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| Current Topic: High Tech Developments |
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United States Patent: 7032166 | Method and apparatus for protecting data |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
8:38 pm EDT, May 22, 2006 |
Yay! In one aspect, a technique is provided for protecting a data set with a parity set defined by a bipartite graph having a degree distribution that includes no parity symbol having a degree less than three. In another aspect, a parity set defined by an irregular bipartite graph is transmitted along with the data set, and corruptions in the data set are decoded using the data set and the parity set. In another aspect, a particularly useful degree distribution for the parity symbols is defined.
And it only took 3.5 years. United States Patent: 7032166 | Method and apparatus for protecting data |
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More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
1:49 pm EST, Mar 12, 2005 |
In an excellent and comprehensive survey, Ramez Naam investigates a wide swath of cutting-edge techniques that in a few years may be as common as plastic surgery. Naam is optimistic about technological advancement. He surveys applications of genetic and computer engineering to the human body and pronounces them good. More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement |
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Where is the madman who'll take us to Mars? |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
11:44 pm EST, Nov 21, 2004 |
In this time when our freeways are frozen in place, space travel suffers the same terrible winter. How can we thaw this deep-freeze to unlock our vision so that we see the stars once more with the same fever that we knew that fabulous night we took the first Giant Step? Where are the Jules Vernes, alive today to change our ways? Ray Bradbury is asking these questions, and more, in the Wall Street Journal. Don't miss the part about Canada! Are you the madman he's looking for? Where is the madman who'll take us to Mars? |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
1:10 am EDT, Sep 28, 2004 |
Just watch it. It begins: "Here at Rockwell Automation world headquarters, research has been proceeding to develop a line of automation products that establishes new standards for quality, technological leadership, and operating excellence." The Retro Encabulator |
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Spam Spotlight on Reputation |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
5:44 pm EDT, Sep 6, 2004 |
10 percent of all spam includes registered SPF records, which means that enterprises' adoption of the framework alone will not stop spam. Enter reputation analysis. Spam Spotlight on Reputation |
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'The Most Historic Wall Since the Great Wall of China' |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
1:51 am EDT, Jun 9, 2004 |
It's Bruce Sterling's "Distraction", realized. Look for labor unions to dig in, hard, against this technology, just as West Coast longshoremen went on strike to protest new technology at US ports. It's the new offshoring. By the end of 2005, robots will be able to construct a one-story, 2,000-square foot home on site in a single day. Efforts to automate the building process are based on a technology known as Contour Crafting, a layered fabrication process controlled by computer. In effect, this technology will enable homes and other structures to be "printed out" from computer design software, much as ink jet printers produce documents from word processing software. Where's your wall? 'The Most Historic Wall Since the Great Wall of China' |
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Creating a New Picture of War, Pixel by Pixel |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
9:36 am EDT, May 18, 2004 |
Robert Wright, author of Nonzero, writes in the LA Times. The revolution of grass-roots digital empowerment will change the nature of war and the place of war in American foreign policy. Some people who see the Abu Ghraib scandal as technologically driven are suggesting technological reforms. At one level, Rumsfeld grasps the power of digital technology. It was because our troops were digitally empowered that we needed so few of them. But this cuts both ways. Once you figure technology into both sides of the ledger, war looks different. Note to Public: Although Rumsfudd^h^h^held has not issued you a trusty repeating rifle, let there be no mistake: you have been drafted. Organized by Orkut, trained by TiVo, and equipped by Ericsson, we are all superempowered now. Engage! Creating a New Picture of War, Pixel by Pixel |
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In a Road That's All Eyes, the Driver Finds an Ally |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
12:58 pm EDT, May 16, 2004 |
His original idea was quite simple in concept. He wanted to create an illuminated road marker containing its own power source, a solar cell. At night or in bad weather, light from approaching vehicles would generate enough power to light up the marker, which consisted of light-emitting diodes. An illuminated marker would be more visible than a plain reflector, and the idea was that a car passing over the markers would cause them to stay illuminated long enough so that they would provide a warning trail of lights for any vehicles close behind. He not only overcame the limitations of solar cells, but also managed to engineer markers that turned red to warn when the gap between two cars was dangerously small. Other features followed. Optical systems inside the casing are able to monitor the atmosphere for fog. Electrical resistance detectors can check for standing water. The addition of a thermometer allows the marker to predict ice. The system is currently being used to monitor traffic slowdowns. When it detects them, it turns on illuminated markers farther up the road as a warning. In a Road That's All Eyes, the Driver Finds an Ally |
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'Reality Mining' the Organization |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
8:14 pm EDT, Apr 4, 2004 |
Data mining is a start, but it misses the critical pieces of information that are transmitted by word of mouth. Social networking systems can foster collaboration. Studies indicate that as much as 80 percent of work time is spent in spoken conversation, and that critical pieces of information are transmitted by word of mouth in a serendipitous fashion. Fortunately, the data infrastructure for mining real-world interactions is already in place. Commonplace wearable technology can be used to characterize the face-to-face interactions of employees -- and to map out a company's de facto organization chart. We hope to see serious commercial applications within the year. The train has left the station. Are you aboard? Cypherpunks write code. 'Reality Mining' the Organization |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
8:00 pm EDT, Apr 4, 2004 |
Google is getting into the e-mail game. Gmail organizes messages by "conversations" that show messages in the context of the replies sent in response to them. ... spam-fighting, one gigabyte of online storage ... Google requires its engineers spend 20 percent of their time pursuing ideas that interest them. Is your Friday a "Pet Project" day? Google is offering fifty cents worth of disk space in exchange for the opportunity to mine the next decade of your reality. Are you in? Google Gets E-Mail |
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