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VOL III No 45 April 18, 2004: CYBERZONE/BIOZONE CALENDAR
A SERVICE OF CREATIVE RESOURCES, INC. by MARTY PLOTNICK
HAWAI'I CALENDAR:
****NEW****Wednesday, April 21--12:00-1:00 p.m. UH Faculty Seminar Series: Neutrino Studies at UH: From Uncovering Secrets of the Universe to use in National Defense. Speaker: Dr. John G. Learned. Executive Dining Room at Campus Center. RSVP to OTTED 539-3836 or email gaylenea@hawaii.edu. Lunch order deadline April 16 $6. payable at the door.
****NEW****Thursday, April 22--11:30-1:30. HVCA LUNCHEON. A Tech-preneur Success Story: PauSpam: Hoala Greevy and Gordon Bruce Tell How they got from Concept to Global Software Players in the Anti-Spam Marketplace. Plaza Club 900 Fort Street Mall 20th Floor Cost: $25 for HVCA & HTTA Members & UH Faculty $35 for Non-Members; $20 for Students RESERVATIONS REQUIRED Call Gail at 262-7329 to register! Park at Harbor Court Public Parking
****Wednesday, April 28 --12:00 pm - 1:00 pm. UOP Brown Bag
Seminar: "Technology Entrepreneuring: The Ultimate Reality Show." Speaker: Mr. Peter Kay, one of Hawaii's most recognized technology visionaries. Participants will learn about what it's really like to be a tech entrepreneur: to rise, fall, rise, fall, and rise. If you've dreamed of creating your own business, you won't want to miss out on Peter's 20 years of starting five different companies in Hawaii. University of Phoenix, 828 Fort St., Rooms 101/102. Free. For more information, call 536-2686 ext. 108 or e-mail Steven.Schoen@phoenix.edu.
****NEW****Tuesday, May 4--9 a.m. to ? HP's Semi-Annual Hawaii Technology Event. Hilton Hawaiian Village. Register: Jane Ferreira.
808.839.8517 or at http://www.hp.com/large/events/2004/ae_hawaii
****May 10-12, Asia Pacific Conference on Emerging Technologies: The Challenge of the Mobile Revolution and the Digital Divide. Sponsors: East-West Center and the Korea Information Strategy Development Institute (KISDI). Renaissance Hotel in Seoul, Korea. Early Registration Deadline April 26, For more information and registration materials: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/sem-bp.asp Registration Online: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/index.asp
****NEW****Wednesday to Friday. May 19-21-- International Conference on Strategies for Building Software Industries in Developing Counties East-West Center University of Hawai'i at Manoa Strategies for Building Software Industries in Developing Countries will bring together experts and software industry professionals from around the world to identify, discuss and debate the various policy options governments have to cultivate their software industries and what strategies software companies can employ to ensure success in the international market place. FREE FOR CONFERENCE. <http://www.iipi.org/activities/forums.htm>http://www.iipi.org/activities/forums.htm
Or contact Anthony L. Clapes Technology Law Network tclapes@attglobal.net
General East-West Seminar information: Marilu Khudari, khudarim@eastwestcenter.org, or phone 944-7384.
UH CALENDAR http://dbserver.its.hawaii.edu/calendar/
HTDC CALENDAR
http://www.hitechhawaii.com/webevents.asp
IF YOU HAVE CALENDAR ITEMS, SEND THEM TO martycri@lava.net
THINK ZONE
IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID
You are, on the whole, quite irrational. Often you act on instinct, rather than cold, logical reasoning. Putting it simply, you’re human. And your humanity is proving to be a problem - to economists, that is. While rationality might allow elegant equations with all the apparent rigour of mathematical physics to be produced, these are fundamentally inaccurate. According to a new breed of financial theorists, economics becomes a lot clearer when considered in a new light: as an exploration of human behaviour in all its realistic complexity, rational or otherwise. http://archive.newscientist.com/secure/article/article.jsp?id=mg18224425.200
HUMANS TOOK 1000 YEARS TO TAME WILD PLANTS
Remnants of ancient barley, wheat, figs and pistachios nearly 10,000 years old are helping to solve the mystery about how and when nomadic hunter-gatherers became sedentary farmers. http://abc.net.au/science/news/ancient/AncientRepublish_1084276.htm
GOTTCHA ZONE
HIDDEN CELLPHONE FEES
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that telecom companies are tacking on extra fees to monthly bills which they say cover regulatory costs. The trouble is, the Journal reports, these fees have nothing to do with federal regulation but with boosting up a company's ARPU, a figure closely watched by Wall Street. Companies charging "regulatory fees" include AT&T Wireless which tacks on an extra $1.75 a month; T-Mobile, an extra 86 cents; Verizon Wireless, 45 cents; SBC charges a $1.84 a month to DSL subscribers for the Universal Access Fund; and BellSouth charges DSL subs $2.97 a month to cover regulatory fees.
No Click Through
CYBERZONE
GOOGLE TO OFFER SEARCHES OF ACADEMIC PAPERS
Working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and 16 other universities, Google is developing a feature of its search tool that will allow users to search specially tagged academic content. Using a tool called DSpace that MIT developed, colleges and universities can build so-called "superarchives" of scholarly work, including metadata tags that allow for online searches of that content. According to MIT's MacKenzie Smith, about 125 institutions have used DSpace, but there has not been a tool to search across all of these archives. The Google tool will use an interface created by the Online Computer Library Center and will likely be part of the search site's advanced-search page. Smith said she hopes all institutions that use DSpace will eventually be included in the search tool. She also noted that the search capability is not restricted to Google. Other search engines may create search tools specifically for the academic content,
said Smith, or "[w]e may even do our own thing." http://chronicle.com/free/2004/04/2004040901n.htm
MACHINE RAGE IS DEAD...LONG LIVE EMOTIONAL COMPUTING
The days of the unfeeling, infuriating machine will soon be over. Scientists are now creating computers and robots that can detect and respond to users' feelings. The discoveries are being channelled by Humaine, a E£6 million program just launched by the EU to give Europe a lead in emotional computing. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1189802,00.html
COMING SOON: SEAT-BY-SEAT SUBTITLES
Film subtitles that can be tailored to suit small sections of an audience could go on general release at the end of 2004 http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994880
BIO/NANO/MEMS ZONE
NO CHIP IN ARM, NO SHOT FROM GUN
A new computer chip promises to keep police guns from firing if they fall into the wrong hands. The tiny chip would be implanted in a police officer's hand and would match up with a scanning device inside a handgun. If the officer and gun match, a digital signal unlocks the trigger so it can be fired. But if a child or criminal would get hold of the gun, it would be useless.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63066,00.html
HAPPY MEMORIES
Memory is the Achilles’ heel of electronic devices: it slows them down and guzzles their power. If only there was one perfect form of computer memory – one that starts your PC instantly, lets batteries last all day, never loses your data and operates at high speed. Computer designers have long shared that wish, and now many of them think it is about to come true. Motorola has recently demonstrated a dream technology that aims to combine all the best features of
today’s computer memories into one tidy chip. http://archive.newscientist.com/secure/article/article.jsp?id=mg18224423.900
WITH TINY BRAIN IMPLANTS, JUST THINKING MAY MAKE IT SO Cyberkinetics Inc. plans to implant a tiny chip in the brains of five paralyzed people in an effort to enable them to operate a computer by thought alone. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/health/13BRAI.html?th
FIRST FLAVORS MAKE LASTING IMPRESSION
The very first things we eat may shape our lifelong flavor preferences, new research suggests. Apparently, feeding experiences during an infant's first seven months shape receptivity to certain foods later in life. http://cl.extm.us/?fe9512727062047d72-fe20167073670d7c7c1c79
BLIND PEOPLE TO 'SEE' COLOUR BY TOUCH
Blind people may be able to 'see' images created by a computer program that translates colour images into textured graphics, according to a Polish researcher. http://abc.net.au/science/news/tech/InnovationRepublish_1086414.htm
NANOTECH IN SINGAPORE
Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology is rapidly emerging as a world leader in nano-based biosensors and diagnostic devices. Coming soon from this institute: a blood-glucose sensor that allows people with diabetes to draw one-tenth the amount of blood required by conventional home systems and get readings in five seconds.
>http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/innovation50404.asp?trk=nl
NEW FUEL SOURCE
A team of Penn State researchers are demonstrating that jet fuel for the next generation of military aircraft can be made from bituminous coal. "On a pilot scale, we have produced thermally stable coal-based jet fuel," says Dr. Harold H. Schobert, professor of fuel science and director of Penn State's Energy Institute. "This coal-based fuel can absorb significant amounts of heat and remain stable to 900 degrees Fahrenheit."
The new fuel will not decompose at high temperatures to create the deposits of carbon, which foul valves, nozzles, and other engine parts. The fuel will be provisionally designated jet propulsion 900 or JP900 because of this high temperature stability. http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20040406A2
CAPITAL ZONE
LOW-RISK INVESTMENT LAW
A new Kansas state tax credit aims to lessen risk for angel investors http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806680
BIO BRIEFS ZONE
Atlanta--Inhibitex makes its move, plots road to success http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806771
Baltimore
RFP for second biotech park site expected by July http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806772
Boston--Life sciences: Merck, Novartis bring hopefuls to Bio-IT World job fair http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806773
Denver--Dharmacon -- going from zero to $80M http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806774
East Bay--Biotech dreams remain elusive for now http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806775
Kansas City--Suburbs reap growth from KC's life sciences effort http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806776
Minneapolis/St. Paul--CEOs: State biotech push falls short http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806777
Phoenix--Arizona biotech encouraged to think globally http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806778
Sacramento--No scientific method in naming new drugs: Biotech
companies looking for monikers that are both catchy, easy to pronounce http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806779
San Francisco--Biotech is 'back on track' as first quarter raises big bucks http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/806780
CHINA ZONE
CHINA RECRUITS VOLUNTEERS TO TEACH MANDARIN OVERSEAS
China began to recruit volunteers to teach Chinese mandarin (Putonghua) overseas in an attempt to meet the demand to learn the language. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200404/15/eng20040415_140522.shtml
CHINA OPENS FIRST LAND OPTICAL CABLE LINKING ASIA TO EUROPE China opened its first land optical cable linking Asia and Europe on Wednesday, supplementing the existing undersea cable and communication satellites with a new transmission method. The new cable, jointly built by China Unicom and communication companies from Mongolia and Russia, is 7,500 kilometers long and boasts a maximum transmission capacity of 622 MB per second. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200404/14/eng20040414_140405.shtml
CHINA TELECOM ACQUIRES NETWORKS FROM PARENT
China Telecom Corp., the nation's biggest fixed-line phone operator, has agreed to pay its State-owned parent US$3.4 billion (27.8 billion yuan) in cash for 10 provincial networks, as it tries to catch up with faster-growing cellular phone operators. The company, which is based in Beijing and trades its shares in Hong Kong and New York, said it would assume US$4.8 billion of debt and sell as many as 7.56 billion new shares after May 3 to fund the purchase. The acquisition will increase the number of its lines by 43 million to more than 160 million. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-04/15/content_1421395.htm
AMD TO OPEN $100 MILLION CHINA PLANT
The number two processor maker will perform test, mark and pack of microprocessors at the Suzhou facility, due to open in Q4, with a full capacity of 10 million products annually. http://email.electronicnews.com/cgi-bin2/DM/y/egev0HRQ8K0DbD0CBhz0Am
WIRELESS ZONE
NO WIRES, NO RULES
New wireless technologies will soon reconfigure the Web using radio spectrum that doesn't cost a dime. Five-part special Business Week Asia feature. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/04_17/B38800417wireless.htm
WAYPORT PLANS TO SERVE McDONALD's WITH Wi-Fi
Wayport Inc. has won a contract to become the sole provider of wireless Internet access in thousands of McDonald's restaurants.Under the agreement, Wayport plans to offer Wi-Fi service in as many as 3,000 McDonald's restaurants by the end of the year, charging $2.95 for two hours of access. Eventually Wayport would offer wireless access in more than 13,000 McDonald's restaurants. Since 2003, Wayport has offered wireless Internet connections in about 300 McDonald's restaurants in a test program. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/technology/13wifi.html
A MAN WITH A CAN BOOSTS WIRELESS SIGNALS
Specialized antennas, including some made with cans, add extra reach
to wireless networks. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/15/technology/circuits/15howw.html?8cir
HOTSPOT HITS ZONE
The latest in public access Wi-Fi: the coutries of Bolivia, Bahrain, and New Zealand are all getting lots o' wireless; Sprint lands the Salt Lake City Airport; Greenville, S.C. wants to move up the Unwired Cities list; and more. http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,u9n,1,l0p5,ecft,jcj3,9ffi
SITE CITES
HOW DOES TEMPERATURE AFFECT MUSICAL INTRUMENTS?
Chris Rogers, a professor of mechanical engineering at Tufts University and Jesse Jones, a musical instrument engineer, explain. http://cl.extm.us/?fe9312717164017e7c-fe20167073670d7c7c1c79
HOW DNA EVIDENCE WORKS http://science.howstuffworks.com/dna-evidence.htm
Hawaii Technology and Activity News
