VoIP & IP TELEPHONY ZONE

COURT BACKS FCC ON VoIP REGULATION: IT'S FEDERAL, NOT LOCAL

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Wednesday upheld Federal Communications Commission rules that banned states from applying their telecommunications laws to a class of voice-over-Internet-protocol providers, such as Vonage Holdings.

The court concluded that the FCC acted reasonably in pre-empting state regulation and that the agency could assert its jurisdiction without first having to determine whether VoIP is an information service or a telecommunications service as those terms are defined in federal law.

The FCC's rules were adopted in late 2004 under former FCC chairman Michael Powell, who wanted to shield nascent VoIP providers from complex and inconsistent state regulation. Minnesota's effort to regulate Vonage triggered Powell's moves at the FCC.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6426491.html

DUH! ZONE

LACK OF SEX RESPONSIBLE FOR LOW BIRTH RATE

According to a survey by the Japan Family Planning Association (JPA), 39.7% of Japanese aged 16 to 49 do not have sex more than once a month, a figure which is up 5% from 2004. Among married couples, the rate is 34.6%. The survey results were released by the FPA's director, who said that the figures were dismal and that, "Research shows that if you don't have sex for a month, you probably won't for a year." He partly blames stress from work and a decline in physical communication skills. In another survey, from the University of Chicago published in 2006, Japan ranked last in a 29-country study of sexual satisfaction. Only 25.7% of Japanese said they were satisfied in bed.

http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=4976

LAUGH ZONE

THE TOP TEN FUNNIEST TECH VIDEOS ON YouTube

http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/1374952/255221/56062/2/

CYBERZONE

ROAD CONDITION ALERT SYSTEM COMING

Vehicles may soon be swapping information about road conditions to warn drivers about dangers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/technology/6461831.stm

WITH ONE FINGER, ALASKA TECH WIPES OUT $38 BILLION OF INFO

One of the most astounding IT stories of the week comes courtesy of a computer technician from the Alaska Department of Revenue who reportedly wiped out a disc drive containing an account worth $38 billion. The unnamed computer technician, while reportedly doing routine maintenance work, accidentally deleted applicant information from Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/56414.html

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=11100003CZGR&nl=2

ANGEL FUNDING UP 10.8% TO $25.6 BILLION IN 2006

Angel investments totaled $25.6 billion in 2006, a 10.8 percent increase from the previous year that was fueled by growing interest in health care services and medical devices firms, according to a new study.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/03/20/BUGPAOO29L1.DTL

SILICON VALLEY IP LAWYERS CLEAN UP WITH CLEAN-TECH CLIENTS

Silicon Valley is experiencing a boom in the number of green-tech startups, companies that are developing environmentally friendly technology and products ranging from energy-efficient light bulbs to bioengineered molecules that excrete biofuel. "In many of these companies, the IP budget is bigger than their corporate budget," says one attorney. And some of the area's biggest firms are creating green-tech practice groups to handle the work.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1174467827225

TV OVER THE POWER LINES COMING

Soon you could be piping digital TV around your home via power sockets. At the Cebit technology fair, German hi-tech firm Devolo is showing off home networking technology that can handle signals from a set top box.

While many firms are working on ways to route data via the mains power circuits in the home, Devolo is among the first to use it to send TV signals. Further improvements to the home networking system will help it handle cable and satellite TV signals. While many firms are working on ways to route data via the mains power circuits in the home, Devolo is among the first to use it to send TV signals. Further improvements to the home networking system will help it handle home networking technology that can handle signals from a set top e cable and satellite TV signals.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/technology/6457951.stm

GPS NAVIGATION FOR THE BLIND

A satellite navigation system is being tested in northern Italy to help blind people find their way.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/technology/6458005.stm

CELL PHONE WITH EMERGENCY BUTTON FOR THE ELDERLY

A mobile phone with a built-in emergency button has been produced for elderly and older people.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/technology/6462559.stm

SCIENCE ZONE

FIBER OPTICS: LET THERE BE LIGHT AND MEDICAL CARE

Imagine a home with cheerful splashes of natural sunlight in every room at once -- even the interior ones -- all day long. Now imagine a world in which all citizens have access to the very best medical care, regardless of where they live. These are just two of many new applications of fiber optics technology, which is beginning to touch consumers' lives in more and more ways.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/56374.html

PCB BACTERIA

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered a tiny anaerobic bacterium that could one day transform how polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are removed from the environment. The organism could be the key to developing methods that help detoxify commercial PCB compounds on site -- without the need for dredging. In order to detoxify PCBs, the strong bonds between the chlorine atoms and the biphenyl compounds that make up the PCB atomic structure need to be broken, a process known as dechlorination. The bacteria replace the chlorines on the PCBs with hydrogen, which fuels microbial growth and begins the PCB degradation process.

http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20070320A2

NEW SOLAR CELL TECHNOLOGIES

[1]A self-biased solar cell is available that provides improved conversion efficiency. Loss of carriers at the back surface of the battery is decreased, and open circuit voltage and quantum efficiency near a long wavelength are increased.

http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20070320A3

[2]An available technology introduces an electron-blocking layer between the two electrodes of a photoactive electronic device such as a solar cell. The electron-blocking layer prevents the recombination of electrons and holes.

http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20070320A4

NEW PROCESS FOR MAKING HYDROGEN

Toshiba has announced that it has developed a new process for producing high-purity hydrogen from ethanol. The new process uses a lithium oxide compound to clean ethanol of CO2, and thus produces 99.9% pure hydrogen. Existing processes can only manage 65% purity in mass-produced quantities. The new process is expected to be used in fuel cells and hydrogen-powered cars.

http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/AC/TNKS/Nni20070315D15JFA01.htm

SEA SPONGE LEADS WAY TO CHEAPER SOLAR CELLS

MARINE sponges are humble creatures, but some of them have a special talent. They can harvest silicon from seawater, and use it to build the spiky filaments that cover their body. Now this process has inspired the development of a cheap, low-energy method of manufacturing solar cells. The usual way of making solar cells involves techniques such as vapour deposition, in which chemicals are laid down on an inert surface, or "substrate", to create a layer of crystalline semiconductor that produces an electric current when light strikes it. This is done at high temperature and very low pressure, making it an expensive and energy-intensive process.

http://www.newscientisttech.com/channel/tech/mg19325966.600?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=mg19325966.600

MOVIES MAP GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS MOVEMENT

It's not exactly an Oscar-winning show, but it is a scientific first. European researchers have produced the first movies of how atmospheric concentrations of the two most important man-made greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide and methane - change with the seasons. The movies cover the period of 2003 to 2005. The data behind the show come from the first space sensor capable of measuring levels of CO2 and methane through the entire depth of the atmosphere.

http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn11429?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=dn11429

ASIA PACIFIC ZONE

MORE DESERTS, LESS WATER COULD SINK RISING CHINA

http://english.people.com.cn//200703/20/eng20070320_359282.html

CHINA MOBILE: BID INVITATION FOR $3.1 BILLION HIGH NETWORK

China Mobile has invited telecom equipment makers to submit bids to build its high speed phone network, a deal worth about $3.1 billion. The network will be based on China's homegrown TD-SCDMA standard. The carrier plans to spend a little more than $500 million on subsidies for 3G handsets. The planned network will cover eight cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/china-mobile-bid-for-our3.1b-high-speed-network/2007-03-20

SITE CITE

FACT OR FICTION? A COCKROACH CAN LIVE WITHOUT ITS HEAD

A nuclear war may not trouble them, but does decapitation?

http://cl.exct.net/?ffcb10-fe2e157273660d74771670-fdfb15737467027b721478

74-ff3310707762-fef61c7471640d-fe2615717c670174701272