Do email from a car!? Whoa.
> The demonstration vehicle is equipped with three flat-panel displays,
> a wireless digital cellular phone and modem, a palmtop computer for
> transferring data to the car system, and a global positioning
> navigational system that uses satellite transmissions to display map
> data and other information. (New York Times 29 Apr 97)
*drool*
And I know we talked about this before, but...
> ARPA FUNDS RESEARCH TO SPEED UP INTERNET
> The Advanced Research Projects Agency is funding research projects at
> the University of Utah, MIT, the University of Arizona and BBN Planet
> in the hope of developing a new "active network" architecture that
> would enhance the performance and flexibility of the Internet. "An IP
> packet is passive," says a computer scientist at the University of
> Utah. "Any IP-directed action is hardwired into the router. This new
> work involves injecting code into the packets."
Hardwired into the router? Do I hear... munchkins?
> The smarter packets could then convey to the receiving computer what
> information is wanted, allowing them to modify router information
> accordingly. The data could then be handled in the most efficient way
> possible. (InfoWorld Electric 25 Apr 97)
Efficiency is key.
> MICROSOFT ADDS PHONE FEATURES TO BROWSER
> Microsoft's NetMeeting software, which will be incorporated into the
> next version of its Explorer Web browser, will enable users to place
> telephone calls to conventional telephone handsets, in addition to
> conducting videoconferences over the Internet and collaborating on
> word processing and spreadsheet documents. Company officials say 60
> companies have agreed to develop products compatible with NetMeeting.
> (Wall Street Journal 28 Apr 97)
Sweet! Call you in India, Rohit...
> VLSI'S AMAZING SHRINKING CHIP CIRCUITRY
> Chipmaker VLSI Technology has developed a way to make computer chips
> with lines of circuitry just 0.20 microns in width (one micron is one
> one-hundredth the width of a strand of human hair). The announcement
> catapults VLSI to the top of the heap in the ongoing competition to
> pack more circuitry onto silicon chips. VLSI's previous best effort
> was 0.35, and even the most advanced competitors, such as Intel and
> Motorola, are just now shifting to 0.25 production. "For a short
> window, companies can get a market advantage," says a market research
> analyst. "But for the long run, it's just the ante to stay in the
> game." (Wall Street Journal 28 Apr 97)
And our friend at R&D at IBM TJ Watson center is fabbing in 0.18 ... man
are they ahead of the curve!
BTW, I added some more stuff to
http://www.cs.caltech.edu/~adam/LOCAL/faq-adam.html#ninetyseven
----
adam@cs.caltech.edu
Silences make the real conversations between friends. Not the saying
but the never needing to say is what counts.
-- Margaret Lee Runbeck, _Answer Without Ceasing_