The soul of a new economy

Article Abstract:

Silicon Valley, covering four counties in northern California, may be better defined as a state of mind than as a physical location. Named after the metal that forms the base of the microprocessor, the area has helped reinvent the US economy. The area's birth is roughly marked by William Hewlett's and David Packard's invention of the oscillator. In 1982, some two-thirds of the engineers attending the Silicon Valley Computer Club planned to start their own businesses, typical of the widely held notion the a person only needed a new idea or technology to change the world. Companies have been founded and collapsed in months or, like Oracle and Apple, have gone on to fame. Products may also often have a short life cycle, spurred by the principle underlying Moore's law, which claims that the number of transistors on a chip will double every 18 months. The Internet drives the pace even faster in 1997, and it is not clear how long the boom will last.

Analysis, Information technology, Silicon Valley, Growth

---

White House is challenged on plans for data security

Article Abstract:

The National Research Council (NRC) recommends in an official report that the US government permit the private sectors of the telecommunications and computer industries to establish standards for assuring data security. The report concludes that the present official US policy of supporting encryption standards that can be decoded by law enforcement agencies does not serve the interests of larger society. The report suggests that providing standards that meet private citizens' need for adequate data security will do more to prevent computer-related crime than the existence of easily decoded encryption standards. The NRC also recommends that official US agencies reduce the restrictions on the export of electronic data coding products.

Reports, Political aspects, Data security, Export controls, Data security issue, Government export policy and export regulation

---

Tiniest circuits hold prospect of explosive computer speeds

Article Abstract:

New research being done by scientists at University of California at Los Angeles and Hewlett-Packard Co. in Palo Alto, CA has produced single-molecule-thick computing components. Integrated circuits have been produced by a process known as photolithography, in which light is used to etch on silicon wafers. This process is limited by light's wavelength. The new research builds circuits by chemical processes. This should lead to development of tiny components able to hold huge amounts of data, use less power and be produced at no extra cost. This research will pave the way for future supercomputing power. Scientists are also planning to use chemical processes to develop ultra-thin molecular-switch connector wires.

United States, Semiconductors and related devices, Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing, Science & research, Integrated Circuits, Research, Semiconductor industry, Technology development, Hewlett-Packard Co., HWP, University of California (Los Angeles)

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: The value of information in the presence of futures markets. Energy shocks and financial markets
• Abstracts: The joys of scanning with new Mac color. Color printers in color
• Abstracts: Apple CEO outlines survival strategy; mew markets, reductions in current product lines are slated, Amelio says
• Abstracts: Software flaw allows viruses within E-mail. Netscape and Microsoft are cleared on exports. New Netscape software flaw is discovered
• Abstracts: The effects of familiarity with the preparer and task complexity on the effectiveness of the audit review process

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.