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| Current Topic: High Tech Developments |
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Toward Distraction-Free Pervasive Computing [PDF] |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
8:32 pm EDT, Aug 16, 2002 |
The most precious resource in a computer system is no longer its processor, memory, disk, or network, but rather human attention. Project Aura aims to minimize distractions on a user's attention, creating an environment that adapts to the user's context and needs. This article was published in the April/June issue of IEEE Pervasive Computing. It is available here from the Project Aura web site. Toward Distraction-Free Pervasive Computing [PDF] |
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Robot Grass Cutter Cuts Through Tedium of Mowing |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
6:51 am EDT, Aug 16, 2002 |
Tired of mowing the lawn? New Zealand researchers say they have a device that could make your neighbors green with envy. It's a lawnmower operated via the Internet. "The next step is an automatic vacuum cleaner." Robot Grass Cutter Cuts Through Tedium of Mowing |
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Will Consumers Pay for News Webcasts? |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
8:54 am EDT, Aug 3, 2002 |
Who will pay for online news? The question has long boggled the news media, which has largely failed to make money on their Web sites using advertising, even though millions use the free news they provide. But publishers and broadcasters are redoubling their efforts to sell news for money, and the offerings have generated -- if not yet profits -- at least some buzz. ABC exec: "I think many users, certainly not all of them, are prepared to pay for high-quality service and high-quality content." The key to success is gearing news packages to the interests of individual subscribers, beyond the simple personalization settings available on some Web sites. Will Consumers Pay for News Webcasts? |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
1:32 pm EDT, Jul 13, 2002 |
A quarterly technology journal published by Intel. The style and content is similar to IBM's R&D and Systems journals. Below is a summary of the current issue. Entire issues can be downloaded in PDF. Since the invention of the integrated circuit some forty years ago, engineers and researchers around the world have worked on how to put more speed, performance and value onto smaller chips of silicon. By the end of this decade (2010) we at Intel want to reach the goal of 10 billion transistors on a single chip. This is a big challenge. Today we continue to break barriers to reach this goal. This issue gives a detailed look into the exciting advances in the areas of transistor architecture, interconnects, dielectrics, lithography, and packaging. Intel Technology Journal |
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'Everyone Wants to Be a VC' | BusinessWeek |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
9:39 pm EDT, Jul 6, 2002 |
"Everyone Wants to Be a VC ... And that's a shame," says AT&T Bell Labs ex-honcho Greg Blonder, who urges entrepreneurs to forsake quick profits for long-term gains. Remember the 1980s? Japan's electronics giants were hammering their US rivals in both consumer and industrial markets. Then Japan's economy stalled, paving the way for the tech boom of the '90s in the US. It has been that long since US technological leadership was threatened seriously. Now, there's reason to worry again, according to Greg Blonder. His concern can't be dismissed lightly. Blonder warns that a new innovation crisis is brewing. For a decade we've been planting too little "seed corn" -- the basic scientific discoveries that can take 20 years or more to commercialize. And he sees new technological challenges from China and India. Congratulations! You may have already lost! 'Everyone Wants to Be a VC' | BusinessWeek |
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CS 6604: Recommender Systems (Spring 2001) |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
10:09 pm EDT, Jun 27, 2002 |
In Spring 2001, Virginia Tech professor Naren Ramakrishnan taught an entire course on the topic of recommender systems. Here you can browse the syllabus, review slides from the lectures, and review the reading list. Course overview: CS 6604 concentrates on algorithms, methodologies, systems, and larger-scope issues (economic, commercial etc.) pertaining to reducing information overload. The unique aspect of this course will be how it integrates ideas from diverse areas: numerical analysis (strange but true), information systems, human-computer interaction, and algorithmics. Over the past three years, a large body of literature on recommender systems, filtering, and personalization technologies has been developed. Even though the field is driven by commercial trends and industrial developments, many of the ideas are nearing a stage of stabilization when their use is becoming common place (textbook material). CS 6604 will help illustrate the interplay between these different areas and demonstrate how ideas from diverse backgrounds can be combined in novel and sophisticated ways. CS 6604: Recommender Systems (Spring 2001) |
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Jumping Connections: A Graph-Theoretic Model for Recommender Systems [PDF] |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
10:06 pm EDT, Jun 27, 2002 |
A PhD thesis from Virginia Tech, published in 2001. (The PDF file is 3.8 MB, so be patient.) Abstract: Recommender systems have become paramount to customize information access and reduce information overload. They serve multiple uses, ranging from suggesting products and artifacts (to consumers), to bringing people together by the connections induced by (similar) reactions to products and services. This thesis presents a graph-theoretic model that casts recommendation as a process of `jumping connections' in a graph. In addition to emphasizing the social network aspect, this viewpoint provides a novel evaluation criterion for recommender systems. Algorithms for recommender systems are distinguished not in terms of predicted ratings of services/artifacts, but in terms of the combinations of people and artifacts that they bring together. We present an algorithmic framework drawn from random graph theory and outline an analysis for one particular form of jump called a `hammock.' Experimental results on two datasets collected over the Internet demonstrate the validity of this approach. Jumping Connections: A Graph-Theoretic Model for Recommender Systems [PDF] |
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Stick a fork in it; 10 GigE is done -- but still too hot to eat |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
6:50 am EDT, Jun 14, 2002 |
The first fiber-only Ethernet standard was approved Wednesday, opening the door for a new generation of Ethernet products. The IEEE 802.3 standards group gave the go-ahead to 802.3ae, a version of Ethernet that runs at 10 gigabits per second. Extreme Networks: "We will have a 10gbps module within the next few months." It will cost around $60,000. Stick a fork in it; 10 GigE is done -- but still too hot to eat |
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Social Networks in the World of Abundant Connectivity | Institute for the Future |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
11:34 pm EDT, Jun 10, 2002 |
For the last year, IFTF has been studying how young people form and use social networks in their daily lives. Our study focused on five geographic regions: Silicon Valley in the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Sweden. The objectives were to study the effects of new information and communication technologies on the formation of social networks among young consumers; and, to determine the implications of these effects for businesses, particularly as they relate to the diffusion of innovative new products and services. Through extensive interviews and observation, we explored the important relationships in the social networks of 13- to 27-year-olds in these regions, the function and form of such relationships, and the duration and frequency of interaction. This year-end report, Social Networks in the World of Abundant Connectivity, contains our methodology, key findings, a landscape of implications for businesses, and we also present the real-life stories of the participants and how they use technology to support and extend their networks. Saffo gets serious about social networks. You can download the six-page introduction to the report in PDF format. Social Networks in the World of Abundant Connectivity | Institute for the Future |
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