Upcoming NSF deadlines include Knowledge and Distributed Intelligence (KDI), 17May99, ; Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), 09Jun99, ; CISE Educational Innovation Program, 14May99, ; Digital Libraries Initiative -- Phase 2, 17May99, ; Advanced Computational Research Program, 01Jul99, ; Human Cognition and Perception, 15Jul99, ; and Linguistics, 15Jul99, . [NSF E-Bulletin, , 01Apr99.] (Don't forget NSF's international programs, for the US side of research collaborations.)

NSF's new program on Societal Dimensions of Engineering, Science and Technology (SDEST; NSF 99-82) combines two previous programs, "Ethics and Values Studies" and "Research on Science and Technology." Budget has been about $2.5M/year, for 30 new awards each year. Apply by 01Aug or 01Feb each year. . [Rachelle Hollander or John Perhonis . iMP, , Mar99.]

If you're into the philosophy and politics of government science funding, or want the latest government R&D news and program announcements, check out "iMP: The Magazine on Information Impacts" at . Education policy is also covered. iMP is published by the SAIC's Center for Information Strategy and Policy (CISP); Amy Friedlander is the editor. [John C. Cherniavsky , 25Mar99.]

LM Ericsson is offering $250K in Web development services and expenses to non-profit organizations, for "new and creative ideas for technology applications that take advantage of the community-building power of the Internet." Apply for the Ericsson Internet Community Awards (ERICA) by 31Mar99. . [iMP, , Mar99.]

The Naval Research Laboratory is soliciting scientific, engineering, technical, and analytical support (SETA) for a wide range of NRL research activities, including speech processing, high-performance computing and networks, decision support systems, robotics, virtual environments, etc. or . [CBD, 19Mar99. FOA, 20Mar99.]

Tip: delete words such as "very," "good," and "important" from your spell checker dictionary so that your word processor will flag weak constructions. [Lynn Miner , Grantseeker Tips, 22Mar99.]

2> Industry news: [With Mike Hanafin.]

The Professional NewsBytes website covers business, legal, medical, and scientific news. . [, newjour, 16Dec98.]

Periscope reports the latest defense/military news from major newspapers and wire services. . [David Rackley , newjour, 01Dec98.]

"OtakuBoy Online" reports console video gaming news (Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn and Dreamcast, Sony Playstation, etc.) every day, with links gleaned from relevant websites. Send an empty message to . [Mike Whalen , NEW-LIST, 08Oct98.]

Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit has started a quarterly newsletter for Mac users called Microsoft MacTopia. The MBU is "committed to pioneering innovations in the Macintosh versions of our products, and bringing you features first on the Macintosh and only on the Macintosh." The newsletter offers application templates (at ), power-user tips, educational discounts, etc. Excel spreadsheet users can pick up macros for investment tracking at . . [Bill Park, 20Mar99.]

Gnome (GNU Network Object Model Environment) is a new user-friendly graphic interface for Linux, distributed with a word processor, spreadsheet, database program, presentation manager, Web browser, and email reader. It was developed at Universidad National Autonoma de Mexico, and is likely to win strong international backing. [NYT, 04Mar99. Edupage.]

For its April Fool's edition, TidBITS suggested a solution for the lawsuit against Microsoft by the US Dept. of Justice and 19 states. Microsoft would agree to perform 2.1B hours of community service, defined as free tech support for all Windows applications. Welfare recipients would be trained to handle most of the calls. (Wall Street's relief at the settlement terms would push Microsoft's stock higher.) Microsoft might then announce plans for a new Winux operating system, or Windows-style interface on Linux. "Winux is not Windows." . [Adam C. Engst , TidBITS, 01Apr99.]

----- I'm bothered by the fact that stupid people don't spontaneously combust, which they should. -- Erik Naggum , comp.lang.lisp, 07Mar99. -----

What can you do with a CS degree? David X. Cohen has a degree in physics from Harvard and an MS in theoretical CS from Berkeley, and has had an article in the J. of Discrete Applied Mathematics. He also worked for a year in the Harvard Robotics Lab. He's now coexecutive producer of Futurama, working with Matt Groening on one of the most innovative shows on TV. Maybe his writing for the Harvard Lampoon led toward that. Anyway, the point is that a degree should expand your opportunities, not close them down. Don't think that your thesis work is the only work you can do. Or even the most fun. [TV Guide, 03Mar99.

Consulting4Consultants is a discussion group from the International Guild of Professional Consultants (which also offers certification programs, seminars, reports, newsletters, books, and products) for consultants, trainers, lecturers, etc. See or send a message to . Biweekly newsletter subscription is via . [Meik Bartoschek or , NEW-LIST, 29Mar99.]

The Marketing Energizer for Consultants is a bimonthly e-zine of business-building tips. Send a "subscribe" subject line to or visit . [Bob and Shirley Hanson , NEW-LIST, 21Sept98.]

The Consultant Discussions email list helps consultants manage, run, and grow their businesses. Contact . [, NEW-LIST, 23Mar99.]

The Professional Association of Contract Employees website can also be useful for entrepreneurs. . [SJM, 01Mar99, E1.]

----- "Unless a man has been taught what to do with success after getting it, the achievement of it must inevitably leave him a prey to boredom." -- Bertrand Russell. [AWAD, 29Oct98.] -----

4> Technology news: [With Jason Westmacott.]

The Christian Science Monitor has run an article about AI applications, including voice call processing for stock purchase and package tracking; data mining for targeting advertising, detecting insurance fraud, and tracking terrorists; GMAT essay grading (in parallel with human scoring); Lego robots; and Matt Ginsberg's GIB program for playing bridge. New possibilities will open up with new sensors, such as an artificial nose being developed by a Pasadena company. [CSM, 25Mar99. Bill Park.]

Telepizza (Madrid, Spain) is building vending machines that sense human presence, then call out "Fancy a pizza?" [Reuters. Bill Park, 25Mar99.]

"AI & Society: The J. of Human-Centered Systems and Machine Intelligence" is about information, communications, and media technologies and their broader implications. . [Karamjit S. Gill , newjour, 28Jan98.]

The Israel High-Tech & Investment Report covers business news for technology, innovation, and science-based industries in medicine, biotechnology, the Internet, and electronics. $95 for 11 issues. . [Joseph Morgenstern , newjour, 28Dec98.]

The J. of Technology Law & Policy publishes articles about legal issues in technology. . [, newjour, 09Dec98.]

Technology and Culture is a scholarly journal about the history of technology. . [John Staudenmaier , newjour, 27Jan99.]

After four years of development costing $1M, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has announced a robotic fish for use by Japanese fish farms that cater to anglers. The artificial sea bream is about 19 inches long, weighs 5.5 pounds, and can swim (or hover) for 30 minutes before recharging. Only close inspection of its mechanical eye reveals its nature, but it does require a special tank lined with small sensors. Mitsubishi has also made an 88-lb. coelacanth, and is working on extinct sea creatures -- as well as ships and other ocean vessels. [CNN, 25Feb99. Sorin Achim , comp.robotics.misc.]

Various labs are working to develop long range, autonomous, fish-like submarines, for military purposes or to explore propulsion mechanisms that are energy efficient, maneuverable, or capable of high accelerations. See: , , , , , , , , and . [Alex Zivanovic , comp.robotics.misc, 18Mar99.]

----- "Always take things by their smooth handle." -- Thomas Jefferson. [Thought, 18Oct98.] -----

A Web-based forum on Visual Languages and Software Engineering is being hosted by the IEEE 1999 Symposium on Visual Languages (Tokyo, 13-16Sep99). Join at . [Bernd Meyer , comp.ai, 19Mar99.]

Francois-Rene Rideau is a supporter of open LISP development. See his article for reasons why LISP-style metaprogramming is a big win as free software but becomes a disadvantage when the infrastructure is proprietary. [, comp.lang.lisp, 24Feb99.]

For a LISP to C converter, try Eclipse at . Another good (free) Scheme-to-C compiler is Bigloo, and GCL/AKCL/KCL also works. [Marc Cavazza and Xenophon Fenderson, comp.lang.lisp, 10Mar99.]

You can get SWI Prolog free at . Other Prolog versions can be found through or . [John Fletcher , comp.lang.prolog, 11Mar99.]

The Prolog at is free for non-commercial use. Another free one is . Michael D. Kersey recommends Amzi! Logic Explorer and the "Adventures in Prolog" (with a "very nice and complete tutorial") at , but see for other free Prologs. [, , and ; comp.lang.prolog, 12Mar99.]

7> Web authoring: [Mike Hanafin.]

Builder.com is a good site for webmasters, designers, and Web developers. . [Fredric Paul , newjour, 06Oct98.]

WEBDEV is a twice-weekly announcement list for webmasters, covering new software and useful resource sites. Send an empty message to . [Melissa Peh , newjour, 18Jun98.]

The Web Developers Virtual Library provides online training courses for Web programming. . [NETWORK-NEWS, 08Mar98.]

Webwomen is a discussion list for women involved in Web professions. Friendly, casual, and supportive. Send a "subscribe webwomen" message to . [Susanne Bullo , NEW-LIST, 23Jun98.]

Internet 101 is a tutorial site for would-be webmasters. . [Robin Nobles , net-hap, 17Jul98.]

"UserActive Media: Learning By Doing" says you can get your first CGI program running in minutes. . [Ken Schatmeyer, net-hap, 14Sep98.]

Free CGI code for websites is on offer at . [Robert W. Neill, Jr. , NEW-LIST, 04Jan99.]

FreewareWeb Online! is a biweekly newsletter about free software, graphic elements, and news. . [Akshay Sikka , NEW-LIST, 01Oct98.]

Digital Producer Magazine covers news, tools, and techniques for digital content creation. . [, newjour, 23Jan99.]

GKM Research is offering a free "intelligent website development tool," at or . [Konstantin M. Golubev , comp.ai.edu, 19Feb99.]

The FrontPage Technical Support Area offers more than 100 pages of help for FrontPage Web design software users. . [Peter M. Perchansky , net-hap, 17Jul98.]

Jakob Nielsen addresses many issues affecting website usability. . [Karen Ellis , net-hap, 18Dec98.]

The following are all online or email newsletters for webmasters:

The Webmasters' Journal, . [Kelley Williams , newjour, 27Aug98.]

Pro! Gazette, . [, newjour, 09Sep98.]

M&A E-News, . [Mike Rogers , newjour, 10Sep98.]

FlamingoLingo, . [Matthew Clemente , newjour, 11Sep98.]

The Design/Pro Index, . [Brian Alt , NEW-LIST, 19Sep98.]

Homepage Helpers, . [John F. Kennedy, newjour, 11Jun98.]

Poor Richard's Web Site News, . [Peter Kent , NEW-LIST, 21May98.]

InterActivity, . [, net-hap, 01Jun98.]

The Webmaster Tribune, . [Matt Mickiewicz , NEW-LIST, 15Jul98.]

WebTools, . [, NEW-LIST, 15Oct98.]

The Webmasters Inside Scoop, . [Eric R. Leuenberger , newjour, 02Nov98.]

TrekPlanet, . [Jodie and Michael McPhee , NEW-LIST, 10Nov98.]

WebTools2000, . [, NEW-LIST, 16Nov98.]

The e-Factory News, . [Brian Alt , NEW-LIST, 16Nov98.]

WebWisdom, . [Marsha Talley , NEW-LIST, 17Nov98]

GoWebGo, . [, newjour, 01Dec98.]

Quality Graphics, . [Mark Hardy , NEW-LIST, 21Oct98.]

The Scriptorium Update, which covers design topics and font releases. Contact Dave Nalle to subscribe. [net-hap, 20Oct98.]

Blackhorse Studios DeZine. Send an empty message to . [, NEW-LIST, 02Dec98.]

----- "Newborn ideas are fragile, like babies. They need nurturing, protecting, patience, loving, commitment. They require you to sit up with them at night, fret over their futures, watch them grow. And like babies, they can't be hurried. They unfurl and blossom in their own time." -- Doug Hall. [Thought, 23Oct98.] -----

Over 250K people have volunteered to help SETI sift through data for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. The 2-year SETI@home project will distribute screen-saver software in another month, turning the Internet into the world's largest supercomputer. SETI@home will be 10 times as sensitive to weak signals as previous analyses of data from the 1,000-foot radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico. . [Bill Park , 19Mar99.]

Computists have sent me references about the definition of "blue moon." I don't know when the term originated, but it seems that the Maine Farmers' Almanac (also used by fishermen) was an influential keeper of the calendar. Each of the twelve moons of a normal year has a name and associated activity. Sometimes there's a 13th full moon, and at least one month has to have two of them. That's what I've been calling a blue moon. This usage dates back 53 years, to an amateur astronomer/author who assumed this definition without checking it out (Sky & Telescope, Mar46). An editor repeated the error in 1950, and the StarDate radio program popularized it in Jan80. You can find a calculator for this definition (which hits about 41 times/century, or every 2.44 years on average) at . (The date of a full moon can depend on which time zone you're in. The US had two blue moons in 1961 except for the Eastern time zone, according to .)

The Maine Almanac's definition is quite a bit more complex. They use a "tropical year" (starting on the winter solstice) and "dynamical mean Sun" to divide each year into four equal seasons. When a season has a fourth full moon -- about 7 years in 19, or every 2.7 years on average -- the third one falls outside the usual naming system and is called Blue Moon. Such events fall a month before a solstice or equinox, on the 20th-23rd day of November, May, February, or August. There is no such blue moon in 1999, with the next one coming on 19Feb00. . [John Hartman, Alan Rosselet, and Ron Zacharski, 01Apr99.]

(I can't deal with all this, and intend to ignore blue moons from now on. However, this exchange has led me to believe that we do need an alt.ai.computists discussion group.)

John Myers tells me that Brenda Laurel's Purple Moon company (for girls' software) was bought out by Mattel at the last minute. [, 24Mar99.]

Some of you may have heard of the APS Physics Arts Festival in Atlanta, 22-24Mar99. Dr. Kenneth Laws will be speaking on the physics of dance, but that's Kenneth L. Laws of Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA) -- not me. Ken is the author of "The Physics of Dance" and "Physics, Dance, and the Pas de Deux." He was also the subject of a Scientific American Amateur Scientist column on martial arts many years ago. [Karla Jennings , 16Mar99. Bill Park.]

Have a good week! I'll be mailing out our CCJ and CAJ job supplements on Wednesday and our CRS and CLA research software and literature supplements on Thursday, as always. Let me know if you'd like to get them.

-- Ken