March
From March 1-31, Carnegie Mellon Media Relations counted more than 1,900 references to the university in worldwide publications. Here is a sample.Nuclear radiation in pop culture: more giant lizards than real science | The Christian Science Monitor
March 30
Pop culture treatment of nuclear fallout fears have gone through several stages since World War II, says Kathy Newman, associate professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. In the 1950s and early '60s, she points out, the depictions were largely fantastical, horror- and B-movie subjects, with whole cities being destroyed and populations dying terrible deaths. After the partial nuclear reactor meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in 1979, the popular culture portrayals "took a serious, dramatic and more realistic turn," she points out, with films such as "Silkwood" and "China Syndrome."
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0330/Nuclear-radiation-in-pop-culture-more-giant-lizards-than-real-science
Pop culture treatment of nuclear fallout fears have gone through several stages since World War II, says Kathy Newman, associate professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. In the 1950s and early '60s, she points out, the depictions were largely fantastical, horror- and B-movie subjects, with whole cities being destroyed and populations dying terrible deaths. After the partial nuclear reactor meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in 1979, the popular culture portrayals "took a serious, dramatic and more realistic turn," she points out, with films such as "Silkwood" and "China Syndrome."
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0330/Nuclear-radiation-in-pop-culture-more-giant-lizards-than-real-science
Deciphering old texts, one woozy, curvy word at a time | The New York Times
March 29
The set of software tools that accomplishes this feat is called reCaptcha and was developed by a team of researchers led by Luis von Ahn, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University. Its pilot project was to clean up the digitized archive of The New York Times. Today it has become the principal method used by Google to authenticate text in Google Books, its vast project to digitize and disseminate rare and out-of-print texts on the Internet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/science/29recaptcha.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=%22Carnegie%20Mellon%22&st=cse
The set of software tools that accomplishes this feat is called reCaptcha and was developed by a team of researchers led by Luis von Ahn, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University. Its pilot project was to clean up the digitized archive of The New York Times. Today it has become the principal method used by Google to authenticate text in Google Books, its vast project to digitize and disseminate rare and out-of-print texts on the Internet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/science/29recaptcha.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=%22Carnegie%20Mellon%22&st=cse
Pittsburgh symposium answers: What is Watson? | Associated Press/ABC News
March 28
Watson is IBM's stab at advancing artificial intelligence by creating a machine that can recognize words using complex mathematical formulas. The algorithms can deduce probable characteristics and meanings of words based on the context in which they are used and other clues.
"Language is difficult for computers because they're not human," David Ferrucci, IBM's lead Watson researcher told a packed auditorium at Carnegie Mellon University before the demonstration.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=13260223
Watson is IBM's stab at advancing artificial intelligence by creating a machine that can recognize words using complex mathematical formulas. The algorithms can deduce probable characteristics and meanings of words based on the context in which they are used and other clues.
"Language is difficult for computers because they're not human," David Ferrucci, IBM's lead Watson researcher told a packed auditorium at Carnegie Mellon University before the demonstration.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=13260223
What is the standard for intervention in foreign conflicts? | NPR's "Tell Me More"
March 28
We're going to continue our conversation on the U.S. involvement in Libya, and what it means to our relationship in the region now with Jendayi Frazer. She is a leading expert on U.S. Africa policy. She was assistant secretary of State for African Affairs under President George W. Bush, and before that was U.S. ambassador to South Africa. She's now a distinguished public service professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134926336/What-Is-The-Standard-For-Intervention-In-Foreign-Conflicts
We're going to continue our conversation on the U.S. involvement in Libya, and what it means to our relationship in the region now with Jendayi Frazer. She is a leading expert on U.S. Africa policy. She was assistant secretary of State for African Affairs under President George W. Bush, and before that was U.S. ambassador to South Africa. She's now a distinguished public service professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134926336/What-Is-The-Standard-For-Intervention-In-Foreign-Conflicts
Is the internet destroying privacy? | ABC News
March 27
"It may be that social norms just haven't completely developed yet, but we end up revealing so much more than we likely would have without the Internet, and we reveal it to a much wider range of people," Lorrie Cranor, director of the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University. Whether we're constantly updating our Facebooks and flickrs or not, we still leave behind a virtual breadcrumb trail anytime we hop online, thanks to data tracking software, cookies and web bugs that log what we search for, where we land and what we do once we get there.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/internet-destroying-privacy/story?id=13224589
"It may be that social norms just haven't completely developed yet, but we end up revealing so much more than we likely would have without the Internet, and we reveal it to a much wider range of people," Lorrie Cranor, director of the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University. Whether we're constantly updating our Facebooks and flickrs or not, we still leave behind a virtual breadcrumb trail anytime we hop online, thanks to data tracking software, cookies and web bugs that log what we search for, where we land and what we do once we get there.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/internet-destroying-privacy/story?id=13224589
Could fruit flies' brains make computers faster? | TIME - Techland
March 25
When someone says "computer networks," the first thing you think about is fruit flies, right? Well, maybe it should be. According to Dr. Ziv Bar-Joseph, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon and one of the authors of a paper called "A Biological Solution to a Fundamental Distributed Computing Problem," fruit flies and parallel processing share a similar problem.
http://techland.time.com/2011/03/25/could-fruit-flies-brains-make-computers-faster/
When someone says "computer networks," the first thing you think about is fruit flies, right? Well, maybe it should be. According to Dr. Ziv Bar-Joseph, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon and one of the authors of a paper called "A Biological Solution to a Fundamental Distributed Computing Problem," fruit flies and parallel processing share a similar problem.
http://techland.time.com/2011/03/25/could-fruit-flies-brains-make-computers-faster/
SuperD and the Carnegie Mellon University carries out the cooperation, promotes 3D to develop the personnel training | Digi.gznet.com
March 25
This article features the Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center's work on 3D personnel training.
http://digi.gznet.com/891315/435767468402.shtml
This article features the Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center's work on 3D personnel training.
http://digi.gznet.com/891315/435767468402.shtml
Pictured: The robots called in to help prevent nuclear meltdown at Fukushima plant | Daily Mail
March 24
The roles that robots might play in Japan will depend upon how deeply radiation may have penetrated the facility's walls and floor, William Whittaker a Carnegie Mellon University robotics professor and director of the Field Robotics Center at the school's Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, told the American Scientist website. He and several colleagues built robots in the late 1970s and early 1980s to inspect and perform repairs in the basement of Three Mile Island nuclear plant following the near meltdown there in 1979.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1369521/Japan-nuclear-crisis-pictured-Robots-called-help-prevent-Fukushima-meltdown.html#ixzz1Hc24tPOT
The roles that robots might play in Japan will depend upon how deeply radiation may have penetrated the facility's walls and floor, William Whittaker a Carnegie Mellon University robotics professor and director of the Field Robotics Center at the school's Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, told the American Scientist website. He and several colleagues built robots in the late 1970s and early 1980s to inspect and perform repairs in the basement of Three Mile Island nuclear plant following the near meltdown there in 1979.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1369521/Japan-nuclear-crisis-pictured-Robots-called-help-prevent-Fukushima-meltdown.html#ixzz1Hc24tPOT
What's behind our conflicted feelings on nukes? | The Washington Times
March 24
The lack of transparency in the nuclear industry- including Tokyo Electric Power Co. - has caused some of the problems, said Baruch Fischhoff, a professor of decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. It is a charge Kerekes disputes. "The nuclear industry has behaved in a way that is untrustworthy, both in the sense of not telling people the truth and not having the competence to manage their own affairs," Fischhoff said. He added that industry is too quick to brush off people's fears: "Telling the public that they are idiots is certainly not a way of making friends."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/24/whats-behind-our-conflicted-feelings-on-nukes/print/
The lack of transparency in the nuclear industry- including Tokyo Electric Power Co. - has caused some of the problems, said Baruch Fischhoff, a professor of decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. It is a charge Kerekes disputes. "The nuclear industry has behaved in a way that is untrustworthy, both in the sense of not telling people the truth and not having the competence to manage their own affairs," Fischhoff said. He added that industry is too quick to brush off people's fears: "Telling the public that they are idiots is certainly not a way of making friends."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/24/whats-behind-our-conflicted-feelings-on-nukes/print/
First eyes inside nuclear plant may be a robot's | NPR's "Morning Edition"
March 23
Once the robots get inside, they might use their cameras to inspect the condition of the containment vessels around the reactors or take samples to check the radiation levels. But this is only the start of the role that the robots may play at Fukushima. Carnegie Mellon University robotics researcher Red Whittaker has assisted with robotic operations at nuclear accidents like Chernobyl. He says after that 1986 accident, at a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, radiation levels were too high for workers to conduct cleanup operations, so remote-controlled robots had to take over.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/23/134769065/first-eyes-inside-nuclear-plant-may-be-a-robots
Once the robots get inside, they might use their cameras to inspect the condition of the containment vessels around the reactors or take samples to check the radiation levels. But this is only the start of the role that the robots may play at Fukushima. Carnegie Mellon University robotics researcher Red Whittaker has assisted with robotic operations at nuclear accidents like Chernobyl. He says after that 1986 accident, at a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, radiation levels were too high for workers to conduct cleanup operations, so remote-controlled robots had to take over.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/23/134769065/first-eyes-inside-nuclear-plant-may-be-a-robots
Is there a 'war on cops'? Eric Holder vows action as police fears rise | The Christian Science Monitor
March 23
The rise of right-wing movements like the "sovereign citizens" - two of whose members were involved in a double police homicide in 2010 - is part of the equation, as is the expanding availability of guns and the growing willingness of armed citizens to use them. But a steady increase in the number of justified homicides by police officers in recent years has also served to "heighten tension" between cops and the communities they serve, says Al Blumstein, a criminal justice expert at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2011/0323/Is-there-a-war-on-cops-Eric-Holder-vows-action-as-police-fears-rise.
The rise of right-wing movements like the "sovereign citizens" - two of whose members were involved in a double police homicide in 2010 - is part of the equation, as is the expanding availability of guns and the growing willingness of armed citizens to use them. But a steady increase in the number of justified homicides by police officers in recent years has also served to "heighten tension" between cops and the communities they serve, says Al Blumstein, a criminal justice expert at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2011/0323/Is-there-a-war-on-cops-Eric-Holder-vows-action-as-police-fears-rise.
Reinhart, Meltzer Interview on Fed, U.S. Economy | Bloomberg
March 23
Vincent Reinhart, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Group, and Allan Meltzer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, talk about the Federal Reserve's policy on quantitative easing and the outlook for the U.S. economy. They speak with Tom Keene on "Surveillance Midday."
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/67939672/
Vincent Reinhart, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Group, and Allan Meltzer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, talk about the Federal Reserve's policy on quantitative easing and the outlook for the U.S. economy. They speak with Tom Keene on "Surveillance Midday."
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/67939672/
Open networking foundation pursues new standards | The New York Times
March 22
"This is a pragmatic solution," said David Farber, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon who was one of the pioneers of data networking technology. "The idea of moving intelligence to the end points of the network was one of the original design points of the Internet," Mr. Farber said. But he noted that as the network evolved to offer sophisticated advanced services through centralized cloud computers, including the delivery of digital voice and video, it became less feasible to continue relying on decentralized network design.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/technology/internet/22internet.html?src=busln
"This is a pragmatic solution," said David Farber, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon who was one of the pioneers of data networking technology. "The idea of moving intelligence to the end points of the network was one of the original design points of the Internet," Mr. Farber said. But he noted that as the network evolved to offer sophisticated advanced services through centralized cloud computers, including the delivery of digital voice and video, it became less feasible to continue relying on decentralized network design.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/technology/internet/22internet.html?src=busln
New chief for research university group | Inside Higher Ed
March 22
Rawlings "understands from experience the relationships between both public and private universities and their communities and government at the state and national level," said Jared L. Cohon, president of Carnegie Mellon University and chair of AAU's board. In an interview Monday, Rawlings said he had decided to leave the comfortable world of scholarship and the classroom in which he's been largely entrenched for the last five years because he wanted to "give back" to AAU and to higher education -- and because he was concerned that lawmakers and the public have lost some of their appreciation for the importance of the country's research universities.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/22/aau_picks_rawlings_former_cornell_and_iowa_president_to_lead_association_of_research_universities
Rawlings "understands from experience the relationships between both public and private universities and their communities and government at the state and national level," said Jared L. Cohon, president of Carnegie Mellon University and chair of AAU's board. In an interview Monday, Rawlings said he had decided to leave the comfortable world of scholarship and the classroom in which he's been largely entrenched for the last five years because he wanted to "give back" to AAU and to higher education -- and because he was concerned that lawmakers and the public have lost some of their appreciation for the importance of the country's research universities.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/22/aau_picks_rawlings_former_cornell_and_iowa_president_to_lead_association_of_research_universities
CMU researchers to showcase electric version of Honda Civic | International Business Times
March 21
Researchers at the Carnegie Mellon University are all set to unveil an electric version of the 2002 Honda Civic as the production prototype of its ChargeCar Electric Vehicle Conversion Project. ChargeCar is a community-centered project from the Robotics Institute at the University, where researchers are working with local garages to develop methods and components necessary for efficiently converting electric cars into vehicles that can be used for commuting.
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/124840/20110321/honda-civic-electric-car-vehicle-conversion-carnegie-mellon.htm#ixzz1HEVJkGjx
Researchers at the Carnegie Mellon University are all set to unveil an electric version of the 2002 Honda Civic as the production prototype of its ChargeCar Electric Vehicle Conversion Project. ChargeCar is a community-centered project from the Robotics Institute at the University, where researchers are working with local garages to develop methods and components necessary for efficiently converting electric cars into vehicles that can be used for commuting.
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/124840/20110321/honda-civic-electric-car-vehicle-conversion-carnegie-mellon.htm#ixzz1HEVJkGjx
Send in the robots to Japan's nuclear meltdown | The Daily Beast
March 19
The scientist who created robots to clean up after the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear disasters says similar machines will play a big role at the Fukushima plant that is now suffering a meltdown. "There is no question that robotics will play a great role in the sustained response and recovery in Japan," said William "Red" Whittaker, a professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. "The Japanese are masters in robotics. They are great at what they do."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-19/japan-nuclear-meltdown-robots-will-be-sent-to-fukushima/
The scientist who created robots to clean up after the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear disasters says similar machines will play a big role at the Fukushima plant that is now suffering a meltdown. "There is no question that robotics will play a great role in the sustained response and recovery in Japan," said William "Red" Whittaker, a professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. "The Japanese are masters in robotics. They are great at what they do."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-19/japan-nuclear-meltdown-robots-will-be-sent-to-fukushima/
Why Charlie Sheen and Muammar Qaddafi aren't winning the media | Christian Science Monitor
March 18
The proliferation of unedited or barely edited content on social media and other online venues means that "there are so many more ways to ruin a career," adds media adviser Stacie Paxton at Hill & Knowlton, a communications consulting firm. Even in traditional news outlets, the line between entertainment and news is dissolving, amid pressure to remain financially solvent. "The lines between traditional and tabloid journalism are pretty blurred," says David Shumway, an English professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0318/Why-Charlie-Sheen-and-Muammar-Qaddafi-aren-t-winning-the-media/%28page%29/2
The proliferation of unedited or barely edited content on social media and other online venues means that "there are so many more ways to ruin a career," adds media adviser Stacie Paxton at Hill & Knowlton, a communications consulting firm. Even in traditional news outlets, the line between entertainment and news is dissolving, amid pressure to remain financially solvent. "The lines between traditional and tabloid journalism are pretty blurred," says David Shumway, an English professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0318/Why-Charlie-Sheen-and-Muammar-Qaddafi-aren-t-winning-the-media/%28page%29/2
Microsoft: IE9's web privacy hole? A feature, not a bug | The Register
March 18
He added he doubted Microsoft is trying to be malicious and called the policy behind it - of building white lists of approved sites - sound. "They still have their work cut out," he said. TPLs have been added to IE9 on top of existing privacy and cookie-blocking features. It's an approach that's been criticized by an associate professor for Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, Department of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP). TPL's are designed to stop third-party sites using techniques such as cookie tracking, Flash LSO tracking and browser finger printing to follow IE9 users and serve up ads and content on the sites that they visit. The idea with TPLs is you build up a list of sites you've either visited or allowing to track you.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/18/microsoft_ie9_tpl_site_blocker/
He added he doubted Microsoft is trying to be malicious and called the policy behind it - of building white lists of approved sites - sound. "They still have their work cut out," he said. TPLs have been added to IE9 on top of existing privacy and cookie-blocking features. It's an approach that's been criticized by an associate professor for Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, Department of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP). TPL's are designed to stop third-party sites using techniques such as cookie tracking, Flash LSO tracking and browser finger printing to follow IE9 users and serve up ads and content on the sites that they visit. The idea with TPLs is you build up a list of sites you've either visited or allowing to track you.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/18/microsoft_ie9_tpl_site_blocker/
Women need to negotiate pay raises | PBS "Nightly Business Report"
March 16
Ladies, should you ask for it? For the record, I`m talking about asking for raises at work. Why is this so important? According to Carnegie Mellon research, avoiding negotiating your first salary can cost you $500,000 by age 60. And men negotiate their first salaries four times more often than women. I have long found negotiating, well, hard. But the research is clear on its benefits. Women who consistently negotiate their salary throughout their careers typically earn $1 million more in lifetime career earnings than women who don`t. As for who negotiates, academics find it`s those whose worldview is more optimistic than fatalistic, malleable versus fixed.
http://www.pbs.org/nbr/site/onair/transcripts/women_need_to_negotiate_pay_raises_110316/
Ladies, should you ask for it? For the record, I`m talking about asking for raises at work. Why is this so important? According to Carnegie Mellon research, avoiding negotiating your first salary can cost you $500,000 by age 60. And men negotiate their first salaries four times more often than women. I have long found negotiating, well, hard. But the research is clear on its benefits. Women who consistently negotiate their salary throughout their careers typically earn $1 million more in lifetime career earnings than women who don`t. As for who negotiates, academics find it`s those whose worldview is more optimistic than fatalistic, malleable versus fixed.
http://www.pbs.org/nbr/site/onair/transcripts/women_need_to_negotiate_pay_raises_110316/
New concern: The social media divide | MSNBC.com
March 16
Alessandro Acquisti, an economist who studies privacy at Carnegie Mellon University, says the privacy issue may be polarizing because the penalty for avoiding social networks is becoming more severe over time. "Not having a mobile phone now would dramatically cut you off from professional and personal life opportunities. It's the same story with social networks," Acquisti said. "The more people use them for socializing and for their professional life, the more costly it becomes for others (who aren't members) to be loyal to their views." The cost in some ways is basic. Many Facebook users now assume all their posts are common knowledge, and skip old-fashioned ways of communicating even important events now. That leads to awkward, "What do you mean you didn't know I was engaged" conversations.
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2011/03/the-social-media-divide-and-privacy.html
Alessandro Acquisti, an economist who studies privacy at Carnegie Mellon University, says the privacy issue may be polarizing because the penalty for avoiding social networks is becoming more severe over time. "Not having a mobile phone now would dramatically cut you off from professional and personal life opportunities. It's the same story with social networks," Acquisti said. "The more people use them for socializing and for their professional life, the more costly it becomes for others (who aren't members) to be loyal to their views." The cost in some ways is basic. Many Facebook users now assume all their posts are common knowledge, and skip old-fashioned ways of communicating even important events now. That leads to awkward, "What do you mean you didn't know I was engaged" conversations.
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2011/03/the-social-media-divide-and-privacy.html
New dean at CMU's Tepper School of Business | The Wall Street Journal
March 15
Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business has tapped an insider, Robert Dammon, as its ninth dean, the school announced Tuesday morning. Mr. Dammon currently Tepper's associate dean for education, has been at the school since 1984. The relatively small school is known for its quantitative focus, with many of its graduates winding up in technical positions in finance, consulting and operations. Mr. Dammon's appointment won't dramatically shift the school away from its technical leanings, says hedge fund founder David Tepper, who donated a $55 million "naming-gift" to the school in 2004. (Formerly, it was the Graduate School of Industrial Administration.)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704662604576202711282218714.html
Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business has tapped an insider, Robert Dammon, as its ninth dean, the school announced Tuesday morning. Mr. Dammon currently Tepper's associate dean for education, has been at the school since 1984. The relatively small school is known for its quantitative focus, with many of its graduates winding up in technical positions in finance, consulting and operations. Mr. Dammon's appointment won't dramatically shift the school away from its technical leanings, says hedge fund founder David Tepper, who donated a $55 million "naming-gift" to the school in 2004. (Formerly, it was the Graduate School of Industrial Administration.)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704662604576202711282218714.html
Baybars is new dean of CMUQ | Gulf Times
March 14
Deputy dean of the Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, Ilker Baybars, has been named the dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ). Baybars will begin new stint from August, Mark S Kamlet, university provost and executive vice president, said yesterday. Baybars, who is also the George Leland Bach chair and operations management professor, will take over from Richard Tucker, who has been serving since August 2010. He will be Carnegie Mellon Qatar's second dean, following Charles E 'Chuck' Thorpe, who served through 2004-10.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=421818&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16
Deputy dean of the Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, Ilker Baybars, has been named the dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ). Baybars will begin new stint from August, Mark S Kamlet, university provost and executive vice president, said yesterday. Baybars, who is also the George Leland Bach chair and operations management professor, will take over from Richard Tucker, who has been serving since August 2010. He will be Carnegie Mellon Qatar's second dean, following Charles E 'Chuck' Thorpe, who served through 2004-10.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=421818&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16
Goal-line technology brought closer by latest academic research | The Guardian
March 14
The university's work with film and TV firms echoes partnerships around the world. "Several US universities, including MIT, Stanford, Washington and Carnegie Mellon are involved in collaborations with the film industry, and the Max-Plank Institute in Germany and ETH Zurich are also active in reconstruction from video," says Hilton. "But our research has contributed advances at the leading edge of this field over the past decade, pioneering a number of new technologies." However there may be obstacles ahead. The research is mainly paid for by UK or EU research agencies. "Support for academic research even in collaboration with industry is much more difficult to obtain in the current environment," Hilton admits. "Funding agencies are directing money towards strategic priorities. Support for the adventurous research, which has led to many of the advances we've made over the last ten to 15 years, has become relatively difficult to obtain."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/mar/14/goal-line-technology-academic-research
The university's work with film and TV firms echoes partnerships around the world. "Several US universities, including MIT, Stanford, Washington and Carnegie Mellon are involved in collaborations with the film industry, and the Max-Plank Institute in Germany and ETH Zurich are also active in reconstruction from video," says Hilton. "But our research has contributed advances at the leading edge of this field over the past decade, pioneering a number of new technologies." However there may be obstacles ahead. The research is mainly paid for by UK or EU research agencies. "Support for academic research even in collaboration with industry is much more difficult to obtain in the current environment," Hilton admits. "Funding agencies are directing money towards strategic priorities. Support for the adventurous research, which has led to many of the advances we've made over the last ten to 15 years, has become relatively difficult to obtain."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/mar/14/goal-line-technology-academic-research
Opinion: Cutting Head Start is bad fiscal policy | CNN.com
March 14
In fairness, the results for standardized achievement and cognitive tests are rather modest. But they don't tell the whole story. David Deming from Carnegie Mellon University conducted a clever evaluation of Head Start by comparing siblings, one who experienced Head Start and one who did not. His findings show that Head Start children score higher on a measure of young adult success that includes high school graduation, college attendance, idleness, crime teen parenthood and health status. And the effect is large; in fact, Head Start closes one-third of the gap between children from families with median incomes and those with bottom quartile incomes.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/03/14/mccartney.head.start/
In fairness, the results for standardized achievement and cognitive tests are rather modest. But they don't tell the whole story. David Deming from Carnegie Mellon University conducted a clever evaluation of Head Start by comparing siblings, one who experienced Head Start and one who did not. His findings show that Head Start children score higher on a measure of young adult success that includes high school graduation, college attendance, idleness, crime teen parenthood and health status. And the effect is large; in fact, Head Start closes one-third of the gap between children from families with median incomes and those with bottom quartile incomes.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/03/14/mccartney.head.start/
Poker bots invade online gambling | The New York Times
March 13
In 2006, the inaugural Annual Computer Poker Competition created more interest in poker-playing computers and established a friendly rivalry between the University of Alberta and Professor Tuomas W. Sandholm's poker research group at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Today, Professor Sandholm said, poker bots "can rival good players, but not the best - yet." Many of the poker bots available on the Internet were built by programmers as a personal exercise or hobby. Some buyers think they can make money with the bots, but others use them in intellectual exercises, Mr. Jetter said. Buyers can program their bots to use different decision-making strategies in various circumstances, and then observe which outcomes are more successful when applied in real-world games.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/science/14poker.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1300107757-4+j9oLzBmi9uLCYgeGNdVA
In 2006, the inaugural Annual Computer Poker Competition created more interest in poker-playing computers and established a friendly rivalry between the University of Alberta and Professor Tuomas W. Sandholm's poker research group at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Today, Professor Sandholm said, poker bots "can rival good players, but not the best - yet." Many of the poker bots available on the Internet were built by programmers as a personal exercise or hobby. Some buyers think they can make money with the bots, but others use them in intellectual exercises, Mr. Jetter said. Buyers can program their bots to use different decision-making strategies in various circumstances, and then observe which outcomes are more successful when applied in real-world games.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/science/14poker.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1300107757-4+j9oLzBmi9uLCYgeGNdVA
Looks like a job for an e-lawyer | China Daily
March 13
"The economic impact will be huge," said Tom Mitchell, chairman of the machine learning department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. "We're at the beginning of a 10-year period where we're going to transition from computers that can't understand language to a point where computers can understand quite a bit about language." The most basic e-discovery technologies use specific search words to find and sort relevant documents. More advanced programs filter documents through a large web of word and phrase definitions. Software that takes a sociological approach can mimic the deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-03/13/content_12162539.htm
"The economic impact will be huge," said Tom Mitchell, chairman of the machine learning department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. "We're at the beginning of a 10-year period where we're going to transition from computers that can't understand language to a point where computers can understand quite a bit about language." The most basic e-discovery technologies use specific search words to find and sort relevant documents. More advanced programs filter documents through a large web of word and phrase definitions. Software that takes a sociological approach can mimic the deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-03/13/content_12162539.htm
Shrinivas Dempo donates 3 mln to Carnegie Mellon | India Report
March 10
Shrinivas Dempo, chairman of the Goa-based Dempo Group of Companies, has made a USD three million gift to endow a professorship in the Tepper School of Business of the prestigious Carnegie Mellon. The gift will be used to endow the Vasantrao Dempo Reflective Chair, which will be held by a Tepper School of Business professor and support teaching and research on societal scale phenomena that are relevant to India, the Carnegie Mellon said.
http://www.indiareport.com/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/1011861/National/1/20/1
Shrinivas Dempo, chairman of the Goa-based Dempo Group of Companies, has made a USD three million gift to endow a professorship in the Tepper School of Business of the prestigious Carnegie Mellon. The gift will be used to endow the Vasantrao Dempo Reflective Chair, which will be held by a Tepper School of Business professor and support teaching and research on societal scale phenomena that are relevant to India, the Carnegie Mellon said.
http://www.indiareport.com/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/1011861/National/1/20/1
India on mind, Carnegie Mellon University thinks digital | Business Standard, India
March 10
Carnegie Mellon University President Jared L. Cohon has been trying to push "digital education" as the next big revolution in the sector. Just a few years ago, Cohon, one of the most respected educational administrator in the US, met Apple CEO Steve Jobs, requesting him to insert an application to deliver undergraduate courses on the iconic iPhone, on an experimental basis.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/indiamind-carnegie-mellon-university-thinks-digital/427689/
Carnegie Mellon University President Jared L. Cohon has been trying to push "digital education" as the next big revolution in the sector. Just a few years ago, Cohon, one of the most respected educational administrator in the US, met Apple CEO Steve Jobs, requesting him to insert an application to deliver undergraduate courses on the iconic iPhone, on an experimental basis.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/indiamind-carnegie-mellon-university-thinks-digital/427689/
Unequal pay for equal work dogs | Times of India
March 9
Whatever the reason might be for disparity of wages, whether existing social norms and practices or inadequate accounting of the overall work output of women or even women's own diffidence in demanding better pay, the loss women incur from this inequity is estimated to be significantly large. In the US, by not asking for pay parity, a woman employee leaves a whopping million dollars plus on the table over the course of her working life, estimates Linda C Babcock, a professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Unequal-pay-for-equal-work-dogs-working-women-in-India-Study/articleshow/7659619.cms
Whatever the reason might be for disparity of wages, whether existing social norms and practices or inadequate accounting of the overall work output of women or even women's own diffidence in demanding better pay, the loss women incur from this inequity is estimated to be significantly large. In the US, by not asking for pay parity, a woman employee leaves a whopping million dollars plus on the table over the course of her working life, estimates Linda C Babcock, a professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Unequal-pay-for-equal-work-dogs-working-women-in-India-Study/articleshow/7659619.cms
Q&A: Improving preclinical trials | The-Scientist.com, United Kingdom
March 8
Studies are published regularly touting a promising new drug that could bring relief to thousands or millions of disease sufferers. However, published meta-analyses show that only around 5 percent of drugs that show potential in animal studies ever get licensed for human use. This low success rate is not only troubling scientifically, but also raises questions about the ethics of performing drug trials in humans that will not necessarily help the participants. But there are ways to improve the predictive value of preclinical trials, argue biomedical ethicists Jonathan Kimmelman and Alex John London of McGill University and Carnegie Mellon University, respectively, in an opinion piece published today (March 8th) in PLoS Medicine. The Scientist talked to the duo about the disconnect between preclinical and clinical research, and what can be done to fix it.
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/58042/
Studies are published regularly touting a promising new drug that could bring relief to thousands or millions of disease sufferers. However, published meta-analyses show that only around 5 percent of drugs that show potential in animal studies ever get licensed for human use. This low success rate is not only troubling scientifically, but also raises questions about the ethics of performing drug trials in humans that will not necessarily help the participants. But there are ways to improve the predictive value of preclinical trials, argue biomedical ethicists Jonathan Kimmelman and Alex John London of McGill University and Carnegie Mellon University, respectively, in an opinion piece published today (March 8th) in PLoS Medicine. The Scientist talked to the duo about the disconnect between preclinical and clinical research, and what can be done to fix it.
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/58042/
$100m boost for real-time info apps | The Straits Times, Singapore
March 8
The $60 million center is a collaboration between the Singapore Management University and the Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. It is the eighth center in NRF's network of international research centers, which pairs local and overseas universities. The center looks at new ways of making use of data — including information mined from social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter — to come up with practical applications.
http://meltwaternews.com/prerobot/sph.asp?iscrawler=yes&pub=ST&sphurl=www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_642586.html
The $60 million center is a collaboration between the Singapore Management University and the Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. It is the eighth center in NRF's network of international research centers, which pairs local and overseas universities. The center looks at new ways of making use of data — including information mined from social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter — to come up with practical applications.
http://meltwaternews.com/prerobot/sph.asp?iscrawler=yes&pub=ST&sphurl=www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_642586.html
Self-driving car on road out of science fiction | The Washington Times
March 8
The idea of a car that drives itself was viewed until recently as some high-tech nerd's daydream or even the stuff of science fiction, but it may not be that long before a driverless car is idling at an intersection near you. "In my estimation, by 2015 we will have at least an engineering prototype of a vehicle with reasonable capabilities to be called a completely autonomous vehicle. In about 10 years roughly, we should be able to make it commercially available," said Raj Rajkumar, co-director of General Motors-Carnegie Mellon Collaborative Research Labs, which oversees GM's self-driving vehicle project.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/8/self-driving-car-on-road-out-of-science-fiction/
The idea of a car that drives itself was viewed until recently as some high-tech nerd's daydream or even the stuff of science fiction, but it may not be that long before a driverless car is idling at an intersection near you. "In my estimation, by 2015 we will have at least an engineering prototype of a vehicle with reasonable capabilities to be called a completely autonomous vehicle. In about 10 years roughly, we should be able to make it commercially available," said Raj Rajkumar, co-director of General Motors-Carnegie Mellon Collaborative Research Labs, which oversees GM's self-driving vehicle project.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/8/self-driving-car-on-road-out-of-science-fiction/
To LOL, or not LOL? That is the question | Associated Press/USA Today
March 7
Scott Fahlman, a research professor in the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University, often gets the credit for first suggesting that emoticon nearly 30 years ago. His fellow academics quickly embraced it and ushered in its everyday online use. The sideways smiley has gotten bashed too - it's been called the equivalent of "i's" dotted with hearts.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-03-07-lol-everywhere_N.htm
Scott Fahlman, a research professor in the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University, often gets the credit for first suggesting that emoticon nearly 30 years ago. His fellow academics quickly embraced it and ushered in its everyday online use. The sideways smiley has gotten bashed too - it's been called the equivalent of "i's" dotted with hearts.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-03-07-lol-everywhere_N.htm
Tony Blair's global 'battle of ideas' | BBC News, United Kingdom
March 6
"I see globalization's impact on the international university system in four ways. "The first is that universities are increasingly eager to connect with others around the world on sustained and continuous projects and partnerships. "Although conferences and joint-research program have existed for some time, we are now seeing a desire on the part of universities to enter into long-term partnerships with other universities. "I was just visiting one of the lead universities in our Faith and Globalisation Initiative, Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, which has joint-degree program with schools such as Carnegie Mellon in the US, the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands, and Reutlingen University in Germany."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12597817
"I see globalization's impact on the international university system in four ways. "The first is that universities are increasingly eager to connect with others around the world on sustained and continuous projects and partnerships. "Although conferences and joint-research program have existed for some time, we are now seeing a desire on the part of universities to enter into long-term partnerships with other universities. "I was just visiting one of the lead universities in our Faith and Globalisation Initiative, Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, which has joint-degree program with schools such as Carnegie Mellon in the US, the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands, and Reutlingen University in Germany."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12597817
Armies of expensive lawyers, replaced by cheaper software | The New York Times
March 4
Automation of higher-level jobs is accelerating because of progress in computer science and linguistics. Only recently have researchers been able to test and refine algorithms on vast data samples, including a huge trove of e-mail from the Enron Corporation. "The economic impact will be huge," said Tom Mitchell, chairman of the machine learning department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. "We're at the beginning of a 10-year period where we're going to transition from computers that can't understand language to a point where computers can understand quite a bit about language."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/science/05legal.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=%22Carnegie%20Mellon%22&st=cse
Automation of higher-level jobs is accelerating because of progress in computer science and linguistics. Only recently have researchers been able to test and refine algorithms on vast data samples, including a huge trove of e-mail from the Enron Corporation. "The economic impact will be huge," said Tom Mitchell, chairman of the machine learning department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. "We're at the beginning of a 10-year period where we're going to transition from computers that can't understand language to a point where computers can understand quite a bit about language."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/science/05legal.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=%22Carnegie%20Mellon%22&st=cse
The high cost of celebrities gone wild | Bloomburg Businessweek
March 3
Golf is still reeling from Tiger Woods' extramarital affairs that surfaced in late 2009. Nike (NKE) lost 105,000 customers for its Woods-signature golf balls-and profits for the overall golf products industry fell an estimated $7.5 million in the six months after the scandal came to light, says a December 2010 study by Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. More than eight snippets of actor Mel Gibson's threats to his girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva-laced with racial epithets-turned up on the website Radar Online last July. Summit Entertainment, the studio that made the Twilight vampire series, postponed the release of Gibson's film, The Beaver, to May 6 and plans to open the $17 million movie only in select theaters-a practice with smaller films that would save on marketing costs if the film tanks.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_11/b4219018506135.htm
Golf is still reeling from Tiger Woods' extramarital affairs that surfaced in late 2009. Nike (NKE) lost 105,000 customers for its Woods-signature golf balls-and profits for the overall golf products industry fell an estimated $7.5 million in the six months after the scandal came to light, says a December 2010 study by Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. More than eight snippets of actor Mel Gibson's threats to his girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva-laced with racial epithets-turned up on the website Radar Online last July. Summit Entertainment, the studio that made the Twilight vampire series, postponed the release of Gibson's film, The Beaver, to May 6 and plans to open the $17 million movie only in select theaters-a practice with smaller films that would save on marketing costs if the film tanks.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_11/b4219018506135.htm
Finally, you can POW-WHAM punch like a comic book character | Yahoo! Finance/The Atlantic
March 3
Carnegie Mellon students hacked the Xbox Kinect controller to create a program that translates your air punches near someone into comic book-style POWs and WHAMs. Who needs to worry about tomorrow's big unemployment report? I think this video proves that the world really is getting better. The group posted a detailed explanation of how they did it.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Finally-You-Can-POW-WHAM-atlantic-4107306207.html?x=0
Carnegie Mellon students hacked the Xbox Kinect controller to create a program that translates your air punches near someone into comic book-style POWs and WHAMs. Who needs to worry about tomorrow's big unemployment report? I think this video proves that the world really is getting better. The group posted a detailed explanation of how they did it.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Finally-You-Can-POW-WHAM-atlantic-4107306207.html?x=0
Game mechanics can rev up sales | GulfNews.com
March 3
Jesse Schell, a game design professor at Carnegie Mellon University, cites a series of studies performed in the 1970s and 1980s that tested the effect of rewards on children's enjoyment of tasks. One 1971 study by the University of Rochester took two groups of children and gave each child an hour to solve a series of puzzles. Those in one group were given $1 for each solved puzzle. Those in the control group were not given any reward. Researchers wanted to know what the children would do when they were left alone for eight minutes at the end of the hour. "The regular kids kept playing with the puzzles," Schell said, "But the kids who were paid just sat there. "So if your idea is to create a bribery system to get them to try something, it can backfire. When the bribes go away, people are less inclined naturally to do the thing you want, even if it's fun." The rising interest in gamification is part of a larger societal trend toward designing products that are more pleasing, not just purely utilitarian, Schell said.
http://gulfnews.com/business/media-marketing/game-mechanics-can-rev-up-sales-1.770641
Jesse Schell, a game design professor at Carnegie Mellon University, cites a series of studies performed in the 1970s and 1980s that tested the effect of rewards on children's enjoyment of tasks. One 1971 study by the University of Rochester took two groups of children and gave each child an hour to solve a series of puzzles. Those in one group were given $1 for each solved puzzle. Those in the control group were not given any reward. Researchers wanted to know what the children would do when they were left alone for eight minutes at the end of the hour. "The regular kids kept playing with the puzzles," Schell said, "But the kids who were paid just sat there. "So if your idea is to create a bribery system to get them to try something, it can backfire. When the bribes go away, people are less inclined naturally to do the thing you want, even if it's fun." The rising interest in gamification is part of a larger societal trend toward designing products that are more pleasing, not just purely utilitarian, Schell said.
http://gulfnews.com/business/media-marketing/game-mechanics-can-rev-up-sales-1.770641
Ingenious minds - Temple Grandin | The Science Channel/Discovery.com
March 3
In 2010, Temple Grandin was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. She has changed how the 70 billion dollar beef industry treats animals, and she's changing the way people think about autism. Despite some of the social challenges autism presents, Grandin is an author, a professor of Animal Science, and the designer of cattle feedlot systems that have won praise from animal rights groups. Temple is also a leading advocate for autism studies and volunteers for cutting-edge research to see how autistic brains differ from neurotypical brains. Researchers at the Carnegie Mellon Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging use an MRI protocol known as Diffusion Spectrum Imaging, or DSI, to track the trillions of connections inside Temple's brain.
http://science.discovery.com/tv/ingenious-minds/bios/temple-grandin.html
In 2010, Temple Grandin was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. She has changed how the 70 billion dollar beef industry treats animals, and she's changing the way people think about autism. Despite some of the social challenges autism presents, Grandin is an author, a professor of Animal Science, and the designer of cattle feedlot systems that have won praise from animal rights groups. Temple is also a leading advocate for autism studies and volunteers for cutting-edge research to see how autistic brains differ from neurotypical brains. Researchers at the Carnegie Mellon Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging use an MRI protocol known as Diffusion Spectrum Imaging, or DSI, to track the trillions of connections inside Temple's brain.
http://science.discovery.com/tv/ingenious-minds/bios/temple-grandin.html
Outrage as Facebook changes its privacy rules AGAIN to share users' phone numbers and home addresses with third party companies | Daily Mail
March 2
Privacy experts warn that the access of such information could vastly increase the risk of being targeted by scams, spam and identity thieves. Professor at the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science Norman Sadeh-Koniecpol told the Huffington Post: 'Scammers might be able to impersonate you if they had your phone number.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1361889/Facebook-privacy-rule-change-Phone-numbers-addresses-shared-parties.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Privacy experts warn that the access of such information could vastly increase the risk of being targeted by scams, spam and identity thieves. Professor at the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science Norman Sadeh-Koniecpol told the Huffington Post: 'Scammers might be able to impersonate you if they had your phone number.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1361889/Facebook-privacy-rule-change-Phone-numbers-addresses-shared-parties.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
India: The next university superpower? | BBC News
March 2
An eastward shift in the geography of science and technology is a major draw as international companies set up research and development sites in India and China. "We are tapping into the research potential of these Asian countries," says Professor Pradeep Khosla, dean of Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering. The prestigious US institution has teamed up with India's Shiv Nadar Foundation to open an engineering college in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12597815
An eastward shift in the geography of science and technology is a major draw as international companies set up research and development sites in India and China. "We are tapping into the research potential of these Asian countries," says Professor Pradeep Khosla, dean of Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering. The prestigious US institution has teamed up with India's Shiv Nadar Foundation to open an engineering college in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12597815
Fed chief steps back into political matters | Associated Press/Bloomberg Businessweek
March 2
"Is the purpose to help the administration out of its fiscal problems by monetizing federal debt?" Shelby asked Bernanke. Allan Meltzer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and author of a history of the Fed, said Bernanke is opening the Fed up for interference by speaking out on political matters. "Bernanke was critical of Alan Greenspan for wading into politics," Meltzer said. "He said when he came to the Fed he wouldn't do it. Evidently, he's had a change of heart." Meltzer argues that the Fed chief had already compromised the central bank's independence in 2008, when the Fed bailed out insurance giant American International Group and supported JPMorgan Chase's takeover of troubled investment house Bear Stearns.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9LNBUAG0.htm
"Is the purpose to help the administration out of its fiscal problems by monetizing federal debt?" Shelby asked Bernanke. Allan Meltzer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and author of a history of the Fed, said Bernanke is opening the Fed up for interference by speaking out on political matters. "Bernanke was critical of Alan Greenspan for wading into politics," Meltzer said. "He said when he came to the Fed he wouldn't do it. Evidently, he's had a change of heart." Meltzer argues that the Fed chief had already compromised the central bank's independence in 2008, when the Fed bailed out insurance giant American International Group and supported JPMorgan Chase's takeover of troubled investment house Bear Stearns.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9LNBUAG0.htm
Can money motivate weight loss? Perhaps at first | Reuters/Science Magazine
March 2
People with the "deposit contract" lost an average of nine pounds (4.1 kg) over eight months, while the participants with no money to lose lost only one pound. "Financial incentives produced significant weight loss over an eight-month intervention," wrote Leslie John at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who led the study. "However, participants regained weight post-intervention." For the study, John and her colleagues randomly assigned 66 adults with BMIs -- body mass indexes -- of 30 to 40, mostly men, to either have a counseling session with a dietician plus monthly weigh-ins, or the same program plus the deposit contract.
http://www.sciencemagnews.com/can-money-motivate-weight-loss-perhaps-at-first.html
People with the "deposit contract" lost an average of nine pounds (4.1 kg) over eight months, while the participants with no money to lose lost only one pound. "Financial incentives produced significant weight loss over an eight-month intervention," wrote Leslie John at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who led the study. "However, participants regained weight post-intervention." For the study, John and her colleagues randomly assigned 66 adults with BMIs -- body mass indexes -- of 30 to 40, mostly men, to either have a counseling session with a dietician plus monthly weigh-ins, or the same program plus the deposit contract.
http://www.sciencemagnews.com/can-money-motivate-weight-loss-perhaps-at-first.html
By the numbers: Food miles | The Environmental Magazine
March 1
In a 2008 study, Christopher L. Weber and H. Scott Matthews of Carnegie Mellon University found that transportation accounts for just 11% of the greenhouse gas emissions of fruits and vegetables and only 1% of red meat's emissions. How the food is produced contributes a whopping 83%. Reducing meat consumption, in other words, is far more eco-friendly than switching to locally grown tomatoes. In fact, the study reports, by switching from red meat and dairy products to chicken, fish, eggs or a vegetable-based diet less than one day a week, you achieve more greenhouse gas emissions reduction than you would by buying all locally sourced food. And Weber points out that "It's much easier to shift one day of my beef consumption a week to chicken or vegetables than to eat only Jerusalem artichokes for three months in the winter."
http://www.emagazine.com/magazine/by-the-numbers-food-miles
In a 2008 study, Christopher L. Weber and H. Scott Matthews of Carnegie Mellon University found that transportation accounts for just 11% of the greenhouse gas emissions of fruits and vegetables and only 1% of red meat's emissions. How the food is produced contributes a whopping 83%. Reducing meat consumption, in other words, is far more eco-friendly than switching to locally grown tomatoes. In fact, the study reports, by switching from red meat and dairy products to chicken, fish, eggs or a vegetable-based diet less than one day a week, you achieve more greenhouse gas emissions reduction than you would by buying all locally sourced food. And Weber points out that "It's much easier to shift one day of my beef consumption a week to chicken or vegetables than to eat only Jerusalem artichokes for three months in the winter."
http://www.emagazine.com/magazine/by-the-numbers-food-miles
Robots with their heads in the clouds | Discovery News
March 1
For conventional robots, every task - moving a foot, grasping things, recognizing a face - requires a significant amount of processing and preprogrammed information. As a result, sophisticated systems such as humanoid robots need to carry powerful computers and large batteries to power them. James Kuffner, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, currently working at Google, described the possibilities of cloud robotics at the IEEE International Conference on Humanoid Robots, in Nashville, this past December. Embracing the cloud could make robots "lighter, cheaper, and smarter," he told the assembled engineers.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/robots-with-their-heads-in-the-clouds-110301.html
For conventional robots, every task - moving a foot, grasping things, recognizing a face - requires a significant amount of processing and preprogrammed information. As a result, sophisticated systems such as humanoid robots need to carry powerful computers and large batteries to power them. James Kuffner, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, currently working at Google, described the possibilities of cloud robotics at the IEEE International Conference on Humanoid Robots, in Nashville, this past December. Embracing the cloud could make robots "lighter, cheaper, and smarter," he told the assembled engineers.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/robots-with-their-heads-in-the-clouds-110301.html