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“If you need information, the Internet offers a wealth of resources. But if you’re hunting down a person or a thing, a computer’s not much help. That may soon change. Electronic tags promise to create what some call the ‘Internet of things,’ in which objects and people are connected through a virtual network.
“To see what this future world would be like, a pilot project involving dozens of volunteers in the University of Washington’s computer science building provides the next step in social networking …”
A description of UW CSE’s RFID Ecosystem project. Read more →
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“In the past, I’ve written about natural and built environmental sensors, and wondered whether people should be included among the vital signs of an urban ecosystem. But I’ve skirted most of the privacy issues because I don’t have great answers for you, so I’m happy to see that these researchers, led by Magda Balazinska, are trying to come up with good tech or policy solutions, as they put it, ‘before such systems become commonplace.'” Read more →
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“It’s 2 a.m. Do you know where Evan Welbourne is? …
“While RFID isn’t a household word, the technology behind it has long been a part of the lives of just about every American …
“Now, because the tags can emit individual codes, companies are using them to track specific inventory items, credit cards, and ID badges. Conceivably, sensors could follow people throughout their daily lives.
“But who should track whom? Where, when, and how? And what effect will this constant shadowing have on the trackers and the trackees?
“To get answers, the University of Washington developed the RFID Ecosystem. It is an attempt to ‘create a future world where RFID’s are everywhere,’ says Gaetano Borriello, a professor of computer science. At the moment, 140 antennas that pick up signals and 35 RFID readers that interpret data are monitoring five of the six floors in the university’s Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering.”
A description of UW CSE’s RFID Ecosystem project. Read more →
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A KING-5 Television feature on the tradeoff between technology and privacy for RFID. Features interviews with UW CSE faculty members Magda Balazinska and Gaetano Borriello, as well as with on-leave faculty member Chris Diorio, who is the founder, Chairman, and CTO of CSE-spinoff RFID technology company Impinj. Read more →
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A short commentary by CSE professor Ed Lazowska. “[Markoff] simply observed that Seattle is exhibiting some of the entrepreneurial success of Silicon Valley; he described ome of the evidence and explored some of the reasons … We have managed to develop a tech ecosystem here – a feat that has eluded many other regions of the nation. It’s distinctly our own, and it’s pretty remarkable.” Read more →
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“Yoshi Kohno, assistant professor of computer science & engineering, has been awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship, given each year to outstanding young scientists … A total of 118 fellowships were awarded this year in seven fields: chemistry, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics and neuroscience … Kohno’s research interests are in computer security, electronic privacy and cryptography. Some of his past studies have investigated security concerns related to electronic voting machines and ways to ensure the security of transactions over the Internet. Other research directions include security and privacy of wireless networks, online anonymity and network forensics. Kohno earned his doctorate at the University of California, San Diego and has been at the UW since 2006.” Read more →
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UW CSE alumnus Christophe Bisciglia is profiled in a Business Week cover story.
“What recruits needed, Bisciglia eventually decided, was advanced training. So one autumn day a year ago, when he ran into Google CEO Eric E. Schmidt between meetings, he floated an idea. He would use his 20% time, the allotment Googlers have for independent projects, to launch a course. It would introduce students at his alma mater, the University of Washington, to programming at the scale of a cloud. Call it Google 101. Schmidt liked the plan. Over the following months, Bisciglia’s Google 101 would evolve and grow. It would eventually lead to an ambitious partnership with IBM, announced in October, to plug universities around the world into Google-like computing clouds …
“How was Bisciglia going to give students access to this machine? The easiest option would have been to plug his class directly into the Google computer. But the company wasn’t about to let students loose in a machine loaded with proprietary software, brimming with personal data, and running a $10.6 billion business. So Bisciglia shopped for an affordable cluster of 40 computers. He placed the order, then set about figuring out how to pay for the servers. While the vendor was wiring the computers together, Bisciglia alerted a couple of Google managers that a bill was coming. Then he ‘kind of sent the expense report up the chain, and no one said no.’ … (“If you’re interested in someone who strictly follows the rules, Christophe’s not your guy,’ says Lazowska.”
MSNBC
Seattle Times
Don’t miss the BusinessWeek / CHINA cover! Read more →
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UW CSE Ph.D. alumnus Stefan Saroiu, a faculty member in computer science at the University of Toronto, is one of three young faculty members featured on the University of Toronto home page.
“We all know now that the 20th century’s most influential innovation – electronic communications by way of your computer – has given rise to a whole new breed of criminals. They are the computer hackers who find nefarious ways to use information technology to rob you. Thankfully,computer scientists like Stefan Saroiu are preparing to do battle with these IT pickpockets.”
Click the home page image to read the article, or go directly here. Read more →
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January 15th marked the official opening of Google Seattle. The office, located in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood (“The Center of the Universe”) adjacent to the University of Washington, is led by UW CSE’s Brian Bershad.
“Alan Eustace, senior vice president of engineering and research, provided some of the reasons why Google wanted to expand in Seattle, which now represents the third largest U.S. office for Google behind Mountain View and New York.
“‘Seattle is an excellent example of the kind of place that makes sense for us to build. It has fantastic technologists. It has a world class research university here. It has got incredibly talented engineers. It has a great entrepreneurial culture and spirit. It’s got a thriving venture community. It’s got a history of great innovations. It has a very supportive government and organization here that actually cares about bringing business in and making businesses successful. And for all of those reasons we are extremely happy to be here.’
“Later, he even mentioned Seattle’s cost of living and its ‘family-friendly’ environment.
“‘This is a very attractive place to live and for people to bring families. … We try to give (people) the option of where they want to live and many of them actually choose the Seattle area. It is smaller. It is a friendly area. It is very family-friendly. The cost of living here is less than it is in Mountain View, and other things.'”
“Inside look at Google Seattle: Puppies, lava lamps, etc.” (Seattle PI)
“Google open house to draw crowds” (Seattle PI)
“The dogs of Google Seattle” (Seattle PI)
“Perks make Google office hardly feel like work” (Seattle PI)
“Google touts Fremont Engineering office, links to UW” (Seattle Times)
“Google rave in Fremont draws a crowd of techies” (Seattle Times)
“Google shows off new Seattle digs” (InfoWorld) Read more →
Read the article here.
“It’s no surprise that former Gig Harbor resident [and UW CSE alumnus] Christophe Bisciglia is leading one of the newest and biggest projects at Internet giant Google … he’s always been the enterprising sort.” Read more →
