Inventor Forges Fresh Approach to Writing Software
EE Times (08/15/07) Merritt, Rick
Computer architect Gordon Morrison claims to have created a new approach
to software development that could make writing parallel programs for
multicore processors easier and establish a new level of uniformity and
discipline for writing code. Morrison's approach, dubbed the Coherent
Object Software Architecture (COSA), defines a set of rules applied to a
table-drive state machine, using a tree data structure to create behaviors
and interact with each other, and is capable of altering the system's
state. Morrison claims COSA could establish a more structured approach to
software development that relies more on mathematical formulas and
eliminates the need for conventional programming languages such as C++ and
Java. "Ten programmers could not produce the same program to solve a
problem because programming is an artful approach," Morrison says. "I want
to eliminate the art and make it an engineering approach." He says a state
machine approach would allow for smaller development teams, shorter
development periods, and reduced maintenance costs. Parallel programming
expert and government researcher James McGraw, who reviewed COSA about a
year ago, says he is not as excited about it as Morrison, and that COSA's
state-machine architecture does not appear suited to the
supercomputer-class problems involving hundreds of thousands of processes.
Aynur Unal, an electronics executive who has worked on a variety of startup
companies, is more optimistic about COSA. "Gordon's work represents a very
generalized way of writing programs that could be very useful in software
engineering," Unal says.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
Computing Breakthrough Could Elevate Security to
Unprecedented Levels
University of Michigan News Service (08/16/07) Rabuck, Carol; Moore, Nicole
University of Michigan researchers have found that pulses of light can be
used to dramatically accelerate quantum computers, a breakthrough that
could lead to stronger information security and the ability to quickly
decipher hacker encryption codes. Working with researchers from the
University of California-San Diego and the Naval Research Laboratory, the
researchers used short, coherent pulses of light to create light-matter
interactions in quantum dots, particles so small that their properties can
be altered by adding or removing electrons. University of Michigan
professor Duncan Steel says the researchers found they could control the
frequency and phase shifts in the optical network, a crucial aspect of
powering an optically-driven quantum computer. Such a computer would take
only a few seconds to crack highly encrypted codes that would take today's
fastest desktop computers about 20 years to crack. "Quantum computers are
capable of massive parallel computations," Steel says. An equally
significant aspect of the research is that the technology used by the
researchers is relatively inexpensive. "We're particularly excited about
our findings because they show that we can achieve these results by using
quantum dots and readily available, relatively inexpensive optical
telecommunications technology to drive quantum computers," Steel says.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
MIT Aims to Optimize Chip Designs
MIT News (08/16/07) Trafton, Anne
MIT professor of electrical engineering and computer science Duane Boning
says computer chips for high-speed communication devices have become so
small that the production process creates tiny variations in the chip that
can cause fluctuations in circuit speed and power, lowering overall
performance. Boning and his research team are working to predict
variations in circuit performance and maximize the number of chips that
meet specifications. The researchers have developed a model that could be
used to estimate manufacturers' ability to make a circuit early in the
design and development stages, which would help optimize chip design and
lower costs. "We're getting closer and closer to some of the limits on
size, and variations are increasing in importance," says Boning. "It's
becoming much more difficult to reduce variation in the manufacturing
process, so we need to be able to deal with variation and compensate for it
or correct it in the design." The researchers specifically looked at radio
frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), which are used in many high-speed
communication and imaging devices. The model the researchers developed
examines three different properties of circuits--capacitance, resistance,
and transistor turn-on voltage. Variations cannot be measured directly, so
by measuring the speed of the chip's circuits under different amounts of
applied current the researchers could use a mathematical model to estimate
the electrical parameters of the circuits.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
Chairwoman of IGDA Education SIG to Speak at GC Asia
Conference
Game News (08/16/07)
The inaugural GC Asia Conference will feature a lecture by Susan Gold on
establishing a career in the gaming industry. In a talk entitled "Entering
the Video Game Industry," Gold will discuss everything from crafting a
resume and portfolio to preparing for interviews, so prospective job
seekers can improve their chances of securing positions. She will also
discuss building a network that will enable them to maintain employment in
the competitive business. Gold is the chairwoman of the IGDA Education
SIG. An artist, educator, and activist who focuses on digital art, new
media, and video games, Gold also sits on the ACM SIGGRAPH Education
Curriculum Committee for Computer Graphics. The GC Asia Conference is
scheduled for Sept. 6-7, 2007, in Singapore, and will bring together gaming
industry leaders and provide a forum for international developers and
publishers.
Click Here to View Full Article
- Web Link to Publication Homepage
to the top
Why Virtual Copies of You Could Be a Reality
Life Style Extra (08/16/07)
Researchers at the French national research lab INRIA have developed a new
system called GrImage that could enable users to insert a remarkably
life-like digital version of themselves into video games or onto the Web.
The ability to create photo-realistic computerized versions of people meant
the researchers had to find a way to capture a person and their movement in
three dimensions and render them in real time, a long-standing problem in
computer graphics. Most motion-capture methods use highly visible markers
placed on a person's body so a camera can capture the person's relative
position and the movement of body parts. Instead, the INRIA team used
between six and 14 video cameras to record the person from multiple angles.
Software was developed to identify and extract the person's silhouettes,
combine them into a rough 3D model, and add color and texture. The next
step was achieving a realistic level of interaction between the avatar and
the virtual environment. Normally, programs that simulate interactions
with hard objects and programs that simulate interactions with soft object
and fluids are not combined because the two use different mathematics, but
GrImage switches between mathematics to allow for interactions with both
types of objects. A small version of GrImage was on display at the recent
ACM SIGGRAPH conference where users were allowed to place their hand in a
"recording space" lined with cameras and play with a virtual
jack-in-the-box and some soft objects.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
Hollywood Blamed for Scientific Ignorance
InformationWeek (08/15/07) Claburn, Thomas
Hollywood's disregard for the laws of physics has contributed to a general
misunderstanding of science among Americans, according to a paper written
by two University of Central Florida professors. The paper, "Hollywood
Blockbusters: Unlimited Fun But Limited Science Literacy," written by UCF
professor Costas J. Efthimiou and former UCF physics chair R.A. Llewellyn,
does not try to argue that watching impossible physics makes people believe
the real world works the same way, but that it does lead to general
ignorance. The authors say the purpose of the paper is not to get
Hollywood to respect the laws of physics more, but to highlight a general
concern that the United States is not teaching physics, math, and other
sciences effectively. ACM echoed those concerns in its 2006 report on
globalization, which said "the United States educational system is still
trying to understand how to change its curriculum to address application
domain knowledge, a global workplace, and maintaining its innovative edge.
In addition, the United States faces long-term challenges from falling
interest and skills in math and science programs in its primary education
system." However, Kevin Scott, a member of ACM's education board, is not
concerned about the effects movies have on scientific understanding, and
thinks they may even help get kids interested. "From my perspective, I
think movies are helpful and encouraging to make kids think about science
and technology in good ways," Scott says. "This was the way I got
interested in computing and chose it as a career. I really wanted to
understand from an entertainment perspective how these things are done."
To read "Globalization and Offshoring of Software: A Report of the ACM Job
Migration Task Force," visit
http://www.acm.org/globalizationreport
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
U of A Women Lagging Behind in Male-Dominated
Sciences
Edmonton Journal (Alberta, Canada) (08/16/07) Ferguson, Amanda
At the University of Alberta women account for slightly more than half of
all university students enrolled in science-based programs, but are still
significantly outnumbered by men in subjects such as computer science and
mechanical engineering. The University of Alberta reports that only 10
percent of students enrolled in computer science and 20 percent of students
in engineering are women. "We still have a lot of work to do," says Grace
Ennis, coordinator of the Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and
Technology (WISEST) program. "The numbers may be high in some subjects,
but if you look at the number of women in subjects like computing sciences
and electrical engineering, those numbers are dropping every year." WISEST
is a summer program intended to encourage women to enter non-traditional
science fields. "The need is evident in the gender proportions but also in
the industry at large," says chemical engineer and WISEST vice-chairwoman
Gail Powley. Ennis says convincing women to continue their studies beyond
the undergraduate level is one of the biggest challenges. Some call the
tendency for women in science to leave after each level of study at a
greater rate than men do the "leaky pipe" phenomenon, and say reasons
include feelings of isolation, self-doubt, competing loyalties, a lack of
scholarship opportunities, and a lack of role models.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
New Grant Boosts Work on Small-Scale Systems
Georgia Institute of Technology (08/12/07) Robinson, Rick
The Georgia Institute of Technology will participate in a new
multi-university research center funded by the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency to develop a computer-aided design environment for
micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and nano-electromechanical systems
(NEMS). The Investigate Multi-physics Modeling and Performance
Assessment-driven Characterization and Computation Technology (IMPACT)
Center for Advancement of MEMS/NEMS VLSI will be lead by the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and will include teams from Purdue University,
Lehigh University, Georgia Tech, and several companies. The researchers
will try to develop CAD systems that use physical models to conclusively
predict the behavior of MEMS devices, including electrical effects of MEMS
usage and thermal, mechanical, and reliability behaviors. Georgia Tech
associate professor John Papapolymerou says Georgia Tech researchers will
focus on the fundamental physics behind MEMS devices, specifically the
dielectric charging of MEMS switches. Papapolymerou says MEMS-enabled
microsystems could revolutionize communications, sensors, and
signal-processing, but that their capabilities are limited by a lack of
understanding of how physical phenomena govern MEMS-device functionality,
particularly how performance degrades when MEMS devices are exposed to the
operating conditions of an integrated circuit.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
Nominations Sought for Tapia Achievement Award
HPC Wire (08/10/07)
Interested parties in the computing industry have until Friday, Aug. 31,
2007, to submit nominations for the Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award for
Scientific Scholarship, Civic Science, and Diversifying Computing. The
award was created to honor individuals who have demonstrated a commitment
to equity in theory and practice, as well as displayed leadership in
finding creative solutions to bring greater diversity to computing.
Nomination letters should include the nominee's name and affiliation;
300-word summaries each for the nominee's scientific, civic, and diversity
achievements; and the name, affiliation, email address, and contact phone
number of the nominator. They should be emailed to Monica Martinez-Canalez
of Sandia National Laboratories, who is the general chair of the Tapia
Conference 2007, and Bryant York of Portland State University, awards
chair, at [email protected].
The award winner will be honored at the Richard Tapia Celebration of
Diversity in Computing Conference, which is scheduled for Oct. 14-17, at
the Disney Hilton Hotel in Orlando, Fla. ACM is a co-sponsor of the event,
which is organized by the Coalition to Diversify Computing.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
Project Aims to Give U.S. Programmers Edge in Global Job
Market
Purdue University News (08/07/07) Venere, Emil
Purdue University is testing a new computer science program for
undergraduate students that places a greater emphasis on programming for
parallel processors. "It is generally understood that there are problems
in computing education on a nationwide basis," says assistant professor of
electrical and computer engineering Vijay Pai, the principal investigator
of the project. "On one hand, student interest is waning in the United
States compared to the days of the dot.com boom. On the other hand,
systems coming out today are much more complex than they were before, so
graduates need to know more in order to be prepared for the job market."
The project, which has received a three-year, $920,000 grant from the
National Science Foundation, will strengthen education in parallel
programming for computers with multicore chips. The project is based on
"concurrency," or teaching students how to design software and hardware
that can complete a single job by running multiple applications at the same
time. "Traditionally, universities have taught parallel programming as an
afterthought on the senior or graduate level," Pai says. "We teach
sequential programming, and then we say, 'By the way, after three of four
years of sequential programming we are going to expose you to a little bit
of parallel programming just to let you know that this thing really
exists.'" Parallel computing is now an optional supplement to a
sophomore-level programming class, but it will eventually become a
mandatory requirement for students. Pai says the objective of the project
is to create a template that can be used to improve undergraduate computer
science curricula at all U.S. colleges and universities.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
Shadow Lamps to Connect Friends
BBC News (08/08/07) Ward, Mark
ACM's SIGGRAPH computer graphics convention in San Diego featured new
research on a shadow presence system that is designed to give friends some
privacy while they stay in touch online. Teleshadow presents a shadow
outline of what someone is doing. Shunpei Yasuda, a post-graduate student
in Media Design at Keio University in Japan, says he was inspired by
Japanese culture, in which Shoji or paper walls have been used to divide
some rooms. The shadows cast as someone moves about in privacy reminds you
of the presence of the other person, Yasuda says. Teleshadow makes use of
a lamp to project video input on the inside of its walls, a video camera
that users have in their homes, and software processing to transform the
video into an outline. "As this is a new media that fits our daily life,
it was important to make it as a piece of furniture," Yasuda says. The
prototypes also make use of touch screens that enable users to touch a
shadow to set up a voice call to that person.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
DARPA Wants Software Teachers, Learning Computers
Wired News (08/15/07) Shachtman, Noah
"Bootstrapped Learning," one of the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency's far out projects, is developing new machine learning algorithms in
an effort to have computers learn on their own and eventually to think.
Today, you still need new programming every time you encounter a new
problem, says Daniel Oblinger, DARPA program manager. DARPA is focusing on
machine teaching programs that would be configured to teach by example,
through feedback, or by explaining failures, with code that would enable
the digital instructor to tutor almost anything. Oblinger wants the
programmers to freeze their code in place after the second phase of the
project, which is when they will be told what their algorithms will teach.
There are plans to have the machine teaching program teach another program
how to run diagnostic tests on a simulated version of the Space Station,
and teach a simulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to search for a
truckload of weapons, even if it does not know what a truck looks like.
Oblinger envisions the agency pursuing the development of a
"general-purpose learning machine" that would not need an instructor.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
IBM Develops Speech Recognition in Indian Language
InfoWorld (08/16/07) Ribeiro, John
IBM's India Research Laboratory (IRL) has developed speech recognition
software that recognizes Hindi, one of the primary languages in India. The
speech recognition software could be used for a wide variety of commercial
and social applications because speech recognition would be simpler than
the variety of Devnagri script keyboards currently available. The speech
recognition system would also make computing more accessible to the large
number of Indians who are semi-literate and not familiar with a computer
keyboard. The speech recognition dictionary developed by IRL has over
75,000 words in Hindi, and has a provision to add new words, according to
IRL senior researcher Ashish Verma. A major challenge for the development
of a Hindi speech recognition system is that words in the language are
often pronounced very differently in different areas of the country, so
multiple pronunciations for each word had to be included in the dictionary
and understood by the system. The software recognizes words 90 percent to
95 percent of the time with speaker adaptations, and 80 percent to 90
percent without speaker adaptation. Command and control applications such
as operating ATMs and kiosks have an accuracy rate close to 100 percent
because vocabulary is limited for such applications. The software is being
integrated into the Indian government run research organization the Center
for Development of Advanced Computing.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
TACC Launches Global Academic Supercomputing Consortium
to Work Toward Solving Global Science Problems
University of Texas at Austin (08/14/07) Singer-Villalobos, Faith
The Texas Advanced Computer Center (TACC) at the University of Texas at
Austin has announced the formation of the Global Academic Supercomputer
Consortium (GASC) to support the use of advanced computational technology
to solve the most challenging science and engineering problems. GASC will
build strategic alliances that create and strengthen global research and
development, and promote educational collaborations in advanced computing.
"Advanced computing technologies are crucial in advancing science, and
increasingly, in improving the quality of life," says TACC director Jay
Boisseau. "By sharing the best ideas and developments in advanced
computing as rapidly as possible, GASC will help leading academic
supercomputing centers achieve even greater impact in addressing the most
important computationally challenging problems in science." High
performance computing systems, scientific visualization resources, massive
data collection and storage systems, applications software, and advanced
network systems are among the advanced computational technologies that GASC
will help develop, deploy, and utilize to enable researchers to solve
challenging computational problems. GASC, which includes supercomputer
centers from Germany, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Venezuela, and the
United Kingdom, will use collaborative computer environments that enable
the coordinated, concurrent use of multiple resources and systems, leading
to new methods of computing and cooperation.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
Ultrafast Quantum Computer Uses Optically Controlled
Electrons
PhysOrg.com (08/15/07) Zyga, Lisa
The creation of an ultrafast quantum computer could be supported by a
scheme devised by Stanford University scientists in which light pulses are
used to rotate electron spins, thus improving the computer's overall clock
rate. The computer employs a semiconductor chip with a loop of cavities
filled with quantum dots. The electron spins within the dots are rotated
and the state of the bit is changed by focusing optical pulses at
individual dots. With the light pulses, distant electron spins can be
coupled so that the phase of one qubit can rely on the phase of another
qubit. The coupled qubits' spin states cohere into a qubus, which serves
as the foundation of a two-qubit gate. Stanford researcher Thaddeus Ladd
says the proposed framework offers much faster computing speed than other
quantum computing schemes. The Stanford scheme also boasts advantages in
terms of manufacturing potential and scalability. "In terms of building
this computer, we are working on that one step at a time," says Stanford
scientist Susan Clark. "We are starting by putting the quantum dot qubits
in cavities, performing rotations on those qubits, and then coupling them
via qubus."
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
The Healing Power of Video Games
Philadelphia Inquirer (07/31/07) P. A1; Giordano, Rita
The use of virtual reality as a therapeutic tool is quickly gaining
interest and widespread use, says James Westwood, a program coordinator at
the annual Medicine Meets Virtual Reality conference. Most virtual reality
development is happening at universities and systems are generally too
expensive to be available to clinical patients, but researchers say that
will likely change over time. The Rutgers Ankle Rehabilitation System,
partially developed by the Research in Virtual Environments and
Rehabilitation Science Lab at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of
New Jersey, helps stroke victims recover movement in their feet by having
them navigate through an airscape and a seascape virtual world. "We find
they try longer. They improved more," says Judith Deutsch, director of the
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey virtual research lab.
"They actually walked faster than the group that didn't use the virtual
reality." Virtual reality trials have also indicated that the technology
can act as a diversion to help patients forget about their pain. At the
University of Washington's Virtual Reality Analgesia Research Center, burn
victims were asked to play a game where they glided through a virtual
canyon and threw snowballs at objects. Patients who were medicated as
usual reported less pain and tests showed less pain-related activity in
their brains. Most agree that virtual reality as a therapeutic tool needs
to be studied more, and some say it can only act as an addition to
conventional therapy, not as a replacement.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
The Grill: MIT Professor Hal Abelson on the Hot
Seat
Computerworld (08/06/07) Vol. 41, No. 32, P. 23; Anthes, Gary
MIT professor of electrical engineering and computer science Hal Abelson,
along with five others, started Creative Commons, a movement dedicated to
offering users and creators of intellectual property, specifically on the
Internet, new rights and options. Abelson says the Internet has become a
place for people to share, mix, redesign, and build on each other's ideas
and work, but the fear of violating copyrighted material has limited
creativity and collaboration. "Since 1986, in the U.S., if you create
stuff, at that moment, it's actually copyrighted," he says. "What should
be a shared thing that people can use and contribute to ends up being an IP
minefield." Creative Commons has established a standard set of licenses
that allows Web users to look at material and see what rights they have, as
a contributor or a user. So far, 140 million documents on the Web have a
Creative Commons license, and search engines have functions that allow
users to limit search results to only things they can reuse. Abelson also
helped launch OpenCourseWare, which offers free online access to MIT
courses. About 1,600 MIT courses are currently available, and about 1,800
courses, almost all of MIT's courses, will be available next fall. The
OpenCourseWare Consortium now has more than 100 member universities
contributing open educational resources and more than 1.2 million users
visit every month. Abelson says that computer science has reached a
fossilized and myopic state, arguing that people are still thinking about
things that happened 10, 15, and 20 years ago and that everyone is still
thinking "inside the box." Abelson believes that computer scientists
should spend more time and energy exploring computing links with biology
and the "science of the Web," or the consequences of have large
shared-information spaces and what mix of technology and policy makes these
spaces work.
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top
Not Enough U.S. Engineers?
Issues in Science and Technology (08/07) Vol. 23, No. 4, P. 5; Simon,
Denis Fred; Cao, Cong; Hira, Ron
State University of New York researcher Cong Cao and Provost Denis Fred
Simon take issue with Duke University researchers' assessment of
engineering education in India, China, and the United States in their
article "Where the Engineers Are" by pointing to their failure to correctly
interpret the Chinese data, noting among other things the flaw in the
statement that "Chinese yearbooks generally are not permitted to leave
China." Cao and Simon also point out that neither official policy
pronouncements nor wage data bear out the Duke researchers' contention that
large Chinese enrollments in science and engineering education are being
carried out for the simple purpose of depressing engineering salaries. "It
is clear that these types of studies cannot be conducted without a fuller
in-depth understanding of the actual Chinese situation--with all of its
achievements and shortcomings, especially with respect to the broad array
of statistical materials that exists regarding higher education, the S&T
workforce, and population demographics," Cao and Simon conclude. A more
positive spin on the Duke researchers' article is relayed by Rochester
Institute of Technology's Ron Hira, who offers praise on their decision to
solicit objective metrics from hiring managers in their analysis of U.S.
engineer hiring statistics; the study contradicts the argument that there
is a persistent shortfall of American engineers. "The lesson is that
objective data-gathering needs to be extended to the multiple dimensions
that influence domestic engineering labor markets: Supply, demand,
incentives, career durability, pipeline capabilities, wages, employment
relations, cost of entry, foreign labor substitution and complements,
public mission, etc.," Hira writes. Microsoft research executive Rick
Rashid says the article misses several important points, including the fact
that enrollment into engineering programs has slackened, which invites
skepticism of the authors' suggestion that the current U.S. engineering
crop is sufficient. He maintains that the four- to five-year pipeline
between enrollment and degree production escaped the notice of the authors,
and concludes that the United States must move immediately on the domestic
front to get more people enrolled in engineering courses. Green card
reform, an increase in research funding and H-1B visas, and attempts to
boost the appeal of science and engineering to young undergraduates are
strategies Rashid cites. To read "Globalization and Offshoring of
Software: A Report of the ACM Job Migration Task Force," visit
http://www.acm.org/globalizationreport
Click Here to View Full Article
to the top