This book presents the basic concepts, principles and technologies of wireless communication. The author focuses on the characteristics of the channel, the performance degradation, and various technologies to improve the performance of the wireless communication system. The upper technologies involved in building wireless performance are also discussed, and a prototype of the system is presented.

New technology in vehicles is transforming the way people move around as well as what they do in their vehicles. How does one communicate with an in-car speech system and how does this vary by language or cultural community? This book explores this process by focusing on the communication practices that people engage in when using their in-car systems and when talking about their vehicles with co-passengers. Chapters present a robust theory and methodology for studying communication in cars, how tasks are begun and ended, how people switch between tasks, how non-task talk appears, what ways and styles of communication drivers prefer, and how they expect the system voice to respond, among other things. Particular attention is given to cultural preferences as they are evident in this communication; these preferences are found to ground various trajectories in the use and meaning of in-car communication practices. The book explores these matters with a focus on the United States and Mainland China. Implications are drawn for the design and utilization of in-car communication systems.

The Natural Gas Monthly highlights activities, events, and analyses of interest to public and private sector organizations associated with the natural gas industry. Volume and price data are presented each month for natural gas production, distribution, consumption, and interstate pipeline activities. Producer-related activities and underground storage data are also reported. From time to time, the NGM features articles designed to assist readers in using and interpreting natural gas information. The article this month is entitled ''Recent Trends in Natural Gas Spot Prices.'' 6 figs., 27 tabs.