*You might need some signifier that a new decade is at hand; well, here ya go.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-20026553-76.html
"A new kind of memory from IBM Labs is promising to revolutionize how much data we can store and how fast we can access it on our mobile and desktop devices.
"After spending six years as a theoretical concept, the memory, dubbed Racetrack, finally is a huge step closer to reality. Researchers at IBM have recently confirmed that their theories of the physics behind Racetrack are valid and can be used to develop and manufacture this new type of memory.
"This revolutionary type of memory could open up a whole new world for laptops, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Users would be able to store as much as 100 more times data on their portable gadgets, perhaps keeping as many as 500,000 songs or 3,500 full-length movies on one mobile device. And since Racetrack would use considerably less power, a single battery charge could power a device for weeks rather than days or hours.
(...)
"The memory is so named because it moves the magnetic bits of data along thin, nanowire "racetracks," 1,000 times finer than a strand of hair.
"The data itself is stored in magnetic regions known as domains. Using the spin of individual electrons, (((oh for heaven's sake, people))) Racetrack memory can move these domains at hundreds of miles per hour and stop them at atomically precise spots along the nanowire, allowing huge amounts of information to be retrieved in less than a billionth of a second.
"Scientists at IBM were the first to measure the time and distance involved in moving these domain walls, giving them a clearer understanding of how to control their movement, thus transforming Racetrack from research into reality.
"A paper due to be published today in Science Magazine (((okay, see, they're not even kidding))) reveals more of the physics behind this new form of memory...."
