735 research outputs found
Market scenarios and alternative administrative frameworks for US educational satellite systems
Costs and benefits of developing an operational educational satellite system in the U.S. are analyzed. Scenarios are developed for each educational submarket and satellite channel and ground terminal requirements for a large-scale educational telecommunications system are estimated. Alternative organizational frameworks for such a system are described
The first business computer: a case study in user-driven innovation
In 1949, the world's first business computer application was rolled out. The host for the application was a British catering and food-manufacturing company, which had developed and built its own computer, designed for business data processing. The author traces the endeavour's history and presents an analysis of how and why the company-J. Lyons & Co.-was in a natural position to take on the challenge, the precursor of the information revolution we see toda
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Pioneers on the air: BBC radio broadcasts on computers and A.I., 1946-56
Between 1946 and 1956, a number of BBC radio broadcasts were made by pioneers in the fields of computing, artificial intelligence and cybernetics. Although no sound recordings of the broadcasts survive, transcripts are held at the BBC's Written Archives Centre at Caversham in the UK. This paper is based on a study of these transcripts, which have received little attention from historians.
The paper surveys the range of computer-related broadcasts during 1946â1956 and discusses some recurring themes from the broadcasts, especially the relationship of 'artificial intelligence' to human intelligence. Additionally, it discusses the context of the broadcasts, both in relation to the BBC and to contemporary awareness of computers
Early Nordic compilers and autocodes
Abstract. The early development of compilers for high-level program-ming languages, and of so-called autocoding systems, is well documented at the international level but not as regards the Nordic countries. The goal of this paper is to provide a survey of compiler and autocode development in the Nordic countries in the early years, roughly 1953 to 1965, and to relate it to international developments. We also touch on some of the historical societal context
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Five 1951 BBC Broadcasts on Automatic Calculating Machines
In May and June 1951, five leading figures of British computing â Douglas Hartree, Max Newman, Alan Turing, Frederic ('Freddie') Williams, and Maurice Wilkes â spoke about their work on BBC radio. This article examines surviving texts of their broadcasts, and the speakers' principal points are summarized through quotations and
commentary. The broadcasts are placed in the context of
contemporary developments in computing and the particular BBC service on which they were broadcast
GIER: A Danish computer from 1961 with a role in the modern revolution of astronomy
A Danish computer, GIER, from 1961 played a vital role in the development of
a new method for astrometric measurement. This method, photon counting
astrometry, ultimately led to two satellites with a significant role in the
modern revolution of astronomy. A GIER was installed at the Hamburg Observatory
in 1964 where it was used to implement the entirely new method for the
measurement of stellar positions by means of a meridian circle, then the
fundamental instrument of astrometry. An expedition to Perth in Western
Australia with the instrument and the computer was a success. This method was
also implemented in space in the first ever astrometric satellite Hipparcos
launched by ESA in 1989. The Hipparcos results published in 1997 revolutionized
astrometry with an impact in all branches of astronomy from the solar system
and stellar structure to cosmic distances and the dynamics of the Milky Way. In
turn, the results paved the way for a successor, the one million times more
powerful Gaia astrometry satellite launched by ESA in 2013. Preparations for a
Gaia successor in twenty years are making progress.Comment: 19 pages,8 figures, Accepted for publication in Nuncius Hamburgensis,
Volume 2
The Tale of Two research Communities: The Diffusion of Research on Productive Efficiency
The field of theoretical and applied efficiency analysis is pursued both by economists and people from operational research and management science. Each group tends to cite a different paper as the seminal one. Recent availability of extensive electronically accessible databases of journal articles makes studies of the diffusion of papers through citations possible. Research strands inspired by the seminal paper within economics are identified and followed by citation analysis during the 20 year period before the operations research paper was published. The first decade of the operations research paper is studied in a similar way and emerging differences in diffusion patterns are pointed out. Main factors influencing citations apart from the quality of the research contribution are reputation of journal, reputation of author, number of close followers; colleagues, âcadres of protĂŠgĂŠsâ, Ph.D. students, and extent of network (âinvisible collegeâ). Such factors are revealed by the citing papers. In spite of increasing cross contacts between economics and operations research the last decades co-citation analysis reveals a relative constant tendency to stick to âown campâ references.Farrell efficiency measures, data envelopment analysis, DEA, bibliometry
Aid and donor partnerships in Ghana's education sector, 1987-2007: a critical review of the literature and progress
This literature review provides the reader with some insights into the historic relationships of donor partnerships within Ghana's basic education and skills development sub-sectors. The review looks at the evolution of these partnerships over the years and the various mechanisms and types of development assistance
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