Artificial
DNA molecules that form fractal sets of triangles
within triangles prove that molecular self-assembly
can be used for all manner of technologies.
Getting from theory to computational and nanotechnological
reality, however, involves finding ways to
correct copious errors. Full
story
Dialogue
system juggles topics
You can dictate to a computer that is able to recognize
words. Conversing with a computer, however, requires
the computer to have some sense of what you're talking
about. A system that anticipates the type of conversational
tack you're likely to take next is able to keep
track of multiple conversation threads at once and
better recognizes your words.
Scheme
reverses light pulses
Sending a light pulse back in the direction it came
from in exactly the same size and shape it started
out is a lot harder than simply bouncing light off
a mirror. A scheme for time-reversing light pulses
using photonic crystal could lead to faster optical
communications and sharper image processing.
View
from the High Ground
An email conversation with Yale University computer
science professor Joan Feigenbaum: sensitive data,
the post-petroleum society, rights and responsibilities
in cyberspace, intellectual-property law, analog-era
content distributors, diffuse computing, and detective
novels.
