Never a dull moment

Eclectic tech-related articles are once again overflowing my virtual file cabinet. You can't say I don't share ...

While the world waits to see if conventional war breaks out in the Mideast to keep Iran from going nuclear, the amateurs are having at it over the net.  See "Latest Arab-Israeli Conflict Is Growing Cyberwar."

States of the hydrogen atom

Electrons don't orbit nuclei like little planets, the Bohr model having been only an early step toward quantum mechanics. Unless it's a really big atom.  Imagine pumping up an atom (using a laser) to the size of a bacterium. At that size, it turns out, electrons do orbit like planets.  And this may offer just the trick to create a new digital storage mechanism. See "Jupiter’s orbital mechanics inspires mesoscopic physicists."

The sun, in an angry mood

Earth's exposure to solar weather has long fascinated me (in fact, it plays a critical part in my upcoming novel Energized).  We're in a solar maximum at the moment, and so it's not surprising to see more solar weather in the news. Here's a good one: "A Perfect Storm of Planetary Proportions":

The approach of the solar maximum is an urgent reminder that power grids everywhere are more vulnerable than ever to geomagnetic effects

 And once again, predictions -- IMO, more credible than usual -- of the death of keyboards. See "Is the Keyboard Going the Way of the Typewriter?" Some of the alternatives are intriguing.

And in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled against warrantless GPS tracking. A rare blow for privacy!