A Field study to determine the feasibility of establishing remote data transmission of advertising for a local newspaper

In recent years, local newspaper\u27s advertising revenues have been seriously eroded by the presence of competing electronic media. Technological innovation in cable television (CATV), interactive multimedia, broadcast television and Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) have proven to be a double-edge sword for local newspaper advertising revenues. On one hand, these technologies provide lower cost, high quality advertisement which target larger, more diverse audiences. On the other hand, the same technological innovations (high speed digital transmission, high quality input and output devices, and the widespread use of portable computing) have created a means for local newspapers to protect their advertising base and realize increased customer satisfaction through on-site interaction in early phases of ad development through remote data transmission. In this context remote data transmission involves the use of high speed transmission facilities capable of transmitting data of rates in excess of 56,000 bits per second. Adobe Acrobat 2.0 was used as a means of maintaining the integrity of the advertisement\u27s elements as part of the transmission process. The author conducted a field experiment to determine the feasibility of remote data transmission of advertising between Advertising Services at Syracuse Newspapers in Syracuse, New York and a well known retailer - Kaufmann\u27s Department Stores. A Kaufmann\u27s ad was converted from PostScript to a Portable Document File (PDF) using Adobe Acrobat 2.0 Pro Distiller. The ad was transmitted to Advertising Services using switched 56 telecommunication line and a modem. Advertising Services transferred the ad into Adobe Acrobat 2.0. The ad was calibrated using -5 Calibration Curve in the AdSEND Calibration based on GammaTrol measurements, press data and evaluations of the press proofs Based on the evaluation of the press proofs, -5 Calibration Curve was the best calibration for Goss press and newsprint paper. The shadow was set at 95%, midtone at 45% and highlight at 0% in AdSEND Calibration. The shadow measured 78%, midtone at 58% and highlight at 0% on the press proof. The shadow measured 65%, midtone at 43% and highlight at 4% on the actual newspaper ad. The author concluded remote data transmission was feasible using a switched 56 telecommunication line, a digital modem and Adobe Acrobat 2.0 for electronic delivery of advertising for newspapers

The Computerized integrated smart home

The emergence of multiple home computers and the need to network them together are dramatically increasing in our society. At the same time, more and more methods of networking home computers are being developed. As our society becomes more reliant on using digital devices in our everyday lives, the possibility of a smart home can actually become a reality. My thesis will research currently available home automation products, and will propose a complete smart home system using current and possible future technologies. It will also include the various services that can be offered via home networking and automation. There are several component areas that must be considered and combined to create the complete system. Some of these areas include communications, device control, temperature, security, and most important, the user interface. One of the main components of the system will be the concept of a console , which will be the primary interface. My thesis will explore different kinds of consoles using existing and proposed technology, how they can be internetworked together to form a complete communications system, and how they can be connected to the outside world. The feasibility of offering home automation services using these consoles is another area that will be explored. For instance, can a home be considered secure if doors and locks are automated and integrated into the smart home? With the smart home, a user should be able to enter the house without a key, solely by communicating with the system. It could even be possible to lock a door from any console within the house, in case the user forgot. I believe the smart home is becoming a reality, and can propel our society into a new way of life as an advanced civilization. My thesis will attempt to provide various ways of making it a reality using current and possible future technologies. Although it will not provide a concrete example of a complete smart home system, that area of expansion exists for future research. Perhaps one day it will become a standard in new home development, and will change how we perform everyday tasks at home

NASA Tech Briefs, June 1996

Topics: New Computer Hardware; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery/Automation; Manufacturing/Fabrication; Mathematics and Information Sciences;Books and Reports

NASA Tech Briefs, November/December 1986, Special Edition

Topics: Computing: The View from NASA Headquarters; Earth Resources Laboratory Applications Software: Versatile Tool for Data Analysis; The Hypercube: Cost-Effective Supercomputing; Artificial Intelligence: Rendezvous with NASA; NASA's Ada Connection; COSMIC: NASA's Software Treasurehouse; Golden Oldies: Tried and True NASA Software; Computer Technical Briefs; NASA TU Services; Digital Fly-by-Wire

Progress Report No. 7

Progress report of the Biomedical Computer Laboratory, covering period 1 July 1970 to 30 June 1971

NASA Tech Briefs, June 1990

Topics: New Product Ideas; NASA TU Services; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences; Life Sciences

An investigation into computer and network curricula

This thesis consists of a series of internationally published, peer reviewed, journal and conference research papers that analyse the educational and training needs of undergraduate Information Technology (IT) students within the area of Computer and Network Technology (CNT) Education. Research by Maj et al has found that accredited computing science curricula can fail to meet the expectations of employers in the field of CNT: “It was found that none of these students could perform first line maintenance on a Personal Computer (PC) to a professional standard with due regard to safety, both to themselves and the equipment. Neither could they install communication cards, cables and network operating system or manage a population of networked PCs to an acceptable commercial standard without further extensive training. It is noteworthy that none of the students interviewed had ever opened a PC. It is significant that all those interviewed for this study had successfully completed all the units on computer architecture and communication engineering (Maj, Robbins, Shaw, & Duley, 1998). The students\u27 curricula at that time lacked units in which they gained hands-on experience in modern PC hardware or networking skills. This was despite the fact that their computing science course was level one accredited, the highest accreditation level offered by the Australian Computer Society (ACS). The results of the initial survey in Western Australia led to the introduction of two new units within the Computing Science Degree at Edith Cowan University (ECU), Computer Installation & Maintenance (CIM) and Network Installation & Maintenance (NIM) (Maj, Fetherston, Charlesworth, & Robbins, 1998). Uniquely within an Australian university context these new syllabi require students to work on real equipment. Such experience excludes digital circuit investigation, which is still a recommended approach by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for computer architecture units (ACM, 2001, p.97). Instead, the CIM unit employs a top-down approach based initially upon students\u27 everyday experiences, which is more in accordance with constructivist educational theory and practice. These papers propose an alternate model of IT education that helps to accommodate the educational and vocational needs of IT students in the context of continual rapid changes and developments in technology. The ACM have recognised the need for variation noting that: There are many effective ways to organize a curriculum even for a particular set of goals and objectives (Tucker et al., 1991, p.70). A possible major contribution to new knowledge of these papers relates to how high level abstract bandwidth (B-Node) models may contribute to the understanding of why and how computer and networking technology systems have developed over time. Because these models are de-coupled from the underlying technology, which is subject to rapid change, these models may help to future-proof student knowledge and understanding of the ongoing and future development of computer and networking systems. The de-coupling is achieved through abstraction based upon bandwidth or throughput rather than the specific implementation of the underlying technologies. One of the underlying problems is that computing systems tend to change faster than the ability of most educational institutions to respond. Abstraction and the use of B-Node models could help educational models to more quickly respond to changes in the field, and can also help to introduce an element of future-proofing in the education of IT students. The importance of abstraction has been noted by the ACM who state that: Levels of Abstraction: the nature and use of abstraction in computing; the use of abstraction in managing complexity, structuring systems, hiding details, and capturing recurring patterns; the ability to represent an entity or system by abstractions having different levels of detail and specificity (ACM, 1991b). Bloom et al note the importance of abstraction, listing under a heading of: “Knowledge of the universals and abstractions in a field” the objective: Knowledge of the major schemes and patterns by which phenomena and ideas arc organized. These are large structures, theories, and generalizations which dominate a subject or field or problems. These are the highest levels of abstraction and complexity\u27\u27 (Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl, 1956, p. 203). Abstractions can be applied to computer and networking technology to help provide students with common fundamental concepts regardless of the particular underlying technological implementation to help avoid the rapid redundancy of a detailed knowledge of modem computer and networking technology implementation and hands-on skills acquisition. Again the ACM note that: “Enduring computing concepts include ideas that transcend any specific vendor, package or skill set... While skills are fleeting, fundamental concepts are enduring and provide long lasting benefits to students, critically important in a rapidly changing discipline (ACM, 2001, p.70) These abstractions can also be reinforced by experiential learning to commercial practices. In this context, the other possibly major contribution of new knowledge provided by this thesis is an efficient, scalable and flexible model for assessing hands-on skills and understanding of IT students. This is a form of Competency-Based Assessment (CBA), which has been successfully tested as part of this research and subsequently implemented at ECU. This is the first time within this field that this specific type of research has been undertaken within the university sector within Australia. Hands-on experience and understanding can become outdated hence the need for future proofing provided via B-Nodes models. The three major research questions of this study are: •Is it possible to develop a new, high level abstraction model for use in CNT education? •Is it possible to have CNT curricula that are more directly relevant to both student and employer expectations without suffering from rapid obsolescence? •Can WI effective, efficient and meaningful assessment be undertaken to test students\u27 hands-on skills and understandings? The ACM Special Interest Group on Data Communication (SJGCOMM) workshop report on Computer Networking, Curriculum Designs and Educational Challenges, note a list of teaching approaches: ... the more \u27hands-on\u27 laboratory approach versus the more traditional in-class lecture-based approach; the bottom-up approach towards subject matter verus the top-down approach (Kurose, Leibeherr, Ostermann, & Ott-Boisseau, 2002, para 1). Bandwidth considerations are approached from the PC hardware level and at each of the seven layers of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model. It is believed that this research is of significance to computing education. However, further research is needed

Proceedings of the Second International Mobile Satellite Conference (IMSC 1990)

Presented here are the proceedings of the Second International Mobile Satellite Conference (IMSC), held June 17-20, 1990 in Ottawa, Canada. Topics covered include future mobile satellite communications concepts, aeronautical applications, modulation and coding, propagation and experimental systems, mobile terminal equipment, network architecture and control, regulatory and policy considerations, vehicle antennas, and speech compression

NASA Tech Briefs, January 1990

Topics include: Electronic Components and Circuits. Electronic Systems, Physical Sciences, Materials, Computer Programs, Mechanics, Machinery, Fabrication Technology, Mathematics and Information Sciences, and Life Science

Standardization of network interfaces : a framework for collaborative development and go-to-market strategy

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2006."June 2006."Includes bibliographical references.Over the last decade technological innovation in computers and communications industries has resulted in higher penetration of technology intensive products in businesses and homes. In communications industry, the true value of converged networks will be exploited only if the products and services provided end-to-end quality, reliability and consistency of features and functionalities that are offered. However, for this to happen, the products, systems and networks need to be interoperable. Interoperability can be accomplished most effectively and efficiently by use of common standards; but at the same time use of common standards potentially and arguably leads to commoditization of products, and constrains ability of product differentiation. Processes for setting standards, are not only messy but are prolonged, and quite often lead to battles for platform leadership. As incumbent telecommunications service providers transition from the public switched telephone networks to the IP-based data networks, customer expectations are high, challenges are many and failures are costly.(cont.) Verizon Interoperability Forum has taken on this challenge by attempting to develop standards for interfaces for network elements that are used on Verizon's own network. It is proposed that network interfaces' standards exhibit characteristics of network effects and possess a great potential for becoming a de facto standard.by Uday Hardikar.S.M