Oliver Kennedy is a 5th year Doctoral Candidate at Cornell University working with Christoph Koch. His research on databases leads him into a wide variety of fields, including: probabilistic databases, query optimization, distributed systems, network policy/security, and distributed aggregation.
In his spare time, Oliver writes about himself in the third person, plots world domination through cooking, and enjoys stage combat, photography, and coding in a variety of obscure and interesting languages (see below).
Research Projects
-
(unpublishhed)
- (research description to be posted henceforth)
- Most historical probabilistic database research relies heavily on an assumption of discreteness in the probability distributions being managed. Several recent projects have demonstrated the possibility of implementing continuous probabilistic databases using a variety of brute force techniques. Pip takes this idea several steps further and demonstrates how such databases can be made extremely efficient.
- Rumor Mongering
- Some of my early database research exploring in-network aggregation in dynamic decentralized mobile wireless networks. The algorithms we developed make it possible to obtain continuously up-to-date estimates of the sum, count, and average aggregates applied to networks with high levels of churn.
- NetQuery
- NetQuery was an attempt to rethink the way the internet works. By treating the state (routing tables, link edges, and even firewall rules/policy settings) of the network as a giant decentralized database, we allow policies to be expressed via stable-answer queries and constraint programming. In this way, complex multi-device policies can be expressed in a simple high-level language.
- X-Mon:BGPTech Report, Under Submission to IEEE/ACM TON
- X-Mons extend the notion of a traditional reference monitor to the internet. By observing the traffic going into/out of a networked device, we can make assertions about protocol correctness without interfering with the implementation of the protocol. This technique was demonstrated by developing an X-Mon for the outdated and insecure BGP protocol; using a distributed observation system, the X-Mon was able to monitor and secure large portions of the BGP network with only limited deployment.
- The Face of MeaningCaSTA 2004, ACH/ALLH 2005
- A thorough analysis of what a word means requires seeing the word in context. The context diagram can be seen as a glorified find-results list. Rather than viewing the results as a list of disparate results, the diagram attempts to display contextual heirarchy; Commonly used phrases in a corpus are displayed as a tree that encodes progressively more common sub-phrases. Though context diagrams are not new, this project attempts to streamline the process, both by automating the process of diagram creation, and by providing interactive mechanisms that allow for freeform word exploration.
- Second language comprehension in an online multimedia environment: Integrating theory and practice
- The development of language learning tools hinges on a proper understanding of how those tools are used. In this project, we ported the CyberBuch language learning tool to a web-based platform. The resulting tool was based around an extensible library of foreign language books with multimedia teaching components, as well as detailed logging and usage analysis features.
Courses
- CS 4410/4411 (formerly CS 414/415)
- Spring 2006, Fall 2006, Fall 2008
Personal Projects
- Hugin
- Hugin is a shared whiteboard for "tabletop" gaming groups. Currently in early beta, Hugin allows the use of miniatures on top of a vector based graphics system. Hugin is implemented in cappuccino.
- HotCocoa / Dawn
- Dawn is the latest incarnation of the HotCoca Hotline client. Featuring an extensible architecture, Dawn interfaces with the (now defunct) Hotline Connect server in order to provide chat, bulletin board, file transfer, and message board functionality. Dawn also includes a randomizer plugin designed to support "tabletop" RPGs.