Seven atom transistor sets the pace for future PCs

Researchers have shown off a transistor made from just seven atoms that could be used to create smaller, more powerful computers.

Transistors are tiny switches used as the building blocks of silicon chips.

If the new atomic transistor can be made in large numbers it could mean chips with components up to 100 times smaller than on existing processors.

The Australian creators of the transistor hope it is also a step towards a solid-state quantum computer.

The transistor is not the smallest ever created as two research groups have previously managed to produce working single-atom transistors.

However, the device is many times smaller than the components found in chips in contemporary computers. On chips where components are 22 nanometres in size, transistor gates are about 42 atoms across.

The working transistor was created by replacing seven atoms in a silicon crystal with phosphorus atoms.

"Now we have just demonstrated the world's first electronic device in silicon systematically created on the scale of individual atoms," said Professor Michelle Simmons, lead researcher on the project at the University of New South Wales.

Moore's Law predicts that the amount of memory that can fit on a given area of silicon, for a fixed cost doubles every 12-18 months. The limit of this prediction is being tested as components get ever smaller and their computationally useful properties become less reliable.

If an entire chip could be made with every one of its billions of transistors made from the silicon crystals, it could mean an "exponential" leap in processing power, said Professor Simmons.

The researchers are a long way from a commercial process because the tiny transistor they created was handmade. The team used a scanning tunnelling microscope to move the phosphorus atoms into place.

The work on the tiny transistor is being carried out as part of a larger project to create a quantum computer.

The research team revealed their results in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Oil leaks from tanker collision off Singapore

Emergency teams are working to contain a crude oil spill after two ships - a tanker and a bulk carrier - collided in waters off Singapore.

Port officials said no injuries had been reported but the Malaysian-registered tanker had ruptured one of its tanks.

An estimated 2,000 tonnes of crude oil are leaking into the sea.

The collision happened in the Strait of Singapore, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said the Malaysian-registered tanker Bunga Kelana 3 was damaged in a collision with the MV Wally, registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Bunga Kelana 3 was carrying light crude oil and condensate.

"The collision caused a 10-metre (yard) tear in the left side of the tanker and 2,000 metric tonnes of crude oil has spilled into the sea where the collision occurred," Cmdr Abdul Hadib bin Abdul Wahab of the Malaysian Coastguard told Reuters.

Both ships are anchored off Singapore as work continues to contain and clean up the oil spill.

The Malaysia-based operators of the tanker, AET, said booms were being placed around the vessel to contain the spill.

Salvage operators said the oil could damage the local environment but that the speed of the response had reduced the impact.

"I think it can be controlled - 2,00r who asked not to be named told the AFP news agency.

There was no reported effect on shipping traffic in the Strait of Singapore, one of the world's busiest sea lanes, connecting trade routes from Asia to Africa and Europe.

Jamaica security forces storm 'drugs lord' stronghold

Jamaican security forces are fighting with gunmen as the government attempts to take control of an alleged drug lord's stronghold in the capital.

Gunfire erupted as troops and police stormed the Tivoli Gardens area to search for Christopher "Dudus" Coke, who is wanted in the US.

A soldier was killed. It follows two police deaths on Sunday.

Supporters of Mr Coke are fighting to stop his extradition to the US on drug and gun-running charges.

So far there is no indication that the security forces have been successful in tracking down their target in the warren-like slum.

Gunmen in the area are reported to be heavily armed. There are unconfirmed reports of civilian victims.

Mr Coke, who insists he is a legitimate businessman, enjoys the support of many impoverished Kingston residents who see him as a benefactor and have vowed to protect him at any cost.

There are also reports of violence in other parts of the capital, raising fears that the unrest is spreading.

A state of emergency remains in place in parts of Kingston.

The restrictions were imposed on Friday after several police stations were attacked following an announcement by the prime minister agreeing to the extradition of Mr Coke.

Heavy resistance

The BBC's Nick Davis in Kingston says the operation started about noon on Monday, when large numbers of soldiers were seen heading to the poor Tivoli Gardens area.

Security Minister Dwight Nelson said the soldiers, in a joint operation with police, had broken down the barricades around Tivoli Gardens and were conducting a house-to-house search for Mr Coke.

"The purpose of the operation is to execute the warrant for extradition and to detain [Coke] so he can appear in court," he told the BBC.

He insisted the police were "doing everything in their power to ensure the city remains safe".

But some reports said police had met heavy resistance from gunmen as they tried to enter Tivoli Gardens.

Residents in the area were advised to remain indoors but the streets were already quiet as Jamaica observed its Labour Day holiday.

The US State Department said the fighting had intermittently blocked the road to Kingston's international airport and forced the cancellation of some flights.

Web-enabled TVs sweeping CES

After the full day of press conferences preceding the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), there's one big trend that keeps coming up from every electronics company hawking their wares to the press corps. They all are cranking out TVs that can easily link up to the web.

While we've seen a trickle of attempts, plans and half-hearted hookups to the internet in the past couple of years, this year at CES, that trickle has turned into a torrent. Web connectivity is at the top of the hype list for Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba. Why are they all so eager to make it easy for TV viewers to access online content from their living rooms?

That's easy: because viewers want it. A Toshiba executive told us that of all the consumers able to connect to RSS services using Toshiba's Internet-connected TVs, an astonishing 25% of them connected and began receiving feeds. That's a remarkable acceptance rate for technology that didn't even exist a couple of years ago. Because of such heightened interest, we think in a matter of two to three years, it'll be hard to find a TV that doesn't have these web-enabled features.

Sure, people could go to websites using their computers in what's commonly called a "lean forward" experience, but what about going to many of those same web destinations in the living room, when they're kicking back in "lean back" mode? People are changing, and so are websites. Web content is not all "lean forward" content any more. Examples? Think YouTube videos, websites offering full TV episodes in HD, and Netflix replacing truckloads of red envelopes with reliable electronic bandwidth and a website.

Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp are becoming increasingly interested in that sweet concept, which reflects a larger trend: all television is headed this way. Why settle for 500 channels of cable TV when you can have 5 million channels on the web? Manufacturers such as Sony, LG, Samsung and the other giants know this, and they're making it easy for users to snag this content right from a TV set with no computer in sigh

WHAT’S NEW IN FLOWER ARRANGING TRENDS?

Flower trends can come and go almost as fast as trends in the fashion world. Different "looks" go in and out of style. Particular colors get hot - while others just cool down.

To find out what’s new in floral and flower arranging trends, the Dutch are a good place to start. More flowers come from - or pass through - Holland than any other country in the world.

"Trends start in many pockets of the world - but the best ones tend to sweep the globe," says Mieke Stap, a floral design expert at the International Flower Bulb Center in Hillegom, the Netherlands, who stages international photo shoots year-round. Following is Ms. Stap’s list of top floral style trends to watch for during the spring-blooming season when bulb flowers such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, lilies, Star of Bethlehem (ornithagalum), Persian buttercups (ranunculus), and grape hyacinths (muscari) are at peak availability.

ingle Color Concepts - A hot trend in Europe and espoused here by such lifestyle arbiters as Martha Stewart: the monochromatic look achieves a special lushness by repeating one color in mixes of all-the-same kind of flowers, or various types of flowers in closely-related hues. Arrangements are often densely packed with flowers.

Outside-In Arrangements - Here, both the stems and the flowers appear totally INSIDE clear vases so the flowers appear "under glass" as if in a jeweler’s or museum case. The vase envelopes the flowers completely, with the flower tops aligned near the upper rim of the vase. Water is kept low, and topped off regularly.

Repeat Performances - This is a style designed to show off the singular shapes of particular flowers. Groups of identical containers are featured, each holding one perfect flower. How many containers? Anything goes - more than three and as many as you choose. Continuity creates unity.

Low-Slung & Topsy-Turvy - With appealing results, trend-setting designers are choosing to flip-flop the traditional design formula of 1/3 vase topped by 2/3 stems and flowers. The new topsy-turvy look is bottom heavy, with the vase occupying the lower 2/3 of the arrangement, and the flowers just cresting over the top.

A Different Twist - Designers with deft hands have adapted hand-tied bouquets, in which stems are carefully angled in a spiraling fashion, to create free-standing arrangements that stand on their stems in plates or bowls of water. While it appears that the flowers are standing upright without support, the water and tied stems provide just enough oomph to hold the flowers up.

Sunglasses for 2010

Don't wait for summer to buy a new pair of sunglasses. It's almost here, so it’s the perfect time to get in the mood. Find latest trends in Sunglasses for 2010 and choose your new style.

We all know that sunglasses were designed to protect eyes from sun, but we also know, many of us wear them as an accessory with our clothing. You can choose a cheap sunglasses, but we often prefer to wear stylish designer sunglasses.

Oakley, Ray-Ban, Aviator, Dior, Armani or Gucci are some of the most popular sunglasses that we obsessed with wearing them. Although we all know that sunglasses are primarily for providing protection to the eyes, we also know that provide us with a fabulous look!

Every year there are different styles of sunglasses and 2010 has plenty of new styles for everyone. Here you will find the hottest sunglasses for 2010.

Hot food trends for 2010

Looking forward to 2010 thefoodpeople expect to see all of the main macro factors including economic, political, technological and environmental to be equally influencing food trends over the next year. As such, the trends that are expected to grow or emerge in 2010 are an evolution compared to 2009.

The trends they expect to see in 2010 include food cocooning, global comfort food and “like our previous generations”. Consumers will attempt to reestablish the heart of the home in the kitchen through more home cooking or at least greater interaction with food, Sunday lunches and informal dinner parties. Why? To make themselves feel good by providing for their families.

In a time when many consumers have changed their shopping status quo’s we expect to see consumers demanding more opportunities to personalize their food products, we’ve seen examples of this in niche areas but expect to see more mainstream customization in 2010.

With in excess of 1.8 billion people now online the researchers expect to see more ifood with web based food products and services. This could include more food by mail, food personalization, more online ordering and reservation, digital people power and perhaps new players in food distribution.

In many countries consumers have spent less in restaurants (with the exception of quick service restaurants) and this might not change noticeably until 2011. As such restaurants will continue to evolve with initiatives such as no reservations, happy hours, main stream pricing and a move towards more local ingredients and recipes. On the subject of local, local food has been around for many years but thefoodpeople expect to see local in every area of food from the farmers market to the global mega brands.

On the back of value and an anti restaurant movement more street food is likely including pop up dining, food trucks and street vendors selling fresh tasty and authentic food without what some believe are the unnecessary overheads of the restaurant environment. Simplicity will have a greater voice in food over the coming year with brands and restaurants alike cutting waffle and selling fewer ingredients for a greater taste delivery.

Despite being hugely dependant in individual consumers ethical values, a surge in planet conscious eating as well as an increase in the backlash against industrialised food is forecast.

The researchers also expect to see a trend towards frozen foods, with the category shaking the cheap and cheerful image of the past, evolving towards freshness locked in, extension of the pantry and total convenience. Another trend involving the re-positioning of a current channel is that of vending, so expect vending to go premium, go hot and go interactive in 2010.

Despite the many counter trends, thefoodpeople expect eating habits and meal times to evolve in the face the 24/7/365 lifestyle with a blurring of meal times, greater reliance on fast food not just for food but also for coffee as well, solo dining and breakfast on the move.

Health will continue to drive food trends in 2010, with a rise in the numbers of products, initiatives and services driving improved national health such as diabetes and heart disease through balance, calories and exercise, even moving towards enforceable limits in some countries. In addition, the UK-based monitors of global food trends expect to see the evolution of products targeted at the health self starters with condition and aliment foods, kid’s health, positive nutrition, DIY doctoring and health mood foods.

As eating habits evolve, drinking habits should follow suit with products targeted at specific target groups with a rise in low / no alcohol beers and wines, micro beers and spirits, in home consumption, demystified wine and cocktails.

Each year certain cuisines have a lesser or greater influence on the food that we eat through TV, magazines, books, chefs, restaurants, products and services. The cuisines that we can expect to be inspired by in 2010 include the Americas (including US, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Peru), French Bistro, Scandinavia, Vietnam, Korea and Japan.

“In summary we expect 2010 to be about - Simplicity; Comfort and feel good; Some scope for customization; Degree’s of planet conciseness; Food cocooning at home; Local across all sectors; Need for treats; A little trade up; Being squeaky clean to gain trust and i-food,” thefoodpeople concluded.