HOMELAND SECURITY ZONE

FBI MADE "BLANKET" DEMANDS FOR PHONE RECORDS

Senior officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation repeatedly approved the use of "blanket" records demands to justify the improper collection of thousands of phone records, according to officials briefed on the practice. A letter to Senator Charles E. Grassley explained the orders.

The bureau appears to have used the blanket records demands at least 11 times in 2006 alone as a quick way to clean up mistakes made over several years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/washington/13fbi.html?ref=business

RESULTS OF $19 BILLION IN RISK-BASED GRANT PROGRAMS ARE HARD TO MEASURE

The Homeland Security Department "uses an evolving risk-based methodology to identify the urban areas eligible for homeland security grants and the amount of funds states and urban areas receive," reports the Government Accountability Office. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency's "current efforts do not provide information on the effectiveness of those funds in improving the nation's capabilities or reducing risk."

ttp://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-08-488T

NATURAL DISASTER ZONE

WIRELESS CARRIERS DON'T WANT 8-HOUR BACK-UP POWER

US wireless companies fighting requirement for cell tower backup power When Hurricane Katrina assaulted the Gulf Coast in 2005, wind and flooding knocked out hundreds of cell towers and cell sites, silencing wireless communication exactly when emergency crews and victims needed it.

To avoid similar debacles in the future, the Federal Communications Commission wants most cell transmitter sites in the U.S. to have at least eight hours of backup power in the event main power fails, one of several moves regulators say will make the nation's communication system stronger and more reliable. Two and a half years after Katrina and eight months after the FCC's regulations were first released, the two sides are still wrestling with the issue.

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/20398/?nlid=933&a=f

PERSONAL POTENTIAL DISASTER ZONE

RESEARCHERS DEMONSTRATE ABILITY TO HACK WIRELESS SIGNALS FROM DEFIBRILLATORS

  Any of you readers who carry implanted, wirelessly programmed pacemakers or defibrillators, I don't want you getting overly excited over this, but ... a hacker could stop your heart. OK, it's totally theoretical, there's never been a reported incident and medical device makers say they're adding security all the time, but still. Ateam of computer security researchers has found that under laboratory conditions, they were able gain wireless access to a combination pacemaker-defibrillator and reprogram it to shut down or deliver potentially fatal jolts of electricity. They were also able to read personal patient data embedded in the device. "The risks to patients now are very low, but I worry that they could increase in the future," said Tadayoshi Kohno, a lead researcher on the project.

"I find it absolutely terrifying, the idea of having computer-controlled devices implanted in us,"said Aviel Rubin, a professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University who wasn't involved in the research. "If you can imagine what you might do in a very busy area, sending out a signal that would cause all of the people in the local area's implanted devices to start operating incorrectly, it's a really scary future we're headed towards." Until recently, the FDA's main concern over radio-equipped medical devices has been the possibility of unintentional electrical interference, but with the category growing to include drug-delivery pumps and spinal-cord stimulators, more attention is being paid to security. Still, says device maker Medtronic, security has to be balanced against other factors. You wouldn't want to have your doctor playing guess-the-password while you're coding on the table.

http://www.siliconvalley.com/latestheadlines/ci_8542585?nclick_check=1

http://www.secure-medicine.org/icd-study/icd-study.pdf

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120528705417629357.html

CYBERZONE

VIDEO ROAD HOGS STIR FEAR OF INTERNET TRAFFIC JAM

User demand for the Internet could outpace network capacity by 2011, some analysts warn.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/technology/13net.html?th&emc=th

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND...

NORTEL TO WIDEN THE PIPELINE WITH NEW OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY

Nortel debuted a new optical network technology designed to provide four times the capacity of current systems and as much as 10 times the capacity in the future. The 40G/100G Adaptive Optical Engine boosts transmissions from 10 gigabits per second to 40 Gbps, and will go as high as 100 Gbps by the end of 2009, Nortel said, using the existing infrastructures of telecommunications companies.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/62094.html

IS THE NET TOO NEUTRAL?

Recent FCC hearings pitted network operators and content distributors against each other. But if the two can find a way to collaborate, the Internet will work better for everybody.

http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/20394/?nlid=927

U.K. TEAM TOUTS 100-TIMES FASTER BROADBAND DEVICE

British engineers say they are ready to build a prototype of a device that could deliver broadband speeds 100 times faster at only 25% of the cost. The Bangor University team's machine -- which would resemble a DVD player -- uses the U.K.'s existing network, but in a much more efficient manner so that 15 full-length movies could be downloaded in about a minute, the engineers said.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hdw9-z64CMPisxVe6rVM-Z1pnmhAengineers

INTERNET TV SUBSCRIPTIONS DOUBLED IN 2007, REPORT SAYS

The number of internet TV subscribers more than doubled in 2007 to 12.3 million worldwide, driven by western Europe where some broadband suppliers offered the service for free, according to a report. - http://www.stuff.co.nz/4436588a28.html

TECH'S LATE ADOPTERS PREFER THE TRIED AND TRUE

Millions of people are reluctant to change their technology habits just for the sake of progress.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/technology/12inertia.html?th&emc=th

VERIZON BUSINESS TO DEPLOY FIRST DOMESTIC OPTICAL MESH NET

Verizon Business, with an international mesh network deployment under its belt, will build a domestic combination of optical mesh networking gear and reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers in 18 markets this year. The company said the move would make its network provisioning processes more efficient.

http://telephonyonline.com/ethernet/news/verizon-optical-mesh-0310/

BT CALLS FOR ACTION ON NET SPEEDS

The UK's largest broadband supplier calls for the industry to be clearer about how it advertises net speeds.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/technology/7292932.stm

SCIENCE ZONE

DIFFERENT ENGINES: THE RETURN OF THE MECHANICAL COMPUTER

Researchers are building mechanical computers, with moving parts, that could someday work where silicon-based processors fear to tread.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=313000&source=NLT_AM&nlid=1

NANOWIRES PREFER DEEP PURPLE

Silicon nanowires grow more densely when blasted with Deep Purple than any other music tested, says an Australian researcher.

http://abcmail.net.au/t/106573/681895/2219/0/

ARTIFICIAL SKIN SENSES HOT AND COLD

Artificial skin made from thin layers of polymers and carbon nanotubes could soon give patients and robots alike the sensation of hot, cold and pressure, its developers say.

http://abcmail.net.au/t/106573/681895/2222/0/

CHEMICAL BRAIN CONTROLS NANOBOTS

A tiny chemical brain which could one day act as a remote control for swarms of nano-machines is demonstrated.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/sci/tech/7288426.stm

TORRECFACTO-ROASTED COFFEE HAS HIGHER ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

Torrefacto-roasted coffee has higher antioxidant properties than natural roast, according to a young biologist. She has emphasized in her study that the addition of sugar during the roasting process increases the development of compounds with high antioxidant activity. Coffee has an antioxidant capacity which is ten times higher than other drinks, such as red wine and tea.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306112550.htm

ENERGY ZONE

MAJOR ADVANCE IN BIOFUEL TECH: TRASH TODAY, ETHANOL TOMORROW

Research that started with bacteria from the Chesapeake Bay has led to a process that may be able to convert large volumes of all kinds of plant products, from leftover brewer's mash to paper trash, into ethanol and other biofuel alternatives to gasoline.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310164901.htm

ASIA PACIFIC ZONE

CHINA LEARNED FROM DISASTERS, SAYS PREMIER

In "the past five years Š China suffered great life and economic losses" from "the SARS outbreak, fatal typhoons, floods and recent snow and ice storms" but learned from the disasters, reports the Xinhua News Agency. "Premier Wen Jiabao Š vowed to accelerate the development of infrastructure, including electricity, transportation and telecommunications, to improve the capacity to resist disasters and maintain normal operations."

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/06/content_7732571.htm

CHINA TELECOM SPEEDS WiFi ROLLOUTS

China Telecom gave further indications that the country's largest fixed-telecom operator is shifting quickly to deploy Wi-Fi -- and moving away from the Personal Handy-phone System, or PHS -- by saying it will bid to procure wireless-network equipment in 21 provinces, the Shanghai Securities News reported.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-03/10/content_6522128.htm

WIRELESS ZONE

ERICSSON PREDICTS DEMISE OF HOTSPOTS

As mobile broadband takes off, Wi-Fi hotspots will become as irrelevant as telephone booths, Ericsson Chief Marketing Officer Johan Bergendahl said.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/03/10/Ericsson-predicts-demise-of-hotspots_1.html?source=NLC-TB&cgd=2008-03-10

RADIO LINKS AUSSIE OUTBACK TO IP VOICE NETWORK

An Australian has effectively brought VoIP to his isolated outback region by using amateur radio frequencies to link up with each other while the Internet -- working as a bridge -- keeps them in touch. "It's quite amazing that I can pick up my radio while walking and dial a number and talk, and I'm not paying anything for it -- there's no companies making money from it," said James Cameron, who led the Internet Radio Linking Project.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7288595.stm

AUSSIES VOW QUALITY BROADBAND FOR RURAL AREAS

Australia will spend about $88 million to build broadband networks in remote parts of the country. Rural users will receive broadband via fixed line, wireless or satellite conduits, said Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/11/2186882.htm

AUSTRALIA'S ABC ROARS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Australia's ABC TV network has leapt further into the digital media age, announcing a 24/7 "continuous news centre" and more than 60 new websites pushing local news to regional communities in the country.

  http://www.stuff.co.nz/4438188a28.html

SITE CITES

DISCONNECT ANXIETY

According to the latest study by Solution Research Group's Digital Life America survey, 68% of Americans experience some level of anxiety when disconnected from their wireless devices and the Internet, with 27% reporting "acute" anxiety.

http://abww-media.com/portal/wts/cgmc7zcy6LecgEmdvBr6mzwAz-a

STUDY: HOW MANY EXABYTES IN THE DIGITAL UNIVERSE?

The "digital universe" of data was bigger than expected in 2007 and continuing to explode in size, according to a new study from IDC. The study, sponsored by EMC, found that there were about 281 billion gigabytes -- or 281 exabytes -- in the digital universe in 2007, exceeding original estimates.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/62096.html

COOPERATION, PUNISHMENT & REVENGE IN ECONOMICS & SOCIETY

Researchers have shed new light on the way in which people co-operate for the common good -- and what happens when they don't. In a new study of 16 countries, published in Science, economists studied the extent to which some people will sacrifice personal gain to benefit the wider public, while 'freeloaders' try to take advantage of their generosity. Marked national differences arose when freeloaders were punished for putting their own interests ahead of the common good. And whether they accepted their punishment or retaliated in kind depended on what kind of society they lived in, the researchers found. In countries like the USA, Switzerland and the UK, freeloaders accepted their punishment and became much more co-operative. But in countries based on more authoritarian and parochial social institutions such as Oman, Saudi Arabia, Greece and Russia, the freeloaders took revenge -- retaliating against those who had punished them.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306183134.htm