| Editorial: The future comes slowly, but revolutions are worth waiting for Aug 13th 2012, 19:00  During a trip to Switzerland, my family started off on a day hike to reach the nearby foothills of a mountain. It looked doable, but as time passed the range seemed to recede before our approach. After many hours we turned around, having apparently failed to close any distance. Crossing from now to the future in technology can likewise seem illusory. When we scrutinize and celebrate each tiny incremental invention as if it were a milestone, we lose track of time as if we were counting grains of sand dropping through an hourglass. Game-changing inventions are rare, separated by epochs in which progress adds up to a lot of sameness. Futurism is an unforgiving business. But sometimes, as in the cases of cloud computing and media convergence, redemption comes with patience. Continue reading Editorial: The future comes slowly, but revolutions are worth waiting for Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household, Internet Editorial: The future comes slowly, but revolutions are worth waiting for originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | IBM creates consistent electron spin inside semiconductors, takes spintronics one twirl closer Aug 13th 2012, 18:41  A fundamental challenge of developing spintronics, or computing where the rotation of electrons carries instructions and other data rather than the charge, has been getting the electrons to spin for long enough to shuttle data to its destination in the first place. IBM and ETH Zurich claim to be the first achieving that feat by getting the electrons to dance to the same tune. Basing a semiconductor material on gallium arsenide and bringing the temperature to an extremely low -387F, the research duo have created a persistent spin helix that keeps the spin going for the 1.1 nanoseconds it would take a normal 1GHz processor to run through its full cycle, or 30 times longer than before. As impressive as it can be to stretch atomic physics that far, just remember that the theory is some distance from practice: unless you're really keen on running a computer at temperatures just a few hops away from absolute zero, there's work to be done on producing transistors (let alone processors) that safely run in the climate of the family den. Assuming that's within the realm of possibility, though, we could eventually see computers that wring much more performance per watt out of one of the most basic elements of nature. Continue reading IBM creates consistent electron spin inside semiconductors, takes spintronics one twirl closer Filed under: Science IBM creates consistent electron spin inside semiconductors, takes spintronics one twirl closer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  TG Daily |  Nature | Email this | Comments | | Yamaha YHT-697 home theater in a box brings AirPlay, iPad connectivity to the masses Aug 13th 2012, 18:16  Yamaha has outed a new high-end home theater in a box to ensure that whatever audio / visual device you use, it'll sound amazing. The YHT-679BL includes an Ethernet port for internet radio, networked music and pulling down AirPlay tunes. It's got an iOS, Android and Kindle Fire-compatible app and there's even a USB port up front that'll charge your device as you use it. Offering 4K HDMI and pass-through 3D video, the unit's clad in piano-gloss black, while a 6.5-inch, 100W subwoofer will add some floor-shaking to the two tower and three satellite speakers that are included. It'll set you back $650, plus whatever it costs to get some soundproofing done once your annoyed neighbors are done with you. Continue reading Yamaha YHT-697 home theater in a box brings AirPlay, iPad connectivity to the masses Filed under: Home Entertainment Yamaha YHT-697 home theater in a box brings AirPlay, iPad connectivity to the masses originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 14:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
