Entry 5 - Nintendo 64: The Birth of 3D Gaming

Description of Topic:       
            In the mid-90s, the formula expected from most popular video games was simple. Most well- regarded games were 2D, usually side scrolling adventures. The two dominant developers of the era were Nintendo, who experienced massive success with the NES and SNES, as well as Sega, who developed the Genesis/Mega Drive and the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise in order to try to compete with Nintendo's Super Mario. Both developers knew that in order to gain supremacy, they needed to try something new. So Nintendo developed the N64, a pioneer in video gaming history. It introduced a 3D Mario game, Super Mario 64, which captivated Nintendo owners and became one of the best selling games of all time. Not long after that followed the first 3D Zelda adventure, Ocarina of Time, regarded by many as the greatest video game ever created. Several of these 3D titles created the foundations of what gaming would become in the future, and influenced games such as Super Mario Galaxy. Sega, meanwhile, released the Dreamcast during this era, and it performed poorly in sales. It introduced Sonic Adventure, bringing Sonic into a third dimension, but other than that they fell way behind Nintendo, and Sony's PlayStation arose as a serious threat to Nintendo's rule.

Super Mario 64 introduced groundbreaking new Mario experience

 Relation to Computer Science:  
      As with every new generation of console, Nintendo knew that programming software for the N64 would be increasingly complex compared to the Super Nintendo. Each console has unique challenges to overcome, but especially the 64 due to limitations in computing and 3D technology. The Economist describe the N64's programming requirements as "ridiculously complex." Graphics and audio were designed with a technique known as microcode, which creates another "layer' in the whole process altogether. Later in the console's lifetime, more experienced programmers were finally able to take full advantage of N64's capabilities, and overcoming the problems the earlier programmers had experienced. As a result, the full potential of the console was realized, leading to games that will be remembered in gaming history as establishing the basis of the 3D generation.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_64_programming_characteristics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_64
http://1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/supermario64.png
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamcast

Entry 4 - Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II

Description of Topic:
           Lockheed Martin's latest technological marvel is unquestionably the most advanced combat aircraft ever created. Essentially a versatile, cheaper, and exportable version of the groundbreaking F-22 Raptor, which was the first fighter aircraft developed in the fifth generation, the F-35 was determined ready for duty in 2016. While it doesn't quite have the abilities of the Raptor in air-to-air "dogfighting," the Lightning excels in areas such as ground-to-air missile defense and overall flexibility. The F-35 will allow the US and its allies to have to most potent weapon in any Air Force worldwide, boasting the latest technology developed for combat. This includes low-maintenance stealth technology that will hold up and stay effective even after extended use of the aircraft, advanced sensors and a helmet display in front of the pilot that give him/her complete awareness of the aircraft's surroundings complete with a panoramic touchscreen display and cockpit speech recognition system (basically a super powerful version of "Siri"). All of this allows the pilot to engage multiple targets at once, whether in close range combat or from a distance. The United States plans to purchase several hundred of the aircraft from Lockheed Martin while production of the F-22 will cease due to incredibly high costs, despite it having some advantages over its "younger brother".

The F-35 Lightning II is the latest aircraft purchased by the US military

Relation to Computer Science:
           The software included in the F-35 lightning was written in C or C++, due to access to a multitude of programmers that use those languages. Some of the coding was reused from the F-22 Raptor, but the new code that had to be developed is absolutely mind-boggling in complexity. One program contains about 8.6 million lines of code! Needless to say, the most knowledgeable programmers at their disposal were assigned to develop software for the plane which is to become the face of the US Air Force. Some of the most useful software that has been developed includes a program that is capable of jamming the radar of the enemy's aircraft, even potentially an F-22's radar. Computer science plays a huge role in the technology used by the military in general, not just aircraft. Our ability to stay ahead in the latest developments in computing is directly tied to our ability to field the best possible military technology. A major goal is to make the most advanced weaponry as cheap as possible, something that can be aided by computer science. For now though, despite high costs, all of the development in the F-35 has paid off; The US has a air-superiority fighter which is more capable in combat than any aircraft on the planet, expect for the even more expensive F-22.


Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II#Design

http://foundrymag.com/site-files/foundrymag.com/files/gallery_images/F-35-Lightning-II.jpg?1412356929

Entry 3 - The Science of Speed: NASCAR and Computing

Description of Topic:
         Motorsports, specifically NASCAR, has come a long way since its inception in the first half of the 20th century. When safety and racing quality concerns made it no longer possible to race the cars coming directly from the showroom floors, the race cars were made by hand. Today, NASCAR's top teams design all of their cars on a computer, formulating a precise measurement for every single part that goes into creating each car. They know that they must do everything possible to get that one extra ounce of speed out of the vehicle, so they utilize high-tech equipment like the chassis-dyno, which provides the exact performance specs of the engine, to a wind tunnel, which simulates how real world airflow will effect aerodynamics of the car, and therefore its speed. By using computing to build cars instead of creating models and utilizing trial and error, race teams can save money and create more speed. Computers can even take a set up the crew chief wants to try in the race and provide data about how the specific racetrack (along with the weather at the time) will effect performance. Race teams aren't the only facet to see new technology improve the way they function. The fan experience has been enhanced by computing as well, as a feature for NASCAR's coverage on ESPN was introduced in the first decade of the 21st century that simulated the air movement around the cars during the race, showing fans how drafting ("slipstreaming") effect speeds and car behavior.

The 2016 Chase field is fielded entirely by teams that utilize computing to find more speed.

Relation to Computer Science:
             "Computer-Aided Manufacturing" completely revolutionized the sport, and led to faster cars and better racing for the fans. Programming is the key to make all of these advancements possible. The air movement feature is a program created by University of Washington computer scientists, and it creates a "virtual wind tunnel" around the cars on the racetrack, and uncovers many of the mysteries to how momentum and passes are made on the circuit. The engineering company Siemens created the algorithm for the race teams, allowing them to determine how different setups will effect lap times without even taking the car out on the track at all for a few practice laps. This saves an incredible amount of time during practice sessions for the race. Since NASCAR is a sport that revolves around physics and other sciences, advances in computing should continue to open up new avenues to make the racing better, as well safer for both the drivers and the fans. The more computing can help with the creation of the vehicles, the cheaper their production should get, which is vital for extended success for NASCAR.

Sources:
  "Computer-built cars, parts giving teams more speed" - http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2014/5/23/nascar-technology-cyber-engineering-breakdown.html
"Computers Expose the Physics of NASCAR" - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070809172142.htm
PICTURE: http://static.nascar.com/content/dam/nascar/articles/2015/9/19/main/Chasedrivers-main.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/original