Removal of the requirement for pre-call announcements on 070 numbers | Ofcom
In a similar move to 087 numbers, Ofcom have just removed the requirement for operators of 070 personal number to have pre-call announcements (PCA) if the call rate is above 20p per minute.
Ofcom removed the limitation as alarm and other services use 070 numbers and the PCA caused some to time-out, which may endanger human life.
070 numbers are notoriously used for scams such as dialing mobile phones and dropping the call instataneously as users confuse the missed call with a mobile number (all mobile numbers start 07), so Ofcom are still considering moving personal numbers off the 070 range.
Controlled Premium Rate Services (“CPRS”) made on 070 numbers rather than 09 are still subject to PRS regulations and PhonepayPlus will take action on abusers of 070 services (above 10ppm charging).
Pages
▼
17 Aralık 2007 Pazartesi
13 Aralık 2007 Perşembe
6 Aralık 2007 Perşembe
Regulation of VoIP Services: Access to the Emergency Services | Ofcom
Regulation of VoIP Services: Access to the Emergency Services | Ofcom
By September 2008 anyone providing VoIP services will need to provide access to the Emergency Services (in the UK 999 or 112). Previously only PATS (public access telephony services) were obliged to provide 999 services, now any PECS (public electronics cummincations system) provider will need to provide access to 999.
The only exemption is web-based "click to call" services as they can be seen as distinct and they do not have to provide access.
By September 2008 anyone providing VoIP services will need to provide access to the Emergency Services (in the UK 999 or 112). Previously only PATS (public access telephony services) were obliged to provide 999 services, now any PECS (public electronics cummincations system) provider will need to provide access to 999.
The only exemption is web-based "click to call" services as they can be seen as distinct and they do not have to provide access.
Licence-Exemption Framework Review | Ofcom
Licence-Exemption Framework Review | Ofcom
Ofcom has published a statement on the framework for managing spectrum used by licence-exempt devices.
This is a long document and is based on results of Ofcom's previous Spectrum Framework Review.
Much of it is to do with whether it's possible to regulate at all (like in the 2.4GHz band) and how other areas should be managed.
It also covers things like UWB which will become prevalent in the future.
Ofcom has published a statement on the framework for managing spectrum used by licence-exempt devices.
This is a long document and is based on results of Ofcom's previous Spectrum Framework Review.
Much of it is to do with whether it's possible to regulate at all (like in the 2.4GHz band) and how other areas should be managed.
It also covers things like UWB which will become prevalent in the future.
Amendment to the PhonepayPlus Code of Practice (11th Edition) | Ofcom
Amendment to the PhonepayPlus Code of Practice (11th Edition) | Ofcom
Ofcom is consulting on the amendment to the PhonepayPlus Code of Practice (11th Edition) which closes on 5pm on 16 January 2008.
PhonepayPlus is the industry body formerly known as ICSTIS who are the industry body for Premium Rate Services.
Ofcom works with PhoneypayPlus for the regulation of PRS though they are independent organisations.
Ofcom is consulting on the amendment to the PhonepayPlus Code of Practice (11th Edition) which closes on 5pm on 16 January 2008.
PhonepayPlus is the industry body formerly known as ICSTIS who are the industry body for Premium Rate Services.
Ofcom works with PhoneypayPlus for the regulation of PRS though they are independent organisations.
3 Aralık 2007 Pazartesi
Statement on the making of regulations in connection with the award of 10 GHz, 28 GHz, 32 GHz and 40 GHz | Ofcom
Statement on the making of regulations in connection with the award of 10 GHz, 28 GHz, 32 GHz and 40 GHz | Ofcom
Ofcom has made 4 statutory instruments which will come into force on December 21st 2007 relating to the 4 awards of spectrum. They are also expecting applications to be entered on the 16th Jan 2008 (which will be confirmed after the SIs come into force).
Various of these allocations didn't really amount to anything last time they were licensed (the 10GHz licenses returned their licenses), but with new technology available there may be renewed interest.
Ofcom has made 4 statutory instruments which will come into force on December 21st 2007 relating to the 4 awards of spectrum. They are also expecting applications to be entered on the 16th Jan 2008 (which will be confirmed after the SIs come into force).
Various of these allocations didn't really amount to anything last time they were licensed (the 10GHz licenses returned their licenses), but with new technology available there may be renewed interest.
Ofcom sets industry deadline for two hour mobile number porting | Ofcom
Ofcom sets industry deadline for two hour mobile number porting | Ofcom
Ofcom has published timescales for mobile operators to implement 2 hour port times.
Ofcom has already published a date of April 2008 for moving the current 5 day period to 2 hours and now in September 2009 operators will have to reduce the porting time to 2 hours.
Ofcom are also making the operators implement a database for efficient porting and routing of calls.
Ofcom has published timescales for mobile operators to implement 2 hour port times.
Ofcom has already published a date of April 2008 for moving the current 5 day period to 2 hours and now in September 2009 operators will have to reduce the porting time to 2 hours.
Ofcom are also making the operators implement a database for efficient porting and routing of calls.
All eyes on London as Ofcom plans spectrum use for the 2012 Olympics | Ofcom
All eyes on London as Ofcom plans spectrum use for the 2012 Olympics | Ofcom
Ofcom are consulting on spectrum for the London 2012 Olympics.
There is a requirement for Private Mobile Radio, audio links (commentary etc) and outside broadcasts.
Anyone wanting to participate should respond.
Ofcom are consulting on spectrum for the London 2012 Olympics.
There is a requirement for Private Mobile Radio, audio links (commentary etc) and outside broadcasts.
Anyone wanting to participate should respond.
22 Kasım 2007 Perşembe
UK Broadband application for licence variation | Ofcom
UK Broadband application for licence variation | Ofcom
Ofcom consulted on permitting a variation in UK Broadband's 3.5GHz license.
The variation asked that UK Broadband to allowed to: -
* use the license in a technology neutral manner (i.e. they can decide what technology to use).
* remove the limitation of only fixed terminals.
* increase the maximum in-band power level to +29dBW/MHz.
Ofcom are planning to grant the variation but limit mobile terminals to 5dBW/MHz and issue the new license as soon as is practical.
This may stimulate UK Broadband's growth, though they are still only offering limited coverage and limited areas.
Ofcom consulted on permitting a variation in UK Broadband's 3.5GHz license.
The variation asked that UK Broadband to allowed to: -
* use the license in a technology neutral manner (i.e. they can decide what technology to use).
* remove the limitation of only fixed terminals.
* increase the maximum in-band power level to +29dBW/MHz.
Ofcom are planning to grant the variation but limit mobile terminals to 5dBW/MHz and issue the new license as soon as is practical.
This may stimulate UK Broadband's growth, though they are still only offering limited coverage and limited areas.
21 Kasım 2007 Çarşamba
Skype make users change numbers
Introducing the 3 Skypephone
It seems users in the UK with 020 7 numbers are being forced to change them by mid December 2007, that's about 2 weeks.
When BT make changes they give about 2 years notice.
It seems the numbers allocated belong to Gamma Telecom, so has Skype had a falling out with them? Or did they change UK providers and they don't have a porting agreement with Gamma. Whatever the story is, users are not happy - especially users who have printed their SkypeIn details on business cards.
As Skype are not UK based, Ofcom who would normally stop things like this happening, cant really do much, though new EU regulations might change that as well as Ofcom regulations forcing anyone who operates in the UK to abide by UK regulations.
It seems users in the UK with 020 7 numbers are being forced to change them by mid December 2007, that's about 2 weeks.
When BT make changes they give about 2 years notice.
It seems the numbers allocated belong to Gamma Telecom, so has Skype had a falling out with them? Or did they change UK providers and they don't have a porting agreement with Gamma. Whatever the story is, users are not happy - especially users who have printed their SkypeIn details on business cards.
As Skype are not UK based, Ofcom who would normally stop things like this happening, cant really do much, though new EU regulations might change that as well as Ofcom regulations forcing anyone who operates in the UK to abide by UK regulations.
Upgrading Digital Terrestrial Television | Ofcom
Upgrading Digital Terrestrial Television | Ofcom
There are currently 6 DTT multiplexes and 3 are used for Public Service Broadcasting. Ofcom is planning to clear one of these mutliplexes (Multiplex B, licensed by Ofcom to BBC Free to View Ltd) by moving the existing programming to spare channels in other multiplexes.
Multiplex B will then utilise new standards DVB-T2 (instead of DVB-T which gives and improvement of about 30%) and MPEG4 (instead of MPEG2, a 50% saving in bandwidth).
This could be completed by late 2009/early 2010 in the Granada area while HD broadcasts could start by 2012, with the rest of the country as the digital switchover occurs.
Users could utilise their existing set-top-boxes to view existing channels, but the new channels would only be available to new boxes supporting the DVB-T2 and MPEG4 standards.
Ofcom proposes to invite organisations with Public Service Broadcaster status – principally the BBC, the Channel 3, 4 and 5 licensees and S4C – to set out how they would use the upgraded capacity on Multiplex B.
This is good news as it will allow HD broadcasts on a free-to-air platform. Unfortunately most users will need new STBs, Linux users will rejoice as platforms such as MythTV and other DTT systems can already decode MPEG4.
The consultation closes on 31/01/2008
There are currently 6 DTT multiplexes and 3 are used for Public Service Broadcasting. Ofcom is planning to clear one of these mutliplexes (Multiplex B, licensed by Ofcom to BBC Free to View Ltd) by moving the existing programming to spare channels in other multiplexes.
Multiplex B will then utilise new standards DVB-T2 (instead of DVB-T which gives and improvement of about 30%) and MPEG4 (instead of MPEG2, a 50% saving in bandwidth).
This could be completed by late 2009/early 2010 in the Granada area while HD broadcasts could start by 2012, with the rest of the country as the digital switchover occurs.
Users could utilise their existing set-top-boxes to view existing channels, but the new channels would only be available to new boxes supporting the DVB-T2 and MPEG4 standards.
Ofcom proposes to invite organisations with Public Service Broadcaster status – principally the BBC, the Channel 3, 4 and 5 licensees and S4C – to set out how they would use the upgraded capacity on Multiplex B.
This is good news as it will allow HD broadcasts on a free-to-air platform. Unfortunately most users will need new STBs, Linux users will rejoice as platforms such as MythTV and other DTT systems can already decode MPEG4.
The consultation closes on 31/01/2008
Emissions Growth Must End in 7 Years, U.N. Warns [Washington Post]
This is an associated NY times article from Dec. 4.
Climate Talks Take on Added Urgency After Report http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/world/asia/03bali.html?th&emc=th
Climate Talks Take on Added Urgency After Report http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/world/asia/03bali.html?th&emc=th
19 Kasım 2007 Pazartesi
15 Kasım 2007 Perşembe
Review of the wholesale broadband access markets 2006/07 | Ofcom
Review of the wholesale broadband access markets 2006/07 | Ofcom
The consultation relates to broadband in the UK. Ofcom has segmented the UK into areas where BT or Kingston Commuications (KCOM) are the only providers of broadband and then were there are other operators in the exchanges.
The breakdown is: -
* those geographic areas covered by exchanges where KCOM is the only operator (“the Hull area”).
* those geographic areas covered by exchanges where BT is the only operator (“Market 1”);
those geographic areas covered by exchanges where there are 2 or 3 Principal Operators AND exchanges where there are 4 or more Principal Operators but where the exchange serves less than 10,000 premises (“Market 2”).
* those geographic areas covered by exchanges where there are 4 or more Principal Operators and where the exchange serves 10,000 or more premises (“Market 3”).
Ofcom has decided that it is a requirement to provide Network Access on reasonable requests, requirement not to discriminate unduly, requirement to publish a reference offer, requirement to notify terms and conditions, requirement to publish technical information, and requirement to have accounting separation.
The most significant bit is that in Market 3 areas Ofcom has decided that (in terms of broadband) BT no longer has significant market power (SMP) and it will be revoked in those areas.
The consultation relates to broadband in the UK. Ofcom has segmented the UK into areas where BT or Kingston Commuications (KCOM) are the only providers of broadband and then were there are other operators in the exchanges.
The breakdown is: -
* those geographic areas covered by exchanges where KCOM is the only operator (“the Hull area”).
* those geographic areas covered by exchanges where BT is the only operator (“Market 1”);
those geographic areas covered by exchanges where there are 2 or 3 Principal Operators AND exchanges where there are 4 or more Principal Operators but where the exchange serves less than 10,000 premises (“Market 2”).
* those geographic areas covered by exchanges where there are 4 or more Principal Operators and where the exchange serves 10,000 or more premises (“Market 3”).
Ofcom has decided that it is a requirement to provide Network Access on reasonable requests, requirement not to discriminate unduly, requirement to publish a reference offer, requirement to notify terms and conditions, requirement to publish technical information, and requirement to have accounting separation.
The most significant bit is that in Market 3 areas Ofcom has decided that (in terms of broadband) BT no longer has significant market power (SMP) and it will be revoked in those areas.
14 Kasım 2007 Çarşamba
Raising Confidence in Telephone Numbers | Ofcom
Raising Confidence in Telephone Numbers | Ofcom
Ofcom introduced the 03 range (which are charged at local rate) to encourage companies to migrate from 0870 numbers. To this end, Ofcom were going to mandate the anyone using 0870 services would have to pre-announce the call rate before the call was connected to make the consumer aware of any charges. This was to have taken place in Feb 2007.
Ofcom have been made aware that some automatic emergency services (alarms etc) make use of 0870 numbers and these would be adversely affected by the pre-announcement (they would time out and therefore the call would not complete).
Ofcom are working with the affected service providers and hope to bring in the new regulations in the spring of next year.
Ofcom introduced the 03 range (which are charged at local rate) to encourage companies to migrate from 0870 numbers. To this end, Ofcom were going to mandate the anyone using 0870 services would have to pre-announce the call rate before the call was connected to make the consumer aware of any charges. This was to have taken place in Feb 2007.
Ofcom have been made aware that some automatic emergency services (alarms etc) make use of 0870 numbers and these would be adversely affected by the pre-announcement (they would time out and therefore the call would not complete).
Ofcom are working with the affected service providers and hope to bring in the new regulations in the spring of next year.
Wireless Telegraphy Licence Exemption - Automotive Short Range Radar | Ofcom
Wireless Telegraphy Licence Exemption - Automotive Short Range Radar | Ofcom
Ofcom are consulting on the use of automotive short range radar that operates in the 24GHz band (21.65 to 26.65 GHz), following an EU directive to make this band available.
Automotive equipment may interfere with radio astronomy systems which also use this band, so Ofcom wish to have exclusion zones around radio astronomy sites and equipment must automatically or manually deactivate around such sites.
The consultation closes on 31St Decemeber 2007.
Ofcom are consulting on the use of automotive short range radar that operates in the 24GHz band (21.65 to 26.65 GHz), following an EU directive to make this band available.
Automotive equipment may interfere with radio astronomy systems which also use this band, so Ofcom wish to have exclusion zones around radio astronomy sites and equipment must automatically or manually deactivate around such sites.
The consultation closes on 31St Decemeber 2007.
TED Talks John Doerr: Seeking salvation and profit in greentech
About this Talk
"I don't think we're going to make it," John Doerr proclaims, in an emotional talk about climate change and investment. Spurred on by his daughter, who demanded he fix the mess the world is heading for, he and his partners at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers embarked on a greentech world tour -- surveying the state of the art, from the ethanol revolution in Brazil to Wal-mart's (!) eco-concept store in Bentonville, Arkansas. KPCB is investing $200 million in green technologies to save the planet and make a profit to boot. But, Doerr fears, it may not be enough.
"I don't think we're going to make it," John Doerr proclaims, in an emotional talk about climate change and investment. Spurred on by his daughter, who demanded he fix the mess the world is heading for, he and his partners at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers embarked on a greentech world tour -- surveying the state of the art, from the ethanol revolution in Brazil to Wal-mart's (!) eco-concept store in Bentonville, Arkansas. KPCB is investing $200 million in green technologies to save the planet and make a profit to boot. But, Doerr fears, it may not be enough.
13 Kasım 2007 Salı
Numbering Policy | Ofcom
Numbering Policy | Ofcom
In March 2007 Ofcom mandated that all next Sexual Enterntainment Services must use numbers starting with a 098 prefix and this came into force on Thu 08/11/07. Existing services running on 0909 and 0909 can continue to use these ranges, though no new 0908/0909 numbers will be allocated.
On Monday 09/11/07 Ofcom also opened up the 0902 and 0903 number ranges for PRS (premium rate services) which can be applied for using the S9 “The Numbering Application Form”.
Ofcom also announced that the new 03 number range is being used and there have been over 13 million numbers allocated to more than 80 providers. 03 numbers are expected to replace 084/087 numbers for public organisations etc.
In March 2007 Ofcom mandated that all next Sexual Enterntainment Services must use numbers starting with a 098 prefix and this came into force on Thu 08/11/07. Existing services running on 0909 and 0909 can continue to use these ranges, though no new 0908/0909 numbers will be allocated.
On Monday 09/11/07 Ofcom also opened up the 0902 and 0903 number ranges for PRS (premium rate services) which can be applied for using the S9 “The Numbering Application Form”.
Ofcom also announced that the new 03 number range is being used and there have been over 13 million numbers allocated to more than 80 providers. 03 numbers are expected to replace 084/087 numbers for public organisations etc.
6 Kasım 2007 Salı
Open Handset Alliance
Open Handset Alliance
The Open Handset Alliance seems to have been launched on Nov 5th 2007 and the website is run by Google, so it looks like this will be the basis for the GPhone.
The core technology comes from Android (which was set-up by ex Danger i.e. SideKick management).
An SDK is going to be made available from the site on Nov 12th 2007. The software will be released under an Apache 2 style license (allowing licensees to modify the code without putting the modifications back) which is hopefully going to allow commercially different variants.
They have various partners including various handset manufacturers, so it looks like the GPhone may be a set of software services on a technology platform rather than specific hardware.
The Open Handset Alliance seems to have been launched on Nov 5th 2007 and the website is run by Google, so it looks like this will be the basis for the GPhone.
The core technology comes from Android (which was set-up by ex Danger i.e. SideKick management).
An SDK is going to be made available from the site on Nov 12th 2007. The software will be released under an Apache 2 style license (allowing licensees to modify the code without putting the modifications back) which is hopefully going to allow commercially different variants.
They have various partners including various handset manufacturers, so it looks like the GPhone may be a set of software services on a technology platform rather than specific hardware.
5 Kasım 2007 Pazartesi
3 Kasım 2007 Cumartesi
Mayors, Looking to Cities’ Future, Are Told It Must Be Colored Green [NY Times]
The US Conference of Mayors site is here, along with videos:
http://www.usmayors.org/USCM/home.asp
Bill Clinton: 'Green' Economy Offers Great Rewards
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45148/story.htm
http://www.usmayors.org/USCM/home.asp
Bill Clinton: 'Green' Economy Offers Great Rewards
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45148/story.htm
LinkedIn going to Facebook
It's rumoured that LinkedIn is about to be snapped up by Facebook. The business networking market has dried up as Facebook dominates the social networking space, and LinkedIn is suffering.
A combined Facebook/LinkedIn would make a very powerful networking site, attracted business and youth markets. interesting times ahead.
A combined Facebook/LinkedIn would make a very powerful networking site, attracted business and youth markets. interesting times ahead.
Pet Survival Kits to prepare for emergencies
Due to the recent minor earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area, I purchased a Cat Survival Kit from this site.
30 Ekim 2007 Salı
iPhone unleashed
An iPhone (8GB) arrived a week or so ago from the US, it's very pretty. Unfortunately a US iPhone is the UK is as useful as a slim shiny brick.
A friend unbricked it (using the commercial AnySIM package - not recommended for beginners, even though it's commercial, it's far from easy getting an iPhone into an unlocked state) and then installed the AppInstaller.
AppInstaller is a nice piece of software that manages 3rd party iPhone packages, it checks back with a repository and then pulls in whatever's required. It can also check for updated packages. At the moment any dependency checking is manual, but they're bound to fix it.
Then put all the settings in for the UK network, and it all worked. Seems there's quite a few E.D.G.E. cells around, though speeds are no where near 3G which is a shame.
The user interface is fantastic, especially the two fingered zoom and the rotating screen depending on the orientation of the phone.
It even works as a phone pretty well.
As an iPod it syncs with iTunes, but can sync all your contacts (from Address Book on Macs or Outlook on PCs), these are then all available through the phone itself. Though you can add address book entries, it doesn't seem to allow downloading vCards into the phone - which is a real shame.
Calendar entries are also synced.
Though it's a nice piece or ergnomic engineering, the total cost of ownership on an O2 contract is going to be off-putting.
A friend unbricked it (using the commercial AnySIM package - not recommended for beginners, even though it's commercial, it's far from easy getting an iPhone into an unlocked state) and then installed the AppInstaller.
AppInstaller is a nice piece of software that manages 3rd party iPhone packages, it checks back with a repository and then pulls in whatever's required. It can also check for updated packages. At the moment any dependency checking is manual, but they're bound to fix it.
Then put all the settings in for the UK network, and it all worked. Seems there's quite a few E.D.G.E. cells around, though speeds are no where near 3G which is a shame.
The user interface is fantastic, especially the two fingered zoom and the rotating screen depending on the orientation of the phone.
It even works as a phone pretty well.
As an iPod it syncs with iTunes, but can sync all your contacts (from Address Book on Macs or Outlook on PCs), these are then all available through the phone itself. Though you can add address book entries, it doesn't seem to allow downloading vCards into the phone - which is a real shame.
Calendar entries are also synced.
Though it's a nice piece or ergnomic engineering, the total cost of ownership on an O2 contract is going to be off-putting.
N&S Admin Fees List 2007/08 | Ofcom
N&S Admin Fees List 2007/08 | Ofcom
Ofcom has published a list of Telecoms companies that pay admin fees to Ofcom, they are: -
Alternative Networks Plc
AT&T Global Network Services UK
Band X Ltd
Sky Subscriber Services Ltd
British Telecommunications Plc
Cable & Wireless Plc
Carphone Warehouse PLC
CityLink Telecommunications Ltd
Colt Telecom Group Ltd
Eckoh Technologies Plc
Eircom UK Ltd
Fibernet Ltd
France Telecom Network Services UK Ltd
Fujitsu Services Ltd
Gamma Telecommunications Ltd
Genesis Communications Ltd
Global Crossing (UK)
Globecast Northern Europe Ltd
Hutchison 3G UK Ltd
IDT Global Ltd
Intercity Mobile Communications Ltd
Interoute Communications Ltd
KDDI Europe Ltd
Kingston Communications Ltd
Level 3 Communications Ltd
MLL Telecom Ltd
National Grid Wireless Ltd
Net Services Plc
O2 UK Ltd
Opera Telecom Ltd
Orange Personal Communications Services Ltd
PageOne Communications Ltd
Pipex Communications Plc
Plusnet Plc
PNC Telecom Services Ltd
Primus Telecommunications Ltd
Reach Europe Ltd
Redstone Communications Ltd
RM Plc
Siemens Enterprise Communications Ltd
SingTel (Europe) Limited
Sprintlink UK Ltd
SSE Telecommunications Ltd
Stratos Global Holdings Ltd
Surf Telecoms Ltd
Telecom Direct Ltd
Telecom Italia UK Ltd
Telecom NZ (UK) Licenses Ltd
Telecom Plus Plc
Teleglobe International Ltd
TeliaSonera International Carrier UK Ltd
Tesco Stores Ltd
Thus plc
Tiscali UK Ltd
T-Mobile (UK) Ltd
Transcomm UK Ltd
Verizon UK Ltd (MCI)
Virgin Media Ltd
Vodafone Ltd
VTL (UK) Ltd
Zen Internet Ltd
Though Telecom License fees (as per the Telecommunications Act) were scrapped when the Communications Act came into force, bigger players and players that have "the code" (code powers as was, which allows them to dig - potentially without the landowners permission - by getting a court order) still have to pay fees.
As consolidation increases, the list will diminish.
Ofcom has published a list of Telecoms companies that pay admin fees to Ofcom, they are: -
Alternative Networks Plc
AT&T Global Network Services UK
Band X Ltd
Sky Subscriber Services Ltd
British Telecommunications Plc
Cable & Wireless Plc
Carphone Warehouse PLC
CityLink Telecommunications Ltd
Colt Telecom Group Ltd
Eckoh Technologies Plc
Eircom UK Ltd
Fibernet Ltd
France Telecom Network Services UK Ltd
Fujitsu Services Ltd
Gamma Telecommunications Ltd
Genesis Communications Ltd
Global Crossing (UK)
Globecast Northern Europe Ltd
Hutchison 3G UK Ltd
IDT Global Ltd
Intercity Mobile Communications Ltd
Interoute Communications Ltd
KDDI Europe Ltd
Kingston Communications Ltd
Level 3 Communications Ltd
MLL Telecom Ltd
National Grid Wireless Ltd
Net Services Plc
O2 UK Ltd
Opera Telecom Ltd
Orange Personal Communications Services Ltd
PageOne Communications Ltd
Pipex Communications Plc
Plusnet Plc
PNC Telecom Services Ltd
Primus Telecommunications Ltd
Reach Europe Ltd
Redstone Communications Ltd
RM Plc
Siemens Enterprise Communications Ltd
SingTel (Europe) Limited
Sprintlink UK Ltd
SSE Telecommunications Ltd
Stratos Global Holdings Ltd
Surf Telecoms Ltd
Telecom Direct Ltd
Telecom Italia UK Ltd
Telecom NZ (UK) Licenses Ltd
Telecom Plus Plc
Teleglobe International Ltd
TeliaSonera International Carrier UK Ltd
Tesco Stores Ltd
Thus plc
Tiscali UK Ltd
T-Mobile (UK) Ltd
Transcomm UK Ltd
Verizon UK Ltd (MCI)
Virgin Media Ltd
Vodafone Ltd
VTL (UK) Ltd
Zen Internet Ltd
Though Telecom License fees (as per the Telecommunications Act) were scrapped when the Communications Act came into force, bigger players and players that have "the code" (code powers as was, which allows them to dig - potentially without the landowners permission - by getting a court order) still have to pay fees.
As consolidation increases, the list will diminish.
Apple iLife/iWork '08 and Leopard
I recently upgraded my MacOS X 10.4(.11) PowerBook G4 with iLife '08 and iWork '08. Unfortunately Apple charge for these and OS upgrades don't always upgrade your original versions if you haven't upgraded.
Many of the changes are minor, but there are some big ones, there's now much tighter integration with .Mac (which requires a seperate subscription). iMovie doesn't upgrade unless you have a reasonably fast Mac (the G4 Powerbook didn't cut the mustard).
iWork '08 is a much more significant upgrade, there's a new application "Numbers" which is Apple's answer to Excel. It isn't there yet and it's not completely compatible, though supporting most of the basic features. It seems to be designed for marketing execs who like to produce all sorts of fancy graphs. Pages (the word processor) is also more suited to doing fancy sheets like flyers or greeting cards, though it will read MS Word (and other format) documents. Keynote (presentations) is a very sophisticated presentation tool in its own right, arguably it has more sophisticated animations and transitions that MS Powerpoint (and will happily read Powerpoint files too and export them). Apple use Keynote for all their public presentations and it's pretty slick, though Powerpoint users will have to go through a learning exercise to migrate.
Newbies (new users) will probably find all the iWork packages relatively easy to use if they haven't been sucked into using MS products already.
Briefly, Leopard (MacOS X 10.5.0) is a significant upgrade. There are some genuinely innovative features (however some bits look a lot like Vista). Coverflow can be used to scan for files (like iTunes artwork) but MacOS actually previews the content of the file while scanning and it supports a lot of formats, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint (or Keynote), Movies etc. If the 'space-bar' is hit while viewing a file, then then content of the document can be previewed (i.e. all the pages of a PDF or slides in a presentation seen). It isn't possible to actually edit the files unless you have the relevent package installed though.
Leopard can do the same thing across a network and scan both Windows PCs and other Macs (well public shares anyway). If a remote user is using iChat, then it can be used to send/receive files between users and remotely control the remote Mac (if the user allows it).
There are many low level enhancements and the OS is now truly 64bit (well almost). This should make things faster on 64 bit machines (G5's or newer Intel systems). There doesn't seem a noticable speed increase on the Powerbook G4, but a MacBook Pro did seem slightly more responsive.
Time machine is Apple's new back-up system. It can save a complete copy of the installed system on to a locally connected drive (internal on a MacPro, or externally on laptops via USB or Firewire), it will also save to an Xserve running Leopard server (in a workgroup situation). The drive needs to be significantly bigger than the drive that is backed-up as once the original data is saved, incremental back-ups are performed. It does this in a reasonably clever manner, so only changed files are saved, but looking at a back-up shows the complete directory structure as was on the disk at the time. Any file saved can easily be restored by just going back the time-line to before the delete occurred.
It's also possible to completely restore a Mac (say if the hard disk is replaced) as the OS now has a restore from Time Machine type option.
2 million copies of Leopard have been sold in the first weekend, which is pretty astounding feat for an operating system, older Macs will gain less of advantage than newer ones with 64bit CPUs and decent graphics systems.
Many of the changes are minor, but there are some big ones, there's now much tighter integration with .Mac (which requires a seperate subscription). iMovie doesn't upgrade unless you have a reasonably fast Mac (the G4 Powerbook didn't cut the mustard).
iWork '08 is a much more significant upgrade, there's a new application "Numbers" which is Apple's answer to Excel. It isn't there yet and it's not completely compatible, though supporting most of the basic features. It seems to be designed for marketing execs who like to produce all sorts of fancy graphs. Pages (the word processor) is also more suited to doing fancy sheets like flyers or greeting cards, though it will read MS Word (and other format) documents. Keynote (presentations) is a very sophisticated presentation tool in its own right, arguably it has more sophisticated animations and transitions that MS Powerpoint (and will happily read Powerpoint files too and export them). Apple use Keynote for all their public presentations and it's pretty slick, though Powerpoint users will have to go through a learning exercise to migrate.
Newbies (new users) will probably find all the iWork packages relatively easy to use if they haven't been sucked into using MS products already.
Briefly, Leopard (MacOS X 10.5.0) is a significant upgrade. There are some genuinely innovative features (however some bits look a lot like Vista). Coverflow can be used to scan for files (like iTunes artwork) but MacOS actually previews the content of the file while scanning and it supports a lot of formats, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint (or Keynote), Movies etc. If the 'space-bar' is hit while viewing a file, then then content of the document can be previewed (i.e. all the pages of a PDF or slides in a presentation seen). It isn't possible to actually edit the files unless you have the relevent package installed though.
Leopard can do the same thing across a network and scan both Windows PCs and other Macs (well public shares anyway). If a remote user is using iChat, then it can be used to send/receive files between users and remotely control the remote Mac (if the user allows it).
There are many low level enhancements and the OS is now truly 64bit (well almost). This should make things faster on 64 bit machines (G5's or newer Intel systems). There doesn't seem a noticable speed increase on the Powerbook G4, but a MacBook Pro did seem slightly more responsive.
Time machine is Apple's new back-up system. It can save a complete copy of the installed system on to a locally connected drive (internal on a MacPro, or externally on laptops via USB or Firewire), it will also save to an Xserve running Leopard server (in a workgroup situation). The drive needs to be significantly bigger than the drive that is backed-up as once the original data is saved, incremental back-ups are performed. It does this in a reasonably clever manner, so only changed files are saved, but looking at a back-up shows the complete directory structure as was on the disk at the time. Any file saved can easily be restored by just going back the time-line to before the delete occurred.
It's also possible to completely restore a Mac (say if the hard disk is replaced) as the OS now has a restore from Time Machine type option.
2 million copies of Leopard have been sold in the first weekend, which is pretty astounding feat for an operating system, older Macs will gain less of advantage than newer ones with 64bit CPUs and decent graphics systems.
Green Blue
GreenBlue is a nonprofit institute that stimulates the creative redesign of industry by focusing the expertise of professional communities to create practical solutions, resources, and opportunities for implementing sustainability.
29 Ekim 2007 Pazartesi
26 Ekim 2007 Cuma
24 Ekim 2007 Çarşamba
Mobile Communications onboard Aircraft - Consultation on the introduction of mobile services on aircraft | Ofcom
Mobile Communications onboard Aircraft - Consultation on the introduction of mobile services on aircraft | Ofcom
It's a bit old as the announcement got lost in the INBOX, however Ofcom is consulting on mobile services on aircraft (MCA).
This would involve putting one or more pico or femto cells on an aircraft which would then use satellite to connect back to a ground based BSC (basestation controller). Satellite phone on planes are already in-use, but this would allow for users to utilse their existing mobile phones - both voice and data could be supported.
Planes already have to use licensed spectrum for other services and these are managed by the CAA (under remit from Ofcom) and Ofcom are proposing that although a specific license would be required and issued by the CAA, no additional fees would be required.
Airlines would be able to get licenses on request and the technical and authorisation schemes would be agreed by ECC, ETSI and endorsed by RSC and COCOM.
MCA would be allocated non-geographic international mobile network codes issued by the ITU specific to aircraft services.
As an operator of telecoms services (or more precisely Electronic Communications Services) airlines would be subject to the standard obligations under the General Conditions of Entitlement (so they'd have to support wire-tapping for example).
The consultation closes on 30th Nov 2007.
It's a bit old as the announcement got lost in the INBOX, however Ofcom is consulting on mobile services on aircraft (MCA).
This would involve putting one or more pico or femto cells on an aircraft which would then use satellite to connect back to a ground based BSC (basestation controller). Satellite phone on planes are already in-use, but this would allow for users to utilse their existing mobile phones - both voice and data could be supported.
Planes already have to use licensed spectrum for other services and these are managed by the CAA (under remit from Ofcom) and Ofcom are proposing that although a specific license would be required and issued by the CAA, no additional fees would be required.
Airlines would be able to get licenses on request and the technical and authorisation schemes would be agreed by ECC, ETSI and endorsed by RSC and COCOM.
MCA would be allocated non-geographic international mobile network codes issued by the ITU specific to aircraft services.
As an operator of telecoms services (or more precisely Electronic Communications Services) airlines would be subject to the standard obligations under the General Conditions of Entitlement (so they'd have to support wire-tapping for example).
The consultation closes on 30th Nov 2007.
23 Ekim 2007 Salı
22 Ekim 2007 Pazartesi
Wacom Cintiq 12WX
Wacom has launched a £700 tablet the Cintiq 12WX.
It has a 12.1" display and comes with a pressure sensitive pen, it's equivalent to a Intuous3 with an in-built display.
Aimed at professional users who want a realistic drawing surface, the display resolution is 1280 x 800, then pen has 1024 levels of sensitivity and there are several colour profiles.
It has a VGA and DVI interface so can act as a second or even third display for most systems (though it can be used as a primary display).
It can be used for "touching-up" graphics accurately, though white-boarding also seems a logical use.
£700 is considerably cheaper than previous models.
It has a 12.1" display and comes with a pressure sensitive pen, it's equivalent to a Intuous3 with an in-built display.
Aimed at professional users who want a realistic drawing surface, the display resolution is 1280 x 800, then pen has 1024 levels of sensitivity and there are several colour profiles.
It has a VGA and DVI interface so can act as a second or even third display for most systems (though it can be used as a primary display).
It can be used for "touching-up" graphics accurately, though white-boarding also seems a logical use.
£700 is considerably cheaper than previous models.
17 Ekim 2007 Çarşamba
Apple to unlock iPhone
Steve Jobs has announced that the iPhone will eventually allow 3rd party apps to be installed, but not just yet.
Apple are hoping to release an iPhone SDK in February 2008 but are still wary about exposing the phone to viruses, malware etc.
This seems an about turn and it looks like they're giving in to consumer pressure, though running MacOS X (though an embedded variant) means it's likely anyone who can program for MacOS X should can do so for the iPhone.
Apple are hoping to release an iPhone SDK in February 2008 but are still wary about exposing the phone to viruses, malware etc.
This seems an about turn and it looks like they're giving in to consumer pressure, though running MacOS X (though an embedded variant) means it's likely anyone who can program for MacOS X should can do so for the iPhone.
12 Ekim 2007 Cuma
10 Ekim 2007 Çarşamba
LinkedIn hits 1m UK users
LinkedIn has hit 1m UK users. This is a pretty astounding achievement for a business networking site, it also means they must be running out of UK customers too.
Though other social networking sites are growing at a much faster rate (think Facebook), they are targetting a more generic audience.
LinkedIn is very good for connecting to business colleagues and keeping track of what they are doing, who's hiring etc.
Though other social networking sites are growing at a much faster rate (think Facebook), they are targetting a more generic audience.
LinkedIn is very good for connecting to business colleagues and keeping track of what they are doing, who's hiring etc.
6 Ekim 2007 Cumartesi
4 Ekim 2007 Perşembe
Bootcamp to expire
Apple's Bootcamp system (which allows Windows or MacOS X to run on Apple hardware) will expire when the next version of MacOS X 10.5 (Leopard) is launched.
Bootcamp is currently offered as a beta download.
Bootcamp differs from Parallels or VMWare's offering in that it encapsulates a Windows partition on the hard disk and allows a Windows operating system to boot or MacOS X. Parallels is a virtual machine which runs inside MacOS X, allowing a Windows OS to run in parallel with MacOS X (there's a reason why they called it Parallels).
Bootcamp is currently offered as a beta download.
Bootcamp differs from Parallels or VMWare's offering in that it encapsulates a Windows partition on the hard disk and allows a Windows operating system to boot or MacOS X. Parallels is a virtual machine which runs inside MacOS X, allowing a Windows OS to run in parallel with MacOS X (there's a reason why they called it Parallels).
BT invests in FON
BT has invested in the Spanish company FON. BT state this is to increase wireless coverage, but it could also be a way to increase use of their Fusion packages which haven't really taken off in a big way (Fusion is BT's converged mobile service which allows a mobile phone to roam on to a [Bluetooth in a home environment] WiFi gateway).
FON sells or gives away WiFi access points preconfigured to work with FON and these allow the user to set-up whether they'll give free or charged access to their broadband services.
FON sells or gives away WiFi access points preconfigured to work with FON and these allow the user to set-up whether they'll give free or charged access to their broadband services.
O2 to allow "free" access to social networking sites
During October and November O2 is going to allow free mobile data access to social networking sites MySpace and Facebook, after which it will encourage users to sign-up to it's unlimited data plans (which aren't really unlimited at all, but nothing new there).
It's the old system of getting users hooked and then charging them for the service, but they'll probably attract quite a few users to their data plans this way.
O2 are also going to launch their broadband services soon (they bought Be a while back), some of which will be free if the monthly mobile spend is high enough.
It's the old system of getting users hooked and then charging them for the service, but they'll probably attract quite a few users to their data plans this way.
O2 are also going to launch their broadband services soon (they bought Be a while back), some of which will be free if the monthly mobile spend is high enough.
3Com launches Asterisk based SMB IP PBX
3Com has launched a $1,600 30-user Asterisk appliance based IP PBX.
It's essentially just a resale of the Asterisk appliance by 3Com, but it's sold and supported by 3Com.
The Asterisk IP PBX is a great piece of software (it's available for download from the Asterisk website), but it's not for the feint hearted. It runs on Linux and is reasonably complex to set-up. Unfortunately documentation is severely lacking (though there are some good books out there from publishers like O'Reilly and various websites like VoIP Info) and often a response is "look in the code".
Having "real" vendors support Asterisk means it will get into the mainstream markets and that's likely to produce some good documentation.
As the 3Com unit is a pre-installed system, configuration is a lot simper and newer versions of Asterisk come with a web based configuration system. Though that takes some of the fun out of hand writing dial-plans - which may change the definition of fun.
It's essentially just a resale of the Asterisk appliance by 3Com, but it's sold and supported by 3Com.
The Asterisk IP PBX is a great piece of software (it's available for download from the Asterisk website), but it's not for the feint hearted. It runs on Linux and is reasonably complex to set-up. Unfortunately documentation is severely lacking (though there are some good books out there from publishers like O'Reilly and various websites like VoIP Info) and often a response is "look in the code".
Having "real" vendors support Asterisk means it will get into the mainstream markets and that's likely to produce some good documentation.
As the 3Com unit is a pre-installed system, configuration is a lot simper and newer versions of Asterisk come with a web based configuration system. Though that takes some of the fun out of hand writing dial-plans - which may change the definition of fun.
Talklets, making the web speak
The world of cinema changed when silent movies became talkies, now the same is (slowly) happening with the web. A UK company Textics has developed Talklets accessibility enabling technology.
Talklets is actually a web based service that can perform text-to-speech and a website owner only needs to put Javascript tags on the site which enables a Talklets toolbar which controls the text-to-speech system. It also allows for other functionality such as "right-click" floating toolbars which can be configured per site, the standard toolbar will allow offer the user a dictionary or theasurus look-up on the word the mouse is over. In future it will also allow per site lexicons which can allow for local "buzzwords" to be explained.
Talkets can also take RSS feeds and convert them to MP3s, which is like having a local newsreader.
Textics is part of the Hidden Differences Group which is a company that is trying to make the web accessible, in the UK 20% of the population at least have reading difficulties. Developing countries have an even higher percentage that cant read but almost everyone can speak.
Talklets is actually a web based service that can perform text-to-speech and a website owner only needs to put Javascript tags on the site which enables a Talklets toolbar which controls the text-to-speech system. It also allows for other functionality such as "right-click" floating toolbars which can be configured per site, the standard toolbar will allow offer the user a dictionary or theasurus look-up on the word the mouse is over. In future it will also allow per site lexicons which can allow for local "buzzwords" to be explained.
Talkets can also take RSS feeds and convert them to MP3s, which is like having a local newsreader.
Textics is part of the Hidden Differences Group which is a company that is trying to make the web accessible, in the UK 20% of the population at least have reading difficulties. Developing countries have an even higher percentage that cant read but almost everyone can speak.
2 Ekim 2007 Salı
RIPA goes live
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act has actually been live for a while, but from today all telecoms companies must store records of all phone calls (and mobile networks SMS messages) for a year.
Though the actual conversation are not recorded (and SMS messages are not saved), but the caller and called numbers (and how long they talked) must be stored, for SMS the origination and destination number are stored.
Telcos have always stored the data (they use it for billing), but it's now who has access to it which comes into force. Around 650 organisations will be able to request records under the RIP Act, from normal agencies such as government, police, security forces to councils and even the charity commission and various quangos.
It's been slipped through as "helping to fight terrorism" ...
Though the actual conversation are not recorded (and SMS messages are not saved), but the caller and called numbers (and how long they talked) must be stored, for SMS the origination and destination number are stored.
Telcos have always stored the data (they use it for billing), but it's now who has access to it which comes into force. Around 650 organisations will be able to request records under the RIP Act, from normal agencies such as government, police, security forces to councils and even the charity commission and various quangos.
It's been slipped through as "helping to fight terrorism" ...
Ofcom tries to ensure the future of Sitefinder
Sitefinder is Ofcom's database of mobile cell sites. The mobile network operators (MNOs) used to supply data on a voluntary basis which contained the location of cells.
Ofcom was forced to make extra data available that showed cell sectors and transmitter power etc. after a freedom of information request, though Ofcom resisted it went to the Information Tribunal and Ofcom lost.
Since Sitefinder is populated voluntarily, the MNOs felt they were giving away competetively sensitive information and have stopped providing new information.
Ofcom is urging the MNOs to continue populating Sitefinder and is also appealing the Information Tribunal’s decision so that in future sensitive information does not need to be released.
Sitefinder is an important database as it helps Ofcom conduct its duties as a regulator, having stale data reduces that usefulness.
Ofcom was forced to make extra data available that showed cell sectors and transmitter power etc. after a freedom of information request, though Ofcom resisted it went to the Information Tribunal and Ofcom lost.
Since Sitefinder is populated voluntarily, the MNOs felt they were giving away competetively sensitive information and have stopped providing new information.
Ofcom is urging the MNOs to continue populating Sitefinder and is also appealing the Information Tribunal’s decision so that in future sensitive information does not need to be released.
Sitefinder is an important database as it helps Ofcom conduct its duties as a regulator, having stale data reduces that usefulness.
27 Eylül 2007 Perşembe
Ofcom fines GMTV £2m
Ofcom has today fined GMTV £2,000,000 for misconduct in viewer competitions between August 2003 and February 2007. This is the largest financial penalty to be imposed against a broadcaster by Ofcom.
GMTV was found in breach of the following rules:
Rule 2.11 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, which came into effect on 25 July
2005, “Competitions should be conducted fairly…”; and
Rule 8.2(b) of the ITC (Independent Television Commission) Code 2002 "Use of Premium Rate
Telephone Services in Programmes: The licensee must retain control of and responsibility
for the service arrangements....".
This is the highest fine ever imposed on a broadcaster in the UK.
Opal Telecom (the operator who actually ran the telecoms operation) were also fined £250,000.
Ofcom considers fast broadband outlook and pledges clarity for investors | Ofcom
Ofcom considers fast broadband outlook and pledges clarity for investors | Ofcom
Ofcom is holding a consultation into Next Generation Access (NGA). This is the ability to deliver high speed services into the home.
Though: -
- over ninety-nine per cent of the UK is connected to a broadband enabled exchange;
- over half of UK households have taken up broadband;
- almost three quarters have a choice of at least two broadband (ADSL and/or cable)
network providers;
- the average headline speed has doubled in a year to reach 4.6mb/s and broadband prices
have fallen by 9% in the last twelve months.
Ofcom want to continue to ensure that there is competetion in the market etc.
The consultation closes on Dec 5th 2007.
Ofcom is holding a consultation into Next Generation Access (NGA). This is the ability to deliver high speed services into the home.
Though: -
- over ninety-nine per cent of the UK is connected to a broadband enabled exchange;
- over half of UK households have taken up broadband;
- almost three quarters have a choice of at least two broadband (ADSL and/or cable)
network providers;
- the average headline speed has doubled in a year to reach 4.6mb/s and broadband prices
have fallen by 9% in the last twelve months.
Ofcom want to continue to ensure that there is competetion in the market etc.
The consultation closes on Dec 5th 2007.
Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
If you're a fan of Stephen Fry, here's his blog - or more the rantings of of a very educated technogeek. It's not what you'd think. He appraises the current tranch of smartphones including Apple's iPhone.
As a dedicated Mac fan, he's not ashamed to blast its deficiencies as well as those from virtually every other smartphone vendor.
It's only his first post, so hopefully lots more to come.
If you're a fan of Stephen Fry, here's his blog - or more the rantings of of a very educated technogeek. It's not what you'd think. He appraises the current tranch of smartphones including Apple's iPhone.
As a dedicated Mac fan, he's not ashamed to blast its deficiencies as well as those from virtually every other smartphone vendor.
It's only his first post, so hopefully lots more to come.
25 Eylül 2007 Salı
Application of spectrum liberalisation and trading to the mobile sector | Ofcom
Application of spectrum liberalisation and trading to the mobile sector | Ofcom
Ofcom, following a decision by the RSC (which sets radio spectrum policy in the EU and other areas) is consulting on what should be done with spectrum in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands.
900MHz is currently used by O2 and Vodafone, while 1800MHz is utilised by T-Mobile, Orange, O2 and Vodafone (though T-Mobile and Orange utilise the bulk of it).
Ofcom could re-allocate the spectrum in several ways (and have come out with 4 options, 1 through D where A is just re-use and D is complete re-allocation).
Since the characteristics of the 1800MHz band are similar to that of the 2.1GHz (2100MHz) and even 2.5/2.6GHz bands, the economic case for re-allocation (including disruption to existing operators) doesn't seem the best way forwards and Ofcom is proposing just to allow spectrum re-use (i.e. currently only 2G services can be utilised in this spectrum, but Ofcom is proposing that 3G services will also be allowed, but by the existing operators).
900MHz is much more valuable spectrum as it has very good propogation characteristics (especially in built-up areas). Ofcom are therefore proposing to revoke some spectrum from O2 and Vodafone's allocations. It is likely that O2 and Vodafone will complain bitterly, especially O2 as they are rolling-out an E.D.G.E. network (which is GSM based) to support Apple's iPhone and other terminals - so they are upgrading their existing network, only to be mandated to release spectrum.
By releasing two blocks of spectrum in the 900MHz band, Ofcom would allow 2 new entrants into the market who could offer 3G or wireless broadband services. This would increase competition and allow new services to be offered. There are already 3G networks running on 900MHz so equipment is readily available.
O2 and Vodafone will not be allowed to bid on the revoked spectrum.
Anyone wishing to respond to the consultation has until the 29th of November to do so.
Ofcom, following a decision by the RSC (which sets radio spectrum policy in the EU and other areas) is consulting on what should be done with spectrum in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands.
900MHz is currently used by O2 and Vodafone, while 1800MHz is utilised by T-Mobile, Orange, O2 and Vodafone (though T-Mobile and Orange utilise the bulk of it).
Ofcom could re-allocate the spectrum in several ways (and have come out with 4 options, 1 through D where A is just re-use and D is complete re-allocation).
Since the characteristics of the 1800MHz band are similar to that of the 2.1GHz (2100MHz) and even 2.5/2.6GHz bands, the economic case for re-allocation (including disruption to existing operators) doesn't seem the best way forwards and Ofcom is proposing just to allow spectrum re-use (i.e. currently only 2G services can be utilised in this spectrum, but Ofcom is proposing that 3G services will also be allowed, but by the existing operators).
900MHz is much more valuable spectrum as it has very good propogation characteristics (especially in built-up areas). Ofcom are therefore proposing to revoke some spectrum from O2 and Vodafone's allocations. It is likely that O2 and Vodafone will complain bitterly, especially O2 as they are rolling-out an E.D.G.E. network (which is GSM based) to support Apple's iPhone and other terminals - so they are upgrading their existing network, only to be mandated to release spectrum.
By releasing two blocks of spectrum in the 900MHz band, Ofcom would allow 2 new entrants into the market who could offer 3G or wireless broadband services. This would increase competition and allow new services to be offered. There are already 3G networks running on 900MHz so equipment is readily available.
O2 and Vodafone will not be allowed to bid on the revoked spectrum.
Anyone wishing to respond to the consultation has until the 29th of November to do so.
24 Eylül 2007 Pazartesi
OpenEco
OpenEco is a new global on-line community that provides free, easy-to-use tools to help participants assess, track, and compare business energy performance, share proven best practices to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and encourage sustainable innovation.
22 Eylül 2007 Cumartesi
18 Eylül 2007 Salı
SCO files for Chapter 11
After losing its long-running battle for ownership of Unix copyrights last month, SCO has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Though SCO say their business isn't affected, their long standing argument over ownership of UNIX code and whether various Linux compenents have UNIX code in them, has made them unpopular very unpopular.
Many people wont be sad if they go under, though it will be a shame as they were pioneers when UNIX was originally being developed.
Though SCO say their business isn't affected, their long standing argument over ownership of UNIX code and whether various Linux compenents have UNIX code in them, has made them unpopular very unpopular.
Many people wont be sad if they go under, though it will be a shame as they were pioneers when UNIX was originally being developed.
Sprint announced FemtoCell Airwave service
Sprint has announced its long awaited Airwave service using FemtoCells from Samsung (CDMA).
These are used in the home and utilise broadband for backhaul to Sprints network. When a user's Sprint mobile is in the vicinity of the cell it will use that instead of Sprint's main cell sites. Calls will be heavily discounted or free when in range of the femto cell.
More networks will adopt femto cells as they allow cheaper calls to be offered and high data rate services. The main issue with femto cells is they need licensed spectrum which is scarce in lots of countries.
These are used in the home and utilise broadband for backhaul to Sprints network. When a user's Sprint mobile is in the vicinity of the cell it will use that instead of Sprint's main cell sites. Calls will be heavily discounted or free when in range of the femto cell.
More networks will adopt femto cells as they allow cheaper calls to be offered and high data rate services. The main issue with femto cells is they need licensed spectrum which is scarce in lots of countries.
Zimbra purchased by Yahoo
Zimbra who make the Zimbra Collaboration Suite (or ZCS) have announced they've been purchased by Yahoo.
ZCS is an Email/calendaring/etc suite with support for standard mail protocols and also plug-ins for Outlook etc. It also supports Microsoft's ActiveSync for over the air push Email.
ZCS comes in various flavours including an open source edition and they've stated this will continue to be the case even after the Yahoo purchase.
ZCS is a reasonable UN*X based competitor to Microsoft's Exchange, maybe Yahoo will give it the market distribution it deserves.
ZCS is an Email/calendaring/etc suite with support for standard mail protocols and also plug-ins for Outlook etc. It also supports Microsoft's ActiveSync for over the air push Email.
ZCS comes in various flavours including an open source edition and they've stated this will continue to be the case even after the Yahoo purchase.
ZCS is a reasonable UN*X based competitor to Microsoft's Exchange, maybe Yahoo will give it the market distribution it deserves.
UK Apple iPhone deal announced
Steve Jobs was in Apple's UK Regent Street store to announce the deal with O2 for the iPhone which is going to be available on November 9th.
Suprisingly it's not a 3G phone, it will still only support E.D.G.E. as does the US variant. This will mean O2 have a lot of work to do to upgrade all their basestations to support E.D.G.E, though customers have reported that some cells are already showing E.D.G.E capability.
Pricing plans start at £35 per month for 200 minutes and 200 texts with unlimited data, this also gives unlimited WiFi access (via the Cloud). Higher rates give more voice minutes and texts.
Maybe the 16GB version will support 3G, which must be due soon ... giving Apple the ability to sell to the next generation of iPhone users and getting everyone who'se going to buy one at launch the opportunity to upgrade.
Suprisingly it's not a 3G phone, it will still only support E.D.G.E. as does the US variant. This will mean O2 have a lot of work to do to upgrade all their basestations to support E.D.G.E, though customers have reported that some cells are already showing E.D.G.E capability.
Pricing plans start at £35 per month for 200 minutes and 200 texts with unlimited data, this also gives unlimited WiFi access (via the Cloud). Higher rates give more voice minutes and texts.
Maybe the 16GB version will support 3G, which must be due soon ... giving Apple the ability to sell to the next generation of iPhone users and getting everyone who'se going to buy one at launch the opportunity to upgrade.
14 Eylül 2007 Cuma
Apple special event Sept 18th
Apple are inviting journalists to a special event on September the 18th.
Speculation is the announcement of the new European 3G iPhone and the EU partners (O2 in UK?).
Speculation is the announcement of the new European 3G iPhone and the EU partners (O2 in UK?).
13 Eylül 2007 Perşembe
P2P GSM
A Swedish company TerraNet has developed a peer to peer GSM technology that can be built in to a standard handset.
This means that calls between TerraNet enabled handsets don't go through the normal GSM operators' networks, but directly between handsets.
Though range is limited between handsets (around 1Km), the system can mesh handsets and hop calls through multiple handsets. This is also true for connection to a standard GSM network, so if handset A is within range of a basestation it can relay calls through it and extend the distance.
Most countries are likely to prohibit P2P GSM as the operators' license covers the handsets as well (they transmit and receive radio communication, therefore each handset requires a license - under the UK regime anyway) and most operators aren't likely to support the technology as it's a very quick way to reduce their call revenue.
However in countries that have limited coverage, operators might encourage this use.
In the UK there is potentially a way forward as the low power GSM Guard Band licensees might well be able to offer this technology within their license which would be completely disruptive to the MNOs.
This means that calls between TerraNet enabled handsets don't go through the normal GSM operators' networks, but directly between handsets.
Though range is limited between handsets (around 1Km), the system can mesh handsets and hop calls through multiple handsets. This is also true for connection to a standard GSM network, so if handset A is within range of a basestation it can relay calls through it and extend the distance.
Most countries are likely to prohibit P2P GSM as the operators' license covers the handsets as well (they transmit and receive radio communication, therefore each handset requires a license - under the UK regime anyway) and most operators aren't likely to support the technology as it's a very quick way to reduce their call revenue.
However in countries that have limited coverage, operators might encourage this use.
In the UK there is potentially a way forward as the low power GSM Guard Band licensees might well be able to offer this technology within their license which would be completely disruptive to the MNOs.
11 Eylül 2007 Salı
5 Eylül 2007 Çarşamba
Apple releases new iPods
As expected Apple announced updated and new iPods.
The Shuffle gains new colours.
The Nano's are now fully metal and support video as well as things like CoverFlow.
iPod Classic is now all metal in 80GB and 160GB (and thinner than current models and with longer battery life), also with CoverFlow.
The new iPod Touch comes in 8GB and 16GB models and includes WiFi (basically an iPhone without the phone).
The 4GB iPhone has been dropped and the 8GB version reduced by $200 to $399.
Apple have also done a deal with Starbucks which allows buying of the last 10 played songs via in-store WiFi. It's not clear whether the iPod/Phone will be able to use WiFi for anything else though (without paying for it).
As the iPod Touch comes in a 16GB version, it's likely the iPhone will too at some point.
The Shuffle gains new colours.
The Nano's are now fully metal and support video as well as things like CoverFlow.
iPod Classic is now all metal in 80GB and 160GB (and thinner than current models and with longer battery life), also with CoverFlow.
The new iPod Touch comes in 8GB and 16GB models and includes WiFi (basically an iPhone without the phone).
The 4GB iPhone has been dropped and the 8GB version reduced by $200 to $399.
Apple have also done a deal with Starbucks which allows buying of the last 10 played songs via in-store WiFi. It's not clear whether the iPod/Phone will be able to use WiFi for anything else though (without paying for it).
As the iPod Touch comes in a 16GB version, it's likely the iPhone will too at some point.
29 Ağustos 2007 Çarşamba
28 Ağustos 2007 Salı
iPhone hacked
It looks like the iPhone can now work on non-ATandT SIMs.
However it also looks like Apple/ATandT may be getting their legal guns aimed and ready to fire on anyone offering software that will completely unlock the iPhone.
A UK company was going to sell software to unlock the iPhone, but a now rethinking after a call from ATandT lawayers at 3am UK time.
Though it would be fun to use an iPhone with a UK SIM, unless data rates drop considerably (though do-able on T-Mobile and 3) using an iPhone in the UK could prove a very costly business.
Better wait until O2 officially announce their deal with Apple for the UK and see what their pricing is.
However it also looks like Apple/ATandT may be getting their legal guns aimed and ready to fire on anyone offering software that will completely unlock the iPhone.
A UK company was going to sell software to unlock the iPhone, but a now rethinking after a call from ATandT lawayers at 3am UK time.
Though it would be fun to use an iPhone with a UK SIM, unless data rates drop considerably (though do-able on T-Mobile and 3) using an iPhone in the UK could prove a very costly business.
Better wait until O2 officially announce their deal with Apple for the UK and see what their pricing is.
Adobe updates Flash9 player
The updated player is available from Adobe Labs. It now supports H.264 video streaming which allows for HD content to be displayed (up to 1080p).
It's still a beta product, but Adobe is fending off other players.
It's still a beta product, but Adobe is fending off other players.
Microsoft Releases HD Photo plug-in for Photoshop CS2/3
Microsoft have released a HD Photo plug-in for Adobe's Photoshop CS2 and CS3. It's available for both Windows XP/Vista and Apple MacOS X (10.4) on both Intel and PowerPC.
Currently it's still beta, though it's expected to be the final version.
It was known as Windows Media HD, though MS have submitted it to JPEG and it should become JPEG XR (XR is short for "extended range). MS are allowing the technology to be used in a royalty free manner and will submit all specifications allowing anyone to implement the format on any platform in any language.
Currently it's still beta, though it's expected to be the final version.
It was known as Windows Media HD, though MS have submitted it to JPEG and it should become JPEG XR (XR is short for "extended range). MS are allowing the technology to be used in a royalty free manner and will submit all specifications allowing anyone to implement the format on any platform in any language.
Nikon announces D3 and D300
Nikon have announced the Nikon D3 Pro camera and D300 semi-pro (or prosumer) models. The D300 is based on the D series body, while the D3 is an upgrade to the D2.
The D3 has a 12.1 effective megapixel FX format (36.0-x-23.9mm) image sensor with 12-channel read out, a 9 fps frame rate, expandable ISO settings from 200-6400, a completely new 51-Point autofocus system, a three-inch VGA LCD screen with Live View (it shows what's being photographed, rather than just displaying saved photos). The camera supports CompactFlash cards and can support two simultaneously. Photos can be stored to both (mirrored, so there is always a back-up), photos can also be stored consequatively on both cards. A clever feature is that if the images are stored as both NEF (Nikon's raw format) and JPEG, NEF images can be stored on one card, and JPEG on the other.
The D300 has a 12.3 megapixel sensor, a 6fps frame advance, a self-cleaning sensor unit and high definition 3-inch VGA LCD display. It has a fast start-up (0.13s with a 45ms shutter lag). The sensor is self-cleaning (it vibrates to loosen dust) with an ISO range of 200-3200. The D300 also has an HDMI connector suitable for HD displays.
Both cameras use Nikon's new EXPEED processing chip which handles 14bit D/A with 16bit image processing.
The D300 with retail for around £1,100 plus VAT for the body only
The D3 has a 12.1 effective megapixel FX format (36.0-x-23.9mm) image sensor with 12-channel read out, a 9 fps frame rate, expandable ISO settings from 200-6400, a completely new 51-Point autofocus system, a three-inch VGA LCD screen with Live View (it shows what's being photographed, rather than just displaying saved photos). The camera supports CompactFlash cards and can support two simultaneously. Photos can be stored to both (mirrored, so there is always a back-up), photos can also be stored consequatively on both cards. A clever feature is that if the images are stored as both NEF (Nikon's raw format) and JPEG, NEF images can be stored on one card, and JPEG on the other.
The D300 has a 12.3 megapixel sensor, a 6fps frame advance, a self-cleaning sensor unit and high definition 3-inch VGA LCD display. It has a fast start-up (0.13s with a 45ms shutter lag). The sensor is self-cleaning (it vibrates to loosen dust) with an ISO range of 200-3200. The D300 also has an HDMI connector suitable for HD displays.
Both cameras use Nikon's new EXPEED processing chip which handles 14bit D/A with 16bit image processing.
The D300 with retail for around £1,100 plus VAT for the body only
22 Ağustos 2007 Çarşamba
Number Availability | Ofcom
Number Availability | Ofcom
Ofcom are going to oen two new number ranges for Premium Rate Services (PRS): -
0902 for ’Special Services, time charged calls up to and including 60ppm and total call cost not greater then £5 or fixed fee up to £1 per call.
0903 for ‘Special Services, open ended time dependent charge or fixed fee up to £1.50 (open ended calls).
This is to increase the availability of number for PRS services.
Ofcom are going to oen two new number ranges for Premium Rate Services (PRS): -
0902 for ’Special Services, time charged calls up to and including 60ppm and total call cost not greater then £5 or fixed fee up to £1 per call.
0903 for ‘Special Services, open ended time dependent charge or fixed fee up to £1.50 (open ended calls).
This is to increase the availability of number for PRS services.
17 Ağustos 2007 Cuma
Barbara Boxer visits Sun Microsystems to present Conservation Champions Award
http://www.boxer.senate.gov/news/photos/
16 Ağustos 2007 Perşembe
15 Ağustos 2007 Çarşamba
13 Ağustos 2007 Pazartesi
Are the Bees Dying off Because They're Too Busy?
By Susan Kuchinskas, East Bay Express. Posted August 11, 2007.
Are bees dying because factory farms are "overworking" them? California bee farmers who let their hives take it easy find their colonies are thriving.
Are bees dying because factory farms are "overworking" them? California bee farmers who let their hives take it easy find their colonies are thriving.
10 Ağustos 2007 Cuma
Watch 'The Bear' Movie from 1999
Posted by: "Michelle Tsai" michtsai@yahoo.com michtsai
Wed Aug 8, 2007 2:57 pm (PST)
If anyone knows a hunter or a hunting group, I highly recommend a movie for them to watch. It's called "The Bear". It's an amazingly beautiful and touching movie that came out in 1999, by an acclaimed director. It's a very up-close and personal documentary-style movie about an orphaned bear cub and an older male bear who adopted him; they were pursued by two hunters and then left alone after the life of one of the hunters was spared by the older bear. There is hardly any talking in the film and you hear a lot of moving bear talk. There won't be a dry eye in the audience. At the end there was a quote "The thrill is not to kill, but to let live." It's an A+++ film, one worth treasuring.
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Bear/290158?strkid=261296019_0_0
I don't know any hunting groups, especially bear hunters, but would love to find out how to get a hold of them. Any one know? Thanks so much.
michelle
Wed Aug 8, 2007 2:57 pm (PST)
If anyone knows a hunter or a hunting group, I highly recommend a movie for them to watch. It's called "The Bear". It's an amazingly beautiful and touching movie that came out in 1999, by an acclaimed director. It's a very up-close and personal documentary-style movie about an orphaned bear cub and an older male bear who adopted him; they were pursued by two hunters and then left alone after the life of one of the hunters was spared by the older bear. There is hardly any talking in the film and you hear a lot of moving bear talk. There won't be a dry eye in the audience. At the end there was a quote "The thrill is not to kill, but to let live." It's an A+++ film, one worth treasuring.
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Bear/290158?strkid=261296019_0_0
I don't know any hunting groups, especially bear hunters, but would love to find out how to get a hold of them. Any one know? Thanks so much.
michelle
9 Ağustos 2007 Perşembe
Decision to make The Wireless Telegraphy (Ultra-Wideband Equipment) (Exemption) Regulations 2007 | Ofcom
Decision to make The Wireless Telegraphy (Ultra-Wideband Equipment) (Exemption) Regulations 2007 | Ofcom
Ofcom will allow the use of UWB (Ultra-Wideband) equipment from 13th August 2007 when the exemption regulations come into force.
This is in accordance with European directives.
Any equipment will have to meet the published requirements and spectral masks.
This is a good step forwards and should allow new equipment to come on the market such as wireless HDTV distribution for in-home use and wireless USB.
Ofcom will allow the use of UWB (Ultra-Wideband) equipment from 13th August 2007 when the exemption regulations come into force.
This is in accordance with European directives.
Any equipment will have to meet the published requirements and spectral masks.
This is a good step forwards and should allow new equipment to come on the market such as wireless HDTV distribution for in-home use and wireless USB.
6 Ağustos 2007 Pazartesi
NOW up for sale
NOW the UK Wireless broadband operator from PCCW is up for sale. PCCW paid $14m for regional licenses which they are trying to convert to a single UK license (and to allow mobile use, which the licenses currently prohibit).
NOW have only 14,000 customers but losses of £23.3m. UK infrastructure is still expensive and providing a national network is unecomic unless there's huge scale involved or the company has a national network already.
Pipex was recently sold to Tiscali, though Pipex Wireless was excluded from the sale.
Both Pipex Wireless and NOW will compete for the same bidders.
BT has expressed an interested in the 2.5GHz spectrum, they may well make an offer for Pipex Wireless or NOW to gain their licenses.
NOW have only 14,000 customers but losses of £23.3m. UK infrastructure is still expensive and providing a national network is unecomic unless there's huge scale involved or the company has a national network already.
Pipex was recently sold to Tiscali, though Pipex Wireless was excluded from the sale.
Both Pipex Wireless and NOW will compete for the same bidders.
BT has expressed an interested in the 2.5GHz spectrum, they may well make an offer for Pipex Wireless or NOW to gain their licenses.
Virgin attracts Liberty Global
Liberty Global may join the battle for Virgin Media with a bid of £11bn.
BSkyB asked to delay the court case with Virgin Media re the Sky channels which Sky withdrew over pricing, which means it wont be heard until next year at the earliest. Normally Virgin Media would have pushed to have the case heard as early as possible so they get the channels back and stop losing customers.
Unfortunately an in-court case could delay any sale pending the outcome. It's much better for Virgin Media to delay the case and let a sale go through, then deal with BSkyB.
Unfortunatey it's bad news for customers who aren't likely to get their Sky content back for a year.
BSkyB asked to delay the court case with Virgin Media re the Sky channels which Sky withdrew over pricing, which means it wont be heard until next year at the earliest. Normally Virgin Media would have pushed to have the case heard as early as possible so they get the channels back and stop losing customers.
Unfortunately an in-court case could delay any sale pending the outcome. It's much better for Virgin Media to delay the case and let a sale go through, then deal with BSkyB.
Unfortunatey it's bad news for customers who aren't likely to get their Sky content back for a year.
3 Ağustos 2007 Cuma
Good News!!! HOUSE APPROVES PROTECTIONS FOR HORSES AND PETS
I went to the Taking Action for Animals Conference in Washington DC last weekend and Monday. These are 2 of the 4 bills many of the attendees, including myself, lobbied for on Capitol Hill.
I have to share this great news from the HSUS with you below.
****************************************
The Humane Society of the United States
August 3, 2007
****************************************
HOUSE APPROVES PROTECTIONS FOR HORSES AND PETS
Dear mary,
I know you just heard from The Humane Society of the United
States yesterday, but I have some exciting news that I knew you
would want to hear. I hope you don't mind the extra email this
week.
The House of Representatives has approved an
amendment to its Agriculture Appropriations bill that will help
stop the practice of American horses being hauled to slaughter
plants for human consumption.
Read more:
https://community.hsus.org/ct/E7_tvLn1_Rko/
It's the latest advance for us on animal issues in Congress.
Last week, the House approved an animal protection amendment to
the Farm Bill. This amendment would prohibit the use in research
of dogs and cats obtained from random source Class B dealers,
who may steal pets or fraudulently obtain them through "free to
good home" ads. It would also ban the use of live animals in
sales demonstrations of medical devices.
Read more:
https://community.hsus.org/ct/Ed_tvLn1_Rk9/
Thanks to the actions of dedicated animal advocates like you,
we're making great progress for animals in this Congressional
session. We still have much work to do, but I know with your
continued support, we will realize even more victories for
animals this year.
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
****************************************
Copyright (c) 2007 The Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS). All Rights Reserved.
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037
humanesociety@hsus.org | 202-452-1100 | www.humanesociety.org
I have to share this great news from the HSUS with you below.
****************************************
The Humane Society of the United States
August 3, 2007
****************************************
HOUSE APPROVES PROTECTIONS FOR HORSES AND PETS
Dear mary,
I know you just heard from The Humane Society of the United
States yesterday, but I have some exciting news that I knew you
would want to hear. I hope you don't mind the extra email this
week.
The House of Representatives has approved an
amendment to its Agriculture Appropriations bill that will help
stop the practice of American horses being hauled to slaughter
plants for human consumption.
Read more:
https://community.hsus.org/ct/E7_tvLn1_Rko/
It's the latest advance for us on animal issues in Congress.
Last week, the House approved an animal protection amendment to
the Farm Bill. This amendment would prohibit the use in research
of dogs and cats obtained from random source Class B dealers,
who may steal pets or fraudulently obtain them through "free to
good home" ads. It would also ban the use of live animals in
sales demonstrations of medical devices.
Read more:
https://community.hsus.org/ct/Ed_tvLn1_Rk9/
Thanks to the actions of dedicated animal advocates like you,
we're making great progress for animals in this Congressional
session. We still have much work to do, but I know with your
continued support, we will realize even more victories for
animals this year.
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
****************************************
Copyright (c) 2007 The Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS). All Rights Reserved.
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037
humanesociety@hsus.org | 202-452-1100 | www.humanesociety.org
2 Ağustos 2007 Perşembe
Award of available spectrum: 2500-2690MHz,2010-2025MHz | Ofcom
Award of available spectrum: 2500-2690MHz,2010-2025MHz | Ofcom
Ofcom are looking to make a considerable ammount of spectrum available. They are looking at 2 paired bands and a single unpaired band which would be suitable for WiMAX type services.
There is going to be a lot of interest in this spectrum (BT have already implied they will bid for it). As the band was originally going to be used for 3G, current 3G terminals will look for control channels in this band, and so there is also interest from 3G operators.
Ofcom are consulting now and will make a decision on the regulations etc by March or April 2008 and following invite applicants to participate in the award in the first quarter of 2008 and commence the bidding process as soon as possible thereafter.
Ofcom are looking to make a considerable ammount of spectrum available. They are looking at 2 paired bands and a single unpaired band which would be suitable for WiMAX type services.
There is going to be a lot of interest in this spectrum (BT have already implied they will bid for it). As the band was originally going to be used for 3G, current 3G terminals will look for control channels in this band, and so there is also interest from 3G operators.
Ofcom are consulting now and will make a decision on the regulations etc by March or April 2008 and following invite applicants to participate in the award in the first quarter of 2008 and commence the bidding process as soon as possible thereafter.
Regulation of VoIP Services: Access to the Emergency Services | Ofcom
Regulation of VoIP Services: Access to the Emergency Services | Ofcom
Ofcom is proposing that all VoIP providers will need to provide access to 999 services since users of VoIP services are unaware or thought that services did privide access.
They are holding a consultation which closes on 20th Sept 2007.
If providers do provide 999 services they will be classed as PATS which may put further obligations on the provider.
Currently 999 services have the ability to tie a telephone number to an address (or to a cell site in terms of mobile calls - they Cell ID is passed as part of the call set-up), VoIP calls make this more difficult, however this is similar to US policy where VoIP providers have to meet E911 conditions.
Ofcom is proposing that all VoIP providers will need to provide access to 999 services since users of VoIP services are unaware or thought that services did privide access.
They are holding a consultation which closes on 20th Sept 2007.
If providers do provide 999 services they will be classed as PATS which may put further obligations on the provider.
Currently 999 services have the ability to tie a telephone number to an address (or to a cell site in terms of mobile calls - they Cell ID is passed as part of the call set-up), VoIP calls make this more difficult, however this is similar to US policy where VoIP providers have to meet E911 conditions.
1 Ağustos 2007 Çarşamba
31 Temmuz 2007 Salı
WITNESS - Rescuing a Sea Turtle Named Ed
Picture Here:
http://www.planetark.com/envpicstory.cfm/newsid/43333
http://www.planetark.com/envpicstory.cfm/newsid/43333
Factory Farming Pollution in the US
http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/ allows users to track the proliferation of factory farms by state and county, number of farms, type of operation and even number of animals.
Editorial - A Factory Farm Near You
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/opinion/31tue4.html?th&emc=th
Editorial - A Factory Farm Near You
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/opinion/31tue4.html?th&emc=th
27 Temmuz 2007 Cuma
26 Temmuz 2007 Perşembe
Avis Goes Green With Hybrid Rentals
Avis is greening its rental fleet, announcing today that it will add 500 Nissan Altima hybrids to the thousand Toyota (TM) Priuses it began offering earlier this summer. The move is probably less a sign of Avis's (CAR) eco-consciousness than a strategy to spice up a dowdy rental fleet of Detroit cast-offs like the Chevry Impala. For ethanol fans, Avis offers flex-fuel cars. The hybrids are part of Avis's new "Cool Cars" collection that includes some decidedly brown vehicles like General Motors's (GM) Hummer and Dodge's (DCX) Nitro monster SUV. Apparently traditional car rental agencies are feeling some pressure from Web-based competitors Zipcar and Flexcar, which maintain fleets of "cool cars" like the Prius, Honda (HMC) Civic hybrid and Mini Cooper but which, for the most part, eschew carbon-spewing big sedans and SUVs.
25 Temmuz 2007 Çarşamba
60 Seconds to Save the Earth from Al Gore
In order to ultimately force our leaders to take action to solve the climate crisis, we have to use every medium -- including television, radio, and the Internet -- to build public support. And that's just what the Alliance for Climate Protection will do. The Alliance is a three-year campaign that will push the climate crisis to the top of the nation's agenda using a combination of paid advertising, public service announcements, and grassroots power. Your voices have carried our movement this far. So as we begin to create our media campaigns, I didn't want to only turn to an advertising firm -- I wanted to turn to you. If you had 60 seconds to convince all of your friends that they needed to take action to stop the climate crisis, what would you say? How would you get the attention of millions of people all over the world? Well, now you have the chance! Current TV and the Alliance for Climate Protection have teamed up to sponsor 60 Seconds to Save the Earth. The premise is simple: make the best 15, 30, or 60-second ad showcasing how you or someone you know is taking action to alleviate the climate crisis -- or create an original, persuasive message that will open eyes, inspire change and empower your audience. Get the
details and create your ad by visiting: http://www.current.tv/ecospotcontest
After you submit your ad, our panel of celebrity judges will narrow the field to 20 finalists. Then you will be able to help pick the winner through an online vote. The top ads will be aired internationally on Current TV, featured in the Alliance's national campaign, and showcased on MySpace's Impact channel. In addition, the grand-prize winner will receive a Toyota hybrid car, while three finalists will win Sony electronic products, and 16 semi-finalists will receive T-Mobile Sidekicks. So get started -- in 60 seconds you can save the planet. Learn about this incredible contest and submit your ad today by visiting: http://www.current.tv/ecospotcontest Thank you, Al Gore
Download Song to help homeless and abused dogs in Ethiopia
I met Dr. Anteneh Roba at the Animal Rights 2007 LA conference last weekend. He runs a Foundation to help homeless and abused dogs in Ethiopia.
Maria Daines recently provided AGMF a song downloadable for a tax deductible donation to help these dogs.
Maria Daines recently provided AGMF a song downloadable for a tax deductible donation to help these dogs.
24 Temmuz 2007 Salı
Animal Agriculture generates more greenhouse gases than Transport
Hi Everyone,
"According to a new report published by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture organization, the livestock sector generates more
greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent -- 18 percent
-- than transport.
Henning Steinfeld, Chief of FAO's Livestock Information & Policy
Branch and senior author of the report says: "Livestock are one of the
most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental
problems. Urgent action is required to remedy the situation."
Please see more information on the bite global warming link below
http://www.biteglobalwarming.org/
Here's another article from the UK telegraph with similar data.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/19/nbeef119.xml
Thanks,
Mary
"According to a new report published by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture organization, the livestock sector generates more
greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent -- 18 percent
-- than transport.
Henning Steinfeld, Chief of FAO's Livestock Information & Policy
Branch and senior author of the report says: "Livestock are one of the
most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental
problems. Urgent action is required to remedy the situation."
Please see more information on the bite global warming link below
http://www.biteglobalwarming.org/
Here's another article from the UK telegraph with similar data.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/19/nbeef119.xml
Thanks,
Mary
23 Temmuz 2007 Pazartesi
Nokia N800 Internet tablet
Small and feature packed. It works with Googletalk out the box and also now supports Skype (with the latest software upgrade).
It has a virtual keyboard that works pretty well, and web browsing seems to support most sites.
There are apps that can be downloaded to make it pretty useful like an ssh client (and server), VNC client etc.
It's just small enough to carry around, but not as small as a mobile phone.
It also has sensible settings for Email (like supporting different smtp servers for different connection profiles.
It has a virtual keyboard that works pretty well, and web browsing seems to support most sites.
There are apps that can be downloaded to make it pretty useful like an ssh client (and server), VNC client etc.
It's just small enough to carry around, but not as small as a mobile phone.
It also has sensible settings for Email (like supporting different smtp servers for different connection profiles.
Google invests in Ubiquisys
Ubiquisys an Oxford based company have developed a 3G femtocell (known as Zonegate) using Picochip technology.
Google have invested around $10m of their $25m B round financing.
Google have also said they are looking at investing $4.6bn in the 700MHz wireless auction in the US (if the FCC holds the auction in a manner they consider fair).
It wouldn't be suprising if Google put money into the UK 2.5GHz auction that will happen next year, they may well also invest in a UK GSM Guard band license holder.
It seems Google believe licensed spectrum is the way forwards and are implementing that strategy.
Google have invested around $10m of their $25m B round financing.
Google have also said they are looking at investing $4.6bn in the 700MHz wireless auction in the US (if the FCC holds the auction in a manner they consider fair).
It wouldn't be suprising if Google put money into the UK 2.5GHz auction that will happen next year, they may well also invest in a UK GSM Guard band license holder.
It seems Google believe licensed spectrum is the way forwards and are implementing that strategy.
20 Temmuz 2007 Cuma
Facebook | Login
Facebook | Login
First time I've seen Facebook errors: -
"Hey, your account is temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance. It should be available again within a few hours. We apologize for the inconvenience."
My photo albums disappeared and the homepage after login wasn't displaying the right info.
Looks like Facebook broke something badly, maybe they had to do an upgrade and it didn't work? Well it could be anything but coping with the growing number of users must be extremely difficult.
First time I've seen Facebook errors: -
"Hey, your account is temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance. It should be available again within a few hours. We apologize for the inconvenience."
My photo albums disappeared and the homepage after login wasn't displaying the right info.
Looks like Facebook broke something badly, maybe they had to do an upgrade and it didn't work? Well it could be anything but coping with the growing number of users must be extremely difficult.
19 Temmuz 2007 Perşembe
BT feels the need for 50Mb speed | The Register
BT feels the need for 50Mb speed | The Register
BT have said they are considering putting equipment in the street cabinets, though it will be a costly business.
There will also be huge problems as then it's likely BT will have to unbundle the sub-loops (as the copper is known between the street cabinet and the home) as well as already having to unbundle the local loop (allowing 3rd parties to put kit in the exchange).
The unbundling stems from an EU directive which mandates unbundling of the local or sub loops.
If BT has to allow 3rd parties to put kit in their street cabinets it will open a huge can of worms. Maybe they'll be allowed to run the infrastructure, but open it to 3rd parties.
Though speeds of 50Mb/s are quoted, VDSL2/2+ actually allows speeds of up to 100Mb/s which is common in various Asian countries.
BT have said they are considering putting equipment in the street cabinets, though it will be a costly business.
There will also be huge problems as then it's likely BT will have to unbundle the sub-loops (as the copper is known between the street cabinet and the home) as well as already having to unbundle the local loop (allowing 3rd parties to put kit in the exchange).
The unbundling stems from an EU directive which mandates unbundling of the local or sub loops.
If BT has to allow 3rd parties to put kit in their street cabinets it will open a huge can of worms. Maybe they'll be allowed to run the infrastructure, but open it to 3rd parties.
Though speeds of 50Mb/s are quoted, VDSL2/2+ actually allows speeds of up to 100Mb/s which is common in various Asian countries.
Disputes between T-Mobile and BT, O2 and BT, Hutchison 3G and BT and BT and each of Hutchison 3G, Orange Personal Communications Services and Vodafone relating to call termination rates | Ofcom
Disputes between T-Mobile and BT, O2 and BT, Hutchison 3G and BT and BT and each of Hutchison 3G, Orange Personal Communications Services and Vodafone relating to call termination rates | Ofcom
Ofcom has now closed this case and BT will have to pay termination charges to the various operators for the periods in dispute up to 27th March 2007.
On 27 March 2007, Ofcom published a statement concluding a market review into mobile call termination charges.
Ofcom determined that there would be no distinction to voice call termination whether on 2G or 3G networks for 4 years from 1 April 2007 (i.e. until 2011 when a further review may take place).
So the operators will gain some fees, but not as much as they'd hoped for.
Ofcom has now closed this case and BT will have to pay termination charges to the various operators for the periods in dispute up to 27th March 2007.
On 27 March 2007, Ofcom published a statement concluding a market review into mobile call termination charges.
Ofcom determined that there would be no distinction to voice call termination whether on 2G or 3G networks for 4 years from 1 April 2007 (i.e. until 2011 when a further review may take place).
So the operators will gain some fees, but not as much as they'd hoped for.
18 Temmuz 2007 Çarşamba
PC Pro: News: Facebook facing shutdown over 'stolen code' claim
PC Pro: News: Facebook facing shutdown over 'stolen code' claim
Whether the claim is true or not, it's unlikely Facebook could be shut down, their users would bitterly complain (including myself) and there's enough of them to make themselves heard.
Facebook seems to be gaining popularity at an increasing rate.
If you haven't used Facebook, try it. Though a social networking site, they are also gaining serious business networking professionals and their photo upload too is a joy to use.
Whether the claim is true or not, it's unlikely Facebook could be shut down, their users would bitterly complain (including myself) and there's enough of them to make themselves heard.
Facebook seems to be gaining popularity at an increasing rate.
If you haven't used Facebook, try it. Though a social networking site, they are also gaining serious business networking professionals and their photo upload too is a joy to use.
17 Temmuz 2007 Salı
Arrangements for porting phone numbers when customers switch supplier | Ofcom
Arrangements for porting phone numbers when customers switch supplier | Ofcom
Ofcom wants mobile operators to speed up the porting process between operators.
Currently they are allowed 5 days which is seen as a barrier to changing operators, Ofcom want to reduce this to two days and then 2 hours.
Eventually this would rely on a central common porting database which all networks could query, this is known as All Calls Query/ Common Database (ACQ/CBD) and is being implemented for Next Generation Networks.
Ofcom has allowed 26 months for this to happen, but the UK 3G operator 3 has said it could be done in less than 12 months.
Some operators will be resistant to this as making it easy for customers to move away from their network is not in their best interest. It will also effect the new tranch of low power GSM (Guard Band entrants) who are already at looking how best to implement a porting mechanism with the 5 existing MNOs.
Ofcom would like to see a database implemented and populated by 31st Dec 2008, then direct routing and near instant porting by 1st Sep 2009 and achieve Direct Routing by ALL networks (including fixed line networks) by 31st Dec 2012. There are also other options, but this is Ofcoms preferred one.
If this can be implemented quickly it will make a huge difference to the mobile world enabling users to move networks easily, it will also help the low power operators who are currently battling the MNO's (in a nice way) to make their life easier.
Ofcom wants mobile operators to speed up the porting process between operators.
Currently they are allowed 5 days which is seen as a barrier to changing operators, Ofcom want to reduce this to two days and then 2 hours.
Eventually this would rely on a central common porting database which all networks could query, this is known as All Calls Query/ Common Database (ACQ/CBD) and is being implemented for Next Generation Networks.
Ofcom has allowed 26 months for this to happen, but the UK 3G operator 3 has said it could be done in less than 12 months.
Some operators will be resistant to this as making it easy for customers to move away from their network is not in their best interest. It will also effect the new tranch of low power GSM (Guard Band entrants) who are already at looking how best to implement a porting mechanism with the 5 existing MNOs.
Ofcom would like to see a database implemented and populated by 31st Dec 2008, then direct routing and near instant porting by 1st Sep 2009 and achieve Direct Routing by ALL networks (including fixed line networks) by 31st Dec 2012. There are also other options, but this is Ofcoms preferred one.
If this can be implemented quickly it will make a huge difference to the mobile world enabling users to move networks easily, it will also help the low power operators who are currently battling the MNO's (in a nice way) to make their life easier.
Tiscali to buy Pipex
UK broadband consilidation continues with the acquisition of Pipex's fixed voice and broadband assets going to Tiscali (assuming it gains the approval of Pipex's shareholders and the UK OFT). This will add around 570,000 consumers and 100,000 business broadband customers. Tiscali will pay around £210m.
It looks like Pipex will maintain their hosting business (though it's a good guess they'll sell that off too) and Pipex Wireless who are starting to offer WiMAX based services (with a £21m injection from Intel).
Though Pipex Wireless are rolling out wireless services, they are ripe for a take-over and they may fetch as much as the fixed line assets of Pipex. Wireless is seen as the only real contender to fight BT's last mile hold. Pipex initially zero rated their wireless license on their books when they acquired Firstnet who also acquired the license from another operator. They must now be laughing all the way to the bank.
It looks like Pipex will maintain their hosting business (though it's a good guess they'll sell that off too) and Pipex Wireless who are starting to offer WiMAX based services (with a £21m injection from Intel).
Though Pipex Wireless are rolling out wireless services, they are ripe for a take-over and they may fetch as much as the fixed line assets of Pipex. Wireless is seen as the only real contender to fight BT's last mile hold. Pipex initially zero rated their wireless license on their books when they acquired Firstnet who also acquired the license from another operator. They must now be laughing all the way to the bank.
16 Temmuz 2007 Pazartesi
Emissions don't make Europe happy
A related article is here:
Happiness doesn't cost the Earth
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5169448.stm
Happiness doesn't cost the Earth
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5169448.stm
13 Temmuz 2007 Cuma
12 Temmuz 2007 Perşembe
Virgin loses 40,000 customers, Sky gains
Sky has reported better pay tv results this quarter, 90,000 new subs instead of the 50,000 expected.
VirginMedia has admitted it has lost 40,000 customers to Sky over the loss of basic Sky channels on its service.
Sky is not saying if the increased customer base is due to Virgin's loss, however they have also increased their broadband and voice customers.
If the loss continues VirginMedia will suffer greatly, which cant hurt Sky.
VirginMedia has admitted it has lost 40,000 customers to Sky over the loss of basic Sky channels on its service.
Sky is not saying if the increased customer base is due to Virgin's loss, however they have also increased their broadband and voice customers.
If the loss continues VirginMedia will suffer greatly, which cant hurt Sky.
Quicktime 7.2
It seems Apple have added 2 new features to Quicktime 7.2, export to iPhone and export to iPhone (cellular) as well as fixing various security vulnerabilities.
The iPhone export supports .m4v (an MPEG 4 variant), while iPhone (cellular) supports the standardised .3gp format which produces smaller files.
Though the features are there, they're not mentioned in the release notes.
Quicktime 7.2 is available as a standalone download or part of the iTunes 7.3.1 download (which is a minor upgrade from iTunes 7.3 to 7.3.1 and fixes some iTunes library issues).
The iPhone export supports .m4v (an MPEG 4 variant), while iPhone (cellular) supports the standardised .3gp format which produces smaller files.
Though the features are there, they're not mentioned in the release notes.
Quicktime 7.2 is available as a standalone download or part of the iTunes 7.3.1 download (which is a minor upgrade from iTunes 7.3 to 7.3.1 and fixes some iTunes library issues).
Spectrum Framework Review: the Public Sector | Ofcom
Spectrum Framework Review: the Public Sector | Ofcom
Ofcom is holding a consultation to make more spectrum available, either by directly licensing spectrum, by spectrum trading and other means.
Much of the spectrum below 15GHz is held by the MOD and public sector, the MOD is already conducting a review of its required spectrum and will make spectrum available after 2008. Ofcom is trying to make it easier for the public sector to do the same.
The Wireless Telegraphy Act is a very draconian piece of legislation which covers most spectrum allocations, however under the Communications Act some licenses have been transferred and allow more flexible use.
Ofcom is proposing that more spectrum be licensed under the Communications Act regime, which would allow spectrum trading.
Ofcom is holding a consultation to make more spectrum available, either by directly licensing spectrum, by spectrum trading and other means.
Much of the spectrum below 15GHz is held by the MOD and public sector, the MOD is already conducting a review of its required spectrum and will make spectrum available after 2008. Ofcom is trying to make it easier for the public sector to do the same.
The Wireless Telegraphy Act is a very draconian piece of legislation which covers most spectrum allocations, however under the Communications Act some licenses have been transferred and allow more flexible use.
Ofcom is proposing that more spectrum be licensed under the Communications Act regime, which would allow spectrum trading.
11 Temmuz 2007 Çarşamba
Disputes between T-Mobile and BT, O2 and BT, Hutchison 3G and BT and BT and each of Hutchison 3G, Orange Personal Communications Services and Vodafone relating to call termination rates | Ofcom
Disputes between T-Mobile and BT, O2 and BT, Hutchison 3G and BT and BT and each of Hutchison 3G, Orange Personal Communications Services and Vodafone relating to call termination rates | Ofcom
The mobile networks are saying it costs more to terminate calls on their 3G networks compared to the 2G (or GSM) networks and have either raised charges, or want to raise charges. BT has complained about the new charges.
Ofcom have received new information and are therefore extending the dispute.
The mobile networks are saying it costs more to terminate calls on their 3G networks compared to the 2G (or GSM) networks and have either raised charges, or want to raise charges. BT has complained about the new charges.
Ofcom have received new information and are therefore extending the dispute.
Facebook is growing fast
Facebook is definately the new craze and is growing like mad. Everyone seems to be joining, the same faces from other social networking sites, interestingly business users and consumers alike.
The interface is much more organised than say MySpace and much easier to read/navigate around. It seems "more friendly" too.
Google's Orkut gained a huge popularity when they launched (invite only - which made it geeky cool), but it rapidly seemed to lose it's steam.
While MySpace is huge, Facebook must be catching up. Facebook also rarely has errors while accessing areas etc, so they've obviously thought hard and long about scalability from the beginning.
A major plus for Facebook is that they've opened it up so developers can access the gubbins below and build applications - techy heaven - but it also means stuff gets developed that users want (and that Facebook might not have resources to do themselves).
It looks like it's here to stay.
The interface is much more organised than say MySpace and much easier to read/navigate around. It seems "more friendly" too.
Google's Orkut gained a huge popularity when they launched (invite only - which made it geeky cool), but it rapidly seemed to lose it's steam.
While MySpace is huge, Facebook must be catching up. Facebook also rarely has errors while accessing areas etc, so they've obviously thought hard and long about scalability from the beginning.
A major plus for Facebook is that they've opened it up so developers can access the gubbins below and build applications - techy heaven - but it also means stuff gets developed that users want (and that Facebook might not have resources to do themselves).
It looks like it's here to stay.
Nokia adds Skype to N800 Internet device
Nokia and Skype have added the Skype VoIP application to the N800 WiFi tablet. This will allow users to utilise the Skype application when connected through a nome or public WiFi hotspot.
The tablet seems more a techie toy rather than a useful Internet device.
The tablet seems more a techie toy rather than a useful Internet device.
10 Temmuz 2007 Salı
8 Temmuz 2007 Pazar
6 Temmuz 2007 Cuma
4 Temmuz 2007 Çarşamba
Apple iPhone soon to be hacked
Now that people have got their hands on an iPhone the hacking has started.
Using recovery images people have already found the CPU type, built-in users (and cracked the passwords).
The activation process has also been broken, so it doesn't need to go through the iTunes/AT&T services. This doesn't allow the phone to be used with a SIM though, however the PDA and Internet functions work using WiFi.
There's now intense activity on unlocking the SIM so it can be used with other GSM services. Time will tell if it's actually possible.
Of course when people do break things, Apple are bound to release a software update to implement new security measures which will render these cracks unusable and they'll add more functionality so people want to upgrade (iChat and ringtones are already rumoured).
Using recovery images people have already found the CPU type, built-in users (and cracked the passwords).
The activation process has also been broken, so it doesn't need to go through the iTunes/AT&T services. This doesn't allow the phone to be used with a SIM though, however the PDA and Internet functions work using WiFi.
There's now intense activity on unlocking the SIM so it can be used with other GSM services. Time will tell if it's actually possible.
Of course when people do break things, Apple are bound to release a software update to implement new security measures which will render these cracks unusable and they'll add more functionality so people want to upgrade (iChat and ringtones are already rumoured).
3 Temmuz 2007 Salı
Carbon With That Latte?
How Starbucks hopes to trim its emissions footprint.
Starbucks wants to go on a carbon-lite diet. But oh, it's hard.
In its shop in downtown San Mateo, Calif., for instance, baristas serve up about 40,000 cups of coffee drinks every month. Just based on utility bills alone, that means Starbucks is serving up about 4,900 pounds of carbon with its drinks--or about two ounces per cup.
Starbucks executives say they are looking for ways to trim those carbon emissions. But they are reluctant to say just how much Starbucks' worldwide carbon footprint is--and how it has changed over the past few years. Starbucks has calculated the carbon footprint of its North American locations only once, in 2003. Since then, its number of U.S. company-owned stores has almost doubled to 6,281. Its international company-owned locations, also left out of the calculation, now number more than 1,500.
"Although we have grown in size, the nature of our business remains the same--the operation of retail stores and roasting coffee," says Jim Hanna, environmental affairs manager at Starbucks in Seattle. While Starbucks chooses not to calculate its carbon footprint every year, the company does conduct annual progress checks, but these numbers are not publicly reported.
Other eco-friendly companies are also surprising coy. Last month, for instance, Google led a group of 40 other companies (including Starbucks) in kicking off the "Climate Savers Computing Initiative," a project aimed at building and buying more energy-efficient PCs.
But Google refuses to disclose its own carbon footprint. "This is important competitive information that relates to the details of our operations," says Google's Bill Weihl, the engineer in charge of the company's energy strategy.
Google is nonetheless keeping a watch on the size of its carbon footprint and hopes to achieve “carbon neutrality” by the end of this year by using non-carbon energy sources for much of its power needs and purchasing carbon offsets for the rest. Recently, Google flipped the switch on 1.6 megawatts of solar power modules on the roof of its Mountain View headquarters.
Starbucks was early among eco-sensitive companies. Executives became convinced early in this decade that atmospheric carbon could wreak havoc on the global climate--and so on the supply and price of coffee beans. "We're facing environmental risks posed by climate change that could negatively affect many aspects of our company, including our ability to procure coffee," Hanna says.
Temperature and rainfall dictate how much coffee comes out of regions including Latin America and Asia. "As we hope to increase to 40,000 stores worldwide in the next 10 years, we're going to need a larger supply," Hanna says.
In 2003, Starbucks hired Denver-based engineering firm CH2M Hill to calculate the carbon footprint of the approximately 3,700 stores it then had in North America. CH2M Hill began measuring corporate footprints in the late 1990s and has done comparable calculations for a few dozen companies, including Nike, 3M, SC Johnson and energy firm Kinder Morgan.
Doing such calculations is still something of a black art. CH2M Hill's Lisa Grice, who worked on the coffee company's carbon footprint, says the final number primarily includes electricity used in retail stores. Carbon calculators take into account stores' geographic locations. That's because electricity generated at power plants in one state may come from a different source than a power plant in another state. Some stores may get electricity from coal-fired plants, which results in greater carbon emissions, while others may depend on hydroelectric power, which has a lower carbon byproduct.
Starbucks decided to leave out the additional 81,000 tons of carbon dioxide it emitted through transporting coffee materials and disposing solid waste. According to Starbucks Environmental Affairs Manager Ben Packard, the company can only control and manage carbon emissions from energy used in retail stores and coffee-roasting plants.
It took about half a year of data collection and complex calculations to figure out that Starbucks emitted 295,000 tons of carbon into the atmosphere in 2003. Starbucks decided to leave out an additional 81,000 tons of carbon dioxide it emitted by transporting coffee materials and disposing of solid waste. According to Starbucks Environmental Affairs Manager Ben Packard, the company can only control and manage carbon emissions from energy used in retail stores and coffee-roasting plants.
Starbucks attributes 81% of its greenhouse gas emissions to purchased electricity and 18% to coffee roasting at its three North American plants and natural gas usage in stores.
That 295,000-ton figure gives Starbucks a small carbon footprint, among a list of about 1,000 companies compiled by the Carbon Disclosure Project, a London-based nonprofit. Near the top of the list is energy giant American Electric Power with 146.5 million tons of carbon emissions. Next in line are oil and gas companies Royal Dutch/Shell and British Petroleum with 105 million tons and 92 million tons.
Comparatively, General Electric's 12.4 million ton footprint makes it a medium-size emitter. The smallest carbon emitters weighed in at a few thousand tons. Most of the lower footprints belong to insurance companies, retailers and banks.
Starbucks execs say that even as they've been growing the number of outlets, they've been trying to be more energy efficient. In 2005, Starbucks joined the World Research Institute's Green Power Market Development Group, a consortium of 15 companies ranging from Staples to Google. The group helps its members purchase renewable energy at lower prices. Last year, the coffee company increased its wind power to 20% of the total energy usage in North American stores. This offset 62,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
But to track progress in reducing carbon emissions accurately, companies need to update those footprints frequently, says Marcus Peacock of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "We've asked companies to check their numbers annually," he says.
A number of companies are doing just that. Both Intel and Sun Microsystems, which are also part of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, report their carbon footprints annually. Intel's carbon footprint added up to 4 million tons in 2006, a number that includes worldwide operations. Sun first calculated its footprint at 255,000 tons last year, and used past data to figure out carbon emissions dating back four years. The company also reports up-to-date carbon numbers on its Web site.
"We calculate this monthly so that we can make sure we're on track with improving emissions," says Sun's VP of Eco Responsibility Dave Douglas.
Both Intel and Sun are part of the EPA's Climate Leaders Program, a group of companies that sets tangible carbon reduction goals. Climate Leaders began five years ago, when few companies even knew the meaning of carbon footprint. Now, the program boasts 132 members.
In the meantime, Starbucks executives insist they are looking for ways to improve energy efficiency and encourage their customers to do the same. This summer, Starbucks told its customers to go green through a number of high-profile campaigns, including "Green Umbrellas for a Green Cause" and the online Planet Green Game (planetgreengame.com). Starbucks will also start monitoring the energy usage of specific equipment at some stores later this year. "We'll install individual meters on espresso machines, refrigerators, water filtration systems and other components," Hanna says.
This doesn't necessarily mean you'll see a green espresso maker at a Starbucks near you anytime soon. "Quality and performance come first," Hanna says.
Starbucks wants to go on a carbon-lite diet. But oh, it's hard.
In its shop in downtown San Mateo, Calif., for instance, baristas serve up about 40,000 cups of coffee drinks every month. Just based on utility bills alone, that means Starbucks is serving up about 4,900 pounds of carbon with its drinks--or about two ounces per cup.
Starbucks executives say they are looking for ways to trim those carbon emissions. But they are reluctant to say just how much Starbucks' worldwide carbon footprint is--and how it has changed over the past few years. Starbucks has calculated the carbon footprint of its North American locations only once, in 2003. Since then, its number of U.S. company-owned stores has almost doubled to 6,281. Its international company-owned locations, also left out of the calculation, now number more than 1,500.
"Although we have grown in size, the nature of our business remains the same--the operation of retail stores and roasting coffee," says Jim Hanna, environmental affairs manager at Starbucks in Seattle. While Starbucks chooses not to calculate its carbon footprint every year, the company does conduct annual progress checks, but these numbers are not publicly reported.
Other eco-friendly companies are also surprising coy. Last month, for instance, Google led a group of 40 other companies (including Starbucks) in kicking off the "Climate Savers Computing Initiative," a project aimed at building and buying more energy-efficient PCs.
But Google refuses to disclose its own carbon footprint. "This is important competitive information that relates to the details of our operations," says Google's Bill Weihl, the engineer in charge of the company's energy strategy.
Google is nonetheless keeping a watch on the size of its carbon footprint and hopes to achieve “carbon neutrality” by the end of this year by using non-carbon energy sources for much of its power needs and purchasing carbon offsets for the rest. Recently, Google flipped the switch on 1.6 megawatts of solar power modules on the roof of its Mountain View headquarters.
Starbucks was early among eco-sensitive companies. Executives became convinced early in this decade that atmospheric carbon could wreak havoc on the global climate--and so on the supply and price of coffee beans. "We're facing environmental risks posed by climate change that could negatively affect many aspects of our company, including our ability to procure coffee," Hanna says.
Temperature and rainfall dictate how much coffee comes out of regions including Latin America and Asia. "As we hope to increase to 40,000 stores worldwide in the next 10 years, we're going to need a larger supply," Hanna says.
In 2003, Starbucks hired Denver-based engineering firm CH2M Hill to calculate the carbon footprint of the approximately 3,700 stores it then had in North America. CH2M Hill began measuring corporate footprints in the late 1990s and has done comparable calculations for a few dozen companies, including Nike, 3M, SC Johnson and energy firm Kinder Morgan.
Doing such calculations is still something of a black art. CH2M Hill's Lisa Grice, who worked on the coffee company's carbon footprint, says the final number primarily includes electricity used in retail stores. Carbon calculators take into account stores' geographic locations. That's because electricity generated at power plants in one state may come from a different source than a power plant in another state. Some stores may get electricity from coal-fired plants, which results in greater carbon emissions, while others may depend on hydroelectric power, which has a lower carbon byproduct.
Starbucks decided to leave out the additional 81,000 tons of carbon dioxide it emitted through transporting coffee materials and disposing solid waste. According to Starbucks Environmental Affairs Manager Ben Packard, the company can only control and manage carbon emissions from energy used in retail stores and coffee-roasting plants.
It took about half a year of data collection and complex calculations to figure out that Starbucks emitted 295,000 tons of carbon into the atmosphere in 2003. Starbucks decided to leave out an additional 81,000 tons of carbon dioxide it emitted by transporting coffee materials and disposing of solid waste. According to Starbucks Environmental Affairs Manager Ben Packard, the company can only control and manage carbon emissions from energy used in retail stores and coffee-roasting plants.
Starbucks attributes 81% of its greenhouse gas emissions to purchased electricity and 18% to coffee roasting at its three North American plants and natural gas usage in stores.
That 295,000-ton figure gives Starbucks a small carbon footprint, among a list of about 1,000 companies compiled by the Carbon Disclosure Project, a London-based nonprofit. Near the top of the list is energy giant American Electric Power with 146.5 million tons of carbon emissions. Next in line are oil and gas companies Royal Dutch/Shell and British Petroleum with 105 million tons and 92 million tons.
Comparatively, General Electric's 12.4 million ton footprint makes it a medium-size emitter. The smallest carbon emitters weighed in at a few thousand tons. Most of the lower footprints belong to insurance companies, retailers and banks.
Starbucks execs say that even as they've been growing the number of outlets, they've been trying to be more energy efficient. In 2005, Starbucks joined the World Research Institute's Green Power Market Development Group, a consortium of 15 companies ranging from Staples to Google. The group helps its members purchase renewable energy at lower prices. Last year, the coffee company increased its wind power to 20% of the total energy usage in North American stores. This offset 62,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
But to track progress in reducing carbon emissions accurately, companies need to update those footprints frequently, says Marcus Peacock of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "We've asked companies to check their numbers annually," he says.
A number of companies are doing just that. Both Intel and Sun Microsystems, which are also part of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, report their carbon footprints annually. Intel's carbon footprint added up to 4 million tons in 2006, a number that includes worldwide operations. Sun first calculated its footprint at 255,000 tons last year, and used past data to figure out carbon emissions dating back four years. The company also reports up-to-date carbon numbers on its Web site.
"We calculate this monthly so that we can make sure we're on track with improving emissions," says Sun's VP of Eco Responsibility Dave Douglas.
Both Intel and Sun are part of the EPA's Climate Leaders Program, a group of companies that sets tangible carbon reduction goals. Climate Leaders began five years ago, when few companies even knew the meaning of carbon footprint. Now, the program boasts 132 members.
In the meantime, Starbucks executives insist they are looking for ways to improve energy efficiency and encourage their customers to do the same. This summer, Starbucks told its customers to go green through a number of high-profile campaigns, including "Green Umbrellas for a Green Cause" and the online Planet Green Game (planetgreengame.com). Starbucks will also start monitoring the energy usage of specific equipment at some stores later this year. "We'll install individual meters on espresso machines, refrigerators, water filtration systems and other components," Hanna says.
This doesn't necessarily mean you'll see a green espresso maker at a Starbucks near you anytime soon. "Quality and performance come first," Hanna says.
Companies Giving Green an Office
The corporate roster of “chiefs” used to be pretty short: chief executive, chief financial officer and, maybe, chief operating officer. Then came the chief marketing and technology officers.
Elizabeth Lowery of G.M. says in making environmental claims, the automaker’s reputation is on the line
Now, the so-called C-Level Suite is swelling again — this time, with chief sustainability officers. These are not simply environmental watchdogs, there to keep operations safe and regulators at bay. The new environmental chiefs are helping companies profit from the push to go green.
“Environmental vice presidents usually spend company money, but this new breed is helping companies make money,” said Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. The upshot, said Geoffrey Heal, a business professor at the Columbia Business School, is that “what started out as a compliance job has evolved into one that guards the value of the brand.”
The titles vary, mixing and matching “chief” and “vice president,” “sustainability” and “environmental,” making it impossible to track how many people fill the role. But whatever they are called, the new environmental chiefs — many of them named in the last two years — wield extraordinary power.
They are exploring partnerships with vendors and customers to create green products — and they have the power to close the deal. They are also getting a vote — often, the deciding vote — on product research and advertising campaigns.
Since he became Dow Chemical’s first chief sustainability officer in March, David E. Kepler has been talking to Dow’s technology, manufacturing and finance people about alternative fuels and green products. “We usually agree,” Mr. Kepler said. “But if a critical environmental issue is in dispute, I’ll prevail.”
Linda J. Fisher, the chief sustainability officer at DuPont, scuttled the purchase of a company that was not in a “sustainable” business. “We’re building sustainability into the acquisition criteria,” she said.
And when two business chiefs at General Electric blanched at the cost of developing green products, Jeffrey R. Immelt, G.E.’s chairman, gave Lorraine Bolsinger, vice president of G.E.’s Ecomagination business, the research money. “I have an open door to get projects funded,” she said.
The evolution was probably inevitable. Corporations are facing demands from all quarters to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and to buy and produce green products. So, many chief executives are urging their managers to “figure out what products they should sell in a warming world,” said Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute.
Still, few corporate chiefs want to micromanage the changes. That means they are appointing environmental surrogates to do it for them.
“You need a lot of huskies pulling the sled, but you’ve got to have a lead dog,” said Andrew N. Liveris, chairman and chief executive of Dow Chemical. “I can’t be everywhere, so I confer my clout on Dave.”
The environmental chiefs hail from widely disparate backgrounds. Owens Corning plucked its chief from research, while Home Depot dipped into its merchandising ranks. Ms. Fisher of DuPont once worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, while Francis Sullivan, deputy head of group sustainable development for the HSBC Group, came from the World Wildlife Fund.
“I was already advising HSBC about the environmental impact of their activities, so now I’m making sure that their brand stands for sustainability,” Mr. Sullivan said. Two people share that job at G.E. Ms. Bolsinger is responsible for green products; Stephen Ramsey, the vice president for corporate environmental programs, oversees compliance and external relations. Both are corporate officers. “Jeff will tell the staff to do something,” Ms. Bolsinger said. “We tell them how.”
Other companies have rolled two jobs into one. Ernest Wooden Jr., executive vice president for brands for the Hilton Hotels Corporation, is overseeing Hilton’s efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of its nearly 3,000 hotels. He already sets the standards for everything from architecture to shampoo, so purchasing agents and suppliers are accustomed to heeding his recommendations.
“Our C.E.O. decided I was the most powerful hammer to get things done,” Mr. Wooden said.
The “powerful hammer” thought certainly motivated Home Depot and Owens Corning. Since October, when he became Home Depot’s vice president for environmental innovation, Ron Jarvis has led efforts to sell green products, run green stores and educate customers about sustainability. He is also responsible for buying and selling lumber products.
“The other merchandising people know I’m from their world, and understand what will or won’t work,” Mr. Jarvis said.
Owens-Corning, meanwhile, named Frank O’Brien-Bernini, its research chief since 2001, to the post of chief research and development and sustainability officer. He now uses what he calls the “lens of sustainability” to prioritize research.
One recent example is a machine that makes it easier to insulate attics. Owens Corning developed it after research showed that drafty attics are prime culprits in greenhouse gas emissions, but that the “hassle factor” kept homeowners from addressing the situation. “I drive innovation around products and processes,” Mr. O’Brien-Bernini said. “And I make sure that our claims are backed by deep, deep science.”
Ensuring credibility is also a priority for Elizabeth A. Lowery, vice president for environment, energy and safety policy at General Motors.
Before G.M. introduced the Chevy Volt, its electric car, in January, Ms. Lowery helped to brief reporters, shareholders and environmentalists on how the car worked. She looked over the green-themed speech that Rick Wagoner, G.M.’s chairman, gave at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, making it less “technically focused” and more in line with “how various constituencies think about green issues,” she said.
And she said that she “added facts, and toned down broad brush statements and claims” before G.M. introduced its “Live Green Go Yellow” ethanol campaign last year.
“G.M. is marketing its reputation, not just its cars,” Ms. Lowery said.
Ms. Fisher presides over DuPont’s green name as well. The big chemical company already produces many green products, like plastics made from crops. And Ms. Fisher is helping to develop a scorecard that researchers can use to “evaluate whether their work will produce environmentally smart products.”
But she said she was also making sure that DuPont never overstates the “greenness” of items. “I don’t want us accused of greenwashing because marketing made too much of a small improvement,” she said.
Many marketers, in fact, welcome the oversight.
Kevin Martin, who heads customer marketing for HSBC Bank USA, worked closely with Mr. Sullivan on HSBC Bank’s current promotion. Together, they forged a plan to give customers who sign up for an electronic bill paying service — which HSBC promotes as saving trees — a “green” kit that includes items like energy-efficient light bulbs.
“There hasn’t been any disharmony,” Mr. Martin said. “Environmental involvement is a credential of our brand. Francis is our conscience.”
Environmentalists, perhaps unsurprisingly, are divided on whether the rise of the powerful sustainability chief bodes well or ill.
“In the best of all worlds, we wouldn’t need a separate person to link strategy and sustainability,” said Gwen Ruta, director of corporate partnerships for Environmental Defense. A utopian world would not need ethics officers either, countered Eugene Linden, a frequent author on climate change.
“Chief sustainability officer sounds all crunchy granola and squishy,” he said. “But their rise shows that companies finally realize that sustainability and efficiency go hand in hand.”
Elizabeth Lowery of G.M. says in making environmental claims, the automaker’s reputation is on the line
Now, the so-called C-Level Suite is swelling again — this time, with chief sustainability officers. These are not simply environmental watchdogs, there to keep operations safe and regulators at bay. The new environmental chiefs are helping companies profit from the push to go green.
“Environmental vice presidents usually spend company money, but this new breed is helping companies make money,” said Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. The upshot, said Geoffrey Heal, a business professor at the Columbia Business School, is that “what started out as a compliance job has evolved into one that guards the value of the brand.”
The titles vary, mixing and matching “chief” and “vice president,” “sustainability” and “environmental,” making it impossible to track how many people fill the role. But whatever they are called, the new environmental chiefs — many of them named in the last two years — wield extraordinary power.
They are exploring partnerships with vendors and customers to create green products — and they have the power to close the deal. They are also getting a vote — often, the deciding vote — on product research and advertising campaigns.
Since he became Dow Chemical’s first chief sustainability officer in March, David E. Kepler has been talking to Dow’s technology, manufacturing and finance people about alternative fuels and green products. “We usually agree,” Mr. Kepler said. “But if a critical environmental issue is in dispute, I’ll prevail.”
Linda J. Fisher, the chief sustainability officer at DuPont, scuttled the purchase of a company that was not in a “sustainable” business. “We’re building sustainability into the acquisition criteria,” she said.
And when two business chiefs at General Electric blanched at the cost of developing green products, Jeffrey R. Immelt, G.E.’s chairman, gave Lorraine Bolsinger, vice president of G.E.’s Ecomagination business, the research money. “I have an open door to get projects funded,” she said.
The evolution was probably inevitable. Corporations are facing demands from all quarters to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and to buy and produce green products. So, many chief executives are urging their managers to “figure out what products they should sell in a warming world,” said Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute.
Still, few corporate chiefs want to micromanage the changes. That means they are appointing environmental surrogates to do it for them.
“You need a lot of huskies pulling the sled, but you’ve got to have a lead dog,” said Andrew N. Liveris, chairman and chief executive of Dow Chemical. “I can’t be everywhere, so I confer my clout on Dave.”
The environmental chiefs hail from widely disparate backgrounds. Owens Corning plucked its chief from research, while Home Depot dipped into its merchandising ranks. Ms. Fisher of DuPont once worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, while Francis Sullivan, deputy head of group sustainable development for the HSBC Group, came from the World Wildlife Fund.
“I was already advising HSBC about the environmental impact of their activities, so now I’m making sure that their brand stands for sustainability,” Mr. Sullivan said. Two people share that job at G.E. Ms. Bolsinger is responsible for green products; Stephen Ramsey, the vice president for corporate environmental programs, oversees compliance and external relations. Both are corporate officers. “Jeff will tell the staff to do something,” Ms. Bolsinger said. “We tell them how.”
Other companies have rolled two jobs into one. Ernest Wooden Jr., executive vice president for brands for the Hilton Hotels Corporation, is overseeing Hilton’s efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of its nearly 3,000 hotels. He already sets the standards for everything from architecture to shampoo, so purchasing agents and suppliers are accustomed to heeding his recommendations.
“Our C.E.O. decided I was the most powerful hammer to get things done,” Mr. Wooden said.
The “powerful hammer” thought certainly motivated Home Depot and Owens Corning. Since October, when he became Home Depot’s vice president for environmental innovation, Ron Jarvis has led efforts to sell green products, run green stores and educate customers about sustainability. He is also responsible for buying and selling lumber products.
“The other merchandising people know I’m from their world, and understand what will or won’t work,” Mr. Jarvis said.
Owens-Corning, meanwhile, named Frank O’Brien-Bernini, its research chief since 2001, to the post of chief research and development and sustainability officer. He now uses what he calls the “lens of sustainability” to prioritize research.
One recent example is a machine that makes it easier to insulate attics. Owens Corning developed it after research showed that drafty attics are prime culprits in greenhouse gas emissions, but that the “hassle factor” kept homeowners from addressing the situation. “I drive innovation around products and processes,” Mr. O’Brien-Bernini said. “And I make sure that our claims are backed by deep, deep science.”
Ensuring credibility is also a priority for Elizabeth A. Lowery, vice president for environment, energy and safety policy at General Motors.
Before G.M. introduced the Chevy Volt, its electric car, in January, Ms. Lowery helped to brief reporters, shareholders and environmentalists on how the car worked. She looked over the green-themed speech that Rick Wagoner, G.M.’s chairman, gave at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, making it less “technically focused” and more in line with “how various constituencies think about green issues,” she said.
And she said that she “added facts, and toned down broad brush statements and claims” before G.M. introduced its “Live Green Go Yellow” ethanol campaign last year.
“G.M. is marketing its reputation, not just its cars,” Ms. Lowery said.
Ms. Fisher presides over DuPont’s green name as well. The big chemical company already produces many green products, like plastics made from crops. And Ms. Fisher is helping to develop a scorecard that researchers can use to “evaluate whether their work will produce environmentally smart products.”
But she said she was also making sure that DuPont never overstates the “greenness” of items. “I don’t want us accused of greenwashing because marketing made too much of a small improvement,” she said.
Many marketers, in fact, welcome the oversight.
Kevin Martin, who heads customer marketing for HSBC Bank USA, worked closely with Mr. Sullivan on HSBC Bank’s current promotion. Together, they forged a plan to give customers who sign up for an electronic bill paying service — which HSBC promotes as saving trees — a “green” kit that includes items like energy-efficient light bulbs.
“There hasn’t been any disharmony,” Mr. Martin said. “Environmental involvement is a credential of our brand. Francis is our conscience.”
Environmentalists, perhaps unsurprisingly, are divided on whether the rise of the powerful sustainability chief bodes well or ill.
“In the best of all worlds, we wouldn’t need a separate person to link strategy and sustainability,” said Gwen Ruta, director of corporate partnerships for Environmental Defense. A utopian world would not need ethics officers either, countered Eugene Linden, a frequent author on climate change.
“Chief sustainability officer sounds all crunchy granola and squishy,” he said. “But their rise shows that companies finally realize that sustainability and efficiency go hand in hand.”
24 Haziran 2007 Pazar
21 Haziran 2007 Perşembe
20 Haziran 2007 Çarşamba
SeaSpan--Marine Conservation News from the Pew Institute for Ocean Science June - A 2007, volume 1-30
******************************************
CONTENTS:
A) FEATURE
1) CITES Focuses on Sturgeon/CITES Ocean Winners and Losers
B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) Trade Banned for Endangered Sawfish
3) Sea Lions Hit by High Levels of Acid Poison in California
4) Fishing 'Destabilises Black Sea'
5) Japanese Whale Request Rejected
6) A Fight About Fish Farms
C) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS
7) Mee Presents ELME Report: Europe's seas face 'bleak future'
8) Biodiversity Loss in the Ocean: How Bad Is It?
9) Smith and Fujita’s Work Cited in Deep Seas Article
10) Norse Interviewed on National Public Radios Marketplace on CITIES Decisions on Species Protection and Trade
11) Broad And Eckert Present New Report On Caribbean Sea Turtles
D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
12) Marine Affairs Research and Education: Ecosystem-Based Management Editor
13) National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration: National Partnership Coordinator
E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
****************************************
A) FEATURE
1) CITES FOCUSES ON STURGEON
The global wildlife trade watchdog has agreed to beef up its scrutiny of caviar quotas and make the system more transparent - steps aimed at saving sturgeon from extinction. Conservationists expressed disappointment the trade was not reined in further by the 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, which recently held its triennial meeting to review its lists of regulated plants and animals. "Many scientists had hoped for a stronger set of restrictions on the wild caviar trade, especially for beluga sturgeon, which will not survive the rampant overfishing occurring in the Caspian Sea," said Ellen Pikitch, executive director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science and lead scientist for Caviar Emptor, a nonprofit campaign to protect and restore wild sturgeons. "The good news is that a system has finally been established that will lift the veil of secrecy off the caviar trade," she said. Caviar, one of the world's most prized delicacies, is the roe or eggs of sturgeon or paddlefish. Beluga caviar can cost upward of 8,250 euros per kilogram ($5,000 a pound) depending on taste and quality. High profits have led to a flourishing black market.
Source: Mike Corder, Forbes, 14 June 2007
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/14/ap3821900.html
RELATED CITES STORY
CITES OCEAN WINNERS AND LOSERS
A list of the (ocean) winners and losers at the two-week meeting of the 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in The Hague---edited for marine conservation priorities.
WINNERS:
Sawfish: Trade regulated in the shark-like ray with its distinctive tooth-studded snout, which is coveted by collectors.
European eels: Trade regulated in this European delicacy.
Sturgeon: More transparency and scientific scrutiny in the process of granting export quotas for caviar.
LOSERS:
Sharks: The spiny dogfish and porbeagle, fished for fast food and gourmet shark fin soup, rejected for CITES protection.
Red coral: Decision to regulate trade in the coral prized by jewelry makers is adopted but later overturned.
Source: International Herald Tribune, 15 June 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/15/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Endangered-Species-Winners-and-Losers.php
****************************************
B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) TRADE BANNED FOR ENDANGERED SAWFISH
This week a committee at the triennial meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) supported a proposal to ban commercial trade of six species of the seven species of sawfish and to allow the sale of one species that populates Australian waters. Sawfish are overfished because of their highly valued fins, meat, and snouts known as rostra. A final decision on the ban is expected by end of the conference. "We are relieved that international trade pressure will be lifted for these critically endangered species," said Steven Broad, director of TRAFFIC, a group monitoring the trade in wildlife. "Trade, along with fishing pressure, was pushing them towards extinction."
Source: Mike Corder, Associated Press, 11 June 2007
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/11/ap3808367.html
3) SEA LIONS HIT BY HIGH LEVELS OF ACID POISON IN CALIFORNIA
High levels of domoic acid have been poisoning sea lions off the coast of Southern California. Domoic acid, a toxin released by large blooms of algae that causes seizures in sea lions, has killed
hundreds of the animals across Southern California this spring. Levels of the toxin have reached record highs. According to Astrid Schnetzer, a research professor at the Caron Lab for Marine
Environmental Biology at the University of Southern California, in April, the levels in plankton were twice the previous recorded highs.
Source: Monica Almeida, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/us/06sealions.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Registration is required to read the article.
4) FISHING 'DESTABILISES BLACK SEA'
A long-term study by Georgi Daskalov, from the United Kingdom's Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), and colleagues found that because there had been excessive fishing in the Black Sea, the sea's ecosystem had shifted over the past 50 years.
"Ecosystems exist in a dynamic balance of predator and prey," explained Dr. Daskalov. "Changing relationships within the food web, such as removing top predators through fishing, can tip the scales and lead to large-scale changes in ecosystem make-up, scientifically referred to as regime shifts." By reviewing the population trends of the sea's fish and plankton, the scientists identified two major shifts: overfishing before the 1970s effectively removed top predators - including dolphins, mackerel, and bluefin tuna and an invasive comb jellyfish (Mnemiopsis leidyi) was able to thrive in the fish-scarce waters. The resulting adjustment left fish stocks low. Dr. Daskalov warns that the strategy of limiting catches is not enough. "Given the current situation worldwide of largely overfished stocks and degraded environments, management must aim to restore ecosystems into balanced states including reducing human impacts, increasing biodiversity, and improving the quality of the environment.”
Source: BBC News, 5 June 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6719965.stm
Citation:
Georgi M. Daskalov, Alexander N. Grishin, Sergei Rodionov, and Vesselina Mihneva. 2007. Trophic Cascades Triggered by Overfishing Reveal Possible Mechanisms of Ecosystem Regime Shifts. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0701100104
Abstract available at: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0701100104v1?
A subscription is required to read the entire study.
5) JAPANESE WHALE REQUEST REJECTED
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) rejected Japan’s motion to review whale stocks. This rejection eliminates the possibility of Japan resuming its legal trade of whale meat. Because the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has had a 21-year moratorium on commercial hunting, Japan saw CITES as another option. They are frustrated because when the moratorium was established, a review of whale stocks was supposed to be completed. To date, it has not. According to Mark Simmonds of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, it is not a simple matter to assess. "I can assure delegates that the scientific review is indeed comprehensive," he said. "But it's not a simple matter to assess species which spend so much time in the water, sometimes far offshore; and where individuals are often virtually indistinguishable from each other." With these factors in mind, it is unreasonable and unfair to suggest that CITES could produce something more thorough than the IWC scientific advice."
A similar proposal on fin whales by Iceland was also defeated.
Source: Richard Black, BBC News, 6 June 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6728919.stm
6) A FIGHT ABOUT FISH FARMS
The Bush administration is proposing new legislation that would make it easier to develop industrial-scale aquaculture in ocean waters. The bill would make it easier to farm fish in U.S. marine waters, which generally extend from three to 200 miles offshore. It would streamline the permit process, giving primary responsibility to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This legislation is a result of the fact that global fish consumption has doubled in the last 40 years, and most ocean fisheries are fully exploited or overfished. Many environmental groups are worried though. Food & Water Watch, an anti-corporate activist group, worries about harmful chemicals will be used; whereas Alaskan fisherman worry that farmed fish will take away their state’s most important industry.
Source: Marc Gunther, CNN Money, 8 June 2007
http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/08/news/pluggedin_Gunther_fishfarms.fortune/index.htm
*******************************************
C) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS NEWS
7) MEE PRESENTS ELME REPORT: EUROPE'S SEAS FACE 'BLEAK FUTURE'
A three-year project, European Lifestyles and Marine Ecosystems (ELME), has examined the relationship between human activities and the impact on the region's marine ecosystems. The report's conclusions warn that Europe's seas are in a "serious state of decline" as a result of coastal development, overfishing and pollution from agriculture. Project coordinator, Laurence Mee, a Pew Fellow and director of the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth, UK, states, "In every sea, we found serious damage related to the accelerated pace of coastal development, transport and the way we produce our food." The study focused on the continent's four regional seas: the North-East Atlantic Ocean, and the Black, Baltic and Mediterranean seas. "In every sea, we found serious damage related to the accelerated pace of coastal development, transport and the way we produce our food," stated Mee.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6730045.stm
Related link:
ELME Project
http://www.elme-eu.org/public/home.aspx
8) BIODIVERSITY LOSS IN THE OCEAN: HOW BAD IS IT?
Last year, Pew Fellows Carl Folke, Director Stockholm University Centre for Research on Natural Resources and the Environment, Stephen R. Palumbi, Professor of Biological Sciences, Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station, and Enric Sala, Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, joined Boris Worm, Professor at Dalhousie University and others as co-authors on a research article titled “Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosytem Services” which was published in Science. When it appeared, it received significant coverage. This article was recently the subject of commentary in the Letters section of the July 1 edition of the magazine. Steven Murawski, Richard Methot, Galen Tromble, Ray W. Hilborn and other scientists questioned how Worm et al. defined “collapse.” According to their letters, they believe that “the authors should have conducted a calibration of their stock collapse metric with more complete stock abundance data available from the many world wide sources where such data exist.” Ray W. Hilborn, professor at the school of Aquatic and Fisheries Science at the University of Washington, states in the second letter that “the use of their catch data to indicate stock status is misleading.” He contends that Worm et al. should have “demonstrated that their index of collapse corresponded to stock abundance-based indicies.” The third letter, written by John C. Briggs from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University, questions how biodiversity is defined and also the reference to the extinctions of some species. Worm et al. responded to these letters defending their study and explaining each point made by the letters. For example, they write. "The definition of "collapse" we used refers to a loss in catches of 90% below the historic maximum. According to this metric, the Georges Bank haddock stock, or more precisely the ecosystem service it supplied, collapsed from 1970 to 1977 and 1983 to 2003. Using stock assessment data from NMFS, we find that stock biomass similarly collapsed from 1970 to 1977 and from 1982 to 1997."
Source: Etta Kavanagh (Ed.) Biodiversity Loss in the Ocean: How Bad Is It? 2007. Science Vol. 316 no 5829, pp. 1281-1284.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;316/5829/1281b
Citation:
Boris Worm, Edward B. Barbier, Nicola Beaumont, J. Emmett Duffy, Carl Folke, Benjamin S. Halpern et al.. 2007. Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services. Science Vol. 314 no. 5800, pp. 787 – 790.
Abstract available at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5800/787
A subscription is required to read both articles.
9) SMITH AND FUJITA’S WORK CITED IN DEEP SEAS ARTICLE
Pew Fellows Rodney Fujita, senior scientist at Environmental Defense, and Craig Smith, professor of oceanography at the University of Hawaii, are featured in an article appearing in The Sydney Morning Herald about an area of the deep ocean near Australia that will be opened to the public. The growing understanding that the deep ocean is not a barren world but rather a richly diverse ecosystem has led some scientists to be concerned. The article refers to the May issue of Science, where Fujita and his colleague Jochen Halfar of University of Toronto at Mississauga, write, "Over the past few months, the possibility of mineral exploitation in the deep sea has moved closer to reality with the completion of the first underwater exploration for massive sulphide deposits." They say underwater hot vents have been found that contain gold, copper, zinc, and silver in far higher concentrations than in land deposits. Yet mining could damage their "unique and diverse ecosystems." Regulations to minimize the environmental impact of mining are needed now, say Halfar and Fujita, before it starts. "Large capital investments and generation of revenues by underwater mining
operations are likely to make regulations after onset of commercial operations even more difficult."
Smith is working on a Pew Fellowship project that will help protect a large underwater area of the Pacific from damage from commercial fishing and other activities, including manganese nodule mining. His colleague working on this project, Dr. Tony Koslow from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was also quoted in this article. He is optimistic about the situation because recently an agreement was signed by nations fishing in the South Pacific that will protect up to 25 percent of the high seas.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 May 2007
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/life-in-the-last-frontier/2007/05/23/1179601492739.html
Citation:
Jochen Halfar and Rodney M. Fujita. 2007. Danger of Deep-Sea Mining. Science Vol. 316, no.5827, p. 987.
Abstract available at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/316/5827/987
A subscription is required to read the entire article.
10) NORSE INTERVIEWED ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO’S MARKETPLACE ON CITES DECISIONS ON SPECIES PROTECTION AND TRADE
Elliott Norse, Pew Fellow and president of Marine Conservation Biology Institute, was interviewed on National Public Radio’s Marketplace, discussing CITES decisions regarding species protection and trade. When asked about regulating the trade of coral, Norse says it used to be much harder to collect: “Now we have trawlers and sonar that allows us to pinpoint them and rip them off the sea floor and turn them into jewelry-and as a result, they're disappearing.”
Source: Ashley Milne-Tyte, National Public Radio’s Marketplace, 11 June 2007
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/06/11/AM200706116.html?
11) BROAD AND ECKERT PRESENT NEW CITES REPORT ON CARIBBEAN SEA TURTLES
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, has announced a new report indicating that high levels of exploitation in legal fisheries, and through illegal take and trade, continue to pose a threat to the marine turtles of the Wider Caribbean region. The report was commissioned by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and released at the CITES Conference of Parties in The Hague. While documenting major advancements in marine turtle research and conservation in recent years, the report finds that legal but largely unmanaged marine turtle exploitation persists in over half of the 26 Wider Caribbean countries and territories surveyed for the report – the Lesser Antilles, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela. TRAFFIC Executive Director and Pew Fellows Advisor Steven Broad said the report documents the movement of turtles from jurisdictions where they are fully protected by law to others elsewhere in the Caribbean where they continue to be exploited in both legal and illegal fisheries. “This illustrates that mechanisms, such as regional management plans, must be developed and implemented to ensure that countries cooperate and coordinate their efforts to manage and conserve such a vital shared resource,” Broad said. Pew Fellow and Executive Director of Director of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), Dr Karen L. Eckert, a co-author of the report, said that the report will show some optimism in the many innovative and pioneering efforts to address threats to marine turtles in the region. "This includes the growing contribution and beneficial involvement of rural communities and partnerships between governmental and non-governmental entities. When local people have opportunities to help monitor and safeguard turtles, the investment in turtle conservation is also an investment in people and their future livelihoods," she said.
To read the report, go to:
http://www.traffic.org/RenderPage.action?CategoryId=1947
*********************************************
D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
12) MARINE AFFAIRS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION: EDITOR FOR NEW GLOBAL NEWSLETTER ON ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT
DEADLINE: 27 JUNE
LOCATION: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Marine Affairs Research and Education (MARE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving marine resource managers worldwide, seeks an Editor for a new global newsletter on coastal and marine ecosystem-based management (EBM). The newsletter, produced by MARE in association with the University of Washington School of Marine Affairs, will take an objective view on EBM implementation, aiming to serve the broad international coastal/marine EBM community of resource managers and stakeholders (e.g., government agencies, NGOs, fishing industry, oil/gas sector, academia, and others). The Editor will manage all production aspects of a quarterly newsletter; produce and post additional, value-added content for the project website on a monthly or more frequent basis; capture and report on developments in the EBM field; and advance EBM through promotion of information exchange, including conducting interviews with leading EBM practitioners, policymakers, and researchers and soliciting essays and editorials by experts.
For a full position description, go to:
http://www.marineprotectedareas.org/EBM_ad.pdf
Qualifications: The candidate must have exceptional and proven skills in writing and news-gathering; strong familiarity with the issue of coastal/marine EBM, including terminology, principles, and techniques; experience in meeting regular deadlines; familiarity with HTML and Adobe InDesign; and foreign-language competency preferred (French and/or Spanish).
To apply, by e-mail or regular mail, submit a resume and three samples of published writing (news reportage preferred) to:
John Davis, President
Marine Affairs Research and Education
20227 NE 163rd St.
Woodinville, WA 98077 USA
E-mail: jdavis@marineaffairs.org
13) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION: NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR
DEADLINE: 30 JUNE
LOCATION: NARRAGANSETT, RI
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is looking for applicants for their National Partnership Coordinator position. The Coordinator would oversee activities related to a National Partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and NOAA's Community-based Restoration Program (CRP). The Coordinator will also provide technical support and advice to TNC field staff working on restoration projects, as well as external partners supported through the National Partnership; manage annual Request for Proposals (RFP); and assist with private fundraising activities by assembling information for TNC's Philanthropy and Global Marine Initiative staff.
For a full position description, go to: http://www.nature.org/careers/dynamic/natureorg/20070605200833.html
Qualifications: The candidate must have a graduate degree in marine science, marine affairs, natural resources, environmental studies or a related field. He or she must also have 1-2 years of experience in managing field projects or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
The candidate must also be willing to travel overnight to off-site meetings, nature preserves, or other locations related to management and promotion of National Partnership. Travel will occasionally occur on weekends.
Interested parties should e-mail letters of application and a current resume by 30 June 2007 to: marine@tnc.org
******************************************
E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
SeaSpan welcomes comments, as well as submissions of general interest to the international marine conservation community. Please send email to the editor at:
pewoceanscience@miami.edu
To subscribe, email LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU with no subject, and type the following as the only text in the message:
SUBSCRIBE SEASPAN Your Name
To unsubscribe, email LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU with no subject, and type the following as the only text in the message:
UNSUBSCRIBE SEASPAN
To read or search past issues of SeaSpan, go to: http://listserv.miami.edu/archives/seaspan.html
© 2007. Sections of SeaSpan not attributed to other sources may be reproduced at no charge, with proper acknowledgment and citation as follows:
Source: SeaSpan, from the Pew Institute for Ocean Science
http://www.pewoceanscience.org.
CONTENTS:
A) FEATURE
1) CITES Focuses on Sturgeon/CITES Ocean Winners and Losers
B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) Trade Banned for Endangered Sawfish
3) Sea Lions Hit by High Levels of Acid Poison in California
4) Fishing 'Destabilises Black Sea'
5) Japanese Whale Request Rejected
6) A Fight About Fish Farms
C) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS
7) Mee Presents ELME Report: Europe's seas face 'bleak future'
8) Biodiversity Loss in the Ocean: How Bad Is It?
9) Smith and Fujita’s Work Cited in Deep Seas Article
10) Norse Interviewed on National Public Radios Marketplace on CITIES Decisions on Species Protection and Trade
11) Broad And Eckert Present New Report On Caribbean Sea Turtles
D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
12) Marine Affairs Research and Education: Ecosystem-Based Management Editor
13) National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration: National Partnership Coordinator
E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
****************************************
A) FEATURE
1) CITES FOCUSES ON STURGEON
The global wildlife trade watchdog has agreed to beef up its scrutiny of caviar quotas and make the system more transparent - steps aimed at saving sturgeon from extinction. Conservationists expressed disappointment the trade was not reined in further by the 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, which recently held its triennial meeting to review its lists of regulated plants and animals. "Many scientists had hoped for a stronger set of restrictions on the wild caviar trade, especially for beluga sturgeon, which will not survive the rampant overfishing occurring in the Caspian Sea," said Ellen Pikitch, executive director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science and lead scientist for Caviar Emptor, a nonprofit campaign to protect and restore wild sturgeons. "The good news is that a system has finally been established that will lift the veil of secrecy off the caviar trade," she said. Caviar, one of the world's most prized delicacies, is the roe or eggs of sturgeon or paddlefish. Beluga caviar can cost upward of 8,250 euros per kilogram ($5,000 a pound) depending on taste and quality. High profits have led to a flourishing black market.
Source: Mike Corder, Forbes, 14 June 2007
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/14/ap3821900.html
RELATED CITES STORY
CITES OCEAN WINNERS AND LOSERS
A list of the (ocean) winners and losers at the two-week meeting of the 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in The Hague---edited for marine conservation priorities.
WINNERS:
Sawfish: Trade regulated in the shark-like ray with its distinctive tooth-studded snout, which is coveted by collectors.
European eels: Trade regulated in this European delicacy.
Sturgeon: More transparency and scientific scrutiny in the process of granting export quotas for caviar.
LOSERS:
Sharks: The spiny dogfish and porbeagle, fished for fast food and gourmet shark fin soup, rejected for CITES protection.
Red coral: Decision to regulate trade in the coral prized by jewelry makers is adopted but later overturned.
Source: International Herald Tribune, 15 June 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/15/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Endangered-Species-Winners-and-Losers.php
****************************************
B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) TRADE BANNED FOR ENDANGERED SAWFISH
This week a committee at the triennial meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) supported a proposal to ban commercial trade of six species of the seven species of sawfish and to allow the sale of one species that populates Australian waters. Sawfish are overfished because of their highly valued fins, meat, and snouts known as rostra. A final decision on the ban is expected by end of the conference. "We are relieved that international trade pressure will be lifted for these critically endangered species," said Steven Broad, director of TRAFFIC, a group monitoring the trade in wildlife. "Trade, along with fishing pressure, was pushing them towards extinction."
Source: Mike Corder, Associated Press, 11 June 2007
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/11/ap3808367.html
3) SEA LIONS HIT BY HIGH LEVELS OF ACID POISON IN CALIFORNIA
High levels of domoic acid have been poisoning sea lions off the coast of Southern California. Domoic acid, a toxin released by large blooms of algae that causes seizures in sea lions, has killed
hundreds of the animals across Southern California this spring. Levels of the toxin have reached record highs. According to Astrid Schnetzer, a research professor at the Caron Lab for Marine
Environmental Biology at the University of Southern California, in April, the levels in plankton were twice the previous recorded highs.
Source: Monica Almeida, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/us/06sealions.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Registration is required to read the article.
4) FISHING 'DESTABILISES BLACK SEA'
A long-term study by Georgi Daskalov, from the United Kingdom's Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), and colleagues found that because there had been excessive fishing in the Black Sea, the sea's ecosystem had shifted over the past 50 years.
"Ecosystems exist in a dynamic balance of predator and prey," explained Dr. Daskalov. "Changing relationships within the food web, such as removing top predators through fishing, can tip the scales and lead to large-scale changes in ecosystem make-up, scientifically referred to as regime shifts." By reviewing the population trends of the sea's fish and plankton, the scientists identified two major shifts: overfishing before the 1970s effectively removed top predators - including dolphins, mackerel, and bluefin tuna and an invasive comb jellyfish (Mnemiopsis leidyi) was able to thrive in the fish-scarce waters. The resulting adjustment left fish stocks low. Dr. Daskalov warns that the strategy of limiting catches is not enough. "Given the current situation worldwide of largely overfished stocks and degraded environments, management must aim to restore ecosystems into balanced states including reducing human impacts, increasing biodiversity, and improving the quality of the environment.”
Source: BBC News, 5 June 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6719965.stm
Citation:
Georgi M. Daskalov, Alexander N. Grishin, Sergei Rodionov, and Vesselina Mihneva. 2007. Trophic Cascades Triggered by Overfishing Reveal Possible Mechanisms of Ecosystem Regime Shifts. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0701100104
Abstract available at: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0701100104v1?
A subscription is required to read the entire study.
5) JAPANESE WHALE REQUEST REJECTED
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) rejected Japan’s motion to review whale stocks. This rejection eliminates the possibility of Japan resuming its legal trade of whale meat. Because the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has had a 21-year moratorium on commercial hunting, Japan saw CITES as another option. They are frustrated because when the moratorium was established, a review of whale stocks was supposed to be completed. To date, it has not. According to Mark Simmonds of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, it is not a simple matter to assess. "I can assure delegates that the scientific review is indeed comprehensive," he said. "But it's not a simple matter to assess species which spend so much time in the water, sometimes far offshore; and where individuals are often virtually indistinguishable from each other." With these factors in mind, it is unreasonable and unfair to suggest that CITES could produce something more thorough than the IWC scientific advice."
A similar proposal on fin whales by Iceland was also defeated.
Source: Richard Black, BBC News, 6 June 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6728919.stm
6) A FIGHT ABOUT FISH FARMS
The Bush administration is proposing new legislation that would make it easier to develop industrial-scale aquaculture in ocean waters. The bill would make it easier to farm fish in U.S. marine waters, which generally extend from three to 200 miles offshore. It would streamline the permit process, giving primary responsibility to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This legislation is a result of the fact that global fish consumption has doubled in the last 40 years, and most ocean fisheries are fully exploited or overfished. Many environmental groups are worried though. Food & Water Watch, an anti-corporate activist group, worries about harmful chemicals will be used; whereas Alaskan fisherman worry that farmed fish will take away their state’s most important industry.
Source: Marc Gunther, CNN Money, 8 June 2007
http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/08/news/pluggedin_Gunther_fishfarms.fortune/index.htm
*******************************************
C) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS NEWS
7) MEE PRESENTS ELME REPORT: EUROPE'S SEAS FACE 'BLEAK FUTURE'
A three-year project, European Lifestyles and Marine Ecosystems (ELME), has examined the relationship between human activities and the impact on the region's marine ecosystems. The report's conclusions warn that Europe's seas are in a "serious state of decline" as a result of coastal development, overfishing and pollution from agriculture. Project coordinator, Laurence Mee, a Pew Fellow and director of the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth, UK, states, "In every sea, we found serious damage related to the accelerated pace of coastal development, transport and the way we produce our food." The study focused on the continent's four regional seas: the North-East Atlantic Ocean, and the Black, Baltic and Mediterranean seas. "In every sea, we found serious damage related to the accelerated pace of coastal development, transport and the way we produce our food," stated Mee.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6730045.stm
Related link:
ELME Project
http://www.elme-eu.org/public/home.aspx
8) BIODIVERSITY LOSS IN THE OCEAN: HOW BAD IS IT?
Last year, Pew Fellows Carl Folke, Director Stockholm University Centre for Research on Natural Resources and the Environment, Stephen R. Palumbi, Professor of Biological Sciences, Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station, and Enric Sala, Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, joined Boris Worm, Professor at Dalhousie University and others as co-authors on a research article titled “Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosytem Services” which was published in Science. When it appeared, it received significant coverage. This article was recently the subject of commentary in the Letters section of the July 1 edition of the magazine. Steven Murawski, Richard Methot, Galen Tromble, Ray W. Hilborn and other scientists questioned how Worm et al. defined “collapse.” According to their letters, they believe that “the authors should have conducted a calibration of their stock collapse metric with more complete stock abundance data available from the many world wide sources where such data exist.” Ray W. Hilborn, professor at the school of Aquatic and Fisheries Science at the University of Washington, states in the second letter that “the use of their catch data to indicate stock status is misleading.” He contends that Worm et al. should have “demonstrated that their index of collapse corresponded to stock abundance-based indicies.” The third letter, written by John C. Briggs from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University, questions how biodiversity is defined and also the reference to the extinctions of some species. Worm et al. responded to these letters defending their study and explaining each point made by the letters. For example, they write. "The definition of "collapse" we used refers to a loss in catches of 90% below the historic maximum. According to this metric, the Georges Bank haddock stock, or more precisely the ecosystem service it supplied, collapsed from 1970 to 1977 and 1983 to 2003. Using stock assessment data from NMFS, we find that stock biomass similarly collapsed from 1970 to 1977 and from 1982 to 1997."
Source: Etta Kavanagh (Ed.) Biodiversity Loss in the Ocean: How Bad Is It? 2007. Science Vol. 316 no 5829, pp. 1281-1284.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;316/5829/1281b
Citation:
Boris Worm, Edward B. Barbier, Nicola Beaumont, J. Emmett Duffy, Carl Folke, Benjamin S. Halpern et al.. 2007. Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services. Science Vol. 314 no. 5800, pp. 787 – 790.
Abstract available at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5800/787
A subscription is required to read both articles.
9) SMITH AND FUJITA’S WORK CITED IN DEEP SEAS ARTICLE
Pew Fellows Rodney Fujita, senior scientist at Environmental Defense, and Craig Smith, professor of oceanography at the University of Hawaii, are featured in an article appearing in The Sydney Morning Herald about an area of the deep ocean near Australia that will be opened to the public. The growing understanding that the deep ocean is not a barren world but rather a richly diverse ecosystem has led some scientists to be concerned. The article refers to the May issue of Science, where Fujita and his colleague Jochen Halfar of University of Toronto at Mississauga, write, "Over the past few months, the possibility of mineral exploitation in the deep sea has moved closer to reality with the completion of the first underwater exploration for massive sulphide deposits." They say underwater hot vents have been found that contain gold, copper, zinc, and silver in far higher concentrations than in land deposits. Yet mining could damage their "unique and diverse ecosystems." Regulations to minimize the environmental impact of mining are needed now, say Halfar and Fujita, before it starts. "Large capital investments and generation of revenues by underwater mining
operations are likely to make regulations after onset of commercial operations even more difficult."
Smith is working on a Pew Fellowship project that will help protect a large underwater area of the Pacific from damage from commercial fishing and other activities, including manganese nodule mining. His colleague working on this project, Dr. Tony Koslow from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was also quoted in this article. He is optimistic about the situation because recently an agreement was signed by nations fishing in the South Pacific that will protect up to 25 percent of the high seas.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 May 2007
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/life-in-the-last-frontier/2007/05/23/1179601492739.html
Citation:
Jochen Halfar and Rodney M. Fujita. 2007. Danger of Deep-Sea Mining. Science Vol. 316, no.5827, p. 987.
Abstract available at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/316/5827/987
A subscription is required to read the entire article.
10) NORSE INTERVIEWED ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO’S MARKETPLACE ON CITES DECISIONS ON SPECIES PROTECTION AND TRADE
Elliott Norse, Pew Fellow and president of Marine Conservation Biology Institute, was interviewed on National Public Radio’s Marketplace, discussing CITES decisions regarding species protection and trade. When asked about regulating the trade of coral, Norse says it used to be much harder to collect: “Now we have trawlers and sonar that allows us to pinpoint them and rip them off the sea floor and turn them into jewelry-and as a result, they're disappearing.”
Source: Ashley Milne-Tyte, National Public Radio’s Marketplace, 11 June 2007
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/06/11/AM200706116.html?
11) BROAD AND ECKERT PRESENT NEW CITES REPORT ON CARIBBEAN SEA TURTLES
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, has announced a new report indicating that high levels of exploitation in legal fisheries, and through illegal take and trade, continue to pose a threat to the marine turtles of the Wider Caribbean region. The report was commissioned by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and released at the CITES Conference of Parties in The Hague. While documenting major advancements in marine turtle research and conservation in recent years, the report finds that legal but largely unmanaged marine turtle exploitation persists in over half of the 26 Wider Caribbean countries and territories surveyed for the report – the Lesser Antilles, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela. TRAFFIC Executive Director and Pew Fellows Advisor Steven Broad said the report documents the movement of turtles from jurisdictions where they are fully protected by law to others elsewhere in the Caribbean where they continue to be exploited in both legal and illegal fisheries. “This illustrates that mechanisms, such as regional management plans, must be developed and implemented to ensure that countries cooperate and coordinate their efforts to manage and conserve such a vital shared resource,” Broad said. Pew Fellow and Executive Director of Director of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), Dr Karen L. Eckert, a co-author of the report, said that the report will show some optimism in the many innovative and pioneering efforts to address threats to marine turtles in the region. "This includes the growing contribution and beneficial involvement of rural communities and partnerships between governmental and non-governmental entities. When local people have opportunities to help monitor and safeguard turtles, the investment in turtle conservation is also an investment in people and their future livelihoods," she said.
To read the report, go to:
http://www.traffic.org/RenderPage.action?CategoryId=1947
*********************************************
D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
12) MARINE AFFAIRS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION: EDITOR FOR NEW GLOBAL NEWSLETTER ON ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT
DEADLINE: 27 JUNE
LOCATION: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Marine Affairs Research and Education (MARE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving marine resource managers worldwide, seeks an Editor for a new global newsletter on coastal and marine ecosystem-based management (EBM). The newsletter, produced by MARE in association with the University of Washington School of Marine Affairs, will take an objective view on EBM implementation, aiming to serve the broad international coastal/marine EBM community of resource managers and stakeholders (e.g., government agencies, NGOs, fishing industry, oil/gas sector, academia, and others). The Editor will manage all production aspects of a quarterly newsletter; produce and post additional, value-added content for the project website on a monthly or more frequent basis; capture and report on developments in the EBM field; and advance EBM through promotion of information exchange, including conducting interviews with leading EBM practitioners, policymakers, and researchers and soliciting essays and editorials by experts.
For a full position description, go to:
http://www.marineprotectedareas.org/EBM_ad.pdf
Qualifications: The candidate must have exceptional and proven skills in writing and news-gathering; strong familiarity with the issue of coastal/marine EBM, including terminology, principles, and techniques; experience in meeting regular deadlines; familiarity with HTML and Adobe InDesign; and foreign-language competency preferred (French and/or Spanish).
To apply, by e-mail or regular mail, submit a resume and three samples of published writing (news reportage preferred) to:
John Davis, President
Marine Affairs Research and Education
20227 NE 163rd St.
Woodinville, WA 98077 USA
E-mail: jdavis@marineaffairs.org
13) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION: NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR
DEADLINE: 30 JUNE
LOCATION: NARRAGANSETT, RI
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is looking for applicants for their National Partnership Coordinator position. The Coordinator would oversee activities related to a National Partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and NOAA's Community-based Restoration Program (CRP). The Coordinator will also provide technical support and advice to TNC field staff working on restoration projects, as well as external partners supported through the National Partnership; manage annual Request for Proposals (RFP); and assist with private fundraising activities by assembling information for TNC's Philanthropy and Global Marine Initiative staff.
For a full position description, go to: http://www.nature.org/careers/dynamic/natureorg/20070605200833.html
Qualifications: The candidate must have a graduate degree in marine science, marine affairs, natural resources, environmental studies or a related field. He or she must also have 1-2 years of experience in managing field projects or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
The candidate must also be willing to travel overnight to off-site meetings, nature preserves, or other locations related to management and promotion of National Partnership. Travel will occasionally occur on weekends.
Interested parties should e-mail letters of application and a current resume by 30 June 2007 to: marine@tnc.org
******************************************
E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
SeaSpan welcomes comments, as well as submissions of general interest to the international marine conservation community. Please send email to the editor at:
pewoceanscience@miami.edu
To subscribe, email LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU with no subject, and type the following as the only text in the message:
SUBSCRIBE SEASPAN Your Name
To unsubscribe, email LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU with no subject, and type the following as the only text in the message:
UNSUBSCRIBE SEASPAN
To read or search past issues of SeaSpan, go to: http://listserv.miami.edu/archives/seaspan.html
© 2007. Sections of SeaSpan not attributed to other sources may be reproduced at no charge, with proper acknowledgment and citation as follows:
Source: SeaSpan, from the Pew Institute for Ocean Science
http://www.pewoceanscience.org.