Data Storage for a Billion Years

Yes, a BILLION years. Sound far fetched? Futuristic technology? Not quite. Scientific researchers have been able to demonstrate data storage memory utilzing carbon nano tubes. The technology can store, in theory, a trillion bits of data per square inch for a billion years. The technology potentially will be available in 2 years. It uses crystalline iron nano particles inside a specialized carbon tube to work it’s magic. To put that in perspective the particles are a fraction of the width of a human hair, that’s damn tiny. On top of that it’s low voltage and energy efficient.

Perhaps the days of hard drive crashes will soon be over. No more headaches, no more data recovery issues to deal with. It’s all smoke and mirrors at this point with little or no consumer level application but maybe it will show up in a secret government labs somewhere. There has always been a big gap between theory and real world application.

$1 annual salary

Plus expenses (up to $1 million), plus other perks (private jet, home security, chauffeur, etc.), oh and don’t forget stock options. Do Apple shareholders really care about Steve Jobs’ total compensation package? Probably not because he’s Steve Jobs. He’s THE man. What if it was someone else? I’m pretty sure they would care. The whole “$1” is kind of silly. We all know he’s getting paid in other ways but it sure sounds good on paper. However it is important to note that Jobs portfolio lost more than a billion dollars in value during the economic downturn. That’s right, “a billion”. So how much do you make?

Economy going down the toilet while the nation plays Guitar Hero

The U.S. video-game industry remains on track to achieve a record year of more than $22 billion in revenue, as people are apparently turning to in-home entertainment to weather the shaky economy.

Store sales of video games and consoles in June soared 53% and 54%, respectively, from the same month last year, while revenue from software and accessories rose 61% and 25%, the NPD Group said Thursday. So far this year, retailers have sold $16.6 billion in video games, consoles, and related products, compared with $12.2 billion during the same period a year ago.

“The videogames industry continues to perform in the face of an ever-increasingly difficult economic environment as many turn to more in-home entertainment,” NPD analyst Anita Frazier, said in an e-mailed statement. “Even if growth slows over the back half of 2008, the industry is poised to achieve record-breaking revenues of over $22 billion for the year.” (link)

Technology pollution to be the next pandemic

“Rapid penetration in emerging markets is being driven by the explosive expansion of broadband and wireless connectivity, the continuing fall in PC average selling prices, and the general realization that PCs are an indispensable tool for advancement,” George Shiffler, research director at Gartner, said.”

Stop making cool gadgets and I’ll stop buying them, deal?

“Gartner expects more than 180 million computers will be replaced this year, with some sold to second owners through various channels, some broken up and recycled, but many simply dumped directly into landfill.” (link)

That’s a lot of garbage. I’m almost ashamed that I have 3 pcs, 2 laptops, and 3 tvs … almost. Am I worried, sure. I’m hanging on to old cell phone just because I don’t want my phone numbers ending up in some one else’s hands. Hard drives, CDs, DVDs, If I can burn it break it, then it ain’t going into the trash.

Viacom attempts to shutdown YouTube

Viacom’s $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube “threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information” over the Web, YouTube parent Google said in a legal response to the suit.

The response, reported by the Associated Press, was filed late Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Google says the threat comes from Viacom’s attempt to make “carriers and hosting providers” liable for what people post. Google, by the way, has said this suit will only be resolved in court

Viacom originally filed its lawsuit last year and filed an amended version last month. In the more recent version, the AP reported, Viacom said video-sharing site YouTube consistently allows popular, copyrighted material to be posted to its site, including from Viacom-owned MTV and Comedy Central. Viacom said that it has identified more than 150,000 unauthorized clips on YouTube and that the site has done “little or nothing” to stop the copyright infringement, the AP reported. (CNet)

Google profits climb … yet again

Google Inc.’s first-quarter profit climbed 30 per cent to surpass analysts’ predictions in a performance that alleviated some of the economic worries that have hammered the Internet search leader’s stock this year.

The news, released after the stock market closed Thursday, lifted Google’s recently drooping shares more than 11 per cent.

The Mountain View-based company said it earned US$1.31 billion, or $4.12 per share, during the first three months of the year. That compared with $1 billion, or $3.18 per share, in the first quarter of 2007.

If not for expenses to cover stock given its employees, Google said it would have made $4.84 per share. (link)

Online videos driving Internet traffic, duh!

New data released Wednesday show online views of videos soared 66 per cent in the U.S. in February from a year earlier, with TV networks grabbing just a pittance of those eyeballs.

The numbers from comScore Inc. underscored a problem being discussed by network executives this week at the U.S. National Association of Broadcasters annual meeting in Las Vegas, as they search for ways to drive viewers to their websites and TV channels.

Some networks said their online strategies involve trying to stay ahead of video pirates who upload broadcast content online just minutes after it hits the airwaves.

The culprits often post the footage on Google Inc.’s YouTube, the dominant video service in the new survey.

YouTube racked up one-third of the estimated 10 billion views of online video in February, up from 15 per cent last year, according to comScore. (link)