Putting the world's tiniest book to shame -- not to mention the Torah-inscribed grain of rice -- a research team at Osaka University has "written" the letters "Si" using an atomic pen that interchanges silicon and tin atoms, enabling those who have the time, resources, and patience to manipulate said atoms one by one. The results are a diminutive 2 x 2 nm (or 40,000 times smaller than a strand of hair) which took about an hour and a half to complete. The previous best was a laughably large 0.07 x 0.10 mm tome hailing from SFU's Nano Imaging Lab. "It's not possible to write any smaller than this," said researcher Masayuki Abe, adding that, while the project sounded impressive on (really tiny) paper, it had failed to garner him any coveted cool points at the local bar. Next steps for the project will be determined once the team puts the finishing touches on the "g" and the "h."

You don't have to be a science buff to understand that atoms in gases move around a heck of a lot more than those in solids. For instance, text on a paper page isn't apt to just reshuffle itself when no one is looking, but printing the latest Harry Potter novel on thin air could prove just a touch more difficult. Said challenge isn't too much for physicists from varying institutions in Israel, as they have recently demonstrated how to ever-so-briefly store images in a warm atomic vapor. Reportedly, the gurus have figured out how to "store complex images for up to 30 microseconds in rubidium vapor," and if mastered, the process could help unlock secrets of "quantum information processing and even quantum communication." If your interest meter just shot through the roof (you geek, you), head on down to the read link to slurp up more on how it's being done.

With the subnote revolution in full swing, one may wonder why anyone in their right mind would even consider opting for a Tablet PC. There's no denying that tablets cater to a narrowing niche, but the ability to doodle, write and detail your next home project (or similar) right on the screen still has its place in universities and certain on-the-go professions.

"I know I'll get tons of people suggesting that I just buy an Eee PC or similar, but I'm looking for some solid advice on a new Tablet PC. I'm primarily interested in taking notes in a few courses that I'm in, and I'm not planning on using this as my primary machine. I'm looking to spend the least amount of cash as possible, and I'm not looking for anything really powerful. I'm also down with any convertible suggestions -- anything I can sketch schematics out on will do."

Come on out of the woodwork, Tablet PC users. We know you're out there. Give this fellow a bit of advice, and make sure you don't lead him astray, alright? If you think you've got a question worthy of posting, shoot it on over to ask at engadget dawt com.

Finally, something useful to do with these heaps of ballpoint pens that either don't conform to our writing style, or worse, show up with ink that refuses to leave the cartridge. LSN Global is making sure we do something other than pick locks with our leftover pens, and furthermore, will probably save us a bit of cash by avoiding those overpriced replacement styli. The ECOPLUS can purportedly fit within the confines of a given writing instrument, clip onto one's pocket, and on a whim, can be whipped out and used to jot down notes in a lecture or throw down your digital John Hancock at a retail checkout counter. Not a lot of details beyond that, but be sure to click through for a few more shots of the creation in case you're feelin' a little DIY action rather than waiting it out.

If you've ever needed a surefire way to impress a professor, besting his estimates by 80 percent on a project is probably a safe bet. Four mechanical engineering students at The Johns Hopkins University were tasked with developing a simple tool to write in Braille for less than $50, and no electronic components could be used; their portable writing invention checked in at around $10 apiece when mass produced. Typically, computer-assisted and typewriter-style composition is quite costly and isn't very practical for, say, busy blind professionals trying to write on-the-go. Braille letters are traditionally formed by creating up to six impressions -- better known as bumps -- into sequenced cells that form words. The students' writer has six buttons with corresponding pins that can be depressed simultaneously, which makes filling in cells substantially quicker than the traditional "one bump at a time" method. The team recently presented the device to the National Federation of the Blind where board members saw a great deal of promise for the handheld tool, and although commercialization plans have yet to be envisioned, this advancement in Braille transcription is definitely an eye-opener.

[Via MedGadget]