Phil Laplante

Quality in Conference Publishing

The rapid growth in the number of conferences and papers appearing in conference proceedings publications has increased the need to examine the issue of conference paper quality. Since conference content is included in permanent repositories, such as IEEEs Xplore, the existence of low-quality papers in a conference will degrade the value and reputation of the conference and the repository. The aim of this contribution is to consider these issues from the point of view of the Conference Publications Operations Committee of the IEEE Computer Society, and offer ideas that could lead to improved conference publishing quality for all IEEE societies and even non-IEEE entities.

Rethinking operating systems for rebooted computing

as the deceleration of processor scaling due to Moores law accelerates research in new types of computing structures, the need arises for rethinking operating systems paradigms. Traditionally, an operating system is a layer between hardware and applications and its primary function is in managing hardware resources and providing a common abstraction to applications. How does this function apply, however, to new types of computing paradigms? Are operating systems even needed for these new structures? This paper revisits operating system functionality for new computing paradigms. The structure of these new computers is uncertain as there are many possibilities such as neuromorphic, bio-inspired, adiabatic, reversible, approximate, quantum, combinations of these and others unforeseen [1]. We do know, however, that whatever these new computers will be, there will be some need to manage their resources, to provide programming support, to partition, scale, and connect them and to deal with (partial) failure, along with other traditional operating systems functionality. There might also be some new functionality, such as creating abstract control loops, reasoning about precision, new ways of reconfiguring, and more. We strongly believe that even if traditional operating systems functionality evolves, that the need for operating systems will remain in the new era of computing.

Technology Navigator: A tool for zoning in

Technology Navigator is an online tool, developed by IEEE volunteers, which enables students, faculty and professionals in engineering and the sciences to discover engineering content and events relevant to them, including conferences, publications, standards, and published articles. Tags and related tags, often based on a shared “market language,” are filtered across multiple disciplines and industry sectors. This provides “contextualized discovery” for users to chart their path through the overwhelming amount of resources available through IEEE Xplore. For experienced professionals and volunteers, the Technology Navigator tool is useful in discovering gaps and convergences in areas of interest, which were previously hidden in discipline silos. It also points out opportunities for collaboration in emerging and expanding areas. This paper examines the rationale for this tool and its usefulness to students and faculty in light of ABET 2000 engineering accreditation requirements. It also focuses on the challenges data population and maintenance by IEEE volunteers.

Trivial pursuit and IT applicant exams

Relying on trivia tests is risky at best and might cost you a good employee. The article suggests that the use of personality tests is also of doubtful effectiveness. It is suggested that candidates be required to talk in depth abut their past projects, that their behaviour over the course of time (including at lunch) be carefully observed, and that background checks be thoroughly conducted.