There are already examples of Body Area Networks in place today, but many tech companies are working to vastly improve their applications in medicine. Check the link at the bottom for an article at Zarlink that delves deep into the proposed specs of how ultra-low power, high-bandwith devices can be produced and implemented.
The idea is to develop components that can be put into the body, operating on the new MICS (medical implant communication service) band, regulated by the FCC to be between 402-405 MHz. These components will be designed to utilize "ultra-low" power consumption, aided also by a dedicated wake-up sensor, operating at the 2.45 GHz range. This would allow the component to only be in power use mode when required, conserving long-term battery life. Added to the major increases in power cycles, is the improved data flow. Devices can be configured to send/receive data at up to 800 kbps, and be throttled to lower speeds as needed, to also aid in conserving power by using only enough power to get the minimum amount of bandwidth needed.
Advances such as these can lead to at-home monitoring for patients, as they can have home transceivers communicate with devices such as pacemakers and kidney monitors while they sleep, and send the data back to the necessary medical institution. Also, adjustments can be made without invasive surgery, perhaps even without the need for an office visit.
Zarlink Semiconductor
RFDesign.com article
Friday, February 29, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Why I hate a QAM tuner - Part Deux
So if you read my earlier posts, you would know that the QAM tuner in my new tv and I don't quite get along. However, this time I don't hate the QAM directly, I hate it for exposing what I've known, that cable companies are the sUck. That's why Suddenlink has it's name, because it's close to suck, in fact, I think they should re-image their corporate logo as sUckenlink, but that's just me.
When a QAM tuner pulls in digital tv off a cable line, it needs a certain amount of information included in the signal to tell the tuner specifics about the broadcast, most importantly its channel mapping. That is where the Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) comes in to play. PSIP is an ATSC standard designation of how to include channel reference, ratings, program information, etc into a digital tv signal. Where this becomes absolutely vital in a QAM setup, is that whatever the PSIP data contains determines what channel the QAM tuner maps that broadcast to. Typically, digital broadcasts are put on channels consisting of subchannels, or major and minor channels. That's why they will show up as channels like 87-3 and 88-49 after a scan.
Now here comes the great part. The meat, the why, the overwhelming evidence of why sUckenlink and my QAM have banded together to make me cry daily. A few weeks ago, some change, somewhere (I'm not pointing fingers at you sUckenlink), caused all QAM cable channels, that were unencrypted - i.e. FREE - to be sent to channel 0.0. No, that's not a typo, nor a sly attempt at innuendo, but rather the sad fact. So instead of the 20 or so channels I had previously coming in, I now have only about 6, and all of them on channel 0. Impossible you say? Well come over to my house tomorrow night and see for yourself, I can take my remote, turn to channel 0, and then hit the channel up button several times, all while staying on channel 0, but changing the channel. I'm the new Amazing Johnathan, you will fear me.
I won't even bore you with the details of where this has taken me (talking to incompetent CSR's, calling Toshiba, calling a certificed repair center, exchanging the tv for a new model), but I will say I'm getting the shaft in this deal, making me feel like these guys. It all comes down to this, the PSIP data is to be tacked back on the signal after multiplexing, and is open for changes at this point if the cable company so desires (to add custom content, channel mappings, etc). This is where the channels of 87-4 and such are assigned. Well, now they are all being assigned to 0-0, and there is not a thing I can do about it. This also means that I can only receive 1 channel per set, and none of the subchannels. Meaning that tuning to 88-1, 88-2, or 88-3 all revert to 88-1, which reverts to 0-0, which will be whatever is on 88-1, so I have lost the ability to view all those extra channels. I have asked to speak to cable technicians that can actually help me, but they are not willing to admit it is all smoke and mirrors, they only have hamsters in wheels keeping the whole system going.
So the saga of Dave vs. QAM is still ongoing. I want to enjoy tv, and I thought the QAM would help deepen my experience, but it has only thus harmed me in ways I'll never recover from. Watching The View in HD was bad enough, but this new challenge, of wanting to get back what I once had, lots of free extra channels without a set top box (ah, there's the kicker) and drained my will to go on. I shouldn't fault the QAM tuner, but without it, I would have never been cast into Dante's 7th level as I have been recently. So I fault it, and wish it total annihilation. The only purpose it's served is to drive me ever closer to turning into Howard Beale, who you can see below.
When a QAM tuner pulls in digital tv off a cable line, it needs a certain amount of information included in the signal to tell the tuner specifics about the broadcast, most importantly its channel mapping. That is where the Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) comes in to play. PSIP is an ATSC standard designation of how to include channel reference, ratings, program information, etc into a digital tv signal. Where this becomes absolutely vital in a QAM setup, is that whatever the PSIP data contains determines what channel the QAM tuner maps that broadcast to. Typically, digital broadcasts are put on channels consisting of subchannels, or major and minor channels. That's why they will show up as channels like 87-3 and 88-49 after a scan.
Now here comes the great part. The meat, the why, the overwhelming evidence of why sUckenlink and my QAM have banded together to make me cry daily. A few weeks ago, some change, somewhere (I'm not pointing fingers at you sUckenlink), caused all QAM cable channels, that were unencrypted - i.e. FREE - to be sent to channel 0.0. No, that's not a typo, nor a sly attempt at innuendo, but rather the sad fact. So instead of the 20 or so channels I had previously coming in, I now have only about 6, and all of them on channel 0. Impossible you say? Well come over to my house tomorrow night and see for yourself, I can take my remote, turn to channel 0, and then hit the channel up button several times, all while staying on channel 0, but changing the channel. I'm the new Amazing Johnathan, you will fear me.
I won't even bore you with the details of where this has taken me (talking to incompetent CSR's, calling Toshiba, calling a certificed repair center, exchanging the tv for a new model), but I will say I'm getting the shaft in this deal, making me feel like these guys. It all comes down to this, the PSIP data is to be tacked back on the signal after multiplexing, and is open for changes at this point if the cable company so desires (to add custom content, channel mappings, etc). This is where the channels of 87-4 and such are assigned. Well, now they are all being assigned to 0-0, and there is not a thing I can do about it. This also means that I can only receive 1 channel per set, and none of the subchannels. Meaning that tuning to 88-1, 88-2, or 88-3 all revert to 88-1, which reverts to 0-0, which will be whatever is on 88-1, so I have lost the ability to view all those extra channels. I have asked to speak to cable technicians that can actually help me, but they are not willing to admit it is all smoke and mirrors, they only have hamsters in wheels keeping the whole system going.
So the saga of Dave vs. QAM is still ongoing. I want to enjoy tv, and I thought the QAM would help deepen my experience, but it has only thus harmed me in ways I'll never recover from. Watching The View in HD was bad enough, but this new challenge, of wanting to get back what I once had, lots of free extra channels without a set top box (ah, there's the kicker) and drained my will to go on. I shouldn't fault the QAM tuner, but without it, I would have never been cast into Dante's 7th level as I have been recently. So I fault it, and wish it total annihilation. The only purpose it's served is to drive me ever closer to turning into Howard Beale, who you can see below.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Wireless power is here...almost
Wireless power is one of the greatest teases I've ever known. It's been talked around and hashed over and over again for years, but it seems that it may finally come to fruition. The concept is simple, if we can use RF (radio frequency) waves for nearly all of our gadgets today, why not also transfer power without the cord?
I for one hate having to keep up with all of the power cords around the house. My cell phone, my wife's, her Blackberry, my Sansa; they all have a proprietary power cord to charge them. Even my Harmony remote has to be docked, just like my wireless mouse for my PC, since they rely on rechargeable batteries. In order for wireless power to work for all devices, they will have to adhere to a standardized protocol, not much different than the AA's and AAA's we're used to today. However, it could require replacing some components in your current devices, and most likely some couldn't even be upgraded. But to the individual interested in such a cutting-edge tech, replacing gadgets like remotes and cell phones is a common occurrence.
The science is simple on the surface. Sending out mass amounts of "wireless power" could be very dangerous, as with all RF, it would be dispersed, and not sent in a singular direction. The idea would be to add another variable, such as resonance (as found by MIT researchers), that could control how the initial radio waves were sent. In this example, a transmitter and receiver would operate on the same frequency and resonance, so that they would only "communicate" with each other. When the signal is reached by the receiving unit, it actually transfers the electromagnetic charge from one coil to the other, since they are both on the same frequency and resonance. A perfect example given in the How Stuff Works article is of two trumpets, and how one trumpet blown can make another resonate, once it hits the right tone.
There are several companies working to deliver this new tech to the masses, with Powercast being the vendor seemingly on the edge of making all of this a reality.
I for one hate having to keep up with all of the power cords around the house. My cell phone, my wife's, her Blackberry, my Sansa; they all have a proprietary power cord to charge them. Even my Harmony remote has to be docked, just like my wireless mouse for my PC, since they rely on rechargeable batteries. In order for wireless power to work for all devices, they will have to adhere to a standardized protocol, not much different than the AA's and AAA's we're used to today. However, it could require replacing some components in your current devices, and most likely some couldn't even be upgraded. But to the individual interested in such a cutting-edge tech, replacing gadgets like remotes and cell phones is a common occurrence.
The science is simple on the surface. Sending out mass amounts of "wireless power" could be very dangerous, as with all RF, it would be dispersed, and not sent in a singular direction. The idea would be to add another variable, such as resonance (as found by MIT researchers), that could control how the initial radio waves were sent. In this example, a transmitter and receiver would operate on the same frequency and resonance, so that they would only "communicate" with each other. When the signal is reached by the receiving unit, it actually transfers the electromagnetic charge from one coil to the other, since they are both on the same frequency and resonance. A perfect example given in the How Stuff Works article is of two trumpets, and how one trumpet blown can make another resonate, once it hits the right tone.
There are several companies working to deliver this new tech to the masses, with Powercast being the vendor seemingly on the edge of making all of this a reality.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Why I hate a QAM tuner
I've known about QAM tuners for a long time now, and even had one in my old 53" projection HDtv I sold a few years ago, but I never really grasped how much I despised them. Until now.
I just bought a new 32" LCD for our bedroom after getting the wife's permission. If you're married, you understand, if you're not, you will learn. When I was picking it out, I specifically chose one that included a QAM tuner, as I know the power it holds for cheap people like me. A QAM tuner can tune in unscrambled digital signals on a regular cable line, so you can pull HD content (or SD digital content) without having an external solution, such as a cable box or rabbit ears. The trick is, content that is available via broadcast OTA (over the air), and thus free, is mandated by law to be provided by the cable companies over their lines. So you get your PBS broadcasts, FOX, CBS, ABC, and NBC affiliates, sprinkled in with some others you never knew existed. Now while they won't tell you this, it is a fact, and if you don't believe me, then buy a tv with a QAM tuner, plug into your regular cable outlet, and look for yourself. Only thing is, you'll soon come to hate your new QAM tuner, just like I did. Let me explain...
For a geek like me, there is no greater joy than kicking back watching a show in all of its HD glory. You can often find me switching back and forth between the HD and SD broadcasts of the same show, so I can remind myself every 2 minutes how great it is. Except for when I'm watching Lost, and if anyone changes the channel, they get an evil stare, because I'm a non-violent person, on the outside anyway. This unhealthy love of HD leads you to watch things you never intended to. I now love watching the WRAL news, because it's in HD. That, and now you can see it when they have pimples and wrinkles...just like real people. Just the other night, a Daughtry concert was on PBS in HD, and it was frickin' awesome, especially when I had to turn down the brightness of my tv because of the bright reflection of his bald head.
But just like the force, there is a dark side to all of this HD magnificence. Consider when you're at home on a Thursday morning, and there is nothing on except Judge Judy wannabes. You want to find something worth watching, anything, so you venture over to the channels the QAM picked up...but you know better....but you can't resist the urge. You find someting. In HD. You think, can it be? You watch for a moment, thinking how great it is to not be at work, but sitting at home watching HD tv, then it hits you. You're watching The View. You quiver, you shake, you vomit in your mouth. You look away, but something forces you to look back. You have an internal struggle about what to do. On the one hand, there is something on in HD to watch. On the other...IT'S THE FREAKING VIEW. Matthew 18:9 comes to mind just ask you muster up the intestinal fortitude to extend the index finger up the remote, and slam it down on the power button before you can be further infected. I would rather go through the torture scene in Syriana before having to watch this abomination again.
So there you have it, in one fell swoop, the beauty of having a built-in QAM tuner is ruined by a bunch of sour-faced hussies crying about how miserable they are. They should just all be put in prison and have to live with this guy for breathing. Oh, and for making me stomach them for more than 3 seconds. But I guess it's not their fault, it's all the QAM's fault for finding them in HD. I hate you QAM.
I just bought a new 32" LCD for our bedroom after getting the wife's permission. If you're married, you understand, if you're not, you will learn. When I was picking it out, I specifically chose one that included a QAM tuner, as I know the power it holds for cheap people like me. A QAM tuner can tune in unscrambled digital signals on a regular cable line, so you can pull HD content (or SD digital content) without having an external solution, such as a cable box or rabbit ears. The trick is, content that is available via broadcast OTA (over the air), and thus free, is mandated by law to be provided by the cable companies over their lines. So you get your PBS broadcasts, FOX, CBS, ABC, and NBC affiliates, sprinkled in with some others you never knew existed. Now while they won't tell you this, it is a fact, and if you don't believe me, then buy a tv with a QAM tuner, plug into your regular cable outlet, and look for yourself. Only thing is, you'll soon come to hate your new QAM tuner, just like I did. Let me explain...
For a geek like me, there is no greater joy than kicking back watching a show in all of its HD glory. You can often find me switching back and forth between the HD and SD broadcasts of the same show, so I can remind myself every 2 minutes how great it is. Except for when I'm watching Lost, and if anyone changes the channel, they get an evil stare, because I'm a non-violent person, on the outside anyway. This unhealthy love of HD leads you to watch things you never intended to. I now love watching the WRAL news, because it's in HD. That, and now you can see it when they have pimples and wrinkles...just like real people. Just the other night, a Daughtry concert was on PBS in HD, and it was frickin' awesome, especially when I had to turn down the brightness of my tv because of the bright reflection of his bald head.
But just like the force, there is a dark side to all of this HD magnificence. Consider when you're at home on a Thursday morning, and there is nothing on except Judge Judy wannabes. You want to find something worth watching, anything, so you venture over to the channels the QAM picked up...but you know better....but you can't resist the urge. You find someting. In HD. You think, can it be? You watch for a moment, thinking how great it is to not be at work, but sitting at home watching HD tv, then it hits you. You're watching The View. You quiver, you shake, you vomit in your mouth. You look away, but something forces you to look back. You have an internal struggle about what to do. On the one hand, there is something on in HD to watch. On the other...IT'S THE FREAKING VIEW. Matthew 18:9 comes to mind just ask you muster up the intestinal fortitude to extend the index finger up the remote, and slam it down on the power button before you can be further infected. I would rather go through the torture scene in Syriana before having to watch this abomination again.
So there you have it, in one fell swoop, the beauty of having a built-in QAM tuner is ruined by a bunch of sour-faced hussies crying about how miserable they are. They should just all be put in prison and have to live with this guy for breathing. Oh, and for making me stomach them for more than 3 seconds. But I guess it's not their fault, it's all the QAM's fault for finding them in HD. I hate you QAM.
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