TELEPORTING, THE NEXT STEP? - What will a media room of the future look like? The University of Houston's Allen Teleport Version 2.0 has been developed as a working model. At present it is serving as a lab and multimedia hub for the university's architecture students and professors. Outfitted with up-to-the-minute multimedia computing features and Internet tools, the teleport is designed for the exchange of class lectures and discussion of concepts with academic partners around the globe. Originally developed in 1979 by architect Doug Michels for underwriter E. Rudge Allen, Teleport was initiated for the area of telecommuting. Michels predicted that the system would someday be used in interactive cars or serve as the center of a virtual city. For now, the current system acts as "the perfect laboratory for experimentation, collaboration and playful invention," Michels said. (Futurist, June 01)

ADOBE eBook AND HIGHER ED - A partnership between Adobe Systems, Inc. and a number of higher education institutions will explore both the use and impact of eBooks on the academic environment. Students and educators at the partnering campuses will be able to experience course materials in eBook form (pdf format.) These institutions will receive both Adobe's software and training to create, encrypt and distribute their course materials content, while Adobe will take this opportunity to learn and examine the way in which eBooks are being adopted in academic institutions. Partnering institutions include: MIT Sloan School of Management, Occidental College, Miami-Dade Community College Medical Center Campus, Mills College, Scottsdale Community College, University of Maryland University College, University of Utah Center for Advanced Medical Technologies, Tufts University and University of Wisconsin. For more information, CLICK: http://www.adobe.com

COMPUTER RUNS AT QUANTUM LIGHT SPEED - Researchers at the U of Rochester have developed a computer that creates interference patterns from light. The computer operates at speeds that allow tasks to be performed nearly instantaneously. According to a recent news release from the American Institute of Physics, this breakthrough could lead to computers that operate even more quickly than quantum computers. Quantum computers are operated by manipulating small physics particles, while conventional computers operate through electrons. (USA Today, 16 May 01)

PLAYSTREAM EASYLINK - A new technology, PlayStream EasyLink, enables users to link from their Web sites to major streaming media formats through a single hyperlink without losing quality of delivery, features or capability. At present, no universal standards exist in the streaming media industry for linking to media files from Web pages or eMail. For that reason, PlayStream decided to develop a technology that eliminates the need for the creation of standards for the major formats - RealNetwork's RealMedia, Microsoft's WindowsMedia and Apple Computer's QuickTime. With PlayStream, users who have an online account can upload their media, review daily updated online media reports and manage their streaming media account online using their Web browser. PlayStream users are also able to stream major formats from a single account and may link any format from their account with a single hyperlink. For more information CLICK: http://www.PlayStream.com

GRADS DEVELOP EMBEDDED SYSTEMS - Graduate students at the University of Southern California recently demonstrated their final projects from their Intelligent Embedded Systems course. Included in the projects were: a Web-based remote control for home entertainment systems and a handheld-based baby monitor, capable of tracking breathing activity. Assistant professor Gaurav Sukhatme, the course instructor, said that embedded systems will one day overtake the desktop model of the computer. "The computer (in the future) will be everything with a microchip in it," he said. He also said that the course gives computer-science students a chance to develop code that must interact with an actual physical object. The projects each use a camera or other form of sensory input device, many of which are connected to Palms or other handheld devices. (Wired News, 28 Apr 01)