Take 5: Top Books for Computer Scientists
Got scientists and engineers on your holiday shopping list? Take five and check out our top gift ideas. NAP books and merchandise make thoughtful gifts for thinking people. The Future of Computing Performance: Game Over or Next Level? The end of dramatic exponential growth in single-processor performance marks the end of the dominance of the [...]
Biometric Recognition: Status and Prospects for Security Technology
Recently biometrics has been in the news as a key to identifying the body of Osama bin Laden after the raid in Pakistan. Heightening security concerns around the world are leading to an expanded use of automated recognition technologies for individuals based on their behavioral and biological characteristics. Biometric systems are used increasingly to recognize [...]
Science and the Future of Computing: Parallel Processing to Meet Tomorrow’s Challenges
Fast, inexpensive computers are now essential for nearly all human endeavors and have been a critical factor in increasing economic productivity, enabling new defense systems, and advancing the frontiers of science. For the last half-century, computers have been doubling in performance and capacity every couple of years. For example, the raw performance of a 1970s [...]
Getting Personal: Balancing Privacy and Security in the Fight Against Terrorism
Recent debate over full-body scanners at airport security checkpoints once again highlights the issues we face in balancing security with privacy. We are observed at work, in stores, and on the street by security systems. By our own choice, we use online resources to bank, shop, contact friends and family, and apply for loans. In [...]
Free from NAP: Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited; The Future of Nursing; and more
The National Academy of Sciences is committed to making its headquarters, built on the National Mall in 1924, more energy efficient and environmentally advanced. Learn more about this major restoration project. Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5 In the face of so many daunting near-term challenges, U.S. government and industry are [...]
