Networking the Hudson River

IBM and the Beacon Institute will work with several other research institutions to develop an environmental-monitoring system for all 315 miles of the Hudson River. The project entails deploying a network of sensors that will collect biological, physical, and chemical information and transmitting it to a central location. Some sensors will be suspended from buoys [...]

Point, Click … Eavesdrop: How the FBI Wiretap Net Operates

Documents recently declassified under the Freedom of Information Act indicate that the FBI has constructed a point-and-click surveillance system capable of instantaneously tapping into almost any communications device. The Digital Collection System Network (DCSNet) links FBI wiretapping stations to switches run by landline operators, Internet-telephony providers, and cellular companies. The system consists of software that [...]

Most Active Open Source Projects in Codeplex

The author lists the 25 most active and popular open source projects in Microsoft’s Codeplex open source hosting site, starting with the AJAX Control Toolkit, which eases the construction and consumption of rich client-side controls and extenders built on the Microsoft AJAX Library and ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX Extensions. Other notable projects include GoTraxx, a program [...]

How Close Is World War 3.0?

A series of coordinated, politically motivated cyberattacks against the Estonian government are provoking anxiety among American IT and network professionals about further incidents and what strategies should be followed to prepare for similar cyber-assaults on commercial networks. “As we move more critical infrastructure to the Internet and we depend on it more and more for [...]

Translation Tools: New Approaches to an Old Discipline

Language translation software can greatly enhance productivity with the right combination of discrimination and preparation, and researchers say new translation strategies are augmenting tool performance enormously. Since Ford Motor started using machine translation software nine years ago, it has translated 5 million automobile assembly instructions into multiple languages. The process involves the writing of English [...]

Beyond Batteries: Storing Power in a Sheet of Paper

Rensselaer News (08/13/07) Mullaney, Michael
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers have developed a nanoengineered paper-thin energy storage device that is lightweight, flexible, capable of working in temperatures between negative 100 degrees Fahrenheit to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and can be printed like paper. The battery is designed to fit the trickiest design and energy requirements that future [...]