Computers of tomorrow use lasers

[SamSpade]

Nanowires to rev up computers of tomorrow › News in Science (ABC Science)


Which leads me to my oft repeated conjecture through my younger years (back in the 70's) - "one day, we'll all program with color". Somehow the idea of being restricted to ones and zeroes seemed pointless if one day we could use light rather than a current.

Pretty cool. Still wondering when they'll start growing brains to use as computers.

 

[GURPS]

'Optical Processes'

have long been rumored to the the next thing in CPUs

instead or electrons that flow at .90c, now information moves across the CPU @ light speed

 

[SamSpade]

'Optical Processes'

have long been rumored to the the next thing in CPUs

I just remember being introduced to transistors in the 70's and thinking, damn, what if we didn't HAVE to restrict ourselves to ones and zeroes? And what if a switching device in circuitry such as a transistor had many states, instead of just two? So data would be really dense, and speeds would be extraordinary.

Of course, right around the same time I was pissed that my Walkman kept draining batteries, and conjectured "we REALLY need to invent something that stores all this music in *memory* and just get rid of the tape altogether - the batteries are being drained just to turn a little wheel we don't need". Thus, in 1980 I came up with an idea for the iPod.

Of course, back THEN you could only store about ten seconds of music on any media even remotely affordable unless it was a MIDI version (which was abominable).

 

[GURPS]

I just remember being introduced to transistors in the 70's and thinking, damn, what if we didn't HAVE to restrict ourselves to ones and zeroes?

you forward thinker you

white is 1 black is 0
[how limiting]

but Sam, Binary is the basis for everything ... do you want 7 color programing ?




a friend of mine that worked @ Naval Research Lab in the 1970s, asked one of the engineers about build an instrument panel using the 'new' LED Displays ...

ya know, instead of the Analogue Gauges ......



the guy just stared at him

 

[GURPS]

Thus, in 1980 I came up with an idea for the iPod.

Of course, back THEN you could only store about ten seconds of music on any media even remotely affordable

same guy looked at his crates if records and wanted something analogous to a modern flash drive to store and listen to all of that ... cassettes were so limiting