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Microsoft Technical Fellow and C# creator Anders Hejlsberg explains the new C# and VB.NET asynchronous programming model, available as Async CTP now, which makes async programming much easier for .NET developers.

The MiniZeni series from Sharp radiates high efficiency, deliver high color rendering index (CRI) values of up to 87 and boast a long service life whilst measuring only 15x12x1.6mm. The six new models of the MiniZeni series are characterised by four special features: they have compact outer dimensions and are extremely flat, economical and bright.

Scientists have great expectations that nanotechnologies will bring them closer to the goal of creating computer systems that can simulate and emulate the brain's abilities for sensation, perception, action, interaction and cognition while rivaling its low power consumption and compact size. DARPA for instance, the U.S. military's research outfit known for projects that are pushing the envelope on what is technologically possible, has a program called SyNAPSE that is trying to develop electronic neuromorphic machine technology that scales to biological levels. Started in late 2008 and funded with $4.9 million, the goal of the initial phase of the SyNAPSE project is to "develop nanometer scale electronic synaptic components capable of adapting the connection strength between two neurons in a manner analogous to that seen in biological systems, as well as, simulate the utility of these synaptic components in core microcircuits that support the overall system architecture."

ScalaModules is an open source project aimed at providing fluent support for OSGi to Scala developers. It takes advantage of Scala's infix operator notation, higher order functions, and implicit conversions. ScalaModules transparently uses the Scala compiler to wrap an OSGi BundleContext with its own RichBundleContext model. This general technique is not unusual for creating DSLs in mainstream languages. Sean McDirmid uses similar tricks for his C# Bling library for WPF, except that Bling must overcome the lack of C# offering comparable extensions to Scala.

Kota Nezu of ZNUG Design talks about his work developing the look of ZMP’s RoboCar, an educational platform for researchers working on autonomous vehicles.  The video is entirely Japanese, but you can see some cool CAD work and there’s some explanatory slides in this .PDF file.  Nezu-san also designed ZMP’s e-nuvo Humanoid, and Toyota’s personal transporter, the i-unit (seen in model form on his desk).  Part 2 follows after the break for those interested.

Verification of algorithm-intensive systems is a long, costly process. Studies show that the majority of flaws in embedded systems are introduced at the specification stage, but are not detected until late in the development process. These flaws are the dominant cause of project delays and a major contributor to engineering costs. For algorithm-intensive systems —including systems with communications, audio, video, imaging, and navigation functions— these delays and costs are exploding as system complexity increases. It doesn't have to be this way. Many designers of algorithm-intensive systems already have the tools they need to get verification under control. Engineers can use these same tools to build system models that help them find and correct problems earlier in the development process. This can not only reduce verification time, but also improves the performance of their designs. In this article, we'll explain three practical approaches to early verification that make this possible. First, let's examine why the current algorithm verification process is inefficient and error-prone. In a typical workflow, designs start with algorithm developers, who pass the design to hardware and software teams using specification documents.

Andrew Phillips holds the title of Scientist with Microsoft Research Cambridge, and he's working on a method of programming that compiles into DNA. Part of this involves a visual programming language called Stochastic Pi Machine, or SPiM. This system models biological processes to help give researchers feedback on how organisms will react to modifications. The hope is that this can be used to help scientists program for large biological systems using modular components compiled to DNA. Yes, I’m in way over my head here, but I do my best to ask Andrew about the role this will play in medical treatment going forward, what it means to DNA computing, and the ability of back-engineering the genetic code we don’t use now

Andrew Phillips holds the title of Scientist with Microsoft Research Cambridge, and he's working on a method of programming that compiles into DNA. Part of this involves a visual programming language called Stochastic Pi Machine, or SPiM. This system models biological processes to help give researchers feedback on how organisms will react to modifications. The hope is that this can be used to help scientists program for large biological systems using modular components compiled to DNA. Yes, I’m in way over my head here, but I do my best to ask Andrew about the role this will play in medical treatment going forward, what it means to DNA computing, and the ability of back-engineering the genetic code we don’t use now.

Visual Studio 2010 is a fairly important release of the developer tool of choice for writing Windows applications. One of the important advancements in the new update is how it enables developers and architects to better visualize the assets and dependencies through UML (Unified Modeling Language) diagrams. In this episode, Cameron Skinner gives us a quick overview of how Visual Studio 2010’s new UML visualization tool's design might help you with better understanding the overall structure of your applications.

The animal world has been a source of inspiration for many robotic designs as of late, as who better to ask about life-like movements than mother Nature herself? Up until now, though, these designs had been mostly focused on small critters, like cockroaches, and simulating properties such as adaptability and speed. But what happens when we start looking at bigger and stronger animals? Like, say, an elephant? Well, Festo’s Bionic Handling Assistant is what happens. This innovation might seem like just another robotic arm at first glance, but the video demonstrates quite vividly how this design is such a big improvement over previous versions. Modeled after the elephant’s mighty trunk, this arm possesses great dexterity, flexibility and strength; operating with smooth, yet firm motions, and can pick up and move any kind of object from one place to another. It’s FinGripper fingers give it “an unparalleled mass/payload ratio”, and it has no problem twisting, assembling and disassembling things, such as the experimental toy in the video.

You would be forgiven if you thought the "F" in F# -- which made its debut as part of Visual Studio 2010 -- stands for "functional." After all, F# (pronounced "F sharp") is a functional programming language for the .NET Framework that combines the succinct, expressive, and compositional style of functional programming with the runtime, libraries, interoperability, and object model of .NET. But Don Syme, inventor of F# and leader of the team that incubated the language, has a different, truncated, and entirely whimsical definition. "In the F# team," says Syme, a principal researcher at Microsoft Research Cambridge, "We say, 'F is for Fun.' F# enables users to write simple code to solve complex problems. Programming with F# really does make many programming tasks simpler, and our users have consistently reported that they've found using the language enjoyable." Indeed, F#, which has been developed in a partnership between Microsoft Research and the Microsoft Developer Division, is already popular with the .NET developer community. The language is widely known in the academic community and among thought leaders, and the list of admirers will only increase as Visual F#, the result of a partnership between Microsoft Research Cambridge and Microsoft's Developer Division, becomes a first-class language in Visual Studio 2010.