By employing the standard microfabrication techniques used, for instance, in manufacturing of computer chips, the team has demonstrated an ambipolar field-effect transistor, which works under ambient conditions. They found that the nanofabric exhibits a remarkable quality such that electrons can travel without any scattering over submicron distances, which is important for making very-fast-switching transistors.
and also:
In the quest to make the computer chip more powerful and fast, engineers strive to produce smaller transistors, shortening the paths electrons have to travel to switch the devices on and off. Ultimately, scientists envisage transistors made from a single molecule, and this work brings that vision ever nearer.
It's true it doesn't specifically say that they will make transistors for microprocessors out of this stuff. It is however, a nice idea.
You make a very good point. But, the subject here isn't VPN. The subject is WiMax. It is possible to access a WiMax access point through VPN if the company or ISP providing WiMax access puts a VPN server in front of the access point. But why would they do that if they are selling access to it? It only secures the data across a connection which is good to prevent snooping, but creates overhead. I guess it is a good idea to put a VPN in front of the access point in order to prevent hackers from being able to view packets coming to and from the access point, but what about securing the initial connection? Is WPA good enough for this, or will WiMax require another technology?
I wouldn't say that hardware VPNs are completely invulnerable, however, they are close to it. I guess it would depend on the security protocol being used with the VPN. IPsec for example is a good one. I wouldn't say any technology for that matter is completely invulnerable.
Exactly! This is why I believe more secure technologies will be introduced to protect WiMax access points. WEP encryption can eventually be hacked given enough time. The newer encryption method WPA is more secure, but is it the best for WiMax?
Interesting idea, however a computer would need to be made out of more stuff than just this wouldn't it? It may be more possible to store data with it though and if you wanted to I guess you could coat a sheet of paper with it.
I wonder how long it will be before the first microprocessor will be made using this material. It appears that it holds great potential for the microprocessor world.
I don't think wearing this stuff is an option. It's highly conductive and wearing it in a lightening storm wouldn't be a good idea.;)
It's true that VPNs are pretty secure, but there are vulnerabilities in any system. Just do a search for "hardware VPN vulnerabilities" on Google and see what you get. If you are going to create a secure tunnel to access WiMax it is more secure for your data being sent over the connection, but secure data transfer isn't what I'm worried about. What I'm worried about is the ability for a hacker to gain unsolicited access to a WiMax system with or without a secure connection. Securing the data transfer over a WiMax connection isn't the issue I was speaking of. Securing the ability to access WiMax without proper credentials is. A hacker can gain access to a VPN network if he/she knows the proper protcols used and a username and password, the data going over a VPN is secure but the connection can still be hacked.
If someone found a way to secure a WiMax connection using VPN they would have to consider the amount of overhead that a VPN would create as well. Using a VPN to login to a WiMax point would secure the data over the connection, however it doesn't necessarily mean that it would stop a hacker from hacking a connection to a WiMax access point.
Most places that have public access points require you to have a username and password to use the service. WiMax could also implement MAC address filtering for any of it's qualified customers or users, however MAC address spoofing is another tool used by hackers. This is why I believe that new security technologies are going to emerge due to WiMax.
An ISP supplying WiMax to its customers will probably only secure access to the WiMax access point itself. Securing the data over the WiMax connection from the end user to the WiMax access point will most likely be done by the customer or user himself. Most ISPs that I know of only secure what they sell, they do not care weather or not the data being transfered over the connection that you purchase from them is secure or not.
A company supplying a geographic area with WiMax will have to find a way to secure the access to the WiMax access point itself, not the data being transfered over the connection as is what I believe VPNs mainly do.
Most, if not all, of us know what happened in March of 2000. The Dot-Com Crash put a lot of us IT professionals out of work and left us searching for new IT positions only to find that these positions were seldom found. If they were found they were at a pay rate that was a far cry from what it was before March of 2000 only because there were so many of us with the skills and need for work. I'm still suffering from the Dot-Com crash, and being in the IT field for 12 years hasn't helped me at all. It left many of us struggling to pay the bills and left many more in search of a whole new career field. I know many friends of mine that switched career paths and many that were in school to learn the IT trade that left to pursue other degree programs. I myself have thought about switching careers, the only problem is that there is nothing out there that is remotely interesting to me that I wouldn't have to back to school for another 4 to 6 years to obtain. I can only pray that the IT industry gets back on its feet again and more positions open up with pay scales that are equal to the experience, knowledge and education that we IT professionals have.
The guys in this article are courageous and I envy them. You can't keep a good dog down.
It says in the article that Las Vegas is going to be one of the cities to get a new Sony store. I'm wondering if it will be in the same mall as the current Apple store there. I'm not much of an Apple guy, however, ever since I've been able to go into the Apple store and fiddle with the machines I've been more interested in purchasing one. The Apple store is nice, and it gives people a chance to actually see and touch the product first hand if they have never been able to do that before. The Sony store could do the same thing for them in a lot of ways, even though there are many retail chains that carry Sony products already.
It's no doubt that WiMax will be a target for hackers. Being able to get broadband access from 20 to 30 miles away (line-of-site I believe) can make any hacker drool with anticipation. If a good hacker wants something bad enough, this hacker will find a way to get it, no matter how long it takes. It will be owned.
I fear for the companies that will be hosting WiMax access, but I also see ground for new wireless security technologies to emerge.
It's like all things in technology. Something else will come along that is faster, smaller, easier, the compression ratio is higher, etc. MP3's have been around for quite some time and aren't going to die anytime really soon. However, something will come along that is better to take the place of MP3. Technology evolves and the more it evolves the faster it evolves. Technology trends will become shorter and shorter due to the ever changing world of technology.
This makes it difficult for us IT people who have to keep up with the constant changing world of technology on a daily basis. Sometimes I wonder if I picked the right career.
The ability to manipulate a device like a public television to do your own bidding from a darkened booth when there are a roomful of others already watching it is just a bit self-centered. However, this may be the only type of control a person who purchases such a device like this may get in life. Someone might think them self quite crafty for purchasing a device someone else engineered for the ability to point it and push a button until a public TV turns off, giggling like a schoolgirl under his/her breath at the commotion it causes. These same people probably wonder why they don't get laid too.
Slashdot Mirror
By employing the standard microfabrication techniques used, for instance, in manufacturing of computer chips, the team has demonstrated an ambipolar field-effect transistor, which works under ambient conditions. They found that the nanofabric exhibits a remarkable quality such that electrons can travel without any scattering over submicron distances, which is important for making very-fast-switching transistors.
and also:
In the quest to make the computer chip more powerful and fast, engineers strive to produce smaller transistors, shortening the paths electrons have to travel to switch the devices on and off. Ultimately, scientists envisage transistors made from a single molecule, and this work brings that vision ever nearer.
It's true it doesn't specifically say that they will make transistors for microprocessors out of this stuff. It is however, a nice idea.
Seriously though, I don't think this stuff has any prospects for becoming clothing.
I wouldn't say that hardware VPNs are completely invulnerable, however, they are close to it. I guess it would depend on the security protocol being used with the VPN. IPsec for example is a good one. I wouldn't say any technology for that matter is completely invulnerable.
I agree with you. VPN is a well designed technology. Let's hope WiMax is before it actually goes mainstream.
Exactly! This is why I believe more secure technologies will be introduced to protect WiMax access points. WEP encryption can eventually be hacked given enough time. The newer encryption method WPA is more secure, but is it the best for WiMax?
Interesting idea, however a computer would need to be made out of more stuff than just this wouldn't it? It may be more possible to store data with it though and if you wanted to I guess you could coat a sheet of paper with it.
I don't think wearing this stuff is an option. It's highly conductive and wearing it in a lightening storm wouldn't be a good idea. ;)
If someone found a way to secure a WiMax connection using VPN they would have to consider the amount of overhead that a VPN would create as well. Using a VPN to login to a WiMax point would secure the data over the connection, however it doesn't necessarily mean that it would stop a hacker from hacking a connection to a WiMax access point.
Most places that have public access points require you to have a username and password to use the service. WiMax could also implement MAC address filtering for any of it's qualified customers or users, however MAC address spoofing is another tool used by hackers. This is why I believe that new security technologies are going to emerge due to WiMax.
An ISP supplying WiMax to its customers will probably only secure access to the WiMax access point itself. Securing the data over the WiMax connection from the end user to the WiMax access point will most likely be done by the customer or user himself. Most ISPs that I know of only secure what they sell, they do not care weather or not the data being transfered over the connection that you purchase from them is secure or not.
A company supplying a geographic area with WiMax will have to find a way to secure the access to the WiMax access point itself, not the data being transfered over the connection as is what I believe VPNs mainly do.
The guys in this article are courageous and I envy them. You can't keep a good dog down.
It says in the article that Las Vegas is going to be one of the cities to get a new Sony store. I'm wondering if it will be in the same mall as the current Apple store there. I'm not much of an Apple guy, however, ever since I've been able to go into the Apple store and fiddle with the machines I've been more interested in purchasing one. The Apple store is nice, and it gives people a chance to actually see and touch the product first hand if they have never been able to do that before. The Sony store could do the same thing for them in a lot of ways, even though there are many retail chains that carry Sony products already.
It's no doubt that WiMax will be a target for hackers. Being able to get broadband access from 20 to 30 miles away (line-of-site I believe) can make any hacker drool with anticipation. If a good hacker wants something bad enough, this hacker will find a way to get it, no matter how long it takes. It will be owned.
I fear for the companies that will be hosting WiMax access, but I also see ground for new wireless security technologies to emerge.
It's like all things in technology. Something else will come along that is faster, smaller, easier, the compression ratio is higher, etc. MP3's have been around for quite some time and aren't going to die anytime really soon. However, something will come along that is better to take the place of MP3. Technology evolves and the more it evolves the faster it evolves. Technology trends will become shorter and shorter due to the ever changing world of technology.
This makes it difficult for us IT people who have to keep up with the constant changing world of technology on a daily basis. Sometimes I wonder if I picked the right career.
It's a narcissist's tool indeed.
The ability to manipulate a device like a public television to do your own bidding from a darkened booth when there are a roomful of others already watching it is just a bit self-centered. However, this may be the only type of control a person who purchases such a device like this may get in life. Someone might think them self quite crafty for purchasing a device someone else engineered for the ability to point it and push a button until a public TV turns off, giggling like a schoolgirl under his/her breath at the commotion it causes. These same people probably wonder why they don't get laid too.