V4 N34 -  30 January 2005

iTHINK ZONE
 

FOR WHOM THE CRYBABY BELLS TOLL

It appears that in the past few weeks the remaining four CryBaby Bells--Quest, SBC, Bell South and Verizon--have come to the realization that their telecommunications have serious genetic faults.

READ ON
http://cyberzone.pacific-tier.com/iThink.htm
[Posted Jan 27]

A HISTORY OF THE "TELEPHONE COMPANY" IN HAWAII This series will continue soon.
 

OTHERS' THINK ZONE

CORPORATE FRAUD ON TRIAL: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
The high-profile corporate scandals involving former WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers and former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski are back in the news, refocusing attention on corporate fraud and inviting such questions as: What has changed since these allegations emerged a few years back? And will the criminal trials of these two men, under way this week, serve as a deterrent to other high-profile executives who might be tempted to forget the rules of fair play in corporate America?
<http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1131.cfm> http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1131.cfm 

BUSH DIDN'T INVENT THE INTERNET, BUT IS HE GOOD FOR TECH?
George W. Bush probably won't be remembered as "the high-tech president." The strongholds of the biotech and infotech industries, on the East and West Coasts, voted against him. If his State of the Union address next week, his fourth, is like the previous three, it will say next to nothing about the role of science or advanced technology in the nation's economic and social future. The symbol of Al Gore's relationship with gizmos was the early-model BlackBerry he wore on his belt. The symbol of Mr. Bush's was his tumble from a Segway computerized scooter in 2003.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/23/business/yourmoney/23techno.html?oref=login&page
wanted=print&position=

FUTURE ZONE

CYBERZONE

MAKING EVERY WORD A LINK: THE LIQUID INFORMATION PROJECT A researcher at University College London wants to change the basic functioning of the Web, allowing readers of Web pages to change those pages--similar to wikis--and making every word a "hyperword."
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,66382,00.html

USING VIDEO GAMES TO TEACH LIFE SKILLS
According to researchers at Futurelab, a British nonprofit investigating how technology can be used for innovative learning, video games have the potential to be highly effective tools for holding students' attention and teaching them about a variety of topics.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4189411.stm

BELLSOUTH PROPOSAL SEEKS WAY TO SKIRT UTILITY REGULATION BellSouth Corp. sent draft legislation to the Georgia Public Service Commission that would bar the PSC from regulating all wireless technology and broadband data and voice services.

The proposal comes at a time when broadband calling, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, is increasing in popularity and quality. It follows recent rulings by the Federal Communications Commission that, starting this year, deregulate much of the telecom landscape.
According to the draft, consumers in Georgia have so many choices that regulation is not necessary to ensure competition. If enacted, the law would be effective July 1.
FULL ITEM

SUMMIT FOCUSES ON NEW MEXICO's TELECOM NEEDS A group of government officials, private industry leaders and academics gathered yesterday at a summit organized by Gov. Bill Richardson to discuss the state's telecom infrastructure needs.
Broadband was a particular focus of the event, with many speakers calling for greater broadband deployment in underserved areas.
http://telephonyonline.com/technology/new_mexico_network_012605/

BIO/NANO/MEMS ZONE

ULTRA-REALISTIC BINAURAL SURROUND SOUND IS COMING Ultra-realistic binaural surround sound in ordinary headsets is being developed by researchers at the University of York and the University of Sydney. The subtle distortions to sound caused by the head and ear shapes of the listener normally account for the perception of 3D location of sounds. The scientists use "spatial filters" to artifically create these distortions.
http://www.kurzweilai.net/news/frame.html?main=/news/news_single.html?id%3D4191

BIO-BRIEFS ZONE

Albany--New owner will accelerate work pace at Myomatrix
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233044

East Bay--Stem cell panel could face power grab
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233045

Memphis--Biotech effort moves forward with new name, logo
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233046

Philadelphia--Greenhouse funds to aid 'high risk, high reward'
research: BioAdvance's third round to provide about $3.5M for seven life science start-ups
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233047

Phoenix--Drug woes could stunt bio funding
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233048

San Francisco--The best of friends: Genentech, South S.F. forge 30-year link
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233049

San Francisco--CoTherix' secondary offering could pump new blood into firm http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233050

San Francisco--Roche takes medicine personal: Personal drug, dose test gets FDA OK
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233051

San Jose--Stem cell institute, under scrutiny, seeks a leader
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233052

St. Louis--40 Under 40 Class of 2005: Buckley on short list of people to talk to in local biotech: Kevin Buckley, 36, Associate, Sonnenschein Nath &amp; Rosenthal
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233053

Washington--GMU students master business of bioscience
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1233054

ASIA ZONE

20 MILLLION CHINESE STUDENTS ON-CAMPUS
China has more than 20 million students studying in universities at present with an gross college enrollment rate of 19 percent, Education Minister Zhou Ji said Thursday.
FULL ITEM [PEOPLES DAILY]

CAN CHINA COMPETE IN IT SERVICES?
Fragmentation is keeping the country's industry from grabbing a larger share of the global software-outsourcing market.
http://e.mckinseyquarterly.com/a/tBB$RALAG8E6$AVJ5rHAJt0XD.AG9PmqJF/dyn2

CHINA's INTERNET USERS TOP 94 MILLION
China's Internet usage on pace to surpass U.S. growth in three years, but email remains the primary driver of traffic.
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/01/ap/ap_012005.asp?trk=nl

CHINA MOBILE SUBSCRIBERS INCREASE 3.31 MILLION IN DECEMBER China's largest mobile carrier China Mobile says it added 3.31 million new subscribers in December 2004 For the full year of 2004, the company had a total of 204.3 million customers, of which 38.2 million were new users. In the meantime, the country's second largest mobile carrier China Unicom said it gained fewer customers in December than in November.
FULL ITEM [IDG]

SHANGHAI OFFICE RENTS CLOSE TO OVERTAKING NEW YORK CITY The cost of renting high grade offices in Shanghai is close to overtaking that of downtown New York, according to a new survey which underlines China's rapid economic growth. The Pudong district in the Chinese city is now the 41st most expensive place to occupy in the world, just behind lower New York at 40th.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/8250d5ce-6f7f-11d9-850d-00000e2511c8.html

WIRELESS ZONE

RESEARCHERS WARN OF BOGUS WI-FI ACCESS POINTS Researchers at Britain's Cranfield University are warning users of wireless computing devices about bogus Wi-Fi access points that can steal personal information. The so-called evil twin hotspots are set up near existing access points, where they can hijack signals sent between wireless devices and legitimate access points.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4190607.stm

7-ELEVEN PLANS MOBILE UPGRADES IN 5,800 NORTH AMERICAN STORES In a project designed to help workers track product inventories and order new merchandise, 7-Eleven plans to install ruggedized handheld devices from Symbol Technologies and a mobile terminal from NEC at all of its 5,800 convenience stores in North America.
http://www.computerworld.com/newsletter/0,4902,99150,00.html?nlid=MW

GLOBAL HOTSPOTS TO TOTAL 250K,000 BY 2008 The number of WiFi hotspots is expected to grow at compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41 percent over the next five years, according to a new study from IDC. The total number of global hotspots is expected to reach 250,000 by 2008. Most hotspot service providers have focused on building out networks, and this emphasis is expected to remain the main focus of this sector through the end of this year. Roaming alliances and partnerships will also continue to play a major role in the expansion of public WiFi service.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2005/Jan/1109673.htm

HOTSPOTS
Bluesocket powers new wireless in two school systems; the future for Wi-Fi providers is voice; Wayport looks to go golfing; and more.
http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,1crw,1,l0p5,ecft,jcj3,9ffi

SITE CITES

CUTTLE FISH BELIEVE DISHONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
All is fair in love and war, but some animals take this to the extreme by temporarily turning themselves into something they're
not. New findings provide two examples of how these mimics canget ahead.
http://cl.exct.net/?fe50157373630275721d-fe20167073670d7c7c1c79

 

Marty Plotnick's CyberZone is a weekly review of Hawaii technology and international technology news.  The Hawaii Technology Calendar is available on the front page of this site, with links and descriptions of events relevant to the Hawaii technology and telecommunications community.  CyberZone takes special interest in researching and collecting links to stories from international technology news sources of interest to CyberZone's readers.  If you have any comments or suggestions for improvements to his site and information resource please contact Marty Plotnick at martycri@lava.net