Wireless Surveys About Wireless Devices?

I really enjoy reading survey results. I don't always believe them or, for that matter understand them, but I still like reading them. So from the CTIA, the international association for the wireless telecommunications industry, we have results from its Semi-Annual Wireless Industry Survey. Here are the highlights from where I sit.

• More than 84% of Americans have wireless devices of one kind or another.
• Six-month wireless service revenues were pegged at of $71 billion, with wireless data service revenues for 2007 at more than $23 billion.
• Text messaging continues to be enormously popular, with more than 48 billion messages reported for the month of December 2007 alone -- that's 1.6 billion messages per day. This is an increase of 157% over December 2006.
• Wireless subscribers are also sending more and more pictures and other multi-media messages, with nearly 4 billion MMS messages sent during the second half of 2007, compared with 2.7 billion sent over the course of the entire year in 2006.
• Wireless customers using more than 2 trillion minutes in 2007, up nearly 18% over 2006.

Alas, the CTIA survey doesn't deal with the really important issues of the day. Like how many car accidents involve yakking on cell phones while changing lanes on the freeway. Maybe in next year's survey.

Author: Jon Erickson

from: Dobbs Code Talk

Nokia as a Software Company

I'm probably the first to report that the news out of Barcelona is that cell phone giant Nokia is transitioning from being a mobile phone company to being a software company. I'd be wrong, of course. Well, mostly wrong.

When I asked Nokia Senior Vice President Lee Williams whether this was a fair assessment, he clarified things by saying that Nokia is actually in the process of becoming "more" of a software company, rightly suggesting that Nokia already sees itself as a software company, but with intentions of becoming more so.

So what would make me think that Nokia is moving in these directions? For starters, in his keynote presentation at the S60 Summit, Williams spent most of his time talking things like Java, C++, Python, open source, web services, and widgets. And don't forget about the recent acquisition of Trolltech, makers of the Qt Framework. I don't know about you, but that sure sounds like software to me. What he pointedly didn't talk about was stuff like directory assistance, the yellow pages, and 1-900 phone calls.

What would drive Nokia to focus on software? For one thing, the changing nature of the Internet and the role of mobile devices. In this ever-evolving Internet, for instance, Williams sees users as actively participating in the Internet experience, rather than being a passive audience simply browsing through web page after web page. "It's not enough to browse anymore," he explained, adding that "the audience is becoming the actors."

And what's the role of mobile devices in this emerging Internet? From where Williams sits, mobile devices are what will deliver the promise of truly personal computers by providing not only access, but new levels of user experiences. By the year 2010, one-half of the world's population will have mobile devices, he says, and they'll likely be doing more than just calling home. For most of these people, mobile devices will be their gateway to the Internet. Nokia is already seeing this to some extent, with studies that show that 81 percent of current S60 owners are using their mobile phone for web browsing, 50 percent using it for web mail, and 30 percent for instant messaging.

Williams closed his presentation where he started. "The power of the Internet is mobile," he reiterated, "because the Internet plus mobility solves people's real needs."

Author: Jon Erickson

from: Dobbs Code Talk

Innovation That Breaks the Performance Barrier

Intel® 45nm high-k metal gate silicon technology is the next-generation Intel® Core™ microarchitecture. With roughly twice the density of Intel® 65nm technology, Intel's 45nm packs about double the number of transistors into the same silicon space. That's more than 400 million transistors for dual-core processors and more than 800 million for quad-core. Intel's 45nm technology enables great performance leaps, up to 50-percent larger L2 cache, and new levels of breakthrough energy efficiency.

Smaller transistors pack the performance punch

Intel's had the world's first viable 45nm processors in-house since early January 2007—the first of fifteen 45nm processor products in development. With one of the biggest advancements in fundamental transistor design in 40 years, Intel 45nm high-k silicon technology can deliver more than a 20 percent improvement in transistor switching speed, and reduce transistor gate leakage by over 10 fold.

Taking great leaps forward in transistor design

Using a combination of new materials including hafnium-based high-k gate dielectrics and metal gates, Intel 45nm technology represents a major milestone as the industry as a whole races to reduce electrical current leakage in transistors—a growing problem for chip manufacturers as transistors get even smaller.

This new transistor breakthrough allows Intel to continue delivering record-breaking PC, laptop, and server processor speeds well into the future. It also ensures that Moore's Law—a high-tech industry axiom that transistor counts double about every two years to deliver more performance and functionality at decreasing cost—thrives well into the next decade.

Delivering the world's first 45nm processor to the world

The first processors based on the new Intel 45nm high-k silicon technology deliver many new architectural advancements impacting hardware and software performance. Intel has also moved to 100 percent lead-free materials in our 45nm technology and is making the additional move to halogen-free products in 2008 in order to meet our environmental performance goals. Included in the first 45nm launch are new members of the Intel® Core™2 processor and Intel® Xeon® processor families.

from: Intel Site

How to Get Digital NASA TV

Digital NASA TV

NASA TV's Public, Education and Media channels are available on an MPEG-2 digital C-band signal via satellite on AMC 6, Transponder 17C in continental North America. In Alaska and Hawaii, they're available on AMC 7, Transponder 18C. Analog NASA TV is no longer available.

What is Digital NASA TV?

Digital NASA TV has four digital channels:

1. NASA Public ("Free to Air"), featuring documentaries, archival programming, and coverage of NASA missions and events;
2. NASA Education ("Free to Air/Addressable"), dedicated to providing educational programming to schools, educational institutions and museums;
3. NASA Media ("Addressable"), for broadcast news organizations; and
4. NASA Mission Operations (Internal Only)

Note: Digital NASA TV channels may not always have programming on every channel simultaneously.

Why is NASA TV digital?

Digital NASA TV system provides higher quality images and better use of satellite bandwidth, meaning multiple channels from multiple NASA program sources at the same time.

Can I watch NASA TV on the Web?

Yes, NASA TV's Public, Education and Media channels are streamed here on the Web. All you need is access to a computer.

Can I get digital NASA TV from my local cable or satellite service provider?

The NASA TV Public and Educational channels are "free-to-air," meaning your cable or satellite service provider can carry them at no cost. Contact your local cable or satellite service provider about carrying NASA TV.

I have my own C-band-sized satellite dish. What else do I need to get the digital NASA TV Public Channel?

If your C-Band-sized satellite dish is capable of receiving digital television signals, you still need a Digital Video Broadcast (DVB)-compliant MPEG-2 Integrated Receiver Decoder, or IRD, to get Digital NASA's Public "Free to Air" Channel.

An IRD that receives "Free to Air" programming like the Digital NASA TV Public Channel can be purchased from many sources, including "off-the-shelf" at your local electronics store.

Digital NASA TV is on satellite AMC 6, Transponder 17. In Alaska and Hawaii, digital NASA TV is available on AMC7, Transponder 18C.

Digital NASA TV is on the same satellite (AMC 6) as the analog NASA TV was, but on a different transponder (17). In Alaska and Hawaii, digital NASA TV is available on AMC7, Transponder 18C.

NASA TV provides only C-band digital service (no Ku-band).

Here is additional satellite information you may find helpful:

Digital Satellite C-Band Downlink for continental North America:
Uplink provider = Americom
Satellite = AMC 6
Transponder = 17C
72 Degrees West
Downlink Frequency: 4040 Mhz
Polarity: Vertical
FEC = 3/4
Data Rate r= 36.860 MHz
Symbol = 26.665 Ms
Transmission = DVB
"Public" Programming:
Program = 101 (HQ1), Video PID = 0111 decimal = 0x006F, Audio PID = 0114 decimal =0x0072, AC-3 PID = 0115 decimal = 0x0073
"Education" Programming:
Program = 102 (HQ2), Video PID = 0121 decimal = 0x0079, Audio PID = 0124 decimal =0x007C, AC-3 PID = 0125 decimal = 0x007D
"Media" Programming:
Program = 103 (HQ3), Video PID = 1031 decimal = 0x0407, Audio PID = 1034 decimal =0x040A, AC-3 PID = 1035 decimal = 0x040B
"SOMD" Programming:
Program = 104 (HQ4), Video PID = 1041 decimal = 0x0411, Audio PID = 1044 decimal =0x0414, AC-3 PID = 1045 decimal = 0x0415

Digital C-Band Satellite Downlink for Alaska and Hawaii:
Uplink provider = Americom
Satellite = AMC 7
Transponder = 18C
137 Degrees West
Downlink Frequency: 4060 Mhz
Polarity: Vertical
FEC = 3/4
Data Rate = 36.860 MHz
Symbol = 26.665 Ms
Transmission = DVB
"Public" Programming:
Program = 101 (HQ1), Video PID = 0111 decimal = 0x006F, Audio PID = 0114 decimal =0x0072, AC-3 PID = 0115 decimal = 0x0073
"Education" Programming:
Program = 102 (HQ2), Video PID = 0121 decimal = 0x0079, Audio PID = 0124 decimal =0x007C, AC-3 PID = 0125 decimal = 0x007D
"Media" Programming:
Program = 103 (HQ3), Video PID = 1031 decimal = 0x0407, Audio PID = 1034 decimal =0x040A, AC-3 PID = 1035 decimal = 0x040B
"SOMD" Programming:
Program = 104 (HQ4), Video PID = 1041 decimal = 0x0414, Audio PID = 1044 decimal =0x0414, AC-3 PID = 1045 decimal = 0x0415

NOTES:
1. SOMD = Space Operations Mission Directorate
2. PCR (program clock reference) information is included within the Video PID by the Harmonic Encoders used by NASA TV
3. PMT (Transport Stream Program Map Table) settings are as follows:

Program = 101 (HQ1) = 0110 decimal = 0x006E
Program = 102 (HQ2) = 0120 decimal = 0x0078
Program = 103 (HQ3) = 1030 decimal = 0x0406
Program = 104 (HQ4) = 1040 decimal = 0x0410

A 'C Band' size satellite dish is needed to receive multi-channel NASA TV. It may also be necessary to modify some of your dish hardware, such as LNBs, to optimize performance. LNB's that are "phase locked" are recommended, though many models of "non-phase locked" LNB's should work. Check with your particular manufacturer for recommendations. NASA TV will not be making vendor specific recommendations and is not responsible for providing any downlink infrastructure.

LNB Recommended Minimum Specifications:
Frequency Stability: +/- 1.0 MHz
SSB Phase Noise:
Offset dBc/Hz

Offset	dBc/Hz
1 kHz	-60
10 kHz	-75
100 kHz	-85

Voltage: 15 to 24 VDC
Current: 100 to 250 ma.

NASA TV provides only C-band digital service (no Ku-band).

I'm an educator who works for a school, educational institution or museum. What equipment will my organization need to get the digital NASA TV Education Channel?

If you have a C-Band-size satellite dish capable of receiving digital television signals, you still need a Digital Video Broadcast (DVB)-compliant MPEG-2 Integrated Receiver Decoder, or IRD, to get the digital NASA TV Education Channel. Your IRD will provide access to the digital NASA TV Public Channel, as well, which also offers education materials.

An IRD that receives "Free to Air" programming like the new digital NASA TV Education Channel can be purchased from many sources, including "off-the-shelf" at your local electronics store.

Occasionally, the new digital NASA TV Education Channel may provide its programming in an "addressable" format. If your institution were to purchase an "addressable" IRD with "store-and-forward" capabilities, the digital NASA TV Education Channel could, from time to time, "address," or send specific programming to your IRD's hard drive for playback and use at your convenience. An "addressable" IRD has great potential for educational activities as NASA could offer programming designed specifically for a targeted educational audience. For technical specifications and pricing, visit http://www.nasadigitaltv.com.

Digital NASA TV is on satellite AMC 6, Transponder 17. In Alaska and Hawaii, digital NASA TV is available on AMC7, Transponder 18C.

NASA TV provides only C-band digital service (no Ku-band).

Here is additional satellite information you may find helpful:

Digital Satellite C-Band Downlink for continental North America:
Uplink provider = Americom
Satellite = AMC 6
Transponder = 17C
72 Degrees West
Downlink Frequency: 4040 Mhz
Polarity: Vertical
FEC = 3/4
Data Rate r= 36.860 MHz
Symbol = 26.665 Ms
Transmission = DVB
"Public" Programming:
Program = 101 (HQ1), Video PID = 0111 decimal = 0x006F, Audio PID = 0114 decimal =0x0072, AC-3 PID = 0115 decimal = 0x0073
"Education" Programming:
Program = 102 (HQ2), Video PID = 0121 decimal = 0x0079, Audio PID = 0124 decimal =0x007C, AC-3 PID = 0125 decimal = 0x007D
"Media" Programming:
Program = 103 (HQ3), Video PID = 1031 decimal = 0x0407, Audio PID = 1034 decimal =0x040A, AC-3 PID = 1035 decimal = 0x040B
"SOMD" Programming:
Program = 104 (HQ4), Video PID = 1041 decimal = 0x0411, Audio PID = 1044 decimal =0x0414, AC-3 PID = 1045 decimal = 0x0415

Digital C-Band Satellite Downlink for Alaska and Hawaii:
Uplink provider = Americom
Satellite = AMC 7
Transponder = 18C
137 Degrees West
Downlink Frequency: 4060 Mhz
Polarity: Vertical
FEC = 3/4
Data Rate = 36.860 MHz
Symbol = 26.665 Ms
Transmission = DVB
"Public" Programming:
Program = 101 (HQ1), Video PID = 0111 decimal = 0x006F, Audio PID = 0114 decimal =0x0072, AC-3 PID = 0115 decimal = 0x0073
"Education" Programming:
Program = 102 (HQ2), Video PID = 0121 decimal = 0x0079, Audio PID = 0124 decimal =0x007C, AC-3 PID = 0125 decimal = 0x007D
Programming:
Program = 103 (HQ3), Video PID = 1031 decimal = 0x0407, Audio PID = 1034 decimal =0x040A, AC-3 PID = 1035 decimal = 0x040B
"SOMD" Programming:
Program = 104 (HQ4), Video PID = 1041 decimal = 0x0411, Audio PID = 1044 decimal =0x0414, AC-3 PID = 1045 decimal = 0x0415

NOTES:
1. SOMD = Space Operations Mission Directorate
2. PCR (program clock reference) information is included within the Video PID by the Harmonic Encoders used by NASA TV
3. PMT (Transport Stream Program Map Table) settings are as follows:

Program = 101 (HQ1) = 0110 decimal = 0x006E
Program = 102 (HQ2) = 0120 decimal = 0x0078
Program = 103 (HQ3) = 1030 decimal = 0x0406
Program = 104 (HQ4) = 1040 decimal = 0x0410

A 'C Band' size satellite dish is needed to receive multi-channel NASA TV. It may also be necessary to modify some of your dish hardware, such as LNBs, to optimize performance. LNB's that are "phase locked" are recommended, though many models of "non-phase locked" LNB's should work. Check with your particular manufacturer for recommendations. NASA TV will not be making vendor specific recommendations and is not responsible for providing any downlink infrastructure.

LNB Recommended Minimum Specifications:
Frequency Stability: +/- 1.0 MHz
SSB Phase Noise:
Offset dBc/Hz

Offset	dBc/Hz
1 kHz	-60
10 kHz	-75
100 kHz	-85

Voltage: 15 to 24 VDC
Current: 100 to 250 ma.

NASA TV provides only C-band digital service (no Ku-band).

I'm a member of the media and want to participate in live shot interviews, receive Video File news feeds, press conferences and other media updates. What does my news organization need?

Media content, such as live shot interviews and Video File feeds, are offered on its own NASA TV Media Channel with an "addressable" IRD capability. With new "store-and-forward" capable IRDs, NASA content can be "pushed" to your IRD's hard drive for playback and use at your convenience. No need to monitor NASA TV at a specific time each day with your tapes rolling. For technical specifications and pricing, visit http://www.nasadigitaltv.com.

Digital NASA TV is on satellite AMC 6, Transponder 17. In Alaska and Hawaii, digital NASA TV is available on AMC7, Transponder 18C.

NASA TV provides only C-band digital service (no Ku-band).

Here is additional satellite information you may find helpful:

Digital Satellite C-Band Downlink for continental North America:
Uplink provider = Americom
Satellite = AMC 6
Transponder = 17C
72 Degrees West
Downlink Frequency: 4040 Mhz
Polarity: Vertical
FEC = 3/4
Data Rate r= 36.860 MHz
Symbol = 26.665 Ms
Transmission = DVB
"Public" Programming:
Program = 101 (HQ1), Video PID = 0111 decimal = 0x006F, Audio PID = 0114 decimal =0x0072, AC-3 PID = 0115 decimal = 0x0073
"Education" Programming:
Program = 102 (HQ2), Video PID = 0121 decimal = 0x0079, Audio PID = 0124 decimal =0x007C, AC-3 PID = 0125 decimal = 0x007D
"Media" Programming:
Program = 103 (HQ3), Video PID = 0131 decimal = 0x0407, Audio PID = 1034 decimal =0x040A, AC-3 PID = 1035 decimal = 0x040B
"SOMD" Programming:
Program = 104 (HQ4), Video PID = 0141 decimal = 0x0411, Audio PID = 1044 decimal =0x0414, AC-3 PID = 1045 decimal = 0x0415

Digital C-Band Satellite Downlink for Alaska and Hawaii:
Uplink provider = Americom
Satellite = AMC 7
Transponder = 18C
137 Degrees West
Downlink Frequency: 4060 Mhz
Polarity: Vertical
FEC = 3/4
Data Rate = 36.860 MHz
Symbol = 26.665 Ms
Transmission = DVB
"Public" Programming:
Program = 101 (HQ1), Video PID = 0111 decimal = 0x006F, Audio PID = 0114 decimal =0x0072, AC-3 PID = 0115 decimal = 0x0073
"Education" Programming:
Program = 102 (HQ2), Video PID = 0121 decimal = 0x0079, Audio PID = 0124 decimal =0x007C, AC-3 PID = 0125 decimal = 0x007D
"Media" Programming:
Program = 103 (HQ3), Video PID = 1031 decimal = 0x0407, Audio PID = 1034 decimal =0x040A, AC-3 PID = 1035 decimal = 0x040B
"SOMD" Programming:
Program = 104 (HQ4), Video PID = 1041 decimal = 0x0411, Audio PID = 1044 decimal =0x0414, AC-3 PID = 1045 decimal = 0x0415

NOTES:
1. SOMD = Space Operations Mission Directorate
2. PCR (program clock reference) information is included within the Video PID by the Harmonic Encoders used by NASA TV
3. PMT (Transport Stream Program Map Table) settings are as follows:

Program = 101 (HQ1) = 0110 decimal = 0x006E
Program = 102 (HQ2) = 0120 decimal = 0x0078
Program = 103 (HQ3) = 1030 decimal = 0x0406
Program = 104 (HQ4) = 1040 decimal = 0x0410

A 'C Band' size satellite dish is needed to receive multi-channel NASA TV. It may also be necessary to modify some of your dish hardware, such as LNBs, to optimize performance. LNB's that are "phase locked" are recommended, though many models of "non-phase locked" LNB's should work. Check with your particular manufacturer for recommendations. NASA TV will not be making vendor specific recommendations and is not responsible for providing any downlink infrastructure.

LNB Recommended Minimum Specifications:
Frequency Stability: +/- 1.0 MHz
SSB Phase Noise:
Offset dBc/Hz

Offset	dBc/Hz
1 kHz	-60
10 kHz	-75
100 kHz	-85

Voltage: 15 to 24 VDC
Current: 100 to 250 ma.

NASA TV provides only C-band digital service (no Ku-band).

I'm a local cable or satellite service provider. What do I need to carry the digital NASA Public Channel?

Assuming you already have the necessary hardware (C-Band-size receiver and IRD) here's satellite information you and/or your technical staff should find helpful:

Digital NASA TV is on satellite AMC 6, Transponder 17. In Alaska and Hawaii, digital NASA TV is available on AMC7, Transponder 18C.

NASA TV provides only C-band digital service (no Ku-band).

Here is additional satellite information you may find helpful:

Digital Satellite C-Band Downlink for continental North America:
Uplink provider = Americom
Satellite = AMC 6
Transponder = 17C
72 Degrees West
Downlink Frequency: 4040 Mhz
Polarity: Vertical
FEC = 3/4
Data Rate r= 36.860 MHz
Symbol = 26.665 Ms
Transmission = DVB
"Public" Programming:
Program = 101 (HQ1), Video PID = 0111 decimal = 0x006F, Audio PID = 0114 decimal =0x0072, AC-3 PID = 0115 decimal = 0x0073
"Education" Programming:
Program = 102 (HQ2), Video PID = 0121 decimal = 0x0079, Audio PID = 0124 decimal =0x007C, AC-3 PID = 0125 decimal = 0x007D
"Media" Programming:
Program = 103 (HQ3), Video PID = 1031 decimal = 0x0407, Audio PID = 1034 decimal =0x040A, AC-3 PID = 1035 decimal = 0x040B
"SOMD" Programming:
Program = 104 (HQ4), Video PID = 1041 decimal = 0x0411, Audio PID = 1044 decimal =0x0414, AC-3 PID = 1045 decimal = 0x0415

Digital C-Band Satellite Downlink for Alaska and Hawaii:
Uplink provider = Americom
Satellite = AMC 7
Transponder = 18C
137 Degrees West
Downlink Frequency: 4060 Mhz
Polarity: Vertical
FEC = 3/4
Data Rate = 36.860 MHz
Symbol = 26.665 Ms
Transmission = DVB
"Public" Programming:
Program = 101 (HQ1), Video PID = 0111 decimal = 0x006F, Audio PID = 0114 decimal =0x0072, AC-3 PID = 0115 decimal = 0x0073
"Education" Programming:
Program = 102 (HQ2), Video PID = 0121 decimal = 0x0079, Audio PID = 0124 decimal =0x007C, AC-3 PID = 0125 decimal = 0x007D
"Media" Programming:
Program = 103 (HQ3), Video PID = 1031 decimal = 0x0407, Audio PID = 1034 decimal =0x040A, AC-3 PID = 1035 decimal = 0x040B
"SOMD" Programming:
Program = 104 (HQ4), Video PID = 1041 decimal = 0x0411, Audio PID = 1044 decimal =0x0414, AC-3 PID = 1045 decimal = 0x0415

NOTES:
1. SOMD = Space Operations Mission Directorate
2. PCR (program clock reference) information is included within the Video PID by the Harmonic Encoders used by NASA TV
3. PMT (Transport Stream Program Map Table) settings are as follows:

Program = 101 (HQ1) = 0110 decimal = 0x006E
Program = 102 (HQ2) = 0120 decimal = 0x0078
Program = 103 (HQ3) = 1030 decimal = 0x0406
Program = 104 (HQ4) = 1040 decimal = 0x0410

A 'C Band' size satellite dish is needed to receive multi-channel NASA TV. It may also be necessary to modify some of your dish hardware, such as LNBs, to optimize performance. LNB's that are "phase locked" are recommended, though many models of "non-phase locked" LNB's should work. Check with your particular manufacturer for recommendations. NASA TV will not be making vendor specific recommendations and is not responsible for providing any downlink infrastructure.

LNB Recommended Minimum Specifications:
Frequency Stability: +/- 1.0 MHz
SSB Phase Noise:
Offset dBc/Hz

Offset	dBc/Hz
1 kHz	-60
10 kHz	-75
100 kHz	-85

Voltage: 15 to 24 VDC
Current: 100 to 250 ma.

NASA TV provides only C-band digital service (no Ku-band).

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

"Addressable" – A type of IRD (Integrated Receiver Decoder) that can not only receive "free to air" digital TV signals but can also receive and store specially encrypted programming for rebroadcast.

DVB – Digital video broadcast.

FEC – Forward Error Correction

"Free to Air" – A TV channel that local cable and satellite service providers are "free to air" at no cost. Your basic, commercial "off-the-shelf" IRD can tune a "free to air" digital TV channel, provided you have a C-Band-size satellite receiving dish.

IRD - Integrated Receiver Decoder, a piece of equipment used to tune a digital TV signal.

LNB – Low Noise Block/Converter.

NTSC – National Television System Committee. The group responsible for setting the television and video standard used in the United States. NTSC also refers to the standard itself. (In Europe and elsewhere, PAL and SECAM are the dominant standards.)

PID – Program Identifier

SOMD – Space Operations Mission Directorate

TBD – To Be Determined.

NASA will update this Web page as new information becomes available.

Questions? Concerns? E-mail public-inquiries@hq.nasa.gov.

from: Science and Technology

NASA Briefings and TV Coverage Schedule for Phoenix Mars Landing

NASA news briefings, live commentary and updates before and after the scheduled Sunday, May 25 arrival of the agency's Phoenix Mars Lander will be available on NASA Television and on the Web.

In image: Artist concept of Phoenix landing on Mars.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Entry, descent and landing begins at 4:46 p.m. PDT on May 25, when the flight team listens for radio signals indicating that Phoenix has entered the top of the Martian atmosphere. The spacecraft must perform a series of challenging transformations and activities during the seven minutes after it enters the atmosphere to slow it from 12,000 mph to 5 mph and a soft touchdown. The Phoenix team will be watching for radio signals confirming the landing at 4:53 p.m. More than half of previous international attempts to land on Mars have been unsuccessful. For a detailed schedule and landing timeline, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix

The deadline for U.S. journalists to request media credentials to cover the Phoenix mission from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., is Tuesday, May 20. Foreign journalists requesting credentials must apply by Friday, May 16. Requests for media credentials must be made online at:

https://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/media/index.html

Media wishing to cover the mission from the University of Arizona in Tucson, must apply online at:

http://uanews.org/marsmedia

Briefings on mission goals, challenges, status and final trajectory adjustments will originate from JPL on Thursday, May 22, at 11:30 a.m. and on Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26, at noon.

On landing day, May 25, live landing commentary will air on NASA TV. A telecast of mission control – without roll-in videos and interviews -- will run on NASA TV's Media Channel beginning at 3 p.m. Another telecast with commentary, interviews and videos will begin at 3:30 p.m. on NASA TV's Public Channel. For more information on NASA TV and this coverage schedule, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Breaking.html

Both telecasts will continue through landing and will resume at 6:30 p.m. during the period after landing when engineers anticipate the receipt of data and possible images confirming that Phoenix has opened its solar panels successfully.

A news briefing at JPL will be held Sunday, May 25 at 9 p.m., following landing and the first possible downlink of images. Briefing updates at JPL also are scheduled on Monday, May 26 at 11 a.m. and on Tuesday, May 27 at 11 a.m.

Daily news briefings will continue at 11 a.m. for several days following a successful landing. Mission control and the site for news briefings will then shift to the University of Arizona in Tucson after a determination that the spacecraft is in a safe condition for conducting science operations. The earliest possibility for moving the host site for mission news briefings to the University of Arizona's Space Operations Center is Wednesday, May 28. Mission briefings from Pasadena and Tucson will be carried on NASA TV unless preempted by other NASA events.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedules, and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

From: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/

World Wide Telescope

Twirling galaxies, exotic nebulae and exploding stars are now just a mouse click away for amateur astronomers.

Microsoft has launched WorldWide Telescope, a free tool that stitches together images from some of the best ground- and space-based telescopes.

The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a Web 2.0 visualization software environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope—bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe.

Choose from a growing number of guided tours of the sky by astronomers and educators from some of the most famous observatories and planetariums in the country. Feel free at any time to pause the tour, explore on your own (with multiple information sources for objects at your fingertips), and rejoin the tour where you left off. Join Harvard Astronomer Alyssa Goodman on a journey showing how dust in the Milky Way Galaxy condenses into stars and planets. Take a tour with University of Chicago Cosmologist Mike Gladders two billion years into the past to see a gravitational lens bending the light from galaxies allowing you to see billions more years into the past.

WorldWide Telescope is created with the Microsoft® high performance Visual Experience Engine™ and allows seamless panning and zooming around the night sky, planets, and image environments. View the sky from multiple wavelengths: See the x-ray view of the sky and zoom into bright radiation clouds, and then crossfade into the visible light view and discover the cloud remnants of a supernova explosion from a thousand years ago. Switch to the Hydrogen Alpha view to see the distribution and illumination of massive primordial hydrogen cloud structures lit up by the high energy radiation coming from nearby stars in the Milky Way. These are just two of many different ways to reveal the hidden structures in the universe with the WorldWide Telescope. Seamlessly pan and zoom from aerial views of the Moon and selected planets, as well as see their precise positions in the sky from any location on Earth and any time in the past or future with the Microsoft Visual Experience Engine.

WWT is a single rich application portal that blends terabytes of images, information, and stories from multiple sources over the Internet into a seamless, immersive, rich media experience. Kids of all ages will feel empowered to explore and understand the universe with its simple and powerful user interface.

Microsoft Research is dedicating WorldWide Telescope to the memory of Jim Gray and is releasing WWT as a free resource to the astronomy and education communities with the hope that it will inspire and empower people to explore and understand the universe like never before.

How do you start exploring? Click the top of the Guided Tours tab and then click the Welcome thumbnail to watch a guided tour showing you how to navigate in WWT. Or click a link to read more: WWT in Depth
Site: World Wide Telescope

Winbond Accepts SiGlaz Intelligent Defect Analysis Software

IDA Enterprise Edition includes additional modules for large scale database management and real-time process monitoring

/HiTech PR News/ - SANTA CLARA, CA, March 28, 2008 - SiGlaz, a world leader in defect spatial signature analysis (SSA) software, today announced that its initial installation of Intelligent Defect Analysis (IDA) Enterprise Edition has been accepted by Winbond Electronics Corporation, a leading semiconductor manufacturer based in Taiwan. IDA software automatically analyzes the spatial distribution of defects on the wafer, using its patented algorithms, and notifies the user when it recognizes a signature. Defect spatial signatures may result from process excursions or from failures in process equipment.

IDA Enterprise Edition, which operates on a Microsoft Windows-based server with .NET framework and web service architecture, is compatible with all leading database software, including Microsoft SQL Server. It provides a fab-wide repository for signature analysis results and the ability to access those results in real time and from remote locations. A new IDA module, called Real Time Process Monitor, allows the user to run concurrent process control rules and generate alarms, refreshing the data hourly, daily or weekly. Another new module, called IDA Navigator, provides trend analysis capability and ad hoc queries of analysis results, and it allows the user to build, set and save process control rules and alarms.

"The Enterprise Edition of IDA provides a major benefit to our fab, in terms of analyzing large volumes of production defect data," according to a Winbond spokesperson. "Not only does IDA notify the engineer when it identifies a defect signature, the engineer can quickly access the IDA database from any location and view all of the data in the affected lots. In addition, IDA Auto-Learn capability and Layer Repeater Analysis enable us to identify new signatures that were not previously trained into the signature library."

SiGlaz IDA software automatically classifies defects associated with a spatial signature. When the performance of the software is compared to a human expert, the average performance of classification has been above 90%.

Victor Luu, SiGlaz President and CEO said, "We are very excited about our new software platform. IDA Enterprise Edition provides an upgrade path for our users to expand the utility and application of SSA in the fab. This new platform will be the foundation for other new SiGlaz products in the development pipeline that will soon allow users to correlate defect signatures with electrical test results, and then with other metrology data."

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Borland Reports First Quarter 2008 Financial Results and Announces Agreement for Sale of CodeGear Unit

Company Hits Transformation Milestone, Reaffirms 2008 Revenue and Profitability Expectations for Enterprise Segment

AUSTIN, Texas - May 07, 2008 : Borland Software Corporation (NASDAQ:BORL), the global leader in Open Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), today announced preliminary financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008. Borland also announced today a definitive agreement to sell the assets of its individual developer tools unit, CodeGear, to Embarcadero Technologies. The purchase price for CodeGear is expected to be approximately $23 million. Borland will also retain CodeGear's accounts receivables with an approximate value of an additional $7 million. The transaction is expected to close by June 30, 2008.

For the first quarter of 2008, Borland reported total revenue of $58.3 million, GAAP net loss of $22.3 million, or $0.31 per share, and non-GAAP net loss of $4.0 million, or $0.05 per share. GAAP net loss included an impairment charge of $13.3 million in CodeGear goodwill, $1.6 million in stock-based compensation, $2.2 million in amortization of intangible assets, and $1.3 million in restructuring expenses.

Revenue for ALM products and services for the first quarter of 2008 was $32.4 million. Deployment (DPG) products and services revenue was $13.7 million and CodeGear (IDE) products and services revenue was $12.2 million.

"Borland is in the midst of a multi-year transformation aimed at creating a growing, profitable, innovative leader in the ALM market," said Tod Nielsen, president and CEO of Borland. "Today we achieved a significant milestone by signing an agreement to sell CodeGear. Upon deal closing, Borland will be able to accelerate cost reduction initiatives which will improve our strategic and operational performance."

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Cisco still cautious about U.S. economy

Network equipment maker Cisco Systems beat analyst expectations when it reported earnings Tuesday, but its lukewarm guidance showed that the slowing U.S. economy is still impacting the company.

Cisco, the world's largest supplier of equipment that shuttles traffic around the Internet, reported a net profit for the fiscal quarter of 2008 of $1.8 billion. This was down from profits of $1.9 billion in the same quarter a year ago, but it still beat analyst expectations.

Revenue for the quarter was up 10.4 percent to $9.8 billion. The company had forecast an increase in revenue of 10 percent.

Analysts believe that Cisco's results mean the company's business is stabilizing. But the sagging economy will still continue to impact its earnings for the next few quarters.

Last quarter, CEO John Chambers said the company was seeing a slowdown in technology spending in Europe and the U.S. And he predicted it would take two to five quarters for things to rebound.

On Tuesday's conference call, Chambers said that spending in the U.S. is still tight. And he anticipated that budgets will be constrained through at least the next two quarters. He said the company will likely see sales growth in the 9 percent to 10 percent range in the quarter that ends in July. But he maintained that the company's long term forecast of 12 percent to 17 percent revenue growth is still doable, indicating that he thinks the slump will be short-lived.

nanoXplorer IDE - The Essential Software Resource for Nanotechnology Workgroups

nanoXplorer IDE - The Essential Software Resource for Nanotechnology Workgroups: "nanoXplorer IDE, available for download, is a software application for systems engineering of nanoscale devices--the essential software resource for nanotechnology engineers. It is the world's first software to make the nanodevice its central paradigm--empowering the nanoengineer to move to the vanguard of the nanotechnology revolution. If your team works with nanodevices, you need nanoXplorer IDE."


nanoXplorer IDE's research capabilities help you to stay current with the rapidly evolving multi-disciplinary field of nanotechnology. It contains introductory information for students or the non-technical and in depth information for professionals, educators and those pursuing advanced degrees. Getting the information you need is as simple as a single click on any of the dozens of nanotechnology-related topics available in the Research Perspective.

Designing nanoscale devices and other molecular systems is not an easy thing to do; nanoengineering is a truly multidisciplinary activity, requiring tools from chemistry, physics, computer-aided design, high-end visualization, mechanical engineering, and other areas. nanoXplorer IDE is unique in that it makes the nanodevice its central design paradigm and models more than just the chemistry. It provides an advanced 3D design space for constructing atomically precise nanoscale components. It offers workspaces where NanoFiles containing descriptions of nanocomponents can be quickly inspected. It provides wizards for the creation of common nanoscale molecules like nanotubes, buckyballs and DNA. In total, it offers an environment that supports your workgroup's requirements to work efficiently, accurately and collaboratively at the cutting edge of nanotechnology.

Desktop Linux strategies for marketplace success

By Carlton Hobbs on May 03, 2008 (2:00:00 PM)

What strategy is needed to really spread desktop Linux to average home users? Here are some ideas that just might work.

Journalist Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols argues that

Linux businesses, for the most part, don't do marketing. I think they're extremely foolish not to spend any money on it, but there it is.... Like the Linux companies, many of them were sure that they didn't need to market themselves. Like Linux companies, they thought word of mouth was enough.... Well guess what: it's not. Without marketing, no one from the outside looking in can tell one Linux from another. They just see a confusing mish-mash of names, and unless they're already really motivated, they're going to start turning off from Linux at the very start.

I argue almost the opposite. A large part of mainstream media marketing, advertising, and branding is a means to get name recognition at a very superficial level. Its main targets are people who make superficial buying decisions, and for the right products, this works. Why buy name brand Tylenol vs. generic acetaminophen, name brand cereal, or a thousand other identical products that come off the same assembly line but use different packaging at different prices? From the perspective of the thrifty, the main answers are ignorance and brand recognition.

Of course, not all marketing is to compete with effectively identical products. Consider the American beer industry as a major marketing powerhouse with a few similarities to the Windows vs. Linux market. The major American breweries formulated modern beers after Prohibition to appeal to people who didn't like the taste of beer, and as a side effect the major brewers accepted, these beers taste bad to beer connoisseurs. The post-Prohibition era, even to this day, retains elements of a cartelized liquor distribution industry designed to make it difficult and expensive to compete with the major breweries, such that there have been no new domestic majors in decades. The rebirth of real beer in America was through microbreweries that have small to non-existent marketing budgets. They rely on beer connoisseurs who communicate through beer fan reviews, word of mouth, willingness to experiment, and seeking out the minority of stores that actually carry microbrew and local beers. Beer commercials for microbrews about sports and sexy women would not get many beer drinkers to seek out good beer that isn't already easy to find. Such commercials are just for "all beer is beer" drinkers who are susceptible to brand association marketing and herd opinion.

This doesn't mean that high-cost marketing is innately wrong or bad. It means that if you can increase the marginal sales of your high-profit-per-sale product to people who make quick decisions based on brand recognition, then your marketing expenses were a good investment, but otherwise not. Unfortunately for Linux companies, desktop Linux is a very low profit per "sale" product that is not an impulse choice off a shelf of interchangeable consumer goods. As Red Hat learned years ago, the shrink-wrapped box on a store shelf will not change the current OS market.

So if word of mouth and near-zero-budget advertising are our main prospects, then perhaps what is needed is a better person-to-person strategy. Fortunately, there is definite room for improvement here. One major barrier to entry is lack of Linux preinstallation, and the occasional need for more expertise with compatibility issues. Desktop Linux must partly resolve these challenges through its internal advantage of strong community by strategic and expansionary networking, and by using the big opportunity of failure to address the massive number of PCs that people keep collecting dust, thinking they will upgrade sometime, someday.

Desktop Linux must focus on local communities for recruiting the next wave of users and evangelists. Ubuntu has the right idea with its LoCo initiative. However, to get really local and networked, a distro-centric local community is not the most efficient. If local Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, etc. users never meet, they will forfeit great networking opportunities. There needs to be local GNU/Linux/FOSS communities with broad ranges of software experience, occupations, contacts, and distro preferences. Fortunately, many already exist, and there is at least one list where people can find groups near them. Linux promoters must recognize face-to-face personal interaction as a primary means for strategic growth of desktop Linux.

Local free software organizations need to be able to offer free Linux installation and encourage people to reuse or donate computers that would run poorly with current Windows systems. Certain groups are naturally good targets to recruit and possibly join as recruiters themselves. Decentralist political groups, neighborhood associations, Parent Teacher Associations, and other educational organizations are also intelligent low budget groups. College groups, homeschool groups, agriculture co-ops, churches, and religious groups are all great places to find people who have spare computers to reinvigorate or donate, or would be willing to have a computer set to dual boot. In general, groups that depend on donations or have small budgets are looking for ways to minimize unnecessary costs. Some of their members would likely be radicalized when they learn what little is required to show others how to switch to Linux.

Local free software organizations need a quick and easy tool to communicate what the GNU/Linux OS can do. Perhaps the best method would also serve as a means of introduction. An organization could create business cards that provide a brief description of the local Linux group, its Web address, and purpose. The card should be visually impressive and colorful. They can let people know that the card itself was designed with only free software, whether it be OpenOffice.org, gLabels, Inkscape, Scribus, or some combination that anyone could easily get through Linux.

Is there a model for such success without advertising budgets? Ask yourself how you heard about and started using Google. Was it through advertising? Google became a giant because the barrier to trying a new search engine was so low and the value quickly obvious. It was used by almost everyone before anyone saw a Google advertisement. If Linux advocates can do the same, then Windows will be in trouble. I don't see how this can happen without active local free software groups that seek out growth, and success would likely be in proportion to the efficiency of local groups. If some are more successful than others, then the more successful local methods could be adopted elsewhere.

All the experience and networked knowledge of local free software cooperatives might be enough that small businesses would hire the local groups to upgrade their computer systems to Linux for real money. Local groups could even have contracts with particular distros that provide paid business support to receive some of the profit. Local cooperatives would not likely make much money, but maybe enough on occasion to purchase a few rounds of quality microbrews to celebrate a few more people unshackled from Goliath-soft. Very few people will get rich with Linux, but a lot of people could be meaningfully less poor with it, and free-as-in-freedom might actually buy the enjoyment of a few free-as-in-beers.