Comcast and Governor Markell Introduce Broadband Adoption Experiment for Delaware.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell and Comcast officials announced the launch of Internet Essentials, a broadband adoption experiment.

According to a release, it addresses three of the primary barriers to broadband adoption that research has identified 1) a lack of understanding of how the Internet is relevant and useful; 2) the cost of a home computer; and 3) the cost of the Internet service. Available to low-income families in Delaware with children who are eligible to receive free lunches under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the goal of Internet Essentials is to help close the digital divide and ensure more Americans benefit from all the Internet has to offer.

"Access to the internet is important for Delaware parents looking for jobs or researching the best options for their families. Young people who enter the work world already computer literate have a head start in this digital economy," said Governor Markell. "I commend Comcast for this effort to bring broadband access into more homes and expand access to computer and digital literacy. Delaware is proud to participate."

David L. Cohen, Comcast Corp. Executive Vice President, said, "The Internet is a great equalizer and a life-changing technology. Internet Essentials helps level the playing field for low-income families by connecting students online with their teachers and their schools' educational resources and by enabling parents to receive digital literacy training so they can do things like apply for jobs online or use the Internet to learn more about healthcare and government services available where they live."

"As the country increasingly becomes a digital nation, in-classroom learning is being supplemented with digital curricula and at-home assignments," said Kuumba Academy Head of School Sally Maldonado. "Internet Essentials will help more low-income families benefit from the educational resources and assistance the Internet provides."

Comcast reported that it will sign up eligible families in the program for at least three years and through the end of the 2013-2014 school year. Any household that qualifies during this three-year period will remain eligible for Internet Essentials provided the household still qualifies for the program until that child graduates from high school.

Comcast Corp. is a provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services.

More Information:

www.internetessentials.com

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

LI FINDS TECH JOBS THE BEST DEFENSE: AEROSPACE IS OUT AS INTERNET, BIOTECH INDUSTRIES MOVE IN.(Industry Overview)

Last year when the vast Northrop Grumman airplane plant on Long Island was finally sold off, there was ample reason to applaud. The building's new owners quickly announced plans to convert the long-derelict structure to a series of Internet-ready offices for high-tech, high-paying tenants.

``Grumman represents the old Long Island, dependent on aerospace and defense,'' says Peter Goldsmith, chairman of not-for-profit Long Island Software and Technology Network, or LISTnet. ``But now, high technology is absolutely the fastest-growing industry on Long Island. There's no question there has been a passing

of the torch.''

In its first 18 months of existence, for example, LISTnet has signed up 630 corporate members. They pay $200 to $1,500 in annual dues to have the group promote Long Island as a technology corridor.

Old plant, new center

``That number is far beyond our wildest dreams,'' says Mr. Goldsmith, whose organization became one of the first tenants in the old Grumman plant, now known as the Long Island Technology Center.

Long Island's redevelopment is far from being all about high tech. But these days, with its high-paying jobs and excellent growth potential, the high-technology industry is front and center in the minds of local authorities.

In the 12 months ended June 31, 24,000 new private-sector jobs were created on the island, many of them in high tech. Those jobs represented a 2.4% increase, half a percentage point above the state's average gain.

Local groups are pushing for more. In Suffolk alone, the county's Industrial Development Agency made loans to 12 businesses totaling $140 million in 1998, four of them in high tech.

Meanwhile, Briarcliff College, a computer school, recently bought land from Grumman for a software incubator. It is being billed as a center where fledgling software companies can share resources and grow.

``Bioscience is doing well, graphics are hot and retail is hot, but the hottest thing is software,'' says Matthew T. Crosson, president of the Long Island Association, the group that serves as the chamber of commerce and economic development planner for Nassau and Suffolk. ``Assembly and strict manufacturing are too expensive to do here and will be done in parts of the country where it's cheaper to run a textile mill or steel plant.''

Ann Amrhein, Suffolk County's director of economic development, notes that basic metal-bashing has never been a Long Island strength. ``We never had those industries here,'' she says.

What Long Island now does have is an impressive array of high-tech companies and a determination to do everything possible to help them flourish. Rather than luring new businesses, the island's economic development strategy revolves around husbanding those established companies and the jobs they provide.

Many favored firms

Those favored firms include hundreds of high-tech companies -- software manufacturers that tweak programs rather than bang metals -- and biotech outfits, as well as the ancillary industries that serve them, such as printing, law and accounting.

``It wouldn't be smart to expend our economic development efforts on trying to drag businesses to Long Island from the rest of country,'' Mr. Crosson explains. ``It's much smarter to spend the energy and the dollars on what we know works here. It's not as sexy, with not as many ribbon-cuttings and photo opportunities, but in the long run it's more effective.''

LISTnet's Mr. Goldsmith, who is also director of economic development for LIA, insists that all that Long Island lacks as a technology corridor is a reputation.

``We have all the other ingredients,'' he boasts. ``Our next step is

to get the venture capital people to recognize Long Island as the gold mine and untapped resource that it is.''

Microsoft patents spy tech for Skype.

A newly patented Microsoft technology called Legal Intercept that would allow the company to secretly intercept, monitor and record Skype calls is stoking privacy concerns.

Microsoft's patent application for Legal Intercept was filed in 2009, well before the company's $8.5 billion purchase of Skype in May. The patent was granted last week.

From Microsoft's description of the technology in its patent application, Legal Intercept appears similar to tools used by telecommunication companies and equipment makers to comply with government wiretap and surveillance requests.

According to Microsoft, Legal Intercept is designed to silently record communications on VoIP networks such as Skype.

"Data associated with a request to establish a communication is modified to cause the communication to be established via a path that includes a recording agent." The recording agent is then able to "silently record" the communication, according to Microsoft's description.

"Modification may include, for example, adding, changing, and/or deleting data within the data. The data as modified is then passed to a protocol entity that uses the data to establish a communication session," the description notes.

According to Microsoft, Legal Intercept addresses gaps in current monitoring tools that are designed mainly for intercepting Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS). "With new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and other communication technology, the POTS model for recording communications does not work," Microsoft noted in the patent application.

Michael Froomkin, a professor of law at the University Of Miami School Of Law, said that from the patent description it sounds as if the technology would allow Microsoft to do is make Skype CALEA capable.

CALEA (Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act) requires telecommunications carriers and makers of communications equipment to enable their equipment so it can be used for surveillance purposes by federal law enforcement agencies.

"But the implications of the technology are much broader," Froomkin added. "First, making a communication technology FBI-friendly means also making it dictator-friendly, and in the long run this is not good for movements like the Arab Spring," he said. "Second, experience shows that building in back doors invites exploits."

Skype has also been somewhat cagey about whether it's had a CALEA-style back door all along, he said. "Skype doesn't fully disclose how it works or how it encrypts," Froomkin said. "As a result users must take a great deal on faith.

"History teaches us over and over that faith is very easily misplaced," he added.

Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, said the recently patented technology aligns with Microsoft's broader goals.

The company "aims to incorporate tracking technologies for its Skype services, as it aggressively expands its mobile advertising system across the world," Chester said. "Skype will likely soon have ad targeting and user profiling digit strings attached. This underscores the need for strong mobile and location privacy safeguards," he said.

A Microsoft spokesman said the company would not comment on the technology.

Copyright 2011 IDG Middle East. All rights reserved.

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

ORNL PACKAGE TRACKING SYSTEM TAKES SOCIAL MEDIA TO NEW HEIGHTS.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn -- The following information was released by Oak Ridge National Laboratory:

What has made the Internet such a success could help change the way high-dollar and hazardous packages are tracked, according to Randy Walker of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Tracking 2.0, an ORNL system being developed by a team led by Walker, provides a clear start to finish view as an item moves to its destination, thereby eliminating the problem of proprietary and often incompatible databases used by various shippers. The system is the culmination of many years of research.

"Tracking 2.0 leverages eight years of ORNL research into supply chain infrastructure and test bed collaborations with state and local first responders, multi-modal freight service providers, private sector shippers and federal and international government partners," Walker said.

With Tracking 2.0, users will be able to share tracking data using existing tracking systems and leverage legacy and emerging technologies without having to retool the enterprise systems. In addition, users can deploy low-cost quick-to-market custom tools that combine proven security practices with emerging social computing technologies to network otherwise incompatible systems.

All codes translate to Uniform Resource Locators that point to tracking information. This address takes on the role of a permanent and unique "Virtual Resource Identifier," but does not require a priori agreement on a universal standard by all the stakeholders, which Walker described as "a difficult and open-ended process."

The system offers the ability to dynamically incorporate and associate searchable user-defined tags to the Virtual Resource Identifier. These tags are contributed incrementally by the various partners involved in the progress of the shipment, but they do not interfere with the seamless operation of the whole system.

Walker sees Tracking 2.0 as being a game changer that has been tested worldwide.

"The Internet with its seemingly endless stream of data has dramatically changed our ability to search and find information," Walker said. "We believe the same underlying social media and social networking methods that permit users to share photos and keep in touch with their friends and family can be repurposed to help supply chain stakeholders."

The system was developed in large part to help ensure the safe shipment of isotopes, which ORNL produces for industry, medicine and research. While the system has passed several tests, next up is a demonstration using a commercial isotope supply chain and next-generation sensor technologies, said Walker, a member of the Computational Sciences and Engineering Division.

Funding for this project has been provided by DOE's Office of Science and the Environmental Protection Agency.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science.

ABF Launches Mobile Logistics Application for Apple Smart Phone.

An ABF[R] mobile logistics tool is now available as a free download on the iPhone App Store. Called ABF Mobile for iPhone, the new tool is designed for the iPhone or for use on the iPad. Using ABF Mobile, ABF customers can track, get rates, find locations, and schedule a pickup using their mobile devices.

"This new tool exemplifies ABF's focus on providing innovative technological solutions that enable our customers to better manage their supply chains," says Mark Rippy, ABF manager of internet initiatives and market analysis. "Through our ongoing assessment of customer needs, ABF continues to lead the industry in developing user-centric applications via Internet-based technology."

The tool is complemented by a mobile website optimized for other mobile devices and designed to enhance functionality. Customers can use ABF Mobile to access tracking details, view shipment history, estimate delivery times, locate ABF service centers, or request a pickup directly from their iPhone or iPad.

Established in 1923, ABF is best-in-class for safety, security, technology and freight-handling. InformationWeek, CIO, InfoWorld, and BtoB magazines have cited ABF's strategic use of information technology as exemplary. ABF is the only six-time winner of the American Trucking Associations President's Trophy for Safety, the only five-time winner of the Excellence in Security Award, and the only four-time winner of the Excellence in Claims/Loss Prevention Award. ABF also is the only carrier to earn both the Excellence in Claims/Loss Prevention Award and the Excellence in Security Award in the same year, which ABF has accomplished twice.

ABF provides guaranteed service for expedited or time-definite shipments via its TimeKeeper[R] service. Regional shipping handled via the carrier's RPM[R] Network, providing next-day and second-day shipping. The ABF system stretches throughout North America, with local service centers serving all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Globally, the carrier serves 250 ports in more than 130 countries.

ABF is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation (Nasdaq: ABFS).

Mr. Russ Aikman, director of marketing

Keywords: ABF Freight System, ABF Freight System Inc., Advertising, Industry, Marketing, Service Companies, Technology, Transportation, Trucking Companies.

This article was prepared by Information Technology Business editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Information Technology Business via VerticalNews.com.

Bulgarian NGOs Rise Against Anti-Roma Protest.

Bulgarian NGOs have expressed their concerns over mass anti-Roma protests in the country organized in the Internet for May 8.

The organizations, including the People Against Racism, the Roma Solidarity Foundation from the town of Petrich, the Interethnic Initiative for Human Rights and others, have demanded that the Bulgarian authorities should abolish the events planned.

The scheduled "National Protest against the Roma-zation of Bulgaria" is organized in Internet forums and Facebook by different nationalist groups. Some 14 000 people have stated on Facebook that they will attend it.

Among the nationalists' demands are Roma families to be allowed to have only one child and that Roma people be stripped of their "privileges'". Citizens are invited to protest in front of "all municipality buildings" across the country.

Bulgaria's ombudsman, Konstantin Penchev, has already contacted the Chief Prosecutor with regard to the potential protest. On Thursday, the Sofia municipality said no official request has been received for a protest, the Dnevnik daily repots.

Wavion and ECNEX partner to provide high speed Internet access in hotels throughout Mexico.(PARTNERSHIPS)

Wavion, a provider of beamforming-based Wi-Fi base stations, together with EC NEX, a provider of broadband technology solutions for the hospitality industry in Latin America, announced the deployment of Wavion's Wi-Fi base stations for high-speed Internet access in major hotels in Mexico.

The deployment is based on Wavion's WBS-2400 base stations and includes a prestigious Hotel in Polanco, Mexico City, the Holiday-Inn hotel in Leon Guanajuato, the Silver Sands and Capri Hotels in the Mayan Riviera and the Holiday-Inn Hotels in Pachuca, Queretaro, and Cuernavaca.

"We have selected Wavion's Wi-Fi solution due to its enhanced coverage and capacity," said Ernesto Romero, ECNEX's founder and CEO. "We are very pleased with the outcome. Using Wavion we were able to cover all rooms, hallways and outdoor areas with only a few base stations. For example, in the Polanco Hotel, we used three WBS-2400 base stations to cover all 712 rooms and pool area. During peak time, each Wavion base station handles over one hundred concurrent users, providing an excellent user experience."

Wavion's unique and powerful WBS-2400 spatially adaptive beamforming base stations provide extended coverage, higher throughput and superior indoor penetration.

Unlike conventional indoor Wi-Fi equipment, which requires an access point for every few rooms, Wavion's solution enables coverage for a complete hotel environment, using a minimal number of outdoor base stations, even in surroundings where foliage is dense. This eliminates the need for indoor drilling and wiring, and furthermore, enables coverage for all indoor and outdoor space, making Wavion an excellent solution for hotels and resorts.

"Wavion is proud to partner with ECNEX in the hospitality market," said Daniel Dominguez, Wavion's vice president Latin America. "We are pleased that our superior coverage, capacity and reliability have significantly contributed to ECNEX's success in providing high quality service to their customers. It is yet an other proof of the added value of our unique and powerful Beamforming technology to the hospitality market."