SPOTLIGHT


IEEE Pervasive Computing, July–September 2009, pp. 50–54

Monarch butterly emerging from cocoon

Scaling Virtual Worlds with a Physical Metaphor

by Daniel Horn, Ewen Cheslack-Postava, Tahir Azim, Michael J. Freedman, and Philip Levis

The Web has revolutionized computing applications. Originally designed to navigate static documents using simple browsers and servers, the Web evolved into a full-fledged application platform backed by a myriad of technologies. This transformation also fundamentally changed the underlying network. Without Web applications, we might not have layer-7 switches, SSL, or content distribution networks. The Web’s need for complex, distributed services similarly changed computer systems, leading to the “computing clouds” of large data centers.

Read more

Subscribe to IEEE Pervasive Computing

IEEE Pervasive Computing magazine covers pervasive, mobile, and ubiquitous computing for developers, researchers, and educators.


Current issue:
Location-Based Services

Theme: PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

What else is new?

Designing for Behavior Change in Everyday Life
UbiFit uses on-body sensing, real-time activity inference, and a personal, mobile display to encourage people to incorporate physical activity into everyday life.

The Revolution in Spectrum Allocation
Some aspects of the wireless telephone revolution are obvious, but a related revolution in the US—spectrum assignment through auctions—has largely gone unnoticed.

Scaling Virtual Worlds with a Physical Metaphor
Online virtual worlds have long been an anticipated medium, but today's systems fall short of their potential. The Meru project is designing an architecture for future virtual worlds.

Are IEEE-1500-Compliant Cores Really Compliant to the Standard?
Functional verification of complex SoC designs is challenging but increasingly supported by automation. Learn about a proposed verification component for IEEE Std 1500, to be plugged into a commercial verification tool suite.

Walking on Water: A Cheating Case Study
Online games offer opportunities for malicious users to turn a profit. Many developers acknowledge these risks, but new games still use technologies whose security implications have yet to be disclosed.

Unique Identifier Quandary Exemplifies Health Net Obstacles
Unique patient identifiers could be integral to electronic health record systems, but privacy concerns and other challenges could slow their adoption by healthcare providers.

Related tutorials

A Survey of 3D Graphics Software Tools
by Jim X. Chen
$19 Buy

Top Picks: Architecture—Designing Strong Foundations
Edited by Hakan Erdogmus, John Grundy, and Frances Paulisch
$19 Buy

Web Site Infrastructure Considerations
Edited by Wes Chou
$29 Buy

Web Presence Architecture Technologies
Edited by Wes Chou
$29 Buy



Suggestions