Archive for the ‘Computer Hardware’ Category
1 GB of Computer Memory – 1980 vs 2009
Here’s how far we’ve come since 1980 with respect to storage capacity. This image depicts 1 GB of memory from a mainframe in 1980 alongside a 1 GB chip from 2009.
1 GB of Memory
Credit goes to MillionFace.com for the source image.
HOWTO: Build a Linux VPS Host in 24 Hours
ClassHelper.org’s computer science section has a new addition. The Linux VPS host tutorial will teach you how to turn any reasonably modern computer into a virtual private server hosting platform. The guide uses Ubuntu Server 8.04 LTS as the base server operating system, with virtualization provided by VMware Server 2.0. It includes full instructions for creating a Debian Linux virtual machine with the ISPConfig hosting control panel installed on it.
Eight Core CPUs May Not Lead to Performance Gains
Various tech news outlets are running stories related to Intel’s planned launch of eight-core chips later this year, and there are questions about precisely how much performance will be gained with these CPUs under current operating systems. Some in the industry are expressing the view that today’s consumer-level Windows and Linux-based operating systems simply aren’t designed to really take advantage of anything beyond quad-core chips. Read the rest of this entry »
Inside the New Science of Neuroengineering
Wired brings us a look into the world of neuroengineering, the science of hacking the brain to improve its function. Dr. Ed Boyden is the director of MIT’s Neuroengineering and Neuromedia Lab, focusing on innovative methods of physically altering neuroanatomy for various purposes. As useful as discoveries in the field may be, the work certainly raises moral and ethical questions. From the article: “‘If we surgically or electrically modify someone’s personality… that raises many questions about personal identity, (of) who we are at our core,’ says Dr. Debra Matthews of The Berman Institute of Bioethics. ‘We place ourselves in the mind and therefore the brain. (Mood-altering surgery) feels like fundamentally modifying who a person is.’”
Edit – March 3, 2009: I submitted the Wired article as a Slashdot story, which was picked up today on their front page. There’s some good commentary on the issues surrounding technological enhancement of cognition going on over there.
