Great solid stuff on flat screens

Article Abstract:

Ray tracing, a process used to render shadows and lighting in computer-generated images, can be improved by using hierarchal boundary volumes, space subdivision or directional techniques. Ray tracing is usually very computationally intensive because algorithms search for intersections of every ray with every object in the scene, then scan the intersections looking for the origin of each ray. The number of equations quickly becomes unmanageable as the complexity of the scene increases. Using hierarchal boundary volumes speeds the process by dividing the scene into nesting boxes. Each ray that enters the scene is tested to see if it intersects the biggest box, and if not, thousands of additional tests are avoided. Space subdivision methods use nesting boxes also, but rays search through the boxes and only objects inside are tested. Directional techniques include the direction of the ray as a criteria for building candidate sets that could be struck by a ray of light.

Computer graphics, Image Generation, Scene Analysis, Contrast, Ray Tracing, Nesting, Shadowing

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Military testing: pass or fail?

Article Abstract:

The US Department of Defense (DOD) spends about $4 billion a year on its network of test ranges. A growing number of critics say that the testing of military systems, though essential, is way off course. Some say that the tests are suggested by the manufacturer itself and are designed to show positive results. If tests do find faults, it is sometimes too late to do much about them, because production often starts before all the tests are completed. Congress created a Pentagon watchdog position which it filled with John E. Krings, a former McDonnell Douglas Corp official. Congress lost faith in Krings after a General Account Office report highly criticized his official reports on the status of military testing. Part of the problem in evaluating testing is the increasingly complex systems being tested. Sometimes even the testers have trouble understanding what is being tested.

Testing, Weapons, Tests, United States. Department of Defense, Military, Krings, John E.

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Elizabeth Laverick: after an exemplary 34-year career in avionics and administration, Elizabeth Laverick hopes to show other women the way to the top

Article Abstract:

Elizabeth Laverick's many accomplishments include the following: the first woman to earn a PhD in a scientific field at the University of Durham, where Laverick studied audio frequency dielectric measurements; the first woman to enter top management in the British defense industry; and the first woman to serve as Deputy Secretary of the UK's Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE). The IEE is the British counterpart of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers). Laverick, who was a teenager during World War II, says that her life and career were very much influenced by the war. She is retired now, and she lives in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, which is where she was born. She remains actively involved in doing what she can to improve the situation for women in engineering.

United Kingdom, Women, Biography, Electrical engineers, Electrical engineering, Women engineers, Laverick, Elizabeth

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