Furthermore, unlike most examples of nanotechnology, these new materials may be able to make the elusive transition from nano-sized materials (a nanometre is a billionth of a metre) to macro-sized components.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR

In the restaurant's kitchen and a scientific lab in Barcelona, he and his team deconstructed ingredients to what he calls the molecular level, then reconstructed dishes using unexpected re-combinations of the original components, presenting the results in mouthful-sized portions.

NPR: Ferran Adria Brings ElBulli Exhibition To London

Whereas tablet PCs are full-blown PCs that contain all their components inside the casing of a notebook-sized flat-screen display, smart displays are light, portable display screens that connect wirelessly to a PC, so a user can interact with the PC away from the desk for reading documents or surfing the Web.

FORBES: Amid Gloom, Gates Envisions Another Boom

The prostate is a small, walnut-sized gland situated near the bladder in men which produces one of the components of semen.

BBC: Prostate cancer 'diagnosed too late'

In the meantime, Ice Computer reps have made the trip out to CES to demo the first functional xPad tablet, which is one of several platforms for the xPC, a smartphone-sized device that contains a complete computer and slides into desktop or home theater components (xDock), laptops (xTop) and the xPad we saw today.

ENGADGET: Ice Computer demos modular xPC with working 9.7-inch xPad tablet, we go hands-on at CES (video)

But there is this drawback: a full-sized computor carries 4, 000 to 5, 000 valves and thousands of other small electronic components.

ECONOMIST: The business world

Many agencies, bureaus, and components have similar needs and instead of buying technology and services like hundreds of separate medium sized businesses, we should be sharing services to save tax dollars.

WHITEHOUSE: A Year of Change in Federal IT

Third, big consumers of components, such as car and defence equipment manufacturers, have spawned clusters of small- and medium-sized suppliers, whose workers seem particularly prone to starting up on their own.

ECONOMIST: The north-east's propensity for high-technology