Friday, March 28, 2008
Parallel Programming Needs to See Beyond Algorithms
Until very recently, commercial high-level tools to support the development of technical computing applications for high-performance systems did not exist. Parallel programming was an esoteric art applied by specialists who focused on achieving maximum performance by using custom setups and low-level libraries and by tuning their applications for specific hardware.
In a 2007 briefing, IDC highlighted the difficulty of scaling beyond a single node because of the lack of appropriate programming environments.[1] Today, as high-performance systems become more prevalent, there is an urgent need to make these systems more readily programmable by all.
To that end, parallel programming solutions must focus beyond custom algorithms and performance. Ecosystems of tools are being developed that assist engineers in the design, development, and debugging of parallel applications and that fully utilize the capabilities of rapidly evolving hardware. To succeed, these new ecosystems, need to do a number of things, which are explained in this report
Labels: Computer-Science
PermaLink - Parallel Programming Needs to See Beyond Algorithms posted by Ecacofonix : 2:21 AM
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Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Designing Real Life Engineering with Second Life Tools
Unlike Gravina Island, the Public Works Island in Second Life (SL) hosts an entirely different kind of bridge. Created for mere Linden dollars, Avatar TEEX Clary’s virtual bridge symbolizes a bridge that is going somewhere—perhaps the future of civil engineering—using 3D tools in SL for visualization.
The Public Works Island is the brainchild of avatar Pam Renior. In real life, Pam Renoir’s alter ego Pam Broviak is a registered, professional engineer in Illinois. According to Pam, Public Works Island “...has been developed to introduce general citizens to public works and show them what we do—educate them—then it is also a place for those of us in related fields to build community.”
She also sees the island as an on-the-job resource for members of the American Public Works Association and others, “... to train here and develop things we can use in real life on our jobs.”
Full report here
The Public Works Island is the brainchild of avatar Pam Renior. In real life, Pam Renoir’s alter ego Pam Broviak is a registered, professional engineer in Illinois. According to Pam, Public Works Island “...has been developed to introduce general citizens to public works and show them what we do—educate them—then it is also a place for those of us in related fields to build community.”
She also sees the island as an on-the-job resource for members of the American Public Works Association and others, “... to train here and develop things we can use in real life on our jobs.”
Full report here
Labels: Computer-Science, Design-Engineering
PermaLink - Designing Real Life Engineering with Second Life Tools posted by Ecacofonix : 11:47 PM
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Timber Housing, Ty Unnos Modular Building Suggested for Future Homes
Timber housing is the future for better homes
Timber housing can help the UK to catch up on the shortage of new homes, construction industry leaders have been told. A conference in North Wales, Sustainable Construction: The Business Benefits and Natural Materials in Construction, was told there is a need to use timber housing if Wales is to meet sustainability targets.
Greater collaboration is needed across the building sector to make the most of new techniques and practices, the briefing told. The Ty Unnos system of modular building, using standard section Welsh Sitka spruce, was cited as another example of systems which offer the opportunity to use locally-sourced timber to meet the construction needs of Wales.
Full report here
Timber housing can help the UK to catch up on the shortage of new homes, construction industry leaders have been told. A conference in North Wales, Sustainable Construction: The Business Benefits and Natural Materials in Construction, was told there is a need to use timber housing if Wales is to meet sustainability targets.
Greater collaboration is needed across the building sector to make the most of new techniques and practices, the briefing told. The Ty Unnos system of modular building, using standard section Welsh Sitka spruce, was cited as another example of systems which offer the opportunity to use locally-sourced timber to meet the construction needs of Wales.
Full report here
Labels: Civil-Engineering, Design-Engineering, Energy-Environment-Engineering
PermaLink - Timber Housing, Ty Unnos Modular Building Suggested for Future Homes posted by Ecacofonix : 11:47 PM
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UK Robot To Retrieve Minerals from Moon
A small group of engineering students have taken on the challenge of building a robot designed to retrieve minerals from the moon.
UK's student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. will enter the robot in an April 5 tournament during the IEEE SoutheastCon conference in Huntsville, Ala.
Several organizations are in competition to retrieve these minerals and return them to earth.
Peter Ferland, an electrical engineering junior and the chair of UK's robot contingent, said the team is composed of half a dozen engineering students. They began building the robot in October.
"The contest offers engineering students a chance to tackle a design problem start to finish, providing valuable experience for future engineers," Ferland said.
In the tournament, each team must build an autonomous robot that will perform on an earth-bound course, collecting colored wooden blocks representing moon minerals and returning them to its home base to score points.
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UK's student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. will enter the robot in an April 5 tournament during the IEEE SoutheastCon conference in Huntsville, Ala.
Several organizations are in competition to retrieve these minerals and return them to earth.
Peter Ferland, an electrical engineering junior and the chair of UK's robot contingent, said the team is composed of half a dozen engineering students. They began building the robot in October.
"The contest offers engineering students a chance to tackle a design problem start to finish, providing valuable experience for future engineers," Ferland said.
In the tournament, each team must build an autonomous robot that will perform on an earth-bound course, collecting colored wooden blocks representing moon minerals and returning them to its home base to score points.
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Labels: Aerospace-Engineering, Automation
Nintendo 2008 - Mario Kart, Wii, Super Smash Bros, Brawl, WiiWare
After hinting that it would stagger its major releases in 2008 so that players could digest each one properly before moving onto the next, Nintendo went ahead to confirm that (in North America at least), Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit would arrive together in a proximity best described as an overdose in gaming goodness. But what of the rest of the year as far as the Wii is concerned? Nintendic has compiled a list of (mostly) what it knows Nintendo to have up its sleeve for the coming months, both for the core and casual audience, providing evidence as to why the motion-sensing console’s unstoppable momentum will continue throughout the year.
Mario Kart
Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
WiiWare
Animal Crossing Wii
Disaster: Day of Crisis
Kirby Wii
Super Mario Stadium Family Baseball
Wii Music
Kid Icarus, Pilotwings, F-Zero, Punch Out!?
Labels: Electronics-Communications-Engineering
PermaLink - Nintendo 2008 - Mario Kart, Wii, Super Smash Bros, Brawl, WiiWare posted by Ecacofonix : 11:47 PM
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Water Vapor in Enceladus Might Mean Life on Saturn
A sniff test of water vapor spewing from Saturn's moon Enceladus shows it is gushing with organic molecules, increasing the possibility of life existing somewhere in the Saturn system.
Scientists have been intrigued by the moon since the fountain of water was first spotted in 2005. Now they've identified a soup of prebiotic material there, similar to what's found in comets, from an analysis of data collected by the Cassini spacecraft.
Nobody really knows how life began, but astrobiologists guess it required chemicals like those tasted by Cassini, a little liquid water and some unknown spark.
Hunter Waite, a Cassini principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in San Antonio, said Enceladus' newly understood composition should stir up previous notions of Saturn and its moons.
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Scientists have been intrigued by the moon since the fountain of water was first spotted in 2005. Now they've identified a soup of prebiotic material there, similar to what's found in comets, from an analysis of data collected by the Cassini spacecraft.
Nobody really knows how life began, but astrobiologists guess it required chemicals like those tasted by Cassini, a little liquid water and some unknown spark.
Hunter Waite, a Cassini principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in San Antonio, said Enceladus' newly understood composition should stir up previous notions of Saturn and its moons.
More from here
Labels: Geo-Sciences, Sciences
PermaLink - Water Vapor in Enceladus Might Mean Life on Saturn posted by Ecacofonix : 11:47 PM
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PCs for Home Multimedia, Cinema - PCs to Play Key Role in Home Entertainment
A multitude of non-PC devices are expected to play a role in the connected living room of the future, but this does not mean that the PC will fade away. Analysts expect that PCs will play an ever-increasing role in the management, distribution and playback of multimedia content in the home.
ABI Research said that network-connected PC media servers and living room PCs will grow in adoption over time. Audiovisual form-factor home cinema PCs and more traditional home cinema PCs will grow to an installed base of 25 million worldwide by 2013, according to the analyst firm.
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ABI Research said that network-connected PC media servers and living room PCs will grow in adoption over time. Audiovisual form-factor home cinema PCs and more traditional home cinema PCs will grow to an installed base of 25 million worldwide by 2013, according to the analyst firm.
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Labels: Society
PermaLink - PCs for Home Multimedia, Cinema - PCs to Play Key Role in Home Entertainment posted by Ecacofonix : 11:47 PM
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Samsung, Toshiba Lead Electronics Cos' Race to Get Green - Greenpeace
Environmental group Green-peace recently came up with good news: two Asian consumer electronic companies figure at the top of the rankings in Greenpeace's Guide to Green Electronics.
The group first launched its guide in August 2006, as a challenge to electronic companies to "green" their products from production to disposal. The volume of toxic waste from production processes and management of waste and discarded products were points of concern in Greenpeace's guide. The group claimed that since the guide was launched, the world's leading consumer electronic brands have greatly improved in their policies on toxic chemicals and e-waste.
This year, Greenpeace has named Korea's Samsung and Japan's Toshiba as two Asian electronic companies that have shown great improvement in their production process to keep the world green. It said Samsung is consistent in its practices and policies, keeping the company's top ranking with a score of 7.7 out of 10. Toshiba climbed from sixth rank last year to join Samsung at the top by improving its score on electronic waste management. Greenpeace said Toshiba has taken care of its own branded discarded products.
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The group first launched its guide in August 2006, as a challenge to electronic companies to "green" their products from production to disposal. The volume of toxic waste from production processes and management of waste and discarded products were points of concern in Greenpeace's guide. The group claimed that since the guide was launched, the world's leading consumer electronic brands have greatly improved in their policies on toxic chemicals and e-waste.
This year, Greenpeace has named Korea's Samsung and Japan's Toshiba as two Asian electronic companies that have shown great improvement in their production process to keep the world green. It said Samsung is consistent in its practices and policies, keeping the company's top ranking with a score of 7.7 out of 10. Toshiba climbed from sixth rank last year to join Samsung at the top by improving its score on electronic waste management. Greenpeace said Toshiba has taken care of its own branded discarded products.
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Labels: Electronics-Communications-Engineering, Energy-Environment-Engineering
PermaLink - Samsung, Toshiba Lead Electronics Cos' Race to Get Green - Greenpeace posted by Ecacofonix : 11:47 PM
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Hacktory - Where DIY Fans Meet to Share Ideas
And while many tools we buy themselves are under warranty, a little piece of plastic included in the tool might not be. "So I basically have a toolset, $60 or $70 worth of tools, that's useless because I don't have this little 10-cent plastic insert," says a user Lomazoff.
So he had a solution: He'll make one.
To do that, he's been putting in time at a new workspace called the Hacktory (thehacktory.org), assembling a vacuum-forming machine. The device will allow him to pop in a carved mold of what he needs, heat a sheet of plastic over it and suck that down on top of his positive model, creating a new tray.
The vacuum former is the first major machine project for the Hacktory, which is intended be part meeting place, part school and part garage where do-it-yourselfers such as Lomazoff can network and build things.
It's also among a surge of hacker spaces that independently have sprung up across the country and in Europe, says Ed Cummings, who sits on the board of the Hacktory's parent nonprofit group.
The idea to gather such like-minded people together first occurred to Romanoff a couple of years ago, after reading the debut of the do-it-yourselfer quarterly Make magazine. He says he and a friend were kicking back over beers, daydreaming of how great it would be to find others who were into the magazine and into building things.
Recent attendance is consistently topping 50, and the group is planning to hold its 14th meeting Sunday.
So he had a solution: He'll make one.
To do that, he's been putting in time at a new workspace called the Hacktory (thehacktory.org), assembling a vacuum-forming machine. The device will allow him to pop in a carved mold of what he needs, heat a sheet of plastic over it and suck that down on top of his positive model, creating a new tray.
The vacuum former is the first major machine project for the Hacktory, which is intended be part meeting place, part school and part garage where do-it-yourselfers such as Lomazoff can network and build things.
It's also among a surge of hacker spaces that independently have sprung up across the country and in Europe, says Ed Cummings, who sits on the board of the Hacktory's parent nonprofit group.
The idea to gather such like-minded people together first occurred to Romanoff a couple of years ago, after reading the debut of the do-it-yourselfer quarterly Make magazine. He says he and a friend were kicking back over beers, daydreaming of how great it would be to find others who were into the magazine and into building things.
Recent attendance is consistently topping 50, and the group is planning to hold its 14th meeting Sunday.
More from here
Labels: Design-Engineering
PermaLink - Hacktory - Where DIY Fans Meet to Share Ideas posted by Ecacofonix : 11:47 PM
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Digital Livingroom - Will Devices Drive Functionality or Vice Versa?
What will be the evolutionary path of the digital living room? Will devices drive functionality, or will it happen the other way around, where functionality dictates the design of devices? Speakers at the Future of Television conference disagreed.
"I think purpose-built devices for particular applications will have a shelf life," BitTorrent president Ashwin Navin said. "Eventually, applications will get incorporated into the boxes with the highest volume."
Eventually, Navin said, you'll see the traditional cable or satellite STB will disappear as well, as the applications it supports get distributed across different devices.
Anton Monk, CTO of the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) thinks network operators will still have a role in determining functionality on a home network.
More from here"I think purpose-built devices for particular applications will have a shelf life," BitTorrent president Ashwin Navin said. "Eventually, applications will get incorporated into the boxes with the highest volume."
Eventually, Navin said, you'll see the traditional cable or satellite STB will disappear as well, as the applications it supports get distributed across different devices.
Anton Monk, CTO of the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) thinks network operators will still have a role in determining functionality on a home network.
Labels: Design-Engineering, Electronics-Communications-Engineering
PermaLink - Digital Livingroom - Will Devices Drive Functionality or Vice Versa? posted by Ecacofonix : 11:47 PM
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Simtrix Swiftpoint Mouse Triped, Slider - Ergonomic, Reduces RSI
Ever get tired of using the oddly-placed touch pad on your laptop or get annoyed with a mouse that can cause wrist pain? Do you get frustrated with a mouse that doesn't exactly work when you happen to be in a place without a desk?
New Zealand based Simtrix introduces the handy Swiftpoint mice. These two mice are small and portable. Stated on the Simtrix Web site, there are six reasons to choose Swiftpoint:
Portable, Intuitive, Efficient, Ergonomic, Accurate, Multi-functional!
The first mouse, the Triped, is primarily used for tablet PC's and multi-touch table-top surfaces. Shaped like, well, a tripod, this mouse fits right into your fingers like a pencil. Basically, you are writing with your mouse.
The second mouse, the Slider, is ideal for portable laptops. Small and easy to use, this mouse is slightly bigger than your thumb and can be used with home multimedia products as well.
These mouse can also reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain injuries caused by lateral arm movements, hand and wrist rotation, and vertical clicking operation.
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New Zealand based Simtrix introduces the handy Swiftpoint mice. These two mice are small and portable. Stated on the Simtrix Web site, there are six reasons to choose Swiftpoint:
Portable, Intuitive, Efficient, Ergonomic, Accurate, Multi-functional!
The first mouse, the Triped, is primarily used for tablet PC's and multi-touch table-top surfaces. Shaped like, well, a tripod, this mouse fits right into your fingers like a pencil. Basically, you are writing with your mouse.
The second mouse, the Slider, is ideal for portable laptops. Small and easy to use, this mouse is slightly bigger than your thumb and can be used with home multimedia products as well.
These mouse can also reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain injuries caused by lateral arm movements, hand and wrist rotation, and vertical clicking operation.
More from here
Labels: Computer-Science, Design-Engineering
PermaLink - Simtrix Swiftpoint Mouse Triped, Slider - Ergonomic, Reduces RSI posted by Ecacofonix : 11:47 PM
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World Epoxy Resins Market - Research Report on Challenges, Issues
Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report related to the Chemicals industry industry is available in its catalogue. World Epoxy Resins Market
This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Epoxy Resins in Thousand Tons. The major end-use segments analyzed are Paints & Coatings (Solvent-based, Water-based, and Powder Coatings), Electrical Laminates, Bonding, Flooring & Paving, and Miscellaneous. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual forecasts are provided for each region for the period of 2001 through 2015. A ten-year historic analysis is also provided for these markets with annual market analytics. The report profiles 85 companies including many key and niche players worldwide such as 3M, Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand) Ltd, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation, Cognis Benelux BV, CVC Specialty Chemicals, DuPont (EI) de Nemours Co., Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc., Huntsman Corporation, Kukdo Chemical, Mitsui Chemicals Inc., Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, Polychem Corporation, Reichhold Inc., Spolchemie A.S., Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd., The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Epoxy, and UPPC AG. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are mostly extracted from URL research and reported select online sources.
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This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Epoxy Resins in Thousand Tons. The major end-use segments analyzed are Paints & Coatings (Solvent-based, Water-based, and Powder Coatings), Electrical Laminates, Bonding, Flooring & Paving, and Miscellaneous. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual forecasts are provided for each region for the period of 2001 through 2015. A ten-year historic analysis is also provided for these markets with annual market analytics. The report profiles 85 companies including many key and niche players worldwide such as 3M, Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand) Ltd, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation, Cognis Benelux BV, CVC Specialty Chemicals, DuPont (EI) de Nemours Co., Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc., Huntsman Corporation, Kukdo Chemical, Mitsui Chemicals Inc., Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, Polychem Corporation, Reichhold Inc., Spolchemie A.S., Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd., The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Epoxy, and UPPC AG. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are mostly extracted from URL research and reported select online sources.
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Labels: Chemical-Engineering
PermaLink - World Epoxy Resins Market - Research Report on Challenges, Issues posted by Ecacofonix : 11:31 AM
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Sea Cucumbers Inspire Polymers that Change Rigidity When Exposed to Water
A new polymer made to act similarly to a sea cucumber can soften when its contacted by water.
Stealing a trick from a tiny, pickle-shaped creature that dwells in the depths of the ocean, scientists have designed a new polymer that, when exposed to water, can instantly change its rigidity and strength. The inventors say the innovation could be useful in biomedical applications, such as brain implants for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries or stroke. Those inserts, say some researchers, may fail because they need to be very stiff when they are “installed.”
When contacted by water, the material transforms from a hard plastic, like that of a CD case, to a soft rubber, explains Stuart Rowan, an associate professor of macromolecular science and engineering in the chemistry department at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and a co-author on the new study, which appears in Science.
Sea cucumbers, of course, are always in contact with water. The animals perform their rigid-to-soft "trick" when they sense a threat, hardening up their skin as a sort of body armor.
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Stealing a trick from a tiny, pickle-shaped creature that dwells in the depths of the ocean, scientists have designed a new polymer that, when exposed to water, can instantly change its rigidity and strength. The inventors say the innovation could be useful in biomedical applications, such as brain implants for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries or stroke. Those inserts, say some researchers, may fail because they need to be very stiff when they are “installed.”
When contacted by water, the material transforms from a hard plastic, like that of a CD case, to a soft rubber, explains Stuart Rowan, an associate professor of macromolecular science and engineering in the chemistry department at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and a co-author on the new study, which appears in Science.
Sea cucumbers, of course, are always in contact with water. The animals perform their rigid-to-soft "trick" when they sense a threat, hardening up their skin as a sort of body armor.
More from here
Labels: Chemical-Engineering
PermaLink - Sea Cucumbers Inspire Polymers that Change Rigidity When Exposed to Water posted by Ecacofonix : 11:30 AM
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Wal-Mart Supercenter in Las Vegas Uses New Tech to Cut Energy Use
Skylights will provide most of the daytime interior lighting at the new Wal-Mart Supercenter. Fluorescent lights that either dim or turn off when the sun is shining will complement the skylights.
The new Wal-Mart Supercenter in southwest Las Vegas, which the retailing giant calls its most efficient yet, uses new adaptations of old technology to cut energy use by 45 %. Soon, most of the technology will be incorporated into traditional Wal-Mart store features. Some of those features include heat-soaking floors that will help cool the 210,000-square-foot store's interior and pipes that run through the concrete floors every six inches. The pipes carry cold water from indirect evaporative coolers on the roof and keep the floor temperature at 67 degrees to 68 degrees.
Wal-Mart has said it is the world's biggest private user of electricity and has huge potential to cut back on greenhouse gases from fossil fuels burned to create electricity
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The new Wal-Mart Supercenter in southwest Las Vegas, which the retailing giant calls its most efficient yet, uses new adaptations of old technology to cut energy use by 45 %. Soon, most of the technology will be incorporated into traditional Wal-Mart store features. Some of those features include heat-soaking floors that will help cool the 210,000-square-foot store's interior and pipes that run through the concrete floors every six inches. The pipes carry cold water from indirect evaporative coolers on the roof and keep the floor temperature at 67 degrees to 68 degrees.
Wal-Mart has said it is the world's biggest private user of electricity and has huge potential to cut back on greenhouse gases from fossil fuels burned to create electricity
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Labels: Energy-Environment-Engineering
PermaLink - Wal-Mart Supercenter in Las Vegas Uses New Tech to Cut Energy Use posted by Ecacofonix : 11:29 AM
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Nano-imprint Technology - Can Molecular Imprints Circumvent Lithography Altogether?
A small group of players in the lithography industry wants to avoid the whole problem of nanometer optical lithography by doing away with the optical part. Nano-imprint technology typically uses e-beam systems to create a mechanical template, not unlike the tools used to press CDs, but on a much finer scale. These folks make a template that is an exact 1:1 image of a resist pattern. They coat the wafer with a polymer, press the template into it, harden the polymer with either heat or UV light, and withdraw the template. Presto: a pattern in the polymer that can be used to mask portions of the wafer. Stepping and repeating creates a patterned polymer layer across an entire wafer.
In principle, the technique has a great future. It requires only inexpensive equipment, needs no DfM tools, OPC, phase-shifting patterns, or other adjustments to the mask to compensate for optical effects—what you see is actually what you get—and in the lab researchers have demonstrated forming features as small as 3 nm. But there have been disabling problems as well.
The chief among them being but many industry experts feel that these issues can be addressed, and to a great extent have been already.
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In principle, the technique has a great future. It requires only inexpensive equipment, needs no DfM tools, OPC, phase-shifting patterns, or other adjustments to the mask to compensate for optical effects—what you see is actually what you get—and in the lab researchers have demonstrated forming features as small as 3 nm. But there have been disabling problems as well.
The chief among them being but many industry experts feel that these issues can be addressed, and to a great extent have been already.
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Labels: Design-Engineering
PermaLink - Nano-imprint Technology - Can Molecular Imprints Circumvent Lithography Altogether? posted by Ecacofonix : 11:28 AM
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Future Trends in Wireless - Predictions, Applications, Challenges
Wireless Future Trends
This post @ the Future of Engineering Blog presents (hopefully) interesting web resources for the future trends in wireless.
Top Trends
The Top 10 Wireless Trends for 2008 -
1. Wireless networks will remain the domain of wireless operators
2. The first android phones hit the market
3. Cameraphones will get even fancier
4. Mobile ads will come to a cell phone screen near you
5. Wimax will become available
6. Openness will continue to dominate the wireless lexicon
7. Nokia will become a major mobile software player
8. Getting lost will get harder
9. More touchscreens
10. Silicon valley will become a wireless industry hot spot
The Seven Top Mobile and Wireless Trends for '07 -
1. More mobile access, more competition
2. The era of 'the big bundle'
3. The democratization of mobile e-mail
4. Search and discovery
5. Mobility gets social
6. Convergence: one phone, many places
7. Media, media, media
Top 10 Wireless Trends -
1. Wireless networks will remain the domain of wireless operators.
2. The first android (google's mobile platform) phones hit the market.
3. Cameraphones will get even fancier.
4. Mobile phone ads will come to a cell phone screen near you.
5. Wimax will become available.
6. Openness will continue to dominate the wireless lexicon.
7. Nokia will become a major mobile software player.
8. Getting lost will get harder.
9. More touchscreens.
10. Silicon valley will become a wireless industry hot spot.
5 Wireless Trends to Watch in 2008 - Wireless communication will see some drastic changes in 2008. The fcc (federal communications commission) will auction off a big chunk of spectrum, and new services will emerge using the existing spectrum. There will be wireless applications of technologies that aren't traditionally wireless, and wireless moves by companies that aren't traditionally in the wireless business. For those who need to know how all these changes will affect their use of wireless devices and applications, here are five trends to keep an eye on.
Nokia Unveils Future Trends in Mobile Tech - Nokia has unveiled plans for its next-generation mobile technology. It's not simply about mobile devices either; preference is also being given to operating systems and software. The plans were put forward at the 'the way we live next' event, an exclusive briefing at the nokia research center in oulu, finland’s northern technology hub.
Future Trends in Wireless and Mobile Communications - As reported in a recent bbc news article, wireless networks are spreading across the UK, with blanket 'wi-fi zones' being rolled out in nine urban centres across the country. But what do these advancements in technology actually mean for the average person in the street? Thankfully, the university of westminster's professor kambiz madani is on hand to explain all.
Future Trends in Wireless Communications - Tremendous changes are occurring in the area of wireless communications, so much so that the mobile phone of yesterday is rapidly turning into a sophisticated mobile device capable of more applications than pcs were capable of only a few years ago. For example, the data rates provided by the initial high speed downlink packet access (hsdpa) extension to 3g networks enable a user to wirelessly access the internet at speeds up to 1.8 mbits/second. Further enhancements in hsdpa modulation schemes will soon increase this speed to greater than 10mbits/second. So downloading your latest e-mails with a 5 mb powerpoint™ attachment outside of the office is no longer a frustrating and time-consuming exercise. In fact, it is just as fast as when you are in the office.
Predictions
Wireless Future - Phones that get you into concerts, tell co-workers not to call now - or even display which friends are at a show. The next phase of the mobile revolution is about to begin
Generation Mobile - As regards what will drive future trends in mobile, it remains to be seen how big an impact user-generated content such as uploading photos, blogging etc will have. But what is certain is the mobile handset’s future as a web platform will be driven by consumer demand for continued innovation and 24/7 access to information. Industry experts and technologists alike tell us the mobile is becoming increasingly like the pc or laptop and that soon we will have the same functionality and computing power in our hands as we have on our desks. Yet customisation of most handsets goes only as far as changing ringtones or wallpaper and the installation of software is severely limited and locked into the handset manufacturer, something which would not be tolerated on a desktop or laptop. This is slowly changing with the release of software developer kits (sdks) by both apple and google.
The Future - How Wireless Communications will Evolve Over the Next 20 Years - Professor William Webb is Ofcom’s head of research and development and senior technologist where he manages a team providing technical advice and performing research across all areas of its regulatory remit. He predicts how the next 20 years will see a very substantial, but steady change in the way we live. Webb points out that little new technology is needed to make us rely heavily on a single device that will manage all our professional and personal communications needs. This evolution will be based on massively enhanced services, turning the mobile phone into an organiser, entertainment device, payment device, security centre and much more. To make this happen webb predicts that one of the greatest changes is that broadcasting and communications will become a seamless network so that any content is available through any channel at any time. He also highlights the areas which will witness significant growth while predicting areas which won’t be so successful in the future.
Mobile Phones May Lead the Charge Out of Our Wire-mired World - Wouldn’t a wireless world be a wonderful thing? The light seems to be shining at the end of the tunnel. We’ve already got cord-free with our phones, remote controls, video game controls and numerous other devices. So what’s with the wires that continue to mire the backs of our tvs, vcrs, stereos and the other things that have become essential parts of our entertainment centers
The Future of Wireless - Wireless network technology may have an impact over the next two years: 802.16, better known as wimax. This technology supports speeds as high as 70mbps and a range of up to 48 kilometres, making it ideal for large corporate campuses and rural areas where cable and dsl broadband service aren't widely available. Intel says that it will begin shipping chips with wimax technology in the second half of this year
The Ultrafast Future of Wireless - Researchers at the university of utah have found a way to control terahertz radiation with more precision than ever before, potentially laying the foundation for a new breed of wireless devices that can take advantage of the previously untapped frequencies. Although still years from commercialization, routers and receivers that use terahertz radiation--which technically ranges from about 100 gigahertz to 10 terahertz--could eventually pack more data onto airwaves, speeding up wireless internet links a thousand times, says ajay nahata, a professor of electrical and computer engineering who led the research
Wi-fi and the Future of Wireless - What started a century ago with marconi's radio and became the now ubiquitous cellphone is now taking shape around a two-way radio technology called wi-fi (short for "wireless fidelity"). It promises to unplug more communications devices by making the internet available just about everywhere and letting people talk to each other more easily than ever before.
Wireless Apps
Future Trends in Miniaturization for Wireless Applications (PDF) - The future of miniaturization of wireless networks is described from the viewpoint of today’s trends in miniaturization, such as microelectromechanical systems and nanotechnology, along with the move away from computer processing–centric systems to distributed networks. The complexity, convergence of technologies, and connectivity of the remote wireless sensor known as the “mote” are discussed in relation to distributed networks. The growth of this technology is compared with growth predicted by moore’s law, which charts a linear progression of technology such as size of a resistor, as well as by the technology S-curve, which charts a logarithmic growth such as that seen by the internet. We show That growth in the number of applications for motes is likely to more closely follow the predictions Of the s-curve. The capabilities of this technology, in terms of functionality, have The potential for the log-linear growth experienced in the modern microcircuit world.
Smartphones Emerge as Future of Wireless - Smartphones, with features such as a voice, contact, appointment, web browsing and e-mail functionality used to be purchased mainly by business people. That's changing rapidly. Manufacturers are now marketing their smarter, full-function handsets to regular consumers and are realizing that the demand is going to be high.
Wireless Future: Ubiquitous Computing (PDF) - Over the last 30 years, we have seen the power of microprocessors double about every 18 months. An equally rapid increase applies to some other technological parameters such as storage capacity and communications bandwidth. This continuing trend means that computers will Become considerably smaller, cheaper, and more abundant – they are becoming ubiquitous, and are even finding their way into everyday objects. This is resulting in the creation of “smart” things that can access the internet and its varied resources, and maybe even cooperate with each other. Mobile phones are a forerunner in this technological field – they are now true computers equipped with a whole range of functionality and may well develop into control centers for a multitude of other personal auxiliary services
Microscopic Radio Hints at Future of Wireless Comms - Us researchers have created a radio using carbon nanotubes so tiny it can fit on a grain of sand, showing how nanotubes could soon be used to make more efficient electronic devices. Professor of materials science and engineering at the university of illinois, tim rodgers, who led the researchers said: "our radio is unique in that it uses nanotube-based transistors for all of the active components of the device, from the resonant antenna to the rf amplifiers, rf mixers and even the audio amplifier." headphones can then be connected directly to the output of a nanotube transistor, he added.
Wizard of the Wireless Future - Jeff hawkins created the first palm pilot (PLMO) digital organizer and then went on to create the handspring visor line as well as the popular new treo 600 combination cell phone, e-mail device, and organizer. His new book, on intelligence, explores the structure of the human brain and how that understanding will help create a new breed of truly intelligent machines. He recently spoke with businessweek correspondent cliff edwards about convergence, the state of innovation in silicon valley, and the technological advances that are exciting to him.
Problems & Challenges
Wireless Hotspots: Current Challenges and Future Directions (PDF) -
In recent years, wireless internet service providers (wisps) established wi-fi hotspots in increasing numbers at public venues, providing local coverage to traveling users and empowering them with the ability to access email, web, and other internet applications
on the move. In this paper, we observe that while the mobile computing landscape has changed both in terms of number and type of hotspot venues, there are several technological and deployment challenges remaining before hotspots can become an ubiquitous
infrastructure. These challenges include authentication, security, coverage, management, location services, billing, and interoperability. We discuss existing research, the work of standards bodies, and the experience of commercial hotspot providers in these areas,
and then describe compelling open research questions that remain.
This post @ the Future of Engineering Blog presents (hopefully) interesting web resources for the future trends in wireless.
Top Trends
The Top 10 Wireless Trends for 2008 -
1. Wireless networks will remain the domain of wireless operators
2. The first android phones hit the market
3. Cameraphones will get even fancier
4. Mobile ads will come to a cell phone screen near you
5. Wimax will become available
6. Openness will continue to dominate the wireless lexicon
7. Nokia will become a major mobile software player
8. Getting lost will get harder
9. More touchscreens
10. Silicon valley will become a wireless industry hot spot
The Seven Top Mobile and Wireless Trends for '07 -
1. More mobile access, more competition
2. The era of 'the big bundle'
3. The democratization of mobile e-mail
4. Search and discovery
5. Mobility gets social
6. Convergence: one phone, many places
7. Media, media, media
Top 10 Wireless Trends -
1. Wireless networks will remain the domain of wireless operators.
2. The first android (google's mobile platform) phones hit the market.
3. Cameraphones will get even fancier.
4. Mobile phone ads will come to a cell phone screen near you.
5. Wimax will become available.
6. Openness will continue to dominate the wireless lexicon.
7. Nokia will become a major mobile software player.
8. Getting lost will get harder.
9. More touchscreens.
10. Silicon valley will become a wireless industry hot spot.
5 Wireless Trends to Watch in 2008 - Wireless communication will see some drastic changes in 2008. The fcc (federal communications commission) will auction off a big chunk of spectrum, and new services will emerge using the existing spectrum. There will be wireless applications of technologies that aren't traditionally wireless, and wireless moves by companies that aren't traditionally in the wireless business. For those who need to know how all these changes will affect their use of wireless devices and applications, here are five trends to keep an eye on.
Nokia Unveils Future Trends in Mobile Tech - Nokia has unveiled plans for its next-generation mobile technology. It's not simply about mobile devices either; preference is also being given to operating systems and software. The plans were put forward at the 'the way we live next' event, an exclusive briefing at the nokia research center in oulu, finland’s northern technology hub.
Future Trends in Wireless and Mobile Communications - As reported in a recent bbc news article, wireless networks are spreading across the UK, with blanket 'wi-fi zones' being rolled out in nine urban centres across the country. But what do these advancements in technology actually mean for the average person in the street? Thankfully, the university of westminster's professor kambiz madani is on hand to explain all.
Future Trends in Wireless Communications - Tremendous changes are occurring in the area of wireless communications, so much so that the mobile phone of yesterday is rapidly turning into a sophisticated mobile device capable of more applications than pcs were capable of only a few years ago. For example, the data rates provided by the initial high speed downlink packet access (hsdpa) extension to 3g networks enable a user to wirelessly access the internet at speeds up to 1.8 mbits/second. Further enhancements in hsdpa modulation schemes will soon increase this speed to greater than 10mbits/second. So downloading your latest e-mails with a 5 mb powerpoint™ attachment outside of the office is no longer a frustrating and time-consuming exercise. In fact, it is just as fast as when you are in the office.
Predictions
Wireless Future - Phones that get you into concerts, tell co-workers not to call now - or even display which friends are at a show. The next phase of the mobile revolution is about to begin
Generation Mobile - As regards what will drive future trends in mobile, it remains to be seen how big an impact user-generated content such as uploading photos, blogging etc will have. But what is certain is the mobile handset’s future as a web platform will be driven by consumer demand for continued innovation and 24/7 access to information. Industry experts and technologists alike tell us the mobile is becoming increasingly like the pc or laptop and that soon we will have the same functionality and computing power in our hands as we have on our desks. Yet customisation of most handsets goes only as far as changing ringtones or wallpaper and the installation of software is severely limited and locked into the handset manufacturer, something which would not be tolerated on a desktop or laptop. This is slowly changing with the release of software developer kits (sdks) by both apple and google.
The Future - How Wireless Communications will Evolve Over the Next 20 Years - Professor William Webb is Ofcom’s head of research and development and senior technologist where he manages a team providing technical advice and performing research across all areas of its regulatory remit. He predicts how the next 20 years will see a very substantial, but steady change in the way we live. Webb points out that little new technology is needed to make us rely heavily on a single device that will manage all our professional and personal communications needs. This evolution will be based on massively enhanced services, turning the mobile phone into an organiser, entertainment device, payment device, security centre and much more. To make this happen webb predicts that one of the greatest changes is that broadcasting and communications will become a seamless network so that any content is available through any channel at any time. He also highlights the areas which will witness significant growth while predicting areas which won’t be so successful in the future.
Mobile Phones May Lead the Charge Out of Our Wire-mired World - Wouldn’t a wireless world be a wonderful thing? The light seems to be shining at the end of the tunnel. We’ve already got cord-free with our phones, remote controls, video game controls and numerous other devices. So what’s with the wires that continue to mire the backs of our tvs, vcrs, stereos and the other things that have become essential parts of our entertainment centers
The Future of Wireless - Wireless network technology may have an impact over the next two years: 802.16, better known as wimax. This technology supports speeds as high as 70mbps and a range of up to 48 kilometres, making it ideal for large corporate campuses and rural areas where cable and dsl broadband service aren't widely available. Intel says that it will begin shipping chips with wimax technology in the second half of this year
The Ultrafast Future of Wireless - Researchers at the university of utah have found a way to control terahertz radiation with more precision than ever before, potentially laying the foundation for a new breed of wireless devices that can take advantage of the previously untapped frequencies. Although still years from commercialization, routers and receivers that use terahertz radiation--which technically ranges from about 100 gigahertz to 10 terahertz--could eventually pack more data onto airwaves, speeding up wireless internet links a thousand times, says ajay nahata, a professor of electrical and computer engineering who led the research
Wi-fi and the Future of Wireless - What started a century ago with marconi's radio and became the now ubiquitous cellphone is now taking shape around a two-way radio technology called wi-fi (short for "wireless fidelity"). It promises to unplug more communications devices by making the internet available just about everywhere and letting people talk to each other more easily than ever before.
Wireless Apps
Future Trends in Miniaturization for Wireless Applications (PDF) - The future of miniaturization of wireless networks is described from the viewpoint of today’s trends in miniaturization, such as microelectromechanical systems and nanotechnology, along with the move away from computer processing–centric systems to distributed networks. The complexity, convergence of technologies, and connectivity of the remote wireless sensor known as the “mote” are discussed in relation to distributed networks. The growth of this technology is compared with growth predicted by moore’s law, which charts a linear progression of technology such as size of a resistor, as well as by the technology S-curve, which charts a logarithmic growth such as that seen by the internet. We show That growth in the number of applications for motes is likely to more closely follow the predictions Of the s-curve. The capabilities of this technology, in terms of functionality, have The potential for the log-linear growth experienced in the modern microcircuit world.
Smartphones Emerge as Future of Wireless - Smartphones, with features such as a voice, contact, appointment, web browsing and e-mail functionality used to be purchased mainly by business people. That's changing rapidly. Manufacturers are now marketing their smarter, full-function handsets to regular consumers and are realizing that the demand is going to be high.
Wireless Future: Ubiquitous Computing (PDF) - Over the last 30 years, we have seen the power of microprocessors double about every 18 months. An equally rapid increase applies to some other technological parameters such as storage capacity and communications bandwidth. This continuing trend means that computers will Become considerably smaller, cheaper, and more abundant – they are becoming ubiquitous, and are even finding their way into everyday objects. This is resulting in the creation of “smart” things that can access the internet and its varied resources, and maybe even cooperate with each other. Mobile phones are a forerunner in this technological field – they are now true computers equipped with a whole range of functionality and may well develop into control centers for a multitude of other personal auxiliary services
Microscopic Radio Hints at Future of Wireless Comms - Us researchers have created a radio using carbon nanotubes so tiny it can fit on a grain of sand, showing how nanotubes could soon be used to make more efficient electronic devices. Professor of materials science and engineering at the university of illinois, tim rodgers, who led the researchers said: "our radio is unique in that it uses nanotube-based transistors for all of the active components of the device, from the resonant antenna to the rf amplifiers, rf mixers and even the audio amplifier." headphones can then be connected directly to the output of a nanotube transistor, he added.
Wizard of the Wireless Future - Jeff hawkins created the first palm pilot (PLMO) digital organizer and then went on to create the handspring visor line as well as the popular new treo 600 combination cell phone, e-mail device, and organizer. His new book, on intelligence, explores the structure of the human brain and how that understanding will help create a new breed of truly intelligent machines. He recently spoke with businessweek correspondent cliff edwards about convergence, the state of innovation in silicon valley, and the technological advances that are exciting to him.
Problems & Challenges
Wireless Hotspots: Current Challenges and Future Directions (PDF) -
In recent years, wireless internet service providers (wisps) established wi-fi hotspots in increasing numbers at public venues, providing local coverage to traveling users and empowering them with the ability to access email, web, and other internet applications
on the move. In this paper, we observe that while the mobile computing landscape has changed both in terms of number and type of hotspot venues, there are several technological and deployment challenges remaining before hotspots can become an ubiquitous
infrastructure. These challenges include authentication, security, coverage, management, location services, billing, and interoperability. We discuss existing research, the work of standards bodies, and the experience of commercial hotspot providers in these areas,
and then describe compelling open research questions that remain.
Labels: Electronics-Communications-Engineering
PermaLink - Future Trends in Wireless - Predictions, Applications, Challenges posted by Ecacofonix : 10:37 AM
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The Vertical Farm Project - A Better Land Use Method
The Problem
By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?
A Potential Solution: Farm Vertically
An entirely new approach to indoor farming must be invented, employing cutting edge technologies. Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers.
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By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?
A Potential Solution: Farm Vertically
An entirely new approach to indoor farming must be invented, employing cutting edge technologies. Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers.
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Labels: Agricultural-Engineering, Society
PermaLink - The Vertical Farm Project - A Better Land Use Method posted by Ecacofonix : 10:36 AM
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Johnathan Goodwin - an Auto Mechanic Does What Detroit Says is Impossible
This is an interesting story. It centers on Kansas City auto mechanic and inventor Johnathan Goodwin.
Two years ago, Goodwin got a rare chance to show off his tricks to some of the car industry's most prominent engineers. He was driving a converted H2 to the SEMA show, the nation's biggest annual specialty automotive confab, and stopped en route at a Denver hotel. When he woke up in the morning, there were 20 people standing around his Hummer. Did I run over somebody? he wondered. As it turned out, they were engineers for GM, the Hummer's manufacturer. They noticed that Goodwin's H2 looked modified. "Does it have a diesel engine in it?"
"Yeah," he said.
"No way," they replied.
He opened the hood, "and they're just all in and out and around the valves and checking it out," he says. He'd filled it up with grease from a Chinese restaurant the day before and was worried that the cold morning might have solidified the fuel. But it started up on the first try and ran so quietly that at first they didn't believe it was really on
And they're like, 'Is it running? Yeah, you can hear the fan going.'" One engineer turned and said, "GM said this wouldn't work."
Remember -- Detroit tells us it's impossible to increase gas mileage without taking a hit on horsepower. Yet here's Goodwin -- with an eight-grade education -- able to design motors that blow the doors off the conventional wisdom.
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Two years ago, Goodwin got a rare chance to show off his tricks to some of the car industry's most prominent engineers. He was driving a converted H2 to the SEMA show, the nation's biggest annual specialty automotive confab, and stopped en route at a Denver hotel. When he woke up in the morning, there were 20 people standing around his Hummer. Did I run over somebody? he wondered. As it turned out, they were engineers for GM, the Hummer's manufacturer. They noticed that Goodwin's H2 looked modified. "Does it have a diesel engine in it?"
"Yeah," he said.
"No way," they replied.
He opened the hood, "and they're just all in and out and around the valves and checking it out," he says. He'd filled it up with grease from a Chinese restaurant the day before and was worried that the cold morning might have solidified the fuel. But it started up on the first try and ran so quietly that at first they didn't believe it was really on
And they're like, 'Is it running? Yeah, you can hear the fan going.'" One engineer turned and said, "GM said this wouldn't work."
Remember -- Detroit tells us it's impossible to increase gas mileage without taking a hit on horsepower. Yet here's Goodwin -- with an eight-grade education -- able to design motors that blow the doors off the conventional wisdom.
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Labels: Energy-Environment-Engineering, Logistics-Transportation-Engineering
PermaLink - Johnathan Goodwin - an Auto Mechanic Does What Detroit Says is Impossible posted by Ecacofonix : 10:35 AM
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U.S. Engineering Degrees Declining - Fewer Engg Students in Pipeline
The numbers are cause for concern. While enrollment at individual U.S. engineering schools remains stable, the overall number of engineering degrees is declining, according to a report on engineering trends. Just how worrying depends on the degree level—bachelor's, master's or doctorate.
According to a February report by Engineering Trends, U.S. universities are awarding more engineering Ph.D.s than in the past. However, the report's authors predict that those gains will be lost because there aren't enough engineering students in the pipeline.
Small but steady declines in bachelor's degrees have occurred in the past three academic years. In 2004-05, some 76,632 engineering bachelor's degrees were awarded. In 2005-06, the number dropped slightly to 76,301. In 2006-07, it again decreased to 75,113.
Computer and electrical engineering bachelor's degrees were no exception to the rule.
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According to a February report by Engineering Trends, U.S. universities are awarding more engineering Ph.D.s than in the past. However, the report's authors predict that those gains will be lost because there aren't enough engineering students in the pipeline.
Small but steady declines in bachelor's degrees have occurred in the past three academic years. In 2004-05, some 76,632 engineering bachelor's degrees were awarded. In 2005-06, the number dropped slightly to 76,301. In 2006-07, it again decreased to 75,113.
Computer and electrical engineering bachelor's degrees were no exception to the rule.
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Labels: Education
PermaLink - U.S. Engineering Degrees Declining - Fewer Engg Students in Pipeline posted by Ecacofonix : 9:48 AM
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Telematics Heralds Self-driving Car - Marc de Jong, NXP Semiconductors
Integration of consumer devices is one of the major growth trends in automotive electronics, with telematics as a close second. Both technologies pose significant challenges to electronics designers and at the same time open interesting perspectives for OEMs, tier ones, service providers " and drivers.
At the recent Euroforum Automotive Electronics congress in Munich, EE Times Europe discussed perspectives and obstacles with Marc de Jong, executive vice president and general manager, automotive & identification, NXP Semiconductors.
According to him, "Telematics is one of the hottest topics in automotive at the moment. There are enormous perspectives, and in the end – and now I am making a dangerous statement – a vision could be a self-driving car. If you extrapolate the technological developments you will see that it is about moving away from you and me driving a car and being focused on the road and concentrate on driving towards a situation where you will be spending less energy on driving and more having time to communicate and interact by phone and internet, interact with passengers in the car and enjoy the ride. It is this vision that is behind telematics"
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At the recent Euroforum Automotive Electronics congress in Munich, EE Times Europe discussed perspectives and obstacles with Marc de Jong, executive vice president and general manager, automotive & identification, NXP Semiconductors.
According to him, "Telematics is one of the hottest topics in automotive at the moment. There are enormous perspectives, and in the end – and now I am making a dangerous statement – a vision could be a self-driving car. If you extrapolate the technological developments you will see that it is about moving away from you and me driving a car and being focused on the road and concentrate on driving towards a situation where you will be spending less energy on driving and more having time to communicate and interact by phone and internet, interact with passengers in the car and enjoy the ride. It is this vision that is behind telematics"
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Labels: Automation, Electronics-Communications-Engineering
PermaLink - Telematics Heralds Self-driving Car - Marc de Jong, NXP Semiconductors posted by Ecacofonix : 9:47 AM
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Unified Communications, Network Security Key Networking Trends in 2008
New technologies and practices are sure to impact the network and the VARs that offer networking gear in 2008. Advancements in unified communications, network security, green networking and the addition of an Ethernet switch from a vendor that has yet to offer one, will have the channel reeling with potential. According to Yankee Group senior vice president Zeus Kerravala, a former reseller himself, 2008 will be a big year.
Here are some key trends to expect in the coming year:
1. Unified Communications
2. Network Security...
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Here are some key trends to expect in the coming year:
1. Unified Communications
2. Network Security...
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Labels: Computer-Science, Electronics-Communications-Engineering
PermaLink - Unified Communications, Network Security Key Networking Trends in 2008 posted by Ecacofonix : 9:46 AM
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Coal Emerging as Feedstock for Plastics - Bad News for Environment?
We all know that crude oil isn't just used to fuel our cars and heat our homes - it is also used to make a range of chemicals, including those in plastics, lubricants and fertilisers. With dwindling oil reserves, coal is emerging as an easy alternative. This could be true for the chemical applications as well.
Why is this a concern? Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. One megawatt hour of electricity produced from coal produces 974 kg CO2 versus 726 and 469 for oil and natural gas.
Coal becomes an economically attractive option for making plastic when oil sells for $50 per barrel. It ceases to be attractive below $35 per barrel.
So why is coal not already being used? In part because of environmental concerns. Coal gets bad press, and countries that have signed the Kyoto protocol may not be able to "afford" the additional emissions of CO2. Not surprising, then, that coal's potential as a raw material for making chemicals is greatest in China, India and the US -- as yet, none of them have any obligations to reduce their emissions and together, they are home to about half the world's coal reserves.
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Why is this a concern? Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. One megawatt hour of electricity produced from coal produces 974 kg CO2 versus 726 and 469 for oil and natural gas.
Coal becomes an economically attractive option for making plastic when oil sells for $50 per barrel. It ceases to be attractive below $35 per barrel.
So why is coal not already being used? In part because of environmental concerns. Coal gets bad press, and countries that have signed the Kyoto protocol may not be able to "afford" the additional emissions of CO2. Not surprising, then, that coal's potential as a raw material for making chemicals is greatest in China, India and the US -- as yet, none of them have any obligations to reduce their emissions and together, they are home to about half the world's coal reserves.
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Labels: Chemical-Engineering, Energy-Environment-Engineering
PermaLink - Coal Emerging as Feedstock for Plastics - Bad News for Environment? posted by Ecacofonix : 9:45 AM
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Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) - Metal Hybrids Promise Materials of the Future
Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), a fairly new class of hybrid materials that combine organic molecules with metal atoms, is thought to have a bright future for various applications, from medicine to the automotive industry. They could be used to create a variety of innovative materials that are described to have a complex architecture, such as thin or thick films, microparticles and fibers, for use for diagnostics or treatment.
So what are the MOFs? The European Science Foundation explains:
MOFs are porous materials with microscopic sized holes, resembling honeycombs at molecular dimensions. This property of having astronomical numbers of tiny holes within a relatively small volume can be exploited in various ways, one of which is as a repository for gases. Gas molecules diffuse into the MOF solid and are contained within its pores. In the case of gas storage, MOFs offer the crucial advantage of soaking up some of the gas pressure exerted by the molecules.
This makes hydrogen derived from non-fossil energy sources such as fuel cells, or even genetically engineered plants, potentially viable as a fuel for cars while the alternative of pressurised canisters is not.
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So what are the MOFs? The European Science Foundation explains:
MOFs are porous materials with microscopic sized holes, resembling honeycombs at molecular dimensions. This property of having astronomical numbers of tiny holes within a relatively small volume can be exploited in various ways, one of which is as a repository for gases. Gas molecules diffuse into the MOF solid and are contained within its pores. In the case of gas storage, MOFs offer the crucial advantage of soaking up some of the gas pressure exerted by the molecules.
This makes hydrogen derived from non-fossil energy sources such as fuel cells, or even genetically engineered plants, potentially viable as a fuel for cars while the alternative of pressurised canisters is not.
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Labels: Material-Sciences
PermaLink - Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) - Metal Hybrids Promise Materials of the Future posted by Ecacofonix : 7:24 AM
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Systems Biology is Moving Towards Clinical Applications
While it now remains a research tool, systems biology is moving toward clinical applications, including personalized
Imagine going to a doctor's office. your complete genome sequence, which provides a probabilistic prediction of your future health, is part of your medical file. To see how that genetic component is playing out and to obtain a snapshot of your current health status, your doctor orders a standard test of more than 2,000 proteins and metabolites. According to the results of those tests, your doctor recommends ways for you to maintain or improve your health through either medication or behavior modification.
This network illustrates a cause-and-effect model of the mechanisms involved in the transition of prostate cancer from androgen dependence to androgen independence. The colors indicate whether a component increases or decreases (green is observed increase, red is observed decrease, yellow is predicted increase, and blue is predicted decrease). The labels H1 to H5 represent five major hypotheses of mechanisms responsible for the progression of prostate cancer. Sounds futuristic? Perhaps, but it's not as far off as it seems, and systems biology will help make it a reality. Such a personalized approach to medicine is only one of the clinical applications of systems biology on the horizon.
"We've struggled for eons to figure out how to handle biological complexity," says H. Steven Wiley, director of the biomolecular systems initiative at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Biological research has traditionally taken a one-at-a-time approach to studying genes and proteins, the so-called reductionist approach. Now, tools such as DNA and protein microarrays and mass spectrometry have made it possible to study many components and clarify how they work together to regulate and carry out biological processes. The goal of systems biology is to combine molecular information of various types in models that describe and predict function at the cellular, tissue, organ, and even whole-organism levels.
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Imagine going to a doctor's office. your complete genome sequence, which provides a probabilistic prediction of your future health, is part of your medical file. To see how that genetic component is playing out and to obtain a snapshot of your current health status, your doctor orders a standard test of more than 2,000 proteins and metabolites. According to the results of those tests, your doctor recommends ways for you to maintain or improve your health through either medication or behavior modification.
This network illustrates a cause-and-effect model of the mechanisms involved in the transition of prostate cancer from androgen dependence to androgen independence. The colors indicate whether a component increases or decreases (green is observed increase, red is observed decrease, yellow is predicted increase, and blue is predicted decrease). The labels H1 to H5 represent five major hypotheses of mechanisms responsible for the progression of prostate cancer. Sounds futuristic? Perhaps, but it's not as far off as it seems, and systems biology will help make it a reality. Such a personalized approach to medicine is only one of the clinical applications of systems biology on the horizon.
"We've struggled for eons to figure out how to handle biological complexity," says H. Steven Wiley, director of the biomolecular systems initiative at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Biological research has traditionally taken a one-at-a-time approach to studying genes and proteins, the so-called reductionist approach. Now, tools such as DNA and protein microarrays and mass spectrometry have made it possible to study many components and clarify how they work together to regulate and carry out biological processes. The goal of systems biology is to combine molecular information of various types in models that describe and predict function at the cellular, tissue, organ, and even whole-organism levels.
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Labels: Bio-engineering
PermaLink - Systems Biology is Moving Towards Clinical Applications posted by Ecacofonix : 7:24 AM
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It's No Longer Zero Carbon, Now Carbon Negative is the Goal
If the world is going to sharply reduce the amount of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by midcentury, then many businesses will have to go carbon neutral, bringing their net emissions of the greenhouse gas to zero.
But some could go even further by removing more CO2 than they produce. Instead of carbon neutral, how about carbon negative?
In academic and industrial labs worldwide, researchers are working on technologies to reach that goal. Success could create the ultimate green business — for example, one that produces fuel whose emissions are more than offset by carbon dioxide stored during production. The businesses would be successful if, as anticipated, Congress puts a tax on emissions or starts a trading plan that makes carbon credits valuable.
For some experts, it’s not a question of whether businesses will go carbon negative but when.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that an 80 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions was necessary to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. But capturing the gas from coal plant smokestacks or switching to fuels that produce less of it when burned goes only so far.
While much engineering work would have to be done to make a business carbon negative, the outlines are clear.
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But some could go even further by removing more CO2 than they produce. Instead of carbon neutral, how about carbon negative?
In academic and industrial labs worldwide, researchers are working on technologies to reach that goal. Success could create the ultimate green business — for example, one that produces fuel whose emissions are more than offset by carbon dioxide stored during production. The businesses would be successful if, as anticipated, Congress puts a tax on emissions or starts a trading plan that makes carbon credits valuable.
For some experts, it’s not a question of whether businesses will go carbon negative but when.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that an 80 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions was necessary to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. But capturing the gas from coal plant smokestacks or switching to fuels that produce less of it when burned goes only so far.
While much engineering work would have to be done to make a business carbon negative, the outlines are clear.
More from here
Labels: Energy-Environment-Engineering
PermaLink - It's No Longer Zero Carbon, Now Carbon Negative is the Goal posted by Ecacofonix : 7:23 AM
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Using DNA Shuffling, E.coli Gives Hydrogen from Sugar
Texas A&M Professor Thomas Wood and his research team have successfully genetically manipulated Escherichia coli to produce hydrogen fuel from common sugar.
E. coli is commonly associated with food poisoning from uncooked meat, but the bacteria is also found naturally in the human body. Wood said that the average person has eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) of bacteria in their body at any given time. This bacteria naturally produces hydrogen to increase the pH of its surroundings for survival.
Wood has spent the previous 17 years manipulating the bacteria to do different things. Wood said that his research group initially started out with the wrong assumptions, but once the research settled its focus on E. coli, progress began moving along rapidly.
"We have used a process called DNA shuffling, in which we separate and re-splice E. coli genes in random sequences. We eventually found a combination which produced more hydrogen," Wood said
More from here
E. coli is commonly associated with food poisoning from uncooked meat, but the bacteria is also found naturally in the human body. Wood said that the average person has eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) of bacteria in their body at any given time. This bacteria naturally produces hydrogen to increase the pH of its surroundings for survival.
Wood has spent the previous 17 years manipulating the bacteria to do different things. Wood said that his research group initially started out with the wrong assumptions, but once the research settled its focus on E. coli, progress began moving along rapidly.
"We have used a process called DNA shuffling, in which we separate and re-splice E. coli genes in random sequences. We eventually found a combination which produced more hydrogen," Wood said
More from here
Labels: Bio-engineering, Energy-Environment-Engineering
PermaLink - Using DNA Shuffling, E.coli Gives Hydrogen from Sugar posted by Ecacofonix : 7:22 AM
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DARPA's UNIC Program for Sun - Ultraperformance Nanophotonic Intrachip Communication
Sun Microsystems, Inc. has been awarded $44.29 million funding for a five and a half-year research project focused on microchip interconnectivity via on-chip optical networks enabled by Silicon photonics and proximity communication. Part of DARPA's Ultraperformance Nanophotonic Intrachip Communication program, the project commences with an incremental delivery of $8.1 million to Sun Microsystems' Microelectronics and Laboratories divisions
Building on research done under DARPA's High Productivity Computing Systems program, Sun's new project will accelerate the development of lower cost, high performance and high productivity systems. The project presents a unique opportunity to develop supercomputers through interconnecting an array of low-cost chips, with the potential to overcome the fundamental cost and performance limits of scaling up today's large computer systems
"DARPA's UNIC (Ultraperformance Nanophotonic Intrachip Communications) program will demonstrate high performance photonic technology for high bandwidth, on-chip, photonic communications networks for advanced (≥ 10 trillion operations/second) microprocessors. By restoring the balance between computation and communications, the program will significantly enhance DoD's capabilities for applications such as Image Processing, Autonomous Operations, Synthetic Aperture Radar, as well as supercomputing," said Dr. Jag Shah, program manager in DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office.
More from here
Building on research done under DARPA's High Productivity Computing Systems program, Sun's new project will accelerate the development of lower cost, high performance and high productivity systems. The project presents a unique opportunity to develop supercomputers through interconnecting an array of low-cost chips, with the potential to overcome the fundamental cost and performance limits of scaling up today's large computer systems
"DARPA's UNIC (Ultraperformance Nanophotonic Intrachip Communications) program will demonstrate high performance photonic technology for high bandwidth, on-chip, photonic communications networks for advanced (≥ 10 trillion operations/second) microprocessors. By restoring the balance between computation and communications, the program will significantly enhance DoD's capabilities for applications such as Image Processing, Autonomous Operations, Synthetic Aperture Radar, as well as supercomputing," said Dr. Jag Shah, program manager in DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office.
More from here
Labels: Computer-Science, Electronics-Communications-Engineering, Physics
PermaLink - DARPA's UNIC Program for Sun - Ultraperformance Nanophotonic Intrachip Communication posted by Ecacofonix : 7:21 AM
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Soild Hydrogen Storage System by Stanford Ovshinsky
Hydrogen Solutions to Replace Gasoline Inventor will Keynote nanoTX USA’08
World-famed pioneer in nanostructures, who was once named Time Magazine’s “Hero of the Planet,” is greatly anticipated in the scientific and business community with exciting new advances
Stanford R. Ovshinsky has become a living legend in the scientific and business communities, having once been profiled in a one-hour PBS program on NOVA entitled “Japan’s American Genius.” The most recent exciting advancement is his solid hydrogen storage system, a metal hydride solid which can be stored in a granular, inert form in compact tanks. It's as easy to fuel up a vehicle with this solid hydrogen as it is to gas up a conventional car. When the car needs fuel, a little energy from the battery system heats up the solid and releases hydrogen gas. Solid hydrogen is currently powering some internal combustion engines on modified Toyota Priuses, and the future looks promising for fuel cell implementation.
Full story here
World-famed pioneer in nanostructures, who was once named Time Magazine’s “Hero of the Planet,” is greatly anticipated in the scientific and business community with exciting new advances
Stanford R. Ovshinsky has become a living legend in the scientific and business communities, having once been profiled in a one-hour PBS program on NOVA entitled “Japan’s American Genius.” The most recent exciting advancement is his solid hydrogen storage system, a metal hydride solid which can be stored in a granular, inert form in compact tanks. It's as easy to fuel up a vehicle with this solid hydrogen as it is to gas up a conventional car. When the car needs fuel, a little energy from the battery system heats up the solid and releases hydrogen gas. Solid hydrogen is currently powering some internal combustion engines on modified Toyota Priuses, and the future looks promising for fuel cell implementation.
Full story here
Labels: Energy-Environment-Engineering, Logistics-Transportation-Engineering, Material-Sciences
PermaLink - Soild Hydrogen Storage System by Stanford Ovshinsky posted by Ecacofonix : 7:20 AM
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Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Arthur C. Clarke Lectures - The Next Billion Years, Emerging Global Brain
Wow, this is an excellent read. It's difficult to write a precis for this, so I suggest you read the entire post - quite a long one, I must warn you, but fascinating, don't worry!
Labels: Astronomy, Sciences, Society
PermaLink - Arthur C. Clarke Lectures - The Next Billion Years, Emerging Global Brain posted by Ecacofonix : 2:03 AM
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Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) - The Future of Motoring?
Automotive entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin is convinced that his New York-based company, Visionary Vehicles, will introduce a globally sourced, Chinese-built plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to the US market in 2009. According to Bricklin, the car will achieve fuel efficiency of at least 100 mpg, boast a level of detail to rival Mercedes, and roll into consumer’s driveways for $35,000. Bricklin sees it as a no-compromise automobile that will embarrass the Prius in the areas of mileage, luxury, and desirability. “This 35-mpg garbage is going to be history,” says Bricklin. “If I have the opportunity to change this industry, I’m going to. And I do have the opportunity to change this industry. So I will.”
The claim brings Bricklin head-to-head with the world’s biggest automakers as they race to develop a technology many are heralding as the future of motoring.
Full story here
The claim brings Bricklin head-to-head with the world’s biggest automakers as they race to develop a technology many are heralding as the future of motoring.
Full story here
Labels: Energy-Environment-Engineering, Logistics-Transportation-Engineering, Mechanical-Engineering
PermaLink - Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) - The Future of Motoring? posted by Ecacofonix : 1:42 AM
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Biochips, Computers Could Lead to Personalized Medicine, Better Drugs
Recently scientists have provided a sneak preview of the future of biomedicine with a range of projects seeking to assemble virtual humans — or parts of them — on computers and “labs on a chip.” Someday, the descendants of these sophisticated new programs and devices could serve as our stand-ins for clinical tests on drugs, cosmetics and toxic compounds.
The increasing ability of computers and biochips to mimic brain chemistry, internal organs, and the interactions between drugs and viruses such as HIV could help reduce the reliance on animal testing to understand the potency and side effects of pharmaceuticals. A more informed leap between experiments on dish-grown cells and lab animals, in turn, could lead to a better drug development process. And eventually, the technology could usher in a new era of personalized medicine in which rapid tests tell doctors which treatments have the best chances of success for individual patients.
Full story here
Related blogposts
The future of biomedicine: virtual humans
The increasing ability of computers and biochips to mimic brain chemistry, internal organs, and the interactions between drugs and viruses such as HIV could help reduce the reliance on animal testing to understand the potency and side effects of pharmaceuticals. A more informed leap between experiments on dish-grown cells and lab animals, in turn, could lead to a better drug development process. And eventually, the technology could usher in a new era of personalized medicine in which rapid tests tell doctors which treatments have the best chances of success for individual patients.
Full story here
Related blogposts
The future of biomedicine: virtual humans
Labels: Bio-engineering, Computer-Science
PermaLink - Biochips, Computers Could Lead to Personalized Medicine, Better Drugs posted by Ecacofonix : 1:35 AM
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Chemical Brain for Controlling Nanobots, Nano-machines
The researchers have already built larger 'brains'
A tiny chemical "brain" which could one day act as a remote control for swarms of nano-machines has been invented.
The molecular device - just two billionths of a metre across - was able to control eight of the microscopic machines simultaneously in a test. Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists say it could also be used to boost the processing power of future computers. The machine is made from 17 molecules of the chemical duroquinone. Each one is known as a "logic device".
Many experts have high hopes for nano-machines in treating disease.
More from here
Related blogposts
Nanobots Controlled By Chemical Brain
A tiny chemical "brain" which could one day act as a remote control for swarms of nano-machines has been invented.
The molecular device - just two billionths of a metre across - was able to control eight of the microscopic machines simultaneously in a test. Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists say it could also be used to boost the processing power of future computers. The machine is made from 17 molecules of the chemical duroquinone. Each one is known as a "logic device".
Many experts have high hopes for nano-machines in treating disease.
More from here
Related blogposts
Nanobots Controlled By Chemical Brain
Labels: Bio-engineering, Chemical-Engineering
PermaLink - Chemical Brain for Controlling Nanobots, Nano-machines posted by Ecacofonix : 1:34 AM
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HyperSpace Laptops Run More than One OS
Tired of Windows? The next generation of laptops may let you jump from one operating system to another to play movies, surf the Web or read e-mail.
Phoenix Technologies, a leading maker of the software that controls the most basic workings of Windows computers, announced this week that it will offer a feature it calls HyperSpace to laptop manufacturers.
User will be able to boot in a few seconds straight into the DVD player, skipping the longer Windows startup, or switch to the DVD player from Windows. If Windows is running at the same time, it can be put in sleep mode, prolonging battery life.
Full story here
Phoenix Technologies, a leading maker of the software that controls the most basic workings of Windows computers, announced this week that it will offer a feature it calls HyperSpace to laptop manufacturers.
User will be able to boot in a few seconds straight into the DVD player, skipping the longer Windows startup, or switch to the DVD player from Windows. If Windows is running at the same time, it can be put in sleep mode, prolonging battery life.
Full story here
Labels: Computer-Science
Translating Thoughts into Speech - from Ambient Technologies
Ambient Technologies is offering far more than a penny for your thoughts with a new application that can translate thoughts into speech. Imagine what this means for people suffering from ALS (i.e, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking) and a wide range of neurological disorders who have much to say - and now a new way to say it.
The ability to connect brains and computers has applications in medicine, robotics, defense, security and everyday software. Stretch this a bit further and it’s easy to imagine the effects on retail, marketing, gaming, education, polling, social networking, dating, criminal justice and rehabilitation, training, psychotherapy…anywhere brains and computers meet.
Full story here
Related blogposts
A new device to translate thoughts into speech
Neckband Detects User Thoughts And Translates to Speech
The ability to connect brains and computers has applications in medicine, robotics, defense, security and everyday software. Stretch this a bit further and it’s easy to imagine the effects on retail, marketing, gaming, education, polling, social networking, dating, criminal justice and rehabilitation, training, psychotherapy…anywhere brains and computers meet.
Full story here
Related blogposts
A new device to translate thoughts into speech
Neckband Detects User Thoughts And Translates to Speech
Labels: Bio-engineering, Sciences
PermaLink - Translating Thoughts into Speech - from Ambient Technologies posted by Ecacofonix : 1:33 AM
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Future 'Quantum Computers' Can Make Credit Card Encryption Technology Obsolete
An unusual observation in a University of Central Florida physics lab may lead to a new generation of quantum computers that will render today's computer and credit card encryption technology obsolete.
The basis for current encryption systems is that computers would need thousands of years to factor a large number, making it very difficult to do. However, if UCF Professor Enrique del Barco's observation can be fully understood and applied, scientists may have the basis to create quantum computers -- which could easily break the most complicated encryption in a matter of hours.
Del Barco said the observation may foster the understanding of quantum tunneling of nanoscale magnetic systems, which could revolutionize the way we understand computation.
According to quantum mechanics, small magnetic objects called nanomagnets can exist in two distinct states. They can switch their state through a phenomenon called quantum tunneling. switch is called quantum tunneling because it looks like a funnel cloud tunneling from one pole to another.
Del Barco published paper shows that two almost independent halves of a new magnetic molecule can tunnel, or switch poles, at once under certain conditions. In the process, they appear to cancel out quantum tunneling. This is somewhat similar in concept to what can be observed when two rays of light run into interference. Once the they run into the interference you can expect darkness.
Essentially, what this simultaneous tunneling means is that quantum tunneling can be controlled. Controlling quantum tunneling shifts could help create the quantum logic gates necessary to create quantum computers.
Quantum computers, if they become a reality, could have such dramatically enhanced processing speeds that some of the operations that are today considered to take an inconsiderably long time can be completed much quicker. This is mostly good, but sometimes such phenomenally faster computers could also create problems. Quantum computers, for instance, can also make much of today's credit card encryption technologies obsolete!
Read a more detailed report here
See also a related report Qutrits Bring Quantum Computer Closer
Related blogposts
Future Quantum Computers Will Offer Increased Efficiency… And Risks
Quantum computers: technological deliverance or the end of security?
The basis for current encryption systems is that computers would need thousands of years to factor a large number, making it very difficult to do. However, if UCF Professor Enrique del Barco's observation can be fully understood and applied, scientists may have the basis to create quantum computers -- which could easily break the most complicated encryption in a matter of hours.
Del Barco said the observation may foster the understanding of quantum tunneling of nanoscale magnetic systems, which could revolutionize the way we understand computation.
According to quantum mechanics, small magnetic objects called nanomagnets can exist in two distinct states. They can switch their state through a phenomenon called quantum tunneling. switch is called quantum tunneling because it looks like a funnel cloud tunneling from one pole to another.
Del Barco published paper shows that two almost independent halves of a new magnetic molecule can tunnel, or switch poles, at once under certain conditions. In the process, they appear to cancel out quantum tunneling. This is somewhat similar in concept to what can be observed when two rays of light run into interference. Once the they run into the interference you can expect darkness.
Essentially, what this simultaneous tunneling means is that quantum tunneling can be controlled. Controlling quantum tunneling shifts could help create the quantum logic gates necessary to create quantum computers.
Quantum computers, if they become a reality, could have such dramatically enhanced processing speeds that some of the operations that are today considered to take an inconsiderably long time can be completed much quicker. This is mostly good, but sometimes such phenomenally faster computers could also create problems. Quantum computers, for instance, can also make much of today's credit card encryption technologies obsolete!
Read a more detailed report here
See also a related report Qutrits Bring Quantum Computer Closer
Related blogposts
Future Quantum Computers Will Offer Increased Efficiency… And Risks
Quantum computers: technological deliverance or the end of security?
Labels: Computer-Science
PermaLink - Future 'Quantum Computers' Can Make Credit Card Encryption Technology Obsolete posted by Ecacofonix : 1:31 AM
0 Comments
Monday, March 24, 2008
Putting McKinsey's Eight Business Technology Trends into Practice
The McKinsey Quarterly recently published an article on eight business technology trends to watch that was not only quite good, but a good summary of the trends that you should be implementing, appropriately, in your supply chain. In this second part of this two part series, this post from Sourcing Innovation reviews the trends and give you some examples of how you can apply them to improve your sourcing and supply chain practice.
Related blogposts
Putting McKinsey's Eight Business Technology Trends into Practice
McKinsey’s 8 Business Technology Trends to Watch
Related blogposts
Putting McKinsey's Eight Business Technology Trends into Practice
McKinsey’s 8 Business Technology Trends to Watch
Labels: Logistics-Transportation-Engineering
PermaLink - Putting McKinsey's Eight Business Technology Trends into Practice posted by Ecacofonix : 11:30 AM
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McKinsey Quarterly Eight Business Technology Trends To Watch
A recent article at the McKinsey Quarterly "Eight business technology trends to watch" by James Manyika, Roger Roberts and Kara Sprague identified some trends that we as IT leaders need to be thinking about. The trends they identify are:
Managing Relationships
1. Distributing cocreation - use the Internet to collaborate
2. Using consumers as innovators - use "crowdsourcing"
3. Tapping into a world of talent - using the Net
4. Extracting more value from interactions - using technology
Managing Capital and Assets
5. Expanding the frontiers of automation
6. Unbundling production from delivery - use technology to make our fixed assets into reusable components
Leveraging Information in New Ways
7. Putting more science into management - more data-based decisions
8. Making businesses from information - from new markets.
Via: Beyond Blinking Lights & Acronyms
Related blogposts
McKinsey Quarterly - Trends in Business Technology
Business Technology Trends To Watch
Managing Relationships
1. Distributing cocreation - use the Internet to collaborate
2. Using consumers as innovators - use "crowdsourcing"
3. Tapping into a world of talent - using the Net
4. Extracting more value from interactions - using technology
Managing Capital and Assets
5. Expanding the frontiers of automation
6. Unbundling production from delivery - use technology to make our fixed assets into reusable components
Leveraging Information in New Ways
7. Putting more science into management - more data-based decisions
8. Making businesses from information - from new markets.
Via: Beyond Blinking Lights & Acronyms
Related blogposts
McKinsey Quarterly - Trends in Business Technology
Business Technology Trends To Watch
Labels: Society
PermaLink - McKinsey Quarterly Eight Business Technology Trends To Watch posted by Ecacofonix : 11:26 AM
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What's Wrong with Stem Cell Research?
What indeed is wrong with stem cell research?
Well, most folks opposed to stem cell research are not exactly opposed to stem cell research. They are opposed to embryonic stem cell research. What is it?
The two broad types of mammalian stem cells are: embryonic stem cells that are found in developing embryos, and adult stem cells found in adult tissues. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the specialized embryonic tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing specialized cells, but also maintain the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin or intestinal tissues. (source: Wikipedia, see also NIH Stem Cell Info Home Page)
The methods to get embryonic stem cells requires the destruction of discarded human embryos, usually from fertility clinics. These frozen embryos are created by in vitro fertilization, are no longer needed by the families who produced them, such embryos were available for “adoption". Now you can understand the context. (some FAQs that will throw more light on these: From Wired here & here, http://www.whitehead.mit.edu/news/paradigm/spring_2007/faqs.html, Massachusetts General Hospital, NIH, Reasons to Believe, International Society for Stem Cell Research)
Many pro-lifers believe that human life, in the form of an ovum and spermatozoon, becomes a human person at the time of fertilization. Thus, killing an embryo in order to extract its stem cells is a form of homicide. They are generally opposed to such research. Others disagree. They believe that an embryo has the potential to develop into a person, but is not a person itself. They note that an embryo is not sentient; it has no brain, sensory organs, ability to think, awareness of its surroundings, consciousness, internal organs, arms, legs, head, etc. They feel that research using stem cells derived from embryos is ethical.
So where indeed are we heading with regard to stem cell research in general and embryonic stem cell research in particular? What are the various breakthroughs in this domain? What are the experts and politicians and yes, George W Bush saying?
This compilation looks at this important area of research and debate and provides a list of resources that will hopefully give the reader a better perspective of all the views and facts.
Breakthroughs and Inventions
Human Stem Cells May be Produced without Embryos (Jul 2007) - Japan’s leading genetics researcher could be “a matter of months” from reaching the Holy Grail of biotechnology – producing an “ethical” human stem cell without using a human embryo, he has said. The potential of Professor Yamanaka’s breakthrough work – in which the skin cells of laboratory mice were genetically manipulated back to their embryonic state – has been hailed as the equivalent of “transforming lead into gold”. If the research develops in the way he hopes, runs the excited logic, the ethical problems that have swirled around embryonic stem-cell research would disappear. The concept of artificially inducing adult cells to return to a stem-cell state raises equally attractive possibilities for organ transplantation.
Stem Cell Breakthrough Could Stifle Research (Nov 2007) - Last week independent teams of scientists announced a major advance in stem cell research with their discovery of how to turn human skin cells into an "embryonic" state, enabling these cells to grow into nerve, heart or other types of human cells. The method does not require the destruction of discarded human embryos from fertility clinics, currently the only source of embryonic stem cells. Thus, this would bypass the ethical concern that prompted the Bush White House to sharply limit funding on stem cell research. The discovery, albeit promising, might stifle embryonic stem cell research or send it down a dead-end path, for it is now harder than ever to secure funding to study the best source of embryonic stem cells—that is, embryos.
British Team Grows Human Heart Valve from Stem Cells (Apr 2007) - A British research team led by the world's leading heart surgeon has grown part of a human heart from stem cells for the first time. If animal trials scheduled for later this year prove successful, replacement tissue could be used in transplants for the hundreds of thousands of people suffering from heart disease within three years.
Stem Cell Breakthrough to Challenge Bush Objections (Aug 2006) - A stem cell breakthrough by American scientists is set to overturn ethical objections to potentially live-saving research. They have found how to make stem cells from embryos without destroying the embryo in the process - an advance that could open the door to billions of dollars in research funding. A team at the Advanced Cell Technology - a private company - has found that it is possible to create human stem cells using one or two cells from an early embryo, without doing any damage to the embryo
Stem Cells Patch Holes in Brain without Prompting (Dec 2006) - In research that could be harnessed to speed recovery from stroke or blunt-force trauma to the head, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, report that mice genetically engineered to have holes in a region of their brain recovered due to the work of stem cells in the area.
Stem Cells for Parkinson's Disease: Breakthrough or Hype? - asks this recent post from Wired
Views and Opinions
For Catholics, is Stem Cell Research Worse than Sloth?, asks this March 2008 article in Slate - "The Vatican released a list of seven new sins...Dubbed the "social sins," they include conducting stem-cell research, polluting the environment, and causing poverty. Along with the old standbys—like lust, pride, and greed—these seven are considered to be of the "deadly" variety. What kinds of sins aren't deadly?"...read on
ES Cells without Harming the Embryo (Oct 2005) - scientists have derived embryonic stem cells from a single cell removed from an 8-cell mouse embryo. But they have implanted the remaining seven cells in a female mouse womb and produced apparently normal pregnancies in about half the cases. Hitherto, stem cells have been taken from later stage embryos in a way which destroys the
Well, most folks opposed to stem cell research are not exactly opposed to stem cell research. They are opposed to embryonic stem cell research. What is it?
The two broad types of mammalian stem cells are: embryonic stem cells that are found in developing embryos, and adult stem cells found in adult tissues. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the specialized embryonic tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing specialized cells, but also maintain the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin or intestinal tissues. (source: Wikipedia, see also NIH Stem Cell Info Home Page)
The methods to get embryonic stem cells requires the destruction of discarded human embryos, usually from fertility clinics. These frozen embryos are created by in vitro fertilization, are no longer needed by the families who produced them, such embryos were available for “adoption". Now you can understand the context. (some FAQs that will throw more light on these: From Wired here & here, http://www.whitehead.mit.edu/news/paradigm/spring_2007/faqs.html, Massachusetts General Hospital, NIH, Reasons to Believe, International Society for Stem Cell Research)
Many pro-lifers believe that human life, in the form of an ovum and spermatozoon, becomes a human person at the time of fertilization. Thus, killing an embryo in order to extract its stem cells is a form of homicide. They are generally opposed to such research. Others disagree. They believe that an embryo has the potential to develop into a person, but is not a person itself. They note that an embryo is not sentient; it has no brain, sensory organs, ability to think, awareness of its surroundings, consciousness, internal organs, arms, legs, head, etc. They feel that research using stem cells derived from embryos is ethical.
So where indeed are we heading with regard to stem cell research in general and embryonic stem cell research in particular? What are the various breakthroughs in this domain? What are the experts and politicians and yes, George W Bush saying?
This compilation looks at this important area of research and debate and provides a list of resources that will hopefully give the reader a better perspective of all the views and facts.
Breakthroughs and Inventions
Human Stem Cells May be Produced without Embryos (Jul 2007) - Japan’s leading genetics researcher could be “a matter of months” from reaching the Holy Grail of biotechnology – producing an “ethical” human stem cell without using a human embryo, he has said. The potential of Professor Yamanaka’s breakthrough work – in which the skin cells of laboratory mice were genetically manipulated back to their embryonic state – has been hailed as the equivalent of “transforming lead into gold”. If the research develops in the way he hopes, runs the excited logic, the ethical problems that have swirled around embryonic stem-cell research would disappear. The concept of artificially inducing adult cells to return to a stem-cell state raises equally attractive possibilities for organ transplantation.
Stem Cell Breakthrough Could Stifle Research (Nov 2007) - Last week independent teams of scientists announced a major advance in stem cell research with their discovery of how to turn human skin cells into an "embryonic" state, enabling these cells to grow into nerve, heart or other types of human cells. The method does not require the destruction of discarded human embryos from fertility clinics, currently the only source of embryonic stem cells. Thus, this would bypass the ethical concern that prompted the Bush White House to sharply limit funding on stem cell research. The discovery, albeit promising, might stifle embryonic stem cell research or send it down a dead-end path, for it is now harder than ever to secure funding to study the best source of embryonic stem cells—that is, embryos.
British Team Grows Human Heart Valve from Stem Cells (Apr 2007) - A British research team led by the world's leading heart surgeon has grown part of a human heart from stem cells for the first time. If animal trials scheduled for later this year prove successful, replacement tissue could be used in transplants for the hundreds of thousands of people suffering from heart disease within three years.
Stem Cell Breakthrough to Challenge Bush Objections (Aug 2006) - A stem cell breakthrough by American scientists is set to overturn ethical objections to potentially live-saving research. They have found how to make stem cells from embryos without destroying the embryo in the process - an advance that could open the door to billions of dollars in research funding. A team at the Advanced Cell Technology - a private company - has found that it is possible to create human stem cells using one or two cells from an early embryo, without doing any damage to the embryo
Stem Cells Patch Holes in Brain without Prompting (Dec 2006) - In research that could be harnessed to speed recovery from stroke or blunt-force trauma to the head, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, report that mice genetically engineered to have holes in a region of their brain recovered due to the work of stem cells in the area.
Stem Cells for Parkinson's Disease: Breakthrough or Hype? - asks this recent post from Wired
Views and Opinions
For Catholics, is Stem Cell Research Worse than Sloth?, asks this March 2008 article in Slate - "The Vatican released a list of seven new sins...Dubbed the "social sins," they include conducting stem-cell research, polluting the environment, and causing poverty. Along with the old standbys—like lust, pride, and greed—these seven are considered to be of the "deadly" variety. What kinds of sins aren't deadly?"...read on
ES Cells without Harming the Embryo (Oct 2005) - scientists have derived embryonic stem cells from a single cell removed from an 8-cell mouse embryo. But they have implanted the remaining seven cells in a female mouse womb and produced apparently normal pregnancies in about half the cases. Hitherto, stem cells have been taken from later stage embryos in a way which destroys the