WEEK 10

Fastest Integrated Circuit Doubles the Previous Record, Getting Close to One Terahertz
Following up on a 2007 world record for the fastest transistor speed, Northrop Grumman announced today that it has shattered the world record for integrated circuit performance. The new circuit layout operates at 0.67 terahertz, or 0.67 trillion cycles per second, more than doubling the frequency of the fastest known IC in the world.

LINK

Amazing speeds of operation keep climbing....it's mind-blowing to imagine what will be considered "standard" in consumer electronics in just a few short years.  Moore's Law seems to be holding true, however, it seems the rate of change is perhaps even greater than he'd imagined?

WEEK 9

Apple Passes Microsoft as No. 1 in Tech
Wall Street has called the end of an era and the beginning of the next one: The most important technology product no longer sits on your desk but rather fits in your hand. 
The moment came Wednesday when Apple, the maker of iPods, iPhones and iPads, shot past Microsoft, the computer software giant, to become the world’s most valuable technology company.
 As of Wednesday, Wall Street valued Apple at $222.12 billion and Microsoft at $219.18 billion. The only American company valued higher is Exxon Mobil, with a market capitalization of $278.64 billion.

Link: 

There are a lot of factors considered in this article, but the headline really supports the main value:  Apple's stated value has surpassed Microsoft's. This seems significant, given that Apple had seemed to be "dead" in the late '80's and early '90's, and has surged back to the fore, particularly relying on products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. The approach to R&D at Apple seems to be very different from that at Microsoft, and it appears to be a success.  As the article states, the shift has gone from business computing being the main player in the market, there has been a major surge in the consumer computing market, with Apple products being well-received.

WEEK 8

High-Tech Alternatives to High-Cost Care

MENTION health care reform and the image that instantly comes to mind is a big government program. But there is another broad transformation in health care under way, a powerful force for decentralized innovation. It is fueled in good part by technology — low-cost computing devices, digital sensors and the Web. 

 

The trend promises to shift a lot of the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease from hospitals and specialized clinics, where treatment is expensive, to primary care physicians and patients themselves — at far less cost.

 

LINK

This seems a natural progression given the advances being made in technology and medicine:  the focus being more on prevention and early detection will certainly reduce long-term medical costs in the US. 

WEEK 7

Bioelectric Nanotube Transistor Could Bring Biology and Machines Closer Together

Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab have taken a big step toward bridging the gap between mind and machine. Using ATP – adenosine triphosphate, the molecular medium of energy exchange present in nearly all living cells – the team has created a novel transistor that could allow electronic devices that can be hooked directly into the nervous system.


LINK

Yet another advance that brings us ever closer to Bio-Mechanical integration:  amazing that this particular transistor is powered by the same molecule as the human body.  As long as the body can produce ATP, the machine can run.

 

WEEK 6

Facebook Glitch Brings New Privacy Worries

For many users of Facebook, the world’s largest social network, it was just the latest in a string of frustrations.

Facebook asks users to link information in their profiles, which makes that information public.

On Wednesday, users discovered a glitch that gave them access to supposedly private information in the accounts of their Facebook friends, like chat conversations.

I saw this article and thought it was timely considering we are going to do an assignment related to Facebook, and security/privacy issues.

Link

WEEK 5

Antisocial Networking?

Researchers are beginning to study the effects of social networks on children, and how it changes the development of friendships.  There are certainly views which support the use of forums such as Facebook for those children who are very shy, to help them gain more social interaction, and those which show that the nature of these friendships is changing, becoming more superficial, and less face-to-face, as traditionally seen.

As with most of the social and cultural implications of the technology age, there is not a long enough time span of data collected to be able to determine the trends.  It seems that inevitably, there will be far-ranging impacts seen in human interaction as a result of these types of media.

Link 

WEEK 4

Where Are the Robots Taking Us? Part 1

By Richard Adhikari

Why are we so fascinated with robots? Are robots the culmination of the vision of freeing humanity from drudge work? And what are the legal implications of using humanoid robots or even robot pets? It's a field that's expected to grow as the technology behind becomes more sophisticated, and as certain populations develop new sets of needs.

A short article on the topic of the continuing development of robotics, and the applications of their services.  In particular, the article mentions Japan, and its aging population, and the potential for home and health care robots.

LINK