EU-DIGEST

For years, terrorists and insurgents around the world have used off-the-shelf hardware and software to stay ahead of bigger, better-funded authorities. In 2007, former U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid complained that, with their Radio Shack stockpile of communications gear, "this enemy is better networked than we are." The strikes in Mumbai, India that killed at least 174 appears to be another example of how wired today's "global guerrillas" can be.The Mumbai terrorists used an array of commercial technologies -- from Blackberries to GPS navigators to anonymous e-mail accounts -- to pull off their heinous attacks. Once the coordinated attacks began, the terrorists were on their cell phones constantly. They used BlackBerries to monitor international reaction to the atrocities, and to check on the police response via the internet. The terror group then took credit for the bloodshed with a series of e-mails to local media. They used a "remailer" service to mask their identities; earlier attacks were claimed from cyber cafes.

Labels: India, Internet, Mumbai, Technology, Terrorism

Sweden: Stockholm is the Only European Knowledge Economy Region in Global Top Ten

"Stockholm region is one of the global frontrunners in the knowledge economy, especially within sectors such as ICT, life sciences and finance. WKCI 2008 is yet another proof of that", said Sten Nordin, mayor of Stockholm and chairman of the board at Stockholm Business Region. The top rating is based upon gains across a range of indicators, in particular business R&D spending, biotechnology employment and higher educational spending.

Labels: EU, Sweden, Technology

Germany: Food for Thought - delivering the promise of food processing

Humans have transformed raw ingredients into food since prehistoric times. But scientists are still looking for new ways to make food taste better and survive longer. Presenting their findings at a recent European Science Foundation (ESF) and European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research (COST) conference, scientists show how new food technologies are changing European diets.The industrial revolution brought the advent of modern food processing technology. Whether you credit the Frenchman Nicholas Appert in 1809, or British born Peter Durand in 1810, the invention of the tin can has revolutionised the way people eat. The motivation behind its invention was simple – make food last long. Two hundred years on, food scientists are still trying to improve the shelf life of food.

“Europeans want food that is cheap, convenient, high quality, safe and more and more produced in a eco-friendly way,” explains Professor Brian McKenna, a food scientist at University College Dublin in Ireland. In addition, McKenna thinks that food plays a variety of roles in European society nowadays. “Food is important to peoples health as it is increasingly being linked to diseases such as obesity, coronary heart disease and diabetes,” he says. Furthermore, Europeans are now more aware of the cultural role of food in every day life. So food scientists must design technology that helps people get what they want from their food.

Labels: EU, Food Industry, Germany, Technology

Wearable technology at work in the European Union - by Robin Piquepaille

"The European Union has funded an ambitious project related to wearable technology. This project, named WearIT@work will end in one year and was funded with 14.3 million €, even if the total project cost is expected to exceed 23 million €. For mobile workers, the goal is to replace traditional interfaces, such as screen, keyboard or computer unit, by speech control or gesture control, without modifying the applications. This wearable system is currently being tested in four different fields including aircraft maintenance, emergency response, car production and healthcare..."

Labels: EU, Technology

Dell, the second-largest computer maker, today unveiled its first computers in Europe to be sold installed with the Linux operating system, rather than Microsoft’s dominant Windows system. The potential competition to Windows, which along with the Office software suite is one of Microsoft’s two most important cash cows, was upped further when Lenovo, the third-largest computer maker, added that it would also start selling laptop computers preloaded with a version of Linux developed by the rival software group Novell at the end of this year.

Open source" software, such as Linux-based operating systems, do not require license fees to be paid, a factor that can reduce costs for consumers and businesses, although users may have to pay to have their systems serviced or upgraded. For additional information about Linux on getting your own Linux operating system installed on your computer click on this link

Labels: Computers, Europe, Linux, Technology

European Entrpreneurs: Fully Committed by -Stephanie Clifford

Let others proceed gingerly. Bülent Çelebi has set up an American-style company in Turkey, where he enjoys advantages his competition can only dream of.

Four years ago, Çelebi was far away from this smog and bustle, sitting on his porch in Palo Alto, California, and thinking about what a global business might entail. He wanted to build routers, given his engineering background, and sell to emerging countries where broadband penetration was low but rising fast. He could use American chips, and manufacture in Asia. But he thought he could gain a real advantage if he based his business in Istanbul.

Labels: Entrepreneurial, EU, Technology, Turkey

A380: Taking the Largest Passenger Jet for a Test Drive - by Barbara Peterson

ABOARD LUFTHANSA FLIGHT 8942, March 21 — It took a mere 16 seconds for the largest airplane in the world to lift off runway 4L at JFK International Airport. The short takeoff, which we could watch on our individual TV screens thanks to cameras positioned on the plane's exterior, confirmed that the world’s largest jetliner could use less runway than many smaller jets. It also was testimony to the force of the aircraft’s four Rolls Royce engines—which each provide about 70,000 lbs. of thrust.

“Wow—that was fast,” I heard someone mutter from a couple of rows back. And that is another feature that Airbus loves to talk about: Tthe fact you can eavesdrop on conversations is possible because the plane cabin noise level is lower than on the competition. Airbus has claimed that the cabin noise is 50-percent less than what you would experience on a 747. The plane is pressurized at about 5000 ft., around 3000 ft. lower than most commercial airliners. In theory, the lower cabin altitude will help to moderate almost every ill-effect of long-haul flying, from dehydration to jet lag.

Labels: Airbus380, Aircraft Industry, Comfort, Europe, Technology, Tourism