While AI has only recently captured widespread public attention, it has been a serious and evolving field of computer science research for many decades. This distinction matters more than ever, a well informed public is essential to navigating the AI landscape responsibly. Understanding what AI actually is, rather than relying on sensationalized portrayals, empowers people to think critically about AI tech.

The University of Toronto’s CANHEIT 2023 conference brought together leading voices in technology, including Dr. Hod Lipson of Columbia University, who delivered a keynote address over the course of the event. A prominent figure in computer science, Dr. Lipson’s work centers on robotics and artificial intelligence, and his talk offered attendees a compelling, Computer Science grounded framework for understanding and categorizing AI.

Dr. Lipson’s waves organizes the AI tech in an order they are invented.

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The term ‘unified memory’ has become more and more popular as of late and for good reason. More and more main computer components have been consolidated into a single microchip hence the term SoC – ‘System on a Chip’. For years the iGPU – ‘integrated Graphics Processor’ exist so that you can display your computer’s output without the need of a dedicated graphics card. Now a new SoC design combining CPU, GPU and main memory on a single microchip are gaining popularity and are coined as unifying the memory or ‘unified memory’.

Computers with unified memory architecture feature a single shared pool of memory used by both the CPU and GPU, unlike traditional systems that have separate RAM and VRAM (see figure 1 & 2). This unified design, popularised by Apple’s M series chips, enables higher efficiency, reduced latency, and faster data transfer since the CPU and GPU work with the same memory space therefore don’t need to travel using the overhead of the bus.

Consider the CPU generations categorised as follows:

• 1st generation – 4-bit CPU
• 2nd generation – 8-bit CPU
• 3rd generation – 16-bit CPU
• 4th generation – 32-bit CPU
• 5th generation – 64-bit CPU
• 6th generation – multi-core CPU
• 7th generation – unified memory CPU

Unified memory is the next generation CPU and it will change the tech landscape. Now there will be an accessible alternative to high VRAM GPU’s. This is what it means: you can use your computer main memory as graphics memory. Is this a big deal? Yes it is.Take the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPU it has 96 GB of VRAM and at the time of this article costs $12k CAD. 128GB (2 x 64GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 6400 (PC5 51200) Desktop Memory costs $1,200 CAD. Do the Math, this GPU is 10x more expensive.

Unified memory RAM uses DDR4 or DDR5 shared between CPU and GPU. Its bandwidth can reach around 200-800 GB/s. In contrast, dedicated GPU memory is optimized for very high bandwidth and low latency with wide interfaces 128-512 bits or more. Typical GPU VRAM bandwidth exceeds 500 GB/s, sometimes over 1 TB/s, and is directly connected to the GPU chip with minimal latency to feed thousands of CUDA cores efficiently. This difference alone can amount to a speed difference of a factor of 3-5. At this time GPU’s are faster than a unified memory GPU.

Another new development in CPU design are the use of NPU’s – Neural Processing Unit that accelerate neural networking operations part of the SoC design. These are marketed as AI CPU’s and you will be seeing more and more of them. They will help speed up the tasks performed by digital assistants like Siri or Alexa and facial recognition for secure login and lots more.

Unified memory allows AI accelerators and processors to utilise the full RAM dynamically, which is beneficial for tasks like machine learning and LLM (Large Language Model) inference. The implications are you can use your computer’s main memory as VRAM and this is the biggest benefit of a unified memory PC. In a day and age where large VRAM GPU’s are inaccessible, unified memory PC’s give you an accessible option to run large parameter LLM’s.

Here are some notable unified memory computers:

• Apple M-chip computers lead this tech. A MAC mini can cost you less than $1k CAD.
• NVIDIA DGX Spark is the famous ARM + GPU “AI Supercomputer on your desk” and that will set you back more than $6,000 CAD.
• AMD best iGPU at this time is the Radeon 890M and benchmark’s similar to an NVIDIA GTX 1070 GPU. Look for unified PC’s with AMD Ryzen AI 9 tech inside.
• Minisforum has combined the ARM CPU with their MS-R1 line of mini-PC’s. You heard that right ARM for PC – not Intel or AMD but ARM.  Advertised as “the first ARM mini-PC with a BIOS”. Interestingly the first ARM based PC was the Acorn Archimedes 305 released 40 years ago.

Terms used

• Unified memory – CPU and GPU share a single unified pool of memory
• SoC – System on Chip. Consolidates the key components of a computer or electronic system onto a single microchip.
• iGPU – integrated Graphics or graphics on the same die as a CPU
• VRAM – Video Random Access Memory is a type of dedicated memory used specifically by a graphics processing unit (GPU).
• NPU – Neural Processing Unit are specialized cores focused on accelerating neural network operations and commonly integrated into SoCs.

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Bell and Rogers offer incredibly fast internet for home use some speeds are up to 3 Gbps. At those speeds you need very good WiFi device of at least WiFi 5 (theoretical max of 3.5 Gbps) and you would be better using WiFi 6 (theoretical max of 9.6 Gbps) or better. That means your WiFi router needs to support WiFi 6 and your client/phone needs to be WiFi 6 or better. More likely at those speeds you want to be on your home computer with a 4k monitor using ethernet. Wired ethernet connection has a few advantages: offers fast reliable, low latency and consistent speeds and is more secure and is simple.

Your service provider access point/router will provide ethernet ports that you can connect to your computer. Most new computers or laptop ethernet have speeds up to 2.5 Gbps. Choosing the right ethernet cable is important. Ethernet cables also called RJ45 cables are rated for speed and distance/length:

• Cat 5 – speeds up to 100 Mbps
• Cat 5a – speeds up to 1 Gbps
• Cat 6 – Up to 10 Gbps at shorter distances (55 meters or 180 feet) and 1 Gbps at full length (100 meters or 328 feet)
• Cat 6a – “Augmented” Cat6, supporting 10 Gbps speeds up to 100 meters
• Cat 7 – Designed for data centers, supporting up to 40 Gbps at shorter distances.
• Cat 8 – The latest standard (2025), offering up to 40 Gbps speeds

If you want to achieve reliable speeds of 3 Gbps that your service provider gives you then I would recommend:

• Cat 6a: If you need consistent 3 Gbps speeds over short or longer distances and its ideal for future-proofing your network

You could also use Cat 8 cables but for home use that would be overkill. Cat 7 uses a proprietary GG45 connector, its backwards compatible with RJ45 but not all networking equipment work well with Cat 7. Bottom line, if you want to get the highest speed ethernet possible at home with the fewest problems choose ethernet (RJ45) Cat 6a or Cat 8 cables from a reputable supplier.

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AMD has released a new CPU that has PC leading integrated graphics named the Radeon 890M which is the most powerful AMD iGPU, as of mid 2024. It features:

• the RDNA 3.5 architecture
• 16 compute units
• 16 ray tracing cores
• 1024 shaders running at up to 2,900 MHz
• AI image generation and other modern features are supported.

Benchmarks are comparable to the legendary GTX 1650 which was the best value GPU on the market back in 2020. However modest it is a big step up for PC integrated graphics and are good for medium-duty graphics applications.

Apple are the leaders when it comes to integrated graphics with their M-series chips, only GPU’s can outperform them. AMD and Intel historically have made integrated graphics but not for graphics intensive applications. Radeon 890M integrated graphics have these advantages:

• Excellent for a mini or small form factor PC
• Radeon 890M only uses TDP of 15 watts of power
• can drive up to 4 monitors
• can play 2024 AAA games at 1080p on low settings

Author: Andrew Miles, Sr System Administrator, School of Computer Science, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University

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The most popular file formats at this time are png and jpg. PNG (Portable Network Graphics) has gained immense popularity because it is a lossless file format, it supports transparency, has high color depth and is an open/free file format. The JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) file format has remained popular because of its compression efficiency, compatibility, and image quality and because its an open and free file format.

WebP is a newer format developed by Google that is gaining popularity due to the fact of having the best of both PNG and JPEG formats. Webp file format features are:

• Smaller file sizes compared to JPEG and PNG
• Support for both lossy and lossless compression
• Transparency and animation features
• Open and free file format

While not as widely used as the top formats, WebP is increasingly adopted for its performance benefits, especially in web applications.

Author: Andrew Miles, Sr System Administrator, School of Computer Science, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University

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Being at university implies many hours of screen time and we often neglect eye care. You may experience watery eyes, headaches, fatigue due to eye strain. If you look out for the following monitor features you will ensure that you have the best monitor possible for your sensitive eyes. Many of these factors are relevant to desktop monitors but also pertain to your laptop monitor.  

Summary

Your eyes are important so it goes without saying that your monitor is crucial in minimising eye strain. 

• Resolution – Full HD (1080p) is baseline find the resolution that best suits you. Try a higher resolution monitor and see if that works for you? 
• TÜV Rheinland-certification is a standard that makes sure the refresh rate is adequate as well as minimising blue light emissions 
• DCI-P3 standard will gives you an excellent colour gamut 
• Ambient light sensor is a great feature  
• Matching light bar that mounts on your monitor can give you better ambient lighting
• Nice software features are ePaper mode, eye reminder, screen dimming, and brightness presets 
• IPS or QD-OLED panels are excellent 
• Make sure your stand is adjustable and can tilt and curved monitors can be beneficial to your eyes 
• Recommended desktop monitor sizes are 24” – 32”  

Author: Andrew Miles, Sr System Administrator, School of Computer Science, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University

The post Desktop computer monitors and eye care  appeared first on School of Computer Science.

In addition to these instructions, you can find a video tutorial here:

Step 1: Install vscode

The first thing you need to do is install vscode on your local device (person computer). We won’t go into the details of installing it here as it varies depending on your device (Linux, Windows, iOS). The install is usually straight-forward.
The vscode download for various platforms can be found here:

Step 2: Install Remote-SSH Extension

vscode cannot make remote connections initially. The Remote-SSH extension is required

Open vscode and click on the Extensions panel button (see Red Box in the image below)

Click on the extension search bar (see Red Box in the image below) and start typing remote ssh.

The Remote – SSH extension should appear (see Green Box in the image below).

Click on the Install button (see Purple Box in the image below).

Step 3: Create Remote-SSH Connection

A new panel button called Remote Explorer should appear – you may have to close and reopen vscode (see Red Box in the image below). Click on the Remote Explorer button.

Expand the tree down until you see the SSH branch (see Green Box in the image below).

Click on the plus (+) button to begin adding a new SSH connection (see Purple Box in the image below).

In the SSH Connection box that opens (see Red Box in the image below)
Enter ssh student@134.117.130.199 – replacing the IP with you own 134.117.#.# IP address

It will ask you to save the connection information to an ssh config file. The default one will vary depending on what operating system you are running. In general you can select the first option (see Red Box in the image below)

A pop-up will appear saying the host was added. If you want, you can manually modify the ssh config file by clicking Open Config. However, this is not required, and in this case we will just click Connect (see Red Box in the image below)

You will then be prompted for the password for the student account (see Red Box in the image below).

It will then show a pop-up on the bottom right showing the vscode-server being added to the remote account. This make take a few moments to complete.

And that should complete adding the connection. A new empty vscode workspace should open that is connected to that remote server.

Step 3 OPTIONAL: SSH with a Jump Host (No VPN) and Passkeys

As an alternative to VPN, you can ssh through the SCS access.scs.carleton.ca jump host. You can see this article for more information on using the access as a jump host.

We recommend you confirm with a regular ssh shell (terminal) application that you are able to use the access jump host to jump to your target server (eg: your openstack instance).

Once confirmed you can edit the vscode ssh config file manually and add the below config:
NOTE: If you are only connecting with a password, do NOT include the OPTIONAL IdentityFile and AddKeysToAgent options below, as they do not apply. If you wish to use the public/private key IdentityFile so that you do not need to types your password every time, then you should follow this article that explains how to set those up.

Host access-jump-host
  HostName access.scs.carleton.ca
  User cmail_username
  # OPTIONAL use of identify file (so you do not have to use a password)
  IdentityFile /Path/To/Private/Key/privatekey.ed25519
  # OPTIONAL add key to your local computer's ssh agent if you use a key with a passphrase.  You will need to research how to setup the ssh agent on your particular operating system (beyond the scope of this article)
  AddKeysToAgent yes

Host my-openstack-instance
  # The below IP must be your openstack IP or other destination server
  HostName 134.117.128.32
  User student
  ProxyJump access-jump-host
  # OPTIONAL use of identify file (so you do not have to use a password)
  IdentityFile /Path/To/Private/Key/
  # OPTIONAL add key to your local computer's ssh agent if you use a key with a passphrase.  You will need to research how to setup the ssh agent on your particular operating system (beyond the scope of this article)
  AddKeysToAgent yes

Once you have saved the above ssh config in vscode, replacing usernames, IPs, etc as required for your particular situation, you will now see my-openstack-instance as a connection option when you open a new remote ssh connection in vscode.

Step 4: Open Folder on Remote Server

Now that the vscode workspace is connected to the remote server, we need to open a folder. Click the Explorer navigation button (see Red Box in the image below) and click Open Folder (see Green Box in the image below)

The open folder search box will automatically start in the home directory (/home/student) of the student account, so simply click OK (see Red Box in the image below) unless you want to open a specific sub-folder.

You will again be asked to enter the password for the student account (see Red Box in the image below)

A window will pop up asking if you trust the authors of files in this folder. If a check box is shown to trust all files in the folder ‘student’, check it (see Red Box in the image below), although this may not appear in all cases. Click Yes, I trust the authors (see Green Box in the image below)

The Explorer view will now show all of the files and folders in the student account home directory (see Red Box in the image below).
NOTE: The exact content of the directory will vary depending on which course image you are connecting

Step 5: Open a terminal, edit some code, run some code!

It can be convenient to open a terminal window so we can run commands just like we would if we had ssh’d into the system. You can open a terminal window in many ways. Here are three easy ones:

• With the Ctrl + ` (Ctrl + backtick) hot key
• By right-clicking on any file or folder in the student home directory and clicking Open in Integrated Terminal
• By clicking on any file or folder in the student home directory, and going to the View menu and click Terminal

Either of these actions will open a terminal, as seen in the Red Box in the image below

Next, we can open a file to edit with vscode. In the example below, we have a folder called assignment-code, with a python file called hello-world.py (see Red Box in the image below). If you click on the hello-world.py file, it will open the file in the workspace so you can edit it (see Green Box in the image below).
NOTE: If this is the first time you have edited a python file, vscode may helpfully offer to install a python extension to help with you python coding (see Purple Box in the image below). It will often do this for any programming language that you open for the first time. It is up to you to decide if you want this extension. In some cases, your instructor may ask that you install specific extensions with certainly capabilities. So make sure to check your course notes.

We can use the terminal window to conveniently run commands. In this example, we manually run the python program hello-world.py.

• First we cd assignment-code to get into the assignment directory (see Red Box in the image below)
• Then we enter ls to list the files and make sure we see the hello-world.py file (see Green Box in the image below)
• Then we run the python file with python3 hello-world.py and we see the output (it prints Hello, world!”) (see Purple Box in the image below)
  NOTE: The commands you run to execute code will vary, this is just one example of a possible way of running a python file

Troubleshooting: Failed Login

vscode failed logins are most often caused by two things:

1. New Openstack Instance with Expired Password: New openstack instances have a default username and password, and the password is expired and must be changed. This cannot be done through the vscode remote connection interface, so you must use a different Connection Tool to connect to your instance for the first time. Once you have set a new password, you can use vscode normally.
2. Instance Disk Full: If an instance’s disk drive fills up, it will not be possible to login with vscode as the tool needs to setup temporary files to initialize. The indicator of this problem is (usually): when you enter the password, vscode will hang, sometimes showing an installing vscode server message that never goes away. If you see that behavior, it is likely that the disk is full. You must login with another Connection Tool, free up some disk space, and then return to using vscode.

Troubleshooting: Disk Full

vscode installs a lot of libraries and support tools to make you coding easier. It also stores a cache of all the original downloaded installers, which it keeps even after the tool has been successfully added to vscode. It is quite common for all of this to quickly fill an openstack instance’s disk drive. Check with your course instructor for instructions on how to clear the vscode cache as it can vary.

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You may have a number of on line accounts and when account breaches occur you may not be informed that your account information has been compromised. Your account info could then be available on the internet, in a practice called a ‘pawned’ account.

There is a great site out there that collects data breaches and it can identify if your email is listed! You can check if your account/email here:

If your email is listed in an exploit then you should:

1. not use that password anymore (it is listed publicly!)
2. if possible try to change the password on the exploited site or close the account if you are not using it

For this reason it is good practice to use unique passwords for every account you have!

The post IT Tip: Check if your accounts have been compromised appeared first on School of Computer Science.

Updated on April 7, 2022

What Emails Exist at �Ӱ�ԭ��?
Current My�Ӱ�ԭ��One accounts/emails
@carleton.ca aliases
Historical Aliases or Accounts
Confirm which emails you have
Step 1: Confirm the Primary Aliases
Step 2: Test all Emails and Aliases
Step 3: Ask IT Support about your emails/aliases
Modify Your Emails/Aliases
Forward cmail to cunet
My @carleton.ca email bounced because it was identified as Spam

There are a variety of email systems depending on if you are a faculty or instructor, a staff member, a student or a guest (or a combination of some or all of these categories). This article is meant to help you check to see which of the common �Ӱ�ԭ�� emails you have, and whether you are getting that email! Click here for ITS information about �Ӱ�ԭ�� Accounts & Passwords.

What Emails Exist at �Ӱ�ԭ��?

There are a variety of current and historical emails and aliases:

Current My�Ӱ�ԭ��One accounts/emails

My�Ӱ�ԭ��One addresses provide not only email, but also access to �Ӱ�ԭ�� online resources, brightspace, computer labs, VPN, Wireless, etc.

• firstnamelastname@cunet.carleton.ca
  
  This is the primary My�Ӱ�ԭ��One account for employees account (faculty, instructors, staff, researchers, and some guests)
• firstnamelastname@cmail.carleton.ca
  
  This is the primary My�Ӱ�ԭ��One account for students

IMPORTANT: Many employees will ALSO have a cmail account, which is the major cause of confusion!

@carleton.ca aliases

Most employees also have a simpler �Ӱ�ԭ�� email alias. This alias normally just redirects email to the My�Ӱ�ԭ��One email account listed above.

• firstname.lastname@carleton.ca
  
  Notice the dot (.) separating the firstname and lastname. This email is meant to be more user friendly than the longer email account address.

Historical Aliases or Accounts

This is a list of the most common email account or alias that may still exist for users that have been at the University since before the My�Ӱ�ԭ��One system was setup:

• flastname@connect.carleton.ca
  
  This connect account usually featured a username created from the firstname initial and the lastname followed by @connect.carleton.ca. Sometimes the username also included numbers to make in the case of people with similar names. Also, the usernames were limited to a max of 8 characters.
• firstname_lastname@carleton.ca
  
  Notice the underscore (_) separating the firstname and lastname. This email was meant to be more user friendly than the longer email account address.

Confirm which emails you have

In this section we’ll look at some ways to figure out which emails or aliases you may have and if you are actually getting emails sent to those various accounts and aliases.
An employee in particular could have any number of these accounts and aliases. Sometimes they may have been created automatically, and sometimes they may have been created upon request. Also, some of these may have had their forwarding/redirection modified long ago, so checking to see where they go now is important!

Step 1: Confirm the Primary Aliases

The most important step is to determine which My�Ӱ�ԭ��One accounts/emails you have. The quickest way to do this is via .

Step 2: Test all Emails and Aliases

One of the best ways to see which emails and aliases are active, and which are actually getting to you is to simply email them!

Step 3: Ask IT Support about your emails/aliases

If you are unsure, you can contact IT support to ask for assistance. They will be able to lookup which emails and aliases are associated with your �Ӱ�ԭ�� accounts. In most cases you will need to contact ITS, but if the email or alias is an @scs.carleton.ca one, then you can contact the SCS support staff.

Modify Your Emails/Aliases

Once you have an idea of which emails and aliases exist and where they go, you may want to forward them to your main My�Ӱ�ԭ��One email (cunet or cmail). The most common scenario is employees needing to forward their cmail account to their cunet account, and that is discussed below.
In the cases of other aliases or historical emails and aliases, you will most likely need to contact ITS support

Forward cmail to cunet

The most common (and dangerous) cause of confusion is if employees, particularly faculty and instructors, have cmail accounts that are not being monitored. When students lookup their instructors email in their own cmail via office.microsoft.com, the email directory will often show only the instructors cmail address. If that is not being monitored or forwarded to cunet, then the student must be careful to type in their instructors actual preferred email (usually, firstnamelastname@cunet.carleton.ca or firstname.lastname@carleton.ca).
To avoid this confusion, it is recommended employees (instructors especially) either monitor their cmail, or forward it to their cunet!

My @carleton.ca email bounced because it was identified as Spam

ITS does email filtering on incoming messages to @carleton.ca addresses. Sometimes the email filtering can incorrectly identify your  email as spam! If this affects you you can try the following:

• Check all your email forwarding addresses! If you have any email forwarding set up @carleton.ca then change that to firstnamelastname@cunet.carleton.ca
• If someone tried to reach you @carleton.ca ask them to send you email firstnamelastname@cunet.carleton.ca
• If you set up any email aliases change @carleton.ca to firstnamelastname@cunet.carleton.ca

The post Checking �Ӱ�ԭ�� Emails and Aliases appeared first on School of Computer Science.

Do you need to download and installs software from the internet? Someone sent you an attachment and you want to run it? Check it first to see if its safe to use!!

The best way to check for viruses is using a virus scanner. Why use a single virus scanner when you can use 50 different scanners at the same time? Check your  program by uploading it to VirusTotal:

Good Practice:

• make sure your virus scanner is up-to-date
• If your unsure that the hosting site is secure, check the URL using 
• Many sites will list md5 hash of your download, once downloaded verify the hashes match

The post Downloaded File Check appeared first on School of Computer Science.