Article Abstract:
Review Bank, from Technical Educational Consultants of Hicksville, NY, consists of two volumes of computer programs. Review Bank I covers American History I, Period of Exploration to Reconstruction; and Review Bank II covers American History II, Post-Civil War America to present. Each program includes more than 750 multiple-choice questions ranging from three centuries before George Washington to the Bush Administration. Some features go beyond reviewing, such as brief background lessons if a student is not clear on a period, or glossaries of historical terms. Scores can be kept; missed questions can be reviewed. An optional editing program allows a teacher or a parent to create more questions. Versions for both Apple II and MS-DOS microcomputers are available. The programs cost $39.95 each, and $8 for postage and handling. The package that includes the editing program costs $89.95. Another program, a program generator called QuickPro+ III ($59), from ICR Futuresoft of Orange Park, FL, is mentioned. QuickPro+ III is described as useful for a home office or a small business, where simple Basic language programs need to be written.
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Article Abstract:
Wolfgang Schaedler, coach of the US Olympic luge team, and Mark Reeves, technical support leader for a sponsor, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) Co, cooperate to create a better luge. In a design process that is described as both an art and a science, Schaedler, who takes walks in the Liechtenstein woods for inspiration, takes care of the art, and Reeves and his engineers do technical engineering, which is the science. A luge used in an Olympic event weighs 48.4 pounds with a runner width of 18 inches and a sled width of 22 inches. Within those specifications, designs can vary, and details of a design's variations are extremely significant in races that can be determined by differences that measure in hundredths of a second. At first, Schaedler was hesitant to accept advice from Reeves's technicians, but cooperation with the 3M group is proving beneficial.
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The use of computers to translate documents from one language to another has long been a goal of scientists. Advances in artificial intelligence, more powerful computers and new approaches to translation have increased speculation that a fully-operational translation system is close at hand. Companies like Systran Translation Systems Inc of La Jolla, CA claim 85 percent accuracy with their document translation systems. Translated documents nevertheless still need a human editor to correct and refine the computer-generated results. Advanced techniques in artificial intelligence that simulate human thinking and the use of 'unified grammars' that contain common grammar concepts and universal meanings are making the idea of machine translation more plausible, but many scientists believe it will be many years before a realistic translation system is operational.
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