Laser Safety in higher education - Classic video!

Vintage video (1986) on laser safety, presented by Dr. Gillian Rice. This is a 37 minute video, explaining the hazards which are likely to be encountered and ways to reduce those hazards in teaching and research laboratories in higher education. Presented in 5 parts: Part 1 (1:49) Laser radiation and the body Part 2 (8:49) Classes of laser Part 3 (13:32) Safety measures Part 4 (21:32) Other risks: precautions Part 5 (31:49) Summary

WAIS seminar: Research Discussion: Lab of Things? What Things?

Wednesday 19th March 2014 Speaker(s): Kirk Martinez, Dr Jonathon S Hare and Dr Enrico Costanza Organiser: Dr Tim Chown Time: 19/03/2014 11:00-11:50 Location: B32/3077 File size: 676 Mb Abstract The new WAIS seminar series features classic seminars, research discussions, tutorial-style presentations, and research debates. This seminar takes the form of a research discussion which will focus on the Internet of Things (IoT) research being undertaken in WAIS and other research groups in ECS. IoT is a significant emerging research area, with funding for research available from many channels including new H2020 programmes and the TSB. We have seen examples of IoT devices being built in WAIS and other ECS groups, e.g. in sensor networking, energy monitoring via Zigbee devices, and of course Erica the Rhino (a Big Thing!). The goal of the session is to briefly present such examples of existing Things in our lab with the intent of seeding discussion on open research questions, and therefore future work we could do towards new Things being deployed for experimentation in Building 32 or its environs. The session will discuss what 'things' we have, how they work, what new 'things' might we want to create and deploy, what components we might need to enable this, and how we might interact with these objects.

WAIS seminar: The Domain Name System: a magical mystery tour

Wednesday 12th March 2014 Speaker(s): Dr Tim Chown Organiser: Time: 12/03/2014 11:00-11:50 Location: B32/3077 File size: 642 Mb Abstract The WAIS seminar series is designed to be a blend of classic seminars, research discussions, debates and tutorials. The Domain Name System (DNS) is a critical part of the Internet infrastructure. In this talk we begin by explaining the basic model of operation of the DNS, including how domain names are delegated and how a DNS resolver performs a DNS lookup. We then take a tour of DNS-related topics, including caching, poisoning, governance, the increasing misuse of the DNS in DDoS attacks, and the expansion of the DNS namespace to new top level domains and internationalised domain names. We also present the latest work in the IETF on DNS privacy. The talk will be pitched such that no detailed technical knowledge is required. We hope that attendees will gain some familiarity with how the DNS works, some key issues surrounding DNS operation, and how the DNS might touch on various areas of research within WAIS.