Xeni Jardin posted this notice on the tech blog, BoingBoing:

Some quick notes from a conference call that just took place, hosted by the FCC about how to coordinate resources and personnel from internet/wireless private industry to help get communications networks up and running in in gulf states. Lack of communications systems has been identified as a critical issue holding back aid, missing persons, law enforcement, etc. in crisis areas.

FCC personnel are working throughout the weekend to coordinate these efforts with private industry, with wireless technology groups, FEMA, and state governments in Mississippi, Louisiana, etc.

One of the challenges they face in this effort is fact that the coordination effort involves multiple layers of bureaucracies — also, that there has been no central point for directing available assets offered by private industry. Participants on the call included folks from Cisco, Intel, and wireless organizations.

Another challenge: working with FEMA and local governments to ascertain whether it is more immediately effective to get old systems up and running, or create new temporary ones. Depends on tech behind communications system in question. COMPANIES WITH TECH ASSETS AND/OR HUMAN RESOURCES TO DONATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AID IN KATRINA-IMPACTED AREAS SHOULD DO THE FOLLOWING

FCC Chief of Staff Dan Gonzales (dan dot gonzales at fcc dot org) says FCC needs the following information from would be tech donors BY NOON EASTERN ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3.

1) identify the provider (name of your company or group)
2) identify assets you are willing to commit
3) state clearly what assets you are technologically capable of providing (IP? data? voice?)
4) what your logistical requirements are to bring that to the affected area.
5) can you bring generators? if so what size? capacity? power levels?

SUBMIT THIS INFORMATION TO

PART-15.ORG (they have an online submission form to collect this data)
or wireless@part-15.org

contacts: Michael Anderson (wireless@part-15.org) 630-466-9090, and Claudia Crowley (ccrowley at gmail dot com), 817-292-0230.

As many of you know, I co-founded and run the Southern California Wireless Users Group along with Frank Keeney. We have been running these meetings since early 2002.

Our meetings are held on Thursday's at the end of the month and tonight's the night!.

Mike and Frank are both out of town tonight, so your humble hosts have decided to launch the first informal SOCALWUG/IHOP meeting. This meeting will be a free-for-all, run-what-you-brung, informal meetup of SOCALWUG members. Bring your wireless cards, Linux laptops, digital picture frames, whatever, and ask a wireless geek for help. Or show off your hotrod of a notebook, access point, handheld wireless device, or any other neato gadget. If you are representing a company, feel free to get up and take the floor and show us your wares. For news hounds, catch everyone up on recent wireless events. (For starters, IHOP is installing wireless nationwide!)

SOCALWUG is going open source tonight. Participatory and open ended. Share and enjoy!

For meeting times and directions: Visit SOCALWUG Pasadena.

If you can't be there in person, participate online through email, IM, or IRC chat.

Mark Frauenfelder brings us an overview of some of the benefits software-defined radio, or cognizant radio, can bring to wireless applications. Software-defined radio (SDR) promises to become, basically, a radio-on-a-chip that can be modified "on the fly" to operate on differing radio networks automatically, merely by running different lines of code on an intelligent wireless platform. Cellphones, PDAs, and wireless laptops could benefit from SDR.

Imagine a radio that can tune in to any frequency and run any wireless protocol adjusted by the function being performed. You could have a cellphone that makes cell calls then cuts over to Wi-Fi then to WiMax then to Bluetooth then to who-knows-what? - All in ONE chip built in to a device! The power savings and increased functionality of an all-in-one solution like this is mind-blowing.

Privacy advocates are highly critical of the U.S. plan for embedding RFID chips (aka contactless chips) into U.S. passports. The ACLU is one of several organizations critical of the plan to embed the remotely readable data into passports, saying that RFID can be read and/or detected remotely.

By embedding personal information, or even the country of origin, on the RFID chip, citizens abroad could be identified merely by scanning for RFID passports. This takes wardriving to a whole new level.

Note: I was part of a team of researchers who showed that distance "limitations" with another short range technology, Bluetooth, were moot when working with modified equipment. So I can see why people expect passport detection from distances greater than the manufacturers predict.

(via BoingBoing)

The guys at Engadget have been at the CTIA wireless trade show in New Orleans, Louisiana (the other LA). Their amazing coverage of the events happenings and announcements is now nicely wrapped up into a single post pointing to all the other CTIA posts. In addition to starting fights and otherwise causing a ruckus worthy of bail money, Ryan and Peter hit on 50 highlights from the show. Take a look and prepare your wallets for the gadgetfest.

The New York Times breaks down some of the mobile technology filling out the parts list of high-end cars these days. Their example Mercedes-Benz S-Class sports "18 or more" antennas hidden all over the car in body panels, wheel wells, window glass, bumpers, the trunk, the roof, etc. These antennas are used for many helpful features added to new cars like, cruise control, tire pressure monitoring, RFID keyless entry and ignition, satellite radio, OnStar, and even television. The new Acura RL sports a lot of this same technology which I have started to examine up close.

Movie goers and technologists might enjoy knowing about our newest sister site Cinematical.com. With the growth of digital cinema technology and the potential of wireless screen delivery, you can be sure that "films" will be a growing part of the media revolution. To see all of our 75 weblogs here at WIN, look for the complete list about halfway down the right-hand column on this blog.

Another destination on the Weblogs Inc. Network! Poker players and fans will find the latest headlines and insights in the world of poker on our newest sister site pPlayer.com. To see all of our 70 topical weblogs here at WIN, look for the complete list about halfway down the right-hand column on this blog.

15 companies are revealing and demonstrating their latest innovations at the 15th annual DEMO conference. If you are interested in some really cutting-edge technology, check out coverage of the conference happening right now at BloggingDemo.com. Our publisher, Jason Calacanis, and a couple of staff bloggers are putting up audio, video, and text impressions of the exhibition demos. It's a high-tech conference covered in high-tech style.

A cattle tracking system is being built in Kansas to monitor livestock shipments in the state.  The experiment is part of an $11.6 million plan from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to test cattle identification strategies in 29 states.  The project, created by Osborne Industries, Digital Angel Corp., and researchers at Kansas State University, hopes to keep track of individual cows as the are moved through the state.  Livestock trucks and processing sites will be equipped with readers that will track cows individually with GPS location, serial number, and a timestamp.  As cattle are loaded on and off the trucks, the system identifies cattle and uploads the tracking information via cellular connection back to a central database.

Cryptography researchers from Johns Hopkins University have cracked the popular "immobilizer" security system used in "more than 150 million Ford, Toyota, and Nissans." The security system from Texas Instruments uses an RFID transponder built into the car key. The car looks for a signal from the key when you try to start it. If it does not get the proper code response from the key, the car doesn't start.

The researchers said that it would be possible to extract the built-in code from a person's key by standing next to them then, after some computing time, turn around and "feed the code to the car and hot-wire it." The technique could also apply to those keychain wands used to purchase gas by waving it past a reader on the gas pump.

This case brings into focus not just the possibility of college students stealing cars and gas, but the insecurity of transmitting important information over radio waves. As industry begins to rely on the promise of RFID, it must also address real security issues as they arise.

Michael Powell announced his resignation as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission today. "Having completed a bold and aggressive agenda, it is time for me to pursue other opportunities and let someone else take the reins of the agency," said Powell in a published statement (PDF).  He noted his accomplishments (PDF) during the last four years and said he will step down sometime in March 2005.

Cargo containers are employing various levels of wireless-ready sensing technology. This example from the NY Times shows how a magnetic sensor can determine if the door on the container has been opened. The door sensor is cheaper and smaller than other RFID technologies, but can still be read from a distance using handheld or dockside readers. Stormy seas and flexing of container walls made other door-sensing technologies give false-positives. The story also covers other technologies and mentions that standardization is still needed.

In the last few days I was contacted by an outdoor wireless equipment vendor that may donate equipment (in addition to SmartBridges!) Also, volunteers have contacted me from wireless installation companies. These various individuals plan on travelling to the region and we will aim to supply them with hardware to install. I received notice that one company will donate their RF analysis services with topographic tower autocad analysis.

More people in the affected region have asked us about our effort and have are developing plans for deployment with us.

Folks from other relief efforts have contacted me about working together. Everyone is getting their plans developed for the best results.

Finally, I spoke with Calif. Air National Guard and USAF military personnel today about transporting the equipment into the region. They are optimistic, but space may be a factor for some equipment.

And many thanks to all for the kind donations! We will use the funds to buy cables and connectors to configure the equipment (unless we get donations from one of the many distributors in this realm.)

Here's a rough update from the past couple days…

The company, SmartBridges located in Singapore has pledged 5 wireless access points to begin with and more as specific needs arise. They can be used to connect remote locales over a distance or to create coverage in a local area.

SmartBridges asked me to forward this message in their effort to provide relief…
"From the after math of the Asian Tsunami disaster, a number of volunteer efforts are coming together to help restore communication networks in the affected areas. smartBridges is supporting these efforts by donating outdoor wireless networking equipment to improve the communication infrastructure.
You can help by spreading the word to relevant organizations about our support program. Let us know if you come across any of type of wireless relief efforts by emailing marketing@smartbridges.com. Thank you."

Individuals have pledged spare antennas and radio bridges. Several people have volunteered their time and expertise, including volunteers in-situ and from the US and Europe prepared to travel to the area to help set up the equipment.

I have been asked specifically to help rebuild communications from people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and an island near the epicenter without any telecom connection to nearby Sumatra.

We are now working in coordination with the efforts of the Wireless Communications Association International, and I will be attending the Jan. 13th disaster relief meeting in San Jose.

Other wireless activists and group leaders have contacted me about working together, which I am thrilled to do. I am in touch with companies that want to help, but are working with us to determine what specific models we could put in use.

Wanderport has offered to provide a WanderPOD Wi-Fi, satellite, and VoIP-enabled remote-deployment wheeled trailer for at least 2-months of onsite use including satellite uplink time! We will find a way to transport the trailer from the U.S into the area by private air carrier or military transport.

Bloggers without Borders has pledged 10% of current donations will go to SOCALWUG for the effort.

Donations can be made to SOCALWUG specifically for this effort via paypal or credit card ( make a donation). Equipment can be sent to me in Los Angeles to redistribute or may ship directly from the manufacturer to the site if practical (as in SmartBridges case from Singapore.)