News

New computer chip models how neurons communicate with each other at synapses.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — For decades, scientists have dreamed of building computer systems that could replicate the human brain’s talent for learning new tasks.

MIT researchers have now taken a major step toward that goal by designing a computer chip that mimics how the brain’s neurons adapt in response to new information. This phenomenon, known as plasticity, is believed to underlie many brain functions, including learning and memory.

PDU Category Structure Update

The old PDU categories were quite confusing with 18 categories and numerous limits and exclusions. The new process reduces these 18 categories down to just 6 and greatly simplifies the process. The two major categories are:

Education
Giving Back to the Profession

Text Messaging

Some 83% of American adults own cell phones and three-quarters of them (73%) send and receive text messages. The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project asked those texters in a survey how they prefer to be contacted on their cell phone and 31% said they preferred texts to talking on the phone, while 53% said they preferred a voice call to a text message. Another 14% said the contact method they prefer depends on the situation.

Romtelecom, Blue Point IT Solutions and OTEAcademy launched the Online Business School, as part of the project “Improvement of SMEs’ competition level through long lasting entrepreneurship” (ICIMM). The project will offer free of charge specialized training to managers in SMEs and will be implemented in several phases during the next two years.

ICIMM is co-financed from the European Social Fund through the Specific Operational Program for Human Resources Development 2007-2013 - “Invest in people!”.

Search and email remain the two online activities that are nearly universal among adult internet users, as 92% of online adults use search engines to find information on the Web, and a similar number (92%) use email. Since the Pew Internet Project began measuring adults’ online activities in the last decade, these two behaviors have consistently ranked as the most popular, even as new platforms, broadband and mobile devices continue to reshape the way Americans use the internet and web.

1st Annual DEFCON Kids

The 1st Annual DEFCON Kids was held August 6-7, 2011 at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. DEFCON Kids was part of DEFCON 19 , the largest hacker gathering in the world.

Thanks to everyone who came out and was part of the 1st DefCon Kids!!! It was awesome and everyone had a great time and learned a ton. Good news, we just learned that there will be a DEFCON Kids 2 next year (July 28-29, 2012)!!!

Please check back often because we will be updating info on all of the talks and competitions.

Latest Update:

Cisco Visual Networking Index Projects Network-Connected Devices Will Outnumber People 2 to 1; a Million Minutes of Internet Video to Be Transmitted Per Second

Cisco predicts that the number of network-connected devices will be more than 15 billion, twice the world's population, by 2015. In the fifth annual Cisco® Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast (2010-2015) released today, the company also said the total amount of global Internet traffic will quadruple by 2015 and reach 966 exabytes per year.

The Cisco Connected World Report

Network access and mobile devices have had a profound impact on the way people work. The workplace is no longer defined by four walls but rather by how, when, and where you can connect to the network and resources. The way employees interact is commonly characterized by audio and video conferences, mobile messaging, and social interactions and communications.

Sweden and Singapore continue to top the rankings of The Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011, Transformations 2.0, released by the World Economic Forum, confirming the leadership of the Nordic countries and the Asian Tiger economies in adopting and implementing ICT advances for increased growth and development. Finland jumps to third place, while Switzerland and the United States are steady in fourth and fifth place respectively. The 10th anniversary edition of the report focuses on ICT’s power to transform society in the next decade through modernization and innovation.

Knowledge, networks and nations

Knowledge, Networks and Nations surveys the global scientific landscape in 2011, noting the shift to an increasingly multipolar world underpinned by the rise of new scientific powers such as China, India and Brazil; as well as the emergence of scientific nations in the Middle East, South-East Asia and North Africa. The scientific world is also becoming more interconnected, with international collaboration on the rise. Over a third of all articles published in international journals are internationally collaborative, up from a quarter 15 years ago.