IT Happens : August 2004
Monthly News Notice of IT Happenings
Issue - 38

Olympic's Special

Feature of the Month

ELECTRONIC SECURITY
At Athens Olympics a highly sophisticated security software was used with street surveillance cameras to create digital security guards with intelligence- gathering skills. 
The system was developed by a consortium led by San Diego-based Science Applications International Corp. It gathers images and audio from an electronic web of over 1,000 high-resolution and infrared cameras, 12 patrol boats, 4,000 vehicles, nine helicopters, a sensor-laden blimp and four mobile command centers. Spoken words collected by the cameras with speech-recognition software are transcribed into text that is then searched for patterns along with other electronic communications entering and leaving the area -- including e-mail and image files.
The system, which includes components already used by U.S. and British government intelligence agencies, covers all of greater Athens, nine ports, airports and all other Olympic cities. It allows the users to manage a critical incident in the best way possible and in the shortest time possible because they have all the information in front of them.

(Source: www.cnn.com)

Quote - IT

Finishing second in the Olympics gets you silver. 
Finishing second in technology gets you oblivion.

Personality Of The Month

Mr. Jyrki Nummenmaa is the technical head of organizational committee for Olympics 2004. He has worked as a professor of computer science for some number of years at the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Tampere. He is basically dealing with the program design of Olympics.
He has done his Ph.D. in computer Science from University of Tampere, Finland. His special skills include program design and programming skills in several languages (Java, Perl, C++, c, prolog, Eiffel. Modula-2, Pascal, X-base, P/SQL etc. ) Extensive knowledge in databases, theoretical computer science, operating systems, practical computing, logic, classical and 20th century philosophy, and Western, Russian and Oriental literature.
His language skills along with Finnish include English, French, German, Swedish and Japanese. He has served in several positions during his career as Scientist,CERN, Geneva, specialized in grid, physics computation and distributed WebData management facilities, Researcher at university of Tampere, Technical adviser for an electronic library project etc.

IT Snippets 

HIGH -TECH FABRIC DEBUT’S AT OLYMPICS

High-tech apparel company Zensah Performance makes its debut on the international sports scene at the Olympic Games in Athens. Members of Israel's judo team Udi Vaks and Gal Yekutiel wore Zensah sportswear during the games.

Zensah introduces the first seamless compression shirt for athletes. Zensah seamless apparel enhances athletic performance by providing superior moisture management, and greater range of motion than conventional cut-and-sew shirts. The seamless construction allows for a more streamlined “second skin” fit which eliminates chafing and reduces drag

The Zensah™ “cool & dry” effect is attributed to silver filaments incorporated in the Zensah™
fabric. The innovative fabric regulates body temperature keeping athletes cool & dry in the 
summer and preserving body warmth in the winter.

(Source: ™,(http://www.zensah.com/ )

MOBILE APPLICATIONS AT OLYMPICS

Crisp Wireless innovative mMode Olympic Games applications provide users with instant on- the- go access to a wide variety of Olympic Games information through any compatible phone.

The mLogicTM platform allows Crisp Wireless to quickly deploy full-featured multimedia applications and gives clients a single point for publishing content to Java/BREW and xHTML/WML handsets. Crisp Wireless combines advanced mLogic technology with extensive mobile industry experience. mLogic is a robust content management system and a central repository for data that can be rendered to both downloadable or executable applications and mobile websites/WAP-sites.

It provides users with up-to-the-minute Olympic information, including news stories, event schedules, results, medal counts, country profiles and even an exclusive Michael Phelps diary.

(Source : www.prnewswire.com)

Web Watch 
http://www.athens2004.com
This official website of the Athens 2004 Olympic games links you to the ongoing activities at Athens, where the 2004 olympics are currently in progress.
It gives you a look at the daily schedule of events along with the results . The highlights of the day, current results etc. It also updates you with the vehicular circulation arrangements, a look at the city of Athens , weather forecast etc. Also one can book one’s ticket online along with accommodation.
For those interested in knowing the history of Olympics and memorable moments attached with the game the website provides sufficient matter. In its FAQ column one can get answers to questions like meaning of the rings in the Olympic symbol, why games are held every four years etc. So log on to the site to update yourself with the latest at Olympics 2004.

IT Humour 

Olympic Ice-Skating

It is the Olympic men's figure skating. Out comes the Russian competitor, he skates around to some classical music in a slightly dull costume, performs some excellent leaps but without any great artistic feel for the music 

The Judges' scores read: Britain 5.8: Russia 5.9: United States 5.5: Ireland 6.0 Next comes the American competitor in a sparkling stars and stripes costume, skating to some rock and roll music. He gets the crowd clapping, but is not technically as good as the Russian. He slightly misses landing a triple Salchow and loses the center during a spin. But, artistically, it is a more satisfying performance.

The Judges' scores read: Britain 5.8: Russia 5.5: United States 5.9: Ireland 6.0 
Finally out comes the Irish competitor wearing a tatty old donkey jacket, with his skates tied over his wellies. He reaches the ice, trips straight away and bangs his nose which starts bleeding. He tries to get up, staggers a few paces then slips again. He spends his entire 'routine' getting up then falling over again. Finally he crawls off the ice a tattered and bleeding mess. 
The Judges' scores read: Britain 0.0: Russia 0.0: United States 0.0: Ireland 6.0 
The other 3 judges turn to the Irish judge and demand in unison, "How the hell can you give that mess6.0?!" 

To which the Irish judge replies "You've gotta remember, it's damn slippery out there." 


IT Quiz 

  1. What is HDTV?
  2. What is IBM Fan Mail ?

IT Quiz Solutions

  1. HDTV stands for high definition television. It is a significant advancement in broadcast technology that will allow the viewer to experience television the same way we see films in a movie theater. The HDTV picture is digital and, therefore, higher in quality. It offers clearer images, richer color and more detail (often called "resolution") than what is currently being seen on your analog TV set. In HDTV, the shape of the television screen will change to look more like the screen in a movie theater. 
  2. IBM FanMail is an Internet program that allows people from around the world to send "good luck” or congratulatory messages. Presently it is being used by fans to send good luck messages to Olympic athletes.