Microsoft book calls for 'data intensive' scientific discovery |
Follow the ups and downs of a new Seattle startup in a series of behind-the-scenes posts by its founders.
Today On Techflash
- LiquidPlanner hire, Paul Allen and more
- Tell us your sales horror stories
- Calbucci to sell Twitter list service
- A color screen for the next Kindle?
- Intelius co-founder released
- Isilon boosts CEO Patel's salary
- Windows chief: Battery alerts aren't a bug
- Fortune's list of 100 Best Places to Work
- Google vs. Facebook and Twitter?
Tech Events
Mass High Tech
- Gates, Ozzie, Microsoft execs patent 'personal data mining'
- Bill Gates, startup lessons and other top stories of the month
- Bill Gates' shirt, iPad vs. Kindle and other comments of the week
- Bill Gates on The Daily Show: 'I am a very loyal Microsoft user'
- Bill Gates on Daily Show tonight, maybe this time he'll stick around
Microsoft book calls for 'data intensive' scientific discovery
Microsoft Research this morning is releasing a new book that aims to draw attention to the potential of bringing together large amounts of data from different repositories to help scientists make discoveries. The book, "The Fourth Paradigm," is available for free download.
The book builds on the work of Jim Gray, the Turing Award-winning Microsoft researcher who was lost at sea in January 2007. The introduction is based on a talk Gray gave earlier that month to the National Research Council's Computer Science and Telecommunication Board, in which he called for better ways of collecting and curating data, and making it publicly available in "digital data libraries" to help advance scientific work.
Microsoft's hope is to "democratize science, and make it easier for scientists to do their science without having to worry about the nuts and bolts of computing infrastructure," said Tony Hey, the Microsoft External Research corporate vice president.
The rest of the book contains essays on the implications for health care and the environment, written by researchers from Microsoft and other institutions around the world. The conclusion describes the book as "as a call to action for the entire research community, governments, funding agencies, and the public."
"We urge collaboration toward a common goal of a better life for all humanity," write the editors in the book's conclusion. "We find ourselves in a phase in which we need to use our scientific understanding to achieve specific goals for the sake of humanity’s survival. It is clear that to achieve this aim, we very much need experts with deep scientific knowledge to work closely with those who have deep experience with technology."
About Todd Bishop
Todd Bishop is co-founder and managing editor of TechFlash. He has covered Microsoft and the technology industry for more than five years, most recently as a daily newspaper reporter and blogger based in Seattle.
READ FULL BIOGRAPHYRecent Sponsor Posts
Join the Microsoft WebsiteSpark program and get software, support and visibility – at no upfront cost. You’ll benefit from fast and easy access to current Microsoft development tools, platform technology and server products including Visual Studio, Expression Studio, Silverlight, Windows Web Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 Web.
Seattle-based Adhost is a WebsiteSpark hosting partner providing dedicated servers with free Windows Web Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 licensing for three years to Web developers enrolled in WebsiteSpark. Servers are located in our secure data center with SAS 70 Type II certification, 24x7 technical support and 24x7 client access.
WTIA 15th Annual Industry Achievement Awards
Held on March 4th at the Showbox SODO, this casual event celebrates and recognizes some of the best emerging and established companies in the Washington Tech Industry. The evening will feature a finalist company technology showcase and a variety of coffee, chocolate, and wine samples from local companies. More than 800 attendees are expected to be present at the celebration. Public online voting for Technology Leader of Tomorrow Scholarships will open February 3rd on the WTIA site.
We congratulate the 2010 finalists and look forward to unveiling the winners on March 4th. REGISTER NOW!
Mobile applications are a cutting-edge way to extend your brand’s reach into the hands of consumers 24/7. Increase loyalty and customer engagement by developing a targeted and effective mobile application. Learn the basics about mobile applications by reading our white paper Beyond the iPhone: Engaging Customers with Mobile Applications.
If you’re considering a mobile initiative for Q1-2010, now is the time to get started. The white paper covers: Venturing into Mobile Application Development, Typical Problems to Avoid, and Developing the Solution. Reaxion is a Seattle-based mobile application development company focused on start-to-finish project management and cost-effective development. Download Beyond the iPhone: Engaging Customers with Mobile Applications.
From the trenches
Job Listings
- Registered Health Information Technician (Forms & Records Analyst 2)
- State of Washington Department of Corrections
- Principal SDE - Project Natal - Gameplay Engineering - 711621
- Microsoft Corporation
- Senior Web Analyst - 705536
- Microsoft Corporation
- Telecommunications Consultant (I)
- Sparling Electrical & Technology Consulting
- Senior SDET - 706910
- Microsoft Corporation
