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Re:Are processors pushing up against the limits of physics? by hatethis on Friday August 15, 2014 @06:21PM (#8184590)
No. Every single time someone supposes that any piece of technology is approaching its limits, the answer is no. Technology will continue to improve and advance as we make new discoveries. The simple fact is we do not know the future, so pretending like we know what things will be like in 20 or 50 years is just pointless. What's with this obsession of taking today's technological knowledge and assuming that things won't drastically change? Nobody should ever pretend to know what the future holds.
Re:Are processors pushing up against the limits of physics? by saintgimp on Friday August 15, 2014 @07:54PM (#8184929)
That's a very unreasonable point of view. Sure, it's true that in the past 200 years we've had an explosion of technological progress but there's absolutely no reason to assume that it's possible to continue it for an infinite amount of time. It's rather more likely that over time we'll discover the lines that separate "hard but possible" from "theoretically impossible given the physics of this universe". The only real question is when that will happen for any given area of technology.

Asserting that technology will just continue to improve and advance forever simply makes you sound like a stock-market broker in 2007.

Re:Are processors pushing up against the limits of physics? by lotsofmangos on Saturday August 16, 2014 @01:05AM (#8185457)
In terms of the limits of computer development, we have a way to go yet before we make something like a Matrioshka brain.
Re:Are processors pushing up against the limits of physics? by comboy on Friday August 15, 2014 @07:17PM (#8184821)
Things will drastically change. But given piece of technology has its limits. Assuming it does not is like expecting horses to run faster than sound some time ago.
Re:Are processors pushing up against the limits of physics? by charlieflowers on Saturday August 16, 2014 @12:58AM (#8185450)
"If you immediately know the candlelight is fire, then the meal was cooked long ago."