Microsoft Adds Research Lab in East as Others Cut
Back
New York Times (02/04/08) P. C3; Hafner, Katie
Microsoft, which has research labs in Washington state, China, England,
India, and Silicon Valley, will open a sixth lab in Cambridge, Mass. All
of Microsoft's labs focus on scientific research, not product development.
"We believe that in the long run, putting money into basic research will
pay off, but you have to wait longer for it," says Jennifer Tour Chayes, a
veteran Microsoft researcher who will head the new lab. Chayes says that
since she joined Microsoft in 1997, Microsoft Research has grown eight-fold
to 800 researchers. "The outcome of basic research is insights, and what
development people do is take those insights and create products with
them," Chayes says. "The two things are very different." Microsoft is
committed to maintaining a pure research department much like Bell
Laboratories, whose scientists were awarded six Nobel Prizes during its
history. "Microsoft is probably the sole remaining corporate research lab
that still values basic research," says Harvey Mudd College President Maria
Klawe. The new lab will be located next door to MIT and is expected to
open in July. Chayes, formerly a tenured professor of mathematics at the
University of California, Los Angeles, will be one of the first women to
direct a research lab managed by an American corporation. She hopes she
can be a role model for attracting more women into the computer science and
math professions.
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Give Your Computer the Finger: Touch-Screen Tech Comes of
Age
Computerworld (02/01/08) Anthes, Gary
The windows, icons, menus, and pointing devices (WIMP) human-computer
interfaces have dominated computing for about 15 years, with the keyboard,
mouse, and display screen having served users extremely well. However,
technologies based on human touch and gesture may soon be taking over.
Touch-interface products are quickly becoming serious contenders in the
electronics market. Apple's iPhone has become one of the hottest consumer
products, and more advanced touch-based systems such as the Microsoft
Surface computer, which can accommodate touches and gestures and recognize
objects placed on it, and Mitsubishi's DiamondTouch Table, which is
designed for touch and gesture control with a large group of people for
collaboration, are generating massive interest. Tufts University computer
science professor Robert Jacob says touch is just one component in a
booming field of research on "post-WIMP interfaces," a broad collection of
technologies he calls "reality-based interaction." These technologies
include virtual reality, context-aware computing, perceptual and affective
computing, and tangible interaction, which is when physical objects are
recognized by a computer. Jacob says the rise of reality-based interaction
is driven by four "real-world themes"--naive physics, body awareness,
environmental awareness, and social awareness. "All of these new
interaction styles draw strength by building on users' preexisting
knowledge of the everyday, nondigital world to a much greater extent than
before," Jacob says.
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Eye-Tracking Game Hides Baddies in Plain View
New Scientist (02/01/08) Kleiner, Kurt
Researchers at McGill University in Montreal have created a first-person
shoot 'em up video game that is capable of tracking the eye movements of
players and placing enemies in locations where gamers least expect them on
the computer screen. Computer vision researcher James Clark, working with
colleague Li Jie, wanted to test how gamers react to the sudden appearance
of an image on a screen, with hopes of learning how to predict where
players focus their attention. Clark and Jie learned that a person who
looks at a fixed point in a complex part of a scene will have more trouble
diverting their attention to a new object, and confirmed previous research
that suggests a person looking at a moving object is likely to focus their
attention slightly ahead of it. Video-game companies could use the
eye-tracking research to design more challenging games. However, Clark and
Jie pursued the attention technique to make things easier for people such
as helicopter rescue pilots, who need to have the most vital information in
easy-to-see places in head-up displays. "If you can predict attention, you
can improve performance," says Ronald Rensink, a vision researcher at the
University of British Columbia in Vancouver. A future edition of ACM
Transactions on Multimedia Computing, Communications, and Applications will
include a paper on Clark and Jie's research.
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Chips Pass Two Billion Milestone
BBC News (02/04/08) Fildes, Jonathan
Intel has launched Tukwila, the first chip to contain more than two
billion transistors. Tukwila is a quad-core chip designed for high-end
servers. In 2006, Intel unveiled a processor that packed more than one
billion transistors, and in 2004 a processor equivalent to Tukwila featured
592 million transistors. Tukwila only operates at the relatively modest
speeds of many PC chips at 2Ghz, compared to the fastest commercial chip
offered by IBM, which operates at 4.7Ghz. While Intel devoted many of the
transistors on its new chip to memory, it did not focus as much on lowering
power consumption. Tukwila is based on 65-nanometer technology, but Intel
also has a new chip for ultra-mobile devices dubbed Silverthorne that is
based on 45-nanometer technology. Intel will present the chips at the
International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco.
Analyst Malcolm Penn says Tukwila is evolutionary, not revolutionary,
designed to process data very quickly. "It's like the difference between
getting food from the fridge, rather than from the corner shop," Penn
says.
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CMU Grad Student Designs Robot Leg
The Tartan (02/04/08) Chandna, Marium
Carnegie Mellon University graduate student Jonathan Hurst has developed
the Electrical Cable Differential (ECD) leg, a large robotic leg prototype
based on software from the RHex project, which aims to develop a
six-legged, highly mobile robot using springs that create a natural running
movement. The software used includes the QNX real-time operating system,
which can help predict what computerized actions will take place, and also
includes a task prioritization system. Hurst says ECD is designed to study
the role of compliance in running. The rigidity of mechanical components,
electrical hardware, and computer software in conventional robots does not
allow for the bouncing movements that are produced by running. Hurst used
large fiberglass springs and a series of cables, along with specially
designed software, to develop a better understanding of the natural
dynamics of running. Electric motors are attached to the leg joints using
steel cables that enfold aluminum pulleys, which work in unison to produce
the designed effect. Hurst used a simulation of the robot leg that
illustrates the precise running movements to test the prototype. "One
potential use of the knowledge we hope to gain from this machine is to
build exoskeletons and prosthetic limbs," Hurst says.
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IBM Calls for Modeling Standard
EE Times (01/31/08) Merritt, Rick
An IBM executive recently expressed the need for standards to link chip
models with simulation tools to help lower design costs and shorten
time-to-market. Meanwhile, the IBM-led group Power.org is about to start
an internal effort to create a standard for cores used in Power CPU-based
designs. The call for standards was made at a seminar on design
virtualization hosted by Vast Systems Technology. At the seminar, speakers
agreed engineers need to use virtualization platforms to lower costs and
reduce design time, but that emerging methodology still has many problems,
including a lack of cost and energy models. "We develop models for our
cores within IBM, but for the design process to be effective we need to get
these models into the proprietary tools of companies such as Vast and
others," says Power.org chief technology officer Michael Paczan, a former
lead Power PC designer at IBM. "That's where we need interface standards."
Paczan says Power.org is in the process of defining the scope of a
subcommittee that will start defining interfaces to enable interoperability
between tools and the portability of models. "People have an installed
base of tools and models they can't just throw away, so standards have to
try to work with them all," Paczan says.
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Grant Winners Develop Technology for Alzheimer's
Patients
Chronicle of Higher Education (01/30/08) Fischman, Josh
Five universities and one research institution developing technology to
assist people with Alzheimer's disease will share $300,000 in grant money
from Microsoft Research. Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University are
pursuing a system that will assist Alzheimer's patients in their efforts to
recall episodic memories. Claremont Graduate University and Old Dominion
University have partnered to develop software for smart cell phones that
will improve communication between autistic people and caregivers.
University of Washington researchers are exploring a "wayfinding" system
that uses machine-assisted personal navigation to enable people with
cognitive impairments to find their way through life independently. While
in Italy, the Institute for Cognitive Science and Technology is teaming up
with the Italian National Research Council on a project involving a digital
assistant for memory training.
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Gaming Away the Australian Skills Shortage
ITNews (01/29/08) Tay, Liz
The recent wave of students interested in science and engineering may not
be enough to fill Australia's skills shortage in the technology industry,
says Engineers Australia CEO Peter Taylor. Australia has been plagued by a
shortage of skilled scientists and engineers since the "tech wreck" at the
turn of the millennium, largely due to outdated fears of unemployment and
the unattractive geeky stereotype. Taylor believes that boosting interest
in science and engineering may lie in developing education and technology
based on digital games that appeal to today's generation the same way
Meccano, Erector Sets, and Legos inspired previous generations. Several
organizations have developed games to promote their interests with great
success, including the United Nations' Food Force and the U.S. Army's
America's Army, and NASA is considering creating a massively multiplayer
online game to appeal to today's younger generation. University of New
South Wales engineering dean Dianne Wiley agrees that creating a science
and engineering-based video game would be an excellent way to interest
children in such subjects, and points out that there are some UNSW staff
members that use games and online tools such as simulations in their
teaching. "From the point of view of promoting science and engineering,
anything that is virtual reality or IT-related is attractive to kids and
that's what NASA is trying to do," Wiley says. "What is needed is
something that can put the idea of science and engineering in front of kids
and parents."
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Engineer Inspired by Areas Rich in Unsolved
Problems
Financial Times Digital Business (01/30/08) P. 7; Twentyman, Jessica
IBM computer scientist and Master Inventor Amanda (Mandy) Chessell can
still remember the day almost three decades ago when a "lady engineer"
visited her school, inspiring her to pursue a career in technology. "I was
completely stunned, blown away," Chessell says. "To me, she was
fantastic--she had a great job." Since then, after earning a degree in
computing with informatics, which included a year-long industry placement
program at IBM, and a master's in software engineering, Chessell has earned
a variety of accolades and numerous patents. "I like areas that are rich
in unsolved problems," Chessell says. "That, to me, is what the software
industry is all about. The process of inventing, engineering, and
patenting a piece of software is all about very small changes that can
potentially make a huge difference, and that is what's tremendously
exciting about it." Chessell says the work can be stressful. "With
patents, your biggest concern is making a fool of yourself," she says. "Is
your invention really new? Does it solve a real problem? Eventually, you
get better at spotting the ones that are likely to succeed, but it's never
easy." Chessell says a great work environment and "inspirational"
colleagues make the work easier.
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Q&A: For E-Voting, Holt Looks to Undo HAVA's Havoc
Computerworld (02/04/08) Radcliff, Deborah
In an interview, U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) says the Help Americans Vote
Act of 2002 (HAVA) has forced the nation to accept insecure,
electronic-voting systems that undermine confidence in the election
process. Aside from security, Holt says the biggest problem with e-voting
is there is no way to verify the validity of a voter record. For the past
six years Holt has been championing the voter Confidence and Increased
Accessibility Act, which would require voter-verifiable paper ballots and
random, mandatory audits of votes cast over e-voting systems in every
county in every state. Holt is also pushing to approve emergency funds to
help election officials add paper systems to their e-voting machines by the
general election in November. "If you're going to be able to verify, there
has to be an independent path accessible only to the person able to verify
that the voter's intentions are reflected in the vote," Holt says. Beyond
shoring up existing e-voting systems, Holt says future e-voting legislation
should include "chain-of-custody requirements and transparency of software
so that the software would be available for independent people to check."
He says that "an audit will be the most direct, simplest way of uncovering
problems even if there is a software error, be it innocent or
malicious."
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USC, IBM Get Serious About Gaming
University of Southern California (01/30/08) Bloom, David
University of Southern California students in the Marshall School of
Business are using Innov8, a new "serious gaming" simulation developed by
IBM to help students learn the fundamentals of business-process management
(BPM). BPM analyzes how organizations execute specific tasks, such as the
workflow when a customer sets up a checking account, and helps companies
streamline and rationalize complex processes when companies experience
structural changes like mergers. Finding people skilled in BPM has been
difficult, says Sharon McFadden, who heads the IBM Software Group's
academic initiative in 10 western states. IBM wanted to develop more
BPM-skilled candidates at the university level, so it created a computer
simulation that walks students through situations a BPM specialist might
face. Innov8 focuses on a company that has just undergone a merger. The
player is told to figure out which of the company's processes need
immediate overhauls. The students navigate the company, hold meetings with
key employees and departments, and use a "heat map" to pinpoint and refine
the processes most likely to save money, generate revenue, and improve
customer service. IBM expects to develop additional scenarios for Innov8
to expand its applicability and usefulness.
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U.S Internet Traffic Projected to Grow 50-Fold by
2015
Disocovery Institute (01/29/08)
The growth of video and rich media signals the beginning of the third
phase of the evolution of the Internet, according to researchers at the
Discovery Institute. However, in order for the technology to reach its
full potential, new network investments to expand bandwidth, storage, and
traffic management capabilities in the United States are needed, according
to the report, "Estimating the Exaflood: The Impact of Video and Rich Media
on the Internet." Over the next decade, Internet and IP traffic could grow
more than 50 fold, and capacity in broadband access networks to homes and
businesses would need to be expanded by a factor of between 10 and 100 over
the next few years. "Innovations like YouTube, IPTV, high-definition
video, and mobile phone cameras are driving this new wave of data—or
exaflood—of Internet and IP traffic," says Bret Swanson, an adjunct
fellow at the Discovery Institute and co-author of the report, adding that
new online opportunities will also emerge. "But these exciting
applications and services will only be possible if we make large new
investments in broadband fiber-optic and wireless networks." More than
$100 billion in the next half-decade alone will need to be spent on network
expansion. By 2015, Internet and IP traffic is projected to reach 1,000
exabytes, including 400 exabytes of video calling and virtual windows, 200
exabytes of Internet video, gaming and virtual worlds, 100 exabytes of
movie downloads and P2P file sharing, 100 exabytes of non-internet IPTV,
and 100 exabytes of business IP Traffic.
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Technology at Your Fingertips
Reporter-Herald (Colo.) (01/29/08) Beahm, Marisa
The disabled would not have to rely on touch keys or a mouse to use a
computer if iCAML, new sensing technology from Richard Warner, is installed
on their systems. ICAML is designed to track magnetic fields, and can be
plugged into a computer or a personal data assistant using a USB drive or a
secure digital input-output card. The software initially uses a word
processor to prompt the user to place a sensor on an agile body part and
hold it where they want the sensor to be active. A wheelchair user could
put the sensor on her wrist, and have her fingertips serve as the location
of the mouse. The device could be programmed to read the lifting up of her
arm as a right click, and the lowering of her arm as a left click. The
user could control an on-screen keyboard this way. Warner says iCAML could
also be used to record workout performance, to program remotes or
video-game controllers, and for other applications.
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Fatronik-Tecnalia Experts Say New Robotics Will
Revolutionise Industry and Services World
Basque Research (01/29/08)
Conventional industrial robots are being replaced by non-conventional
robotics that revolve around three unique features, said researchers at the
"Robotic Business Opportunities" event held recently at the
Fatronik-Tecnalia Research Center in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa,
Spain. First, non-conventional robots are well suited to co-existing and
working in the same environment as people. Second, non-conventional robots
are able to more around in non-structured environments. Finally,
non-conventional robots cost less. When non-conventional robots are in
full production, robots will be able to penetrate new markets with features
such as cleaning, transporting goods, monitoring environments, and helping
people overcome physical difficulties or limitations. The industry is
starting to see the first successful applications of robotics outside
production lines. For example, iRobot has sold more than 2.5 million
domestic vacuum cleaner robots, and robot toys such as Robosapien and
WowWee have sold more than 2 million units. Microsoft Chairman recently
predicted that the services robotics market will increase drastically over
the next few years, and he noted the similarities between robotics today
and the personal computer in the 1980s.
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Academic Group Convenes to Tackle Archiving of Digital
Data
Chronicle of Higher Education (01/29/08) Foster, Andrea L.
The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation is focusing
on solving the expensive and time-consuming problem of preserving digital
data. The new group, backed by a two-year, $525,000 grant from the
National Science Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will work
to develop requirements for an economically-sustainable model for digital
preservation. The task force, which is headed by economist Brian Lavoie, a
research scientist at the OCLC Online Computer Library Center, and San
Diego Supercomputer Center director Francine Berman, is expected to issue
two reports, one at the end of this year and one in 2009. Berman says she
is particularly concerned over the lack of attention being paid to
preserving data from federally-funded research. The task force is
collaborating with the Library of Congress, Britain's Joint Information
Systems Committee, the Council on Library and Information Resources, and
the National Archives and Records Administration.
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Microsoft Makes Last-Gasp OOXML Push
CNet (01/29/08) Winterford, Brett
In preparation for the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) vote on the ratification of Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML)
standard, Microsoft has been campaigning to convince the industry that its
standard is in the best interest of users. Microsoft has hosted up to four
conference calls a week with national standards bodies, and recently
invited the international press to a conference near its headquarters to
discuss OOXML. Microsoft executives defended the proposed standard against
mounting criticism, focusing on several themes. The first was dispelling
the idea that there is no need for a second XML standard, as Microsoft
argues that there is nothing wrong with having multiple file formats and
OOXML will provide backwards compatibility for billions of older Microsoft
documents that the OpenDocument Format (ODF) does not. "Any investment we
make in the future of information work has to take into account what has
been done in the past," says Microsoft Office project manager Gray
Knowlton. "It's very important when migrating to open file formats that we
take older documents into account." Microsoft also argued that OOXML is
superior to ODF. "Many customers tell us that ODF doesn't meet their
needs," says Microsoft's general manager of interoperability and standards
Tom Robertson. "It doesn't provide backwards compatibility, nor does it
reflect the rich feature set of Office 2007."
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The Fleecing of the Avatars
Technology Review (02/08) Vol. 111, No. 1, P. 58; Talbot, David
There are concerns that the viability of immersive 3D virtual environments
as hubs for e-commerce is endangered by the emergence of fraud allegations,
with the people who allegedly committed the fraud going unpunished.
Virtual world inhabitants actively conduct transactions and use virtual
currency to purchase virtual products, as well as deposit money in virtual
banks and invest in virtual stocks. E-commerce is usually a relatively
safe business thanks to technical controls, laws, and regulation, but in
virtual worlds such as Second Life there are no such checks and balances.
Linden Lab, which runs Second Life, announced last summer that it would
help bolster the security of transactions by creating a voluntary ID system
that allows in-world consumers to confirm attributes of the people behind
the avatars they were doing business with. In addition, Linden rolled out
algorithms designed to identify suspicious behavior and urged users to
exercise more caution in their online dealings. Users are also
establishing quasi-regulatory instruments such as the Virtual World
Business Bureau, which grades businesses, informs residents about scams,
and functions as a complaint clearinghouse. Staff economist with the
Congressional Joint Economic Committee Dan Miller says the maintenance of
secure and transparent online transactions varies among different virtual
environments. Field Fisher Waterhouse's David Naylor contends that the
e-commerce potential of virtual worlds cannot be realized without
real-world intervention.
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