=============================================================================== SIGDA -- The Resource for EDA Professionals http://www.sigda.org This newsletter is a free service for current SIGDA members and is added automatically with a new SIGDA membership. Circulation: 2,700 =============================================================================== 15 October 2007 ACM/SIGDA E-NEWSLETTER Vol. 37, No. 20 Online archive: http://www.sigda.org/newsletter =============================================================================== Contents of this E-NEWSLETTER: (1) SIGDA News Contributing author: Tony Givargis Contributing author: Michael Orshansky Contributing author: Marc Riedel (2) What is multithreading and multi-core? Author: Kevin D. Kissell (3) Paper Submission Deadlines From: Hai Zhou (4) Upcoming Conferences and Symposia From: Hai Zhou (5) Upcoming Funding Opportunities From: Qinru Qiu (6) Call For Participation: Annual ACM/SIGDA Dinner with Invited Speaker SIGDA Pioneer Achievement Awardee, Gene Amdahl From: Diana Marculescu (7) Call For Papers: Tau Workshop 2008 From: Frank Liu (8) Call For Papers: ISQED 2008 From: Hai Zhou (9) Call For Submissions: ASP-DAC 2008 Student Forum From: Naehyuck Chang =============================================================================== Dear ACM/SIGDA members, In this issue, we have included the article "What is multithreading and multi-core?" by Kevin D. Kissell. In addition, "SIGDA News" column contains a number of fresh headlines. We have also updated the contents of other regular columns. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions. If you would like to participate or contribute to the content of the E-Newsletter, please feel free to contact any of us. Qing Wu, E-Newsletter Editor; Matthew Guthaus, E-Newsletter Associate Editor; Tony Givargis, E-Newsletter Associate Editor; Michael Orshansky, E-Newsletter Associate Editor; Marc Riedel, E-Newsletter Associate Editor; Qinru Qiu, E-Newsletter Associate Editor; Hai Zhou, E-Newsletter Associate Editor; =============================================================================== SIGDA News ----------------------- "IBM Probes Carbon Nanotube Properties" http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202402822 IBM scientists report a major success in bringing carbon nanotubes closer to industrial production: They succeeded in measuring the electrical charges in these tubes, providing a detailed understanding in the electric behavior of these important elements of the future electronics landscape. "TI Unveils Fastest-Ever DSP" http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202103677 Houston, Texas ¨C Texas Instruments (TI) is boosting the speed of its TMS320C6455 DSP from 1 GHz to 1.2 GHz, giving it the fastest single-core DSP on the market. Despite the speed increase, the price of the chip remains unchanged at $245, so the extra speed is essentially "free." "First Organic Circuits Cast" http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202200279 Organic semiconductors aim to self-assemble complex circuitry by precipitation of thinly spread solutions. Thin films of organic semiconductors have been cast into n- and p-type transistors separately, but the world's first gate to use both was recently fabricated at the University of Washington (Seattle) and Stanford University (Palo Alto, Calif.). "Flash To Surpass DRAM Capacity In '08" http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202200280 For the first time, flash memory capacity will surpass DRAM capacity in 2008, according to Strategic Marketing Associates (SMA), a research firm. Flash memory capacity has grown more than fourfold to 2.9 million equivalent 200-mm wafers a month since 2000, according to the firm. By contrast, DRAM capacity has grown by only 225 percent since then, according to the firm. "NEC Scheme Allows Dynamic Multiprocessor Control" http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202201032 NEC researchers have developed a new multiprocessor dynamic-control technology that will allow multiple cores in a single system or chip as well as multiple processors distributed on a network to coordinate with each other on a real time basis. They described the technology in detail here this week at the International Conference on Hardware/ Software Co-design and System Synthesis (CODES+ISSS). "Toshiba Explores 450-Mm Fabs, EUV" http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202201177 Seeking to remain on the leading-edge in ICs, Toshiba Corp. is exploring several new chip-production technologies, including 450-mm fabs and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. In EUV, the company is not only in talks with lithography partner Nikon Corp., but Toshiba is also in discussions with ASML Holding NV about the technology, said Shozo Saito, corporate senior vice president for Toshiba (Tokyo) and the president and CEO of Toshiba's Semiconductor Company. "Race Is On To Develop Energy Harvest Ics" http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202400930 Systems that extract the energy they require from the ambient environment already exist. The best known is probably the self-powered wrist watch. But modern ICs can perform sophisticated functions on not much more energy than a quartz-controlled electronic watch chip consumes and so there is a race to develop energy harvesting techniques and standards. In many applications, the environment itself could supply the energy required - through temperature difference, vibration, or light. "EE Attempts To Unify Prosthetic Design" http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202401022 An electrical engineer is determined to unify neural-prosthesis research by applying graphical state diagrams to bring together the disparate approaches taken by other experimental groups. Neural prosthetics convert brain activity into control signals that can drive electronics, but the algorithms that make the link have been unique to each implementation. Now, Lakshminarayan Srinivasan's state diagrams appear to offer a single method to conjure the intentions of a patient from the signals in his or her brain, then translate that into actuation of a prosthetic device. "Ultrawideband Socs Pose New Challenges To Manufacturers" http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202402838 What do these three killer wireless applications have in common: Viewing HDTV on a mobile device using 4G WiMax technologies; using existing WLAN infrastructure to make phone calls; and using ultrawideband (UWB) technology to download or print pictures from a digital camera? Answer: All use a complex digital modulation scheme to transfer data over the airwaves, all are a variant of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and all will become standard capabilities in the next 18 to 24 months as consumer-driven demand for wireless applications hastens convergence of mobile audio, video and data. "Darpa Hatches Plan For Insect Cyborgs to Fly Reconnaissance" http://eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=U2IIWGZTYCSJWQSNDLSCKHA?articleID=202200707 Cyborg insects with embedded microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) will run remotely controlled reconnaissance missions for the military, if its '"HI-MEMS" program succeeds. Hybrid-Insect MEMS--a program hatched earlier this year at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa)--aims to harness insects the way horses were harnessed by the cavalry. "Analyst: Linux Set to dominate in embedded systems" http://eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=U2IIWGZTYCSJWQSNDLSCKHA?articleID=202200986 Embedded system manufacturers are increasingly committing to Linux as the operating system of choice, and this migration from more traditional and commercial operating systems is set to continue, according to market research group Venture Development Corporation (VDC). "Multicore Gives More Bang For the Buck" http://www.us.design-reuse.com/news/news16925.html It has been clear for some time that a law of diminishing returns applies to the advancement of conventional processor architectures. Each new process geometry and microarchitecture delivers successively less in terms of performance gains: It is simply no longer possible to deliver Moore's Law by going faster. " Industry Leaders to Collaborate on Linux Mobile Computing Platform" http://www.us.design-reuse.com/news/news16858.html To address the rise in consumer demand for access to the Internet and advanced applications on larger display mobile devices, ARM and six companies today announced a collaboration that will result in the development of a Linux-based open source platform for next-generation mobile applications. The collaboration, announced at the fourth annual ARMŽ Developers. Conference being held this week in Santa Clara, California, builds on the ARM architecture and its rich ecosystem of Partners to deliver a standards-base platform based on Linux. This group of companies are all working to accelerate the enablement of truly always on, connected mobile computing (CMC) devices. "IP Networking is Moving to FPGAs" http://www.chipdesignmag.com/display.php?articleId=1661 There is no question that communications networks are gradually becoming more and more IP-based. In access networks, revenues from IP-DSLAM have already taken over the ATM-DSLAM. Video broadband is being deployed over IPTV. Carrier Ethernet is the technology of choice in metro and campus backbones. The move towards all-IP networks is driving in several ways how FPGAs are being used or will be used in tomorrow's systems. "IMEC Extends Sub-32-nm Research Projects" http://www.edn.com/article/CA6491417.html?industryid=47037 Belgian research center IMEC, which has been keeping busy in recent months with a flux of new partnerships and technology developments, announced today two separate steps forward on research aimed at pushing chip technology to 32-nm and below. "Researchers Tout Ultra-strong, Ultra-light Nanocomposite Plastic" http://www.edn.com/article/CA6491134.html?industryid=47037 Using clay nanosheets and a water-soluble polymer to mimic a "brick-and-mortar" molecular structure found in seashells, University of Michigan (U-M) researchers say they have created a composite plastic that's as strong as steel but lighter and transparent. "SEMI Survey: Silicon Wafer Shipments to See 9% Growth in 2007" http://www.edn.com/article/CA6489178.html?industryid=47037 Industry watchers agree that the global semiconductor market has taken a hit this year particularly in comparison with 2006, however, according to trade group SEMI, the leading silicon wafer suppliers are optimistic for a small rebound in silicon wafer shipments in 2008 that will keep the compound average growth rate (CAGR) for the industry healthy. "Goldman Sachs: IT Services Outlook Stable in Short Term, Mixed in Long Term" http://www.edn.com/article/CA6488694.html?industryid=47037 The latest IT Spending Survey by financial services firm Goldman Sachs Group Inc. shows a stable spending environment for IT consulting, outsourcing, and offshore services. In particular, the firm particularly notes that demand for discretionary IT projects remains healthy; CIO interest in IT outsourcing remains generally stable; and the appetite for offshore services remains stable and consistent. "IBM, Google Team for University Research" http://www.edn.com/article/CA6488094.html?industryid=47037 Bringing together two tech industry giants known as old school and new school pioneers, respectively, IBM Corp. and Google Inc. today announced plans to team up on an initiative to promote new software development methods at universities. As part of the program, the two companies will provide hardware, software and services to add to universities' curricula and research. "IBM Claims Single-molecule Logic Switching" http://www.edn.com/article/CA6486039.html?industryid=47037 Researchers at IBM have demonstrated logic switching among single molecules in a stable structure that better suits circuit construction than earlier molecular switches. The technique employs the probe of a low-temperature, scanning, tunneling microscope to induce a voltage pulse in a molecule of naphthalocyanine. The voltage pulse impels two hydrogen atoms within the molecule to change position, thus turning the switch on or off. "Analyze This!" http://eetimes.com/news/design/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202100945 The transition from analog to digital video is bringing long-awaited benefits to security systems, largely because digital compression allows more image data to be transmitted and stored. "Industrial Sensors Get Tougher" http://eetimes.com/news/design/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202101419 While there has been a lot of discussion recently about the CMOS and charge-coupled device image sensors used in mobile devices, there's a plethora of sensor types that are used in other applications, including industrial-based systems such as HVAC, motion control, hydraulic systems and robotics. "New Error Comparison Scheme Proposed for Design Rule Checking Flows" http://eetimes.com/news/design/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202200129 A new flow to vastly simplify the task of comparing design rule checking errors between two tools, tool versions, or runsets while simultaneously helping design automation teams hike productivity several times (already tested by design teams in Intel) has been proposed at a recently held VLSI design and test meet. "Commentary: Revisiting Heterogeneous vs. Homogeneous" http://eetimes.com/news/design/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202200278 Jeff Bier looks at the trade-offs in using homogeneous vs. heterogeneous processing elements in multi-core chips for DSP applications. "Microcontrollers Promise to Improve Automotive Electronic Control Units" http://eetimes.com/news/design/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202200327 US NHTSA mandates future electronic vehicle stability control, for practical purposes requiring manufacturers to conform to IEC 61508's expectations for safety integrity levels of safety-critical systems for highway use. "Shakeout Seen in Japan's IC Industry" http://eetimes.com/news/design/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202400043 Amid a sluggish cycle in semiconductors, Japan's IC industry is moving towards a new round of restructuring -- if not a shakeout among the weaker players in that nation. ============================================================================== What Is Multithreading and Multi-Core? ------------------------------------------- Demystifying multithreading and multi-core Kevin D. Kissell http://eetimes.com/news/design/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202102042 ============================================================================== Paper submission deadlines: ---------------------------- ISQED'08 - Int'l Symposium on Quality Electronic Design San Jose, CA Mar 17-19, 2008 Deadline: Oct 29 (extended) http://www.isqed.org/ RAW'08 - Reconfigurable Architectures Workshop Miami, FL Apr 14-15, 2008 Deadline: Oct 15, 2007 (extended) http://www.ece.lsu.edu/vaidy/raw/ ASYNC'08: Int'l Symposium on Asynchronous Circuits and Systems Newcastle, UK Apr 7-11, 2008 Deadline: Oct 15, 2007 http://async.org.uk/async2008/ SPL'08 - Southern Conference on Programmable Logic Bariloche-Patagonia, Argentina Mar 26-28, 2008 Deadline: Nov 1, 2007 http://www.splconf.org/ LATW'08 - Latin-American Test Workshop Puebla, Mexico Feb 17-20, 2008 Deadline: Nov 1, 2007 http://www-elec.inaoep.mx/latw2008/ DAC'08 - Design Automation Conference (sponsored by SIGDA) Anaheim, CA Jun 9-13, 2008 Deadline: Nov 19, 2007 http://www.dac.com/ NOCS'08 - Int'l Symposium on Networks-on-Chips Newcastle, UK Apr 7-11, 2008 Deadline: Nov 19, 2007 http://async.org.uk/nocs2008/ TAU'08 - Int'l Workshop on Timing Issues in the Specification and Synthesis of Digital Systems (Sponsored by SIGDA) Monterey, CA Feb 25-26, 2008 Deadline: Nov 26, 2007 http://www.tauworkshop.com/ GLSVLSI'08 - Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI Orlando, FL May 4-6, 2008 Deadline: Nov 30, 2007 http://www.glsvlsi.org/ ISVLSI'08 - Annual Symposium on VLSI Montpellier, France Apr 7-9, 2008 Deadline: Dec 5, 2007 http://www.lirmm.fr/isvlsi2008/ SLIP'08 - Int'l Workshop on System Level Interconnect Prediction Newcastle, UK Apr 5-6, 2008 Deadline: Dec 7, 2007 http://www.sliponline.org/ ============================================================================== Upcoming symposia, conferences and workshops: --------------------------------------------- VLSI-SoC'07 - Int'l Conference on Very Large Scale Integration Atlanta, GA Oct 15-17, 2007 http://www.vlsisoc2007.gatech.edu/ ICCAD'07 - Int'l Conference on Computer-Aided Design (sponsored by SIGDA) San Jose, CA Nov 4-8, 2007 http://www.iccad.com/ PDCS'07 - Int'l Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing Systems Cambridge, MA Nov 19-21, 2007 http://www.iasted.org/conferences/home-590.html ICST'07 - Int'l Conference on Sensing Technology Palmerston North, New Zealand Nov 26-28, 2007 http://icst.massey.ac.nz/ BIOCAS'07 - Biomedical Circuits and Systems Conference London, UK Nov 27-30, 2007 http://biocas.grm.polymtl.ca/ MICRO'07 - Int'l Symposium on Microarchitecture Chicago, IL Dec 1-5, 2007 http://www.microarch.org/micro40/ IP-SOC'07 - IP Based SoC Design Grenoble, France Dec 5-6, 2007 http://www.us.design-reuse.com/ipsoc2006/ ICPADS'07 - Int'l Conference on Parallel and Distributed Systems Hsinchu, Taiwan Dec 5-7, 2007 http://www.ccrc.nthu.edu.tw/icpads2007/ ICFPT'07 - Int'l Conference on Field-Programmable Technology Kitakyushu, Japan Dec 12-14, 2007 http://www.kameyama.ecei.tohoku.ac.jp/icfpt07/ EUC'07 - Int'l Conference on Embedded and Ubiquitous Computing Taipei, Taiwan Dec 17-20, 2007 http://www.cs.ccu.edu.tw/~shiwulo/euc07/ HiPC'07 - Int'l Conference on High Performance Computing Goa, India Dec 18-21, 2007 http://www.hipc.org/ ICM'07 - Int'l Conference on Microelectronics Cairo, Egypt Dec 29-31, 2007 http://www.ieee-icm.com/ VLSI'08 - Int'l Conference on VLSI Design (sponsored by SIGDA) ES'08 - Int'l Conference on Embedded Systems Hyderabad, India Jan 4-8, 2008 http://vlsiconference.com/vlsi2008/ ASP-DAC'08 - Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference (sponsored by SIGDA) Seoul, Korea Jan 21-24, 2008 http://www.aspdac.com/aspdac2008/ HiPEAC'08: Int'l Conference on High Performance Embedded Architectures & Compilers Goteborg, Sweden Jan 27-29, 2008 http://www.hipeac.net/hipeac2008/ ISSCC'08 - Int'l Solid-State Circuits Conference San Francisco, CA Feb 3-7, 2008 http://isscc.org/isscc/ DATE'08 - Design Automation and Test in Europe (sponsored by SIGDA) Munich, Germany Mar 10-14, 2008 http://www.date-conference.com/ ISPD'08 - Int'l Symposium on Physical Design (sponsored by SIGDA) Portland, OR Apr 13-16, 2008 http://www.ispd.cc/ ISCAS'08 - Int'l Symposium on Circuits and Systems Seattle, WA May 18-21, 2008 http://iscas2008.org/ ============================================================================== Call For Participation ------------------- Annual ACM/SIGDA Dinner with Invited Speaker SIGDA Pioneer Achievement Awardee, Gene Amdahl Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at 7:30 Doubletree Hotel Donner Ballroom Please join us for a unique event with computing pioneer Gene Amdahl on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of Amdahl.s Law. We will listen to a historic presentation on how Amdahl.s law shaped the present computing landscape, followed by .Can We Still Keep the Faith?.- a debate on how parallelism will affect the multicore revolution. Don.t miss this unique event, along with a brief review of SIGDA.s activities, and the winners of Monday.s SIGDA CADathlon. Dinner will be served. ============================================================================== Call For Papers ------------------- CALL FOR PAPERS - TAU 2008 ACM/IEEE International Workshop on Timing Issues in the Specification and Synthesis of Digital Systems http://www.tauworkshop.com February 25-26, 2008 Monterey, California Sponsored by ACM/SIGDA and IEEE/CAS The TAU series of workshops provide an informal forum for practitioners and researchers working on temporal aspects of digital systems to disseminate early work and engage in a free discussion of ideas. The fifteenth in the TAU series, the TAU 2008 workshop invites submissions from all areas related to the timing properties of digital electronic systems, including but not limited to: Topics: Formal theories and methods System-level timing Transistor-level timing Circuit-level timing Sensitivity analysis Full custom design analysis Integrated functional-temporal analysis Incremental analysis Timing issues in low power design Power-delay trade-offs Adjacent line switching and coupling Delay models and metrics Layout impact on timing Timing-driven layout optimization Timing-driven synthesis and re-synthesis Circuit optimization Uncertainty-based analysis Incorporation of RETs in timing Reliability impact on performance Process & environmental variation models Statistical analysis techniques Clocking, synchronization, and skew Clock domains, static/dynamic logic Novel clocking schemes Special circuit families Asynchronous systems IMPORTANT DATES Submission deadline November 26 2007 Acceptance notification January 11, 2008 Camera-ready paper due February 11, 2008 SUBMISSION OF PAPERS All papers must be submitted electronically. Details will be posted on the web site http://www.tauworkshop.com. Submissions are limited to 6 pages in the double column proceedings format. TAU is a workshop aimed at fostering a high level of professional interaction, not a conference. Copies of papers will be provided to the attendees, but the proceedings will not be published by the ACM or the IEEE. Therefore, accepted papers can still be submitted to other conferences and journals. The intent of the workshop is to encourage the vigorous and unfettered discussion of the latest ideas in the field. WORKSHOP ORGANIZATION: General Chair: Noel Menezes, Intel Corporation Program Chair: Frank Liu, IBM Corporation ============================================================================== Call For Papers ------------------- CALL FOR PAPERS - ISQED 2008 International Symposium & Exhibits on Quality Electronic Design San Jose, CA, Mar 17-19, 2008 http://www.isqed.org FINAL Paper Submission Deadline: Oct. 29, 2007 Acceptance Notifications: November 23, 2007 Final Camera-Ready paper: January 3, 2008 A pioneer and leading multidisciplinary conference, ISQED accepts and promotes papers related to the Design, manufacturing, and EDA. Authors are invited to submit papers in the various disciplines of circuit design, high level design, test & verification, design automation tools; processes; flows, device modeling, semiconductor technology, and advance IC packaging. A list of topics include: 1. Manufacturing, Semiconductor Technology and Devices 1.1 Design for Manufacturability/Yield & Quality (DFM/DFY/DFQ) 1.2 Effects of Technology on IC Design, Performance, Reliability, and Yield (TRD) 2. Electronic Design 2.1 System-level Design, Methodologies & Tools (SDM) 2.2 Package - Design Interactions & Co-Design (PDI) 2.3 Robust & Power-conscious Circuits & Systems (PCC) 2.4 Emerging/Innovative Process & Device Technologies and Design Issues (EDT) 2.5 Design of Reliable Circuits and Systems (DFR) 3. Design Automation and CAD 3.1 EDA Methodologies, Tools, Flows & IP Cores; Interoperability and Reuse (EDA) 3.2 Design Verification and Design for Testability (DVFT) 3.3 Physical Design, Methodologies & Tools (PDM) Submission of Papers Paper submission must be done on-line via the conference web site at http://www.isqed.org. Authors should submit FULL-LENGTH, original, unpublished papers (Minimum 4, maximum 6 pages) along with an abstract of about 200 words. Please check the as-printed appearance of your paper before uploading. To permit a blind review, do not include name(s) or affiliation(s) of the author(s) on the manuscript and abstract. The complete contact author information needs to be entered separately. The guidelines for the final paper format are provided in the conference web site at http://www.isqed.org in the author resources section. Authors of the submitted papers must register and attend the conference for their paper to be published. ============================================================================== Call For Submissions ---------------------- ASP-DAC 2008 Student Forum Call for Submissions The Student Forum at the ASP-DAC 2008 is a poster session for graduate students to present and discuss their research with people in the EDA community. This is a great opportunity for students to get feedback and have discussion with people from academia and industry. Accepted students will have travel grant. No complementary registration will be available. Eligibility - Students with at least one supporting published or accepted conference, symposium or journal paper relevant to the EDA community as the first author. - Submissions are not restricted to dissertation proposals, but students who will graduate within a few years (or graduated in 2007) will have higher priority. Young students with good publication records are also welcome. - The topic must be related to the supporting paper and relevant to the EDA community. - Previous forum presenters are not eligible. - Students who have presented previously at the DATE and DAC Ph.D. forums are eligible, but will be less likely to receive travel grants. Important Dates (New Deadline) - Submission Deadline: October 31, 2007. - Notification Date: November 30, 2007. - Forum Presentation: January 23, 2008. Submission Requirements - Abstract of the research including name of the student and advisor, institution, contact information, estimated graduation date, figures, tables and bibliography. - A published supporting paper authored by the student and related to the research. - A list of all papers related to the dissertation authored by the student. - Description about whether the work has been presented at DAC PhD Forum or DATE PhD Forum. Quality of both the supporting paper and the proposal would be the main concern during the review process. Format - A two-page PDF document in two-column format, using 10-11 pt. fonts and single-spaced lines. The two-page limit on the abstract will be strictly enforced. - The abstract must be well organized and should not have any spelling error. - The bibliography and the list of published papers must be in IEEE style. Tracks 1. System-level synthesis and optimization 2. System-level communication and NoC 3. Embedded HW/SW design and applications 4. Power analysis and low-power design 5. Logic synthesis and optimization 6. Validation and verification 7. Physical design 8. Testing 9. Analog/Mixed-signal and RF 10. FPGAs and reconfigurable systems 11. Emerging CAD technologies Contact information Prof. Naehyuck Chang (naehyuck@elpl.snu.ac.kr) ============================================================================== Notice to Authors By submitting your contributions to ACM SIGDA, you acknowledge that they contain only your own work (minor edits by others are allowed) and are not subject to third-party licenses and copyrights. The contents of the ACM SIGDA newsletters are released by SIGDA into Public Domain, except when explicitly noted otherwise. SIGDA newsletters are routinely reproduced on the SIGDA Web site and the ACM Digital Library, may be reproduced in printed publications and appear on the Wikipedia Web site --- without express notice and royalties. If you wish to restrict the distribution of your work or retain copyright for your contribution, please contact the editors. Last revised by I. Markov - 05/21/06 ============================================================================== (This ACM/SIGDA E-NEWSLETTER is being sent to all persons on the ACM/SIGDA mailing list. To manage your subscription, go to "Subscriber's corner" on http://listserv.acm.org/ - you need to login using the email address where this newsletter is delivered. First time users will be required to choose a password.) ==============================================================================