just a few things...

[alexr_rwx]

- You may have seen it on /. But... Find could transform electronics.

EDMONTON - A team from the University of Alberta has proven for the first time that a single molecule can switch electrical currents off and on, a puzzle that scientists worldwide have been trying to crack for decades.

So much awesome! Tiny tiny efficient computers in a few decades! *dances*

- In These Times discusses the leaked memo that's been huge news in the UK here.

At the 2002 meeting, the memo reveals that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said, "It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action." However, Straw was also not convinced by the WMD argument, saying, "Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran." In public, Straw supported the official claim that Iraq's WMDs posed a threat that justified war.

... yeah. If you still haven't heard about the leaked memo and the war-spin preplanning... this is a good summary. Nobody's surprised.

- Summer camp starts next week, and sometimes writing code is entertaining. I get to make a medium-interesting computery thing for some appreciative edutech researchers, and that's always nice :)

- Let's go do something fun. It's time for something fun this weekend, damnit :)

Comments

<shoves Pres. Bush under rug> Move along kids, nothing to see here.

[sault.livejournal.com]

These days, it seems popular discussion of the war occurs from a different angle. It is no longer so much 'Did Iraq pose a significant threat the country's national security?' (which is usually the basis for undertaking war (not to be confused with a 'peace-keeping action,' whatever that is (Korean Konflict, my ass))), as 'Were the human rights of Iraqi citizens being violated?' The answer would, of course, be yes (both before and after the invasion, apparently). All of that to say: I think people are simply thinking that we invaded Iraq in a unilateral 'peacekeeping' way, and are straight forgetting the prewar WMD stuff (or, ironically enough, disregarding it as a failed political tool to woo the administration's unconvinced opposition). And the memo doesn't matter to those people.

So I'm going to shut up and go to bed and get up in five hours. Woot, yeah.

[brainfaucet.livejournal.com]

Super fast and efficient processing! Massive solid state storage! Putting a powerful computer anywhere! Carrying around a drive on your key chain and storing all your life's data on it. Imagine combining this with wireless node technology... having a few thousand computers that self organize and work together in a bucket... Need more power? Add another scoop of nodes. So very, very exciting!


...and the WMD bit is just another kick in the squishy bits to those wondering why Bush 'n pals are still in power.

[schizobovine.livejournal.com]

The nanoswitch sounds like all the stuff Stephenson was wanking about in The Diamond Age (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553380966/). If the can speed this up, we're left with only two major problems in computer engineering -- heat and power.

Wintermute is upon us. =)