I've been waiting to see the day that someone figure's out a way to harness the direction of electron spin to use as "on-off". Recall reading something in the last year or so about something similar - altering the orbit level of the electron. Seems that the biggest problem with either is Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Quantum physics always did give me a headache - almost as bad as temporal mechanics

Still, imagine the possibilities. A "hard drive", CPU and other chips that are mostly hydrogen (one electron as I recall). Guess you could imbed the hydrogen atoms in some material but I would think magnetic containment would minimize the size of such things. If your machine is popping electrons up and down levels, I would imagine that's gonna generate some energy - talk about your hot CPU!! Then again, harness that and have the machine generate its own power needs!

Then again, you'd have a whole new realm of possibilities walking around with a fair magnet in your pocket. Plus, talking about how you worked you machine so hard it had a meltdown could have a whole 'nother meaning.

Oooooooooooooookkkkkkkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy. Now I'm REALLY scared. It's bad enough someone takes me seriously but they only see one problem with my crazy idea?????

I was thinking that when an electron changes level, there would be energy released in the form of heat. Today, we use fans to remove the heat in our machines. Rather than just blowing away this heat, my thought was to not only remove the heat but to use it for power generation too. The basic idea with nuclear power generation is not generating power from the nuclear reaction but to take the heat from the reaction and generate steam that drives the generators. I suspect we couldn't generate enough power to make the computer "self-sufficient" but we could reduce the external power needs. Actually, I suspect the far bigger challenge will be ovecoming the Heisenberg issue.

The cat has three possible states: alive, dead, and bl**dy angry.

Seriously, though: I think we're a long, long way away from quantum computing (in any form). However, electronics that work with the presence or absence of a single electron are merely the absolute peak of conventional silicon wrangling.

They've already made single atom transistors at Cornell, (really a molecule, but one atom is doing the work) but it's still a long way from practical application.

Didactylos, thanks for that link, very interesting read. I had no idea things have become that small.

Lawrencehardin,

I will never forget my first class in thermodynamics because on that day the prof presented to the class an interesting and attractive proposition which he said he would totally discredit as the course proceeded. And he did discredit it! His proposition was...

We know ocean water has heat in it because it is well above absolute zero. It must be possible to build an engine that can extract some of the heat in ocean water and turn that heat into mechanical energy. Ships could then traverse the oceans with no need for sails, oars or fuel. They would simply suck sea water in at the bow and spit ice cubes out the stern!

Within a few lectures we had proof that such an engine would consume more than 1 joule of energy to extract 1 joule from the water. Indeed, generating power at low temperatures is not only inefficient, in some situations it's a losing proposition.

It was, in truth, an eager youth
Who halted me one day.
He gazed in bliss at me, and this
Is what he had to say:

"Why, mazel tov, it's Asimov,
A blessing on your head!
For many a year, I've lived in fear
That you were long since dead.

Or if alive, one fifty-five
Cold years had passed you by,
And left you weak, with poor physique,
Thin hair and rheumy eye.

For sure enough, I've read your stuff
Since I was but a lad
And couldn't spell or hardly tell
The good yarns from the bad.

My father, too, was reading you
Before he met my Ma.
For you he yearned, once he had learned
About you from his Pa.

Since time began, you wondrous man,
My ancestors did love
That s.f. dean and writing machine
The aged Asimov."

I'd had my fill. I said: "Be still!
I've kept my old-time spark.
My step is light, my eye is bright,
My hair is thick and dark."

His smile, in brief, spelled disbelief,
So this is what I did;
I scowled, you know, and with one blow,
I killed that rotten kid.