Wireless Communication System

Track Google Phone

2009-12-14T04:15:00.005+07:00

Yahoo! says that on an official Google blog, vice president of product management Mario Queroz said that Google employees are using "a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android," but that this phone is "exclusively for Google employees," not for consumers.

TechCrunch says that a new phone "will be called the Google Phone" and will be sold directly by Google, independently of any wireless carrier. The phone itself is being built by HTC, with a lot of input from Google. It seems to be a tailored version of the HTC Passion or the related HD2.

PC World says that an image on the Android Dveloper site is apparently the HTC-made successor to the Android Dev Phone 1, and is already in the hands of select Google employees.Back in November Michael Arrington of TechCrunch reported we would see a super-powered, Google-branded phone in early 2010. Arrington's reports appear to be getting some serious confirmation as Google employees are twee
The ADP 2 now appears on Google's Android Developer Site.ting they're testing new devices running Android 2.1.
The new phone on Google's site shows a Bravo-like HTC model labeled ADP 2 alongside the Android Dev Phone 1. Google offers no information about the ADP 2 on the site -- just the image -- but tweets indicate the phone Google staff is playing with is also a GSM-unlocked phone.

-----------------------

FACTS:

1. GOOGLE began in 1996 when US students Larry Page and Sergey Brin devised a plan to make a search engine that ranked websites according to the number of other websites linked to that site. In 2004, Google launched Google Earth – a detailed map of the earth based on satellite imagery.

2. Android is a mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel. It was initially developed by Android Inc., a firm later purchased by Google, and lately by the Open Handset Alliance.It allows developers to write managed code in the Java language, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries.

The unveiling of the Android distribution on 5 November 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 47 hardware, software, and telecom companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.Google released most of the Android code under the Apache License, a free software and open source license. (from WIKI)

Google suffers major failure

2009-05-15T08:18:00.004+07:00

This entry reference from "By Sharon Gaudin May 14, 2009 01:12 PM ET's Blog" as link below.
Let see the latest Google Fail case, then reference from the former cases that I collected here...

Various Google Apps start kicking back in after widespread outage this morning

The Internet was abuzz with reports of widespread trouble with Google Inc.'s Google Apps service this morning.
Google Search and Google News performance slowed to a crawl, while an outage seemed to spread from Gmail to Google Maps and Google Reader. Comments about the failure were flying on Twitter, and "googlefail" quickly became one of the most-searched terms on the popular microblogging site.

By around noon Eastern time, the outages had started clearing up.

"We're aware some users are having trouble accessing some Google services," said a Google spokesman in an e-mail to Computerworld. "We're looking into it, and we'll update everyone soon."
When the outage began, many users turned to Twitter to vent their frustrations and to look for information.

"Google isn't down, it's engaging in mortal combat with Wolfram Alpha," wrote one Twitterer this morning, referring to a highly anticipated new search engine. Another said, "So Google goes down and the Internet almost stops and Google becomes most talked about thing on the net today. Yahoo anyone???"

Twitter users also were quick to begin reporting that the trouble was clearing up. "Google is back and I've stopped twitching," said one Tweet.

Ezra Gottheil, an analyst at Technology Business Research, said this kind of outage is going to be tough on Google.

"As far as I can tell, all of Google, or at least the big pieces, went down," he said. "This is bad news for Google's efforts to build up Apps, and to a lesser extent, Gmail, as critical business tools. It also undermines the entire category of hosted applications. If the mighty Google can stumble, then who can be trusted?"

In February, Google's Gmail had a highly publicized two-and-a-half-hour outage.

That February outage came just a week after Google acknowledged that some users had experienced problems getting results from Google News searches over a span of more than 14 hours. Some users reported that they weren't getting any results when searching for keywords, such as Microsoft and even Google, in Google News. Other users reported that entire news sections, such as Science/Technology, were coming up empty of stories.

And last December, Google confirmed that there was a technical problem with Google Talk and the Web-based Gmail chat system. One day early in the month, messages created by a "subset" of users were left unsent because of glitches in the messaging system, according to Google spokesman Andrew Kovacs.

The scope of today's outage isn't immediately clear but it appears to be international.

Reference:

Computer World

See Other Google Fail

After Googlefail, will you trust online apps? - Computerworld Blogs
Google fouled up its own network, so would you trust them, or anyone else, with your applications.
blogs.computerworld.com/after_googlefail_will_you_trust_online_apps - 1 hour ago
Labeled Blogs

Google suffers major failure

14 May 2009 ... Comments about the failure were flying on Twitter, with "googlefail" quickly became one of the most searched terms on the popular micro-blogging site. ...
www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133089 - 7 hours ago
Labeled Articles

Google - Computerworld Blogs
After Googlefail, will you trust online apps? By Steven J. Vaugh... Google fouled up its own network, so would you trust them, or anyone else, ...
blogs.computerworld.com/tags/google
Labeled Blogs

Google blames outage on system error and online traffic jam

14 May 2009 ... Comments about the failure were flying on Twitter, with "googlefail" quickly becoming one of the most searched terms on Twitter. ...
www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133109 - 4 hours ago
Labeled Articles

blogs - Computerworld Blogs
After Googlefail, will you trust online apps? Steven J. Vaugh...'s Blog. Google fouled up its own network, so would you trust them, ...
blogs.computerworld.com/blog
Labeled Blogs

'Human error' hits Google search

2009-05-08T23:25:00.002+07:00

Users were warned that all search results were dangerous

Google's search service has been hit by technical problems, with users unable to access search results.
For a period on Saturday, all search results were flagged as potentially harmful, with users warned that the site "may harm your computer".
Users who clicked on their preferred search result were advised to pick another one.
Google attributed the fault to human error and said most users were affected for about 40 minutes.
"What happened? Very simply, human error," wrote Marissa Mayer, vice president, search products and user experience, on the Official Google Blog.
The internet search engine works with stopbadware.org to ascertain which sites install malicious software on people's computers and merit a warning.
Stopbadware.org investigates consumer complaints to decide which sites are dangerous.
The list of malevolent sites is regularly updated and handed to Google.
When Google updated the list on Saturday, it mistakenly flagged all sites as potentially dangerous.
"We will carefully investigate this incident and put more robust file checks in place to prevent it from happening again," Ms Mayer wrote.

About Google's search service

Google Custom Search and Custom Search Business Edition

Google uses the index they've created for the web search engine, and limits by domain name, host, and/or URLs. When someone enters a query in the search form on your site, the Google server application receives the query, formats the results, and sends them back in either HTML or XML (for the business version) with links directly to the pages on your site.
Features

Finding Content
Can include multiple sites (unlimited pages in the non-business version)
Only those pages within the Google search index are available, no promises about additional indexing.
No access to pages secured by passwords or other access control.
Updates to new versions of pages when the Google search index updates (no daily or weekly updating).
Powerful robot crawler can handle most kinds of links

Indexing
Handles file formats: HTML, XML, text, PostScript, RTF, PDF, Lotus, MacWrite, MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Excellent character set and language recognition for best tokenization
Does not store the contents of meta tags or page properties.

Querying
Defaults matching all words in the query, case-insensitively
Uses the Google query language, including Internet Query Operators - (minus) and "" (quotes) , along with OR and various field names and other parameters.
Optional Safe Search for eight languages (Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, Traditional Chinese)
Light pluralization using an internal wordlist rather than stemming

Retrieval
Retrieves all matching pages (though the CSE doesn't say how many that is)
Shows spellchecker "did you mean?" for misspelled and mistyped words, but they may not have any match on a particular site or set of sites, so it can be a dead end.
Search results can have "Refinements", zones based on URLs which appear as links along the top of the results
Search Suggestions appear using the "subscriptions" mechanism, which is quite poorly documented

Relevance
Relevance ranking uses all the Google algorithms, including PageRank
Adjusting relevance weight can only be done via an XML "background label" and "boost" process

Results UI
Default looks like the Google web search results.
Can display interface in English, French, Spanish, German, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Swedish.
Hides duplicate pages based on snippet similarity
Page size and cache link seem to appear or not appear randomly
Basic results page customization: logo, text and link colors
Option to use JavaScript and show results in an iframe (not well documented)
Option to request XML results and use a scripting language or presentation program to show them.

Search Analytics and reports
Shows traffic by hour, day, week, month or "overall" (since installing the search service)
Shows most popular queries in the same time periods, with links to the queries and flags on no match (zero results) with details.
Note: report periods for low-traffic search installations may end the previous Saturday, even for daily and weekly reports.

Administration
All admin done via web
Option to allow "contributors" who can edit the URLs to be included or excluded, and annotate them with any refinement labels that you have created, but not otherwise change the search engine.

Business Edition (CSBE) features
No advertising
Google logo ("branding") not required
XML results option - allowing flexible display customization
XML specification
Java example project

Technical support by email, and for larger customers, an option for paid telephone support

Articles & Reviews

Google Launches Site Search Service for Business InfoToday, July 30, 2007, by Avi Rappoport
In-depth discussion of the service, description of features, comparisons with other services, and three examples of sites using the service.
Google launches Custom Search Business Edition starting at $100/year ars technica, July 19, 2007, by Jacqui Cheng
A good overview of the release information.
Google introduces Custom Search Business Edition CMS Watch, July 18, 2007 Adriaan Bloem
Good analysis of how the service fits into the Google services line, and its features and limitations.
Google to Launch Vertical Search Engine in a Box Andy Steggles' Blog, July 16, 2007
A description of the services and its implementations by a developer who added it to the HolidayHomeRental.com web site.
NEC Selects Google to Provide Search Services on Japan's Leading BIGLOBE Portal Site Press Release, December 19, 2000
Google will provide both web and site search services to NEC's BIGLOBE portal site and related online properties.

Reference :

BBC

SearchTools

How satellites could 'sail' home

2009-05-04T12:15:00.001+07:00

By Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News

Satellites and spent rocket stages could soon deploy "sails" to guide them back to Earth much faster than they would otherwise fall out of the sky.

With space becoming ever more crowded, there is a need to remove redundant objects that could pose a collision threat to operational missions.

Extending a sail on an old spacecraft would increase drag and pull it into the Earth's atmosphere to burn up.

Major European space firm EADS Astrium says the scheme has great potential.

"It is an interesting solution, especially for the satellite that has no propulsion system at the end of its life," Brice Santerre told BBC News.

Santerre and colleague Max Cerf have been working on what they call the Innovative DEorbiting Aerobrake System (IDEAS).

The concept involves extending booms and sheeting from spacecraft to increase the amount of drag they experience from the residual air molecules still present at altitudes up to even 750km (470 miles)

"The principle of aerobraking is to increase the surface over mass ratio of an orbital object, to accelerate the fall-out by increasing the drag on the system," Mr Santerre said.

"To do that, we need to deploy a very light structure. That's why we chose to use 'gossamer structures'. These are composed of booms and very thin membranes."

Microscope will investigate the behaviour of free-falling objects

Santerre and Serf have been developing an aerobraking sail concept for the forthcoming French Microscope satellite.

Microscope is a science mission that will investigate the force of gravity and the behaviour of free-falling objects in a test of what has become known as the equivalence principle.

The satellite will take about a year to make its measurements and will then have no further purpose.

Ideally, such a spacecraft would be removed from orbit, especially since it will be circling at an altitude where many important Earth observation satellites also operate.

"Microscope has no propulsion system so it cannot de-orbit by itself. If we were to do nothing, the fall-out duration would be between 50 and 100 years," said Mr Santerre.

By erecting their boom and membrane mechanism, Santerre and Serf believe Microscope could be brought out of the sky in less than 25 years, which meets international orbital junk mitigation guidelines.

Astrium is now investigating how the IDEAS concept could be applied to spent rocket stages.

The company leads the production of Europe's premier launcher, the Ariane 5.

The concept developed for Microscope would bring it back inside 25 years

Much of the Ariane's structure - its main core stage and solid boosters - fall rapidly out of the sky at the end of a flight; but the upper-stage is much longer lived in orbit.

Once it has ejected its satellite payload, the stage continues to circle the Earth in a large ellipse, running out to more than 35,000km from the Earth and coming as close as about 250km.

It may take 100 years before an upper-stage falls naturally from the sky.

"Our study shows that if we want to apply the aerobraking concept to an Ariane-class upper-stage then we need a system with booms, or masts, of about 12m and a deployed surface of about 250 sq m.

"This is possible with our current technologies. We need now to check that this is the best solution. We are also thinking whether this type of system can be applied to other launchers as well."

One alternative, of course, is to give the Ariane 5 upper-stage the capability to take a powered dive into the Earth's atmosphere.

The Ariane 5 upper-stage continues to circle the Earth for decades

This was done for the first time last year at the end of the launch of the Jules Verne space station freighter. This was considered essential because of the number of manned missions that routinely follow station's orbit.

Once Jules Verne was released from the rocket, the upper-stage reignited its engine to make a controlled burn-up over the Pacific.

The advantages of de-orbiting in this way are clear, but the extra fuel requirements and complexity of re-ignitable engines adds cost to what is already a very expensive endeavour.

Aerobraking sails, on the other hand, are lightweight and extremely simple. Their operation could even be controlled by a pre-set timer, fixed to deploy a certain number of minutes after the end of a flight.

This means that even an upper-stage that is out of control can still be guaranteed to return to Earth in a timely fashion.

Santerre and Serf presented their latest research at the recent European Conference on Space Debris in Darmstadt, Germany.

The meeting closed with a statement from its organisers saying that effective measures to clean up space debris needed to be devised and implemented.

The upper-stage that launched Jules Verne took itself into a controlled dive

Last-minute Conficker survival guide/Worm

2009-04-01T08:54:00.002+07:00

April 1 -- is D-Day for Conficker, as whatever nasty payload it's packing is currently set to activate. What happens come midnight is a mystery: Will it turn the millions of infected computers into spam-sending zombie robots? Or will it start capturing everything you type -- passwords, credit card numbers, etc. -- and send that information back to its masters?

No one knows, but we'll probably find out soon.

Or not. As Slate notes, Conficker is scheduled to go "live" on April 1, but whoever's controlling it could choose not to wreak havoc but instead do absolutely nothing, waiting for a time when there's less heat. They can do this because the way Conficker is designed is extremely clever: Rather than containing a list of specific, static instructions, Conficker reaches out to the web to receive updated marching orders via a huge list of websites it creates. Conficker.C -- the latest bad boy -- will start checking 50,000 different semi-randomly-generated sites a day looking for instructions, so there's no way to shut down all of them. If just one of those sites goes live with legitimate instructions, Conficker keeps on trucking.

Conficker's a nasty little worm that takes serious efforts to bypass your security defenses, but you aren't without some tools in your arsenal to protect yourself.

Your first step should be the tools you already have: Windows Update, to make sure your computer is fully patched, and your current antivirus software, to make sure anything that slips through the cracks is caught.

But if Conficker's already on your machine, it may bypass certain subsystems and updating Windows and your antivirus at this point may not work. If you are worried about anything being amiss -- try booting into Safe Mode, which Conficker prevents, to check -- you should run a specialized tool to get rid of Conficker.

Microsoft offers a web-based scanner (note that some users have reported it crashed their machines; I had no trouble with it), so you might try one of these downloadable options instead: Symantec's Conficker (aka Downadup) tool, Trend Micro's Cleanup Engine, or Malwarebytes. Conficker may prevent your machine from accessing any of these websites, so you may have to download these tools from a known non-infected computer if you need them. Follow the instructions given on each site to run them successfully. (Also note: None of these tools should harm your computer if you don't have Conficker.)

As a final safety note, all users -- whether they're worried about an infection or know for sure they're clean -- are also wise to make a full data backup today.

What won't work? Turning your PC off tonight and back on on April 2 will not protect you from the worm (sorry to the dozens of people who wrote me asking if this would do the trick). Temporarily disconnecting your computer from the web won't help if the malware is already on your machine -- it will simply activate once you connect again. Changing the date on your PC will likely have no helpful effect, either. And yes, Macs are immune this time out. Follow the above instructions to detect and remove the worm.

----------------

A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program. It uses a network to send copies of itself to other nodes (computers on the network) and it may do so without any user intervention. Unlike a virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program. Worms almost always cause at least some harm to the network, if only by consuming bandwidth, whereas viruses almost always corrupt or modify files on a targeted computer.

Backdoors can be exploited by other malware, including worms. Examples include Doomjuice, which spreads better using the backdoor opened by Mydoom, and at least one instance of malware taking advantage of the rootkit and backdoor installed by the Sony/BMG DRM software utilized by millions of music CDs prior to late 2005.

------------

Reference :Yahoo!

Wikipedia

Microwaves 'improve fog landings'

2009-03-25T19:50:00.002+07:00

Tom Symonds explains how the system works

By Daniel Emery
Technology reporter, BBC News

Passengers flying into Heathrow in fog or poor visibility will be guided in using a new microwave-based system.

The existing Instrument Landing System (ILS) is susceptible to interference, meaning aircraft had to be spaced further apart on their final approach.

The new Microwave Landing System (MLS) is less prone to interference, meaning aircraft can now land at a faster rate.

Initially, the system will be used by British Airways' Airbus 320s, although other airlines are expected to follow.

On a clear day, about 44 planes an hour land at Heathrow.

However, if the visibility drops and aircraft have to use the ILS system to land on full autopilot, that figure falls to 24 aircraft an hour.

This is because the radio transmitter at the end of the runway needs good line of sight to the approaching aircraft, but because it is at the far end of the runway, planes have to land and taxi clear before a full signal is restored.

BA's Airbus will be the first aircraft equipped with MIS

Not only does Heathrow's capacity fall significantly, but because long-haul international flights take priority, domestic and short haul passengers either find themselves circling London in a holding pattern, diverted to another airport, or find their flight has been cancelled altogether.

The new MLS allows an extra six aircraft an hour to land, meaning that while fog will still cause disruption, its effects will be less prominent.

In 2006, four days of heavy fog at Christmas stranded thousands of passengers and resulted in hundreds of cancelled flights to and from Heathrow.

It is thought the cumulative costs of the Christmas fog ran into the tens of millions.

Speaking to the BBC, British Airways' flight operations manager, Captain Tim Price, said that the financial argument in favour of MLS stacks up.

"If we had had this system in December 2006, then the system would have paid for itself within four days," he said.

'Great reputation'

Designed in the 1940s, the ILS system uses two radio signals - one transmitted at the far end of the runway and the other at the side on two separate frequencies - to guide the aircraft down on an approach making a horizontal angle of three degrees with the runway.

MLS, on the other hand, uses a single frequency in a band far removed from that of the ILS system to broadcast the azimuth and elevation (horizontal and vertical angle) data to the aircraft.

The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) says that the new MLS system will guide planes down along the same flight path, so as to not interfere with ILS landings.

Heathrow can be prone to fog, especially early in the morning

As such, it will not be implementing so-called curved approaches. Rather than the three degree approach in line with the runway, aircraft could - in theory - approach the airport from up to 40-degrees off the end of the runway, lining up with it a mile or so before touchdown.

Even without this feature in the short term, the space between aircraft will be reduced, resulting in more planes landing per hour.

For pilots, the display for the MLS and the ILS is identical, meaning that there is very little training to get air crew up to speed.

Professor Graham Braithwaite, director of the Safety and Accident Investigation Centre at Cranfield University, said that anything that reduced delays at Heathrow had to be welcome.

"This is a precision-approach tool and is something that the International Air Aviation Organisation endorses.

"The challenge for air traffic controllers (ATC), now that distance between planes is reduced, is ensuring you get a good mix of aircraft. The last thing you want is a Fokker 50 flying into the turbulence generated by a 747 flying ahead of it.

"Some aircraft are worse for feeling the effects [of turbulence] than others, but Heathrow ATC would know this better than anyone else and they have a great reputation."

---

Note:

Microwaves are electromagnetic waves with wavelengths ranging from 1 mm to 1 m, or frequencies between 0.3 GHz and 300 GHz.

Apparatus and techniques may be described qualitatively as "microwave" when the wavelengths of signals are roughly the same as the dimensions of the equipment, so that lumped-element circuit theory is inaccurate. As a consequence, practical microwave technique tends to move away from the discrete resistors, capacitors, and inductors used with lower frequency radio waves. Instead, distributed circuit elements and transmission-line theory are more useful methods for design and analysis. Open-wire and coaxial transmission lines give way to waveguides, and lumped-element tuned circuits are replaced by cavity resonators or resonant lines. Effects of reflection, polarization, scattering, diffraction and atmospheric absorption usually associated with visible light are of practical significance in the study of microwave propagation. The same equations of electromagnetic theory apply at all frequencies.

While the name may suggest a micrometer wavelength, it is better understood as indicating wavelengths very much smaller than those used in radio broadcasting. The boundaries between far infrared light, terahertz radiation, microwaves, and ultra-high-frequency radio waves are fairly arbitrary and are used variously between different fields of study. The term microwave generally refers to "alternating current signals with frequencies between 0.3 GHz (3×10⁸ Hz) and 300 GHz (3×10¹¹ Hz)."^[1] Both IEC standard 60050 and IEEE standard 100 define "microwave" frequencies starting at 1 GHz (30 cm wavelength).

Electromagnetic waves longer (lower frequency) than microwaves are called "radio waves". Electromagnetic radiation with shorter wavelengths may be called "millimeter waves", terahertz radiation or even T-rays. Definitions differ for millimeter wave band, which the IEEE defines as 110 GHz to 300 GHz.

Electromagnetic spectrum with visible light highlighted

Microwave frequency bands
Letter Designation	Frequency range
L band	1 to 2 GHz
S band	2 to 4 GHz
C band	4 to 8 GHz
X band	8 to 12 GHz
K_u band	12 to 18 GHz
K band	18 to 26.5 GHz
K_a band	26.5 to 40 GHz
Q band	30 to 50 GHz
U band	40 to 60 GHz
V band	50 to 75 GHz
E band	60 to 90 GHz
W band	75 to 110 GHz
F band	90 to 140 GHz
D band	110 to 170 GHz

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7961501.stm

New Google's Ads Algorithm-Interest-based advertising

2009-03-11T20:23:00.002+07:00

Today(3/11/2009) Google Teams are launching "interest-based" advertising as a beta test on their partner sites and on YouTube. These ads will associate categories of interest — say sports, gardening, cars, pets — with your browser, based on the types of sites you visit and the pages you view. They may then use those interest categories to show you more relevant text and display ads.

They believe there is real value to seeing ads about the things that interest you. If, for example, you love adventure travel and therefore visit adventure travel sites, Google could show you more ads for activities like hiking trips to Patagonia or African safaris. While interest-based advertising can infer your interest in adventure travel from the websites you visit, you can also choose your favorite categories, or tell us which categories you don't want to see ads for. Interest-based advertising also helps advertisers tailor ads for you based on your previous interactions with them, such as visits to their websites. So if you visit an online sports store, you may later be shown ads on other websites offering you a discount on running shoes during that store's upcoming sale.

Their advertisers and publisher partners have been asking us for a long time to offer interest-based advertising. Advertisers need an efficient way to reach those who are most interested in their products and services. And publishers can generate more revenue when they connect advertisers to interested audiences.

This kind of tailored advertising does raise questions about user choice and privacy — questions the whole online ad industry has a responsibility to answer. Many companies already provide interest-based advertising and they address these issues in different ways. For their part, they're launching interest-based advertising with three important features that demonstrate their commitment to transparency and user choice.

Transparency - they already clearly label most of the ads provided by Google on the AdSense partner network and on YouTube. You can click on the labels to get more information about how they serve ads, and the information they use to show you ads. This year they will expand the range of ad formats and publishers that display labels that provide a way to learn more and make choices about Google's ad serving.
Choice - they have built a tool called Ads Preferences Manager, which lets you view, delete, or add interest categories associated with your browser so that you can receive ads that are more interesting to you.
Control - You can always opt out of the advertising cookie for the AdSense partner network here. To make sure that your opt-out decision is respected (and isn't deleted if you clear the cookies from your browser), they have designed a plug-in for your browser that maintains your opt-out choice.

To find out more about what Google is doing in this important area, please visit:Public Policy blog and Privacy Center.

Keyword advertising has been so successful because it's useful to users, advertisers and publishers — everyone's interests are aligned. They believe that interest-based ads will create the same virtuous cycle, by giving users more relevant ads, while generating higher returns for advertisers and publishers.

Reference from: Post of Susan Wojcicki, VP, Product Management "Making ads more interesting"

Reference Site : Google

Judge dismisses Google lawsuit

2009-02-20T09:46:00.000+07:00

By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

Google's Street View has been criticised on several occasions

A legal claim by a Pittsburgh couple that Google's Street View feature violated their privacy has been thrown out by a federal judge.

Christine and Aaron Boring sued the search giant after photos of their home appeared on the free mapping program.

The couple accused Google of privacy violation, negligence, trespassing and unjust enrichment.

In her ruling, Judge Amy Reynolds Hay said the Borings "failed to state a claim under any count".

"We are pleased the judge agreed the suit was without merit," said Google in a statement to the BBC.

Street View displays street level, 360-degree photographs of areas taken by specially equipped Google vehicles.

Failure

The photographs at the centre of the lawsuit, launched last year, were taken at the foot of Mr and Mrs Boring's driveway and shows their house, a pool area and detached garage. Signs marked the road as private.

The suit alleged that Google's Street View had caused Mr and Mrs Boring "mental suffering" and diluted the value of their home.

Google removed the offending pictures after the lawsuit was filed

"While it is easy to imagine that many whose property appears on Google's virtual maps resent the privacy implications, it is hard to believe that any - other than the most exquisitely sensitive - would suffer shame or humiliation," Judge Amy Reynolds Hay of US District Court for Western Pennsylvania wrote in her 12-page decision.

The judge also suggested that the Borings' lawsuit made it possible for more people than ever to view the picture of their home.

"The Borings do not dispute that they have allowed the relevant images to remain on Google Street View, despite the availability of a procedure for having them removed from view," wrote Judge Reynolds Hay.

"Furthermore, they have failed to bar others' access to the images by eliminating their address from the pleadings, or by filing this action under seal," she said.

The publicity has actually perpetuated dissemination of the Borings' name and location, and resulted in frequent re-publication of the Street View images, the judge concluded.

"The plaintiffs' failure to take readily available steps to protect their own privacy and mitigate their alleged pain suggests to the Court that the intrusion and that their suffering were less severe than they contend," wrote Judge Reynolds Hay.

The Borings had sought $25,000 (£17,700) in damages.

'Removal tools'

Google said the company respects individual privacy and provides ways for that privacy to be maintained.

"We blur identifiable faces and licence plates in Street View and we offer easy-to-use removal tools so users can decided for themselves whether or not they want a given image to appear.

Photos of real world locations are tied to maps

"It is unfortunate the parties involved decided to pursue litigation instead of making use of these tools," said Google in its statement.

Privacy concerns following the launch of Street View in 2007 prompted Google to start blurring faces of people caught in the photographs.

The company had argued earlier in response to the lawsuit that "today's satellite-image technology means that even in today's desert complete privacy does not exist."

"Privacy claims are not easy to prove," said Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Centre.

"One of the challenges is showing what's the damage, what's the harm. But Google is more at risk here because there is always the possibility someone might prevail in one of these cases, so I don't think the issue is resolved in terms of Google."

Privacy law call in Facebook row

2009-02-20T05:40:00.000+07:00

By Maggie Shiels
Technology Reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

Mark Zuckerberg said the new policy will be a "substantial revision"

The row over Facebook's change in its terms of service governing users personal data highlights the need for a privacy law, claims a leading watchdog.

The Electronic Privacy Information Centre was on the brink of filing a legal complaint when Facebook announced it would revert to its old policy.

The new terms seemingly gave Facebook vast control over users' content.

"This row underlines the need for comprehensive privacy laws," said Epic's president Marc Rotenberg.

"It is great that Facebook has responded by going back to its old terms of service. That is a step in the right direction, but these issues don't go away.

"It's going to be an ongoing concern for users until we get privacy laws in place," Mr Rotenberg told the BBC.

"Feedback"

Epic, along with 12 other consumer and civil liberty groups, were intending to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission about the policy changes when it was stopped in its tracks.

"We got a call late last night from Facebook and they said that they were thinking of going back to their original terms of service," said Mr Rotenberg.

Countless Facebook users cancelled their accounts following the changes

"We said that if they would agree to do that, we wouldn't see the need to file the complaint."

In a blog post, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote: "Over the past few days, we have received a lot of feedback about the new terms we posted two weeks ago.

"Because of this response, we have decided to return to our previous Terms of Use while we resolve the issues people have raised."

Mr Zuckerberg said Facebook would draw up a new document in conjunction with its users. The company has set up a special group called "Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities" to let users have their say.

The group had more than 55,000 members just a few hours after its creation.

"Overarching and scary"

Originally Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg defended the changes, unveiled on 4 February noting they were to "better reflect how users used the site."

He had said they were made to ensure that if a user deleted his or her account, any comments he or she had left on a friend's Facebook page would not also disappear.

Tens of thousands of users voiced their anger at the changes

That was not how they were interpreted.

Over the weekend, a popular consumer advocacy blog, The Consumerist , raised alarm bells over the issue.

It defined the changes as meaning "anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later".

Users took notice and created Facebook groups to oppose the changes. One of the biggest, "People Against the New Terms of Service" grew to over 90,000 in a matter of days.

Group founder Julius Harper Jr of Los Angeles hypothesised that if Facebook wanted to it could take his photographs and "I could see my face on the side of a bus and there would be no recourse to complain".

Such situations were never intended said Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt.

"Facebook does not, nor have we ever, claimed ownership over people's content. Your content belongs to you," he stressed.

"Wake up"

The issue has raised concerns over who does own personal material, from photos to videos to comments stored on a social networking site.

Facebook is the world's biggest with 175 million users.

The Electronic Privacy Information Centre had planned to file a complaint

"This just reflects the ongoing process of people trying to figure out the internet," John Byrne, a senior analyst at Technology Business Research Inc. told Computerworld.com.

"The lesson that should be learned is that these content sites are not your own personal diaries. Consider it more as publishing and less about your personal circle of friends. People need to wake up," suggested Mr Byrne.

Simon Davies of Privacy International criticised Facebook for allowing commercial and legal concerns to override its commitment to users.

"It appears to be going down the same road as Google. Its halo is beginning to slip," Mr Davies told the BBC.

He advised users to "ratchet their privacy settings up to the maximum" to restrict advertisers' access to their data and ensure that their details are fully protected.

Back in 2007, Facebook faced a firestorm of criticism when it introduced a service called Beacon. Users were concerned Facebook would provide advertisers with too much of their information.

Mr Rotenberg said Facebook is not alone in trying to juggle the needs of users with the need to make money.

"There is always a tug of war over users' data."

However Mr Rotenberg said he was impressed with the speed in which Facebook acted and hoped such willingness to listen will continue.

"Mark Zuckerberg said users should be able to own and control their information. If everyone starts with that principle we can end up in a very good place. On a lot of these issues where there is confusion on that point, I see a lot of debate."

Wireless infrastructure providers have been at the heart of all major industry evolutions.

2009-02-06T17:30:00.001+07:00

Regarding to the source : WirelessWeek
The WIP Race
By Keith Radousky
WirelessWeek - October 01, 2008

Ameritech launched the first commercial cellular network on Oct. 13, 1983, with much fanfare at Soldier Field in Chicago. New customers began signing up by the thousands despite the near $3,000 price tag and subscription fee of $50 per month and 50 cents per minute of airtime.

Leading up to the launch, wireless infrastructure providers (WIPs) had been working feverishly behind the scenes to make the magic happen. Since that time, WIPs have adapted to tremendous industry consolidation, experienced competitive power shifts and accelerated technology migrations. Much has transpired in the last 25 years, and much remains to evolve in the coming years as those early radio networks transform into spectrally efficient all-IP networks.

The first major WIPs were Motorola and AT&T Networks (previously Western Electric). In the early 1980s, the networks consisted of a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO), cell sites, and a connection to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). That’s it. No voice mail, caller identification, messaging or data services of any kind.

The WIPs were eager to earn business in this new and exciting market. Motorola had marked success with cellular “A” block licensees (primarily radio common carriers known as RCCs) while AT&T focused on “B” block licensees (primarily regional Bell operating companies known as RBOCs). This made sense: Motorola was the dominant supplier of land-mobile equipment to the Radio Common Carrier (RCC) industry while AT&T supplied the majority of wireline equipment to the RBOCs.

THE SWEDISH CONNECTION
In April 1984, a new entrant, Ericsson, launched a small network serving Buffalo, N.Y., called Buffalo Telephone Company. Even though Buffalo didn’t need that many cell sites to provide coverage, (remember these were the days of 3 watt mobiles and a 3 dB gain outside antenna), it was huge success for Ericsson.

Motorola and AT&T didn’t appear threatened by Ericsson at the time. Motorola had won business in most of the “A” block markets while AT&T was experiencing similar success in “B” block markets.

However, Ericsson was clever; it focused on winning the “A” side business on Motorola’s turf in Chicago. The “A” block licensee was Rogers Aircall, which already operated paging and 2-way radio networks there and was a customer of Motorola. Roger’s key decision maker, Bernard (Bud) Kahn, did his due-diligence and chose Ericsson. He did so because he and his team concluded Ericsson’s equipment was more advanced than both AT&T and Motorola. Ericsson leveraged lessons it learned from the Nordic cellular system (the world’s first commercial cellular network) in the equipment designed for America. Essentially, Ericsson was providing second-generation equipment.

The Rogers Chicago network was launched in January 1985 under the brand name Cellular One. The debut TV commercial during Superbowl XIX on Jan. 20, 1985, promised to “Drive Ameritech Crazy.”

Cellular One did succeed in convincing many Ameritech customers to switch (the first churned subscribers) by offering 90 days of free service and attracted new customers with aggressive pricing of only $15 per month plus 34 cents per minute primetime and 20 cents non-primetime.

Other major cities such as Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco chose Ericsson as well. As the years went by, Ericsson also was successful in changing out many networks from Motorola and AT&T Networks. Two of the most notable events involved Craig McCaw swapping out many AT&T markets and New York’s Metro One replacing Motorola equipment with Ericsson.

NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Northern Telecom was successful in Minneapolis, Minn., and other smaller markets. It’s worth pointing out that the Canadian company managed to win both the A and B licenses in Minneapolis.

Overall, Northern Telecom didn’t do as well as the others primarily because it outsourced cell site supply to Novatel at first and then GE. To its credit though, it offered a world-class switch, but a cellular system is half radio technology and operators recognized the challenge of integrating and operating multiple providers within one network.

In 1992, Northern Telecom (by then renamed Nortel Networks) and Motorola joined forces to form Motorola-Nortel, thinking that the venture could leverage each company’s forte. But the partnership quickly fell apart. As a result, Motorola lost much market share. Motorola discontinued its internal switch program and returned to its old switch partner DSC. Nortel soon introduced a dual-mode (AMPS-TDMA) cell site. However, neither company was able to keep pace with Ericsson or AT&T Networks (by this time renamed Lucent Technologies).

In the mid-1990s, Ericsson, Motorola, Northern Telecom and Lucent enjoyed much success with the introduction of six new frequency bands at 1900 MHz that were auctioned by the FCC.

Nortel was the only company to offer and succeed in selling all three air-interfaces; TDMA, CDMA and GSM. Lucent sold TDMA and CDMA and offered GSM in Europe but not in America. Ericsson successfully sold TDMA and GSM. Motorola was successful but only sold CDMA. It’s interesting to note that Ericsson was initially opposed to CDMA but later bought Qualcomm’s CDMA infrastructure business. That business unit has faded into history.

The 1900 MHz spectrum auction enabled European GSM WIPs Nokia and Siemens to enter the American market. They both enjoyed some success but not to the degree that Ericsson did. Then in 2004, another opportunity arose with Cingular’s launch of UMTS. Ericsson and Lucent captured all of Cingular’s UMTS business. Verizon and Sprint have continued their relationship with Lucent, Motorola and Nortel for CDMA upgrades 1X RTT and EV-DO.

Ericsson and Nokia recently earned T-Mobile’s UMTS business. Now that Nokia and Siemens have joined forces, it’s unclear if the new Nokia-Siemens can recapture market share as operators begin the process of choosing their suppliers for the fourth generation (4G) of technology, which is referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE). Finally, Alcatel and Lucent (known today as Alcatel-Lucent) joined forces in order to lower costs and better compete in the market for LTE.

THE HUAWEI FACTOR
Today, the WIPs selling in the United States include Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia-Siemens, Nortel, and a new entrant, Huawei.

Now to the “Huawei Factor.” Both AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless have chosen LTE as their 4G technology. Sprint also will likely choose LTE now that it has essentially spun off its WiMAX business to Clearwire. Sprint does own 51% of Clearwire but it still needs a 4G path for its CDMA business. T-Mobile has yet to deploy 3G nationally so it probably won’t focus on LTE for some time. Ultimately, AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless are racing to be the first American operator to deploy LTE.

Huawei, which recently closed $200 million of CDMA business with Cricket Communications, can be compared to Ericsson in 1985. The Chinese company is taking on the large incumbent WIPs. One difference this time around is the incumbent WIPs are quite aware of the threat. They recognize Huawei’s ability to offer very attractive deals. Huawei is hungry for business and appears to have quality products. One thing is certain; Huawei is eager to earn market share in America primarily though aggressive pricing.

Ericsson may be in the best position to hold off Huawei because of its growing services business. Several years ago, Ericsson leadership recognized that wireless equipment margins would shrink dramatically and made a strategic decision to nurture and grow its services business. Today, services account for more than 20% of Ericsson’s revenue.

The author on his serial number 6 brick phone.

Huawei has to rely on outsourcing for much of its services work. Nevertheless, Huawei is likely to earn LTE business with AT&T and/or Verizon Wireless. Furthermore, Huawei’s ability to offer low pricing will enable AT&T and/or Verizon Wireless to deploy LTE sooner rather than later. As in the past, there will be spectrum challenges and mobile device issues, but they will be solved.

History has proven time and time again that the wireless industry tends to understate demand. Case in point: in 1980, AT&T forecast that the total U.S. wireless subscriber market was 1 million. Today, there are more than 264 million subscribers.

Wireless subscribers are rapidly adopting data services, and thereby are triggering a capacity challenge that is driving the need for 4G. Huawei will force the incumbent WIPs to lower their prices to capture market share. Operators will enjoy lower cost per bit for their networks. Wireless subscribers will enjoy even higher data rates.

Make no mistake, Huawei is disrupting business as usual for the incumbent WIPs and there’s a new horse in the race for LTE business in the good ole’ USA.

Radousky is president of Wireless Industry Systems Expertise (WISE), LLC, which provides “Keep it Simple” technical expertise to the wireless industry and financial institutions. He can be reached at 404-520-8206 or keith@wise-llc.com.

Privacy fears over Google tracker

2009-02-06T17:20:00.002+07:00

Google has announced a new feature that allows users to share their locations among a chosen network of friends.

The "opt-in" Latitude service uses data from mobile phone masts, GPS, or wi-fi hardware to update a user's location automatically.

Users can also manually set their advertised location anywhere they like, or turn the broadcast off altogether.

The service has raised a number of security concerns, as many users may not be aware that it is enabled.

Latitude is based on Google's My Location feature that has been in place since last year.

The new interface and social networking element makes Latitude similar to a number of websites such as Loopt and Brightkite that make use of the location data of a network of friends.

Users can set the service to update automatically using the best location data it can obtain from the phone's hardware, set the location to display at city level only, or to not send any location data at all.

Locations are shared only between people who mutually agree to share them, and users can also see their Latitude friends' locations on a computer.

Privacy concerns

Read Darren Waters's blog on Latitude

Google says it has built the service from the ground up with security and privacy issues in mind, and that the service only stores the last known location of a given user.

However, privacy watchdog Privacy International argues that there are opportunities for abuse of the system for those who may not know that their phone is broadcasting its location.

Privacy International director Simon Davies gives the example of employers who might give phones to employees with Latitude enabled.

"With Latitude, Google has taken steps toward privacy that it has hitherto not taken," Mr Davies told BBC News.

"The problem is that they launched the services without allowing all phones to be notified."

Google admits that the notification service is currently only available for BlackBerry users.

"We have implemented a feature on the BlackBerry version of the software to display several notifications (i.e. pop-up messages) to a device which informs the user that his or her phone's location is being shared," said a Google spokesperson.

"We hope to extend this to other versions of the software soon," the spokesperson added, noting that all platforms should be supported within a week's time.

For Mr Davies, the issue is principally a philosophical one about the nature of privacy.

"I have absolutely no doubt, as a tech-lover, about the utility of this as extremely beneficial," he said.

"But it will be destroyed by privacy if the companies don't get it right."
----

From BBC

Firms back data protection pledge

2009-01-31T13:24:00.000+07:00

Many firms and government bodies have admitted to losing personal data

Firms are being encouraged to back a pledge to safeguard the data they hold about citizens and customers.

Drafted by the Information Commissioner, the Personal Information Promise tries to improve respect for the data companies have gathered.

Firms and organisations who use data that people surrender do not always take enough care with it, said Richard Thomas, Information Commissioner.

"Protecting people's personal details should not be left to chance," he said.

"Organisations are waking up to the fact that privacy is now so significant that lapses risk reputations and bottom lines."

Safe store

2008 saw a series of data breaches and losses that left the personal details of millions of people at risk from ID thieves.

By signing up to the promise firms say they will go beyond the strictures laid down by law which govern what they can do with the personal data they hold on their customers or clients.

Data protection laws say organisations should hold the minimum possible amount of data about people and ensure that what they do hold is accurate and up to date.

"They have to make sure that safeguarding the personal information of the customers and staff is embedded in their organisational culture," said Mr Thomas in a statement.

Those backing the promise will be exhorted to consider privacy risks when they start work on new information systems that draw on databases of personal data.

They must also put in place safeguards to ensure data is securely stored and does not fall into the hands of ID thieves.

"It would be really good to see signatories agree to having spot checks made by the ICO," said Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group. "That's what happens other European countries, where their data protection watchdogs have real teeth.

"Given recent government data leaks, it would give us all a lot more confidence if the ICO could walk in and check that our personal information is being kept safely," he said.

On the day the promise was launched 20 organisations pledged to back it. Those signing up included BT, Vodafone, Royal Mail, British Gas, Experian, Equifax, AstraZeneca and T-Mobile.
---
From BBC news

What's with Google's new mini icon?

2009-01-21T07:48:00.000+07:00

What's the most recognised logo in the world? It would probably be Google's if only they could stick to one. Yet as the world's most popular search engine tries out a new favicon, Craig Smith says the old branding rulebook is being rewritten.

It's not the size that matters, it's how often you use it. So the thinking goes at Google, which has just revealed the design of its latest favicon - the tiny logo that shows any web user, on any web browser, anywhere in the world, precisely whose internet "real estate" they are currently residing upon.

An example of a favicon can be seen at the top of this page (so long as you are using an up-to-date enough web browser). Just in front of the URL http://news.bbc.co.uk/... there is a small BBC logo. That 16x16 pixel square is the size of the favicon in question, if not the scope.

Google's changing masthead 1998 (top) and now

Now consider that, at the website owner's discretion, the logo appears on every single one of its pages that the world's web population loads. For Google that amounts to upward of 1, 200 million individual searches. Every day.

Add to that its Google News, Google Images, mobile search and multitude of other online services. Suddenly the favicon takes on an importance that belies its fingernail-sized dimensions, and the motivation for Google to roll out its third design in less than a year, as it attempts to get its favicon right, becomes clear.

Google's journey to this latest multi-coloured graphic identity charts a course through some of the unique challenges of favicon design, and through those of logo design in general. The world's leading search engine, whose very name has been adopted as the generic term for finding pages on the web, has achieved web domination without ever having had an actual logo.

Magic Eye style

Think of Google visually and you will probably picture the letters that make up the word Google, picked out in bright primary colours. In the designer's lexicon, rather than being a logo, Google has a logotype - albeit a very successful one around which it is famed for creating ever-changing topical "doodle" themes.

DESIGN A FAVICON

What makes a good favicon? Here, BBC designer Mick Ruddy suggests four key points

1. Keep it simple - use basic shapes

2. Use a limited colour palette

3. Avoid fine detail or lots of gradients

4. Keep it sharp - keep an eye on blurring

Design a favicon for us

What Google has so far lacked is the sort of universally recognised icon that identifies a Mercedes-Benz car at distance or, in technology terms, the Apple computer or Yahoo web page - all logos that these brands use as their own favicon, not least because they fit the diminutive dimensions. The word Google, by contrast, would not reduce and still be legible.

Cue the new Google favicon - a rainbow of differently shaped blocks. A bit like one of those "hidden" Magic Eye pictures popular in the 1990s, not everyone will immediately see that the Google favicon blocks interlock to form a "g" shape.

That hardly matters. The design makes best use of favicon limitations and is a marked evolution of Google's previous iterations - a small blue "g" on a white background since June of last year, and a capital "G" before that.

While the old branding rulebook would discourage such regular, radical overhauls, reeking as it does of indecisiveness and inconsistency, in the digital world such rules are temporary, at best.

Steve Plimsoll, of brand consultancy FutureBrand, says the traditional rules on corporate identity are starting to look a little tired.

Mighty morphin logos

"Logos are set to become fluid, ever-changing, customisable, even personalised entities and Google is the first global brand that understands this," says Mr Plimsoll, who is head of digital.

"We are going to have to get used to the idea of our brands changing frequently, and when we do, every three months will seem like the dark ages."

Remind you of anything?

If you don't like the new look, then, you can wait or, more proactively, send the company your own design. When Google unveiled the small 'g' last year, the company's head of search products & user experience, Marissa Mayer, hinted at a transitory solution, saying "by no means is the one you're seeing our favicon final; it was a first step to a more unified set of icons" and inviting users to contribute ideas.

The new favicon is based on a design sent in by André Resende, a computer science undergraduate student at the University of Campinas in Brazil.

It may sound indecisive, even amateurish, but the fast-changing nature of Google's digital world dictates it. While the billions of pages of Google's branded "real estate" is the headline figure, its real focus is to keep pace with users' mobile phones, computer task bars and web bookmarks in such a way as to keep directing them effortlessly back to Google - using the favicon as their guide.

For the world's biggest search engine, the world's smallest signpost is one of its most valuable assets.

Craig Smith is a marketing author and editorial director at publishing agency Velo

You've read about Google's new favicon - now design one yourself - either a personal favicon or one to represent the Magazine, and send it to us.

It's easy to do. You can either use one of the many online favicon generators such as favicon.cc, DynamicDrive, Favicon Generator and Galleryor Antifavicon, or just shrink an image down to 16x16 pixels.

Don't forget to think about what makes a good icon at such a small size - see Mick Ruddy's tips in the factbox near the top of this story

Once you've got your favicon - e-mail it to us at yourpics@bbc.co.uk with the subject line "favicon"

Include some personal details - your name, where you are from etc. And a brief sentence about your favicon. We'll publish some of them on this page later.

Some of your Magazine favicon designs, so far:

Tried to incorporate the BBC reddish news colour. It's supposed to show a "magazine" with the covers forming the letters N (for news!) and M (for...oh you can figure it out!). The background is transparent, so would show white on a browser bar.
Michael Fordyce, Sheffield

Keeping in line with the existing BBC favicon design this version will keep users content that they are looking at the same site. It also uses a simple design for easy recognition.
James Battersby, West Moslesey, Surrey

You said "keep it simple" so here's the standard BBC favicon with 'MAG' written underneath on the Magazine's masthead colour.
Karl Johnson, Thetford, Norfolk

I've opted for a colourful reworking of the BBC initials against a black background - vaguely inspired by the BBC test card.
Tom Kennedy

Tried to incorporate your masthead colours and used the same font as the BBC logo. I think it's rather fetching!
Carl Dersley, Ipswich

Grabbed the banner colours and replicated their structure from the page. Added an 'M'.
Steve, Woking

This uses the design of the site and the site's main colours (black, dark red, teal, white).
Leo, Milton Keynes

Although it chops off some of the BBC logo, it is much clearer I think, and has your corporate news colours. It also makes better use of the footprint. I use it to replace the BBC one in my Firefox browser.
Stephen Daniels, Edinburgh

Just a few minutes "doodling" after reading the article - does it fit the bill?
Gill Jennings, London

Quite simple but effective, I guess...
Guilherme Silva, Porto, Portugal

Wow, there's not much room to work with. I tried to incorporate a folded corner (to represent a magazine leaf), but it didn't work.
Steve, Birmingham

I used the page graphics and layout to design this simple icon, and added the BBC favicon to the black space.
Diane Bay, Wheaton, IL

Here is my take on a favicon for the Magazine section. It seemed pretty obvious to me as to what elements you have in your brand - white text on blue, rotated M in another blue - so used these to make something very simple but hopefully encapsulating all your branding.
Mark, Exeter

I wanted to show someone using their hands to open the BBC and see inside.
Steven, Coventry

Clock ticking on worm attack code

2009-01-21T07:45:00.000+07:00

The worm can also spread via USB flash drives.

Experts are warning that hackers have yet to activate the payload of the Conficker virus.

The worm is spreading through low security networks, memory sticks, and PCs without current security updates.

The malicious program - also known as Downadup or Kido - was first discovered in October 2008.

Although the spread of the worm appears to be levelling off, there are fears someone could easily take control of any and all of the 9.5m infected PCs.

Speaking to the BBC, F-Secure's chief research officer, Mikko Hypponen, said there was still a real risk to users.

"Total infections appear to be peaking. That said, a full count is hard, because we also don't know how many machines are being cleaned. But we estimate there are still more than 9m infected PCs world wide.

"It is scary thinking about how much control they [a hacker] could have over all these computers. They would have access to millions of machines with full administrator rights.

"But they haven't done that yet, maybe they're scared. That's good news. But there is also the scenario that someone else figures out how to activate this worm. That is a worrying prospect."

Experts say users should have up-to-date anti-virus software and install Microsoft's MS08-067 patch. The patch is known as KB958644.

Even having the Windows patch won't keep you safe

Graham Cluley
Sophos

Speaking to the BBC, Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant with anti-virus firm Sophos, said the outbreak was of a scale they had not seen for some time.

"Microsoft did a good job of updating people's home computers, but the virus continues to infect business who have ignored the patch update.

"A shortage of IT staff during the holiday break didn't help and rolling out a patch over a large number of computers isn't easy.

"What's more, if your users are using weak passwords - 12345, QWERTY, etc - then the virus can crack them in short order," he added.

"But as the virus can be spread with USB memory sticks, even having the Windows patch won't keep you safe. You need anti-virus software for that."

Method

According to Microsoft, the worm works by searching for a Windows executable file called "services.exe" and then becomes part of that code.

It then copies itself into the Windows system folder as a random file of a type known as a "dll". It gives itself a 5-8 character name, such as piftoc.dll, and then modifies the Registry, which lists key Windows settings, to run the infected dll file as a service.

Once the worm is up and running, it creates an HTTP server, resets a machine's System Restore point (making it far harder to recover the infected system) and then downloads files from the hacker's web site.

Most malware uses one of a handful of sites to download files from, making them fairly easy to locate, target, and shut down.

But Conficker does things differently.

Right now, we're seeing hundreds of thousands of [infected] unique IP addresses

Toni Koivunen, F-Secure

Anti-virus firm F-Secure says that the worm uses a complicated algorithm to generate hundreds of different domain names every day, such as mphtfrxs.net, imctaef.cc, and hcweu.org. Only one of these will actually be the site used to download the hackers' files. On the face of it, tracing this one site is almost impossible.

Variant

Speaking to the BBC, Kaspersky Lab's security analyst Eddy Willems said that a new strain of the worm was complicating matters.

"There was a new variant released less than two weeks ago and that's the one causing most of the problems," said Mr Willems

"The replication methods are quite good. It's using multiple mechanisms, including USB sticks, so if someone got an infection from one company and then takes his USB stick to another firm, it could infect that network too. It also downloads lots of content and creating new variants though this mechanism.

"Of course, the real problem is that people haven't patched their software," he added.

Microsoft says that the malware has infected computers in many different parts of the world, with machines in China, Brazil, Russia, and India having the highest number of victims.

Predictions 2009

2009-01-08T01:18:00.001+07:00

Like every year "John Battell's Predictions." Let's Read...

In each of the past five years I've written a predictions post - usually at year's end or by the first of January. This one is late, and I'll admit it's because I found it hard to write. The world is showing itself to be predictable in only one way: bad news begets bad news. I've spent a lot of the past two weeks, where I was ostensibly "not working," thinking about what this year will bring. And I'm not much further from where I started: this is going to be a very difficult year, for a lot of people. But I do have a fair amount of hope. I think times like this force all of us to make honest choices about what we do with our energy, our resources, and our lives. And in the end, that brings long term health to markets.

Last year I wrote my predictions as something of a narrative, and when I looked back to check how I did, I found it somewhat difficult to mark the scorecard. So this year, I'm going to try to be focused, brief, and calculable. Keep me honest, will you?

1. Macro economy: We'll see an end to the recession, taken literally, by Q4 09. In other words, the economy will begin to grow again by the end of the year, but it won't feel like we're out of the woods till next year at the earliest. That's because Q4 08 was so damn bad, Q4 09, rife as it will be with government stimulus, will look much better. But until we have another year or two to really find our footing, it's going to feel like we're treading water.

2. The online media space will be hit hard by the economic downturn in the first half, but by year's end, will have chalked up moderate gains over last year in terms of gross spend. I think it's possible that Q1 09 will be lower than Q1 08, marking the first time that has happened since 01, if I recall correctly. This will cause all sorts of consternation and hand wringing, but in the end, it won't matter. The web is where people are spending their time, the web will be where marketers spend their money.

3. Google will see search share decline significantly for the first time ever. It will also struggle to find an answer to the question of how it diversifies its revenue in 2009. Search is the ultimate harvester of demand, and Google has become search's Archer Daniels Midland - wherever a seed of demand might pop its head through the web's soil, Google is there to harvest it. The media business is more than a demand fulfillment business, and Google must learn to create demand if it's going to diversify. That means playing the brand game - a game that has long been owned by what we call "traditional media companies." With these companies in a paralyzing economic death spiral (and their new media brethren, Microsoft, AOL, and Yahoo, in continued strategic sclerosis), Google has a unique opportunity to become a new kind of branded media company. It will fail to do so, mainly for cultural reasons.

4. Despite #3 above, Google stock will soar in by Q3-4 of 2009, mainly because demand will pick up, and when demand picks up, it's like rain on a field of newly sown wheat. This after the stock tanks when the first half of #3, above, becomes apparent.

5. Tied to #3 above, Microsoft will gain at least five points of search share in 2009, perhaps as much as 10. This is a rather radical prediction, I know, but hear me out. I think Redmond is tired of losing in this game, and after trying nearly every trick in the book, Microsoft will start to spend real money to grow share (IE, buying distribution), while at the same time listening to the advice of thoughtful folks who want to help the company improve the product. However, search share is half the game, as we know. The second half is monetization, and Microsoft will continue to struggle here, unless it manages to buy Yahoo's search business. Which it won't, because....

6. Yahoo and AOL will merge.

7. However, in the second half of the year, Microsoft will buy its search monetization from the combined company.

8. Apple will see a significant reversal of recent fortunes. I sense this will happen for a number of reasons (yeah yeah), but I think the main one will be brand related - a brand based on being cooler than the other guy simply does not scale past a certain point. I sense Apple has hit that point.

9. Major brands will continue to struggle with the best way to interact with "social media." They will take budget reserved for media spending (IE buying banners and building out branding campaigns) and start to become publishers in their own right. This is not a new tactic (many marketers, in particular technology companies, have published magazines, for example, and many consumer brands create or co-create television series), but given the plastic and social nature of online media, many marketers will see these efforts fail, in particular when the efforts are executed in partnership with major media companies. The reason has to do with putting the cart before the horse: in order to truly succeed in conversational media, the company must itself be fluent in that conversation. A partner with tons of traffic, but who is not fluent, will not be the "translator" major brands need.

10. Agencies will increasingly see their role as that of publishers. Publishers will increasingly see their role as that of agencies. Both can win at this, but only by understanding how to truly add value to real communities - not flash crowds driven by one time events. I don't see a conflict here, long term. As opposed to simply being creators of media, media companies have realized (or will soon) that their job is to create platforms for communities to make media. Publishers are agents for communities, agencies are agents for brands. They need each other. It takes both agents to get good media made.

11. Twitter will continue its meteoric rise. This is a very hard prediction to make, because so much depends on the company's ability to execute two crucial - and exceedingly difficult - new features: The integration of search into the service, and the monetization of that integration. I think Twitter's management team (and its backers) will want to keep the service independent through 2009, both because prices are down but also because I think they want to prove something (this will not keep nearly every major web media company from trying to buy Twitter). The company has a tiger by the tail, and two really defensible assets: a passionate, committed, and growing community, on the one hand, and a valuable, growing, and meaningful database of realtime conversations on the other. Note I did *not* say they have algorithms. That will come. But the key is the community and the conversation that community is having. By the middle of 2009, the integration of Twitter's community and content will become commonplace in well-executed marketing on third party sites.

12. Facebook will do something entirely shocking and unpredictable. I am not certain what, but it won't have a "status quo" year. It might be a merger with a traditional media company, a major alliance with Google, hiring a head scratcher as CEO, or something else at that level of "WTF!?" As I think about it, it might be as simple as making Facebook Connect truly open, and changing its policies to make it drop dead easy to get data out of the service. Also, Facebook will build a Twitter competitor, but it will never leave beta and will ultimately be abandoned as not worth the time. Instead, Facebook will "friend" Twitter and the two companies will become strong partners.

13. Lucky #13 is reserved for my eternal mobile prediction: 2009 will see the year mobility becomes presumptive in every aspect of the web. By that I mean what I wrote back in 2007: "Mobile will finally be plugged into the web in a way that makes sense for the average user and a major mobile innovation - the kind that makes us all say - Jeez that was obvious - will occur. At the core of this innovation will be the concept of search"

14. Lastly, I promise, I will have sold my book and will be hard at work on it. And yes, still running FM too. I think I have a way to do both, given I wrote 15K words last year without even knowing it....

Happy New Year, Searchblog readers, and thanks for caring enough to read my musings. Here's to hard work, smart choices, and learning from our mistakes....

The Year in Social Media: 2008

2009-01-07T06:31:00.007+07:00

The Meat and Potatoes
By Chris Crum - Tue, 01/06/2009 - 6:20am.

In what will likely be my final year-end list of 2008, I have compiled one more taking a look at the year in social media. This follows my articles looking at the year in online video and the year in online music. Like with those, I dug through our archives and picked out a number of highlights from the social media industry. It was a huge year for social media and not every single story is covered here, but you should find most of the meat and potatoes.

January

Facebook joined the Data Portability Group along with along with Plaxo and Google. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg appeared on 60 Minutes, he found more investors, and Facebook's news feed would start treating apps differently.

MySpace got a little more Facebook-like with Friend updates and announced safety principles. Google was testing a new AdWords feature to target ads toward specific MySpace demographics.

Pownce left beta, Reddit was testing a personalized version of its service, and Automattic launched a way to create your own blog version of Twitter with Prologue.

February

Facebook partnered with the Wall Street Journal on "SeenThis?" and also made its account deletion process fully functional. MySpace opened the doors on its developer platform and began to talk about launching a free music service, which wouldn't come to fruition until much later in the year.

Google and Twitter teamed up for the U.S. Presidential Primaries, while PR Newswire and CSSRWire teamed up on a social network. Pakistan ended its YouTube ban, and LinkedIn launched a new homepage and features.

March

Facebook added some new privacy tools and began courting major record labels. LinkedIn launched company profiles, and Yahoo was welcomed into OpenSocial.

AOL bought Bebo, GyPSii brought a social networking service to the iPhone, Healia entered the Healthcare community mix, and YouTube Insight was launched as a way to track video analytics.

April

Facebook and Careerbuilder collaborated on ads, and Facebook launched its chat feature and faced a trademark challenge from USPTO. YouTube rolled out some new policy changes, and Project Playlist was sued by nine different record labels while we heard more rumblings about MySpace Music.

May

MySpace launched a data portability effort, and Facebook agreed to a child safety plan. Facebook also borrowed $100 million for growth purposes.

The Twitter Blacklist emerged, and Google began previewing Friend Connect. Reddit launched video show YourWeek and StumbleUpon made some video deals of its own. YouTube became the focus of some negative attention from Viacom again, but they also rolled out some new features.

We also learned about YouTomb, the place that tracks videos that have been pulled from YouTube. Meanwhile, the MySpace Suicide Mom was indicted.

June

WebProNews launched Twellow, a yellow pages-type directory for finding Twitterers with common interests, a service that would continue to be expanded upon throughout the year.

Facebook began letting users rate ads, partnered with Visa on a Business Network, opened mini-feed comments, and started requesting gender information. LinkedIn received $53 million in funding, and Google started testing a social iGoogle.

July

Facebook launched a redesign, and hooked up Facebook Connect with some sites. They also formed a search and ad deal with Microsoft, while Oodle formed a classifieds deal with MySpace, and LinkedIn formed a deal with NYTimes.com over targeted articles and ads.

YouTube became available on TiVo and CNN took Twitter mainstream. Google launched Lively virtual rooms and Qik kicked off its public beta. Hugley popular app Scrabulous was removed from Facebook.

A bill came up that would deny kids access to social networks in libraries, while the SEC opened up to social media.

August

ConnectU was told to obey a Facebook settlement, while Facebook altered its app measurement system, and blocked a woman named Yoda from its site. Talk of a Facebook movie began to circulate with a West Wing writer rumored to be involved.

Friendster got a new CEO and $20 million in funding. Dell experimented with a press conference through Twitter. Katie Couric turned to the Digg crowd, and Disney looked to score with social media.

Yahoo closed down its social network Mash before many ever even knew what it was. Amazon started getting more social, and Twitter addressed the need to crack down on spam. Meanwhile, AMC got upset at people Tweeting under the names of characters from their show Madmen.

September

MySpace launched MySpace Music and MyDebates.org, and announced its display advertising platform MyAds. They also started allowing users to record video directly from MySpace. Facebook was found to be using Beacon again, and decided that it didn't want people making new friends on the site.

Amazon launched its own social music site, and more Twitter services emerged. Bebo partnered with ESPN and in a separate story began altering user profiles.

Digg expanded internationally, MTV purchased a social project, and IBM got more social than ever. A Mac social network came to the iPhone, and it was found that Americans favor businesses with a social media presence.

October

Yahoo decided to try social media from a different angle and AOL launched its own social homepage. LinkedIn launched its applications platform and began a market survey business.

Facebook found an international home and got friendly with Friendster, while YouTube launched an ecommerce platform and an audio preview to fight comment idiocy. Digg dropped Digg Podcasts and Digg Spy, photobucket added a couple features, and Twitter dropped instant messaging.

Microsoft began to play with social search personalization, CBS introduced social viewing rooms, and MySpace redefined Karaoke amusement by adding video. GoDaddy got smart and social and Ning got in on OpenSocial.

November

We launched Twellow Pulse, a feature for Twellow that looks at the buzz in any given category. Shortly after that, we launched Twellow maps.

MySpace found a leader for MySpace Music, Facebook showed off its flexibility, and a Facebook phone surfaced. MySpace partnered with MTV, and YouTube made a deal with MGM. MySpace also launched a new profile editor as well as a PrimeTime application. Facebook revised its alcohol app policy.

LinkedIn improved its search engine, expanded into more languages, and integrated address books into profiles. Windows Live made a big social leap. Google of course launched SearchWIki.

December

This month saw the public launches of both Facebook Connect and Google Friend Connect, not to mention MySpace's Open platform. Facebook added the ability to embed and upload high quality videos, Delicious went mobile, and FriendFeed expanded into more languages.

We launched TwellowHood in the U.S. and Canada, allowing users to find Twitterers in their own cities. We also made it easier to refine your Twellow searches.

Bebo opened Social Inbox, Six Apart launched Motion, and Facebook rolled out a navigation bar for use while viewing third-party sites. Talk of a Facebook movie has resurfaced, as well as that of a book.

That just about brings us up to speed in the world of social media. As always, please feel free to add more in the comments. If you feel like there was something I didn't mention but should have, please indulge the rest of us.

Timeline: Space flight

2008-12-26T10:18:00.001+07:00

THE 1950s

4 October 1957 - Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite, is launched by the USSR. The launch stuns the world. To many Americans, the launch represents a Soviet capability to launch ballistic missile strikes against targets in the US.

In pictures: The early years

3 November 1957 - Sputnik 2 is launched by the USSR, carrying a dog, Laika, on board. The former stray, caught on the streets of Moscow, dies from overheating and panic a few hours into the mission.

6 December 1957 - America's first attempt to launch a satellite ends in humiliation when the Navy-built rocket explodes on the launch pad. The bid was dubbed "kaputnik" in the press.

31 January 1958 - Explorer 1, a satellite built by Wernher von Braun's competing team at the US Army's Redstone Arsenal, blasts into space. It discovers the Van Allen radiation belts above Earth.

28 May 1959 - the US sends a pair of monkeys, Able and Baker, into space on a Jupiter missile. They are the first living creatures to successfully return from a trip to space. Although Able died in June 1959, Baker survived until 1984.

THE 1960s

24 October 1960 - An R-16 rocket explodes on the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, as it is being prepared for a test flight. The disaster claims more than 100 lives.

Former test pilot John Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth

12 April 1961 - The USSR sends the first man into space. Yuri Gagarin blasts off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, in a Vostok spacecraft. He makes a single orbit of Earth in 108 minutes. After re-entry, Gagarin ejects from his capsule and parachutes down safely in Russia's Saratov region.

5 May 1961 - Alan Shepard follows Gagarin to become the first American in space. He completes a sub-orbital flight in his spacecraft Freedom 7. "Why don't you light the damned candle, 'cause I'm ready to go," an exasperated Shepard tells mission control as he waits on the launch pad.

25 May 1961 - President John F Kennedy calls for millions of dollars to fund a space programme to get the first man on the Moon by 1970.

20 February 1962 - John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth. Glenn travelled more than 130,000km (81,000 miles) in his Friendship 7 capsule, circling the globe three times.

16 June 1963 - The Soviet Union launches the first woman into space. Valentina Tereshkova, a former textile worker, circled the Earth 49 times during three days in space. She was reportedly injured during the landing and needed heavy make-up during subsequent public appearances.

The Saturn V remains the most powerful launch vehicle in history

18 March 1965 - Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov carries out the first ever spacewalk from the two-man Voskhod spacecraft. The mission almost ends in disaster when Leonov's suit inflates in space. The cosmonaut has to bleed air from the suit to get back in the airlock.

27 January 1967 - Fire sweeps through the Apollo command module during a test on the launch pad, killing astronauts Virgil Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.

24 April 1967 - Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies when the parachute on his Soyuz 1 spacecraft fails to deploy properly. The capsule crashes into the ground near Orenburg, Russia. He is the first person to die on a space mission.

20 July 1969 - The Apollo 11 crew makes the first human landing on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin spend two hours on the lunar surface setting up observation equipment and collecting rock samples.

31 July 1969 - An unmanned US spacecraft, Mariner 6, makes a close fly-by of Mars. It approaches at a distance of 3,431km (2,132 miles) from the surface.

THE 1970s

13 April 1970 - Apollo 13 is crippled by an explosion caused by a fault in the oxygen tank. "Houston, we've had a problem here," mission commander Jim Lovell informs controllers. With guidance from the ground, the three-man crew later overcome the odds and make it back to Earth alive.

In pictures: Moon missions

15 December 1970 - After several failed attempts by the US and the USSR, the Soviet Venera 7 spacecraft makes the first soft landing on Venus. It sends back a temperature reading of 470C at the surface. Until the middle of the 20th Century, conditions on Venus were thought to be Earth-like.

19 April 1971 - Russia launches Salyut, the first space station. The first crew to dock with the orbiting outpost later die during re-entry when the air leaks out of their Soyuz capsule.

14 May 1973 - Skylab, a space station converted from the upper stage of a Saturn V rocket, is launched by Nasa.

Viking 2 photographed Mars' salmon sky in 1976

3 December 1973 - Nasa's Pioneer 10 probe becomes the first space vehicle to fly past Jupiter.

17 July 1975 - The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project becomes the first international space flight when US astronaut Thomas Stafford greets Alexei Leonov in the hatchway of their docked spacecraft.

20 July 1976 - The first of two Viking probes touches down on the surface of Mars. Controversy still surrounds one of the results from an experiment designed to detect life.

20 August 1977 - America launches its unmanned probe Voyager 2 on a mission of exploration to four planets and their moons.

THE 1980s

12 April 1981 - The US space shuttle Columbia lifts off on its maiden voyage. The shuttle is the world's first reusable manned spacecraft.

In pictures: The space shuttle

18 June 1984 - Sally Ride becomes the first US woman in space, flying aboard space shuttle Challenger.

24 January 1986 - The US Voyager 2 spacecraft becomes the first spacecraft to make a close approach to Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun.

28 January 1986 - Nasa's Challenger space shuttle explodes, killing all seven astronauts on board. The cause of the disaster is traced to a faulty rocket booster seal.

10 embarrassing moments in tech

2008-12-26T06:22:00.000+07:00

The people and products that made us cringe

Technology is sometimes a complex concept, such that it can lead to some embarrassing moments.

Whether it's an infamous presentation that went awry, a product that shipped long before it should, or just a goofy marketing gaffe, these low points in tech serve as a good reminder: make sure your stuff works.

1. Hot Coffee
Grand Theft Auto is not exactly a delightful kid-rated platform jumper. It's more like a violent shooter made for bored teenagers. Yet, when Take Two Interactive developers snuck in a secret sex mode -- called Hot Coffee - they caught the ire of the ESRB and had to do a major recall and re-branding.

2. Osborne 1 laptop
Here's a lesson for the marketing folks: when you release the first laptop ever made, don't immediately announce that you have the successor in the works. The Osborne 1 was killed by marketing, and ever since Apple has had a strict policy never to eat their own offspring for lunch.

3. Windows Vista
This might be first time an entire operating system has been listed as an embarrassing moment, but Vista qualifies - not for the fact that sales have been disappointing, because when you include an OS on a computer by default it is bound to be a big seller. But consumer perceptions are ultra-low. So low, in fact, that Microsoft faked people into thinking their new OS was not Vista to get them to like it.

4. Bill Gates at CES 2005
The golden boy of tech is not always on his game. At CES 2005, Bill Gates had trouble getting the remote to work with Windows Media Center. (Remember that technology? it is now more like an Easter egg that people find in Windows Vista Ultimate - and a far cry from a simple DVR.) What makes this gaffe memorable is that "co-host" Conan O'Brien kept making fun of him.

5. Monkey Boy dance
We're not just picking on Microsoft - okay, maybe we are. In 2001, Steve Ballmer did his famous monkey dance at an employee event. Since then, the media has alluded to his emotive behaviour and journalists like Fake Steve Jobs (who is now Real Dan Lyons) have called him Monkey Boy. Too bad because - in some ways - Ballmer was just trying to get people fired up.

6. EMC career day gaffe
Last year, EMC held a career day on Second Life. Polly Pearson, a vice president, participated - virtually - in the event, where EMC handed out trinkets and held mock interviews. Here's Pearson's own description of what happened next: "When it came time for my mock interview, I sat down behind a virtual desk and noticed that I was still wearing a hardhat with a miner-like light beam shining directly in the face of my interviewer. I thought, 'My goodness, you can't wear a hat during an interview,' so I right clicked on a menu that would allow me to remove my hat. My hat was removed all right. So were all my clothes! I sat there like a naked mannequin with my team circled around laughing."

7. BlackBerry Storm
Maybe it's too early, what with Verizon still hyping the BlackBerry Storm in commercials during American football matches in the US, but the Storm is a dud. A powerful device that supports music and video, has a 3 megapixel camera, and runs fast on Qualcomm 528 Mhz processor - but a BlackBerry is all about typing, and doing so on the Storm's clickable screen is woefully difficult. Critics have soundly panned the device, and we officially recommend that you try before buying.

8. Gizmodo banned from CES
Gizmodo thought it would be funny to roam around CES 2008 and randomly power down HDTVs, using something called a TV-B-Gone. Oh, those pranksters! Apparently, a staffer has been banned from future events, and quite a few readers posted harsh criticisms. Sometimes, pranks backfire on you.

9. Anything Jerry Yang does
The current but soon former CEO of Yahoo! has had his share of gaffes over the years, including a recent letter to employees explaining how some of them would be fired. You'd think a tech company would know that anything you transmit electronically can be re-transmitted widely on the web. Under Yang's leadership, the company stalled a Microsoft buy-out and sunk its stock price. Ouch.

10. Green computing Initiatives
Here's one that might gets us all riled up. "Green computing" is more of a concept than a reality for most companies. Google has led the charge by offering a handful of hybrids that employees can rent and installing solar panels on its roof. But many of the major initiatives in green computing are meant to bolster sales and raise your environmental cred, but often languish as a lame iconic gesture rather than real change. Microsoft is one exception: it has been building LEED-certified data centers.

The 6 Technologies That Shaped 2008

2008-12-24T09:20:00.000+07:00

From high-definition streaming to tiny gadgets, 2008 saw technology continue its steady transformation toward the small, cheap and on-demand. Our resident gadget guru takes a look at the six developments that shaped 2008.

By Seth Porges

Published on: December 23, 2008

1. Netflix Rocks Internet Movie Streaming
A year ago, we would have guessed that Apple would become the dominant player in the nascent business of streaming Internet-delivered TV shows and movies to TV with its Apple TV. We would have been wrong. Over the past year, Netflix's "Watch It Now" feature evolved from a little-used part of its Web site to a killer app that is causing some people to cancel their cable. The secret to the success of Netflix's streaming movie service: widespread integration into TV-connected devices that are either inexpensive (such as the $100 Roku Netflix Player) or already in people's homes (such as the Xbox 360). Even better: The company is rapidly ramping up its high-definition and first-run offerings, including first-run TV shows just a day after they first air. Unlike Apple, which charges a few bucks for every TV show or movie, Netflix's streaming is completely free to Netflix subscribers. And unlike Hulu (another sleeper success this year), Netflix streaming is advertisement-free.

2. Pocket Gadgets, on the Cheap
Netbooks and pocket camcorders were, undoubtedly, the two biggest consumer electronics breakthroughs of the past year. But these distinct new categories were really results of the same winning formula for 2008: No-frills, portable, cheap electronics. Netbook manufacturers found they could bring prices down well below $400 by exorcising features such as optical drives, large screens and even the latest operating systems. Pocket camcorder makers, such as Pure Digital Technologies, the makers of the best-selling Flip, came to the same conclusion, taking out frills for a bare-bones HD camcorder with its tiny, $230 Flip HD Mino. Consumers were willing to sacrifice top-notch performance to have cheap, portable gadgets. With the recent economic downturn, we would bet the demand for these budget-priced gadgets will only skyrocket.

3. Mobile Applications
Hardware- and feature-wise, cellphones have hit a plateau. The battle of millimeters in a rush to be the thinnest phone is largely a thing of the past, and just about any hardware-based feature we want is now standard. That's why, these days, a smart phone is only as good as its applications. This is the new battleground for mobile technological supremacy, with stores such as the iPhone's App Store and the Android Market leading the charge, and new entries from Palm and (coming in March) Blackberry close behind. Just because a feature wasn't thought of in a boardroom doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. All it takes is a good idea and a standard development kit.

4. 3D Cinema
This past year's Journey to the Center of the Earth may not have been a big hit, but it was significant for a few reasons. First: It was the first "live action" (we use that term loosely for any Brendan Fraser movie) digital 3D movie. And second, even though 3D screens accounted for a small percentage of its showings, they accounted for the majority of Journey's revenue. In other words—where it was showing in 3D, people went to see it. Over the next year, 3D will continue its transition from novelty to Hollywood standard. Some of Hollywood's biggest names, such as Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron are either working on or have already made digital 3D films. The granddaddy of them all, James Cameron's Avatar (his first feature since the monster blockbuster Titanic) is slated for a3D release in late 2009. Just about every industry expert we've spoken to cites this release as the true tipping point for 3D saturation. Cameron has signaled that, at least initially, he wants to release the film only in 3D. So if theater owners want to cash in on what will likely be a huge hit, they're going to need to install more 3D screens.

5. Location-Based Services
Take open mobile-application development, add widespread proliferation of phone-based GPS, and you get the emergence of location-based programs. Programs based on the global positioning of a user spread like crazy this year, particularly for the iPhone, which has dozens of applications that allow users to find businesses that are near their present location. Urbanspoon's iPhone app, for example, connects users with nearby restaurants by using a randomized, roulette-style interface. Of course, the most interesting use of location-based programs is its marriage with social applications. Programs such as Loopt allow you to find friends who are nearby. Down the line, look for the emphasis to shift from finding existing friends who are nearby, to making new friends. Stranded at the airport? Soon you won't think twice about finding a like-minded individual who is also at O'Hare.

6. Microblogging
Twitter may be the most famous tool for microblogging (the abbreviated, one-or-two sentence cousin to regular blogging), but it's no longer the most important. That distinction now belongs to something that is rarely even thought of as a microblog: Facebook. Specifically, Facebook "status" updates. Millions of users update their "status" dozens of times a day, letting the world know how they are feeling, what they are doing and what they are looking to do be doing. And, thanks to Facebook's recent redesign, these updates are broadcast, front on center, to each and every one of a user's friends. Of course, microblogging has been around longer than the past year. What really sent it over the tipping point in the past 12 months was the meteoric rise of mobile applications. Now, users can update their Twitter or Facebook status in seconds, from anywhere and with ease. Instead of being the domain of desktop-bound bloggers, microblogs are now effectively quick broadcasts from the lunch line ("out of sushi again"), the stadium floor ("at AMAZING show!"), or the streets ("anybody around Avenue A wanna grab a drink?").

Happy Holidays!

"I'm Linux" Video Contest Will Probably Be a Forking Mess

2008-12-23T04:35:00.002+07:00

By Jack Loftus, 10:00 AM on Sun Dec 21 2008, 66,016 views

Move over Hodgman and that hipster kid who briefly dated Drew Barrymore, because there's a new advertising campaign in town that hopes to take Linux into the mainstream. With commercials.

It's true. The Linux Foundation saw those successful I'm a Mac commercials, and Jerry Seinfeld playing with Bill Gates, and they wanted in. So they're having a video contest that will try and showcase "just what Linux means to those who use it, and hopefully inspires many to try it."

That means you, the Linux user at home, will get to submit a video that rivals what Apple and Microsoft's multi-million dollar ad agencies have had years to hone and perfect with focus groups and trained, funny actors. But that's the beauty of the penguin, right? Grassroots development, supported by a passionate community of users, all topped off by a network of cranky forum dwellers who'll attack anything negative written about their OS within milliseconds of its publication.

The winner of the I'm Linux contest will receive a free (as in beer) trip to Tokyo to participate in the Linux Foundation Japan Linux Symposium in October 2009. The winning video will be screened at the Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit in San Francisco on April 8, 2009.

By following two steps behind, Palm is doomed

2008-12-21T04:19:00.000+07:00

Palm is suddenly making some impressive moves. Unfortunately for the handset maker’s shareholders, it’s making them about a year too late.The Silicon Valley-based manufacturer this week took the wraps off a striking new application storefront that already boasts 5,000 offerings — 10 times the number of apps offered by two-month-old Android Market, according to Medialets. And the company has garnered headlines with news that it will use CES next month to unveil Nova, a smartphone platform designed to bridge the BlackBerry/iPhone gap by “aiming for the fat middle” of the market, according to Palm CEO Ed Colligan via BusinessWeek, thereby combining mobile entertainment offerings with basic business functions.At first glance, at least, Palm’s goal seems modest: The firm wants to hold onto its 2.1% market share (according to Gartner) of the smartphone market by tapping the booming prosumer market.But the smartphone space has moved at a breakneck pace in the past year — both in terms of hardware and software — and Palm is two steps behind. It’s vying for traction against the iPhone (which now claims a 12.9% market share, according to Gartner) and Google’s G1, as well as more venerable platforms like Nokia’s Symbian and RIM’s BlackBerry. The problem is, each of those players is wooing consumers who use phones both for work and for fun. Even if Palm’s technology is jaw-dropping, it can’t touch Apple’s marketing acumen, Google’s name recognition or BlackBerry’s solid reputation — not to mention Symbian’s footprint. And, with only about six quarters of cash on hand, Palm is in no position to back Nova (and the hardware it will run on) with the marketing necessary to capture the attention of the public. Which means the only real hope may be selling devices to existing Palm users — a segment sure to shrink, percentage-wise, as the overall smartphone market grows.Just as importantly, Palm will have to fight viciously for the attention of developers. Yet another mobile OS will only further fragment the space, giving developers one more platform to build for. That will be exceedingly difficult when Google, RIM and others are offering tens of millions in developers contests and Sprint Nextel and other carriers are courting software engineers by opening development platforms.Palm was a leading innovator in the early days of mobile, of course, producing PDAs and smartphones that were substantially ahead of their time. Its new storefront is well thought-out and demonstrates some impressive support from the developer community — so far.But the company now is betting its future by following in the footsteps of the industry’s biggest players. For an underdog already hearing the ticking of the clock, that’s a strategy that appears doomed to fail.

The Day Web 2.0 Died

2008-12-19T06:22:00.000+07:00

by Josh Catone

For a lot of people, the term “Web 2.0,” ceased to mean anything real a long a time ago. For some, it never really meant anything to begin with. As someone who writes about the so-called second version of the web for a living, I think I’ve held onto the Web 2.0 term as long as I could. But today, “Web 2.0″ has officially jumped the shark for me. That doesn’t mean I’ll stop using it — as a blanket term to describe the industry that I write about it can be helpful — but I have to admit that it has now become somewhat of a parody.

Defining Web 2.0 has been something like a fun parlor game for a few years now. There’s a long history of people trying to come up with a unified definition of Web 2.0. But like the elusive theory of everything in physics, a single, agreed-upon definition of what Web 2.0 really means has been hard to come by.

Probably the most widely accepted definition is Tim O’Reilly’s compact definition: “Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as a platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.”

But even O’Reilly’s definition has changed and evolved to get to that point.

So what caused me to finally admit that Web 2.0 has jumped the shark? It was waking up today, and finding a link to this story at PC World, a very mainstream computer publication: Web 2.0 Tactics for Successful Job-Hunting.

Among the “Web 2.0 tactics” that PC World recommends: letters of recommendation, staying current with your skills, and networking. Isn’t that how people have been searching for jobs nearly forever? What the heck is “Web 2.0″ about that? The only item on the list that could be even mildly considered to have some sort of tie in with what we generally like to think of as Web 2.0 was “Upgrade your online image,” in which the authors recommend joining relevant online social communities like LinkedIn, and Twitter, blogging, and making sure your profiles at other social sites are clean of college party photos.

In other words: Web 2.0 is now a mainstream marketing term. In reality, Web 2.0 has always been a marketing term. O’Reilly’s company, which owns the trademark on the term, uses it to promote their hugely successful web-focused conference series, for example. But until today, I hadn’t actually seen it applied in a way that so blatantly targets a mainstream audience in an effort to make something rather dull appear more hip (I’m sure it’s happened before, this was just the first time I’ve seen it).

All that said, the confusion over Web 2.0 — whatever it means and however it is now being used — has been helpful.

Last April, I wrote that there really is no such thing as Web 2.0, or Web 3.0 for that matter, there is just the web. “Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 — they don’t really exist. They’re just arbitrary numbers assigned to something that doesn’t really have versions,” I said. “But the discussion that those terms have prompted have been helpful, I think, in figuring out where the web is going and how we’re going to get there; and that’s what is important.”

I think that’s still true, and as long as we continue to have that discussion and attempt to define these nebulous ideas, we’ll continue to get value from the discussion. I wrote in April that instead of telling people I write about Web 2.0, I’d tell them that I “write about the web, what you can do with it now, and what you’ll be able to do with it in the future.” I haven’t done a very good job in keeping with that promise, but I still like the idea.

(you can see the original at http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2008/12/17/the-day-web-20-died/)

Death Match: BlackBerry Storm VS Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

2008-12-17T20:34:00.000+07:00

Stormy smarties

Another test with the words ‘iPhone rivals’ in the first paragraph, but for now Apple’s groundbreaking handset is still the bar against which touchscreens like the Blackberry Storm and Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 will be compared too.

Arguably one of the best looking phones we’ve seen, the Storm’s is RIMs first touchscreen, boasting unique SurePress technology that replicates the feel of a solid keypad. Instead of building the features around the touchscreen capabilities, it’s still unmistakably Blackberry, with dedicated back and menu keys.

Using Windows Mobile 6, Sony Ericsson’s X1 is a more traditional smartphone, in the design vein of HTC, masquerading as a modern touchee, with a high-res screen you can jab and poke as hard as you please.

Stuffed with features and fired up with connectivity, is either phone worth your cash?

Death Match One: Ease of use

Blackberry Storm

Free on contracts over £35, 24 months

Great for Google Maps and You Tube, the highlight is the bright, colourful and detailed screen, which rotates automatically - most of the time. Feedback makes the touchscreen feel like a ‘proper keyboard.’ You have to use double-clicks so there’s no danger of hitting the wrong button, unless you’re using the tiny dual-key QWERTY keyboard that is.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

£670 sim free, or free on contract

Hit the X Panel button to access shortcut panels for key applications, such as web, music, photos and main menu. The touchscreen feels small and you’re messily swapping between the stylus and finger, a feat not helped by the sluggish Windows Mobile interface. The slide-out keyboard might not be sexy, but is for more accurate than the Storm.

Winner: BlackBerry Storm

Death Match Two: Features

Blackberry Storm

Ridiculously there’s no WiFi, which for a phone geared up for browsing, is ludicrous, what about using it abroad? You can install Facebook, Google Maps and You Tube apps and RIM’s app store launches in March 2009. As well as GPS, you get six months of Vodaphone’s Fine&Go navigation service.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Unlike the Storm you get WiFi, as well as HSPDA and 3G, although logging on proved temperamental at times. There’s a good 3.2MP camera and trial of Wayfinder Navigator service.

Winner: Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Death Match Three: Performance

Blackberry Storm

Browsing is speedy, although you’re at the mercy of Vodaphone’s signal. Push email is terrific, and you get a useful cut and paste facility. Battery life is comparable with the N96, iPhone and G1, so you’ll be charging every night.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Battery life impresses, lasting longer than the Storm. 3G browsing is fairly speedy, although we struggled to get onto the WiFi network, but this was due to Windows Mobile. The 3.5mm jack lets you hook up your own headphones, although you’re stuck with Windows Media rather than SE’s superior Walkman interface.

Winner: BlackBerry Storm

Death Match Four: Conclusion

Even though the Xperia X1 has an outstanding build, next to the Storm and iPhone, it’s creaky and dated. The Storm’s emailing is top notch, but the fiddly text input and criminal lack of WiFi let down. When it comes down to it, Sony Ericsson makes far better camera and music phones, whilst the RIM’s BlackBerry Storm is a fantastic smartphone even with the niggles.

(by Hannah Bouckley on 2008-12-16)

10 sneaky ways crapware gets onto your PC

2008-12-16T01:39:00.000+07:00

It's rubbish, and it's on your computer. But how did it get there?

Crapware. Those pieces of bloatware, spyware and other useless apps that clog up our hard drives and sell our search histories to third parties.

It's either sitting there as soon as you switch on a brand new PC or, if you've been lucky enough to get a computer that's free of it, it soon starts to make its way onto your hard drive via the net.

So how does this junk end up on our computers? Here's how...

1. Upselling
To some firms, "I want to update my video software" means "change my browser and my MP3 software, too." We're looking at you, Apple. And we're making a stern face.

2. Toolbars
Search engines pay cash for referrals, which is why their toolbars come bundled with completely unrelated applications.

3. Virus warnings
Depressing fact: pop-up ads that look like real anti-virus warnings wouldn't exist if they didn't work.

4. Cheapo PC firms
One dollar to put an icon on the desktop isn't much, but when you're selling ultra-cheap PCs a few such icons can keep you in business.

5. Very small print
Yes, the End User Licence Agreement does mention that you'll fill my PC with crap! On page four hundred and thirty two, section 339.1, subsection three, clause 3(b)!

6. Restore discs
To you or me, system restore means Windows. To some hardware firms, it means Windows plus all the crapware you've spent weeks getting rid of.

7. Ancient ISPs
Nobody uses dial-up Internet access any more, so ageing ISPs are getting desperate. That's why their icons appear on machines with internal Wi-Fi and 3G.

8. Duelling banjos
Some manufacturers seem to think that if they're going to annoy us, they might as well really annoy us. Why else would they install 32 different security suites and 400 CD burners on a single PC?

9. Printers
Beware the Easy Install, because it won't just install the driver. It'll also give you text recognition, a proprietary photo printing service and an app that puts bubbles, balloons and baboons in your family snaps.

10. Fake codecs
"To view Midgets In Lingerie you need the megaviddycodec. Click here!" Click! Argh!

To clean junk off new PCs TechRadar recommends The PC Decrapifier

(Try to) see the world's tiniest optical mouse!

2008-12-16T01:37:00.002+07:00

Lilliputians would think the new Z-Nano was massive though

Sometimes companies come out with products that are very useful and can benefit our lives in some way. Other times, like the Z-Nano Mouse release, it's just because they can make it.

This tiny, tiny mouse measures just 42x21x17.65mm, yet even has a scroll function, optical tracking and blinkin' blinking LED lights to boot.

Buttons switcheroo

Obviously the buttons aren't in the normal places, rather the left click is at the front, and the right one at the back, and a small rocker switch allows you to scroll up and down.

And for easy convenience, the USB connector even clips to the back of the mouse itself... and slots into a bizarre little net bag, or a clamshell case if you're more hardcore.

Check out the video of the (slightly pointless) device in action, and then think about just using the trackpad on the laptop... or even a normal mouse.

By Gareth Beavis

Commerce holding back 100Mb broadband in UK

2008-12-16T01:36:00.000+07:00

Virgin Media's tech guru explains limitations

Virgin Media's Director of Technical Strategy, Kevin Baughan, has told TechRadar that it is financial rather than technical limitations that are keeping the UK from getting even faster broadband speeds than the 50Mb service that the company has just launched.

Baughan, talking at the launch of Virgin's 50Mb service, insisted that 100Mb was entirely possible right away – but that until the desire for the service was in place and economies of scale had brought down prices it would not be arriving.

"Several factors come together," Baughan told TechRadar. "One of them is scale because we need to get the price points down to something that the consumer is going to enjoy… we could take a modem out there today but it would be far too expensive.

Applications

"The second is the applications; there is a little bit of a chicken and egg there, so obviously pushing the speed both worldwide and with us here will stimulate applications and make them arrive.

"It's both of those factors and then putting them together in a commercial sense. [The commercial side] has to be happy that there is a proposition they can go out and sell.

"Technology usually isn't the gating factor these days, is it? It's when do I get scale, who's got scale and can I get it out there at a price point that people will like?"

By Patrick Goss

10 movie releases that can save Blu-ray

2008-12-16T01:32:00.000+07:00

With DVD still dominating retailer's shelves, and digital downloads and upscaling players pinching some of the limelight, Blu-ray has had a pretty hard run of it of late. All is not lost for the format, however, it needs the right film release to get back on the straight and narrow.

With this in mind we've taken a look at upcoming releases and the films still to make it on to the format to compile TechRadar's list of movies that can, with a little luck, save Blu-ray from a fate worse than Laser Disc…

1. The Matrix

It was the film that gave the DVD format a much-needed shot in the arm when it was released back in '99 and Warner is hoping its forthcoming release will do the same with Blu-ray.

Picture-wise, the movie is 1080p, taken from a VC-1 codec and, thankfully, the whole trilogy is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Audio is Dolby TrueHD 5.1.

No matter what your quibbles are about the subsequent sequels, there's no getting around the fact that seeing bullet time in HD will be simply awesome. Couple this with the mountain of extras The Complete Matrix Trilogy has, including some HD-exclusive features, and this will be one unmissable Blu-ray release.

Release date: 24 November

2. The Godfather

The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration Collection has been out on Blu-ray for a while now, but its recent win at the High-Def Disc Awards, where it was given the prestigious title of 'Best Blu-ray of 2008' should hopefully make naysayers stand to attention.

The Godfather is not just an old re-release, either, the edition is the closest you will ever get to seeing the film as it looked in the cinema in 1972, in 1.78:1 aspect ratio with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound. If that isn't an offer you can't refuse, then we don't know what is.

Release date: out now

3. Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

Peter Jackson is the king of the home entertainment format. He embraced Laser Disc, giving his comedy horror flick The Frighteners an extensive release, and his King Kong and Lord Of The Rings trilogy are still the best and most comprehensive discs on DVD.

Lord Of The Rings on Blu-ray will undoubtedly be something special. While it will be hard to top the original Extended Editions, just seeing The Shires in HD will be something special. And, who knows, he might slip his recent short film 'Crossing The Line' in as an extra. Shot with the brilliant 4k RED camera, it's one of the best things around in HD.

Release date: TBA

4. The Dark Knight

The best film of this year by a country mile, The Dark Knight has been mooted by many – and now TechRadar – as the film to save Blu-ray. Number crunching analysts are predicting the movie will hit the magical million mark when it is released in December.

The film will suit Blu-ray perfectly, with Nolan promising some hi-def exclusive extras, and you will be able to see the ground-breaking IMAX shots in 16:9.

There's no doubt that The Dark Knight will be huge, and with a release date just before Christmas, it could well be the movie to finally make average consumers take the hi-def plunge.

Release date: 8 December

5. Wall-E

While putting a near-silent movie onto Blu-ray may not sound like the greatest idea, the bleeps, whizzes and coo-ing of Wall-E (voiced by Ben Burtt), Pixar's latest and cutest creation, will sound superb in HD when it's released at the end of the month.

Pixar movies have the added advantage of being loved by children and adults alike, and with the rest of the animation company's creations already superbly transferred to Blu-ray, Wall-E should be the icing on a very lucrative cake. And considering the CGI animation is among the best seen, it won't be difficult for the last robot on Earth to shine on Blu-ray.

Release date: 24 November

6. Sleeping Beauty

This may seem like an odd entry, but Disney finally deciding to embrace Blu-ray with open arms is a fantastic boon to the format. Every time a classic Disney movie was released it was an event, as The Mouse House only allows them to be on the shelves for a limited time (in the UK that is) until the next classic release comes along. This added a limited edition factor that no collector could refuse.

But Disney is holding a different Ace this time around – Profile 2.0. The company is going straight for every parents' Achilles' heel – their kids. With downloadable content including ringtones and games, Sleeping Beauty could well be the disc to show off Blu-ray's interactive capabilities.

Release date: out now

7. Watchmen

Even though Watchmen hasn't even hit the cinema's yet, the movie should still be on everyone's must-have Blu-ray list.

Not only will Zach Snyder's movie be a visual feast – if the trailer and Alan Moore's peerless graphic novel is anything to go by – but the Blu-ray will open up the Watchmen world even more. Rumoured to contain a whole new mini movie, based on 'The Black Freighter', the comic within the comic, it looks as if Snyder will be putting out a Blu-ray disc so good that even Alan Moore might watch it.

Release date: TBA

8. Apocalypse Now

The multiple releases of Apocalypse Now on DVD made a mockery of the film. Light on features, the movie suffered as a result of distributors not seeing eye to eye, so fantastic extras like Hearts Of Darkness weren't released with the main film.

Release the film on Blu-ray in one package, complete with theatrical version, the redux version and uber-documentary Hearts Of Darkness and you will have such a complete set that fans will find it irresistible.

Oh, and if the film is fully remastered and comes with ear-bleeding audio, then that would be an added bonus. We can only but dream.

9. Star Wars

Yes, you bought the remastered DVD release. You probably coughed up for the original version of the trilogy in disc form. And you may even have paid out for Episodes I-III. But even in these credit-crunching times the idea of The Star Wars Trilogy on Blu-ray is an enticing one.

There's been no word about Lucas' plans for Blu-ray, but as the Clone Wars BD is soon to be released on the format, it's definitely more 'when', rather than 'if'.

If you want to hear what a John Williams THX score would sound like on Blu-ray, then the latest Indiana Jones Blu-ray release has been given the THX seal of approval.

Release date: TBA

10. Alien

Ridley Scott's horror monster movie brought unimaginable terror to space, and paved the way for countless imitators.

Its release on DVD as part of the Alien Quadrilogy remains one of the best things on the format. Packed to the rafters with Making Of content, commentaries and even a director's cut, the collection was so good, it even made you forget just how bad Alien: Resurrection was.

Seeing HR Giger's monstrous creation in HD would be a treat for horror fans, though seeing John Hurt's chest explode in 1080p may be too much for some to stomach.

Release date: TBA

By Marc Chacksfield

The best high-def games and movies for Xmas

2008-12-16T01:29:00.000+07:00

TechRadar's pick of HD entertainment for the festive break

Christmas isn't what it used to be. A few years ago we'd have been satisfied with a fat slice of Christmas pud, some mint Matchmakers and an afternoon Bond movie.

But then we didn't know any better. We didn't have a high-def TV, a brand-spanking new Blu-ray player or an HD games console. Forget about watching Diamonds Are Forever (for the 25th time), just give us The Dark Knight on Blu-ray and then join us online for a game of Gears of War 2.

Here's TechRadar's guide to having a great HD Christmas...

The best of Blu-ray

Rather than watching the umpteenth re-run of Back to the Future, It's a Wonderful Life or something cheery from Pixar, why not abandon the scheduled programming for a top-notch movie on Blu-ray?

The Dark Knight tops the TechRadar Amazon wishlist this year, closely followed by WALL-E, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army and Iron Man. And, if you play fast and loose with the definition of 'top notch', you could add Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to the list. For the OTT action pieces, obviously.

The best HD games

Gamers are spoilt for choice this Christmas, with triple-A titles landing on all formats. Yes, it might be anti-social to spend several hours wandering through post-apocalyptic Washington DC pumping Feral Ghouls full of hot lead. But Fallout 3 looks stunning on a widescreen monitor, HD projector or high-def TV. As will this little lot:

If you're a PS3 owner, then your HD urges should be satisfied by the likes of Fallout 3, Bioshock and Resistance 2. The new Prince of Persia game is also getting some good press, while Little Big Planet has the capacity to amuse your house guests (once you've spent several days building a level that is). And if you really must 'play with the rest of family', SingStar: Abba will be an absolute riot.

Xbox 360 fans should look no further than the semi-nuked beauty of Gears of War 2, the ruined wasteland of Fallout 3 and the gloomy menace of zombie shoot-'em up Left 4 Dead. In contrast, Fable II can provide some much-needed fantasy prettiness, while HD visuals get pushed to the limit by every copy of Far Cry 2. Again, for multiplayer hilarity, take SingStar wannabe Lips for a spin, play quiz game Scene It or embarrass yourself with the webcam-equipped You're in the Movies.

PC devotees, meanwhile, can argue that they've been playing games in HD for years. This Christmas is no different and GTA IV, Fallout 3 and Far Cry 2 top the list of games that look luscious on a big screen. The oddball World of Goo is also worth a look and, should you give the gift of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King to a loved one, don't expect to see them again until January.

The best HD shows

If Christmas is about anything, it's about eating too much and then sitting around complaining about it. Some might also say that Christmas is about family and there's nothing more festive than watching an HD movie together. This year's high-def offerings are as follows:

If you're a Sky+ HD subscriber, then prepare to be wowed by HD versions of The Golden Compass and Transformers. Elsewhere, Ray Winstone will be shouting "I am Beowulf!", while a star-studded cast (including Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer) bring Neil Gaiman's Stardust to life. Sky's HD content is still the most comprehensive. Sky1, FX, Discovery, National Geographic, History and Channel 4 are also broadcasting in HD.

As far as free HD is concerned, the BBC released its high-def line-up in November. The BBC HD channel (available on Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat) will be showing Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Toy Story 2, The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe and Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm in glorious HD.

Other BBC HD highlights include: a new Wallace and Gromit feature, entitled A Matter Of Loaf And Death, an adaptation of The 39 Steps, Lark Rise to Candleford and a range of Xmas specials such as Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who at the Proms. Keep an eye on the BBC HD schedules for more info.

Freesat early adopters can also get exclusive access to ITV HD, which will be showing a number of big films in HD over the Christmas holidays – I.e. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and True Lies.

Phone and communications News- Lenovo trumps iPhone with Android device

2008-12-12T18:25:00.002+07:00

Sleek, shiny and running Google's service... we like

Lenovo, a company far more renowned for putting together decent computers than phones, has revealed an iPhone-busting handset, at least in the design stakes.

OK, it might be taking a few cues from the iPhone, but the fact that it also runs Google's Android OS is something that should definitely work in its favour as well.

We only have the single shot to go on, but first impressions hint at a handset that's dinkier than the iPhone but with a similar screen size.

OPhone

We would prefer it if the comparisons between the iPhone and this handset ended there, but the fact it's called the OPhone and is merely a prototype of a China-based Android device doesn't help matters.

Still, the gadget world is crying out for a beautiful handset that properly shows off Android (the G1 might be powerful, but looks like the Desperate Dan of the mobile world) and this could be that handset.

Best get that petition over to Lenovo to bring it to European shores quickly... or get the number of a good importer and a handbook for Mandarin.

By Gareth Beavis

10 things that Apple should make right now

2008-12-12T18:22:00.000+07:00

Gear and apps we want Apple to apply its magic touch to

Apple likes to think it's the oracle of technology; rays of light shining forth from its Cupertino offices, Steve Jobs with a halo around his head.

But oddly, while its products are angelic, its press office is more secretive than the USA's Homeland Security.

Apple has a strict policy, which it repeats ad infinitum: it won't discuss unreleased products. In the world of tech journalism, this presents a problem. So we've resorted to a tried and tested practice: we decided to make them up, starting with the most obvious and ending with the slightly less obvious...

1. Mac Touch
While Apple won't discuss unannounced products, it will steadfastly deny rumours. Jobs has said the company is not working on a touch computer, but he said something similar about the iPhone. A touch Mac would support gestures for every activity; painting in Photoshop, opening Finder windows, adding some flair to an iChat session with a finger swipe. Most of the research and coding has been done for the iPhone - which runs on a modified version of OS X - so this is not a stretch. Unlike quirky Tablet PCs that support touch - such as the Dell Latitude XT - a Mac Touch would actually work.

2. A-Book
Okay, it might be a dorky name, but Apple really needs to make a high-resolution e-book reader, similar to the Amazon Kindle, the CyBook Gen 3, and the Sony Reader. Gestures could mimic those on the iPhone: flick to turn a page, pinch to zoom in on a word and look it up in the dictionary, spread fingers to see the table of contents. To crush the competition, the A-Book would be in colour, yet support the same 120DPI quality of the grayscale electronic readers.

3. Its own version of Flash
Could we also see an Apple version of Flash? After all, why won't it allow Flash on the iPhone otherwise? Apple is both a hardware and software company, but its foray into Web 2.0 and the interactive web has been hit and miss (but mostly miss, if you have ever used MobileMe). Some would say iTunes is a powerful Web 2.0 application, but it's decidedly desktop bound. Web 2.0 sites from Apple would be amazing: a music app that runs on the Web and syncs with your iPod from anywhere, video editing that uses back-end servers for post-processing but has a front end that looks like every other Mac app.

4. Apple Touch Table
The natural iteration of a Mac Touch and the iPhone is an OS X-powered touch table that you can use in the kitchen or living room. Avoiding comparisons to Microsoft Surface, the Touch Table would support more physics so when multiple users play a card game or racing simulation, there would be force feedback from the whole table and objects that collide would cause a visceral bump.

5. OS X in a browser
And, if Apple can't deliver a few Web 2.0 sites, can they at least make a Web OS? What I mean by that is not an enterprise-class cloud infrastructure - let's leave that work to Google and Amazon. What we mean is an OS that literally runs in your browser, houses your Web apps and data, allows you to configure users to access the OS, runs the Dashboard and widgets, and looks and acts just like OS X.

6. Apple Watch
Distant memories of the abysmal Microsoft SPOT watch have now faded into oblivion (although MSN Direct lives on and may even be updated next year). Apple should steal the market with a watch that supports about 4GB of music storage, includes Bluetooth stereo earbuds, and speaks the time.

7. Mac Dashboard
No, not that dashboard -- we're not talking widgets here, but a hardware dashboard for your car. The iPod would - of course - plug into the stereo system, while speed and fuel indicators would be customisable (perhaps even mimicking the look of a BMW one day and a Mercedes the next). Add in multi-user support - meaning, the passengers in the back seat - and we could see personalized seat warmers and position settings.

8. Mac House
Here's where things get interesting. A Mac House would be powered entirely by OS X and bring full home automation. Too cold? An LCD screen would show the current temperature. Front door security breached? It would be linked to all of your computer passwords. Sprinkler controls? They could be synced with the local weather automatically. And the best part is: no viruses or system crashes.

9. Mac Goggles
Visual products have faltered of late - many of them cause eye strain and dizziness. Yet, Apple can get this one right if they throw enough hard science into it, creating a virtual environment with stationary objects, very high resolution optics, and plenty of connection options (such as HDMI and DVI).

10. Mac Transit
Once your house is run on OS X, you have a touch table for playing games and wear your Mac Goggles everyday to work, it's time for Apple to start taking over the rest of the world, starting with mass transit. Terminals for gaining entrance to a train station that run OS X would be just the beginning. Next, airplanes would be equipped with iPod listening stations, cars would mimic iPhone gestures, and even road signs on the way to a picnic would be Mac powered. Microsoft Windows? Non-existent.

Wireless home networks

2008-12-12T11:01:00.001+07:00

Wireless home networks are better than ever! The emergence of new industry standards has made them easier, more convenient, less expensive to own and operate. Still, you need to know what to look for (and look out for), and the expert guidance you’ll find in Wireless Home Networks For Dummies, 3^rd Edition helps you ensure that your wire-free life is also a hassle-free life!

This user-friendly, plain-English guide delivers all of the tips, tricks, and knowledge you need to plan your wireless home network, evaluate and select the equipment that will work best for you, install and configure your wireless network, and much more. You’ll find out how to share your Internet connection over your network, as well as files, printers, and other peripherals. And, you’ll learn how to avoid the “gotchas” that can creep in when you least expect them. Discover how to:

Choose the right networking equipment
Install and configure your wireless network
Integrate Bluetooth into your network
Work with servers, gateways, routers, and switches
Connect audiovisual equipment to your wireless network
Play wireless, multiuser computer games
Establish and maintain your network’s security
Troubleshoot networking problems
Improve network performance
Understand 802.11n

Whether you’re working with Windows PCs, Mac OS X machines, or both Wireless Home Networking For Dummies, 3^rd Edition, makes it fast and easy to get your wireless network up and running—and keep it that way!

About the Author who you well known.

Danny Briere founded TeleChoice, Inc., a telecommunications consulting company, in 1985 and now serves as CEO of the company. Widely known throughout the telecommunications and networking industry, Danny has written more than 1,000 articles about telecommunications topics and has authored or edited eight books, including Smart Homes For Dummies, 3rd Edition, HDTV For Dummies, 2nd Edition, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 PC For Dummies, Wireless Network Hacks & Mods For Dummies, and Home Theater For Dummies, 2nd Edition (all published by Wiley). He is frequently quoted by leading publications on telecommunications and technology topics and can often be seen on major TV networks providing analysis on the latest communications news and breakthroughs. Danny lives in Mansfield Center, Connecticut, with his wife and four children.

Pat Hurley is director of research with TeleChoice, Inc., specializing in emerging telecommunications technologies, including all the latest access and home technologies: wireless LANs, DSL, cable modems, satellite services, and home networking services. Pat frequently consults with the leading telecommunications carriers, equipment vendors, consumer goods manufacturers, and other players in the telecommunications and consumer electronics industries. Pat is the co-author of Smart Homes For Dummies, 3rd Edition, HDTV For Dummies, 2nd Edition, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 PC For Dummies, Wireless Network Hacks & Mods For Dummies, and Home Theater For Dummies, 2nd Edition (all published by Wiley). He lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, beautiful daughter, and two smelly and unruly dogs.

Edward Ferris is a consultant and director of information systems with TeleChoice, Inc., specializing in information management, wired and wireless networking, and security technologies. He has extensive experience with all the latest VOIP technologies: SIP, vPBX, Hybrid PBX, QoS, and packet labeling and switching. Ed frequently consults with companies looking to tighten information security, develop scalable technology plans, and expand network and client support operations. He has written many training and technology manuals for corporate use and has created custom training materials and seminars for numerous applications and business processes. He lives in Norwood, Massachusetts, with his wife and three children.

3 Satellite Books

2008-12-12T09:58:00.004+07:00

Introduction to Satellite Communication (Artech House Space Applications) By Bruce R. Elbert

About the Author
Bruce Elbert is managing director of Application Strategy Consulting and was formerly vice president of Applications Systems Development of Hughes Space and Communications. He holds an M.S.E.E. in communications and computer science from the University of Maryland and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. He is also the author of The Satellite Communication Applications Handbook, Second Edition and The Satellite Communication Ground Segment and Earth Station Handbook (Artech House 2004, 2000).

Whether you are a technical or management professional, you can turn to this highly understandable and comprehensive overview of satellite technology, applications, and management. Thoroughly updated and expanded, this third edition boasts a wealth of new material, including added coverage of systems engineering as applied to satellite communications, clear explanations of all aspects of building and using a satellite systems, and discussions on digital communications and processing in modern satellite networks. The new edition also examines critical success factors and how to avoid the pitfalls in selecting satellite and ground resources.

The book covers all the fundamentals of satellites, ground control systems, and earth stations, considering the design and operation of each major segment. You gain a practical understanding of the basic construction and usage of commercial satellite networks--how parts of a satellite system function, how various components interact, which role each component plays, and which factors are the most critical to success. Moreover, the book explores the economic, legal, and management issues involved in running the business of satellite communications.

You can hear the reader reviews.

A good addition to your telecommunication references
This book is very useful if you are trying to pave your way into the field of satellite communications.
You will later find out that the book can still serve you as a handy reference when you are already involved and experienced with satellite communications.

"Must have" for anyone in Satellite Communications.
Bruce Elbert's Introduction to Satellite Communications is the very best starting point for learning the basics of communications by satellite. Its scope goes beyond generalities but deals with specific topics from the world of satellite. Well organized and readable, it is an excellent companion to Mr. Elbert's other book, The Satellite Communication Applications Handbook. Both are "must read" and "must have" references for engineers and non-technical types!

Thorough coverage of Satellite Communications
This book does a great job of discussing commercial satellite communications. It is up to date, and includes excellent industry examples and technical details. This book will fill in your knowledge gaps.

Map: Satellite By DK Publishing

Landscapes are brought to life in this uniquely spectacular atlas, in which extraordinary satellite images can be directly compared to state-of-the-art mapping, at a variety of scales, without having to turn the page.

Review from the readers

The best Atlas EVER

This is truly an amazing book, one for every coffee table. I have many atlas's, but one with Satellite images next to a map is fantastic. It could be more complete with every country, but still, an amazing book to flick thru with a hot Latte in hand.

Absolutely stuuning, gorgeous book.
Great coffee table book.

The hologram images on the cover set the trend for the rest of the book. A satellite image is compared to a corresponding cartographical map of the same area.

All the great cities of the world are included ... New York, Los Angeles, New Dehli, London, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, etc.

The book dramatically highlights the damaging effects of the greenhouse effect, plus the recent Aceh Tsunami.

DK books continue their great pictorial format/standard. This book has enough maps covering the world, to be classed as an atlas.

Eye in the Sky: The Story of the Corona Spy Satellites (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight)

Presenting the full story of the CORONA spy satellites' origins, "Eye in the Sky" explores the Cold War technology and far-reaching effects of the satellites on foreign policy and national security. Arguing that satellite reconnaissance was key to shaping the course of the Cold War, the book documents breakthroughs in intelligence gathering and achievements in space technology that rival the landing on the moon. 63 photos.

Review from From Scientific American

The cold war propelled the U.S. and the Soviet Union to stunning technological heights--both figuratively and literally. Among the most impressive--and most deeply concealed--of those achievements is satellite reconnaissance, on which the U.S. continues to spend billions of dollars every year. This book chronicles in satisfying detail the origins of U.S. satellite reconnaissance by focusing on the pioneering Corona program, under which some 800,000 satellite images were made between 1960 and 1972.

Review from the readers

The "little" program that helped win the Cold War...
"Eye in the Sky" is an excellent book on the Discover/CORONA satellite program. What sets this book apart from other CORONA texts (including the declassified CIA history) is the chapter on the Soviet ZENIT program and its similarities to CORONA. This chapter alone is worth the cost of the book, since this comparison is not covered in any depth in the other CORONA books.

The appendices are good, with similiar information found on the internet and in Curtis Peeble's book on CORONA. The scientific coverage on the camera development is good too. If you're a spy satellite buff, this is a definite addition to your library (with some Burrows, Richelson, Peebles).

Nice summary
This was a nice summary of the Corona program. There is some redundant text becuase of the way various chapters were written by different people but overall it was a fine book. It explained the Corona program well and had some funny anectdotes. I just am amazed that the government had the smarts to keep funding it even with all the early setbacks. Today, we'd probably just give up (if it isn't a quick fix, then it isn't worth doing).

CCNA Wireless Official Exam Certification Guide

2008-12-11T20:42:00.002+07:00

CCNA Wireless Official Exam Certification Guide is a best of breed Cisco® exam study guide that focuses specifically on the objectives for the CCNA® Wireless IUWNE exam. Senior instructor Brandon Carroll shares preparation hints and test-taking tips, helping you identify areas of weakness and improve both your conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills. Material is presented in a concise manner, focusing on increasing your understanding and retention of exam topics.

CCNA Wireless Official Exam Certification Guide presents you with an organized test preparation routine through the use of proven series elements and techniques. “Do I Know This Already?” quizzes open each chapter and allow you to decide how much time you need to spend on each section. Exam topic lists make referencing easy. Chapter-ending Exam Preparation Tasks sections help you drill on key concepts you must know thoroughly.

The companion CD-ROM contains a powerful testing engine that allows you to focus on individual topic areas or take complete, timed exams. The assessment engine also tracks your performance and provides feedback on a module-by-module basis, presenting question-by-question remediation to the text and laying out a complete study plan for review.

Well-regarded for its level of detail, assessment features, and challenging review questions and exercises, this official study guide helps you master the concepts and techniques that will enable you to succeed on the exam the first time.

CCNA Wireless Official Exam Certification Guide is part of a recommended learning path from Cisco that includes simulation and hands-on training from authorized Cisco Learning Partners and self-study products from Cisco Press. To find out more about instructor-led training, e-learning, and hands-on instruction offered by authorized Cisco Learning Partners worldwide, please visit www.cisco.com/go/authorizedtraining.

Brandon James Carroll is one of the country’s leading instructors for Cisco security technologies, teaching classes that include the CCNA, CCNP®, CCSP® courses, a number of the CCVP® courses, as well as custom-developed courseware. In his eight years with Ascolta, Brandon has developed and taught many private Cisco courses for companies such as Boeing, Intel, and Cisco. He is a CCNA, CCNP, CCSP, and a certified Cisco instructor. Brandon is the author of Cisco Access Control Security.

Reference from

1.CCNA Wireless Official Exam Certification Guide (CCNA IUWNE 640-721) By Brandon James Carroll :Amazon.com@ $31.49

2.CCNA Wireless Official Exam Certification Guide: Cisco press @$49.99.

Intrusion Detection forWireless Sensor Networks

2008-11-13T11:50:00.000+07:00

A WSN consists of a large set of tiny sensor nodes. Sensor nodes can perform
sensing, data processing, and communicating but with limited power,
computational capacities, small memory size, and low bandwidth. Unlike
MANETs, the senor nodes in WSNs are usually static after deployment, and
communicate mainly through broadcast instead of point-to-point communication.
Sensor networks have been used in a variety of domains, such as
military sensing in a battlefield, perimeter defense in critical area such as
airport, intrusion detection for traditional communication network, disasters
monitoring, and home healthcare. Obviously, some applications are
security-critical, which attract many researchers’ attention to secure a sensor
network. Some security protocols or mechanisms have been designed
for sensor network. For example, SPINS, a set of protocols, provides secure
data confidentiality, two-party data authentication, and data freshness and
authenticated broadcast for sensor network.15 LEAP, a localized encryption
and authentication protocol, is designed to support in-network processing
based on the different security requirements for different types of message
exchange. INSENS is an intrusion-tolerant routing protocol for WSNs.17
A lightweight security protocol relying solely on broadcasts of end-to-end
encrypted packets. However, in a sensor network,
as a complicated system, there are always some vulnerabilities to be
attacked.

Reference:Wireless Ad hoc Networking by Shih-Lin Wu & Yu-Chee Tseng

Author:Chang Guang University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan National Chiao-Tung University, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan
Reader Reviews

What a Techie needs to Understand wireless
Wireless Ad Hoc Networking: Personal-Area, Local-Area, and the Sensory-Area Networks by Shih-Lin Wu and Yu-Chee Tseng (Wireless Networks and Mobile Communications: Auerbach) The rapid progress of mobile, wireless communication and embedded micro-sensing MEMS technologies has brought about the rise of pervasive computing. Wireless local-area networks (WLANs) and wireless personal-area networks (WPANs) are now common tools for many people, and it is predicted that wearable sensor networks will greatly improve everyday life as we know it.
By integrating these technologies into a pervasive system, we can access information and use computing resources anytime, anywhere, and with any device. Wireless Ad Hoc Networking: Personal-Area, Local-Area, and the Sensory-Area Networks covers these key technologies used in wireless ad hoc networks. The book is divided into three parts, each providing self-contained chapters written by international experts. Topics include networking architectures and protocols, cross-layer architectures, localization and location tracking, time synchronization, QoS and real-time, security and dependability, applications, modeling and performance evaluation, implementation and experience, and much more.
The book is novel in its single source presentation of ad hoc networking and its key technologies and applications over the platforms of personal-area, sensory-area, and local-area networks. It is a valuable resource for those who work in or are interested in learning about the pervasive computing environment.
Features:
* Covers key technologies in wireless and ad hoc networks for personal-area, local-area, and sensory-area networks
* Presents state-of-the-art research and developments by an international team of experts
* Explores topics from networking architectures and protocols to implementation experience and measurements

Multihop Routing Security

2008-11-12T11:42:00.000+07:00

Multihop routing security in the integrated networks is another critical issue.
If the multihop routing is corrupted by a malicious intermediary node, the
MS cannot get a correct Internet connection with services. There are three
types of routes in the integrated networks:24 the route from a BS to an MS,
the route from an MS to a BS, and the route between two MSs without
BS. Corresponding to the three types of routes, multihop routing security
should provide security to all the above types of routes. In the process
of route discovery, it is necessary to execute the required principles to
enforce registered MSs to participate in honest route discovery and maintenance
and to exclude the malicious nodes from the routing paths. Owing
to infrastructure-supported multihop routing security, the home network
has the capability to manipulate MS’s billing and credential when an MS
has any malicious action in the process of route discovery. Thus, it is possible
to have a scheme that the Internet maintain a set of metrics to record
the past misbehavers of an MS and a multihop selects well-behaved MSs as
the intermediary MS for packet forwarding. Also, the infrastructure-based
scheme for detecting various misbehaviors is an important issue in the integrated
networks but has been neglected in current security designs. A lot
of issues about securing multihop routing and packet forwarding remain
unexplored:
- How to enforce service availability and cooperation in the integrated
network with a secure mechanism to stimulate MS to participate
in packet forwarding, to refrain from overloading the network, to
thwart the “selfish” MS, and to deter malicious behaviors.
- How to implement fair charging and rewarding for the cooperation
between MSs in packet-forwarding protocol and a reasonable fine
for misbehavers
Reference:Wireless Ad hoc Networking by Shih-Lin Wu & Yu-Chee Tseng

Author:Chang Guang University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan National Chiao-Tung University, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan
Reader Reviews

What a Techie needs to Understand wireless
Wireless Ad Hoc Networking: Personal-Area, Local-Area, and the Sensory-Area Networks by Shih-Lin Wu and Yu-Chee Tseng (Wireless Networks and Mobile Communications: Auerbach) The rapid progress of mobile, wireless communication and embedded micro-sensing MEMS technologies has brought about the rise of pervasive computing. Wireless local-area networks (WLANs) and wireless personal-area networks (WPANs) are now common tools for many people, and it is predicted that wearable sensor networks will greatly improve everyday life as we know it.
By integrating these technologies into a pervasive system, we can access information and use computing resources anytime, anywhere, and with any device. Wireless Ad Hoc Networking: Personal-Area, Local-Area, and the Sensory-Area Networks covers these key technologies used in wireless ad hoc networks. The book is divided into three parts, each providing self-contained chapters written by international experts. Topics include networking architectures and protocols, cross-layer architectures, localization and location tracking, time synchronization, QoS and real-time, security and dependability, applications, modeling and performance evaluation, implementation and experience, and much more.
The book is novel in its single source presentation of ad hoc networking and its key technologies and applications over the platforms of personal-area, sensory-area, and local-area networks. It is a valuable resource for those who work in or are interested in learning about the pervasive computing environment.
Features:
* Covers key technologies in wireless and ad hoc networks for personal-area, local-area, and sensory-area networks
* Presents state-of-the-art research and developments by an international team of experts
* Explores topics from networking architectures and protocols to implementation experience and measurements

Design Integration with Ad Hoc Networks

2008-11-11T11:34:00.000+07:00

The main disadvantage of WCDMA networks is perhaps on the limited bandwidth available to the users. The emerging multimedia applications (e.g., streaming for high-quality HDTV video) demands high throughput. Therefore, further integration with WLAN and ad hoc networks provides the unique opportunity to connect every user/device with high bandwidth. The primary advantage is the 11-/45-Mbps bandwidth offered by 802.11b/a/g WLAN (infrastructure mode) and perhaps even higher bandwidth for the ad hoc and personal area networks (PAN) networks.
How to integrate these three networks together into a highly efficient and seamless network requires systematic investigation in the future. One typical approach is to have a hierarchical design with the combined WCDMA/WLAN/ad hoc serves as the top–down structure. The integration of WCDMA/WLAN requires the intelligent selection of gateway points in either the WLAN portion or the 3G network to connect the users to the WCDMA core network anywhere.
There are a few schemes83–86 proposed in recent years for such an effort. However, the majority of these schemes assumed that the bandwidth for the 3G core networks will be increased significantly in the near future.
We believe it will take a longer time for WAN/MAN such as WCDMA to deliver high-bandwidth throughput. On the other hand, WLAN and ad hoc networks will have much faster development on delivering high-throughput
products. Thus, our approach87 uses WLAN to cluster mobile users and reduce the 3G radio activity. The philosophy is that when the 3G radio link is less crowded, it most likely provides higher efficiency for the users. Based on the relative BS/AP positions of the WCDMA and WLAN networks, we analyzed six cases of configurations. These six cases cover the majority of scenarios when WCDMA’s BS interacts with WLAN’s APs. We have formulated the problem, and produced the suboptimal solutions to reduce the overall interference between these devices.
When many users connect to a single AP of WLAN, the load imbalance becomes apparent. Ad hoc networks can be jointly integrated between WLAN/ad hoc as the relay points to achieve better load balance. Since ad hoc networks mostly work within a limited distance (e.g., within tens of meters), it is natural to have PANs connected with the combined WCDMA/WLAN networks to extend the global connectivity. One approach to integrate ad hoc networks into the combined WCDMA/WLAN networks is to follow the top–down structure, which only allows the ad hoc networks connect to WLAN only (instead of providing connectivity to the WCDMA core networks, though it is possible). However,
even with this simplified structure division, the overall design task still remains to be a challenge. The key factor is, with the ad hoc networks, relay can be mobile. Though the AP’s location is fixed, it is open to decide which mobile station should serve as the relay point to connect to the AP on behalf of other mobile stations of the same ad hoc networks. Therefore, a higher complexity of overall system design should be addressed. These issues include what
media access methods should the system provide to support different traffic types and what relay structure should be determined with the goal to maximize the overall throughput.

Reference:Wireless Ad hoc Networking by Shih-Lin Wu & Yu-Chee Tseng

Author:Chang Guang University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan National Chiao-Tung University, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan
Reader Reviews

What a Techie needs to Understand wireless
Wireless Ad Hoc Networking: Personal-Area, Local-Area, and the Sensory-Area Networks by Shih-Lin Wu and Yu-Chee Tseng (Wireless Networks and Mobile Communications: Auerbach) The rapid progress of mobile, wireless communication and embedded micro-sensing MEMS technologies has brought about the rise of pervasive computing. Wireless local-area networks (WLANs) and wireless personal-area networks (WPANs) are now common tools for many people, and it is predicted that wearable sensor networks will greatly improve everyday life as we know it.
By integrating these technologies into a pervasive system, we can access information and use computing resources anytime, anywhere, and with any device. Wireless Ad Hoc Networking: Personal-Area, Local-Area, and the Sensory-Area Networks covers these key technologies used in wireless ad hoc networks. The book is divided into three parts, each providing self-contained chapters written by international experts. Topics include networking architectures and protocols, cross-layer architectures, localization and location tracking, time synchronization, QoS and real-time, security and dependability, applications, modeling and performance evaluation, implementation and experience, and much more.
The book is novel in its single source presentation of ad hoc networking and its key technologies and applications over the platforms of personal-area, sensory-area, and local-area networks. It is a valuable resource for those who work in or are interested in learning about the pervasive computing environment.
Features:
* Covers key technologies in wireless and ad hoc networks for personal-area, local-area, and sensory-area networks
* Presents state-of-the-art research and developments by an international team of experts
* Explores topics from networking architectures and protocols to implementation experience and measurements

HART

2008-11-10T11:38:00.000+07:00

Highway addressable remote transducer (HART) is a wireless standard
aimed at providing wireless capabilities. The wireless HART working group,
an activity of the HART Communication Foundation (HCF) had set the goal
of producing draft specifications for a wireless standard in early 2006.25
The HCF is an independent, nonprofit organization providing worldwide
support for applications of the HART protocol. The working group plans to
coordinate activities with wireless organizations, in the industry such as the
ISA SP100 Wireless Committee, to ensure continuity and uniformity with
standardization efforts. HCF member companies include major automation
suppliers and leaders: ABB, Adaptive Instruments, Elpro Technologies,
Emerson, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, Omnex Controls, Phoenix Contact,
Siemens, Smar, and Yokogawa.

Reference : Wireless Ad Hoc Networking by Shih-Lin Wu & Yu-Chee Tseng

Coveraging of aWireless Sensor Network

2008-11-09T11:19:00.001+07:00

Coverage is an essential problem in wireless sensor networks. It is important
to ensure that sensors provide sufficient coverage of the sensing field.
However, one should use as few sensors as possible to cover the sensing
field to reduce the hardware cost. Assuming that sensors are randomly
deployed, this section discusses three general models to define the coverage
problem and reviews some solutions to the coverage problem. The
first one is the binary model, where each sensor’s coverage area is modeled
by a disk. Any location within the disk is well monitored by the
sensor located at the center of the disk; otherwise, it is not monitored
by the sensor. The second one is the probabilistic model. An event happening
in the coverage of a sensor is either detected or not detected by the
sensor depending on a probability distribution. Hence, even if an event
is very close to a sensor, it may still be missed by the sensor. The last
model considers the coverage problem by including the issue of how targets
travel along the sensing field. The worst and best traveling paths of
this model can be used to evaluate the sensing capability of the sensor
network.

Reference:Wireless Ad Hoc Networking by Shih-Lin Wu & Yu-Chee Tseng

Satellite1- History

2008-10-10T07:22:00.005+07:00

Early conceptions

The first fictional depiction of a satellite being launched into orbit is a short story by Edward Everett Hale, The Brick Moon. The story was serialized in The Atlantic Monthly, starting in 1869. The idea surfaces again in Jules Verne's The Begum's Millions (1879).

In 1903 Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935) published Исследование мировых пространств реактивными приборами (The Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of Reaction Devices), which is the first academic treatise on the use of rocketry to launch spacecraft. He calculated the orbital speed required for a minimal orbit around the Earth at 8 km/s, and that a multi-stage rocket fueled by liquid propellants could be used to achieve this. He proposed the use of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, though other combinations can be used.

In 1928 Herman Potočnik (1892–1929) published his sole book, Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums - der Raketen-Motor (The Problem of Space Travel — The Rocket Motor), a plan for a breakthrough into space and a permanent human presence there. He conceived of a space station in detail and calculated its geostationary orbit. He described the use of orbiting spacecraft for detailed peaceful and military observation of the ground and described how the special conditions of space could be useful for scientific experiments. The book described geostationary satellites (first put forward by Tsiolkovsky) and discussed communication between them and the ground using radio, but fell short of the idea of using satellites for mass broadcasting and as telecommunications relays.

In a 1945 Wireless World article the English science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) described in detail the possible use of communications satellites for mass communications.Clarke examined the logistics of satellite launch, possible orbits and other aspects of the creation of a network of world-circling satellites, pointing to the benefits of high-speed global communications. He also suggested that three geostationary satellites would provide coverage over the entire planet.

Reference

1. Wikipedia>Satellite

2.The Brick Moon and Other Stories by Edward Everett Hale". Project Gutenberg. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.

-- Download This eBook for free.

--Content: The brick moon -- Crusoe in New York -- Bread on the waters -- The lost palace -- 99 Linwood Street -- Ideals -- Thanksgiving at the polls -- The survivor's story

3. Contents - The Atlantic monthly. Volume 24, Issue 141". cornell.edu. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.

--Contents from Cornell University Library

4.The_1945_Proposal_by_Arthur_C._Clarke_for_Geostationary_Satellite_Communications". lakdiva.org. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.

--Sir Arthur C. Clarke's most famous prediction on the future is his proposal of geostationary satellite communications published in the Wireless World magazine in 1945. Not considered seriously at the time it became a reality within 20 years with the launching on 1965 April 6th of Intelsat I Early Bird the first commercial geostationary communication satellite marking the true beginning of satellite tv.

A satellite in an equatorial circular orbit at a distance of approximately 42,164 km from the center of the Earth, i.e., approximately 35,787 km (22,237 miles) above mean sea level has a period equal to the Earth's rotation on its axis (Sidereal Day=23h56m) and would remain geostationary over the same point on the Earth's equator. In 2002 the Clarke Orbit had over 300 satellites.

The first reference to geostationary satellites is Clarke's letter to the editor titled Peacetime Uses for V2 published in the 1945 February issue of Wireless World (page 58).
Arthur Clarke in his Scientific Autobiography Ascent to Orbit published 1984 say that he had forgotten about this letter till he was reminded of it in 1968 by the engineering staff of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.

A 150 dpi scanned image of page 58 of an original 1945 Wireless World magazine is linked below. See also the copy edited OCR text in HTML.

--Content: This Book

THEOS (satellite)

2008-10-09T14:02:00.003+07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Name -THEOS

Orbital elements
Organisation	GISTDA
Mission type	Earth Observation
Launch date	1 October 2008 06:37 GMT
Carrier rocket	Dnepr
NSSDC ID	TBD
Mass	715 kg
Power	840 W
Regime	LEO
Inclination	98.77
Orbital period	101.4 minutes

THEOS is an Earth observation mission of Thailand, under development at EADS Astrium SAS, Toulouse, France. In July 2004, EADS Astrium SAS signed a contract for delivery of THEOS with GISTDA (Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency) of Bangkok, Thailand. GISTDA is Thailand's leading national organization (i.e., space agency) in the field of space activities and applications. The Thai Ministry of Science and Technology is funding the program.

It was launched from Dombarovskiy at 06:37 GMT on 1 October 2008, by a Dnepr rocket. The launch had been delayed several times after clearance for the flight was revoked by down-range countries.

from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THEOS_(satellite)

PCI Geomatics to support THEOS satellite

2008-10-09T13:52:00.001+07:00

Richmond Hill, Ontario – October 3, 2007: PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of software and solutions for geospatial imaging applications, is pleased to announce that it will support image products from the THEOS satellite (Thailand Earth Observation System), to be launched in November 2007.

PCI Geomatics will develop support for THEOS data import, precision orthorectification models, image mosaics, and advanced data fusion techniques such as panchromatic sharpening. Support for THEOS will also include stereo DEM generation from the sensor’s forward-and backward-looking images.

Owned and operated by the Thai Ministry of Science and Technology’s Space Agency (GISTDA), THEOS will provide customers in Thailand and abroad with image processing capabilities and geo-referenced image products. Potential applications include projects in cartography, land use, agriculture, forestry, coastal zone and flood risk monitoring, and disaster mitigation.

“PCI Geomatics congratulates GISTDA on the upcoming launch of the THEOS satellite,” said Adam Evans, Sales Manager for Asia at PCI Geomatics. “As a long-time supporter of geospatial imaging in Thailand, PCI looks forward to supporting the sensor for a wide variety of applications.”

About PCI Geomatics

PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of geospatial software, specializing in remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, spatial analysis, cartographic production, and, more recently, automated production systems. Today, with our trusted Geomatica® brand, PCI Geomatics provides all the image-centric solutions necessary to meet the expectations of a large and expanding industry. Since 1982, the company and its reputation have continued to grow as a result of innovative leadership, strong technology partnerships, active geomatics community involvement, and a dedication to earn the trust of customers who use PCI Geomatics.

For more information, visit www.pcigeomatics.com

Sony Launches E-Book Reader with Touchscreen Display

2008-10-06T07:35:00.003+07:00

By Jennifer LeClaire
October 3, 2008 1:14PM
from mobile-tech-today.com

Sony has released a new e-book reader for its Reader lineup: the PRS-700. Sony's PRS-700 e-book reader borrows some iPhone innovations, such as a touchscreen display. Sony says its PRS-700 e-book reader makes it possible to read e-books in bright sunlight. The PRS-700 also offers a built-in LED reading light and supports multiple formats.

In a move to compete with Amazon's Kindle e-book reader, Sony on Thursday launched a new Reader that leverages some of the Apple iPhone's strengths.

Specifically, the Sony PRS-700 Reader boasts an interactive touchscreen display that promises an intuitive digital reading experience. The latest addition to Sony's Reader lineup has the dimensions of a slimmed-down paperback book in a textured black casing with a soft black cover. It weighs about 10 ounces. The new Reader will be available next month for about $400.

"Readers now have another choice in digital books," said Steve Haber, president of Sony's Digital Reading business division. "This new model has the eye-popping design and intuitive functionality that people have come to expect from Sony."

New Bells and Whistles

Of course, "eye-popping" is in the eye of the beholder. What consumers will see in the PRS-700 is a device with a six-inch display with touchscreen capabilities that allows book enthusiasts to flip pages with the slide of a finger. Users can also search terms within a document or book, create notes using the virtual keyboard, and highlight text with a stylus pen that comes as part of the package.

The PRS-700 offers five preset text sizes, so readers can choose which is easiest on their eyes. Readers accustomed to large-print books can zoom in by tapping the screen. Sony said the device offers a high-resolution, high-contrast electronic paper-display technology that generates a reading experience akin to ink on paper.

Sony said its technology makes it possible to read e-books even in bright sunlight, and the PRS-700 offers a built-in LED reading light so users can keep on reading even when ambient light is not available. The new Reader can store about 350 digital books and offers the option of a removable memory stick or SD memory cards that expand the capacity to thousands of books and documents.

Another Step Forward

Sony said PRS-700 uses minimal power Relevant Products/Services and can provide up to 7,500 pages of continuous reading before recharging the battery. It supports multiple file formats for e-books, personal documents, and music. Consumers can add Adobe PDF documents with reflow capability, Microsoft Relevant Products/Services Word documents, BBeB files, and other text file formats.

"I do like the fact that the PRS-700 will accept a number of different formats. That means you can not only store books in there, but you can have PDFs and other downloadable documents in a business context," said Phil Leigh, a senior analyst at Inside Digital Media. "But this is still an early-adopter product because of the $400 price tag."

In addition, Sony's eBook Store Web site is getting a face-lift. Sony said a redesigned page layout with more prominent book-cover art and flash-based promotions will be introduced to enhance the visual appeal of the site. Sony is also streamlining the checkout process with updated search-and-discovery tools for finding and purchasing digital books.

"The trends are in the right direction. I think the e-book product sector will continue to improve, and ultimately we'll find that this kind of thing is going to be accepted into the mass market," Leigh said. "Not that it will replace paper books altogether, but it's going to be fairly common to see people using these things. But we're still five to 10 years away from that."

See the previous version : Sony PRS-500 Portable Reader System with Cheap Price.

5 Last-Minute Retirement Tips

2008-10-03T11:16:00.004+07:00

Today Out of the wireless issue, beacause I read the News from Yahoo! website about the retirement tips that interested.Let's see..."5 Last-Minute Retirement Tips"

Even when one's investments are flourishing, facing retirement is stressful. But retiring during a bear market is not only significantly more nerve-wracking – it's also a lot more delicate. A bad move now could reverberate throughout your retirement years.
The good news is that, with the proper planning, folks can still retire without putting their nest egg at risk. Here are five last-minute steps pre-retirees should take before collecting their gold watches.

1. Adjust Your Asset Allocation
Whether retirement is six months away or three years down the road, prospective retirees need to take a good hard look at their portfolio in order to determine if it consists of the right investment mix. Keep in mind that a retirement stash may have to last 30 years. So it's important that the portfolio's asset allocation isn't too conservative.
In fact, the biggest mistake retirees make, especially during a bear market, is to sell all of their stocks in favor of more conservative bonds. According to a recent study by investment management firm T. Rowe Price those who do so are virtually guaranteed to run out of money during their lifetime since the portfolio won't be able to keep up with inflation.
According to T. Rowe, a typical retiree should shoot for a mix of 55% stocks and 45% bonds. Of course, everyone's risk tolerance is different and other factors, such as pension distributions and the equity stake they have in their home, also need to be taken into consideration.
2. Plot Your Distributions
Before you stop working, plot out how much money you'll take each year from both your retirement account and Social Security. However tempting it may be to tap into these funds as soon as retirement hits, there are huge financial advantages to holding off for as long as you can, says Daniel Thomas, a CPA from Newport Beach, Calif.
T. Rowe's study shows that a recent retiree who withdraws 4% from a 401(k) or IRA during the first five years of retirement (and increases his withdrawal amount by 3% each year to keep up with inflation) while his portfolio has an average return of less than 5%, has just a 43% chance of his money lasting for the next 25 years. In a nutshell, if one takes the recommended distributions during a bear market, the chances of his money lasting during retirement are greatly reduced. Should he put off tapping into his investments until the market recovers, or reduce his withdrawals significantly, he can expect to more than double his chances of affording retirement.
As for Social Security, Uncle Sam allows you to start receiving benefits at age 62. But if a retiree can afford to wait until full retirement age (for those born between 1939 and 1942, it falls during your 65th year; for those born between 1943 and 1954, age 66), the government will reward them with a "delayed retirement credit" that adds 8% to his or her benefits each year until age 70. Use the Social Security Administration's retirement planner here to help you figure out when to start receiving your benefits.
3. Scale Down Your Lifestyle
One of the best ways to make money last during retirement is to scale back on expenses and stick to a budget. In the past, one of the easiest ways to achieve significant cost savings was to trade in a large home for a smaller one. Given the housing slump, that may not seem possible these days since homeowners can't count on fetching the rich prices they had hoped for just a year or two ago. Not to worry, says Bill Losey, a certified financial planner and author of "Retire in a Weekend." Most retirees have been in their homes long enough that they can afford to sell their properties for a bit less and still realize healthy profits. And if they buy a place in a more affordable part of the country, they'll certainly come out ahead. "By downsizing, my clients save between $750 to $1,000 a month," Losey says.
If moving isn't an option, then retirees will need to cut back on spending elsewhere. Losey recommends trading in large expensive cars for more economical ones. Another cost-saver: Postpone a pricey vacation until the stock market recovers.
4. Sign Up for Medicare
Health care is one of the biggest expenses retirees face. The first thing a prospective retiree should do is check if his employer offers retiree health benefits or if supplemental insurance will be necessary. The next thing: Get a handle on the registration rules for Medicare. While the government's health insurance for seniors has many attractive features — including its relatively inexpensive premiums — it also has very strict rules and will penalize people by adding an additional 10% to premiums for every year they don't sign up on time.
Here's what you need to know: The Medicare open enrollment period starts three months before a senior turns 65 and end three months after his 65th birthday. Miss the six-month window and retirees will go without coverage until the following general enrollment period, which is Jan 1 through March 31 of the next year. The only exception is for folks who are working full time and are on their employer's health plan. Their open enrollment period starts as soon as they officially leave the work force. Also, be aware that Medicare doesn't cover dental expenses. That's why Sal Cocivera, a financial advisor with Lincoln Financial Advisors recommends that clients get a thorough checkup and take care of any costly procedures, including root canal and crowns, while their employer's insurance still covers them.
5. Buy Long-Term-Care Insurance
The biggest threat to one's nest egg isn't a bear market but an extended stay in a long-term-care facility. The average nursing home costs more than $74,000 a year, according to life insurance provider MetLife. To make sure an accident or just deteriorating health doesn't wipe out your savings, consider buying long-term-care insurance.
Be warned, however, that purchasing a long-term-care policy in one's 60s will be expensive. Those high premiums will be worth it, though. Should you fall ill, for example, your spouse will still have assets to live on, says Lincoln Financial Advisors' Cocivera. While prices vary quite a bit, this is one area where one shouldn't skimp. Some of the least expensive policies may leave out important benefits, including inflation protection and the freedom to hire any home health-care aide you want.

Bestseller Wireless Books at Amazon.com

2008-09-29T17:00:00.004+07:00

Hi My Dear,

Let's see the Bestseller Wireless Books at amazon.com.

	Wireless Home Networking For Dummies (Wireless Home Networking for Dummies) by Danny Briere Buy new: $16.49 / Used from: $13.70 Usually ships in 24 hours
	802.11 Wireless Networks: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition (Definitive Guide) by Matthew Gast Buy new: $29.67 / Used from: $23.43 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Wireless Crash Course, Second Edition by Paul Bedell Buy new: $26.37 / Used from: $18.99 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Wireless Communications & Networks (2nd Edition) by William Stallings Buy new: $94.40 / Used from: $45.98 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Wireless Communications by Andreas Buy new: $78.57 / Used from: $65.00 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Wireless Communications: Principles and Practice (2nd Edition) (Prentice Hall Communications Engineering and Emerging Technologies Series) by Theodore S. Rappaport Buy new: $98.79 / Used from: $66.00 Usually ships in 24 hours
	LAN Switching and Wireless, CCNA Exploration Companion Guide by Wayne Lewis Buy new: $36.00 / Used from: $35.43 Usually ships in 24 hours
	How Wireless Works (2nd Edition) (How It Works) by Preston Gralla Buy new: $19.79 / Used from: $12.21 Usually ships in 24 hours
	Hacking Exposed Wireless (Hacking Exposed) by Johnny Cache Buy new: $31.49 / Used from: $23.98 Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks
	Wireless All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) by Todd W. Carter Buy new: $26.99 / Used from: $1.24 Usually ships in 24 hours
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... Next > >

Or you can click this link to see the Updated Bestseller Wireless Books .

Huge new prime number discovered

2008-09-28T16:06:00.001+07:00

Mathematicians in California could be in line for a $100,000 prize (£54,000) for finding a new prime number which has 13 million digits.

Prime numbers can be divided only by themselves and one.

The prize was set up by the Electronic Frontier Foundation to promote co-operative computing on the Internet.

The team from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) found the new number by linking 75 computers and harnessing their unused power.

This enabled them to perform the enormous number of calculations needed to find and verify a new prime.

Now we're looking for the next one, despite the odds
by Edson Smith
UCLA

Thousands of people around the world linked the powers of their personal computers in the search for a higher "Mersenne" prime number - named after 17th-Century French mathematician Marin Mersenne.

Mersenne primes are expressed as two to the power of P, minus one - with P being itself a prime number.

Edson Smith, the leader of the winning UCLA team, told the Associated Press news agency: "We're delighted. Now we're looking for the next one, despite the odds."

From:BBC

Semantic similarity

2008-09-26T15:01:00.004+07:00

Semantic similarity

Semantic similarity, is a concept whereby a set of documents or terms within term lists are assigned a metric based on the likeness of their meaning / semantic content.

According to some opinions the concept of semantic similarity is different from semantic relatedness because semantic relatedness includes concepts as antonymy and meronymy, while similarity doesn't. However, much of the literature uses these terms interchangeably, along with terms like semantic distance. In essence, semantic similarity, semantic distance, and semantic relatedness all mean, "How much does term A have to do with term B?"

The answer to this question, as given by the many automatic measures of semantic similarity/relatedness, is usually a number, usually between -1 and 1, or between 0 and 1, where 1 signifies extremely high similarity/relatedness, and 0 signifies little-to-none.

An intuitive way of displaying terms according to their semantic similarity is by grouping together closer related terms and spacing more distantly related ones wider apart. This is common - if sometime subconscious - practice for mind maps and concept maps.

Concretely, this can be achieved for instance by defining a topological similarity, by using ontologies to define a distance between words (a naive metric for terms arranged as nodes in a directed acyclic graph like a hierarchy would be the minimal distance (in separating edges) between the two term nodes), or using statistical means such as a vector space model to correlate words and textual contexts from a suitable text corpus (co-occurrence).

EXAMPLE RESEARCH

1. Algorithmic Detection of Semantic Similarity
Automatic extraction of semantic information from text and links in Web pages is key to improving the quality of search
results. However, the assessment of automatic semantic measures is limited by the coverage of user studies, which
do not scale with the size, heterogeneity, and growth of the Web. Here we propose to leverage human-generated metadata — namely topical directories — to measure semantic relationships among massive numbers of pairs of Web pages or topics. The Open Directory Project classifies millions of URLs in a topical ontology, providing a rich source from which semantic relationships between Web pages can be derived. While semantic similarity measures based on taxonomies (trees) are well studied, the design of well-founded similarity measures for objects stored in the nodes of arbitrary ontologies (graphs) is an open problem. This paper defines an information-theoretic measure of semantic similarity that exploits both the hierarchical and non-hierarchical structure of an ontology. An experimental study shows
that this measure improves significantly on the traditional taxonomy-based approach. This novel measure allows us to
address the general question of how text and link analyses can be combined to derive measures of relevance that are in good agreement with semantic similarity. Surprisingly, the traditional use of text similarity turns out to be ineffective
for relevance ranking.

2.Roget’s Thesaurus and Semantic Similarity
A system that measures semantic similarity using a computerized 1987 Roget's Thesaurus, and evaluated it by
performing a few typical tests. We compare the results of these tests with those produced by WordNet-based similarity measures. One of the benchmarks is Miller and Charles’ list of 30 noun pairs to which human judges had assigned similarity measures. We correlate these measures with those computed by several NLP systems. The 30 pairs can be traced back to Rubenstein and Goodenough’s 65 pairs, which we have also studied. Our Roget’s-based system gets correlations of .878 for the smaller and .818 for the larger list of noun pairs; this is quite close to the .885 that Resnik obtained when he employed humans to replicate the Miller and Charles experiment. We further evaluate our measure by using Roget’s and WordNet to answer 80 TOEFL, 50 ESL and 300 Reader’s Digest questions: the correct synonym must be selected amongst a group of four words. Our system gets 78.75%, 82.00% and 74.33% of the questions respectively.

3.A new method to measure the semantic similarity of GO terms
Motivation: Although controlled biochemical or biological vocabularies, such as Gene Ontology (GO) (http://www.geneontology.org), address the need for consistent descriptions of genes in different data sources, there is still no effective method to determine the functional similarities of genes based on gene annotation information from heterogeneous data sources.
Results: To address this critical need, we proposed a novel method to encode a GO term's semantics (biological meanings) into a numeric value by aggregating the semantic contributions of their ancestor terms (including this specific term) in the GO graph and, in turn, designed an algorithm to measure the semantic similarity of GO terms. Based on the semantic similarities of GO terms used for gene annotation, we designed a new algorithm to measure the functional similarity of genes. The results of using our algorithm to measure the functional similarities of genes in pathways retrieved from the saccharomyces genome database (SGD), and the outcomes of clustering these genes based on the similarity values obtained by our algorithm are shown to be consistent with human perspectives. Furthermore, we developed a set of online tools for gene similarity measurement and knowledge discovery.

Reference:
wikipidia
www2005.org
Roget’s Thesaurus and Semantic Similarity
A new method to measure the semantic similarity of GO terms

CDMA technology

2008-09-13T13:37:00.005+07:00

Multiple Access

The concept behind multiple access is to permit a number of users to share a common channel. The two traditional ways of multiple access are Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA).

FDMA
In Frequency Division Multiple Access, the frequency band is divided in slots. Each user gets one frequency slot assigned that is used at will. It could be compared to AM or FM broadcasting radio where each station has a frequency assigned. FDMA demands good filtering.

TDMA
In Time Division Multiple Access, the frequency band is not partitioned but users are allowed to use it only in predefined intervals of time, one at a time. Thus, TDMA demands synchronization among the users.

CDMA
CDMA, for Code Division Multiple Access, is different than those traditional ways in that it does not allocate frequency or time in user slots but gives the right to use both to all users simultaneously. To do this, it uses a technique known as Spread Spectrum. In effect, each user is assigned a code which spreads its signal bandwidth in such a way that only the same code can recover it at the receiver end. This method has the property that the unwanted signals with different codes get spread even more by the process, making them like noise to the receiver.

Spread Spectrum
Spread Spectrum is a mean of transmission where the data occupies a larger bandwidth than necessary. Bandwidth spreading is accomplished before the transmission through the use of a code which is independent of the transmitted data. The same code is used to demodulate the data at the receiving end. The following figure illustrate the spreading done on the data signal x(t) by the spreading signal c(t) resulting in the message signal to be transmitted, m(t).

Originally for military use to avoid jamming (interference created on purpose to make a communication channel unusable), spread spectrum modulation is now used in personal communication systems for its superior performance in an interference dominated environment.

Other Info:
Spread Spectrum Techniques by Dr.Jack Glas, an excellent introduction to spread spectrum

Processing Gain
In spread spectrum, the data is modulated by a spreading signal which uses more bandwidth than the data signal. Since multiplication in the time domain corresponds to convolution in the frequency domain, a narrow band signal multiplied by a wide band signal ends up being wide band. One way of doing this is to use a binary waveform as a spreading function, at a higher rate than the data signal.

Here the three signals corresponds to x(t), c(t) and m(t) discussed above. The first two signals are multiplied together to give the third waveform.

Bits of the spreading signal are called chips. On the above figure, Tb represents the period of one data bit and Tc represents the period of one chip. The chip rate, 1/Tc, is often used to characterize a spread spectrum transmission system.

The Processing Gain or sometimes called the Spreading Factor is defined as the ratio of the information bit duration over the chip duration:

PG = SF = Tb / Tc

Hence, it represents the number of chips contained in one data bit. Higher Processing Gain (PG) means more spreading. High PG also means that more codes can be allocated on the same frequency channel (more on that later).

Other Info: tsp.ece.mcgill.ca

CDMA Technology
The world is demanding more from wireless communication technologies than ever before as more people around the world are subscribing to wireless. Add in exciting Third-Generation (3G) wireless data services and applications - such as wireless email, web, digital picture taking/sending, assisted-GPS position location applications, video and audio streaming and TV broadcasting - and wireless networks are doing much more than just a few years ago.

This is where CDMA technology fits in. CDMA consistently provides better capacity for voice and data communications than other commercial mobile technologies, allowing more subscribers to connect at any given time, and it is the common platform on which 3G technologies are built.

CDMA is a "spread spectrum" technology, allowing many users to occupy the same time and frequency allocations in a given band/space. As its name implies, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) assigns unique codes to each communication to differentiate it from others in the same spectrum. In a world of finite spectrum resources, CDMA enables many more people to share the airwaves at the same time than do alternative technologies.

The CDMA air interface is used in both 2G and 3G networks. 2G CDMA standards are branded cdmaOne and include IS-95A and IS-95B. CDMA is the foundation for 3G services: the two dominant IMT-2000 standards, CDMA2000 and WCDMA, are based on CDMA.

cdmaOne: The Family of IS-95 CDMA Technologies
cdmaOne describes a complete wireless system based on the TIA/EIA IS-95 CDMA standard, including IS-95A and IS-95B revisions. It represents the end-to-end wireless system and all the necessary specifications that govern its operation. cdmaOne provides a family of related services including cellular, PCS and fixed wireless (wireless local loop).

CDMA2000: Leading the 3G revolution
CDMA2000 represents a family of ITU-approved, IMT-2000 (3G) standards and includes CDMA2000 1X and CDMA2000 1xEV technologies. They deliver increased network capacity to meet growing demand for wireless services and high-speed data services. CDMA2000 1X was the world's first 3G technology commercially deployed (October 2000).

CDMA Deployments
CDMA is the fastest growing wireless technology and it will continue to grow at a faster pace than any other technology. It is the platform on which 2G and 3G advanced services are built.

Please visit the TIA website for more information on CDMA standards.

Other Info: CDG.ORG

4 Papers about Wireless RFID

2008-09-10T16:10:00.010+07:00

Today search for the wireless-RFID paper from Google.There are several interested paper like these :-
(You can click the name to the source of links)
1. Wireless RFID Networks for Real-Time Customer Relationship Management.
A new system for real-time customer relationship management is based on deploying a network of RFID readers
throughout an environment. Information about the presence or lingering of participating
customers at different times of day is collected providing valuable
marketing information for better service provision. The implementation of the
proposed system includes a database management program and an intuitive
user interface allowing real-time access to the data acquired by the network.

In this paper the interested issue is Cost Comparison, about estimate the cost of deploying our wireless sensor network based
system and compare it with traditional systems. It had 2 tables comparison including
The major cost components in traditional systems and in the proposed technique and the costs are likely to be considerably less in the proposed system.

2.Cisco Case Study.
Full Name:-
Wireless Case Study: How Cisco Tracks RFID with Active RFID and Wireless LANs.

Active RFID tags and WLANs ensure compliance with corporate finance and government regulations.

This wireless case study describes an RFID project in Cisco India that evaluated how well the Cisco wireless LAN (WLAN) could detect equipment with active RFID tags, and how well it communicated data about equipment location to an internally developed asset tracking application.

This WLAN case study describes the best practices and benefits of the solution including:

* Identifying, in near-real time, the location of valuable equipment assets for consistent and centralized tracking
* Helping Cisco staff meet regulatory and audit requirements
* Applying Cisco IT’s existing investment in wireless networks

3. US Patent 7100835 - Methods and apparatus for wireless RFID cardholder signature and data entry

Inventor(s) * Selker, Edwin Joseph

About: A radio operated data card whose outer jacket forms a sealed protected housing for internal electrical components, including an RFID integrated circuit which incorporates data storage and a radio frequency transceiver, and one or more on-card antenna structures. Manually operated electrical switching elements, or antenna structures which are responsive to the positioning of conductive members, such as the human hand, at particular locations on or near the surface of the card, are connected to the on-card electronic circuitry. The switching elements or antenna elements are selectively operated by the cardholder who manipulates the card in predetermined ways to generate data signals that may be used to activate the card, store data in the card, or transmit data to the reader.

The Finally,RFID with Supply Chain Management...
4. Using RFID in Supply Chain Management for Customer Service
By:Hsiao-Tseng Lin; Wei-Shuo Lo; Chiao-Ling Chiang
Publish:Systems, Man and Cybernetics, 2006. SMC apos;06. IEEE International Conference on Volume 2, Issue , 8-11 Oct. 2006 Page(s):1377 - 1381
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/ICSMC.2006.384908

Summary:Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been used since the Second World War, recent years it is widely employed in many areas such as highway tolls, in tracking livestock movements, in tracking air freight, medical care, air cargo operations, and in motor car manufacturing [1]-[3]. The year 2003 was crucial for RFID technology since both Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense of U.S.A. announced that they will be using RFID tags for pallets and cases in conducting business with their major suppliers. And even more, Wal-Mart suggested that it would extend the requirements to all of his suppliers by 2006 [4]. Thus, Wal-Mart could readily reduce their time of control and identification process for the suppliers and products. This may eventually lead to the accomplishment of their goal for Quick Response (QR) in their Supply Chain Management (SCM) and allow business to improve their customer relationship management (CRM) as well. In this paper, we discuss how the Radio Frequency Identification technology is used to solve the problems in supply chain management, the advantages of a business adopting RFID, and the relationship between RFID and CRM.

ip routing protocol

2008-09-06T16:35:00.003+07:00

What is IP Routing?
The purpose of the different IP Routing protocols and how they work.

Routing protocols implement algorithms that tell routers the best paths through internetworks. Routing protocols include Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP), Routing Information Protocol, and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) to name a few. Routing protocols provide the layer 3 network state update. Protocols that are transported through a network, such as Internet Protocol (IP), Novell Internetwork Packet eXchange (IPX), and AppleTalk are called routed protocols.

In short, routing protocols route datagrams through a network. Routing is a layer 3 function, thus, routing and routed protocols are network-layer entities. Routing tables on the layer 3 switch (router) are populated by information from routing protocols. A routed protocol will enter an interface on a router, be placed in a memory buffer, then it will be forwarded out to an interface based on information in the routing table.

Routing tables are critically important to the routing process. It is possible for these tables to be manually maintained by network administrators, but this is tedious, time-consuming and doesn't allow routers to deal with changes or problems in the internetwork. Instead, most modern routers are designed with functionality that lets them share route information with other routers, so they can keep their routing tables up to date automatically. This information exchange is accomplished through the use of routing protocols.

Note:-Some of the protocols in this section are generic enough that they could be applied to support the routing of any network layer protocol. They are most often associated with IP, however, as TCP/IP is by far the most popular internetworking protocol suite, and that is my assumption in describing them. Also, this section focuses primarily on the routing protocols used in Internet Protocol version 4. There is limited discussion of IPv6 versions of the protocols at this time.

Reference:
-dataconnection
-TCP/IP Guide
-O'Reilly

IP Routing

2008-09-02T06:15:00.011+07:00

What is IP Routing?
IP Routing is an umbrella term for the set of protocols that determine the path that data follows in order to travel across multiple networks from its source to its destination. Data is routed from its source to its destination through a series of routers, and across multiple networks. The IP Routing protocols enable routers to build up a forwarding table that correlates final destinations with next hop addresses.

These protocols include:
BGP->Border Gateway Protocol
(More details:Data Connection, Cisco)
IS-IS->Intermediate System - Intermediate System
(More details:Data Connection, Cisco)
OSPF->Open Shortest Path First
(More details:Data Connection, Cisco)
RIP->Routing Information Protocol
(More details:Data Connection, Cisco)
OER->Cisco Optimized Edge Routing
(More details:Cisco)
EIGRP->Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol
(More details:Cisco)
IGRP->Interior Gateway Routing Protocol
(More details:Cisco)
OSPF->Open Shortest Path First
(More details:Cisco)
ODR->On-Demand Routing
(More details:Cisco)
MBGP->Multiprotocol BGP
(More details:Cisco)

When an IP packet is to be forwarded, a router uses its forwarding table to determine the next hop for the packet's destination (based on the destination IP address in the IP packet header), and forwards the packet appropriately. The next router then repeats this process using its own forwarding table, and so on until the packet reaches its destination. At each stage, the IP address in the packet header is sufficient information to determine the next hop; no additional protocol headers are required.

The Internet, for the purpose of routing, is divided into Autonomous Systems (ASs). An AS is a group of routers that are under the control of a single administration and exchange routing information using a common routing protocol. For example, a corporate intranet or an ISP network can usually be regarded as an individual AS. The Internet can be visualized as a partial mesh of ASs. An AS can be classified as one of the following three types.

* A Stub AS has a single connection to one other AS. Any data sent to, or received from, a destination outside the AS must travel over that connection. A small campus network is an example of a stub AS.

* A Transit AS has multiple connections to one or more ASs, which permits data that is not destined for a node within that AS to travel through it. An ISP network is an example of a transit AS.

* A Multihomed AS also has multiple connections to one or more ASs, but it does not permit data received over one of these connections to be forwarded out of the AS again. In other words, it does not provide a transit service to other ASs. A Multihomed AS is similar to a Stub AS, except that the ingress and egress points for data traveling to or from the AS can be chosen from one of a number of connections, depending on which connection offers the shortest route to the eventual destination. A large enterprise network would normally be a multihomed AS.

An Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) calculates routes within a single AS. The IGP enables nodes on different networks within an AS to send data to one another. The IGP also enables data to be forwarded across an AS from ingress to egress, when the AS is providing transit services.

Routes are distributed between ASs by an Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP). The EGP enables routers within an AS to choose the best point of egress from the AS for the data they are trying to route.

The EGP and the IGPs running within each AS cooperate to route data across the Internet. The EGP determines the ASs that data must cross in order to reach its destination, and the IGP determines the path within each AS that data must follow to get from the point of ingress (or the point of origin) to the point of egress (or the final destination).

The diagram below illustrates the different types of AS in a network. OSPF, IS-IS and RIP are IGPs used within the individual ASs; BGP is the EGP used between ASs.

Reference:
Data Connection
Cisco

Ad-hoc network and Pro-active Routing Protocal Part2 : Destination-Sequenced Distance-Vector Routing (DSDV)

2008-09-01T06:24:00.008+07:00

Ad-hoc network and Pro-active Routing Protocal Part1: AWDS and Babel.

Type of protocols
Pro-active Routing (Table-driven)
This protocols maintains fresh lists of destinations and their routes by periodically distributing routing tables throughout the network. The main disadvantages of such algorithms are -

1. Respective amount of data for maintenance.
2. Slow reaction on restructuring and failures.

Examples of proactive algorithms are (con.)-
C).Destination-Sequenced Distance-Vector Routing (DSDV) is a table-driven routing scheme for ad hoc mobile networks based on the Bellman-Ford algorithm. It was developed by C. Perkins and P.Bhagwat in 1994. The main contribution of the algorithm was to solve the Routing Loop problem. Each entry in the routing table contains a sequence number, the sequence numbers are generally even if a link is present; else, an odd number is used. The number is generated by the destination, and the emitter needs to send out the next update with this number. Routing information is distributed between nodes by sending full dumps infrequently and smaller incremental updates more frequently.

For example the routing table of Node A in this network is
Destination Next Hop Number of Hops Sequence Number Install Time
A A 0 A 46 001000
B B 1 B 36 001200
C B 2 B 28 001500

Naturally the table contains description of all possible paths reachable by node A, along with the next hop, number of hops and sequence number.

Selection of Route
If a router receives new information, then it uses the latest sequence number. If the sequence number is the same as the one already in the table, the route with the better metric is used. Stale entries are those entries that have not been updated for a while. Such entries as well as the routes using those nodes as next hops are deleted.

Advantages
DSDV was one of the early algorithms available. It is quite suitable for creating ad hoc networks with small number of nodes. Since no formal specification of this algorithm is present there is no commercial implementation of this algorithm. Many improved forms of this algorithm have been suggested.

Disadvantages
1. DSDV requires a regular update of its routing tables, which uses up battery power and a small amount of bandwidth even when the network is idle.
2. Whenever the topology of the network changes, a new sequence number is necessary before the network re-converges; thus, DSDV is not suitable for highly dynamic networks. (As in all distance-vector protocols, this does not perturb traffic in regions of the network that are not concerned by the topology change.)

Influence
While DSDV itself does not appear to be much used today[citation needed], other protocols have used similar techniques. The best-known sequenced distance vector protocol is AODV, which, by virtue of being a reactive protocol, can use simpler sequencing heuristics. Babel is an attempt at making DSDV more robust and more efficient within the framework of proactive protocols.

References
1.Perkins, Charles E. and Bhagwat, Pravin (1994). "Highly Dynamic Destination-Sequenced Distance-Vector Routing (DSDV) for Mobile Computers" (pdf). Retrieved on 2006-10-20.
2.wikipedia
3..Securing the Destination-Sequenced Distance Vector Routing Protocol (S-DSDV)

Additional Research : Securing
1.Securing the Destination-Sequenced Distance Vector Routing Protocol (S-DSDV)
propose : a secure routing protocol based on DSDV, namely S-DSDV, in which, a well-behaved node can successfully detect a malicious routing update with any sequence number fraud (larger or smaller) and any distance fraud (shorter, same, or longer) provided no two nodes are in collusion.
compare : security properties and efficiency of S-DSDV with superSEAD. Our efficiency analysis shows that S-DSDV generates high network overhead, however, which can be reduced by configurable parameters.
believe : the S-DSDV overhead is justified by the enhanced security.

Ad-hoc network and Pro-active Routing Protocols Part 1 : AWDS and Babel.

2008-08-28T11:02:00.010+07:00

Ad-hoc network
- An ad-hoc (or "spontaneous") network is a local area network or other small network, especially one with wireless or temporary plug-in connections, in which some of the network devices are part of the network only for the duration of a communications session or, in the case of mobile or portable devices, while in some close proximity to the rest of the network. In Latin, ad hoc literally means "for this," further meaning "for this purpose only," and thus usually temporary. The term has been applied to future office or home networks in which new devices can be quickly added, using, for example, the proposed Bluetooth technology in which
devices communicate with the computer and perhaps other devices using wireless transmission.

One vendor offers an ad-hoc network technology that allows people to come to a
conference room and, using infrared transmission or radio frequency (RF)wireless signals, join their notebook computers with other conferees to a local network with shared data and printing resources. Each user has a unique network address that is immediately recognized as part of the network. The technology would also include remote users and hybrid wireless/wire connections.
from: search mobile computing

Ad Hoc Network Routing Protocols Studied
The protocols were carefully implemented according to their specifications published as of April 1998 and based on clarifications of
some issues from the designers of each protocol and on our own experimentation with them. In particular, during the process of implementing
each protocol and analyzing the results from early simulation runs.

Type of protocols
Pro-active Routing (Table-driven)
This protocols maintains fresh lists of destinations and their routes by periodically distributing routing tables throughout the network. The main disadvantages of such algorithms are -

1. Respective amount of data for maintenance.
2. Slow reaction on restructuring and failures.

Examples of proactive algorithms are -
A). AWDS - Ad-hoc Wireless Distribution Service
Ad-hoc Wireless Distribution Service (AWDS) is a layer 2 routing protocol to connect mobile ad-hoc networks, sometimes called wireless mesh networks. It is based on a link-state routing protocol, similar to OLSR.

Principle of operation
AWDS uses a link-state routing protocol for organizing the network. In contrast to other implementations like OLSR it operates in layer 2. That means no IP addresses must be assigned because the unique MAC addresses of the WLAN hardware is used instead. Furthermore, all kinds of layer 3 protocols can be used, like IP, DHCP, IPv6, IPX, etc. The protocol daemon creates a virtual network interface, which can be used by the kernel like a typical LAN interface.

Alternatives
The ad hoc routing protocol list contains a large set of alternatives. However, most of them are academic and do not exist as practical implementations.

B). Babel — a loop-free distance-vector routing protocol
Babel is a distance-vector routing protocol for IPv6 and IPv4 with fast convergence properties. It is based on the ideas in DSDV, AODV and Cisco's EIGRP, but uses a variant of ETX link cost estimation rather than a simple hop-count metric.

About Babel

Babel was designed to be robust and efficient on both wireless mesh networks and classical wired networks.

Babel on wireless networks

Babel was primarily designed for wireless ad-hoc networks. Because of that, Babel is extremely robust in the presence of mobility: only under very exceptional situations circumstances will Babel cause a transient routing loop. (This is unlike OLSR, which will cause transient routing loops just after a mobility event before the new topology information is flooded throughout the network.)

In its default operation, Babel uses a link quality measurement that is designed for networks using the IEEE 802.11 MAC. In other words, the paths chosen should be reasonable on any sort of network, but are particularly suitable for 802.11 networks.

Babel uses a number of techniques to avoid route flapping, the situation in which routers repeatedly switch between two routes of similar quality. This, again, is unlike OLSR, which, being a link-state protocol, cannot reliably implement history-dependent route selection.

Babel enjoys fairly fast convergence. Since Babel uses triggered updates and explicit requests for routing information, it usually converges almost immediately after the link quality measure has completed. In the presence of heavy packet loss, however, converging on an optimal set of routes may take up to a minute or so (with the default update interval of 30 seconds).
Babel on wired networks

Babel will also work efficiently on wired networks. When the Babel daemon detects a wired network, it will use a larger interval between hellos, disable link quality estimation, and perform split-horizon processing.

In the absence of mobility (on a stable network with no link failures), Babel over a wired network will generate roughly between 1.2 and 2.4 times the amount of traffic that RIPng would generate, depending on the exact network topology. However, since Babel uses explicit Hello messages and never counts to infinity, its update interval can be set to much larger values.
Babel on embedded systems

Being a distance vector protocol, Babel has extremely modest memory and CPU requirements. I have never seen the Babel daemon appear on either a CPU or a memory monitor.

Babel on dual-stack networks

Unlike most routing protocols, which route either IPv4 or IPv6 but not both at the same time, Babel is a hybrid IPv6 and IPv4 protocol: a single update packet can carry both IPv6 and IPv4 routes (this is similar to how multi-protocol BGP works). This makes Babel particularly efficient on dual (IPv6 and IPv4) networks.
Formal proofs

The most important correctness properties of Babel — loop-freeness and convergence — have been formally proved. This is unlike most other routing protocols, the correctness of which has to be taken on trust.

Technical details

Babel has the following features:

* it is a distance-vector protocol;
* it is a proactive protocol, but with adaptative (reactive) features;
* it senses link quality for computing route metrics using a variant of the ETX algorithm;
* it uses a feasibility condition that guarantees the absence of loops (the feasibility condition is taken from EIGRP and is somewhat less strict than the one in AODV);
* it uses sequence numbers to make old routes feasible again (like DSDV and AODV, but unlike EIGRP);
* it speeds up convergence by reactively requesting a new sequence number (like AODV, and to a certain extent EIGRP, but unlike DSDV);
* it allows redistributed external routes to be injected into the routing domain at multiple points (like EIGRP, but unlike DSDV and AODV).

Resources

If you don't know what to do with many of the papers piled on your desk, stick a dozen colleagues' initials on 'em, and pass them along. When in doubt, route. — Malcolm Forbes
Download

Download the Babel routing daemon (Linux and Mac OS X only, for now).

You can also get my latest (possibly unstable) sources using Darcs by doing

$ darcs get http://www.pps.jussieu.fr/~jch/software/repos/babel/

Babel-aware tcpdump

A patch (due to Grégoire Henry) to make tcpdump aware of the Babel and AHCP protocols is available in my download area.

Documentation
* Babel's README file.
* The babel(8) manual page.
* Babel's changelog.
* The Babel protocol.

Mailing list
Please subscribe to the Babel users mailing list.

You may browse the archives on Alioth, at Gmane using HTTPand at mail-archive.com.
from: PPS

LG wireless

2008-08-20T20:55:00.004+07:00

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features

* Elegantly designed quad-band GSM phone with 3-inch touchscreen featuring intuitive controls
* Access AT&T's speedy dual-band 3G network; compatible with AT&T Mobile TV, AT&T Music and Video Share services
* 2-megapixel camera with video recording, Bluetooth for communication headsets and stereo headphones, microSD expansion to 4 GB
* Up to 3 hours of talk time, up to 250 hours (10.5 days) of standby time; measures 4.25 x 2.16 x 0.51 inches (HxWxD)
* Includes: handset, rechargeable battery, charger, wired stereo headset, printed user manual and quick start guide

Dimensions

* Size (LWH): 4.25 inches, 2.16 inches, 0.51 inches
* Weight: 3.7037037037037 ounces

Product Features

* Network Compatibility: UMTS
* Phone Book Capacity: 100 Entries
* Minimum Rated Talk Time: 150 minutes
* Minimum Rated Standby Time: 144 hours
* Battery Type: Lithium Ion

Amazon.com Widgets

RFID

2008-08-06T13:07:00.005+07:00

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders.
An RFID tag is an object that can be applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader.

Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a (RF) signal, and other specialized functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal. Chipless RFID allows for discrete identification of tags without an integrated circuit, thereby allowing tags to be printed directly onto assets at a lower cost than traditional tags.

Today, RFID used is in enterprise supply chain management to improve the efficiency of inventory tracking and management. However, growth and adoption in the enterprise supply chain market is limited because current commercial technology does not link the indoor tracking to the overall end-to-end supply chain visibility. Coupled with fair cost-sharing mechanisms, rational motives and justified returns from RFID technology investments are the key ingredients to achieve long-term and sustainable RFID technology adoption

RFID Useful Links
1. RFID Guardian Use-Cases Scenarios
2. RFID Useful for Tracking Spinach?
3. Wal-Mart promises RFID will benefit suppliers
4. How manufacturers can benefit from RFID
5. Benefits of Connecting RFID and Lean and Six Sigma
6. The benefits of RFID technology in Logistics
7. How RFID will benefit from Beijing Olympics 2008

Keyboards 'dirtier than a toilet'

2008-05-02T06:54:00.004+07:00

Many people eat their lunch at their computers, leaving crumbs

Some computer keyboards harbour more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat, research has suggested.

Consumer group Which? said tests at its London offices found equipment carrying bugs that could cause food poisoning.

Out of 33 keyboards swabbed, four were regarded as a potential health hazard and one harboured five times more germs than one of the office's toilet seats.

Microbiologist Dr Peter Wilson said a keyboard was often "a reflection of what is in your nose and in your gut".

During the Which? tests in January this year, a microbiologist deemed one of the office's keyboards to be so dirty he ordered it to be removed, quarantined and cleaned.

It had 150 times the recommended limit for bacteria - five times as filthy as a lavatory seat tested at the same time, the research found.

"Should somebody have a cold in your office, or even have gastroenteritis, you're very likely to pick it up from a keyboard "

Dr Peter Wilson Consultant microbiologist

The equipment was swabbed for bugs, such as those that can cause food poisoning like E.coli and staphylococcus aureus.

Dr Wilson, a consultant microbiologist at University College London Hospital, told BBC Radio 5 Live sharing a keyboard could be passing on illnesses among office workers.

"If you look at what grows on computer keyboards, and hospitals are worse, believe it or not, it's more or less a reflection of what's in your nose and in your gut," he said.

"Should somebody have a cold in your office, or even have gastroenteritis, you're very likely to pick it up from a keyboard.

" Which? said one of the causes of dirty keyboards was users eating lunch at their desk, with crumbs encouraging the growth of bacteria.

Poor personal hygiene, such as not washing hands after going to the toilet, could also be to blame, it said.

Cleaning techniques

Which? computing editor Sarah Kidner advised users to give their computer "a spring clean".

"It's quite simple to do and could prevent your computer from becoming a health hazard," she said.

She said dust and food crumbs should be shaken out of keyboards and they should be wiped with a soft, lightly dampened, lint-free cloth. They should also be disinfected with alcohol wipes.

Research by the University of Arizona last year found the average office desktop harboured 400 times more bacteria than the average office toilet seat.

They also found that, compared to men, on average women have three to four times the amount of germs in, on and around their work area.

News from : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7377002.stm

wcs24 solution 11

2008-03-12T13:21:00.003+07:00

REVIEW QUESTIONS CHAPTER 11

1. Class 0 tags are read-only.

2. 1-bit tags do not carry any information about the product.

3. One of the main characteristics of sensory tags is that they can capture information about environmental conditions.

4. What is the purpose of an interrogator?
a. To read information from the tags

5. RFID middleware is used to convert the data read from the tags into a format that is compatible with that of the business application.

6. Reader antennas are designed for the specific application.
True.

7. The orientation of the tag’s antenna usually does not affect readability.
True

8. RFID is not expected to have a major impact on network traffic.
False

9. UHF passive tags use a variation of amplitude and phase modulation.
FalseFalse, they use a variation of amplitude shift keying and phase shift keying.

10. A reader uses a method called coupling to connect with the corporate network. False

11. To power passive tags, the reader transmits A continuous wave or CW.

12. To modulate a response signal using backscatter, a tag has to Change the electrical properties or reflection coefficient of its antenna.

13. Interrogators and tags do not transmit simultaneously. This is known as half-duplex Communications.

14. The minimum amount of information stored in a smart label is the EPC, CRC, and the destroy password.

15. In a(n)dense reader environmentan interrogator will assume that there was a collision when it does not receive responses from any tags.

wcs23 solution 10

2008-03-12T13:21:00.001+07:00

REVIEW QUESTIONS 10
1. The area of a cell is approximately how many square miles?
b. 10

2. The device that connects a base station with a wired telephone network is the MTSO.

3. Each of the following is a valid cellular telephone code except Digital Serial Code (DSC).

4. Handoff occurs when a user begins moving toward another cell and the phone automatically associates with the base station of that cell.

5. The special frequency that a cellular phone and base station use for exchanging setup information is called the control channel.

6. First Generation (1G) networks use analog signals, and the maximum transmission speed is 9.6 Kbps. True.

7. 1G technology is based on Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS). True.

8. Division by frequency, so that each caller is allocated part of the spectrum for all of the time, is the basis of TDMA. False.

9. 2G systems use digital instead of analog transmissions. True.

10. There are two different technologies that are used with 2G—W-CDMA and CDMA2000. False

11. The primary difference between 2G and 2.5G networks is that 2.5G networks are packet switched instead of circuit-switched networks.

12. When migrating from a TDMA or GSM network, the next step would be to a GPRS network.

13. EDGE is considered a booster for GPRS systems and can transmit up to 384 Kbps.

14. Generation three is intended to be a uniform and global worldwide standard for cellular wireless communication.

wcs22 Mobile Cellular System

2008-03-12T13:20:00.002+07:00

เกริ่น บทนี้ อ ไม่เน้นมากเหมือน Mobile Cellular Networks ดังนั้นจะเอามาแต่ที่พูดเลยค่ะ สไลด์จะดูข้ามๆ ไปบ้าง ถ้ามีเวลาเพื่อนๆ ลองอ่านรายละเอียดจากสไลด์เอานะคะ

Mobile Cellular System

ระบบ 1G
-ยุคแรกเป็นแบบอนาล็อก (สไลด์ 11-12)
-คุยข้ามเครือข่ายกันไม่ได้เลย
-ดูสไลด์ที่ 8 สังเกตว่ากำลังส่งสูงมากถึง 3 วัตต์
เนื่องจากรุ่นแรกนี้แม้ว่าจะใหญ่แบบกระเป๋าเจมส์ บอนด์ แต่สามารถนำเคลื่อนที่ไปไหนมาไหนได้ และมีผู้ใช้เยอะ จึงมีการออกรุ่นที่ 2 ออกมา

ระบบ 2G เน้นสไลด์ 14-18
-ฟีเจอร์ที่เพิ่มขึ้นมาคือ SMS
-ราคาถูกลง
-การรักษาความปลอดภัยมากขึ้น
-GSM มาจาก TDMA+FDMA
-IS-95 เริ่มมี CDMA ใช้กำลังส่งน้อย 0.2 W แต่ระบบโทรศัพท์ทั้งหลายยังใช้กับ CDMA ได้
-TDMA design MAX cell radius =35 km สูงเพื่อรถไฟความเร็วสูง

ดูสถาปัตยกรรม GSM หน้า 21 และ 22 อ.อธิบายภาพ

หน้า 28 BS มีเสาอากาศล้อมรอบ
Base Satation Controller สามารถควบคุมหลาย BS ได้

หน้า 32 format รับส่งข้อมูล

อ บอกข้ามไปจนถึงหน้า 43 เลย มีสาระสำคัญดังนี้

IS-95 CDMA
สร้างขึ้นท่แทนที่ AMPS เพราะ upgrade มากกว่านั้นไม่ได้แล้ว ด้วยแนวคิดว่าทำอย่างไรจะเพิ่มจำนวนผู้ใช้ feature ข้ามเครือข่ายได้

*GSM เมื่อ Hand off แล้ว cell เดิมตัดขาดจากมือถือทันที
แต่ CDMA จะมีจุดเปลี่ยน ช่วงเวลาก่อนการส่งกับหลังการส่ง CDMA จะติดต่อกับทั้งสอง BS พร้อมๆ กันจนกว่าจะเเน่ใจว่าการส่งต่อสมบูรณ์แล้ว

ดูหน้า 71 พัฒนาการของ cellular wireless network system

หน้า 75
GPRS - โครงสร้างพัฒนาระบบเครือข่ายส่วนหลังจาก GSM 2G เดิม โดยเพิ่มBSC เข้าไป

EDGE เป็น 2.75G

สุดท้ายหน้า 104 CDMA2000-1xRTT

~The End~

Information

2008-03-11T11:50:00.006+07:00

ถ้าดูเนื้อหา ให้ดูตามหัวข้อนะจ๊ะ เพราะใช้ update ตามหัวข้อน่ะ ไม่ได้ update ตามวัน เช่น บทที่ 7 เคยเขียนไปนานแล้ว แต่ยังไม่จบ ก็จะเพิ่มให้เรื่อยๆ จนจบบทนั้นจ้ะ บอกไว้ก่อนจะได้ไม่ตกใจเดี๋ยวก๊อปกันไปคนละวัน แล้วเอามาเทียบกันแล้วได้ว่าไม่เหมือนกัน

^-^

จะพยายามทำให้เสร็จเร็วๆ ค่ะ

มีคอมเม้นต์กันบ้างก็ได้นะ เผื่อไม่เคลียร์ จะได้ช่วยกันตอบ

ปล หลังกลางภาคเริ่มที่ บทที่ 7 จ้ะ

็HA HA ตกใจมั้ยอันนั้นบอกเพื่อนๆ คนอื่น หวานมาก สำหรับพวกเราต้องอันนี้

พิมพ์ไปตามบทนะ เหมือนเดิม วันท้ายๆ จะครบ วันแรกๆ ยังไม่ต้องพิมพ์อ่านอย่างเดียว จะได้ไม่เปลืองกระดาษ

~The End~
For Gangs

wcs 21 Mobile Cellular Networks

2008-03-10T11:00:00.008+07:00

Terms
BS - เสาอากาศรับส่งข้อมูล
MTSO - เชื่อมต่อการโทรระหว่างโมบายยูนิต

ช่องทาง 2 แบบระหว่าง mobile unit และ BS

1. ช่องสัญญาณควบคุมการแลกเปลี่ยนข้อมู,ระหว่างโทรศัพท์กับสถานีเป็นข้อมู,เซตอัพที่ไม่ใช้เสียงเช่น เบอร์คนโทรมาจากสถานีใด เป็นต้น
2. หลังจากติดต่อได้แล้วจะมีช่องทางให้เราติดต่อกันเช่น เสียง

Interference = รบกวนกัน
frequency reuse = การใช้ความถี่ซ้ำ ทำให้ใช้ความถี่ได้ทั้งประเทศ หรือทั่วทวีป

cellular telephony ทำงานอย่างไร
คีย์ของ cellular telephone networks
1. cells-city cells ประมาณ 10 ตารางไมล์
-ที่ศูนย์กลางของแต่ละ cell คือ cell transmiiter ที่ต่อกับ BS
-แต่ละ BS ต่อกับ MTSO โดยเชื่อมระหว่าง cellular network และ wired telephone world และควบคุม transmitter และ BS ทั้งหมด

2. Transmitters และ cell phone ทำงานด้วยกำลังงานต่ำ
สามารถคงสัญญาณในเวลล์ได้ สัญญาณที่มีคลื่นเฉพาะไปไม่เกินพื้นที่ cell ด้วยความถี่เดียวกันสามารถถูกใช้ในเซลล์อื่นๆในเวลาเดียวกันได้ นอกจาก เซลล์ประชิด (เซลล์ที่ติดกัน)

3. cell phone มีโค้ดพิเศษ
1) SID เลขประจำเครือข่ายที่ให้บริการ
2) ESN เลขซิม
3) MIN เบอร์โทรศัพท์

4. เมื่อผู้ใช้เคลื่อนที่ภายนเซลล์เดียว
-Transmitters และ BS ควบคุมการรับส่งทั้งหมด
-ขณะที่ผู้ใช้เคลื่อนที่ไปยังเซลล์ข้างๆ จะเกิดกระบวนการ handoff
*handoff คือการส่งต่อจาก BS หนึ่งไปอีก BS หนึ่ง
-ใช้ Roaming เมื่อผู้ใช้เคลื่อนที่ไปเครือข่ายอื่น
*Roaming การขอใช้งานอีกเครือข่ายหนึ่ง เช่นการใช้งานใน ต่างประเทศ

โทรศัพท์มือถือทำงานอย่างไร

ขั้นตอนการรับ

-โทรศัพท์รับรับ SIDจาก BS
-โทรศัพท์ส่งคำร้องขอลงทะเบียนแก่ BS
-BS รับ incoming call ที่เข้ามา
-BS ตรวจสอบว่าตรงกับ registration request หรือไม่
-BS ส่งข้อมูลแก่โทรศัพท์มือถือที่ค่าความถี่หนึ่ง ผู้ใช้สามารถรับสายและคุยได้
-BS ทำการ switch ความถี่ต่อไป

ขั้นตอนที่ MSTO Controlled Call ระหว่างผู้ใช้เคลื่อนที่
1. Mobile Unit Initialization
-เริ่มตั้งค่า mobile unit
-cells มีหลายช่องความถี่ที่ใช้ซ้ำกันจึงต้องเริ่มตั้งค่าช่องต่างๆ เพื่อเตรียม broadcast
-เมื่อเปิด โมบาย ยูนิต คือเริ่มสแกนและเลือกค่าช่องควบคุมที่ตั้งไว้แรงสุดจาก BS จากนั้น handshake ระหว่างโมบายยูนิตและ MTSO เพื่อกำหนดผู้ใช้และพื้นที่ที่ลงทะเบียน

2. Mobile-Originated Cell
-เป็นฝ่ายโทรเข้าหรือออก (ขั้นตอนต่างกัน)
-ส่งข่าวไปที่ mobile switching center (msc)
-msc เช็คเบอร์ที่โทรมาว่าอยู่ในเครือข่ายเดียวกันหรือไม่ ถ้าใช่อยู่ในพื้นที่ใด
-กรณีที่โทรไปที่โทรศัพท์บ้าน msc เช็คก่อนว่าอยู่เครือข่ายใด ประเทศใด หากโทรข้ามเครือข่าย operator เสียค่าข้ามเครือข่าย

3.Paging
MTSO ส่ง paging msg ไปที่ทุก BS

4.Call Accepted
-ตรวจว่าโทรมาจากที่ใด เบอร์ที่โทรหาเราอยู่ที่ไหน
-BS ส่ง msg มาที่เครื่องผู้ใช้ หากเป็นของผู้ใช้คนนั้น เครื่องจะรับ msg แล้วเปิดริงโทนรับเข้าให้เราได้ยิน

5.Ongoing call
-คุยกันอยู่ ขึ้นกับว่าอยู่ที่สถานีใด
-แม้เป็นเครือข่ายเดียวกันก็ต้องส่งข่อความไปที่ MSTO ก่อนแล้วค่อยส่งกลับมา

6.Handoff
-mobile unit ย้ายออกจากระยะของเซลล์ไปในเซลล์อื่นระหว่างการเชื่อมต่อ จึงมีการเปลี่ยน BS ไปที่เซลล์ใหม่

ฟังก์ชันเพิ่มเติมใน MTSO Controlled Call
-Call blocking -กรณีช่องสัญญาณเต็ม
-Call termination - กรณีโทรศัพท์จบการคุย - กดปุ่มวางหู
-Call drop - คุยอยู่แล้วสายหลุด

Digital Cellular Telephony
มีมาตั้งแต่ต้นทศวรรษ 1980 แบ่งได้ดังนี้ 1G, 2G, 2.5G, 3G

1st Generation Cellular Telephony
-สัญญาณอนาล็อก
-AMPS

ความถี่ 800-900 MHz
ช่องกว้าง 30 KHz ด้วย 45 KHz passband
มี 832 ความถี่
ใช้ FDMA ที่จอง 1 ช่องด้วย 2 ความถี่แก่ ผู้ใช้ 1 คนที่เวลาหนึ่งๆ

-CIRCUIT-SWITCHING TECHNOLOGY
เชื่อมต่อทางกายภาพโดยตรงระหว่างผู้โทรและผู้รับ

2nd Generation Cellular Telephony
-ส่งข้อมูลด้วยอัตราเร็ว 9.6 kbps และ 14.4 kbps ในช่วความถี่ 800 MHz และ 1.9 GHz
-CIRCUIT-SWITCHING TECHNOLOGY
-เป็นระบบดิจิตอล
ประโยชน์ของดิจิตอลคือ ใช้ความถี่ให้มีประสิทธิภาพมากขึ้น,ระยะทางไกลขึ้น, คุณภาพเสียงดี และปลอดภัยกว่าเพระถอดรหัสยาก
ใช้พลังงานน้อยและค่าโทรถูกขึ้น
-Multiple Access Technology: TDMA, CDMA, GSM คือ ใช้ FDMA กับ TDMA รวมกัน

2.5 Generation Cellular Telephony
-Generation ที่เกิดระหว่าง 2G และ 3G
-ความเร็วสูงสุดที่ 384 kbps
-PACKET - SWITCHED
ข้อดีของ packet switching
-มีประสิทธิภาพมากขึ้น สามารถควบคุมการรับส่งผ่านช่องทางได้
-เชื่อมต่อได้ตลอด
-GPRS สำหรับเครือข่าย TDMA หรือ GSM 2G โดยใช้ 8 timeslots ใน 200 KHz และเทคนิคการเข้ารหัสที่ต่างกัน 4 แบบ
-EDGE สามารถส่งได้ถึง 384 kbps ขึ้นอยู่กับเทคนิค modulation ที่เรียกว่า 8 PSK
-CDMA2000 1xRTT ทำงานบน 2 ช่องทางที่มีความถี่ 1.25 MHz สนับสนุนการส่ง packet ข้อมูล 144 kbps

3rd Generation Cellular Telephony
ตั้งใจสร้างรูปแบบทั่วไป และแบบเดียวกัน ของ cellular wireless communication
มาตรฐานอัตราการส่งข้อมูล
- 144Mbps สำหรับ mobile user
- 386 Kbps สำหรับผู้ใช้ที่เคลื่อนที่ช้า
- 2 Mbps สำหรับผุ้ใช้ที่อยู่กับที่
เทคโนโลยี 3 G คือ CDMA200 1xEVDO สำหรับเครือข่าย 2.5 G CDMA2000 1xRTT

สรุป
-cell คือขอบเขต เครือข่ายโทรศัพท์เคลื่อนที่ ที่ครอบคลุมใน 1 พื้นที่
-handoff vs roaming
-Generation ของท.มือถือ

1G, 2G, 2.5G, 3G

-SMS เป็นการส่งข้อความสั้นๆ ในเครือข่าย

In-Depth Cellular Networks
Cellular Concept
สร้างจากแลบ Bell ปี 1971 ด้วยการบริการด้านภูมิศาสตร์แบ่งเป็น "cells" ขนาดเล็ก

เซลล์ข้างๆไม่ใช้ความถี่เดียวกันเพื่อป้องกันการชนกัน

สมมติรูปเซลล์ในอุดมคติเป็นรูปหกเหลี่ยม

เพิ่มความสามารถระบบโดยการใช้ความถี่ซ้ำกันได้

Cellular Networks
-รูปแบบเซลล์ที่นำเสนอเป็นรูปวงกลม
-ประมาณการพื้นที่ครอบคลุมด้วยรูปหกเหลี่ยม ทำให้วิเคราะห์ได้ง่าย
-ระบบมีความถี่ F MHz
-เทคนิค multiple access แปลงช่อง F เป็น T
-คลัสเตอร์ของเซลล์ K = กลุ่มของเซลล์ที่ประชิดกันด้วยการใช้ระบบความถี่ที่กำหนดให้ทั้งหมด

ต่อจากนี้เป็นเรื่องคำนวณของ cell design กับ hand off ค่ะ ดูตามชีทสรุปของพี่แสนได้เลยนะคะ ลัคกี้จริงๆ
ขอบคุณค่ะ

wcs 20 Chapter 8 High-Speed WLANs and WLAN Security

2008-03-10T10:23:00.003+07:00

ขอบคุณนุ้ย อำพร จ้า
วัตถุประสงค์
- อธิบายว่า IEEE 802.11 a มีหน้าที่อย่างไรและต่างจาก 802.11 อย่างไร
- โครงสร้าง 802.11g เพิ่มจาก 802.11b อย่างไร
- อธิบายมาตรฐานใหม่และจะมีขึ้นในอนาคต และปรับปรุงเครือข่าย 802.11 อย่างไร
- บรรยายประโยชน์ของ Wireless bridge และ wireless switch มีหน้าที่เพิ่มเติมและการจัดการ WLANs เพิ่มเติมอย่างไร
- รายการพื้นฐานและลักษณะการรักษาความปลอดภัยเพิ่มเติมและประเด็นของเครือข่าย IEEE 802.11

IEEE 802.11 a
- เป็นมาตรฐานในชั้น MAC เหมือน 802.11 b WLANs ซึ่งต่างก็ถูกจำกัดอยู่ในชั้น Phy Layer
มีความเร็วและความซับซ้อนเหนือกว่า 802.11 b ดังนี้
- ย่านความถี่สูงขึ้น
- ช่องการส่งสัญญาณมากขึ้น
- เทคนิคซับซ้อนกว่ามาก
- Error-correction มีประสิทธิภาพมากกว่า
- ใช้ U-NII Frequency Band ซึ่งเป็น short range, high speed wireless
- U-NII Frequency Band แบ่งเป็นสี่ช่องตาม max power limit
- 5 GHz แก่ผู้ใช้และเทคโนโลยีอื่นๆ นอกเหนือจาก WLANs
ดูรูปหน้า 5 -6
- ช่องทางที่ใช้ของ 802.11 b ถูกแบ่งเป็น 11 ช่องใน USA ซึ่งในการใช้ครั้งหนึ่งจะใช้ สาม ช่องที่ไม่ซ้อนทับพร้อมกันได้
- 802.11 a แบ่งได้ 8 ช่องความถี่ แบ่งเป็น Low band (5.15 ถึง 5.25 GHz) และ Middle band (5.25 ถึง 5.35 GHz) ความถี่แต่ละช่องมีความกว้าง 20 MHz ที่สนับสนุน 52 สัญญาณพาหะ

หลักการ OFDM
ช่องสัญญาณที่ใช้ จะใช้ทั้ง 48 ช่อง ในการส่งข้อมูล แต่ใช้ความเร็วต่ำในการส่ง ทำให้ไม่รบกวนกัน เมื่อไปถึงปลายทาง ปลายทางจะรับข้อมูลพร้อมกันและนำมารวมกัน สรุป 1. ส่งเป็นช่วงย่อย 2. ส่งความเร็วต่ำ

Error Correction ใน 802.11a
เนื่องจากสามารถส่งข้อมู,ที่เหมือนกันมากกว่า 1 ก็อปปี้ได้ เพราะกลัวก็อปปี้แรกหาย พอส่งก็อปปี้สอง (FEC)
ก็รับมาเปรียบเทียบกันว่าตรงกันหรือไม่

802.11a PHY Layerแบ่งได้สองส่วน คือ PMD ขึ้นอยู่กับเทคนิคฮาร์ดแวร์ และ PCCP จะอยู่บน PMD โดยสร้างรูปแบบข้อมูลที่รับจาก MAC Layer อีกครั้ง ในรูปแบบเฟรมที่ชั้น PMD สามารถใช้รับฝส่ง ต่อได้ และทำหน้าที่คอยฟังว่าจะส่งข้อมูลได้เมื่อไร

802.11 a สามารถรับส่งได้สั้นกว่า 802.11 b เนื่องจากความถี่ หากความถี่สู.จะส่งได้สั้นลง แต่ได้เปรียบกรณีอยู่ในอาคารจะชัดเจนกว่า

IEEE 802.11 g
ความแตกต่าง 802.11g สามารถรับส่งได้เหมมือน 802.11a แต่ใช้ย่านความถี่เดียวกับ 802.11b

802.11g PHY Layer
-ใช้ OFDM เหมือน 802.11a
-ช่องสัญญาณใช้ได้เพียงสามช่องเหมือนกับ 802.11b
-ใช้ DSSS ก่อนแล้วค่อยใช้ OFDM

802.11e
-เป็นมาตรฐานเพื่อรองรับ QoS
-สามารถจัดลำดับเฟรมในโหมด DCF ได้
-ทุกๆ เฟรมทั่รับส่ง ต้องมีการส่ง ACK กลับมาก่อนถึงจะส่งเฟรมถัดไป

802.11n
-ออกแบบเพื่อสามารถรับส่งข้อมูลเร็วกว่าเดิม โดยใช้ย่านความถี่ 2.4 GHz
-เป้าหมายคือดาต้าเรทสูงกว่า 100 Mbps โดยใช้ 2.4 GHz ISM band

802.11r
-เพื่อลดเวลาในการเปลี่ยน Access Point ร่นเวลาการรับส่ง AP ให้น้อยลง

Wireless Bridges and Repeaters
พูดถึงระบบการเชื่อมต่อ
802.11b bridge สามารถส่งได้ถึง 18 miles(29 km) ที่ 11 Mbps หรือถึง 25 miles(40 km) ที่ 2 Mbps
802.11a bridge สามารถส่งได้ถึง 8.5 miles(13.5 km) ที่ 11 Mbps หรือถึง 20 miles(30 km) ที่ 28 Mbps

Wireless Switching
รองรับ Qos เช่น Voice เพื่อลดต้นทุนในการบริหารจัดการ

ฟังก์ชันใหม่ที่เพิ่มเข้ามา คือ Wireless home & office
Wireless presentation,media,VoIP gateway
Wireless gaming adapter

~The End~

Reference
Wireless# Guide to Wireless Communications Second Edition ของ Jorge Olenewa and Mark Ciampa

Wireless Communication System

Track Google Phone

Google suffers major failure

Various Google Apps start kicking back in after widespread outage this morning

After Googlefail, will you trust online apps? - Computerworld Blogs

Google suffers major failure

Google - Computerworld Blogs

Google blames outage on system error and online traffic jam

blogs - Computerworld Blogs

Related Stories:

'Human error' hits Google search

Google Custom Search and Custom Search Business Edition

Features

Articles & Reviews

How satellites could 'sail' home

Last-minute Conficker survival guide/Worm

Microwaves 'improve fog landings'

New Google's Ads Algorithm-Interest-based advertising

Judge dismisses Google lawsuit

Privacy law call in Facebook row

Wireless infrastructure providers have been at the heart of all major industry evolutions.

Privacy fears over Google tracker

Firms back data protection pledge

What's with Google's new mini icon?

Clock ticking on worm attack code

Predictions 2009

The Year in Social Media: 2008

Timeline: Space flight

10 embarrassing moments in tech

The people and products that made us cringe

The 6 Technologies That Shaped 2008

"I'm Linux" Video Contest Will Probably Be a Forking Mess

By following two steps behind, Palm is doomed

The Day Web 2.0 Died

Death Match: BlackBerry Storm VS Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

10 sneaky ways crapware gets onto your PC

It's rubbish, and it's on your computer. But how did it get there?

(Try to) see the world's tiniest optical mouse!

Lilliputians would think the new Z-Nano was massive though

Commerce holding back 100Mb broadband in UK

Virgin Media's tech guru explains limitations

10 movie releases that can save Blu-ray

The best high-def games and movies for Xmas

TechRadar's pick of HD entertainment for the festive break

Phone and communications News- Lenovo trumps iPhone with Android device

Sleek, shiny and running Google's service... we like

10 things that Apple should make right now

Gear and apps we want Apple to apply its magic touch to

Wireless home networks

3 Satellite Books

CCNA Wireless Official Exam Certification Guide

Intrusion Detection forWireless Sensor Networks

Multihop Routing Security

Design Integration with Ad Hoc Networks

HART

Coveraging of aWireless Sensor Network

Satellite1- History

Early conceptions

THEOS (satellite)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PCI Geomatics to support THEOS satellite

Sony Launches E-Book Reader with Touchscreen Display

5 Last-Minute Retirement Tips

Bestseller Wireless Books at Amazon.com

Huge new prime number discovered

Semantic similarity

CDMA technology

4 Papers about Wireless RFID

ip routing protocol

IP Routing

Ad-hoc network and Pro-active Routing Protocal Part2 : Destination-Sequenced Distance-Vector Routing (DSDV)

Ad-hoc network and Pro-active Routing Protocols Part 1 : AWDS and Babel.

LG wireless

RFID

Keyboards 'dirtier than a toilet'

wcs24 solution 11

wcs23 solution 10

wcs22 Mobile Cellular System

Information

wcs 21 Mobile Cellular Networks