Extreme Programming

 Extreme programming is a type of agile development. It can be used to develop systems as well as any type of software. It allows for rapid change during the development of a project. “Extreme programming or XO is a software development methodology which is intended to improve software quality and responsiveness to changing customer requirements. As a type of agile software development it advocates frequent releases in short development cycles, which is intended to improve productivity and introduce checkpoints where new customer requirements can be adopted.” (1)  Extreme programming was created by Kent Beck. He published Extreme Programming Explained in October of 1999.  The book details Beck’s method and the ideas behind extreme programming.  “XP attempts to reduce the cost of changes in requirements by having multiple short development cycles, rather than one long one.” (1)
 “Extreme programming is successful because it stresses customer satisfaction” (2) One of the main concepts of extreme programming is teamwork.  Everyone one that is a part of the collaborative team is an equal part.  “Extreme programming improves a software project in five essential ways; communication, simplicity, feedback, respect, and courage.” (2)  All aspects of the team are in constant communication. “Extreme programmers constantly communicate with their customers and fellow programmers.” (2) The software design is kept simple. There is considerable feedback as the software is tested from day one. Changes are implemented as they are suggested. (2)
 Just like anything else extreme programming has many disadvantages. “XP encourages pair programming.” This can lead to a duplication in data and therefore adversely affect the systems performance. Extreme programming focuses more on the systems code rather than the conceptual design. This can lead to problems as the size of the system grows. “Since, XP programming is not structured, it may be difficult to find significant number of defects for testers by just mere looking at the screen. On contrary, traditional programming enable testers to find improved number of defects because it is well documented.” (3) Extreme programming is a very interesting concept. There are many theories associated with systems development trying to make the process more efficient and XP is just one of them.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_programming
2. http://www.extremeprogramming.org/
3. http://enterpriseblog.net/a/top-10-disadvantages-of-extreme-programming/

The Brain Computer Interface

The main concept behind the brain computer interface is to directly connect the human brain to a computer.  This could speed greatly speed human to computer interaction.  “It isn't [just] about convenience -- for severely disabled people, development of a brain-computer interface (BCI) could be the most important technological breakthrough in decades” (1)

“A brain–computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain–machine interface (BMI), is a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. BCIs are often aimed at assisting, augmenting, or repairing human cognitive or sensory-motor functions.” (2)  This opens up countless possibilities in the future for modern technology. Some scientists even believe that one day computer chips will implanted directly inside the scull.  One health issue with this type of technology is when a foreign object is placed in the scull scar tissue begins to form and it becomes difficult for the chip to read the neuron transitions. (2)

“Stephen Berry and colleagues from the Miami (Ohio) University Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience showed when older rabbits were trained in classical eyeblink conditioning -- a common task used by neuroscientists studying memory -- age-related learning impairments were eliminated.” (3) This opens the possibility to future research and possibly even a cure for Alzheimer.  Age related disease continue to be a problem for society.  These problems will only increase over time as the expected life span of a human continues to increase.  The brain computer interface has the potential to be game changing technology in the years and decades to come.  I look forward to seeing the additional advance of these types of technology in the years to come.

1. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/brain-computer-interface1.htm

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain%E2%80%93computer_interface

3. http://www.physorg.com/news6265.html

Decision Support Systems

Decision support systems or DSS are a key part in an organizations strategic plan for the future.  Decision support systems do exactly what one would expect in that they help an organization or individual make a decision by providing relative information.  “A properly designed DSS is an interactive software-based system intended to help decision makers compile useful information from a combination of raw data, documents, personal knowledge, or business models to identify and solve problems and make decisions.” (1)  As with most systems there are many types of DSS and many with different uses. (1)

One type is a model driven DSS. “A model-driven DSS emphasizes access to and manipulation of financial, optimization and/or simulation models.” (2)  Model driven DSSs can be very powerful tools in aiding in decision making.  “Tasks that have been supported with model-driven DSS include crew deployment, job scheduling, advertising allocation, forecasting product usage, cost estimation and pricing, tax planning and investment analysis.” (3)

Spotfire from TIBCO is an example of a decision support system.  Spotfire allows the user to analyze data without extensive systems or IT knowledge.  Users can create reports and queries with ease.  The company claims that their software “makes static reports obsolete.”  The software also allows users to document each step the user takes in analyzing the data.  Furthermore these steps can then be shared and review by others allowing for the use of collective intelligence or at the very least varied opinion in the formation of a decision.  The software can be used in a variety of field such as aiding operations managers, financial analysts, scientists in making informed decisions.  As the amount of data available to the public and companies alike DSS will continue to play an important role in decision making as they allow users to comb through huge amounts of data to create useful information. (4) 

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_support_system

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_support_system

3. http://dssresources.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&id=171

4. http://spotfire.tibco.com/seo/decision-support-system-software.aspx