Opinion: Will there be a cloud of clouds?

The introduction of the World Wide Web in the early 1990’s revolutionized communication and information sharing. But the Internet revolution is just beginning. The next few years will define the next generation of the Internet as it becomes a platform for computing with the cloud.

“We are in a critical and exciting phase in computing development,” said Michael Nelson, an Internet studies visiting professor at Georgetown University, speaking at the 2009 AAAS conference in Chicago.

“When the Web first came out, we had the core technologies and knew what they could do, but really didn’t have a sense of all the ways they would be used,” Nelson said. “Likewise today, we’re laying the foundation for the cloud, with the grid as a prototype.”

Feature - Environment

A FOOTPRINT keeps pesticides out of the water

Apple farmers in France's Vallée d'Auge apply the insecticide Phosmet to their orchards to keep apple worm caterpillars from ruining their crops. But they don't want to pollute local water sources in the process.

Knowing how much to add is tricky. Software developed by the FOOTPRINT consortium will help.

Feature - Astrophysics

Using simulations to learn about cosmic evolution

Robert Rosner, director of Argonne National Laboratory and professor at the University of Chicago, spoke at the recent AAAS conference in Chicago about the role of simulation, and the necessary accompanying computational tools and resources, in studying the origins and evolution of the Universe.

Link of the week Fly GridCast to Sicily Can’t make it to Catania this March? Let GridCast take you there — virtually. Bloggers are providing a sneak-peek behind the scenes of the 4th EGEE User Forum/ OGF25 & OGF-Europe's 2nd International Event, to be held the first week of March in Catania, Sicily. Coordinated by the GridTalk project, the GridCast includes podcast interviews as well as a blog, and is being produced live at the User Forum — an event that attracts hundreds of participants. Read more				Resource of the week New iSGTW glossary Are you new to grid computing, or just baffled by some of the terms that we seem to take for granted? The new iSGTW glossary is for you. Please let us know if we've missed a term you think should be included, or if any of the definitions need clarification. We expect this page to change with the times and according to our readers' needs. In the future you can find it under the iSGTW Resources section. Read more