What's New @ IEEE in Wireless

March 2006 Volume 7, Number 3

IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Cells Unsafe At Any Airspeed? "IEEE Spectrum" Reports
2. Gallium Nitride-Based Semiconductor Tutorial Featured at MIKON Conferences
3. Microwave Conference Offers Prize to Top Paper
4. New GLOBECOM Proceedings Include 700+ Papers
5. 3-D Technologies Focus of "Proceedings of the IEEE" Special Issue
6. Growing Solar Storms Threaten Communications, Electronics, Power Grid
7. Call for Nominations: Wireless Educators of the Year 2006
8. Chip Manufacturer Plans to Deliver More Personalized, Mobile Web
9. Previews of Seven New Tutorials Available Online
10. Call for Papers: Special Issue on Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting
11. Lights, Cellphone, Action!
12. A Toast to Wi-Fi
13. In Brief: Recent Additions to IEEE Xplore Digital Library

SEEK. DISCOVER. INNOVATE. REPEAT.
The IEEE Member Digital Library
www.ieee.org/ieeemdl

1. CELLS UNSAFE AT ANY AIRSPEED? "IEEE SPECTRUM" REPORTS
Is it safe to use cellphones on airplanes? Phones, PDAs, laptops, DVD players, and game machines all emit radiation and have the potential to interfere with aircraft instrumentation. Yet a recent study found that passengers are using cellphones, on the average, at least once per flight, and sometimes during the especially critical flight phases of takeoff and landing. "IEEE Spectrum" has more: www.spectrum.ieee.org/mar06/3069

Also in this month's issue of "IEEE Spectrum," part 2 of their special report, "Re-engineering Iraq," focusing on the country's risky reliance on wireless technologies: www.spectrum.ieee.org/mar06/3071

2. GALLIUM NITRIDE-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR TUTORIAL FEATURED AT MIKON CONFERENCE
The 2006 International Conference on Microwaves, Radar & Wireless Communication (MIKON) will cover active devices and components, teaching microwaves, radar technology, and several others. The conference will feature a workshop on Gallium nitride-based semiconductor materials and a workshop of student research groups the projects the students work on, accomplishments and plans of the group for the future. The conference will take place from 22 to 24 May in Krakow, Poland. For details, or to register to attend: www.mikon-2006.pl/page.php?id=1247

3. MICROWAVE CONFERENCE OFFERS PRIZE TO TOP PAPER
The 2006 Asia Pacific Microwave Conference, being held in Japan from 12 to 15 December, is currently accepting paper submissions. Top papers will receive the APMC 2006 Prize for outstanding contributions to the microwave field. Authors are asked to submit papers on active devices and circuits, passive components, systems, basic theory and techniques, or emerging technologies. Papers submissions are due on 31 May. For more details, visit: www.odf.jp/ps.html

4. NEW GLOBECOM PROCEEDINGS INCLUDE 700+ PAPERS
The proceedings of the IEEE GLOBECOM 2005 conference are now available through the IEEE Xplore digital library. More than 700 papers covering leading research and innovation from an international collection of engineers in industry, government, and academia are included, covering communication theory, advances for networks and internet, recursive parameter estimation for the dynamic packet loss systemas well as other pertinent topics. Institutions with subscriptions to IEEE online collections may have access to these proceedings, depending on their access rights: ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentCon.jsp?punumber=10511

WHAT'S NEW IN IEEE PUBLICATIONS THIS WEEK?
Find the latest online technology research:
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/newinfo.jsp

5. 3-D TECHNOLOGIES FOCUS OF "PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE" SPECIAL ISSUE
The March 2006 special issue of "Proceedings of the IEEE" (v. 94, no. 3) examines the broad subject of three-dimensional (3-D) imaging, display and visualization technologies. Writing in their introduction to the issue, guest editors Bahram Javidi and Fumio Okano say that 3-D technologies are "important applications of information systems in a society that is increasingly dependent on the presentation of information." Overview papers in this issue present the fundamental ideas, theory, experiments and application of some leading 3-D technologies, illustrated with examples, simulations and experiment results. A preview is available online: www.ieee.org/web/publications/procieee/current.html

The entire issue is available through the IEEE Xplore digital library, where subscribers may access the full text of all articles: ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=33728

6. GROWING SOLAR STORMS THREATEN COMMUNICATIONS, ELECTRONICS, POWER GRID
A new 11-year solar cycle beginning in late 2007 or early 2008 will bring an intensification of storms on the surface of the sun that may disrupt satellites, communications and power grids, according to researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), in Boulder, Colorado. The new cycle is expected to be 30 to 50 percent stronger than the previous one, say researchers using a new computer model of solar dynamics. The computer model proved 98 percent accurate in simulating the strength of the last eight solar cycles, according to NCAR researchers. Sunspots develop from a current of plasma circulating between the sun's equator and poles, say researchers, and the coming cycle could generate shock waves that disrupt the magnetic field around the Earth, potentially damaging or blacking out electronic networks. Read more: www.physorg.com/news11508.html

7. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: WIRELESS EDUCATORS OF THE YEAR 2006
The Global Wireless Education Consortium is accepting nominations for its annual Wireless Educators of the Year Award. Awards are given to up to two academic instructors from all levels of postsecondary education (two-year associate, baccalaureate, graduate) in recognition of programmatic and individual contributions to wireless engineering, communications, systems and/or technology education. Nominations must be received by 17 April. For more information, visit: www.gwec.org/awards.cfm

8. CHIP MANUFACTURER PLANS TO DELIVER MORE PERSONALIZED, MOBILE WEB
Intel Corporation recently announced technologies designed to allow mobile users more bandwidth and power for new social networking applications. Intel says the new technology better enables emerging applications such as mashups, blogs, podcasts and RSS that make Internet use more personalized and interactive. Details of Intel's strategy included the next generation of Intel Centrino mobile technology, codenamed "Santa Rosa", designed to give users better overall performance and graphics, improved wireless connectivity and improved security and manageability. Santa Rosa is expected to include a more powerful mobile microprocessor, an improved graphics chipset, an IEEE 802.11n Wi–Fi adapter, and Intel's NAND flash–based platform accelerator, which the company says enables much more rapid boot–up time and power savings. Read more: www.physorg.com/news11553.html

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand." ~Frank Herbert

9. PREVIEWS OF SEVEN NEW ONLINE TUTORIALS AVAILABLE
Previews of seven new online tutorials from the IEEE Communication Society's Enhanced Conference Tutorials Program -- including several on wireless-related topics -- are now available. Featuring IEEE Communication Society sponsored conferences such as GLOBECOM and MILCOM, the tutorials cover current communication topics in network management, computer, and wireless communications. Visit: www.comsoc.org/livepubs/tutorials/index.htm

10. CALL FOR PAPERS: SPECIAL ISSUE ON MOBILE MULTIMEDIA BROADCASTING
"IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting" is currently seeking paper submissions for a special issue on "Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting." Authors are encouraged to submit papers on a variety of topics including service layer for mobile broadcasting, mobile television, as well as several others. Submission deadline is 1 July 2006. For details, or to submit: www.ieee.org/organizations/society/bt/calls/trans2006.html

11. LIGHTS, CELLPHONE, ACTION!
In a move sure to make cinema auteur Steven Soderbergh envious, South African film director Aryan Kaganof has produced the world's first movie shot entirely on cellphones. Kaganof's cameramen used only natural lighting and several cell phones at once to capture a cinema-verite style narrative. The resulting film, "SMS Sugar Man," will be broadcast in installments to cellphone viewers, and blown up to industry standard 35mm for large-screen theaters. The entire cost of the project was just US$164,000. How did he do it? Read more: www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3588151a1860,00.html

12. A TOAST TO WI-FI
Researchers at MIT have incorporated a variety of colored LEDs, liquid sensors and wireless (GPRS or Wi-Fi) links into a pair of glass tumblers to create drinking glasses that communicate with each other over long distances. The idea is meant to promote communal drinking between friends and lovers who live in different areas. When either person picks up a glass, red LEDs on their partner's glass glow gently. When the glasses are brought to one's lips, white LEDs on the rims of the glasses glow brightly by way of a sensor, so users can tell when either party is drinking. One of the creators, Jackie Lee, says the glasses could be used in a variety of beneficial manners as well, suggesting that hospitals use them to monitor if patients are drinking enough water. The glasses will debut at the CHI 2006 conference on computer-human interaction in Montreal in April. Read more: www.newscientist.com/channel/mech-tech/mg18925425.400.html

LOVE THIS ISSUE? HATE IT?
Let us know. We can take it.
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13. IN BRIEF: RECENT ADDITIONS TO IEEE XPLORE DIGITAL LIBRARY

IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters (v. 16, no. 3)
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=33694

IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (v. 5, no. 2)
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=33707

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Contributing Editors: Diana Fuksin, Robert J. Howe, Brian Pedersen, Ryan Thomas

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