Should Europe Build Its Own Internet?

Some interesting articles from our sister website Electronics 360:

Should Europe Build Its Own Internet?

Two of Europe's top politicians - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande - were scheduled to discuss today (Wednesday Feb. 19) whether Europe should build its own Internet. At first sight such a project might seem like an expensive over-reaction to the spying scandal that has broken around the U.S. National Security Agency.

Of course, it all depends what you mean by "build an Internet." However, Chancellor Merkel has particular reason to take communications security seriously after it was revealed in 2013 that US spy agencies had tapped her BlackBerry mobile device.

In her weekly podcast on Saturday, Feb 15. Merkel said, in German: "We'll talk, above all, about which European suppliers we have that provide security for our citizens, so that one doesn't have to send emails and other information across the Atlantic."

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Over the Horizon: Nanoglue, Efficient Solar Cells, Molecular Memory, and Silica Microwires

Every month, Electronics360 Contributing Editor Abe Michelen surveys academic and technical journals to uncover promising research that will impact the development of "over the horizon" commercial products that could well impact our lives in the future. This month's theme is applications of nanotechnology.

Nanoglue boosts heat transfer

A team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, has developed an innovative method to increase the heat transfer capabilities between two materials. This discovery, which was reported in theRensselaer Alumni Magazine of Fall 2012 could enable new powerful ways to cool computer chips and light emitting diodes (LEDs) and could speed the development of more efficient ways to collect solar energy, among other things.

Heat transfer is a critical aspect of modern electronics. As computer chips become smaller and more complex, manufacturers are looking for new ways to remove excess heat from semiconductor devices to increase reliability and performance.

Led by Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Ganpati Ramanath, the RPI team sandwiched an ultrathin material they call "nanoglue" between copper and silica. At the end of the experiment they found that this arrangement provided a four-fold increase in thermal conductance at the interface between the two materials. The nanoglue is one nanometer (or less) thick and is formed by a single layer of molecules that form strong links with the copper (a metal) and the silica (a ceramic), which otherwise would not stick together well. This is another example of the potential nanotechnology will play in the future of the semiconductor industry.

Renewable energy: Efficient solar cells

In a recent article in Nanowerk, researchers from Lund University in Lund, Sweden, have shown how nanowires could pave the way for more efficient and cheaper solar cells, by reporting a stunning 13.8 percent efficiency rate for nanowire solar cells. No research to date has shown a result above 10 percent.

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Attn: Amateur Astronomers

Longtime CR4 member and Amateur Astronomer Masu has posted some really interesting comments in my blog entitled "What is this, Amateur Hour?". Check it out if you're interested.

You Are Here (And Other Random Thoughts)

While you're at it, why not learn a little about the universe? You can find a short write up on my personal website: Roger Pink.