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.
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