BACK TO THE FUTURE ZONE

CUSTOMERS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TECHNOLOGY

Mike Reynolds, the new president of StarHub Group, says "the evolution of customer's needs and desires" is even more important than the telecom industry's evolving technologies. StarHub, the second-largest telecom in Singapore, built its success on being customer-focused, marketing-led and financially driven, Reynolds said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120570552721740063.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Hope Someone at Hawaiian Telcom is Reading This

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION BACKLOG REMAINS HUGE

An "audit of 90 government agencies" made "by the National Security Archive"-"a private research group at The George Washington University"-"found mixed results from Bush's executive order on Dec. 14, 2005, to agencies to clear the" Freedom of Information Act request "backlog and be more responsive to requesters," reports the Associated Press. Although "Bush has provided citizens someone to talk to about how long it is going to take to get the government records they want or to be turned down," the government has "barely made a dent in the huge backlog of unanswered requests."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/16/AR2008031601968.html?hpid=sec-nation

HOMELAND SECURITY ZONE

CUP OF BLACK TEA COULD DEFEND AGAINST ANTHRAX

A cup of black tea could be the next line of defense in the threat of bio-terrorism according to new international research. A new study has revealed how the humble cup of tea could well be an antidote to Bacillus anthracis -- more commonly know as anthrax. Components in English breakfast tea such as polyphenols have the ability to inhibit the activity of anthrax.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312100045.htm

NATURAL DISASTER ZONE

SCIENTISTS SIMULATE PANDEMIC INFLUENZA OUTBREAK IN CHICAGO

By using computer simulations and modeling, researchers have determined how a pandemic influenza outbreak might travel through a city similar in size to Chicago, Ill. This information helped them to determine the preferred intervention strategy to contain a potential flu pandemic, including what people should do to decrease the likelihood of disease transmission. An outbreak in the US could be mitigated with prompt implementation of social-distancing measures combined with antiviral treatment and prophylaxis until a vaccine is available, the study suggests.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310170640.htm

CYBERZONE

SINGLE-CRYSTAL SEMICONDUCTOR WIRE BUILT INTO AN OPTICAL FIBER

A process has been developed for growing a single-crystal semiconductor inside the tunnel of a hollow optical fiber. The new device will add new electronic capabilities to optical fibers, which are ideal media for transmitting many types of signals and which are used in a wide range of technologies that employ light, including telecommunications, medicine, computing, and remote-sensing devices.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312115412.htm

The F.C.C. unanimously approved a rule banning exclusive telephone service agreements in apartment buildings, giving tenants their pick of providers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/technology/20fcc.html?th&emc=th

INTEL, MICROSOFT FUND UNIVERSITY CHIP RESEARCH

After more than two decades of boosting chip performance by using two hardware tricks that work hand-in-glove, Intel Corp. has realized that one trick makes computers too hot, so it has been forced to redesign its...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/03/19/BUP7VM629.DTL

HD DVD OWNERS, SOME STORES WANT TO MAKE AMENDS

To assuage the feelings of the 200,000 customers who purchased HD DVD players from a Best Buy store, the company will announce Wednesday that it is giving each buyer a $50 gift card.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/hd-dvd-owners-some-stores-want-to-make-amends/index.html?ref=technology

HOW MICROSOFT IS TRYING TO ERADICATE E-MAIL –

Spam has reached tragic proportions – and Paul Venezia points the finger at none other than Microsoft for that. Read on:

http://weblog.infoworld.com/venezia/archives/016395.html?source=NLC-DAILY&cgd=2008-03-18

SPECTRUM AUCTION RAISES $19.6 BILLION

Bidding closed Tuesday on a record-setting government airwaves auction with the total amount pledged reaching nearly $19.6 billion. But enthusiasm in the result was tempered by...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2008/03/18/national/w135725D06.DTL

HP TO DEPLOY "TELEPRESENCE" GEAR AT MARRIOTTS

Hewlett-Packard is expected to announce Tuesday that it is partnering with Marriott International to offer its next-generation high-definition videoconferencing suites at hotel locations around the world. The...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/03/18/BUIVVLFF1.DTL

PEER-TO-PEER NETWORKS GO LEGIT

The technology best known for pirating movies, music and software online is increasingly being adopted by businesses to deliver legal content, as a cheap way to get video content to customers.

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=102006SP5OO6&nl=2

VERIZON WORKS WITH P2P TO SPEED FILE SHARING

Verizon Communications intends to work with peer-to-peer file sharers by helping those who share files legally to do it at greater speeds -- company researchers say working with this group can increase download speed 60%, on average. "This test signifies a turning point in the history of peer-to-peer technology and ISPs," said Robert Levitan, chief executive officer of file-sharing company Pando Networks. "It will definitely show ISPs that the problem is not peer-to-peer technology, the problem is how you deploy it. It is possible to deploy P2P to their advantage."

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/29905.php

NEXT-GEN SOFTWARE TO IDENTIFY COMPLEX NETWORK ATTACKS

Researchers have developed new software that can reduce the impact of cyber attacks by identifying the possible vulnerability paths through an organization's networks. By their very nature networks are highly interdependent and each machine's overall susceptibility to attack depends on the vulnerabilities of the other machines in the network. Attackers can take advantage of multiple vulnerabilities in unexpected ways, allowing them to incrementally penetrate a network and compromise critical systems.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317141210.htm

SCIENCE ZONE

SELF-EXPERIMENTERS: TO PURGE BINGES, ALCOHOLIC CARDIOLOGIST SELF-PRESCRIBED AN EXPERIMENTAL DRUG

Olivier Ameisen had tried everything to dry out--then he heard about baclofen http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe27157770630575771c71&ls=fdfb15737467027b72147874&m=ff3310707762&l=fef61c7471640d&s=fe2615717c670174701272&jb=ffcf14&t=

ENERGY ZONE

HYBRID CARS MAY REQUIRE HUNDREDS OF NEW POWER PLANTS

A growing number of plug-in hybrid electric cars and trucks could require major new power generation resources or none at all -- depending on when people recharge their automobiles. A recent study examined how an expected increase in ownership of hybrid electric cars and trucks will affect the power grid depending on what time of day or night the vehicles are charged. In the worst-case scenario -- if all hybrid owners charged their vehicles at 5 p.m. -- up to 160 large power plants would be needed nationwide to supply the extra electricity.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312140123.htm

COAL CAN'T FILL WORLD's BURNING APPETITE

With Supplies Short, Price Rise Surpasses Oil and U.S. Exporters Profit Long considered an abundant, reliable and relatively cheap source of energy, coal is suddenly in short supply and high demand worldwide.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/19/AR2008031903859.html?wpisrc=newsletter

LOW-COST BIOFUEL

University of Maryland researchers have created a process to convert large volumes of plant products, from leftover brewer's mash to paper trash, into ethanol and other biofuel alternatives to gasoline. Developed by University of Maryland professors Steve Hutcheson and Ron Weiner, the technique, called the Zymetis process, produces biofuels from cellulosic sources including waste paper, brewing by-products, leftover agriculture products including straw, corncobs and husks, and energy crops such as switchgrass.

Scientists estimate the technology could potentially produce 75 billion gallons of carbon-neutral ethanol annually. Hutcheson projects a $5 billion enzyme market for biofuels.

http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20080318A2

ENVIRONMENT ZONE

CARBON-MEASURING SOFTWARE EVOLVES 

Nobody wants to be Greenpeace's Public Enemy No. 1. To help companies avoid that fate, some companies are rolling out tools that balance profitability and environmental responsibility. Read on:

http://weblog.infoworld.com/sustainableit/archives/2008/03/carbon_ilog_sup.html?source=NLC-DAILY&cgd=2008-03-20

ASIA PACIFIC ZONE

JAPAN's ILLEGAL DOWNLOADERS MAY LOSE INTERNET CONNECTION

The Yomiuri Shimbun has reported that a group of ISPs are contemplating shutting off Internet access for customers who repeatedly download copyrighted content illegally. The companies will apparently set up a discussion panel next month to formulate a policy. According to the Yomiuri, an estimated 1.75m people in Japan use file-sharing software such as Winny and other applications. ***Ed: Several years ago a single ISP tried the same thing and the government vetoed the action as a form of censorship. It will be interesting to see if there is strength in numbers and if the initiative will be supported this time around.** http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jdCl0dKHYQJ5VAK3mCrQBBjnlI0g

CHINA ENDED 2007 WITH 210 MILLION INTERNET USERS

China's estimated 210 million Internet users was slightly behind the total in the U.S. at the end of 2007 at 216 million, according to an analysis of industry data. One research firm predicts, however, that based on past growth patterns, China has likely passed the U.S. in terms of Internet users.

http://www.news.com/Researcher-China-overtakes-U.S.-as-top-Web-market/2110-1034_3-6234242.html?tag=nefd.hed

KDDI TO INVEST US$243 MILLION TO RAMP UP GLOBAL DATA CENTRES

KDDI Corp, Japan's second largest phone company by subscribers, plans to invest JPY25 billion (USD243 million) between 2008 and 2010 to set up data centres in the UK, France and Singapore as it looks to ramp up its global data network. KDDI already operates data centres in the UK, France, China, Hong Kong and the US and is considering plans to build hubs in eastern European countries such as Russia and Poland, and in Asia (India and Vietnam). The expansion plan will increase the square footage at its data centres by 50% by March 2011, KDDI said.

FULL ITEM, NO LINK

WIRELESS ZONE

LONG-DISTANCE Wi-Fi

Intel has found a way to stretch a Wi-Fi signal from one antenna to another located more than 60 miles away. Intel has announced plans to sell a specialized Wi-Fi platform later this year that can send data from a city to outlying rural areas tens of miles away, connecting sparsely populated villages to the Internet. The wireless technology, called the rural connectivity platform (RCP), will be helpful to computer-equipped students in poor countries, says Jeff Galinovsky, a senior platform manager at Intel. And the data rates are high enough--up to about 6.5 megabits per second--that the connection could be used for video conferencing and telemedicine, he says.

http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/20432/?nlid=945

SITE CITES

TIME ISN'T MONEY: STUDY FINDS WE SPEND THE RESOURCES DIFFERENTLY

Economists usually treat time like money -- as another scarce resource that people spend to achieve certain ends. Money is used to pay for things like furniture and plane tickets; time is spent assembling the do-it-yourself bookshelf or searching for cheap flights on the Internet. But despite the old adage, the two are far from psychologically equivalent -- particularly when it comes to consumer spending decisions.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317095622.htm

MUMS BRAVER, FASTER, MORE LAID BACK

Motherhood is good for the brain, causing neurological changes that make females braver, faster and less stressed, a US researcher says.

http://abcmail.net.au/t/111452/687092/2344/0/