David Roman

Crowdsourcing and the question of expertise

The push back storage rack system comprises a framework defining a storage bay for multiple pallets including a plurality of generally vertical uprights and a plurality of generally horizontal shelf beams. A pair of laterally spaced, generally parallel rails is supported by the framework and extends into the storage bay. Each of the rails defines inner and outer wheel tracks and is inclined in a direction towards the rear of the storage bay. A generally rectangular first cart has a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels. The front and rear wheels roll along the inner wheel tracks. The generally rectangular second cart is positioned behind the first cart and has a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels. The front wheels roll along the outer wheel tracks and the rear wheels roll along the inner wheel tracks. A generally rectangular third cart is positioned behind the second cart and has a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels. The front and rear wheels roll long the outer wheel tracks. The third cart supports a second pair of laterally spaced, generally parallel rails, each of which defines an outwardly facing wheel track. The rear of the second pair of rails is supported by a pair of wheels that roll along the inner wheel tracks. A fourth generally rectangular cart is positioned behind the third cart and has a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels. The front wheels roll along the second pair of rails and the rear wheels roll along the outer wheel tracks. The second pair of rails is oriented such that downward forces placed on the front wheels of the fourth cart inhibit development of a horizontal force component tending to move the fourth cart rearwardly into the storage bay.

Scholarly publishing model needs an update

Science demands an overhaul of the well-established system of peer-review in scholarly communication. The current system is outmoded, inefficient, and slow. The only question is how! The speed of scientific discovery is accelerating, especially in the field of computing, with an increasing number of ways to communicate results to global research communities, and to facilitate the exchange of ideas, critiques, and information through blogs, social networks, virtual meetings, and other electronic media in real time. These changes represent an enormous opportunity for scientific publishing. Technology facilitated this acceleration, but technology alone will not provide the solution. Scientific discovery will not reduce or replace the need for good judgment, expertise, and quality should always take priority over speed. At times, these values are at odds with the speed of digital communication, and this is never more apparent than when spending a few spare moments reading general Twitter or Facebook posts in response to serious scholarly articles published online in established publications. The combination of social networking and scientific peer review is not a de facto home run. Nevertheless, if implemented well, technology can help to serve as a springboard for positive changes to the scholarly communication process. But it’s not clear how to measure the import or impact of these activities, or their ability to truly change the current system, which is still heavily dependent on a long established system of “publish or perish” in scholarly journals or conference proceedings. Many of the ways in which we communicate scientific discovery or conduct discourse are simply not counted in professional assessments, and this provides a negative incentive to changing the present system. The existing model of peer review is part of the problem, but the social system of rewarding only the long-established scholarly media (print/online journals and conference proceedings in the case of computer science) is also a major hurdle. The publication media that are accepted by the academic establishment happen to be those that take the most time to reach their intended readership. It is also worth noting that these media have stood the test of time. Science scholarly Publishing model needs an update DOI:10.1145/1866739.1866744 David Roman

Internet addiction: it's spreading, but is it real?

Communications’ news stories cover a lot of ground and sometimes raise a provocative question. A recent case in point: “Is Internet Addiction Real?” I was sure the answer to this question was ‘no’ after reading a story posted on the site that told of a 15-year-old boy who was beaten to death at an Internet addiction treatment center in China (http://cacm.acm.org/news/41829) that sounded more like a reeducation camp. That impression wasn’t lessened by the Chinese government’s estimate that 10% of its Internet users under the age of 18 are addicts. But I wavered when I learned that Internet addiction centers are growing outside China as well, in South Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. We published a story about ReSTART, an Internet detox center located a laser shot from Microsoft’s headquarters (http://cacm.acm.org/news/42675). It treats behaviors worthy of a

Interact naturally

P H o T o g R A P H b y L y n n b A R R y The mouse’s days are numbered. Computer interfaces that remove user-system barriers are in the works and are intuitive enough for first-time users to throw away the manual. The iPhone’s multitouch interface may have ushered in a wave of easier interfaces for the mass market, but it’s just the beginning. Many new and exciting replacements for the familiar point-and-click scheme are on the way. Skinput technology (http://www.chrisharrison.net/projects/skinput/) showcased at CHI 2010 (http://cacm.acm.org/news/83935) “appropriates” the human body as an input surface, says Carnegie Mellon Ph.D. student Chris Harrison, who developed SkinPut with Desney Tan and Dan Morris of Microsoft Research. Gaze-based interfaces are being considered for data input, search, and selection (http://portal.acm.org/toc.cfm?id=1743666&type=proceeding&coll=GU IDE&dl=GUIDE&CFID=86057285&CFTOKEN=34856226), and driving vehicles (http://cacm.acm.org/news/88018-car-steered-with-drivers-eyes/fulltext). Voice controls have boarded Ford cars (http://www.fordvehicles.com/technology/ sync/) and Apple smartphones. Gesture interfaces is another hot area in the interface arena. MIT Media Lab Ph.D. candidate Pravan Mistry’s Sixth Sense (http://www.pranavmistry.com/ projects/sixthsense/) gesture interface (http://cacm.acm.org/news/23600) received a standing ovation when it premiered at the TED conference in February 2009 (http://www.ted. com/talks/pattie_maes_ demos_the_sixth_sense. html). Using multitouch gestures like the iPhone, Sixth Sense does not require a dedicated screen, but like many advanced interfaces it does depend on specialized hardware. Microsoft’s Project Natal gesture interface (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Project_Natal) will give gamers hands-free control of the Xbox 360 in time for the holidays season. There are dozens of related YouTube videos at http://www. youtube.com/user/xboxprojectnatal. Its application outside gaming is not clear. Another promising but challenging area is the brain-machine interface (http:// cacm.acm.org/news/73070-building-a-brain-machine-interface/fulltext), which sounds less fact than fiction, but was in fact the focus of DARPA’s Augmented Cognition program (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/03/augcog-continue/). All these interfaces aim to give users a simple, natural way to interact with a system. Microsoft’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie says natural user interfaces will appear first with gaming and entertainment systems but “will certainly find application...in the communications domain.” To read more about the interfaces of the future, check out the newly revamped ACM student magazine XRDS (formerly Crossroads). The print edition is available now; look for magazine’s new Web site coming soon. interact naturally DOI:10.1145/1743546.1743552 David Roman ACM Member News

School grades need improvement

Much has been written over the last decade about the abysmal state of the education arms race in the U.S., particularly in the STEM disciplines. Two recent reports show how little has been done to redirect that trend and what will happen if the spiral does not end.

Previewing the new CACM web site

A smoke sensing detector for use with an indicating device comprises a chamber adapted to allow smoke to pass therethrough, an inner electrode carrying a radioactive source, a collector electrode having one or more holes and mounted on the inner electrode by insulating pillars, and an outer electrode. The collector and outer electrodes define a first ionization region, and the collector and inner electrodes define a second or reference ionizaton region which is comparatively little affected by the passage of smoke. Mounting the collector electrode on the inner electrode reduces costs, is easy and ensures that, in the event of insulation failure, the device is fail safe.

Print is not just ink anymore

The world of Communications is not contained in the pages of a monthly magazine. Like other publications, Communications has expanded over time into a variety of electronic formats for e-connected members and readers. Each format delivers something its counterparts do not. Digital Editions (http://mags.acm.org/ communications) present complete issues with familiar, flipable pages, but on full-screen and mobile systems. The Web site (http://cacm.acm.org) moves magazine content into HTML, and adds other articles, daily news, blogs, plus access to ACM’s abundant member services. Articles from Communications’ Virtual Extension (VE) are available from the Web site and ACM’s Digital Library (http://acm.org/dl); the print edition publishes only their summaries. Digital Editions, introduced in January 2008, have cleared the way for mobile apps and a mobile Web site, now in development, that will tailor content to handhelds. The goal of each format is to give users the content they want, where, when, and how they want it. Communications’ brand began taking e-steps before the relaunch of the Communications Web site in April 2009. The concept of the VE, in fact, was introduced in 1996, first as a biannual collection of articles available only in e-format—a pioneering step in publishing circles back then. Originally conceived as an outlet for articles that did not fit into page-constraints of the print edition, the VE is coming into its own, having evolved as a monthly editorial fixture since September 2008. Like Communications’ other formats, it will continue to evolve, and may become a component of a digital-first publishing strategy. The VE’s status is evidenced by the readership of its most popular articles listed here, which is on par with and in some cases exceeds that of print issue cover stories. The VE is establishing itself as a destination for authors and readers.

In case you missed it

The most popular content on Communications’ site is something many readers know nothing about. The BLOG@CACM (http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm) is original online material that does not appear in the monthly magazine except in abbreviated form (see page 10). Eleven entries from this blog were among the site’s 100 most popular articles in the first 14 months following its makeover, and seven landed in the top 50 (see below). That’s more articles than from any single section of the monthly magazine. These frontrunners show the strength and diversity of the blogs. Most were penned by regular contributors, but a couple were filed by guest bloggers from a major ACM conference. Communications is always looking for new bloggers: guests as well as new experts. The blogs generate a strong share of comments. In most of the cases cited here, the author is an active participant in the discussions, responding to questions, refining points, and bringing an immediacy and level of engagement the magazine cannot match. While it is clear that many readers are finding this content, it is also clear that many are not. A recent survey found that 40% of readers didn’t know or had no opinion about the BLOG@CACM, and 61% said the same about the site’s blogs overall (it also publishes a Blogroll at http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blogroll). If you are in the ‘don’t know’ category, here’s what you’ve missed. If you are interested in blogging for the BLOG@CACM as a regular contributor or from a conference, email blog@cacm.acm.org.

The corollary of empowerment

P H o t o G r a P H b y P a C I F I C n o r t H W e s t n a t I o n a l l a b o r a t o r y The unfilteredness of the Internet, while largely considered a plus, is taking some knocks. Abundant, easily accessible data sits side by side with “rumors, lies, and errors,” and the victim is science, according to Michael Specter. “Anyone can seem impressive with a good Web site and some decent graphics,” he writes in Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives, (Penguin Press, 2009) (http://www.amazon.com/ Denialism-Irrational-Thinking-Scientific-Threatens/dp/1594202303). The Internet contributes to a “dysfunctional relationship with science” because its structure and evolution have created a place “where misinformation is likely to thrive and good information has a harder and harder time competing,” says Chris Mooney, co-author of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future (Basic Books, 2009) (http://www.amazon.com/ Unscientific-AmericaScientific-lliteracy-Threatens/dp/0465013058), in an exchange with Specter on Slate (http://www.slate. com/id/2234719/entry/ 2234720/). Science is difficult, and “too many scientists don’t know how to explain it,” Mooney writes. That gives quackery some footing. “For every accurate science blogger, there is an extremely popular anti-science blogger or Web site....As a consequence, real science is constantly abused, and the most credible experts can barely keep up with all the nonsense, much less refute it,” Mooney says. Social networks can compound the abuse by spreading information deemed “interesting” more quickly than information that is not so interesting, according to researchers at IBM and Carlos III University of Madrid (http://cacm.acm.org/ news/50689). Indeed, Spanish researchers say their data “corroborates the predominant role of heterogeneity in social networks where the spread of information is concerned.” Misinformation is a corollary to Internet empowerment. A silver lining may be the example of Wikipedia that questions the assumption that truth will prevail online. The online encyclopedia dropped its trademark egalitarianism and gave control of some of its content to editors (http:// meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_needs_editors). “Some more security, some more procedure can make things more organized,” the site says, “[even] if it sounds anti-wiki.” The corollary of empowerment DOI:10.1145/1629175.1629182 David Roman ACM Member News

Where the data is

*41 year old white female *has a son, who is 17 not living with her, he is staying with her mother *alcohol is her drug of choice and she began drinking at age 35 (until 41) *august 9, 2005 attempted suicide and spent 7 days at harbor view, she went from there to thunderbird treatment center for inpatient treatment *not currently set up with intensive outpatient treatment *not currently with a mental health provider *goals: -find work -clean and sober housing -credit rebuilding *no current funding or insurance