic strips * 103,260 income tax returns will be processed incorrectly during the year * 5.5 million cases of soft drinks produced will be flat * 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly * 3056 copies of tomorrow's Wall Street Journal will be missing one of the three sections * Two planes will crash each day at Chicago's O'Hare airport Tech Factoid
The average North American company spends 35% of its operating costs doing something over to correct problems caused by errors in communication! Tech Factoid
Making Quick Decisions... A Major League fastball leaves the pitcher's hand about 55 feet from home plate, at a speed of 90+ miles per hour. The ball reaches the plate in 4/10 second. The hitter has 2/10 second to decide whether or not to swing and another 2/10 second (give or take a few 1/100 second) to execute the swing. The pitch is only "hitable" about two feet of its flight, which figures out to 15/1,000 second. Puts decision-making time frames in a different perspective doesn't it? Tech Factoid
There is no great plan in the world which cannot be overcome by sheer dumb luck. Tech Quote Anon
Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work. Tech Quote Thomas Edison
If you it type more than once your doing it wrong. Tech Quote Kent Forrest
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Tech Quote Arthur Clarke
If learning is an act of exploration, then technology equips the explorer for the journey of a lifetime .... Education & Technology Anon.
I am not interested in the past. I am interested in the future, for that is where I expect to spend the rest of my life. Tech Quote Charles Kettering
If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get one million miles to the gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside. Tech Factoid Robert Cringely
To the man who only has a hammer in the toolkit, every problem looks like a nail. Tech Quote Abraham Maslow
The Future is where you will spend the rest of your life Tech Quote
There is little hope that man will every break the power of the atom in our lifetime (1923 - Nobel Prize winner) Tech Quote Robert Millikan
It is a mistake to allow any mechanical object to realize that you are in a hurry. Tech Quote
70% of jobs in 2020 do not exist now because 80% of technology of 2020 is not invented yet. Tech Factoid
If you mess with a thing long enough, it’ll break. Tech Quote
Nov. 17, 1999 - Newsweek reports that the World Wide Web now contains approximately 1.2 billion pages, and that around 38 new pages are added every second. That translates into 136,800 new Web pages every hour. Yet few people are doing anything to ensure that the information on the Web is accurate or trustworthy. Tech Factoid
It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. Tech Quote Albert Einstein
Is the glass half-full or half empty? Neither - the glass is twice as large as it needs to be. Tech Quote
The new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village. Tech Quote Marshall McLuhan
I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them. Tech Quote Isaac Asimov
It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are. Tech Quote Clive James
In a few minutes a computer can make a mistake so great that it would have taken many men many months to equal it. Tech Quote Anon.
Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. If you continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner. Tech Quote Omar Bradley
Airplanes are interesting toys, but of no military value. Tech Quote General Marshal Foch
An undefined problem has an infinite number of solutions. Tech Quote Robert Humphrey
Moving from the one-room schoolhouse to the one-world schoolhouse is not a reality. Tech Quote Cisco Systems
The three guidelines of a modern education: Cut, Copy, and Paste. Tech Quote Kent Forrest
The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That’s where we come in; we’re computer professionals. We cause accidents. Tech Quote Nathaniel Borenstein
If the automobile had followed the same development as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year killing everyone inside. Tech Quote Robert Cringely
Machines are perfect, Machines are perfect, Machines are.... Tech Quote Big Bird
Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t let anyone else use it, and get a new one every six months. Tech Quote Clifford Stoll
Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window. Tech Quote Steve Wozniak
The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life. Tech Quote Andrew Brown
It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are. Tech Quote Clive James
All of the books in the world contain no more information than is broadcast as video in a single large American city in a single year. Not all bits have equal value. Tech Quote Carl Sagan
Why is it drug addicts and computer afficionados are both called users? Tech Quote Clifford Stoll
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to use the Net and he won’t bother you for weeks. Tech Quote Anon.
There’s no place like home.com Tech Quote Anon.
C:\ is the root of all directories. Tech Quote Anon.
The e-mail of the species is more deadly than the mail. Tech Quote Anon.
Future Change... The amount of information in the world is doubling every 18 months. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... The world population will increase by 33% in the next 25 years. (2025) Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... The amount of data that can be placed on a microchip doubles every 18 months. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... Fewer than 25% of high education students are now in the 18-22 year old range. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... The number of students over the age of 50 will increase 101% by 2020. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... In 1995, 29% of first time freshmen were enrolled in at least one remedial course - Reading, Math, Writing. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... More than 1/2 of college classes use email. 40% of classes use internet resources. More than 400 virtual colleges and universities are now on the internet. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Clarke’s Law of Revolutionary New Ideas - All new ideas go through three stages. 1. It’s Crazy- don’t waste my time. 2. It’s possible, but it’s not worth doing. 3. I always said it was a good idea. Tech Quote Arthur Clarke
Occam’s Razor Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessiatatem... (Entities ought not to be multiplied except from necessity...) OR Keep it as simple as possible. Tech Quote William of Ockham
Americans more than 65 years old, especially older women, are coming online at faster rates than other age groups. Tech Quote
Teachers with 32 hours of training in using technology in the classroom are more likely to assign problem-solving tasks using those tooks than their colleagues with less or no training. Education & Technology
Motion pictures and technology...”(It) is destined to revolutionize our educational system and...in a few years will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.” Tech Quote Thomas Edison
Stewardesses and reverberated are the two longest words (12 letters each) that can be typed using only the left hand; the longest word that can be typed using only the right hand is lollipop; Skepticisms is the longest word that alternates hands. Tech Factoid
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable. Tech Factoid
The most common uses of computers on the job in 1996 were: Bookkeeping and invoicing (45 percent), word processing (44 percent), communications (39 percent), analysis/spreadsheets (36 percent), and data bases (35 percent). Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
In 1995, the average U.S. public school contained 72 computers. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
You can’t use a U.S. computer monitor in Australia because the colors would be wrong. The magnetic field of the earth pulling the electron beams hitting the cathode tube to a position relative to its position in the magnetic field. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
It was recently reported that the technology contained in a single Game Boy unit in 2000 exceeded all the computer power that was used to put the first man on the Moon. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak are best known as the creators of the Apple computer, but before they became P.C. technology darlings, they designed a popular arcade game for Atari called "Breakout." Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Time magazine named the computer its "Man of the Year" in 1982. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
A chip of silicon a quarter-inch square has the capacity of the original 1949 ENIAC computer, which occupied a full city block. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
A computer on a chip that today costs $10 is equal in performance to systems costing $100,000 three decades ago. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Bill Gates formed a company to sell a computerized traffic counting system to cities, which made $20,000 its first year. Business dropped sharply when customers learned Gates was only 14 years old Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
The first "technology" corporation to move into California's Silicon Valley was Hewlett-Packard, in 1938. Stanford University engineers Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started their company in a Palo Alto garage with $1,538. Their first product was an audio oscillator bought by Walt Disney Studios for use in the making of Fantasia. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Without using precision instruments, Eratosthenes measured the radius of Earth in the third century B.C., and came within 1 percent of the value determined by today's technology. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Thomas Edison, "the Wizard of Menlo Park," established an "invention factory," the first industrial research laboratory, with the hope of producing a new invention every ten days. In one 4-year period, he obtained 300 patents, or one every five days. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
ENIAC, the first electronic computer, appeared 50 years ago. The original ENIAC was about 80 feet long, weighed 30 tons, had 17,000 tubes. By comparison, a desktop computer today can store a million times more information than an ENIAC, and is 50,000 times faster Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
There are three sets of letters on the standard typewriter and computer keyboards which are in alphabetical order, reading left to right. They are f-g-h, j-k-l, and o-p. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Internet access in the country of Burma is restricted by anti-modem laws. Illegal possession of a modem can lead to a prison term. Public typists work at typewriters charging about 14 cents per page. On a good day, a public typist earns about $3.50. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
In web site addresses on the Internet, "http" stands for "hypertext transfer protocol." Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
The average wired adult will spend 5.3 percent of the rest of his or her life online, according to research firm Cyber Dialogue, based on an extensive survey of Internet users. The study's results showed that the average adult online today will spend a total of 23.5 months of his or her life online. That’s 17,500 hours. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Backup your hard drive in at least three different locations on a REGULAR basis. Tech Quote Kent Forrest
It is a bad plan that admits no modification. Tech Quote Anon.
Post-it Notes The 3M Company encourages creativity from its employees. The company allows its researchers to spend 15 percent of their time on any project that interests them. This attitude has brought fantastic benefits not only to the employees but to the 3M Company itself Many times, a spark of an idea turned into a successful product has boosted 3M's profits tremendously. Some years ago, a scientist in 3M's commercial office took advantage of this 15 percent creative time. This scientist, Art Fry, came up with an idea for one of 3M's best-selling products. It seems that Art Fry dealt with a small irritation every Sunday as he sang in the church choir. After marking his pages in the hymnal with small bits of paper, the small pieces would invariably fall out all over the floor. Suddenly, an idea struck Fry. He remembered an adhesive developed by a colleague that everyone thought was a failure because it did not stick very well. "I coated the adhesive on a paper sample," Fry recalls, "and I found that it was not only a good bookmark, but it was great for writing notes. It will stay in place as long as you want it to, and then you can remove it without damage." Yes, Art Fry hit the jackpot. The resulting product was called Post-it! and has become one of 3M's most successful office products. Tech Story
When I took office, only high enery physicists had ever heard of what is called the Worldwide Web...Now even my cat has its own webpage. Tech Quote William Clinton
The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from. Tech Quote Andrew Tannebaum
The internet sent more than 4.7 trillion e-mail messages this week. Tech Factoid Leo LaPorte
This week the music industry sold for the first time more music on-line than as CDs. Tech Factoid Leo LaPorte
It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law Tech Quote
Change is certain, progress is not. Tech Quote E. Carr
186,000 miles per second. It's not just a good idea, it's the law. Tech Quote Sticker Bumber
Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology: There's always one more bug. Tech Quote Lubarsky
If you put garbage in a computer nothing comes out but garbage. But this garbage, having passed through a very expensive machine, is somehow ennobled and none dare criticize it. Tech Quote
Technology is dominated by two types of people: 1. Those who understand what they do not manage. 2. Those who manage what they do not understand. Tech Quote Putt
How many hardware engineers does it take to change a light bulb? None: “We'll fix it in software.” Tech Story Anon.
Pick any two: GOOD FAST CHEAP Tech Quote Anon.
It is not necessary to be first to be successful - X -1 also works. Tech Factoid Anon.
It is appallingly obvious that our technology exceeds our humanity. Tech Quote Albert Einstein
There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home. Tech Quote Ken Olsen
I think there is a world market for about five computers. Tech Quote Thomas Watson, Sr.
THE ZEN of COMPUTING "Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory." ~Mahatma Gandhi
In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft Error messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haiku poetry has strict construction rules. Each poem has only three lines, 17 syllables: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, five in the third. Haiku is used to communicate a timeless message often achieving a wistful, yearning and powerful insight through extreme brevity -- the essence of Zen.
Your file was so big. It might be very useful. But now it is gone. The Website you seek Cannot be located, but Countless more exist. Chaos reigns within. Reflect, repent, and reboot. Order shall return. Program aborting: Close all that you have worked on. You ask far too much. Windows NT crashed. I am the Blue Screen of Death. No one hears your screams. Yesterday it worked. Today it is not working. Windows is like that. First snow, then silence. This thousand-dollar screen dies So beautifully. With searching comes loss And the presence of absence: "My Novel" not found. The Tao that is seen Is not the true Tao-until You bring fresh toner. Stay the patient course. Of little worth is your ire. The network is down. A crash reduces Your expensive computer To a simple stone. Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred. You step in the stream, But the water has moved on. This page is not here. Out of memory. We wish to hold the whole sky, But we never will. Having been erased, The document you're seeking Must now be retyped. Serious error. All shortcuts have disappeared. Screen. Mind. Both are blank. Tech Quote
The average American depends on over 264 computers per day. ~ 1999 Coundown to Y2K Tech Factoid
Children are native to the digital age and adults are immigrants. Students grow up digitally and as a result they learn differently. The challenge to educators is in understanding what that means. Education & Technology Judy Salpeter
Americans spend six times as much on home video games ($5.5 billion) as they do on school library materials for their children. Tech Factoid
Technology is part of a child’s world - they have disregard for those who won’t or don’t use it. Education & Technology Susan Cole
PREDICTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE....George Washington University .... predicted with a 75% confidence in the outcome of these predictions. 1998 - Note: there has been more information created in the last 30 years than in the previous 5,000 years. 2003 - information will double every month 2004 - Video conferencing will be widespread and commonplace 2006 - Distance Learning will be widespread....this will have a profound effect on teaching....talking head. 2007 - Groupware and the internet will allow the sharing of document over a network and collaborative writing. 2007 - On-line publishing will account for 75% of all books and magazines (today there are 900+ newspapers and 2000+ magazines) 2007 - Voice and handwriting recognition will be common - We have it now but with a 5-10% error rate. 2009 - Intelligent agents & knowledge bots will become our research librarians, secretaries, mothers and caretakers. 2011 - Self learning and self programming computers (where the computer will learn from our actions and queries) Note the Furby’s (1998). Computers will logon, keep your O/S up to date, query, etc. 2012 - Foreign language translation will be fulfilled 2015 - factory workers will fall to 10% of the work force. 2019 - 85% of the US workforce will be telecommuters (work at home) Tech Factoid
Technology makes it possible for people to gain control over everything, except over technology. Tech Quote John Tutor
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. Tech Quote Pablo Picasso
ENIAC, the first electronic computer, appeared 50 years ago. The original ENIAC was about 80 feet long, weighed 30 tons, had 17,000 tubes. By comparison, a desktop computer today can store a million times more information than an ENIAC, and 50,000 times faster. Tech Factoid
The World Wide Web (WWW) as we know it was first created in 1993. Tech Factoid
640K [memory] ought to be enough for anybody ~ 1981: Tech Factoid Bill Gates
This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us. Tech Factoid
Technology: No Place for Wimps. Tech Quote Scott Adams
Everything that can be invented has been invented. Tech Factoid
The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Tech Quote Alan Kay
Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh 1 1/2 tons. Tech Factoid
Knowledge doubles every fourteen months Tech Factoid Anthony J.D’Angelo
If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate. Tech Quote Thomas Watson, Sr.
The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers. Tech Factoid Syndey Harris
Less than 1% of the world population has access to the internet; 50% has never used a telephone ~ Tech Factoid
Newsweek reports that the World Wide Web now contains approximately 1.2 billion pages, and that around 38 new pages are added every second. That translates into 136,800 new Web pages every hour. Yet few people are doing anything to ensure that the information contained on the Web is accurate or trustworthy. Tech Factoid
During the Second World War the Island of Corregidore was about to be captured by the Invading Japanese Army. The US Armed Forces had resources to only save a small number of the men trapped on that island. So the order was dispatched to save airline mechanics, pilots, engineers, and health professionals. When some of the Officers asked why they were not being taken out first the reply was givven - "You can make an officer by a act of Congress by an airline mechanic takes seven years." Tech Story
If 99.9% is good enough...then in the USA…. * 12 newborn babies will be given to the wrong parents each day * 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes will be shipped/year * 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled every hour * 2,000,000 documents will be lost by the IRS this year * 2.5 million books will be shipped with the wrong covers * 315 entries in Webster's Dictionary will be misspelled * 20,000 drug prescriptions will be filled incorrectly in a year * 880,000 credit cards in circulation will turn out to have incorrect cardholder information on their magnetic strips * 103,260 income tax returns will be processed incorrectly during the year * 5.5 million cases of soft drinks produced will be flat * 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly * 3056 copies of tomorrow's Wall Street Journal will be missing one of the three sections * Two planes will crash each day at Chicago's O'Hare airport Tech Factoid
The average North American company spends 35% of its operating costs doing something over to correct problems caused by errors in communication! Tech Factoid
Making Quick Decisions... A Major League fastball leaves the pitcher's hand about 55 feet from home plate, at a speed of 90+ miles per hour. The ball reaches the plate in 4/10 second. The hitter has 2/10 second to decide whether or not to swing and another 2/10 second (give or take a few 1/100 second) to execute the swing. The pitch is only "hitable" about two feet of its flight, which figures out to 15/1,000 second. Puts decision-making time frames in a different perspective doesn't it? Tech Factoid
There is no great plan in the world which cannot be overcome by sheer dumb luck. Tech Quote Anon
Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work. Tech Quote Thomas Edison
If you it type more than once your doing it wrong. Tech Quote Kent Forrest
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Tech Quote Arthur Clarke
If learning is an act of exploration, then technology equips the explorer for the journey of a lifetime .... Education & Technology Anon.
I am not interested in the past. I am interested in the future, for that is where I expect to spend the rest of my life. Tech Quote Charles Kettering
If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get one million miles to the gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside. Tech Factoid Robert Cringely
To the man who only has a hammer in the toolkit, every problem looks like a nail. Tech Quote Abraham Maslow
The Future is where you will spend the rest of your life Tech Quote
There is little hope that man will every break the power of the atom in our lifetime (1923 - Nobel Prize winner) Tech Quote Robert Millikan
It is a mistake to allow any mechanical object to realize that you are in a hurry. Tech Quote
70% of jobs in 2020 do not exist now because 80% of technology of 2020 is not invented yet. Tech Factoid
If you mess with a thing long enough, it’ll break. Tech Quote
Nov. 17, 1999 - Newsweek reports that the World Wide Web now contains approximately 1.2 billion pages, and that around 38 new pages are added every second. That translates into 136,800 new Web pages every hour. Yet few people are doing anything to ensure that the information on the Web is accurate or trustworthy. Tech Factoid
It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. Tech Quote Albert Einstein
Is the glass half-full or half empty? Neither - the glass is twice as large as it needs to be. Tech Quote
The new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village. Tech Quote Marshall McLuhan
I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them. Tech Quote Isaac Asimov
It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are. Tech Quote Clive James
In a few minutes a computer can make a mistake so great that it would have taken many men many months to equal it. Tech Quote Anon.
Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. If you continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner. Tech Quote Omar Bradley
Airplanes are interesting toys, but of no military value. Tech Quote General Marshal Foch
An undefined problem has an infinite number of solutions. Tech Quote Robert Humphrey
Moving from the one-room schoolhouse to the one-world schoolhouse is not a reality. Tech Quote Cisco Systems
The three guidelines of a modern education: Cut, Copy, and Paste. Tech Quote Kent Forrest
The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That’s where we come in; we’re computer professionals. We cause accidents. Tech Quote Nathaniel Borenstein
If the automobile had followed the same development as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year killing everyone inside. Tech Quote Robert Cringely
Machines are perfect, Machines are perfect, Machines are.... Tech Quote Big Bird
Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t let anyone else use it, and get a new one every six months. Tech Quote Clifford Stoll
Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window. Tech Quote Steve Wozniak
The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life. Tech Quote Andrew Brown
It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are. Tech Quote Clive James
All of the books in the world contain no more information than is broadcast as video in a single large American city in a single year. Not all bits have equal value. Tech Quote Carl Sagan
Why is it drug addicts and computer afficionados are both called users? Tech Quote Clifford Stoll
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to use the Net and he won’t bother you for weeks. Tech Quote Anon.
There’s no place like home.com Tech Quote Anon.
C:\ is the root of all directories. Tech Quote Anon.
The e-mail of the species is more deadly than the mail. Tech Quote Anon.
Future Change... The amount of information in the world is doubling every 18 months. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... The world population will increase by 33% in the next 25 years. (2025) Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... The amount of data that can be placed on a microchip doubles every 18 months. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... Fewer than 25% of high education students are now in the 18-22 year old range. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... The number of students over the age of 50 will increase 101% by 2020. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... In 1995, 29% of first time freshmen were enrolled in at least one remedial course - Reading, Math, Writing. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Future Change... More than 1/2 of college classes use email. 40% of classes use internet resources. More than 400 virtual colleges and universities are now on the internet. Tech Factoid Dana Atchley
Clarke’s Law of Revolutionary New Ideas - All new ideas go through three stages. 1. It’s Crazy- don’t waste my time. 2. It’s possible, but it’s not worth doing. 3. I always said it was a good idea. Tech Quote Arthur Clarke
Occam’s Razor Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessiatatem... (Entities ought not to be multiplied except from necessity...) OR Keep it as simple as possible. Tech Quote William of Ockham
Americans more than 65 years old, especially older women, are coming online at faster rates than other age groups. Tech Quote
Teachers with 32 hours of training in using technology in the classroom are more likely to assign problem-solving tasks using those tooks than their colleagues with less or no training. Education & Technology
Motion pictures and technology...”(It) is destined to revolutionize our educational system and...in a few years will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.” Tech Quote Thomas Edison
Stewardesses and reverberated are the two longest words (12 letters each) that can be typed using only the left hand; the longest word that can be typed using only the right hand is lollipop; Skepticisms is the longest word that alternates hands. Tech Factoid
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable. Tech Factoid
The most common uses of computers on the job in 1996 were: Bookkeeping and invoicing (45 percent), word processing (44 percent), communications (39 percent), analysis/spreadsheets (36 percent), and data bases (35 percent). Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
In 1995, the average U.S. public school contained 72 computers. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
You can’t use a U.S. computer monitor in Australia because the colors would be wrong. The magnetic field of the earth pulling the electron beams hitting the cathode tube to a position relative to its position in the magnetic field. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
It was recently reported that the technology contained in a single Game Boy unit in 2000 exceeded all the computer power that was used to put the first man on the Moon. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak are best known as the creators of the Apple computer, but before they became P.C. technology darlings, they designed a popular arcade game for Atari called "Breakout." Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Time magazine named the computer its "Man of the Year" in 1982. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
A chip of silicon a quarter-inch square has the capacity of the original 1949 ENIAC computer, which occupied a full city block. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
A computer on a chip that today costs $10 is equal in performance to systems costing $100,000 three decades ago. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Bill Gates formed a company to sell a computerized traffic counting system to cities, which made $20,000 its first year. Business dropped sharply when customers learned Gates was only 14 years old Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
The first "technology" corporation to move into California's Silicon Valley was Hewlett-Packard, in 1938. Stanford University engineers Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started their company in a Palo Alto garage with $1,538. Their first product was an audio oscillator bought by Walt Disney Studios for use in the making of Fantasia. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Without using precision instruments, Eratosthenes measured the radius of Earth in the third century B.C., and came within 1 percent of the value determined by today's technology. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Thomas Edison, "the Wizard of Menlo Park," established an "invention factory," the first industrial research laboratory, with the hope of producing a new invention every ten days. In one 4-year period, he obtained 300 patents, or one every five days. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
ENIAC, the first electronic computer, appeared 50 years ago. The original ENIAC was about 80 feet long, weighed 30 tons, had 17,000 tubes. By comparison, a desktop computer today can store a million times more information than an ENIAC, and is 50,000 times faster Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
There are three sets of letters on the standard typewriter and computer keyboards which are in alphabetical order, reading left to right. They are f-g-h, j-k-l, and o-p. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Internet access in the country of Burma is restricted by anti-modem laws. Illegal possession of a modem can lead to a prison term. Public typists work at typewriters charging about 14 cents per page. On a good day, a public typist earns about $3.50. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
In web site addresses on the Internet, "http" stands for "hypertext transfer protocol." Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
The average wired adult will spend 5.3 percent of the rest of his or her life online, according to research firm Cyber Dialogue, based on an extensive survey of Internet users. The study's results showed that the average adult online today will spend a total of 23.5 months of his or her life online. That’s 17,500 hours. Tech Factoid CodeKit.com
Backup your hard drive in at least three different locations on a REGULAR basis. Tech Quote Kent Forrest
It is a bad plan that admits no modification. Tech Quote Anon.
Post-it Notes The 3M Company encourages creativity from its employees. The company allows its researchers to spend 15 percent of their time on any project that interests them. This attitude has brought fantastic benefits not only to the employees but to the 3M Company itself Many times, a spark of an idea turned into a successful product has boosted 3M's profits tremendously. Some years ago, a scientist in 3M's commercial office took advantage of this 15 percent creative time. This scientist, Art Fry, came up with an idea for one of 3M's best-selling products. It seems that Art Fry dealt with a small irritation every Sunday as he sang in the church choir. After marking his pages in the hymnal with small bits of paper, the small pieces would invariably fall out all over the floor. Suddenly, an idea struck Fry. He remembered an adhesive developed by a colleague that everyone thought was a failure because it did not stick very well. "I coated the adhesive on a paper sample," Fry recalls, "and I found that it was not only a good bookmark, but it was great for writing notes. It will stay in place as long as you want it to, and then you can remove it without damage." Yes, Art Fry hit the jackpot. The resulting product was called Post-it! and has become one of 3M's most successful office products. Tech Story
When I took office, only high enery physicists had ever heard of what is called the Worldwide Web...Now even my cat has its own webpage. Tech Quote William Clinton
The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from. Tech Quote Andrew Tannebaum
The internet sent more than 4.7 trillion e-mail messages this week. Tech Factoid Leo LaPorte
This week the music industry sold for the first time more music on-line than as CDs. Tech Factoid Leo LaPorte
It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law Tech Quote
Change is certain, progress is not. Tech Quote E. Carr
