NewsScan Daily, 9 September 2003 ("Above The Fold")

NewsScan Daily, 9 September 2003 ("Above The Fold")
***********************************************************
NewsScan Daily is underwritten by RLG, a world-class organization
making significant and sustained contributions to the effective
management and appropriate use of information technology. NSD is
written by John Gehl and Suzanne Douglas, [email protected].
***********************************************************

"ABOVE THE FOLD"
        Wi-Fi and 3G Harmonize Capabilities
        Disney Touts Self-Destructing DVDs
        Instant Architecture
        New Consumer Guidelines for Cellphone Services
        Japan, China, South Korea Seek Alternatives to Windows
        Dell Sees Moderate Growth for PC Industry

FEATURES
        Flash Card
        A Mixed Blessing: Anonymity in Meetings
        Worth Thinking About: Emotional Intelligence

WI-FI AND 3G HARMONIZE CAPABILITIES
Broadcom and Royal Philips Electronics have developed smaller, cheaper and 
more power-efficient Wi-Fi chips aimed at opening the door for devices that 
combine Wi-Fi and next-generation cellular capabilities. "Wi-Fi has been 
aimed at notebooks and infrastructure, but it needs to go far beyond that 
to reach its full potential," says Jeff Abramowitz, a senior marketing 
director at Broadcom. Combining Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities on a single 
device is likely to be a winning strategy, say analysts, who note that the 
two technologies complement each other: Adding a cellular component to 
Wi-Fi enables service providers to fill in coverage gaps, while boosting 
bandwidth for 3G customers, at least in highly trafficked "hotspots." "This 
will be one of the first opportunities to test whether Wi-Fi can be a 
complementary solution or a substitution (to cellular) at least from the 
perspective of hardware makers," says a Deutsche Bank analyst. Meanwhile, 
forecasters are revising their timelines for the integration of the two 
technologies: "We had expected the cellular transition in late 2004, but it 
looks like it will be early 2004 instead," says an analyst with Forward 
Concepts. (CNet News.com 9 Sep 2003)
http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-5073056.html

DISNEY TOUTS SELF-DESTRUCTING DVDs
Walt Disney is launching its new, disposable DVD product line today, which 
will be available in convenience stores, pharmacies and other outlets in 
four U.S. cities. The test will gauge consumer enthusiasm for the EZ-D 
format, which will carry a suggested price of $6.99 and are viewable for 48 
hours after opening up the package. Once the package is opened, exposure to 
oxygen slowly erodes the readability of the disc through a process similar 
to the developing of Polaroid film. The plan has drawn criticism from 
environmental groups, which say the discs will add needless waste to U.S. 
landfills. Disney says there will be some recycling available -- although 
not in-store -- and consumers eventually will be able to trade in six used 
discs for a free new one. (Reuters/CNN Money 9 Sep 2003)
http://money.cnn.com/2003/09/09/technology/disney_dvd.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

INSTANT ARCHITECTURE
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Vienna University 
of Technology and the French National Institute for Research in Computer 
Science and Control have come up with software that uses a set of rules 
like building blocks to automate the steps in the design modeling process. 
The system uses rules that combine, divide and refine basic forms like 
boxes, cylinders and pyramids into structures that follow basic 
architectural norms. "The important aspect of our system is that the rules 
can be applied automatically together with the specification of some high 
level design goal," says Georgia Tech researcher Peter Wonka. The system 
can also be used in traffic simulations, data visualization, military 
simulations and games. Using the tool, game creators can quickly fill in 
scenes with detailed objects, leaving more time for manually designing 
important buildings or landmarks, says Wonka. The researchers plan to 
release the software next year as a plug-in that will work with Alias 
Systems' Maya 3D design and animation software. (Technology Research News 
27 Aug-3 Sep 2003) 
http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/082703/Software_speeds_modeling_082703.ht ml

NEW CONSUMER GUIDELINES FOR CELLPHONE SERVICES
Verizon Wireless, Cingular, Sprint PCS, Nextel and AT&T Wireless -- the 
largest U.S. cellular phone companies -- have jointly developed a voluntary 
set of consumer-relations guidelines requiring that new cellphone customers 
receive a 14-day trial period, coverage maps showing where service is 
available, and specific disclosure of rates and plans. New York assemblyman 
Richard L. Brodsky thinks the guidelines serve as a useful first step, 
possibly followed  by legislation: "It's like shopping for a mattress. 
Everybody's got a superfirm but nobody knows what that means." But Tom 
Wheeler, chief executive of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet 
Association (CTIA), thinks that the guidelines are unnecessary: "Complaint 
rates are lower than those of more regulated telecom sectors. So dragging 
wireless down with heavy regulations is simply old monopolistic think, and 
only hurts consumers." (New York Times 9 Sep 2003)
http://partners.nytimes.com/2003/09/09/technology/09CELL.html

JAPAN, CHINA, SOUTH KOREA SEEK ALTERNATIVES TO WINDOWS
Japan, China and South Korea have agreed to cooperate in an R&D program to 
develop software for operating systems other than Microsoft's Windows, and 
to encourage the more widespread of use of existing operating systems that 
compete with Windows. Japanese trade ministry official Takashi Kume 
explains, "The idea is to get existing non-Windows operating systems, such 
as Linux, to be more broadly used, rather than developing a totally new 
operating system." Besides giving more options to consumers, the 
development of non-Windows operating system software would also allow 
manufacturers a wider choice of platforms in developing electronics and 
information devices. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 9 Sep 2003)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6699893.htm

DELL SEES MODERATE GROWTH FOR PC INDUSTRY
Dell founder and chief executive Michael Dell sees continued good news (at 
least moderately good news) ahead this year for the PC industry: "The 
overall market has had four quarters of slight growth. What happens in the 
second half is likely to continue to be moderate growth." The main holdup 
to growth is caution in nation's corporate executive offices: "A lot of 
corporations are waiting for their own profits to improve before investing 
in infrastructure." Dell is cautious himself, and said he does want to 
characterize the industry's rebound too strongly. (Reuters/USA Today 8 Sep 
2003)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/2003-09-08-dell-looking-up_x.htm

*****

FLASH CARD
      "Better beware of notions like genius and inspiration; they are a 
sort of magic wand and should be used sparingly by anybody who wants to see 
things clearly." (José Ortega y Gasset)

MIXED BLESSING: ANONYMITY IN MEETINGS
      We though we'd share an article we included in an issue of Innovation 
Weekly, which is a sibling publication to NewsScan Daily. Here it is, 
followed by a response to the item from one of our readers:
      OVERCOMING GROUPTHINK
According to Darwin Magazine, business managers spend as much as 70-80% of 
their time in meetings. In the U.S., businesses hold 15 million meetings 
every day, and more than 4 billion meetings per year. And every year, 
unproductive meetings are blamed for $37 billion in productivity losses. 
Obviously, anything that can stem the tide of pointless meetings would be a 
blessing ­- and a bloom of collaborative decision-making tools is helping 
to do just that. Called group decision support systems (GDSS), these tools 
are gaining widespread acceptance -­ and helping to eliminate groupthink at 
the same time. One factor driving groupthink is the intimidation many 
people feel in face-to-face meetings. GDSS enables more rational and 
even-handed decisions by stripping away egos and overly assertive behavior, 
encouraging equal participation by providing anonymity or enforcing 
turn-taking. The idea of GDSS isn't new, but systems emerging on the market 
today are easier to use than their predecessors. "In the past, the 
technology was quite complicated, says Bob Briggs, director of R&D at 
GroupSystems. "You had to have a facilitator or the results couldn't be 
reproduced. But now the focus is on tools that people can run themselves. 
The key shift has been in developing technologies that empower end users 
instead of empowering the facilitators." (Darwin Magazine Aug 2003)
http://www.darwinmag.com/read/080103/group.html
                                             ***
      And here's an interesting response from Innovation Weekly reader 
Diana Bouchard of Paprican (the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada):
      "Contrary to what the article says, I think anonymity in meetings is 
a mixed blessing. It may encourage some people to speak up more freely. But 
when I am listening and evaluating an idea, part of the information I use 
is who is presenting it, and what I know about their background, world 
view, and motivations. In an anonymous environment, I would have more 
difficulty deciding how to take what is being said. There's a lot more to a 
message than just the words.
      "Moreover, as people participate in meetings over time, they develop 
a reputation. Others learn more about who they are, what they believe, what 
they want. If all I had done with someone was take part in anonymous online 
meetings, I wouldn't feel I knew them. And a person who were interested in 
making a case to their colleagues for more responsible assignments, or a 
leadership role, would have less opportunity to make it.
      I have taken part in a number of groupware-assisted meetings in the 
context of my professional association involvement. My experience has been 
that, as in a face-to-face context, it is important to build a group 
culture that welcomes the free expression of differing views, without 
ridicule, hostility, or reprisals. Once that culture is in place, people 
are not afraid to speak their minds ... whether or not others know who they 
are." (Diana C. Bouchard)
      For a sample issue of Innovation Weekly, go to: 
http://www.newsscan.com/innovation-sample.html.

WORTH THINKING ABOUT: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
      Management consultant Daniel Goleman promotes emotional intelligence 
as the new yardstick for measuring employee performance and promise:
      "The rules for work are changing. We're being judged by a new 
yardstick: not just by how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, 
but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other. This yardstick is 
increasingly applied in choosing who will be hired and who will not, who 
will be let go and who retained, who passed over and who promoted.
        "The new rules predict who is most likely to become a star 
performer and who is most prone to derailing. And, no matter what field we 
work in currently, they measure the traits that are crucial to our 
marketability for future jobs.
      "These rules have little to do with what we were told was important 
in school; academic abilities are largely irrelevant to this standard. The 
new measure takes for granted having enough intellectual ability and 
technical know-how to do our jobs; it focuses instead on personal 
qualities, such as initiative and empathy, adaptability and persuasiveness.
      "This is no passing fad, nor just the management nostrum of the 
moment. The data that argue for taking it seriously are based on studies of 
tens of thousands of working people, in callings of every kind. The 
research distills with unprecedented precision which qualities mark a star 
performer. And it demonstrates which human abilities make up the greater 
part of the ingredients for excellence at work -- most especially for 
leadership.
      "If you work in a large organization, even now you are probably being 
evaluated in terms of these capabilities, though you may not know it. If 
you are applying for a job, you are likely to be scrutinized through this 
lens, though, again, no one will tell you so explicitly. Whatever your job, 
understanding how to cultivate these capabilities can be essential for 
success in your career.
      "In a time with no guarantees of job security, when the very concept 
of a 'job' is rapidly being replaced by 'portable skills,' these are prime 
qualities that make and keep us employable. Talked about loosely for 
decades under a variety of names, from 'character' and 'personality' to 
'soft skills' and 'competence,' there is at last a more precise 
understanding of these human talents, and a new name for them: emotional 
intelligence."
                                                ***
See http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553375067/newsscancom/ref=nosim 
for Daniel Goleman's "Working With Emotional Intelligence" -- or look for 
it in your favorite library. [We donate all revenue from our book 
recommendations to adult literacy programs.]

SUBSCRIPTION INFO FOR NEWSSCAN DAILY:
      To subscribe or unsubscribe to the text, html, or handheld versions 
of NewsScan Daily, send the appropriate subscribe or unsubscribe messages 
(i.e., with the word 'subscribe' or 'unsubscribe' in the subject line) to 
the addresses shown below:
      Text version: Send message to [email protected]
      HTML version: Send mail to [email protected]
      NewsScan-To-Go: http://www.newsscan.com/handheld/current.html

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT NEWSSCAN DAILY! Send them our little frog: 
http://www.newsscan.com/newsscan/newscup.html

***********************************************************
Please visit the site of RLG, the great organization that makes NewsScan 
Daily possible. (RLG has no influence over, nor any responsibility for, our 
editorial content.) Created in 1974 as the Research Libraries Group, RLG is 
a not-for-profit membership corporation of more than 160 universities, 
national libraries, archives, museums -- and other institutions with 
remarkable collections for research and learning. Its major initiatives are 
long-term retention of digital materials, resource sharing among member 
institutions, and improvement of researcher access to primary source 
material. RLG supplies online research resources worldwide. Visit RLG at 
http://www.rlg.org.

*********

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the TEXT version of NewsScan Daily, send an 
e-mail message to [email protected] with 'subscribe' or 'unsubscribe' 
in the subject line. To subscribe to our HTML version of NewsScan Daily, 
send mail to [email protected], with the word 'subscribe' as the 
subject. (Subscribing to the HTML version won't automatically unsubscribe 
you from the text version; please unsubscribe yourself as explained above.) 
Please note: To unsubscribe from an account to which you no longer have 
access, send mail to at [email protected].

*********

We call our news section "Above The Fold" to honor the tradition of the 
great "broadsheet" newspapers in which editors must decide which news 
stories are of such importance that they should be placed "above the fold" 
on the front page. The NewsScan Credo: Be informative, have fun, and get to 
the point! See http://www.newsscan.com/, and send us mail: John Gehl 
<[email protected]> and Suzanne Douglas <[email protected]>, or call 
770-704-7517.

*********

Get a free 6-week trial subscription to Innovation Weekly, an executive 
summary of trends, strategies and innovations in business and technology. 
Send mail to [email protected] with the word 'subscribe' in the 
subject line.

What customized news and information services do you need for your company? 
Get in touch with us at [email protected] or call 770-704-7517 to talk 
over the possibilities.

Copyright 2003. NewsScan Daily (R) is a publication of NewsScan Inc.
***********************************************************