Blogs of Note

20 Hot Technologies to Watch From PC Magazine, comes another take on the future of technology. It's a another list, yes, but we like lists, don't we? Check out the article for bite-sized chunks of information on what the editors of PC Magazine have decided will be the next big thing.

Carbon Nanotubes - is there nothing that this stuff can't do? Stronger than steel and spider-webs, able to leap tall buildings in a single jump and maybe even tether space elevators in geostationary orbits. Carbon nanotubes can sometimes display the behaviour of a metal, and sometimes a semiconductor; that is, they can not only be configured to transport current, they can also be used to store information, or build smaller transistors.

Biosensors - see my log on sensors below. Now think of some of those things floating around inside of you? Think of the applications - from monitoring out patients, to those with health issues ... your onboard doctor, being able to not only monitor, but diagnose if necessary, connecting to the internet to order to your next batch of drugs, or tell on you to your Mom. Why stop there though? Think of ability to monitor criminals on parole, being able to either update law enforcement on actions, or deliver minor 'reminders' that being naughty just doesn't pay. Phillip K. Dick saw this coming, didn't he? Or think of the physically displaced family that can stay together.

Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography - the technology that will allow Intel (and their brethren) to continue to release faster, and faster microprocessors. You will need the speed damnit! How else are you suppose to have a better life?

E-bombs - no, not dot-bombs. That's now passe. This is high-power microwaves (electromagnetic pules) as seen in the Matrix movies. They will last only a few microseconds, and will be able to kill anything electronic, without cooking people or their neighbourhoods.

Infrared Countermeasures - most surface to air, shoulder launched missiles use IR to track and destroy its target. There are some 500,000 of these missiles around the world. Some are in the hands of people who would celebrate the downing of a commercial airliner. The entire missile launch to the inevitable kaboom, takes about 8 seconds. IR countermeasures are supposed to detect, track and use lasers to confuse missiles into going off target (and hopefully not killing some other people).

Self Driving Cars - let's face it, aircraft can fly themselves in 3-dimensional space. Pilots are there just in case. So? Forget the systems that rely on implementing magnetic strips in the road. Car makers are working on visioning systems that will be able to drive you safely home by navigating the roadways the way we do. Just wait till your 10-year old ask if s/he could borrow the car for their afternoon date at McDonalds.

Fuel Cells - and to power your self driving car, you will need long-lasting, environment friendly fuel. Hybrid cars are already coming on the market. The outcome is inevitable - it's only a matter of time.

Plastic Transistors - why not? Plastic is already ubiquitous. Industry is hard at work to make plastic displays that are flexible and now to embed transistors directly onto plastic. This is all possible with organic materials. Your future computer may look nothing like today's grey box.

Silicon Photonics - forget your highspeed connection at home (that really isn't highspeed). Welcome to the future and super-highspeed! Silicon photonics utilizes light to deliver information, rather than electrons. Because light moves way faster than electrons, voila! Now everyone harps on the last mile (km for us Canadians) being the slowest. While that's a bit true, the ISPs can hardly keep up with highspeed traffic today, what makes us think they can even begin to sustain super-highspeed?

Microsoft SPOT - think of every device, everything piece of clothing, just everything, being able to connect wirelessly to form your own personal are network (PAN). Now think Microsoft running in the veins of your infrastructure. Now scream! And run! But no matter where you run to, there you are, and Microsoft is there spoon feed you their spiked digital pabulum. Smile, cause it's the future, and you can either enjoy it, or ?K.

Mesh Networks - see my log below on sensors. Mesh networks are the networks these devices will form. Isn't that a bit like SPOT? But wait, Microsoft didn't invent mesh. Ah...

Grid Computing - remember SETI@Home? Think of the technology being exploited by computers in your home, or in your business. Think of all that idle CPU time that could be tapped to run algorithms that drive business value. Too bad most IT shops can't get their heads out of their butts to start thinking creatively.

Quantum Cryptography - I remember going to lecture on this topic in University many years ago. It's good to see some of this finally coming to fruition. Today's cryptographic standards are extremely difficult to hack - but given a couple of years and a supercomputer, it can be done. If a quantum computer is ever built, you can throw out your encryption software. They will be able to crack them in little time. Quantum cryptography is impossible to crack. Now if only we can see some progress with quantum teleportation.

RFIDs - see my note on sensors below. These are sensors that would be attached to products you purchase off the shelf, and would use radio frequency to communicate. When the lights go off in the store, what will your products talk about?

Magnetic Memory - see my log of June 10 on MRAM. This will basically allow your computer to startup like the light when you flick the switch - instantly! Now that would be cool!

Social Gaming - I don't know. I still can't figure out why I would want to go spend time online chatting with people, forming social bonds, rather than going out with friends for a movie or a coffee. Maybe I'm getting old. I still enjoy people watching, and can't see the fun in avatar watching. Although I'm sure the folks from There.com would like the opportunity to change my mind.

Text Mining - forget data mining in information warehouses. Most information can't be found in nicely structured databases, and helpful aggregates built for the data neophyte. Most valuable information can be found in the experiences of the individual, and most of those are captured on corporate networks in email, voicemail and other unstructured documents. Imagine being able to wrest intelligence from that quagmire. You would be a superhero. Or big brother.

Reverse Engineering - ever wonder what happen to your old PCs? Most likely they're being stored in garbage dumps as a nice surprise to haunt future generations. Folks are finally thinking of reclaiming the waste from old PCs. Save the world, man!

Cognitive Machines - robots that think, or at least to fool us into thinking that they can think. For guys who love their cars, this is isn't such a big jump.