Nope, the light is still traveling at something slower than c. They seem to mention a whole bunch of different frequencies in their research, but if they're using telco wavelengths it'll be traveling slower than 1/3 c, since the refractive index of silicon (not to be confused with silica) is roughly 3.5. (The other poster has the right idea in talking about the parasitic limitations in electrical transmission). However, your points about Intel and multiplexing are well placed.

Actually - you're correct - they're very similar technologies. Both research groups are seeking out ways to merge cmos with optical components traditionally done in non-silicon devices. From what I can tell, Intel is further along as they have actually demonstrated their technology in a discrete component. IBM, once you get past the buzz words in their press release, really is still doing basic research; they've demonstrated individual components but have not accomplished any major integration feats. While it seems that IBM's technology is considerably smaller than Intel's, they have not shown how they plan to actually generate the light used for their components.

Holy flamebait; you are talking about America's most famous physics teacher. You were expecting a "how to" book from a nobel laureate?

...but it would be a great application for a lilypad arduino. (http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardLilyPad)

[We] Americans are likely perpetually stuffed relative to our European counterparts.

...because google doesn't want to stress their experiment that hard. Imagine how many torrents those kiddies would have going with a 1gbps connection. At least fu@!book doesn't require a fast connection...yet.

SSNs are used as an example. The real problem, alluded to in the article, is that the government attempts to classify personally sensitive, business sensitive, and military critical information (to name a few) under the same system. Unfortunately there is plenty of overlap and specific cases within these categories, resulting in a ridiculous number of labels - thereby resulting in mass confusion. However, this situation is often the case when one attempts to take a single system and apply it to such a wide audience. The US fed is going through a similar situation in IT and HR Management; at some point the benefits of consolidation result in less efficiency...