Articles – Page 164

March 21, 2016

The Holy Grail for the Internet of Things (IoT) is that any machine can talk to any other relevant machine and, notwithstanding possible different transports and operating systems and underlying hardware, they’d be able to understand each other at the higher semantic level.

Today we’re going to talk about one approach that’s slowly being unveiled for consideration by various standards bodies. The question is, is this a grail or just a grail-shaped beacon?

This activity boils down to getting agreement between machines on what things are, what their attributes are, and how … Read More → "An IoT Semantic Interop Proposal"

Embedded World Diary

Tools, IoT, and Safety in Nuremberg

by Dick Selwood

March 17, 2016

In the subterranean hallways of the main railway station in Nuremberg, every ticket machine is surrounded by people wrestling with the fare structure and the unfamiliar currency. The regular morning commuter traffic works it way through the crowds with a resigned air; the hotel owners post room rates that are twice the normal rack rate; the restaurants offer special menus with special mark ups; and the bars are full of people nervously or enthusiastically pouring back Maßkrugs of beer. It’s trade fair time again, and, as it is February, it is embedded world, the enormous event where … Read More → "Embedded World Diary"

Making Mobile Video Move

Lattice Bolsters USB Type-C Solutions

by Kevin Morris

March 16, 2016

Over the past few years our mobile devices have gotten smaller, sleeker, and more efficient. From smartphones to laptops to tablets to a plethora of more specialized devices, the form factors have streamlined and the mobility factors have improved dramatically.

Except for the cables.

It’s gotten to the point that the cables, chargers, plugs and adapters we have to carry around to operate our fantastic the-future-is-already-here gear are bigger and clunkier than the devices themselves. Of course, wireless has been rushing in to take up the slack wherever … Read More → "Making Mobile Video Move"

The Greek Philosophy to Programming

Wubby Lets Python Programmers Get Into IoT

by Jim Turley

March 15, 2016

“The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” – Archimedes

Life could be worse.

Imagine you’re sitting on the beach on a Greek island, looking across the calm blue waters of the Gulf of Corinth at the Greek mainland, barely a mile away. Olive-studded hills behind you. Dolphin-infested waters ahead.

Your cell phone beeps. It’s your boss calling. You’re wanted at a meeting that afternoon, so you’ll have to close up your laptop and head back to the office, which is located a few hundred yards … Read More → "The Greek Philosophy to Programming"

More Compression, Less Area

Next-Generation DfT in Cadence’s Modus

by Bryon Moyer

March 14, 2016

If you’ve ever digitized your vinyl albums, you know that you have a decision to make: what format should be used to store the music? There are lossless formats like wav and flac, but they take a lot more space. Mp3 is much friendlier to your small, limited-memory listening gadget, but you lose something in the translation. It’s lossy, so the space savings come at a price. Whaddaya gonna do?

Turns out that there’s a similar problem with chip test circuits. It’s not the only problem, but compression-vs.-loss is an issue that … Read More → "More Compression, Less Area"

Synopsys and SPICE Go Native

An Environment of Their Own

by Bryon Moyer

March 10, 2016

Want to feel old?

Wait… hello? You still there?

OK, whew… I thought you’d already answered, “No” and moved on to something else. Guess I should vet my questions more carefully.

Here’s the deal: HSPICE is 35 years old. I know… I probably should have given you time to pour a drink. I mean… I was running SPICE before there was an HSPICE. (Barely…)

(Takes a few gentle rocks in the chair…)

That sets the backdrop for a recent Synopsys Read More → "Synopsys and SPICE Go Native"

The Road from Java

Universal Portable Software Isn’t Doing Anyone Any Favors

by Jim Turley

March 8, 2016

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Watch any children’s TV show, from Daniel Tiger on your Roku to 30-year-old reruns of Sesame Street on VHS tape, and you’ll hear two messages loud and clear. One: We’re all the same. And two: We’re all different, unique, and special.

Which is it? And how do little kids reconcile these diametrically opposed viewpoints?

< … Read More →

Managing Beacons from Afar

Fathom Automates Setup, Gathers Analytics

by Bryon Moyer

March 7, 2016

Malls are increasingly abuzz with electromagnetic chatter. It’s the beacon thing, adding to the already healthy (or un-) level of EM waveage contributed by our phones and other gadgetry. And, in fact, that’s kind of the point.

Beacons can, at the very least, put signals out there that assist with indoor navigation, although that’s not where we’re going today. They can also be used for marketing via loyalty apps. If a customer is inside the store with the app running, … Read More → "Managing Beacons from Afar"

OpenAMP Allows OS Management

Someone Can Now Be the Boss of a Heterogeneous System

by Bryon Moyer

March 3, 2016

In the beginning was the operating system (OS). And the OS begat processes and the processes begat threads, and all thrived under this benevolent hierarchy. For a thread, there was nothing outside the domain of the process. And for a process, there was nothing outside the domain of the OS. Protected within the bosom of their parents, these child entities had no need to interact with other children from outside this universe. Lack of a broader view was balanced by protection from possible predations.

And so life continued, from the top down. Such an approach molded the … Read More → "OpenAMP Allows OS Management"

Engineering vs. Biology

The Laws of Supply and Demand Don’t Always Favor Innovation

by Jim Turley

March 2, 2016

I have always wished for my computer to be as easy to use as my telephone. My wish has come true. I can no longer figure out how to use my telephone.” – Bjarne Stroustrup

So apparently it’s not just me.

When I got my shiny new Windows 10 laptop (Hooray – no more Windows 8!) I also got Microsoft’s shiny new browser, Edge. Edge, we are told, is the replacement for Internet Exploder, Microsoft’s usual (and the world’s most popular) browser. Windows comes with both browsers installed, … Read More → "Engineering vs. Biology"