A Dramatic New Approach to Build the NSDI
"Top Advisory Panel Warns of an Erosion of the U.S. Competitive Edge in Science"
A board of experts from the National Academies reported on Wednesday that if the United States does not undertake a comprehensive program to reinvigorate its focus on science that it is in danger of losing its competitive advantage in a world of emerging national powers. The group ...
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"The Hundred Dollar Man"
Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of MIT's Media Lab, believes that the elimination of profits, costly displays, and proprietary software will enable him to build a laptop that costs less than $100. Education ministries in underdeveloped countries would purchase hundreds of millions ...
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"Security Fix Assures Long Election Nights"
The security software installed on Georgia's new touch-screen voting machines threatens to considerably slow the process of tabulating ballots, and there is concern that it will not improve before the municipal elections to be held next month, or even by the 2006 congressional ...
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"The Web: Industry Dismisses U.N. Control"
The argument that the responsibility for Internet governance should be taken away from the United States and given to the United Nations does not hold up under scrutiny because private companies working in cooperation--not the U.S. government--truly control the Internet, according ...
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"State, Local Governments Look for Ways to Comply With HAVA Mandates Without Busting Their Budget"
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) takes effect on Jan. 1, 2006, requiring the presence of a direct-recording electronic (DRE) system or comparable system for people with disabilities at each polling place. Some states have already mandated counties to purchase DRE machines, which will have to ...
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"Developers 'Should Be Accountable' for Security Holes"
Former White House cybersecurity advisor Howard Schmidt and the British Computing Society disagreed at Secure London 2005 on who should be accountable for the security of code. Schmidt said software developers should be held accountable for the code they write, while the BCS said ...
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"Liberty Alliance Releases Legal, Privacy Guidelines"
Guidelines designed to help organizations sort through legal and privacy issues associated with the development of federated identity systems were released by the Liberty Alliance Project on Oct. 11. Although Russ DeVeau of Liberty Alliance Communications said the project's underlying ...
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"The "Robust Yet Fragile" Nature of the Internet"
The Internet is particularly desirable as a case study for modeling complex networks that frame robustness and fragility as unifying concepts, but alternative Internet modeling strategies are frequently based on dramatically different expectations, and elicit divergent conclusions about ...
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"Gates Displays Software's Future to UW-Madison Students"
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates recently presented his vision for the future of the computer industry to a group of students at the University of Wisconsin as part of his three-day college tour aimed at highlighting the ongoing relevance and vibrancy of the field. Gates outlined his dream of a ...
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"How Computer Maps Will Help the Poor"
Residents of poor neighborhoods in San Jose, Calif., are taking over for San Jose State University computer and engineering students in mapping their communities using GPS receivers, digital cameras, tablet PCs, and pocket PCs. The community mapping project was first launched in 2003, an ...
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"Students Stalk Cyber Prey"
Computer science researchers at Florida State University are developing new technology that will allow law enforcement officials to gather evidence against online criminals such as cyberstalkers. The technology consists of software that victims can install on their computers that connects to a ...
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"In HAL's Footsteps"
IBM has steadfastly promoted the concept of computers capable of self-monitoring, self-diagnosis, and self-repair, a milestone that can only be reached through the collaborative participation of multiple vendors, tackling the problem in a piecemeal fashion. Many companies are working to ...
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"A Female Sensibility"
The free download Facade is the latest effort by videogame designers to turn large numbers of women into gaming consumers. Created by Andrew Stern and Michael Mateas, Facade offers more complex characters and plots than the typical videogame of fight if kicked. Facade is "like standing on a ...
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"Pulse Defense"
The Cold War may be over, but the threat of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack by America's enemies is very much alive, according to a 2004 report. EMPs emit a massive power surge that can disrupt or destroy many electronic devices, crippling vital services and infrastructure. However, ...
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"Trade Groups Speak Out Against Patriot Act"
A half-dozen U.S. trade groups fired off a letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) last week to protest the proposed extension of Patriot Act provisions due to expire at the end of 2005. Such extensions were the subject of several bills passed separately by the ...
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"IT Pros Get Serious About Gaming"
The booming gaming industry is presenting a wealth of opportunities for IT professionals. While sales and growth rates are soaring, many continue to regard gaming as an industry outside of mainstream IT. Electronic Arts, which enjoyed $3 billion in global revenue last year, has undertaken many ...
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"A Dramatic New Approach to Build the NSDI"
Building the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), which is needed if homeland security and other vital services are to be firmly supported, is a national initiative requiring federal funding and a consistent series of standards. Setting up a national effort to compile geospatial data ...
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