Moore’s law describes a long-term trend in the history of computer manufacturing whereby the number of transistors that can be placed in the same amount of space doubles approximately every two years.

Michelle Simmons, director of ARC Center for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at the University of New South Wales, Australia, took an atom and etched it into a silicon bed with “gates” to control electrical flow and metallic contacts to apply voltage to start/stop current.  It’s the first such device to be precisely positioned using a technique that can be repeated.

“We really decided 10 years ago to start this program to try and make single-atom devices as fast as we could, and beat that law,” said Michelle Simmons, director of ARC Center for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at the University of New South Wales, Australia. “So here we are in 2012, and we’ve made a single-atom transistor roughly 8 to 10 years ahead of where the industry is going to be.”

The big caveat to this is the requirement the atom must remain at or below 391 degrees Fahrenheit to keep it from migrating out of it’s channel [what ever that means].  Because of this requirement, the test is only a proof of concept to the ability rather then a proof of concept in manufacturing.

Moore’s law hasn’t been broken yet, but this experiment shows it eventually will.

This power bar will automatically shut down the devices it’s powering based on time of day or clock settings.  For example, why power that laser printer when everyone is away from work?  Better to power off the printer between 6pm and 7am, right?  The PowerUSB Bar can do just that.

The PowerUSB Basic empowers you to put your old devices on a diet by programming when to shut off power to them. It looks like a standard 4 port power strip but 3 of the for outlets are programmable. The last outlet is always on so it’s reserved for the PC. And there’s also a 6 ft USB cord coming out of the power strip. Attach printers, chargers, speakers or external drives and let the PowerUSB Bar govern their power consumption.

Source:  EverythingUSB.

For the full instructions go to the Instructables page.

I just read this article from PC Magazine about watchdog group SumOf US taking on Apple for poor worker conditions in China.   I’m all for making the world a better place for mankind.  I also think some perspective is needed.

One of Apple’s biggest contract manufacturers [CMs] FoxConn has been under fire the last 12 months for employee suicides and a fire in a production facility.

It was reported the suicides are directly related to working conditions.  However, it’s important to keep some perspective.  FoxConn is an organization which employees well over 100,000 people.  I think it very likely a group of individuals from the 100K pool will find a common thread [depression] and lead their way to demise.  We’ve seen it before with other cult groups in the US.

I’m not giving Apple a free ticket, but I certainly don’t think Apple is to blame.  With the above situation, Time Cook, now CEO made the following statement [for the record I completely believe]

“We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain,” reads his letter; “Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us.”

As for the Foxconn fire in one of their production facilities, this type of accident happens all the time.  In the US, Europe, Australia and of course Asia.

I fully support the motion which SumOfUs has started,  but at the same time, I’m not holding Apple completely responsible for working conditions at FoxConn.  Sure they are one element, but not the entire picture.

For those of you who are not familiar with FoxConn, it’s a CM which supplies many major companies in the US, not just Apple.

The biodegradable USB cable works like any typical USB cable.  It is USB-IF certified to guarantee performance speed.  It comes in Type A and Type B connector styles.  Qmadix also includes HDMI and 30 pin Apple connectors.

The big difference is the coating put on the cable.  The USB biodegradable cable uses a plant-based by-product to protect the internal copper.  The cable will remain stable during use in the home or office, but once put into a landfill, the degrading begins.

We suspect is has to do with moisture levels, but not 100% sure.  The plant-based coating will biodegrade the cable in about 5 years, verse traditional time lines with PVC plastic materials.

No price points available, but here  is the main website.

This slick looking wall mount uses one DC outlet from your wall and extends it to the face plate along with two USB charging ports.  The two ports can charge one iPad or two iPhones.  Of course it will accommodate other USB based devices like Android, tablets etc.

It would have been nice to see some additional logic inside which would send enough current for 4 or 6 devices.  I also think if you are going to eliminate one complete wall socket, might as well offer more USB ports.

RCA is selling the charger for $20 retail.