Ubiquitous computing

Read the following words and word combinations and use them for understanding and translation of the text:

discrete - дискретный

ubiquitous - повсеместный, вездесущий

pervasive - распространенный, всеобъемлющий

to communicate - сообщать, передавать

to tag - добавлять

to track - прослеживать

to predict - прогнозировать

tiny - крошечный

to embed - встраивать

to run out - кончаться, истощаться

ambient - окружающий

to attune (to) – настраивать (на)

dashboard - информационная панель

cue - сигнал, намек

seamlessly - легко, беспрепятственно, без проблем

wearable - носимый

Traditionally people have thought of computers as discrete devices used for specific purposes such as to send e-mail or browse the Web. However, many researchers and futurists are looking toward a new paradigm that is rapidly emerging. Ubiquitous (or pervasive) computing focuses not on individual computers and tasks but on a world where most objects (including furniture and appliances) have the ability to communicate information. Kevin Ashton, a British technologist who created a system for tagging and tracking objects using radio frequencies, has predicted a future where everything is connected to the internet via tiny computer chips embedded within, or as he called it “the Internet of things”. A fridge is already available with an on-board computer, allowing it to know its contents, order food when you run out and even suggest suitable recipes, before setting the oven to the right cooking temperature. It is also currently possible to control an entire room- the thermostat, light switch, TV, stereo etc.- all from a tablet or smartphone using wirelessly connected chips in each of the controlled devices.

“The internet of things” can be viewed as the third phase in a process where the emphasis has gradually shifted from individual desktops (1980s) to the network and Internet (1990s) to mobile presence and the ambient environment.

Some examples of ubiquitous computing might include:

- picture frames that display pictures attuned to the user’s activities

- “dashboard” devices that can be set to display changing information such as weather and stock quotes

- parking meters that can provide verbal directions to nearby attractions

- kiosks or other facilities to provide verbal cues to guide travelers, such as through airports

- home monitoring systems that can sense and deal with accidents or health emergencies.

Ubiquitous computing greatly increases the ability of people to seamlessly access information for their daily activities. But the fact that the user is in effect “embedded” in the network can also raise issues of privacy and the receiving of unwanted advertising or other information.

An early center of research in ubiquitous computing was Xerox PARC, famous for its development of graphical user interface. Today a major force is MIT, especially its Project Oxygen, which explores networks of embedded computers. This challenging research area brings together aspects of many other fields (artificial intelligence, distributed computing, psychology of computing, smart buildings and homes, touchscreen, user interface, and wearable computers).

Notes:

XeroxPARC (Xerox Palo Alto Research Center) - научно-исследовательский центр, основанный в 1970. В 2002 году PARC стал отдельной компанией (в собственности Xerox)

MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Project Oxygen - исследовательский проект MIT для разработки вездесущих вычислений