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Dosser invents cheap Satellite Communications Headset

Twilight Zone And it works for him
Monday, 29 May 2006, 15:11
LAST WEEK the politics minded animal living inside this IT scribbler suddenly awakened. And it kicked me where it hurts, making me attend a rally at the historical Plaza de Mayo, as part of the May Revolution Day holiday.

The weather was nice, the mood was nice, it was 9:00am, and the gathering wasn't supposed to even begin until about 12:00, when several popular artists would begin a live show. I wandered around looking for photo opportunities, and after snapping several families and kids with national flags and historical buildings, I noticed this strange man, which certainly had drifted there, he didn't seemed very interested in the holiday or the political rally. He was wearing a home made helmet with what looked like a satellite antenna on top.

alt='satellite-helmet-argentina-1'
Wandering among demonstrators, testing his helmet prototype

He was friendly, and when I asked him what was it for he replied: "I did it myself. I receive instructions, from above. (pointing at the sky). And these mirrors help me keep an eye on my surroundings". I asked for more data, but the IT inventor turned dosser was reluctant... "I don't have a registration for my design yet. Would you buy it from me?".

Well, does it work? I asked back... "Of Course", was his reply, while he nervously kept an eye on the police standing a few meters behind him, and at times listening through the ear buds embedded into his helmet.

alt='satellite-helmet-argentina-2'
Close-up of the satellite antenna and mirrors for 360-degree vision

Can I wear it and listen to the transmission you're receiving? I asked.

He hesitated, but finally replied:

"You can't, it's secret, and even if I give it to you, it's scrambled".

alt='satellite-helmet-argentina-3'
Trigger-happy patent junkies beware: this qualifies as 'prior art'

By the time the square was starting to get full, he apparently received some information from his satellite uplink and decided to leave. "I have to go" he yelled and raced away.

So there you have it. I wonder if Intel's new local R&D centre is aware of this. I suggest they move quickly to obtain this prototype and patent all of its innovative features. µ

See Also
Argentina: reversal of fortune (BusinessWeek)
Alvarion grabs WiMAX market in South America
Intel to create software development centre in Argentina
Argentina government commits to buy MIT´s $100 PCs
Students down under help Apache's efforts towards open source Java
Lawrence Lessig speaks on Telecom Argentina's Metered-DSL move

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