September
So far in the month of September, Carnegie Mellon Media Relations has counted hundreds of references to the university in worldwide publications. Here is a sample.The Machines Are Taking Over | The New York Times Magazine
September 14
Neil Heffernan was listening to his fiancée, Cristina Lindquist, tutor one of her students in mathematics when he had an idea. Heffernan was a graduate student in computer science, and by this point — the summer of 1997 — he had been working for two years with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University on developing computer software to help students improve their skills. But he had come to believe that the programs did little to assist their users. They were built on elaborate theories of the student mind — attempts to simulate the learning brain. Then it dawned on him: what was missing from the programs was the interventions teachers made to promote and accelerate learning. Why not model a computer program on a human tutor like Lindquist?
Software, Not Just Bullets, Puts Military At Odds | NPR's "Morning Edition"
September 12
With more than 80,000 troops on the ground in Afghanistan, however, it is hard to gauge the real scope of demand there for the Palantir software.
"I'm not sure that there are that large a number who have that strong a feeling," says Kathleen Carley of Carnegie Mellon University, considered by many to be the godmother of data-network analysis as applied to war-fighting. "My guess is, it's more of a small vocal minority."
Carley, whose computer science team developed a network-analysis tool known as ORA, points out that Palantir is just one of several software programs used in Afghanistan, in addition to DCGS-A.
http://www.npr.org/2012/09/12/160967040/software-not-just-bullets-puts-military-at-odds
The emoticon celebrates its 30th birthday | The Telegraph
September 10
One of the most divisive communication tools celebrates a milestone birthday this month when the emoticon turns 30.
On September 19 1982 Professor Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh sent an email that included the first use of the sideways smiley face.
"I propose the following character sequence for joke markers: :-) Read it sideways."
The aim, according to Professor Fahlman, was to differentiate between those emails that were meant to be humorous and those that were not meant to be.
FBI launches $1 billion face recognition project | New Scientist
September 7
"FACE recognition is 'now'," declared Alessandro Acquisti of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in a testimony before the US Senate in July.
It certainly seems that way. As part of an update to the national fingerprint database, the FBI has begun rolling out facial recognition to identify criminals.
It will form part of the bureau's long-awaited, $1 billion Next Generation Identification (NGI) programme, which will also add biometrics such as iris scans, DNA analysis and voice identification to the toolkit. A handful of states began uploading their photos as part of a pilot programme this February and it is expected to be rolled out nationwide by 2014. In addition to scanning mugshots for a match, FBI officials have indicated that they are keen to track a suspect by picking out their face in a crowd.
Are Public-Private Partnerships The 'Secret Sauce' To A Resurgence In American Manufacturing? | Forbes.com
September 4
The TechBelt plays a critical convening role as this region transitions from the old “rust belt” system of industrialization, to a technology and knowledge-based economy. And this highly-competitive grant illustrates the kind of cross-border collaboration that is essential to revive manufacturing in this region and across the country.
“The new manufacturing institute is about industry teaming with university partners to shorten the timeline between R&D and shop floor deployment,” said Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon. “The TechBelt consortium of companies, universities including Carnegie Mellon, and economic development organizations will be a model for spurring manufacturing innovation though public-private partnerships.”
'Framing' Prevents Needed Stimulus | The New York Times
September 1
A good part of the benefits of tax increases go to as-yet-unspecified public workers who would otherwise be laid off in the future. We naturally care less about people we do not know than those we do.
Deborah Small of the University of Pennsylvania and George Loewenstein of Carnegie Mellon University have run experiments that show that people are more sympathetic to “identifiable victims” than they are to “statistical victims.”
In a 2003 field experiment, they sent subjects an appeal to contribute to Habitat for Humanity to help build a house for a needy family. Two letters were sent, and they differed by just three words. One said the needy family “has been selected” from an enclosed list. The other said the family “will be selected.” People who received the first letter (about identifiable victims) gave 25 percent more than those getting the other letter (about statistical victims).
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/your-money/framing-prevents-needed-stimulus-economic-view.html