Encoding is the process of transforming information from one format into another. The opposite operation is called decoding.

There are a number of more specific meanings that apply in certain contexts:

• Character encoding is a code that pairs a set of natural language characters (such as an alphabet or syllabary) with a set of something else, such as numbers or electrical pulses.
• Text encoding uses a markup language to tag the structure and other features of a text to facilitate processing by computers. (See also Text Encoding Initiative.)
• Semantics encoding of formal language A in formal language B is a method of representing all terms (e.g. programs or descriptions) of language A using language B.
• Encoding transforms a signal into a form optimized for transmission or storage, generally done with a codec.

More on [ Encoding ]

NPR Topics: Technology

New Solar Cell Easy As Pizza To Make
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:16:00 -0400
The iJET is a new type of solar cell that's cheap and easy to make, requiring not much more than a pizza oven, some nail polish remover, and a common inkjet printer. Australian scientist Nicole Kuepper describes her invention.
SpaceX Celebrates First Successful Rocket Launch
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:53:00 -0400
SpaceX's flagship Falcon1 rocket has successfully launched from an island in the central Pacific, becoming the first privately-developed rocket to orbit the planet. NASA has already contracted SpaceX to begin private space flight missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2010.
Northeast States Trade Carbon Emission Credits
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:46:00 -0400
A consortium of Northeast states has completed the first cap-and-trade greenhouse gas auction in the U.S. Under cap-and-trade, limits are set on emissions. Companies that do not use up their quota of emissions are able to sell their excess emission capacity to other companies.

L.A. Times - Technology News

Financial literacy for kids
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Adults make plenty of mistakes with their money. Themint.org wants to keep teenagers from doing the same.
A home page for bidding on foreclosures
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Some firms see a place for an online market in distressed properties. Drawn by the convenience, faraway investors won't know what they're getting into. As the nation prepares to pay the price for years of unfettered property speculation, a collection of online companies is hoping to cash in on an oncoming wave of foreclosure sales by auctioning distressed homes online -- with significant consequences for homeowners as well as purchasers.� Next month, Duval County in Florida will be the first in the country to hold an Internet foreclosure auction, forgoing the traditional courthouse sale in the hope of attracting buyers from other areas. � If the sales proceed and other states sign on, it will be an earth-shifting change in the way foreclosures are handled because it will eliminate a key requirement meant to protect homeowners from unscrupulous lenders. � By law in California -- and every other state save Florida -- lenders may not simply claim that a homeowner has defaulted on payments and move to take over the house. Instead, they must hold a public sale, in the county where the property is located, after notice has been provided to the borrower and the sale has been advertised. � Internet sales will also have important ramifications for bidders. � Because potential buyers may be out of the area, many won't be able to fully research the properties and might wind up, as happens even in courthouse sales, finding faucets with no running water, foundations that are crumbling and even the occasional corpse.
How I Made It: Peter Y. Levin
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
It's never too early to draft a game plan for your career -- the chief of a tech investment group and co-owner of football team Chicago Rush began his at 19 in Creative Artists Agency's mail room. The gig: Levin is chief executive of GYL, a Santa Monica technology investment portfolio focused on digital media companies and video game platforms. He serves as a board member for online virtual world Habbo Inc.; in-game advertising company Double Fusion Inc.; Power Challenge, a maker of multi-player sports games; and game developer Mind Control Software Inc. Levin is also the founder and co-owner (along with former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka) of the Arena Football League's Chicago Rush team; a managing partner in Palisades Baseball, which owns and operates two minor league baseball teams; and minority partner in and strategic advisor to Strikeforce, a mixed martial arts promotional entity.

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