Home | Custom Catalogs | Content Management | Custom Design | Online Courseware | Specialized programming | Search Engine Optimization | Web Hosting | Web 2.0 | HTML editing | JavaScript programming | ASP programming | Ajax | MySQL | Flash design | PHP programming | Database development | Jquery
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Clustering
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
is the connection of many low-cost computers using special software such that they can be used as one larger computer. Clustering can either be used to provide reliability (when one machines fails, the others takes over its workload) or as a means to inexpensively provide large amounts of computing power. In machine learning, clustering is an algorithm that takes a data set of inputs and divides them into equivalence classes, so that every input in a class is "similar" in some way.
Chobits characters
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
nothing. Before Chii was found by Hideki and named Chii, her name was Elda. She was the second chobit produced by the Hibiya couple. After Mr. Hibiya's death, her memories were erased by Ms. Hibiya. Hideki soon found her and brought her home. Possibly, Elda's memories were also on the disk which was accidentally left in the garbage when Hideki salvaged her. After she is activated, Chii proceeds to start learning about the environment around her, and make some hilarious mistakes in the process (for example imitating a pornographic pose from one of Hideki's magazines). Eventually, when Chii starts communicating properly and learns enough about her environment to be able to function in it, she gets at job at Hiroyasu Ueda's bakery. Chii also houses the resident personality of her fellow
Xenu
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
upper-level Scientology course known as OT III ("Operating Thetan Level Three"). For more information about the "secret" documents of Scientology, see the Wikipedia article on Scientology beliefs and practices. In spite of efforts by the Church of Scientology to keep the story of Xenu a secret - the OT III materials contain the claim that learning OT III without proper preparation and supervision is likely to cause death by pneumonia - details of the Xenu writings have been revealed to the general public over the years. Critics of Scientology claim that the Xenu story is ultimate proof that Scientology is a scam and a confidence trick. They note that after spending thousands of dollars and investing years of their lives to reach the level of OT III, Scientologists learn that the
Chinese input methods for computer
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
to select a character from a menu generally have sophisticated methods for guessing which characters the user intends based on context. Different people are most comfortably with different methods and each standard has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, for someone who is already familiar with pinyin, the pinyin method can be learned most quickly. However, the maximum typing rate is limited, and learning the system is difficult for some who doesn't know pinyin. Wubi takes much effort to learn, but expert typists can enter text much faster than the phonetic methods. Because of these factors, there is no likelihood of a "standard" method evolving. Other means of inputting Chinese characters are not widely used but include stylus and tablet, with hand-writing recognition software, as the most common alternative, and then
Certification
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
knowledge, skills, or abilities in the view of the certifying body. Similarly, certification of products indicates their reputed suitability for a specified purpose (i.e., a computer system might be certified as being fully compatible with a large software package). The rise of the Internet has lead to a new kind of certification for websites. Website certifications exist to certify the website's privacy policy, security of their financial transactions, suitability for minors, etc. People become certified through training and/or passing an exam. Products become certified through testing. Individuals often advertise their status by appending the certification acronym to their name: Jane Doe, RHCE. Ceritifcations may be perpetual, may need to be renewed periodically, or may be for a specific period of time (e.g., the life-time of the product upon which the individual
Brøderbund
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
Brøderbund Brøderbund is a maker of educational software that was founded by Doug and Gary Carlston in 1980, Brøderbund scored an early hit with the game Galactic Empire, written by Doug Carlston for the TRS-80. The company went on to become a powerhouse in the educational and entertainment software markets with titles like Karateka, Print Shop, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Prince of Persia, and Myst. Brøderbund was purchased by The Learning Company in 1998.
Technology acceptance model
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
intentions toward trying to learn to use the new technology prior to initiating efforts directed at using. Attitudes towards usage and intentions to use may be ill-formed or lacking in conviction or else may occur only after preliminary strivings to learn to use the technology evolve. Thus, actual usage may not be a direct or immediate consequence of such attitudes and intentions.’ (Bagozzi et al., 1992) TAM suggests that when users are presented with a new software package, a number of factors come into their decision about how and when they will use it. Perceived usefulness (PU) was defined by Davis as ‘the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance’. Perceived ease-of-use (EOU) he defined as ‘the degree to which
Backgammon
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
4, 4. This is an extremely lucky roll. Not only can he hit both of blue's blots with 1-5*-9*, he also has two more fours to play. He may, for example play 19-23(2), moving two checkers from his 6-point to the 2-point. This leaves blue with two checkers on the bar, trying to re-enter against green's home board, which has two points blocked by green. Green was wise to hit twice, because it disrupts blue's efforts to build a prime, and it puts blue considerably behind in the race. Those two checkers must come all the way around the board before blue can begin to bear off. In contrast, green's decision to make the 2-point was strategically dubious. Yes, it may prevent blue from entering with both checkers, and there is
Artificial intelligence agent
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
agent To be considered a bonafide agent, and agent (software, hardware or otherwise) must exhibit the behavioural qualities of agenthood. Essentially this means perceiving the software environment through sensors and acting on the environment through actuators. This must be accomplished autonomously. A mail transfer agent for example decides when to transfer and deliver the mail, and does so asynchronously and independently from the behaviours of other agents in the system. Agents generally --and including some software agents-- have the ability to learn and to reason, logically or otherwise. They may discover facts and rules about the world or about others and may assess and argue these truths and may alter their ontology. = Agent Environments = Environments in which agents operate can be defined in different ways. It is helpful to
Apple Newton
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
its high price and complicated desktop connectivity, both problems solved soon after with the Palm Pilot. The marketing campaign trumpeted the handwriting recognition, which critics considered poor in the initial versions. The original handwriting recognition was actually very sophisticated (learning the user's handwriting instead of forcing the user to learn a new handwriting system, and using a database of known words to make guesses as to what the user was writing). Later versions of the handwriting recognition combined the word database recognition with a letter-by-letter recogniser so that you could switch between printed and joined up writing, even within a single word; they were significantly improved and many users consider the Newton 2000 handwriting recognition software better than any of the alternatives since. Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 Mentions in Movies
Adobe Illustrator
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
for the Apple Macintosh in 1985 as a logical commercialization of Adobe's in-house font development software and PostScript file format. In many ways, Illustrator's release was a gamble as the Macintosh did not have serious market share, the only printer that could output Illustrator documents was Apple's own LaserWriter (also very new and expensive), and the drawing paradigm of Bézier curves was novel to the mainstream user. Not only did the Macintosh show only monochrome graphics, but display options were basically limited to its built-in 9" monitor. Illustrator helped drive the development of larger monitors for the Macintosh. Illustrator was a reliable, capable product, however, and its relatively low learning curve let users quickly appreciate that the new paradigm was not only better, but finally solved the problem of imprecision from
DBASE
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
on the Apple II and IBM PC under DOS where it became one of the best-selling software titles for a number of years. dBASE was never able to transition successfully to Microsoft Windows and was eventually displaced by newer products like Paradox and FoxPro. Ashton-Tate was later sold to Borland in 1991, which sold the rights to the product line in 1999 to the newly-formed dBASE Inc. History dBASE's history can be traced back to the mid-1960s in the form of a system called RETRIEVE, which was marketed by Tymshare Corporation. RETRIEVE was used by Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and in the late 1960s they asked one of their programmers, Jeb Long, to produce their own version. The result was JPLDIS (Jet Propulsion Laboratory Display Information System) which was written in the
Digital divide
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
connection (i.e. narrowband or dialup connection), difficulty of obtaining technical assistance, and fewer access to subscription-based contents. It should also be noted that cost of service may differ depending on location, being pricier at the rural areas. Not surprisingly, the most discussed issue to date is the availability of the access at an affordable cost. As internet connection is becoming popular in some countries such as United States, and broadband connection becomes realistic policy issues than future expectations, the increasing amount of discussion of the divide between people who have broadband connections and those who have narrowband. Information Poverty The idea that some information and communication technologies are vital to quality civic life is not new. It is also not new that some communication infrastructure and active use of it are
Drexel University
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
trademark of Drexel University Drexel University is an institution of higher learning located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. The current president is Constantine Papadakis. Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 Drexel's Colleges and Schools 1.1 Colleges 1.2 Schools 2 Majors Offered 2.3 Most Popular Majors 3 Sports 4 Misc. 5 External Links Drexel's Colleges and Schools The university has thirteen colleges and schools: Colleges Arts and Sciences Bennett S. LeBow College of Business Engineering Medicine Nursing and Health Professions Information Science and Technology Media Arts & Design Richard C. Goodwin College of Evening and Professional Studies Schools Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems Education Hospitality Management Public Health Majors Offered Humanities and Social Sciences Communication English General Humanities and
Dynabook
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
GUI as early as 1972. The Dynabook concept described what is now known as a laptop computer or, (in some of its other iterations) a tablet PC or slate computer with nearly eternal battery life and software aimed mostly at giving children unlimited expression opportunities with all digital media imaginable. Adults could also use a Dynabook from the start, but the target audience would be children, and the software would grow up with them. Alan Kay was the main proponent of the Dynabook concept. When Microsoft came up with its tablet PC he was quoted as saying "Microsoft's Tablet PC, the first Dynabook-like computer good enough to criticize." Kay wanted the Dynabook concept to embody the learning theories of Jean Piaget and some of what Seymour Papert was proposing in order
Extreme Programming
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
Extreme Programming (XP) is a method in or approach to software engineering, formulated by Kent Beck, Ward Cunningham, and Ron Jeffries. Kent Beck wrote the first book on the topic, "Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change" (ISBN 0201616416). It is the most popular of several agile processes. Fundamental characteristics of the method are: Incremental and iterative developments - small improvements after small ones continuous, often repeated automated unit test, regression testing. See JUnit. pair programming user interaction in the programming team (Onsite Customer) refactoring shared code ownership simplicity feedback These characteristics are only derivatives of principles that are known to be good, and are taken into extreme: Interaction between developers and customers is good. Therefore, an XP team is supposed to have a customer on site, who specifies and prioritises work for
Evolutionary linguistics
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
by CSL/Paris, headed by prof. Luc Steels in collaboration with the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and their description of their approach is the following: "Research in evolutionary linguistics: A good way to test a model of a particular phenomenon is to build simulations or artificial systems that exhibit the same or similar phenomena. We are applying this approach to the problem of the origins of language and meaning by developing simulations, both in software and (in collaboration with the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel) physically grounded on robotic agents. These simulations are based on the notion of language games - interactions in which speakers and hearers use language to identify or talk about features and events in the real or simulated world that they
English orthography
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
in alphabetic scripts, and contains inconsistencies that necessitate rote learning of the pronunciations of many words. There are two major reasons for this. The first is that the admirably consistent orthography of Old English was swept away by the Norman Conquest, and English itself was eclipsed by French for three centuries, eventually emerging with its spelling much influenced by French. English had also borrowed large numbers of words from French, which for reasons of prestige and familiarity kept their French spellings. Like most other languages with alphabetic scripts, English continues to preserve foreign spellings for loanwords, even when they employ completely exotic conventions, like the 'cz' in 'Czech'. The second major reason is the group of linguistic changes during the period after the Conquest, including the Great Vowel Shift. For example,
Fuzzy control system
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
or other inputs, such as switches, thumbwheels, and so on, to the appropriate membership functions and truth values. The processing stage invokes each appropriate rule and generates a result for each, then combines the results of the rules. Finally, the output stage converts the combined result back into a specific control output value. The most common shape of membership functions is triangular, although trapezoidal and bell curves are also used, but the shape is generally less important than the number of curves and their placement. From three to seven curves are generally appropriate to cover the required range of an input value, or the "universe of discourse" in fuzzy jargon. As discussed earlier, the processing stage is based on a collection of logic rules in the form of IF-THEN statements, where
Graphics program
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
program A graphics program is a piece of computer software that enables a user to modify or view graphics files. Computer graphics can be classified into two distinct categories: raster graphics and vector graphics. Before learning about computer software that manipulates or displays these graphics types, you should be familiar with both. Many graphics programs focus exclusively on either vector or raster graphics, but there are a few that combine them in interesting and sometimes unexpected ways. Most graphics programs have the ability to import and export one or more graphics file formats. Several graphics programs support animation, or digital video. Vector graphics animation can be described as a series of mathematical transformations that are applied in sequence to one or more shapes in a scene. Raster graphics animation works in
Greg Egan
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
mathematical and metaphysical themes, including the nature of consciousness. Other themes include genetics, simulated reality, mind transfer and sentient software. Some of his earlier short stories feature strong elements of supernatural horror. Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 Works 1.1 Novels 1.2 Collections 1.3 Stories 2 Awards 3 External resources Works Novels Schild's Ladder (2002) Teranesia (1999) Diaspora (1997) Distress (1995) Permutation City (1994) Quarantine (1992) An Unusual Angle (1983) Collections Oceanic and Other Stories Luminous (1998) Our Lady of Chernobyl Axiomatic (1995) Stories 'Singleton' 'Oracle' 'Only Connect' 'Border Guards' 'Oceanic' 'The Planck Dive' 'Yeyuka' 'Reasons to Be Cheerful' 'Silver Fire' 'TAP' 'Mister Volition' 'Luminous' 'Wang's Carpets' 'A Kidnapping' 'Seeing' 'Mitochondrial Eve' 'Cocoon' 'Our Lady of Chernobyl' 'Chaff' 'Transition Dreams' 'The Walk' 'Reification Highway' 'Closer' 'Worthless' 'Unstable Orbits in the Space of
Glossary of medical terms related to communications disorders
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
used primarily by people who are deaf. Anosmia - absence of the sense of smell. Aphasia - total or partial loss of the ability to use or understand language; usually caused by stroke, brain disease, or injury. Aphonia - complete loss of voice. Apraxia - inability to execute a voluntary movement despite being able to demonstrate normal muscle function. Articulation disorder - inability to correctly produce speech sounds (phonemes) because of imprecise placement, timing, pressure, speed, or flow of movement of the lips, tongue, or throat. Assistive devices - technical tools and devices such as alphabet boards, text telephones, or text-to-speech conversion software used to aid individuals who have communication disorders perform actions, tasks, and activities. Audiologist - health care professional who is trained to evaluate hearing loss and related disorders,
Genetic algorithm
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
work in genetic algorithms, which has moved on from a purely theoretical subject (though based on computer modelling), to provide methods which can be used to solve some difficult problems today. Problems which appear to be particularly appropriate for solution by genetic algorithms include timetabling and scheduling problems, and many scheduling software packages are based on GAs. The problem to be solved is represented by a list of parameters which can be used to drive an evaluation procedure. Possible solutions to the problem (referred to as chromosomes or genomes) are also represented in this parameter list form. These chromosomes are evaluated, and a value of goodness or fitness is returned. Initially several such parameter lists or chromosomes are generated randomly, to form an initial pool of possible solutions. This is called
Hyderabad, India
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
history and an architectural individuality of their own, which makes Hyderabad a city of enchantment. Hyderabad was founded on the River Musi five miles east of Golconda, in 1591-92 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. In the 16th century the city grew spontaneously to accommodate the surplus population of Golconda, which was the capital of the Qutb Shahi rulers. The Qutb Shahi dynasty founded the Kingdom of Golconda, one of the five kingdoms that emerged after the break up of the Bahamani Kingdom. All the seven rulers were patrons of learning and were great builders. They contributed to the growth and development of Indo-Persian and Indo-Islamic literature and culture in Hyderabad. During the Qutb Shahi reign Golconda became one of the leading markets in the world for diamonds, pearls, [[steel],] arms, and
U.S. presidential election, 2000
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
declare the recount procedure in process unconstitutional because it was not being carried out statewide and 5-4 to ban further recounts using other procedures. Gore strongly disagreed with the court's decision, but decided that "for the sake of our unity of the people and the strength of our democracy, I offer my concession." He had previously made a concession phone call to Bush the night of the election, but quickly retracted it after learning just how close the election was. Following the election, a subsequent recount conducted by various US news media organization indicated that Bush would still have won the popular vote in Florida had the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the recounts to proceed using the process requested by Gore, though some different methods of counting votes would have resulted
Hackers (short stories)
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 "Burning Chrome" 2 "Spirit of the Night" 3 "Blood Sisters" 4 "Rock On" 5 "The Pardoner's Tale" 6 "Living Will" 7 "Dogfight" 8 "Our Neural Chernobyl" 9 "(Learning About) Machine Sex" 10 "Conversations with Michael" 11 "Gene Wars" 12 "Spew" 13 "Tangents" "Burning Chrome" This story was written by William Gibson and was first published in Omni in 1982. It tells the story of two hackers who hack systems for profit. The two main characters are Bobby Quine who specializes in software and Automatic Jack who is more into hardware. Automatic Jack comes across a piece of Russian hacking software that is very sophisticated and hard to trace. A third character in the story is Rikki, a girl who Bobby becomes infatuated with and wants to hit it
Handwriting recognition
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
typically include: a pen or stylus for the user to write with. a touch sensitive surface, which may be integrated with, or adjacent to, an output display. a software application which interprets the movements of the stylus across the writing surface, translating the resulting curves into digital text. Handwriting recognition is commonly used as an input method for PDAss. The first PDA to provide written input was the Apple Newton, which exposed the public to the advantage of a streamlined user interface. However, the device was not a commercial success, owing to the unreliability of the software, which tried to learn a user's writing patterns. Palm later launched a successful series of PDAss based on the Graffiti® recognition system. Graffiti improved usability by defining a set of pen strokes for each
Half-Life (computer game)
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
computer game developed by Valve Software and published by Sierra On-Line in 1998, based on a heavily-modified core Quake I game engine. It was first published for PCss running Microsoft Windows, and was later ported to Sony's Playstation 2 video game console (a version for Sega's Dreamcast was completed, but never released commercially). Half-Life was heralded by computer game critics for its gripping storyline, which would influence the development of other first-person shooters in the years to come. In the game, you play a scientist named Gordon Freeman who is a survivor of an experiment gone horribly wrong, allowing aliens from another planet to invade Earth. As you try to escape the destroyed facility you soon discover that you are caught between two sides: the aliens, and the forces of the
Hacker
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
used in that way at MIT, without necessarily referring to computers. When MIT students surreptiously put a police car atop the dome on MIT's Building 10, that was a hack, and the students involved were therefore hackers. Computer culture at MIT developed when members of the Tech Model Railroad Club started working with a Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1 computer and applied local model railroad slang to computers. In modern computer culture, the label "hacker" is a compliment, indicating a skilled and clever programmer. In the media, however, it has negative connotations and has become synonymous with "software cracker". The term hacker has five meanings that are in common usage: Someone who knows a (sometimes specified) set of programming interfaces well enough to write novel and useful software without conscious thought on
Ivan Illich
at 2008-06-05 14:02:18
Society ISBN 0060803818 (1971), a critical discourse on education as practised in 'modern' economies. Full of detail on then current programmes and concerns, the book can seem dated, but its core assertions and propositions remain as radical today as they were at the time. Giving real world examples of the inneffectual nature of institutionalised education, Illich posited self directed education, supported by intentional social relations, in fluid, informal arrangements: ?Universal education through schooling is not feasible. It would be no more feasible if it were attempted by means of alternative institutions built on the style of present schools. Neither new attitudes of teachers toward their pupils nor the proliferation of educational hardware or software (in classroom or bedroom), nor finally the attempt to expand the pedagogue's responsibility until it engulfs his
Site RSS |
