“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.
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
“Exploiting SOA Strategies for Software Solutions”
The industry chatter over Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) has subsided and analysts have even provocatively proclaimed that “SOA is dead.” However, utility (e.g. “cloud”) computing has risen as a viable architecture pattern, and once again SOA is front and center. Join Richard Seroter, a solutions architect at Amgen and author of SOA Patterns with BizTalk Server 2009 (Packt Publishing, 2009), as he looks at what SOA really is, how to build to that pattern, and how to use SOA strategies to unlock legacy assets and leverage new assets in the cloud.
About the Presenter
Richard Seroter is a solutions architect for Amgen, a Microsoft MVP for BizTalk Server, and a Microsoft Connected Technology Advisor. He has spent the majority of his career consulting with customers as they planned and implemented their enterprise software solutions. Richard worked first for two global IT consulting firms, which gave him exposure to a diverse range of industries, technologies, and business challenges. Richard joined Microsoft as a SOA/BPM technology specialist where his sole objective was to educate and collaborate with customers as they considered, designed, and architected BizTalk solutions. He joined Amgen full time as an developer and implementer after the company committed to using BizTalk Server for their enterprise service bus. After establishing the BizTalk environment, Richard transitioned to an architect role where he now identifies enterprise best practices and applies good architectural principles to a wide set of IT initiatives.
When: Wed. evening, 12 May 2010
Where: Richter Hall, California Lutheran University
Details, parking info: see our Meetings page.
Conejo Robotics Team at FIRST Robotics Competition
Filed under: Computer, Events, Programming, Robotics, Robotics and Automation, Sensors
Wednesday, April 14 2009, Charles Seabury and high school students from Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, and Westlake High show off their robots and discuss their efforts to win the FIRST Robotics Competition in 2010.
Competitive robotics has been gaining popularity nationwide as a supplement to the conventional science, math and engineering curriculum. Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Westlake High Schools now have competitive teams using the VEX platform, and the three schools together compete in the FIRST robotics program. We will describe the history of our program, the current activities ideas for the future as well as needs and opportunities for contributions from the engineering community. Examples of the VEX robots as well as our current FRC entry will be demonstrated.
Meeting location and directions.
We hope to see you there.
IEEE Computer- IEEE Spectrum
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Chapter Info
Buenaventura Section
Chapter C16 Location R6 01 09
Regular Meeting Info
Meets evenings, 2nd Wed of the month. See link above for meeting info.