WHERE exactly...
...do all the heatpipes on the M2090 go???
16005 publicly visible posts • joined 3 Jun 2008
...namely, between the theoretical concept of the "memristor" and a physical implementation of the same.
The theoretical concept, which can be elegantly summarized in a differential equation that I hope you are all aware of, is being alluded to _here_:
"Memristors are the fourth fundamental type of passive circuitry"
Whereas a physical implementation of a particular type is being referred to _here_:
"The core advantage of memristors is that they can theoretically achieve speeds 10 times that of flash at one-tenth the power budget per cell."
I'm sure you could build memristors out of huge power-hungry electronic valves and cabling using the "fat finger" gauge [exercise left for the student]. While these would clearly be *memristors* inasmuch as they would obey the differential equation mentioned earlier, they would have none of the advantages of the physical realization performed by one "HP".
In the same way, you can have a condenser that is a few nanometers across or one that stands in the corner of the room, accumulating a monstrous charge and covered in warning signs. Both are condensers, but of different kind, of different implementation and of different use.
"Oracle hopes will prove its case that copyrights and trademarks have been infringed and that there was intent."
Not trademarks. Patents. One hopes that Oracle is sure about its trademarks.
Ellison really is a nice guy. Looks like after the recent bumpy train rain, the Java Developer Community will be treated to free showers. Please disregard the legal attack dogs while exiting the wagons.
Here's my take:
Consider the quantum computer as an analog computer. You initialize its N-qbit array [giving you a vector of length 1 in a 2^N - dimensional space of complex values, each dimension corresponding to one of the 2^N N-bit-patterns and the magnitude of the vector along that dimension corresponding to the probability density of getting that bit pattern on readout], then you let it run for a while while not touching it [the Hamilton implied by the hardwiring of the computer will evolve the vector to another one, keeping its length constant or reducing it], then you read it out [the vector is projected into a subspace, as the probability of giving certain bitpatterns reduces obviously to 0 if you don't get them on readout].
This procedure is inherently probabilistic! You may not get a solution to your problem at the end. In that case, one has to run the computation again. This should be manageable.
The "projection" or "readout" may happen early. If interaction with the surroundings occur, your computation will be messed up. This also seems to be manageable through "quantum error correction", for which there are some nice encouraging theorems I hear. They say something about how the computer has to be built to reduce the impact of early readouts.
The above is related to the question of "how many qbits can you actually harness until your computer becomes seriously classical". "Becoming classical" apparently happens exponentially fast as you scale up (the probabilities of being in a not-yet-projected state go to ~0 really fast, which is why Schroedinger's cat is alive or dead but never both [A superselection rule for large systems, see also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superselection]. So at some point, your "quantum error correction" will no longer manager to keep the system in superposition... but I don't know when that happens. Probably well beyond 1000 qbits.
"You've had your chance, Vadic. Now I would like the princess to witness the test that will make this workstation fully operational. Today we enable the -r beam option, and we've chosen the princess' $HOME of /usr/alderaan as the primary target."
"No! You can't! /usr/alderaan is a public account, with no restricted permissions. We have no backup tapes! You can't..."
"Then name the rebel inode!" Tarchive snapped.
A voice announced over a hidden speaker that they had arrived in /usr.
"1248," she whispered, "They're on /dev/rm3. Inode 1248, /mnt/dantooine." She turned away.
Tarchive sighed with satisfaction. "There, you see, Lord Vadic? She can be reasonable. Proceed with the operation."
It took several clock ticks for the words to penetrate. "What!" _LPA0: gasped.
"/dev/rm3 is not a public filesystem," Tarchive explained. "We require a more visible subject to demonstrate the power of the Are-Em Star workstation. We will mount an attack on /mnt/dantooine as soon as possible."
As the princess watched, Tarchive reached over and typed "ls" on a nearby terminal. There was a brief pause (there being only one processor on board) and the viewscreen showed, ".: not found." The princess suddenly double- spaced and went off-line.
I hate to break it to you, but the "War on Terror" is actually waged by "us".
It's not going to end anytime soon. We have politicians endulging in control freakery, talking heads in remunerated fearmongering, neocons in imperial wankfests and defense industry mavens in money hoovering...
Hell no, it's not going to end. Ever.
A "personal favor" which "enhances" the law to the profit of some "intellectual property" control association (which incidentally also makes up its justifications using enhanced figures).
Not surprising.
But what's the quid-pro-quo? Dining & Wining? Freely available sexual partners? Brown envelopes?