THE FUTURE ZONE

HISTORY: THE LAN IS 30, WILL IT REACH 40?

http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2692755/255221/96806/2/

THE IMPACT OF VIDEO & RICH MEDIA ON INTERNET: A "ZETTABYTE" BY 2015?

From YouTube, IPTV, and high-definition images, to "cloud computing" and ubiquitous mobile cameras, 3D games, virtual worlds, and photorealistic telepresence, the new wave is swelling into an exaflood of Internet and IP traffic. Bret Swanson & George Gilder estimate that by 2015, U.S. IP traffic could reach an annual total of one zettabyte (1021 bytes), or one million million billion bytes.

"The U.S. Internet of 2015 will be at least 50 times larger than it was in 2006. Internet growth at these levels will require a dramatic expansion of bandwidth, storage, and traffic management capabilities in core, edge, metro, and access networks. A recent Nemertes Research study estimates that these changes will entail a total new investment of some $137 billion in the worldwide Internet infrastructure by 2010. In the U.S., currently lagging Asia, the total new network investments will exceed $100 billion by 2012."

http://www.discovery.org/a/4428

THINKING ABOUT TOMORROW

The Wall Street Journal looks ahead 10 years--2018--to imagine how technology will change the way we shop, learn and entertain ourselves, and how it will it change the way we get news, protect our privacy, and connect with friends.

Many of the changes will come from a couple of rapidly improving technologies: mobile devices and global positioning systems.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120119369144313747.html

HOMELAND SECURITY ZONE

Natl. Guard not Ready for a Major Attack

"NATIONAL GUARD NOT READY FOR MAJOR ATTACK

The U.S. military isn't ready for a catastrophic attack on the country, and National Guard forces don't have the equipment or training they need for the job, according to" the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, reports the Associated Press. "Š The commission's 400-page report concludes that the nation 'does not have sufficient trained, ready forces available' to respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear weapons incident, 'an appalling gap that places the nation and its citizens at greater risk.'"

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5502005.html

Commission on the National Guard and Reserve's report:

http://www.cngr.gov/Final%20Report/CNGR%20Final%20Report.pdf

Public-Safety Airwaves Have Just One Suitor - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W0RT01104935F02BE2BE434A39DC50

BUSH WANT CONGRESS TO EXTEND TELECOM SPYING PROVISIONS

President Bush asked Congress to extend Protect America Act, broaden protection for telecoms that cooperate with the government.

http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W0RT01118E7E002BE2BE434ABC01D0

DATABASE WILL MINE 9 FEDERAL SOURCES TO ASSIST POLICE

A massive new database program that culls data from more than nine federal sources will help law enforcement link possible terrorists or other suspects with associates already in the system.

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=121000046HN7&nl=2

TSA STARTS AIRPORT SECURITY BLOG

"The federal government wants to hear-or at least read-your gripes at the 'Evolution of Security' blog the Transportation Security Administration introduced Wednesday," reports the Associated Press. But "the blog, at http://www.tsa.gov/blog, is getting a rather 'blah' response from aviation analysts and passengers advocates who say it will do little to improve process or perception.Š In the blog's initial post, TSA Administrator Kip Hawley said the goal is to provide a forum for the agency to explain why travelers must go through certain steps at checkpoints since interaction at airports is often harried and halted, resulting in 'feedback and venting Š circulating among passengers with no real opportunity for us to learn from you or vice versa.'"

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/01/31/tsa.blog.ap/index.html

NATURAL DISASTER ZONE

NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM LACKS DATA ON CAUSES OF DAMAGE

"The claims data collected by" the National Flood Insurance Program do not always "include information on whether wind contributed to total damages or the extent of wind damage as determined by the" insurer, according to the Government Accountability Office. "The lack of this data also limits the usefulness of FEMA's quality assurance reinspection program to reevaluate the accuracy of payments," and FEMA officials do "not have the authority to collect wind damage claims data from insurers." Without this information, the National Flood Insurance Program "cannot always determine Š the accuracy of the claims paid for losses caused by flooding."

http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-08-28

CYBERZONE

REPORT RANKS U.S. TOPS ON TELECOM TECHNOLOGIES

According to a new report, the United States, Sweden and Japan ranked the highest in countries that use telecom technologies to boost their social and economic prosperity.

http://abww-media.com/portal/wts/cemc7zbFyLei4vaCD-icsDqwnc

INTERNET IN INDIA SLOWED BY MIDDLE EAST OUTAGE

Internet traffic from India to countries like the U.S. and the U.K. has slowed down, as Internet service providers (ISPs) have started diverting traffic from Middle Eastern links to slower links through the Asia-Pacific region, according to the head of an ISP association in India.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/31/Internet-in-India-slowed-by-Middle-East-outage_1.html?source=NLC-TB&cgd=2008-01-31

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/technology/7218008.stm

VENTURE CAPITALISTS LOSING CONFIDENCE

Confidence among local venture capitalists has plunged to its lowest level since 2004, according to a survey released Tuesday by the University of San Francisco. Concern about a possible recession, weakness in the stock...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/01/30/BUAUUOICM.DTL

THE BROADBAND TV GAME: CREATION IN DESTRUCTION

The dream of watching both Internet video and regular TV programs on the same television is not as distant as many observers fear. Despite the dust and confusion from the maneuverings of the major players in telecommunications -- primarily content providers, cable and phone companies, television makers and console producers -- the outlook for Internet TV is getting clearer.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/61402.html

WEB VIDEO NET HAS 100-PLUS CHANNELS FOR BETA TEST

Next.TV, which expects to introduce its online on-demand video service in March, has begun a private beta test with more than 100 channels. Currently bundled with Hewlett-Packard's Pavilion line of notebook computers, Next.TV's content will vary by region and include both free and subscription-based services.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6526851.html

TIME WARNER CABLE DEBUTS ONLINE VOD GUIDE

Time Warner Cable will debut a new Web site to help subscribers more easily navigate the plethora of shows and movies available on video-on-demand. The site, www.twondemand.com, lets viewers see what others in their zip code are watching, search with a variety of criteria and preview new movies.

http://www.cedmagazine.com/Time-Warner-Cable-launches-navigation-Web-site.aspx

BIGGEST SECURITY THREAT FOR 2008: END USERS

Study after study continues to reveal a fundamental truth about the shifting landscape of IT security today: The biggest threat to proprietary systems and information is not the traditional cyber- criminal writing malicious code in a virtual location, but rather trusted employees. Savvy administrators recognize that because end users are privy to an organization's sensitive data, they represent a significant risk factor.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/61426.html

FIREFOX NEARS 30% MARKET SHARE IN EUROPE

http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2681621/255221/96606/2/

SCIENCE ZONE

VISION OF THE FUTURE: RESEARCHERS BUILD BIONIC EYE

Talk about bionic eyes and most people hearken back to the Bionic Woman or other sci-fi shows. Engineers at the University of Washington, however, say it's not all movie magic fantasy.

University researchers reported that they have used nanotechnology manufacturing techniques to combine a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights. Perfecting virtual displays could mean that traveling executives could surf the Net or check their e-mail on a floating virtual display screen that only they could see. It also would mean that drivers could see their speed projected onto the windshield, or gamers could become far more immersed in their virtual worlds.

http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2685044/1176609/96695/2/

SMART BADGES TRACK HUMAN BEHAVIOR

MIT researchers used conference badges to collect data on people's interactions and visualize the social network.

 http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/20129/?nlid=842>http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/20129/?nlid=842

IF IT ONLY HAD A HEART: CAN ROBOTS BEHAVE HUMANELY?

Computer scientists debate what socially responsible researchers should do in an era of high-tech warfare. Can scientists program war-fighting robots to behave more ethically in battle than emotion-driven human soldiers? If so, what is the scientists' social responsibility for the destruction their inventions might wreak?...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/01/29/BUF7UNM4I.DTL

IBM USES GRID TO ADVANCE CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2681621/255221/96617/2/

LAB ON A CHIP DEVELOPED FOR CHEAP, PORTABLE MEDICAL TESTS

University of Alberta researchers have developed a portable unit for genetic testing that has the same capability as a complete lab at a fraction of the cost and size. Engineering professor Christopher Backhouse explained: "We've applied the same miniaturization technologies to health care that were applied to computers by coming up with portable, lab-on-a-chip technologies that are easy to use."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129125449.htm

THE DOC.com REVOLUTION BEGINS

Sit down, plug yourself in, look at the screen. In Scotland, a virtual-reality doctor's office in a box has debuted, allowing doctors to examine and diagnose patients living hundreds of miles away.

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=13300C81K053&nl=2

ENDOSCOPE IN A PILL

Researchers at the University of Washington developed a tiny camera designed to take high-quality, color pictures in confined spaces. Such a device could find warning signs of esophageal cancer, the fastest growing cancer in the United States. The scanning endoscope developed at UW consists of just a single optical fiber for illumination and six fibers for collecting light, all encased in a pill.

Once swallowed, an electric current flowing through the UW endoscope causes the fiber to bounce back and forth so that its lone electronic eye sees the whole scene, one pixel at a time. At the same time, the fiber spins and its tip projects red, green and blue laser light. The image processing then combines all this information to create a two- dimensional color picture.

http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20080131A2

JAPAN RESEARCHERS PUT TINY CAMERA IN A MOUSE'S BRAIN

Japanese researchers have implanted a small camera inside a mouse's brain to see how memory is formed, in an experiment they hope to some day apply to humans to treat illnesses such as Parkinson's disease. - http://www.stuff.co.nz/4383011a28.html

ENERGY ZONE

BRITAIN "FACING ENERGY SHORTFALL:

A shortfall in UK electricity generation is likely even after the recent decision on nuclear power, a report concludes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/sci/tech/7210625.stm

CHEAP HYDROGEN

A new process uses sunlight and a nanostructured catalyst to inexpensively and efficiently generate hydrogen for fuel.

 http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/20134/?nlid=845

START-UP SAYS IT CAN MAKE ETHANOL FOR $1 A GALLON, AND WITHOUT CORN

Coskata, which is backed by General Motors and other investors, uses bacteria to convert almost any organic material, from corn husks to municipal trash, into ethanol, for less than $1 a gallon.

http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2008/01/ethanol23

ENVIRONMENT ZONE

EXPERTS: POLLUTION LINKED WITH DIABETES

Environmental pollution may be causing the worldwide surge in type 2 diabetes cases, England's Cambridge University researchers said in a new article. High blood levels of POPs, a class of chemicals that includes many pesticides and other toxins, seem to ...

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/179264experts-pollution-linked-with-diabetes.html

ASIA PACIFIC ZONE

VIETNAMESE POLICE TO LAUNCH MOBILE CARRIER

Communist Vietnam's internal police agency is going into the mobile telephony business, a government official said Monday. A company affiliated with the Ministry of Public Security will be granted a license to operate a new mobile phone network.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/179338,vietnamese-police-to-launch-mobile-carrier.html

HINA TO ADOPT STRICTER WEB REGULATIONS

China will improve its Internet security standards to keep a tight watch over what it considers subversive videos that can easily spread across sites like Tudou.com and Youku.com, according to this article. Chinese regulators will require video sites to obtain state-issued licenses to continue operations.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22913445/

CHINESE FARMERS COMPLAIN HP's COMPUTERS NOT GOOD ENOUGH

In cooperation with China Telecom, HP has been offering a "Computer + Broadband" service in areas like Taizhou and Nantong of Jiangsu Province since December 2006, but the company is now being criticized by many Chinese users for the computers' poor performances http://www.chinatechnews.com/2008/01/31/6352-chinese-farmers-complain-hps-computers-just-not-good-enough/

NEW ZEALAND MEDIA FIRMS MAY FACE BROADBAND LEVY

The Government is considering forcing media companies to contribute to the cost of building fibre optic broadband infrastructure and DVB-H transmission networks that would let people view television channels on their mobiles. - http://www.stuff.co.nz/4373940a28.html

WIRELESS ZONE

SITE CITES

COUCH POTATO LIFESTYLE MAY SPEED UP AGEING

Researchers at St. Thomas' hospital in London have found that people who did not exercise in their spare time had shorter telomeres than very active people. Telomeres shorten each time a cell divides, and when they become too short a cell can no longer divide, so telomeres act as a kind of timer counting down our biological age. Exercise can help, but it only seems to help with cellular aging if done in people's leisure time.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13238-couch-potato-lifestyle-may-speed-up-ageing.html

POUTING KILLS. ANGRY, FIGHTING COUPLES LIVE LONGER

 http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe2415767d670274711171&ls=fdfb15737467027b72147874&m=ff3310707762&l=fef61c7471640d&s=fe2615717c670174701272&jb=ffcf14&t=