4/25/2008

Brilliant, Just Brilliant

The May issue of Conde Nast Portfolio names Tuomas Sandholm, professor of computer science, as one of the three most influential academics in the business world — and features Wean Hall 7500 in a slightly surreal photo illustration. The new business publication's first Brilliant Issue showcases 73 people the editors say are changing the way business is done today. The "biggest brains in business" include Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin, film director Steven Spielberg, GE CEO Jeff Immelt, PayPal cofounder Max Levchin and Oprah Winfrey.

Byron Spice

94/2/2008

GigaPan Goes to the Masters

Sports Illustrated and Golf.com are using the Global Connection Project’s GigaPan technology to bring the Masters Tournament — or, at least, the Augusta National course — just a little closer to readers and viewers. The Golf Plus special edition for the Masters, which is mailed to some Sports Illustrated subscribers, features a double gatefold panorama of Augusta National’s 9th and 18th greens produced by SI photographer Fred Vuich using the GigaPan system. Golf.com features several interactiveGigaPans of the course.

Byron Spice

3/25/2008

Mayor Meets Boss

Back in December, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl hosted Carnegie Mellon’s Tartan Racing team at his office, where he issued a proclamation recognizing the team’s big win in the DARPA Urban Challenge robot race Nov. 3 in Victorville, Calif.  Today, the team planned to pay the mayor back, by hosting him at its Robot City headquarters in Hazelwood and giving him a spin in Boss, the robotic SUV.

His Honor showed up, but Boss was, well, beside itself. For reasons not immediately clear, there was a three-meter discrepency between where Boss was and where Boss thought it was, based on its reading of GPS signals. When driving on a road, a nine-foot discrepency  between where a vehicle is and where it should be can have nasty consequences. So Chris Urmson, the team’s director of technology, told a disappointed Ravenstahl that the ride was not going to be possible today.The mayor took it in stride, of course, and used the opportunity to take a close look at Boss’ sensors, computers and controls. "Unfortunately, because of some glitches, I won’t be able to take a ride, but it’s great to see it," he said.

He also got a first-hand look at Robot City, a portion of the old LTV Steel site leased by Carnegie Mellon where Boss and other robots are being built and tested. Institutions such as Carnegie Mellon are important to Pittsburgh economic growth, the mayor said, and so it will be important that the community continue to make such resources available to Carnegie Mellon students and researchers.

Byron Spice

3/13/2008

Videos R Us

We could tell you about our latest news, but it might be easier for you to watch it. YouTube has posted nominees for its second annual YouTube Awards and two Carnegie Mellon videos are in the running.

Computer Science Prof. Randy Pausch's "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," is one of six videos nominated for Most Inspirational, while Johnny Chung Lee, a Ph.D. student in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and his "Head Tracking for Desktop VR" are nominated for Best Instructional video. Overlooked: Lee's Wii remote merits a Best Supporting Gizmo award, but unfortunately that category doesn't yet exist.

You can vote once a day for your favorite in each of 12 categories and you have until March 19. You know what you need to do. Both of these nominated videos, BTW, are available on Carnegie Mellon's YouTube channel.

Byron Spice