DOCSLIB.ORG

A New Concept in Mobile Networking

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A New Concept in Mobile Networking Networked Surfaces: A New Concept in Mobile Networking ¡ ¡ ¡ James Scott Frank Hoffmann Mike Addlesee Glenford Mapp Andy Hopper ¡ Laboratory for Communications Engineering, AT&T Laboratories Cambridge Cambridge University Engineering Department ¢ ¢ £ jws22,fh215 £ @eng.cam.ac.uk mda,gem,hopper @uk.research.att.com Abstract nectivity to a data and/or power infrastructure, simply by being in physical contact with that surface. Networked Surfaces are surfaces which provide network “Connectivity” is achieved by providing a number of connectivity to specially augmented objects, when these ob- electrically independent paths, or “links”, between the sur- jects are physically placed on top of the surface. When an face and object, which are allocated to “functions” such as object (e.g. a notebook computer) connects, a handshaking data transmission or power. Different objects may require protocol assigns functions such as data or power transmis- different functions, and the functions which are available to sion to the various conducting paths that are established. objects may differ from surface to surface. This paper describes the position occupied by this con- By “physical contact”, we mean that the object may oc- cept in the world of networking, presents an overview of cupy any position and orientation on the surface. This flexi- the technology used in its realisation, describes the current bility is achieved using a special layout of conducting “pad- prototype implementation, and outlines the potential impli- s” on the surface and object. When the object touches the cations of its introduction. surface, pairs of surface and object pads provide commu- Keywords: Mobile Networking, Ubiquitous Computing, nications channels. While current research focuses on di- Sentient Computing rect electrical conduction between the pads, other means of communication such as capacitive coupling and induction may be explored in future. 1. Introduction 1.2. Networking for Mobile Users The Networked Surfaces Project at the Laboratory for Mobile networking can be achieved in two ways, either Communications Engineering (LCE) was started in Octo- with physical wired/wireless networking, or using “virtual ber 1998. Initial exploration focused on a floor-based net- networking”. work for wearable computer users, but the focus has quickly Virtual networking can free users from carrying mobile shifted towards a desk environment. As of September 2000, devices, if computing hardware becomes so prevalent that a a prototype surface has been built and tests are underway to user will find adequate facilities wherever they might go. explore the limits of the technology. Technologies like VNC [11] allow users to access their This paper compares Networked Surfaces to other net- working environments irrespective of location. However, working technologies, outlines the technologies used in such a prevalence of computing facilities is unlikely in the their realisation, describes the current prototype implemen- foreseeable future, so we shall restrict our attention to real- tation, and discusses implications of their use. world (i.e. “wired” and “wireless”) networking. This section describes the Networked Surface concept, Wired networking requires a physical medium for net- its position in the networking world, the advantages it ex- work traffic, which must be attached to each node. Avail- hibits over other networks, and an example application, the able bandwidth may either be shared between many con- “Networked Desk”. nections or dedicated to a particular connection. Also, be- ing wired for networking means that another (or the same) 1.1. The Networked Surface concept wire could easily provide power to the device. However, the need to be physically attached to the net- We describe a surface (such as a desk or floor) as “Net- work leads to a lack of mobility. One solution to this prob- worked”, if a suitably augmented object can acquire con- lem is the use of disconnection-friendly file systems [5], us- ing caching and other techniques to facilitate useful work ly fixed incommunicado devices, fixed networked devices, whilst in a disconnected (and therefore mobile) state. mobile devices, wearable devices, and devices for outdoor Wireless networking stands at the other end of the spec- use. The applicability of Networked Surfaces for each cat- trum. Bandwidth is inherently shared inside “cells”, which egory is examined below. are delimited by the range of the transmitted signals. Mobil- Fixed incommunicado devices include clocks and other ity is of course “free” within a cell, but there is the problem normally isolated appliances. The Networked Surface can of handover if the mobile devices cross cell boundaries. provide power for them, allowing those which use batter- Mobile devices also need batteries to power them; these ies to never need replacements, and those which use main- must be charged from time to time, causing a loss of mobil- s power to be free of the wires connecting them. Some ity during these periods. use can also be found for networking such devices in a low-bandwidth sense, for example a clock could also show 1.3. Characteristics of Networked Surfaces up-to-date news or share prices. Alternatives to the Net- worked Surface include power-line networking [12], and Networked Surfaces attempt to combine the best quali- radio-based Piconet [1] and Bluetooth [2]. ties of both wired and wireless networking, for indoor en- Fixed networked devices such as computer peripherals, vironments. On one hand mobility is effectively provid- computers themselves and telephones can use Networked ed, because the use, transport, and connection of wiring is Surfaces for networking and power; instead of using nor- not required. On the other hand, wired-style connectivity mal wiring and wired networks such as Ethernet. The dis- and bandwidth are present, and power may be provided to advantage lies in the expense, which will always be more charge batteries. than a simple wire, however, the Networked Surface pro- Networked Surfaces allow objects to be networked in a vides more scope for mobility than a wire, which tethers an simple, yet powerful manner. The network is flexible in that object to a certain space. many different types of objects may be used on the same Surfaces are also useful for mobile devices, in order to surface, and convenient in that objects are easily attached communicate (e.g. Palm Pilot) or just to recharge their bat- to and detached from the network. They are upgradeable, teries (e.g. mobile phone). The disadvantage is that the as new types of data bus may be added without replacing surface does not give full spatial mobile communications, the physical surface. The bandwidth available is also easily unlike a radio-based system. increased; a surface can always be provided with more data For devices that are “wearable” [10], it may actually be busses. an inconvenience to take the device off and place it on the The use of such a generic interface as a surface lends surface, for recharging or communications, so a radio solu- itself to interoperability, but without the possibility of mis- tion is more suitable, or a solution such as Personal Area connection. This is in contrast to wired networks, where the Networks (PAN) [17]. user is either forced to carry many types of cabling (if differ- For devices used outdoors, the Networked Surface is im- ent cables are used for different functions, such as RS-232 practical for networking due to the difficulty of networking data and Ethernet data), or, if a single generic cable type a useful portion of the environment, and the problems inher- is used, the user may misconnect the system causing lack ent in exposing conductive pads to rain, etc. The Networked of function at best and damage to hardware at worst. On Surface is therefore primarily considered as an indoor tech- the surface, the object “asks” for the function it requires nology. electronically, thus creating a situation where no wiring is required, and where the user may remain ignorant of minu- 1.5. The Networked Desk tiae such as the networking protocols being used. Providing power over the surface requires the use of cur- One appealing use of Networked Surfaces is as Net- rent protection hardware, as shorts are inevitable in a situa- worked Desks. In today’s computer-enabled workspaces, tion where a spilt drink can temporarily connect any “wire” there is an abundance of wire on and around desks, causing on the network to any other. However, doing so frees the clutter and making rearrangement of the working environ- user from worrying about battery levels; if an object is ha- ment difficult. By providing networking and power through bitually stored on a Networked Surface, there will rarely be the desk itself, most of these wires could be eliminated. insufficient charge for useful mobile operation. Such a desk could simultaneously provide computer- peripheral connections (e.g. replacing USB wiring), 1.4. Target environments for Networked Surfaces computer-computer connections (e.g. replacing ethernet wiring), power connections, and even connections for tele- In order to explore the scope of usefulness of Networked phones. Note that it is only the wiring that is replaced; the Surfaces, devices are grouped into five categories, name- protocols themselves can still be used when appropriate, so existing hardware need not be extensively modified to be- come Networked Surface capable. Strips on Surface (arranged in a topology) For power, it is of course infeasible to supply mains volt- The Internet ages due to the likelihood of shorts. However, many devices F ¨ Tile Controller do not require mains-level voltages; a separate transformer U N T ¤ I is often used to reduce this to, say, 12V DC. The output of C L ¥ Ctrl T E Object Pads Pad © such transformers may be safely carried over a Networked I C Controller Set of Surface ¦ Functions Object O Surface, with current limiting hardware to safely detect and Manager O Tile N Controller Manager N T handle shorts.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • APPEG-Minutes-07-11-17
    The All Party Parliamentary Engineering Group 07 November 2017 Hacking – can the huge data breaches be prevented? Discussion over lunch in the Cholmondeley Room, House of Lords Chair – Professor the Lord Broers Speakers: Professor Andy Hopper CBE, Professor of Computer Technology and Head of the Department of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge Dr Alistair Beresford, Reader in Computer Security at the Computer Laboratory and an Official Fellow at Queen’s College, University of Cambridge James Hatch, Director of Cyber Services at BAE Systems Applied Intelligence Introduction Lord Broers, Chairman of the group, began by thanking everyone for attending, then introduced the three speakers. Professor Andy Hopper CBE’s research interests include computer networking, pervasive and sensor- driven computing, and using computers to ensure sustainability of the planet. He has pursued academic and industrial careers simultaneously, working both at the Computer Laboratory and the Department of Engineering at Cambridge and as co-founder of thirteen spin-outs and start-ups. In recent years the companies he co-founded have received five Queen's Awards for Enterprise. He is Chairman of RealVNC Group. Professor Hopper is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and of the Royal Society, and former president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. He was made a CBE for services to the computer industry in 2007, and received the Royal Society Bakerian Medal this year. He has been elected Treasurer of the Royal Society from December 2017. Dr Alistair Beresford’s work examines the security and privacy of large-scale distributed computer systems.
    [Show full text]
  • Computing for the Future of the Planet Andy Hopper, Andrew Rice and Alastair Beresford
    Engineering Change Towards a sustainable future in the developing world Computing for the future of the planet Andy Hopper, Andrew Rice and Alastair Beresford Computers have transformed western society and look likely to do the same in the developing world. The challenge for the future is to harness the enormous power and potential of computing technology to generate a better understanding of the Earth and its environment and to provide low-impact alternatives to humankind's current activities. Simultaneously, both academia and industry must seek to minimise the environmental impact of computing so that the sheer abundance and energy consumption of technology does not threaten the goals of sustainable development. The human species is living an unsustainable existence. The scientific consensus is that our planet will be unable to provide long-term support for us if we continue depleting the natural environment as we have over the past century or so. And since the global population is expected to grow from 6 billion today to 9 billion by 2050, and living standards are predicted to increase, managing our environmental impact is going to be vital to the future of society. $ver the last 60 years computers have transformed many aspects of our lives, and it seems likely that this transformation will continue, particularly in the developing world. &omputing confers numerous benefits, but consumes a lot of natural resources. Here we describe how computing could become be a positive force for reducing the environmental impact of humankind. (irst we consider the environmental impact of computing itself and the challenge of reducing resource consumption and waste.
    [Show full text]
  • Year in Review
    Year in review For the year ended 31 March 2017 Trustees2 Executive Director YEAR IN REVIEW The Trustees of the Society are the members Dr Julie Maxton of its Council, who are elected by and from Registered address the Fellowship. Council is chaired by the 6 – 9 Carlton House Terrace President of the Society. During 2016/17, London SW1Y 5AG the members of Council were as follows: royalsociety.org President Sir Venki Ramakrishnan Registered Charity Number 207043 Treasurer Professor Anthony Cheetham The Royal Society’s Trustees’ report and Physical Secretary financial statements for the year ended Professor Alexander Halliday 31 March 2017 can be found at: Foreign Secretary royalsociety.org/about-us/funding- Professor Richard Catlow** finances/financial-statements Sir Martyn Poliakoff* Biological Secretary Sir John Skehel Members of Council Professor Gillian Bates** Professor Jean Beggs** Professor Andrea Brand* Sir Keith Burnett Professor Eleanor Campbell** Professor Michael Cates* Professor George Efstathiou Professor Brian Foster Professor Russell Foster** Professor Uta Frith Professor Joanna Haigh Dame Wendy Hall* Dr Hermann Hauser Professor Angela McLean* Dame Georgina Mace* Dame Bridget Ogilvie** Dame Carol Robinson** Dame Nancy Rothwell* Professor Stephen Sparks Professor Ian Stewart Dame Janet Thornton Professor Cheryll Tickle Sir Richard Treisman Professor Simon White * Retired 30 November 2016 ** Appointed 30 November 2016 Cover image Dancing with stars by Imre Potyó, Hungary, capturing the courtship dance of the Danube mayfly (Ephoron virgo). YEAR IN REVIEW 3 Contents President’s foreword .................................. 4 Executive Director’s report .............................. 5 Year in review ...................................... 6 Promoting science and its benefits ...................... 7 Recognising excellence in science ......................21 Supporting outstanding science .....................
    [Show full text]
  • OF the 1980S
    THAT MADE THE HOME COMPUTER REVOLUTION OF THE 1980s 23 THAT MADE THE HOME COMPUTER REVOLUTION OF THE 1980s First published in 2021 by Raspberry Pi Trading Ltd, Maurice Wilkes Building, St. John’s Innovation Park, Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0DS Publishing Director Editors Russell Barnes Phil King, Simon Brew Sub Editor Design Nicola King Critical Media Illustrations CEO Sam Alder with Brian O Halloran Eben Upton ISBN 978-1-912047-90-1 The publisher, and contributors accept no responsibility in respect of any omissions or errors relating to goods, products or services referred to or advertised in this book. Except where otherwise noted, the content of this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Contents Introduction. 6 Research Machines 380Z. 8 Commodore PET 2001. 18 Apple II. 36 Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81. 46 Commodore VIC-20 . 60 IBM Personal Computer (5150). 78 BBC Micro . 90 Sinclair ZX Spectrum. 114 Dragon 32. 138 Commodore 64. 150 Acorn Electron . .166 Apple Macintosh . .176 Amstrad CPC 464. 194 Sinclair QL . .210 Atari 520ST. 222 Commodore Amiga. 234 Amstrad PCW 8256. 256 Acorn Archimedes . .268 Epilogue: Whatever happened to the British PC? . .280 Acknowledgements . 281 Further reading, further viewing, and forums. 283 Index . .286 The chapters are arranged in order of each computer’s availability in the UK, as reflected by each model’s date of review in Personal Computer World magazine. Introduction The 1980s was, categorically, the best decade ever. Not just because it gave us Duran Duran and E.T., not even because of the Sony Walkman.
    [Show full text]
  • Title Vibrating the Web: Sonospheric Studies of Media Infrastructure
    Title Vibrating the Web: Sonospheric Studies of Media Infrastructure Ecologies Type The sis URL https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/14192/ Dat e 2 0 1 9 Citation Parker, Matthew (2019) Vibrating the Web: Sonospheric Studies of Media Infrastructure Ecologies. PhD thesis, University of the Arts London. Cr e a to rs Parker, Matthew Usage Guidelines Please refer to usage guidelines at http://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/policies.html or alternatively contact [email protected] . License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives Unless otherwise stated, copyright owned by the author Vibrating the Web: Sonospheric Studies of Media Infrastructure Ecologies Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Matthew Parker April 2019 CRiSAP (Creative Research into Sound Art Practice) University of the Arts London London College of Communication Abstract How can the relationship between media infrastructures and the economies of noise foster the development of a sonospheric art practice? Media infrastructures are the material backbone of the Internet. Such sites underpin the digitally hyper- connected world, but as material assemblages are also imbricated in complex and divisive ecological, environmental, economic and affective practices. This thesis identifies a lack of sonic discourse within the body of growing critical art practice researching the field of media infrastructures, and will contribute to the field of sound studies by arguing, and defining a methodology, for listening sonospherically (Oliveros, 2011). Through six original artistic projects researching the presence of media infrastructures, the thesis will argue for the ‘sonospheric investigation’ as a methodology to engage in the politics of such divisive spaces.
    [Show full text]
  • Language Learning on a Next-Generation Service Platform for Africa
    Language learning on a next-generation service platform for Africa Andrew Rice∗ Paula Buttery† Idris A. Rai‡ Alastair Beresford§ March 15, 2009 1 Introduction Developing countries are seeing rapid growth in the deployment of mobile phones. Billions of people (including those in the poorest parts of the world) now have devices capable of communication and computation. In Uganda it was reported that there were 25 mobile phones per 100 people in 2007 [11]. This makes mobile phones the most ubiquitous computing and communication platform in the country compared with computers (1.6 per 100 people), television (2.2 per 100 people) and even radio (15.6 per 100 people). Applications and services for these devices are emerging rapidly. Smart-phones provide a number of interesting properties over traditional handsets. From a hard- ware viewpoint they provide myriad communications interfaces and large colour screens often with touch-screen capability. Most importantly, however, these devices are increasingly open to 3rd party software development. These devices are, as yet, not widely deployed even in the markets of developed countries. How- ever, it seems almost certain that they will continue to gain in popularity and eventually achieve high penetration in African markets. We hope that by considering them now we will have the opportunity to help ensure that both devices and software systems evolve appropriately. The open nature of these devices provides a real opportunity to engineer systems which meet the needs of users in developing countries without being hampered by design decisions made for radically different operating environments. We take this viewpoint based on our work on Computing for the future of the planet [5] in which we are attempting to ask and answer research questions which will improve the positive impact of computing on the larger world.
    [Show full text]
  • Trinity College Oxford Report 2008 5485 Cover:S4493 Cover 24/10/08 14:19 Page 2
    5485_cover:S4493_cover 24/10/08 14:19 Page 1 Trinity College Oxford Report 2008 5485_cover:S4493_cover 24/10/08 14:19 Page 2 The 2008 Tennis Team —Division I Champions— with the President. Back, left to right: Sam Halliday, Fred Burgess, Russell Jackson. Front: Oliver Plant (Capt.), Sir Ivor Roberts, Matthew Johnston 5485_text:S4493_inner 27/10/08 11:38 Page 1 Trinity College Oxford | Report 2008 | 1 CONTENTS THE TRINITY COMMUNITY .................. 2 JUNIOR MEMBERS .............................. 59 President’s Report ..................................................................... 2 JCR Report................................................................................ 59 The Governing Body ............................................................... 4 MCR Report.............................................................................. 60 News of the Governing Body ................................................... 6 The 2008 Commemoration Ball ............................................... 61 Members of Staff ...................................................................... 11 Clubs and Societies .................................................................. 62 Staff News................................................................................. 13 Blues.......................................................................................... 70 Degrees, Schools Results and Awards 2008............................. 15 ARTICLES AND REVIEWS ..................... 71 THE COLLEGE YEAR ...........................
    [Show full text]
  • ANNUAL REPORT 2004 COLD SPRING HARBOR LABO ANNUAL REPORT 2004 © 2005 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
    ANNUAL REPORT 2004 COLD SPRING HARBOR LABO ANNUAL REPORT 2004 © 2005 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory One Bungtown Road Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724 Web Site: www.cshl.edu Managing Editors Jeff Picarello, Lisa Becker Production Editor Rena Steuer Copy Editor Dorothy Brown Development Manager Jan Argentine Project Coordinators Maria Falasca, Nora Rice Production Manager Denise Weiss Desktop Editor Susan Schaefer Nonscientific Photography Miriam Chua, Bill Geddes Cover Designer Denise Weiss Book Designer Emily Harste Front cover: McClintock Laboratory (right) and Carnegie Library (left) (photos by Miriam Chua) Back cover: Magnolia Kobus on grounds of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (photo by Bruce Stillman) Section title pages: Miriam Chua, Rena Steuer Contents Officers of the Corporation and Board of Trustees iv-v Governance vi Committees of the Board vii Rollin Hotchkiss (1911-2004) viii Ralph Landau (1916-2004) ix David B. Pall (1914-2004) xi PRESIDENT'S REPORT Highlights of the Year 3 CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER'S REPORT 21 RESEARCH 25 Cancer: Gene Expression27 Cancer: Genetics 51 Cancer: Cell Biology84 Neuroscience 110 Plant Development and Genetics156 Bioinformatics and Genomics 173 CSHL Fellows 187 Author Index 194 WATSON SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 197 Dean's Report 199 Courses 212 Undergraduate Research Program 219 Partners for the Future 221 Nature Study Program222 COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY MEETINGS AND COURSES 223 Academic Affairs224 Symposium on Quantitative Biology225 Meetings 228 Postgraduate Courses275 Seminars327 BANBURY CENTER 329 Executive Director's Report 331 Meetings 333 DOLAN DNA LEARNING CENTER 367 Executive Director's Report 369 2004 Workshops, Meetings, and Collaborations382 COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY PRESS 387 2004 Publications 388 Executive Director's Report 389 FINANCE 393 Financial Statements394 Financial Support of the Laboratory 398 Grants398 Development 407 Capital and Program Contributions 408 Annual Contributions 410 LABORATORY STAFF 424 iii Officers of the Corporation Eduardo G.
    [Show full text]
  • PROFESSOR ANDY HOPPERCBE Freng
    ENGAGING GIRLS IN ENGINEERING PROFILE Postcards from the Future aims to appeal GCSE grades, not because they find the hairdresser. Following the WISE campaign to 10-13 year olds. The story tells of a subject more difficult but because boys have and the myriad activities from organisations bored girl sitting in her physics lesson who dominated their science lessons, leaving the worldwide to get young women into discovers a postcard in her textbook and is girls less supported in their learning. Single engineering and related careers there is instantly transported to the future, to a city sex classes may be one solution; another is hope that, in another 25 years, things will be entirely powered by solar technology and to encourage teachers to consider whether different, and there will be no need for WISE. project managed by a female engineer – their teaching style is still aimed at boys COMPUTING AND who is actually her future self. Research indicates that childhood WISE’s recently-launched blog, experiences play a large part in shaping WISEmology, includes entries from an individual’s confidence in their ability participants taking part in its work to work in unfamiliar environments or BIOGRAPHY – Terry Marsh experience weeks. It also has pages on the non-traditional careers. Retailers market Terry Marsh, Director of the WISE video broadcasting website YouTube and toys as being ‘for girls’ or ‘for boys’; science, Campaign, is a specialist in change SUSTAINABILITY social networking site Facebook. engineering and construction-related toys management, diversity, and information are inevitably marketed for the boys. These systems, having advised on digital labels disappeared in the 70s and 80s, but projects with a range of clients LOOKING FORWARD returned to marketing fashion in the last including Granada, BBC Technology, Schools minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry recently 10 years, to the possible detriment of both PROFESSOR ANDY HOPPER CBE FREng FRS Pearson, News International, DfES and stated that she is keen to get more girls sexes.
    [Show full text]
  • THE LEGACY of the BBC MICRO: Effecting Change in the UK’S Cultures of Computing
    1 THE LEGACY OF THE BBC MICRO: effecting change in the UK’s cultures of computing THE Legacy OF THE BBC MICRO EFFECTING CHANGE IN THE UK’s cultureS OF comPUTING Tilly Blyth May 2012 2 THE LEGACY OF THE BBC MICRO: effecting change in the UK’s cultures of computing CONTENTS Preface 4 Research Approach 5 Acknowledgments 6 Executive Summary 7 1. Background 9 2. Creating the BBC Micro 10 3. Delivering the Computer Literacy Project 15 4. The Success of the BBC Micro 18 4.1 Who bought the BBC Micro? 20 4.2 Sales overseas 21 5. From Computer Literacy to Education in the 1980s 24 5.1 Before the Computer Literacy Project 24 5.2 Adult computer literacy 25 5.3 Micros in schools 29 6. The Legacy of the Computer Literacy Project 32 6.1 The legacy for individuals 32 6.2 The technological and industrial Legacy 50 6.3 The legacy at the BBC 54 7. Current Creative Computing Initiatives for Children 58 7.1 Advocacy for programming and lobbying for change 59 7.2 Technology and software initiatives 60 7.3 Events and courses for young people 63 8. A New Computer Literacy Project? Lessons and Recommendations 65 Appendix 69 Endnotes 76 About Nesta Nesta is the UK’s innovation foundation. We help people and organisations bring great ideas to life. We do this by providing investments and grants and mobilising research, networks and skills. We are an independent charity and our work is enabled by an endowment from the National Lottery. Nesta Operating Company is a registered charity in England and Wales with a company number 7706036 and charity number 1144091.
    [Show full text]
  • Computing for the Future of the Planet
    Computing for the Future of the Planet Research at the University of Cambridge, led by Professor Hopper, Head of the Computer Laboratory, is focusing on how advances in computing and communications could help the environment and improve the way we live. Is global warming happening and should What difference can computing we act? really make? The weight of evidence for global warming is increasing Computing has had a huge impact on the way we work and whilst some people still deny its existence or the and spend our leisure time. In the last 10 years alone, the Internet has revolutionised communications and urgency, many now accept that climate change needs to miniaturisation has put immense computing power literally be addressed. Unanswered questions still remain about in the palm of our hands. the way we live and exactly how it impacts our planet. But whether you sit on the fence or either side of it, there And while these advances have delivered exciting are compelling reasons for changing what we do and opportunities, there have also been 'accidental' side-effects how we do it, to work towards a more sustainable future. that already contribute to greater sustainability. Take the MP3 player. It's a handy way to store and access all of our music; but it has also reduced the number of CDs Take transport. Improving the infrastructure and systems manufactured and shipped around the world. There are to reduce congestion on our roads is a good thing. And many such examples. The paperless office is still a goal for if making it easier, quicker and more pleasant to get from most of us and the digital age has the potential to A to B also helps to reduce carbon emissions, it's a dramatically reduce paper consumption.
    [Show full text]
  • Cambridge University Reporter No 6264, Wednesday 2 May 2012
    CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY REPORTER NO 6264 W ED N E S D AY 2 M AY 2012 VOL CXLII N O 29 CONTENTS Notices Regulations for examinations Calendar 560 Theological and Religious Studies Tripos, Notice of a Discussion on Tuesday, 15 May Part IIA 565 2012 560 Orders of examinations Amending Statutes for Jesus College: Notice 560 Examination timetable, Easter Term 2012 565 Members of the University Council in class (e) Class-lists, etc. (external): Notice 560 Approved for degrees, diplomas, and certificates 565 Retrospectivity concerning the LL.M. Degree: Act for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine 568 Notice 560 Acta Vacancies, appointments, etc. Result of Ballot on Grace 3 of 22 February Electors to the Professorship of Statistics: 2012 568 Notice 561 Congregation of the Regent House on 28 April Electors to the Professorship of Sustainable 2012 569 Reaction Engineering: Notice 561 Electors to the Professorship of Virology: End of the Official Part of the‘ Reporter’ Notice 561 Electors to the Directorship of the Fitzwilliam Fly-sheets reprinted 577 Museum: Notice 562 Report of Discussion Vacancies in the University 562 Tuesday, 24 April 2012 581 Appointments and reappointments 562 Awards Awards, etc. Dorothy Garrod Memorial Trust 591 Crane’s Charity for the relief of poor sick External Notices scholars: Notice by the Distributors 563 Oxford Notices 591 Scholarships and Prizes, etc. awarded 564 Notices by the General Board Historical Tripos, Part II, 2013: Notice 565 PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY 560 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY REPORTER 2 May 2012 NOTICES Calendar 4 May, Friday. End of first quarter of Easter Term. 6 May, Sunday.
    [Show full text]