Blogs love to tantalize readers with posts on future technologies that will do our work for us and let us fly around on jet packs. This isn't one of those posts.

Here are more mundane new technologies that will have a greater impact in the short term.

Seagate announces encrypted hard drives. Not a day goes buy without a story about confidential or personal data getting loose because of a stolen or misplaced laptop. Encrypted hard drives promise that while the notebook or phone falls into the wrong hands, the data won't.

Intel's Quad-Core-powered servers mean more "power" while using less power. The power required to operate data centers is truly phenomenal. The largest data centers are now being built by hydroelectric power stations for cheaper energy.  Intel's lower power quad-core cheaps promise to make your measly data center less of a cost center.

Intel ready to launch flash memory drives for storage in laptops. Ready for even smaller laptops that won't be as much of a hassle to get out of your bag for airport screening?  Intel, SanDisk and Samsung are all pursuing flash-memory based drives of 32GB and greater for laptops, tablets, and other small form factor computers. Initially expensive, the longer term payoff is lighter weight, quicker start-up, and less power consumption to last through those international flights or a decadent coffee binge at Starbucks.