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The word robot comes from the Czech word “robota”, meaning “forced labor.” The stuff of science fiction robotics in the 21st century is different than your parents or your grandparents’ ideas of robotics. What used to be thought of as futuristic improbability is now becoming a reality.

There are, theoretically, three Laws of Robotics. The Laws of Robotics were developed by a small group of scientists who believe that robotics is the wave of the future. The first law, referred to as law zero, is that a robot may not injure humanity, or, though inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. The second law states that a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, unless this would violate a higher order law. This law was created so that mankind would seek not to create robots that would harm people. The third law is that a robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with a higher order law. And finally the final law is that a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with a higher order law. These were used in a recent Hollywood movie however many people don’t know that the Laws of Robotics actually exists.

According to The Robot Institute of America a robot is a “reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.” This is a scientific sounding description however most people just think of robots as machine that mimic their counterparts. In practical usage, a robot is a mechanical device which performs automated tasks.

The most developed robot in practical use today is the robotic arm and it is seen in applications throughout the world. We use robotic arms to carry out dangerous work such as when dealing with hazardous materials. We use robotic arms to carry out work in outer space where man can not survive and we use robotic arms to do work in the medical field such as conducting experiments without exposing the researcher.

Some of the most advanced robotic arms have such amenities as a rotating base, pivoting shoulder, pivoting elbow, rotating wrist and gripper fingers. All of these amenities allow the robotic arm to do work that closely resembles what a man can do only without the risk.

Rotary Tables

Linear Actuators

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The Challenge: An important challenge in creating a role playing gameand one prone to be overlookedis the challenge of game variety. Many role playing games are genre-specific, their rules geared to only a certain game style. Indeed, some RPGs specify more than just genre. The game world, story line, even play style are all used as factors in game design.

Not all RPGs worry excessively about this. Many use a specific game world or story line setting to benefit from brand loyalty and recognizable realms and characters. However, the more variety the game makes available, the greater the game’s potential to draw in players.

In any case, particularly specific role playing games fit their niches well enough. The designers who truly have to worry about the fourth challenge are those who intend to create a reasonably broad RPG. The fact is that role players demand variety. Browse the web sites (or even the banner ads!) of a few on-line role playing games, and you will quickly find that one of the most common selling points is the number (and, sometimes, unpredictability) of the character types they offer. Role players enjoy having a lot of character types to choose from. A fantasy game that only has fighters, wizards, clerics, and rogues won’t cut it, as won’t a sci-fi game where the only choices are astronaut, robot, and alien.

Crossovers are also becoming popular in some groups. There are plenty of players out there who would much prefer a game where robots and aliens can fight alongside fighters and wizards. And if there is a superhero or two in the group, so much the better!

But for a game to provide such options, it must be versatile. The RPG has to be able to support not only the vast (infinite?) number of character types that imaginative players might think of within a single genre, but if you want to cater to crossover players, also to the possible character types from other genres. And you have to do so while maintaining the first three challenges, and the six that will be provided afterwards.

The Risk: So now you know why it is good to make for a game with variety. So let’s say you intend to do so, going all-out with any genre possible. Good!

Here’s the problem.

You immediately find friction between this challenge and the third challenge, character value. Technological development insists that a sword is a better weapon than a club, a gun better than a sword, and a laser rifle better than a gun. So how are you supposed to maintain character value between a party that consists of a cave man, a medieval knight, a modern soldier, and a futuristic robot?

You also need a solid and balanced way for forces from opposed genres to interact. Consider magic, superhero powers, technology (both modern and futuristic separately, of course), psychic abilities (possibly differentiating between aliens, gifted modern humans, and mind-crafting mages), and simple physical prowess, to name just a few broad groups of abilities. Can you reliably say that any of them trumps the others? If so, you are shattering character value. Do they interact at all? If not, there is no way for such characters to defend themselves against one another, turning any cross-genre encounters into “who goes first” tests. Perhaps certain powers interact in superior fashions, each having ways to counter others? Too complicated, with too much emphasis on certain abilities. Players wind up locked into a multi-genre arms race rather than able to play the characters they want to play, which simply counters the point.

You could have each sort of ability working in a different way, but again, the complexity is there. In that case, it’s almost like you’re creating a different role playing game for each genre, and collecting them all into an anthology. This naturally leads to too many supplements, and a feeling that players have to buy them all to keep up to date. Good for business, bad for players, and very bad for attracting new players to a new RPG, where there is no brand loyalty getting them to buy even the core book, let alone supplements.

And, of course, there is the problem of interacting abilities within a single character. What happens when a robot learns magic or a cave man develops psychic powers? How about a superhero wielding an enchanted greatsword in one hand, an antimatter rifle in the other, and a wand of fireballs telekinetically? Players want to have access to such character types. They have to be taken into account.

The problem is that the more rules you have for describing different abilities, the more likely it is for those rules to interact in a critically unbalancing way. Next thing you know, characters have gotten around every limit you place on each genre, and used cross-genre abilities to improve their power more in a multiplicative fashion than an additive one. Variety is what players want, and it is the hardest thing to give them without breaking the system.

The Solution: As I noted in previous articles, the core rules for QoTR rely on a selection of broad ability types, each with lists of advantages that a character specializing in the ability can gain. Unlike many role playing games, the actual abilities the character has and the player’s description of its abilities are not tied together save for to assert that the description must emulate the stats. Of the various systems I have tried, I found this to be the best option for allowing unlimited description, versatile stats, and balanced character value.

Put simply, a swordsman who specializes in attacking and defending is no better or worse than a robot, modern soldier, or caveman of the same level who specializes to the same degree. Discounting specifically chosen penalties, they all have access to the same abilities and have the same stats. Their descriptions, however (and possibly the abilities that they use most frequently), will vary widely.

There is the potential for some glitches in realism using the system, but realism is actually little more than a sub-genre in and of itself. Some RPGs make a terrible mistake of assuming that players wish to play a realistic game. In QoTR, I handle realism by putting it in the player’s hands. If you want to play a realistic game, build and use your character realistically. The game rules allow plenty of leeway for character design, so players should suffer no real penalty for electing to limit their actions to realistic levels. There are options for unexploitable hindrances (yes, unexploitable) that players who wish to realistically limit their actions can use to get higher stats in other areas or other bonuses. Also, many abilities have a cost to use anyway; ignoring two abilities only gives you two more uses of the ability you really like.

Variety is one of the most important aspects of a role playing game, and also one of the most difficult to properly use. Assumptions and excessive detail can lead to imbalances that only squelch the opportunity to use the versatility offered to its fullest extent. To best encourage variety, design a system that allows players to build characters they way they wish to play them, and forces them to play their characters the way they built them.

Copyright © 2006 Dustin Schwerman.

Dustin Schwerman has been playing RPGs for over a decade, using an analytical approach to critically evaluate the game systems (and so to create the most powerful characters he could get away with). He used the extensive experience gained doing so to create his own game, Quests of the Realm. QoTR focuses on unlimited character customization, relying on its author’s understanding to detect and counter game-breaking power plays. Though balanced, QoTR still allows players to create highly effective characters and run them through heroic story lines. To contact Dustin, read more of his writings, or learn more about Quests of the Realm, visit his web site, Quellian-dyrae.

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Development of communication technologies allowed people to access to others as they are mobile without losing their contact with their social milieu. And last minute meetings, daily changed plans and cancelled appointments became a part of our lives. Most of the time people owning a mobile phone have to explain the reason why they are not accessible. So communication is handled on individual basis, location restrictions gained minor importance. It means that a person does not have to lose contact with his/her social milieu whether he/she is at home, work or in a car.

We do not have much difficulties in using our devices to reach communication technologies as we are at home or walking on the streets. The issue gets tougher when we started to drive our cars. The main actor in the car is the car, making the course decisions and using the in-vehicle devices. Normally a driver’s task is to drive the car safely without causing any danger for himself and the passengers. But a driver is not a robot programmed only to achieve one mission, meaning that human brain has the capacity to carry on more than one job at the same time. Although that situation is in favor of the driver, concentrating on many things can cause deconcentraion on the driver’s seat.

Mobile phones, undoubtedly, remain the most significant device for in-vehicle use. As mobile phone usage brings about questions during the course of the cars, many countries started to discuss this issue in detail. And many countries banned to use mobile during the course of the cars. As some countries allow to use mobile phones with “hands free kit”, some countries banned it in a strict way.

My starting point for my thesis was to establish some projects to solve the problems about the currently used in-vehicle technologies. I already had some questions in my mind requiring answers: How do the in-vehicle technologies affect our behaviours in the car? How better can the interfaces of those devices be designed? How better can i meet the communication demands of the driver?

I started my study to interview with drivers to know their in-vehicle needs.My purpose was to find the anwers to those questions in general: What is the relation of the driver with his car? How often and which purpose does he motivate to drive? What does he need as he drive the car? As well as with my face-to-face interviews i held a survey with similar questions and sent to people to get a mass feedback. My purpose was to acquire a leitmotive that i would like to focus on. The respondents explained that they have one or more mobile phones. Although it is forbidden in-vehicle use of mobile phones in their countries, they did not hesitate to use their mobile phones.

One of my projects is called navigation system interface. Currently used road navigators is based on to trace the map located on the console or the next turn is passed to the driver through a warning voice in some systems. Such road navigators play a significant role for the deconcentraion of the driver as he tries to trace a small display. Mostly used audible warning systems could be disturbing as the music is on the car or passengers are talking to each other. To me the road navigator should function without deconcentrating the driver, as the main target of it is to navigate.

My second project is Pronto, which integrates navigation and communication for in-vehicle use. Respondents underlined that the their most phone calls are intented to know where they are. Such calls can be decreased thrugh the communication of in-vehicle devices. With Pronto, driver matches his mobile phone with the car once and then as he enters his car his mobile phone and in-vehicle system will be synchronized via bluetooth.

My point for both projects was to reshape current technology and devices to match with people’s demands. Now both projects await for the production as feasible and practical systems in the near future.

Closing words are for the users’ now. Drivers having the opportunity to try those projects said they look forward to use those systems in real life as well. If people’s motivations are considered in depth as technology is shaped, it would be possible to launch long life and exciting products.

I was born and raised in Turkey and I traveled around the country since my parents are teachers. Spending my childhood and teenage years reading all sorts of books, eating chocolate and peanuts, listening to first New Kids on the Block, then metal music, studying for the university entrance exam to be a kick-ass economist, I managed to get into a brand new university, moved to Istanbul, never took a single economics class, tried computer science, flirted with cultural studies and art, went to exhibition openings for free booze, met people, walked through every interesting bit of the city, danced like no one is watching, took billions of photographs, eventually ended up getting a BA in visual communication design.

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Our pets do not live forever and unfortunately they die after becoming so close to us. There are several companies now producing artificial intelligent robotic dogs for our much needed companionship. Within the next decade or so, they will become so real you may even forget they are robots. In fact that maybe just as well in case you space out and forget to feed them. In the movie; “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” the robotic teddy bear was a “Super Toy.” In the movie; “iRobot” the robotic trucks delivered robotic dogs and robotic people as friends and servants of mankind. There is only one problem with this scenario for a possible future; Will we want robotic pets or will we want cloned pets?

Both options are nearly upon us. Many Japanese companies are producing robotic dogs now, and they are getting smarter or better equipped with robotic artificial intelligence each year.

http://www.unbeatable.co.uk/resources/images/products/0026000/0026000_04_max.jpg

http://people.bath.ac.uk/en1alc/aibo.h4.jpg

But nipping on the heels of this new artificial intelligence and in competition to be man’s bestest buddy, is the latest exploits of cloning. If your dog is growing old and weak you simply clone it and then the new dog takes over as a puppy of your current dog when it dies. In its old age your faithful dog has a companion too, a younger version of itself as a friend. Sounds to Sci-Fi to you; it shouldn’t. Scientists in South Korea have successfully cloned a dog, Afghan hound. Of course this first issue did not come without trial and error. Of course to get Snuppy, the first cloned dog it took many years of research and a lot of tries. S.N.U.P.Py stands for Seoul National University Pampered Puppy. It has not been more than a few years since the first sheep clone; “Dolly.” You may not know this but since Dolly, scientists and researchers have cloned a cat, goat, cow, mouse, pig, rabbit, horse, deer, mule and gaur (a wild ugly ox). Folks the commercial pet cloning industry is about to take off. Right now the cost would be about $50,000 but researchers and market analysts predict that price will come down significantly. And it better to compete with the ever increasing viability of artificial intelligent pet models, which require no food and do not leave anything extra to pick up around the yard. Think on this.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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Once an artificial intelligent program is set up in a computer or robot with a computer brain, it must then be given a memory or data sets, which it will use thru decision matrixes to arrive at decisions. If robotic assistants are to become all that Isaac Asimov predicted in his Sci Fi works and mimic our favorite robots in the movies such as; C3PO, R2D2 and Hal we will need to work to insure that the data we include is mixed with human personality phrases, words of wisdom and clich�s. How can we do this?

Well, simple really, one of the best ways is to enter into the computer database random jokes, catch phrases and comments. Perhaps tone of cynicism at times might also be a nice touch. You see if a computer is to mix with humans and interact as assistants, company and companionship as team members during space flight, exploration missions and other activities the human must bond with them. Human bonding and personal social interaction includes joking, teasing and embellishment of stories.

If you will observe next time you are at a BBQ, coffee shop or even at a parts counter at a company you will see such human interaction taking place and we must insure that such programming and data sets are within the computer to make it simulate this. If not all this fancy AI will not achieve its objectives, as humans will learn to dislike these assistants and reject them. It’s time to consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

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Tired of hearing the usual ringtones all over town? Just at the coffee shop this morning you heard that annoying Nokia tune coming from at least three different people, and what about that generic ring-ring that reminds you of the office phone when you’re walking down the street on a sunny day? We all need to add some fun to our lives now and then, and you don’t need to brush up on your punch lines to do it. Yes, aside from the imminently useful functions we all know about, your trusty cellphone can be used as a source of amusement for you, or depending on your ringtone, a source of great irritation to those around you!

Luckily, there are a huge number of funny ringtones available today for nearly every kind of cellphone - and for every kind of personality. You can download the perfect ringtone to go with your mood, current obsession, and for more fun, match it with a person on your address book. This means you’ll know your boss is calling when you hear Darth Vader’s march, or better yet, an agonizing scream. But eriously, if you’re a movie buff, you’re sure to have hours of fun with some of the film-inspired ringtones around - from the Terminator’s harsh Austrian accent informing you of a call, to the unmistakable Tarzan howl replacing the monotonous “ring-ring” on your phone. And its not just Stars Wars fanatics who are sure to get a hoot out of Yoda saying “Answer the phone you must” or “Press the button to fulfill your destiny”. Who wouldn’t giggle (or gawk) at the sound of Jack Nicholson, Robert de Niro or the throaty voice of Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) telling you to pick up the call?

For comic types and practical joke lovers, a funny ringtone has got to be part of your everyday repertoire, and here you truly can go nuts. Try the bugle call-charge! ringtone, which is sure to grab attention on a crowded bus. The classic silly fart is another gem for those quiet times when lining up at the bank. If you want something a little more convincing, try the laughter fit and watch the person behind you try not to giggle. With an endless list of amusing ringtones, you can be funny without even trying. One word of advice though, stay away from the 50 mm machine gunfire ringtone at the airport. Others may just get the wrong end of a stick with that particular one.

The list of entertaining ringtones spawns even to that of political icons. Imagine Tony Blair’s voice enumerating your cellular phone’s destructive prowess. How about George W. Bush reminding you of an incoming call? Or Prince Charles telling you politely that you have a call coming through? These political movers and shakers are here for one purpose- to take your calls. Beats voice mail, doesn’t it?

For the non-political minded, there are still bound to be some ringtones to tickle your funny bone. Ladies, what about a sexy male voice telling you how gorgeous you are? Or the leery construction-worker wolf whistle? For the boys, maybe a sultry Latina voice is more your style, or even the infectious yawning tone? You can even try to test if the ringtone actually transmits the yawn to the person next to you.

Finally, the new breed of personalized ringtones are here not just to add a little ego to our lives, but some fun as well. You may not have the latest hi-tech robot at home to do the dishes, but your cellphone declaring “Eric, you have a phone call” can make you feel like 21st century boy.

Philip Nicosia is the webmaster of Ringtones.lt, a site specialising in the different genres of ringtones, including
polyphonic ringtones, true tones and mp3 ringtones.

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In the future wars will be mostly fought by robots; perhaps artificial intelligent robotic androids and when our nation goes to war and is short a few hundred thousand folks to sign up for military service then we may have to have middle class Americans lend our government their robots for active duty?

So you are probably asking you mean my house hold artificial intelligent robot which washes my clothes, my car and dog, when I do not have it making my bed, walking said dog or cooking my meals must now go and fight our battle? Wouldn’t that be breaking the number one rule for Robotic Androids? Indeed, but that is nothing a little re-training or software change cannot do.

Your robotic artificial intelligent robotic android would report for duty, re-assignment and calibration. The nice cleaning robot would be abated of all nice software programming and turned into a better-equipped killing machine you see? The software settings for cleaning the car, cooking your meals or mowing your lawn would be saved for later do not worry.

Well, unless your robotic android is demolished into oblivion defending our nation or fighting the International Terrorists at a time and place of our choosing. But do not worry if destroyed you will get a plaque thanking you for the service to our country and you may have to do your own dishes for a while, but you will still have your freedom and life. Consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

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For years, man has been prognosticating the future in technology. Doc and Marty made it to 2015 to see flying cars and a fake-looking Jaws hologram. Star Trek fanatics live in a dream of phasers and transportation via ‘beam-me-up’ beams. The Jetsons had a robot to cook and clean. While the iTheater doesn’t promise to press your pants, it is a huge step forward in personal entertainment technology.

Applications

Dentistry
I hate dentists. I take that back. My best man at my wedding is studying to be a dentist. I hate the dental experience. I hate the chair. I hate the smell. I hate the noise of the drills and crying children in the next room. I hate the poking and the jabbing and the picking and… well, you understand, I’m sure. The iTheater is the perfect friend for the dental chair. Watch Wallace and Gromit shorts rather than that blasted light and the built-in ear buds help drown out the pain-induced groans from all around you. You still feel the poking, but maybe you won’t notice it as much.
Exercising
When I first tried one of these on, I was actually surprised at how light it was. It makes sense, I guess, since the only thing you actually wear is the screen and ear buds (the video processing and batteries are stored in a little box attached to the head unit). This means that you can finally watch movies at the gym without hurting your neck to keep your eyes on the screen. Plus, you get to pick what you watch. The iTheater rests comfortably on your nose and ears while you jog (not recommended for swimming yet, sorry).
Flying
So you’ve got the red-eye from New York to Dallas and you got a new Video iPod. Great. Four hours with your tray table, Lord of the Rings, and a 2 inch screen. What you di
dn’t think about was the horrible crick in your neck, the sore wrist, and the squinty eyes. The iTheater answers it all. Enjoy your movie in privacy and comfort while you’re in the air. Simply fold it up (like sunglasses) and tuck it into your purse or manbag when the flight is over.
Specifications
The iTheater comes with built in stereo ear buds and plugs into any RCA source (adapters are available for iPod Video). It is powered by 2 “AA” batteries. It is only 3.5 ounces (head unit only) and runs for 6-8 hours on the 2 batteries. It works with NTSC, PAL and SEACAM systems.

Lewis Gunter is a business developer with sewelldirect.com and a technology admirer. More information on the iTheater as well as purchasing information can be found here.

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No new technology develops smoothly, and video conferencing had more than its

share of bumps along the way before becoming the widely used communications

staple it is today. The history of video conferencing in its earliest form goes

back to the 1960’s, when AT&T introduced the Picturephone at the World’s Fair in

New York. While viewed as a fascinating curiosity, it never became popular and

was too expensive to be practical for most consumers when it was offered for

$160 a month in 1970.

Commercial use of real video conferencing was first realized with Ericsson’s

demonstration of the first trans-Atlantic LME video telephone call. Soon other

companies began refining video conferencing technologies, including such

advancements as network video protocol (NVP) in 1976 and packet video protocol (PVP)

in 1981. None of these were put into commercial use, however, and stayed in the

laboratory or private company use.

In 1976, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone established video conferencing (VC)

between Tokyo and Osaka for company use. IBM Japan followed suit in 1982 by

establishing VC running at 48000bps to link up with already established internal

IBM video conferencing links in the United States so that they could have weekly

meetings.

The 1980’s introduce commercial video conferencing

In 1982, Compression Labs introduces their VC system to the world for

$250,000 with lines for $1,000 an hour. The system was huge and used enormous

resources capable of tripping 15 amp circuit breakers. It was, however, the only

working VC system available until PictureTel’s VC hit the market in 1986 with

their substantially cheaper $80,000 system with $100 per hour lines.

In the time in between these two commercially offered systems, there were

other video conferencing systems developed that were never offered commercially.

The history of video conferencing isn’t complete without mentioning these

systems that were either prototypes or systems developed specifically for

in-house use by a variety of corporations or organizations, including the

military. Around 1984, Datapoint was using the Datapoint MINX system on their

Texas campus, and had provided the system to the military.

In the late 1980’s, Mitsubishi began selling a still-picture phone that was

basically a flop in the market place. They dropped the line two years after

introducing it. In 1991, the first PC based video conferencing system was

introduced by IBM - PicTel. It was a black and white system using what was at

the time an incredibly inexpensive $30 per hour for the lines, while the system

itself was $20,000. In June of the same year, DARTnet had successfully connected

a transcontinental IP network of over a dozen research sites in the United

States and Great Britain using T1 trunks. Today, DARTnet has evolved into the

CAIRN system, which connects dozens of institutions.

CU-SeeMe revolutionizes video conferencing

One of the most famous systems in the history of video conferencing was the

CU-SeeMe developed for the MacIntosh system in 1992. Although the first version

didn’t have audio, it was the best video system developed to that point. By

1993, the MAC program had multipoint capability, and in 1994, CU-SeeMe MAC was

true video conferencing with audio. Recognizing the limitations of MAC

compatibility in a Windows world, developers worked diligently to roll out the

April 1994 CU-SeeME for Windows (no audio), followed closely by the audio

version, CU-SeeMe v0.66b1 for Windows in August of 1995.

In 1992, AT&T rolled out their own $1,500 video phone for the home market. It

was a borderline success. That same year, the world’s first MBone audio/video

broadcast took place and in July INRIA’s video conferencing system was

introduced. This is the year that saw the first real explosion in video

conferencing for businesses around the globe and eventually led to the standards

developed by the ITU.

International Telecommunications Union develops coding standards

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) began developing standards

for video conferencing coding in 1996, when they established Standard H.263 to

reduce bandwidth for transmission for low bit rate communication. Other

standards were developed, including H.323 for packet-based multi-media

communications. These are a variety of other telecommunications standards were

revised and updated in 1998. In 1999, Standard MPEG-4 was developed by the

Moving Picture Experts Group as an ISO standard for multimedia content.

In 1993, VocalChat Novell IPX networks introduced their video conferencing

system, but it was doomed from the start and didn’t last. Microsoft finally came

on board the video conferencing bandwagon with NetMeeting, a descendent of

PictureTel’s Liveshare Plus, in August of 1996 (although it didn’t have video in

this release). By December of the same year, Microsoft NetMeeting v2.0b2 with

video had been released. That same month, VocalTec’s Internet Phone v4.0 for

Windows was introduced.

VRVS links global research centers

The Virtual Room Videoconferencing System (VRVS) project at Caltech-CERN

kicked off in July of 1997. They developed the VRVS specifically to provide

video conferencing to researchers on the Large Hadron Collider Project and

scientists in the High Energy and Nuclear Physics Community in the U.S. and

Europe. It has been so successful that seed money has been allotted for phase

two, CalREN-2, to improve and expand on the already in-place VRVS system in

order to expand it to encompass geneticists, doctors, and a host of other

scientists in the video conferencing network around the world.

Cornell University’s development team released CU-SeeMe v1.0 in 1998. This

color video version was compatible with both Windows and MacIntosh, and huge

step forward in pc video conferencing. By May of that year, the team has moved

on to other projects.

In February of 1999, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) was launched by MMUSIC.

The platform showed some advantages over H.323 that user appreciated and soon

made it almost as popular. 1999 was a very busy year, with NetMeeting v3.0b

coming out, followed quickly by version three of the ITU standard H.323. Then

came the release of iVisit v2.3b5 for both Windows and Mac, followed by Media

Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), version 1. In December, Microsoft released a

service pack for NetMeeting v3.01 (4.4.3388) and an ISO standard MPEG-4 version

two was released. Finally, PSInet was the first company to launch H.323

automated multipoint services. Like we said, 1999 was a very busy year.

SIP entered version 1.30 in November of 2000, the same year that standard

H.323 hit version 4, and Samsung released their MPEG-4 streaming 3G video cell

phone, the first of its kind. It was a hit, particularly in Japan. Rather

predictably, Microsoft NetMeeting had to release another service pack for

version 3.01.

In 2001, Windows XP messenger announced that it would now support Session

Initiation Protocol. This was the same year the world’s first transatlantic tele-surgery

took place utilizing video conferencing. In this instance, video conferencing

was instrumental in allowing a surgeon in the U.S. to use a robot overseas to

perform gall bladder surgery on a patient. It was one of the most compelling

non-business uses in the history of video conferencing, and brought the

technology to the attention of the medical profession and the general public.

In October of 2001, television reporters began using a portable satellite and

a videophone to broadcast live from Afghanistan during the war. It was the first

use of video conferencing technology to converse live with video with someone in

a war zone, again bringing video conferencing to the forefront of people’s

imaginations.

Founded in December of 2001, the Joint Video Team completed basic research

leading to ITU-T H.264 by December of 2002. This protocol standardized video

compression technology for both MPEG-4 and ITU-T over a broad range of

application areas, making it more versatile than its predecessors. In March of

2003, the new technology was ready for launch to the industry.

New uses for video conferencing technologies

2003 also saw the rise in use of video conferencing for off-campus

classrooms. Interactive classrooms became more popular as the quality of

streaming video increased and the delay decreased. Companies such as VBrick

provided various MPEG-4 systems to colleges across the country. Desktop video

conferencing is also on the rise and gaining popularity.

Companies newer to the market are now refining the details of performance in

addition to the nuts and bolts of transmission. In April of 2004, Applied Global

Technologies developed a voice-activated camera for use in video conferencing

that tracks the voice of various speakers in order to focus on whoever is

speaking during a conference call. In March 2004, Linux announced the release of

GnomeMeeting, an H.323 compliant, free video conferencing platform that is

NetMeeting compatible.

With the constant advances in video conferencing systems, it seems obvious

that the technology will continue to evolve and become an integral part of

business and personal life. As new advances are made and systems become more

reasonably priced, keep in mind that choices are still determined by network

type, system requirements and what your particular conferencing needs are.

This article on the “The History of Video Conferencing” reprinted with

permission.

Copyright © 2004 Evaluseek Publishing.

About the Author
Lori Wilkerson is a full-time freelance writer who loves her job because it
gives her the opportunity to learn more about the world every day. Right now,
she knows a little bit about almost everything, and a lot about
video conferencing,
renting a

video conference facility, and which

videoconferencing conferencing solution is best for small groups. She has two dogs who are spoiled
and one teenager who is not. She does her video conferencing in pink bunny
slippers.

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Pay cuts for CEOs? Sounds good to many rank and file workers indeed. CEO pay in the United States has outpaced the rest of the workforce and now the average CEO makes 300 times their counter parts at the lower levels. Let’s face it a company’s job is to make money and a public company’s job is to increase shareholders value and quarterly profits. If all the money is going out the top end then, we need to cut costs there. Performance based pay is one thing, but when a company is not doing so hot, why should the CEO be paid so much? Well if you are wondering that, then you are not alone, in fact you find some friends in this line of thinking at the top as well. Warren Buffet for instance and if you read his papers on Corporate Governance and essays you will see what I mean.

Today we are replacing manufacturing jobs with robots, which do not complain, call in sick or go on strike. We never have to worry about lifetime pension contributions, employee lawsuits or sexual harassment. In fact we do not even have to worry about on-going education, as we can simply pop in a new program into the robotic machinery to continue the efficiency needed in Finite Capacity Scheduling models.

Kicking the CEO out the door might be a very inviting idea, as the cost savings would be huge. Artificial Robots could make this a cost-savings reality made in heaven for investors. Cutting a CEO’s pay like Michael Eisner would have saved Disney and unbelievable amount in the 10’s of millions. What about the former Tyco, World Com, Adelphia or Krispy Kreme CEOs; now we are talking, but is it possible to program a computer to do what a CEO does? Well, it could be.

The computer would not need to take a vacation or have an Ego Complex, you could train it not to steal from the company and make sure its mission was appropriate for the delivery of on time, quality goods to the consumer and the lowest possible costs to the company for the best price scenario of what the market will bare, based on the demographic target market and volume needed to maintain and increase market share.

Sounds to MBA’ish; well, isn’t that what we do, train humans to think like that in our Business Schools? If it is only a matter of training and we all know human nature is not the best for all the parties previously mentioned then why not shit can the CEO for a robot? Besides if something goes wrong you can literally axe the robot for a later version right?
Actually there are artificial intelligent trading programs, which work with a myriad of complex scenarios, which can beat out any human trader in the stock market.

There are also scientists working on robotic artificial intelligent programs right now to replace these CEOs. Is this a reasonable alternative to seat-of-the-pants, fearless leader, decision-making? Could be. Is it something a small business could use to make decisions too? Ask it a question and it pops out the answer. How about Non-profit groups like the United Nations, such a program instead of Koffee Anan would have prevented the Oil-4-Food Scandal?

These programs will make the need for organizational capital obsolete using data, complex modeling and better decision-making. If Big Blue can make a computer which can beat a Human in Chess, why not one which can beat out the competition, with their over paid CEO?

As a matter of fact lets downsize government. A smaller government saves taxpayers money and who need all those brain dead government bureaucrats anyway? Kick the whole lot out the door as one computer could take the place of 100’s if not thousands of the coffee pot sipping scoundrels in Washington D.C., you see there is a brighter future ahead. You just have to think outside he box. Think on it.

Lance Winslow

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