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IT Trends: Motown RoboCop Statue, Plastic Computer Processor

Mobile instant messaging.

RoboCop-Out?

Mayor Dave Bing dashed a proposal from Detroit residents to erect a statue commemorating RoboCop — the 1987 sci-fi film about a cyborg cop who cleans up the crime-ridden city. Still, fans fought back. In true social media fashion, one resident created a Facebook page that has nearly 8,000 supporters, while fundraising site Kickstarter has received pledges of more than $65,000 to build the statue in Roosevelt Park. Source:Msn.com

89 Million

U.S. households will be online by the end of 2012, according to a broadband benchmark survey from digital marketing and media firm eMarketer.

Real Mobile Messaging

IT officials on the go can now have uninterrupted instant message conversations on their mobile devices while in the field. Trillian instant message software synchronizes messages between multiple devices, so users can seamlessly carry their conversations from their smartphones to their computers. Source: arstechnica.com

Gentoring:

When a generationally older employee, more techno-lizard than wizard, accepts coaching from a younger and more computer-multimedia savvy Gen X or Y colleague. — Mark Gorkin, GovLoop Blogger


Plastic Please

Researchers in Europe created the first plastic computer processor and memory chip. Using 4,000 plastic or organic transistors, the microprocessor measures roughly 2 cm square and is built on top of flexible plastic foil. So far, the processor can run only one simple 16-step program. The chip runs at a speed of six hertz — about a million times slower than a modern desktop machine — and can process information only in eight-bit chunks at most, compared to 128 bits for modern computer processors. One possible use for plastic processors could be building them into food packages as interactive displays to help users count calories.
Source:Technology Review

Miriam Jones is a former chief copy editor of Government Technology, Governing, Public CIO and Emergency Management magazines.