What's New @ IEEE in Computing
VOLUME 6 NUMBER 9 SEPTEMBER 2005
CONTENTS:
1. Why Software Fails: IEEE Spectrum Reports
2. Localization Follows Globalization in Software, Hi-Tech Commerce
3. First Issue: IEEE/OSA Journal of Display Technology
4. Bill Gates to Deliver Keynote at Supercomputing Conference
5. Canadian Computer Engineering Conference Seeks Submissions
6. IEEE Adds 15,000 Historic Electron Devices Articles to Archive
7. Satellite Software Learns to Distinguish Snow, Ice and Water
8. Communication Challenges in Developing World Create Economic Dilemmas
9. New Member Benefit: Online Access to IEEE Potentials Magazine
10. IP Experts Say Consumers Should Have Control Over Identity Information
11. Algorithm-Based Computer Program Learns and Writes Without Human Help
12. NIST Takes Aim at Unauthorized Access of Mobile Devices
13. Translating Foreign Software into Readable Code Reduces Errors
14. Bioacoustics Software Detects Individual Elephant Speech Patterns
15. Learn to Ask: "What's the Worst that Could Happen?"
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1. WHY SOFTWARE FAILS: IEEE SPECTRUM REPORTS
Despite the supposed preventability of most software system debacles, many continue to occur -- at the cost of US$60 to US$70 billion dollars a year to U.S. private and government agencies, according to a special feature from IEEE Spectrum. Among the reasons why are an organization's failure to establish realistic project goals, make accurate estimates of needed resources, plan well-defined system requirements, manage risks, resist commercial pressures, use proper project management, develop suitable communication techniques, and utilize mature technology. IEEE Spectrum has more: www.spectrum.ieee.org/sep05/2190
Visit the new IEEE Spectrum web site, now featuring an editor's blog, webcasts, streaming audio and more. Check it out at: www.spectrum.ieee.org
2. LOCALIZATION FOLLOWS GLOBALIZATION IN SOFTWARE, HI-TECH COMMERCE
Computer and software manufacturers are increasingly pressed to heed the demands of a global economy in creating user documentation for their products, according to Eduardo Clark, president of the IEEE Professional Communication Society. "Localization," or the adaptation of documentation to different countries and regions, is not merely translation, Clark says, but can encompass everything from cultural differences in formality of address to units of measurement and the specifications of local telephone systems. According to Clark, the process begins with internationalization (I18N), the process of modifying or creating a product free of cultural considerations and ready for localization. Read more: www.ieeepcs.org/newsletter/archive/aug2005/pcsnews_august2005_president.php
3. FIRST ISSUE: IEEE/OSA JOURNAL OF DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
The first issue of IEEE/OSA Journal of Display Technology has been published and is now available online through IEEE Xplore. Sponsored by seven IEEE societies and the Optical Society of America, this interdisciplinary publication covers the theory, design, fabrication, manufacturing and application of information displays and aspects of display technology that emphasize the progress in device engineering, device design, materials, electronics, physics and reliability aspects of displays and the application of displays. Papers in the first issue cover technologies such as liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), polymer LEDs, three-dimensional displays, projection displays, and lighting technology. Institutions with subscriptions to IEEE online collections may have access to this new journal, depending on their access rights. The table of contents and abstracts for all papers can be found here: ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=9425
For a closer look at the technologies behind this new journal, visit: www.theinstitute.ieee.org/portal/pages/tionline/legacy/inst2005/sep05/9w.newjournal.html
4. BILL GATES TO DELIVER KEYNOTE AT SUPERCOMPUTING CONFERENCE
Microsoft Corporation Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates will deliver the keynote address at the SC|05 Conference. SC|05, the premier international conference on high-performance computing, networking and storage, will take place 12 to 18 November in Seattle, Washington, USA. Under the theme, "Gateway to Discovery," SC|05 will showcase how high-performance computing, networking, storage and analytics lead to advances in research, education and commerce. The conference will also feature technical and education programs, workshops, tutorials, an expanded exhibit area, and demonstrations. The annual SC conference is sponsored by ACM and IEEE. sc05.supercomputing.org/
Don't miss the next conference you need for your career. IEEE sponsors more than 300 technical conferences and workshops each year, highlighting the latest technological advances. Find events through the IEEE ConferenceSearch Web site at: www.ieee.org/conferencesearch/
5. CANADIAN COMPUTER ENGINEERING CONFERENCE SEEKS SUBMISSIONS
Abstract submissions to next year's IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering are due by 4 December. Paper topics may include advanced computer architecture, database and data mining, intelligent systems, virtual reality and new media robotics and mechatronics, electrical machines and drives, power electronics, and electromagnetics and HV engineering. The conference, which will act as a focal point for research and development surrounding electrical and computer engineering, will take place in May 2006. For more information, visit: www.ieee.ca/ccece06/cfp.html
6. IEEE ADDS 15,000 HISTORIC ELECTRON DEVICES ARTICLES TO ARCHIVE
IEEE has posted online versions of more than 15,000 articles from IEEE Electron Devices Society publications dating as far back as 1954, including articles from three of the Society's most influential publications: IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices (papers from 1954 to 1987); IEEE Electron Device Letters (papers from 1980 to 1987); and the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (papers from 1955 to 1987). Papers from 1988-forward were already available electronically. To view abstracts of the papers in these publications, visit:
- IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/conhome.jsp?punumber=1000245 - IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=16 - IEEE Electron Device Letters
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=55
7. SATELLITE SOFTWARE LEARNS TO DISTINGUISH SNOW, ICE AND WATER
Software which controls the Earth Observing-1 spacecraft is capable of learning by itself, and can recognize changes in the cryosphere, the frozen parts of Earth, according to its developers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. While other spacecraft only capture images by explicit command, Earth Observing-1 has been making its own decisions, according to NASA scientists. NASA says the new software, which has taken more than 1,500 images of frozen lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Quebec, Tibet and the Italian Alps, along with sea ice in Arctic and Antarctic bays, has learned to classify the images so well that the agency plans to use the software for future missions. Read more: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050819093826.htm
8. COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING WORLD CREATE ECONOMIC DILEMMAS
The economic "flattening" of global markets brought about by the growth of Internet connectivity poses some unique obstacles for Web developers seeking to "internationalize" the Web, according to an article from the IEEE Professional Communication Society Newsletter. In his book "The World is Flat," New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman claims that Web development contributes to world economies in ways that may bring prosperity to developing nations. Hindering this transformation, however, are obstructions such as limited Internet and hardware availability in developing nations, as well language barriers as more non-English speaking people become Internet savvy. Read more: www.ieeepcs.org/newsletter/archive/aug2005/pcsnews_august2005_I18N.php
9. NEW MEMBER BENEFIT: ONLINE ACCESS TO IEEE POTENTIALS MAGAZINE
Beginning this month, all IEEE members receive online access to IEEE Potentials magazine as part of their basic IEEE membership. IEEE Potentials provides information on the latest research and innovation in a wide range of engineering and technology topics. It also features items on professional development and career issues, and includes tutorials on the implications of new technology. To access the online version of IEEE Potentials, visit: ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=45
10. IP EXPERTS SAY CONSUMERS SHOULD HAVE CONTROL OVER IDENTITY INFORMATION
While lawmakers work to impose strict security guidelines on corporations that collect identity information from their costumers, a few visionaries believe identity theft can be prevented by prohibiting corporations from requiring any identity information from their consumers at all, according to an article from IEEE Distributed Systems Online. Among these visionaries is Microsoft's architect for identity access, Kim Cameron, who, along with fellow employees, codified an open architecture identity metasystem that allows end users to retain control over their data according to the content of different relationships during transactions. This vision, among others, adheres to a concept known as "federation identity," in which control over consumer identity is reverted into the hands of the consumers themselves, rather than the marketplace. Read more: dsonline.computer.org/portal/site/dsonline/menuitem.9ed3d9924aeb0dcd82ccc6716bbe36ec/index.jsp?&pName=dso_level1&path=dsonline/0508&file=o8002.xml&xsl=article.xsl&
11. ALGORITHM-BASED COMPUTER PROGRAM LEARNS AND WRITES WITHOUT HUMAN HELP
A computer program that can autonomously scan text in any language and use proper grammar to create sentences has been developed by researchers at Cornell University and Tel Aviv University. Through the use of an algorithm, the computer can grab a body of text, take a collection of recurring patterns or rules from it and create new material, according to their published research. Known as Automatic Distillation of Structure (ADIOS), the new method locates complex syntax patterns by connecting sentences and searching for overlapping parts. To read more, got to: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050901072808.htm
12. NIST TAKES AIM AT UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS OF MOBILE DEVICES
In an effort to block unauthorized users from accessing data from handheld technology devices, The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released two reports detailing new authentication technologies. The first report outlines two different kinds of location-based authentication mechanisms that rely on signals from wireless beacons that are used to verify handheld device users; access would be blocked or denied if the user were in an unauthorized area. The second report also introduces smaller, security-offering smart cards that can be easily inserted into the devices. Read more: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-08/nios-iso083005.php
13. TRANSLATING FOREIGN SOFTWARE INTO READABLE CODE REDUCES ERRORS
There are a few ways to prevent untranslated codes from frequently occurring in the user interfaces of international software products, according to an article from the IEEE Professional Communication Society Newsletter. The software internationalization process requires the development of a single, common code base, which is key to preventing unreadable codes because it establishes a universal language at the product's core. Also, locating bugs that the translator may have missed, or deciphering whether or not a code is literal, often requires methodical searches through the system. Another problem that frequently arises are NIH (not invented here) product parts, such as installers, which are often produced overseas and therefore developed in foreign codes. Read more: www.ieeepcs.org/newsletter/archive/aug2005/pcsnews_august2005_strings.php
14. BIOACOUSTICS SOFTWARE DETECTS INDIVIDUAL ELEPHANT SPEECH PATTERNS
Hidden Markov model (HMM) algorithm-based PCs can interpret up to 85 percent of "elephantese," or elephant-talk, according to an article from Computer Magazine. A bioacoustics team from Marquette University, in conjunction with researchers from Disney's Animal Kingdom, say elephants, whose vocal range is 7 to 200 Hz, produce simultaneous rumbles in herds that are inaudible to humans. A trained HMM program extracted distinct elephant vocalizations through a sequence of "distilled data reductions," which were strung into a chain to study new sound sequences, or individual elephant voices, for social context, language, and grammar. Once the program was trained to differentiate between voices, it could produce a record of individual elephant vocalizations. Read more: www.computer.org/portal/site/cise/menuitem.92a12adebee18778161489108bcd45f3/index.jsp?&pName=cise_level1_article&TheCat=1001&path=cise/v7n5&file=news.xml&
15. LEARN TO ASK: "WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?"
True story: a young man working toward his Boy Scout Eagle project once came close to successfully manufacturing a nuclear reactor in his parents' pottery shed. Using this example, Computer Magazine columnist Bob Colwell questions humanity's ability to curtail preventable disasters in his article "What's the Worst That Can Happen?" Also taking into account Posnerian theories like the "strangelet scenario," which raises concerns over contagious particle accelerator collision energies that are theorized to set the atmosphere ablaze during a nuclear explosion, Colwell advises that worst-case scenarios and the eerie conjectures surrounding them should not be overlooked. "When worst-case design fails," Colwell warns, "it's usually due to a failure of the designer's imagination." Be prepared -- read more: www.computer.org/portal/site/computer/menuitem.5d61c1d591162e4b0ef1bd108bcd45f3/index.jsp?&pName=computer_level1_article&TheCat=1010&path=computer/homepage/0805&file=random.xml&xsl=article.xsl&
WHAT'S NEW @ IEEE IN COMPUTING is a monthly, opt-in email update designed to provide you with the latest news regarding IEEE activities, industry trends, career development tips, and new IEEE product releases. We welcome your feedback on this service.
Managing Editor: John Platt j.platt@ieee.org
Contributing Editors: Julie Compton, Robert J. Howe, Brian Pedersen
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