IBM: Programming and Poetry
This article reviews a Poetry vs. Programming panel sponsored by IBM to continue a 2004 discussion from the Innovation Days speaker series. Panel participants, which included poets Thomas Lux and Vijay Seshadri, and IBM researchers John Richards, Josh Scribner and John Vlissides, discussed whether or not "writing code is like writing poetry." The panel was also broadcast to IBM's U.S. labs. The author provides quotes from the participants and describes the conversation as “lively and dynamic.”
Whole Building Design Guide
The National Institute of Building Sciences is developing the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG). While not yet complete, there is already a substantial knowledge base for building professionals to draw upon. The purpose of WBDG is to help designers "improve the performance and quality of their buildings by following the guidance and recommendations provided within the categories of this web site." There are sections for specific building types and design objectives. Eventually, WBDG will have a
Appetizers and Lessons for Mathematics and Reason: Linear Equations
This section of the website, Appetizers and Lessons for Mathematics and Reason, written by Alan Selby, PD. (see also Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, May 24, 2002) offers lesson ideas for teaching linear equations in high school or college. The approach uses stick diagrams to solve linear equations because they "provide a concrete or visual context for many of the rules or patterns for solving equations, a context that may develop equation solving skills and confidence." The i
The Universal Troubleshooting Process
The Universal Troubleshooting Process (UTP) is an abbreviated version of the book Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful Technologist by Steve Litt. UTP consists of ten steps designed to help modern workers diagnose the system in question and ultimately repair it. The process is very general and can be applied to virtually any well-defined system. Each step of the process is carefully outlined and can be easily followed. The Web site also has links to applicable articles from Steve Litt's
Computer Graphics & Digital Animation
Computer graphics is a term that encompasses a wide range of sciences and techniques. To understand some of the processes involved in generating computer graphics, Cornell University offers this detailed introduction to the subject (1). The site contains explanations and a series of pictures that illustrate object rendering, shading, ray tracing, and more. Computer graphics has seen rapid advancements in the past few years, partly because of the development of dedicated graphics processing units
New York Times: Plans for Ground Zero Unveiled
This article from the New York Times shows several concepts for possible monuments/ buildings at Ground Zero. The interactive feature, titled Envisioning Downtown, has some very impressive content. It has excellent footage of artist impressions and computer animations of the proposed architectures, all of which are quite remarkable. Seven designs are highlighted, with descriptions of the various characteristics and a few specifications unique to each structure. Short audio clips accompany most o
White Paper: Auto-ID Based Control
At its most basic level, auto-ID technology is similar to the UPC bar code. However, it incorporates microchips, wireless communications, and the Internet to make all the information pertaining to individual products instantly accessible. This white paper, distributed May 1, 2002, discusses "the role of control systems in Auto-ID developments." It starts with an overview of the technology, including a brief description of the Electronic Product Code and its use. The paper then goes into the meth
Discover Chimpanzees!
Meet the chimps of Tanzania's Gombe National Park at this entertaining Web site from the Jane Goodall Institute's Center for Primate Studies. With colorful photos on every page, this site offers biographies about specific chimpanzees written by the researchers who study them, a virtual tour of the park, recorded chimp calls, interactive games, relevant links, and more. Users can download over a dozen documents for additional information and activities, such as a guide to chimpanzee territorial b
Learning Technologies Project
The NASA Learning Technologies Project (LTP) showcases many initiatives that "incorporate NASA content with revolutionary technologies or innovative use of entrenched technologies to enhance education in the areas of math and science." The Education Resources section features three software titles that can be freely downloaded, mainly consisting of three-dimensional visualization activities for planets and the solar system. Extensive information about current projects under development is given,
Protist Information Server
The Protist Information Server is available through the Soken Taxa Web Server and Japan Science and Technology Corporation. Intended as a resource for research and education, the Protist Information Server contains over 31,000 images of protists representing 487 genera and 1617 species. Users will also find over 500 QuickTime movies, tons of related Web links, a recently added list of biodiversity Web sites in Japan, plus lots of other resources. Specific protist images are quickly found and org
Education Module: Space Technology is Used to Observe and Measure Tectonic Motion of the Earth's Sur
This educational resource, provided by the Southern California Integrated Global Positioning System (GPS) Network, provides instruction, exercises, and projects that illustrate how space technologies are used to predict and measure earthquakes. Using these resources, students can learn about plate tectonics, earthquakes, and satellite technologies. These resources are intended for secondary school or undergraduate students, but the explanations are simple enough that educators of younger childre
Beat the Heat at Arizona Science Center
TryScience.com offers an unique energy learning activity called Beat the Heat. This fun and interactive lesson lets users design a house in a particular location and test it in various seasons to best utilize the heat of the sun for energy efficiency. You can choose various types of roofs, windows, solar panels, skylights, and plants, as well as the direction your house faces, to see how each of these variables effects your home's efficiency. This in-depth and intriguing exercise teaches some ve
Sfold: Software for Statistical Folding and Rational Design of Nucleic Acids
Available free of charge to any researcher for non-commercial applications, Sfold "predicts probable RNA secondary structures, assesses target accessibility, and provides tools for the rational design of RNA-targeting nucleic acids." Sfold is offered through the Wadsworth center of the New York State Department of Health. Sfold application modules allow users to target accessibility prediction and rational design of siRNA, antisense oligonucelotides and nucleic acid probes, _trans_-cleaving ribo
Science and Safety, Making the Connection
The Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS), a professional organization composed of science education specialists, has recently released a guide to science safety entitled Science and Safety, Making the Connection. The free, downloadable document covers how to purchase, dispose, and store chemicals; how to clean up spills; safety equipment recommendations; and more. Any educator involved in laboratory work of any kind will find that this document contains very valuable and important informa
Dartmouth Symposium on the Future of Computer Music Software: A Panel Discussion
This article, which appeared in the winter 2002 issue of the Computer Music Journal, is an edited transcript of the Dartmouth Symposium on the Future of Computer Music Software. The topics discussed at the event varied widely, but most were centered on experimental software as opposed to normative utilities like mixers and virtual studios. By following this subject track for the symposium, participants shared their viewpoints about the evolution of computer music software and highlighted current
Squeak Programming System
Squeak is a programming system that is offered under an open source license, which makes it free to download. The website describes Squeak as "an open, highly-portable Smalltalk-80 implementation whose virtual machine is written entirely in Smalltalk, making it easy to debug, analyze, and change." The programming system can be used to create images, graphics, sound, games and websites. For example, the drawing function includes the ability to scale and rotate bitmap images at any color depth, an
jRoundup
Whether you are looking for programming help or just browsing for applications, jRoundup has Java resources for everyone. The site offers special weekly features chosen from the best material on the Net. For Java applets and utilities, check the grab it section, which has links to hundreds of useful tools in a wide range of categories. If you are a Java novice, the learn it section lists many tutorials and guides to suit your needs. jRoundup hosts discussion forums for several topics to promote
Butterfly Cam
This educational Web site about butterflies was developed by a teacher and third grade students at Nassau School in Poughkeepsie, NY. The site includes photos and identifying information of a variety of butterflies found in the New York area, along with many plants that provide an important source of nectar. Students can also learn about the butterfly life cycle, do online puzzles, and view the live Web camera that will feature monarch butterflies this September. The site is easy to navigate and
Haneng.com
Haneng.com is a very well presented site about Active Server Pages (ASP). Maintained by a Norwegian ASP developer, it is intended as a reference/ training resource for people using ASP in Web authoring and design applications. There are over twenty lessons on various ASP topics, ranging from introductory material to more advanced topics like database integration. A large forum archive lets users search for a specific problem or post their question to get answers from other users. A live chat sec
Magplane: Transportation for the Information Age
The Magplane concept involves electromagnetically levitated vehicles designed for fast intra-city travel. This is in contrast to most other systems that focus on intercity travel; the goal of the Magplane system is to connect suburbs and locations up to 250 miles from a central metropolitan area, with travel times of about an hour or less. The Magplane home page offers many details of the system's design and operation. Five technical papers are also presented, which describe some of the engineer
