The aim of this publication is to publish multidisciplinary discussions that contribute to improving the education of children and adults of all ages, anywhere in the world. These improvements must be based on clearly defined proven educational methodologies and policies and a better understanding of human learning. They can involve information technology (e-learning, Internet, broadband) but only as a support tool, not as an end in itself. The book identifies factors that contribute to the current crisis in education, which is now felt throughout the world. It reports on some innovative projects that give hope for the future, and surveys recent results in cognitive neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and educational psychology. This volume also examines the potential uses of broadband and mass media in supporting education.

A Learning Zone of One's Own consists of three parts. The first part, entitled "Play and Grounding" looks at play as a context likely to reveal the essence of grounding. Grounding is the embodiment of understanding things/actions in relation to and/or integrated with their environments. The second part, entitled "Optimal Experience and Emotion" shows the close association between grounding and emotion. The third part, entitled "Pedagogy and Technology" elaborates on new technologies (the computer and Internet) and on concepts and pedagogical methodologies supported by such technologies. The contributions in this volume demonstrate the great potential for the further development. First, the editors are now more confident that emotion is indispensable for human learning, and that learning requires grounding. Emotion accompanies play activities and play activities accompany emotion. This relation provides a rich context for grounding. The notion of optimal experience, or flow, seems an important factor for grounding, and it is suggested that optimal experience occur when the emotion and neuro systems come into harmony. Moreover, the reports and proposals made here on pedagogy and tools assure us of the feasibility of learning environments that are safe, effective, and innovative. Technologies, if appropriately applied, should greatly benefit learning in both the classroom and at home.

The book describes a fundamentally new approach to software dependability, considering a software system as an ever-changing system due to changes in service objectives, users' requirements, standards and regulations, and to advances in technology. Such a system is viewed as an Open System since its functions, structures, and boundaries are constantly changing. Thus, the approach to dependability is called Open Systems Dependability. The DEOS technology realizes Open Systems Dependability. It puts more emphasis on stakeholders' agreement and accountability achievement for business/service continuity than in elemental technologies.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECCOP '94), held in Bologna, Italy in July 1994. ECOOP is the premier European event on object-oriented programming and technology. The 25 full refereed papers presented in the volume were selected from 161 submissions; they are grouped in sessions on class design, concurrency, patterns, declarative programming, implementation, specification, dispatching, and experience. Together with the keynote speech "Beyond Objects" by Luc Steels (Brussels) and the invited paper "Putting Objects to Work" by Norbert A. Streitz (GMD-IPSI, Darmstadt) they offer an exciting perspective on object-oriented programming research and applications.

The ECOOP '91 Workshop on Object-Based Concurrent Computing was organized toprovide a forum on concurrent, distributed and open-ended computing. The emphasis was on conceptual, theoretical and formal aspects, as well as practical aspects and sound experience, since such a viewpoint was deemed indispensible to investigate and establish a basis for future development. This volume contains 12 papers selected from 25 presented at the workshop, together with a paper by J.A. Goguen, who was an invited speaker at the workshop. The papers are classified into four categories: Formal methods (1): three papers are concerned with the formal semantics of concurrent objects based on process calculi. Formal methods (2): four papers are concerned with various formal approaches to the semantics of concurrent programs. Concurrent programming: three papers. Models: three papers areconcerned with models for concurrent systems.

Tetsu Natsume of Sony Computer Science Labs (Sony CSL) has been pioneering technology promotion for a decade. As he seeks marketplace opportunities for ground-breaking research, he plays the role of a Technology Producer -- a role that will be increasingly important as organizations seek optimally efficient and effective applications of basic research. Natsume's task has been greatly facilitated by his association with Sony CSL, a research lab founded by co-author Mario Tokoro. While CSL is owned by SONY, it nevertheless operates almost entirely independently. At CSL, a diverse, cosmopolitan group of talented researchers are free to explore any idea that might one day change the world. Natsume's task is to optimise that process by identifying the best path to the market for the new insights that pour out of CSL. Functioning somewhat like a movie producer, Natsume has blazed a trail for technology promoters the world over. He explains his techniques for overcoming challenges and embracing opportunities. His "10 core principles of technology promotion", which offer the reader an especially valuable framework for moving between the very different worlds of the lab and the marketplace, cover the importance of appropriate timing, speed, commitment and mindset, while being rigorously simple and boldly ambitious. This book is an eye-opening primer for anyone interested in realising and optimising the commercial value of basic research.