UIUC Unveils the Worlds Most Advanced Building
Eagle5596 writes "The University of Illinois at Urbana
Champaign, one of the top Computer
Science programs in the world has just officially opened their new $80
million Siebel
Center. The department head describes the building as a
single computing entity, meant to be programmed and to interact with those
in the building via RFID tags in their ID cards.
This is probably one of
the biggest and most expensive projects in ubiquitous computing ever
launched, touching on all the important issues in this field, from privacy to the ultimate question about the usefulness of such a system. Several papers are covering this including the Chicago Sun Times, and the Chicago
Business"
I'm sorry Dave, I can't let you in. Your GPA is too low this semester.
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living."
- Seneca
keeping the soda machines near me full of Dew, it's a good thing.
"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
Does that mean the building is wildly overpriced and requires expensive consultants in suits to do anything right?
sulli
RTFJ.
...Imagine a beowulf cluster of those
Sorry
In Soviet Russia Slashdot cliches use you
Now, when you go down the hall, the "Buildy" mascot asks things like. "You appear to be walking to the bathroom. Would you like some help?"
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Clap on. Clap off. What else is there?
This proves the point that all things human go in cycles. First computers were the size of buildings, then they shrunk down to fit in the palm, now they are becoming the size of buildings again.
_____
Thank you.
The real issue with privacy of course is turning off the location function when you don't want something embarressing happening. I present the following situation as evidence:
Johnny wanted to find Professor X to ask a question about his research paper, approaching the wall he intoned, "Computer, please locate Professor X."
In a booming voice the wall responded, "Professor X is currently in Stall 5 of the Bathroom on the second floor, logging in."
Where is a link to pictures? If there aren't pictures of gadgets, no one cares.
Nice to know that the welcoming avatar has blue hair. Because that's the future, apparently.
I bet they'd fire the receptionist of he/she dyed their hair blue, or they'd refuse to hire the same, but as soon as you need to represent the future, it has blue hair.
Just like Strong Bad has a Japanese cartoon character: http://homestarrunner.com/sbemail57.html
'Thats they exact same thing a banana wrench monkey.'
I can't believe on the eve of the night when my school's unveiling the most technologically advanced building in the world, the campus mail is down >=( Prioritize, much?
2 hours later the building was declared obsolete by new technologies...
When it crashes does it become the BBOD (Blue Building of Death)?
Now all you need to get back at a professor you don't like is hack into the building's computer, and turn off the air conditioning in whatever room he goes into.
Sweet revenge!
-S
...when caught from a bar near by:
"Nooo. Can't go to school, they're running critical updates on our building today!"
Come to Kenya, we've got lions.
And also Masai. The lions don't impress me as being terribly crazy about that arrangement. There's just no pleasing some people.
Coincidentally I happen to be dressed as a Masai right now, right down to the traditional trapazoidal sandals (but when I track down a good bad tire I'll do up a pair of Ho Chi Maas). Very simple, but elegant mode of dress. One might well describe it as "Classic, but slightly dated." In fact, it's basically Classical Greek. I don't know why most northern writers refer to it as "Roman." Classical Greek dress doesn't look anything like Roman and is the very antithesis of the toga, which now just looks old. Old and stupid.
I'm not at all sure how a Masai would react to a white American dressed like a Masai, but it seems that here in upstate NY people either look at you funny or pretend they're not looking at all. In NYC, of course, nobody looks at anything anymore.
I'll match my walking ability with any man, anywhere, including Masai, but admit I can't jump for shit.
KFG
Nice building.
Shame they didn't get a spell-checker with it. I believe the reference to "Accomodations" on the main page of their website should read "Accommodations".
Ho hum. Am I being too picky?
Even big safes full of bonds and stuff do that, as I learned watching "Die Hard."
That's when you want to mod the moderators, +1, Irony. :-)
More than mere navel gazing.
HAL 9000 is from hereabouts. Perhaps you've heard of him. Granted, he did kill a few people, but no one is perfect...
They failed to mention whether caffeine was gratis or not.
If it's free, I'm going to college.
Assume I was drunk when I posted this.
So now I know why they bought and knocked down my old apartment building!