WHAT'S ONLINE; The March of Nanotechnology
By DAN MITCHELL
Published: September 23, 2006
PEOPLE have been talking for years about a personal computer that can boot up instantly -- no more waiting around as the operating system and programs crawl to life. So far, it hasn't happened, but advances in nanotechnology may make it possible soon, according to an article this week on Computerworld.com.
Nanotechnology, the science of creating functional systems on the scale of molecules or smaller, could enable engineers to combine the functions of memory chips and disk drives on a device the size of a dime. Besides the instant boot up, systems that are in development today could enable desktop computers to hold 10 terabytes of data (10,000 gigabytes) or more, and future systems may be able to store data for as long as 100 years while eliminating the worry that the storage media will become obsolete, according to ComputerWorld.
Some of these systems could be available today if the economics were right. Others will probably take another decade or so.
Researchers at I.B.M are working on several projects involving nanotechnology. One, called Millipede, is at what I.B.M. termed a ''very advanced stage.'' This nanomechanical system is created by etching microscopic indentations -- each one about one-50,000th the size of the period at the end of this sentence -- onto a polymer surface, resulting in the ability to store the equivalent of 25 million printed pages in an area the size of a postage stamp.
Other companies are creating holographic optical disks. Today's disks store data only on their surfaces, but holographic disks can store it throughout their substance. InPhase Technologies will offer the first generation of these products this year when it releases a 300-gigabyte drive.
ComputerWorld reports that two forces are slowing development of storage based on nanotechnology: advances in current storage technology, which limits the incentive to invest in research, and the difficulty in building reliable production sites.
ENJOY WITH A CANDY CIGARETTE -- If your friends aren't boring and longwinded enough, just serve them a new energy drink called Cocaine.
Yes, it's real. A company named Redux Beverages last week introduced the product, which it called ''the legal alternative'' to the expensive, illicit and life-destroying drug.
Redux promises that ''doing Cocaine'' yields a better rush than drinks like Red Bull, but without the comedown. The effects last five hours, the company says. The drink is 350 times as strong as Red Bull, thanks to having more simple sugars and vitamin B-12.
The man responsible for Cocaine is Jamie Kirby, chief of Redux Beverages, based in Las Vegas. He told the Australian news site News.com.au that the drink's kick also relies on ''some psychological effect.''
One woman who tried Cocaine, the energy drink, told the site, ''I don't like the tingly feeling in my chest. I feel my heart racing and I'm not being paranoid I feel looped.''
Except for the lack of paranoia, it sounds as if Redux at least got the formula about right.
BEST FREE SOFTWARE -- The Web site of Ian Richards, a man known as Gizmo, looks as if it were designed in 1997, but his advice on computers, aimed at average consumers, has won plaudits from the public and from Consumer Reports Online, among others.
Readers love the ''best'' lists he compiles: Best Troubleshooting Sites, Best PC Support Resources, etc. His latest is the Best-Ever Freeware Utilities, which offers 46 types of free software. According to Mr. Richards, the best browser is Firefox. The best free firewall is made by Kerio. See all his picks at techsupportalert.com.
SIGNATURE ADVICE -- Don't sign the back of your credit card, advises The Straight Dope (straightdope.com), the longtime wisdom-dispenser for readers of alternative newspapers. ''However,'' writes ''Ken,'' a Straight Dope staffer, ''do not leave the white strip blank. In that space, write: ''Ask For Picture ID.'' A fellow staffer ''Dex'' concurs. His card was stolen, and someone forged his signature to buy $3,000 worth of furs. DAN MITCHELL
Drawing (Drawing by Alex Eben Meyer)