Parallel Programming & Parallel Computing Information and Resources

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Coding4Fun Articles We've all cringed as a hopelessly out of tune contestant appears on the latest episode of “American Idol.” Occasionally, there's a contestant who manages to be pitch perfect all the way through—right until they flub the final note. And in the cutthroat world of televised auditions, sing one slightly flat note and you're out. So what takes care of a bad-pitch day? Autotune—an effect that corrects the pitch of your voice so you'll never again sing out of tune. How to Hunt Elephants MATHEMATICIANS hunt elephants by going to Africa, throwing out everything that is not an elephant, and catching one of whatever is left. EXPERIENCED MATHEMATICIANS will attempt to prove the existence of at least one unique elephant before proceeding to step 1 as a subordinate exercise. PROFESSORS OF MATHEMATICS will prove the existence of at least one unique elephant and then leave the detection and capture of an actual elephant as an exercise for their graduate students. COMPUTER SCIENTISTS hunt elephants by exercising Algorithm A:

Wasting Hackers' Time to Keep Websites Safe Most security software defends PCs and websites by acting like a locked door to shut hackers out. A new security company, Mykonos Software, instead invites hackers in through a fake entrance and plays tricks on them until they give up. “If you break in, I want to have fun with you,” says David Koretz, CEO of Mykonos. Koretz claims that the computer security industry is too timid—he advocates making hackers’ lives tedious and difficult instead. Mykonos sells software intended to protect websites against attacks—like those on Sony’s websites last year that yielded thousands of credit-card numbers—aimed at gaining access to valuable data such as user credentials. When Mykonos’s software identifies an attacker, it tries to waste the hacker’s time by offering false data such as phony software vulnerabilities and fake passwords.

Become a Programmer, Motherfucker If you don't know how to code, then you can learn even if you think you can't. Thousands of people have learned programming from these fine books: Learn Python The Hard Way Learn Ruby The Hard Way Pointer Basics This document introduces the basics of pointers as they work in several computer languages -- C, C++, Java, and Pascal. This document is the companion document for the Pointer Fun with Binky digital video, or it may be used by itself. This is document 106 in the Stanford CS Education Library. This and other free materials are available at cslibrary.stanford.edu. Some documents that are related to this one include... Section 1 -- Pointer Rules

NIST Expands Database of Common Coding Errors to Detect Software Bugs - Security The National Institute of Standards and Technology expanded its database of software flaws to help developers avoid introducing bugs into their code right from the start. The Software Assurance Metrics and Tool Evaluation (SAMATE) Reference Dataset contains examples of software issues that could leave applications vulnerable to attackers. Version 4.0 of SAMATE, released Nov. 22, contains 175 broad categories of weaknesses with over 60,000 specific cases, more than doubling the number of categories that were included in the previous release. SAMATE was launched in 2004 to improve software assurance by making it easier to identify and exclude known issues. The database helps developers test software offerings for known security vulnerabilities before going to market. "It brings rigor into software assurance, so that the public can be more confident that there are fewer dangerous weaknesses in the software they use," said Michael Koo, project leader at NIST.

14 Concept Appliances That Need To Be Made Concept appliances give us a peek into the future. They are often aesthetically pleasing and offer interesting and unique features; however, it is a rare concept appliance that makes it off of the drawing board and into the showroom. Unrealistic designs, high production costs and lack of consumer demand are often the reason for many ideas to be scrapped. Yet, here are 14 interesting concept appliances that have made it to the model stage and look so good that we hope they go into development soon. The iBasket is a hamper/washer/dryer combo. The transparent iBasket stores your dirty clothes.

50 Fresh Free Fonts of 2010 Though there's a broad variety of fonts available for download online, designers keep on tracing the fresh ones to enhance their design copy, a website, brochure, or even an advertisement in a brand new an' awesome way. Still, the free stuff could not always boast of good quality – premium goodies always demand some kind of money investment. However, now it's possible to find the appropriate font that's free, clear, beautiful, and effective for design purposes. Many great designers are now offering professional quality fonts completely for free. Today's round-up actually goes outside the standard font variety. We've managed to gather a collection of 50 novelty styled free fonts which you can instantly download and use to add a powerful impact for your designs.

Hallmarks of a Great Developer - Test Guide If you ask me, I'll tell you a great developer Plans before coding A great developer takes the time to plan an approach before designing or coding. A great developer knows that the time required to do so will be more than paid back by the time saved by getting it more right the first time. Operating Systems Tech Support: "May I ask what operating system you are running today?"Customer: "A computer." A girl walked into the computer center where I work. She said she was having problems with her Mac. I asked what kind of Mac she had. In an indignant voice, she replied, "Duh, Intosh."

robot adapts to injury Lindsay France/University Photography Graduate student Viktor Zykov, former student Josh Bongard, now a professor at the University of Vermont, and Hod Lipson, Cornell assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, watch as a starfish-like robot pulls itself forward, using a gait it developed for itself. the robot's ability to figure out how it is put together, and from that to learn to walk, enables it to adapt and find a new gait when it is damaged. Nothing can possibly go wrong ... go wrong ... go wrong ...