We always want more from our electronics – faster, cheaper, more efficient. Computer memory is no exception, so fellow technophiles will be pleased to hear that engineers at the UK’s Cambridge University have managed to make memory cells from superconductive materials, by harnessing some magnetic and quantum trickery. Devices made this way will be smaller and faster than current technology, but vastly more sensitive to magnetic fields.
“Spin”
by Robert Charles Wilson
Much deserving Hugo-nominated novel centered around an intriguing cosmic mystery and featuring big concepts, a realistically depicted near future, believable, sympathetic characters, and practically spotless prose. Highly recommended.
Fiction Guidelines Updated
Potential fiction contributors, please note that we have updated our fiction guidelines slightly. I’m still working my way through the submissions; for an update on the slushpile, go here.
TVD Obsessive Disorder
It’s nice to see there’s another freak out there besides me who tunes into their shows yearly rather than weekly. A new entertainment disorder for the digital age…it will be interesting to see how this shapes the future of TV. [Thanks, Michael!]
Climate Model Inaccuracies Swing Both Ways
George Musser at Scientific American makes the point that uncertainty about the accuracy of climate modeling means things could be worse as easily as better than expected. Specifically, he presents summaries of studies that suggest that carbon dioxide-induced global warming could happen much more quickly than models suggest.