Above And Beyond Promotion

Posts Tagged ‘technology’

By THOMAS CATAN

The Justice Department is investigating whether a group representing some top technology firms is unfairly trying to smother a free rival technology for delivering online video that is backed by Google Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

Much the way firms battled in the 1980s over VHS and Betamax video formats, tech rivals are fighting over the technology used to deliver and display Web video. Currently, video-streaming services like Netflix Inc. and Google’s YouTube pay patent royalties, as do makers of Blu-ray disc players and other hardware.

These firms pay royalties to an organization called MPEG LA, which is the target of the formal antitrust probe, the people familiar with the matter said. MPEG has amassed pools of patents covering widely used video formats and collects royalties for its members, which include Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

Antitrust enforcers are investigating whether MPEG LA, or its members, are trying to cripple an alternative format called VP8 that Google released last year—by creating legal uncertainty over whether users might violate patents by employing that technology, these people added.

The probe, which pits Google and open-source software advocates against some technology giants like Apple, could help determine whether anyone will own rights over the creation and broadcast of online video in the next major Web programming language, called HTML 5.

At stake is “who is going to have competitive clout in the world after television,” said Eben Moglin, a Columbia University professor who supports free and open software.

The California State Attorney General’s office is also investigating the matter, according to people familiar with the matter.

MPEG LA didn’t confirm or deny it is under investigation. But the group says it isn’t acting to kill a competitor. It said it’s simply offering a service for patent holders and is agnostic about which video format prevails.

“We are effectively a convenience store” for licensing patents, said Larry Horn, MPEG LA’s chief executive. “We have no dog in that fight.”

Representatives of both law enforcement agencies as well as Apple and Google declined to comment. Microsoft didn’t respond to a request for comment.

MPEG LA, which was formed in the late 1990s,manages the licensing of more than 1,700 patents used in a high-definition video encoding standard known as H.264. The Justice Department is concerned the group’s actions may stifle competition to that dominant format, the people familiar with the matter said.

Google has been offering an alternative. The Silicon Valley giant last year paid $125 million to buy a company that developed the video-compression format called VP8. Google later released it as a royalty-free standard under an open license that enables software developers to use it any way they wish.

At present, no patent royalties are charged for using Google’s VP8 format. But MPEG LA has questioned that status, and last month issued a call for companies to submit patents they believe may be infringed by VP8. “I can tell you: VP8 is not patent-free,” Mr. Horn said. “It’s simply nonsense.”

For some people in the tech industry, the issue is less about cost and more about competition and control over technologies at the heart of the Internet. “How could it come to pass that it’s illegal to compete?” asked Monty Montgomery, who runs a free software foundation, XIPH.org, and supports VP8. “That’s when everybody’s antitrust bells should be going off.”

The threat of future lawsuits has helped persuade some companies to forsake VP8. Apple’s chief executive, Steve Jobs, explained in an email to the Free Software Foundation last year that a patent pool was assembled to “go after” a previous open-source format.

“All video codecs are covered by patents,” Mr. Jobs wrote. “Unfortunately, just because something is open-source, it doesn’t mean or guarantee that it doesn’t infringe on others patents.”

Write to Thomas Catan at thomas.catan@wsj.com

Cold Laser Technology: How a Low Level Laser Promotes Healing

Word Count:
436

Summary:
You might not know that cold laser technology has produced a powerful yet benign instrument that can promote healing and wellness.

Keywords:
cold laser, low level laser, soft laser, laser therapy, healing laser

Article Body:
When you hear the word, “laser,” what do you think of? Maybe the first thing that comes to mind is laser eye surgery, or perhaps you think about laser printers. It could be that laser-guided missiles pop into mind, or maybe you picture a laser pointer or a barcode scanner. What you might not know is that cold laser technology has produced a powerful yet benign instrument that can promote healing and wellness.

How a Cold Laser Works

A low level laser, sometimes known as a soft laser, is often used in cell regeneration. Essentially, the approach in this type of laser therapy comes from an understanding that every cell in the body has a “memory” of sorts. This memory comes from the cells’ polarity. Oftentimes, this polarity prevents the body from being able to regenerate or heal itself. When a healing laser is utilized, however, the cells release their charge and, thus, their memory. Once the cells have neutral energy, the cold laser donates energy to help them rejuvenate.

Systems and Conditions that Benefit

Soft laser therapy can help with a variety of conditions. For example, many people find it useful for pain relief – either acute or chronic – as well as for injuries, weight loss, and smoking cessation. Many others use a healing laser for detoxification, and for reversing the effects of adrenaline, which is known to contribute to pain, stress, diabetes, and aging. A cold laser can also be used for nerve regeneration, organ balancing, and lymph activation. Massage therapists and other healing arts practitioners use a cold laser to align the chakras or meridians, helping their clients to reconnect their bodies, minds, and spirits.

Handheld Devices

Soft lasers are available as portable, handheld devices, and some are designed to be used by both laypeople and health professionals. However, not all cold lasers are created equally. The best have 16 laser diodes in the 650nm and 780nm spectra, as well as a digital interface that is programmable. If you’re shopping for a healing laser, make sure to buy one through a company that will also provide you with a carrying case, a rechargeable AC adapter, and plug-ins for the pulsar probes. Most important of all, make sure that the company will supply you with a training DVD and manual. They should also offer support and assistance, as well as a full, money-back guarantee.

Generally speaking, lasers have a multitude of applications. Everyone from dentists to defense contractors to engravers use them. Thanks to cold laser technology, though, more people than ever before can benefit from the healing light and cellular rejuvenation that laser therapy provides.

Students of Hustle & TECHknow are seeking part time jobs to utilize skills they have learned in Microsoft Office- Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Adobe Photoshop, HTML tags and Visual Basic. Students are eagerly creating websites for entry into the Oracle Think quest competition.

Hustle & TECHknow is a technology preparatory high school serving dropouts ages 16-19. Hustle & TECHknow is located in Downtown Detroit on the campus of its partner, Compuware Corporation, allowing students first hand view of the corporate technology world. Ida Byrd-Hill, founder of Hustle & TECHknow, believes Corporate America especially technology, is the ultimate hustle and that urban youth need more exposure to this hustle. With that premise she affectionately names this unique school where students attend classes virtually 5 hours a day, Hustle & TECHknow.

Students, ages 13-23, are considered technical natives having been raised with cell phones, DVDs, video games consoles and PM3 players since birth. These students have developed the skill of self challenge that drives their mastery of video games in which they can be found manipulating — every day of the week sitting for hours. Their intensity and seriousness surrounding video games have caused major retailers such as EB Games and Gamestop to move to inner city locations to capture their business.

Students will receive a high school diploma as this school is one of the 13 schools contracting with Detroit Public Schools to attract and assist high school dropouts complete their high school diploma. While a high school diploma is necessary in today’s world, it takes more than a high school diploma for students to successfully move into the world of work. It requires business etiquette and technology skills. Hustle & TECHknow students have completed a business Protocol class, a series of professionalism classes developed by Compuware’s recruiting department. They are now learning business social etiquette and standard American culture.

Employers, who are interested in employing these tech forward students, please call Hustle & TECHknow at 313-961-0701 to schedule an appointment, tour, or discussion.