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MIT Emerging Technologies Conference

Posted by michael on from the cocoonlike dept.

StoneLion writes "At Technology Review's Emerging Technologies Conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this week, speakers in various disciplines provided fascinating glimpses of future technology, including exotica like hydrogen energy and smart dust. NewsForge has a conference report." Newsforge and Slashdot are both part of OSDN.

9 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Resistance is futile by Brahmastra · · Score: 4, Insightful
    But the most interesting discussion came from Intel's David Tennenhouse. He noted that we've passed the one person, one computer milestone. The next wave will include networked embedded computers that give real-time information, enabling proactive computing that can anticipate our needs. Enabling technologies for that trend include physical control of biological and chemical elements; ubiquitous computing in the form of smart dust, RFID, and software radio; planetary-scale distributed systems (PlanetLab is one example); and new probabilistic methods of machine learning.

    We are Borg?
  2. Interesting quote from Dell by HanClinto · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I liked this one:

    To determine what businesses his company wants to be in, Dell looks for large markets where there are inefficiencies or high mark-ups. He looks for standards, because markets don't usually become high-volume until standards exist. Dell said standards benefit users, while proprietary hardware benefits only the company selling it.

    +4 insightful to Dell there.

    1. Re:Interesting quote from Dell by b0r0din · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's sort of ironic that Dell has any part in a conference on emerging technologies, because what Dell specializes in is supply infrastructure. They don't have nearly as many patents as IBM or HP but they are VERY VERY good at getting things to their customers and keeping their customers happy. In other words, they create extremely efficient processes and have outlasted other PCs because they understand the commodities market. Why Dell is considered a major player makes little sense.

      A better way to buy, sell, and trade your games.

  3. Dell's business niche, and music service by pavon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This caught my eye.

    Dell words of wisdom
    To determine what businesses his company wants to be in, Dell looks for large markets where there are inefficiencies or high mark-ups. He looks for standards, because markets don't usually become high-volume until standards exist. Dell said standards benefit users, while proprietary hardware benefits only the company selling it.

    Which is interesting in light of the anouncement of the music service, since the music industry is a glarring example of high mark ups.

  4. Why Dell as the Keynote? by MyNameIsFred · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While Dell is a successful company, I don't think of them when it comes to emerging technologies. As he said, "Dell looks for large markets where there are inefficiencies or high mark-ups..." This sounds like the stable, mature technologies. Wouldn't some company on the bleeding edge been a better choice?

  5. Hydrogen? Er... by metroid+composite · · Score: 4, Insightful
    GM's Lawrence Burns gave a vision of technology in the auto industry. He envisions fuel cell propulsion, hydrogen fuel, and electronic and software systems replacing the internal combustion engine, petroleum fuel, and mechanical controls.

    Unfortunately, last time I checked Hydrogen just wasn't particularly practical. Why? It takes up too much space for one thing; unles you're going to use Liquid Hydrogen which takes a lot of energy to keep cool. Secondly how do you make the stuff? Electrolosis with water right? This is all based on articles I saw years ago, but I remember you needed roughly twice the electricity to make the Hydrogen than you get back when you run the car. That's fine if you're running on Hydroelectric dams, but what about all the cars in areas where they have coal or Nuclear Power Plants?

  6. Recycled emerging technologies. by Animats · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Every one of those ideas was being talked up ten or more years ago. Fuel cells, large numbers of networked embedded computers, nanotech, and the hydrogen economy have all been around before. We need some new new ideas.

    Or we need to make some of the important older new ideas, like fusion power, work. We desperately need a new power source. If we don't get one, we're headed back to a coal economy.

    1. Re:Recycled emerging technologies. by bartlog · · Score: 2, Insightful

      ...Fuel cells, large numbers of networked embedded computers, nanotech, and the hydrogen economy have all been around before

      Nanotech has been around? What? The idea yes, actual implementation no. I am pessimistic about nanotech in the near term, but really, if it can be made to work you aren't going to need a lot of other new, new ideas.

      Or we need to make some of the important older new ideas, like fusion power, work.

      What does fusion power get you that a breeder reactor doesn't? You still have nuclear waste issues as a result of neutron emission. Even without (fission) breeder reactors, the thorium in the earth's crust would allow us to meet our energy needs through nuclear fission for some millenial span into the future - if we could deal with the environmental issues.

  7. Re:GE's China and India competition? by Stiletto · · Score: 4, Insightful


    They are not American jobs. They are GE jobs.