Let's Get Small!
(March, 2008)
It appeared as a small side-bar article in a
fall, 2007 issue of PC World, and I guess that is appropriate. Researchers at
Arizona State University’s Center for Applied Nanoionics (CANI) announced what
they were calling a breakthrough in the creation of nanotechnology-based
memory. Their research was published in the October, 2007 issue of the journal
IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices in the article Bipolar and
Unipolar Resistive Switching in CU-doped SiO2. If that title alone does not
make your heart beat just a little bit faster, you might want to make an
appointment with a cardiologist. (Kidding, of course.)
Anybody make it to the second
paragraph? Good. What this suggests is that the “humble USB drive could soon
be using a new type of memory”, as nanotechwire.com put it. The new technology
holds the promise for increased memory performance, reduced power draw (and
therefore longer battery capacity in portable devices), and could be suitable
for all digital storage needs. The new memory technology is known as
‘programmable metallization cell’ (PMC). The college claimed that PMC could be
1,000 times more efficient than existing flash memory, meaning devices like USB
drives and digital memory used in cameras and MP3 players could see huge
increases in memory capacity. With three firms, including Micron Technology,
already signed on, and companies like Samsung, Sony, and IBM showing interest,
we may be as little as 18 months (though some say five years) from the first
commercial application.
Better yet, ASU says by using
readily available materials, the memory can be made at essentially zero extra
cost compared to existing conventional storage.
The physics of what researchers
have been able to do goes beyond the scope of this article, but CANI’s director,
Michael Kozicki, says they’ve been able to “move something the size of a virus
between electrodes to switch them from high resistance to low resistance, which
is great for memory. “
I guess we’ll just have to take
your word on that Michael. I for one am just looking forward to thumb drives
that sell for $20 and carry a terabyte of storage capacity.
Paid-up members of the Mad Scientists Guild can read more here:
http://www.asu.edu/aine/nanoionicsapplications.htm
Small Stuff on
a Larger Scale
Some of that conventional digital memory
has made its way into digital cameras. Most everyone has got at least one now.
And as folks take their pictures, they want to share them with friends and
relatives. Problem is, the pictures may have been taken at high resolutions,
which means they are huge files. When people send them via email, they are
clearly not thinking about the person on the receiving end who still just has
dial-up. Unless you are certain the recipient plans to produce an 8x10 print
out, have some mercy and resize the photos before sending them on.
There are lots of tools to do this with. One
comes free from Microsoft for users of Windows XP. It’s called Image Resizer,
and it’s part of what are called the XP Power Toys which you can download here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
.JPG)
There are several ‘Power Toys’ but since we’re talking about getting small,
we’re only talking about the Image Resizer. Download the PowerToys and install
Image Resizer. You will not find an icon on your desktop. Instead, when you
are in My Computer and you right click on any jpg graphic image, the
context menu will include the option to resize the image. Click on that option
and you will be presented with several choices ranging from extra small for
hand-held PCs to custom sizes. For most applications, a choice of small or
medium would work well. The original file is left untouched, and the resized
image is saved with the size added to the file name. Try it - your email
recipients will appreciate it.
Besides, how hard can it be? It’s not like you have to use
nanoionics to move ions themselves.