Reed's Ruminations: The Past, Present, and Future
Reflections on science, technology, and computing — leavened by personal experience
Category: Technology Policy
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A Plain of Excellence: Dan’s New Adventure
I will be joining the University of Iowa as Vice President for Research and Economic Development and holder of Iowa’s inaugural University Computational Science and Bioinformatics Chair, with joint appointments in Computer Science, Electrical and Computing Engineering and Medicine. For details on this, see the University of Iowa announcement.
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My Big Scientific Data Are Lonely
An old joke defines data mining as (insert possessive gesture here) data are mine. Sadly, this hoary saw is more often truthful than humorous. We must find a new way forward that defines the principles and processes for protecting intellectual property while also creating appropriate cultural and economic rewards for data sharing and sustainability. This…
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Millions and Billions: Different Questions for Science Funding
All project cost estimates for an exascale initiative suggest it is well in excess of one billion dollars, placing it squarely in the realm of national priority debates. The science and engineering case, though absolutely necessary, is no longer sufficient by itself. One must also marshal arguments that address national, regional and global needs, and…
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Predicting Our Technological Future
There are many reasons why initial success becomes the father of later failure. Sometimes designers cling too long to old technology, sometimes companies make ill-advised leaps to new and untried technology, and sometimes leaders cling to old business models when change is essential to survival.
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Planting Seeds in the Field of Knowledge
In these challenging economic times, U.S. universities are under great stress – economically, politically and socially. It is tempting for those of us in computing to ignore these issues. Like agriculture and engineering before us, I believe computing has a social responsibility to be an active and enthusiastic partner in helping chart the nature of…
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Digital Inclusion
An economic and cultural chasm, a digital divide, separates the digitally connected from those who lack the ways or the means to join the digital community. In a knowledge economy, the separated are cut off from a plethora of services, educational materials, and business prospects.