superconductivity

IBM claims huge strides in quantum computing

Scientists at IBM say they have made a quantum computing breakthrough that demonstrates that a full-scale quantum computer is not only possible but is within reasonable reach.

In an announcement being made today at the American Physical Society in Boston, Matthias Steffen, manager of IBM's experimental quantum computing group, will unveil the research that has led his team to conclude they are the brink of developing scalable technology that could far outstrip what even the strongest supercomputers can do today.

A traditional bit has only two states--zero and one. But for its quantum computing efforts, IBM has decided to … Read more

Cheers! Booze can 'induce' superconductivity

'Tis the season to be pickling your liver in alcohol. And, it turns out, soaking stuff in booze has a salubrious effect besides making people happy. Apparently, it can make materials superconductive.

Research in Japan shows that a soaking in commercial alcohol can turn down the dial on at least one material's electrical conductivity to zero. Yoshihiko Takano and colleagues at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) outside Tokyo published research describing how booze can induce superconductivity in an iron-tellurium-based substance.

The material isn't normally superconductive, but can be after immersion in an alcoholic beverage heated to about 70 Celsius (158 Fahrenheit). The team then compared the effectiveness of various drinks, including red wine, sake, beer, and shochu (a distilled beverage), and found that red wine was best in inducing superconductivity.

The bizarre result followed experiments by Takano and colleagues in which accidental exposure of the iron compound to air turned it into a superconductor. Other experiments found that soaking the material in water did the trick.

When a fellow superconductivity researcher visited for a lecture, Takano organized a party and wondered whether the sake and beer they were knocking back might also work.… Read more

Plan connects U.S. grids to transport solar, wind

A proposal to use superconducting cables to transport renewable energy across the United States will be unveiled Tuesday.

The Tres Amigas Project would act as a hub to connect the three major electricity grids in the U.S. and a conduit for solar and wind power, according to a press release. New Mexico governor and former energy secretary Bill Richardson is expected to lay out the details of the plan at a press event in Alburquerque, N.M.

The U.S. has substantial renewable energy potential, such as wind power from the Midwest and solar in the southwest, but the … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 685: Do Androids Dream?

HTC has subtly referenced Phil Dick by naming their forthcoming Android phone Dream. But is it a replicate? We'll never know. And of course Google is crumbling because their search traffic grew. You heard that right. We'll explain that theory and attempt to debunk it on the show. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 685

comScore releases February 2008 U.S. search engine rankings http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=2119

Google queries decelerated in February–comScore--Silicon Alley Insider http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/3/ google_comscore_says_queries_decelerated_in_february

Google data watch: Enough with the overanalysis http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8272… Read more