Sapphire Pure Platinum Z77K Review
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Silicon Oxide Works as a Memristor and Resistive RAM
While working with silicon oxide to develop silicon-based LEDs, researchers at the University College London constantly ran into problems and it appeared their devices were unstable. Naturally one of the PhD students was instructed to analyze the material's electrical properties and found that it was switching from a conductive to a resistive state, which was causing the problems. However, the material was not unstable. Quite the opposite as these flips were happening in a predictable way, and now the researchers have used it to create the first pure silicon oxide-based Resistive RAM (ReRAM).
The key to the ReRAM is that the silicon in the silicon oxide will spontaneously form filaments within the crystal structure, when a voltage is applied. These filaments conduct electricity better than the silicon oxide around them, so their presence represents the switch between states. This allows the memory to operate on just a thousandth of the power Flash memory requires, while also being 100 times faster. Another major development with this though is that it can operate in ambient conditions. Current ReRAM designs require the device be in a vacuum, which makes the system fragile.
While we may first see this silicon oxide material used in ReRAM, it also has promise as a memristor. Memristors remember the last voltage applied to them, which may allow electronics to mimic neurons in the human brain. The key is that this material's resistance lies on a continuum and can be set by the last voltage applied to it. Also, as the material is transparent, we may see it used in transparent electronics sometime in the future.
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New Borderlands 2 Screenshots Surface
The folks over at Gearbox Software know that people do not really need much of a motivator to be excited about Borderlands 2. The sequel to the loot-grabbing, first-person shooter surprise hit does not have to do much of anything to build up anticipation. The Doomsday trailer alone was more than enough to get people talking, yet here we are with new screenshots of Borderlands 2. These three screenshots show off all the new characters except for Axton (and the Mechromancer), but I am sure you will not mind that omission. The images look stunning and showcase some of the new environments and enemies we will be facing. I hope those lovely looking bugs can be taken down easily as swarms of flying bugs does not always sit well. Either way, Borderlands 2 is looking great already and I am sure we will be seeing a lot more at E3.
Borderlands 2 arrives on September 18th for the PC, PS3, and 360. There are two special editions available in addition to the regular edition.
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All-Semiconductor Quantum CNOT Gate Made
The original computers were massive systems that drew unbelievable amounts of power and are easily outperformed by current smartphones, a technology many generations newer. Like the evolution of electronic computers, quantum computers are trying to shrink for large, lab-only systems to smaller devices. Researchers at the University of Cambridge and Toshiba Research Europe Ltd. have successfully created a quantum logic gate, specifically a controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate, from just semiconductors.
As described by the American Institute of Physics in their Applied Physics Letters journal, this discovery brings the possibility of functional and accessible quantum computers closer to reality. The key was developing a way to precisely emit photons with specific characteristics. This was accomplished by placing a quantum dot on the top of a pillar of silicon. For the CNOT function to work, two photons, or qubits in this case, have to be emitted: one target qubit and one control qubit. The control qubit triggers the gate to act on the target qubit, which is what may undergo the quantum operation.
The researchers' next step is to combine the CNOT gate and the quantum dot into a single device, which will be considerably smaller than the current design. Also a second quantum dot may be added, as the CNOT gat requires two photons to operate. Instead of having one dot produce both photons, two could be used to create synchronized pairs of photons.
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Leaked Photo of a Redesigned Wii U Tablet Appears
A leaked photo of a redesigned Wii U tablet controller has been making the rounds lately, courtesy of an overeager QA tester at Traveller's Tales. The QA tester took a photo of the redesigned controller and posted it to Twitter, but then the post was taken down soon after. However, the damage had already been done and now the speculation on the redesign can commence. The controller looks to be a little wider than the one revealed at E3 last year, plus it spots analog sticks instead of the circle pads. The Start and Select buttons have been shifted from the bottom center to below the ABXY action buttons, two unmarked square buttons appear (one on the left and another next to the Power button), and there is the Wii U logo under the screen. You can check out an image of the previously revealed controller below to compare the changes.
Nintendo is expected to announce pricing and availability of the Wii U at E3 in a couple of weeks. I imagine the redesigned controller will also be shown off then, as will an explanation on the changes. It could be Nintendo listened to community or developer feedback, but we will not know for certain until E3.
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Six Teams Announced for Dota 2: The International 2012
Valve is putting on another tournament for its upcoming game Dota 2 on August 31 in Seattle, WA. The International 2012 will feature 16 teams fighting for the prize, which was $1 million last year. Defending champion Na'Vi from Ukraine returns with hopes of taking home another championship. The other teams that have been invited are DK, Complexity, Orange, and Absolute Legends. Keep an eye out for the remaining teams to be announced in the coming weeks.
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