Garmin International has released a web site for third-party developers who wish to write applications for the Garmin GPS-based navigation systems. It is @ http://developer.garmin.com/.
Potentially other GPS solution providers could follow suite, including cell-phone vendors and in-vehicle telematics providers, by opening their platform to other developers.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Eclipse Europa Release
The Europa release of Eclipse is now available for free @ http://www.eclipse.org/europa/.
It contains 21 projects and 17 Million lines of code.
It contains 21 projects and 17 Million lines of code.
Fluid Polygons and Polyhedra
Take a look at these fluid structures @ http://www-math.mit.edu/~bush/bells.html
Presumably, they can be theoretically predicted & described by the Navier-Stokes equations. But they weren't; they were discovered experimentally.
There is clearly a lot of structure in these equations and neat new phenomena waiting to be discovered.
There must be more efficient ways of extracting structures out of the Navier-Stokes equations than the haphazard methods of searching for solutions that have been employed over the last 200 years.
Machine Learning any one?
Presumably, they can be theoretically predicted & described by the Navier-Stokes equations. But they weren't; they were discovered experimentally.
There is clearly a lot of structure in these equations and neat new phenomena waiting to be discovered.
There must be more efficient ways of extracting structures out of the Navier-Stokes equations than the haphazard methods of searching for solutions that have been employed over the last 200 years.
Machine Learning any one?
Friday, June 29, 2007
SOAP: The Mid-Air Mouse
This is a brand-new wireless mouse technology based on human touch and the position of the mouse sensor.
It is invented by Patrick Baudisch who is with Microsoft Research.
There is a video of its usage @ http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/video-soap-the-mid-air-mouse
It is invented by Patrick Baudisch who is with Microsoft Research.
There is a video of its usage @ http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/video-soap-the-mid-air-mouse
Simulating the Brain of a Mouse
A group of researchers at the IBM Almaden Research Center are working on developing simulations of various brains. It is led by Dharmendra Modha.
Their first goal is to build a "massively parallel cortical simulator" that re-creates the brain of a mouse, an organ 3,500 times less complex than a human brain (if you count each individual neuron and synapse). But even this is an undertaking of epic proportions. A mouse brain houses over 16 million neurons, with more than 128 billion synapses running between them. Even a partial simulation stretches the boundaries of modern hardware. No, we don't mean desktop hardware. We're talkin' supercomputers.
So far, the team has been able to fashion a kind of digital mouse brain that needs about 6 seconds to simulate 1 second of real thinking time. That's still a long way from a true mouse-size simulation, and it runs on a Blue Gene/L supercomputer with 8,192 processors, four terabytes of memory, and 1 Gbps of bandwidth running to and from each chip. "Even a mouse-scale cortical simulation places an extremely heavy load on a supercomputer," Modha explains. "We're leveraging IBM's technological resources to the limit."
Their first goal is to build a "massively parallel cortical simulator" that re-creates the brain of a mouse, an organ 3,500 times less complex than a human brain (if you count each individual neuron and synapse). But even this is an undertaking of epic proportions. A mouse brain houses over 16 million neurons, with more than 128 billion synapses running between them. Even a partial simulation stretches the boundaries of modern hardware. No, we don't mean desktop hardware. We're talkin' supercomputers.
So far, the team has been able to fashion a kind of digital mouse brain that needs about 6 seconds to simulate 1 second of real thinking time. That's still a long way from a true mouse-size simulation, and it runs on a Blue Gene/L supercomputer with 8,192 processors, four terabytes of memory, and 1 Gbps of bandwidth running to and from each chip. "Even a mouse-scale cortical simulation places an extremely heavy load on a supercomputer," Modha explains. "We're leveraging IBM's technological resources to the limit."
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Reversible Debuggers
Reversible debuggers enable you to rewind a program and inspect its state at any point in the past. The program may jump back and forth by a single instruction or more and the [reversible] debugger records everything that the program does - every memory access, every computation, every call to the operating system.
The rather large amount of data that is so collected is presented via the metaphor of time travel; the ability to inspect the program state backwards and forwards in time.
Examples of such tools are: RetroVue [for Java], TimeMachine [for embedded systems], UndoDB [for Linux], and Nirvana from Microsoft Research.
Check them out!
The rather large amount of data that is so collected is presented via the metaphor of time travel; the ability to inspect the program state backwards and forwards in time.
Examples of such tools are: RetroVue [for Java], TimeMachine [for embedded systems], UndoDB [for Linux], and Nirvana from Microsoft Research.
Check them out!
Hex Editor
010 Editor is a Hex editor with binary templates. It is from SweetScape Software. A 30-day trial download is available @ http://www.sweetscape.com/download/download_010editor.html
Free APL Tool
APLNext has released VisualAPL that is fully compliant with ISO/IEC 13751 for APL. It integrates with Visual Studio 2005 and is freely available (for non-commercial use) @ http://www.aplnext.com/VisualAPL/features/goexpress/Default.aspx
Better UI for Search Results
Ask.com has a new system, called "Ask3D," which is a much bolder and better advance, compared to Google, in unifying different kinds of results and presenting them in a more effective manner.
It shows, once again, that Ask places a higher priority than its competitors do on making search results easy to navigate and use.
Test it by typing "blue jays"!
It shows, once again, that Ask places a higher priority than its competitors do on making search results easy to navigate and use.
Test it by typing "blue jays"!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
JMP 7
JMP 7 is a statistical discovery software package that offers data visualization and analytics with the ability to manage unlimited volumes of data.
It integrates with SAS (it is, in fact, a SAS business unit) and offers a graphical environment for exploring large amounts of SAS data and for developing SAS code on the desktop.
It integrates with SAS (it is, in fact, a SAS business unit) and offers a graphical environment for exploring large amounts of SAS data and for developing SAS code on the desktop.
Converting Protein Sequences Into Classical Music
UCLA molecular biologists Rie Takahashi and Jeffrey H. Miller have converted protein sequences into original classical music.
"We converted the sequence of proteins into music and can get an auditory signal for every protein," said Jeffrey H. Miller, distinguished professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, and a member of UCLA's Molecular Biology Institute. "Every protein will have its unique auditory signature because every protein has a unique sequence. You can hear the sequence of the protein."
"We assigned a chord to each amino acid," said Rie Takahashi, a UCLA research assistant and an award-winning, classically trained piano player. "We want to see if we can hear patterns within the music, as opposed to looking at the letters of an amino acid or protein sequence. We can listen to a protein, as opposed to just looking at it."
The building blocks of proteins are linear sequences of 20 different amino acids. Assigning one note for each amino acid therefore results in a 20-note scale.
"A 20-note scale is too large a range," Takahashi said. "You need a reduced scale, so we paired similar amino acids together and used chords and chord variations for each amino acid. We used each component of the music to indicate a specific characteristic of the protein. We are faithful in the conversion from the sequence to the music. The rhythm is dictated by the protein sequence."
You can listen to the compositions and even submit your own genetic sequence and have it transcribed @ http://www.mimg.ucla.edu/faculty/miller_jh/gene2music/examples.html
"We converted the sequence of proteins into music and can get an auditory signal for every protein," said Jeffrey H. Miller, distinguished professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, and a member of UCLA's Molecular Biology Institute. "Every protein will have its unique auditory signature because every protein has a unique sequence. You can hear the sequence of the protein."
"We assigned a chord to each amino acid," said Rie Takahashi, a UCLA research assistant and an award-winning, classically trained piano player. "We want to see if we can hear patterns within the music, as opposed to looking at the letters of an amino acid or protein sequence. We can listen to a protein, as opposed to just looking at it."
The building blocks of proteins are linear sequences of 20 different amino acids. Assigning one note for each amino acid therefore results in a 20-note scale.
"A 20-note scale is too large a range," Takahashi said. "You need a reduced scale, so we paired similar amino acids together and used chords and chord variations for each amino acid. We used each component of the music to indicate a specific characteristic of the protein. We are faithful in the conversion from the sequence to the music. The rhythm is dictated by the protein sequence."
You can listen to the compositions and even submit your own genetic sequence and have it transcribed @ http://www.mimg.ucla.edu/faculty/miller_jh/gene2music/examples.html
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Net-Centric Virtuosity
From CrossTalk magazine:
If you traveled through the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail Station in Washington D.C, on January 12, 2007 between 7:51 and 8:32 a.m., you may – or may not – have witnessed a rare treat. A street musician – not an ordinary musician – Joshua Bell; recognized as the nation’s best classical musician. He stood next to a garbage can in jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt and a Nat’s baseball cap and performed six pre-eminent classical pieces on a $3 million violin handcrafted in 1713 by Antonio Stradivari.
What many pay thousands of dollars to hear was free. The Washington Post arranged the performance as an experiment on context, perception, and priorities.
In 43 minutes, 1,097 people passed by the artist. Seven stopped for at least a minute, 27 gave money totaling $32.17, and 1,070 dashed by in oblivion. Gene Weingarten covered the event in a copious Washington Post article [1] including video clips on the Post’s Web site [2].
The scene conjures up Churchill’s observation, “Men occasionally stumble on the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”
If you traveled through the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail Station in Washington D.C, on January 12, 2007 between 7:51 and 8:32 a.m., you may – or may not – have witnessed a rare treat. A street musician – not an ordinary musician – Joshua Bell; recognized as the nation’s best classical musician. He stood next to a garbage can in jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt and a Nat’s baseball cap and performed six pre-eminent classical pieces on a $3 million violin handcrafted in 1713 by Antonio Stradivari.
What many pay thousands of dollars to hear was free. The Washington Post arranged the performance as an experiment on context, perception, and priorities.
In 43 minutes, 1,097 people passed by the artist. Seven stopped for at least a minute, 27 gave money totaling $32.17, and 1,070 dashed by in oblivion. Gene Weingarten covered the event in a copious Washington Post article [1] including video clips on the Post’s Web site [2].
The scene conjures up Churchill’s observation, “Men occasionally stumble on the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Peer Review Starts for Software Patent Applications
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office begins an unprecedented experiment this week that will allow you (yes, you!) to review software patent applications. The USPTO is hoping the wider community of programmers and engineers will do a better job of spotting bad claims and thereby prevent innovation-killing legal tussles.
Learn more about it @ http://spectrum.ieee.org/jun07/5275
Learn more about it @ http://spectrum.ieee.org/jun07/5275
Monday, June 18, 2007
100 Best Places to Work in IT
The result of the 14th annual Computerworld survey that identifies top places to work for IT professionals: @ http://www.computerworld.com/html/research/bestplaces/2006/bpchart_01_main.html
1
Quicken Loans Inc.
www.quickenloans.com
Livonia, Mich.
North Central
2
University of Miami
www.miami.edu
Coral Gables, Fla.
South Atlantic
3
The Capital Group Cos.
www.capgroup.com
Los Angeles
Pacific
4
American Fidelity Assurance Co.
www.afadvantage.com
Oklahoma City
South Central
5
Grant Thornton LLP
www.grantthornton.com
Chicago
North Central
6
SAS Institute Inc.
www.sas.com
Cary, N.C.
South Atlantic
7
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
www.royalcaribbean.com
Miami
South Atlantic
8
The Mitre Corp.
www.mitre.org
McLean, Va.
South Atlantic
9
University of Pennsylvania
www.upenn.edu
Philadelphia
Middle Atlantic
10
General Mills Inc.
www.generalmills.com
Minneapolis
North Central
11
Mount Carmel Health System
www.mountcarmelhealth.com
Columbus, Ohio
North Central
12
FedEx Corp.
www.fedex.com
Memphis
South Central
13
Securian Financial Group Inc.
www.securian.com
St. Paul, Minn.
North Central
14
American Century Investments
www.americancentury.com
Kansas City, Mo.
North Central
15
Northwestern Mutual
www.nmfn.com
Milwaukee
North Central
16
Hilton Hotels Corp.
www.hiltonworldwide.com
Beverly Hills, Calif.
Pacific
17
USAA
www.usaa.com
San Antonio
South Central
18
Verizon Wireless
www.verizonwireless.com
Bedminster, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
19
Marriott International Inc.
www.marriott.com
Washington
South Atlantic
20
Philip Morris USA Inc.
www.philipmorrisusa.com
Richmond, Va.
South Atlantic
21
Tellabs Inc.
www.tellabs.com
Naperville, Ill.
North Central
22
Harrah's Entertainment Inc.
www.harrahs.com
Las Vegas
Mountain
23
Qualcomm Inc.
www.qualcomm.com
San Diego
Pacific
24
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
www.boozallen.com
McLean, Va.
South Atlantic
25
Aflac Inc.
www.aflac.com
Columbus, Ga.
South Atlantic
26
Monsanto Co.
www.monsanto.com
St. Louis
North Central
27
Hess Corp.
www.hess.com
New York
Middle Atlantic
28
The Vanguard Group Inc.
www.vanguard.com
Valley Forge, Pa.
Middle Atlantic
29
Principal Financial Group Inc.
www.principal.com
Des Moines
North Central
30
Universal Health Services Inc.
www.uhsinc.com
King of Prussia, Pa.
Middle Atlantic
31
Partners HealthCare System Inc.
www.partners.org
Boston
New England
32
Raytheon Co.
www.raytheon.com
Waltham, Mass.
New England
33
Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc.
www.cme.com
Chicago
North Central
34
MasterCard International Inc.
www.mastercard.com
Purchase, N.Y.
Middle Atlantic
35
Cerner Corp.
www.cerner.com
Kansas City, Mo.
North Central
36
American Family Insurance Group
www.amfam.com
Madison, Wis.
North Central
37
Ohio Savings Bank
www.ohiosavings.com
Cleveland
North Central
38
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
www.novartis.com
East Hanover, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
39
BNSF Railway Co.
www.bnsf.com
Fort Worth, Texas
South Central
40
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
www.jbhunt.com
Lowell, Ark.
South Central
41
Publix Super Markets Inc.
www.publix.com
Lakeland, Fla.
South Atlantic
42
Sutter Health
www.sutterhealth.org
Sacramento
Pacific
43
Paychex Inc.
www.paychex.com
Rochester, N.Y.
Middle Atlantic
44
Nemours
www.nemours.org
Jacksonville, Fla.
South Atlantic
45
Ernst & Young
www.ey.com
Lyndhurst, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
46
Dade Behring
www.dadebehring.com
Deerfield, Ill.
North Central
47
CDW Corp.
www.cdw.com
Vernon Hills, Ill.
North Central
48
U.S. Postal Service
www.usps.com
Washington
South Atlantic
49
United Parcel Service of America Inc.
www.ups.com
Atlanta
South Atlantic
50
Total System Services Inc.
www.tsys.com
Columbus, Ga.
South Atlantic
51
Vision Service Plan
www.vsp.com
Rancho Cordova, Calif.
Pacific
52
Southern California Edison
www.sce.com
Rosemead, Calif.
Pacific
53
L.L. Bean Inc.
www.llbean.com
Freeport, Maine
New England
54
Discover Financial Services LLC
www.discoverfinancial.com
Riverwoods, Ill.
North Central
55
Thomson West
www.west.thomson.com
Eagan, Minn.
North Central
56
Northern Trust Corp.
www.northerntrust.com
Chicago
North Central
57
KPMG LLP
www.us.kpmg.com
New York
Middle Atlantic
58
Edward D. Jones & Co.
www.edwardjones.com
St. Louis
North Central
59
Eastman Chemical Co.
www.eastman.com
Kingsport, Tenn.
South Central
60
Ford Motor Co.
www.ford.com
Dearborn, Mich.
North Central
61
National Information Solutions Coop. Inc.
www.nisc.coop
Lake St. Louis, Mo.
North Central
62
Allstate Insurance Co.
www.allstate.com
Northbrook, Ill.
North Central
63
Comerica Inc.
www.comerica.com
Detroit
North Central
64
Sallie Mae
www.salliemae.com
Reston, Va.
South Atlantic
65
Quest Diagnostics Inc.
www.questdiagnostics.com
Lyndhurst, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
66
PHH Mortgage Corp.
www.phhmortgage.com
Mt. Laurel, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
67
Raymond James Financial Inc.
www.raymondjames.com
St. Petersburg, Fla.
South Atlantic
68
National Rural Electric Cooperative Assoc.
www.nreca.coop
Arlington, Va.
South Atlantic
69
HSBC North America Holdings Inc.
www.us.hsbc.com
Prospect Heights, Ill.
North Central
70
University of Oklahoma
www.ou.edu
Norman, Okla.
South Central
71
Antares Management Solutions Inc.
www.antaressolutions.com
Westlake, Ohio
North Central
72
Temple University
www.temple.edu
Philadelphia
Middle Atlantic
73
Schneider National Inc.
www.schneider.com
Green Bay, Wis.
North Central
74
State Street Corp.
www.statestreet.com
Boston
New England
75
Calence LLC
www.calence.com
Tempe, Ariz.
Mountain
76
Miami-Dade County
www.miamidade.gov
Miami
South Atlantic
77
Sharp HealthCare</td>
www.sharp.com
San Diego
Pacific
78
W.W. Grainger Inc.
www.grainger.com
Lake Forest, Ill.
North Central
79
Discovery Communications Inc.
www.discovery.com
Silver Spring, Md.
South Atlantic
80
The Reader's Digest Association Inc.
www.rd.com
Pleasantville, N.Y.
Middle Atlantic
81
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.
www.nationwide.com
Columbus, Ohio
North Central
82
GMAC Insurance Holdings Inc.
www.gmac123.com
Winston-Salem, N.C.
South Atlantic
83
Aetna Inc.
www.aetna.com
Hartford, Conn.
New England
84
LexisNexis Group
www.lexisnexis.com
Dayton, Ohio
North Central
85
The George Washington University
www.gwu.edu
Washington
South Atlantic
86
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp.
www.coat.com
Burlington, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
87
Honeywell International Inc.
www.honeywell.com
Morristown, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
88
BAE Systems Information Technology
www.baesystems.com
McLean, Va.
South Atlantic
89
Standard Pacific Corp.
www.standardpacifichomes.com
Irvine, Calif.
Pacific
90
Pfizer Inc.
www.pfizer.com
New York
Middle Atlantic
91
Nielsen Media Research Inc.
www.nielsenmedia.com
New York
Middle Atlantic
92
OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc.
www.oclc.org
Dublin, Ohio
North Central
93
Saint Luke's Health System Inc.
www.saintlukeshealthsystem.org
Kansas City, Mo.
North Central
94
CNA Financial Corp.
www.cna.com
Chicago
North Central
95
MemorialCare Medical Centers
www.memorialcare.org
Long Beach, Calif.
Pacific
96
Kennametal Inc.
www.kennametal.com
Latrobe, Pa.
Middle Atlantic
97
Charles Schwab & Co.
www.schwab.com
San Francisco
Pacific
98
Fairfax County Government
www.fairfaxcounty.gov
Fairfax, Va.
South Atlantic
99
J.C. Penney Co.
www.jcpenney.net
Plano, Texas
South Central
100
Infosys Technologies Ltd.
www.infosys.com
Fremont, Calif.
Pacific
1
Quicken Loans Inc.
www.quickenloans.com
Livonia, Mich.
North Central
2
University of Miami
www.miami.edu
Coral Gables, Fla.
South Atlantic
3
The Capital Group Cos.
www.capgroup.com
Los Angeles
Pacific
4
American Fidelity Assurance Co.
www.afadvantage.com
Oklahoma City
South Central
5
Grant Thornton LLP
www.grantthornton.com
Chicago
North Central
6
SAS Institute Inc.
www.sas.com
Cary, N.C.
South Atlantic
7
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
www.royalcaribbean.com
Miami
South Atlantic
8
The Mitre Corp.
www.mitre.org
McLean, Va.
South Atlantic
9
University of Pennsylvania
www.upenn.edu
Philadelphia
Middle Atlantic
10
General Mills Inc.
www.generalmills.com
Minneapolis
North Central
11
Mount Carmel Health System
www.mountcarmelhealth.com
Columbus, Ohio
North Central
12
FedEx Corp.
www.fedex.com
Memphis
South Central
13
Securian Financial Group Inc.
www.securian.com
St. Paul, Minn.
North Central
14
American Century Investments
www.americancentury.com
Kansas City, Mo.
North Central
15
Northwestern Mutual
www.nmfn.com
Milwaukee
North Central
16
Hilton Hotels Corp.
www.hiltonworldwide.com
Beverly Hills, Calif.
Pacific
17
USAA
www.usaa.com
San Antonio
South Central
18
Verizon Wireless
www.verizonwireless.com
Bedminster, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
19
Marriott International Inc.
www.marriott.com
Washington
South Atlantic
20
Philip Morris USA Inc.
www.philipmorrisusa.com
Richmond, Va.
South Atlantic
21
Tellabs Inc.
www.tellabs.com
Naperville, Ill.
North Central
22
Harrah's Entertainment Inc.
www.harrahs.com
Las Vegas
Mountain
23
Qualcomm Inc.
www.qualcomm.com
San Diego
Pacific
24
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
www.boozallen.com
McLean, Va.
South Atlantic
25
Aflac Inc.
www.aflac.com
Columbus, Ga.
South Atlantic
26
Monsanto Co.
www.monsanto.com
St. Louis
North Central
27
Hess Corp.
www.hess.com
New York
Middle Atlantic
28
The Vanguard Group Inc.
www.vanguard.com
Valley Forge, Pa.
Middle Atlantic
29
Principal Financial Group Inc.
www.principal.com
Des Moines
North Central
30
Universal Health Services Inc.
www.uhsinc.com
King of Prussia, Pa.
Middle Atlantic
31
Partners HealthCare System Inc.
www.partners.org
Boston
New England
32
Raytheon Co.
www.raytheon.com
Waltham, Mass.
New England
33
Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc.
www.cme.com
Chicago
North Central
34
MasterCard International Inc.
www.mastercard.com
Purchase, N.Y.
Middle Atlantic
35
Cerner Corp.
www.cerner.com
Kansas City, Mo.
North Central
36
American Family Insurance Group
www.amfam.com
Madison, Wis.
North Central
37
Ohio Savings Bank
www.ohiosavings.com
Cleveland
North Central
38
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
www.novartis.com
East Hanover, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
39
BNSF Railway Co.
www.bnsf.com
Fort Worth, Texas
South Central
40
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
www.jbhunt.com
Lowell, Ark.
South Central
41
Publix Super Markets Inc.
www.publix.com
Lakeland, Fla.
South Atlantic
42
Sutter Health
www.sutterhealth.org
Sacramento
Pacific
43
Paychex Inc.
www.paychex.com
Rochester, N.Y.
Middle Atlantic
44
Nemours
www.nemours.org
Jacksonville, Fla.
South Atlantic
45
Ernst & Young
www.ey.com
Lyndhurst, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
46
Dade Behring
www.dadebehring.com
Deerfield, Ill.
North Central
47
CDW Corp.
www.cdw.com
Vernon Hills, Ill.
North Central
48
U.S. Postal Service
www.usps.com
Washington
South Atlantic
49
United Parcel Service of America Inc.
www.ups.com
Atlanta
South Atlantic
50
Total System Services Inc.
www.tsys.com
Columbus, Ga.
South Atlantic
51
Vision Service Plan
www.vsp.com
Rancho Cordova, Calif.
Pacific
52
Southern California Edison
www.sce.com
Rosemead, Calif.
Pacific
53
L.L. Bean Inc.
www.llbean.com
Freeport, Maine
New England
54
Discover Financial Services LLC
www.discoverfinancial.com
Riverwoods, Ill.
North Central
55
Thomson West
www.west.thomson.com
Eagan, Minn.
North Central
56
Northern Trust Corp.
www.northerntrust.com
Chicago
North Central
57
KPMG LLP
www.us.kpmg.com
New York
Middle Atlantic
58
Edward D. Jones & Co.
www.edwardjones.com
St. Louis
North Central
59
Eastman Chemical Co.
www.eastman.com
Kingsport, Tenn.
South Central
60
Ford Motor Co.
www.ford.com
Dearborn, Mich.
North Central
61
National Information Solutions Coop. Inc.
www.nisc.coop
Lake St. Louis, Mo.
North Central
62
Allstate Insurance Co.
www.allstate.com
Northbrook, Ill.
North Central
63
Comerica Inc.
www.comerica.com
Detroit
North Central
64
Sallie Mae
www.salliemae.com
Reston, Va.
South Atlantic
65
Quest Diagnostics Inc.
www.questdiagnostics.com
Lyndhurst, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
66
PHH Mortgage Corp.
www.phhmortgage.com
Mt. Laurel, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
67
Raymond James Financial Inc.
www.raymondjames.com
St. Petersburg, Fla.
South Atlantic
68
National Rural Electric Cooperative Assoc.
www.nreca.coop
Arlington, Va.
South Atlantic
69
HSBC North America Holdings Inc.
www.us.hsbc.com
Prospect Heights, Ill.
North Central
70
University of Oklahoma
www.ou.edu
Norman, Okla.
South Central
71
Antares Management Solutions Inc.
www.antaressolutions.com
Westlake, Ohio
North Central
72
Temple University
www.temple.edu
Philadelphia
Middle Atlantic
73
Schneider National Inc.
www.schneider.com
Green Bay, Wis.
North Central
74
State Street Corp.
www.statestreet.com
Boston
New England
75
Calence LLC
www.calence.com
Tempe, Ariz.
Mountain
76
Miami-Dade County
www.miamidade.gov
Miami
South Atlantic
77
Sharp HealthCare</td>
www.sharp.com
San Diego
Pacific
78
W.W. Grainger Inc.
www.grainger.com
Lake Forest, Ill.
North Central
79
Discovery Communications Inc.
www.discovery.com
Silver Spring, Md.
South Atlantic
80
The Reader's Digest Association Inc.
www.rd.com
Pleasantville, N.Y.
Middle Atlantic
81
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.
www.nationwide.com
Columbus, Ohio
North Central
82
GMAC Insurance Holdings Inc.
www.gmac123.com
Winston-Salem, N.C.
South Atlantic
83
Aetna Inc.
www.aetna.com
Hartford, Conn.
New England
84
LexisNexis Group
www.lexisnexis.com
Dayton, Ohio
North Central
85
The George Washington University
www.gwu.edu
Washington
South Atlantic
86
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp.
www.coat.com
Burlington, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
87
Honeywell International Inc.
www.honeywell.com
Morristown, N.J.
Middle Atlantic
88
BAE Systems Information Technology
www.baesystems.com
McLean, Va.
South Atlantic
89
Standard Pacific Corp.
www.standardpacifichomes.com
Irvine, Calif.
Pacific
90
Pfizer Inc.
www.pfizer.com
New York
Middle Atlantic
91
Nielsen Media Research Inc.
www.nielsenmedia.com
New York
Middle Atlantic
92
OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc.
www.oclc.org
Dublin, Ohio
North Central
93
Saint Luke's Health System Inc.
www.saintlukeshealthsystem.org
Kansas City, Mo.
North Central
94
CNA Financial Corp.
www.cna.com
Chicago
North Central
95
MemorialCare Medical Centers
www.memorialcare.org
Long Beach, Calif.
Pacific
96
Kennametal Inc.
www.kennametal.com
Latrobe, Pa.
Middle Atlantic
97
Charles Schwab & Co.
www.schwab.com
San Francisco
Pacific
98
Fairfax County Government
www.fairfaxcounty.gov
Fairfax, Va.
South Atlantic
99
J.C. Penney Co.
www.jcpenney.net
Plano, Texas
South Central
100
Infosys Technologies Ltd.
www.infosys.com
Fremont, Calif.
Pacific
Sunday, June 17, 2007
End of the World
End of the World according to Newton @ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/871575.html
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Interesting Book on AI
"How the Body Shapes the Way We Think: A New View of Artificial Intelligence", Rolf Pfeifer and Josh Bongard. The authors demonstrate that thought is not independent of the body, but tightly constrained and, at the same time, enabled by it (which is similar to Spinoza's "idea of the body").
They argue that the kinds of thoughts we can have are predetermined by their foundation in our embodiment: in our morphology and the material properties of our bodies (Dolphins, any one?)
The authors use the basic methodology of artificial intelligence—understanding by building—to describe their insights. If we understand how to design and build intelligent systems, they reason, we will better understand intelligence in general. In accessible, nontechnical language, with many examples, they introduce the basic concepts, drawing from recent developments
in robotics, biology, neuroscience, and psychology to outline a possible theory of intelligence.
MIT Press; mitpress.mit.edu; 0-262-16239-3; 394 pp.
They argue that the kinds of thoughts we can have are predetermined by their foundation in our embodiment: in our morphology and the material properties of our bodies (Dolphins, any one?)
The authors use the basic methodology of artificial intelligence—understanding by building—to describe their insights. If we understand how to design and build intelligent systems, they reason, we will better understand intelligence in general. In accessible, nontechnical language, with many examples, they introduce the basic concepts, drawing from recent developments
in robotics, biology, neuroscience, and psychology to outline a possible theory of intelligence.
MIT Press; mitpress.mit.edu; 0-262-16239-3; 394 pp.
Computer Science Enrollments
The percentage of incoming undergraduates among all degree-granting institutions who indicated they would major in computer science and related fields declined by 70 percent between 2000 and 2005, according to the Computing Research Association’s annual
Taulbee Survey of PhD-granting computer science and computer engineering departments in North America.
After six years of declines, the number of new majors in 2006 was nearly half of what it was in 2000 (15,958 versus 7,798). Overall enrollments in computer science and engineering dropped 14 percent between 2004/2005 and 2005/2006, to 34,898. Overall, enrollments have dropped 39 percent from their height in 2001/2002.
Full results are posted each May on the CRA Web site @ www.cra.org/statistic
Taulbee Survey of PhD-granting computer science and computer engineering departments in North America.
After six years of declines, the number of new majors in 2006 was nearly half of what it was in 2000 (15,958 versus 7,798). Overall enrollments in computer science and engineering dropped 14 percent between 2004/2005 and 2005/2006, to 34,898. Overall, enrollments have dropped 39 percent from their height in 2001/2002.
Full results are posted each May on the CRA Web site @ www.cra.org/statistic
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Practical Formal Methods
One of the Holy Grails of computing has been proving the correctness of a program. Now MathWorks has incorporated a formal methods capability into its SimuLink tool. It is called Design Verifier. It generates tests for Simulink and Stateflow models that satisfy model coverage and user-defined objectives. It also proves model properties and generates examples of violations.
The technology is based on the Prover PlugIn proof engine from the Prover Technology AB.
The technology is based on the Prover PlugIn proof engine from the Prover Technology AB.
Intel's People & Practices Research Group
Learn more about Intel's People & Practices Research Group @ http://www.intel.com/research/exploratory/papr/
and @ http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=RFUITENAX55QOQSNDLRCKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=199902426
Purpose: Research into ethnography, the scientific description of the customs of people and cultures
Genesis: A small team inside Intel's ProShare group conducted a study in 1996 aimed at better understanding home control for the then-forthcoming Pentium, and the team became a basis for Intel's People and Practices Research Group
Number of staff: Currently, 8 (the number has fluctuated from 3 to 14)
Current projects are:
Mobile Times: developing new models of time for mobile-computer users
Small Country Effect: studying why some small countries, such as South Korea and Estonia, adopt new technologies ahead of developed countries
Personal Digital Money: analyzing how electronic payment systems provide opportunities for innovation
Islamic Charitable Institutions: looking for ways to funnel the assets of Islamic charities into technological deployment in local communities
Community-Based Technology Adoption: focusing on how technology adoption has succeeded and failed in various rural communities globally
Women and Technology Adoption: exploring the dimension of gender in information and communications technologies
Hit or miss? "Bad ideas just die a natural death from lack of interest." --Maria Bezaitis, the group's director
and @ http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=RFUITENAX55QOQSNDLRCKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=199902426
Purpose: Research into ethnography, the scientific description of the customs of people and cultures
Genesis: A small team inside Intel's ProShare group conducted a study in 1996 aimed at better understanding home control for the then-forthcoming Pentium, and the team became a basis for Intel's People and Practices Research Group
Number of staff: Currently, 8 (the number has fluctuated from 3 to 14)
Current projects are:
Mobile Times: developing new models of time for mobile-computer users
Small Country Effect: studying why some small countries, such as South Korea and Estonia, adopt new technologies ahead of developed countries
Personal Digital Money: analyzing how electronic payment systems provide opportunities for innovation
Islamic Charitable Institutions: looking for ways to funnel the assets of Islamic charities into technological deployment in local communities
Community-Based Technology Adoption: focusing on how technology adoption has succeeded and failed in various rural communities globally
Women and Technology Adoption: exploring the dimension of gender in information and communications technologies
Hit or miss? "Bad ideas just die a natural death from lack of interest." --Maria Bezaitis, the group's director
Software That Generates Art
Find it @ http://www.kurzweilcyberart.com/
You can download and run the screen-saver product as shareware software.
You can download and run the screen-saver product as shareware software.
US Cyber-security Challenges
Congressional Testimony on the Cybersecurity of the United States by James A. Lewis, senior fellow and director of CSIS's Technology and Public Policy Program on 04/25/2007. The challenge is that the reduction of vulnerabilities requires strategic investment & immediate action. Find the transcript @
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/congress/ts070425lewis.pdf
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/congress/ts070425lewis.pdf
Friday, June 8, 2007
Should Google Go Nuclear?
Check out the Google video lecture by Robert Bussard on Nov. 9, 2006 explaining alternative approaches to Fusion. It’s 1 hour 33 minutes and explains the superiority of Boron Hydrogen fusion.
Note that even in this design the fusion reactor vessel walls have to be replaced every few months since the electromagnetic fields that are setup for confinement cannot trap high energy neutral particles such as neutrons and pions.
I suspect that not that many utility companies will be interested in funding a power plant that has to be shut down every few months to replace the walls of its reaction chamber.
Note that even in this design the fusion reactor vessel walls have to be replaced every few months since the electromagnetic fields that are setup for confinement cannot trap high energy neutral particles such as neutrons and pions.
I suspect that not that many utility companies will be interested in funding a power plant that has to be shut down every few months to replace the walls of its reaction chamber.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Art Videos
2 fascinating art videos using morphing techniques.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2022646177
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=2019141097
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2022646177
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=2019141097
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
2 Free Collaboration Platforms
Visual Studio Team Suite is not the only available collaboration platform for software development.
CollabNet has made available completely free versions of its collaboration platforms called Source Forge Enterprise Edition (up to 15 users, Windows & Linux) and CollabNet (up to 15 users, Linux only) @
http://www.sf.net/powerbar/sfee/
and
http://downloads.open.collab.net/cee15.html
These could be quite useful for a small ( < 10) development team.
CollabNet has made available completely free versions of its collaboration platforms called Source Forge Enterprise Edition (up to 15 users, Windows & Linux) and CollabNet (up to 15 users, Linux only) @
http://www.sf.net/powerbar/sfee/
and
http://downloads.open.collab.net/cee15.html
These could be quite useful for a small ( < 10) development team.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Software for the Color-blind
If you visit the Vischeck www.vischeck.com, you can run its Vischeck software on your own images to see how they appear to people with different types of color deficiencies.
They also have a program called Daltonize. If you tell it what form of color deficiency you have and provide it with an image, it will analyze the image and replace the colors you can't see with other colors you can. And it accentuates details that would otherwise be hidden from you while it does this.
They also have a program called Daltonize. If you tell it what form of color deficiency you have and provide it with an image, it will analyze the image and replace the colors you can't see with other colors you can. And it accentuates details that would otherwise be hidden from you while it does this.
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About Me
- Babak Makkinejad
- I had been a senior software developer working for HP and GM. I am interested in intelligent and scientific computing. I am passionate about computers as enablers for human imagination. The contents of this site are not in any way, shape, or form endorsed, approved, or otherwise authorized by HP, its subsidiaries, or its officers and shareholders.