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The WAVE Report on Digital Media
3D --- Media Creation --- Shared Space ---Published by 4th Wave, Inc.--- Issue #0444------------------11/12/04 |
The WAVE Report is Searchable on
http://www.3dlinks.com
http://www.wave-report.com
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0444.2 Telephone Services
CLEC Customers Continue to Have Higher Opinion of Their Providers Than ILEC
0444.3 Integrated Home Technology
0444.4 Clothing Technology
Intellifit's Body Scanner Named the Most Technologically Significant Product of 2004 by R&D Magazine
0444.5 Computer Processors
New Intel Itanium 2 Platforms Make Strides from Casinos to Space
0444.6 High Level Programming Languages
0444.7 Healthcare Domains
0444.8 Network Security
Research Reveals False Sense of Security Among Network IT Managers
0444.9 Cable Industry Standards
0444.10 Phishing
SurfControl Discovers New Technique for Stealing Financial Information from Computer Users
0444.11 Digital Receivers
New CardBus Receiver Transforms Notebook Computers into a Software Defined Radios
0444.12 Search Engines
New SEO Toolbar from SEO, Inc., Puts Backward Links a Click Away
0444.13 XML Programming
Universal Business Language -UBL- Ratified As OASIS Standard
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0444.1 Spam Control
***National Do Not Email Registry - A Report to Congress
Washington, D.C.
June 2004
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has submitted a report to Congress regarding the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act and has provided some valuable insights into the spam process. This report is an excellent primer on the methods of spamming and spam prevention.
Excerpts from the Executive Summary
In a section in the CAN-SPAM Act, the FTC was required by Congress to submit a report addressing the following:
(1) set forth a plan and timetable for establishing a National Do Not Email Registry;
(2) explain any practical, technical, security, privacy, enforcement, or other concerns that the FTC has regarding such a Registry; and
(3) explain how a Registry would be applied with respect to children with email accounts.
The CAN-SPAM Act directed the FTC to determine whether and how the success of the National Do Not Call Registry could be replicated in the context of spam. The FTC concluded that “a National Do Not Email Registry, without a system in place to authenticate the origin of email messages, would fail to reduce the burden of spam and may even increase the amount of spam received by consumers.” With that perspective, the FTC proposed a plan that first would require authentication – strengthening of the email system so that the origin of email messages cannot be falsified – as a first step and a prerequisite to any type of Registry.
The FTC reached its conclusion after soliciting and obtaining input from dozens of individuals and organizations and using a number of information-gathering techniques, including:
- a Request for Information (“RFI”) that resulted in responses from some of the nation’s largest Internet, computer, and database management firms;
- interviews with over 80 individuals representing 56 organizations, including consumer groups, email marketers, Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”), and technologists;
- requiring the seven ISPs that collectively control over 50 percent of the market for consumer email accounts to provide detailed information about their experiences with spam;
- soliciting public comments through an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“ANPR”) concerning the CAN-SPAM Act rules; and
- retaining the services of three of the nation’s preeminent
computer scientists.
Based on input from these sources, the FTC determined that spammers would most likely use a Registry as a mechanism for verifying the validity of email addresses and, without authentication, the FTC would be largely powerless to identify those responsible for misusing the Registry. Moreover, a Registry-type solution to spam would raise serious security, privacy, and enforcement difficulties. The FTC’s concerns with the security, privacy, and enforcement challenges surrounding a Registry reach a zenith with respect to children’s email accounts. A Registry that identified accounts used by children, for example, could assist legitimate marketers to avoid sending inappropriate messages to children. At the same time, however, the Internet’s most dangerous users, including pedophiles, also could use this information to target children.
The FTC therefore strongly believes that implementation of a National Do Not Email Registry would not reduce the volume of spam, particularly given currently available technology to authenticate the origin of email messages. The FTC proposed a program to encourage the widespread adoption of email authentication standards that would help law enforcement and ISPs better identify spammers. If, after allowing the private market sufficient time to develop, test, and widely implement an authentication standard, no single standard emerges, the FTC could begin the process of convening a Federal Advisory Committee to help it determine an appropriate email authentication system that could be federally required. If the FTC were to mandate such a standard, after a reasonable period of time following the effective date of such a standard, the FTC will consider studying whether an authentication system combined with enforcement or other mechanisms (e.g., better filters) had substantially reduced the burden of spam. If spam continued to be a substantial problem, if a Registry could significantly reduce it once an authentication system was in place, and if other technological developments removed the security and privacy risks associated with a Registry, the FTC would consider issuing an ANPR proposing the creation of a National Do Not Email Registry.
FTC’s Conclusion
Before expending resources on the implementation of a Registry, the marketplace should be encouraged and allowed to correct a flaw in the email system’s architecture that enables spam – the lack of domain-level authentication. Without effective authentication of email, any Registry is doomed to fail. With authentication, better CAN-SPAM Act enforcement and better filtering by ISPs may even make a Registry unnecessary.
The report can be read in its entirety at:
http://www.ftc.gov/reports/dneregistry/report.pdf
Similar articles can be found at:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/e-authentication/index.htm
***Although CLEC Customers Continue to Have Higher Opinion of Their Providers Than ILEC, Loyalty Ratings for Both Continue to Slip
DUBLIN, Ireland
Nov. 10
Research and Markets has announced the addition of CLECs Continue to Beat ILECs, but by a Slimmer Margin to their offering.
Competitive providers continue to consolidate and survivors seek scale to compete with incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs). In 2003, service providers were internally focused on getting their business in order. Companies like MCI and XO were focused on emerging from bankruptcy. Both regional Bell operating companies (RBOCs) and Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) zeroed in on cutting costs and improving the bottom line. How have the SMB customers fared amid all these challenging supply-side dynamics?
Small and medium sized business (SMB) customer loyalty ratings for ILECs and CLECs slipped in 2003. Although CLEC customers continue to have a more favorable opinion of their providers than ILEC customers, the gap is beginning to narrow, particularly in the areas of competitive pricing and customer service. Competitive providers raised the bar in product development, packaging, and service delivery for communication providers servicing the SMB market. In response, RBOCs and ILECs answered with competitive service bundles, improved customer service, and aggressive customer win-back pricing. SMBs indicate they are more informed of new products and services in 2003—the single largest area of improvement for both ILECs and CLECs. This was the weakest area for providers in both 2001 and 2002.
Topics covered in this Report include:
- ILEC/CLEC SMB Customer Demographics
- Customer Satisfaction
Customer Loyalty
Competitive Pricing
Professional and Knowledgeable Customer Service Staff
Understanding Customer Needs- Monthly Local and Long-Distance Spending
- Phone Lines and Features
- Interest in Communication Applications
- Bundled Services
- Recommendations
Recommendations for CLECS
Recommendations for ILECs
Recommendations for SMB End Users
For more information visit
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c8971
0444.3 Integrated Home Technology
***Internet Home Alliance Launches Home Integrator Initiative Industry-Wide Effort Seeks to Build Awareness for Home Integrators and Drive Consumer Adoption of Digital Home Products
Monterey, CA
November 4, 2004,—Internet Home Alliance, a cross-industry network
of leading companies advancing the home technology market, announced
today the launch of the Home Integrator Initiative, an industry-wide
effort to promote greater industry and consumer awareness of the need
for—and availability of—qualified home technology integrators.
Home technology integrators are trained and certified technology professionals
who install connected home products and services.
Developed to address the growing interest in digital home solutions, as well as the consumer and industry confusion that exists around the integration of home technology products and services, the goal of the Home Integrator Initiative is to bring key industry players together to adopt common goals and messages around the home integrator channel and promote consumer awareness of integrators as a key resource in their adoption of connected home products and solutions.
Members of the Home Integrator Initiative include Cisco; Cisco Learning Institute; CNET; Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA); CompUSA; Consumer Electronics Association (CEA); Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA); Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA); Cybermanor; Electronics Systems Industry Consortium (ESIC); EH Publishing; Heneveld Dynamic Consulting; Hewlett-Packard; Home Director; Internet Home Alliance; Microsoft; On-Q Home; Pikes Peak Community College; Rich Green Ink and Sears.
The Initiative includes several significant efforts. The first, available now, is an industry white paper, Net Gain: Advancing the Market for Home Technology Integrators, developed by the committee, which articulates the landscape for home integrators and provides recommendations to the industry about how to work together more effectively to promote home integrators in a clear and consistent manner. All members of the Initiative have expressed a commitment to adopting the recommendations included in the document. To download the free white paper, please visit
http://www.internethomealliance.com/channel_development/
Future initiatives include a series of speaking engagements for committee members and a zipcode-searchable directory of home integrators and personal technology consultants.
About Internet Home Alliance
Internet Home Alliance is a cross-industry network of leading companies advancing the home technology market. A non-profit organization, the Alliance provides companies with the collaboration, research and real-world testing opportunities they need to gain a competitive advantage in the home technology market. Members of the Alliance, which was founded in October 2000, come from a variety of industries and include such leading companies as Cisco Systems, Inc., General Motors, Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM, Invensys, Microsoft, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric Corporation of America), Procter & Gamble, SBC Communications, Sears, Roebuck and Co., and Whirlpool Corporation. For more information, visit
http://www.internethomealliance.com
***Intellifit's Body Scanner Named the Most Technologically Significant Product of 2004 by R&D Magazine
PHILADELPHIA
Nov. 8, 2004
With its promise to reinvent the way clothing is designed, manufactured, bought and sold, Intellifit Corporation's Intellifit Body Scanning Solution was recently named the most technologically significant product of 2004 by R&D Magazine at its annual R&D 100 Awards ceremony. As winner of the magazine's prestigious 2004 Editor's Choice award, Intellifit joins the ranks of the fax machine, ATM, PC and other renowned innovations that have the most potential to change peoples' lives for the better.
The Intellifit System addresses a major source of frustration for consumers and billions of dollars of lost revenue for retailers and apparel manufacturers - poor fitting clothes. By directing consumers to the brands and sizes that fit them best, Intellifit helps minimize consumer frustration, time spent shopping, and product returns due to size issues. It can also help retailers control inventories, improve full-margin sell through rates, increase salesperson efficiency and customer satisfaction. And by collecting and analyzing anonymous sizing data, the Intellifit System will ultimately help designers and manufacturers create better fitting clothes.
Intellifit licensed the scanning technology from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and adapted it for commercial use. The Intellifit System uses safe, low-power millimeter radio waves to accurately capture more than 200,000 data points through a person's clothes in about 10 seconds. The system condenses and analyzes the data, then prints out measurements that are accurate to within a quarter-inch.
The Future of Fit
Previous attempts at body scanning failed primarily because they forced consumers to adapt or change their normal shopping behaviors to compensate for shortcomings within the technology, such as disrobing and donning special attire or wearing protective eyewear. Rather than enhancing sales and building customer loyalty, consumer aversion to these practices diminished the chances for successful retail adoption.
These early scanners did not address the overall "fit" issue, by collecting and analyzing consumer sizing data, and therefore could not influence the manufacturing process to make clothes fit better. Recent attempts to collect sizing data have been moderately successful, but acquiring a statistically valid national sample of 10,000 scans took several years due to the use of technology that required participants to disrobe. The Intellifit System, on the other hand, recently demonstrated its ability to collect more than 1,200 scans in less than two days from a single location.
Intellifit Systems have been purchased by major national retail chains and are currently installed at Lane Bryant, Catherine's Stores, David's Bridal and After Hours Formalwear. Macy's will be the first department store to install an Intellifit System in November 2004. Additional department store and specialty retailers in the U.S. and Europe are planning to deploy Intellifit technology in 2005.
***New Intel Itanium 2 Platforms Make Strides from Casinos to Space
SANTA CLARA, Calif.
Nov. 8, 2004
Intel Corporation enhanced its entire line of Intel Itanium 2 processors delivering new versions of multi, dual and low voltage processors. These new processors are the next step toward the goal of using computing platforms based on industry standards to gain more market segment share from the $20 billion proprietary RISC market segment.
More than 70 OEMs are now shipping Itanium-based systems. The platform currently supports a choice of five leading operating systems and a vast suite of software applications, increasing the choice and flexibility of Itanium-based solutions for IT managers worldwide.
The Itanium 2 platform provides excellent computing advantages for transaction processing, data warehousing, business intelligence, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and high performance computing. This platform complements Intel Xeon processors with Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology (Intel EM64T) which are targeted at general purpose enterprise applications such as Web, workgroup, file, print, infrastructure, and application logic giving IT managers end-to-end 64-bit computing solutions.
Already, the new Itanium 2 processors are being deployed for mission-critical applications including powering one of the world's fastest supercomputer at NASA, a SGI Altix system consisting of 10,240 Itanium 2 processors running the Linux operating system. Additionally, MGM MIRAGE, a leading and respected hotel and gaming company, has deployed a Unisys system with 16 Itanium 2 processors for a data-warehousing project based upon Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server 2000.
The Bank of New York has deployed a four-way HP Integrity-based Itanium 2 processor server running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 as part of a global equity trading solution that enables them to manage growth in business volume and address increasing transaction complexities.
http://www.intel.com/products/benchmarks/server
0444.6 High Level Programming Languages
***Absoft to Provide High Performance Computing Software Developers Kit for IBM Linux On POWER Clusters and Servers
Supercomputing 2004
PITTSBURGH
Nov. 9, 2004
Absoft Corporation has announced it will manage, sell, and support a new High Performance Computing (HPC) Software Developers' Kit (SDK) for IBM Linux on POWER clusters and servers. The new Absoft HPC SDK is expected to become the standard HPC Development Kit offered to developers for IBM Linux on POWER servers and clusters.
The new kit will include compilers, debugging solutions, message passing libraries, numerical libraries, and other software tools used by developers in the "Build-Debug-Run-Optimize" development cycle for high-performance computing applications. Tools included in the SDK are from IBM, Absoft, and other manufacturers and open source providers.
Easy to install, simple-to-use and incorporating the most powerful best-of-breed high performance computing development tools available, the new Absoft HPC SDK will be developed for all configurations of IBM Linux on POWER clusters and servers. The basic HPC SDK comes pre-configured and includes: IBM's performance leading XL Fortran and XL C/C++ compilers, Absoft's multi-platform compatible Fortran95 compiler, Absoft's multi-language Fx2 Debugging Solution, IBM's highly optimized ESSL Mathematical and Scientific Libraries and LAM/MPI. The HPC SDK also comes with a common installer and a common license manager available exclusively from Absoft.
Other enhanced SDK options will soon include floating network licenses, a parallel debugger, performance analysis tools, memory tuning software and more. Top products from other vendors and open sources will be made available. Availability of the HPC SDK for Linux on POWER is expected in late 2004 directly from Absoft and IBM for IBM Linux on POWER configurations running SUSE SLES 9 or Red Hat's RHEL 3 or later Linux distributions. Support for Linux Standard Base 2.0 is also planned.
The Absoft HPC SDK is expected to be available for shipment beginning in December 2004 as a pre-configured package based on the number of processors and the number of simultaneous users on the HPC system. Prices start at $5,000 for commercial versions. Academic discounts are also available. Product and ordering information are available at
http://www.absoft.com/Products/Clusters/hpcsdk.html
MaxMD Introduces HIPAA Compliant Email Powered by BlueTie
Rochester, NY and Jersey City, NJ
November 10, 2004
Internet domain registrar MaxMD has announced that it has chosen BlueTie’s business class email application to power its HIPAA (Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) compliant offering to the healthcare industry and its professionals.
MaxMD offers .md domain names and Internet resources specifically tailored to the needs of healthcare professionals. MaxMD will deliver a HIPAA compliant, secure and reliable messaging solution to physicians and healthcare professionals, along with domain registration and other web-based resources.
The MaxMD messaging solution, powered by BlueTie’s award winning application, will provide compliance tools along with best-in-class email and available features such as anti-virus, anti-spam, instant messaging, task management and calendaring functionality. Due to the sensitive and highly proprietary nature of the healthcare industry, MacMD provides the ability to give professionals the peace of mind they need to be able to concentrate on their vital day-to-day responsibilities without having to worry about patient privacy or compliance is invaluable.
***Research Reveals False Sense of Security Among Network IT Managers
WASHINGTON
Nov. 8, 2004
Britestream Networks (formerly Layer N Networks), a catalyst for the creation of a ubiquitous, secure and private Internet, and Q&A Research has announced the findings of a research project designed to understand the level and types of security measures organizations are deploying and whether IT managers believe they are vulnerable. The national survey was conducted in October 2004 with 300 IT professionals in companies with annual revenues of more than $30 million that are highly and somewhat involved with their company's network security.
A key finding was that while significant numbers (76%) of respondents believe their network is more secure than a year ago, 81% report that attacks are increasing and an unexpected 1 in 5 admitted that a hacker had gained unauthorized access to their company's network. In addition, the percentage of IT budgets set aside for network security is not expected to increase next year and in fact, respondents said their biggest obstacle to making the company's network safer is "securing budget for security solutions".
Additional research findings included:
-- Viruses are the biggest concern among IT professionals (with 88% of respondents agreeing they are a concern), followed closely by "hacking and other unauthorized access", "theft of customer information" and "liability related to information security issues".
-- Security is now top-of-mind among CEOs and other senior management in companies of all sizes. Respondents were asked to share not only their opinion of their network's security, but also that of their CEO. There was no statistical difference between the respondent's opinion of the level of network security and their perception of the CEO's opinion. Over 70% felt "somewhat" to "very" secure and thought their CEOs felt the same way. The new data is indicative of the high awareness level and importance that has been placed on security in the past year.
-- Although larger companies feel more secure than smaller companies, they also have higher levels of concerns about specific topics such as hacking.
-- Regulatory-driven companies were more likely than non-regulatory companies to want to spend more on network security. Sixty-seven percent (67%) would spend more to secure their network if they had the budget.
-- Making a business case for additional network security budget has been a challenge for IT management. The value of lost data and lost productivity were the top two metrics used to justify additional spending on network security.
0444.9 Cable Industry Standards
***CableLabs Announces PacketCable Certifications
Louisville, Colorado
November 5, 2004
CableLabs has announced that it has awarded PacketCable qualification status to a PacketCable 1.1 cable modem termination system (CMTS) from Cisco Systems and PacketCable certification status to an embedded multimedia terminal adapter (E-MTA) from Motorola as a result of its recently concluded Certification Wave 31.
PacketCable is a CableLabs-led initiative to define a common platform to deliver advanced real-time communication services, such as voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP), over two-way cable plant. Built on top of the industry’s DOCSIS 1.1 (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) cable modem infrastructure, PacketCable networks use IP technology as the basis for a multimedia architecture. A DOCSIS 1.1 network with PacketCable extensions enables cable operators to deliver data and voice traffic efficiently and economically using a single high-speed, quality-of-service (QoS)-enabled broadband architecture.
The PacketCable initiative has followed a similar process to that employed in the successful DOCSIS program. Manufacturers that receive CableLabs certification or qualification for their E-MTA, cable modem termination system (CMTS), Call Management Server (CMS), Media Gateway Controller (MGC), or media gateway (MG), have successfully completed an extensive series of interoperability tests supported by CableLabs’ membership. These PacketCable devices were tested for interoperability in combination with other PacketCable components.
CableLabs® Certified or CableLabs Qualified means that the device has passed a series of tests for compliance with the indicated version of PacketCable and has thus demonstrated interoperable functionality with other "CableLabs certified/qualified" devices. "CableLabs Certified" is awarded to devices that will be used in a residence or business. "CableLabs Qualified" is awarded to devices that are used in a cable operator's network. Many of these devices provide other functions or are designed to comply with other specifications, in each case tailored by the manufacturer to meet the growing needs of consumers or cable operators in an evolving communication/entertainment sector. While CableLabs encourages such innovation and diversity, the phrase CableLabs certified/qualified should not be understood as an endorsement of these other attributes (or that the product is certified to other specifications or versions), which are solely the responsibility of the company making the additional claims.
Founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry, Cable Television Laboratories is a non-profit research and development consortium that is dedicated to pursuing new cable telecommunications technologies and to helping its cable operator members integrate those advancements into their business objectives. Cable operators from around the world are members.
***SurfControl Discovers New Technique for Stealing Financial Information from Computer Users
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif.
November 8, 2004
SurfControl has warned computer users to beware of a new technique that makes it possible for scammers to prey on even the sophisticated and wary email user.
Analysts from SurfControl’s Global Threat Command Centers identified a technique used to exploit flaws in the Web sites for SunTrust Bank and Citibank Australia. Phishers substituted the legitimate content of the Citibank and Sun Trust’s Web sites with their own fraudulent content, while actually retaining the authentic URL address of the financial institutions. This technique makes it virtually impossible for even a sophisticated computer user to tell the difference between a fraudulent site and the real thing.
Phishing e-mails account for 8 percent of the spam in SurfControl’s database of digital spam fingerprints, and experienced 1200% growth since January 2004.
The technique reveals a new level of technical sophistication among phishers. Using a flaw in the search script for the banking sites, the scammers run a javascript page that displays their own phishing site instead of a legitimate Citibank or SunTrust Web page. SurfControl researchers also noted that the Web page is designed to mirror the design of the Citibank and SunTrust sites.
SurfControl’s Global Threat Command Centers utilize an array of detection technologies to keep a constant eye on five continents, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seeking to identify scams, spams, viruses and other types of harmful content before they spread. This constant, global vigilance allows SurfControl to identify and prioritize threats and protect their customers while other companies are just waking up to the danger.
SurfControl suggests that companies take the following steps to help protect employees from phishing and online scams:
- Educate users to NEVER volunteer confidential information in response to an unsolicited e-mail. If they are worried that the message may be legitimate, advise them to contact the company or organization directly.
- Advise users to NEVER follow any link found in an unsolicited e-mail. The simple visit to a Web site could trigger multiple IT threats, including viruses or even a Trojan horse program allowing the spammer to control the computer remotely.
- Have a clear Acceptable Use Policy, which thoroughly expresses the organization’s position on what kind of Web content is acceptable in the workplace.
- Ensure that all anti-virus and operating system software is up to date.
- Monitor Internet and spam security resources, such as SurfControl’s Network Risk alerts.
***New CardBus Receiver Transforms Notebook Computers into a Software Defined Radios
SDR Forum
Nov 6, 2004
Red River has introduced the Pocket Watch (Model 350) CardBus multi-channel digital receiver. The small-sized Pocket Watch offers many of the same features found in much larger and more expensive solutions.
- Fits standard PCMCIA Type II socket
- Dual analog inputs (100 kHz to 125 MHz)
- 10-bit (95 MSPS) or 14-bit (80 MSPS) A/D
- Internal or external sample clock
- Up to 8 independent digital tuners
- Up to 2.5 MHz single tuner bandwidth
- Up to 8 MHz composite tuner bandwidth
- Data time tagging function
- Input trigger and 1 PPS synchronization
- PCI bus master with auto DMA features
- DMA burst or scatter gather operation
- Includes Waveformer configuration tool
- Windows and Linux drivers available
The Pocket Watch accepts two analog input signals through MMCX coax connectors on the outside edge of the card. Each input is AC coupled to either a 14-bit (80 MSPS) or 10-bit (95 MSPS) A/D converter. The sample clock source is software selectable from either the on-board crystal oscillator or an external input that is also supplied through an MMCX connector.
Samples out of the A/D converter are routed to a pool of either four or eight independent digital downconverter channels. Each channel tunes to a signal of interest and performs amplitude adjustment based on gain control settings. Channels can also be combined to obtain a composite output bandwidth beyond the range of a single downconverter.
The complex data samples produced by the downconverter are stored in a multi-queue FIFO. The number of queues can be programmed to match the number of active tuner channels in each application. The depth of each FIFO queue is also variable, allowing higher sample rate channels to obtain more memory.
The Pocket Watch can operate as either a PCI bus master or target, allowing DMA transfers to be initiated either autonomously by the receiver or under direct control of the host. Each FIFO queue is assigned a programmable threshold that signals either the local controller or the host for service. Alternatively, the tuner channels can be routed directly to a dedicated data port on the side of the card.
Time tags can be inserted in the data stream at user defined intervals to perform frame reconstruction or geolocation processing. The internal time of day clock can be loaded over the host bus and synchronized to an external 1 pulse per second strobe. Time of day resolution matches the period of the A/D sample clock.
The dedicated data port is designed for direct connection to the upcoming Red River Pocket Change CardBus product. The Pocket Change contains a full Xilinx Virtex 4 LX FPGA available for user defined logic, perfect for hosting real-time demodulation algorithms or other signal analysis functions. The Pocket Watch and Pocket Change combination can be installed in any notebook computer with dual CardBus slots to tackle processing intensive tasks without burdening the host computer.
Pocket Watch programming is simplified by the Waveformer configuration tool that automates the process of setting register values based on the desired performance characteristics of the receiver. The user enters configuration information through a series of menu-driven spreadsheets that accept input based on available register options. The spreadsheets also perform error checking to eliminate configuration conflicts and graphically display key performance parameters in simple block diagrams and frequency response plots. The configuration tool generates a C++ header file containing register values for the complete memory map. These values are uploaded to the card from a single software command supplied with the drivers.
The Pocket Watch product is available in production quantities today. Single piece pricing for the four tuner configuration is $2,495, the eight tuner option is an additional $500. Windows or Linux drivers are supplied for a one-time charge of $500 per project.
The Waveformer configuration tool is supplied free of charge with any Pocket Watch purchase. Red River also provides one application specific configuration to meet your channel specification with each driver purchase.
The companion Pocket Change (Model 351) product will be available later this year.
***New SEO Toolbar from SEO, Inc., Puts Backward Links a Click Away; Instantly Reveals Inbound Links to Any URL for All Major Search Engines in One Spot, Providing Key Insight into Web Rankings
NEW YORK
Nov. 9, 2004
Search Engine Optimization, Inc. has unveiled a first-of-its-kind toolbar that provides instant access to detailed information on backward links to any website for all the major search engines, giving marketing professionals a powerful new aid in their efforts to maximize company Web rankings.
The SEO Inc. Toolbar Lite, available now as a free download, enables users to research inbound links for Yahoo, Google, Google indexed pages, AOL, DMOZ and MSN. Users can determine the total number of inbound links to their own URLs and/or those of competitors in real time, plus the number of links used individually by each search engine in ranking a given site. This eliminates the time and effort involved in researching each search engine separately while also enabling users to conserve screen real estate that otherwise would be occupied by multiple proprietary toolbars.
The SEO Inc. Tool Box Pro/Enterprise, a paid product scheduled for early 2005 release, will raise the bar -- literally -- by listing all backward links to each specified URL in order of importance. The Pro version will also add research capabilities for Teoma, Hotbot, DMOZ and Jayde, as well as trend analysis tools enabling users to save reports and trace fluctuations in link popularity and Google page rank for any site over time.
Marketers can use this information to track their own inbound links as well as those of competitors, keep an eye on the behavior of the most authoritative external sites to ensure that they remain link partners, and map strategies to address losses or deficiencies in their link popularity.
***Universal Business Language -UBL- Ratified As OASIS Standard; Royalty-Free, International Standard for XML-Based Electronic Business Documents Approved
BOSTON
Nov. 8, 2004
The OASIS international standards consortium announced that its members have approved the Universal Business Language (UBL) version 1.0 as an OASIS Standard, a status that signifies the highest level of ratification. Developed through an open process, UBL defines a common XML library of business documents, such as purchase orders and invoices, as well as reusable data components from which an unlimited number of other documents can be constructed. UBL is the first standard implementation of the ebXML Core Components Technical Specification.
UBL was developed in harmony with ebXML OASIS Standards and in light of recommendations and standards issued by ISO, IEC, ITU, UNECE, W3C, IETF, and other relevant standards bodies and organizations. Industry groups including ACORD (insurance), ARTS (retail sales), CompTIA EIDX Leadership Group (electronics), HL7 (health care), NACS (convenience stores), RosettaNet (supply chain), UIG (utilities), VCA (prescription eyewear), and XBRL (accounting) all provided input on UBL.
To promote global adoption of the new OASIS Standard, members of the OASIS UBL Localization Subcommittees have produced draft translations of UBL 1.0 data definitions into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Together with the original English definitions, these translations will make UBL usable to approximately two-thirds of the world's current online population.
UBL contributors include representatives of Accountis plc, ACORD, Asociacion Nacional de Fabricantes Autoridad de Certificacio, The Boeing Company, Center for Document Engineering, Denmark Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation, East Asia Electronic Commerce Association, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, Korea CALS/EC Association, LMI Government Consulting, NEC, NIST, Oracle, PISCES Ltd, PSLX Consortium, SeeBeyond, Sterling Commerce, Sun Microsystems, University of Hong Kong, US Dept of the Navy, U.S. General Services Administration, and others.
Participation in the OASIS UBL Technical Committee remains open to all organizations and individuals; OASIS hosts an open mail list for public comment and the ubl-dev mailing list for exchanging information on implementing the standard. UBL is provided on a royalty-free basis, available to all without licensing or other fees.
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