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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 1997)
Thursday - July 31,1! Gates urges governors to use computers more LAS VEGAS (AP) —Witha laptop computer and large projection screens, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates led the nation’s governors on a quick tour of the Internet Wednesday, urging them to stream line their operations by more fully computerizing. “Citizens are interested in more information if they can easily reach out and get it,” Gates said. “If we do this right they can participate in more forms and on a more regular basis in the democratic process.” Among his suggestions: setting up computer kiosks in public places to allow citizens without computers to get in touch with government and other information sources. Gates, whose software empire has made him the richest man in the world, spoke at the concluding session of the annual summer meeting of the National Gover nors’ Association. From his laptop, Gates point ed and clicked onto two state gov ernment Internet sites he held up for praise — those of Wisconsin and Florida. Both sites offer a host of useful information about the states, ranging from Florida restau rants that failed state health in spections to in formation on how to do busi ness with the state of Wiscon sin and how to send e-mail to state legislators. “This technology can draw peo ple in,” Gates said. Gates said that, for the most part, federal and state govern ments were laggards in the tech nology revolution. In streamlining his own compa ny, Gates said, he found that Mi- Gates crosoft had “over 1,000 printed forms. It was wild.” He has since managed to convert all but six to their electronic equivalent, he told the governors. “There were six we couldn’t get rid of,” he said. “That’s because the federal government required them to be submitted in paper.” “I’m a little disappointed at how slowly tax payments are allowed to be made on the Internet,” Gates said. “There’s still an unbelievable amount of paperwork that our sys tem requires,” Gates said. Governors told Gates they were impressed with his presentation. Ohio Gov. George Voinovich, in coming chairman of the association, said he would try to convene a con ference within the next six months to a year to focus in more detail on how state governments can use comput er technology more efficiently. “Microsoft would like to sponsor something like that,” Gates said. Simulator Continued from Page 1 Drew Rollins, an aerospace engineering graduate student and Class of ’96, said he, four other A&M stu dents and a high school student have been working on a flight simulator that is used to test GAPATS soft ware and hardware. “The simulator is a lot cheaper to fly than an actu al aircraft,” Rollins said. “It duplicates the sensor pack age of the aircraft.” The simulator is built from aT-37 airplane fuselage donated by Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio. Robbins said that when aerospace engineering first received the fuselage, it was in pieces. He and other students had to repaint, rewire and reassemble the body of the simulator. Silicon Graphics Inc., helped create a visual envi ronment for the simulator, which is projected onto three large screens at the front of the simulator. The screens and the graphics, such as grass and a runway, enable a test pilot to experience peripheral vision sim ilar to that in a real plane. Kelly said they hope to test GAPATS in a Rockwell Commander 700 twin-propeller, two-engine plane in the fall and spring. After research on the project is completed, Painter said the Federal Aviation Administration has to certi fy the program for civilian use. Knowledge-Based Systems Inc., which developed the PA, is in charge of making the program available to the general public. “We will take this and make it into a commercial product,” said Wes Crump, project manager at Knowl edge-Based Systems Inc. Wallace Kelly, a research associate in the electrical engineering department and an electrical engineer ing graduate student, said the project has taught him about working on a team. “What’s unique about this project is the amount of teamwork involved,” Kelly said. “Each group has its own piece it’s working on, but at the same time, every one relies on everyone else’s piece.” Painter started research on a project that pro duced the FMI when he received a grant from NASA in 1989 to investigate using artificial intelligence to fly and control aircraft. The original NASA grant ran out in 1994. Knowl edge-Based Systems Inc., and A&M were paired to continue the project using a new NASA grant. Painter said that when Knowledge-Based Systems Inc., became the prime contractor of the project, the Texas Engineering Experiment Station became the subcontractor and employer of faculty and students working on GAPATS. In 1995, the program received an additional grant through the Texas Advanced Technology Program. Painter said that since 1989, more than $800,000 in federal and state research money has been spent on the project. He said the grants run out at the end of 1997, but the project can probably be extended through early 1998. Painter said he is pleased with the progress of the project. “It has gone far better than my fondest dreams,” Painter said. “I’m dazzled by the talent of the students and the amount of work they do.” ^ % 11 wy* * Timber! Phoiograph: ShannonGs Patrick Armstrong, a senior agriculture development major, cuts down a tree as part his summer job. Weather Outlook 1 SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY Thunderstorms High: 95° Low: 75° Partly Cloudy High: 95° Low: 75° Partly Cloudy High: 95° Low: 75° Budget Continued from Page 1 It also would create a $24 billion program of health coverage for mil lions of uninsured children and would overhaul Medicare, extend ing the solvency of the program through 2007. The House, by a resounding 346- 85 vote Wednesday, endorsed the spending part of the package, sav ing the companion tax measure for the following day. Three Texans were among the 32 Republicans voting against the deal— Reps. Joe Barton of Ennis, Henry Bonil la of San Antonio and Ron Paul of Surf- side. No Texans were among the 52 Democrats defecting from the pack age supported by President Clinton. Paul flatly predicted that the bud get deal will never balance the budget. “I just think there are a lot of peo ple deluding themselves into be lieving this is a new era that we are entering into,” he said. He does plan to vote for the tax package. Barton opposed the spending measure because it includes a tax increase on tobacco sales, his spokesman said. “He’s pledged to vote against all tax increases,” said Craig Murphy. Barton also remained disap pointed that he, Stenholm and a contingent of deficit-conscious lawmakers failed in their effort this month to pass a budget enforce ment act that would cap spending and delay tax cuts if certain revenue and spending targets weren’t achieved. They contend that with out an enforcement mechanism, the current budget-balancing legis lation could be vulnerable to unre strained spending growth, econom ic downturns and a lack of congressional backbone. Beyond ensuring that the com mitments outlined in the budget deal are followed, Congress still must rein in government spend ing, tackle entitlement reform and reduce government red tape, Re publicans said. Sk@fkh By Quatn LOOK-r KNOW YOU’RE SUSY, BUT PO YOU THINK YOU COOLP SKETCH A PORTRAIT UASEP on THIS MAN’S pESCRlPTiONT j SURE... 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