News 05-08-2001
Janet Murray to Address Syllabus2001
Janet Murray, author of Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in
Cyberspace, will present the opening keynote address at the Syllabus2001 conference,
July 22, in the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, Calif. The address,
titled, "The Ivy-Covered Holodeck: Narrative, Learning, and the Digital Revolution,"
will consider the profound effect on academic life of the computer as a medium
of presentation. Murray, hailed as a "visionary cultural and digital thinker,"
argues that the computer is reshaping our fundamental knowledge structures and
calling forth new interdisciplinary studies while allowing sound to begin to
supercede the print library as the focus of research. According to Murray, one
unexpected but powerful thread through these developments is the importance
of storytelling, one of the oldest forms of understanding and transmitting knowledge.
Her talk will trace that thread, and offer examples of the kinds of changes
that widespread access to broadband digital environments might bring us.
Director of the graduate program in Information Design and Technology at Georgia
Tech, Murray is also a professor in the School of Literature, Communication,
and Culture. She lectures and consults widely on several areas of academic and
cultural expertise, including the future of television, interactive narrative,
and curriculum development for interactive design.
For complete conference information and an online registration form, go to
http://www.syllabus.com.
Sixteen Suppliers to Work on Common Design Interface
A group of sixteen companies recently announced a new initiative for next generation
10 Gigabit Pluggable (XGP) fiber-optic transceivers that will offer their customers
maximum configuration flexibility, resulting in quicker time to market. These
XGP member companies include: Blaze Network Products, E2O Communications, Finisar
Corporation, Ignis Optics, Infineon Technologies, Intel, Molex Incorporated,
Optical Communication Products, Inc. (OCP), Picolight, Samsung, Sigma-Links
(a joint venture of Fujikura and OKI) and Tyco Electronics. Members of the XGP
group will independently develop 10-gigabit transceivers based on this Multiple
Source Agreement (MSA). The XGP group will leverage off much of the work that
was done by last year's Small Form factor Pluggable (SFP) MSA to provide a quick
market-ready design. For information on specific product development, pricing
and availability, contact the individual companies mentioned above.
WebEx Launches Web-Based Seminar Service
WebEx Communications, Inc. a provider of infrastructure for real-time business
communications, recently announced the availability of OnStage 2.0, the latest
version of the company's large-scale Web seminar service. WebEx now offers OnStage
as a customer branded service that enables customers to manage and produce large
Web seminars internally. Because WebEx OnStage is built on the WebEx interactive
platform, it works across multiple platforms and offers full presenter capabilities
for users with Windows, Macintosh, and Solaris operating systems. WebEx OnStage
is a communications service, eliminating the expense of hardware investment,
installation and maintenance. WebEx's unique global communications network means
that WebEx OnStage can deliver presentations quickly, securely and reliably
worldwide.
Brockovich to Speak at Jones International Cyber Graduation
Erin Brockovich, subject of the critically acclaimed, Academy Award-winning
film Erin Brockovich,will deliver the commencement address at Jones International
University's (JIU*) Cyber Graduation on May 22, 2001, at 11 a.m. EDT. Brockovich
will speak to graduates of JIU, the first fully online accredited university,
about the importance of life-long learning. The commencement exercises will
begin with a Webcast of the degree conferment ceremony, followed by an online
chat session that will enable faculty, students, and guests to share in the
celebration of JIU's class of 2001. On May 22, 2001, the ceremony can be viewed
by logging onto http://www.jonesinternational.edu.
After May 22, 2001, the graduation ceremony will be archived on the JIU site.
Technical Alliance to Develop Online Microscope
Front Porch Digital, Inc., a leader in the conversion, preservation and management
of information assets, recently announced an alliance with Rutgers and Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School researchers to develop the technology needed to
create a "virtual" microscope that can broadcast real-time images over the Internet.
Although images currently can be transmitted over the Internet, they cannot
be transmitted in streaming video formats with the high resolution necessary
for medical applications. Front Porch Digital will contribute technology designed
to capture, compress, encode and transcode the digitized images at the highest
possible resolution. Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and Front
Porch Digital each will retain the rights to their respective technologies.
For more information, visit http://www-caip.rutgers.edu,
http://pleiad.umdnj.edu/~djf/cbi/,
or http://www.fpdigital.com.
SRC Awards $9.6 Million in University Research Contracts
The Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the chip industry's long-term
research consortium, awarded more than $9.6 million in university research contracts
during the first quarter of 2001. A total of 50 research projects at 29 universities
received new or additional funding in the first quarter. SRC, based in Research
Triangle Park, N.C., with an office in San Jose, Calif., is the largest continuous
industry-driven university research program in the U.S. Currently, the SRC sponsors
research conducted at 67 universities in the U.S. and Canada. Since 1982, SRC
has funded more than $452 million in long-term semiconductor research contracts
on behalf of its member companies.
For more information, visit http://www.src.org.
Professor Teaches Product Offers Interactive Training
Individual Software Inc., a developer and publisher of personal productivity
and educational software, recently released Professor Teaches Office XP Plus.
Professor Teaches Office XP Plus offers complete interactive instruction on
Office XP products covering more than 500 topics.
Office XP users at all levels
can increase their productivity by using this training tool to learn the newest
versions of the leading Microsoft applications. The product includes nine CDs
that cover leading Office XP applications plus all current versions of Windows,
with more comprehensive, in-depth teaching content. Each module's main menu
is a gateway to new skills; lessons allow practice on what was learned in a
simulation of the Office XP environment; a quiz at the end of each chapter reinforces
learning; and narration, graphics, and instructions are included.
For more information, visit http://www.individualsoftware.com.
Product Site Re-Launched
ICONOCAST, a resource for Internet marketing and resources, recently announced
the re-launch of Prosumer.tv (http://www.prosumer.tv),
a free, bi-weekly e-zine for professional consumers interested in well-designed
products. The site now includes a "Buy-Consider-Stop" table covering popular
technologies and product categories. Regular features include "Five Tools Prosumers
Can't Live Without" and "Top 5 ToolsProsumers Can't Wait For." Prosumer.tv is
aimed at the rapidly emerging field of digital convergence.
Xilinx Joins Bluetooth Special Interest Group
Xilinx, Inc. announced its membership as an early adopter of the Bluetooth
Special Interest Group. The Bluetooth SIG is working to define and promote an
open, royalty-free specification for seamless wireless connectivity and cable
replacement for a wide variety of mobility-enhancing devices. Future revisions
to the Bluetooth specification are in development and are intended to extend
current data rates approximately 720 Kbps to support applications requiring
higher bandwidths.
For more information, visit http://www.xilinx.com.
Canon Unveils Hybrid Document Scanner
Canon U.S.A., Inc., a provider of digital imaging solutions, recently unveiled
the DR-5060F, a high-speed, high-volume document scanner that combines Canon's
digital scanning and analog microfilming technologies for a solution to the
problem of long-term record keeping. The DR-5060F is capable of simultaneously
backing up images with obsolescence-proof microfilm.
For more information, visit http://www.canonusa.com.
