Assignment

3- Satellite Programming Languages I was interested in how the satellites and spacecraft are programmed, and what programs are used. One of the main important aspects when developing a satellite is not only to know how to program, but also to know how to maximize the use of existing algorithms and how to approach a real-world problem and properly translate it into codes. It is like what we are currently being introduced to: logical thinking and how important it is to plan before starting the code. I found it interesting that such basic skills become essential in advanced levels of programming – like programing a satellite! According to NASA, some of the current programming languages include the following: Java PathFinder (JPF) – this program is able to detect bugs that may be missed when testing Robot Application Programming Interface Delegate (RAPID) – this program allows remote operations I also found it interesting that, just as we have learned recently, NASA uses infinite loops to make a satellite/spacecraft behaves autonomously. But one can't help but wonder, does NASA only use new programming languages and has it abandoned old languages? It appears that that is not the case with NASA. One example is Voyager 1 and 2. They are two spacecraft that were used since the 1970s, the first two spacecraft to detect the hydrogen wall in outer space (in case you’re not familiar with space terminology, this is a huge discovery!). Voyager is run on a very old programming language, based on assembly language, Fortran, and COBOL. A side-note fun-fact, NASA declared that currently, communication with Voyager satellites is becoming very challenging, as they are at a distance of 12 billion miles away, and perhaps still drifting further. It is interesting and astonishing that 60-yearold programming language is still properly functioning!

4- Minister of State for AI Omar bin Sultan Al Olama,  the world's first Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, speaks about the reasons behind creating such a position. First of all, he states that UAE, his home country, understands the potential of AI and is willing to overcome any challenges that come along the way. Furthermore, he states that Elon Musk's comment on the possibility of a dystopic future when it comes to AI is an area of concern, however, he mentions that with the right actions (collaboration between governments and setting down rules) this dystopia can be overcome. He then compares the effect of the internet, and how it made a huge amount of information available for everyone and the possible effect of AI, and how it could help in delivering this information in ways that will help people understand it. He states that by 2030, the UAE is expected to be the front of AI around the world and that whatever it will have at that time could and should be replicated elsewhere. He concludes with "AI is not negative or positive. It's in between. The future is not going to be black or white."

5- Masdar City The video begins with a cinematic approach to introducing Masdar City, where a lost man in the middle of the desert stumbles upon a fully sustainable city running on renewable energy. Robert Llewellyn, the visitor, talks to Christopher Sorensen, New Ventures unit in Masdar City, about the weather being perfect for solar panels, the types of solar panels used and the energy they produce. One interesting concept is introduced which is concentrated solar power, where there is a metallic rod in the middle of a parabolic mirror, the mirror concentrates sunlight on the rod, which then heats up to around 400 degrees c (750 degrees f)  and transfers the heat to a thermal tank that then redistributes the heat where needed. Christopher then talks about the reason behind Masdar City, which is to research different approaches to creating sustainable energy and then install them and compare before choosing one and making it commercially available. They then showcase a large 10 MW system that generates 17000 mwh a year, and how it produces way more energy than masdar city needs. Robert then talks to Yousef Baselaib, the Director of Operations in Masdar City, who talks about how Masdar City is supposed to mimic historical Arabic cities with narrow roads that are shaded by the buildings around them but with a twist of new technology added to the city. 

6- NAVYA is another driverless vehicle developed and tested in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. The way NAVYA differs from the previously mentioned PRT, is that NAVYA moves around without magnetic pathways embedded into the ground, unlike PRT. NAVYA is a fully automated vehicle that navigates the streets through sensors that look at the environment instead of sensing the path using magnets. Moreover, NAVYA is a shuttle that can move a group of people around with their comfort and safety in mind. For now, NAVYA follows a 1 kilometer route that is fixed and does not interact with public roads. However, it is expected that in the future, the user will input their destination at the beginning of the ride, but the user will not be allowed to control the vehicle throughout the trip. 

7- TabNine is an extension for/add-on for IDEs written by Jacob Jackson that autocompletes code. Initially when it was released, its suggestions were based on the rest of the code within the project being written. For example, when typing the argument of a function, TabNine would suggest a variable that you had previously used within functions. However, this statistical analysis of the project code is limited in the amount of code that is available to analyse. Especially for smaller or largely unfinished projects, TabNine used to struggle to predict your next actions.