Posts Tagged ‘Broadband Infrastructure’

The Morning Dig: So Can You Take Your iPad on a Plane?

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

ipad1• Good news for iPad lovers: The TSA has announced that travelers can generally leave their iPads in their carry-on baggage when going through airport security.

• Large sections of New York City could be in serious trouble in the not too distant future. Sea levels around Manhattan are expected to rise two feet by 2080. So what will the city do to combat the rising water? Here are 5 possible options. (Discover)

• Comcast wins major court battle against the FCC. The ruling could dent federal plans for upgrading the nation’s broadband infrastructure. (PC World)

• Grève! If rail ever does take off in America, rail strikes that often hit Europe (like the one now cutting service in the Alps) will become part of the national lexicon. (Alpe d’Huez)

• The New York City Parks Department is growing 16 different types of rooftop gardens to see which mixture of soil and plants is most effective at cleaning the air, harvesting rainwater, and cooling the building below. (NY Daily News)

• Many in California want more safety measures to protect against quakes — and with good reason. (NY Times)

• An awesome concept for food supply by the good people of Frog Design. (Fast Company)

• Scotland the Brave to Scotland the Wave? Tidal power is developing rapidly off the Scottish Coast. (MIT Technology Review)

• Apparently you can drive a truck through the nation’s IT defenses: Nearly half of 201 IT professionals surveyed believe the government’s ability to fend off cyberattacks on the the nation’s IT infrastructure is fair to poor. (Informationweek)

Image: CNET

The Morning Dig: Your iPhone Can Run You a Bath, Turn Off the Lights

Friday, March 26th, 2010

iphone• The home of the future is wired: Broadband connectivity can now control everything in your house, from the lights to the temperature of your bath water. (Reuters)

• D.C. metro officials go to church, and are told by residents how cutting transit service would be a sin. If only MTA officials were so religious. (Washington Post)

• And now the news from Kansas: Passenger rail in the state has new life, courtesy of the recently passed Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact. (The Kansan)

• Indonesia wants a ton of money to build infrastructure — $90 billion, to be precise . They’re looking to get it all from private investment over the next five years. (AFP)

•The Wi-Drive luxury commuting program is a hit in Silicon Valley. The WiFi-enabled bus allows passengers two hours of extra productivity. (WSJ)

• “Hit and run” tourism is a worry for citizens of historic Charleston, South Carolina.  Irreplaceable historical landmarks could fall under the cosh from a new cruise terminal on the city’s waterfront. (USA Today)

•A year ago today I saw billionaire T. Boone Pickens speak about his energy plan for America.  The 81-year-old Texan is still pushing for his natural gas/alternative energy strategy in Washington. (The Hill)

•The champagne bottle gets smashed against the hull of Measure R with the announcement of the first metro project approved using funds from the L.A. transit bill. (The Source)

Is the Radio Spectrum That Runs Our Lives Running Out of Space?

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Radio Spectrum Allocations Chart

The electromagnetic spectrum, and the ways we use it, affect the everyday lives of almost everyone on Earth. Governments allocate the use of radio waves for innumerable commercial, non-profit, and public uses, with the goal of improving communication speed and ease around the world. Indeed, every piece of technology that involves wireless transmission — from televisions to cell phones to Wi-fi — is taking advantage of these waves as we speak. But as the image above shows, the airwaves are getting more and more crowded, to the point where big moves are necessary if we want to continue expansion.

Now, the U.S. government is making a move that could both expand available airwaves and raise much-needed funds. In his fiscal 2011 budget released this week, President Obama proposes allowing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to continue auctioning off parts of the radio spectrum until 2020 — an authority that was set to expire in 2012. In addition, the budget calls for allowing the FCC to sell the rights to small parts of the spectrum that are still not used; in total, the new fees will bring in an estimated $6 billion or more for the feds.

In addition to the money, these changes will bring important new capacity to the increasingly-overburdened airwaves, adding to last June’s conversion of all U.S. television broadcasting to digital signals — a monumental move, since it meant the government opened up a massive new block of transmission at frequencies of 700 MHz. The TV stations that had once broadcast at channels 52 to 69 were simply moved to lower channels, leaving the space open for other use.

Why are these specific frequencies so crucial? Unlike many other parts of the radio spectrum, they are ideal for transmitting information to pretty much anywhere — they can travel long distances and penetrate thick walls (which is why they were used for TV in the first place).

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