Gibabit wireless technology could soon make wired comps, DVDs a thing of the past

Washington -- The 3000 kilometre long Trans-Antarctic Mountains are most likely the remnant edge of a gigantic high plateau that began stretching and thinning out some 105 million years ago, according to a new study by geologists from the Columbia University‘s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

This also left the peaks curving along the edge of a great plain, they said.

The mountains are a dominant feature of the Antarctic continent, yet up to now scientists have been unable to adequately explain how they formed.

The researchers say the new study revolutionizes thinking about Antarctica‘s evolution.

While previous studies have discussed ways in which the mountains may have risen; the current study says they were already high long ago, and that the adjacent land sank.

After the mountain chain was isolated, its topography, with summits up to 4.5 kilometres high, was accentuated by erosion caused by glaciers, the scientists wrote in their study.

Several of the researchers undertook extensive fieldwork in Antarctica to collect rock samples and geophysical data that back their ideas.

The study appears in the current issue of Geology, published by the Geological Society of America. (ANI)

Islamabad, July 22 (ANI): No review petition or a fresh reference would be filed against the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who was reinstated on Friday through a landmark judgment of a 13-member bench of the country‘s Supreme Court.

The government took this decision at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, The News quoted sources as saying.

According to sources, a few heads are expected to roll in the coming days in order to initiate an accountability process in the aftermath of the historic judgment of the apex court.

Changes are most probably likely to take place in the Ministry of Law and reshuffle in the bureaucracy as well as at the ministerial level.

"Yes, possibility exists of rolling of few heads, but everything depends upon the detailed judgment of the Supreme Court," sources said.

The meeting, especially summoned to review the situation arising out of the Supreme Court verdict, was attended by Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Narcotics Minister Ghous Bukhsh Mehar, Women Development Minister Sumaira Malik, for Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul-Haq, Minister of State for Information Senator Tariq Azeem, Minister of State for Education Anisa Zeb Tahirkeli, Leader of House in the Senate Wasim Sajjad and PML Secretary-General Mushahid Hussain Sayed.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet members have advised Aziz to felicitate Justice Chaudhry on his victory while emphasising the need to have better ties with the judiciary.

Of course, when the Prime Minister will extend the greetings, he would be apologizing for what his administration has done with the head of the apex court, sources said.

Three federal ministers, including Muhammad Ejaz-ul-Haq and Dr Sher Afgan Khan Niazi, have already congratulated the Chief Justice on the verdict. (ANI)

Washington, July 22 (ANI): Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a gigabit-wireless technology at the group‘s headquarters at Atlanta that could soon make tangles of wires under desks and in data centres a thing of the past.

Scientists at the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) at Georgia Tech are investigating the use of extremely high radio frequencies (RF) to achieve broad bandwidth and high data transmission rates over short distances.

The team says their invention could within a span of three years herald an era where personal area network (PAN) applications, including next generation home multimedia and wireless data connections able to transfer an entire DVD in seconds, becomes a reality.

The research focuses on 60-gigahertz (GHz) RF frequencies, which are currently unlicensed in the US. GEDC scientists say they have already achieved wireless data-transfer rates of 15 gigabits per second (Gbps) at a distance of one meter, 10 Gbps at two meters and 5 Gbps at five meters.

"The goal here is to maximize data throughput to make possible a host of new wireless applications for home and office connectivity," said Prof. Joy Laskar, GEDC director and lead researcher on the project along with Stephane Pinel.

Pinel said very high speed, peer-to-peer data connections, could just be around the corner, available potentially in less than two years.

GEDC‘s multi-gigabit wireless research is expected to lend itse

lf to two major types of applications, data and video, he said.

"Devices such as external hard drives, laptop computers, MP-3 players, cell phones, commercial kiosks and others could transfer huge amounts of data in seconds. And data centers could install racks of servers without the customary jumble of wires. Our work represents a huge leap in available throughput. At 10 Gbps, you could download a DVD from a kiosk to your cell phone in five seconds, or you could quickly synchronize two laptops or two iPods," said Pinel, a GEDC research scientist.

"The input-output (I/O) system of current devices cannot approach such speeds," he said, adding that the multi-gigabit technology will also allow users to wirelessly connect to any device that currently uses Firewire or USB.

"Wireless high-definition video could also be a major application of this technology. Users could keep a DVD player by their side while transmitting wirelessly to a screen 5 or 10 meters away," he added.

As of now, the team is increasing the data rates and simultaneously decreasing the already-low power consumption, in order to double current transmission rates by next year. The team is also seeking to preserve backward compatibility with the WiFi standard used in most wireless LANs today. (ANI)