Business users are increasingly turning to audio and videoconferencing to replace face-to-face meetings in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, leading to a spike in demand for the services. Providers, who are getting ready for a next generation of teleconferencing based on IP, say they're hopeful that companies who try teleconferencing as a stop-gap measure will become more open to using the services regularly. Though nothing will replace face-to-face interaction, Web site traffic has increased 12-fold since April and in the last four or six weeks after September 11th (Onley 2002). .
Costly But Worthy.
In an article in News Day, new technology to automatically scan cargo for explosives could dramatically reduce the likelihood of a terrorist threat arriving inside a container ship, proponents said yesterday. The cost is considerable: One scanner would carry a price tag of $10 million to $15 million. Relying on a process known as neutron scanning, the technology can pinpoint explosives or other concealed threats by identifying materials based on chemical composition. Developed by Ancore Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., with $40 million in federal aid, neutron scanning holds the promise of enhancing security while creating minimal disruption to commerce. The more advanced version of Ancore's technology, known as Pulsed Fast Neutron Analysis, scans a container with a laser-like beam of neutrons. A computer then analyzes the signals given off in response and determines if explosives are present. Originally developed as a means for customs inspectors to detect illegal drugs, the technology also has the potential for wider application. It could be used, for example, to scan trucks that pass through highway tunnels. Industry leaders say the federal government should shoulder some of the financial burden, as it does with airport security. Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the CIA, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, are expected to rely on automated tools more than in the past as more computers are seized (Cuza 2002).
