Google to develop micro-blog search capability
Google Inc. is reportedly developing a new service that will allow users to search micro-blogging sites such as Twitter in real time.
Hints of the new search capability — which is expected to be integrated into Google’s Web search engine — were found in the company’s translation console, as first reported by the Google Operating System blog.
The news follows several months of speculation that the Mountain View, Calif. search giant has an interest in purchasing Twitter’s popular micro-blogging service. Many Google executives have expressed admiration for Twitter and have discussed plans to capitalize on the growing trend through its search engine.
At a company press event in May, search products chief Marissa Mayer, publicly stated that Google was “interested in being able to offer, for example, micro-blogging and micro-messaging in our search.”
While Twitter’s search functionality allows users to search through its service, Google’s micro-blog search endeavor is expected to scour other micro-blogging sites, although company officials have yet to confirm these details.
1st grade teacher from Moose Jaw gets international recognition
A first grade teacher from Saskatchewan has been recognized by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for her creative use of technology in daily classroom activities.
Kathy Cassidy of Westmount Elementary School in Moose Jaw was named this year’s winner of the Kay L. Bitter Vision Award for Excellence in Technology-Based PK-2 Education, which is awarded to educators who demonstrate vision and creativity in a project or program that effectively integrates technology in the classroom.
Tools used in Cassidy’s classroom include blogs, Skype, wikis, video and online interaction with global communities.
Cassidy will be honored at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, D.C., which runs June 28 to July 1.
Kazeon releases 4th generation forensics software
Kazeon Systems Inc.’s fourth generation of eDiscovery software, Kazeon eDiscovery SharePoint Manager, natively provides eDiscovery management for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2003 and 2007. The software targets enterprises, law firms and legal service providers and provides forensic collection using SharePoint as both an ESI source and ESI target.
The three main benefits of the software, according to Kazeon, include: high relevancy, fine-grained analytics and data mining for SharePoint sites; accurate, defensible eDiscovery for analysis of, collection to and from, and Early Case Assessments within SharePoint sites; and independently validated, scalable eDiscovery.
Supercomputing consortium appoints three scientists
Thanks to funding from Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc., the High Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory (HPCVL) has appointed three new chairs in Computational Science and Engineering.
The HPCVL-Sun Chairs consist of Dr. Jorg-Rudiger Sack of Carlton University, Dr. Stavros Tavoularis of the University of Ottawa and Dr. Ugo Piomelli of Queen’s University.
Dr. Sack, who researches intelligent systems for GIS, is working to develop intelligent maps that can be customized and sent to mobile devices.
Dr. Tavoularis, a fluid dynamicist, will expand a research program on nuclear reactor thermalhydraulics to assist the Canadian nuclear industry in developing better tools for the safety analysis of current and future reactors.
Dr. Piomelli, Canada Research Chair in Computational Turbulence at Queen’s University, is using the funding to support haemodynamics and environmental flows in lakes and rivers.
HPCVL is a supercomputing consortium that supports over 130 Canadian research groups.
