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Optical Computer Made From Frozen Light
neutron_p writes "Scientists at Harvard University have shown how ultra-cold atoms can be used to freeze and control light to form the "core" - or central processing unit - of an optical computer. Optical computers would transport information ten times faster than traditional electronic devices, smashing the intrinsic speed limit of silicon technology. This new research could be a major breakthrough in the quest to create super-fast computers that use light instead of electrons to process information. Professor Lene Hau is one of the world's foremost authorities on "slow light". Her research group became famous for slowing down light, which normally travels at 186,000 miles per second, to less than the speed of a bicycle."
Where do I get one of these? No, I want it now
Sigs cause cancer.
...you will void your warranty and may suffer a severe sunburn.
e=mc^2 except where c is like slower and fuck, headache.
Her research group became famous for slowing down light, which normally travels at 186,000 miles per second, to less than the speed of a bicycle."
Ah, so she worked on IE.
became famous for slowing down light, which normally travels at 186,000 miles per second, to less than the speed of a bicycle.
ah yes, the Speed of a Bicycle (SoaB) metric for slow light.
------ How can making people laugh lead to bad karma?
The best thing about frozen light is that you can put it in your freezer, so that when there's a blackout, it will thaw and then you'll have light.
And this means absolutely nothing to the non-supercomputer world. Light doesn't slow itself down for free. Freezing light for this proccess likely takes the expenditure equal to the GDP of a small country. At best, in the next 50 years there will be 2 frozen light optiocal supercomputers
Free MacMini
We can safely rule out 'A' since velocity can't be negative; any bicycle with just a bare jet engine strapped to it ain't goin' nowhere.
I propose that "speed of a bicycle" be adopted as the standard measure of velocity in technical articles. Units already included in the standard are "Libraries of Congress" for data storage requirements and "Size of a Volkswagon" for physical size measurements.
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. --Winston Churchill
Imagine a Beowolf Cluster of bicycles!
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...the light freezes you!
Will it at least make and keep my vodka cold, comrade?
Now all we need is Advanced Military Algoritms and Pre-Sentient Algorithms until we achieve Fusion Power and our units become twice as strong as our enemy's units.
Intellectual Integrity and Cyberethics may pose a problem however.
This comment was generated by a Squadron of Ultra Ninjas
And we will all be overrun with Telecosmic cathedrals of light, blah, blah, blah...
Onward to the Aether Sphere!
and I thought we could safely rule out 'A' because it wasn't one of the given options? ;-)
People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people
I'll finally get that lightsaber I've been wanting?
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
became famous for slowing down light, which normally travels at 186,000 miles per second, to less than the speed of a bicycle.
My bicycle travels at the speed of light, you insensitive clod!
Imagine a Beowolf Cluster of bicycles!
Don't they already do something like that in France?!
I can't even get past my "defined definitions" of what's redundant and what's not!
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
4) This research is done by a woman.
Does this mean we can actually make phasers that produce slow photons so we can have cool special effects in real life like Star Wars and Star Trek? Then our super heros can dodge lasers.
I am sure this will be the next product on Think Geek.
D.O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V.M.
6) A bicycle hurled through space at nearly the speed of light?
oops, pesky "k" I think I just sent the Mars Polar Orbiter careening to it's death
Free MacMini
Speed of a bicycle, fine, but...African or European?
African or European?
If we can slow light to somehow make our "units" twice as long, we'll never get in a war again. Their women won't consider our lives expendable.
What's a braniac?
An early computer created at the University of Kansas. Lacking easy access to the sand necessary for silicon-based components, midwesterners experimented with wheat-based computing. Unfortunately, they were never able to get all the bugs out.
One man's -1 Flamebait is another man's +5 Funny.
Kudos to whoever is giving out low mod points to people whose jokes completely blow. I have seen "Funny,5" way too many times for observations that are just too painfully unfunny to read.
>In Soviet Russia, light freezes you!!
God, please stop.
Forcing light to bend around corners is difficult.
It used to be difficult, until the invention of the mirror.