word munger - Slashdot User

Submission + - Your robotic future: Copyrighted by Microsoft

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word munger

on Monday December 18, 2006 @09:23AM

word munger writes: "The cover story in this month's Scientific American, written by Bill Gates, discusses one of the toughest problems in robotics: "how to simultaneously handle all the data coming in from multiple sensors and send the appropriate commands to the robot's motors, a challenge known as concurrency." Gates believes that robotics today is like the world of computers 30 years ago. Robots, like computers in the 1970s, have widespread applications in industry, but the models available for home users tend to be expensive and have appeal mainly for tinkerers and hobbyists. Microsoft's solution to the problem is to design a proprietary operating system for robots, built for everything from home surveillance to mars rovers. Could this be the world's next mega-monopoly? I discuss some of the implications at Cognitive Daily."

Submission + - Bloggers or High Schoolers: Who Can Write Better?

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word munger

on Monday October 02, 2006 @10:07AM

word munger writes: "A few weeks ago, Chad Orzel read a New York Times article which analyzed the best high school writing on the new SAT test. The Times' writer appeared surprised that the best high school writing was so ... bad. So did I.

Chad, on the other hand, wondered if the best bloggers could do any better under the same conditions, so we decided to put it to the test. Over 500 people tried our timed online test, but just 109 scoreable responses resulted. We had professionals grade all the responses, and now we've created a web site where readers can rate the essays themselves, as well as find out the professional score.

So who's a better writer, a blogger or a high schooler? You can read my or Chad's analysis — or better yet, you can decide for yourself...."

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