Kindle easter eggs: Google Maps cell-based location, picture viewer, and more
source : engadget.com
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Kindle reader
source : engadget.com
Wii Hacked
Nintendo Wii fully hacked for native homebrew
source : engadget.com
Tata cheap car
Tata Motors' $2,500 1-Lakh car gets detailed
Remember that uber-cheap, almost entirely plastic car that India's Tata Motors was working up? Turns out, the still codenamed 1-Lakh automobile is expected to launch in mid-2008 and get around 15 miles-per-liter, which should give the Maruti 800 some serious competition in the budget car arena. According to R. A. Mashelkar, a nonexecutive director on Tata Motors' board, it should provide ample room in "both the front and rear" for a six-foot individual, and he also noted that a "new kind of welding" would be used instead of bolts in a variety of locations on the motorcar. Still, there's just something about the idea of riding in a brand new $2,500 vehicle that doesn't sit well with us -- probably something to do with the dearth of safety features, but who knows.source : engadget.com
Solar Power
US' largest solar photovoltaic system flipped on in Nevada
source : engadget.com
CFR Brief
Friday, December 28, 2007
CFR Daily Brief
Top of the Agenda: What Now in Pakistan?
Less than a day after gun and bomb attacks killed Pakistan’s iconic opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, her death has already spurred more violence in her fragile homeland. The New York Times reports violence erupted in cities across Pakistan today, as hundreds of thousands gathered in Bhutto’s ancestral village for her funeral procession. The Times of India reports that an al-Qaeda leader claimed credit for Bhutto’s killing, calling her “the most precious American asset.” As a new Daily Analysis notes, Bhutto’s death raises major questions for the future of a turbulent and politically torn country with critical elections scheduled for January 8.
Amid rampant speculation about the elections, which were expected to bring Bhutto back to power for a third term as prime minister, Pakistan’s current Prime Minister Mohammadian Soomro today announced elections would be held as scheduled (NDTV) and urged Pakistanis to remain calm. Western leaders have called for elections to proceed despite widespread concerns over whether the vote will be seen as legitimate (AP).
The news also comes as a major blow to the United States, which had supported Bhutto as a pro-democracy candidate in a country struggling to contain its militant forces. In a conference call yesterday, CFR’s Pakistan expert Daniel Markey called it “a bad day for Pakistan, a bad day, I think, for the United States,” and added that “we’re going to be paying a price for this for a while.”
Bruce Riedel, a former Central Intelligence Agency official who focused on South Asia policy, says the objective of Bhutto’s assassins was “to destabilize the Pakistani state, to break up the secular political parties,” with the ultimate goal being the return of Islamist groups to power. A news analysis from the Wall Street Journal drives home the possible ripple effects and says extremist groups will be “emboldened by the demise of a secular, modern Muslim politician.” An audio report on NPR’s “All Things Considered” argues that U.S. policy toward Pakistan will need to shift in Bhutto’s absence and notes that a shift toward Islamist influence could be dangerous, given the country’s nuclear arsenal.
MIDDLE EAST: Lebanon’s Constitution
Parliamentarians from Lebanon’s “March 14” coalition called for emergency meetings (Daily Star) of parliament to amend and ratify a new constitution that would allow Gen. Michel Suleiman to come to power as president after months of deadlock.
In a recent interview, CFR’s Mohamad Bazzi describes Lebanon’s political landscape.
Qatar-Russia: An article in the most recent issue of the Middle East Review of International Affairs, an Israel-based journal, examines political and economic cooperation between Russia and Qatar, two of the world’s leading natural gas producers.
Iraq: At least ten people were killed (BBC) and sixty more injured today in Baghdad in bomb attacks on a crowded marketplace. In a separate incident, U.S. soldiers reportedly killed eleven members (NYT) of the Mahdi Army, a militant group loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr.
ASIA: Japan-China Summit
Leaders from China and Japan met today in Beijing (Xinhua). Japan’s Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda pressed China to take a more active stance limiting carbon emissions and said Japan was willing to counter Taiwanese claims of independence. The Associated Press says the conference highlighted a recent thaw in Chinese-Japanese relations.
Automobiles: A chart on Economist.com surveys trends in new car registrations, noting that East Asia and Australia, excluding Japan, have far and away outpaced the rest of the world in terms of growth of automobile ownership.
Olympics: China is courting international companies for help designing surveillance systems to monitor visitors at next summer’s games. But some critics of China’s human rights record say the move may violate a sanctions law passed following the Tiananmen Square killings.
SOUTH & CENTRAL ASIA: Investor Flight
The Financial Times reports that investors in South Asia have been spooked by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, sending shares reeling throughout the region. Oil and gold, considered financial safe-havens against inflation and political uncertainty, spiked (AP).
Afghanistan: Bhutto’s death may also have repercussions on international efforts in Afghanistan, reports Canada’s National Post. One opposition leader in Australia said the news could have strategic effects (AAP) on Australian troops stationed in Afghanistan.
Tajikstan: RFE/RL reports that Tajik officials are taking reactionary steps to an emerging economic crisis by seeking to crack down on witchcraft.
AFRICA: Kenya Elections
Kenya’s Vice President and several influential ministers lost their seats in yesterday’s national elections, which brought millions to the polls. The Nairobi paper East African Standard outlines the electoral results.
Somalia: The Power and Interest News Report has a paper looking at Somalia’s new strategic realities after years of sustained violence. The report says the country has entered a “chronic condition of statelessness characterized by devolution of the political community to clan-based solidarities.
Nigeria: The Abuja publication Leadership reports that Nigeria’s President Umaru Yar’Adua may have removed Malam Ribadu, the leader country’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The article says Ribadu’s departure would come as the culmination of a longstanding power-struggle between him and Nigeria’s attorney general.
AMERICAS: Colombian Hostages
The BBC reports that a Colombian left-wing guerilla group might release three hostages later this week. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez claims he has brokered a deal with the groups and says helicopters will soon be departing from Venezuela to pick up the hostages.
Canada: A report sponsored by two Canadian think tanks examines the difficulties of managing democracy (PDF) in increasingly multicultural countries and offers solutions for effective governance.
United States: In a video report posted by Brookings, several experts examine U.S. military readiness.
CAMPAIGN 2008: Bhutto’s Impact
The New York Times looks at Sen. Hillary Clinton's relationship with Benazir Bhutto.
Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a press conference yesterday that he had urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to offer the services of U.S. intelligence and security agencies for the investigation into Bhutto's death.
Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) will deliver a major speech today in which he will criticize U.S. policy toward Pakistan as having been "too much on personalities like President Musharraf and not enough on democratic principles and human rights." In the speech, he will pledge that if he is elected, "not a penny more in aid will be provided to Pakistan to fight terrorism until Musharraf leaves office."
EUROPE: Georgian Leader’s Decline
RFE/RL examines the rapid fall from grace of Georgia’s leader Mikheil Saakashvili, saying his Rose Revolution has become the “stuff of legend” but that a chronic failure to communicate has undermined his ability to govern.
Denmark: A blogger on Economist.com takes a look at Denmark’s welfare-focused economy and questions its sustainability in an economically liberalized European Union.
Russia: World Politics Review surveys the response of Russian media to TIME magazine naming President Vladimir Putin its “Person of the Year.”
Meshed networks in Mecca
Tropos Networks in Mecca
Posted by samc on December 21st, 2007Tropos Networks has set up a network of some 70 meshed routers throughout the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca. The network was constructed for Hajjis. Muslims travel from all over the world each year in observance of Hajj week.
Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission appointed an Internet service provider, Bayanat Al-Oula and Aptilo, a wireless management services company, to provide temporary wireless network services. It was rolled out in less than 60 days with no help from Tropos personnel, reports the NY Times.
More than 2 million people make the pilgrimage to Mecca each year. The free WiFi network is temporary and is the first ever constructed in Mecca. The network, which consists of Tropos 5210 mesh routers, will remain in place for two more weeks and support 802.11a, b and g devices.
source : dailywireless.org
Mobile WiMax
Alvarion: Wave 2
Posted by samc on December 26th, 2007Alvarion earlier this week said it had landed its first Tier I carrier deal for Mobile WiMAX equipment, but did not name the provider. Telephony believes the customer may be France Telecom. Alvarion, a relatively small Israeli broadband wireless company, could be propelled to the top ranks of the highly competitive WiMAX market, says the magazine
Israeli business publication Globes reported that the Alvarion and FT were in talks for a WiMAX deployment. Alvarion vice president for strategy and marketing Rudy Leser said he could not comment on whether France Telecom was the customer, saying only that the carrier was a Tier 1 wireline and wireless operator with operations in multiple countries around the world.
Leser said the deployment would take the form of commercial launch—not a trial—in multiple countries, using multiple spectrum bands ranging from 2.5 GHz to 3.5 GHz.
That profile could easily fit France Telecom, but it could also apply to several other European and Asian operators and loosely even U.S. provider Clearwire (though a Clearwire tie-up is highly unlikely due to its close relationship with Motorola). Whoever the mystery carrier is though, it stands to raise Alvarion’s profile in WiMAX when it is revealed.
Nortel Networks, Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia and Motorola are among the largest Mobile WiMAX vendors. The doors for Wave 2 certification have now opened, testing interoperability for the full compliment of Mobile WiMAX features; including MIMO, smart beamforming, multiple frequencies and bandwidths. Wave 1 certified gear, currently the only stuff tested for interoperability, is only usuable in South Korea.
The WiMAX Forum says its lead certification lab in Malaga, Spain, is now accepting Mobile WiMAX equipment for interoperability testing and certification. Both Wave 1 and Wave 2 base station and customer premise gear will start before the end of the year, barely beating the Forum’s rescheduled deadline to begin testing by the end of 2008, notes Telephony.
Its four other labs including one in Virginia, Taiwan, China, and South Korea will open shortly, giving vendors five locations to test their equipment against the IEEE 802.16e specification and the forum’s two stated profiles. The Wave 1 profile (pdf), targeted at Korea, tests equipment in the 2.3 GHz band using single-input/single output (SISO) configurations.
Wave 2 testing incorporates additional modes of operation (for example: idle, pager, and sleep modes) and requires mobile subscriber units to incorporate smart antenna technologies, such as beamforming and MIMO, for improved network performance. Wave 2 works in the 2.5 GHz bands used by Sprint and Clearwire and incorporates multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) smart antenna technology. Sprint has made MIMO a prerequisite for its WiMAX launch next year.
The Korean WiBro deployment, using Wave 1 certified gear, is being implimented by Korea Telecom (KT) and SK Telecom. Their WiBro service began in June of 2006. While SK Telecom’s rollout has been very slow, KT has moved ahead, to about 100,000 subscribers by the end of the year. SK Telecom has selected Samsung as its equipment provider for Wave 2 deployments, and plans to use Wave 2 gear in its major thrust. Samsung will use Beceem WiMAX chips in multiple generations of user terminal products.
Availability of Wave 2 compliant devices is expected to jump start Mobile WiMAX since it utilizes beamforming, MIMO and QOS as a baseline requirement. Wirelessnet Design Line has a roundup of Wave 2 chips. Maravedis claims there are nearly 1 million WiMax users around the world. Most of them, however, are still using pre-WiMax or fixed WiMAX networks, with Alvarion the dominant supplier.
source : dailywireless.orgSatellite sharing
Inmarsat + SkyTerra = Spectrum Sharing
Posted by samc on December 26th, 2007SkyTerra and Inmarsat have reached a major pact to offer L-band hybrid mobile satellite services in North America, reports RCR News.
“We have worked long and hard with Inmarsat to develop this agreement, which sets operational parameters in the L-band for existing satellite operations and lays the groundwork for future cooperation to address consumers’ demand for next generation technology and services,” said Alexander Good, CEO of SkyTerra and vice chairman of MSV.
The cooperative-coordination agreement, among other things, includes a provision for the re-banding of satellite spectrum over North America to permit contiguous spectrum for MSS services with ATC (ground repeater) authorization.
Some elements of the cooperative agreement are subject to approval by the FCC and the State Department, as well as coordination with other governments. The companies said the agreement also establishes a structure whereby Inmarsat will modify its North American operations to allow MSV to make more extensive use of L-Band spectrum.
Other MSS licensees such as Globalstar, ICO and TerreStar Networks may need to offer similar competitive offerings, say analysts. They expect U.S. officials to sign off on the SkyTerra-MSV-Inmarsat agreement.
Inmarsat’s BGAN, with satellites over the Atlantic, Indian and (soon) Pacific oceans, can provide direct-to-satellite connections at speeds up to 492kbps to laptop-size terminals.
SkyTerra-MSV plans a similar spot-beam satellite service over North America, providing voice and data to small hand-held phones. Their Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC), acts as a repeater for the geosynchronous satellites, provide coverage inside automobiles, residences and urban or rural canyons, where satellite coverage is normally blocked.
The two new MSV satellites, under construction by The Boeing Company, will operate in geostationary orbit in the L-Band (1.6 GHz) over North America from 101 degrees and 107.3 degrees west longitude. The satellites feature 22-meter diameter, elliptical mesh reflectors that will support L-band communication with conventional handsets through a network based on MSV’s patented ancillary terrestrial component technology.
TerreStar Networks hopes to launch North America’s first next-generation mobile satellite service using the MSS band (at 2 GHz) next year. It will provide universal access throughout North America with a first-to-market launch strategy in 2008. TerreStar plans to provide other communications carriers and the U.S. government with access to its network, which the company plans to roll-out in late 2008 or early 2009.
Most satellite phones, like low earth orbit Iridium and Globalstar operate in the 1616 - 1626.5 MHz region of the L-Band.
The U.S. FCC also authorized two new mobile satellite services (MSS) systems in the 2 GHz band to provide service in the United States. They will be Terrestar and Craig McCaw’s ICO. ICO’s first GEO satellite is scheduled to be launched in early 2008. It features a 12-meter reflector that focuses the 2 GHz signals on North America and should be launched in March 2008. Thuraya 3, which covers the middle east, transmits and receives calls through a single 40-foot antenna using 250-300 spot beams to provide mobile telephone services that are compatible with dual-mode GSM phones.
Analog Cellular shutdown
Analog Cellular to Shut Down
Posted by samc on December 27th, 2007Older OnStar systems that operate over AT&T’s original analog cell phone network will be going off-air on January 1, 2008. OnStar has about 500,000 users who will no longer have access to their automotive emergency communication services. As many as one million cell phone users and about 400,000 wireless home security systems will also be cut off. Many people are unaware this shutdown is coming, reports the Associated Press.
In 2006, OnStar said it had let customers know of the shutdown with a posting on its Web site, and this year, the company states that it had notified all affected customers. General Motors, which owns OnStar, is now modifying its cars. But some cars made as late as 2005 weren’t designed to use today’s digital network for OnStar, nor can they be upgraded. For other cars, made in the intervening years, GM provides digital upgrades for $15, says the AP.
An analog data system, called Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) uses unused bandwidth normally used by analog (AMPS) mobile phones to transfer data. CDPD was a favorite of law enforcement for data connectivity in vehicles, due to its long range and ruggedness, but GSM and CDMA data alternatives eventually overtook it.
OnStar links customers to a communication center that offers a variety of services. The basic service ($199/year) includes: unlocking power doors; unauthorized vehicle entry and movement warning; notification of air bag deployment; medical response and accident assistance (by means of a built-in phone); and remote engine diagnosis to avoid breakdowns. The Directions & Connections package ($299/year) includes a concierge service for hotel and entertainment reservations; checking flight schedules; and locating local attractions or ATMs.
OnStar now integrates digital cellular phone and data with on-board GPS for real-time location data.
In 2002, the FCC allowed cellular operators to shut down their analog cell phone service (and CDPD with it). It takes effect on February 18, 2008. Here’s how to know if you will be affected:
- Cell phones. If your phone is less than five years old, or has features like texting, Internet access or a built-in camera, it’s not analog. Carriers say less than 1 percent of all U.S. cell phones are analog. AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Alltel still offer (some) analog service and their subscribers have told that digital upgrades are necessary for some time. Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA have no analog networks.
- Car communication systems. Generally, cars from the 2003 model year and older with OnStar from General Motors Corp., TeleAid from Mercedes-Benz or Lexus Link are affected, and most won’t be upgradable. Upgrade kits are available for most OnStar systems from model years 2004 and 2005. Class action lawsuits, consolidated in federal court in Detroit, are seeking compensation for the lowered value of the more than 500,000 affected cars with OnStar plus about 200,000 with other systems.
- Home alarms. Affected are burglar and fire alarms that use the analog network as a sole or backup link between the home and an alarm center. Generally, only homes with no wired phone service have used analog wireless service. Homes that have them will lose wireless backup alarms, which kick in if someone cuts the phone line. Alarm systems using digital wireless links became available in 2006.
Cellular operators, using digital technology, can pack many more subscribers into the 800 MHz band.
Analog cellular service began almost 25 years ago, in 1983, with the analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) system which operated in the 800 MHz band in the United States.
A first-generation digital technology known as D-AMPS or TDMA (for Time Division Multiple Access) replaced it. D-AMPS (Digital-AMPS) increased capacity over three times by dividing each 30 kHz channel pair into three time slots (hence time division), then digitally compressed the voice traffic for three times the call capacity in a single cell.
AT&T has been phasing out TDMA since 2001. It is now replaced with GSM, the international cellular standard. GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) packs eight full-rate or sixteen half-rate speech channels per radio frequency channel. The uplink frequency band is 890–915 MHz, and the downlink frequency band is 935–960 MHz. This 25 MHz bandwidth is subdivided into 124 carrier frequency channels, each spaced 200 kHz apart.
Some 82% of all mobile subscribers on Earth now use GSM mobile phones, with over 2 billion people utilizing the GSM standard. General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is GSM’s Mobile Data Service while EV-DO is used by CDMA carriers like Sprint and Verizon.
“3G”, using W-CDMA for voice and HSDPA for data, is now available through many GSM carriers. The next step after “3G” is LTE or Mobile WiMAX. A working definition of “4G” includes mobile 100 Mbps.
The 800 MHz Cellular band (from 839 MHz to 880 MHz) is divided into 2 frequency blocks (A and B). There are 306 Metropolitan Service Areas and 428 rural service areas. Each trading area consists of one or more counties. After much buying and selling, AT&T and Verizon Wireless own most of the 800 MHz frequencies in the United States.
It also explains while they are interested in 700 MHz — they have infrastructure in place. Blogrunner follows the 700MHz auction.
Wireless on a Boat!
Washington Ferries: Connected at Last!
Posted by samc on December 27th, 2007The long-awaited WiFi service on the Bremerton-Seattle ferry route, became available this week, reports the Kitsap Sun. It allows riders to surf the Web, and check e-mail during the hour-long crossing. Additional ferry customers could be added on Monday if testing goes well.
The service, which went live on Christmas Eve without any fanfare, brings Wi-Fi to all of Washington State Ferries’ most-traveled routes. Kingston-Edmonds and Bainbridge-Seattle got access in November 2006, but the Bremerton route was stalled by unique technical challenges.
According to the implementation plan, which can be seen at wsf-wifi.com, wireless will be coming the first quarter of next year to the remaining routes — the Vashon-Seattle passenger ferry, Anacortes-San Juan Islands and Port Townsend-Keystone — whenever auto ferry service returns to that route. It is being installed for Washington State Ferries by Parsons, a company based in Sacramento, Calif.
The service isn’t free, but riders can get two hours per day for seven days by taking a survey about what they expect in Wi-Fi service. Those who are interested can go www.wsf-wifi.com/surveyentry.
The regular cost is $29.95 per month, $6.95 a day or $2.95 for 15 minutes plus 25 cents per minute thereafter. If a user already subscribes to iPass or Boingo, the ferry wireless service providers, there is no charge other than roaming fees. There’s a special introductory offer through March for $14.95 for the first month. The ferry system keeps 20 percent of the revenue.
One of the biggest hurdles was finding a place to put an antenna within sight of Rich Passage, the narrow channel between Bainbridge Island and South Kitsap through which the ferry sails. Parsons had wanted to install it along the shores of Bainbridge Island, but the city prohibits wireless towers within 200 feet of the waterfront.
The Bremerton-Seattle route, at about 60 minutes, is the longest commuter route in Puget Sound, and it lends itself to Wi-Fi because there’s more time to use it. Subscribers would get more value for their $30 monthly fee than the riders of other commuter routes, which average about 20 or 30 minutes, says the paper.
In related transit wireless news, Boston subway riders are now getting mobile phone & data service underground, reports the Boston Globe. InSite Wireless was supposed to have the first four stations wired two years ago, but negotiations with incumbent carriers delayed the process.
T-Mobile and Verizon both connected their networks earlier this month, with AT&T becoming the third cellphone provider to offer a signal underground this week. Each weekday, some 312,000 riders travel through the core of the subway system, says the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas believes most riders will embrace cellphone service as a convenience for getting work done and keeping appointments, as well as a way to report suspicious behavior. He also hopes to give commuters another reason to ditch their cars. “People can let somebody else do some driving while you’re able to do some work,” he said.
New York City’s Transportation Authority recently approved Transit Wireless to spend up to $200 million to equip the 277 underground New York City subway stations for cell phone and wireless Internet service. They’ll sub-contract with Dianet Communications, a company specializing in Distributed Antenna Systems for buildings and underground facilities.
source : dailywireless.org
Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Who owns U!?
Who Owns You?
Call to Decision
 |
. The IRS is not a U.S. Government Agency. It is an Agency of the IMF. (Diversified Metal Products v. IRS et al. CV-93-405E-EJE U.S.D.C.D.I., Public Law 94-564, Senate Report 94-1148 pg. 5967, Reorganization Plan No. 26, Public Law 102-391.)
2. The IMF is an Agency of the UN. (Blacks Law Dictionary 6th Ed. Pg. 816)
3. The U.S. Has not had a Treasury since 1921. (41 Stat. Ch.214 pg. 654)
4. The U.S. Treasury is now the IMF. (Presidential Documents Volume 29-No.4 pg.113, 22 U.S.C. 285-288)
5. The United States does not have any employees because there is no longer a United States. No more reorganizations. After over 200 years of operating under bankruptcy its finally over. (Executive Order 12803) Do not personate one of the creditors or share holders or you will go to Prison.18 U.S.C. 914
6. The FCC, CIA, FBI, NASA and all of the other alphabet gangs were never part of the United States government. Even though the "US Government" held shares of stock in the various Agencies. (U.S. V. Strang , 254 US 491, Lewis v. US, 680 F.2d, 1239)
7. Social Security Numbers are issued by the UN through the IMF. The Application for a Social Security Number is the SS5 form. The Department of the Treasury (IMF) issues the SS5 not the Social Security Administration. The new SS5 forms do not state who or what publishes them, the earlier SS5 forms state that they are Department of the Treasury forms. You can get a copy of the SS5 you filled out by sending form SSA-L996 to the SS Administration. (20 CFR chapter 111, subpart B 422.103 (b) (2) (2) Read the cites above)
8. There are no Judicial courts in America and there has not been since 1789. Judges do not enforce Statutes and Codes. Executive Administrators enforce Statutes and Codes. (FRC v. GE 281 US 464, Keller v. PE 261 US 428, 1 Stat. 138-178)
9. There have not been any Judges in America since 1789. There have just been Administrators. (FRC v. GE 281 US 464, Keller v. PE 261 US 428 1Stat. 138-178)
10. According to the GATT you must have a Social Security number. House Report (103-826)
11. We have One World Government, One World Law and a One World Monetary System. *
12. The UN is a One World Super Government. *
13. No one on this planet has ever been free. This planet is a Slave Colony. There has always been a One World Government. It is just that now it is much better organized and has changed its name as of 1945 to the United Nations. *
14. New York City is defined in the Federal Regulations as the United Nations. Rudolph Gulliani stated on C-Span that "New York City was the capital of the World" and he was correct. (20 CFR chapter 111, subpart B 422.103 (b) (2) (2)
15. Social Security is not insurance or a contract, nor is there a Trust Fund. (Helvering v. Davis 301 US 619, Steward Co. V. Davis 301 US 548.)
16. Your Social Security check comes directly from the IMF which is an Agency of the UN. (Look at it if you receive one. It should have written on the top left United States Treasury.)
17. You own no property, slaves can't own property. Read the Deed to the property that you think is yours. You are listed as a Tenant. (Senate Document 43, 73rd Congress 1st Session)
18. The most powerful court in America is not the United States Supreme Court but, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. (42 Pa.C.S.A. 502)
19. The Revolutionary War was a fraud. See (22, 23 and 24)
20. The King of England financially backed both sides of the Revolutionary war. (Treaty at Versailles July 16, 1782, Treaty of Peace 8 Stat 80)
21. You can not use the Constitution to defend yourself because you are not a party to it. (Padelford Fay & Co. v. The Mayor and Alderman of The City of Savannah 14 Georgia 438, 520)
22. America is a British Colony. (THE UNITED STATES IS A CORPORATION, NOT A LAND MASS AND IT EXISTED BEFORE THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND THE BRITISH TROOPS DID NOT LEAVE UNTIL 1796.) Respublica v. Sweers 1 Dallas 43, Treaty of Commerce 8 Stat 116, The Society for Propagating the Gospel, &c. V. New Haven 8 Wheat 464, Treaty of Peace 8 Stat 80, IRS Publication 6209, Articles of Association October 20, 1774.)
23. Britain is owned by the Vatican. (Treaty of 1213)
24. The Pope can abolish any law in the United States. (Elements of Ecclesiastical Law Vol.1 53-54)
25. A 1040 form is for tribute paid to Britain. (IRS Publication 6209)
26. The Pope claims to own the entire planet through the laws of conquest and discovery. (Papal Bulls of 1455 and 1493)
27. The Pope has ordered the genocide and enslavement of millions of people. (Papal Bulls of 1455 and 1493)
28. The Pope's laws are obligatory on everyone. (Bened. XIV., De Syn. Dioec, lib, ix., c. vii., n. 4. Prati, 1844)(Syllabus, prop 28, 29, 44)
29. We are slaves and own absolutely nothing not even what we think are our children. (Tillman v. Roberts 108 So. 62, Van Koten v. Van Koten 154 N.E. 146, Senate Document 43 & 73rd Congress 1st Session, Wynehammer v. People 13 N.Y. REP 378, 481)
30. Military Dictator George Washington divided the States (Estates) into Districts. (Messages and papers of the Presidents Vo 1, pg 99. Websters 1828 dictionary for definition of Estate.)
31. "The People" does not include you and me. (Barron v. Mayor & City Council of Baltimore. 32 U.S. 243)
32. The United States Government was not founded upon Christianity. (Treaty of Tripoli 8 Stat 154.)
33. It is not the duty of the police to protect you. Their job is to protect the Corporation and arrest code breakers. Sapp v. Tallahasee, 348 So. 2nd. 363, Reiff v. City of Philadelphia, 477 F.Supp. 1262, Lynch v. N.C. Dept of Justice 376 S.E. 2nd. 247.
34. Everything in the "United States" is For Sale: roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, water, prisons airports etc. I wonder who bought Klamath lake. Did anyone take the time to check? (Executive Order 12803)
35. We are Human capital. (Executive Order 13037)
36. The UN has financed the operations of the United States government for over 50 years and now owns every man, women and child in America. The UN also holds all of the Land in America in Fee Simple. *
37. The good news is we don't have to fulfill "our" fictitious obligations. You can discharge a fictitious obligation with another's fictitious obligation. *
38. The depression and World War II were a total farce. The United States and various other companies were making loans to others all over the World during the Depression. The building of Germanys infrastructure in the 1930's including the Railroads was financed by the United States. That way those who call themselves "Kings," "Prime Ministers," and "Fuher,"etc could sit back and play a game of chess using real people. Think of all of the Americans, Germans etc. who gave their lives thinking they were defending their Countries which didn't even exist. The millions of innocent people who died for nothing. Isn't it obvious why Switzerland is never involved in these fiascoes? That is where the "Bank of International Settlements" is located. Wars are manufactured to keep your eye off the ball. You have to have an enemy to keep the illusion of "Government" in place. *
39. The "United States" did not declare Independence from Great Britain or King George. *
40. Guess who owns the UN?
source : http://www.calltodecision.com/whoownsU.htm
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Cheap GPS
S5: GPS Made Cheap
Posted by samc on December 17th, 2007The Associated Press reports that a Utah company, S5 Wireless, has a small, cheap GPS tracker that can be powered by a single battery for up two years. Unlike the Global Positioning System, S5’s technology tracks indoors and out, but only works where the company has a network of stations to receive S5 signals at 900MHz.
Billionaire Craig McCaw is the venture’s main backery. He founded one of the country’s first cell-phone companies, and WiMAX provider Clearwire. S5 plans to start building 900MHz receiving sites in some major U.S. cities next year with coverage in 35 cities expected within three years.
The company invisions, an S5 chip in dog collars, complete with a battery, in a package about the size of a stick of gum that costs $3 to $4 to make. When the battery runs down, you buy a new collar.
The chips act like a GPS in reverse. GPS receivers need a line of sight to the sky, so they work only outdoors, and are fairly power-hungry.
By contrast, the S5 chips send radio signals out to receivers mounted on cell towers. By measuring the difference in the time the signal takes to arrive at three different receivers, S5 can compute the location of the sender to within about 30 feet outdoors, or 45 feet indoors. The same principle can be used for locating some cell phones in an emergency but is much less accurate. LoJack equipment also sends radio signals from a stolen car, but it uses a lot of power and is expensive compared to S5’s chips.
“There’s a lot of activity, a lot of companies, and of course a lot of venture capital which is being made available for those kinds of initiatives,” says Dominique Bonte, who covers GPS technologies for ABI Research. “There is a big belief that whoever comes up with something that’s cheap, that works and is available will hit the jackpot there.”
To gain a foothold, S5 will give away the designs for its chips, letting anyone make their own or incorporate the functions into existing chips, like those in cell phones. It plans to make money by charging for the location service, though at low rates, around $1 a month, Carter said.
As a bonus, S5 chips could transmit small amounts of data generated by other devices. For instance, a diabetes patient’s glucose meter could be monitored remotely.
To pinpoint a chip’s location, S5 needs three receivers within the signal’s range, about a mile in cities, Carter said. The company plans to cover “several” major cities next year and 35 cities within three years. S5 plans to use free, unlicensed spectrum in the 900 megahertz band. Steve Chacko, S5’s director of product marketing, likened the feat of picking up those signals from miles away to extracting a needle from a haystack. But he said sophisticated low-power radio technology makes S5’s plan viable.
Meanwhile, WiFi chipset maker Atheros plans to buy GPS specialist u-Nav Microelectronics for $54 million. The chipmaker says it plans to incorporate GPS on its chipsets and reduce the cost of adding location services. Atheros plans to integrate u-Nav GPS into its “Radio-on-Chip for Mobile” product line.
source : dailywireless.org
Germany WIMAX VoIP - here it comes boys&girls!
Germany Launches WiMAX VoIP
Posted by samc on December 17th, 2007Motorola today announced that German telecommunications provider, NeckarCom Telekommunikation GmbH, has launched a commercial Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service on a WiMAX network in the Ulm region of Germany.
NeckarCom’s integrated voice and data service was the first 802.16e WiMAX-based offering in Germany and is based on Motorola’s WiMAX technology. NeckarCom is a subsidiary of EnBW Regional AG, the third-largest energy supply company in Germany. NeckarCom is active in the telecommunications sector and primarily markets the fibre infrastructure of EnBW.
Meanwhile, EU media commissioner Viviane Reding has called for comprehensive broadband coverage across Germany. Reding called for available broadcast frequencies to be used for wireless broadband connections, using, for example, Wimax. The transition from analogue to digital television will mean that a range of frequencies will become available over the next three years.
Motorola says it has contracts for 15 commercial WiMAX networks this year. They demonstrated the first live mobile WiMAX 802.16e handoffs between continuous WiMAX cells supporting voice and data during WiMAX World USA in Chicago.
The company says it has:
- Increased to more than 57 the number of WiMAX engagements in 38 countries worldwide, including 44 active trials.
- Is on track to support Sprint/Xohm soft launch in Chicago by year end 2007 and is on schedule with deployment for the planned commercial launch in Q2 2008
- Delivered thousands of access points to customers worldwide and delivered tens of thousands of CPE units or PC cards for customer engagements including trials and commercial deployments currently underway
- Completed the deployment of the first 802.16e commercial WiMAX network in Pakistan for Wateen Telecom. The operator has since launched nationwide commercial services to corporate and consumer markets.
- Unveiled its test WiMAX mobile device and WiMAX chipset which will be embedded in consumer electronic devices to provide mobile Internet access.
- Completed the first phase deployment of two additional commercial WiMAX systems in France and Germany.
There are about 3.3 billion mobile subscribers worldwide, with global mobile penetration now at 50 percent, according to researcher Informa Telecom. Today, about 1.17 billion people worldwide have access to the Internet. The next wave of growth in internet usage will come from people who use wireless devices to access the Internet, says Darren McQueen, vice president, IMS, CDMA and LTE Broadband Access Technologies at Motorola.
source : dailywireless.org
KDDI & WiMAX Japan
KDDI & Willcom to WiMAX Japan
Posted by samc on December 18th, 2007KDDI, Japan’s number two cellular carrier, will receive one of two WiMax licenses to be awarded soon by the Japanese government, a report said Tuesday.
The KDDI group, called Wireless Broadband Planning, and one led by rival carrier Willcom will be recommended by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on Friday to a panel charged with selecting the groups to win the licenses, reports Reuters. The panel is expected to follow the ministry’s recommendations.
Intel owns a 17.65 percent stake in KDDI’s Wireless Broadband Planning group. The stake is matched by East Japan Railway and Kyocera, and all three sit behind leading shareholder KDDI, which has a 32.26 percent stake.
The WiMax services will operate in the 2.5GHz band and will be capable of providing data service at up to 20Mbps to terminals travelling at up to 100 kilometers per hour, according to the Japanese government.
Japan’s cell phone carriers have been testing WiMax for some time. It will likely mean that cellphone leader NTT DoCoMo and third-ranked Softbank probably will have to lease networks from KDDI or Willcom if they are to offer competing services.
KDDI, Japan’s number two cellular carrier, had 29 million subscriptions to its CDMA2000 cell phone service at the end of November this year. Willcom, which uses the PHS (Personal Handyphone System) technology to offer a data-centric service, had 4.6 million subscriptions.
KDDI Mobile is a mobile phone service operated in the United States to meet the needs of Japanese people living in the United States. The company operates on the Sprint network as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator. KDDI is preparing to launch an ambitious U.S. wireless service. The venture, X/S PCS Mobile, hopes to draw customers with free calling to 25 countries at a flat monthly rate.
NTT DoCoMo is the largest mobile carrier in Japan with 53 million subscriptions, while Softbank, the third largest, had 17.4 million subscriptions. Both carriers operate WCDMA (GSM-based 3G) networks.
The Mobile WiMAX service in Japan is expected to start in 2009.
Meanwhile, Apple has been in talks with several Japanese mobile service companies, including NTT DoCoMo and SoftBank Mobile, as it searches for a partner before introducing the iPhone, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal and Reuters today.
source : dailywireless.org700MHz List
The 700 MHz List
Posted by samc on December 18th, 2007
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son. — Animal House
A list of potential 700 MHz bidders was made available on the FCC’s Web site (pdf), late Tuesday. It has accepted 96 applications and reported 170 as incomplete (pdf). The latter need to be completed by Jan. 4.
The FCC auction of 700-megahertz spectrum, is scheduled to begin on January 24. The FCC-run wireless auction is expected to take several weeks, with the spectrum to be auctioned off in several blocks.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen was listed with an entity called Vulcan Spectrum LLC. Allen’s runs Vulcan Capital and is also a majority shareholder in U.S. cable operator Charter Communications.
Auction applicants included the usual suspects with, Google, AT&T, Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership), as well as Qualcomm and Frontline Wireless (Licenseco) making the list (or having to check it twice). EchoStar, aka Frontier Wireless, is also on board.
The accepted 700 MHz applicants with their bidding range are:
- Adams Telcom, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Aeronet Wireless Broadband Corp. 0 - 15,000,000
- AlasConnect, Inc.
- Aristotle Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- AWS Spectrum, LLC 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Bayou Internet, Inc.
- BEK Communications Cooperative 0 - 15,000,000
- Bend Cable Communications, LLC
- Blanca Telephone Company 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Blue Sky Cell, LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- Bluegrass Wireless LLC
- Bresnan Communications, Inc.
- Broadband Wireless Unlimited, LLC 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Budget Phone
- Cavalier Wireless, LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- Central Texas Telephone Investments, LP
- Chariton Valley Communication Corporation, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Chester Telephone Company 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Clearcom, Inc.
- COLI INc 0 - 15,000,000
- Command Connect, LLC
- Cricket Licensee 2007, LLC
- Cross Telephone Company, LLC
- CTC Telcom, Inc.
- Data-Max Wireless LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- Delmarva Broadband LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- Ellijay Telephone Company
- Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Farmers Telephone Company, Inc.
- Fidelity Communications Company
- Forum Communications Company
- FTC Management Group, Inc.
- Glenwood Telephone Membership, Corporation 0 - 15,000,000
- Golden Belt Telephone Association, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Google Airwaves Inc.
- Grain Spectrum LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- Great American Broadband, Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- GreenFly LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- H & B Communications, Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
- Inland Cellular Telephone Company
- IT&E Overseas, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- KeyOn Spectrum Holdings, LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- Kinex Networking Solutions, Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- Kingdom Telephone Company 0 - 15,000,000
- Kurian, Thomas K 0 - 15,000,000
- Lackawaxen Long Distance Company, Inc.
- Landover PCS Holdings, LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- MAC Wireless, LLC
- Manti Telephone Company 0 - 15,000,000
- Medicine Park Telephone Company, Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- Midwest AWS Limited Partnership 0 - 15,000,000
- Miller, David 0 - 15,000,000
- Mt. Vernnon.Net Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- MTN3B Consortium 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Mulberry Cooperative Telephone Company, Inc 0 - 15,000,000
- N.E. Colorado Wireless Technologies, Inc.
- Neptuno Media 0 - 15,000,000
- Northeast Missouri Rural Telephone Company 0 - 15,000,000
- Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Northern Iowa Communications Partners, LLC 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Panhandle Telecommunication Systems, Inc.
- Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
- PBP Bidco LLC
- PCS Partners, L.P. 0 - 15,000,000
- Piedmont Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Polar Communications Mutual Aid Corporation
- Public Service Wireless Services, Inc.
- Red River Rural Telephone Association, Inc.
- Sandhill Communications, LLC 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Siskiyou Telephone Company 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Small Ventures USA, L.P. 0 - 15,000,000
- Spectrum Acquisitions, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Star Telephone Membership Corporation 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Swayzee Telephone Co. Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- TCT West, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Terra World Communications, LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- The Chillicothe Telephone Company
- The Tri-County Telephone Association, Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- The World Company
- Towerstream Corporation 0 - 15,000,000
- Tri-Valley Communications, LLC
- Triad 700, LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- USA Choice Internet Services Company LLC 0 - 15,000,000
- Valley Telephone Cooperative, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Van Buren Wireless, Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- Vavasi NexGen Inc.
- Vermont Telephone Company, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Vulcan Spectrum LLC
- Washington County Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc 0 - 15,000,000
- West Wisconsin Telcom Cooperative, Inc. 15,000,000 - 40,000,000
- Wi2 0 - 15,000,0000002624856 Wireless Communications Venture
- Worldcall Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- WUE, Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
- Xpressweb Internet Services, Inc. 0 - 15,000,000
The FCC’s AWS auction in September, 2006 (FCC summary) grossed $13.9 billion for the U.S. Treasury. T-Mobile USA, the No. 4 U.S. wireless provider, topped the bidding by offering almost $4.2 billion for 120 licenses.
While the Bush Administration promised to “bridge the digital divide” with 90 MHz of new spectrum, it was cellular operators that benefited. San Antonio-based Cingular wanted the Bush administration to provide more spectrum for its GSM-based “3G”, but the company was ultimately allowed to buy Bell South.
By the time the AWS auction finally happen, AT&T didn’t really need the additional spectrum. They pulled a similar maneuver, buying 700 MHz spectrum from Aloha Partners this October.
Germany’s T-Mobile wound up benefiting the most from the AWS auction.
The FCC carved up the AWS spectrum into FDD (dual-frequency) channels for 3G cellular operators, much like it has for 700 MHz. A better argument for duplex might be made in the 700 MHz band, however, due to the constrained 6MHz channels.
A “4G” system like Mobile WiMAX is optimized for TDD (single-frequency). It can deliver faster, cheaper, broadband by using COFDMA, scalable coding, beamforming and MIMO antennas on a single channel (much like Wi-Fi). Duplex would increase the cost. It put Mobile WiMAX at a competitive disadvantage on the AWS band since cellular operators already had infrastructure.
WiMAX can do FDD but it’s less efficient and wastes spectrum, say WiMAX proponents. That’s because one channel is mostly “listening”. And you need double the radios and antennas in a handset.
When it comes to FCC policy, money talks. Nevertheless, it appears that FCC Chief Kevin Martin has learned from the AWS exercise and has skillfully crafted a workable plan for the 700 MHz band. The proof may be revealed by the number of real competitors in next month’s auction.
The FCC, using AWS bidding figures, says next January’s auction could generate some $15 billion for the treasury, but actual bids could go much higher since 700 MHz requires only about one third the number of cell towers for similar coverage.
Friday, December 14, 2007
DVB-SH
Italy Testing DVB-SH Mobile TV
Posted by samc on December 14th, 2007Alcatel-Lucent, the mobile operator 3 Italia and Italian public broadcaster RAI are launching the first trial of Mobile TV based on the DVB-SH standard in Italy.
DVB-SH (Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite services to Handhelds) is an evolution of DVB-H, which is providing higher spectrum efficiency and allows integration with hybrid satellite/terrestrial networks. The trial, based on Alcatel-Lucent’s Unlimited Mobile TV solution, uses for the first time in the world a multi-layer DVB-SH terrestrial network blending low-power transmitters from a mobile operator and medium-power transmitters from a broadcaster.
The trial will take place and it will be overseen by RAI Technological Strategies Dept., Raiway SpA and RAI Research and Technology Innovation Centre, providing their three-year-old experience in mobile-TV field tests.
For the trial in Torino, Alcatel-Lucent will provide the DVB-SH equipment, the network planning, integration and technical support. Alcatel-Lucent’s DVB-SH low-power repeaters will be co-localized with the live UMTS sites of 3 Italia and connected to the UMTS antennas. Cellular sites provided by 3 Italia will allow the indoor coverage of Torino’s downtown, while broadcast towers provided by RAI and Raiway will allow outdoor and vehicular coverage of the entire town of Torino.
The first phase of this trial, taking place from December 2007 to March 2008, will consist in a technology trial to validate the capability of DVB-SH to make available a large number of high-quality mobile TV channels, in various usage conditions. The first phase of the trial will be only terrestrial.
In a second phase, the broadcast signal from a satellite will be emulated by a transmitter located in a high-altitude helicopter. In a longer term perspective, tests with satellites in operation will be carried out in cooperation with a major satellite operator.
It is expected that this trial will allow demonstrating the improved reception quality made possible by the DVB-SH standard, thanks in particular to improved radio performances for mobile reception (such as the time interleaver and as the reception antenna diversity) related to the use of the S-Band, in particular for indoor and particularly critical outdoor reception environments. SES and Eutelsat have already agreed to co-operate in the DVB-SH arena.
The S-Band spectrum (2.17-2.20 GHz) is available throughout Europe and can be used to deploy across the whole continent mobile satellite services such as Mobile TV. On February 14, 2007, the European Commission issued a Decision on the harmonized use of this spectrum at the EU level, and on August 22, 2007, the Commission adopted a proposal to select systems for mobile satellite services. If adopted by the European Parliament and the EU Council, this new selection mechanism will allow, from 2009, the deployment of innovative services such as Mobile TV based on DVB-SH.
ICO Global Communications and WiMAX provider Clearwire, will also trial DVB-SH, reports RCR News.
The trial, which is set to begin early next year in Raleigh, N.C., will test the mobile video broadcast system and examine the feasibility of using Clearwire’s 2.5 GHz spectrum and ICO’s 2 GHz spectrum more efficiently. ICO and Terrestar are the two competitors left standing for FCC mobile satellite licenses. They will offer ubiquitous satellite and terrestrial wireless service throughout the United States, using 20 MHz (each).
Top Wireless Trends for 2008
Top Wireless Trends
Posted by samc on December 14th, 2007EE Times lists Five wireless trends to watch in 2008
- 802.11n
Currently, it’s still in draft form and won’t be ratified until probably 2009, but so far that hasn’t stopped vendors like Cisco, Meru and others from shipping 11n-enabled products. 11n separates itself from its a/b/g counterparts by offering faster throughput — between 100 and 200 Mbps, and in some configurations up to 600 Mbps — and broader range. Experts have said that 11n is going to change Wi-Fi as the world knows it.- Fixed-Mobile Convergence and Dual Mode
Already available by some manufacturers including BlackBerry and Nokia, Wi-Fi-enabled and dual-mode devices will become more mainstream, further pushing fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) to the forefront. FMC is essentially the tying together of voice, unified communications and wired and wireless networks for one seamless way to access information from anywhere at any time.- Web Services
A Web services model can let workers access information from any Web-enabled device. Instead of carrying around a clunky laptop, or even a bulky smartphone, Mathias said mobile workers can borrow a friend’s or colleague’s device, as long as it’s Web-enabled, and access business applications safely and securely.- Sociology and Legislation
2008 will see wireless device courtesy become a mandate as opposed to a suggestion, making overhearing loud conversations about anything and everything an uncomfortable piece of history. While signal jammers, devices used to block cell transmissions, are still illegal to install in most areas, Mathias said 2008 could see legislation to enforce appropriate and rational use of mobile devices in public.- Network Openness
Verizon Wireless in November said it would open up its wireless network to outside devices and applications by sometime next year. AT&T quickly followed, claiming its network is and has been wide open. Open access, meaning devices from other manufacturers, can access other carriers’ networks, will shake up the wireless industry, which until openness begins next year was largely proprietary in North America.
My own favorite wireless trends are:
- Municipal wireless retrenchment and WiMAX growth:
Who among us couldn’t see that coming? - Mobile advertising:
How big is it? Web advertising is bigger than radio. Newspapers are next. - New competitive bands:
The AWS band (1.7/2.1 GHz) will be same-o, same-o, locked down with yesterday’s 3G/HSPA technology and rates. Not so at 700 MHz with new (open) competitors. Then there’s sat phones with terrestrial repeaters for smaller handsets and indoor coverage. Broadcasters who cluelessly fought against COFDM will predict the end of civilization if “white spaces” get approval. They loose. - HD Everywhere:
Satellite is the big winner here. Cable switched video will have tough competition from Verizon’s FiOS and even AT&T’s IPTV Uverse service. Competing indoor HD distribution technology includes, UWB, 802.11n and 60 GHz. I’ll pick 60 (no compression chips). - Broadband Everywhere:
A paradigm shift. Universal peace and understanding.
Wow Merc
Mercedes-Benz developing "Attention Assist" to aid drowsy drivers
Mercedes-Benz has already developed a system to help folks that have trouble braking, and it now looks like it's doing the same for those that have a tendency to fall asleep at the wheel. That will apparently come in the form of the automaker's "Attention Assist" system, which is apparently in the final stages of development and expected to go into production in 2009, according to Gizmag. Among other things, the system can record the angle of the steering wheel, as well as speed, acceleration, and the use of indicators and pedals, not to mention external factors like a side wind or an uneven road surface. If it detects suspicious behavior, it sets off a warning light and some presumably hard to ignore sounds to tell the driver to pull over. As Gizmag points out, however, this is far from the first system that tries to keep drowsy drivers alert, although it does seem to be a good deal more advanced than a few of the solutions we've seen.source : engadget.com
FInally a dual drive
Addonics offers peace with external HD DVD / Blu-ray drive
source : engadget.com
Finally a country has woken up!
The Netherlands goes open-source in 2008
April 2008. That's the date when the notoriously progressive Dutch government goes open source. The plan was approved unanimously yesterday in a meeting of two parliamentary commissions. The policy dictates that government organizations at the national level must be ready to save documents in the Open Document Format (ODF) by April, and the state and local level by 2009. Use of proprietary software and file formats from the likes of Microsoft will have to be justified under the new policy. The government expects to save $8.8 million a year on city housing registers alone by making the switch. Tough week, eh Microsoft? You'll have to get your OpenDocument plug-ins for MS Office ISO approved on the quick if you want to avoid further trouble.source : engadget.com
XO PC production
Quanta shipping only 10,000 OLPC XO's per month? Try 100k
Something doesn't add up. Either the Economic Daily News has bad manufacturing numbers or OLPC's claims of $2 Million worth of "donations" each day (more than 10,000 XOs per day!) under the $399 G1G1 program are highly exaggerated. The Chinese-language report says that Quanta expects to ship 15,000 XOs in all of December and only around 8-10k units each month into the future. This according to the paper's "component maker" sources. Of course, OLPC could be multi-sourcing laptops from Foxconn, Compal, or some other Guangdong Province factory -- though that would be news to us. Regardless, with 15,000 XOs heading to Alabama, 260,000 heading to Peru, and countless others in the queue from G1G1, well, our children might be waiting a long, long time for delivery.Update: According to reader Hao, DigiTimes incorrectly translated the production quantity. EDN is reporting 150,000 XOs shipping in December, then 80k to 100k each month thereafter. That certainly sounds more reasonable. Here's the EDN piece. Thanks Hao!
source : engadget.com
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