According to Randall Munroe, if you and one other human located on the opposite side of the globe were the last remaining humans on earth, it would take 3,000 years to find one another [1]. But if you copied the actions of an ant or termite, you would find each other in a few short years. Ants leave a pheromone trail everywhere they go, which organizes the anthill around optimal paths leading to food. Humans can use the same tactic. Continue reading Superscalar Smart Cities
Is the Apple Watch the Ultimate Digital Product?
Sales of the Apple Watch exceeded most prognosticators’ expectations, topping one million on the first day of pre-ordering [1]. Why? Continue reading Is the Apple Watch the Ultimate Digital Product?
Your Grandfather’s Oldsmobile—NOT!
It was my privilege in the late 1990s to manage the DaimlerChrysler Research NA lab devoted to telematics—the study of Internet-ready, GPS-informed cars and trucks [1]. The past 15 years has witnessed the dawning age of self-driving cars —robotic vehicles on the open roadways. Continue reading Your Grandfather’s Oldsmobile—NOT!
A Popular Myth in Computer Science Education
Informatics educators expend more energy tackling education issues than educators in almost every other field. I believe much of this effort is unnecessary and could be eliminated if informatics educators could agree on a base set of computing principles. Continue reading A Popular Myth in Computer Science Education