Scientists at Hewlett-Packard have found a new type of component for an electrical circuit that, if developed, would mean that computers will never have to boot up (except for the first time, at least). They call it the memory resistor, or memristor. Details after the "read more" link below.

The Cold War may have ended a long time ago, but that doesn't mean that spies can rest on their laurels. In fact, US intelligence agents have been keeping busy lately. Doing what, you may ask? Why, studying video games in order to improve their analytical skills.

It seems that DIA analysts have now joined the likes of surgeons in using video games for training. More on this unorthodox method of training in the full article after the jump.

When we're talking long periods of time, we're often hard pressed to find a reliable storage medium where we can back up our data. This is usually because these units break down after a period of use. A new team composed mostly of grad students have come up with a solution for this problem. Story in the full article.

Apparently, scientists have been able to do something simply astounding with Linden Labs' MMOPRG. They were able to create artificial life in the form of a child-like intelligence in Second Life, named Eddie. Read more on this by heading over to the full article.

There's a gadget being developed that will eventually allow humans to communicate without the need for words. It takes the form of a neckband and picks up thought signals being transmitted to the vocal cords. A video demonstration can be watched in the full article. Just click the "read more" link below.

Hardware pirates are about to get another force to contend with: The new EPIC chip locking system developed by computer engineers at the University of Michigan and Rice University. While not infallible, the new locking technique should make things very difficult and costly for hardware pirates to copy chips that come armed with it. More in the full article.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the future of robotics: The University of Plymouth is sending out word that its staff will be working with a humanoid baby known as iCub.

Their objective is to make this robot think, learn, and talk in four years. As much as it is eerie, the prospect of this becoming a reality is also as exciting. Know the full details after the jump!

One of the world's fastest supercomputers, the Blue Gene/P, is powered by the PS3 CELL chip and has reached a speed of 280.6 teraflops. However, this is just a modicum of what the Institute for Advanced Architectures is planning: a computer that can use exaflops. An exaflop is a thousand times faster than a teraflop. That's faster than you can say "Leeroy Jenkins!" Oops, too slow. More in the full article.

Chances are you probably won't be surprised to find artwork on display in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but what if you found a hybrid computer and robot there?

Well, that's exactly what you'll find in the "person" of Wizkid, the brainchild of engineer Frederic Kaplan and industrial designer Martino d’Esposito. More information on their electronic creation after the jump.

Sony's recent revelation of having PlayStation 3 owners create games using their own drawings is really interesting and something new for gamers. However, it seems that the company is not alone in developing the technology behind this.

An engineer over at MIT has just come up with a software that just exactly that - turn sketches into interactive mechanical systems. Watch a demo video of the MIT engineer right after the jump!