Research Rap: And Now for Something Completely Different for Engineers (actually 10 things!)

A quick peek into some research on …
some really interesting things to learn relating to
engineering
and engineering software. These ten short presentations are part of
something called “Maieutic Parataxis”
that was started at COFES in 2008. Where else will you hear about
“Natural User Interfaces,” “3D Imaging from 2D Video,” or see a
presentation from JPL on “Extreme Collaboration?” Definitely worth
a look.

Background
COFES is the “Congress
for the Future of Engineering Software.” It is run by
Cyon Research, and is one
of the best gatherings of like minded people related to engineering
software I have found. I have attended quite a few of these, and I
always learn something new and meet some new people that prove to
be a valuable part of my network. The idea (let’s call
it MP for short) is to introduce - in rapid fire fashion- ten new
ideas. The ideas are selected to spark
your interest and your curious mind, but also to give you something
to take away that you might be able to incorporate into whatever
you are passionate about in regards to engineering and
engineering software.
I know, it’s not normal, but we all have to admit to (and
embrace) our passions even if they are a bit Dilbert.

My Impression
I’ll keep this short. Smart people, smart ideas, worth
taking a look.

What the Research Means to You
These short segments are fascinating and can give you ideas about
things that you might not normally think about. One of them might
be just the thing you need to solve a problem you are working on or
start you down a new path of innovation. There are three things
that I would suggest:

1. Don’t get hung up on the name Maieutic Parataxis. It’s actually
   brilliant, but I can’t pronounce it either.
2. Take a look at the presentations
   from last year.
3. If you know about something really innovative,
   unique, or interesting that you or someone else could present
   at then next MP, contact
   Cyon Research

So that was a quick peek into some recent research on ten
things, at least half of which you probably didn’t know existed. I
hope you found it interesting.