Quantum Claustrophobia
So I'm running a long calculation and thinking about faster computing. When chip makers pack more transistors on a chip, it's a faster chip. But transistors are already so small that, according to Intel co-founder Gordon Moore (of the infamous Moore's Law), the industry is already seeing "quantum mechanical effects". In english this means that if you shrink something too small, it doesn't behave the way you think it should. So while something might LOOK like a transistors, it doesn't WORK like a transistor! This is called quantum confinement because electrons stuck in really small devices, like a nanoscale transistor, don't work the way they do in big devices, like a radio. There is a sliver (a quanta?) of hope for super-fast computers by embracing quantum mechanics. Basic quantum computers have been made in numerous industry and academic labs, but very serious challenges remain. I'm an optimist; I'm going out on a limb and predicting that in 30 years I will buy a Dell Quantum Computer...