ThruIT

What does the resistor, capacitor, and the inductor all have in common? They make up the three basic circuit elements. All electronics are based off of those three components. Although, in 1971, a researcher by the name of Leon Chua knew that a fourth element existed but no one knew how to physically make it, until recently.

Researchers at HP Labs were able to build a real working “memristor”; adding to the three basic circuit elements. This discovery opens up lots of possibilities for electronic circuits.

For the most part, there are two main choices a consumer has when purchasing a new Personal Computer (or PC): buy a pre-built computer or design and build your own. Surprisingly the topic of Build vs Buy is more important than you might thing. In fact, this little conundrum finds itself in other areas of information technology as well (for example building software in house or outsourcing).

For those of you thinking, “I don’t need a new computer yet”… take this into account: – the average lifespan of a computer is only 3-5 years, according to this article. However, in terms of compatibility with software and new hardware it’s more like 2 – 3 years, depending on what it’s being used for. That’s not to say you can’t continue to use a 10 year old PC; however, it probably will not support newer programs and hardware.