THIS WEEK: I have seen the future -- and it is tiny

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September 25, 2002 >> Receive this email as text  >> About this e-mail   In this Issue >> From the editor: I have seen the future -- and it is tiny >> Featured topic from SearchHP.com: e3000: Should I stay or go? >> Reader Feedback: Thanks for the "Thanks"   I have seen the future -- and it is tiny by Margaret Rouse, Assistant Editor I've been reading a lot about nanotechnology lately. Proponents of nanotechnology hail it as "the next industrial revolution." The more I read, the more I think they're right. Nanotechnology, or, as it is sometimes called, molecular manufacturing, is a branch of engineering that deals with the design and manufacture of extremely small electronic circuits and mechanical devices built at the molecular level of matter. The idea behind nanotechnology is that any chemically stable structure can be analyzed and re-built artificially, as long as we follow the laws of physics. I get that. Everything is made up of atoms. If we rearrange the atoms in coal, we can make diamonds. If we rearrange the atoms in sand (and add in a few other things), we can make computer chips. In theory, if we can build enough teeny-tiny atomic moving machines -- they already have a name, they're called assemblers -- we'll be able to move atoms around to build whatever it is we want to build. It's an interesting idea, don't you think? Apparently the U.S. government thinks so. Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate held its first hearings on nanotechnology. Legislation has been proposed to create a National Nanotechnology Research Program, which would bring together various agencies working on nanoscale research and coordinate their efforts. IBM, HP, and Intel are expected to play major roles in the private sector. Practically speaking, nanotechnology is being looked at as a way to allow manufacturers to produce computer chips and sensors that are less expensive, smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient than what we have now. Researchers are pretty confident that within a decade, it will be possible for an entire mainframe computer, including memory and disk drives, to take up less than a cubic micron of space. (To put that in perspective, a human hair is 75 microns in diameter.) But here's the cool part -- researchers also predict that our children's children will probably have some kind of nanotechnology "replicator" appliance in their homes. How great is that? Instead of going out and buying a bottle of wine, you could download a replicator program, add the raw materials, press a button, and let the assemblers move atoms around to "build" you your favorite Chardonnay. Makes you want to learn more about nanotechnology, doesn't it? That's why we've put together a Learning Path for nanotechnology. So that you can give yourself a quick tutorial, we've arranged our nanotechnology-related definitions in a sequence, with more basic building block topics placed at the beginning. In just a few minutes, you can see the future for yourself! Learning Path: Nanotechnology http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci535957,00.html  Featured Site: SearchHP.com FEATURED TOPIC: e3000: Should I stay or go? Our sister site, SearchHP.com, has gathered resources to help HP e3000 and MPE/ix users make informed decisions about their future on this platform. Read on to learn more about your transition options and to discuss your plans with your peers. Find out more From our Webcast Archives: Networking your way into a new job Looking for an IT job? You are not alone! What's working to get people working? Networking. During this Webcast, careers expert Rick Nashleanas will outline effective networking strategies. http://searchhp.techtarget.com/webcastsTranscripts/0,289709,sid6,00.html?Offer=hpwn1 HP World preview: Conference to address merger issues Four months after Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Compaq was finalized, users of HP enterprise technology will gather in Los Angeles for next week's HP World. Once there, users will hear plenty about the post-merger road map and integration issues, say officials with Interex, also known as the International Association of Hewlett-Packard Computing Professionals, which organized the conference. . Read the entire story  Reader Feedback: Thanks for the "Thanks" by Lowell Thing, Editor The editors never cease being amazed by notes from readers who, in various ways, say "Thanks for existing!" One of these notes usually arrives just as one of us is wondering whether cyberspace is really fog soup or thinking "Well, no one is ever going to look at this one." Suddenly, a thank-you note arrives from a reader! We never get over it, we assure you. It does have the effect of making us work a little harder. This past week, we also heard from a number of readers who want more crossword puzzles. We can tell you that more will soon be on the way. As usual, some readers reported a few bad links that we quickly fixed. And several readers suggested new links to add to particular definitions. Tim Marks from SmartDraw suggested a link from "flowchart" and Francesco Cesarini from Cesarini Consulting suggested a link from "Erlang programming language." We added both links using our usual criterion: Will this link be apt to interest or help the reader? Some readers contributed more sniglets (terms that ought to exist but don't) to our definition of "sniglet" and we're still in the process of adding and responding to those notes. Thanks for contributing! Latest crossword puzzle... http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci852146,00.html flowchart http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci212134,00.html Erlang programming language http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci212072,00.html sniglet http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci506044,00.html This e-mail is brought to you by TechTarget where you can get relevant search results from over 19 industry-specific Web sites.  Whatis.com contacts: Lowell Thing, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Margaret Rouse, Assistant Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) To unsubscribe from Updates on new site content: >> Simply Reply to this Email with REMOVE within the Body or Subject -OR- >> Go to: http://WhatIs.techtarget.com/register/1,,sid9,00.html    - Log in to edit your profile.    - Click on the link to Edit email subscriptions.    - Uncheck the box next to the newsletter you wish to unsubscribe from    - When finished, click "Save Changes to My Profile". 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