Abstract: To identify the determinants of cross-country disparities in personal computer and Internet penetration, we examine a panel of 161 countries over the 1999-2001 period. Our candidate variables include economic variables (income per capita, years of schooling, illiteracy, trade openness), demographic variables (youth and aged dependency ratios, urbanization rate), infrastructure indicators (telephone density, electricity consumption), telecommunications pricing measures, and regulatory quality. With the exception of trade openness and the telecom pricing measures, these variables enter in as statistically significant in most specifications for computer use. A similar pattern holds true for Internet use, except that telephone density and aged dependency matter less. The global digital divide is mainly – but by no means entirely – accounted for by income differentials. For computers, telephone density and regulatory quality are of second and third importance, while for the Internet, this ordering is reversed. The region specific explanations for large disparities in computer and Internet penetration are generally very similar. Our results suggest that public investment in human capital, telecommunications infrastructure, and the regulatory infrastructure can mitigate the gap in PC and Internet use.

Abstract: Winner of the Business, Management & Accounting category in the 2006 Professional/Scholarly Publishing Annual Awards Competition presented by the Association of American Publishers, Inc. Software platforms are the invisible engines that have created, touched, or transformed nearly every major industry for the past quarter century. They power everything from mobile phones and automobile navigation systems to search engines and web portals. They have been the source of enormous value to consumers and helped some entrepreneurs build great fortunes. And they are likely to drive change that will dwarf the business and technology revolution we have seen to this point. Invisible Engines examines the business dynamics and strategies used by firms that recognize the transformative power unleashed by this new revolutiona revolution that will change both new and old industries. The authors argue that in order to understand the successes of software platforms, we must first understand their role as a technological meeting ground where application developers and end users converge. Apple, Microsoft, and Google, for example, charge developers little or nothing for using their platforms and make most of their money from end users; Sony PlayStation and other game consoles, by contrast, subsidize users and make more money from developers, who pay royalties for access to the code they need to write games. More applications attract more users, and more users attract more applications. And more applications and more users lead to more profits. Invisible Engines explores this story through the lens of the companies that have mastered this platform-balancing act. It offers detailed studies of the personal computer, video game console, personal digital assistant, smart mobile phone, and digital media software platform industries, focusing on the business decisions made by industry players to drive profits and stay a step ahead of the competition. Shorter discussions of Internet-based software platforms provide an important glimpse into a future in which the way we buy, pay, watch, listen, learn, and communicate will change forever. An electronic version of this book is available under a Creative Commons license.

Abstract: Throughout this book we've emphasized the importance of bringing users into the interface design process. However, as a designer you'll also need to evaluate the evolving design when no users are present. Users' time is almost never a free or unlimited resource. Most users have their own work to do, and they're able to devote only limited time to your project. When users do take time to look at your design, it should be as free as possible of problems. This is a courtesy to the users, who shouldn't have to waste time on trivial bugs that you could have caught earlier. It also helps build the users' respect for you as a professional, making it more likely that they will give the design effort serious attention. A second reason for evaluating a design without users is that a good evaluation can catch problems that an evaluation with only a few users may not reveal. The numbers tell the story here: An interface designed for a popular personal computer might be used by thousands of people, but it may be tested with only a few dozen users before beta release. Every user will have a slightly different set of problems, and the testing won't uncover problems that the few users tested don't have. It also won't uncover problems that users might have after they get more experience. An evaluation without users won't uncover all the problems either. But doing both kinds of evaluation significantly improves the chances of success.

Abstract: A network-enabled audio device that provides a display device that allows the user to select playlists of music much like a jukebox is disclosed. The user can compose playlists from disk files, CD's, Internet streaming audio broadcasts, online music sites, and other audio sources. The user can also select a desired Web broadcast from a list of available Web broadcasts. In addition, the user can play standard audio CD's and MP3 encoded CD's and have access to local AM/FM stations. Further, the software, the user controls, and the display in the network-enabled audio device are operably configured and connected such that the user can listen to playlists that include CD's and other audio sources just as the user would choose a playlist in a jukebox. The user accesses a server site via a PC and the Internet. From the server site, the user obtains a list of the devices in his or her Internet Personal Audio Network (IPAN) and what songs are on those devices. The IPAN includes an IPAN server, an IPAN client, and IPAN software stored on the network-enabled audio device. Thus, the network-enabled audio device provides people who are or are not comfortable with computers a way of taking music from various sources and putting it into one place for listening pleasure. In one embodiment, the Personal Computer (PC) is used to compose the playlists, but the user is able to listen to playlists and other audio sources without using the PC.

Abstract: Why listen to us? -- The essence of innovation: how Frank hit a home run -- Innovate or die: the exponential economy -- Discipline 1: Important needs. Work on important customer and market needs: the RFID tag -- Creating customer value: your only job -- Discipline 2: value creation. It's as simple as NABC: how Liz got her big job -- Watering holes for creating value: the day the BBC walked in -- More ideas for faster value creation: origins of Linux -- Your elevator pitch: how HDTV began -- Your innovation plan: from the ski slope to the firehouse -- Discipline 3: innovation champions. A champion: the Mayor of Kellyville -- Discipline 4: innovation teams. Genius of teams: Douglas Engelbart and the birth of the personal computer -- Forming the innovation team: how we won an Emmy for HDTV -- Overcoming blockages to innovation: Jim Torpedoes a splended idea -- Innovation motivators: saving Larry's life -- Discipline 5: organizational alignment. Your innovation team: you can start now -- The innovation enterprise: continuous value creation (CVC) throughout -- Innovation's five disciplines: a foundation for national competitiveness in a world of abundance -- Appendix: value factor analysis.

Abstract: Computer and Internet use, especially in developing countries, has expanded rapidly in recent years. Even in light of this expansion in technology adoption rates, penetration rates differ markedly between developed and developing countries and across developing countries. To identify the determinants of cross-country disparities in personal computer and Internet penetration, both currently and over time, we examine panel data for 161 countries over the 1999-2004 period. We explore the role of a comprehensive set of economic, demographic, infrastructure, institutional and financial factors in contributing to the global digital divide. We find evidence indicating that income, human capital, the youth dependency ratio, telephone density, legal quality and banking sector development are associated with technology penetration rates. Overall, the factors associated with computer and Internet penetration do not differ substantially between developed and developing countries. Estimates from Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions reveal that the main factors responsible for low rates of technology penetration rates in developing countries are disparities in income, telephone density, legal quality and human capital. In terms of dynamics, our results indicate fairly rapid reversion to long run equilibrium for Internet use, and somewhat slower reversion for computer use, particularly in developed economies. Financial development, either measured as bank lending or the value of stocks traded, is also important to the growth rate of Internet use.

Abstract: A remote gaming systems whereby a player can gamble against a wagering establishment or state-run lottery from a remote location on a personal computer or portable computer device where it is unnecessary to establish an on-line connection with a host computer associated with the wagering establishment, the gaming computer having associated gaming software for providing at least one wagering opportunity and enabling the player to obtain gambling credit and cash-out any resulting winnings, the host computer enabling the player to purchase and redeem gambling credit at the remote location in one embodiment of the invention using cryptographic protocols such as through a series of authenticatable message exchanges between the player and the wagering establishment, the gaming computer and the host computer directly on-line, or the gaming computer having a detachable tamper-resistant or tamper-evident credit module associated therewith or for use with a personal computer being provided to the player with preinstalled or preloaded gambling credit, the gaming system also enabling participation in future events of which the outcome is uncertain such as, for example, a lottery whereby the player makes selections on a gaming computer at a remote location.

Abstract: A video surveillance system (10) comprises a camera (25), a personal computer (PC) (27) and a video monitor (29). Video processing software is provided on the hard disk drive of the PC (27). The software is arranged to perform a number of processing operations on video data received from the camera, the video data representing individual frames of captured video. In particular, the software is arranged to identify one or more foreground blobs in a current frame, to match the or each blob with an object identified in one or more previous frames, and to track the motion of the or each object as more frames are received. In order to maintain the identity of objects during an occlusion event, an appearance model is generated for blobs that are close to one another in terms of image position. Once occlusion takes place, the respective appearance models are used, in combination with a depth factor representing the depth order of the occluded objects, to segment the resulting group blob into regions which are classified as representing one or other of the merged objects.

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing various types of content and devices, such as via a user interface of a Content Management (“CM”) system executing on a computing device. In some situations, the content being managed includes television-related programming content and/or other types of content (e.g., one or more channels of scheduled digital music and/or on-demand digital music, photos and other images, etc.). In some situations, the content managing is performed via a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone or other cellular telephone, PDA or other electronic organizer, etc.) via a CM system user interface displayed on the mobile device, such as to allow a user of the mobile device to access some or all of the functionality of the CM system that would otherwise be available via a CM system GUI displayed on a general-purpose personal computer, as well as to synchronize with such a GUI in various ways.

Abstract: Over the last decade, new information and communication technologies have lived a secret life. For individuals and institutions around the world, this constellation of mobile phones, personal computers, the internet, software, games, and other computing objects have supported a complex set of religious and spiritual needs. In this paper, I offer a survey of emerging and emergent techno-spiritual practices, and the anxieties surrounding their uptake. I am interested in particular in the ways in which religious uses of technology represent not only a critique of dominant visions of technology's futures, but also suggest a very different path(s) for ubiquitous computing's technology envisioning and development.

Abstract: In some of the embodiments described herein, a vehicle information system may be used to generate route map information, schedule information, estimated time of arrival information, or the like based upon location information received from passenger-carried or cargo-carried wireless devices, such as passengers' cellular phones. In such circumstances, a remote device (e.g., a display device at a vehicle station, a network-connected personal computer, or a cellular phone of a person who might board a mass transit vehicle) may access the route map information, schedule information, and other information related to one or more mass transit vehicles.

Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between technology use and skills and the use of constructivist instructional practices among teachers in rural schools. Teachers in this study responded to Moersch’s instrument, the Levels of Technology Implementation (Lo Ti). The Lo Ti was administered to the fourth and eighth grade teachers in 11 school districts to determine if levels of classroom technology use and personal computer use predicted the use of constructivist instructional practices. Results indicate that there is a significant, positive relationship between both levels of classroom technology use and personal computer use and the use of constructivist instructional practices, with personal computer use being the strongest predictor.

Abstract: A method of diagnosing a status of a vehicle. The vehicle has an on-board computer for generating a diagnostic trouble code signal related to a passed or problem status of the vehicle. A portable code reader is connected to the on-board computer. Diagnostic trouble code signals are communicated from the on-board computer to the code reader. The code reader communicates to a personal computer respective ones of the diagnostic trouble code signals related to a problem status of the vehicle. The personal computer communicates the respective ones of the diagnostic trouble code signals from the personal computer to a remote computer. The remote computer is configured to correlate the diagnostic trouble code signals to problem description data for diagnosing the vehicle. Problem description data correlated to the respective ones of the diagnostic trouble code signals are communicated from the remote computer to the personal computer.

Abstract: The internet is arguably the largest accumulation of information in one place, yet its own beginnings remain largely undocumented. In researching his recent book, John Markoff collected oral histories from many of the Stanford-area researchers whose technological inventions defined the both modern internet and personal computer. In his talk, Markoff will explore the role that the counterculture and anti war movements of the 1960s and 1970s played in the work of these researchers as they created what would later be called the "world's largest legal accumulation of wealth."

Abstract: A method and a system for navigating a display screen to search for a desired item of information stored in an electronic device. The electronic device includes a novel fly over user interface (FOUI) capable of receiving commands from a user to provide a zoom out view of the display screen. A user may commence a navigation session by touching the display screen in a non active area or by clicking on a specifically designated icon to activate the user interface. During the navigation session, the display screen is zoomed-out and a magnifying area may appear on the display screen. The user interface enables the user to scroll the zoomed-out display screen by dragging the magnifying area towards an edge of the display screen to find a desired item of information. The display screen may be a display screen of a digital device (e.g., portable computer, personal computer, a cellular telephone, a digital watch, etc). The user may terminate a navigation session by removing the pointer from the display screen.

Abstract: A mobile personal computer including a case, a display device, a speech recognition system, a movement sensor, a microprocessor, and a power source. The case is sized for handling by a single, adult human hand and maintains the various other components. The display device is adapted to generate a displayed image. The speech recognition system includes a microphone for collecting sound waves generated by a user's speech. The movement sensor is mounted to the case and is adapted to generate spatial-related information of the case relative to earth. The microprocessor is electronically connected to the display device, the speech recognition system, and the movement sensor. The microprocessor utilizes a personal computer operating system to perform computing operations, and is adapted to transition from a first operational mode to a second operational mode in response to information signaled from the movement sensor.

Abstract: Recently, the model of adoption of technology in households (MATH) was developed and tested in the context of household personal computer (PC) adoption. In this study, we apply MATH to predict personal computer (PC) use. We conducted a nationwide survey including 370 households that owned at least one PC. Results indicate that attitudinal beliefs are extremely important in determining use of a PC in the household. In contrast to previous work examining adopters, normative and control beliefs were not significant in predicting use. Furthermore, several determinants of adoption that were important at different stages of the household life cycle were found nonsignificant in predicting use for the same stages of the household life cycle. Overall, the results demonstrate that the belief structure for household PC use is different from that of household PC adoption. Further, the results provide additional evidence regarding the importance of including household life cycle in studies of household technology adop...

Abstract: A facial biometric recognition system and method (100) for providing security for an electronic device (101) includes a digital camera (105) having a field of view for providing facial biometric images at a predetermined interval from a user of the electronic device (101). A processor (109) is associated with the electronic device (101) for comparing the facial biometric images to biometric image data stored in a database (107). The facial biometric images are continuously compared (111) to those stored in the database (107) or to facial image tracking (113) for providing substantially continuous authentication when the user physically moves about the camera's field of view. The invention may be used with devices such as a personal computer (PC), mobile telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA) or gaming device and provides an efficient means by which to secure information on the device without the need for complex biometric security devices.

Abstract: Purpose – This empirical analysis aims to shed light on the financial implications of supply chain design and in particular on the differences between pull‐ and push‐type designs. The focus is on risk exposure to difficult to foresee supply disruptions, like those resulting from natural and man‐made disasters.Design/methodology/approach – The event study framework is applied to the stock performance of four major personal computer (PC) producers after the 1999 earthquake in Taiwan and the computer memory price increases that ensued.Findings – It is shown that investors associate pull‐type supply chains for PCs with lower profitability after abrupt component price increases. A parallel analysis of push‐type producer stock returns does not show similar results. Furthermore, in‐depth analysis of Dell Computer reveals that after the catastrophe‐induced disruption the onset of losses to this major pull‐type PC producer was very fast.Practical implications – Without condemning pull‐type PC supply chains, earthq...

Abstract: This invention shows a mobile terminal device (3) having a memory unit (3 a) and an interface device (3b) which is releasably connectable to a multiple partner system (7,9,15) and capable for a communication therein, wherein said communication is provided by a front-end formed by said mobile terminal device (3) in combination with a personal computer device (2) and a back-end formed by a partner of said multiple partner system via communication ways, said communication being suitable for performing data transactions with variant security requirements, such that complementary parts of, or parts within a distributed application, running within a multi partner system, are performed dependent on their current security requirements, wherein said communication is used to exchange information by using said communication ways of different and variant characteristics (4,6,12,17,13) by using different communication channels and different interface standards or protocols.

Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between the amount of computer technology used in post-secondary education courses, students’ perceived effectiveness of technology use, and global course evaluations. Survey data were collected from 922 students in 51 courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The survey consisted of 65 items broken down into seven areas, namely: (1) student characteristics, (2) learning experiences and course evaluations, (3) learning strategies, (4) instructional techniques, (5) computer use in course, (6) perceived effectiveness of computer use and (7) personal computer use. Contrary to expectations, no significant relationship was found between computer use and global course evaluations, nor was there a relationship between perceived effectiveness of computer use and global course evaluations. However, the results did yield a positive relationship between global course evaluations and the learning experiences that students engaged in. Students also indicated that they valued the use of computer technology for learning. Descriptive statistics on questions related to personal computer use show a strong favorable response to computer use and: facilitation of learning, value-added aspects such as usefulness to other classes and/or career, learning material in a more meaningful way, and working in groups with other students.

Abstract: A loyalty program operated in association with a television broadcast network, wherein reward content is provided along with television content (programming and/or advertising) to generate a television broadcast signal that is transmitted to a plurality of viewers. Each viewer may view or hear the reward content via their television receiver (or set top box, personal computer, etc.) along with the associated programming or advertisements, and as a result provide a reward response which may be a visit to a local merchant, a mail-in or call-in response, entered to a web site via the Internet, etc. Reward points, as well as prizes and product discounts may be provided as the reward to the viewer that provides the appropriate reward response. This program can be configured and adapted to provides incentives to viewers to visit certain merchants and sponsors, purchase certain products, view certain programs, and the like, based on the reward parameters employed.

Abstract: BACKGROUND : Medical, dental, nursing and midwifery students are at high risk for occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens (BBPs) via sharp injuries such as needle stick injuries (NSIs). AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of NSIs and the knowledge, attitude and practices of these students regarding their prevention. SETTINGS AND DESIGN : The clinical students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, were eligible to participate in a survey conducted by a self-administered questionnaire in 2004, asking them about NSIs during their clinical training undergraduate years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study evaluated NSIs and practices regarding protective strategies against BBPs in medical, dental, nursing and midwifery students at Shiraz University, Iran, in 2004. These students completed a self-administered questionnaire. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data were entered into a personal computer using Epi-Info (version 2000). Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables and student t-test for continuous variables were performed, where appropriate, using SPSS version10. Alpha was set at the 5% level. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 688 (53%) students. 71.1% (489/688) of the students had NSIs that most commonly (43.6%) occurred in patient rooms. 82% (401/489) of NSIs were not reported. 87.8% (604/688) of the students received information about standard isolation precautions and 86.2% of them had been vaccinated against hepatitis B. CONCLUSION: NSIs and non-reporting of NSIs were highly prevalent in these students. Education about the transmission of blood-borne infections, standard precautions and increasing availability of protection strategies must be provided.

Abstract: A configurable controlling device and associated program that allows a consumer to modify on a personal computer for downloading to the controlling device configuration data which is used to cause the controlling device to perform a function, such as to transmit a command to an appliance, to change the user interface page being displayed, etc. The editor program provides for managed uploading of modified configuration data to a central server facility from which the uploaded, modified configuration data may be made available for managed download to one or more remotely-located controlling devices.

Abstract: In contrast to the large and rapidly growing literature on information technology (IT) investments and firm productivity, we know very little about the role of personal computers in business creation. Using matched data from the 19972001 Computer and Internet Usage Supplements to subsequent Outgoing Rotation Group files from the Current Population Survey (CPS), I explore the relationship between computer ownership and entrepreneurship. Trends over the past two decades provide some evidence of a positive relationship between home computers and entrepreneurship rates, but the evidence is not clear. In contrast, an analysis of the relationship between computer ownership and entrepreneurship at the individual level provides evidence that individuals who had access to a home computer are substantially more likely to become entrepreneurs over the following 1215 months. Probit and bivariate probit regressions also provide evidence of a strong positive relationship between computer ownership and entrepreneurship among women, but only limited evidence for men. Further, estimates from the CPS indicate that entrepreneurs who had prior access to home computers create a large variety of types of businesses and not only those in the IT industry.

Abstract: We present SPOCK.CI, a selecting direct multireference spin-orbit configuration interaction (MRSOCI) program based on configuration state functions. It constitutes an extension of the spin-free density functional theory/multireference configuration interaction (DFT/MRCI) code by Grimme and Waletzke [J. Chem. Phys. 111, 5645 (1999)] and includes spin-orbit interaction on the same footing with electron correlation. Key features of SPOCK.CI are a fast determination of coupling coefficients between configuration state functions, the use of a nonempirical effective one-electron spin-orbit atomic mean-field Hamiltonian, the application of a resolution-of-the-identity approximation to computationally expensive spin-free four-index integrals, and the use of an efficient multiroot Davidson diagonalization scheme for the complex Hamiltonian matrix. SPOCK.CI can be run either in ab initio mode or as semiempirical procedure combined with density functional theory (DFT/MRSOCI). The application of these techniques and approximations makes it possible to compute spin-dependent properties of large molecules in ground and electronically excited states efficiently and with high confidence. Second-order properties such as phosphorescence rates are known to converge very slowly when evaluated perturbationally by sum-over-state approaches. We have investigated the performance of SPOCK.CI on these properties in three case studies on 4H-pyran-4-thione, dithiosuccinimide, and free-base porphin. In particular, we have studied the dependence of the computed phosphorescence lifetimes on various technical parameters of the MRSOCI wave function such as the size of the configuration space, selection of single excitations, diagonalization thresholds, etc. The results are compared to the outcome of extensive quasidegenerate perturbation theory (QDPT) calculations as well as experiment. In all three cases, the MRSOCI approach is found to be superior to the QDPT expansion and yields results in very good agreement with experimental findings. For molecules up to the size of free-base porphin, MRSOCI calculations can easily be run on a single-processor personal computer. Total CPU times for the evaluation of the electronic excitation spectrum and the phosphorescence lifetime of this molecule are below 40 h.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for authenticating to a third party service provider from a personal computer. The method includes authenticating, with a mobile terminal, to the service provider with a universal subscriber identity module associated with the mobile terminal to obtain credentials specific to the service provider, transferring the credentials specific to the service provider from the mobile terminal to the personal computer, and accessing the service provider with the personal computer using the credentials transferred from the mobile terminal. The apparatus includes a mobile terminal, a computing device, a bootstrapping security module, and a network application function that cooperatively work to allow the computing device to access the network application function using a security credential from the mobile terminal.