You tell us [IT advances]

This paper describes several IT-related projects that either succeeded or failed to achieve their respective design objectives. These projects include the Cisco/Yahoo's DKIM e-mail security system for eliminating spam, the Information Technology for European Advancement program, the Matshushita/Intel laptop PC that runs on a single battery charge for over eight hours, the fingerprint ID system for wireless keys from Privaris Inc., the broadband-over-power-line (BPL) project from IBM Corp. and CenterPoint Energy, Luxtera silicon photonics technology from Carisbad, and the special coprocessor from ClearSpeed Technology PLC.     

Launcher without a country [marine satellite launch platform]

The author describes how an international team of marine and rocket engineers is combining advanced oil platform technology with a Cold War rocket system into a novel means of launching satellites at sea. The objective is to heave telecommunications satellites from the equator, the best launch latitude on the planet, into geostationary orbit, the most marketable territory in space. The paper details how marrying an agile Soviet rocket design with the best oil platform technology may provide an altogether new means of getting big satellites into orbit     

Cleaning [electronics industry safety]

The problems posed by toxic materials used in electronics manufacturing are examined. The materials posing the greatest risks to workers and the environment are discussed. They are the ethylene glycol ethers used to thin the photoresist used in IC manufacture; fluorocarbons and trichloroethane, which destroy atmospheric ozone; and heavy metals. The search for alternatives is described     

The environment [electronics industry aspects]

Over the years, the electronics industry has deservedly won a name for environmental leadership. Its biggest transnational companies are in the vanguard of the movement to inject ecological considerations into the design and overall decision-making processes. Even so, in such areas as the use of energy, water, and environmentally hazardous and toxic chemicals, much remains to be done. This paper examines recent technological developments in this field and highlights how: product takeback has come into focus; design for environment standards need small company support; the Energy Star program has expanded further; and momentum builds for point-of-generation and dry cleaning technologies     

The environment [electronics industry aspects]

In many areas, the electronics industry has done well by its environmental responsibilities. But these and the related challenges of human health and worker safety are not static targets. New tools are constantly being created, market pressures felt, and scientific data produced. This paper argues that responding appropriately calls for continuous adaptation and change     

Poised to pounce [semiconductor industry]

This article briefly discusses the new applications for the semiconductor supplier Actel. After a last great fourth quarter in 2000, Actel, like every other semiconductor supplier today is just bouncing along the bottom. However, Actel's president John East believes the good times will come again, driven by the emergence of yet another "killer" application. East is encouraged by the possibilities of wireless connectivity between handheld appliances. A relatively small boom, perhaps spread across a number of related technologies, would suit a programmable logic supplier like Actel nicely. The article discusses the problems with ASICs for such applications and how they might be overcome.     

Unlocking the grid [electricity industry restructuring]

If the ideas of electricity as a product and its transport as a service are separated, consumers can be given a choice among competing generators. So how can consumers choose suppliers? The authors answer this question by considering the four main points of electricity industry restructuring. The first is the question of who can sell what to whom, or, how much competition is necessary to ensure that the competitive market benefits the electric power sector as a whole. Second, what rules should govern the wholesale power market and bilateral trades (how the transmission system should be controlled and priced). Third is the issue of ownership. Decisions need to be made as to which functions must be operated separately because of market power concerns or conflicts of interest. Fourth is managing the transition     

Putting consumers first [electricity supply industry]

All consumers-residential and commercial, small and large alike-are entitled to reliable, universal electricity service priced at a reasonable rate. This principle has been the bedrock of US state and federal regulation of the electric industry for decades, and, here, the author argues that it is being carelessly tossed aside in the name of “competition” or “choice”     

Toward competition and choice [telecommunication industry]

Public policy should liberate technology and encourage the free and fair competition that is in the best interests of nations and their people. In the USA legislation is in progress that would rewrite the Telecommunications Act of 1934. True competition means cost-based access to all providers who want to compete. Public policy makers have the opportunity to remove the biggest stumbling block between the telecommunications industry of today and the global information superhighway of tomorrow. It's not technology, not even money; it's market access     

Back on track [UK railway industry]

Earlier this year, the UK Strategic Rail Authority unveiled its ten-year plan for Britain's railways. SRA Chairman and Chief Executive, Richard Bowker, talked to the author about what is in store for the UK railway industry during the coming decade     

The Calstart consortium [electric vehicle industry]

The author describes the attempt by a private consortium called Calstart to create an electric vehicle industry that it hopes will utilize the engineers and other specialists idled by the aerospace industry's eight-year decline. Calstart hopes to succeed by taking advantage of a factor that is usually cited as a weakness of California's economy-the state's stringent environmental regulations. The advantages and drawbacks of operating in California are examined, as are the problems confronting development of an electric vehicle     

Quality and innovation [Japanese electronics industry]

The growth of product quality in Japan is described, and it is shown that it can depend on the social climate as much as on the techniques used. The present level of Japanese quality can be explained by the struggle to alleviate the hardships Japan believes it experienced during and immediately after the Second World War. Innovation is discussed, covering the role of R&D laboratories. experimenting with customers, and what is termed graceful growth. The transition to integrated circuits by US and Japanese firms is examined     

Iraq goes wireless [Iraq telecommunications industry]

This paper examines how the telecommunications industry in Iraq has reemerged after the 2003 war, focusing more on privatization and wireless technologies. Even the Iraqi government encourages this shift as it plans to award licenses to three new cellular telephony business operators and enter into an agreement with foreign companies to study the feasibility of deploying a nationwide wireless local-loop system. Whether its bold and risky bets on privatization and wireless technologies would pay off in the long run remains a question. However, the emerging telecom scene is already looking better than the sectors where the government's total and rigid control has kept market forces at bay.     

Distributed wisdom: what's wrong with us? [Distributed systems]

As an active researcher in distributed systems since 1980, the author has seen a lot of good work in Europe. Yet it seems to have little impact: it doesn't make major publications. A professional society for the European systems community, EuroSys, which set up a white-paper committee to analyze and make proposals has been created. This article derives from the committee's discussions, filtered through the authors' own perception.     

The end of the middle [telephone industry]

Pushing network intelligence out to its edges is causing the phone industry to fail - and that is okay. Technological changes affecting telephony are so profound that the end of the large incumbent telephone companies is at hand. They will fail or become unrecognizable, as telephone services are embedded in a more general-purpose network - the Internet. The US Telecommunications Act of 1996 was designed to cope with these changes in technology, but it has been an utter failure, in large part because it did not apprehend a pivotal architectural change, the end-to-end principle. The article discusses the implications of the principle and the Internet for the future of the telephone industry.     

Research yes, restrictions no [telecommunication industry]

The author hopes that in our zeal to reduce government intrusion in our lives, we don't also eliminate those roles which only the government can fill. He examines the impact of public policy can on the communications industry and discusses the governments' dual roles in the evolution of telecommunication products and services. He also considers how government helped advanced technologies to come about, by funding fundamental research, and contrasts that with how government slowed those technologies' introduction, through various laws and regulations that didn't keep up with the times     

Restructuring the thin-stretched [US electricity supply industry]

The author describes how the US electricity industry is being reorganized to allow for power to be traded freely. The general idea is for electricity to be sold by independent suppliers into grids managed by authorities independent (more or less) of commercial interests. In this paper, they detail how the most obviously pressing question is whether the emergent independent grid organizations have adequate authority to guarantee reliable delivery of power     

Going for gold [gold in electronics industry]

Gold is the pre-eminent noble metal, prized throughout history for its beauty, permanence and rarity-an enduring store of wealth and the basis for countless decorative, ceremonial and religious artefacts. In the modern world, gold's unique chemical and physical properties mean that it is now finding increasing use in a wide range of industrial applications. Gold has outstanding resistance to corrosion and excellent bio-compatibility, is easy to work and has high thermal and electrical conductivity. Only silver and copper are better conductors of electricity, but cannot match gold's resistance to tarnishing or corrosion. In electronics, gold's immunity to environmental effects is possibly its most significant property-allowing the technical performance of gold electroplating or gold bonding wires to remain essentially unchanged by time. The mobile phone and PC markets have been fuelling a rising demand for gold in the electronics sector, and during 2000 it was estimated that around 280 tonnes found its way into electronics and electrical components'. Where the voltages are small, the circuitry complex, or reliability must be high, gold is usually the preferred choice. Gold-plated contacts and connectors are the most important use of gold in the electronics industry. gold is generally considered the best material for low-voltage, low-current and low-contact-force applications. When two gold surfaces are brought together into intimate contact, the resulting electrical connection offers unrivalled low resistance and stability