Scientists Have Answer To How Small Computer Chips Can Get

Technological limits may soon halt the push for ever-smaller computer chips using current materials.

Scientists have determined that five atoms is the minimum thickness possible for the silicon dioxide film used in microprocessors. The film is a key element of a computer’s “brain.”

The limit is lower than had been thought, so manufacturers should be able to keep shrinking chips at the current rate for 10 to 12 years.

At that point, however, new technology will be needed to keep the miniaturization process going.

Associated Press

Nothing but Net: As a catalyst for sociological change, the Internet may rival such inventions as the automobile and television.

With a little coaxing, the Net can offer everything from baseball stats to live-cam shots of the waves at Huntington Beach. Not to mention photos of Pamela Anderson.

Dig a little further and you can find a better place to work, a better education to get it with, and even a life mate to share all his new happiness.

Simply put, the Net can change your life, profoundly and permanently.

The Orange County Register

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