These are a few of the things that could become possible with a proposed new technology by Pulickel Ajayan et al from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.  Basically, it’s the combination of cellulose and nanotubes, creating a flexible robust battery – with a twist.  It can be built in a way that it becomes a hybrid of a battery with a capacitor – able to hold the amount of power batteries can, coupled with the ability to charge and discharge as fast as capacitors are able.  Being flexible, these batteries could be easily produced in all shapes necessary to take the best advantage of any design.  Let’s see how soon this technology can be mass produced.

After 30 years from their launch from Earth, despite still being operational and doing active and useful science, they are mostly unknown to everyone. These are the pinnacles of human genius – pieces of ourselves out there, studying the universe. We should be celebrating our long reach as humans – instead, we focus on the worst and most banal aspects of humanity, everyday.

They’re not the only probes still working – many others are active, a lot of them lasting well beyond their expected lifespan.

I’m not saying that I believe global warming is a natural phenomenon, I do believe we are capable of having an impact of this magnitude on our environment. I would just like to know what environmentalists would defend if their life in the end was being challenged by nature, and not by ourselves.

(click the image to watch this particular episode of “the show”, and see if you’re also a nerd)

The world’s first commercially viable quantum computer was unveiled and demonstrated today in Silicon Valley by D-Wave Systems, Inc., a privately-held Canadian firm headquartered near Vancouver.

This is the first paragraph of today’s press release issued by D-Wave Systems. Visit their website for more information on quantum computing in general (in a very accessible language), although commercial “how do I buy it” information is not there explicitly,  they hint they’ll be selling capacity online. Let’s see if a) it’s for real, and b) even if it is, what will be the immediate and future impact. They don’t claim that quantum computers will replace conventional computers, explaining (plus here and here) which kinds of problems are better tackled by this technology.

Sometimes, evolution happens in small steps, but if this is true it might signal a true leap in what computers can do.  Lets wait and see.

A few links with both sides of the story, and more information:

• Orion into the future – The Quantum Pontiff
• The Orion Quantum Computer Anti-Hype FAQ – Shtetl-Optimized
• Quantum computer ‘Orion’ debuts – EE Times
  

Instead of having regular electric heaters to warm up your house and your water, with the decrease in cost of processing capacity, you could have devices that doubled as heaters and processing nodes – processing capacity that you could use for yourself, sell, or donate to projects such as SETI@Home.  These devices would be plugged to the mains for power, and have some kind of wireless connectivity.  For now, computational heating surely is more expensive (in terms of hardware, not energy) than purely resistive heating, but who knows what the future brings?  In a few years time you might be able to go down to the hardware store, and buy a heater (either a space heater or a water heater) with capacity measured both in watts and teraflops!

I was reminded of this dichotomy by this article on the New Scientist technology section, about a system to disrupt offensive chants on football stadiums.