This proposed technique, published in a recent issue of the Physical Review Letters journal, enhances the clock rate of the quantum computer. Aside from faster processing rate, however, the proposed scheme also improves the quantum computer’s scalability and potential to be manufactured, bringing the yet-imaginary computing platform closer to the real world.

Ionic Wind Cools PC Chips

Purdue University researchers, whose work is funded by Intel Corp., have developed a technology capable of enhancing computer chip cooling by as much as 250 percent. The technology, which uses “ionic wind engines,” greatly improves the heat-transfer coefficient.

Used with a conventional cooling fan, the newly developed device proved itself effective in increasing airflow to the surface of a computer chip during a demonstration. The technology could be implemented in future notebooks and handheld computers within three years.

This development holds promise for solving the problem of overheating, an issue causing extreme headaches for computer scientists seeking ways to further reduce the size of computers while pushing processor speeds far beyond today’s clock speeds.

Phantom Wiki-Editors No More

While Wikipedia’s nature as a community-created and edited online encyclopedia makes it one of the most popular of its kind, this very nature itself casts some doubt on the veracity and general reliability of its entries. It is a good thing that contributors, in general, can be identified through their computers’ numeric Internet addresses.

It is through this technology that some Church of Scientology members have been known to remove criticisms from the church’s Wikipedia entry. This also made possible the discovery that some computers in congressional offices in Washington, D.C., were used to post entries bashing political rivals.

These incidents led computer scientist Virgil Griffith to create WikiScanner, an online tool (http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr), which automates the process of identifying those who posted Wikipedia entries for the last five years. The process includes grabbing the Internet Protocol addresses of posters and comparing them with public information about the owners of those IP addresses.

Once previously anonymous posters and editors of Wikipedia entries are identified, users of the online encyclopedia can then gauge the reliability and truthfulness of particular entries.

EU OKs Intel-STM Joint Venture

The European Commission last week gave its official blessing for the proposed joint venture between Intel and chip manufacturer STMicroelectronics. Last month, the companies agreed to become business partners and launched their Numonyx joint venture, which will focus on development and manufacture of flash memory products and related technologies.

The European Union’s highest regulatory body found no reasons to block or oppose the proposed joint venture, saying that enough number of rival manufacturers remain to keep competition at sufficient levels. The commission believes that the joint venture deal would not harm the market and keep consumers with enough purchase options.

UN Moves to Protect Web Site From Hackers

A couple of weeks ago, the United Nations’ Web site was attacked by hackers who posted messages against Israel and the United States. Last week, the international body has adopted measures that it said would prevent similar attacks from taking place again.

A UN representative, however, would not describe the incident, which affected several Web pages, as an act of cyberterrorism.

That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.