Trip Notes From Mobicom 2011

I am tending MOBICOM'11 at Las Vegas, together with generally enjoying it. I took some notes from the talks. Here I volition part my notes nearly a distich of talks which I constitute to a greater extent than interesting than the others.

• SmartVNC: An effective remote computing solution for smartphones. The goal hither is to meliorate on the usability of solutions (such every bit AndroidVNC) that allow accessing a remote PC from a smartphone. The work amongst AndroidVNC is task-inflation: user needs to practise a lot of zooming together with panning together with also the small-scale keyboard is inconvenient for typing. The solution offered is to utilization macros to automate mutual user-specific tasks inward AndroidVNC. The macros seem every bit a sidebar together with the user tin click a macro to perform several steps quickly. These macros are defined every bit hooks at the GUI floor (instead of app-level or OS-level) therefore that they tin endure application-agnostic every bit good every bit robust together with extensible
• Detecting driver telephone utilization leveraging machine speakers. The goal is to block the delivery of a telephone band or SMS for the telephone inward the driver topographic point therefore that the driver is non tempted to possess got the call. The proposed system is every bit follows. The telephone sends a "beep" dot over Bluetooth to endure played yesteryear the correct speaker together with records the round-trip time, therefore the telephone sends a beep dot to endure played yesteryear the left speaker together with records the round-trip time. (Most cars at to the lowest degree possess got ii channel speakers to brand this system possible.) By using the offset round-trip times, the telephone tin localize itself to endure inward the driver topographic point or the rider seat. (Yes, at that topographic point are obvious/acknowledged problems amongst the scheme: it is non 100% robust; driver's telephone sitting inward the rider topographic point defeats the scheme; the audible beep alerts the driver to an incoming telephone band which may defeat the purpose.)
• I am the antenna: accurate outdoor AP place using smartphones. The goal is to develop an app to escort a smartphone user that is connected to a WAP amongst a weak dot to walk towards the WAP therefore that he tin acquire a stronger signal. The solution is to exploit the "body-blocking effect" to figure out the management of the WAP. The human trunk blocks the RSS from the WAP significantly, therefore when the user's dorsum is turned toward the WAP (that is when our trunk is inward betwixt the telephone together with the WAP) the RSS degrades significantly. In this scheme, the user fires upwards the app, makes a total rotation slowly, together with the app tells him which management to walk to  in guild to acquire to the WAP. Rinse together with repeat several times to locate the WAP (we could every bit good telephone band this the whirling-dervish app). Unfortunately, this system does non move within the buildings due to multipath effects. But it is nonetheless useful for a user exterior to endure able to locate the WAP inward a building.

As evident from these selected talks, at that topographic point is tangible excitement nearly smartphone interrogation at Mobicom; but I approximate the community has non completely figured out venture interrogation directions to pursue inward the smartphones expanse yet. In add-on to the smartphone talks, at that topographic point were talks on all kinds of wireless communication topics, including opportunistic routing (still kicking inward 2011?), together with physical together with MAC layer move for wi-fi. With the aid of software-defined radio platforms, the researchers tin at ane time fiddle amongst the wi-fi platform at granularity non possible before. As a resultant of this new-found flexibility, at that topographic point were a distich of plant which were essentially re-discovering/re-inventing some wireless sensor network MAC protocols done inward 2003-2005 inward the wi-fi domain.

At the goal of the kickoff day, at that topographic point was an outrageous opinions session which was a lot of fun. It consisted of eight talks amongst v minutes each. There were solely ii serious exploratory ideas, together with the remaining 5-6 talks were inward the spirit of stand-up comedy for CSE nerds. A bulk of the talks were proposals (mostly tongue-in-cheek) nearly how to meliorate the review procedure together with the conference. I similar the concept a lot, together with volition endeavour to include some outrageous posts of my ain occassionally inward this blog. By the way, hither is my outrageous sentiment nearly improving the conference experience. The keynote speaker should give $20 for each attendee every bit pre-compensation for their ane hour. If the attendees mean value the speak was well-worth the $20, they volition furnish the coin dorsum to the speaker else they maintain the $20 nib every bit a compensation for the lost time.

During the java together with luncheon breaks I got to meet/catchup together with chitchat amongst several colleagues. Those were in all probability the most fruitful fourth dimension I had at the conference. We exchanged a lot of ideas, insights, stories, together with gossip.  I mean value conferences are invaluable non because of the papers/talks, but because of these personal interactions/communications. You possess got to grab me inward someone to listen to a greater extent than of my Mobicom stories.

Finally, I should write a chip nearly Las Vegas. Vegas is habitation to simulated Venetian canals, simulated Roman statues, simulated palaces, a simulated Eiffel tower, simulated volcanos, simulated lakes, simulated pirate ships, together with simulated hopes that fade at dawn inward front end of the slot machines (--while going to the registration desk at 7am the kickoff day, I came across several people nonetheless gambling amongst red-eyes together with frustrated faces at the casino). That said, I actually liked the Bellagio outflow show; it was master copy together with spectacular.  The conference hotel was nice, the nutrient good. But... <bitching> the wireless inward the conference was unusable the kickoff day, together with completely unavailable for me the 2nd day. It is ironic to possess got these problems at a conference specializing on wireless communication. </bitching> To goal on a high note, the conference banquet was ane of the best I possess got e'er been to. It was held at the Secret Garden inward the Mirage hotel. We got to regard Siberian tigers, Albino lions, Albino tigers, leopards, together with got to sentry the dolphins' show.

Some dolphin facts. The trainers educate the dolphins half-dozen times a twenty-four hr menstruum (total fourth dimension spent a twenty-four hr menstruum is 2 hours). After v years of grooming the dolphin is able to practise the tricks inward typical SeaWorld show, but the trainings overstep along lifelong. Dolphins alive around xl years, but the trainer I talked to mentioned that he worked amongst some 50 yr erstwhile dolphins before. The grooming is done generally amongst positive reinforcements. If dolphins misbehave during training, the trainer stares at the dolphin's eyes together with stays expressionless for 3-4 seconds. Dolphins are proficient at recognizing human trunk linguistic communication (very much similar dogs), together with the trainers also larn to recognize dolphins' trunk language. Dolphins are smart, but the trainer I talked to thinks body of body of water lions are fifty-fifty smarter: they tin larn how to opened upwards a gate simply yesteryear watching a human practise it.

Share this post