Digitally Controlled

Apple iPhone Finally Announced, Release With Cingular in June

2007-01-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

After years of speculation, rumors, and hopefulness from Apple devotees, the Cupertino-based company has finally announced its entry into the cell phone market. We have all the juicy details on this gorgeous touchscreen smartphone in our in-depth coverage of the announcement.

With even its name shrouded in mystery up until this morning, the new Apple iPhone has to be one of the most hotly anticipated devices ever. Apple calls the iPhone an iPod, a phone, and an internet mobile communicator in one, and with touchscreen controls and a smartphone user interface on the 11.6mm (0.45") thin black and chrome device, it is hard to argue that point. The device will be available with 4GB or 8GB internal memory, and shuns the traditional mobile phone keypad in favor of a large 3.5" 320x480 pixel resolution touchscreen, which the company claims will be easier to use than a keypad due to being able to reconfigure the layout depending on the task at hand. This is no ordinary touchscreen though: Apple has developed a new, patented technology called Multi-Touch, allowing the user to only need a finger to use the handset - no stylus required. Multi-Touch will detect accidental presses and allow multi-finger gestures, a first for a consumer device, with some interesting applications. The slate layout shares similarities to the Slider, a concept design from fledgling company Neo that we revealed back in December, though sans the speakers.

As with any smartphone, the user interface can make or break a good device. This is an area where Apple has taken a lead in the industry, including a portable version of Mac OS X on the device. The portable OS X allows much more flexibility in software design, allowing desktop-class applications from the palm of your hand. The device will synchronize with iTunes for all your music, as well as synchronizing all your contacts, calendars, photos, notes, and bookmarks. Through the media interface, users can browse music using Apple's CoverFlow, which scrolls through music using album covers instead of text - all with the tip of your finger. Start a movie and turn the device to landscape mode, and acceleration sensors will change the display to widescreen automatically, complete with on screen controls. Apple's photo management application makes use of Multi-Touch to allow amazing things like zooming by placing two fingers on the device and moving them closer and further apart.

The Apple iPhone packs the Safari web browser, giving full xHTML rendering and JavaScript through a WiFi or EDGE connection. Google Maps is also available for mapping and directions, and a 'widget' system gives you instant access to the information that matters to you. In addition to Google, Yahoo! has also collaborated with Apple to bring all its Yahoo! Go services to the iPhone, including Mail and the new oneSearch announced from CES in Las Vegas yesterday.

With all the software power on tap, the Apple iPhone needs some decent hardware to give the full experience, and Apple has not let us down. A 2.0 megapixel camera is on board, as is a built in 3.5mm headset jack for listening to your music. The quad-band GSM/EDGE device also delivers WiFi and Bluetooth v2.0 for connectivity, though no 3G high-speed data. The Apple iPhone's battery is capable of up to 16 hours of music playback and 5 hours of talk time.

Through Apple's collaboration with Cingular Wireless, the company has been able to include some interesting carrier services, such as random access voice mail. Random access voicemail is a first that allows you to see a list of all your voicemail messages, showing the caller and the time and date of the call, so that you can jump right to the voicemail you need rather than have to listen to each and every one in turn.

The Apple iPhone will be available for US$499 or US$599 for the 4GB and 8GB models respectively with a two-year service agreement from Cingular. Apple states that the iPhone will be available in the US from June this year through its exclusive agreement with Cingular, in Europe during Q4 this year, and in Asia from 2008.

Specifications for the Apple iPhone
Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
Data EDGE
Size 115mm x 61mm x 11.6mm
(4.5" x 2.4" x 0.46")
Weight 135g (4.8oz)
Battery Life Unknown standby time
5 hours talk time
Main Display 3.5" TFT LCD touchscreen, 320x480 pixel resolution
Sub-Display N/A
Camera Yes, 2.0 megapixel resolution
Video Video capture/playback
Messaging MMS/SMS
Email Yes (POP/IMAP/SMTP)
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0
Infrared No
Java Unknown
Polyphonics Yes
Memory 4GB/8GB on board memory
Availability June 2007
Other Multi-Touch technology, WiFi, Mac OS X operating system, 16 hours music playback

Microsoft Changes Stance on Vista Kernel Access

2006-10-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has altered its plans to keep a lock on the kernel of its upcoming Vista OS amid criticism that the move would prohibit security software vendors from developing compatibile third-party products. Apparently due in part to antitrust concerns raised by the European Commission, Microsoft has agreed to make portions of key Vista data available to firms such as Symantec and McAfee.

Microsoft Latest News about Microsoft on Friday changed its stance on a Vista security Get the Facts on BlackBerry Business Solutions feature that has ruffled the feathers of antivirus vendor powerhouses in recent weeks.

Symantec Latest News about Symantec and McAfee Latest News about McAfee cried foul when they learned that the software giant was planning to block security software vendors' access to Vista's kernel, which developers need in order to build effective, compatible products.

The move would have potentially cost antivirus software makers millions of dollars in lost sales and could have essentially given Microsoft a security monopoly with Vista.

EU Concerns Emerge

Now, however, seemingly concerned over antitrust Latest News about antitrust allegations, Microsoft is backing off from its stance. The company has agreed to allow third-party security vendors to access some of Vista's core components.

The outcry from antivirus (AV) vendors was apparently not Microsoft's only incentive for changing its course. European Commission concerns also drove the software giant's decision.

"We recognize that the European Commission does not give 'green lights' for new products, and we have not asked for one. We appreciate the constructive dialogue we have had with the commission and the guidance the commission has provided," said Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith.

"Based on this guidance, we have made changes to ensure that we're in compliance with our competition law obligations, and we are moving forward to make Windows Vista available on a worldwide basis," Smith continued.

McAfee's was perhaps the boldest voice against Microsoft's planned AV vendor lockout. The company accused Microsoft of compromising security in Vista by disallowing third-party software.

McAfee representatives could not immediately be reached for comment on the turn of events.

This issue, though, may be less about security than it is about selling software, according to Michael Sutton, a security evangelist for SPI Dynamics.

"Microsoft's recent about face on this issue is not driven by a sudden change in their stance on security. It's driven by fear of further antitrust suits," Sutton concluded. "AV vendors have positioned this change in Vista as an effort to lessen competition as opposed to an improvement in security."

Apparently in response to pressure from the European Union, Microsoft has reversed its decision to lock up Vista from third-party security vendor access and now says it will make key components available to software firms such as Symantec and McAfee.

Several computer HP Multifunction printers - get a free 30-day trial today. security companies are bolstering their efforts to remain viable players with enterprise computer users and consumers alike as Microsoft loosens control over security Get the Facts on BlackBerry Business Solutions access in its next-generation operating system, Vista.

Computer security firm McAfee Latest News about McAfee announced on Monday a security risk management strategy for its customers using current and future versions of Windows operating systems. This strategy is designed to provide enterprises with additional options in minimizing risks from security threats and noncompliance issues.

In a related development, anti-spyware software developer Webroot Software and security firm Sophos Latest News about Sophos announced last Wednesday a technology partnership through which Webroot will license Sophos' antivirus technology for use in select Webroot consumer and enterprise Quintum VoIP solutions. The perfect fit for your Enterprise. products.

Also last week, software security company Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) Latest News about Symantec outlined its vision for protecting its customers from the next generation of threats targeting their business and personal information. The concept Symantec calls "Security 2.0" brings together an ecosystem of products, services and partnerships to provide its customers with more third-party security tools.

Industry Unrest

The announcements from these security firms come in the midst of a heated debate over computer security that pitted Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Latest News about Microsoft against third-party security vendors worldwide. Microsoft claims that its PatchGuard security system in Vista will secure its operating system and lock down its kernel without the need for other security applications.

However, the company announced on Monday that it will allow McAfee and Symantec to access some core components of the new operating system.

Other software vendors have downplayed the severity of Microsoft's Vista security policies, noting that there are always security holes and that any system can, at some point, be compromised. Thus, consumers will always need third-party help to protect themselves from security risks.

McAfee's Plan

McAfee said Monday that its new security solution for the enterprise is not a new product. Rather, its security risk management line is an integration of its existing products with added strengths from recent acquisitions and new compliance management capabilities, including remediation and network access control.

"With the acquisition and integration of Preventsys and SiteAdvisor technology, McAfee is among the first to integrate threat prevention with compliance management," Michelle Cobb, group product marketing manager for McAfee, told TechNewsWorld. This provides enterprises with greater automation, operational efficiency and protection of their investments, she added.

McAfee officials said increasingly strict compliance and regulatory requirements, coupled with changing threat environments, have forced enterprises to rethink how they approach and manage security.

"From conversations with our customers, it is clear that enterprises spend an enormous amount of time and money to manage security risks and to demonstrate compliance," said Chris Kenworthy, senior vice president of marketing, McAfee. He noted that security is more than just a version number and also involves a comprehensive approach to threat prevention and compliance.

Symantec's Contribution

In a flurry of activity last week, Symantec announced the release of several products designed to beef up computer security by protecting enterprise and e-commerce activities.

Symantec Mail Security integrates anti-spam, antivirus and extensive content filtering technologies designed to stop inbound and outbound e-mail threats. Symantec Database Security uses intelligent profiling to provide fraud detection based on what is considered "normal" interaction with the database. It immediately alerts the organization of malicious or abnormal activity that falls outside the "normal" profile.

Norton Confidential Online Edition helps banks and other organizations strengthen the security that links them to their customers and increases customer confidence in online transactions.

Sun Touts New Servers as Start of Turnaround

2006-09-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Sun Microsystems this week unveiled new additions to its server portfolio, including new Sparc-based Sun Fire workgroup servers and Sun Ultra Workstations. Sun also unveiled Netra blade servers equipped with the firm's popular CoolThreads chips for telecommunications applications.

Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW) Latest News about Sun Microsystems showed off new server technology at a press event in New York this week where the firm took the opportunity to tout growth in its server business over consecutive quarters

As a backdrop to talk about its path to a positive future, Sun announced new Sparc-based Sun Fire workgroup servers and Sun Ultra Workstations that further leverage data center and operational efficiency -- features that have helped Sun achieve year-over-year sales and revenue increases.

Its new Sun Fire servers will use the firm's own UltraSparc IIIi processors and the Solaris 10 operating system.

The firm's new Ultra 25 Workstation comes equipped with Solaris 10, Sun Studio, Sun Java Latest News about Java Studio Creator and Sun Java Studio Enterprise. Sun said the system offers a 300 percent increase in performance.

Sun said its new Sun Fire T1000 system offers up to 300 percent higher performance for disk operations and now features 23 percent higher availability as well.

Attracted to Efficiency

The company also unveiled Netra blade servers equipped with Sun's popular CoolThreads chips, which can perform 32 processing tasks simultaneously, for telecommunications Quintum VoIP solutions. The perfect fit for your Enterprise. applications.

Amid continued skepticism over the company's outlook, Sun hoped to show investors it can widen its gains in the enterprise computing market, which is proving to be receptive to cost and power saving benefits offered by Sun's "Niagara" UltraSparc T1 chips and CoolThreads energy technology.

The market has been so receptive, in fact, that according to IDC, Sun was recently able to bump Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) Latest News about Dell from second place behind IBM (NYSE: IBM) Latest News about IBM in overall server sales.

For the most recent quarter, Sun was able to grow its server revenue by more than 15 percent from the last quarter, and in doing so regained a lead over Dell, which had held its number two spot for a few straight quarters, IDC Vice President Jean Bozman told TechNewsWorld.

"Those are both signs that Sun is doing much better now," Bozman said. "The question is, can they continue it?"
Plotting a Positive Path

The analyst credited Sun for doing "a lot of homework" on the technology, and indicated it is likely a sign of more to come from the firm.

The hardware maker is satisfying its substantial UltraSparc customer base with new features, and working to attract new customers with its Niagara and other newer technologies that work with AMD (NYSE: AMD) Latest News about AMD Opteron processors.

"They have to do well at both," Bozman said. "That's what will make this continue."
Tech Over Talk

Plenty of skepticism has surround the company despite its focus on successful server and Solaris 10 operating system sales, as well as its continued effort to leverage open source Latest News about open source software and developers, according to Illuminata Senior Analyst Gordon Haff.

"I think people got used to Sun unveiling some dramatic new strategy or direction, but that's not where they're at right now, nor should it be," he told TechNewsWorld. "They have a lot of strategies that have sort of firmed up in the last year or two, and now it's really about execution."

Sun can accurately say it is headed in the right direction, however, the company must transfer its technology advantages to sales dollars to remain there, Haff remarked.
Timing's Right

While other chip and systems makers have focused on more, "fatter" processor cores, Sun's approach is to provide many "skinnier" cores, as evidenced by its Niagara T1 chip architecture and technology unveiled last year, according to Haff.

"Among the major systems manufacturers, they have taken the most radical approach to multi-threading," Haff said.

Sun's work on achieving power savings with Niagara chips may be paying off, as efficiency is what's currently in demand among enterprise IT shops, Haff said.

"Call it luck, call it prescience depending on your preferences, but Niagara hit at almost a perfect time," he noted.

Bluejacking

2006-09-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

The latest hype around Bluetooth is called Bluejacking. While I think it's more of a social phenomenon, some think it's a great marketing opportunity.

The name in itself is deceiving. As we'll see later in this article, there's no "hijack" in the sense that no one's phone is possessed by or under the control of someone else's device.

The Bluetooth platform is meant to be used as a wire replacement, creating a personal network between personal objects: mobile phone, computer, PDA, headset, printer are example of devices that can interact with each other using Bluetooth.

The Bluetooth platform is meant to be used as a wire replacement, creating a personal network between personal objects: mobile phone, computer, PDA, headset, printer are example of devices that can interact with each other using Bluetooth.

It also gives the user conditions to determine what devices can connect to each other: all, none, paired. A device is paired with each other through a manual process that requires the owner's intervention, i.e. entering a PIN in each device so they can exchange a security key.

For security reasons, Bluetooth allows the user to select different states for each device: off, on, discoverable. While on other Bluetooth devices that already know about it can request a connection. The discoverable state allows other Bluetooth devices to "see" this device and it should only be used when users want to allow someone to find their device so they can proceed with pairing. All very safe.

On mobile phones the DUN (dial up) service requires pairing in all mobile phones. Otherwise you could simply find someone with a Bluetooth phone in on mode and connect to the internet from your PDA using its GPRS account! However the PIM Exchange generally accepts any request.

The PIM Exchange is like swapping business cards. It works like this: you create an entry in your Address Book or Contacts application on your mobile phone, PDA or computer and select it as your Business Card. When another device comes in range you can initiate a Business Card Exchange, Request a Business Card or simply Send a Business Card.

Now the Bluejack comes into action. Some users don't realise (or know) that they have Bluetooth on and set in discoverable mode. The person about to perform the Bluejack simply goes to a busy place, uses the Bluetooth search function and when a Bluetooth mobile phone is found the person sends the Business Card with a joke or other comments. In general the recipient will hear a beep, and see a message with the first name in the card with the question "Accept card Y/N?".

That's it. This is the end of the Bluetooth part on Bluejacking. Now the recipient will look around trying to find who sent the joke or message.

Bluejack works most of the times with mobile phones because of the default settings, but will not work with PDAs and computers because of more restrictive default security.

Some think this is funny, and certainly can help creating some interesting situations. Some companies are already working trying to find a niche. A British company, Rainier PR published a paper exploring the opportunities this can create. It says:

"Bluetooth offers a new communications channel to marketeers. But the technology needs to be respected if they are to avoid alienating consumers.

Bluejacking offers three distinct opportunities for marketeers:

1) Viral communication: exploiting communication between consumers to share content such as text, images and Internet references in the same way that brands such as Budweiser, Honda, Trojan Condoms and even John West Salmon, have created multimedia content that has very quickly been circulated around the Internet

2) Community activities: dating or gaming events could be facilitated using Bluetooth as a channel to communicate between participants. The anonymous nature of Bluejacking makes is a superb physiological tool for communication between individuals in a localised environment such as a cafe or pub

3) Location based services: Bluejacking could be used to send electronic coupons or promotional messages to consumers as they pass a high street shop or supermarket. To date SMS text messaging has been used with mixed success as a mechanism to send consumers location based information

Opt-in schemes can clearly be made to work as the plethora of loyalty cards such as Nectar in the UK show. Although this requirement clearly restricts the opportunity for the marketing community, it is essential to avoid alienating consumers."

An example of opt-in schemes is using a client software installed on a handheld device to connect to a server when the user wants it.

With Jellingspot the user decides when to receive messages, coupons, cinema schedule and other information, by starting the client program when needed. There's no unsolicited advertising in this context, simply because the user has the option to turn the program off.

Is Bluejacking something to worry about? Certainly, like e-mail spam it can be annoying, invasive and unwelcome. But Bluetooth users have the option to block Bluejackers. And in terms of security Bluejacking in itself is not like accessing someone's computer to find information. In this case information is sent, not extracted. It's more like a way to initiate a conversation in a cafe or perhaps play a prank.

The BluejackQ website contains tales, instructions and tips on how to do the "Bluejack".

Article taken with permission from http://www.geekzone.co.nz
Special thanks to M. Freitas for his co-operation.

Editors Comments: While Mr. Freitas is correct in saying that most bluejacking attacks are overhyped and there is nothing to be concerned about at the moment, major companies better start taking notice of Bluetooth security. "Bluetooth security will become a real issue in the next year or two. There are currently more Bluetooth radios in existence than 802.11 radios, but most corporate security departments don't know the first thing about Bluetooth security." Said Mr. Bruce Potter, a US Security Expert. Already a software called as Red Fang has been released which allows allow sensitive data to be pilfered through the air from laptops, mobile phones and handheld computers which have Bluetooth and whose security settings are not enabled.

If We Destroy Our Planet

2006-08-28T01:02:00.000-07:00

Will science find us a new one?

Scientists are exploiting one of Einstein’s predictions to find Earth-like planets around other stars—planets that might even support Earth-like life. Let the evacuation plans begin!

WHAT: A way to spot Earth-size planets orbiting distant stars. Traditional techniques can’t find small, rocky planets. But a new strategy called gravitational micro-lensing uses the bending of light to detect those elusive ersatz Earths. With it, astro- nomers have already found four new planets. The latest, located in Scorpio, is an icy orb only 5.5 times as massive as Earth—the smallest exosolar planet spotted orbiting a normal star.

WHY: To determine whether we are alone in the universe. We’re much more likely to find life on a rocky planet than on a gas giant like Jupiter—and if the human race needs to find a new home in the future, rocky exosolar planets will probably be our destination. Also, some scientists theorize that small, solid planets outnumber gas giants (10:1 is a conservative estimate), but until now they couldn’t test that hypothesis.

WHERE: All across the globe. A loose network of astronomers point their telescopes at the center of our galaxy, where they can see many stars at once. Because gravitational-microlensing events happen over the course of 10 to 40 days, research teams on different continents record data as dawn—and the end of viable observation time— approaches for their cohorts.

WHO: Two international teams of scientists, based in Chile and New Zealand and assisted by hundreds of volunteer astronomers, look for microlensing events across huge swaths of sky. They alert each other of probable events by Web and e-mail.

FAQs

How many planets have been found?

Around 200. Most have been spotted by looking for wobbles in a star’s motion that are caused by the gravitational attraction of a planet. But since this method preferentially finds huge planets that orbit close to their suns, it’s turned up mostly “hot Jupiters.”

Are any of them earth-like?

Not yet. Microlensing has found four small, solid planets. But they are too far away from their suns—and thus too cold —to support life. (The Scorpio planet is estimated to be a bitter –364°F.) But future finds may fall within habitable zones of solar systems. If launched in 2012, NASA’s proposed Microlensing Planet Finder— a space telescope designed to census our galaxy—would have a better chance of detecting planets in this zone.

Have we seen any rocky planets?
No. They are too dim to see, even with powerful telescopes.

Motorola and Burton Launch New Wearable Electronics

2006-08-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Following the success of Audex Bluetooth Jacket Series, Motorola and Burton Snowboards today announced the expansion of their wearable electronics collection, enabling easy wireless communication and music entertainment from snowboard apparel.

New for 2007, the Audex Bluetooth Stereo System streams downloaded music wirelessly from a Bluetooth-enabled phone to an Audex jacket. Users can listen to music and make calls with a push of a button on the jacket sleeve and includes built-in DJ-style speakers in the hood and/or an integrated headphone jack.

Burton-owned impact protection company R.E.D. also partners with Motorola to offer two helmet styles and one beanie style that feature Bluetooth technology, allowing users to pick up calls and listen to music from a compatible mobile phone without taking off the hat or helmet.

"The second generation of Audex products represents a strengthened commitment between Motorola and Burton to offer snowboarders new technologies that will enhance and simplify life on and off the mountain," says Bryan Johnston, Vice President of Global Marketing at Burton. "Audex technology is now offered in more Burton jackets, packs, apparel and accessories than ever before, giving riders plenty of tech and style choices."

MOTORAZR V3i Dolce & Gabbana Now Available Retail Stores

Motorola and Dolce & Gabbana announced the new MOTORAZR V3i Dolce & Gabbana, the latest collaboration which unites the acclaimed MOTORAZR design together with Dolce & Gabbana's signature style, is now available at select stores.

Following the huge success of the limited edition MOTORAZR V3i by Dolce & Gabbana, the Italian designers have created, together with Motorola, a new version of the device in luxurious gold and silver, with an engraved Dolce & Gabbana logo. Further glamour is added with an exclusive pendent featuring the gold DG initials. Inside the new phone offers further customized features, such as special backgrounds, screensavers, MP3 ring tones and unique animations.

Exclusive matching accessories for the MOTORAZR V3i Dolce &Gabbana were also unveiled and can be purchased separately. These include a personalised compatible Motorola Bluetooth Headset H700, a wired stereo headset for listening to MP3 music files and a luxury gold leather phone case.

The sought after handset is available for purchase at Bloomingdales, Dolce & Gabbana Boutiques, Saks Fifth Avenue and Barney's, and online at www.motorola.com/US/DG . It will be available online at Neiman Marcus Direct later this month.

Google, Mozilla, RealNetworks Seal Software Bundling Deal

2006-08-04T01:17:00.000-07:00

Google, RealNetworks and Mozilla have agreed to extend a deal that bundles the Google Toolbar and Mozilla's Firefox Web browser with RealNetworks applications. Users have the option to download the Google and Firefox features via RealPlayer, RealArcade games and the Rhapsody music service.

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Latest News about Google said Wednesday that it has renewed its existing software TechNet Security Center: Tools & Guidance to Defend Your Network bundling agreement with RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK) Latest News about RealNetworks, in which Real will continue to offer the Google Toolbar with RealNetworks applications. The new, expanded deal also includes plans to distribute Mozilla's Latest News about Mozilla Foundation Firefox Web browser. The plan builds on what Google and RealNetworks call a "successful" two-year relationship under which Real has distributed millions of Google Toolbars to Internet users around the world.

"Real and Google share a common passion for innovation that has enhanced the Web experience," said Rob Glaser, chairman & CEO for RealNetworks. "The Google Toolbar has been a welcome addition to Real customers because Google simplifies and enhances how they interact with the Web. We think our customers will feel the same way about the Firefox Web browser."

Real Benefits for Google

The Google Toolbar and Firefox will soon be available options for customers of RealPlayer, the Rhapsody music service and RealArcade games. Users who download these services will be given the option also to install either the Google Toolbar or Firefox or both. The Google Toolbar is a very popular addition to a Web browser that allows consumers to quickly conduct a Web search.

Real regularly distributes more than two million pieces of software a day worldwide, making it a synergistic partner for both Google and Mozilla. What's more, the creator of digital media services and software has a reach that crosses the consumer and enterprise Quintum VoIP solutions. The perfect fit for your Enterprise. markets.

"Real has been one of Google's most important distribution partners for the past two years, and we are delighted to broaden and deepen that relationship," said Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google. "Google and Real will continue to work together in innovative ways to further improve the Web experience."

Google Gets Aggressive

Real is not Google's only distribution partner. Google has become more aggressive with its distribution strategy in recent months, inking agreements with PC maker Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) Latest News about Dell and software maker Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) Latest News about Adobe.

Google's goal is to make its Web search software pervasive. With Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Latest News about Microsoft coming to market with a new operating system and new version of Internet Explorer with built-in search features, Google hopes to beat the software giant to the punch with distribution deals such as this and others.

Mozilla is in a similar position. The company's open source Latest News about open source Firefox Web browser has gained momentum while Microsoft has strung out development of its next-generation browser for several years. With Internet Explorer 7 nearing final release, Mozilla is redoubling its efforts to set the Web ablaze with its alternative browser.

What Consumers Want

Firefox, which recently surpassed the 200 million download mark, owes its popularity in part to its simiplicity for consumers and features such as pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing and enhanced Web security.

However, while it's clear that more and more consumers do want Firefox, that does not necessarily mean consumers of media players like Real will want an automatic download of it, according to JupiterResearch analyst Michael Gartenberg.

"The question is whether consumers really want this or not. You go to download the RealPlayer and all of the sudden you are getting a Web browser. It's going to be interesting to see how consumers respond to getting software they may not want," Gartenberg told TechNewsWorld.

The Smell of War

2006-07-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

To improve its virtual-reality simulators, the military wants to incorporate smell. For help, it's turning to Hollywood

I’m Army, Special Operations. My mission: to sneak up on a rebel training camp. If the intelligence is right—if the place is being operated by the enemy Tiger Brigade—then I’m supposed to plant a radio transmitter so that F-16 pilots can launch smart bombs directly to the target. I just need to make absolutely sure that the location is correct—that the rebels are indeed based here. And that won’t be easy.

I creep through a dark drainage culvert, my helmet skimming the ceiling. There’s graffiti on the walls, puddles and trash on the ground. The place smells like damp earth and moldy concrete, a bit like my parents’ cellar— although home didn’t have bats overhead or rats underfoot. I emerge in a forest, by a river, at night. The air is crisp and piney. After the dank culvert, the change is so refreshing that I initially don’t notice the cinderblock building on the hilltop ahead. I don’t notice the sentry on the roof, standing at a machine gun and looking right at me.

Good thing I’m not actually a soldier in a war zone. I’m in Los Angeles, standing in cubicle-land on the third floor of a modern office building. On my head are virtual-reality (VR) goggles with a stereoscopic, 90-degree field of view of the forest. In my hands is a PlayStation-type controller for directing my movements. And around my neck is an oval of blue plastic fitted with four vented metal modules the size of Zippo lighters. Wirelessly controlled by a nearby stack of computers, the modules transform what would otherwise be standard-issue military VR—for along with sight and sound, this training exercise features the smell of war.

The idea of using odor to help train soldiers may seem asinine, or ingenious, or maybe both. That’s par for the course at the oddball outfit where the project was born, the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), a joint operation of the University of Southern California, Hollywood, theme-park designers and the U.S. military. If anyone can find a way to use smell to make VR feel more real—an idea that’s simple in principle but complicated in practice—it’s probably the people here.

At the ICT, movie directors, television writers and videogame makers work in consultation with captains, colonels and generals in an office created by the lead set designer for Star Trek. The entertainment-industry folk get Department of Defense dollars—$145 million has been committed to the ICT since its inception in 1999—to research technology years from commercialization. And the military gains the savvy of an industry that knows how to engage Generation Xbox, whose members must be recruited and trained in large numbers for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond.

To understand why the military would experiment with smell-enhanced simulation, consider how war itself has changed. Traditional combat is akin to chess, with high-level commanders directing troops and equipment around the battlefield and individual soldiers typically functioning as order-following pawns. Contemporary combat, however, is more often characterized by small-unit operations in urban terrain. Key tactical decisions are often made at the bottom of the chain of command rat

How It Works: The Scent Collar

The device is programmed to release odors like pine forest or dog breath at given points in a virtual-reality simulation. Today's model holds four scents in refillable reservoirs. A fan helps control the amount emitted. (Click below to enlarge)

The military has long had sophisticated war games for big-picture, Cold War–era strategizing; it possesses excellent simulators, accurate to the last button and dial, for practicing skills like driving a tank or flying a plane. Teaching ground-level decision-making under stress, however, is relatively uncharted territory, and that’s where the ICT comes in. For the new generation of simulators, the idea is to create virtual environments where trainees can practice tasks such as distinguishing hostile combatants from innocent civilians and calling for fire. The goal isn’t to teach specifics like how to aim a gun, but rather for trainees to practice making choices in an environment that both looks and feels like real war.

Olfaction could be key. A number of researchers believe that smell, more than any other sense, can powerfully and immediately trigger emotions, memories and states of arousal—all of which, when manipulated adeptly, can boost the sense of immersion and thus the quality of training in VR. In short, smellier simulators could produce smarter soldiers. “We started out thinking that the human was a visual animal only,” says Roger Smith, chief scientist for the Army office charged with procuring new simulation technology. Sophisticated sound systems followed, and now the military is intrigued by the prospect of tapping the power of smell. “Olfaction is the next step,” Smith says.

The prototype simulation I’m blundering through is called DarkCon; the aroma-emitting device is known as the Scent Collar. Both were the vision of ICT researcher Jacki Morie, revered out-of-the-box thinker and resident crazy aunt. Morie, 56, is a computer artist whose work is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; a VR pioneer, she’s been engineering artificial worlds since the late 1980s. Favoring folksy prints and craft-fair jewelry, Morie wouldn’t attract a second glance at the Sunday farmers’ market—you’d never peg her as a military insider. Her expertise with computer graphics and simulation, though, have gotten her work not only with Hollywood visual-effects houses, but also with the Army, Navy and other Pentagon entities. In the mid-1990s, Morie was one of two authors of a proposal that led to the creation of the ICT.

Many of the immersive VR technologies developed at the ICT have been used to instruct thousands of Army recruits at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. “Everybody who has been to the Middle East says two things about the simulator” at Fort Sill, says George Durham, who oversees its operation. “One, that it’s really good and realistic. Two, that it’s entirely too clean and there’s no odor with it.”

Morie watches as I continue my DarkCon demo, charging through open terrain under the sentry’s watchful eye. “He’s not a very good forward observer,” she says to a colleague. I reach the building and try to figure out where I’m supposed to drop the radio transmitter. Unfortunately, I never get the chance. The sentry doesn’t fire his machine gun, but he does alert another rebel, who releases a Doberman pinscher. The beast is charging at me now, fangs bared, saliva trailing. The last thing I smell before the screen goes black is the hot, wet scent of dog breath.

This, then, is the brave new world of olfactory VR—and it looks a lot like 1962. That’s when Hollywood unveiled Sensorama, an immersive, 3-D arcade-game prototype in which participants rode a motorcycle through the streets of New York while fans spread around Big Apple aromas such as the smell of pizza. The sunset of Eisenhower was in fact the heyday of scented media, with the release of the 1959 film Behind the Great Wall in AromaRama, and 1960’s Scent of Mystery in Smell-O-Vision. Both bombed. “A beautiful old pine grove in Peking . . . smells rather like a subway restroom on disinfectant day,” Time magazine wrote of Behind the Great Wall. The filmmakers were stymied by technological challenges—securing believable scents, dispersing them at the right times, and changing odors without overlap—that today’s military is working to solve.

Shaken, Not Blurred

2006-07-18T02:20:00.000-07:00

The newest pocket cams use stabilization to save you from your shaky hands

The smaller your camera, the more susceptible it is to even the slightest tremble, which can leave your photos looking like Impressionist paintings. Fortunately, optical image stabilization has trickled down from pro cams to the shake-prone pocket models. The cameras use motion sensors to detect any quiver and move a piece of the lens to compensate for it. I tested three in the most blur-inducing scenarios: in low light without a flash—the slow shutter speed gives you more time to twitch—and at full zoom, which magnifies shake.

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Picture-Perfect Navigation
A rundown of what's hot in the world of GPS navigation, including one device with a photographic memory.

Remember that roadside barbecue joint in Texas where you had the ribs that changed your life? Can you remember the address? Did it even have one? It’s no problem for the Navman iCN750 [above]. Just pull the battery-equipped device from its windshield mount, snap a picture with the integrated 1.3-megapixel camera, and the unit will store the photo paired with the location’s GPS coordinates. The next time you’ve got a hankering for ribs, go to the NavPix menu, select the shot, and the 750 will guide you back. You can trade pics between 750s or offload them to a PC with a USB cable or an SD card. The gadget has room for about 5,000 pictures—enough for a cross-country barbecue safari. Don’t forget the Wet-Naps.

Big Shot

2006-07-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

What is the most powerful laser in the world?

When it reaches full operation in 2009, the National Ignition Facil-ity (NIF) beamline will put other, piffling lab lasers to shame. The NIF system will be 60 times as energetic as Nova (which generated 16 trillion watts), NIF’s predecessor at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the previous record holder. But achieving such intensity won’t come easy. The hardware and electronics that power the NIF laser require a space bigger than a football stadium.

Now, for the numbers that make the hearts of laser nerds sing. On final approach, 192 laser beams will zing into a million-pound target chamber 33 feet in diameter, with 20-inch walls. To prevent any radiation from escaping, the chamber is encased by walls that are six feet thick. Each 20-nanosecond laser burst will blast target materials in the chamber with 500 trillion watts of power—1,000 times the electrical output of the entire U.S. over the same period of time. All that awesome power will be used in fusion research, in astrophysics (for example, studying what conditions might be like at the center of Jupiter), and in generating thermonuclear detonations for weapons research.

5 Reasons why to Watch the World Cup Soccer !

2006-06-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

It's often called 'the beautiful game' - probably because of the skill and talent involved in its playing.

Even if you don't know a midfielder from a forward, the 2006 World Cup is a unique chance to admire some of the most stunning sportsmen the world has to offer. To facilitate the rigorous and exhausting task of scrutinising the 32 teams taking part, we present the 15 most beautiful men of the 2006 World Cup.

The sexiest team accolade must go to the searingly intense Italians, who boast four entries on our list. Portugal and England also get an honourable mention for their sexy squad. Sadly, with only five teams in the running, Africa's men didn't quite make the grade. The 2006 World Cup kicks off on Friday the 9th of June.

1. Fabio Cannavaro - Italy
Date of birth: 13 Sept 1973 Height: 175 cm Weight: 72 kg Position: Defender
Current Club: Juventus (ITA)

Gasp! Possibly the most beautiful man in football today, Italy's skipper and the most capped player among the current Italian squad, Fabio Cannavaro is a stalwart of the Azzurri side. What he lacks in height, he makes up for with great anticipation, aggression and power - and of course a stunning body, complete with a face Michelangelo would have killed to sculpt.

2. David Beckham - England
Date of birth: 2 May 1975 Height: 182 cm Weight: 74 kg Position: Midfielder
Current Club: Real Madrid (ESP)

What more can be said about David Beckham. He's undeniably one of the world's most gorgeous men; a feature that's often overshadowed his sporting prowess. More than anything, however, Beckham is a dedicated professional, who takes immense pride in his role as England captain. His talent with a football was evident from an early age, and it has earned him unprecedented fame and wealth.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal
Date of birth: 5 Feb 1985 Height: 184 cm Weight: 75 kg Position: Forward
Current Club: Manchester United (ENG)

You don't get much hotter than Cristiano Ronaldo Santos Aveiro. This 21 year old is one of the sexiest young talents in world football. With his surging runs and dazzling skills performed at blistering pace, comparisons with his Brazilian namesake have been inevitable. Born on the island of Madeira, he began his footballing career at the age of 17. His rise to stardom since then has been nothing short of meteoric.

4. Andriy Shevchenko - Ukraine
Date of birth: 29 Sept 1976 Height: 183 cm Weight: 73 kg Position: Forward
Current Club: AC Milan (ITA)

Andriy Shevchenko has faced the seemingly impossible task of hauling his country along the path to Germany practically single-handed. Top scorer for his team and one of the most prolific in the European zone, the Ukrainian ace justified the faith of a nation every time he turned out. This 30 year old is a stunning looker, quite happy to model in front of the camera wearing very little indeed. This makes us very happy and should be encouraged.

5. Kaka - Brazil
Date of birth: 22 April 1982 Height: 183 cm Weight: 73 kg Position: Midfielder
Current Club: AC Milan (ITA)

He may be burdened with one of the most unfortunate and unusual names in the sport, but few would argue with Kaka's Brazilian sex appeal which has also made him a star off the field. This focused and aggressive attacking midfielder boasts good ball skills and stamina, and can move into a striking role when required. Hmm, we'll take two thanks! Hold the mayo!

6. Dejan Stankovic - Serbia and Montenegro
Date of birth: 11 Sept 1978 Height: 181 cm Weight: 75 kg Position: Midfielder
Current Club: Inter (ITA)

You may not quite know where exactly Serbia and Montenegro is, but Dejan Stankovic's good looks will inspire you to visit. This cheeky midfielder has versatility and the ability to perform wherever he is needed. He is technically-gifted and an instinctive finisher, with an excellent sense of positioning and he has recently managed to bring his hair-trigger temper under control (ooh)..

7. Landon Donovan - US
Date of birth: 4 March 1982 Height: 173 cm Weight: 67 kg Position: Midfielder
Current Club: Los Angeles Galaxy (USA)

We could think of no better man tasked with popularising soccer in the US than the very desirable Landon Donovan. Blessed with an ability to press forward and get goals, he's described as the most talented and technically gifted American player of his generation. This 24 year old three-time American Footballer of the Year is a player worth watching on and off the soccer field.

8. Luiz Figo: Portugal
Date of birth: 4 Nov 1972 Height: 180 cm Weight: 75 kg Position: Forward
Current Club: Inter (ITA)

Hello daddy! Born in the working-class neighbourhood of Almada in Lisbon, Figo is one of the best-known faces in world football, and indisputably one of the most talented players to grace the game in recent years. Masterful with the ball at his feet, Figo's skills and leadership qualities have seen him ranked among the greatest Portuguese footballers of all time. Rugged, handsome and very much all man.

9. Nelson Haedo Valdez- Paraguay
Date of birth: 28 Nov 1983 Height: 178 cm Weight: 71 kg Position: Forward
Current Club: Werder Bremen (GER)

The spunky looking Valdez joined Bundesliga club Werder Bremen in 2001, just days after celebrating his 18th birthday. He has represented his country at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship and the 2004 Copa America. He also scored the vital qualifying goal against Venezuela which took Paraguay to the 2006 World Cup. While he still has some way to go to make his mark, we'd be happy to help with his ball handling skills.

10. Michael Ballack - Germany
Date of birth: 26 Sept 1976 Height: 189 cm Weight: 80 kg Position: Midfielder
Current Club: Bayern Munich (GER)

Michael Ballack, the 30 year old midfield maestro of Bayern Munich and Germany, is one of the few German players that the experts unanimously believe to be 'world class'. Germany's hopes rest largely on his shoulders if they are to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup, with the Chemnitz-born star coming under extreme scrutiny every time he takes to the field. Watch out for those killer blue eyes; they'll break your heart in two.

11. Kelvin Jack - Trinidad and Tobago
Date of birth: 29 April 1976 Height: 193 cm Weight: 91 kg Position: Goalkeeper
Current Club: Dundee FC (SCO)

Tall, dark and very striking, Kelvin Jack's save from Bahrain's Talal Yusuf in the final moments of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Asia/CONCACAF play-off helped send Trinidad and Tobago to Germany. After his senior international debut in 1999, he appeared in Trinidad and Tobago's 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and also played in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup. This thirty year old's got the look of a man of action. We like.

12. Gianluigi Buffon - Italy
Date of birth: 28 January 1978 Height: 190 cm Weight: 83 kg Position: Goalkeeper
Current Club: Juventus (ITA)

Boasting a searing Italian sensuality, Gianluigi Buffon was born into a sporting family; his mother was an Italian shot put and discus champion. The goalkeeper made his Serie A debut at the age of 17 years and was first-choice goalkeeper at Parma for six seasons before his world-record transfer to Juventus in 2001. It was here that he won his first Serie A title, a habit he's become used to.

13. Luca Toni - Italy
Date of birth: 26 May 1977 Height: 194 cm Weight: 89 kg Position: Forward
Current Club: Fiorentina (ITA)

After nine seasons on Italy's footballing periphery, the sultry Luca Toni has rocketed to the centre of attention with great goalscoring form. Tall, with great control on the ball and excellent finishing skills (ahem...), Toni has become Italy's number one striker in Serie A and the national team. We bet he's pretty much number one at whatever he does.

14. Alessandro Del Piero - Italy
Date of birth: 9 Nov 1974 Height: 173 cm Weight: 73 kg Position: Forward
Current Club: Juventus (ITA)

When the young Alessandro Del Piero joined Juventus, he was a physically slight man; he had to work hard to build muscle strength and speed. A combination of these new found attributes, outstanding technique and an eye for goal, soon earned him the nickname Pinturicchio - after the renaissance painter. Actually, we think he'd be much better suited as a painter's subject..

15. Michael Owen - England
Date of birth: 14 Dec 1979 Height: 172 cm Weight: 67 kg Position: Forward
Current Club: Newcastle United (ENG)

Michael Owen was just 18 when he etched his name on to the minds of football fans around the world with one of the goals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He became an instant global soccer star. At thirty his wholesome boy next door good looks remain a football fantasy come to life.

The History of Football (Soccer)

2006-06-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

A sport similar to football was played 3000 years ago in Japan. Chinese text from 50 BC mentions football-type games between teams from Japan and China. A text dating from 611 AD confirms that football was played in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan.

Ancient Greeks and Romans also played a game that resembled football - although the Greeks permitted carrying of the ball. Olympic games in ancient Rome featured a 50-minute football game with twenty-seven men on a side.

The early days
How the sport spread from the East to Europe is not clear but England became the home of modern football. At first the game had a bad reputation among English royalty - possibly because of the noise the fans made - by whose insistence the government passed laws against it. King Edward (1307-1327) proclaimed, "For as much as there is a great noise in the city caused by hustling over large balls, from which many evils may arise, which God forbid, we forbid on behalf of the King, on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in the city." In 1365 King Edward III banned football because of its excessive violence and for military reasons playing took time away from archery practice the game had become too popular to be curtailed. King Henry IV and Henry VIII passed laws against the sport, and Queen Elizabeth I "had football players jailed for a week, with follow-up church penance"

Laws failed to slow the popularity of football and by 1681 it received official sanction in England. The games were still ruff and noisy, with players hardly ever leaving the field without broken bones or even being spiked. There was no standard set for the size of teams or the field; the earliest organised games, usually bitter confrontations between teams from two or three parishes, had goals as far as 5 km (3 miles) apart. It was only by 1801 that it was (somewhat) agreed that teams should have an equal number of players and that the playing area should be about 91 metres (100 yards). Records show that Eton college drew up the first written rules of football in 1815. (The modern standardised rules are known as the Cambridge rules.)

Until the mid-1800s football rules still varied across regions. Team sizes ranged from 15 to 21. The 11-player team was standardised in 1870. The crossbar between two goalposts became mandatory in 1875. The goalkeeper was formally distinguished in the 1880s.

F I F A
The first football club was formed in Sheffield, England in 1857. The Football Association was founded on 26 October 1863 by 11 clubs meeting in London. (The word association was abbreviated to assoc., which became "soccer.")

Where does the word "soccer" come from?
In the 1880s students of Oxford university abbreviated words by adding "er" to the end; for instance, breakfast became "brekkers" and "rugby rules" was referred to as "rugger." When one student, Charles Wreford Brown, was asked if he'd like to play rugger, he was the first to abbreviate "association rules" (Football Association rules) by answering, "No, soccer." Brown later bacame an England international and Football Association vice-president.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), was created in 1904 to co-ordinate the national football associations in the world. The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay.
World Cup venues
1930 : Uruguay
1934 : Italy
1938 : France
1950 : Brazil
1954 : Switzerland
1958 : Sweden
1962 : Chile
1966 : England
1970 : Mexico
1974 : W Germany
1978 : Argentina
1982 : Spain
1986 : Mexico
1990 : Italy
1994 : USA
1998 : France
2002 : Japan/S Korea
2006 : Germany
2010 : South Africa

"The Beautiful Game"
Football is the biggest spectator sport in the world, with angling as the world biggest participant sport. The World Cup is, after the Olympics, the most watched sport on television.

The Bible

2006-06-08T00:59:00.000-07:00

Decoding The Da Vinci Code

Leonardo da Vinci made sketches of scissors, the parachute, helicopter, aeroplanes, and many marvellous engineering designs, some of which came into use 400 years after his death in 1519. But his notebooks never provided an explanation on the mechanics of his inventions. At the time, nobody knew how to put these designs together. In fact, it is not known if Da Vinci ever constructed any of the ideas himself. What is known is that he could write with the one hand and draw with the other simultaneously. If he ever used either of those hands to write the secret code of the real history of Jesus is also not known. The Da Vinci Code debate continues.

Dan Brown's 2003 historical novel The Da Vinci Code provided some food for thought... or was it just gooyie gum with an odd taste? Take a bite!

Long before Brown put pen to paper the concept of Jesus having been (happily) married and "moving on" (to southern France, in Brown's scenarios) much was written about the life of Jesus after the crucifixion. From the second century onward almost 5 000 pieces of manuscripts have been found, mostly discovered during the 20th century, that beckoned to be included in the New Testament. Since none of the original New Testament gospels have as yet been discovered (only copies and copies of copies exist) we continue to be entertained by the many views in the many debates surrounding the fascinating life of Jesus.

Cracking the code
Described by New York Times as a "riddle-filled, code-breaking, exhilaratingly brainy thriller," The Times described it as "littered with misconceptions, howlers and location descriptions straight out of tourist guide books." The Da Vinci Code garnered effusive, even ebullient, praise from numerous reviewers. The Library Journal raved, "This masterpiece should be mandatory reading"; the Chicago Tribune marveled that the book contained "several doctorates’ worth of fascinating history and learned speculation"; Salon magazine described the novel as "an ingenious mixture of paranoid thriller, art history lesson, chase story, religious symbology lecture and anti-clerical screed." Carl E. Olson and Sandra Miesel tries to crack the code in this Planet Envoy article

The Bible has 66 books, divided into 1,189 chapters consisting of 31,173 verses. The Bible was divided into chapters by Stephen Langton about 1228. The Old Testament was divided into verses by R. Nathan in 1448 and the New Testament by Robert Stephanus in 1551. The first printed Bible divided into verses was an Old Testament Latin edition by Pagninus, printed in 1528. The first complete English version of the Bible divided into verses was the Geneva Bible, printed in 1560.

Was Jesus married?
What do we know about Mary Magdalene? The idea that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus is not attested in the Gospels. Eleven passages in the NT address who Mary Magdalene was: She was a beneficiary of exorcism. She was present at Jesus’ crucifixion and was there when Jesus was laid in the tomb. She was present when it was discovered that the tomb was empty. She was further the beneficiary of one of the first appearances of the Lord after His resurrection. It is also unusual that she is identified as Mary of Magdala, because most names of women in the Bible are tied to mates to whom they are related. She is not connected to anyone. If she were married, she would have been so identified... according to Jim Eckman in Issues in Perspective

December, 25th
The Da Vinci Code, on page 232: claims: "Nothing in Christianity is original. The pre-Christian god Mithras - called the Son of God and the Light of the World - was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days. By the way, December 25 was also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus. The newborn Krishna was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Read on at aboutbibleprophecy

Why the 'Lost Gospels' Lost Out
"Serapion of Antioch (a bishop from 190 to 211), who let some of his flock read the Gospel of Peter in church - until he read the book himself. He concluded that it had a heretical Christology, teachings about Jesus that did not conform to other ancient apostolic documents." Ben Witherington III decodes The Da Vinci Code

In 2026 You'll Own a Car That Can't Crash

2006-05-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

An accident-free future is a matter of connecting the dots between today’s cutting-edge technologies

Blinding rain. Careening traffic. Distracted drivers. There are lots of reasons why car crashes are America’s leading cause of accidental death. And one way that most accidents could be prevented: with cars that predict a coming collision—and take action to stop it.

The key to the crash-free future is vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or V2V. Some advances that would make V2V possible are already on the way. Increasingly sophisticated GPS will soon allow you to pinpoint your vehicle’s precise location at any given moment, and stability-control systems that track your car’s speed and direction are even now feeding such information to onboard computers. The primary remaining challenge is finding the means to communicate that data to cars in your projected path.

To encourage the development of V2V, the Federal Communications Commission has cleared the 5.9-gigahertz band for dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) among cars, other cars, and roadside transceivers. Volkswagen’s Electronics Research Laboratory—which helped build the autonomous VW Touareg that won last year’s Darpa Grand Challenge robotic race—recently fitted two Jettas and two Audi A3s with DSRC units and used V2V to successfully run them, platoon-style, through San Francisco. “The technology is doable right now,” says Carsten Bergmann, a VW lab manager. (Of course, getting the right data to the right car at the right time calls for fiendishly complicated threat-detection algorithms that are far easier with four cars than with hundreds of them.)

General Motors has gone one better than VW with a demonstration DSRC-equipped Cadillac CTS that stops itself to avoid accidents. Its enhanced stability-control system predicts where it’s headed—like, into the rear end of another DSRC car stopped in the middle of the road—and prompts the onboard computer to apply the brakes without any input from the driver. The effect is very cool. It’s also a little spooky, and many doubt that live-free-or-die Americans will ever sign off on fully autonomous vehicles.

Luckily, engineer Tomiji Sugimoto and his team at Honda R&D are working on a human-machine interface that will keep drivers in the loop. Head-up displays are a no-brainer. But Honda is also developing what’s called haptic feedback, such as shaking steering wheels and pedals that vibrate. “We’re talking about a system that acts like a backseat driver,” Sugimoto says. Except it’s a backseat driver that’s always right.

Winning—and Losing—the First Wired War

2006-05-22T00:02:00.000-07:00

U.S. forces in Iraq are waging a pivotal campaign in modern warfare—combat on the first “networked” battlefield. One problem: the enemy has a few networks of its own

The mission changes for Charlie Company seconds after the soldiers roll off the base. The dreary night patrol around Balad, a shambling Shi’ite town in north-central Iraq, has just been canceled. It’s time instead to hightail it west, to the Sunni neighborhood of Ad Duluiyah. “Alpha Company is taking direct fire,” a voice crackles over the radio in First Lt. Brian Feldmayer’s Humvee. “I need you to expedite."

Feldmayer, a 24-year-old Virginian with the smooth cheeks of a teenager, tries to straighten out a smile of excitement and nervous anticipation. He stares into the glowing touchscreen at his left elbow. The Army calls this system Blue Force Tracker, or BFT. It’s a militarized version of an automotive navigation aid, enhanced to track—and communicate with—other coalition vehicles. Firmly tapping the screen with his gloved fingers, Feldmayer calls up the grid coordinate just radioed to him and marks it with white crosshairs. Zooming out, he studies the roads leading there. He plots a course, then radios the rest of his patrol—two tanks, three more Humvees and an Iraqi Army Nissan truck—with orders to haul ass.

It doesn’t take long for Feldmayer to regret it. Nobody on the patrol knows the roads, and he’s wary of getting lost. Ordinarily, on his terminal, he should be able to track Charlie’s other BFT-equipped vehicles and follow the route they’re taking. But the satellite signal that feeds BFT is weak tonight. And the lieutenant doesn’t exactly trust the system’s maps: It can take the Army’s cartographers up to a year to update them; in Iraq, a lot can change by then.

Feldmayer curses loudly. He calls his command post for help, but he hears only static.

This wasn’t how the 75-man Charlie Company was supposed to operate. It’s part of the Army’s first “digital division,” the Ft. Carson, Colorado–based Fourth Infantry Division (4ID), outfitted with the military’s latest gear: new tanks, firearms and armored vehicles, but also flying reconnaissance drones, advanced sensors, electronic jammers and battlefield data networks. All of which should make the 4ID a model for the Pentagon’s vision for the future of combat—“network-centric warfare.” With the right technologies, soldiers should be able to communicate better and have a clearer picture of the battlefield. Their movements become lightning-quick and lethally effective. Think of it as combat on Internet time.

Dangerous Gaps
Every war becomes a proving ground for new tactics and new technologies. Battleships rose to prominence in World War I; tanks and bombers determined the course of World War II; Vietnam brought air power definitively into the Jet Age. The current conflict is no different. The Pentagon began this war believing its new, networked technologies would help make U.S. ground forces practically unstoppable in Iraq. Slow-moving, unwired armies like Saddam Hussein’s were the kind of foe network-centric warriors were designed to carve up quickly. During the invasion in March 2003, that proved to be largely the case—despite most of the soldiers not being wired up at all. It was enough that their commanders had systems like BFT, which let them march to Baghdad faster than anyone imagined possible, with half the troops it took to fight the Gulf War in 1991. But now, more than three years into sectarian conflict and a violent insurgency that has cost nearly 2,400 American lives, an investigation of the current state of network-centric warfare reveals that frontline troops have a critical need for networked gear—gear that hasn’t come yet. “There is a connectivity gap,” states a recent Army War College report. “Information is not reaching the lowest levels.”

The Spotless Mind

2006-05-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

A routine heart drug shows promise as a way to blunt bad memories

Clinical psychologist Alain Brunet of McGill University in Montreal doesn’t usually torture his patients. But lately he has been pressing those with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, to relive emotionally scarring incidents. For some it’s rape, others battlefield trauma. When his patients get particularly upset—crying, shaking, blood pressure rising—he gives them a 25-year-old hypertension drug called propranolol. The idea, though, is not to lower their blood pressure. Brunet’s goal is much more profound: to wipe away the trauma of bad memories.

Propranolol, it turns out, blocks the effects of stress hormones, which the body creates during traumatic “fight or flight” situations. These hormones serve a critical function—namely, they help us survive life-threatening scenarios by sharpening our senses. But they can also permanently scorch traumatic sights, sounds and smells into the brain, creating a biochemical warehouse in which bad memories can live forever. For the estimated 1.9 million Americans suffering from PTSD, recalling a traumatic event can elicit the same panic response as the event itself.

Harvard University psychiatrist Roger Pitman has already published study results showing that patients given propranolol shortly after a traumatic event are significantly less emotional when recalling the experience. Now he and Brunet are taking the idea even further, attempting to deaden bad memories years after traumatic experiences. Their efforts build on groundbreaking research by Karim Nader, another McGill scientist, whose 2000 studies in rats showed that memories don’t become completely fixed in the brain, as was previously thought. Instead, when memories are recalled, they temporarily transfer back to short-term storage, where they can be more easily “edited.”

Brunet’s hope is that the drug will subdue the patient’s stress response and soften his or her perception of the traumatic memory [see illustration], thereby helping the patient create a new memory of the event—one without all the emotional baggage. So the next time the patient recalls the trauma, the memory of it will no longer cause panic.

In the past few months, Brunet has treated about 20 patients with the new method. “So far, we’re encouraged by what we’ve found,” he says. The implications of his work are tantalizing, if a tad unnerving: People could essentially pop a pill to lighten up the darkest moments of their lives.

How it Works:

1. Trauma triggers the amygdala to release stress hormones, which enhance memory formation in the brain.
2. Memories of the trauma are first stored in the hippocampus. Then a chemical reaction encodes them into neurons in the cerebral cortex, cementing them into long-term storage.
3. When a victim recalls the trauma, the memory transfers back to the hippocampus, where it can trigger the release of more stress hormones.
4. Propranolol blocks the effects of the hormones and softens the victim’s perception of the trauma. The brain restores the newly edited memory.

A Toast to the Bionic Man

2006-05-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Jesse Sullivan test-drives a brain-powered artificial arm

The plotline is classic Marvel Comics fare: An electrician grabs a high-tension wire carrying 7,000 volts of electricity, loses both arms at the shoulder, undergoes an experimental surgery, and emerges bionic. Sci-fi as it sounds, this is the story of Jesse Sullivan, 58, a real-life retired linesman from Dayton, Tennessee.

In July, Sullivan demonstrated the world's most advanced robotic arm, using his thoughts alone to maneuver it. Before an audience at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago he picked up a water bottle, took a swig, and set it back down. "Jesse was awesome," says Todd Kuiken, director of RIC's amputee program, who pioneered the radical nerve-transfer surgery that allows Sullivan to communicate with the limb. Kuiken also engineered the new limb's design.

The performance marked a major breakthrough in prosthetic-limb technology. Many prostheses in use today are mechanical hook-and-wire contraptions. The debut of the computerized limb in 2001 offered new hope, but until now it has been unable to process brain signals directly. Instead the wearer uses his body—the shoulder nub, for instance—to manually press electrical switches placed at the amputation site, enabling just a single motion.

Kuiken's prototype, a six-motor machine with a 64-bit computer embedded in the forearm, is the first brain-controlled prosthesis to move simultaneously at the shoulder, elbow and wrist. It's also the first to enable the wearer to sense pressure. "I actually feel my hand open and close," Sullivan says. "It feels sort of like squeezing a tennis ball."

For now, Sullivan relies on an older model while Kuiken tweaks the new one. "Jesse broke 12 stainless-steel bolts on the earlier model trying to pull-start a lawn mower," Kuiken says. "If I let him take the prototype home, it would be toast in minutes. We still need to make it stronger."

In 2021 You'll Enjoy Total Recall

2006-05-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

Humans naturally have the power to remember almost two bits of information per second, or a few hundred megabytes over a lifetime. Compared with a DVD movie, which holds up to 17 gigabytes, that’s nothing. Worse, you might easily recall the 40-year-old dialogue from Hogan’s Heroes yet forget your mom’s birthday. Or memorize reams of sports stats while spacing out on work you completed just last week.

It’s a problem that’s been bothering Gordon Bell for almost as long as he can remember. In 1998 Bell, a senior researcher at Microsoft, began digitally capturing his entire life for a project he calls MyLifeBits. First, he scanned his old photographs, research documents and notes. He began recording his meetings and phone calls and cataloguing his new photos and movies he saw. Every e-mail exchange he had was digitally archived, and he started using the company’s prototype SenseCam, which he wears around his neck, to automatically snap photos throughout the day.

Bell now documents about one gigabyte of information every month, all of which is stored in a searchable database on his PC. His is a highly manual process, but he expects that in as few as 15 years it will be common to carry nearly all our “memories” around with us in a single device that will automatically record the sound and video of our daily activities, creating an inventory of the conversations we have, the faces we see and the articles we read. That data would be tied to communications that are already tracked electronically, like e-mail and event calendars, as well as TV shows, movies and other media we take in. The end result: on-demand total recall.

The biggest challenge to Bell’s vision is developing the software required to search your memory database effectively. So far, MyLifeBits pulls together more than 20 data types to link various memories to one another. Using a full-text search, Bell tracks down what he’s looking for in no more than 30 seconds. Soon, when searching through meeting notes, for instance, photos of people attending those meetings and their contact information will appear side by side. The effort could be pushed along by Columbia University researchers who are using statistical-analysis programs to automatically sort hours of recorded audio by time and location (office, café, etcetera). Next, they’ll tackle speaker recognition, which would allow for categorizing and searching conversation by who’s talking.

Meanwhile, miniaturization and the falling cost of image sensors and data storage will soon allow for unobtrusive recording, as well as on-person storage, of several terabytes—which means a vast upgrade in personal processing power. “Having a surrogate memory creates a freeing and secure feeling,” Bell says of his self-experiment. “It’s similar to having an assistant with perfect memory."

New Method Could Detect Alien Space Stations

2006-05-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Since the beginning of astronomical observation, science has been viewing light on a curve. In a galaxy filled with thousands of eclipsing binary stars, we've refined our skills by measuring the brightness or intensity of so-called variable star as a function of time. The result is known as a "light curve". Through this type of study, we've discovered size, distance and orbital speed of stellar bodies and refined our ability to detect planetary bodies orbiting distant suns. Here on Earth, most of the time it's impossible for us to resolve such small objects even with the most powerful of telescopes, because their size is less than one pixel in the detector. But new research should let us determine the shape of an object... like a ringed planet, or an orbiting alien space station.

Full article

Illustration by: Jimmy Paillet
As of February 5, we know of 136 extrasolar planets. These have been discovered in four ways: The first - called pulsar timing - allowed us to detect Earth-sized and smaller planets by studying the variations in arrival time of radiation generated by a pulsar. The next - Doppler spectroscopy - allows ground-based telescopes to measure the "shift" in a star's spectrum caused by the gravity of an orbiting planet. The third - astrometry - is used in much the same way - looking for the periodic "wobble" in position that a possible planet could cause on its parent star. And the last? Transit photometry allows for the study of the periodic dimming of a star as a body passes in front of it from a particular viewpoint - producing a light curve.

In April 2004, Luc F. A. Arnold, (Observatoire de Haute-Provence CNRS 04870 Saint-Michel - l'Observatoire, France) was working on a transit generated by a saturn-like planet when he had an idea. Could this same principle be applied to look for transiting bodies that were artificial in nature?

"I discussed the idea with several colleagues who found it interesting," commented Arnold. A collection of artificial bodies would produce light curves easily distinguishable from natural ones. For example, a triangular object or something shaped like our own man-made satellites would show an entirely different signature. If multiple artificial objects were detected transiting - this could possibly be a form of signaling the presence of other intelligent life - one with an effectiveness equal to the range of the laser pulse method.

A cost-effective alternative to radio SETI or optical SETI is to look for artificial planet-size bodies which may exist around other stars. Since they would always pass in front of their parent star for a given remote observer, there is a strong possibility they can be detected and characterized using the transit photometry method. A planetary transit light curve contains fine features due to the object shape - such as planet oblateness, double planets or ringed planets. As Arnold explains, "The sphere is the equilibrium shape preferred for massive and planet-size bodies to adapt to their own gravity, (but) one can consider non-spherical bodies, especially if they are small and lightweight and orbit a dwarf star. Their transits in front of a star would produce a detectable signal." Non-spherical artificial objects - like a triangle - would produce a specific transit light curve. If multiple objects should transit, a remarkable light curve would be created by their "on again - off again" nature of light. Such an observation would clearly claim an artificial nature. To visualize this, think of a flashlight moving behind a lowered window blind, and you'll begin to get the idea!

The bulk of Luc Arnold's work - just accepted for publication in the "Astrophysical Journal" - has been to prove through computer simulation the effects of different and multiples shapes and show these differing light curves. To help you better understand, the screen that you are now looking at is composed of pixels - a logical rather than a physical unit. If you were to place a triangle shape over your monitor's screen, it would cover the pixels in a specific arrangement. During a simulation, the stellar flux is zeroed out in pixels and compared to the normal flux of the star. This simulated artificial body transit is then fitted against known planetary transit using a Powell algorithm.

"But most complex artificial objects' light curve cannot be exactly superposed by a planetary transit, and the algorithm ends with non-zero residuals, i.e. a non-zero difference between the two light curves. This difference is the 'personal' signature of the artificial object. Should it rotate, the residual light curves will show additional modulation. When set against a gradient, such as the limb, an artificial object would also show sudden slope variations in the light curve during ingress or egress," explains Arnold.

The equilateral triangle produces a transit light curve different than a sphere. In fact, its light curve resembles a ringed planet transit, so an ambiguity may remain in distinguishing these objects. But more complex objects, such as clusters of shapes, for example, create very specific signatures. For an artificial satellite-like object, its symmetrical structure would be apparent - as each area would impact the light curve at specific intervals. An elongated object, would produce undulation in its longer period of ingress and egress - in effect causing multiple "transits" making detection easier. The nature of these oscillations could very well be considered a sign of intelligent device. If several objects were spatially arranged in groups to ingress a star in a mathematically constant manner, these drops in the light curve could clearly represent a type of message - the language of science.

With the computer simulations perfected, Arnold knows what a natural or artificial transiting body should look like in a light curve - but has science observed a planetary transit? "Up to now, there is only one transit light curve obtained with a very good accuracy - the transit for HD 209 458b observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. T. Brown and colleagues found the light curve could be fitted with a spherical body to within the measurement accuracy." This type of information provides Arnold with the model he needs. In June 2006, his vision may be realized. COROT (a space mission approved by the French Space Agency CNES, with a participation of Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Spain, ESA and ESTEC) will be dedicated to stellar seismology and the study of extrasolar planets - the first approved space mission solely devoted to these subjects. The spacecraft will consist of a ~ 30 cm telescope with an array of detectors to monitor the light curves of well chosen stars through CCD. The overall potential of COROT (COnvection, ROtation and planetary Transits) is to detect several tens of Earth sized planets and more upcoming programs such as the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) and Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) will change the face of all we know about extrasolar planets.

What does this kind of new technology mean to researchers like Luc Arnold? "These space missions will give a (photometric) accuracy of down to 0.01% - but 1% could be sufficient if objects are big enough." According to his research a single transit of an artificial body would require that kind of accuracy, but a multiple transit would be much more relaxed. "1% photometry is within the capability of thousands of amateur astronomers equipped with CCD." Chances are far greater that a communicative civilization would favour a series of objects over a single non-spherical one for signaling their presence. Transits of opaque objects are achromatic, putting them within detectability of CCD over the entire spectrum.

As Luc points out, this type of research may well be within the realm of the contributing amateur astronomer. Currently the search for signs of extra-terrestrial intelligence are limited to radio and the search for laser pulse which demands specialized equipment. "For the moment, there is no project to apply this idea. If it the idea turns into a specific (SETI) observing program, a number of collaborations would be welcome!"

The search for planetary transits is already in operation, such as the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), "and the multiple transit case could be discovered within the course of these programs - maybe tomorrow!" While tomorrow might seem like an impossible dream, Arnold knows differently. His work has already been submitted to the SETI institute. For the rest of the citizens of planet Earth, we await the results. Will tomorrow show us a possible energy collection, communication or study device put into orbit by another sentient species? If we consider what we know of astronomy to be a basic "truth" throughout the Cosmos, then a discovery of this magnitude could be the biggest news of them all... "Assuming we are sure to have detected an alien artifact in a transit light curve, my opinion is that we should consider it as a clear 'Hello world... We are here!' addressed to the whole Galaxy!"

New Discovery Beneath Antarctic Ice Means Life On Other Planets Plausible

2006-05-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

CHAPEL HILL - Some 15 feet under windswept lake ice in Antarctica -- the world's most inhospitable landscape -- scientists have discovered teeming microbe colonies that use sunlight filtering through the ice to activate and sustain life when the South Pole tilts toward the sun each year.

In fact, the researchers have found surprisingly diverse microorganisms throughout the frozen lake water, supported by the key life-sustaining processes photosynthesis and atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Previously, most investigators thought little or no biological activity could occur within the ice itself.

"This discovery, which is quite exciting, shows how life could exist on other planets," said Dr. Hans Paerl, Kenan professor of marine sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "Solar heating allows the water to melt around soil particles that have blown over the ice and have been buried in it. Microbes covering them can then spring to life within an hour under certain conditions, even though they are still embedded deep in the ice."

The result, Paerl said, are living layers within the ice that distinctly show years, like growth rings in a tree trunk. He called the layers "self-sustaining microbial ecosystems."

"A key to the ability of microbes to live under these extreme conditions is the presence of liquid water, which is formed by solar heating of dark, light-absorbing soil aggregates embedded in the ice," he said.

A report on the findings appears in the June 26 issue of Science. Besides Paerl, report authors include John C. Priscu of Montana State University; Stephen J. Giovannoni of Oregon State University, Christopher P. McKay of NASA Ames Research Center in Moffet Field, Ca. and James L. Pinckney of UNC-CH.

Soil particles carried by wind from dry Antarctic valley floors onto the frozen lakes absorb sunlight during summer in the Southern Hemisphere, warm up and slowly melt down through the thick ice, the new studies showed. After descending through the ice, they break through and fall to the lake floor.

"We think this work suggests that even though the ambient temperatures on other planets are quite low, soil particles could heat up enough locally through solar heating to support formation of liquid water, microbial growth and reproduction," Paerl said. "Mars is a good example of the kind of place where this might happen."

Among the microbes the scientists identified were blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, which are the most ancient photosynthetic, oxygen-producing organisms known on Earth, and various bacteria, the marine scientist said. During months of total darkness, the microscopic worlds of soil, melted water and microbes within the ice freeze completely again to wait for the sun the following year.

In an accompanying editorial, Roland Psenner and Birgit Sattler of Innsbruck University say because of the new discovery, cultivating bacteria and algae in a deep freeze is not so outrageous an idea as previously believed.

"What at the first glance appears to be a contradiction in terms (being frozen and leading an active life at the same time) turns out to be an exciting example of the adaptation of microorganisms to environmental extremes," they wrote.

"What is the attraction of studying life in the cold? It may be the beauty of simplicity, which-especially in the case of the Antarctic lake ice-promises that sooner or later we may be able to understand and model ecosystems with simple structures and frozen dynamics."

The research team carried out its experiments at Lake Bonney in the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys.

Nano Technology

2006-05-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Nanotechnology is expected to transform the consumer, enterprise and scientific industries in the coming decades, bringing a whole new approach to research, product development and manufacturing.

To strengthen its portfolio of nanomeasurement products, Agilent recently acquired Molecular Imaging Corp., a leading developer and manufacturer of nanotechnology measurement tools.

Nanotechnology, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is "the art of manipulating materials on an atomic or molecular scale." To measure the shape and properties of materials at this scale, researchers use atomic force microscopes (AFMs) as their principal measurement tool.

Called the "eyes of nanotechnology," AFMs represent a significant portion of the $1 billion nanotechnology measurement tool market.

Molecular Imaging, based in Tempe, Ariz., is known for its AFMs. The company's chief product line is the PicoPlus® family of modular, high-resolution AFMs. These tools are used for high-resolution imaging in fluids as well as ambient and controlled environmental and temperature conditions for many nanotechnology applications.

Nanotechnology applications span the markets of drug discovery, life science, electrochemistry, materials science and polymer science. As a result, nanotechnology is important to Agilent because it is a common denominator of the two chief areas of the company's business -- electronic measurement and bioanalytical measurement.

"This is a strategic acquisition for Agilent because it complements our core strength of measurement technology while growing our presence in nanotechnology," said Bob Burns, vice president of Agilent's Nanotechnology Measurements Division.

T-Mobile's WiFi Connected SDA

2006-05-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

Not to be confused with the T-Mobile SDA Music introduced by T-Mobile Germany in late 2004, the SDA that is being offered by T-Mobile USA is a similar but new device that is based on the HTC Tornado design - also shared with the i-mate SP5m. While similar to the Cingular 2125 and other devices based on the HTC Faraday, the T-Mobile SDA gets the benefit of 802.11b WiFi access in addition to all of its other connectivity options.

It may not be the most sexy looking phone on the planet, but few devices today can offer as much functionality in a normally sized package as can T-Mobile's SDA.

Physical Aspects

Fortunately for the SDA, sex-appeal is not a requirement for being a good phone - though it certainly can help selling them. T-Mobile's SDA measures up at a reasonably compact 116mm x 47mm x 21mm (4.6" x 1.9" x .83"), and weighs about 122g (4.3oz) with SIM and memory card. For comparison's sake, that's a bit shorter and narrower than a Motorola SLVR L7, but 9mm (.35") thicker and 22g (.78oz) heavier. Fairly respectable numbers.

The SDA offers a number of controls to make its use more convenient. On the sides of the SDA you'll find dedicated volume and camera controls and a special button that brings up the Comm Manager application - for quick access to WiFi, Bluetooth, Phone, and ActiveSync switches. A much-bemoaned external antenna, of sorts, can be found up top with the power switch and infrared port. On the bottom, the miniUSB power/data port sits along side the headset jack. The 1.3 megapixel camera's lens and self-portrait mirror are located on the back. The front of the device is dominated by the large 65k color QVGA (240x320) display and a myriad of buttons. In addition to the normal numeric keypad and call control keys you'll find 3 dedicated music controls, a web browser key, and a pair of softkeys that straddle the dedicated home and back buttons. All of the controls have a very solid, predictable feel, as does the joystick that is located in the middle of everything. The keypad keys are located a bit too close to the bottom of the SDA, but other than that there is really very little to complain about.