Traveling by train can be a boring ride when there is nothing to do but read or sleep. And although sleep may be a welcome past-time for hardworking IT staff, a new service from NRoute Communications may keep your eyes glued to the seat in front of you. The Philadelphia-based company recently began deploying interactive displays on select Amtrak trains in the U.S. bringing movies, e-mail and online shopping to passengers aboard. According to NRoute, the service uses high-speed wireless technology to create a mobile cable system that beams digital bandwidth to moving passenger vehicles. Transmission is received and distributed to each seat bringing freedom of choice for passengers to watch or work as they wish via touch-screen displays. For trains, motor coaches and other methods of ground transportation, the service comes with built-in Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology that enables these carriers to communicate with, track and monitor the precise location of vehicles and passengers. So far the offering is only available on Amtrak’s New York City to Harrisburg Keystone service, but plans are in the works to expand throughout North America.
Nortel cuts cards before staff
Investment mavens and high-tech pundits accuse Nortel of flying blind in the telecommunications market, hence the recent payroll purge of 7,000 and further reduced financial expectations for the future. But some say certain Nortel employees know which way the wind blows. The buzz is, just one week before Nortel announced its plan to chop thousands of jobs, some Nortel workers discovered that their corporate credit cards no longer worked. The company, we’re told, sent out a memo apologizing for the problem, explaining that it was not common practice to cancel credit cards without warning the carrier first. The company went on to explain that credit cards are cancelled only when employees leave or are let go. Apparently when Nortel announced the job cuts, employees affected by the credit card “mistake” discerned that their days with the company were numbered. Nortel did not return Network World Canada‘s request for comment.
Here kitty, kitty
For those of us who have ever owned pets, the thought of losing them is often too much to bear. But, the fact is, pets are animals. Animals have instincts. And these instincts usually say one thing – run. With that in mind, a Helsinki, Finland technology firm has released a pet-tracking system whereby owners can track the whereabouts of Fluffy or Bowser before they are lost forever. Pointer Solutions, a firm specializing in hunting and pet devices has developed PointerPet, a mobile phone for owners and a tracking unit that is attached to your pet’s collar or harness. When the pet goes missing, the company says its movements are followed via an electronic map displayed on the handheld monitor by the owner. The pet transmitter sends a harmless radio signal that the receiver can follow up to an eight-kilometre range.
Lookin’ for love in all the cyber places
Placing a personal ad in the paper in search of that special someone who also enjoys long walks on the beach is now pass