Selected News Coverage SRI is featured in many press articles and broadcast news segments. The following is a sampling of our news coverage, arranged chronologically. Links are given where available. | 2009 | Renal & Urology News, November 19 Tech Radar, November 17 Smart Planet, November 12 The Breeze, November 12 KTVU, November 11 Daily News Record, November 10 Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, November 10 Virginia Business, November 10 Augusta Free Press, November 9 The Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letter, November 9 Axis, November/December issue New York Amsterdam News, November 6 New York Times, November 5 Scientific American, November 2 NPR (radio) Telegraph The Almanac Virginia Business Telegraph, October 23 The Guardian, October 23 KGO-AM Morning News, October 19 Chemical & Engineering News, October 2009 Education Week, October 14 The Journal, October 14 Security Squared, October 9 The New York Times, October 7 San Francisco Business Times, October 5 Reuters Health, October 2 First Science, October 1 Security Products, October 1 San Jose Business Journal, September 28 Inside Bay Area, September 27 PC World, September 2009 BioWorld: Other News to Note (URL not available) EvWind, September 22 USA Today blog, September 22 Ohio.com, September 21 Security System News, September 21 Business Standard, September 18 Dayton Daily News, September 15 The Industry Standard, September 14 The New York Times, September 12 SPIE, September 11 Space Daily, September 11 The Washington Post, September 1 USA Today, September 1 Associated Press, August 31 Tech World, August 29 The New York Times, August 26 Southern California Public Radio, August 24 The Star (Malaysia), August 23 The New York Times, August 19 Lansing State Journal, August 16 Observer Today, August 16 Times Reporter, August 15 St. Petersburg Times, August 11 Tampa Bay Business Journal, August 10 GizMag, August 7 WZZM, July 31 New Scientist, July CNN, July 27 BusinessWeek, July 24 Science Careers, July 24 Crain's Detroit Business, July 21 San Jose Mercury News, July 21 The New York Times, July 20 eSchool News, July 14 The New York Times, July 13 CNBC's Closing Bell, July 9 Smart Planet, July 9 NBC29.com, July 8 The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 2 San Francisco Chronicle, June 27 New York Times, June 26 SmartPlanet.com USA Today, June 2009 New Scientist, June 12 Silicon Valley San Jose Business Journal, June 12 BusinessWeek, June 4 SmartPlanet.com Discovery News, June 4 Wired, June 3 Radio.seti.org, June 1 Florida Trend, June 2009 Scientific American, June 2009 SmartPlanet, June 2009 WhiteHouse.gov, June 2009 Innovation Journalism, May 30 San Jose Mercury News, May 27 National Geographic News, May 26 TWorldCanada.com, May 2009 Wired, May 16 New Scientist, March 2009 Sun Sentinel, May 12 San Francisco Chronicle, May 10 TMCNet.com, May 9 GPSWorld, May 1 Reuters, May 2009 Daily News Record, May 7 San Francisco Chronicle, May 7 Florida Trend, May 2009 Tech World, April 27 Silicon Valley San Jose Business Journal, April 23 CBS.com, April 19 Popular Mechanics, April 17 BBC, April 17 ComputerWorld, April 17 The Star, April 12 GPS World, April 10 Financial Times, April 10 Tech Review, April 6 Information Week, April 2 PC World, April 1 Investor's Business Daily, March 31 San Francisco Chronicle, March 31 The Industry Standard, March 30 The Register, March 26 Wall Street Journal, March 26 ABC News, March 25 Information Week, March 25 PC Magazine, March 23 Drug Discovery and Development, March 2 USA Today, March 2009 New York Times — Bits Blog, March 20 New York Times, March 18 ReadWriteWeb, March 13 The Tech Herald, March 13 Discovery Channel, March 11 Artificial Muscles to Bring Back Wink, Then Smile This article reports that implanting an artificial muscle in the temple could restore people's ability to wink, and eventually may help them smile, say scientists and surgeons. The new technique, developed at the University of California, Davis and SRI International, has worked successfully on cadavers. Eventually it could help living people suffering from stroke, Mobius Syndrome, or battlefield injuries to gain control over the muscles in their face. SRI's Annjoe Wong-Foy is quoted in the article. Security Focus, March 9 Conficker Update Attempts to Foil Cabal This article reports that Conficker, also known as Downadup and Kido, has surprised many security experts with its success in propagating across the Internet. First discovered in November 2008, the worm has infected at least 11.4 million computer systems, according to a census of compromised Internet addresses carried out by SRI International. Companies that monitor the domain names generated by infected computers have found about 3 million IP addresses contacting the domains each day, a level that seems to be stable over the last two weeks. Telegraph, March 5, 2009 Robots Could Replace Army Medics in Battle This article reports that the Trauma Pod system may provide a quick "temporary fix" to wounded soldiers before being taken to the hospital." The system will focus on damage control surgery, the minimum necessary to stabilize someone. It could provide airway control, relieve immediate life-threatening injuries such as a collapsed lung, or stop bleeding temporarily," said Pablo Garcia, project leader at SRI International. San Jose Mercury News, March 3, 2009 Pain Time Two: Stanford Researchers Recruit Twin Pairs for Pain Study This article reports that researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine and SRI International are recruiting twins to answer the question of nature versus nurture: Do genes affect how people experience pain and react to pain medications? "The assumption is that when you compare similarities in identical twins versus non-identical twins, the extra similarity among identical twins must be due to genetic factors," said Dr. Gary Swan, director of SRI's Center for Health Sciences. Technology Review, March 2009 TR10: Intelligent Software Assistant This article reports that Siri traces its origins to a military-funded artificial-intelligence project called CALO, for "cognitive assistant that learns and organizes," that is based at the research institute SRI International. The project's leaders--including Adam Cheyer--combined traditionally isolated approaches to artificial intelligence to try to create a personal-assistant program that improves by interacting with its user. Cheyer, while still at SRI, took a team of engineers aside and built a sample consumer version; colleagues finally persuaded him to start a company based on the prototype. Siri licenses its core technology from SRI. Nature's Neuroscience: Neuropod: AI for the Office (podcast), February 2009 This podcast features Ray Perrault, director of SRI's Artificial Intelligence Center, discussing the CALO (Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes) project. KPIX (CBS-5) News, February 27, 2009 Twins Needed To Help Bay Area Pain Study This TV news story reports that SRI International and Stanford University are embarking on a study of twins to try to better understand pain - and the impact of medication. The three-year federally-funded study of 125 pairs of twins will examine the differences between sets of twins to see how they react. The ultimate goal of the study is to develop more targeted and effective pain medications, and to identify who is at risk of addiction. SRI's Gary Swan was interviewed, and is featured in the clip explaining the importance of twin studies. Travel Technology, February 25 An Intelligent Travel Assistant This article reports that MIT Technology Review cites "Intelligent Software Assistants" being one of the major trends to watch in 2009. The Tech Review article referenced also mentions a new Silicon Valley startup named Siri, which is a spinoff of research done at SRI International. CNET, February 23, 2009 New Variant of Conficker Worm Circulates This article reports that a new variant of the Conficker Internet worm is circulating that could allow an attacker to distribute malware to infected machines, the US-CERT organization warned. The article mentions that according to an SRI technical report, previous versions of Conficker have been busy. Conficker A has affected more than 4.7 million IP addresses, while its successor, Conficker B, has affected 6.7 million IP addresses, with infected hosts totaling fewer than 4 million computers for both. New York Times, February 23, 2009 New Version of Malicious Computer Program is Released This article reports that the author or authors of a malicious software program that has infected more than 12 million computers since it was released last fall have begun distributing a new version of the program after computer security teams crippled the original's ability to do damage. The new version, known as Conficker B++, was spotted by security researchers at SRI International, who reported last week that the software was an effort by cybercriminals to find a new way to communicate with their programs after they had succeeded in infecting target computers. PC Magazine, February 23, 2009 Conficker Variants Prompt Debate: Serious, or Not? This article reports that there's a new variant of the Conficker worm, but there's some dispute over how serious a problem it is. According to the article, the initial reports on "Conficker B++" noted two new techniques for downloading new software, but didn't detail them at all. The researchers at SRI who found the new variant wrote a detailed explanation of it (and earlier variants). Stanford Medicine News, February 2009 This article reports Lucile Packard Children's and Stanford Hospital & Clinics pediatric surgeon Sanjeev Dutta and his colleagues recently founded MISTRAL, a nonprofit research collaboration between Stanford University and SRI International to develop improved pediatric tools. Stanford and Packard surgeons are also adept at using the DaVinci surgery robot, a computer-assisted device developed at SRI that improves dexterity of minimally invasive tools and provides three-dimensional views of the body's interior. PC World, February 20 Conficker Worm Gets an Evil Twin (originated from IDG News Service) This article reports that the criminals behind the widespread Conficker worm have released a new version of the malware that could signal a major shift in the way the worm operates. The new variant, dubbed Conficker B++, was spotted three days ago by SRI International researchers, who published details of the new code on Thursday. To the untrained eye, the new variant looks almost identical to the previous version of the worm, Conficker B. But the B++ variant uses new techniques to download software, giving its creators more flexibility in what they can do with infected machines. SRI's Phil Porras is quoted in the article. San Jose Mercury News, February 18 This brief mention announces that SRI International named Stephen Ciesinski vice president of strategic business development. Recently, he was chairman and chief executive officer at Laszlo Systems.
PC World, February 17 Monitor Botnet Threats Your Antivirus Can't See This article reports that while traditional security software typically only inspects incoming communication and downloads for malware, a free security tool called BotHunter instead correlates the two-way communication between vulnerable computers and hackers. BotHunter "flips the security paradigm" by focusing on the egress, says Phillip Porras, a computer security expert at SRI International and one of its creators.
The Washington Post, February 13 Cyber Security Community Joins Forces to Defeat Conficker Worm This article reports that Microsoft is offering a quarter-million dollar award for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for unleashing the "Conficker" worm. According to the article, SRI's Phillip Porras, director of the computer security lab at SRI International, began tracking Conficker domains in late November. Porras and his team learned they could determine sets of domains sought by Conficker host systems in the past or the future, merely by rolling back or forward the system date setting on Microsoft Windows systems that they had purposely infected in their test lab. As Porras's group began building lists of domains sought by Conficker that had already been registered, they found hundreds that traced back to security researchers and anti-virus companies that were hoping to glean intelligence about the number of systems infected with the worm. Tampa Bay Business Journal, February 6 Tech Executives Tout Innovation as a Key to Recovery, Competitive Advantage This article reports that SRI International's president and CEO, Curt Carlson, offered visions of a future for the Bay area in which innovation plays a leading role. According to Curt, "Innovation, or the creation and delivery of new customer value in the marketplace is the only real long-term solution to the country's financial meltdown." BioCentury, February 2009 AuricX Pharmaceuticals/SRI International This brief article reports that AuricX received exclusive, worldwide rights to develop and commercialize SRI's preclinical oral formulation of vancomycin.
Pittsburgh Business Times, January 30 SRI CEO Calls for Teaching Innovation This article reports that SRI president and CEO Curt Carlson spoke at the Tampa Bay Partnership's Global Technology Leaders Roundtable and said, "Innovation is the only real long-term solution to the country's financial meltdown." Houston Business Journal, January 30 Houston Firm Gets Dose of California Medicine This article reports that Houston start-up AuricX Pharmaceuticals has acquired the exclusive rights to oral formulations of the popular antibiotic drug vancomycin, which is currently only widely administered in IV form. AuricX bought the rights from Menlo Park, Calif.-based SRI International, which will work with the Houston company to get the new oral formulation approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. National Science Foundation, January 28 This special report about math education includes video interviews with SRI's Jeremy Roschelle, Director of the Center for Technology in Learning. His interview can be seen in the section called "Tech Support" and also in the section called "Coming Attractions/Interactive Textbooks". Always On, January 26 This article reports that with the hunt for powerful energy generation innovations in full swing, there's been some investment moving into the ocean. According to the article, "SRI researchers have cleverly applied a biological muscle technology to the guts of a wave generating buoy. The bobbing buoy works a bellows like span of special electrical conductive material to generate electricity. It's not something that SRI pioneer Douglas Engelbart predicted at his Jules Verne like demonstration in 1968, but like his innovation inspired to help our thinking and collaboration it springs from our how our muscles work." PC World, January 23 Conficker Hitting Hardest in Asia, Latin America (originated from IDG News Service) This article reports that computer networks in Asia and Latin America are the most susceptible to a fast-spreading computer worm, which has infected between 6 million and 9 million PCs worldwide. According to the article, "Phil Porras, program director at SRI International, said the worm has hit China, Brazil, Russia and Argentina the hardest. Interestingly, an earlier variant of Conficker would not attack victims who were using Ukrainian keyboards, but the latest version of the worm does." Technology Review, January 23 Why a Good Worm May be a Bad Idea This article reports that a computer worm that has wriggled its way inside millions of unpatched computers over the past few months has experts discussing some drastic countermeasures. Conficker (aka Downup, Downadup and Kido) has infected millions of computers, installing code that gets them ready for further commands. According to the article, "Phillip Porras a researcher at SRI international, who has been studying the spread of Conficker, says that some of the domains linked with the worm have already been registered by "white hat" hackers. These well-intentioned experts might be hoping to simply prevent the worm from receiving further commands, or they might be looking for a way to inject their own viral code into the Conficker network." New Scientist, January 2009 Gallery: Ten Sci-Fi Devices Nearing Reality—Scaling Walls This brief mention reports that, "engineers chasing the dream of scampering up walls like Spider-Man have turned to geckos for inspiration. This robot built by US research firm SRI International has feet coated with material with a structure of grippy microscopic hairs similar to that of the real gecko." A picture of SRI's wall-climbing robot is included. The New York Times, January 23 Worm Infects Millions of Computers Worldwide This article reports that a new digital plague has hit the Internet, infecting millions of personal and business computers in what seems to be the first step of a multistage attack. The world's leading computer security experts do not yet know who programmed the infection, or what the next stage will be. In recent weeks a worm, a malicious software program, has swept through corporate, educational, and public computer networks around the world. Known as Conficker or Downadup, it is spread by a recently discovered Microsoft Windows vulnerability, by guessing network passwords and by hand-carried consumer gadgets like USB keys. One intriguing clue left by the malware authors is that the first version of the program checked to see if the computer had a Ukrainian keyboard layout. If it found it had such a keyboard, it would not infect the machine, according to Phillip Porras, a security investigator at SRI International who has disassembled the program to determine how it functioned. The Telegraph, January 23 Apple Mac 25th Anniversary: Apple Lags Behind But Still Leads This article reports that Apple's computer known as the "Lisa" was sold in 1983, but wasn't the first computer with a graphical user interface. According to the article, "No, sorry. Douglas Engelbart's research team at Stanford University had built the oNLine System in 1968, and Xerox had sold a windows-operated computer, the Star, in 1981. The Macintosh didn't arrive until 1984. First computer with a mouse? Douglas Engelbart beat them [Apple] to that one too, as did the Xerox Star and the Swiss-manufactured Smaky 8." New Scientist, January 21 Ten Sci-Fi Devices That Could Soon Be in Your Hands Included in this "sci-fi devices" list, is SRI's IraqComm system. According to the article, U.S. soldiers in Iraq are using this device, which "could become a universal interpreter." The IraqComm system consists of a laptop loaded with speech recognition and translation software. Speak into the microphone in Arabic and the software turns the phrases into written Arabic, before translating it into English. After the person has finished talking, a computer voice speaks the translation. SRI's Kristin Precoda is quoted in the article. American Heritage, January 29 This article reports that the very first computer mouse was invented by the computer pioneer Douglas Engelbart in the early 1960s. He publicly unveiled it at a now-famous multimedia demonstration at the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference in Menlo Park and San Francisco. It was a large wooden object with three buttons, part of his pioneering Online System for networked learning and collaboration. It was designed to enhance serious computer users' powers, not to help beginners, and six months' training was necessary to master its various commands and modes. (The word mouse emerged at the same time, based on the thing's shape and tail-like cord; the following year, a researcher named Jack Kelley, who later became a noted furniture designer, created the first mousepad.) The mouse wouldn't begin to be associated with ease of use until the 1970s, when it was worked into systems developed at Xerox's PaIo Alto Research Center, known as Xerox PARC. Innovation Pipeline, January 14 This blog post discusses the highlights of Douglas Engelbart's 1968 computer demo. The article concludes by saying, "Lots of new innovation has been spawned in the labs at SRI since that memorable demonstration, before the dawn of personal computing. And some of that guiding vision of Engelbart is alive and well in many of the latest innovations coming from the labs of SRI."
BBC News, January 13 Dangerous Coding Errors Revealed This article reports that the U.S. National Security Agency has helped put together a list of the world's most dangerous coding mistakes. The 25 entry list contains errors that can lead to security holes or vulnerable areas that can be targeted by cyber criminals. More than 30 organizations, including the US National Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, Microsoft, and Symantec published the document. Patrick Lincoln, director of the Computer Science Laboratory at SRI International, told the BBC that if programmers prevented these errors from appearing in their code, it would deter the majority of hackers. "This list is primarily for people who have first responsibility for designing a system. Veteran programmers have probably learned the hard way whereas a brand new programmer will be making more basic errors. The real dedicated serial attacker will probably find a way in even if all these errors were removed. But a high school hacker with malicious intent - ankle-biters if you will - would be deterred from breaking in." Scientific American, January 13 Cyber Security Alert: Top 25 Software Writing Blunders This article reports that a new report warns that your computer software is probably less secure than you think. The SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security (SANS Institute), a cooperative research and education organization in Bethesda, Md., that also provides computer security training, released a reporting outlining the top 25 most dangerous errors that programmers make that may lead to security breaches and open the door to cyber crime and espionage. Security experts acknowledge that improved software isn't going to prevent all cyber attackers but they say this is a good start. "The real dedicated serial attacker will probably find a way in even if all these errors were removed," Patrick Lincoln, director of the Computer Science Laboratory at SRI International, told the BBC. "But a high school hacker with malicious intent—ankle-biters if you will—would be deterred from breaking in." Ladies Home Journal, January 2009 Step Outside Your Life (URL not available) This article reports that "cultivating curiosity and a healthy sense of wonder can point you in exciting new directions, wake up your spirit and feed your soul." Curious people tend to be more open-minded, more confident, better at problem solving and more successful at their jobs — and, according to Gary Swan, Ph.D., director of the Center for Health Sciences at SRI, "they actually live longer." The article goes on to say that "even when such risk factors as cancer, cardiovascular disease, smoking and high blood pressure are taken into account, the most-curious adults—measured on a psychological scale called the State-Trait Personality Inventory—had lower mortality rates than their more-stick-in-the-mud peers." | 2008 | American Scientist, December 2008 Early Computing's Long, Strange Trip This article discusses New York Times reporter John Markoff's book, "What the Dormouse Said", that chronicles the early cultural history of the personal computer. Markoff tells the story of the important period when the personal computer and the Internet as we know them came into being. His book covers the years 1960 to 1975 and the area south of San Francisco around Stanford University that would later come to be known as Silicon Valley. Markoff's narrative is organized around the stories of a few of the most creative and influential individuals of the time, such as AI pioneer John McCarthy and journalist/philosopher Stewart Brand. According to the article, "The most beautiful and nuanced portrait, however, is of Douglas Engelbart. Engelbart more than anyone else invented the modern user interface, modern networking and modern information management. In 1968 he demonstrated a computer he had been building, one that had rudimentary implementations of a mouse, windows, word processing, databases, network file sharing and so on. This demonstration turned out to be a transformative cultural moment—akin to the Moon landing, even if it wasn't as widely publicized." BusinessWeek, December 31 Whatever Happened to Silicon Valley Innovation? This article reports that fundamental innovation is happening in more places than ever before. In 2007, only seven American firms ranked among the top 25 U.S. patent recipients. Europe and Asia continue to lead the way in mobile communications. Japan is surging ahead in display and nanotechnology. And China and India are coming on strong in fundamental computer science research and software, respectively. SRI's CEO, Curt Carlson, is quoted in the article saying, "India and China are improving exponentially. We're flat. So we're falling behind." The New York Times, December 31 A Year Ticks Over, and Zunes Get Hiccups This article reports that on New Year's Eve, owners of Zune, the portable media player that is Microsoft's answer to the Apple iPod, said their players had suddenly stopped working, displaying only a frozen start-up screen. After spending much of the day digging into the problem, Microsoft said that it had traced it to a software bug "related to the way the device handles a leap year." Apparently Zune was expecting 2008 to have 365 days, not 366. The company said the internal clock on the players should reset itself at 7 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday. "Sure, a Zune breaks and no one cares. No one is really affected," said Peter Neumann, a security expert and principal scientist at SRI International, a nonprofit research institute in Menlo Park, California. "But if this were to happen on a much larger scale, in a life-critical situation like with a defense system or even a shuttle system, it would be a serious problem." The Portland Business Journal, December 26 Imara Charges Into Lithium-Ion Battery Market This article reports that Imara's executives believe their proprietary technology could be used in applications such as power tools, outdoor power equipment, hybrid electric vehicles and power grid systems. The initial technology was licensed from the Stanford Research Institute (now called SRI International) and developed and funded in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Partnership for the Next Generation Vehicle initiative. Alex Beavers, executive director of commercialization at Menlo Park-based SRI International, said SRI has been prolific at spinning out its technologies to get them to market as quickly as possible. Beavers said Imara's technology, which came out of SRI's physical science division focused on renewable and cleantech energies, has a clean and high-volume manufacturing process. It also stores more energy than other batteries on the market. "This particular technology helps push the envelope on the amount of energy that can be stored per cubic area and per weight [kilograms], and that's important for transportation as well as other [power tool] products," he said. BusinessWeek, December 16 Rethinking Computers in the Classroom This article reports that President Elect Obama wants more computers for kids in schools, and the Harvey Milk Academy in San Francisco is one school trying to make that happen. According to the article, the school is trying to reintroduce computers into its classrooms after a failed experiment with PCs a decade ago. The school once had plenty of computers and a dedicated technology lab, but a shortage of funds and lack of trained computing staff put an end to the effort. Today, the lab room is used for storage, piled high with boxes. "We've lost money over the years," says Sande Leigh, the school's principal. But many of the programs have fallen short of expectations, say educators. A four-year study of math and reading software in 132 poor, urban schools, released by Mathematica Policy Research and SRI International last year, found that test scores weren't significantly higher in classrooms that used computers. San Francisco Chronicle, December 14 Researchers Wring Energy Out of Ocean Waves This article highlights SRI's wave-powered generator buoy demo in Santa Cruz last week. According to the article, "But as it is buffeted by waves, the lifeboat-size buoy does something remarkable: It harnesses the waves' power to generate electricity. Atop the buoy, two columns, each about 8 feet tall and 2 feet in diameter, hold a rubbery material that stretches and contracts like a bellows in response to the waves' motions, generating energy with every stroke." That material, called Electroactive Polymer Artificial Muscle (EPAM) was developed by Menlo Park's SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development organization whose storied history includes a demonstration of the first personal computer 40 years ago. SRI's Roy Kornbluh, principal research engineer, and Rich Mahoney, director of SRI's robotics program, are quoted in the article.
The New York Times, December 13 Relax, Software Secretary is Here This article reports that SRI International is approaching the end of a multiyear project called CALO, which stands for cognitive assistant that learns and organizes. CALO is financed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Pentagon and is one of the largest artificial-intelligence projects ever. Some public demonstrations have been given, but CALO is being developed largely out of the public eye because it is intended for the military. According to the article, Thomas D. Garvey, an artificial-intelligence researcher at SRI, said CALO passed an important milestone last week when it was used in a United States Army test of a command and control system at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. CALO watches users work with computer systems and then automates routine tasks, he said. With CALO doing mundane work, he said, Army officers can focus on more important matters. The article concludes by asking, "Have Mr. Grady or CALO or Siri cracked the code in the half-decade-long quest for a software personal assistant? Ordinary computer users will soon have a chance to find out." KCBA (Fox 35), December 12 (Please note: Broadcast coverage also appeared on KION 46) Engineers Test Hydropower Technology in Monterey Bay According to this TV news story, "The search for clean, renewable energy came to a small spot out in the Monterey Bay Monday. SRI International, a Silicon Valley research organization, used the waters off the Santa Cruz Harbor to test technology that it calls "artificial muscle". SRI's Roy Kornbluh is featured in an interview. San Jose Mercury News, December 11 (Note: Originated in the Palo Alto Daily News) Creator of the Computer Mouse Lauded as a Visionary This article reports that Doug Engelbart, best known for his invention of the computer mouse, is about more than gadgets and numbers. He's a visionary whose pioneering work was driven by a desire to help people, his daughter and formed co-workers explained at a Stanford University event that commemorated the 40th anniversary of what has been called the "mother of all demos", that Engelbart delivered in 1968. Back then, Engelbart and his team of researchers at the Stanford Research Institute — now SRI International — demonstrated a slew of then-revolutionary computer tools, including real-time text editing, hypertext linking, shared-screen teleconferencing and the first computer mouse, at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco. Doug's daughter, Christina Engelbart is quoted in the article. The Register, December 11 The Mother of All Demos - 150 Years Ahead of its Time This article reports that sometime in the late sixties, as Douglas Engelbart was preparing what would one day be called The Mother of All Demos, his boss flew to Washington to meet with the money man. The demo that birthed the modern computer mouse - and so much more - was funded by Bob Taylor, a NASA program manager who would one day take his own place among the titans of modern computing. Engelbart's boss had a single question on his mind as he walked into Taylor's office after a cross-country flight from Northern California's Stanford Research Institute. "He came from the west coast to see me, which was very unusual," remembers Taylor, also known for cooking up the ARPAnet and Xerox PARC's Computer Science Laboratory. "He came into my office and he said 'I want to talk to you about Doug - Why are you funding this guy?'" Needless to say, Douglas Engelbart's boss wasn't the only one who questioned the import of the mouse inventor's 1968 interactive-computing demo, which received a 40th anniversary celebration at Stanford University's Memorial Hall yesterday afternoon. ABC7 News, December 10 This article describes how Douglas Engelbart and his co-inventor Bill English, the men behind the computer mouse, first introduced their ideas about personal computing to the masses 40 years ago. While Douglas Engelbart is best known for creating the mouse, the real vision that drives his innovations is to raise the collective IQ of humanity. The related video shows salient moments of SRI's 40th anniversary celebration of the "mother of all demos", held at Stanford University; it also depicts the standing ovation to Doug Engelbart by the audience at Memorial Auditorium. BBC Online, December 10 Muted Celebration for Computing This article reports that the 40 years since the "dawn of interactive computing" represent a lost opportunity which has been hijacked by commercialism. According to the article, "The claim was made at an event to celebrate the anniversary of the world debut of personal and interactive computing which took place in San Francisco on December 9, 1968." At what was dubbed "the mother of all demos", inventor Doug Engelbart also showed off the first computer mouse. "There's been an explosion of technology but it hasn't reached the level of potential he envisioned in the early 1960's," Mr. Engelbart's daughter Christina told the BBC. This news also appeared in: BBC Online: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7772376.stm (footage of Douglas Engelbart and the 1968 computer demo) San Francisco Chronicle, December 10 This article reports that as a Sacramento Superior Court prepares to decide whether California public schools may require testing of all eighth-graders in algebra, a new study finds that 1 in 3 middle-school algebra teachers are unqualified to teach the subject. "These data are particularly troubling, given that students who are struggling to reach proficiency on the Algebra 1 (test) are in particular need of teachers who are especially skilled," says the report, prepared by researchers from SRI International in Menlo Park. Stanford Report, December 10 Celebrating the Man Who Invented the Mouse This article reports that forty years ago, Stanford researcher Doug Engelbart got a standing ovation in a San Francisco auditorium after dramatically introducing the computer mouse, hyperlinks, live text editing and interactive computing in an historic demo at the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference. Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008, in Stanford's Memorial Auditorium, the gray-haired, 83-year-old electrical engineer received another round of applause. VentureBeat, December 10 Doug Engelbart Gets the Billionth Mouse This article reports that "the tech industry slowed down a little yesterday to look back in history at the 40th anniversary of the first public demo of the computer mouse." According to Dean Takahashi, reporter for VentureBeat, "I sat in the audience behind Doug Engelbart, who created the mouse, collaborative editing, and a number of other innovations that kicked off the age of personal computing. He did so as part of the Augmentation Research Center at SRI International, which invited hundreds to the event at Stanford University. It was cool to see Daniel Borel, co-founder of Logitech, hand over a commemorative mouse that marked the company's 1 billionth mouse produced. Engelbart, who sat in the audience and laughed at some of the reminiscences, said to me about getting the billionth mouse, 'It's unbelievable! Can you imagine, a billion?' ". Mercury News, December 9 Remembering Engelbart's Epic Demo This article recounts how 40 years ago, an audience of about a thousand people at a conference in San Francisco were given the first public demonstration of a computer mouse, as well as teleconferencing over a computer screen, online collaboration, real-time text editing and the use of hypertext links. All these innovations were incorporated into one computer system that was shown off during a 90-minute demo given by one man. At Stanford University on Tuesday, a group of leading technologists got together to honor the man who gave the visionary demo and sparked the ideas behind it: Doug Engelbart, at the time head of the Augmentation Research Center at Stanford Research Institute, now called SRI International. PC Magazine, December 9 This article reports that it's hard to believe that the computer mouse is celebrating its 40th birthday today. "Honestly, it doesn't look a day over 25." On Dec. 9, 1968, inventor Douglas Engelbart demoed the first mouse at the Fall Joint Computer Conference (FJCC). That mouse was a big wooden box built by Bill English, who would continue to play an important role in the device's evolution. Wired, December 9 Gallery: 40 Years of Mighty Mice This article reports that the computer mouse made its worldwide debut 40 years ago in a presentation by Stanford Research Institute engineer Douglas Engelbart. Later called "the mother of all demos," "it was a groundbreaking demonstration of how computers could help ordinary people work together, think better and — hopefully — make solving the world's problems that much easier. But it was the mouse that people really latched onto. Billions of mice later, it still rules the desktop, second only to the keyboard as the most ubiquitous input device of all time." Related news also appeared in: Gadget Lab: http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/silicon-valley.html Global Intellect: http://www.globalintellect.com/uncategorized/gallery-40-years-of-mighty-mice.html Wired: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/12/dayintech_1209
BBC News, December 9 The Mouse Hits 40-year Milestone This article tells the story of when hi-tech visionary Douglas Engelbart first used a mouse to demonstrate novel ways of working with computers, on 9 December 1968. Much of the technology shown off in the demo inspired the creation of the hardware and software now widely used. "I met Doug and got thoroughly enchanted," Dr Jeff Rulifson - now director of Sun's VLSI research group but in 1968 architect and lead programmer for the software shown off at the FJCC - told the BBC "I really understood what he was after. I was blown away by the ideas." CNET News, December 9 Photos: Engelbart's Demo, 40 Years Later This article reports that on December 9, 1968, Douglas Engelbart, the director of Stanford Research Institute's Augmentation Research Center, took the stage at San Francisco's Brooks Hall, and changed computing forever. Engelbart demonstrated to 1,000 people the work that he and SRI's chief engineer, Bill English, had been doing. His demo moved John Markoff, reporter at The New York Times and author of What the Dormouse Said: How the 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry, to write: "There were two things that particularly dazzled the audience on that rainy Monday morning." "First, computing had made the leap from number crunching to become a communications and information-retrieval tool. Second, the machine was being used interactively with all its resources appearing to be devoted to a single individual. It was the first time that truly personal computing had been seen." Discover Magazine, December 9 40 Years Ago Today, the World Saw Its First Personal Computer This blog recounts how, in a convention hall 40 years ago, "a computer scientist took to the stage and blew the crowd away with a couple of screens and the world's first computer mouse". In his presentation, now known as the "mother of all demos", Stanford Research institute (now SRI International), researcher Douglas Engelbart introduced the world to his lab's research project: the first personal computer, complete with a mouse and an interactive screen. United Press International, December 9 Computer Industry Celebrates 40 Years This article reports the U.S. computer industry and Silicon Valley marked the 40th anniversary of the premiere of the personal computer, on December 9. Douglas Engelbart and his team at SRI International -- known at the time as Stanford Research Institute -- gave the first public demonstration of the mouse and other fundamentals of modern computing on Dec. 9, 1968. San Francisco Chronicle, December 8 PC Premiered 40 Years Ago to Awed Crowd This article reports that the world did not realize that 40 years ago a San Francisco stage featured the first public glimpse of an invention that would revolutionize not only our daily lives but also our ability to solve the world's problems. An audience of about 1,000 people had witnessed the premiere of the personal computer. The Dec. 9, 1968, unveiling of the primitive device with a mouse and interactive screen - in a now-legendary demonstration by its inventor, Douglas Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute - drew a rousing, standing ovation from the computing cognoscenti who recognized the significance of what they had just seen. "No one has ever before or since seen such a collection of great ideas in one demonstration," said SRI President and CEO Curt Carlson. This news also appeared in: The Seattle Post Intelligencer: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/391203_pc4009.html Brisbane Times: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/technology/pc-turns-40-looking-better-than-ever/2008/12/09/1228584801903.html Santa Cruz Sentinel, December 8 Wave Power Put to the Test in Monterey Bay This article reports that SRI invited observers from the Department of Energy, PG&E, and financiers with Tokyo-based Hyper Drive Corp to view the demo of its wave-powered generator in the Pacific Ocean near Santa Cruz on Monday. According to the article, "As the tour boat began to bob up and down after clearing the breakwaters, and the stomachs of those with a weaker constitution began to churn, the day's mission became all the more clear: to see the wave motion go to work making electricity." The Guardian, December 7 As the Mouse Squeaks to a 40th Year, Its Creator Roars On This article reports that for everyone who works in computers, Tuesday, December 9th, is a significant date. According to the article, "It's the 40th anniversary of the day when Douglas Engelbart, one of the industry's great visionaries, gave an audience of geeks at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco their first glimpse of the technological future that we all now inhabit. In the last few weeks, the mainstream media has been reporting this as the public debut of the computer mouse, which indeed it was. But the truth is that the mouse was really just a sideshow that day. The other innovations Engelbart unveiled included hypertext, object addressing, dynamic file linking, and shared-screen collaboration involving two people at different sites communicating over a network using audio and video. Engelbart was speaking in San Francisco but he was showing, via a video link, what was happening on the computers in his lab 40 miles away. And in those days, that was a very big deal." This news also appeared in: Dawn.com: http://www.dawn.com/2008/12/08/int11.htm Technorati: http://www.technorati.com/articles/Ykl%2BSNvMa_mIHv3Q%2BuLN2tga9zgyojCrEstC8698X1U%3D
New York Times, December 5 Thieves Winning Online War, Maybe Even in Your Computer This article reports that despite the efforts of the computer security industry and a half-decade struggle by Microsoft to protect its Windows operating system, malicious software is spreading faster than ever. The so-called malware surreptitiously takes over a PC and then uses that computer to spread more malware to other machines exponentially. "Right now the bad guys are improving more quickly than the good guys," said Patrick Lincoln, director of the computer science laboratory at SRI International, a science and technology research group. The article also quotes SRI's Philip Porras, who explained that security researchers at SRI are now collecting over 10,000 unique samples of malware daily from around the globe. The availability of SRI's free BotHunter program www.bothunter.net is also reported. VentureBeat, December 5 The Mouse Turns 40: An Interview with Paul Saffo on Technology's Past and Future In this interview with futurist Paul Saffo regarding SRI's Douglas Englebart and his 1968 computer demo, he says, "It was an amazing demo. I'm thrilled that SRI is doing this. People should know about Doug Engelbart's specific ideas, but also just what an outlandish vision it was. The whole point of this is to inspire future generations."
Stanford Report, December 3 Stanford, SRI Celebrate the Dawn of Interactive Computing This article reports that at a conference in 1968, SRI presented concepts and innovations that went on to revolutionize the high-tech world, including the first computer mouse. Known by some as "the mother of all demos," the presentation by Douglas Engelbart and Bill English has taken on almost mythical proportions in the computing industry. According to the article, the light pen and the joystick had already been invented, but didn't work well, so the team looked for new ideas. "We had a foot control that was a total loss and a knee control that worked pretty well," said Bill English, chief engineer on the project at that time. The research changed paths when Engelbart showed English an idea he had sketched out in his pocket notebook. It was essentially a joystick turned upside down. InformationWeek, November 26 This article reports that most people whose computers have been turned into bots and linked to a botnet have no idea that their machines have been commandeered by cybercriminals. Their PCs send spam, steal information, and participate in denial-of-service attacks without any obvious sign. According to the article, "New software, funded by a grant from the U.S. Army Research Office and developed by SRI International, promises to provide users with more insight into what their computers are doing." SRI's Phil Porras is quoted in the article. Security Focus, November 25 BotHunter Aims to Find Bots for Free This article reports that SRI International released a free software tool on Monday to help system administrators detect botnet activity within their network. The program, called BotHunter, monitors the inside of a network to detect the two-way communications flows that are common between computers compromised by bot software and the command-and-control (C&C) server that is used to send commands to each infected machine. "The software keeps tabs on the suspicious requests and responses — which SRI International calls dialogs — and compares them with patterns of known bot software," said Phillip Porras, security program director for SRI International.
Internetnews.com, November 24 The 'Mother of all Demos' is Back This article reports that Tuesday, December 9 will mark forty years since Silicon Valley legend Doug Engelbart captivated a crowd at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) with a technology demonstration that was about as cutting edge as it gets. According to the article, "This should be one of the hotter tickets in Silicon Valley."
PC World, November 20 This article includes a round-up of interesting algorithms and looks at how they impact the community. Number nine on the list is blacklisting system architecture. According to the article, "Using blacklists to prevent spammers or other malware distributors is nothing new. But researchers at SRI International and SANS Institute want to take such lists a bit further. Their system produces customized blacklists for individuals who choose to contribute data to a centralized log-sharing infrastructure. The ranking scheme measures how closely related an attack source is to a contributor, using that attacker's history and the contributor's recent log production patterns. The researchers said their ultimate goal is to yield individualized blacklists that not only produce significantly higher hit rates, but that also incorporate source addresses that pose the greatest potential threat." Read Write Web, November 20 10 More Semantic Apps to Watch This article reports that Siri was spun out of SRI International and its core technology is based on the highly ambitious CALO artificial intelligence project. According to the article, "We expect Siri to have a strong information management aspect, combined with some novel interface ideas. Based on our discussion with founders Dag Kittlaus and Adam Cheyer in October, we think that there will be a strong mobile aspect to Siri's product and at least some emphasis on location awareness." Siri plans to launch in the first half of 2009. GreenTech Media, November 20 Energy Usage at Three Cubic Miles of Oil and Growing This article reports that SRI International's Ripudaman Malhotra says the world's energy usage equals burning three cubic miles of oil every year, and that will grow to nine cubic miles of oil by 2050 if current trends continue. According to the article, imagine the island of Manhattan covered with 150 feet of crude oil — almost enough to drown the Statue of Liberty — or 1,000 football stadiums filled to the brim with black gold. That's a cubic mile of oil, or the amount of oil alone the world now consumes in a year, Malhotra told an audience Monday at Greentech Media's Greentech Innovations: End-to-End Electricity conference in New York. Malhotra, associate director of SRI International's Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory wants people to think of all the world's energy usage in terms of cubic miles of oil, or CMOs, because "That exercise will bring us face to face with the enormity of the challenge we are facing" in moving to a renewable energy future.
The New York Times, November 18 Google, iPhone and the Future of Machines That Listen This article reports that Google's new speech recognition service for the iPhone understands users most accurately when they speak to it just the way they would enter queries into the Google search box. That makes sense, because the system's accuracy comes from the billions and billions of typed queries that Google has recorded over the years. The article, by John Markoff, says "I was initially intrigued by the Google Mobile App because I have been following the progress of speech recognition research since the early 1980s. It was probably in 1983 that researchers at SRI International demonstrated how they could control simulated battleships with voice commands ("go left," "go right," "stop," that sort of thing). Evolution has been slow because it turns out that recognizing speech is a really, really hard problem. There are all the complexities of language, plus accents and background noise." The Tweney Review, November 13 This article discusses the power and importance of online social networks, as was proven in the recent presidential election. This is just the first of what the future will hold - social networks online will start to enable collaborative problem solving in the real world. According to the article, it's the kind of thing for which personal computers were intended, but have never really achieved until now. The article goes on to discuss Douglas Engelbart's vision for interactive computing, and the upcoming anniversary of his 1968 demo. "Engelbart went on to develop his ideas as a computer scientist at SRI, eventually coming up with a sophisticated interactive, collaborative computer system that was years ahead of its time." Sacramento Business Journal, November 10 Israel Clean Tech Tour Begins Monday This article reports that the California Israel Chamber of Commerce said Monday that 12 Israeli clean technology companies plan to meet with the state's industry leaders, investment firms, and utility giants for the next three days. The non-profit, industry-supported organization said key leaders behind the CICC Cleantech Initiative include Silicon Valley companies such as San Jose-based SunPower Inc., Mountain View-based Google Inc., San Jose-based Silicon Valley Bank, Santa Clara-based Intel Capital, and Menlo Park-based SRI International. Green Tech Media, November 6 Clean Coal's Chicken and Egg Problem This article discusses ADA-Environmental Solutions, a Littleton, Colo.-based company that started working Wednesday on a $3.2 million effort to develop technology to capture carbon dioxide coming out of coal-fired power plant smokestacks. ADA-ES is looking into using powdery chemicals that can absorb the carbon dioxide from a coal plant's flue gas before being pulled into a pressurized vessel where the carbon dioxide can be removed. The company is one of many in the field. Other players include Alston Power Inc. in Windsor, Conn., SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif., and Praxair Inc. in Tonawanda, N.Y.
The Boston Globe, November 2 How to Avoid the Common Mouse Traps This article reports that in 1964, inventor and all around science man Douglas Engelbart changed the way people interact with computers forever by putting two metal wheels in a small wooden shell. "The result: the wheels moved a graphical cursor up and down and side to side on a computer screen. The mouse was born." CNET, October 31 Electric-car Race Could Strain Lithium Battery Supply This article reports that the headlong rush to create electric cars for green-minded consumers may come with a significant economic and environmental cost. Lithium ion batteries--the same used in electronic gadgets and laptops--have become the preferred battery type for plug-in hybrids and electric cars now starting to come to market.That swelling demand has some industry observers concerned that there will be a shortage of the metal lithium, the material used to make the batteries. SRI's Barbara Heydorn and Ripu Malhotra are quoted in the article. St. Petersburg Times, October 29 SRI Tech Research Facility Brings Jobs This article reports that nearly two years after state and city leaders in St. Petersburg, Florida, lured SRI International to the area, construction on the high-tech giant's new downtown research facility will kick off Thursday with a groundbreaking ceremony.
Tampa Bay Business Journal, October 24 SRI International to Broaden Local Presence, Add Employees This article reports that SRI International plans to expand its Florida presence, especially in St. Petersburg and Orlando —"a move that could create dozens of high-paying jobs and spinoff companies." SRI executives met with University of Central Florida officials last week to explore widening their collaborative relationship beyond the existing one they have concerning modeling and simulation. Some of the possible areas for expanded collaboration include biomedical sciences, optics and photonics, as well as with UCF's NanoSciences Technology Center. SRI's Peter Marcotullio, director of business development for engineering systems, is quoted in the article.
Drug Discovery News, October 28 Putting a New Spin on Old Molecules This article reports that with the FDA focused more and more on safety, particularly in the wake of the Vioxx debacle, the pace of new drug approvals has been a bit sluggish. Add to that an increasingly challenging economy and plenty of drugs coming off patent, and you don't get the rosiest picture for pharmaceutical development. According to SRI's Lynne Gilfillan, senior director of the Biosciences Division, "If the repurposing effort is successful, a company can essentially extend the patent life of an existing drug. Certainly, not to have to do as much work to prove safety and optimize the chemical structure is huge, because time saved means money saved. But when you end up with a new patent, that essentially extends your market protection and broadens the audience to which you can sell the drug." Drug Discovery News, October 2008 NIAID Program Targets Drug-Resistant TB This article reports that SRI International recently began a tuberculosis preclinical drug evaluation program in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The new program is part of the $56.9 million contract the NIH unit first awarded to SRI in 2006 to provide preclinical services for the development of drugs and antibodies as treatments for TB and other infectious diseases such as avian flu, SARS, West Nile virus and hepatitis, as well as biodefense pathogens and toxins. SRI's Jon Mirsalis and Kristien Mortelmans are quoted, and Sidharth Chopra is mentioned, in the article.
Tampa Bay Business Journal, October 24 SRI International to Broaden Local Presence, Add Employees This article reports that SRI International plans to expand its Florida presence, especially in St. Petersburg and Orlando. SRI executives met with University of Central Florida officials last week to explore widening their collaborative relationship beyond the existing one they have concerning modeling and simulation. Some of the possible areas for expanded collaboration include biomedical sciences, optics and photonics, as well as with UCF's NanoSciences Technology Center. The Guardian, October 24 US Military Targets Social Nets This article reports that SRI International has teamed up with military officers to build a new social analytics tool called iLink that generates models and helps streamline the process by which a specific expert in an online community can be found. The iLink software uses artificial intelligence software and message routing technology to help the system learn about the online participants and move specific questions to those who are best equipped to answer them. SRI is planning to spin off the technology into a startup to be called Social Kinetics. SRI's Jeffrey Davitz, scientist and co-developer of the iLink technology, is quoted in the article. CIO, October 20 This article highlights the history of the internet, and says, "A man named Douglas Engelbart had in his mind ideas like hyperlinking, a document source where anyone could refer to anyone else's documents. This guy started his work in the late 1950s." CNET, October 13 Start-up Developing New Web Interaction Paradigm This article reports that the government is funding the next generation of technologies that will "make the current Internet seem like a Model-T." Over the last several years, the U.S. government--via DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) grants--has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in PAL, an acronym for "Personalized Assistant that Learns." As part of the PAL project, more than $200 million of DARPA money has been poured into CALO (Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes) over the last five years. CALO has been run out of SRI International with the assistance of 25 research organizations and 400 researchers. Several companies, including Radar Networks, Farecast (acquired by Microsoft) and Adapx, have been spun out of SRI based on some facet of CALO technology. The latest, Siri, was founded in December of last year and has raised $8.5 million in series A funding from Menlo Ventures and Morgenthaler Ventures. Drug Discovery & Development, October 9 According to this article written by SRI's Ted Spack, bioscience-focused independent research and development institutions (BIRDIs) are hybrids of the better-known academic and commercial fauna. They conduct basic research like a university, but many also incorporate a strong commercial focus and translational infrastructure. As such, many can discover new drug candidates and carry leads through preclinical development steps that are beyond the capacity of the average university. Examples of such institutions include: The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), The Burnham Institute for Medical Research (BIMR), and SRI's Bioscience Division. Fire Chief, October 3 This article discusses suggestions for some inexpensive on-scene communications equipment with volunteer fire departments, and their budgets, specifically in mind. Keeping track of who has arrived on scene and how they are deployed is a major headache for incident commanders, especially for volunteers who already are pushed to the limit. SRI International's Mobile Mesh Communications System aims to "see a problem and have a group of researchers, engineers and Ph.D.s tackle it," says Terry McGowan, manager of field operations. SRI's researchers designed portable in-truck mesh to address the needs of the military, first responders and education systems. A major difference between SRI's meshing technology and other mesh systems, according to McGowan, is that SRI is the only system that is software-based and comes with a user interface application designed for first responders that integrates mapping technology with GPS, video, chat and white boarding features, all using existing systems within the municipality. NetworkWorld, October 3 Petite, Square Satellites to Rule Outer Space This article reports that small, inexpensive cube-shaped satellites could be all the space rage if researchers have their way. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a grant to SRI International to tackle the first mission of the tiny flying quadrangles known as CubeSats. The Smart Show, September 30 These two video clips feature SRI's sleep lab, and include an interview with SRI's Dr. Ian Colrain. http://vodpod.com/watch/959614-the-smart-show-ep-215-season-2?pod=hotepisodes http://vodpod.com/watch/983411-the-smart-show-ep-214-season-2 Washington Post, September 28 Corporate Socialism, Intelligently Applied This article discusses the state of the economy and automobile industry. The article points out that many genuine contributions to the automobile have come from outside the laboratories of original equipment manufacturers like General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and Toyota. "Advances in airbag technology have come from independent research and development organizations such as SRI International." The Delaware Business Ledger, September 24 SRI International Wins Patent Battle This article reports that a Delaware federal district court jury found that two of SRI International's patents for enterprise network intrusion detection technology were valid. The jury found that Symantec Inc. and Internet Security Systems, Inc. infringed those patents in certain network security products. Fish & Richardson P.C. represented SRI. Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, September 22 SRI Gets $8.3M Contract for Bioterror Defense This article reports that SRI International was awarded an $8.3 million contract to develop broad-spectrum antibiotics from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, an agency within the United States Department of Defense. Menlo Park-based SRI said the three-year contract will enable preclinical research in developing drugs against a broad range of bioterror agents including anthrax, plague and tularemia. Under the terms of the new contract award, SRI will optimize and develop compounds from its bis-indole drug platform for both prophylaxis and treatment of biological warfare agents. The bis-indole platform is based on synthetically optimized dietary natural products that have been shown to be effective as treatments in multiple disease indications. SRI's Walter Moos and Dr. Ling Jong are quoted in the article. Washington Post, September 19 Inside the Bay Area KIPP Schools This article discusses how the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) serves children from mostly low-income minority families at 66 schools in 19 states and the district, a network way too big for most researchers to handle. But since KIPP began to expand in 2001 from the two successful charter middle schools created by co-founders Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg, scholars have been examining pieces of the growing enterprise. It is an investigation of five KIPP middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area by Menlo Park, Calif.,-based SRI International. According to the article, this recent study of KIPP is one of the best ever done. The lead researcher on the project, SRI's Katrina Woodworth, is quoted in the article. San Francisco Chronicle, September 18 Students at KIPP Perform Better, Study Finds This article reports that an independent study of the Bay Area's five middle schools operated by KIPP (the Knowledge Is Power Program) concludes that its intense focus on the academic and social success of each individual child does have measurable benefits beyond what traditional schools have achieved. "Four out of five KIPP schools outperform their host district," says the report by researchers at SRI International of Menlo Park, which studied the two KIPPs in San Francisco, the two in San Jose, and the one in Oakland. The lead researcher in this study, SRI's Katrina Woodword, is quoted in the article. KPIX Channel 5 News, September 15 What is that Giant Dish Near Stanford? This broadcast newscast included an interview with SRI's Mike Cousins regarding the Dish - the radio antenna facility located in the Stanford University hills that was built and is run by SRI for the U.S. Government. This coverage featured a discussion on the Dish's history and its uses, along with footage capturing outside shots of the Dish and scenic views. New York Times, September 8 This article briefly discusses the U.S. government's recent plan to send a $1 billion aid package to help repair Georgia. In addition, it discusses how a "sense of priorities" was missing from both the Democrat and Republican party conventions—and how the focus needs to be on "strengthening our capacity for innovation". SRI's CEO Curt Carlson is quoted in the article saying, "A developed country's competitiveness now comes primarily from its capacity to innovate—the ability to create the new products and services that people want. As such, innovation is now the only path to growth, prosperity, environmental sustainability and national security for America." The Standard, September 5 AdmitOne Security Uses Keystroke Identification to Screen Users This article reports that identity thieves are everywhere, which is why AdmitOne Security is working on a solution to help with that problem. AdmitOne uses the novel technology of keystroke identification. That is, it uses software to detect the patterns of the way someone types in their username and password. This technology came from longstanding research. The U.S. National Science Foundation funded a research project at the Rand Corp. in 1980 about computer security and keystroke dynamics. SRI International took up the research into typing rhythms. The SRI technology was able to identify users with 98 percent accuracy. The company acquired the patents in 2002 and applied its own engineering to the problem and came up with something that worked. Huntington News, August 29 Maritime Experiment Focuses on Enhancing Nation's Port Security This article reports that the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and SRI International are deploying a suite of advanced port security technologies, trained personnel, and are executing tactical procedures as part of a homeland security experiment in the waters of Tampa Bay through the end of August. SRI International will support in-water operations by surveying the underwater test area, deploying inert mine and improvised-explosive-device like-objects and providing surface support. The SRI team will also deploy specialized, high-resolution 3-D sonar for new change-detection technology that will be used to confirm the identity of any potential threat. Space.com, August 27 NSF Taps Tiny CubeSats for Big Space Science This article reports the National Science Foundation (NSF) has launched a program to use tiny CubeSats for science missions dedicated to space weather and atmospheric research. The NSF selected "CubeSat-based Ground-to-Space Bistatic Radar Experiment—Radio Aurora Explorer," a collaborative space science project to be undertaken by Hasan Bahcivan of SRI International of Menlo Park, Calif. and James Cutler of the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. The selected experiment is slated to fly in December 2009. ComputerWorld, August 21 2006 Horizon Awards Winner: BioPassword Inc.'s BioPassword This article reports that information security has adopted a number of procedures from the military. BioPassword Inc. in Issaquah, Wash., takes a software approach to biometrics using keystroke dynamics - an analysis of how long a person holds down each key and how long it takes to move from one key to another. In the early 1980s, the U.S. National Bureau of Standards funded research by the Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International) to look into applying this methodology to computer security. SRI concluded that analyzing the keystroke dynamics used when entering a user ID and password was 98% accurate, and an initial patent was issued in 1989. BioPassword purchased the patents in 2002, then further developed the technology and commercialized it. The Almanac, August 20 Steve Rooks Puts CPR to Good Use This article reports that since the late 1970s, Menlo Park resident and SRI employee Steve Rooks has volunteered to teach others how to do first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for the Red Cross. In February, Rooks used those skills to give CPR to an unconscious elderly man and helped to save his life. This wasn't the first time Rooks had used his CPR training, either. Several decades ago, he performed CPR on two SRI co-workers. Rooks has worked in the shipping and receiving department at SRI for 38 years. In addition to teaching CPR, he often volunteers to work at Red Cross first-aid stations at public events around the Bay Area, and has volunteered for the Red Cross at the scenes of four national disasters: Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Hugo in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Andrew in Florida, and floods in St. Louis. National Science Foundation, August 29 Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge This National Science Foundation (NSF) piece includes mention of SimCalc, developed by Jim Kaput, Stephen Hegedus and SRI's Jeremy Roschelle. According to the article, "SimCalc is an important example of how new properties of technology enable a restructuring of fundamental mathematics content, enhancing student learning. SimCalc signature MathWorlds software gives students the ability to sketch graphs and see resulting motions."
The Tampa Tribune, August 28 Underwater Research Aims To Improve Port Security Near, Far This article reports that recently a team of researchers drove a small boat into Tampa Bay and dropped two massive decoy bombs near bridge pilings and port docks. The U.S. Navy, working with the experiment, then sent out two underwater robots to scour the watery floor and find the decoys. The fake bomb experiment was one of the first major activities for SRI, a Silicon Valley-based research corporation that opened offices here to research major issues such as port security, aging, education and energy. This week, SRI, the Navy and the Coast Guard will present some of their findings from the experiment at a private event in St. Petersburg. Larry Langebrake, director of SRI St. Petersburg, is quoted in the article.
TampaBay Business Journal, August 27 Homeland Security Experiment Tests Port Security This article reports that the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and SRI International are testing new port security technologies and tactical procedures as part of a homeland security experiment in Tampa Bay waters through Aug. 28. The Navy's goal for the experiment is to demonstrate the technologies' capabilities in safeguarding ports and waterways. SRI International will support in-water operations by surveying the underwater test area, deploying inert mine and improvised-explosive-device-like objects and providing support. The SRI team will also deploy high-resolution 3-D sonar for change-detection technology that will be used to confirm the identity of any potential threat. Information Week, August 18 Startup Aims To Make the Workplace, and the World, Smarter This article reports Austhink Software of Australia has developed an application that it says can help employees not just work smarter, but become smarter. This isn't your typical business intelligence app, but intelligence software that applies "brain mapping" to the goal of improved decision making. Austhink was founded by Tim Van Gelder, who served as its CEO until recently transitioning over to CTO. Van Gelder points to Douglas Engelbart, the inventor of the computer mouse, as the inspiration for his work. In the 1960s, Engelbart postulated that, by mapping the brain's decision-making process, humans could become a "smarter race". Austhink says its software can help deliver on that theory. Genetic Engineering News, August 2008 issue SRI Boasts Abilities in Early- and Late-Stage R&D This article reports that over 60 years ago, the groundwork for SRI International was laid when the trustees of Stanford University founded the Stanford Research Institute to support economic development. One of the Institute's first projects was in collaboration with Chevron to find an artificial substitute for tallow and coconut oil used in soap making, which led to Procter & Gamble's Tide. One of the company's five divisions, Biosciences, performs client-sponsored research and development for government agencies and private businesses and foundations. According to the article, "It boasts all the resources necessary to take a client's program from an idea to an IND." SRI's Walter Moos is quoted throughout the article. Tampa Bay Business Journal, August 15 SRI Director Aims to Create 200 Jobs This article highlights an interview with Larry Langebrake, director of SRI International's new marine technology program in St. Petersburg, FL. SRI St. Petersburg has received $35 million in incentive funds, employed 60 people and won high-profile military contracts. The Globe and Mail, August 13 Want Oil By the Barrel? Try a Cubic Mile Instead This article reports that we need a simpler way to measure global energy resources, preferably one that uses a scale befitting the limitations of human imagination. We should be able to form easily a mental picture of what we're measuring, something as simple to grasp as a yard or a meter, a pint or a liter. According to the article, "we may now have it in U.S. energy analyst Ripudaman Malhotra's provocative new unit of energy measurement: the cubic mile of oil (otherwise known as the CMO)." AlwaysOn, August 3 This clip from the Always On conference shows SRI's Ripudaman Malhotra discussing a measure he calls the "cubic mile of oil," which is about how much oil the world consumes in a year. To replace the U.S. portion of that cubic mile, it would need to build 400,000 1.65MW wind turbines at a rate of 112 per day; or install 158,000 2.1KW rooftop PV panel systems per day; or build 9,400 100MW solar thermal power plants at the rate of 2.5 per day. Energy consumers cannot save or conserve any more than they're consuming — to master the challenge is to master its scale.
CNET, August 2 iLink to Deliver Answers to Military Online Communities This article reports that SRI has integrated iLink, a social network analytics technology, into three online military communities to improve how users ranging from Army wives to platoon leaders share critical information across a wide variety of domains. iLink is a machine learning-based system that models users and content in a social network and then points the user to relevant content, discussions, and other network members with shared interests and goals across a broad range of scenarios. The technology was developed as part of CALO (Cognitive Agent that Learns and Organizes), funded under the DARPA PAL (Personalized Assistant that Learns), a program to develop an "enduring personalized cognitive assistant." SRI's David Gutelius is quoted in the article. Green Car Congress, July 31 DOE to Provide $36 Million to Advance Carbon Dioxide Capture from Coal-Fired Power Plants This article reports that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will provide $36 million for 15 projects aimed at furthering the development of new and cost-effective technologies for the capture of carbon dioxide from the existing fleet of coal-fired power plants. Research areas supported in the award include membrane technology; solvents; solid sorbents; oxycombustion, fuel gas purification; oxycombustion boiler development; and chemical looping combustion. SRI will develop a novel, high-capacity carbon sorbent with moderate thermal requirements for regeneration. Specific objectives are to validate the performance of the sorbent concept on a bench-scale system, to perform parametric experiments to determine optimum operating conditions, and to evaluate the technical and economic viability of the technology. Silicon.com, July 28 Internet Blacklisting Tool Unveiled This article reports that at this week's 17th Usenix Security Symposium, researchers from the Sans Institute and SRI will present the results of their experiments with 'highly predictive blacklisting' (HPB), a service that tailors blacklists for particular networks using an approach similar to Google's PageRank. "In formulating HPB for a network 'A', we treat attack sources that have reportedly made attacks on networks correlated with 'A' differently from attack sources that attacked the same number but uncorrelated networks," researchers said in a document on the website of SRI's Cyber-Threat Analytics project, which is coordinating the HPB research. The researchers said: "Traditional blacklisting approaches, such as GWOL, treat these two attackers equally, therefore, ignore the characteristics of individual networks shown in the alert history." The project's contributors are SRI's Phillip Porras and Jian Zhang and the Sans Institute's Johannes Ullrich. Tampa Bay Online, July 26 SRI To Anchor Navy Mapping Project This article reports that SRI in St. Petersburg plans to announce a major research project with the U.S. Navy for sensors that rapidly draw three-dimensional underwater maps showing features as small as a soda can. Details of the contract could be announced in late August, and the work could expand beyond underwater mapping, SRI officials said. It's the third significant research deal for the St. Petersburg office of the highly regarded Silicon Valley-based SRI, which has played roles through the years in developing the first Internet software, the computer mouse and medical ultrasound. SRI opened a site in St. Petersburg last year to explore issues such as marine science, human aging, education and port security."This project continues to expand our marine science complex here and is part of SRI's work toward very important problems," said Larry Langebrake, director of SRI's St. Petersburg facility. SlashDot, July 23 Researchers Create Highly Predictive Blacklists This brief article reports that using a link analysis algorithm similar to Google PageRank, researchers at the SANS Institute and SRI have created a new Internet network defense service that rethinks the way network blacklists are formulated and distributed. The service, called Highly Predictive Blacklisting, exploits the relationships between networks that have been attacked by similar Internet sources as a means for predicting which attack sources are likely to strike at which networks in the future. Yahoo! Finance, July 23 The Man Who Made Sure a Mouse Is in the House (originated from Investor's Business Daily in 2005) This article highlights Douglas Engelbart's inventions and achievements through the years. In the 1950s, when computers were used as number crunchers, he believed they could be utilized as tools for people to exchange and advance ideas and research. In the 1960s, he led a team at Stanford Research Institute that developed breakthroughs such as on-screen text editing, the interactive user interface, the remote computer network and hyperlinks. And, in 1963 he invented the mouse. According to the article, "Engelbart was [is] a true visionary." St. Petersburg Times, July 20 Let 'Big Ideas' Flow, or Stagnation Will Set In This article discusses why a "Big Idea" — such as Al Gore's proposal to forgo fossil fuels in ten years — is so vital for countries, states and even metro areas. The author challenges Tampa Bay not to retreat from "big ideas" and explains how Gov. Charlie Crist's vision has helped attract SRI, among others, to St. Petersburg. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratories from the Boston area is also in discussions to open high-tech facilities on both sides of Tampa Bay, and this fervent climate is setting the stage for biotech cooperation. BBC News, July 17 Say Goodbye to the Computer Mouse This article reports that although the computer mouse is nearly 40 years old, one Gartner analyst is predicting the demise of it in the next three to five years. Taking over will be so called gestural computer mechanisms like touch screens and facial recognition devices. Also mentioned in the article, "The mouse was invented by Dr. Douglas Engelbart while working for the Stanford Research Institute."
St. Petersburg Times, July 17 Bay Area Attracts New Lab with Incentives This article reports that state and local officials pledged millions to lure SRI to St. Petersburg two years ago, predicting more high-tech heavyweights would follow. Now, the state of Florida and local governments are budgeting a total of $30-million to attract Charles Stark Draper Laboratories of Cambridge. According to St. Petersburg officials, Draper focused on this area because of connections to SRI. Len Polizzotto, a senior Draper executive, was an SRI vice president when the company negotiated economic development incentives from the city and state. Mayor Rick Baker said, "They [these companies] tend to develop technologies and make them into marketable products that can launch other companies. That's the idea behind SRI, and that's the idea behind this."
MarketWatch, July 16 PolyFuel Discloses Prototype Notebook Computer Fuel Cell Power Supply This press release announces that PolyFuel, Inc., a world leader in fuel cell technology, has developed the first functional version of its prototype power supply for notebook-class computers that can provide continuous non-stop runtimes with the simple hot swap of small cartridges of methanol fuel. The consumer-friendly design has been fully integrated with a representative notebook—the Lenovo T40 ThinkPad. PolyFuel was spun out of SRI (formerly the Stanford Research Institute) in 1999, after 14 years of applied membrane research. Discover Magazine, July 14 Wall-Climbing ‘Bots: This One Doesn't Bite the Dust This article reports that engineers at SRI have created robots that can climb the walls of any building—even walls covered in dust. "These remote-control-car-sized robots can march up vertical surfaces made of wood, concrete, glass, brick, steel, and drywall. Electricity is the secret to their ability." SRI's research engineer, Harsha Prahlad is quoted in the article, saying, "In some ways it is similar to rubbing a balloon and sticking it on the wall, except we carry our own power supply and are able to control the adhesion." PC World, July 13 Artificial Intelligence Tied to Search Future This article reports that AI (Artificial intelligence) has the potential to enhance Internet searches, but obstacles still must be overcome. The event also showcased several projects in the AI and machine learning spaces, including CALO (Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes) Express. "This is a Windows-based version of SRI's CALO project to build an intelligent personal assistant. For example, it can figure out RSS feeds and suggest new feeds for the user." Forbes, July 9 America's Best Places For Alternative Energy This article reports that the "cubic mile of oil"—a metric roughly equivalent to the amount of oil consumed worldwide each year—is frequently used to explain the challenge facing solar, wind, geothermal and biomass power. The article asks, "So what would it take to replace the amount of energy in a cubic mile of oil?" Roughly 4.2 billion solar rooftops, 3 million wind turbines, 2,500 nuclear power plants or 200 Three Gorges Dams, according to Menlo Park, Calif., nonprofit research institute SRI. In other words, no single category of renewable energy is growing anywhere near the speed it needs to bear the full brunt of displacing carbon-emitting fossil fuels anytime soon. Metro Silicon Valley, July 9 This article discusses truth versus myth in the food versus biodiesel debate. Many concerns and factors motivate individuals to choose fuel sources that are more stable than strictly petroleum-based options, including environmental sustainability, economical stability and national security. Barbara Heydorn, Director of SRI's Center for Excellence in Energy, and Ripu Malhotra, Associate Director of SRI's Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory, are both quoted throughout the article. BBC, July 8 This article reports robots that can climb walls have been developed by scientists in the United States. Developed by a team in SRI's Mobile Robotics and Transducers Program, the machines are about the size of a remote-controlled car and have caterpillar tracks similar to those on toy tanks. Inside these tracks are materials with electro-adhesive properties, which mean that when a current is applied, the tracks are attracted to the wall, preventing the robots from falling off. SRI's Harsha Prahlad is quoted in the article. Hot Chalk, July 7 A Conversation with Jeremy Roschelle This interview details SRI's latest math education research. Jeremy Roschelle, director of SRI's Center for Technology in Learning, is an expert on computer-supported collaborative learning and the uses of innovative technology in learning. According to Jeremy, "We have been conducting research with technology to address two of the most difficult math concepts—fractions in elementary school and proportionality in middle school". Also discussed in the article is SRI's software to enhance math learning called TechPALS, and SRI's Scaling Up SimCalc that uses animation and graphs to address the difficult topics of proportionality and related pre-algebra concepts. Today's Engineer, July 3 Innovation— Every Engineer's Role This article reports that in a knowledge-driven economy, innovation is heralded as the key to success. Leaders across industries maintain that competitiveness today cannot be sustained without innovation. While head of Innovation Management at SRI (formerly Stanford Research Institute), William Miller observed four ways of thinking that combine into four different approaches to innovation which are outlined in this article. PC World, June 29 Tech Talk: Where'd it Come From, Anyway? This article discusses how some of the technology we take for granted today was named, such as "hypertext", coined by Ted Nelson, along with "hypermedia" in 1965. According to the article, "The first practicable use of hypertext is credited to Douglas Engelbart with the "oN-Line System" (NLS) developed at Stanford Research Centre in the 1960's. Engelbart is also co-inventor with Bill English of the computer mouse." Economist.com, June 25 This article discusses speech translation technology and mentions that SRI is one of three main companies working with DARPA to create a two-way translation device. According to the article, "SRI's Iraqcomm program operates on Windows XP and will work on some of the toughened-up notebook computers carried by soldiers and by foreign civilians. Like many language systems it uses statistical models to recognize speech patterns and sounds, in part to filter out sounds that are not speech and to predict the next word in a sentence." CNET: 33Across, June 23 The Next Generation of Behavioral Ad Targeting This article discusses advertising in social media, and names such companies as 33Across, Meebo, Revenue Science and Tacoda. Privacy concerns regarding these types of social media sites are also discussed. Jeffrey Davitz, program manager and director of the social-computing group in SRI's Artificial Intelligence Center, is quoted in the article saying, "The issue with social networking and advertising is largely not a technical problem; it's a cultural one. When you're out there with your friends and interacting, people are somewhat resistant to ads." The article also mentions that SRI has developed an application that can automatically monitor people's interests and influence in military communities such as Company Command. Federal Computer News, June 23 According to this article, which discusses speech recognition technology, "DARPA tapped BBN Technologies, IBM and SRI to develop systems capable of transcribing broadcasts into text and translating it into English text." The article also mentions another military application of speech recognition involving the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which uses SRI's DynaSpeak speech-recognition software to enable a pilot to control various subsystems through voice commands. Both Martin Graciarena, a research engineer at SRI's Speech Technology and Research Laboratory, and Kristin Precoda, director of SRI's Speech Technology and Research Laboratory, are quoted in the article.
Wired, June 23 June 23, 1983: DNS Test Sets Stage for Internet Growth This article reports that 25 years ago today, Paul Mockapetris and Jon Postel ran the first successful test of the automated, distributed Domain Name System. DNS led the foundation for the massive expansion, popularization and commercialization of the internet. According to the article, "The fledgling internet of the time (Arpanet and CSnet) relied on a bulky and exponentially growing "phonebook" of addresses called the "host tables." It was a text file maintained by SRI in Menlo Park, California." San Jose Mercury News, June 22 Shots Fired: Valley Start-Up Helps Cops, Military Quickly Pinpoint Origin of Gunshots This article discusses ShotSpotter, a fast-growing Silicon Valley company whose system for pinpointing the origin of gunshots is now getting deployed in cities across America - including neighborhoods in Oakland, San Francisco and East Palo Alto. This technology, first introduced in Redwood City in the mid-1990s, is also being tested by U.S. forces in Iraq. Physicist Robert Showen, ShotSpotter's founder and chief scientist, said it was East Palo Alto's crime troubles in the early 1990s that first inspired him to explore ways technology could be used to fight crime. Showen, who used to work at SRI specializing in acoustic and radio wave research, developed the system of combining triangulating sensors and global position satellite (GPS) technology to determine where gunshots had been fired. According to the article, "When the federal government decided against buying the technology and SRI's interest faded, Showen struck out on his own." Science Daily, June 17 Nerves Behind Pain Relief Provided By Stressful Situations This article reports that the increased beating of the heart that one experiences when in a stressful situation is just one part of the body's response to stress, known as the "fight-or-flight response". Another component of the fight-or-flight response is the suppression of pain, also known as stress-induced analgesia (SIA). In a new study, a team of researchers in California, from AfaSci, Inc., Burlingame, and SRI, Menlo Park, has revealed that nerves producing the peptide N/ORQ and nerves producing the peptide Hcrt are key in regulating SIA in mice. The research team, which was led by Xinmin Xie and Thomas Kilduff, showed that in the brain of normal mice, Hcrt-producing nerve cells (Hcrt neurons) and N/ORQ-producing nerve cells interacted. Forbes, June 17 Fed Leases More Space as People Write Fewer Checks This article reports that the processing of checks by the Fed is down as more Americans pay their expenses electronically with debit cards, automatic deductions from checking accounts or other options. Due to the shift in fewer paper checks and greater electronic movement of money in the United States, the Federal Reserve is now left with empty office space. SRI's Director of Public Relations, Ellie Javadi, is quoted in the article, saying that in Montana, Silicon Valley-based SRI will move its Helena operations and staff of 10 into 3,300 square feet of the Federal Reserve building next month. The relocation will provide expansion room for the research-and-development nonprofit founded in 1946 as Stanford Research Institute. The New Yorker, June 16 This article discusses speech recognition and emotion. Elizabeth Shriberg, a senior researcher in the speech group at SRI is quoted in the article saying, "Especially when you talk about emotional speech, there is a big difference between acted speech and real speech." Real anger, she went on, often builds over a number of utterances, and is much more variable than acted anger. For more accurate emotional recognition, Shriberg said, "we need the kind of data that you get from 911 and directory-assistance calls. But you can't use those, for privacy reasons, and because they're proprietary." Medical News Today, June 13 "Fight-Or-Flight Response": The Nerves Behind The Pain Relief Provided By Stressful Situations This article reports that in a new study conducted by a team of researchers in California, from AfaSci, Inc., Burlingame, and SRI, Menlo Park, has revealed that nerves producing the peptide N/ORQ and nerves producing the peptide Hcrt are key in regulating stress-induced analgesia (SIA) in mice. The research team, which was led by Xinmin Xie and SRI's Thomas Kilduff, showed that in the brain of normal mice, Hcrt-producing nerve cells (Hcrt neurons) and N/ORQ-producing nerve cells interacted. Exchange Magazine, June 12 This article lists the top 50 important people in the recent history of technology. The list's top ten includes SRI's Douglas Engelbart, creator of the computer mouse. According to the article, "Though it's hard to imagine working without one now, the mouse didn't catch on for more than a decade, until Apple computers started using them. Engelbart didn't stop at one invention, either: He and his research lab also developed an early online storage system—and even demonstrated videoconferencing back in 1968." New York Times, June 8 Nature Gave Him a Blueprint, but Not Overnight Success This article mentions Douglas Engelbart's invention of the computer mouse in 1964. According to the article, "It was obvious to many people that it was a better way to control a computer, yet it took two decades even to begin reaching a mass audience." The article goes on to say, "Or consider the hyperlink, invented independently by Mr. Engelbart and the computing evangelist Ted Nelson in the mid-1960s. It took roughly three decades to reach the public in the form of the World Wide Web." TechWorld, June 6 Mobile Computing & Wireless Networking Insight: The Benefits of 802.11s Wireless Mesh Nets This article highlights the four major benefits to 802.11s wireless mesh networks—these benefits stem from the IEEE 802.11s draft standard, whose implementation is being spearheaded by PacketHop. PacketHop is the leader in innovative broadband mesh network communications systems and an SRI company. Wired, June 3 Researchers Build Electrostatic, Wall-Crawling 'Bots This article reports that, "Now SRI, which has long been a leader in robotics, has developed 'bots that scale and stick to walls using electrostatic charges." This article, which links to the coverage in ComputerWorld, quotes SRI's Philip Von Guggenberg: "the new electrical adhesive technology called compliant electroadhesion, provides an electrically controllable way to stick machines to a wall." According to the article, "SRI also says the technology could eventually be used to enable human wall crawlers, which could prove useful for U.S. Special Forces." St. Petersburg Times, June 1 Downtown St. Petersburg, a High-Tech Hotbed? This article reports that SRI will construct a two-story, 37,000-square-foot facility next year on Eighth Avenue SE in St. Petersburg, Florida. Larry Langebrake, the director of the SRI Marine Technology Program and former head of USF's Center for Ocean Technology, said "St. Petersburg's image is evolving… Now, not only do you have SRI here, but you have an environment attractive to other companies." The article includes a picture of SRI director Larry Langebrake, and Downtown Partnership chief Peter Betzer. Special Operations Technology, May 23 The Global Autonomous Language Exploitation (GALE) program at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in the third of five years, has met its objectives to date with flying colors. The program is on track to provide extremely high accuracy in translation for several genres of print and broadcast programming, eliminating the need for linguists for situations where U.S. warfighters would like to understand standardized Arabic, Dr. Joseph Olive, GALE's program manager, told Special Operations Technology. The accuracy of the GALE devices—under development with contractors BBN Technologies, IBM and SRI—is verified through the use of multiple linguists, whose work is checked by multiple quality assurance personnel, whose work is examined by an adjudicator. CNET, May 22 This article highlights SRI's announcement regarding the development of a wall-climbing robot that uses a new electrical adhesive technology called "compliant electroadhesion" that can stick to anything "from brick to glass--even damp, dirty glass." Popular Mechanics, May 20 Unmanned Spider-Man? SRI's Wall-Climbing Robot: Exclusive First Look This article reports that later this week, researchers from SRI will unveil the design of a wall-climbing robot that uses electroadhesion technology at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Pasadena, Calif. Image and video footage included with this coverage. NJ.com, May 14 Corzine to Speak at Stevens Commencement This article reports New Jersey's Governor, Jon Corzine, will speak at the commencement ceremony at Stevens Institute of Technology. SRI's President and CEO Curt R. Carlson will also address the graduates and receive an honorary doctorate degree. Mercury News, May 12 Will Powerset Search Engine Speak Your Language? This article reports about the launch of Powerset, a new search engine based on natural-language search technology that will, at least initially, pull data from Wikipedia and Freebase. Co-founder Barney Pell is a former research scientist at NASA and SRI. Network World, May 9 Wireless Mesh Standard Gets Boost from OLPC, Open Source This article reports the proposed IEEE 802.11s WLAN mesh specification is already getting some traction, though still over 18 months from final ratification. PacketHop, an SRI company, earlier this month announced it will release in July the first commercial implementation of the IEEE mesh draft. San Antonio Business Journal, May 9 S.A. Is Primed to Drive Huge Texas Golf Biz, Experts Say This article reports a new study of the golf industry in Texas, indicates that the sport has grown into a more than $7 billion industry annually. The study was conducted by Golf 20/20, a division of the World Golf Foundation, and by SRI. eGov Monitor / European Commission, May 8 Europe's Top Innovation Prize Winners Announced Education Week, May 6 Why the Best Math Curriculum Won't Be a Textbook New York Times / The Gainesville Sun, May 4 Prepping Robots for the O.R. Network World, May 1 PacketHop Unveils First Commercial Release of WLAN Mesh Standard This article reports PacketHop, an SRI company, this week unveiled the first commercial implementation of the draft IEEE 802.11s WLAN mesh standard. Commercial shipments are planned for July 2008. The novelty being brought to mesh networks by implementations of the 802.11s standard is interoperability along with an extension of outdoor WLANs. Individual.com, April 28 SRI Links with Tampa Bay Technology Forum to Help Emerging Technology Companies This article reports SRI and the Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF), will serve as strategic advisors to TBTF's Emerging Companies Academy (ECA). SRI and the ECA will identify a select group of early-stage technology companies that could benefit from SRI's innovation and technology expertise, with the goal of preparing them for product launch or to raise angel or venture funds. CNETNews, April 25 Can Renewable Energy Make a Dent in Fossil Fuels? This article reports on the renewable energy outlook presented by Ripudaman Malhotra, who oversees research on fossil fuels at SRI. Quoted data is measured in CMOs (cubic mile of oil), a term minted by SRI's Hew Crane. An in-depth discussion will be found in an upcoming book from Oxford University Press by Crane, Malhotra, and Ed Kinderman called A Cubic Meter of Oil.
Daily Bruin, April 24 Old Mathematical Concepts May Provide New Identity Theft Protection This article reports Amit Sahai, an associate professor of computer science, and Brent Waters, a UCLA computer science alumnus, and now a computer scientist for SRI, have developed a new technology based on decades-old math problems that could significantly decrease hackers' ability to access personal and financial data. The News Herald / TMCNet, April 20 Region's Growth Tied to Target Industries: Aerospace, Logistics, Transportation among Suggestions from Economic Study This article reports SRI recommended Northwest Florida focus on aerospace and defense, health sciences/human performance enhancement, renewable energy/environment, and transportation and logistics, as ideal sectors to support the region's sustainable development. Matty Mathieson, director of SRI's Center for Science, Technology & Economic Development, stated the growth in renewable energy will favor other sectors, proving the synergic potential of these industry clusters. SF Gate / San Francisco Chronicle, April 17 FDA Soon May Support Biomarker Tests This article reports the Food and Drug Administration is poised to support a powerful new method of predicting the safety of experimental drugs. The new process uses biomarkers to predict the toxicity of investigational drugs on kidneys. The FDA is working with the Critical Path Institute, founded two years ago by the agency in collaboration with University of Arizona and Menlo Park's SRI. The goal is to reverse a recent trend which has witnessed a lower number of innovative therapies submitted for FDA approval, concomitant with rising costs of drug development. TampaBay Online , April 17 This article reports Hillsborough County commissioners agreed to put up $6 million to help lure a non-profit high-technology company to the University of South Florida Research Park, promising the region potentially hundreds of new high-paying jobs. Len Polizzotto, formerly with SRI, is named in the article. SRI's business development director Peter Marcotullio, states SRI helped play a matchmaking role in recruiting the high-tech group. SRI may also contribute to the local research work. Almanac, April 9 Robot Revolution Port Technology International, March Maritime and Port Security Focuses on Cutting Edge R&D This article describes a major new project underway at SRI's National Center for Maritime and Port Security in St. Petersburg, Florida. Applying a diversity of research and development capabilities, the Center will develop cutting-edge technologies to improve maritime and port security in areas that impact the nation's safety, security, and economy. Newsweek, March 14 This article reports that the National Mathematics Advisory Panel's recent report about math education in the U.S. recommended changes to the way math is taught and tested. According to the article, the report will provide momentum to the group of math researchers and educators who prefer the curriculum used in Singapore. The article quotes SRI's Charles Patton, who explains the differences between American and Singaporean math education. Almanac, March 12 Going Green: SRI Floats a New Green Idea This article reports that SRI, an organization at the forefront of environmental research and alternative energy technology, is now looking to the oceans for alternative energy - specifically, at waves. SRI engineers are creating an ocean buoy that harnesses electricity from the up and down motion of ocean waves. Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, March 6 SRI Puts V2DB Portfolio Up for Sale This article reports that SRI has put its voice-to-database search patent portfolio up for sale. The patent portfolio addresses methods for spoken search and retrieval of information from large databases using a speech recognizer. NJ Biz, February 14 Carlson Says U.S. Must Emphasize Innovation This article reports on a speech that SRI CEO Curt Carlson delivered to a Princeton University audience of academics and technology entrepreneurs. Carlson argued that the United States must work harder to cultivate innovators and that the government should reconsider certain immigration policies. "Innovation is the only way for the West to get to wealth, prosperity, quality of life, sustainability and security." Daily News Record, January 26 Valley Needs to Sharpen Skills, Work Force Report Concludes This article reports that at two recent presentations, SRI and the Shenandoah Valley Partnership unveiled a study about the Shenandoah Valley's workforce. The 52-page report, titled "A Master Plan for 21st Century Workforce Transitions in Shenandoah Valley," is a two-part initiative to prepare the region's work force for future economic trends. WVIR - TV, January 25 Valley Discusses Workforce Preparedness This article and TV news story reports that SRI and the Shenandoah Valley partnership released a report on how to make the Valley ready for future economic trends, and more specifically, how to train and educate its workforce. Before an audience of business, community, and school leaders, SRI highlighted the challenges and opportunities ahead. Drug Discovery & Development, January 1 This article reports how SRI researchers are repurposing some drugs for new indications. SRI's work fits into two large research programs, one focused on determining the utility of old antibiotics against biothreat agents and a broader program to screen a large library of FDA licensed drugs to find compounds that show efficacy against biothreat agents. | 2007 | Drug Discovery News, December This article reports that SRI was awarded a $15.5 million, seven-year contract renewal from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). SRI will continue providing preclinical services for development of drugs and therapeutic vaccines for treating HIV and infections related to HIV and AIDS. Scientific American, December 28 This article details significant achievements in robotic technology that happened in 2007. Among the highlights listed is SRI's robotic surgery experiment aboard an aircraft. Popular Mechanics, December Robot Surgeons From Baghdad to Mars Are Closer Than You Think This article reports that SRI and the University of Cincinnati held a series of tests where during periods of zero gravity and sustained acceleration of 1.8 g's, a robot made incisions and applied sutures on simulated tissue, while a human surgeon did the same. The purpose: to measure just how precise a remote-operated robot can be, especially in a turbulent or gravity-free environment. Defense Systems, November/December Blazing Trails, Dropping Bread Crumbs This article is about miniature wireless relays that will help extend the range of impromptu networks fielded in tactical and emergency response settings. The article notes that SRl's Artificial Intelligence Center envisions mobile robots able to create a multihop network. The relay robots would re-establish communications in an infrastructure-damaging disaster. BusinessWeek, November 19 In this article, the writer describes a recent meeting that he had with SRI's CEO Curt Carlson and notes Carlson's explanation that companies facing tough choices should look beyond the customer they have today and anticipate the needs of an even larger audience a few years down the road. FDA News, November 15 This article reports that SRI has been awarded a $15.5 million contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to help develop drugs and vaccines for HIV and associated infections. CNET News.com, November 8 'Internet Van' Helped Drive Evolution of the Web This article reports on the SRI van that was "feted at a celebration marking the very first true Internet connection." The article notes that the first Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)-based transmission between three separate networks--Arpanet, packet radio, and satellite--was made possible by the van. FOX 13 Tampa Bay, October 26 Area's Ports Take Lead in Security Research This story reports that SRI St. Petersburg now leads the U.S. effort to secure major seaports. The Navy awarded SRI a $36.5 million contract, and the non-profit research organization has started a National Center for Maritime and Port Security. Tampa Bay Business Journal, October 26 Tampa Bay Gets Security Boost on $36M SRI Contract This article reports that the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command awarded SRI a $36.5 million, five-year contract to develop a system designed to improve port security. WHSV-TV, October 23 This online and TV news story reports on ways that SRI is hoping to make an impact on the world through the work done in Shenandoah Valley. The story notes that while there is still an empty space where SRI will build new facilities, scientific research work has already begun. Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal , October 25 SRI Gets $7.9M Cancer Research Contract This article reports that SRI was awarded a $7.9 million contract by the National Cancer Institute to conduct analytical chemistry evaluations of anti-cancer drugs and dosage formulations. CNET News.com, October 17 Air Force Fighter to Use Speech Recognition This article reports that F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, which the Air Force plans to roll out in 2008, will be the first U.S. fighter to respond to voice commands. The DynaSpeak speech recognition software was developed by SRI in conjunction with Adacel Systems. Nature, October 17 This article reports on job opportunities for researchers in northern Virginia. "This region is just burgeoning in technical activities," says John Mathieson, director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Development at SRI. "It's a very dynamic place for jobs for scientists." Genetic Engineering News, October 15 This article about biodefense research was written by Rae Lyn Burke, senior director of SRI's Center of Excellence for Infectious Disease and Biodefense. It provides a brief history of research programs in bioterrorism and recommendations for future research needs going forward. Science Daily, October 15 Women With Severe PMS Perceive Their Sleep Quality To Be Poor This article reports that according to a recent study, women with severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) perceive their sleep quality to be poor. The study was authored by Fiona C. Baker, PhD, of the Human Sleep Research Program at SRI and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. San Francisco Chronicle, October 8 This article reports that SRI researchers are releasing a free diagnostic program to help network administrators find PCs infected with an insidious new type of virus that has already tainted millions of computers and used them to generate billions of spam e-mails. Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, October 4 SRI Wins $9.5 M Biothreat Contract Scientific American, September 26 NASA Tests Robot Surgeons for Mission to Moon, Mars Education Week, September 25 R&D Project on Algebra Software Seen to Show Promise CNET News.com, September 22 Robo-doc to Perform Weightless Surgery San Francisco Chronicle, September 21 The Market of the Mind Genetic Engineering News, September 13 SRI and Pentax to Advance Diagnostic Tool Development for Cancer New York Times, September 12 Who Needs Hackers? EE Times, September 4 Bootstrapped Learning Beats AI IEEE Computer , September Ink, Improvisation, and Interactive Engagement Technology Review, August 23 Harvesting Power from the Ocean Tampa Bay Newspapers, August 19 Crist Visits St. Petersburg Energy Project SpaceWeather.com, August 15 Noctilucent Waves KGO-TV (ABC), August 14 Bay Area Lab Gets Contract for AIDS Research St. Petersburg Times, August 3 Buoys Could Deliver Energy New York Times, July 30 A Buoy for Alternative Energy CNN.com, July 27 In Touch with the Digital Age Chemical Online, July 24 SRI Awarded DARPA Subcontract to Accelerate Vaccine Manufacturing Process T.H.E. Journal, July SRI Tackles Special Ed for WWC Wall Street Journal, July 18 Batteries in Gadgets Can't Support All the Gee-Whiz Adds
Technology Review, July 7
National Geographic, July This article examines swarm behavior -- how simple actions of individuals add up to the complex behavior of a group. The article explores ant and bee behaviors and how the study of swarm intelligence is providing insights that can help humans manage complex systems, from truck routing to military robots. The article describes SRI's Centibots project, an investigation to see if 100 robots could collaborate on a mission, and quotes Regis Vincent, senior computer scientist at SRI. Photonics Spectra, July This article describes the second-generation spectrophotometric elemental analysis system, a phosphate and nitrate measurement tool developed by scientists at the University of South Florida and SRI. The article explains that the system provides researchers with an accurate, high-resolution profile of nutrient concentrations in the open ocean, a challenge given the five or more orders of magnitude such concentrations span throughout the depths. Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, June 27 This article reports that that Living Tomorrow San Jose, a meeting place for innovative companies to introduce products and services that demonstrate how people will live, work and shop in the future, added SRI President and CEO Curtis Carlson to its advisory board. Genetic Engineering News, June 20 This article reports that SRI has received drug development resource support from the NCI to further the preclinical development of SR16388, a novel antiangiogenic drug that is being investigated for the treatment of multiple tumor types, including metastatic prostate cancer. BusinessWeek, June 18 This article about three anti-spyware bills now before Congress quotes Marcus Sachs, deputy director of SRI's Computer Science Laboratory. WHSV-TV (ABC), May 31 This is an interview with Walter Moos, vice president of SRI's Biosciences division. In the interview, he discussed SRI's plans in Virginia and explained the research and development work done by SRI Biosciences. USA Today.com, May 7 This article is about NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 12 expedition. The article explains that in the mission, a team of six aquanauts and two robotic surgeons will plunge into the Atlantic Ocean to test new medical and exploration tools for long duration spaceflight. The article notes that SRI's M7 surgical robot will be tested on the NEEMO 12 mission. Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, May 7 This article reports that SRI has regained from Sanofi-Aventis all rights to tirapazamine, a cancer drug that reached phase III clinical trials. San Jose Mercury News, May 6 This article about telesurgery focuses on recent advances and milestones in the field. The article describes how NASA will conduct its second test in a year of a robot made by SRI to determine its feasibility for use on a future mission. Tom Low, director of SRI's medical systems and robotics program, is quoted in the article. Homeland Defense Week, May 1 In this video interview, Marcus Sachs, deputy director of SRI's Computer Science Laboratory, discusses the current state of cybersecurity and emerging threats to the nation's critical cyber infrastuctures. Omaha World-Herald, April 22 This article reports on "Building Bright Futures," an Omaha program to address education barriers that affect poor children. The article notes that the program commissioned SRI to conduct a study of the challenges faced by Omaha youth. Report findings are explained in the article. New York Times magazine, April 15 This article article about "green ideology" by columnist Thomas Friedman quotes SRI CEO Curt Carlson explaining the "China price" regarding the growth of alternative energy in developing countries. Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, April 13 This article reports on SRI's collaboration with Blanca Pharmaceuticals on the development of antibiotics for drug-resistant infections. Harrisonburg Daily Record, April 13 This article reports that that SRI's Sharon Johnson has been named to "Lead Virginia", a leadership development program in Virginia. Its participants are senior-level executives in business, education, nonprofit and government agencies throughout the commonwealth. Centre Daily Times, April 13 This article reports that 40 members of SRI's State College location will participate in the Centre County 5K race in support of cancer research and treatment of community members who are afflicted with the disease. Red Herring, April 11 This article reports that scientists at SRI have developed a technology to make less expensive solar-grade silicon - just what the solar power industry needs. Speech Technology magazine, April This article article about the field testing of speech technology devices in Iraq describes SRI's IraqComm two-way translation system. The article notes that IraqComm includes archiving capability, a short-cut menu and editing function. i San Francisco Business Times, March 26 This article reports that Admiral Vern E. Clark has been elected to SRI's board of directors. San Jose Mercury News, March 20 This article is about SRI being awarded a Department of Defense contract potentially worth up to $85 million to make a drug soldiers could use to ward off the effects of deadly nerve agents. USA Today, March 11 Omaha World-Herald, March 11 San Francisco Chronicle, March 1 KGO-TV (ABC), March 1 St. Petersburg Times , February 24 NBC-11 (KNTV) , February 7 Business Facilities, February KTVU-TV (FOX), January 31 KQED-FM (NPR), January 1 In this radio interview with Moira Gunn, SRI CEO Curt Carlson discusses the five key principles of innovation. | 2006 | KGO-TV (ABC), November 17 Drug Discovery News, November 9 KGO-TV (ABC) , November 7 Bloomberg, November 7 KGO-TV (ABC) , October 26 Military & Aerospace Electronics, September 14 Time, September 3 New York Times, August 7 New York Times, August 7 Government Executive, July 24 Associated Press , July 19 TravelDailyNews.com, June 14 ZDNet.com, June 4 San Francisco Chronicle, May 29 ScienceCareer.org, May 25 The New York Times, May 24 GeneticEngineeringNews.com, May 11 MIT Technology Review, May/ June Stanford Daily, April 5 CNET News.com, April 3 Defense Technology International Military Information Technology, March 13 | 2005 | SC Magazine, COVER STORY, November 2005 Wired News, November 18, 2005 Red Herring, November 14, 2005 BusinessWeek, Fall 2005 Arizona Republic, August 3, 2005 The San Jose Mercury News, August 3, 2005 Inside Higher Ed, July 29, 2005 Forbes.com, July 27, 2005 Bio-IT News, July 12, 2005 Genetic Engineering News, July 11, 2005 CrainsDetroit.com, July 4, 2005 The New York Times, April 18, 2005 CBC Radio, April, 2005 The Washington Post, April 4, 2005 WCBS News Radio, March 28, 2005 TechNewsWorld, March 28, 2005 | 2004 | Tech
Visionary-The Nearly Invisible Battery Firm flexes its artificial muscles But can it take the
SAT for you? Researchers Building a Computer That Thinks A January 2004 Wired
account of Doug Engelbart's groundbreaking 1968 demonstration
of the mouse and other
foundations of personal computing. |Archive| Telling
the Twins Apart Night
Glow in the Skies of Venus Networked Warfighting BusinessWeek:
Spin-Off City |
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