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Visiting Professor, Ian Taylor, Explains How Computers Will Change Your Life
As a kid, my favorite episode of the Jetsons™ depicted Jane Jetson “cooking” dinner using a wall mounted keypad that has buttons labeled “pot roast,” “fresh vegetables,” etc. After George came home from work, she complained to him about how tired she was from slaving over dinner. She displayed her fingers, showing what looked like deadly arthritis combined with that double-jointed trick 12-year-old boys do to impress their friends. At the time, the scene was supposed to poke fun at what an easy time Jane had as a wife and mother in the future. Today, as my own carpal tunnel syndrome forces me to keep this article as short as possible, I sympathize with Jane’s keyboard-induced pain. After talking with author, computer scientist, and LSU visiting professor Ian Taylor, I can confirm that we are not far from the Jetsons’ lifestyle.  Taylor’s new book, From P2P to Web Services and Grids, explains the nuts and bolts of computing technologies that can make our lives easier. While serving as a visiting faculty member at LSU’s Center for Computation & Technology, Taylor has researched the ways that widespread groups of computers communicating with each other can perform various functions. His book uses graphs and charts to illustrate how “Grid” computing uses machines distributed over broad areas, connected via the Internet, to do everything from music sharing to performing astrophysics research. Much of what he describes in his book, Taylor also taught to LSU students who took his class, “Peer to Peer and Grid Computing.” When asked what he liked most about the class, Ph.D. student Chirag Dekate said, “I appreciated Dr. Taylor’s ability to connect with the students and engage them in constructive conversations during classes. His ability to present complex information in a digestible form, and his informal and discussion-oriented classroom atmosphere made this class one of the best I have taken at LSU.”
A Time For Change Technologies discussed in the book are already leading to next generation products that can change our lives. “Imagine having a customized shopping list that is connected to your refrigerator,” said Taylor. “You would know when you were out of peas, and the supermarket would have them ready for you when you came to pick up your groceries. “Let’s say your car’s check engine light comes on. Your car would automatically send a message to the auto garage, and your portable phone device would tell you that you have an appointment,” added Taylor. “And it would’ve already checked your calendar to be sure that you were free.” Like the electrical power grid, new technologies like these can become as commonplace as electricity. In fact, the infrastructure to make it all work is already being put into place throughout the world. Louisiana’s Optical Network Initiative, or LONI, is an example of this type of technology being supported by state governments. Economies and small businesses will also be affected by the connections explained in Taylor’s book. “Service will be cheaper,” said Taylor. “Software will be more available online and business services will become more automated.’ Taylor often works with scientists on interdisciplinary research projects and believes that scientific research will see a big impact due to new technologies in connectivity. “Physicists for example, have always had to think about what they can do within the current constraints,” said Taylor. “If they didn’t have to write optimal code, they would do it much differently. They’d get results quicker and it would change how they think about what they do.” Music to My Ears
Since peer-to-peer file distribution became popular when mp3s began to be shared online, it is a perfect way to illustrate a difficult concept. “When people can hear music they haven’t heard before, it gets them interested in the computer science that makes file sharing work,” said Taylor. His book explains the technical differences in the ways that Napster and Gnutella work to distribute files on the Internet. Even in tutorials for his job farming software, Taylor uses music to demonstrate how one computer can send a hip-hop beat to a machine three offices down. “Grid computing and P2P network connections can be pretty boring to some people,” joked Taylor. “The music demo is powerful because it does complicated things and it gets people engaged. They [students] don’t think about the fact that they are learning something. It’s very motivating.” Contact Jennifer Hughes | CCT
| LSU
University Relations Related Links From P2P to Web Services and Grids |
For
those of us interested in specifics, Taylor charts and graphs the
differences between web services, Grids, peer to peer computing,
portals, and other technologies that allow devices to communicate.
Examples often steer toward music, revealing Taylor’s hobby as
a musician. 
