Oh the places you'll go:

It seems that there has been a spate of developments in technology in the last few weeks. While not all of it translates into new toys, it is still quite remarkable.

Perhaps the most stunning development, in my opinion, has been Apple Computer's announcment that its entire product line will be transitioned from IBM Power PC processors to Intel processors (for more on the technical side of this switch see here).

As discussed in many of the articles available on this topic, the switch marks the end of the hardware differentiation between PC and Mac machines, which is significant in that it reduces the differences between the two leading personal conputing competitors to software alone. While this may mean difficult times in the near term, it is likely that it will ultimately yield positvie results, if in no form other than greater interoperability between the two platforms.

Other interesting Tech. news

• Duke University will be distributing iPods to incoming Freshman, but not as a gimick to draw in more students. Rather, Duke is attempting to make use of the portable hard drives as academic and intellectual tools by offering school information such as calendars, lectures, and notes via a special web page.


• Technology is making a striking appearence in some classrooms in the U.S. While this type of technological marvel may not surprise some, I think that it is a landmark developement in the integration of technology into the education process. Not only is the computer-powered white-board interactive, but it is dynamic and allows for the teacher to monitor and access work done by the students through his/her own machine.


• There are new developments in the quest for molecule transistors. As explained in this article, at the heart of the microchip is the transistor, essentially a tiny switch that represents either a 1 or a 0. forming a transistor at the molecular level would increase the number of transistors that can be fit onto a modern chip by orders of magniitude. That is, molecular transistors would allow smaller computers that are able to run faster and handle more complex instructions.

Perhaps the most interesting development I have come across is that of holographic data storage. Rating estimated capacities of terabytes per square centimeter and read/write speeds that will make your head spin, this type of storage device could be the wave of the future. Perhpas its most redeeming feature is the fact that the disks are currently the same size as DVDs and CDs. In addition, while most new technologies are rather expensive, the actual disks themselves look to be possible at a mere $1 each, a far cry from the initial prices for blank DVD disks.