Is U.S. Killing Its Innovation Machine?

From an article by Willy C. Shih in the online edition of the Harvard Business Review:

"The market research firm iSuppli estimates that the Kindle's total manufacturing cost is $185. The most expensive single component is the $60 display, which Taiwan's Prime View International is manufacturing."

This story was taken up by the Brookings Institution under the title: "Amazon’s Kindle: Symbol of American Decline?" in which we read:

"...Because E-Ink could not control the low-temperature polysilicon and the fabrication of the display, it could not perform the system integration required for it to capture the majority of the value-add at that stage....U.S. will likely miss out on the future industries that may spring from shop-floor tinkering with the display and its production--“things like large flexible displays, future generations of electronic signage, and plastic electronics.”"

Flash Flowers

Click on the following link, when a black screen opens click any where on the screen and drag the mouse.


http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf

Open-Source Windows Applications

Ten open-source Windows applications worth a look: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=30983

Facts on Facebook

If you want to know how Facebook, the number 2 property on the Internet, does what it does, listen to:

http://cns.ucsd.edu/lecturearchive09.shtml#Roth

Free Web Applications

Free Web applications from Microsoft @ http://www.microsoft.com/web/spotlight/appgallery.aspx?WT.mc_id=nlc-web-corp-spotfeb_msdnfl

Mono Tools for Visual Studio

Mono Tools for Visual Studio enables .NET developers to migrate existing .NET applications and create new .NET applications for Linux, Mac OS X and UNIX.

Try it @ http://go.techtarget.com/r/10827019/2445277/2

Universe from Nothing

Alexander Vilenkin's paper on the creation of the Universe from nothing:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/science/physics/a_vilinkin/universe_from_nothing.pdf

The Elements of Computing Systems

"The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles" by Noam Nisan and Shimon Schocken is a project-based book that demonstrates how to build a computing system from the ground up. One learns about combinatorial & sequential logic, ALU & memory chips, CPU & von Neumann architecture, machine & assembly language, assemblers, virtual machines, parsing and code generation.

The hardware part is built using a freely provided Hardware Simulator and the software part can be tackled in any programming language(s) you choose. You can get started right now by going to the book's website @ http://www1.idc.ac.il/tecs/ which has some sample chapters and all the tools (like the Hardware Simulator) one will need to complete these projects.

Sullenberger Flight

A simulation of the Sullenberger flight landing in the Hudson River.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=tE_5eiYn0D0#t=109