Quantum Computing Closer To Reality

The ability to exploit the extraordinary properties of quantum mechanics in novel applications, such as a new generation of super-fast computers, seems to come closer following with recent breakthroughs by an international team led by researchers from the University of New South Wales.


A colour-enhanced Scanning Electron Microscope image of a quantum dot
In the two breakthroughs, written up in the international journals Nano Letters and Applied Physics Letters, researchers have for the first time demonstrated two ways to deliberately place an electron in a nano-sized device on a silicon chip.

The achievements set the stage for the next crucial steps of being able to observe and then control the electron’s quantum state or “spin”, to create a quantum bit. Multiple quantum bits coupled together make up the processor of a quantum computer.

Is Charging Your Gadget Overnight Waste Of Energy?

Many times we leave our gadgets Mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players, Cameras, Laptops etc with charger plugged in overnight. Lets check if this is a major waste of energy..

What happens if you leave the mobile phone plugged in all night?

According to measurements from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the average cell phone draws 3.68 watts of power from the outlet while it’s charging and 2.24 watts when charged. Let’s take the worst-case scenario and assume that you’re over-juicing a charged battery for the entire night. Leave the average phone plugged in for eight unnecessary hours, and it’ll use about 0.018 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Do that every night for a week, and the figure rises to 0.13 kWh; every night for a year, and you’re looking at a grand total of 6.5 kWh of electricity.

Broadband Internet Speeds 2009-2010: The Top 10 Countries

The results of the second annual global study on the quality of broadband connections done at end of 2009 reveal that 62 out of the 66 countries analyzed had improved the quality of consumer broadband services since last year. However, new data from the study highlights the extent of the digital quality divide between urban and rural areas and, for the first time, compares the quality of fixed and mobile broadband services.

The first groundbreaking Broadband Quality Study was published in September 2008 to highlight each country’s ability to benefit from next-generation web applications and services. The research team found that broadband quality is linked to a nation’s advancement as a knowledge economy and countries with broadband on their national agenda had the highest broadband quality. This year’s report covers an additional 24 countries and includes new analysis on broadband quality in more than 240 cities.