technews kdtkaufhhqacmorg read technews online httptechnewsacmorg c 2008 information inc service may reproduced internal distribution acm technews wednesday february 13 2008 headlines internet helps americans save energy every year remembering search jim gray year later computing education infinite onion officials step netneutrality efforts women tech joint nokia research project captures traffic data using gpsenabled cell phones software gets smart cars talking professors awarded 11m keck foundation pursue brain research copper connections created highspeed computing artificial intelligence manage supply chain better supercomputer virtual human help fight disease reuters wants world tagged uahuntsville researchers developing computer models provide military better intelligence nicta researcher cochairs w3c emergency services group recordable proteins nextgeneration memory storage materials crashing software poses flight danger biological moon shot news stories internet helps americans save energy every year christian science monitor 021308 p 4 clayton mark widespread adoption internet developments communications revolution helped united states become increasingly energyefficient concludes new study american council energyefficient economy aceee study found every kilowatthour energy used information communications technologies united states saves least 10 times consumed amount acceleration information computer technology across us landscape post 1995 driving much nations energyproductivity gain says study coauthor john laitner adds nation continued historic rate prior years would consume energy equivalent 1 billion barrels oil per year currently study says companies using information technology make significant energy improvements example ups recently introduced software develop efficient routes help drivers avoid lefthand turns resulting 285 million fewer miles driven 3 million gallons gas saved year laitner says individuals also saving lot energy using email instant messaging internet news organize streamline schedules ecommerce avoid extra trips mall telecommuting also helped reduce gas consumption traffic congestion httpwwwcsmonitorcom20080213p04s01usgnhtml remembering search jim gray year later informationweek 021208 babcock charles 12 months passed since acm turing award winner microsoft researcher jim gray lost sea disappearance prompted search boat members acm ieee computing society university california berkeley fellow microsoft researcher tom barclay recalled suggestion sweep ocean grays vessel using satellite data focus microsofts virtual earth project together gray barclay constructed terraserverusa database based us geological survey area photo data barclay acquired satellite imagery search help several virtual earth team members imagery geoeye digital globe radarsat compiled boulder colo virtual earth facility coast guard decided call search barclay another former coworker grays helped arrange additional flights network friends associates barclay said receiving 500 emails day people wanted aid search well offer advice equipment tribute gray may 31 planned acm uc berkeley ieee httpwwwinformationweekcomnewsshowarticlejhtmlarticleid206500035 computing education infinite onion computing research association 021108 reed dan computing research association chair dan reed writes new approaches computing education needed reverse declining enrolment computer science says little changed computer science curricula past 30 years core elements remain centered formal languages theory data structures programming languages compilers operating systems computer architecture successive layers added computing curriculum onion including graphics humancomputer interaction artificial intelligence mobile embedded devices computational geometry networks distributed systems numerical scientific algorithms parallel computing databases data mining among others reed says computing curriculum onion grows larger complex number students continue approach zero knowledge degree expectations nears infinity says graduates solve problems using computers rather working core computing technologies computing problemsolving process needs accepted introduced education technically challenging socially relevant problem domains mean eviscerate intellectual core computing reed writes education must emphasize relevance introduce computing means solve problems httpwwwcraorggovaffairsblogarchives000657html officials step netneutrality efforts wall street journal 021308 p a4 schatz amy searcey dionne kumar vishesh big broadband companies federal lawmakers could soon clash whether consumers right access much want internet fast want without paying extra privilege complaints cable giant comcast deliberately slowing internet traffic spurring movements congress block efforts broadband companies favor internet traffic others reps edward markey dmass chip pickering rmiss recently introduced bill would change federal law ensure internet traffic protections similar cell phone calls companies required connect without delay internet freedom preservation act would establish policy would maintain freedom use lawful purposes broadband telecommunications networks including internet without unreasonable interference discrimination network operators bill would give federal communication commission authority police internet providers ensure internet traffic delivered fairly increased efforts enforce net neutrality come time massive increase video downloading online viewing forced cable phone companies review price internet service many considering deploying fee plans charge based extent internet usage httponlinewsjcompublicarticlesb120286741569864053kd4fs2557ma3veqlxcjvu_xidlc_20080314htmlmodtff_main_tff_top women tech msnbc 021008 tahmincioglu eve women hold 27 percent computerrelated jobs reveals study national center women information technology ncwit study also found 1983 2006 percentage computer science bachelors degrees awarded women dropped 36 percent 21 percent renee davias president rochester chapter association women computing working encourage women get technology field including speaking girl scouts profession says women needed group development projects help team dynamic women much matteroffact collaborative says ncwit ceo lucy sanders says declining interest tech careers among women due way computer science taught schools society depicts profession geeky nerdy university arkansas professor bill hardgrove says important get women field intuitively better designing interfaces one biggest complaints technology user interfaces poorly designed sas cio suzanne gordon says although many women work computing areas related payroll accounts receivable help desk difficult find women work hardware directly machinery unix pc boxes networks gordon says problem groups work much better least one woman group bring different perspective viewpoint httpwwwmsnbcmsncomid23033748 joint nokia research project captures traffic data using gpsenabled cell phones university california berkeley 020808 yang sarah nokia university california berkeley researchers developing technology could change drivers navigate congested highways gather information road conditions mobile century project recently conducted field experiment researchers tested feasibility using gpsenabled mobile phones monitor realtime traffic flow one hundred vehicles deployed 10mile stretch highway car equipped gpsenabled mobile phone running special software periodically sent anonymous speed readings servers computed traffic conditions traffic information displayed internet allowing viewers see traffic real time independent tracking feature allowed command center track position cars coordinate experiment ensure safety participants gpsbased systems capable pinpointing cars location within meters calculating traveling speed within 3 miles per hour researchers say using gpsequipped cell phones monitor traffic could help provide information everything multiple sidestreet routes urban areas hazardous driving conditions accidents rural roads cell phonebased systems collect data variety ways measuring signal strength towers triangulating positions first demonstration scale using gpsenabled mobile phones provide traffic related data travel times deliberate focus critical deployment factors bandwidth costs personal privacy issues says uc berkeley california center innovation transportation director thomas west httpwwwberkeleyedunewsmediareleases20080208_gpsshtml software gets smart cars talking ict results 021108 technology developed european com3react project could allow group vehicles exchange data automatically traffic control centers make driving safer efficient system inform drivers poor weather road conditions immediately ahead help choose alternate routes could ease congestion prevent accidents says com2react c2r project coordinator chana gabay c2r projects main objective develop software creates virtual traffic control subcenter temporarily forms manage moving group vehicles close proximity lot areas covered regional traffic control centers gabay says creating virtual subcenters system extends traffic networks areas subcenter obtains processes data collected vehicles quickly provides drivers instructions related traffic safety conditions software also transmits selective data regional control center receives current traffic information send vehicles processed vehicles software help drivers make informed decisions prototype system successfully tested munich paris last summer researchers working bring cost system httpcordiseuropaeuictresultsindexcfmsectionnewstplarticlebrowsingtypefeaturesid89520 professors awarded 11m keck foundation pursue brain research tartan 021108 chandna marium carnegie mellon neuroscience professor marcel computer science professor tom mitchell awarded 11 million grant continue efforts brain research brain imaging study using fmri brain activations identify cognitive states associated perception tools dwellings collaborative effort neuroscience computer science departments says first time anyone able track specific object persons thoughts researchers used combination brain scans machinelearning algorithms determine person thinking particular moment brain activity measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning computer algorithms applied scanned images decipher signals transmitted brain activity first phase algorithms involved finding voxelsvolumes elements normally used examination medical data represent 3d image datathat express similar pattern several trials second phase focused subsets voxels voxel capable virtually anywhere numerous possible levels brain activity algorithms helped scientists map individual items brain activity level team tested algorithms group subjects discovered codes emitted human brains similar currently technology applies concrete objects apples says abstract notions people ideas explored technique one day may identifiable httpwwwthetartanorg2008211scitechkeck copper connections created highspeed computing georgia institute technology 021108 vogel abby georgia institute technology professor paul kohl working improve connections computer chips external computer circuitry increase amount speed information sent throughout computer vertical connections chips boards currently made melting tin solder two pieces adding glue hold everything together kohls research shows replacing solder connections copper pillars creates stronger connections also allows connections made circuitry computer chips made copper lines thought make connection two copper also kohl says copper solder tolerate misalignment two connecting pieces kohl says copper conductive creates stronger bond kohl graduate student tyler osborn using funding semiconductor research corporation developed new fabrication method creating allcopper connections computer chips external circuitry kohl also developing improved signal transmission line preserve signal strength long distances servers interchip distances significant httpwwwgatechedunewsroomreleasehtmlid1708 artificial intelligence manage supply chain better ai magazine 021108 collins john wellman michael trading agents become popular artificial intelligence application potential benefits electronic commerce challenges associated models rational decision making workshop held conjunction finals 2007 trading agent competition involved two game scenarios two challenge events attracted 39 entries supply chain management scenario placed six agents role pc manufacturer agent procure raw materials sell finished goods competitive market managing inventor production facilities procurement challenge side competition involved agents balancing risk cost procurement market providing longterm shortterm contracts prediction challenge another side competition tested priceprediction capabilities competing agents procurement sales markets cat scenario placed agents role competing exchanges competition motivated rise independent forprofit stock commodity exchanges cat agents competed defining rules matching buyers sellers setting commission fees services profitability measure success supply chain cat scenarios challenges important complexity uncertainty game scenario make difficult understand one agent outperforms another general specific market conditions resulting benchmark data lays foundation future empirical research area httpwwwtechnewsworldcomstorycanartificialintelligencemanagethesupplychainbetter61619html supercomputer virtual human help fight disease telegraphcouk 020808 highfield roger virtual physiological human project passed first test successfully simulated aids infection virtual human test effectiveness aids drug project combines supercomputing power british american computers testing whether computers used create tailored personal drug treatments study ran numerous simulations predict strongly drug saquinavir would interact strains aids virus become resistant simulated results matched reality increasing confidence computer simulations could become valuable tool medicine study professors peter coveney dr ileana stocia kashif sadiq university college london involved sequence simulation steps performed across half dozen supercomputers wired grid uk united states teragrid simulation took two weeks used computational power approximately equal needed perform longrange weather forecasting nine drugs target enzyme simulated drug doctors way matching drug unique profile aids virus particular patient drug mutates quickly hope drugs tested virtual human first patient receives drug work coveney says study represents first step toward ultimate goal ondemand medical computing httpwwwtelegraphcoukearthmainjhtmlxmlearth20080208scihuman108xml reuters wants world tagged readwrite web 020608 iskold alex open calais api recently rolled reuters performs semantic markup unstructured html documents purpose identifying interesting portions metadata within documents calais represents nextgeneration clear forest offering reuters took possession 2007 much work carried natural language processing engine integrated hard coded learning database constructed clear forest api freely available commercial noncommercial employment reuters says ready scale immense demand types uses simultaneously entities identified removed annotated document submitted calais ideally api calais capable accepting urls extracting structure html would frivolous matter developers calais used make search engines intelligent sensitive related content automatically identifying entities document also gives calais ability identify linked structured alerts well incorporation within browsers fly text analysis facilitated calais advantage expanding semantic database people places companies events whose richness increased every new document submitted system well benefits come training system httpwwwreadwritewebcomarchivesreuters_calaisphp uahuntsville researchers developing computer models provide military better intelligence university alabama huntsville 020808 garner ray university alabama huntsville researchers working provide better intelligence asymmetric military threats developing computer models identify trends behavior iraqi insurgents uahuntsville researcher wes colley says trends iraqi attacks show important daytoday correlations could used save lives heightening awareness possible events changing allocation security assets provide protection researchers developed fourstep process reviewing behavior signatures terrorists 12000 attacks 2003 mid 2007 calculating relative probabilities future attacks variety target types goal predict exactly type attack take place identify target types likely attacked next colley says noting military commanders could make choices various options reduce risk despite many difficulties dataset find trend analysis successfully provided enhanced predictive capability compared broader attack rate colley says concept proven successful identifying trends correlations attacks httpwwwuahedunewsnewsreadphpnewsid1035 nicta researcher cochairs w3c emergency services group computerworld australia 020408 rossi sandra former world wide web consortium w3c group advisory board member dr renato iannella cochair groups initial effort develop interoperability framework information sharing emergency management community iannella researcher nicta australias information communications technology research center excellence help lead new emergency interoperability framework eiif incubator group eiif review analyze latest vocabularies used local national international emergency groups develop definitions framework collaborative information sharing aggregation information emergency functions work serve foundation developing comprehensive strategy ontology management semantic information interoperability creating proposal w3c working group activity pursue idea eiif run december 2008 essential information gathered organizations stored communicated common formats ensure information easily exchanged aggregated support decisionmaking process iannella says key component process ensuring consistent definitions vocabulary used support meaningful sharing information httpwwwcomputerworldcomauindexphpid416544270 recordable proteins nextgeneration memory storage materials sciencedaily 021208 researchers japan developed protein capable recording specific information pattern glass slide tetsuro majima colleagues made use special fluorescent protein show pattern could read erased novel combination light chemicals allowed storage playback erasure information proteinbased memory devices potential process information faster offer greater storage capacity conventional magnetic optical storage systems nearing memory storage capacities researchers also say proteins lead better biosensors diagnostic tests httpwwwsciencedailycomreleases200802080211093841htm crashing software poses flight danger new scientist 021108 2642 p 28 marks paul software controls aircraft prone mysterious glitches become potentially serious though date accidents caused solely failures recorded still experts warn odds accidents happening rising aircraft makers prepare make even aircraft operations softwaredependent horrifying problems attributed software glitches occurred planes air detailed report us national academy sciences one problem involved concurrent loss power pilots flight navigation displays radio autothrottle autopilot two minutes airbus 319 2005 ideally software bugs supposed spotted remedied testing phase complexity aircraft systems sheer number potential scenarios complicates process aircraft makers follow radio technical commission aeronautics european organization civil aviation equipments do178b guidelines test bugs university bielefeld computer scientist peter ladkin says criteria currently used evaluate dependability electronic systems many safetyrelated uses way weak way insufficient ladkin systems engineering consultant martyn thomas would like writing safetycritical software significantly revised thomas recommending use highly specialized computer languages permit writing ambiguous software specifications safe programming languages likely reduce cost difficulty producing dependable software concludes nas report httptechnologynewscientistcomchanneltechmg19726426300crashingsoftwareposesflightdangerhtml web link may require paid subscription biological moon shot science news 020208 vol 173 5 p 72 milius susan encyclopedia life project seeks furnish portal ultimately host easy access web pages every species planet goal revolutionizing scientific inquiry according project godfather eo wilson harvard university projects planners raised 125 million seed money contributions john catherine macarthur foundation alfred p sloan foundation implementation encyclopedia handled consortium museums science institutions including smithsonian projects first release portal basic information fish initiatives work eased supplying pathway trusted databases already developed specialists rather creating information resources scratch scientific community going make encyclopedia life rich going make correct says mark westneat field museum natural history chicago entries updated googlelike aggregation technology scanning digitization group encyclopedia workers smithsonians national museum natural history collaborating biodiversity heritage library place online information volumes describe species smithsonians thomas garnett says nearly 4 million pages scanned jan 25 westneat says encyclopedia life seeks attract scientists middle schoolers effort make science fun take advantage generation skilled web surfing httpwwwsciencenewsorgarticles20080202bob9asp submit feedback acm technews contact kdtkaufhhqacmorg removed future issues technews please submit email address receiving technews alerts httpoptoutacmorglistserv_indexcfmlntechnews resubscribe future enter 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