Testing the Smart Grid
Filed under: Events, Power Engineering Society, Software Testing
Utilities across the US continue to roll out smart meters as well as a wide range of smart grid infrastructure projects. The Department of Energy is funding numerous regional demonstration projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Smart grid technologies enhance power delivery and use through intelligent two‐way communication. The technology includes everything from interactive appliances in homes to substation automation and sensors on transmission lines. Electricity generators, suppliers and consumers are all part of the equation.
QualityLogic, a 25‐year‐old testing products and services company headquartered in Ventura County with facilities in Idaho and Oregon, is part of the largest smart grid demonstration project in the US – the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project.
The five‐year project will cover a diverse five‐state region and involve more than 60,000 metered customers. QualityLogic’s role is to create interoperability tests and certification for the Project’s transactive control system and advise Project participants on interoperability issues. Transactive control technology will allow transaction‐based collaboration to occur over complex networks, where intelligent devices negotiate with each other, their users and the energy supplier to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Dave Jollota, QualityLogic President and CEO, will provide an overview of the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project, as well as other key smart grid technologies in which QualityLogic is involved.
About the Presenter
Dave Jollota has been with QualityLogic for 20 years and has served as its president and CEO since 2008. He has led QualityLogic into many new ventures during his tenure, most recently into the smart energy arena. Prior to joining QualityLogic, he held several operations positions at Dataproducts Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University.
When: 6:30-8:30pm Wednesday, 8 September
Where: Overton Hall, California Lutheran University
See our Meeting Information page for location details, maps, and parking.
Putting Graphic Novels and Comics Online
… funny thing I saw online everywhere yesterday …
Digital Comics: Technical Challenges of 21st-Century Publishing
The world of comics/graphic novels has leaped online with new delivery systems, channels like iTunes, and on multiple platforms ranging from traditional PCs to Sony PSP and Apple iPads/iPhones. Quicksilver Software’s founder, William Fisher, has been working with major publishers and artists to deliver comics in these new, digital formats.
In this talk, Bill will discuss his company’s new LongBox Digital Comic Book publishing and distribution system. He will present background about why digital distribution is so critical in this and many other markets, and then discuss some of the key technical challenges faced by the development team as they put together a state-of-the-art infrastructure for multi-platform digital content delivery.
The talk will include details about the competing challenges of providing solid protection against copying while at the same time giving users great freedom in how they can use and enjoy the content that they download. He will also discuss his company’s technical design philosophy, how it influenced the design of the application, the tools, and the back-end infrastructure for the system which is now in final public beta testing.
About the Speaker and His Company
Bill Fisher is the Founder, Kingpin, and Scoutmaster of Quicksilver Software, Inc. Quicksilver creates strategy, simulation, and educational titles, including Star Trek: Starfleet Command, and the U.S. Army’s Full Spectrum Command series.
The company also excels in embedded and vertical market product development, and projects that require custom hardware components. Recent projects include a mobile counter-IED trainer for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, a game for Apple iPhone and iPad, a live poker game show in Las Vegas, a keyboarding skills product, and a military “urban stability operations” simulator.
Prior to founding Quicksilver Software, Inc. in 1984, he managed home computer software development for Mattel Electronics where he developed Intellivision programs.
Bill has spent 26 years managing his own software development company. His interests range from strategy game development to simulation-based training and artificial intelligence design to usability and user interface design. He maintains an active role in guiding development of the company’s projects, which include products targeted at markets ranging from commercial entertainment software and educational software to simulation software and mobile applications
When: 6:30-8:00pm Wed. evening, 14 July 2010
Where: Richter Hall, California Lutheran University
Free, open to the public. RSVP requested.
Details, parking info: see our Meetings page.
“The Evolution of Computer Science”
The Physics arXiv Blog at MIT’s Technology Review highlights how far computer science has advanced in the last 50 years:
Computing the energy levels of a helium atom in 1958 was significantly harder than it is today. But a comparison of then and now methods reveals some counter intuitive anomalies about the impact of computer science.
In 1958, Chaim Pekeris completed a landmark project in computer science. As a physicist at the Weizmann Institute of Technology in Israel, he become fascinated with the relatively new science of quantum mechanics and its potential to explain from first principles the behaviour of atoms.
There was a problem however. The equation developed by Schrodinger that could do the job was too complex for mere mortals to handle. Using it to determine the electronic energy levels of a even a lowly helium atom was seemingly impossible.
Chaim had an idea, however: why not exploit the incipient field of computer science to do the job.
Read more at
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25276
Source article dated 3 June 2010.
‘Behind-the-Scenes’ at DreamWorks Animation
Back by popular demand on Wednesday evening, June 9, Dr. Saty Raghavachary, DreamWorks Animation, presents “just how they do that” when creating animated features.
This talk describes how studios such as DreamWorks and Pixar make computer-animated movies. It explores the departments that make up a modern “production pipeline”, paying extra attention to computational techniques and software development problems. A variety of DreamWorks-related and ‘found’ clips will illustrate several facets of animation production (such as character animation and visual effects), focusing on techniques and technology.
Since last year’s talk, DreamWorks has released “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Shrek Forever After“. Come hear what it takes to put these projects out!
About the Speaker
Saty joined DreamWorks in 1996, where he is now Head of Digital Training for DreamWorks Feature Animation. His film credits include “Shrek Forever After”, “How to Train Your Dragon”, “Monsters vs Aliens”, “Madagascar”, “Madagascar 2″, “Kung Fu Panda”, “Bee Movie”, ”Flushed Away”, “Over the Hedge”, “Shark Tale”, “Shrek”, “Shrek 2″, “Shrek 3″, “Sinbad”, “Spirit”, “The Road to El Dorado”, and “The Prince of Egypt”.
Saty is a part-time instructor at the University of Southern California and also teaches at Gnomon School of Visual Effects and TD College. He is the author of Rendering for Beginners: Image synthesis using RenderMan and a co-author of The RenderMan Shading Language Guide. Prior to joining DreamWorks he was Software Manager at MetroLight Studios. He holds three MS degrees and a PhD from The Ohio State University. He has a B.Tech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and is a member of Association for Computing Machinery, the IEEE Computer Society, and American Mensa.
When: 6:30-8:00pm Wed. evening, 9 June 2010
Where: Richter Hall, California Lutheran University
Free, open to the public. RSVP requested.
Details, parking info: see our Meetings page.
MS Robotics Studio Free Download
Filed under: Programming, Robotics, Robotics and Automation
IEEE Spectrum reports Microsoft is now offering Microsoft Robitics Studio as a free download.
Erico Guizzo writes
Over the past year or so, Microsoft’s robotics group has been working quietly, very quietly. That’s because, among other things, they were busy planning a significant strategy shift.
Microsoft is upping the ante on its robotics ambitions by announcing today that its Robotics Developer Studio, or RDS, a big package of programming and simulation tools, is now available to anyone for free.
Previously, RDS had multiple releases: one free but with limited features, a full commercial version that users could purchase, and an academic version distributed only to partners.
By releasing a single version with full capabilities and at no cost, Microsoft wants to expand its RDS user base, hoping to amass a legion of hobbyists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and other robot enthusiasts who will come up with the next big things in consumer robotics.
See “Microsoft Shifts Robotics Strategy, Makes Robotics Studio Available Free” for full article.
License and download at Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio Site
IEEE Computer- PrePrint: Cloud Computing in Developing Economies: Current State, Opportunities and Challenges
- PrePrint: A Cross Analysis of Master Curricula in ICT and Professional Profiles
- PrePrint: Cloud Computing for Mobile Users
- PrePrint: Use of the IEEE Codes of Conduct to Resolve Legal Disputes
- PrePrint: Model-based Runtime Verification of Web Service Interface Contracts
- IEEE Spectrum
Chapter Info
Buenaventura Section
Chapter C16 Location R6 01 09
Regular Meeting Location