Games and science key to economic success in Dundee
There are more than a dozen video games companies based in Dundee
UK cities have been urged to follow Dundee’s example of creating a booming hi-tech economy.
A report from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta) has been looking at ways of creating economic growth.
It said a revival of traditional manufacturing was unlikely but cities could encourage hi-tech development.
It cited Dundee, with its computer games and life science clusters, as a good example of a successful economy.
Nesta has put forward various scenarios for the UK and Scottish economies.
It has predicted that if there was investment in innovation and an increase in the the number of hi-tech companies, then growth and employment rates would rise.
“At a time when the UK needs to look for new sources of growth, providing the right conditions for hi-tech companies should be a priority”
Jonathan Kestenbaum Nesta
It has advised traditional manufacturing areas across the UK to follow the example of cities such as Dundee.
It plays host to two leading European clusters, in video games and life sciences.
There are more than a dozen video games companies based in the city.
Dundee University is rated among the best in the world for life sciences.
Jonathan Kestenbaum, Nesta’s chief executive, said: “At a time when the UK needs to look for new sources of growth, providing the right conditions for hi-tech companies should be a priority.”
He added: “We only need look at successful clusters across the UK such as the life sciences and video games cluster in Dundee to see what can be accomplished when policy works in the interest of enterprise and innovation.”
Reference Link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/10253221.stm
Courtesy
BBC News
Lasers could 'sense' vapours released by explosives
UK scientists claim to have developed laser technology able to sense hidden explosives.
The technology could help to detect landmines and roadside bombs and to improve airport security.
The team from University of St Andrews produced a laser by “pumping” a type of plastic called polyfluorene with photons from another light source.
They found the laser reacted with vapours from explosives such as TNT.
The work was published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
Graham Turnbull, a physicist at the University of St Andrew’s in Fife, UK, is one of the authors of the study.
He explained that the researchers created a mechanism able to sense TNT-like molecules frequently used in explosives at extremely low concentrations – less than 10 parts per billion.
“Floating above a landmine in Iraq or Afghanistan, there’s a very weak, dilute cloud of vapours of explosive molecules that the bomb is made from,” said the Dr Turnbull.
“Essentially it’s making an artificial nose for a robot dog”
Dr Graham Turnbull University of St Andrews
“A small number of these TNT-like molecules comes into contact with a plastic film that the laser is (produced) from, interacts with the light-emitting molecules in the laser and switches off the light emission.”
The scientist explained that this interaction of TNT-like molecules with the polymer chain provides a totally new way to stop the laser from working.
Ifor Samuel, Dr Turnbull’s colleague and a co-athor of the study, said that once developed, such mechanisms could sense any kind of explosive device – including roadside bombs – a major issue in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This technology is important because polymer lasers, since they’re made of plastic, could be made very easily and because it’s a very new property for a laser to have,” he said.
The plastic laser approach could detect lower concentrations of explosive
This sort of technique has been looked at in the past. But this is the first time researchers have used a polyfluorene plastic laser, said Dr Turnbull.
This allows the detection of much lower concentrations of explosive vapours, he added.
The scientist believes that one of the ways to use this type of laser would be to have it on a robotic, perhaps remotely controlled, vehicle that would be able to “sniff around” in a mine field, looking for vapour clouds.
“On a dusty road in Afghanistan there are relatively few things that might give you a false positive and it certainly could have potential in that area. Essentially it’s making an artificial nose for a robot dog,” said Dr Turnbull.
He also suggested using the system as a means to improve airport security, to detect explosive vapours coming from people’s luggage.
One of the selling points of plastic lasers is that they’re expected to be relatively low cost, as polyfluorene is widely available, added the scientist.
Reference Link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10257425.stm
Courtesy
BBC News
The case for changing the curriculum
The curriculum for excellence has been phased into schools
In three weeks time 55,000 pupils in Scotland will leave primary school and in August they will be the first wave of youngsters to be taught the curriculum for excellence in secondary school.
But what exactly is this new curriculum? Why has it become so controversial? In the first of three reports BBC Scotland’s education correspondent, Seonag MacKinnon, examines the case for change.
Two maths teachers once told me the first time they ever had to put their skills to practical use was in retirement.
They were in their new home in the Highlands and had to calculate the amount of curtain material needed for irregular shaped windows.
Even they seemed to wonder sometimes why youngsters were being taught subjects such as trigonometry and calculus.
Six years ago leading figures in education called for lessons in which there is an emphasis on learning skills and information which can be applied in the real world.
The cross party parliamentary grouping which included Mike Russell the Education secretary, then an opposition MSP, said after much deliberation that they also wanted to see lessons with more depth.
They argued one of the main weaknesses of the present curriculum was that it was a mile wide and an inch deep.
Pupils skate over the surface of a large amount of information, they said, and then memorise it to regurgitate it in essays and exams.
ITS PURPOSE
The purpose of Curriculum for Excellence is encapsulated in the four capacities
To enable each child or young person to be;
- a successful learner
- a confident individual
- a responsible citizen
- an effective contributor
Within months young people may have largely forgotten much of what they studied.
Peter Peacock, then education minister, was persuaded to authorise pared- down, more relevant lessons.
Some teachers argued weaknesses of the status quo had been exaggerated but on the whole the profession was behind the plan.
Since then the changes branded by the government as the “curriculum for excellence” have been phased into schools.
As the move to more hands-on and informal lessons had not constituted much of a revolution for primaries the change in this sector had been largely untroubled and was well under way.
From August all primary – and secondary schools – are expected to be operating the new curriculum although the government said it was likely to be phased in over months and years.
The goal is lessons with more depth and relevance.
Basic reading
But another objective is to tackle the taciturn, passive role many pupils play in class.
Employers and the wider world have often complained of school leavers’ limited ability to communicate with colleagues, bosses and clients and a limited ability to work effectively in a team.
And there have been many complaints that pupils struggle with basic reading, writing and numeracy.
Campaigners also say that in state schools only a minority seem to have a rounded education
Of late, if activities such as First Aid lessons and Duke of Edinburgh award schemes have been taking place at all, they have tended to be after school and attended only by those who stay behind.
The above is a summary of the case made for changing the curriculum.
Questions remain. Are the changes being properly implemented? Is there any real evidence they’ll work? And at any level are we taking a gamble with children’s future.
In my second piece I will explore some of these issues.
Reference Link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/scotland/10238249.stm
Courtesy
BBC News
Software lets students take exams at leisure
(Reuters) – British students might soon have the chance to take college exams in their own bedrooms at any time of the day or night — without being able to cheat.
U.S. firm Software Secure has developed a programme which is designed to make sure students stay honest while taking the exam by keeping them under surveillance and cutting off any access to cribbing material.
The software firstly locks down the use of all files and the internet, other than those specifically needed for the exam.
It then asks for a fingerprint test to ensure the candidate is the correct person and uses audio and video recording to ensure that the student is under exam conditions during the whole period.
The firm says on its website that it “brings the exam room into the computer age, making exam time less stressful for students, faculty and administrators.”
At least one college in Britain, the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, is experimenting with the system and others may follow suit. Several universities in the United States already have the system in place.
The National Union of Students gave the idea a cautious welcome.
“It would be one solution to problems faced by those who might have difficulty reaching a university campus for exams,” said a spokesman.
“However it must not be used as an excuse to further cut costs or corners by reducing the amount of contact time students have with staff.”
The company says it was designed for students with full-time jobs, or who have children and don’t have the flexibility to find an invigilator.
Reference Link
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65823Z20100609?type=technologyNews&feedType=nl&feedName=ustechnology
Courtesy
Thomson Reuters
Facing Misconduct Claims, Brooklyn Prosecutor Agrees to Free Man Held 15 Years
Facing questions about whether a high-ranking prosecutor’s actions during a murder investigation and trial constituted misconduct, the Brooklyn district attorney’s office agreed on Tuesday to allow a man imprisoned in that case to have his murder conviction vacated and his record cleared with the assurance that he will not be retried.
The agreement means that the man, Jabbar Collins, who 15 years ago was sentenced to 34 years to life in the murder of a Brooklyn landlord, will be freed later this week — the culmination of years of his own legal efforts to bring light to prosecutorial misconduct that he said deprived him of a fair trial.
The decision also spares officials from the Brooklyn district attorney’s office — most notably the hard-charging prosecutor who oversaw the case, Michael F. Vecchione — from being compelled to testify about the allegations of misconduct during a habeas corpus hearing that was set to resume this week.
The deal amounted to a rare and embarrassing admission by the Brooklyn district attorney’s office — which had initially insisted that Mr. Collins be retried — that the case had been mishandled.
Judge Dora L. Irizarry, of the United States District Court in Brooklyn, lamented that in agreeing to free Mr. Collins, the district attorney’s office had avoided a hearing that would have offered greater transparency into the case’s “troubling history.”
“It is indeed beyond disappointing, it is really sad that the district attorney’s office persists in standing firm and saying that it did nothing wrong here,” the judge said. She described the handling of the case by the district attorney’s office as “shameful.”
The case cast a new, unflattering glare on Mr. Vecchione, who has overseen numerous high-profile cases in Brooklyn and even was one of the authors of a book about his exploits in the “Mafia Cops” case. In that book, “Friends of the Family,” he described himself as “a prosecutor with a passion for justice who had spent most of his life trying to make sure bad things happened to bad people.”
But he has also been dogged by allegations of impropriety from defense lawyers, and former colleagues who say his eye for the spotlight and willingness to cut corners to win convictions have caused some cases to fall apart, including the high-profile murder trial of Roy Lindley DeVecchio, a former F.B.I. agent.
“Prosecutors are supposed to hit hard, but he went far beyond,” said Douglas E. Grover, who was Mr. DeVecchio’s lawyer.
From prison, Mr. Collins, 37, had amassed evidence of misconduct by Mr. Vecchione, whom he accused of “playing God” by threatening a witness with physical violence, failing to turn over exculpatory evidence to the defense, knowingly eliciting inaccurate testimony and making false statements.
Through a spokesman, Mr. Vecchione refused to comment on Tuesday. But in 2006, he offered a sworn affidavit denying any wrongdoing, saying that he held himself and those who worked for him “to a high professional standard.” Judge Irizarry described Mr. Vecchione’s statements in that affidavit as beyond credulity.
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, who was in office during Mr. Collins’s initial trial, vigorously defended Mr. Vecchione, who he said would not face any investigation or disciplinary action.
“Anyone who knows Mike Vecchione, who has ever seen him in action, knows that he is a very, very principled lawyer,” Mr. Hynes said. He also defended the office’s handling of the case and said the decision to drop it had nothing to do with the allegations of misconduct but rather the passage of time since the slaying.
Joel B. Rudin, who represented Mr. Collins in the hearing, called Mr. Vecchione’s conduct disgraceful. “I was looking forward to confronting him with his affidavit and his statements at the trial and comparing those statements to the truth,” he said. “Obviously in the final analysis, the district attorney did not want to expose Mr. Vecchione to cross-examination.”
Ellen Yaroshefsky, the director of the Jacob Burns Center for Ethics in the Practice of Law at Cardozo Law School, said the decision to free Mr. Collins without a hearing raised red flags. “It is important that the D.A.’s office examine what went wrong and hold individual prosecutors accountable for any misconduct,” she said. “Transparency and accountability are essential.”
The chain of events that led to vacating the case against Mr. Collins began last month when, after years defending the handling of the case, the district attorney’s office acknowledged that a key witness had briefly recanted his testimony in the presence of a prosecutor before trial, a fact never disclosed to the defense. The office, which said it had just discovered the information, offered to release Mr. Collins if he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter, but Mr. Collins declined, saying he was willing to risk retrial to clear his name.
Reference Link
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/nyregion/09vecchione.html?th&emc=th
Courtesy
The New York Times Company
A Gift for Grads: Start-Ups
If you have a son or daughter graduating from college this year, you’ve probably gotten the word. When meeting this year’s college grads it’s best not to ask: “Hey, what are you doing next year?” Too many recent graduates don’t have an answer. They can’t find jobs even remotely related to their fields. This year’s graduation theme is: “Don’t ask. Can’t say.”
We owe our young people something better — and the solution is not that complicated, although it is amazing how little it is discussed in the Washington policy debates. We need three things: start-ups, start-ups and more start-ups.
Good jobs — in bulk — don’t come from government. They come from risk-takers starting businesses — businesses that make people’s lives healthier, more productive, more comfortable or more entertained, with services and products that can be sold around the world. You can’t be for jobs and against business.
Alas, though, relations today between the Obama administration and “business” are pretty strained. I’m not talking about Wall Street, which deserves Obama’s lash. I’m talking about people who actually make stuff and sell it. I am talking about entrepreneurs and innovators. A surprising number of them told me they had voted for Obama, and an equally surprising number of them now tell me they’re unhappy. A lot of their criticism is unfair. Obama has never gotten the credit he deserves for stabilizing the terrifying economy he inherited — with virtually no help from Republicans. And business is never going to like anyone who raises income taxes, especially to pay for other people’s health care — even if it is in the national interest.
That said, I think part of the business community’s complaint about Obama has merit. Although there are many “innovation” initiatives ongoing in this administration, they are not well coordinated or a top priority or championed by knowledgeable leadership. This administration is heavily staffed by academics, lawyers and political types. There is no senior person who has run a large company or built and sold globally a new innovative product. And that partly explains why this administration has been mostly interested in pushing taxes, social spending and regulation — not pushing trade expansion, competitiveness and new company formation. Innovation and competitiveness don’t seem to float Obama’s boat. He could use a buoyant growth strategy.
What might that include? I asked two of the best people on this subject, Robert Litan, vice president of research and policy at the Kauffman Foundation, which specializes in innovation, and Curtis Carlson, the chief executive of SRI International, the Silicon Valley-based innovation specialists.
Carlson said he would begin by creating a cabinet position exclusively for promoting innovation and competitiveness to ensure that America remains “the world’s new company formation leader.” “Secretary Newco” would be focused on pushing through initiatives — including lower corporate taxes for start-ups, reducing costly regulations (like Sarbanes-Oxley reporting for new companies), and expanding tax breaks for research and development to make it cheaper and faster to start new firms. We need to unleash millions of entrepreneurs.
Litan said he’d staple a green card to the diploma of every foreign student who graduates from a U.S. university and push for a new meaningful entrepreneurs visa (the current one, the EB-5, requires $1 million of capital that few foreign entrepreneurs have). It would grant temporary residence to any foreigner who comes here to establish a company and permanent residency if that company generates a certain level of new full-time jobs and revenues. One of the best moves we could make, adds Litan, would be a long-term budget deal that would address the looming Social Security/Medicare payouts for baby boomers. Proving to the bond market that we have our long-term fiscal house in order would keep long-term interest rates low and thereby “encourage private investment more than any tax cut.”
Nevertheless, I’d also cut the capital gains tax for any profit-making venture start-up from 15 percent to 1 percent. I want our best minds to be able to make a killing from starting new companies rather than going to Wall Street and making a killing by betting against existing companies. I’d also impose a carbon tax and balance that with a cut in payroll taxes and corporate taxes. Let’s tax what we don’t want and encourage what we do.
“Fortunately, this is the best time ever for innovation,” said Carlson, for three reasons: “First, although competition is increasingly intense, our global economy opens up huge new market opportunities. Second, most technologies — since they are increasingly based on ideas and bits and not on atoms and muscle — are improving at rapid, exponential rates. And third, these two forces — huge, competitive markets and rapid technological change — are opening up one major new opportunity after another. It is a time of abundance, not scarcity — assuming we do the right things with a real national growth strategy. If we do not, it rapidly becomes a world of scarcity.”
Reference Link
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/opinion/09friedman.html?th&emc=th
Courtesy
The New York Times Company
Goodness Apple 
leave a comment