Kiran Gollu. October 3rd, 2006.

1. Reality TV inspires a host of web games

Summary
-------
Inspired by Reality TV, Internet Reality TV is planning to host of
activities ranging from online dating games to interactive gaming shows.
AOL has released a site called GoldRush@AOL. Microsoft MSN team recently
released Reality Base Ball, in which baseball match is played online
and viewers provide online feedback to decide the order of the players.

Relevant Network Research Questions
-----------------------------------
while we are moving towards Internet based systems from the traditional TV,
currently we don't have Internet infrastructure that provides good framework
for
real time applications. The challenge here is come with protocols and
applications
that provide strict time bounds for real time/interactive gaming
applications. This
gets increasingly difficult if these websites start to host distributed
interactive
web games.

Idea:
-----
Develop protocols for distributed interactive web gaming applications


2. Cingular finishes absorbing AT&T wireless network

Summary:
------
Cingular, the biggest wireless network provider in US, has acquired AT&T
wireless in 2004. It took close to two years for Cingular to completely
integrate
creaky AT&T into their network. It also caused lot of inconvenience to the
existing
users. Cingular next project is to add functionality to convert existing
cell towers to
support broadband communication.

Relevant Network Research Questions:
-----------------------------------
Instead of focussing our research only on developing independent
technologies which are
not compatible, can we focus on developing wireless protocols that can
easily
inter-operate with other technologies?

Idea:
----
Develop wireless tecnologies or protocols which make interoperability with
other
technologies easier.


3. NTGroup to start playing Sony Music

Summary:
-------
NTgroup is primary Internet Music TV based system. They will now start
playing
sony music files(both audio and vedio).

Relevant Network Research:
-------------------------
Research needs to be done to play the music with minimum delays so that it
causes
minimum inconvenience for the users. One of the key components in delivering
the
content to the user with least delay involves developing highly available
distributed
file sytems that could store these massive amounts of data.

Idea:
----
Develop large content distributed file system with high availability.



-- 
~Kiran