THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY July 12, 2004 transparent computing
_____________ SPONSORED BY: CIO Advisor CIO Advisor is a monthly newsletter that gives top IT executives timely, usable advice and information from their peers and industry experts on a range of IT topics. Each newsletter takes a step-by-step approach to tackling issues that face the world's time-pressed CIOs. Topics covered in this newsletter include compliance, outsourcing, staffing, Web services and more. Suggestions for CIO Advisor topics are always welcome. http://www.searchcio.com/register?track=NL-34&ad=486730 __________________ TODAY'S WORD: transparent computing Read our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci765426,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 Transparent computing is a characteristic of pervasive computing, the possible future state in which we will be surrounded by computers everywhere in the environment that respond to our needs without our conscious use. In this context, transparent means invisible. A long sought goal of computer science, transparent computing would involve systems so subtle and responsive that they could, for example, solve various user problems without any knowledge on the part of the user of what was taking place. As a simple example, an invisible computer could respond to a glance at a particular Web site URL by calling up similar Web sites and listing them unobtrusively nearby. John Seely Brown, chief scientist at Xerox, writing in MIT's Technology Review, suggests that, in appearance, the future will seem like the pre-computer past: computers will merge with the background and eventually seem to cease to exist. Although computers are not expected to be visible in the environment, virtually all man-made elements - as well as many organic ones - are likely to include smart matter and to feature transparent computing abilities. With embedded devices seamlessly incorporated, an environment could transform itself to suit the user at any particular time, a capacity reminiscent of Star Trek's holodeck. Although transparent computing offers a myriad of benefits that can yet be hardly imagined, it also engenders a great deal of concern about privacy issues. According to Barry Steinhardt, associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union, "Soon you won't only be able to capture how many people stopped by, but who they were." Furthermore, he added, "Once identity is established it will be cross-referenced to capture that person's income and buying preferences. It's only a matter of time." If, in the future, humans are being constantly monitored by computing devices, and not only their whereabouts, but their behaviors and even their emotions recorded, personal privacy could become as much a thing of the past as the personal computer. ______________________ RELATED TERMS: pervasive computing http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci759337,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 transparent http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci765434,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 smart matter http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci213005,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 ______________________ SELECTED LINKS: IBM's Think Research magazine offers a cover story about transparent computing. http://domino.research.ibm.com/comm/wwwr_thinkresearch.nsf/pages/coverstory100.html John Seely Brown's article in MIT's Technology Review asks "Where Have All the Computers Gone?" http://www.johnseelybrown.com/Where_have_all_the_computers_gone.pdf ____________________ TODAY'S TECH NEWS: ARE YOU ALREADY WIRED FOR NEXT-GENERATION SELF-SERVICE? Do software suites from the big CRM vendors cover self-service? Columnist Allen Bonde investigates. http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/columnItem/0,294698,sid11_gci992106,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 STORAGE DEALS CATCHING UP WITH VENDORS? So will all the great bargains you're supposedly getting on storage have a backlash on the vendors? Find out what SearchStorage Managing Editor Mark Lewis has to say about it all. http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/columnItem/0,294698,sid5_gci992002,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 FOSTERING CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE THE MICROSOFT WAY Steve Ballmer has employed an interesting tactic to improve customer perceptions of Microsoft: He's enlisting the help of the workers whose benefits he's cutting. http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/columnItem/0,294698,sid1_gci992094,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 >> Catch up on all the latest IT news at http://searchtechtarget.techtarget.com?track=NL-34&ad=486730 ______________________ SECRET WORD-OF-THE-DAY You might feel like Dick Tracy if you had one of these nifty gadgets that can (among other things) show you the news, stock, sports scores, or weather and remind you of meetings on your Outlook calendar. What is it? http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci945481,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730&offer=SWOD ______________________ GEEK TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY What country launched the first artificial satellite? >> See answer. http://searchcio.techtarget.com/gDefinition/0,294236,sid19_gci212939,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730&offer=CIOFACT ______________________ ABBREVIATION QOTD ODBC is a standard API for accessing a database. What do the letters in ODBC stand for? a. Open Database Connectivity b. Open Data Branching Capture >> See answer http://searchsmallbizit.techtarget.com/gDefinition/0,294236,sid44_gci214133,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730&offer=QOTD ______________________ DO YOU SPEAK GEEK? Romancing the Penguin: Raiders of the Lost OS Save the penguin! Every action/adventure story has its heroes and villains, and this episode, Romancing the Penguin: Raiders of the Lost OS is no exception. Can you spot the white hats and black hats among the Red Hats (and other variations)? This week, we offer you security-related clues about the penguin's friends and foes. http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gci991111,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES (1) DSO exploit http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci991143_to1,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 (2) Learning Guides and Tutorials http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci532335,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 (3) Learn IT: Malware -- Detection, Prevention, and Cure http://searchsmallbizit.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid44_gci991471,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 (4) neologism http://searchsmallbizit.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid44_gci212629,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 (5) spyware http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid11_gci214518,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 ______________________________ Expert Answer Center Come get fast answers to your IT questions! The Expert Answer Center combines advice and solutions from over 100 technology, management and career experts from TechTarget's family of IT-oriented Web sites. In addition to this massive searchable database, the Expert Answer Center continually highlights one featured expert who answers new questions from our members on a specific topic. This site is also the home of the IT Visions Webcast Series, a monthly webcast for IT executives that spotlights strategic issues. http://expertanswercenter.techtarget.com/eac/home/0,295193,sid63,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 Webcast page: http://expertanswercenter.techtarget.com/eac/itVisionsWebcastSeries/0,295200,sid63,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 Expert Knowledgebase: http://expertanswercenter.techtarget.com/eac/knowledgebase/0,295196,sid63,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 Featured Expert: http://expertanswercenter.techtarget.com/eac/expertsOnDemand/0,295202,sid63_tax297364,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=486730 ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: MARGARET ROUSE, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) IVY WIGMORE, Consulting Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) LOWELL THING, Consulting Editor and Founder ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) GABRIELLE DERUSSY, Advertising ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ::::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER :::::::::::::::::::::: This e-newsletter is published by WhatIs.com, a targeted Web site from TechTarget, the most targeted IT media and events company. 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