IT Happens : March 2002 Monthly News Notice of IT Happenings
Issue - 9

Pack More & More in DVD
The next generation of DVDs will be able to hold almost six times as much information as current discs. The new format, the Blu-ray Disc, will store more than 13 hours of film, compared with the current limit of 133 minutes, It is expected to come into its own as more viewers become able to record TV shows on DVD machines. The new discs will be able to hold 27 gigabytes of information compared with the current limit of 4.7 gigabytes. The new format is called a Blu-ray Disc because a blue laser is able to cram more data onto discs than the red rays currently used. Licensing for technology to play the discs will start within the next few months.

 (Source: B.B.C. News Mar. 2002)

Now, a washing machine that talks

Tired of reading pink papers illustrating East Asian models with new gizmos invented in Japan? Not anymore, the Indian R&D center of Electrolux has developed worlds first talking washing machine. The machine, which the company claims to be fluent in Hindi and English, instructs the operator in a female voice to get the perfect wash. The concept can be replicated to incorporate all languages. Electrolux Kelvinator has applied for a world-wide process patent for the concept developed at its R&D center at Butibori, near Nagpur. Christened washy talky to start with, the fully automatic top loading machine works on fuzzy logic with a voice chip. The interactive voice card guides the user through the entire wash process alerting them in case of operating errors to make the necessary correction.

(Source:The Economic TimesMar. 2002)

Fabric Keyboards
If SMS has given you sprained fingers, dont worry. A new fabric keyboard will help you out. This lightweight keyboard can be folded or stuffed into a pocket like a handerchief, crumpled and guess what even washed like a fabric. These fabric keyboards are meant for use with mobile devices such as handhelds and cell phones.

(Source: Digit Feb.2002)

Drink-drive safety device developed
A car device that checks motorists line of vision has been developed to help prevent drink-driving. It is designed to judge whether drivers have had too much to drink and should be allowed to drive. Its creator, Dr. Dilwyn Marple-Horvat of Bristol University, UK, says it has the potential to be installed in cars within a year. There was a close relationship between drivers eyes and their hands on the steering wheel. Alcohol effected a region of the brain called the cerebellum, which links parts of the brain that process visual information to parts enabling movement. 

The device correlated information from a gadget monitoring steering wheel movement and an incar eye-tracking system that can tell where eyes are looking through the windscreen. The results determined whether a driver has had too much to drink. The device could simply warn the driver against, or act as a block box system which would record the fact that the driver had been warned but continued to drive. The device could also be linked to the engine to automatically slow the car down. It could even be used to alert police there was a drink-driver on the road.

(Source: B.B.C. News Mar. 2002)

Beware! Computer lights invite spies
By monitoring the flashing lights on electronic equipment and the indirect glow from monitors, scientists have discovered ways to remotely eavesdrop on computer data. Data communication equipment, and even data encryption devices, sometimes emit modulated optical signals that carry enough information for an eavesdropper to reproduce the entire data stream. It requires little apparatus, can be done at a considerable distance, and is completely undetectable. Flickering light from a common screen reflected off a wall can reveal whatever appears on the screen of a PC monitor. Computer users who rely on external modems with blinking lights to connect to the Internet are also vulnerable. Optical signals from the little flashing LED (light emitting diode) lights, usually red and dotting everything from modems to keyboards and routers, can be captured with a telescope or long-distance lens and processed to reveal all the data passing through the device.

(Source: The Economic Times Mar. 2002)