Satellite firm demonstrates 1.5m km laser link: They were able to use laser apertures to simulate 1.5m km across a 144 km stretch in the Canary Islands. Rates exceeded 10 Mbps. Laser links can transmit faster and with less power over the same distances, the company says, than comparable wireless technology. The firm simulated 1.5m km because that's the distance between the Earth and two Lagrange points, L1 and L2, that represent gravitationally stable positions between the earth and sun (L1) and beyond the earth balanced by the sun (L2). L1 and L2 would be ideally suited for space telescopes, the firm notes.
London calling, London calling: London Undersound proposes music sharing over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in the London Underground subway system using music with rights that allows free sharing. The project proposes setting up unique tracks for each station, making the music relevant to the location. The project will be a Java applet that would work on smartphones or other devices running Symbian or Linux. There would be no servers involved; peer-to-peer sharing would be required due to the difficulties of installing hardware in the underground. They're thinking about seeding Nokia N800s to people positioned within stations. Strangely, the article doesn't mention whether the transportation authority is interested in allowing this project to happen. With peer-to-peer technology, they wouldn't necessary need to involved.