For this second post reviewing the past year, we look at the technological aspect of what happened in 2005. Once again, this list is not exhaustive, or neither tries to be. So here is my list for 2005. I know I have forgotten a lot, but those are what come to my mind first. Feel free to add some in the comments section below!

• MIT’s 100$ Laptop design was unveiled this year. Many people laughed, but when they saw that there was a real interest in that hand-cranked linux box for the third world, interest rose quickly. Made for kids in developing countries, these laptops will bring technology to as much people as possible and will help in the education of many a child. As stated on their website, the laptops will not be available for sale. The laptops will only be distributed to schools directly through large government initiatives. In my opinion, this is a good thing, as it’s not made for people who can buy it. You can read more at Wired and at CNet (an early announcement). This is one of the top stories this year on Digg.

• This year also seen the Rise of Firefox which came to challenge Internet Explorer on the browser market. Since I’ve been using Firefox, I would not dare to go back to IE, as so many features would lack, especially tabbed browsing. I know it’s a matter of preferences, but more and more people discovered a better and safer browsing. I’ve recently reviewed the best Firefox extensions, which make the browsing experience customizable to one and each of our needs.

• Another thing that’s been on the rise this year is what some call, Web 2.0. Basically, it modifies the Internet by making it more interactive. Services such as Digg, del.icio.us and all the blogs floating around the internet are what usually is comprised in Web 2.0. The content is more and more made by the users and it can be consulted, enhanced, modified or become the base for the interaction between users. While this trend shows some good promises, there is still plenty of room for improvement. I think it’s currently ovrehyped and will suffer from a backlash soon.

• Even 3 years afther the initial release, Apple is still going strong with their iPod. This year, they launched the iPod Nano and added video capabilities for the regular iPod. Digital music is still going strong and there is now sign of letting down. On a related note, Sony got lots of trouble with his rootkit at the end of the year. They manufactured CDs that installed a software on the users computer without their consent. Moreover, this piece of software left several gaping security holes behind. There is a comprehensive roundup of this saga on Boing Boing.

December 28th, 2005 | Technology, Year in Review | No comments

The 600kg spacecraft was lofted into orbit on a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, at 1119 (0519GMT).

Giove-A will demonstrate key technologies needed for Galileo, the 3.4bn-euro (£2.3bn; $4bn) sat-nav system Europe hopes to deploy by 2010.

The new network will give EU states guaranteed access to a space-borne precise timing and location service independent of the United States.

The perfect launch was a moment of celebration for the small British company, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), which had been given the prestigious task of building the demonstrator.

Giove-A will check out the in-orbit performance of two atomic clocks – critical to any sat-nav system – and a number of other components that will be incorporated into the 30 satellites of the fully fledged Galileo constellation.

These spacecraft – four of which have already been ordered – are expected all to be in orbit by the end of 2010.

To do this, a sat-nav signal of the correct structure must be received on Earth by June 2006. The SSTL team believes it can complete this task within the first couple of weeks of flight.

Galileo is a joint venture between the European Union and the European Space Agency (Esa).

Once fully deployed, the new system should revolutionise the way we use precise timing and location signals delivered from space.

“We are aiming to provide one-metre, worldwide accuracy through Galileo’s ‘open’ service – this is not possible today without regional or local augmentation,” said Esa’s Galileo project manager, Javier Benedicto.

“With the use of three signals, we will have access to centimetre accuracies, and with these you will see many more services than you have today; and European industry is working to develop those applications.”

In few years’ time, a small Galileo chip will be integrated in mobile phones, giving users the ability to pinpoint restaurants, hotels, movie theatres, hospitals or car parks.

The network will also underpin Europe’s new air-traffic control system. The single European sky initiative will overhaul current technologies used to keep planes at safe separations, and allow pilots to fly their own routes and altitudes.

SSTL hopes a successful mission for Giove-A will bring more orders for sat-nav and other spacecraft.

“This is very good for our development,” explained Max Meerman, a principal engineer with the company.

“It’s the biggest satellite we’ve done so far, it’s got big deployable tracking-arrays that we haven’t done before, and it cost 28m euros (£19m; $33m).”

Reproduced from the BBC Website.

December 28th, 2005 | Earth Sciences and Geomatics, General Science | 1 comment