Country's economy plays role in Internet file-sharing patterns

 

October 8, 2014

Northwestern University

Peer-to-peer file sharing over the Internet is a popular alternative approach for people worldwide to get the digital content they want. But little is known about these users and systems because data is lacking. Now, in an unprecedented study of BitTorrent users, a research team has discovered two behavior patterns: most users are content specialists -- sharing music but not movies, for example; and users in countries with similar economies tend to download similar types of content.

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Peer-to-peer file sharing of movies, television shows, music, books and other files over the Internet has grown rapidly worldwide as an alternative approach for people to get the digital content they want -- often illicitly. But, unlike the users of Amazon, Netflix and other commercial providers, little is known about users of peer-to-peer (P2P) systems because data is lacking.

Now, armed with an unprecedented amount of data on users of BitTorrent, a popular file-sharing system, a Northwestern University research team has discovered two interesting behavior patterns: most BitTorrent users are content specialists -- sharing music but not movies, for example; and users in countries with similar economies tend to download similar types of content -- those living in poorer countries such as Lithuania and Spain, for example, download primarily large files, such as movies.

"Looking into this world of Internet traffic, we see a close interaction between computing systems and our everyday lives," said Luís A. Nunes Amaral, a senior author of the study. "People in a given country display preferences for certain content -- content that might not be readily available because of an authoritarian government or inferior communication infrastructure. This study can provide a great deal of insight into how things are working in a country."

Amaral, a professor of chemical and biological engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Fabián E. Bustamante, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, also at McCormick, co-led the interdisciplinary research team with colleagues from Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain.

Their study, published this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reports BitTorrent users in countries with a small gross domestic product (GDP) per capita were more likely to share large files, such as high-definition movies, than users in countries with a large GDP per capita, where small files such as music were shared.

Also, more than 50 percent of users' downloaded content fell into their top two downloaded content types, putting them in the content specialist, not generalist, category.

"Our study serves as a window on society as a whole," Bustamante said. "It was very interesting to see the separations between users based purely on content. Individuals tend to interact only with others who are interested in the same content."

One goal of decentralized peer-to-peer file sharing is to make communication on the Internet more efficient. (In certain parts of the world, BitTorrent users are responsible for up to one-third of the total Internet traffic.) The BitTorrent protocol enables users to share large data files even when they don't have access to broadband connections, which often is the case in rural areas or less developed countries. BitTorrent breaks files into smaller pieces that can be shared quickly and easily from home computers over networks with lower bandwidth.

The researchers analyzed 10,000 anonymous BitTorrent users from around the world during a typical month using data reported by users of the BitTorrent plugin Ono. File content types shared by users included small files, music, TV shows, movies and books. (The type of content was easily determined based on file size.)

The Ono app, developed by Bustamante and his lab, allows users to improve the performance of BitTorrent while reducing the impact of their traffic on Internet network providers. Ono users can give informed consent for research use of their activity, providing a rich source of data on which new studies and projects can be built.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Northwestern University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. A. Gavalda-Miralles, D. R. Choffnes, J. S. Otto, M. A. Sanchez, F. E. Bustamante, L. A. N. Amaral, J. Duch, R. Guimera. Impact of heterogeneity and socioeconomic factors on individual behavior in decentralized sharing ecosystems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1309389111

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Three Trees

 

Celebridades em close-up por Martin Schoeller

 

 

Conheça Martin Schoeller, fotógrafo profissional nascido na Alemanha, que mudou-se para Nova York no ano de 1993, para trabalhar como assistente da famosa fotógrafa Annie Leibovitz, saindo 3 anos depois para seguir sua carreira como freelancer.

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Já contribuiu com suas fotografias para revistas como The New Yorker, Outside, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, GQ, Esquire, Vogue, entre outras, e já teve 3 livros publicados: Close Up: Portraits 1998-2005 (2005), Female Bodybuilders (2008) e Martin Schoeller (2009).

Schoeller é bastante conhecido por seus retratos com bastante iluminação, pano de fundo, pouco brilho e que abusam do close-up, dando real destaque aos detalhes da pessoa ou objeto que estiver fotografando.

Dizem por aí que algumas celebridades vetaram o uso de suas fotografias, depois de verem o resultado final. E você, teria coragem?   (Eu, NÃO.)

Martin Schoeller

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Smartphone understands hand gestures

 

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Reminiscent of sign language: gesture control significantly expands the range of smartphone functionality.

Professor Otmar Hilliges and his staff at ETH Zurich have developed a new app enabling users to operate their smartphone with gestures. This development expands the range of potential interactions with such devices.

It does seem slightly odd at first: you hold the phone in one hand, and move the other in the air above its built-in camera making gestures that resemble sign language. Sometimes you move your index finger to the left, sometimes to the right. You can spread out your fingers, or imitate a pair of pliers or the firing of a pistol. These gestures are not, however, intended for communicating with deaf people; they are for controlling your smartphone.

By mimicking the firing of a pistol, for example, a user can switch to another browser tab, change the map's view from satellite to standard, or shoot down enemy planes in a game. Spreading out your fingers magnifies a section of a map or scrolls the page of a book forwards.

All this gesturing wizardry is made possible by a new type of algorithm developed by Jie Song, a Master's student in the working group headed by by Otmar Hilliges, Professor of Computer Science. The researchers presented the app to an audience of industry professionals at the UIST symposium in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Intelligent programming uses computer memory

The program uses the smartphone's built-in camera to register its environment. It does not evaluate depth or colour. The information it does register -- the shape of the gesture, the parts of the hand -- is reduced to a simple outline that is classified according to stored gestures. The program then executes the command associated with the gesture it observes. The program also recognises the hand's distance from the camera and warns the user when the hand is either too close or too far away.

"Many movement-recognition programs need plenty of processor and memory power," explains Hilliges, adding that their new algorithm uses a far smaller portion of computer memory and is thus ideal for smartphones. He believes the application is the first of its kind that can run on a smartphone. The app's minimal processing footprint means it could also run on smart watches or in augmented-reality glasses.

More control

The program currently recognises six different gestures and executes their corresponding commands. Although the researchers have tested 16 outlines, this is not the app's theoretical limit. What matters is that gestures generate unambiguous outlines. Gestures that resemble others are not suitable for this application. "To expand its functionality, we're going to add further classification schemes to the program," says the ETH researcher.

He is convinced that this new way of operating smartphones greatly increases the range of interactivity. The researcher's objective is to keep the gestures as simple as possible, so that users can operate their smartphone effortlessly.

But will smartphone users want to adapt to this new style of interaction? Otmar Hilliges is confident they will. Gesture control will not replace touchscreen control, but supplement it. "People got used to operating computer games with their movements." Touchscreens, Hilliges reminds us, also required a very long adjustment period before making a big impact in consumers' lives. He is therefore certain that this application -- or at least parts of it -- will find its way onto the market.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by ETH Zurich. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Coastal living boosts physical activity, study shows

 

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People who live close to the coast are more likely to meet physical activity guidelines than inland dwellers, finds a new study released today.

The research involved participants from across England and describes a particularly noticeable effect on western -- but unexpectedly not eastern -- coasts of the nation.

Publishing their findings in the journal Preventive Medicine, the team from the University of Exeter Medical School analysed data from over 180,000 participants -- collected by Natural England.

Examining the amount of exercise people get through leisure activities as well as simply getting around, the study has shown that visiting the coast, rather than just living near it, is crucial in stimulating physical activity.

However, when the researchers broke down the national pattern by region they found that this effect was present in the northwest and southwest of the country but not in any of the east coast regions. Lead author of the study, Dr Mathew White said:

"It's clear that our coastal paths and beaches provide a wonderful resource for encouraging and enabling physical activity. Participants reported a number of activities from simply walking to more obvious exercise such as swimming or running. However, we're unsure why we're only seeing these effects in western regions of the country. Of course, people in the east also exercise but it doesn't seem to be so connected to coastal activities. We might have uncovered untapped potential for east coast resorts and destinations to be used to encourage exercise and promote healthy lifestyles."

The researchers also took into account differences in factors such as age, social status and season, none of which could account for the regional differences in their findings.

Regular exercise can lower the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and depression and plays an important role in keeping people healthy. Current guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. Recent findings have shown that people living near to the coast are healthier than those living inland and the results published today suggest that higher levels of physical activity could partly explain why.

Dr Ben Wheeler, one of the paper's co-authors said:

"Whilst not everyone can live near a beach, there are around 8 million people in England who live within 5km of the coast. Combined with over 130 million visits a year from those living further inland, it's clear that coastal locations could offer a fantastic opportunity to get more people active. Whilst plenty of questions remain unanswered, our research suggests that government policy needs to ensure these natural spaces are protected and responsibly promoted."

This study is the largest of its kind and the first to be conducted in a European country. It supports results from smaller-scale studies in Australia and New Zealand.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Exeter. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Mathew P. White, Benedict W. Wheeler, Stephen Herbert, Ian Alcock, Michael H. Depledge. Coastal proximity and physical activity: Is the coast an under-appreciated public health resource? Preventive Medicine, 2014; 69: 135 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.09.016

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Drug used for another disease slows progression of Parkinson's

 

October 8, 2014

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A drug being evaluated to treat an entirely different disorder helped slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease in mice, a team of researchers has reported. Their study found that the drug, AT2101, which has also been studied for Gaucher disease, improved motor function, stopped inflammation in the brain and reduced levels of alpha-synuclein, a protein critically involved in Parkinson's.

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A new study from UCLA found that a drug being evaluated to treat an entirely different disorder helped slow the progression of Parkinson's disease in mice.

The study, published in the October edition of the journal Neurotherapeutics, found that the drug, AT2101, which has also been studied for Gaucher disease, improved motor function, stopped inflammation in the brain and reduced levels of alpha-synuclein, a protein critically involved in Parkinson's.

Though the exact cause of Parkinson's is unknown, evidence points to an accumulation of alpha-synuclein, which has been found to be common to all people with the disorder. The protein is thought to destroy the neurons in the brain that make dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate a number of functions, including movement and coordination. Dopamine deficiency is associated with Parkinson's disease.

Gaucher disease is a rare genetic disorder in which the body cannot produce enough of an enzyme called β-glucocerebrosidase, or GCase. Researchers seeking genetic factors that increase people's risk for developing Parkinson's have determined that there may be a close relationship between Gaucher and Parkinson's due to a GCase gene. Mutation of this gene, which leads to decreased GCase activity in the brain, has been found to be a genetic risk factor for Parkinson's, although the majority of patients with Parkinson's do not carry mutations in the Gaucher gene.

"This is the first time a compound targeting Gaucher disease has been tested in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease and was shown to be effective," said the study's senior author, Marie-Francoise Chesselet, the Charles H. Markham Professor of Neurology at UCLA and director of the UCLA Center for the Study of Parkinson's Disease. "The promising findings in this study suggest that further investigation of this compound in Parkinson's disease is warranted."

In the study, the researchers used mice that were genetically engineered to make too much alpha-synuclein which, over time, led the animals to develop deficits similar to those observed in humans with Parkinson's. The researchers found that the mice's symptoms improved after they received AT2101 for four months.

The researchers also observed that AT2101 was effective in treating Parkinson's in mice even though they did not carry a mutant version of the Gaucher gene, suggesting that the compound may have a clinical effect in the broader Parkinson's population.

AT2101 is a first-generation "pharmacological chaperone" -- a drug that can bind malfunctioning, mutated enzymes and lead them through the cell to their normal location, which allows the enzymes to carry on with their normal work. This was the first time that a pharmacological chaperone showed promise in a model of Parkinson's, according to Chesselet.

Parkinson's disease affects as many as 1 million Americans, and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The disorder continues to puzzle scientists. There is no cure and researchers have been unable to pin down its cause and no drug has been proven to stop the progression of the disease, which causes tremors, stiffness and other debilitating symptoms. Current Parkinson's treatments only address its symptoms.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Franziska Richter, Sheila M. Fleming, Melanie Watson, Vincent Lemesre, Lee Pellegrino, Brian Ranes, Chunni Zhu, Farzad Mortazavi, Caitlin K. Mulligan, Pedrom C. Sioshansi, Sindalana Hean, Krystal De La Rosa, Richie Khanna, John Flanagan, David J. Lockhart, Brandon A. Wustman, Sean W. Clark, Marie-Françoise Chesselet. A GCase Chaperone Improves Motor Function in a Mouse Model of Synucleinopathy. Neurotherapeutics, 2014; DOI: 10.1007/s13311-014-0294-x

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Mind-controlled prosthetic arms that work in daily life are now a reality

 

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For the first time, robotic prostheses controlled via implanted neuromuscular interfaces have become a clinical reality.

For the first time, robotic prostheses controlled via implanted neuromuscular interfaces have become a clinical reality. A novel osseointegrated (bone-anchored) implant system gives patients new opportunities in their daily life and professional activities.

In January 2013 a Swedish arm amputee was the first person in the world to receive a prosthesis with a direct connection to bone, nerves and muscles. An article about this achievement and its long-term stability will now be published in the Science Translational Medicine journal.

"Going beyond the lab to allow the patient to face real-world challenges is the main contribution of this work," says Max Ortiz Catalan, research scientist at Chalmers University of Technology and leading author of the publication.

"We have used osseointegration to create a long-term stable fusion between man and machine, where we have integrated them at different levels. The artificial arm is directly attached to the skeleton, thus providing mechanical stability. Then the human's biological control system, that is nerves and muscles, is also interfaced to the machine's control system via neuromuscular electrodes. This creates an intimate union between the body and the machine; between biology and mechatronics."

The direct skeletal attachment is created by what is known as osseointegration, a technology in limb prostheses pioneered by associate professor Rickard Brånemark and his colleagues at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Rickard Brånemark led the surgical implantation and collaborated closely with Max Ortiz Catalan and Professor Bo Håkansson at Chalmers University of Technology on this project.

The patient's arm was amputated over ten years ago. Before the surgery, his prosthesis was controlled via electrodes placed over the skin. Robotic prostheses can be very advanced, but such a control system makes them unreliable and limits their functionality, and patients commonly reject them as a result.

Now, the patient has been given a control system that is directly connected to his own. He has a physically challenging job as a truck driver in northern Sweden, and since the surgery he has experienced that he can cope with all the situations he faces; everything from clamping his trailer load and operating machinery, to unpacking eggs and tying his children's skates, regardless of the environmental conditions (read more about the benefits of the new technology below).

The patient is also one of the first in the world to take part in an effort to achieve long-term sensation via the prosthesis. Because the implant is a bidirectional interface, it can also be used to send signals in the opposite direction -- from the prosthetic arm to the brain. This is the researchers' next step, to clinically implement their findings on sensory feedback.

"Reliable communication between the prosthesis and the body has been the missing link for the clinical implementation of neural control and sensory feedback, and this is now in place," says Max Ortiz Catalan. "So far we have shown that the patient has a long-term stable ability to perceive touch in different locations in the missing hand. Intuitive sensory feedback and control are crucial for interacting with the environment, for example to reliably hold an object despite disturbances or uncertainty. Today, no patient walks around with a prosthesis that provides such information, but we are working towards changing that in the very short term."

The researchers plan to treat more patients with the novel technology later this year.

"We see this technology as an important step towards more natural control of artificial limbs," says Max Ortiz Catalan. "It is the missing link for allowing sophisticated neural interfaces to control sophisticated prostheses. So far, this has only been possible in short experiments within controlled environments."

More about: How the technology works

The new technology is based on the OPRA treatment (osseointegrated prosthesis for the rehabilitation of amputees), where a titanium implant is surgically inserted into the bone and becomes fixated to it by a process known as osseointegration (Osseo = bone). A percutaneous component (abutment) is then attached to the titanium implant to serve as a metallic bone extension, where the prosthesis is then fixated. Electrodes are implanted in nerves and muscles as the interfaces to the biological control system. These electrodes record signals which are transmitted via the osseointegrated implant to the prostheses, where the signals are finally decoded and translated into motions.

More about: Benefits of the new technology, compared to socket prostheses

Direct skeletal attachment by osseointegration means:

• Increased range of motion since there are no physical limitations by the socket -- the patient can move the remaining joints freely
• Elimination of sores and pain caused by the constant pressure from the socket
• Stable and easy attachment/detachment
• Increased sensory feedback due to the direct transmission of forces and vibrations to the bone (osseoperception)
• The prosthesis can be worn all day, every day
• No socket adjustments required (there is no socket)

Implanting electrodes in nerves and muscles means that:

• Due to the intimate connection, the patients can control the prosthesis with less effort and more precisely, and can thus handle smaller and more delicate items.
• The close proximity between source and electrode also prevents activity from other muscles from interfering (cross-talk), so that the patient can move the arm to any position and still maintain control of the prosthesis.
• More motor signals can be obtained from muscles and nerves, so that more movements can be intuitively controlled in the prosthesis.
• After the first fitting of the controller, little or no recalibration is required because there is no need to reposition the electrodes on every occasion the prosthesis is worn (as opposed to superficial electrodes).
• Since the electrodes are implanted rather than placed over the skin, control is not affected by environmental conditions (cold and heat) that change the skin state, or by limb motions that displace the skin over the muscles. The control is also resilient to electromagnetic interference (noise from other electric devices or power lines) as the electrodes are shielded by the body itself.
• Electrodes in the nerves can be used to send signals to the brain as sensations coming from the prostheses.

45 Free Online Computer Science Courses

 

Missed lectures or hate teachers? Or want to study computer science courses without going to university? … You can study anytime anywhere because there are number of free online computer science courses available on internet that are very interactive.

Here is the list of 45 free online computer science courses that are designed by teaching experts from best universities of the world (almost the whole graduation!).

1.  Programming Methodology CS106A , Stanford University Course.

Complete set of course materials. (Includes all available handouts, assignments, exams, and computer software.

2.  Programming Abstractions CS106B , Stanford University Course.

This course is the natural successor to Programming Methodology and covers such advanced programming topics as recursion, algorithmic analysis, and data abstraction using the C++ programming language, which is similar to both C and Java. If you've taken the Computer Science AP exam and done well (scored 4 or 5) or earned a good grade in a college course, Programming Abstractions may be an appropriate course for you to start with, but often Programming Abstractions (Accelerated) is a better choice. Programming Abstractions assumes that you already have familiarity with good programming style and software engineering issues (at the level of Programming Methodology), and that you can use this understanding as a foundation on which to tackle new topics in programming and data abstraction.

3.  Programming Paradigms CS107 , Stanford University Course.

Advanced memory management features of C and C++; the differences between imperative and object-oriented paradigms. The functional paradigm (using LISP) and concurrent programming (using C and C++). Brief survey of other modern languages such as Python, Objective C, and C#.

4.  Introduction to robotics CS223A , Stanford University Course.

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to basics of modeling, design, planning, and control of robot systems. In essence, the material treated in this course is a brief survey of relevant results from geometry, kinematics, statics, dynamics, and control.
The course is presented in a standard format of lectures, readings and problem sets. There will be an in-class midterm and final examination. These examinations will be open book. Lectures will be based mainly, but not exclusively, on material in the Lecture Notes book. Lectures will follow roughly the same sequence as the material presented in the book, so it can be read in anticipation of the lectures

5.  Natural Language Processing CS224N , Stanford University Course.

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts and ideas in natural language processing (NLP), and to get them up to speed with current research in the area. It develops an in-depth understanding of both the algorithms available for the processing of linguistic information and the underlying computational properties of natural languages. Wordlevel, syntactic, and semantic processing from both a linguistic and an algorithmic perspective are considered. The focus is on modern quantitative techniques in NLP: using large corpora, statistical models for acquisition, disambiguation, and parsing. Also, it examines and constructs representative systems.

You can study anytime anywhere because there are number of free online computer science courses offered by distance learning universities available on internet that are very interactive.

6.  Machine Learning CS229 , Stanford University Course.

This course provides a broad introduction to machine learning and statistical pattern recognition.

7.  The Fourier Transform and its ApplicationsEE261 , Stanford University Course.

The goals for the course are to gain a facility with using the Fourier transform, both specific techniques and general principles, and learning to recognize when, why, and how it is used. Together with a great variety, the subject also has a great coherence, and the hope is students come to appreciate both.

8.  Introduction to Linear Dynamical Systems EE263 , Stanford University Course.

Introduction to applied linear algebra and linear dynamical systems, with applications to circuits, signal processing, communications, and control systems.

9.  Convex Optimization I EE364A , Stanford University Course.

Concentrates on recognizing and solving convex optimization problems that arise in engineering. Convex sets, functions, and optimization problems. Basics of convex analysis. Least-squares, linear and quadratic programs, semidefinite programming, minimax, extremal volume, and other problems. Optimality conditions, duality theory, theorems of alternative, and applications. Interiorpoint methods. Applications to signal processing, control, digital and analog circuit design, computational geometry, statistics, and mechanical engineering.

10. Convex Optimization II EE364B , Stanford University Course.

Continuation of Convex Optimization I. Subgradient, cutting-plane, and ellipsoid methods. Decentralized convex optimization via primal and dual decomposition. Alternating projections. Exploiting problem structure in implementation. Convex relaxations of hard problems, and global optimization via branch & bound. Robust optimization. Selected applications in areas such as control, circuit design, signal processing, and communications. Course requirements include a substantial project.

11. Introduction to Computer Science and Programming , MIT Course

This subject is aimed at students with little or no programming experience. It aims to provide students with an understanding of the role computation can play in solving problems. It also aims to help students, regardless of their major, to feel justifiably confident of their ability to write small programs that allow them to accomplish useful goals. The class will use the Python™ programming language.

12. Introduction to Algorithms , MIT Course

This course provides an introduction to mathematical modeling of computational problems. It covers the common algorithms, algorithmic paradigms, and data structures used to solve these problems. The course emphasizes the relationship between algorithms and programming, and introduces basic performance measures and analysis techniques for these problems.

14. Information and Entropy , MIT Course

This course explores the ultimate limits to communication and computation, with an emphasis on the physical nature of information and information processing. Topics include: information and computation, digital signals, codes and compression, applications such as biological representations of information, logic circuits, computer architectures, and algorithmic information, noise, probability, error correction, reversible and irreversible operations, physics of computation, and quantum computation. The concept of entropy applied to channel capacity and to the second law of thermodynamics.

15. The Art of Approximation in Science and Engineering , MIT Course

This course teaches simple reasoning techniques for complex phenomena: divide and conquer, dimensional analysis, extreme cases, continuity, scaling, successive approximation, balancing, cheap calculus, and symmetry. Applications are drawn from the physical and biological sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Examples include bird and machine flight, neuron biophysics, weather, prime numbers, and animal locomotion. Emphasis is on low-cost experiments to test ideas and on fostering curiosity about phenomena in the world.

16. Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science, MIT Course

This course provides a challenging introduction to some of the central ideas of theoretical computer science. It attempts to present a vision of "computer science beyond computers": that is, CS as a set of mathematical tools for understanding complex systems such as universes and minds. Beginning in antiquity—with Euclid's algorithm and other ancient examples of computational thinking—the course will progress rapidly through propositional logic, Turing machines and computability, finite automata, Gödel's theorems, efficient algorithms and reducibility, NP-completeness, the P versus NP problem, decision trees and other concrete computational models, the power of randomness, cryptography and one-way functions, computational theories of learning, interactive proofs, and quantum computing and the physical limits of computation. Class participation is essential, as the class will include discussion and debate about the implications of many of these ideas

17. Introduction to Software Engineering in Java, MIT Course

This course is an introduction to Java™ programming and software engineering. It is designed for those who have little or no programming experience in Java and covers concepts useful to 6.005. The focus is on developing high quality, working software that solves real problems. Students will learn the fundamentals of Java, and how to use 3rd party libraries to get more done with less work. Each session includes one hour of lecture and one hour of assisted lab work. Short labs are assigned with each lecture.

18. Introduction to MATLAB , MIT Course

This course provides an aggressively gentle introduction to MATLAB®. It is designed to give students fluency in MATLAB, including popular toolboxes. The course consists of interactive lectures with a computer running MATLAB for each student. Problem-based MATLAB assignments are given which require significant time on MATLAB.

19. Introduction to C++ , MIT Course

This course is designed for undergraduate and graduate students in science, social science and engineering programs who need to learn fundamental programming skills quickly but not in great depth. The course is ideal for undergraduate research positions or summer jobs requiring C++. It is not a class for experienced programmers in C++. Students with no programming background are welcome. Topics include control structures, arrays, functions, classes, objects, file handling, and simple algorithms for common tasks.

20. Street-Fighting Mathematics , MIT Course

This course teaches the art of guessing results and solving problems without doing a proof or an exact calculation. Techniques include extreme-cases reasoning, dimensional analysis, successive approximation, discretization, generalization, and pictorial analysis. Applications include mental calculation, solid geometry, musical intervals, logarithms, integration, infinite series, solitaire, and differential equations. (No epsilons or deltas are harmed by taking this course.)This course is offered during the Independent Activities Period (IAP), which is a special 4-week term at MIT that runs from the first week of January until the end of the month.

21. Multicore Programming Primer , MIT Course

The course serves as an introductory course in parallel programming. It offers a series of lectures on parallel programming concepts as well as a group project providing hands-on experience with parallel programming. The students will have the unique opportunity to use the cutting-edge PLAYSTATION 3 development platform as they learn how to design and implement exciting applications for multicore architectures. At the end of the course, students will have an understanding of:

1) Fundamental design philosophies that multicore architectures address.

2) Parallel programming philosophies and emerging best practices.

22. A Gentle Introduction to Programming Using Python , MIT Course

This course will provide a gentle introduction to programming using Python™ for highly motivated students with little or no prior experience in programming computers. The course will focus on planning and organizing programs, as well as the grammar of the Python programming language. Lectures will be interactive featuring in-class exercises with lots of support from the course staff.

23. Autonomous Robot Design Competition , MIT Course

6.270 is a hands-on, learn-by-doing class, in which participants design and build a robot that will play in a competition at the end of January. The goal for the students is to design a machine that will be able to navigate its way around the playing surface, recognize other opponents, and manipulate game objects. Unlike the machines in Design and Manufacturing I (2.007), 6.270 robots are totally autonomous, so once a round begins, there is no human intervention.

24. Computer Graphics , MIT Course

6.837 offers an introduction to computer graphics hardware, algorithms, and software. Topics include: line generators, affine transformations, line and polygon clipping, splines, interactive techniques, perspective projection, solid modelling, hidden surface algorithms, lighting models, shading, and animation. Substantial programming experience is required. This course is worth 6 Engineering Design Points.

25. Designing Mobile Technologies for the Next Billion Users ,MIT Course

NextLab is a hands-on year-long design course in which students research, develop and deploy mobile technologies for the next billion mobile users in developing countries. Guided by real-world needs as observed by local partners, students work in multidisciplinary teams on term-long projects, closely collaborating with NGOs and communities at the local level, field practitioners, and experts in relevant fields.

26. Computational Biology: Genomes , Networks, Evolution , MIT Course

This course focuses on the algorithmic and machine learning foundations of computational biology, combining theory with practice. We study the principles of algorithm design for biological datasets, and analyze influential problems and techniques. We use these to analyze real datasets from large-scale studies in genomics and proteomics. The topics covered include:

• Genomes: Biological Sequence Analysis, Hidden Markov Models, Gene Finding, RNA Folding, Sequence Alignment, Genome Assembly.
• Networks: Gene Expression Analysis, Regulatory Motifs, Graph Algorithms, Scale-free Networks, Network Motifs, Network Evolution.
• Evolution: Comparative Genomics, Phylogenetics, Genome Duplication, Genome Rearrangements, Evolutionary Theory, Rapid Evolution.

27. Introduction to Computer Science , Rice University Course.

Basic concept of computer science The C programming language

28. Mathematics for Computer Science , MIT Course.

This course is offered to undergraduates and is an elementary discrete mathematics course oriented towards applications in computer science and engineering. Topics covered include: formal logic notation, induction, sets and relations, permutations and combinations, counting principles, and discrete probability.

29. Information and Computer Technologies, UK's Open University

This unit will introduce you to some ideas about how information and communiction technologies (ICTs) systems work. We will look at how ICT systems convey, store and manipulate data, and how they process…

30. Programming with Robots , Capilano University

From Issac Asimov's I Robot to George Lucas' R2D2, robots have been part of our popular culture for the last century. In this introductory programming course, we use Lego Mindstorm robots to illustrate the fundamental concepts in computer programming and problem solving. Students get a chance to explore Robotics and Computing Science in a fun and stimulating way.

31. Systems Design and Administration , Dixie State College

Course for students in Computer Information Systems or in Computer and Information Technologies programs. This course will instruct students in system administration topics, including computer hardware selection, user account management, file system optimization, and security. Basic system services such as FTP, WWW, email, printer, and DBMS will also be covered. Students will be required to install, configure, and test the services in a server environment. Three lecture hours per week.

32. HTML Basics , University of Washington

In this OpenUW course, we cover the basic structure of an HTML document, what HTML tags look like, the fundamental document structure, and basic tags found in nearly all HTML documents.

33. Software Applications , Kaplan University

In this course you will learn how to use application software. This course will help you learn how to use Internet, word processing software, spreadsheet software, presentation software and communications applications. You will also learn how to integrate MS Office 2007 applications, including linking and embedding files. Editing and formatting these documents helps a business to create more professional looking documents.

34. Object-Oriented Programming in C++ , University of Southern Queensland

This course extends the student's basic procedural design and programming knowledge into the object oriented paradigm. The student will be expected to learn and apply the basic concepts of object oriented design and programming, i.e. abstraction, inheritance and polymorphism, in the context of the C++ language. Key software engineering principles such as decomposition and component re-use shall also be emphasized.

35. Operating Systems and System Programming , University of California-Berkeley

Detailed concepts of Operating Systems and System Programming

36. DATA STRUCTURES , University of California-Berkeley

The core concepts of data structuring with inspiring lectures

37. Artificial Intelligence , University of Massachusetts-Boston

An introduction to the main techniques of Artifical Intelligence: state-space search methods, semantic networks, theorem-proving and production rule systems. Important applications of these techniques are presented. Students are expected to write programs exemplifying some of techniques taught, using the LISP lanuage.

38. Information Theory , Utah State University

Information theory explores the fundamental limits of the representation and transmission of information. We will focus on the definition and implications of (information) entropy, the source coding theorem, and the channel coding theorem. These concepts provide a vital background for researchers in the areas of data compression, signal processing, controls, and pattern recognition.

39. Network security ,Open University

Communication networks are used to transfer valuable and confidential information for a variety of purposes. As a consequence, they attract the attention of people who intend to steal or misuse information,...

40. Computational Discrete Mathematics , Carnegie Mellon University

Discrete mathematics, also called finite mathematics or decision mathematics, is the study of mathematical structures that are fundamentally discrete in the sense of not supporting or requiring the notion of continuity. Objects studied in finite mathematics are largely countable sets such as integers, finite graphs, and formal languages. Concepts and notations from discrete mathematics are useful to study or describe objects or problems in computer algorithms and programming languages.

41. The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs ,University of California, Berkeley

Deep analysis of computer language syntax and structures

42. Data Structures and Programming Methodology ,University of California, Berkeley

Fundamental dynamic data structures, including linear lists, queues, trees, and other linked structures; arrays strings, and hash tables. Storage management. Elementary principles of software engineering. Abstract data types. Algorithms for sorting and searching. Introduction to the Java programming language.

43. Automata, Computability, and Complexity , MIT Course

This course is offered to undergraduates and introduces basic mathematical models of computation and the finite representation of infinite objects. The course is slower paced than 6.840J/18.404J. Topics covered include: finite automata and regular languages, context-free languages, Turing machines, partial recursive functions, Church's Thesis, undesirability, reducibility and completeness, time complexity and NP-completeness, probabilistic computation, and interactive proof systems.

44. Operating Systems and System Programming ,University of California, Berkeley

Basic concepts of operating systems and system programming. Utility programs, subsystems, multiple-program systems. Processes, interposes communication, and synchronization. Memory allocation, segmentation, paging. Loading and linking, libraries. Resource allocation, scheduling, performance evaluation. File systems, storage devices, I/O systems. Protection, security, and privacy.

45. Randomized Algorithms , MIT Course

This course examines how randomization can be used to make algorithms simpler and more efficient via random sampling, random selection of witnesses, symmetry breaking, and Markov chains. Topics covered include: randomized computation; data structures (hash tables, skip lists); graph algorithms (minimum spanning trees, shortest paths, minimum cuts); geometric algorithms (convex hulls, linear programming in fixed or arbitrary dimension); approximate counting; parallel algorithms; online algorithms; derandomization techniques; and tools for probabilistic analysis of algorithms.

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13 Sci-Fi Gadgets You Won’t Believe Already Exist

 

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When will the real world catch up to some of the science fiction novels of our youth? WhoIsHostingThis put together this great infographic that shows some of the gadgets from the world of sci-fi that already exist and you probably didn’t even realize it.

There are some great finds on this graphic, including the Tamaggo ibi, the 360 degree camera and the Electrolux Wirio cooking device, but we were a bit dismayed to see that one of the devices is intended to allow you to know what your dog is thinking. Gary Larson taught us many years ago how dogs truly think of themselves.