Tech is a safe career choice

Tech is a safe career choice today Tom Kaneshige | InfoWorld "Salaries among tech workers remain surprisingly strong. A survey of 19,000 tech workers conducted by Dice, a career site for technology and engineering professionals, showed a spike in salaries late last year with the recession in full throttle: a 4.6 percent increase in average pay from the previous year to $78,035. (However, a recent survey of 22,550 IT professionals by Foote Partners found IT skills pay slipped for the first time since 2004.)

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The salary news is good for college grads, too. The National Association of Colleges and Employers found that the average salary offer made to computer and information sciences graduates was up from $51,992 for the class of 2007 to $58,677 for the class of 2008, a 12.9 percent increase. The average salary for computer engineering graduates increased 7.8 percent to $60,280."

Data mining promises to dig up new drugs

Data mining promises to dig up new drugs ICT Results "A robot scientist that can make informed guesses about how effective different chemical compounds will be at fighting different diseases could revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry by developing more effective treatments more cheaply and quickly than current methods.

The robot, known as Eve, uses advanced artificial intelligence combined with innovative data mining and knowledge discovery techniques to analyse the results of pharmacological experiments it conducts itself.

By relating the chemical structure of different compounds to their pharmacological activity, Eve is able to learn which chemical compounds should be tested next, bringing a degree of predictability to drug screening procedures that, until now, have tended to be a bit hit and miss."

Genetic Programming: Evolution of Mona Lisa

Roger Alsing Weblog Genetic Programming: Evolution of Mona Lisa: Certainly interesting if authentic!

Benefits in Battlefield Robots, Moral Questions Remain

NYTimes.com Benefits Are Seen in Battlefield Robots, but Moral Questions Remain:

"In the heat of battle, their minds clouded by fear, anger or vengefulness, even the best-trained soldiers can act in ways that violate the Geneva Conventions or battlefield rules of engagement. Now some researchers suggest that robots could do better.'

"C. Arkin, a computer scientist at Georgia Tech, is designing software for battlefield robots. 'My research hypothesis is that intelligent robots can behave more ethically in the battlefield than humans currently can,' said Ronald C. Arkin, a computer scientist at Georgia Tech, who is designing software for battlefield robots under contract with the Army. 'That’s the case I make.'"

Honda Unveils Robot That Helps You Walk

FOXNews.com One of the first commercial applications of what I expect will be a growing field of assistive prosthetics: "Imagine a bicycle seat connected by mechanical frames to a pair of shoes for an idea of how the new wearable assisted-walking gadget from Honda works.

The experimental device, unveiled Friday, is designed to support bodyweight, reduce stress on the knees and help people get up steps and stay in crouching positions."

Robotic ants building homes on Mars?

ICT Results -- cordis.europa.eu Robotic ants building homes on Mars?: "Recent discoveries of water and Earth-like soil on Mars have set imaginations running wild that human beings may one day colonise the Red Planet. However, the first inhabitants might not be human in form at all, but rather swarms of tiny robots.

“Small robots that are able to work together could explore the planet. We now know there is water and dust so all they would need is some sort of glue to start building structures, such as homes for human scientists,” says Marc Szymanski, a robotics researcher at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany.

Szymanski is part of a team of European researchers developing tiny autonomous robots that can co-operate to perform different tasks, much like termites, ants or bees forage collaboratively for food, build nests and work together for the greater good of the colony."

Researchers develop "robotic apprentices"

PC Pro: Researchers develop "robotic apprentices": "University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence that can learn by watching 'experts' perform a task.

The artificial intelligence was developed by Stanford University for use in robotic helicopters which learn to fly and perform stunts by watching 'expert' helicopters perform the same tasks, rather than by having software engineers input every individual instruction."