See the future, now.
Linux FAQs
The Importance of Stem Cell Research
The Truth Behind Fracking
A.I. - The people of the future
invision Spring 2012
Letter
2
from
the
Editors
We hope that Invision gives you a good understanding of science and technology’s future pace, by helping you look to the future and discover the revolutionary ideas, machines and people who help make it possible. The writers of Invision hope that you are inspired by these new concepts. Every issue, we hope to further provoke your imagination in science. We hope that Invision appeals to both your mechanical, factual left brain and your creative, inventive right brain. We hope that you come to share our same enthusiasm for technology.
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Computers Linux: Not so Black and White Eddie’s Five Answers To Your Stupid Computer Questions The End of Windows And the Beginning of the Future Survival of the Fittest
Future Technology The Super-Hot Future: Using Plasma to Destroy Waste Fracking: The Dangerous Wave of the Future Leganlly Organized The Visual Network The of stem cell Stem research (Ben Opinion) The Twisted TwistedEthincs Ethincs Behind Cell Research The Server The Lexical Lexical Server: Translating the Future Smart People (Evan ASF) Visionaries invision Spring 2012
The Writers
Behind The Vision Ben G, a fifteen year old from Austin, Texas, is really fast. A cross country champion already his freshman year, Ben enjoys doing the lamer things in life: reading, spending time with his family and running literally every moment of everyday. Ben loves to copy “Ted Talk” topics in his articles, featuring many of the same science related topics. Despite his superior big brother Brad, Ben tries really hard.
Weston H is an avid lover of Linux, “because of the inferiority of other operating systems.” Weston loves to sit at his computer playing Minecraft, Skyrim or creating an array of servers to work on his computer on the go. He loves to ridicule others for not doing everything he does, exactly the way he does it, as he is never wrong. Weston believes that he could teach every class he takes, as well as the ones he hasn’t taken yet.
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Evan T, the future owner of the world, is way smarter than everyone. He gets perfect grades in everything, women adore him, men envy him and his siblings want to be him. His parents have never been disappointed in him. Evan is also a perfect soccer player, scoring 200 goals a game, playing only one and a half minutes. Evan doesn’t even know why he has to come to school, as he is the one who created it in the beginning.
Eddie Plaut is funnier than you. He is a fantastic writer, only in the group because he can string words together like shoe laces. He knows very little about technology; as far as he’s concerned, computers were made for League of Legends. He has as much computer knowledge as a moth, and is distracted by light as easily as one too. The group doesn’t know why Eddie ended up in their group, but are forced to do his work anyway.
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Linux: Not so Black and White
Frequently Asked Questions About the Most Successful Operating System BY
10
Weston H
What is Linux? Linux is a free operating system modeled after the Unix operating system, which was the first really successful operating system. Linux is created and distributed as an open source software project. This means that it is free to use, share, or modify. Developers can make changes to suit their needs, and then give their changes back into the project. In this way high quality software is available for free.
How was Linux created? The base the Linux operating system was created by Linux Torvalds and the various programs that run on it were originally part of the GNU project. However, now there are many different versions of the Linux operating system call Linux distributions. Each distribution has different features and will work with a certain set of software. New distributions are created all of the time and the Linux operating system continues to be built on and improved.
Is Linux really more secure than Windows? Much has been said about Linux’s security vs. Windows. The truth of the matter is that Linux is not any more inherently secure that Windows. However, because Windows is much more widely used, hackers spend more time finding ways to compromise Windows systems than Linux systems. As well, many people review and edit the Linux operating system, so there is a greater probability that security issues with Linux systems will be found quickly.
Should I switch from Windows to Linux? That depends on what you use Windows for. If you just surf the web, write email and do light document
editing then Linux will be very similar in functionality to Windows. In addition, many of these functions will be faster on a Linux system. If you are a developer, Linux’s free developer tools are often much better and more feature rich than Windows paid programs. However, if you use the more advanced features of Microsoft Office or you play advanced games, these activities do not port well to Linux. If you do switch to Linux, many things are different from Windows. It will require re-learning some things, including the use of the command line. However, the performance and usability benefits may be worth it.
What are the benefits of Linux? The benefits of having a Linux system include not having to pay for the operating system, having a faster more efficient computer, and the ability to tailor your operating system to you needs. In addition, the many different versions of Linux allow for great customization for a purpose.
Is Linux difficult to use? Linux is no more difficult to use than any other operating system. However, it may seem more difficult because new things always seem strange the first time they are used.
Is there anything that I can do in Windows that I cannot do in Linux? Linux cannont run programs that were made to run on Windows. However, in most cases the developer either releases a version for Linux or their are alternatives available. The one exception is PC games. If you are a big PC gamer, there is really no comparison on Linux. The one exception is games that were written in Java or other cross-platform languages. However, you will find that most things that you can do on Windows, you can also do on Linux.
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Eddie’s
5 Answers To Your Stupid Computer Questions.
BY
Eddie Plaut
1.
and odds are you aren’t running a dinosaur at your office, don’t expect that pushing the button will prevent you from scrolling. Just think of the key as a piece of computer history; a reminder of how our computers used to function. It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?
What Does The Scroll Lock Button Do? Every time you push this button, does anything really change? Probably not, unless you are running an older IBM computer, or are our writer Weston and use Linux. This key is not used by any current programs, and is only on keyboards just in case you want to use one of those older computers. On the IBM keyboards, when you pushed Scroll Lock, the arrow keys would behave differently. It would cause the arrow keys to scroll through text on the screen, rather than using the cursor. Because it is outdated
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Photo Courtesy of OverClockers
?
2.
What Does USB Stand For?
The USB, or Universal Serial Bus, is the industry standard, common set of wires, connectors and protocols used as the interface between computers and other electronic devices. As you know it is the little guy that holds all of your illegally pirated music, personal information, cute pictures and homework. This technology made it possible for different electronic devices could plug into the same port. Without it, every flash-drive would be specific to a computer, and this computer thing would be a lot harder than it already is. As of 2008, 6 billion USB ports were in the marketplace, and 2 billion are sold each year. The companies Intel, Compaq, Microsoft, NEC, Digital Equipment Corporation, IBM and Nortel run the whole business, making these USB. The USB just helps to make us the same, furthering the notion that computer help to take away our humanity, preparing us for the eventual robot cataclysm.
What Is A Mainframe?
Back when computers were only used by the military and government, when they weren’t as fashionable as they are now, bigger computers were required to run them. They held most of the smaller computer’s memory, and their central processing unit. They were the main controller of all of the computers connected to them. Originally developed by IBM, these mainframe computers eventually lost out to the more practical, smaller and cheaper personal computers. Not as many major groups still use a mainframe system, with NASA powering down their last one this year. Mainframes are often confused with supercomputers, despite their differences; the speed at which they are measured (millions of instructions per second for mainframes and floating point operations per second for supercomputers), and their uses (transactions for mainframes versus other kind of computation for supercomputers).
4.
I get that, but how do I hack it?
You are just so gosh darn funny, and know almost too much about computers. First of all, unless the computer you want to hack is running on a mainframe, which is very few computers to begin with, your wishes are already impossible. If it is, why even hack it. The only companies your hacking skills have a chance to break into are the ones so cheap that they sprung for a used thirty year old mainframe that only holds the employee’s files. The only reason you would do this is if you are so lonely that you need to learn about whoever you can, no matter how unimportant they may be. I know this sound kind of condescending, but if you are going to ask a question that stupid you need to be talked down to. To finish you off, I’ll let Weston deal with you.
Weston’s
Seal of Disapproval
Photo taken by Eddie Plaut
3.
5.
What is the Command Prompt, how does it work, and what can I do with it (besides hacking)?
The Command Prompt, as it was titled by Microsoft in their infinite wisdom, is a command line interpreter. You can use it for all kinds of things; flushing your DNS so that your internet isn’t slow on your laptop, accessing your home server on the go without paying money for a server, and, yes, sometimes hacking. It was created to help replace “COMMAND.COM,” and should be appreciated, as it is easier to use for most up start computer users. Therese Stowell was the original creator of the original cmd.exe, it containing many built in functions still in use today. The newer versions of window often contain new versions of the Command Prompt, each with new commands and functions. Being able to use the Command Prompt is an important quality for computer users, and, as more and more people learn to use it, we need to be more careful. I mean, who wants a geek to look at all of our personal files? invision Spring 2012
The
End
of
Windows
AND THE BEGINNING OF THE FUTURE BY
Weston H
STOCK ART EDITED BY WESTON H
W
The Microsoft Windows Logo in fames.
indows has lost 10% of its market share over the past two years, largely due to the rise of mobile operating systems, according to Net Market Share, a site that shows the market share of various technologies. However, Microsoft has a way to get back in the game with its new operating system Windows 8, which aims to unify the tablet and PC operating systems. If Microsoft succeeds, it will con14
tinue to be the dominant operating system (OS) for many more years. However, given Microsoft’s recent failures, its bloated software, and the company’s unwillingness to change, Microsoft will likely be relegated to the dust heap of history. Microsoft began making software for what is regarded as the first personal computer: the Altair 8800. From this humble start it started making software for IBM, the largest computer company at the
time. Eventually Microsoft became the dominant OS supplier, gaining almost monopoly status by 1998 when the United States Department of Justice filed a case against Microsoft for abuses of monopoly power. Microsoft has continued to be the biggest supplier of software and has not only claimed the home PC market, but the business PC market as well. Despite Microsoft’s past success, the computer world is changing with the rise of smart phones and tablets. These smaller, hand held devices will continue to converge with the PC market until at some point in the future everyone will have only one device instead of separate phones, tablets, and PCs. However, we are not there yet; so in the meantime, an easy way for tablets, phones, and PCs to communicate is needed. So far, Microsoft’s forays into the smart phone and tablet markets have been met with failure. They have only managed to garner a market share under 3%, according to Strategy Analytics. However, Microsoft wants to change the game with the introduction of Windows 8 at the end of this year. This new operating system hopes to integrate the tablet with the PC by means of applications and a user interface that work together between the systems. If this new operating system takes off, then Microsoft could continue to be a major player in computing by taking customers from Apple and Android tablets and phones which have dominated the mobile market so far.
Although many people are confident that Microsoft will redeem itself and continue to dominate the OS market, there are several obstacles Microsoft must overcome to retain its dominance. One problem that Microsoft has standing in its way is the current state of Windows
Windows has lost 10% of its market share over the past two years. 7, Microsoft’s flagship operating system. While Windows 7 works acceptably on a normal desktop computer, it begins to bog down on smaller systems such as netbooks. On smaller, less powerful computers, Windows 7 is almost unusable because of the large amount of time that users must wait for operations to be carried out. On these smaller platforms, Apple still dominates the market with products such as the Mac Book Air. Given Microsoft’s problem of creating a usable operating system on machines with few resources, the ability of Microsoft programmers to create a usable tablet operating system is called into doubt. Microsoft will need to change its paradigm of large inefficient software if it wants to continue to compete.
Another problem with the creation of a Windows tablet/PC operating system is Microsoft’s current failures in these fields. As previously mentioned, the Windows Phone has only 2% of the smart phone market and lacks several features that have become standard in most smart phones. The developer preview of Windows 8 shows a largely functioning operating system that has some advantages over Apple products, including a split keyboard and the ability to run programs such as Excel and Word natively. This version of Windows 8 is simply a re-branding of Windows 7 with a new interface. The problems with the Windows operating system remain, including a vulnerability to viruses, the need to install device drivers, and the inefficient use of computer resources which Windows requires. The close similarity between the new Windows 8 and the old Windows 7 shows that Microsoft is unwilling to get away from its bloated Windows operating system and embrace a smaller, more efficient operating system that tablets and smart phones require. As the computing world converges onto a single mobile hand-held device, Microsoft must make significant changes to adapt to the mobile environment or it will go the way of companies such as IBM, selling to a select market while the rest of the world moves on.
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S urviv
l
of
F tt
BY Evan
T
A
Why Artificial Intelligence is a Threat to Humanity
long with the age-old aspiration to fly and the everlasting curiosity for understanding the supernatural, humanity has always longed for intelligence that has the ability to rival or even exceed its own. In this modern “Age of Technology,” we have proven that anything is possible. We dream of perfection and the understanding of our natural world. The achievement of true artificial intelligence would rank among the greatest discoveries of all time, and is associated with the understanding of gravity, atoms, and the universe. Flawless artificial intelligence could save lives by preventing any human risk. However, artificial intelligence may cause the end of the human race, despite its ability to solve the problems of society. According to the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, the concept of artificial intelligence first surfaced in ancient Greek mythology, in the forms of Hephaestus’ automatons and robots. By the 17th century, Rene Descartes, a French phi-
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losopher, mathematician, and writer who is credited for the Cartesian coordinate system, and Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher known as the father of political philosophy, introduced the idea that human bodies are simply machines that act according to calculated possibilities. After the invention of the computer, John McCarthy, a professor of computer science at Stanford University, coined the term “artificial intelligence” at the Dartmouth Conference in 1956. McCarthy then went on to create LISP, a programming language made for designing artificial intelligence. Since then, studies on artificial intelligence have been on the rise and increasingly integrated into modern technology. From smart-
the
est
John Mccarthy, father of artificial intelligence
PHOTO COURTESY OF VOX.COM.MX
phones to military drones, the applications of primitive artificial intelligence have been expanding and playing a larger part in the lives of many today. Take search engines for example. Search engines record the previous searches of an individual and generate a database of a user’s search history. Using an algorithm that analyzes the data, the search engine learns which results the user is interested in and uses that to filter future searches according to the user’s preferences. According to internetworldstats.com, 77.3% of the U.S. population uses the internet, and of those 77.3%, inquisitr. com reports that 92% use
search engines. That accounts for approximately 221,591,708 Americans that use search engines daily, a number of artificial intelligence users that is always growing. Defining how we act, think, and feel, human nature consists of the quintessential qualities that characterize our race, and if one thing can be asserted about the nature of all human beings, it would be that we’ve all made mistakes. While these mistakes exploit our faults, therefore showing
us what needs to be learned, our society views these imperfections as problems that must be addressed, and to address them, scientists have worked on creating a world without error. In this world, in order to prevent the smallest misunderstanding or miscalculation, every occurrence and individual must function with perfection, an ability that completely contradicts human nature. How-
ever, scientists have found a way to achieve this goal: create a perfect being, incapable of doing any wrong, a being that we have deemed artificial intelligence. I. J. Good, a 20th century British mathematician who worked at several universities including Princeton University, presented a hypothesis concerning the invention of artificial intelligence. An “intelligence explosion,” as he called it, would be a result of the creation of artificial intelligence. He believed that if human intelligence possesses the capability to create intelligence greater than that of its own, then that new intelligence would also be able to create intelligence greater than its own, therefore creating an endless cycle of improving intelligence that Good coined an “intelligence explosion.” This “intelligence explosion” as he put it would result in intelligence extremely superior to the human race that he called “superintelligence.” Nick Bostrom,
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a philosophy professor at Oxford University, believes that the creation of superior intelligence would cause an eruption of progress in science and technology. There would no longer be a need to invent, because superintelligence would be able to create inventions beyond our imagination. There would no longer be jobs, and there would no longer be a need to do anything. We would live in a world where superintelligence would replace all classes and create a new level for humans at the bottom. There would be no mistakes. There would be no humanity, because there would be no human nature. No matter how enticing life seems without work, life would lack meaning. Humans would be subject under the power of superintelligence and would not be able to gain any advantage, because our lack of intelligence would pose no threat to superintelligence. We would be eternal slaves to superintelligence with no power or hope to compete. In 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, a piece of scientific literature that explained the theory of evolution
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and natural selection. We all recognize the saying, “survival of the fittest,� but many don’t see the potential of superintelligence to fulfill this statement, while humans, for the first time, will be on the losing side. According to the competitive exclusion principle, published by Georgii Frantsevich Gause, a Russian biologist, no two species can occupy the same niche, because one species would be excluded due to a competitive disadvantage with the other species. Gause tested this hypothesis on two similar species of bacteria of the genus Paramecium. He found that one species of Paramecium died out while the other lived as they were placed in the same habitat with the same ecological role. Thomas Park, an American biologist, tested the same principle using two species of flour beetles. Once both species grew to such an extent that their ecological niche was overcrowded, one species of flour beetles started to decline because the other had certain environmental advantages that favored its survival. For the same reason, humans and superintelligence cannot coexist. Superintelligence would claim
the jobs of humans while perfecting them. There would be no need for humans while the best of the humanity would be combined into individual entities. Although others may say that artificial intelligence can be controlled and that it is simply a piece of hardware that we can reprogram, we must realize that, being more intelligent than us, artificial intelligence will have a desire to survive, stronger and more able than that of our own, a desire that will prevent our minuscule attempts to overthrow their power. This leads to the argument that we may be able to simply program the intelligence against its own survival and in favor of humans. Contrarily, we currently condition our children in favor of our own beliefs, yet they are able to undermine those morals and forge their own in accordance to their own experience and education. This position refutes the main argument of scientists working toward the creation of artificial intelligence, that artificial intelligence will solve world problems, because without the ability to control artificial intelligence, humans will not be able to utilize artificial intelligence to address our problems. In conclusion, artificial intelligence has many more implications than we will be able to dream of, and because of that, the creation of artificial intelligence poses a higher risk than any invention before. So next time, before you turn on your phone or log on to a computer and start up the internet, remember that your mind is a precious commodity that makes you who you are, and that being human really isn’t so bad after all.
The Vitruvian Man. PHOTO COURTESIES OF DEVIANTART.COM
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Technol
THIS PHOTO IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
Future
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ogy
The
Super-Hot Future
USING PLASMA TO DESTROY WASTE BY
Weston H STOCK PHOTO
22
T
carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide can be filtered out, leaving the hydrogen which can be used in hydrogen fuel cells or to generate electricity. The plasma torch itself requires energy, but if the plasma torch is efficient enough, the energy created can fuel the plasma torch making the plant energy sufficient. The use of plasma to destroy waste is not new. Alternating current plasma torches were created by the soviet Union during the Cold War. A plant that uses this type of plasma torch only uses 30% of the energy created by the plant to power the plasma torch, resulting in a net energy gain. However, the existing plants use a direct current plasma torch, which is only about 30% to 50% efficient. The United States created direct current plasma torches during the Cold War. Dr. Fair proposes that alternating current plasma torches, which are 90% to 95% efficient, could be used to make these plants more efficient and cost effective. “One of the things that we have done in the last year has been to take the equipment as manufactured and designed in Russia, and we have really redesigned it here to meet Western safety standards,” he explained. But this has not been an easy task. The Russian plasma torch Fair uses came with a one page instruction manual and had a few bugs that had to be worked out. “The torch as it sits on the table is 7,000 volts above ground. So if you were to touch the body of the torch, you would be electrocuted. When I called the Russians, they said that there is a warning label on the side that says not to touch the torch.” Despite these challenges, Fair is optimistic about the future of plasma torches. “It is not the end and it is not the alternative that is going to provide all of the global energy that we need, but it certainly addresses the waste disposal issue, probably better than any other technology that I have come across.” STOCK PHOTO
he United States is drowning in garbage. Large metropolitan areas such as New York City dump tons of trash into the ocean, creating large dead zones. In the Virgin Islands, landfills on the beach leach toxic chemicals into the water. If trash is burned, it releases poisonous fumes and results in toxic ash. Getting rid of waste is a difficult problem and there are no easy solutions. However, a new technology may get rid of all of these problems and provide energy at the same time; which is a potential panacea to our garbage problem Dr. Harry Fair is researching and developing plasma torch technology at the Institute for Strategic and Innovative Technologies (ISIT) in Austin, Texas. Plasma torches use large amounts of electric current to create a super-heated gas, or plasma. This plasma can then incinerate waste at very high temperatures. This breaks the waste apart completely, allowing the hydrogen to be extracted and used as fuel. “Things in nature, like composting, occur at very low temperatures and take a very long time, but are a very effective way of getting rid of waste,” Fair noted. “I love the idea of sorting the waste, of recycling, of composting, if you have the time to do all of that. However, you don’t have sufficient time to handle the waste from a city like New York, or Austin, or anywhere in any reasonable time by composting. When you look at the products from burning things, which doesn’t take much energy, you are emitting noxious stuff into the air and are still left over with about 50% of the material as ash or residue that must be put into the landfill, and is so concentrated that in most cases it must be treated as hazardous waste.” Plasma torches destroy waste by using the very hot plasma to break the molecules in the waste apart. This is similar to burning waste, but the very high temperatures mean that no ash is created. The products of this reaction are hydrogen and
invision Spring 2012
Fracking The Dangerous Wave of the Future By Eddie
24
Plaut
Photo Courtesy of Fotopedia
Photo Courtesy of EcoWatch
I
n Dimock, Pennsylvania, when Cabot Oil and Gas drilled dozens of new Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking) oil wells, there were problems in implementing the cement required for the well, leaving it in disrepair. Rather than fixing their work and completing the project properly, they continued without changing a thing. Residents awoke to find that their water taps could light ablaze from all of the excess methane. Property costs began to drop and disease ran rampant. Despite all of its money-making potential, fracking causes too many environmental problems. Yes, our oil is a necessary and important part of our lives, but oil companies need to put more care into their work, and fix the process before it becomes out of hand. According to Chesapeake Energy, the fracking process begins when a large fleet of tanker trucks carry the necessary water and fracking substances to the site. The chemical mixtures and water are added with sand and pumped down the 10,000 foot well. This mixture finds its way into naturally forming cracks and dikes, causing them to expand and eventually fracture. This leaves the oily riches once covered by the shale open to harvesting. This process can produce up to 300,000 barrels of natural gas each day, with the estimated amount of recoverable oil topping 1.8 trillion barrels. This oil bonanza could help America, in the long run, achieve energy independence, argue many Fracking supporters.
A homeowner lighting their tap on fire
Seems simple enough. Or is it? While reports by Chesapeake Energy claims that their “chemicals� used in fracking are common in household use, other sources say otherwise. Reports by the environmental group Earthworks show the use of 70140 billion gallons of water every year to run the current fracking wells, and 3 million gallons of chemicals. Some reports by the Department of Environmental Conservation have found the use of uranium, lead, mercury, methanol and other toxic substances. These substances endanger local water sources and more than a thousand incidents of contamination have already been reported. Reports show that residents of Pavilion, Washington have experienced increasing cases of respiratory problems, as well as headaches, nausea, itchy skin, dizziness and other afflictions. These ailments, based on
a reports by EPA scientists in the area, are a result of using contaminated well water. Just a coincidence? Hardly. Of the thirty nine water wells tested, eleven were contaminated with the same toxins used in the fracking process. The drilling company in charge, EnCana, has assured the people of Pavilion that there have been no changes in water quality, a dishonest claim to justify their profits. The unregulated tyrants that run community damaging oil companies need to have stricter laws to govern the fracking process. Fracking is an important triumph in the oil industry, and will lead to the end of many oil based conflicts. However, the process must be done right. We should not risk the safety of the common citizen, whose health has been punished by drinking contaminated water, simply for monetary gain. Is that too much to ask from our oil companies?
invision Spring 2012
Legally Organized
As the law field get more stiff, how do they manage it? BY
Eddie Plaut Photo taken by Eddie Plaut
P
A typical file room in a law office, constantly growing in size
aralegal Gail Schilly works in her office, sifting through binder after binder of information, each one containing tons of facts that will be used in an upcoming case. Her office is overflowing with paper; some in stacks on her desk, other documents more organized on shelves. These documents contain information about case rulings, testimony from witnesses, and other topics relating to lawsuits. Even with her two computers, she knows there is no replacement for paper copies of certain documents. A similar predicament exists in other offices here at Scott, Douglas and McCon26
nico, a testament to the variety of information media in law, and the volume of information they store. “I think that computers initially escalated paper production exponentially,” says Schilly, who started working as a paralegal at a different firm in 1995, when computers were less abundant. “This was because someone could make a change to something, and make a bunch of new copies with the printer or copier. It became tremendously voluminous.” This abundance of paper, however, may become a thing of the past. Newer computer pro-
Photo taken by Eddie Plaut
grams, like “Case Map” and “Pacer,” help attorneys paralegal; taking everything into consideration.” with their cases. Case Map is used to organize the Chaotic events like this one are time wastspecific documents for the case, putting them all in ers, but are not very common. Adam Keys, an inone place and keeping everything organized. This is formation and technology consultant at the firm, different from Pacer, an online tool, which helps to feels that despite some hiccups, the reliance on find information for a case, such as past rulings and technology is important. other docket information. These innovative pro “I definitely would say [the dependency on grams help to point to, as some say, the future of law. computer programs] is a necessity for where the “Where I see [technology in law] going in the field is going in order to stay competitive and effuture, is that we will be doing everything online,” ficient. I would say that it is necessary and allows says Schilly. “This is because of ease of access, where attorneys to be productive.,” says Keys, sitting in you have a bunch of lawyers all over the country and the computer-filled I.T. office. “My opinion, beeven different areas of the world that can go to a doccause I’m more electronic oriented, is that comument, and can review it.” puters have more speed because you’re not hav This online reviewability can be useful to ing to shift through a bunch of papers, and you lawyers who want to work while out of the office. can organize and tag everything electronically and Because they are so easy to use, paralegals and atnot have to put things into folders or other stuff. I torneys alike find themselves becoming extremely think it makes it a lot easier to manage big cases.” reliant on these programs. For most traditional lawyers, issues with “I think that we are dependent on them 99%,” technology don’t arise because it is difficult to use. Gail says. Issues arise more often because of the change from Schilly’s two computers express this depenthe old to the new. dency. Both have many windows open, each a dif “Where we tend to help them is transiferent program. Their ability to process the large tioning from the paper to electronic idea. They amounts of information is important in her work. like to see everything in front of them and feel it. The efficiency improves when lawyers chose to use Part of the transition is to get them to understand computers, keeping all of their files in one place. that electronic stuff is often times safer and more However, when something goes wrong with them, secure than a paper copy. It’s the idea of helping progress comes to a complete standstill. During them do things electronically and see everything these times, in which modern technologies fail, the on the screen,” says Keys, who helps attorneys classical mediums can often prevail. Schilly recalls use the programs every another paralegals story day. “There are defiof one of these incidents. nitely sometimes when “In a trial in a the attorneys prefer the very small town up in paper copy because they North Texas, the computcan just shift through ers didn’t work,” she says. the documents because “The computers kept losthat’s what they’re used ing their internet connecto.” tion. [When this hap No matter what pens], you have to punt. groundbreaking techYou just have to go back nologies arise, Keys beto the old ways. Doing lieves, some practices everything by hand and will never go out of style. on paper. You have to go “I think that people still in knowing that that is a like the feel of paper in possible contingency plan their hands, and that if everything fails, and might end, but not anyJane Webre, an attorney, works on her two computers that’s part of my job as a time soon,” he says. invision Spring 2012
the
visual
network BY Ben
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Girardeau
PHOTO COURTESY OF MADNZANY
“Soon TV’s will be so big they’ll be building a house just to house the TV” central repository, maybe even your home computer, that will allow anyone to access the video from wherever they may be,” Girardeau said. “This will involve setting up something like Ethernet or a wireless network to all your video devices that can access content.” The search for the these newer systems is caused by the many things cable boxes can’t do, causing them to become increasingly obsolete. “Everyone is watching movies from different sources, over the air, from the internet, on the Xbox, from a DVD, so you
PHOTO COURTESY OF JIM GIRARDEAU
T
hat box,” said Jim Girardeau, pointing at a cable box under the TV, “is going away.” Girardeau is the vice president of ViXS Systems Incorporated, a company working on innovation and higher quality in television. One of these innovations, an unseen video network running throughout a house that allows any device access video content from any room of the house, without requiring cable boxes. This is just one of the many future possible advancements in television. “Eventually there will just be a
This is Jim Girardeau, he is the vice president of VIXS Systems Incorporated
want to have a central place where all your video content comes in and then you want to have each TV be able to access that video content seamlessly throughout the house, and cable boxes just can’t do this,” Girardeau explained. “Plus you’d like to put your TV anywhere - the new flat panels, they sit on the wall where there are no cable inputs. The old TVs sit in the corner near the cable input, but the new ones are like pictures, they sit on walls that don’t have cables.” As TVs are becoming thinner they also are moving forwards in other ways. TV’s today can have a screen that is over 100 inches across and according to Girardeau this trend is very likely to continue. “Soon TV’s will be so big they’ll be building a house just to house the TV,” Girardeau joked. “They are just going to continue getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. First there was a very small black and white TV… now they’re starting to sell 100 inch TV’s and that’s just the start of it.” As televisions get bigger the quality of the invision Spring 2012
1928
“In one hundred years television will be almost be unrecognizable compared to what it is today,” Girardeau says.
television through the ages
PHOTO COURTESY KAT HANAFORD
This is a modern 3D television representative of the current trend in television advancement.
This 1950s television set got cable from a 40 foot tall antennae on the roof. 2000 PHOTO COURTESY BETH ROWEN
This television typical of the 1970s was encased in a wooden frame. 2012
1950 PHOTO COURTESY JOHN ATHERTON
This is the first Television set in the world, the “Baird Television.” It was invented in 1928. 1970 PHOTO COURTESY ILLINOISE MUSEUM
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at work we’ve never had before,” explained Girardeau. Looking into the future we can’t be entirely sure of what new revolutionary technologies will be created. But one thing is certain.
PHOTO COURTESY OF 2DAY BLOG
television screens must also improve and this is what Girardeau’s company ViXS works on, chips that are put in television that allows for higher resolution images on the screen as the number of pixels in the television increases. “Content to be displayed on these increasingly large TVs have to be very high definition. So that’s why HD TV is here now whereas the old SD TV just isn’t sufficient for big screens,” Girardeau explained. TV is also advancing into the third dimension. 3D television is becoming more popular, especially as it becomes more convenient. “Right now there is a lot of research concerning how to make a TV that appears 3D without the use of glasses,” Jim said. “If this succeeds, it could break the barrier that is preventing 3D TV at home from being popular.” T e l e v i s i o n advancement isn’t just for increased entertainment however. It could also have potential applications in the office. “It would enable higher quality video conferencing and other useful technologies
In 2000 televisions were blockier and had not progressed to the thinner models commonly found today.
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the
twisted ethics
behind
stem cell
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE
Human embryonic stem cells; A: Cell colonies that are not yet differentiated. B: Nerve cell
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L BY Ben
G
ee Spievak, a 69 year old Ohio resident, as well as the doctors who treated him, thought he would never see the tip of his finger again after it was sliced off in the propeller of a hobby shop airplane. Luckily for him, his brother, who was working in the field of regenerative medicine, put him in touch with Doctor Stephen Badylak, the deputy director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburg, and within four weeks his finger had grown back- nerves, tissue, nail, and all. How did it happen? The answer lies in an extra cellular matrix that mobilizes adult stem cells responsible for maintaining and repairing injured tissues. Spievak’s regenerated finger is just the tip of the iceberg. Further embryonic stem cell research could lead to solutions to a multitude of medical problems. Embryonic stem cells are found in the blastocyst, which is the embryo when it is only a few days old and is composed of merely one-hundred cells. In a lab, part of the blastocyst can, with the proper nutrients, continue growing without cell maturation, dividing into only undifferentiated pluripotent, or multipurpose, stem cells. These multipurpose cells,
research called embryonic stem cells, can then serve many purposes, such as testing for drug safety and for usage in cell-based therapies (a therapy in which pluripotent stem cells are differentiated into the type of cell necessary to repair damaged cells or tissues). This is also the source of the controversy behind the usage of embryonic stem cells. Kristina Hug, a teacher of Biomedical Research Ethics at Lund University in Sweden, describes this controversy as, “The duty to prevent or alleviate suffering” versus “The duty to respect the value of human life.” It is impossible to value both principles in the context of stem cells because it is impossible to obtain stem cells while simultaneously leaving the early embryo intact, but the use of these embryonic stem cells could benefit many as there is the potential to cure cancer and many other diseases. However, the principle of respecting the value of human life may not actually be violated. The early embryo is merely owrganic material that has no status
different from any other body part. The only respect that is owed to the blastocyst is the respect that would be given to any other organ in someone’s body. There are no humans rights groups springing forwards to protect the tonsils or appendix, nor should there be for the blastocyst. The early embryo that has not yet even been implanted into the Uterus yet lacks all of the physical, psychological, emotional,
The benefits of the continuation of stem cell research far outweigh the unfounded ethical concerns or physical properties that would be attributed to a human being, and could not even become a child without outside assistance. On the flip side, the potential for these stem cells are nearly limitless. According to the National Institutes of Health resource for stem cell research, stem
cells could be used to for insulinproducing cells to help those with type 1 diabetes, as well as in treatment of Cardiovascular disease (which includes hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure). Stem cells also have potentials in the field of regenerative medicines. The benefits of the continuation of stem cell research far outweigh the unfounded ethical concerns that surround their collection. Embryonic stem cell research should continue because of the potential it presents in the technological and medical field. Countless lives can be saved using stem cell technology ,and as research continues, the potential number of applications of it will only increase. Eventually stem cells could even be used to regenerate entire limbs. To stop stem cell research would be to deprive mankind of a method of curing diseases and suffering merely on the basis of unfounded accusations of ethical violations. invision Spring 2012
語彙サーバ
Le serveur lexicale
De Lexicale Ser Lexikální serveru
ةمجعملا مداخ
Die leksikale Server
The Lexic Лексические сервера
Sèvè a leksik
Η Λεξική διακομιστή
Il lessikali Server La leksika Servilo
Pelayan Leksikal 34
Mae’r Gweinyddwr Geirfaol
rver
Bu leksik Server Die Lexikalische Server
An Freastalaí foclóireachta
Leksikaalne Server
ילקיסקל תרש
al Server
Translating the Future
El servidor de léxico BY Evan
词汇服务器 Il server lessicale
A lexikális Server
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L
in Siew Gaik, an elderly Malay woman, has never been able to have a complete conversation with her English-speaking grandchildren in the United States. But with a simple piece of technology, she may be able to have fluent conversations with them without having to learn a word of English. Several years ago, a man named Stephen Theby faced a problem: he had to translate and distribute a software product invision Spring 2012
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PHOTO COURTESY OF ZACH VEGA
in 26 different languages, and to maximize the market value, he had to complete this task as soon as possible. Under normal circumstances, this job would have taken up to a year, but Theby realized he could speed up this process by creating a single server with the ability to translate products into each client’s language of choice upon request. He named this server the lexical server, and although it is currently being used in very primitive forms, the potential it has for growth is impressive. “[I] got the idea sometime in 2004 when we introduced a new product release,” said Steve. “We started the process in English and then had the English translated language by language into their own environments. This means that we were running 26 web servers, one per language. “I wanted to reduce this to one intelligent web server to minimize the physical machinery, memory, and processes,” he said. Theby’s plan soon rolled into action, and the lexical server was born. “A lexical server is built to contain concepts, like a ‘user id’ or a ‘status report,’” Steve said. “Each concept is assigned a Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) or a 32 bit number. This GUID is then associated with 26 different languages. Linguists translate the correct word or phrase for each concept and store it into the lexicon. “When a web client requests a web page, this request is parsed apart so we know where the request comes
THIS PHOTO IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
from: what country and what information is being requested,” said Theby. “The web server finds the requested page, which is nothing but a list of GUIDs plus pictures, and then sends all of the GUIDs on the page to the lexical server. The lexical server looks up the GUIDs and sends back the language of the original requesting browser. The browser then displays the web page in the language expected by the user: Chinese for a browser in China and Japanese for a browser in Japan.” As the server continues to improve and progress, many tedious tasks will become easier. One example is the marketing time of products. Because of the time it took linguists to translate products, consumers waiting for a translated version would become one version behind the original English version by the time theirs was released. “[The lexical server] could bring new software applications to market at a lower cost and in a very fast way so that someone in China, for example, could use a new software release at
invision Spring 2012
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PHOTO COURTESY OF EVAN TEY
the same time it was introduced in English,” explained Theby. This isn’t the only use of the server, however. “The approach can reduce the translation effort by 80% over time and provides a solution running on a single machine that services any web server request anywhere in the world,” he said. Nevertheless, Theby still has a ways to go with the progress of his idea. As he put it, the next step for the lexical server is “the movement of the lexical parsers and lexicon into ASICs, Application Specific Integrated Circuits. This means the software is blown into hardware via an ASIC compiler. We need this step to maximize the translated speed. Once this happens this circuit can be embedded in everything. When we couple lexical servers to other products such as DragonSpeak/Dictate, a voice to text translator, we could see our appliances listening to us and talking back to us in our native language no matter where the appliance is located.” And this is just the beginning of the endless possibilities for this technology. “Picture a new cell phone that, using an expert system plus a lexical server, can listen, understand, and translate responses in the user’s own language,” said Theby. “Speak English and the person listening hears the correct, context sensitive Chinese.” In addition to how incredible that would be, unrestricted inter-lingual communication may have more of an effect on our race than we currently perceive. “I believe it is extremely important to pull together all people around the world in a ‘virtual’ common language,” Theby commented. “Picture an example in which you are presenting a problem in English, and it is being accurately translated and broadcasted in 20 languages at the same time. Then when a person who speaks Spanish asks a question in Spanish, it is translated to English in real-time so the English presenter can understand it. In response, the English presenter can answer the question in English, which would then be translated accurately back to Spanish for the original requestor.” “Multiply this times the number of languages, and we now have a heterogeneous pool of brain power capable of solving the problems of the world,” he said.
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Visionaries BY Evan
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” - Albert Einstein “My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.” - Stephen Hawking “Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.” - John F. Kennedy “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” - Thomas Edison 40
T
“We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. “ - Carl Sagan
“Let the future tell the truth and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine.” - Nikola Tesla invision Spring 2012
“The only real valuable thing is intuition.” - Albert Einstein Albert Einstein, developer of the theory of general relativity, is often revered as the father of modern physics. One of the most prominent figures in the history of science and philosophy, Einstein won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his contributions in the field of theoretical physics and discovery of the photoelectric effect. Although most often associated with his paper on mass-energy equivalence (E=mc2), Einstein created many theories that are being researched and taught to students today.
“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninetynine percent perspiration.” - Thomas Edison
“I don’t care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don’t have any of their own” - Nikola Tesla
Thomas Edison, American inventor and businessman, developed the phonograph, movie camera and light bulb. He is currently the fourth most prolific inventor in the world and holds 1093 U.S. patents
Nikola Tesla was an inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer. Best known for his death ray and AC current system, Tesla was misunderstood by the people of his time and led a very secluded life until his death.
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“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” - Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking is a theoretical physicist and cosmologist often titled the greatest mind of his generation. He has proved many theorems relating to gravitational singularity and predicted that black holes emit radiation. Among others awards Hawking has been given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S. Several years ago, he was diagnosed with a motor neurone disease, commonly know as Lou Gehrig’s disease, yet he has maintained his position as one of the most highly regarded theorists of all time to this day. ALL IMAGES ON THIS ARTICLE FROM WIKIPEDIA.ORG
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