There’s no question that multicore processors have gone mainstream. What advantages do they offer to researchers? Experts say that making the most of multicore systems will require new tools, new algorithms, and a new way of looking at programming. Full story (PDF)
The idea of linking supercomputers into a computational grid to confront big problems isn’t a new one, but an earthquake researcher and his colleagues are doing something different. They’re linking grids together—effectively, using grids of grids—thanks to a software movement that takes its name from the musical phenomenon known as the mashup. Full story (PDF)
Computer scientists have discovered some creative strategies to help neural networks fulfill their potential in pattern recognition and artificial intelligence. Machine vision is his near-term goal, but the real prize could be insight into the human brain. Full story (PDF)
A personal library that fits in your pocket—it will soon exist, if Michael Hart gets his way. Hart heads Project Gutenberg (PG), the Internet’s oldest digital library. On 4 July 2006, PG turned 35. Digital libraries in academia and commercial publishing are coming of age right along with it, driven by the latest technology. But to Hart and others involved in digital libraries, the technology is the least interesting part of the story. Full story (PDF)
At the molecular level, life already moves fast. In search of a better anticocaine medication, scientists at the University of Kentucky used computer simulations to create a souped-up version of the human enzyme that breaks down the drug even faster. Full story (PDF)
Engineers at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library are engaged in a race against time, to convert the world’s largest animal recording collection from analog to digital — before the original tape recordings degrade and are lost forever. But they aren’t alone in their need to preserve massive amounts of information. To preserve its collections, the Macaulay Library is blazing a trail that others will have to follow. Full story (PDF)