Author: kenmay

Ham radio licenses in the US top 700,000, still plenty of call signs to go around

Social networking wasn’t always as easy as it is today. Long before Twitter or Facebook (or the internet itself), amateur radio was a popular way for folks to talk to people they may not necessarily know in real life — although “popular” in this case is something that’s always been measured in the hundreds of thousands rather than millions. While it’s since been overtaken considerably by more modern technologies, ham radio is still now technically more popular than ever, with a recent count of licensed operators in the US topping 700,000 for the first time. Of course, they aren’t necessarily all active users, but there is still a steady stream of folks taking the necessary exam these days — the FCC has issued 40,000 new licenses in the past five years.

[Image courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives / Wikimedia Commons]

Ham radio licenses in the US top 700,000, still plenty of call signs to go around originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ham radio licenses in the US top 700,000, still plenty of call signs to go around

MIT Researchers Make Advance Toward Photonic Circuits


MrSeb writes with this excerpt from an article in Extreme Tech: “Light-emitting diodes are a cornerstone of consumer tech. They make thin-and-light TVs and smartphones possible, provide efficient household, handheld, and automobile illumination, and, of course, without LEDs your router would not have blinkenlights. Thanks to some engineers from MIT, though, a new diode looks set to steal the humble LED’s thunder. Dubbed a diode for light, and crafted using standard silicon chip fabrication techniques, this is a key discovery that will pave the path to photonic (as opposed to electronic) pathways on computer chips and circuit boards. The diode for light — which is made from a thin layer of garnet — is transparent in one direction, but opaque in the other. Garnet is usually hard to deposit on a silicon wafer, but the MIT researchers found a way to do it.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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MIT Researchers Make Advance Toward Photonic Circuits

Penguin Shuts Down Libraries’ Access To New E-Titles On Amazon’s Kindle

Penguin-Books

Chances are you’ve already heard about the beef between Amazon and Penguin over the sales and lending terms of Penguin e-titles through Amazon’s Kindle lending program. If not, we can recap quickly. A few days ago Penguin came out with a statement saying that it would suspend making digital editions of new books for libraries and that libraries are to lock down any e-titles for Amazon’s Kindle ereader.

“We have always placed a high value on the role that libraries can play in connecting our authors with our readers,” said Penguin in an official statement on Monday, reports HuffPo. “However, due to new concerns about the security of our digital editions, we find it necessary to delay the availability of our new titles in the digital format while we resolve these concerns with our business partners.”

While many are blaming Amazon for the revocation of already-sold titles, it may not be the digital retailer’s fault. Amazon has released a statement saying that it was totally uninvolved in the actions that Penguin took in collaboration with OverDrive, an e-book supplier service, to freeze the titles. According to BoingBoing, The American Library Association had said the following:

Penguin Group’s recent action to limit access to new e-book titles to libraries has serious ramifications. The issue for library patrons is loss of access to books, period. Once again, readers are the losers.

If Penguin has an issue with Amazon, we ask that they deal with Amazon directly and not hold libraries hostage to a conflict of business models.

This situation is one more log thrown onto the fire of libraries’ abilities to provide access to books – in this case titles they’ve already purchased. Penguin should restore access for library patrons now.

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Penguin Shuts Down Libraries’ Access To New E-Titles On Amazon’s Kindle

Japan’s NHK To Broadcast London Olympics In Ultra-HD – 7,680×4,320 Pixels (Video)

ultra hd nhk

If full HD resolution isn’t enough for you, then how about 16 times the resolution of full HD? Japan’s national public broadcasting organization NHK has been working on so-called Ultra HD technology for years, and now it’s ready for the first big test in public.

NHK is planning public screenings of some events at the London Olympics next year in Ultra HD resolution (7,680×4,320 pixels) – not only in Japan, but also in the UK and the US. A first test of actually transmitting that amount of data internationally was completed back in March this year.

The video embedded below doesn’t go into details as far as the public screenings are concerned, but it does deliver some interesting tidbits about Ultra-HD, for example the ability to produce surround sound with 22.2 channel audio:

Video courtesy of Diginfo TV

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Japan’s NHK To Broadcast London Olympics In Ultra-HD – 7,680×4,320 Pixels (Video)

Tascam unveils iM2 microphone add-on for iOS devices, makes live Foo Fighters bootlegs a breeze

Sure, audio recording via the stock mic and iOS app is pretty serviceable for most tasks, but what about capturing that next Avett Brothers gig? You need look no further than Tascam’s iM2 stereo microphone for your Apple handheld or slate. Equipped with a pair of condenser microphones — the same kit as the outfit’s DR-series recorders — the iM2 plugs right in to the dock port of your iOS device. The duo is adjustable over 180-degrees for the perfect capture and it sports its own preamp and analog-to-digital converter to cut out unwanted coughs and increase those vicious banjo chops. Since the peripheral doesn’t use the stock iPhone preamp, it is capable of capturing up to 125dB levels without distortion. And don’t worry about that 4S dying mid-set, as the iM2 features a USB input that enables charging through the encore. If you’re jonesin’ for a closer look, hit the gallery below before grabbing yours for $80.

Gallery: Tascam iM2

Tascam unveils iM2 microphone add-on for iOS devices, makes live Foo Fighters bootlegs a breeze originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tascam unveils iM2 microphone add-on for iOS devices, makes live Foo Fighters bootlegs a breeze

FCC finds AT&T merger not in public interest, Genachowski issues order to hold trial

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski issued a draft order this morning that calls for a hearing to take the AT&T / T-Mobile merger before an Administrative Law Judge. Such a hearing, reminiscent of the one held for the attempted buyout of DirecTV by EchoStar in 2002, would be held once the Department of Justice’s litigation is complete and would certainly be another blockade for AT&T to push through. According to the FCC, the Chairman’s order is awaiting final approval from the Commission at a later date, and won’t be made public until that time. If the order gets the green light and a hearing is held, it’ll be done so like a trial — one involving cross examination, witnesses, rules of evidence and a good ‘ol fashioned two-sided duel.

It’s no secret that the FCC has raised concerns over the proposed merger, and pushing this order forward understandably reflects that. In fact, during a conference call with media, the FCC expressed fears that the deal would violate antitrust standards and isn’t in the public interest, and the Commission cited records showing it would ultimately result in a loss of jobs, contrary to AT&T’s claims. Naturally, this means there’s one more hoop for the carrier to go through before it can hope to pick up T-Mobile, and it’s a biggie; with the FCC and DoJ holding steadfastly against the acquisition, the GSM carrier’s chances of success appear to be slimming significantly. Head past the break to see AT&T and Sprint’s reactions to the news.

Continue reading FCC finds AT&T merger not in public interest, Genachowski issues order to hold trial

FCC finds AT&T merger not in public interest, Genachowski issues order to hold trial originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC finds AT&T merger not in public interest, Genachowski issues order to hold trial