New technology around the corner [slashdot.org] (fwd)

[Jim Choate]

Forwarded message:

> Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 11:32:21 -0700
> From: Jim Burnes <jim.burnes at ssds.com>
> Subject: Re: New technology around the corner [slashdot.org]

> Does anyone else get the feeling that we are on the cusp of
> serious exponential change in technology?   I know its been
> going exponential for a while, but now I'm really starting
> to feel it.

I have felt that way since the early 80's. The rate of technology
multiplication and some of the truly weird technologies that people said
wold never happen are happening. 

> 2. Flat Plastic Video Screens using Light Emitting Polymers "LEPs"
> (Cambridge)

Don't forget the fact that their test beds were done with *standard* ink-jet
printers with a modified head assembly.

> ObCrypto: Since polymer transistors seem to be necessary to implement
> polymer memory, how does this effect computation speed?  The polymer
> transistors must be around 30-40nm and low power.  How long until we
> have Polymer PGA,PALS,CPUs?  How fast will they be?  Is it time to add
> a few more bits to the public key?  Are there any cipher attacks that
> would benefit from obscenely large amounts of fast memory?  Sorry if
> this is a naive question to the theorists.

These are some of the exact same questions that I'm trying to add numbers to
myself... when we take the union of the computer, information processing,
networking, bio-engineering, transportation, etc. industries the various
predictions of Toffler and others seem woefuly short-sighted.


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