http://www.futuretruck.org/

The 2003 FutureTruck competition was held in June 2003, and the results are presented on the competition's homepage. The Department of Energy sponsored event featured fifteen university teams that had reengineered "a conventional, mid-size Ford Explorer into a lower-emissions vehicle with at least 25% higher fuel economy, without sacrificing the performance, utility, safety, and affordability consumers want." Aside from team rankings, the FutureTruck Web site has information on the technologies integrated into the vehicles. An archive of the previous three years events is also provided. [CL]

http://www.rapidio.org/home

Computers and processors of the near future could incorporate RapidIO technology, an interconnect architecture that provides high speed data transfer between on- and off-chip components. The RapidIO Trade Association is an industry-wide collaboration that is developing the technology. Among the resources provided on the association's Web site, the most useful are the white paper, which gives a high-level description of the technology, and complete specifications that illustrate architectural features and performance characteristics. The association periodically publishes an online newsletter, and breaking news and press releases are continually posted on the main Web page. [CL]

http://www.urbanaero.com/Urban_Main.htm

This Web site introduces the X-Hawk, "a vehicle that has the [vertical takeoff and landing] capability of a helicopter, but without the exposed rotors that make it dangerous or impossible for helicopters to maneuver in complex urban and natural environments." It has received considerable attention from the media, as is apparent from the press clippings provided online. The Film and Downloads section has a technical document that was presented to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The five-page report describes the development of the X-Hawk, provides details and specifications of its design, and compares it to historic efforts to make a flying car. Additional material on the X-Hawk can be found in the Technical Information section. [CL]

http://www.darpa.mil/iao/TIASystems.htm

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency maintains this site for its highly controversial Terrorism Information Awareness (TIA) program. Designed to significantly expand intelligence gathering and information coverage, the TIA program "will enable the intelligence community to evaluate new technologies through experimentation, and rapidly transition it to operational use." This Web site provides a high-level overview of the purposes and goals of the program, as well as a more detailed information paper, frequently asked questions, and a report to Congress. [CL]

http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/titlepage.html

This electronic book, made available by the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Center, is an enhancement to the original print version published in 1988. The book documents two centuries of technological development in the country, beginning with the aborigines, moving to agricultural expansion, and ending with large-scale research in science and technology. Five chapters cover specific periods of Australian history, and the last main chapter looks ahead toward future prospects. Unfortunately the material cannot be downloaded as a single file for offline viewing. [CL]

http://www.fftw.org/

Despite its curious name, Fast Fourier Transform in the West (FFTW) is a powerful, free "C subroutine library for computing the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) in one or more dimensions, of both real and complex data, and of arbitrary input size." Developed by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, FFTW purportedly has outstanding performance when compared with other DFT algorithms. This statement is supported by experimental results from extensive speed and accuracy benchmarks. FFTW can be downloaded directly from this site, along with substantial documentation and three research papers stemming from its development. [CL]

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/whoscounting_index/whoscounting_index.html

John Allen Paulos, a mathematics professor at Temple University, is the author of the monthly Who's Counting? column for ABC News. Paulos usually begins his column by referencing a current event and finding an interesting (and occasionally obscure) connection to math. By looking at, for example, the war in Iraq from a mathematical standpoint, he offers unique and insightful perspectives that would otherwise go unnoticed. The columns often have a humorous side to them, which makes them even more enjoyable to read. This archive contains columns dating back to 2000, as well as transcripts of interviews with Paulos and miscellaneous other writings. [CL]

http://radio.weblogs.com/0105910/

Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends is a unique Weblog site that highlights "fresh news about technology, computers and their impact on our lives." It is usually updated daily (sometimes twice daily) with interesting tidbits from around the world. The material posted on the site is from reputable sources but is generally not widely publicized. Hence it serves as a good way of staying informed about technology developments that are not on the nightly news. Each entry has a general summary of the story, and there are usually more than one links to additional information in the form of research papers or in-depth discussions. [CL]