Browsing by Author "Curry, Roger"
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- ItemOpen AccessFacebook Meets the Virtualized Enterprise(2008-07-15T22:16:05Z) Simmonds, Robert; Curry, Roger; Kiddle, Cameron; Markatchev, Nayden; Tan, Tingxi; Arlitt, Martin; Walker, Bruce“Web 2.0” and “cloud computing” are revolutionizing the way IT infrastructure is accessed and managed. Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis and social networking platforms provide Internet users with easier mechanisms to produce Web content and to interact with each other. Cloud computing technologies are aimed at running applications as services over the Internet on a scalable infrastructure. They enable businesses that do not have the capital or technical expertise to support their own infrastructure to get access to computing on demand. They could also be used by large businesses to more efficiently manage their own infrastructure as an “internal cloud”. In this paper we explore the advantages of using Web 2.0 and cloud computing technologies in an enterprise setting to provide employees with a comprehensive and transparent environment for utilizing applications. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach we have developed an environment that uses Facebook (a social networking platform) to provide access to the Fire Dynamics Simulator (a legacy application). The application is supported using Virtual Appliances that are hosted in an internal cloud computing infrastructure that adapts dynamically to user demands. Initial feedback suggests this approach provides a much better user experience than the traditional standalone use of the application. It also simplifies the management and increases the effective utilization of the underlying IT resources.
- ItemOpen AccessOn the Evolution of Parametric L-Systems(2000-01-04) Curry, RogerL-systems have been shown to be a useful tool for modeling plants; however, the generation of realistic plant models requires an extensive knowledge of L-systems. People who are not L-system experts require a simpler way of creating plant models. This paper will describe my attempts at designing a user interface which allows the user to guide the evolution of plant models (generated from a parametric L-system) and the genetic algorithm employed to facilitate this evolution. The final goal of this research would be a design environment in which plant models could be easily and quickly generated without explicit knowledge of L-systems. The plant models would still be L-systems but the user would not ever need to see them. By exploring the concept of evolution as a method for developing plant models we may also gain insight into the development of plants themselves.