Batteries Go Flat Out - 2/1/2006 - ECN

Batteries Go Flat Out - 2/1/2006 - ECN: "A look at some of the efforts underway will provide a clearer picture of the types of batteries under development at several companies. Some of these technologies will reach designers' lab benches within the next three to 12 months."

Gates: End to passwords in sight | Tech News on ZDNet

Gates: End to passwords in sight Tech News on ZDNet: "The new operating system, due later this year, introduces a concept called InfoCards that gives users a better way to manage the plethora of Internet login names and passwords, as well as lets third parties help in the verification process. Vista will also make it easier to log on to PCs using something stronger than a password alone, such as a smart card. "

Electronic News - Semi Industry Applauds DTV Bill Passage - 2/2/2006 - Electronic News - CA6304239

Electronic News - Semi Industry Applauds DTV Bill Passage - 2/2/2006 - Electronic News - CA6304239: "The DTV transition bill, which gives broadcasters till Feb. 17, 2009 to end their traditional analog transmissions, was approved by a vote of 216-214 Wednesday. The budget bill now awaits President Bush�s signature to make it into law."

Ivanhoe's Medical Breakthroughs - iPods for Your Heart

Ivanhoe's Medical Breakthroughs - iPods for Your Heart: "This is a new idea in medicine; using iPods and the Internet to educate patients. Arizona Heart Institute cardiovascular surgeon Grayson Wheatley, M.D., is the first to give his patients iPods. Patients can hear and see information about diet, exercise and the heart.
Programs also explain balloon angioplasty, stenting and show doctors performing a bypass.
'One of the biggest complaints in medicine is patients don't get enough time with their doctors, and the iPod can be an extension of time that they get with their doctors,' Dr. Wheatley tells Ivanhoe."

How Things Work - How Things Work Home Page

How Things Work - How Things Work Home Page: "How does a parabolic sound collecting dish work? - C
A parabolic dish microphone is essentially a mirror telescope for sound. A parabolic surface has the interesting property that all sound waves that propagate parallel its central axis travel the same distance to get to its focus. That means that when you aim the dish at a distant sound source, all of the sound from that object bounces off the dish and converges toward the focus in phase--with its pressure peaks and troughs synchronized so that they work together to make the loudest possible sound vibrations. The sound is thus enhanced at the focus, but only if it originated from the source you're aiming at. Sound from other sources misses the focus. If you put a sensitive microphone in the parabolic dish's focus, you'll hear the sound from the distant object loud and clear."

Steve's Commentary
Not a new technology, but has interesting applications...

� WebEx plans to be the talk of Web 3.0 | Software as services | ZDNet.com

� WebEx plans to be the talk of Web 3.0 Software as services ZDNet.com: "Last week I wrote about the views of influential CIO JP Rangaswami and his vision for what I've called The four application pillars of enterprise 3.0. I've also been speaking to a number of on-demand vendors about their thoughts and aspirations. One of the most interesting discussions I've had was with Subrah Iyar, CEO and chairman of on-demand web conferencing vendor WebEx. Although the company commands much less airtime than on-demand media darling salesforce.com, WebEx has a better claim to be the leading vendor of the two, with higher revenues and a much bigger customer base, as Dan Farber described last month in a posting about WebEx's ambitions. What's more, Iyar is confident that its core online meetings application is far better placed to become a pivotal Web 3.0 application than its rival's salesforce automation (SFA) service:
'Every business user needs meetings,' he told me. 'Not every business user needs SFA or CRM.' His line of thinking is backed up by Rangaswami, who named 'conversation' of one of the four application pillars of the future enterprise � whereas CRM, as a classification that's rooted in the previous generation of applications, is more likely to get split up between this and the other three pillars of publishing, discovery and fulfilment."

New Scientist Breaking News - Invention: Enhanced speech-recognition

New Scientist Breaking News - Invention: Enhanced speech-recognition: "Enhanced speech-recognition
Even the most accurate and intelligent speech recognition falls down when there is a lot of background noise, such as in a car, office or factory. But radar could help distinguish noise from speech, according to a patent from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, US.
A microphone picks up sound from the speaker�s mouth in the usual way, while a wireless transmitter fixed alongside the microphone emits a low-power signal at 2 gigahertz and analyses the reflections that bounce off the speaker's neck. The lab found it can reliably detect movements of one-tenth of a millimetre or less, and these reveal the motion of the throat as sounds are formed.
When there is no windpipe motion there is no speech, so the only sound picked up by the microphone is unwanted noise. This noise-only reading is used to construct a self-adjusting electronic filter that continually removes the noise, while letting the speech through.
Read Lawrence Livermore�s description of their system, here."

Steve's Commentary
This type of speech-recognition could support noisy collaborative environments where groups of people are working together. I wonder how well it identifies the appropriate source of voice commands when more than one person is speaking.

New Scientist Breaking News - Invention: Preventing in-flight interference

New Scientist Breaking News - Invention: Preventing in-flight interference: "
Drastic action is needed to help airlines cope with huge increases in passengers now using portable electronics that can interfere with aircraft systems. So says Research in Motion, the Canadian company that made the Blackberry pocket e-mailer which became a must-have for business travellers. RIM thinks the only practical solution is to put the aircrew in charge of passengers� �personal electronic devices�.
It�s not just cellphone transmissions that cause interference, says RIM, it�s the very high frequency clock speeds of modern microprocessors, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transceivers that continually send out �hello� signals. Most people have no idea how to configure their PED to make it flight-safe.
RIM wants to lead the way with a standard that lets PEDs respond to coded wireless signals that the pilot switches on during take-off and landing. The signals are at a low frequency that does not interfere with the aircraft�s electronics, and encrypted to confirm authenticity. The PED flashes a green light once it has switched into flight-safe mode, to assist cabin crew checks.
Once some airlines are transmitting �flight safe� instructions, and some PEDs are equipped to respond to them, more manufacturers and airlines should follow. The technology could also be used to automatically set cellphones to silent mode when in cinemas and theatres, RIM suggests.
Read more about RIM�s idea, here."

Steve's Commentary
I predict that "Tech Free Zones" will become more desireable as portable technology becomes more ubiquitous.

Jambo Networks - Social Networking, Peer to Peer, Personal Area Matching

Jambo Networks - Social Networking, Peer to Peer, Personal Area Matching: "
Find members of your group nearby
Remember names of anyone you've ever met
Link to your online profiles (linkedin, myspace, etc.)
Broadcast a message to people around you
Control your visibility and privacy "

Sociable Interfaces Evolve for Personal Devices

Sociable Interfaces Evolve for Personal Devices: "Personal device user interfaces will evolve significantly through 2015. Firstly, new sensors and data analysis algorithms will differentiate products and address the needs of new form factors. Secondly, social, psychological and usability factors will become a major battleground as sociable device behavior becomes a competitive differentiator. Thirdly, in the long term, devices will integrate information from many sources to deliver an integrated and sociable user experience."

Steve's Commentary
Let me know if you need access to the full report.