Thursday, January 12, 2012

AI-class, ML-class, DB-class by Stanford

A detailed comparison of 3 online classes by Stanford professors:

Fortnightly Mailing: Apples, screwdrivers and desks: a comparative review of three Stanford free online computer science courses

ai-class.com

DSmartWeb.com/ai-class
AI-class notes

ml-class.org

Machine Learning - complete course notes

db-class.org

CityCar, CityHome - MIT Media Lab

Smart Cities by MIT Media Lab

The CityCar electric automobile...
get the equivalent of 150 to 200 miles per gallon of gasoline...
is powered by four in-wheel electric motors...
Each wheel unit contains drive motor (which also enables regenerative braking)...
This enables maneuvers like spinning on its own axis (an O-turn instead of a U-turn)..
fold to minimize parking footprint...
possible to park three or four CityCars in the length of a traditional parking bay...


A new vision for the city of the future @ Fortune Magazine

When parking, the rear of the electric CityCar slides under the chassis, allowing the body to fold up into a compact shell. Once folded, the CityCar will fit into a space just one-third the size of a standard parking spot. A single door on the front of the car pops open, allowing the driver to step out onto the sidewalk
...
MIT's Media Lab is also working on what it dubs the CityHome. Again, greater flexibility is key. The CityHome concept takes a Murphy-bed approach. A bedroom can double as anything from a kitchen to a personal gym with stoves, fridges, and StairMasters swinging out from hidden panels in the walls. Larson says that the customization cost for a small apartment would be as much as $30,000. However, the savings of paying for a one-room studio that functions as a three-room apartment could be 10 times that amount. MIT hopes to launch pilot programs in the Boston area.


Smart Cities by MIT Media Lab

One thing is missing to MIT great ideas: "Responsive Web Design" of web site :)