Static Analysis to Improve Software Reliability

At the EPFL I&C Research day, James R. Larus from Microsoft Research talked the way to build dependable software. Even though the computer have become incredibly more convenient, users are still often frustared, annoyed, and confused. He mentionned that people are still afraid to use computers and that software is the weakest link. Nowadays, Micorsoft uses static analysis to improve the construction of reliable system. They do semantic analysis to find programming language misuses, API usage errors, semantic errors (races, deadlocks), and abstraction-specific errors. He also explained how their KISS system works with concurent systems.

It is interesting to see one way Microsoft uses to lower users frustrations, annoyance, and confusion. Reliability is one thing, trust is another. I am wondering what efforts they also make to increase the trust of users to their systems.

Google Maps For Switzerland

Google Maps now provides world-wide satelite picture. Below the Lake Geneva and Zürich city center, and Delémont

Titling Interface

Instead of using a pen or a touch sensitive display, there are other possibilities to operate hand-held devices. Tilting Interfaces sense rotation of devices as input method.

Craigslist Geneva

A Craigslist Geneva has opened.

Sunset in Le Salève

JXME 2.0 Stable Release Announced

As an early adopter of JXTA 5 years ago, I am now very interested in JXTA-J2ME (JXME) project

JXME is to provide JXTA compatible functionality on constrained devices using the Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC), and the Mobile Information Device Profile 2.0 (MIDP). The range of devices include the smart phones to PDAs. Using JXTA-J2ME, any MIDP device will be able to participate in P2P activities with other JXTA devices

Some massive multiusers mobile and locative applications would have a lot to gain from a P2P architecture.

Very interesting, is the project’s list of technological constraints to provide P2P functionalities:
• 50k MIDlet size Current cell phones have a total limit of about 123K for storing all MIDlet suites. In addition, Motorola phones currently limit each MIDlet to be no more than 50K and NTT DoCoMo phones limit MIDlets to 30K.
• Persistent storage on cell phones can be as little as 8K which is shared by all the MIDlets.
• Runtime heap is of the order of 32K – 64K
• Bandwidth is very limited and latency is high
• CPU power is very limited – around 20MHz.
• Battery life is very critical.
• Limited libraries MIDP-2.0

Sky Commuters

The trend is set, sky commuters:

Commuters fly from as far as Oregon, Nevada, to beat Bay Area traffic, housing costs.

Next step, planepool lanes…

Farmer Technology Acceptation Index

Inspired by the Big Mac Index, the arguably world’s most accurate financial indicator to be based on a fast-food item, I plan to set up the Farmer Technology Acceptation Index, the arguably world’s most accurate technology acceptation indicator to be based on farmers technological habits:

Farmernomics and its Farmer Technology Acceptation Index is based on the theory that farmer accept technology and innovation uniquely when they are mature for their needs. A too early or too late acceptation directly hits their business more than in any other branch of the economy. In history fondamental innovations statistics, spreadsheets, the Internet, GPS, and more have reached mainstream slightly after farmers had integrated them in their business.

Powerbooks as Proxy to Engage Discussion

Dog owners have been using their animal to engage or be engaged in discussions (e.g. during daily walks). Now, from my light ethnological observations, it seems that Apple Powerbooks are used as a new sort of social proxy in public spaces (e.g. in the train, strangers asking for purchase advices).

Eine Nacht in Züri