V4 N36 -  13 February 2005

iTHINK ZONE

JUST PARONOMASIA
Paronomasia (a pun) is a play on words that transposes the meanings of words with similar sounds. Most puns come from people who think them out, others come accidentially from malaprops. So for a change of pace, here are the Top Ten Puns of the Year.
http://cyberzone.pacific-tier.com/iThink.htm
[Posted Feb 10]

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

OTHERS' THINK ZONE

THE OUTLOOK FOR VoIP: REGULATORY BATTLES AND NEW COMPETITION During his four years as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Michael Powell championed the idea that new communications technologies should not be subject to federal and state regulations. But as Powell prepares to step down in March, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) -- the technology that allows telephone calls to travel over the Internet -- faces a push by several states to regulate it as a traditional telephone service, a move that many fear would stifle its potential.
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1138.cfm

VoIP ZONE

AOL MARCHES TOWARD VoIP ROLLOUT
America Online is testing a VoIP service that could launch next month, according to people close to the situation. AOL's VoIP offering will be carried by Level 3 Communications, which also powers Skype's VoIP service.

AOL has been testing its VOIP service for months, and the service's debut may be only weeks away. One source familiar with the company's plans says the targeted launch date is March 16. Another source, though he couldn't confirm the date, notes that there has been an upturn in softswitch deployment activity at AOL recently, which suggests AOL is very close to a launch.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?site=lightreading&doc_id=67264

HUGHES NETWORK AND NET2PHONE TO PROVIDE VoIP Hughes Network Systems Europe and Net2Phone Inc have entered into an agreement to provide integrated voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service across the Middle East and Europe. The services will be made available to the customers of DirecWay broadband satellite customers. Hughes Network Systems Europe is a subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems Inc. The VoIP services will be enabled through HNS' DW6040 voice-appliance terminal and allows for giving more importance to voice packets as compared to data traffic and provides for an improved quality of voice services.
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/vsat-05i.html

CYBERZONE

GROUP AIMS TO DRASTICALLY UP DISC STORAGE One terabyte (TB) of data onto a single optical disc is the goal of the Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) Alliance, a consortium to promote HVD technology. The consortium said a 1 TB HVD disc could hold as much data as 200 standard DVDs and transfer data at over 1 gigabit per second, or 40 times faster than a DVD.
http://news.com.com/Group+aims+to+drastically+up+disc+storage/2100-1041_3-5562599.html

WIRELESS BROADBAND LAUNCHED
Verizon Communications' Verizon Avenue has launched fixed wireless broadband services. Verizon Avenue has bought 2,300 BreezeACCESS VL fixed wireless broadband units with which the company will roll out high-speed wirelVerizon Avenueess services for the military in California. The technology provides last mile connectivity. This installing of the wireless broadband is a part of the program initiated by US department of defense to design a modern military housing in US.
FULL ITEM [IDG]

TISCALL UK ASKS HEAVY USERS TO LEAVE
UK-based Tiscali has asked about 500 broadband customers to leave the service for using the bandwidth excessively. According to the company it is not imposing penalty on the users even when they have used up to 150 Gig on a monthly basis. However the heavy use affects the quality of the service and the company wants to protect its other users who on an average use less than one Gig a month. It now wants to introduce guidelines and terms and conditions for the usage of bandwidth.
FULL ITEM [IDG]

LINUX MUSIC SERVICE, HOME MEDIA HUB
In an exclusive conversation with TechnologyReview.com, Linspire's Michael Robertson discusses his new music service for Linux users, and the home entertainment hub that goes with it. By Eric Hellweg.
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/02/wo/wo_hellweg020905.asp?trk=nl

BIO/NANO/MEMS ZONE

OPEN-SOURCE PRACTICES FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY
Researchers have devised a method of creating genetically modified crops that does not infringe on patents, and they will be making the technique available to others to use.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/10/technology/10gene.html

WHAT's WRONG WITH THE BIOLAB?
The United States has poured billions into biosafety laboratories, one of the largest cash infusions for public health in decades. But the public isn't sold on the labs, and that may derail the push for more cutting-edge science. By Deborah Asbrand.
<http://whatcounts.com/t?ctl=B81650:2EBD7D6>http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/02/wo/wo_asbrand021005.asp?trk=nl

MAKINGMEMORIES STICK
The transition from the present mental experience to an enduring memory has long fascinated neuroscientists. A person's name when you are first introduced is stored in short-term memory and may be gone within a few minutes. But some information, like your best friend's name, is converted into long-term memory and can persist a lifetime. The mechanism by which the brain preserves certain moments and allows others to fade has recently become clearer, but first neuroscientists had to resolve a central paradox.
http://cl.exct.net/?ffcd16-fe621574766000757616-fe20167073670d7c7c1c79

AUSSIES DEPLOY HAWAI'I TOAD BLASTING AUDIO KILLING MACHINE An enterprising Australian reckons he has found an answer to the plague of poisonous cane toads which is marching its way inexorably across Oz, according to a transcript of an ABC Radio National broadcast last week. The cane toad was introduced into Australia from Hawaii in the 1930s to fight the spread of cane beetles. Since then, it has advanced across the in-this-case-not-so-Lucky Country at up to 30 miles per year while swelling its population to 100m individuals.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/07/toad_blaster/

TAKEDA TO BUY U.S. BIOTECH COMPANY
Japan's largest drug maker, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., said Monday it will acquire Syrrx Inc., a privately held California biotechnology company working on treatments for cancer and diabetes. Takeda will buy San Diego-based Syrrx for about $270 million, Takeda said.
The purchase will give Takeda access to high-level talent and new medical research innovations. The Japanese company was also eager to have a research base in the United States, the world's largest pharmaceutical market and a center for medical research.
FULL STORY [The Japan Times]

500 HOURS ACHIEVED IN BIOMASS POWER GENERATION An Osaka-based company on Friday succeeded in generating electricity with biomass fuels for 500 consecutive hours, one of the longest records in the world, at a test facility in Yamaguchi City, company officials said.
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=4&id=326762

STATES POURING MONEY INTO NANO
State governments invested more than $400 million in nanotechnology research and development in 2004. Combined with the more than $1 billion in federal spending, that makes nanotechnology the largest publicly-funded science initiative since the space race.
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/nanotech-05l.html

BIO-BRIEFS ZONE

Baltimore--With bioparks on the way, state, city leaders can't rest on their laurels
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255666

Baltimore--Gallo spinoff has new name, $2 million in venture capital
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255667

Baltimore--Funding Science: With money flowing, happy days are here again for biotech firms
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255668

Baltimore--He'll take it from here: Guilford Pharmaceuticals is in transition. It's Dean Mitchell's job to help it turn the corner.
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255669

Dallas--The next big thing: biomedical engineering http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255670

Minneapolis/St. Paul--Medical Alley, MNBio plan merger
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255671

Philadelphia--State and biotech industry's game plan targets visitors
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255672

San Francisco---Not just for kids: CHORI steps up research with new center
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255673

San Francisco--Biotech employs chemical research model
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255674

San Francisco--BayBio says 'bye' to Srigley, adds eight members to board
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255675

Seattle--$350M biotech plan sidesteps thorniest issue
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1255676

ASIA ZONE

CHINESE INVEST NEAR US$37 BILLION OVERSEAS Chinese companies invested 3.62 billion US dollars in non-financial sectors overseas in 2004, an increase of 27 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce said.Up to the end of 2004, China's direct investment overseas reached 37 billion US dollars. Last year, according to the ministry, nearly half of Chinese investment went to Latin America and some 40 percent to the other parts of Asia, mainly in the fields of mining, commercial service, manufacturing, wholesale and retail sales.

Chinese companies that were engaged in engineering projects overseas reported a business turnover of 17.5 billion US dollars last year, up
26 percent year-on-year. They also signed new contracts worth 23.8 billion US dollars, according to the ministry.
So far, China has dispatched 3.2 million individuals overseas under labor service contracts and earned 30.8 billion US dollars.
http://english1.people.com.cn//200502/08/eng20050208_173320.html

CHINESE NET USERS INCREASE AT MONTHLY AVERAGE OF 1.208 MILLION According to the 15th Statistical Report on China's Internet Development released by the China National Network Information Center (CNNIC), the number of people using Internet in China registered an increase of 8% in 2004 to be pegged at 94 million. Of these the number of users who access the Internet using the broadband is 42.8 million. The report is released by the CNNIC every six months. The report reveals that the number of netizens constitutes about 7.2% of the total Chinese population as against the 6.7% in the last report. The average monthly increase in the number of Internet users has been pegged at 1.208 million. The number of netizens all over the world is about 810 million of which China accounts for about 11.6%.

WIRELESS ZONE

HOTSPOTS

Arizona students get to wardrive for credit; D.C.'s landmark Madison hotel goes wireless; One Cleveland gets a major customer expansion; and more.
http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,1dzl,1,l0p5,ecft,jcj3,9ffi

SITE CITES

TOWARD A TRULY CLEVER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Dr James Anderson of The University of Reading has developed the "perspective simplex," or Perspex, a way of writing a computer program as a geometrical structure, rather than as a series of instructions. A conventional computer program is comprised of a list of instructions, and if one of them goes missing or is damaged, the whole program...
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/information_technology/report-39894.html

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