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Animal Markets In China Could Cause Another SARS Outbreak; Leonids Meteor Shower To Light Up Night Sky This Week; Robotic House Keepers Gaining In Sales

Aired November 15, 2003 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, I'm Daniel Sieberg. Today on NEXT@CNN there's a celestial show coming up. We'll have some tips on how to get the best view.

Also a robot that cleans house. It's no longer science fiction. Find out what else the new crop of domestic robots can do.

And we'll show you some of the wonders of a world class cave in Arizona. All that and more on NEXT.

Starting the week after next, cell phone users will have a lot more options, and for a change we're not talking about cramming more features into your cell phone. Instead many people will be able to take their home phone number and use that as their cell phone number or keep an existing cell phone even if they switch carriers.

Now, as Chris Huntington reports there are a lot of people who know this story. It's likely to bring mayor changes to the mobile phone business.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you're confused by the dizzying array of home and cell phone deals that are currently available, just wait until November 24, that's when most U.S. phone customers will be free to take their home or current cell phone numbers to any wireless provider they choose. It's called wire number portability. And telephone industry analysts believe it will so heat up the competition between wireless carriers that they will be forced to offer a whole new area of customer service.

RUDY BACA, PRECURSOR: For consumers, this is a great idea. I think you're going see consumers going into your providers and saying okay, what's the deal? You want to keep me, what are you offering? You want me to go to you, what are you offering? Bad news is maybe for the wire wireless providers because they need to go after a consumer that now has much more bargaining power.

HUNTINGTON: Heavy cell phone users will have the most leverage and should be able push carriers for discounts, rebates, free phones and added minutes. The carriers are bracing for a flood of changeovers. Industry studies predict close to half of the more than 150 million cell phone accounts currently in use will switch to new carriers within the next year. That's nearly twice the current churn rate. Most of the big wireless and local phone companies initially fought number portability. Particularly the FCC's November deadline, because of expensive system upgrades needed to handle the switching volume.

DAVID SAMBERG, VERIZON WIRELESS: When somebody comes in to a store to transfer their number, they have to remember that it's a two carrier process. We're ready. We've done everything to be ready on our end. But if the other carrier isn't ready, or has some issues with their systems it could delay the process.

HUNTINGTON (on camera): Industry insiders admit that some numbers may not be switchable at all. Of course, they will be the good old fashion problem of dropped or fading calls. The best advice is to wait a few months and see which carrier is doing a good job and offering the good deals.

SIEBERG: Switching gears to space news. The Annual Leonid Meteor Shower hits this week. But astronomers and observers are waiting to see just how stellar this heavenly spectacle will be.

(voice-over): As the Earth spins its way around the Sun, it encounters the same mine field of debris every year around this time. Tiny particles left behind by the comet Tempel-Tuttle hit the Earth's atmosphere causing the Leonid's Meteor Shower.

KELLY BEATTY, "SKY & TELESCOPE": The comet goes around the Sun every 33 years. And when it comes near the sun, a lot of the dust and gas it has boils off into space.

SIEBERG: Tempel-Tuttle's last close encounter with the Sun was in 1998, leaving behind a fresh trail of debris.

BEATTY: When the Earth plows into this these particles race through our atmosphere at 44 miles per second, causing them to heat up to tremendous temperatures for just a fraction of the second. That's what we see as a meteor.

SIEBERG: The Leonid's Meteor Shower gets its name from the constellation Leo, where the shooting stars appear to originate. But this year's show is already started with the best viewing expected before dawn on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

BEATTY: This is great eyeball astronomy. You don't need any kind of experience or any kind of equipment. You just need to go out late at night, the hours before dawn are best, get comfortable and just look up into the sky, because these meteors can appear anywhere. Some will be very bright, most will be pretty faint.

SIEBERG: Leonids can produce thousands of shooting stars in an hour. But astronomers are not anticipating an impressive show this year. Unfortunately, the moonlight will wash out much of the show. Predictions, though, range from about 20 visible meteors per hour to several hundred in the best viewing areas over Europe.

But the Leonids have proven difficult to predict. After Tempel- Tuttle left its fresh trail in 1998, astronomers predicted a once in a lifetime show. Only to leave enthusiasts rather disappointed.

BEATTY: You know, the prediction this year is for a not so hot shower, but astronomers don't have all the answers and I think people should go out take a look at the sky, take a look at the sky, it's a good chance to get outdoors, familiarize yourself with the night sky. Who know, maybe one of those strong pulses will come and deliver a whole bunch of meteors just for you.

SIEBERG: So, for those of you prepared to stay up into the wee hours of night, who knows maybe the stars might come into alignment.

(on camera): In case you're wondering, you can find out more about the Leonids on the space section of the CNN Web site. You can get there from CNN.com/next.

ANNOUNCER: Coming up, could a new wave of SARS be brewing in the animal markets of south China?

And later in the show, technology in a place where space is at a premium.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIEBERG: The first two of four aging and contaminated U.S. Navy vessels have arrived in England for dismantling. That's amid protests from environmentalists. Tugs brought a 58-year-old tanker into port at Hartlepool on Wednesday. A second ship arrived Thursday.

A British firm won the bid to dispose of 13 ships from the so- called ghost fleet. That's nearly 100 retired Navy vessels moored in Virginia. But environmentalists say the rusting ships contain arsenic and PCB's and could break up in choppy water. Britain's environment secretary says the ships should be sent back to the United States. The case is being contested in court. Two more ships from the ghost fleet are scheduled to arrive next week.

Well, for some people, it may be hard to believe it's been this long, but a year ago this month, the world's first known SARS victim turned up in a village in southern China. The deadly virus apparently came from animals, and urban animal markets may be where it jumped to humans.

Mike Chinoy visited one of those markets and he reports on how they could be the breeding ground for a possible return of SARS.

Now, we need to warn you, though some of the video of this market is disturbing and some viewers may want to skip the next couple of minutes of our show.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's midmorning and the cages packed with dogs and cat, rabbits and badgers, are unloaded at the Jung Chao (ph) road animal markets in Gung Jo (ph). It's a smelly and depressing place and there are lots of them in southern Chin, the kind of places where experts believe the SARS virus may have jumped from animals to humans. A place where we found an astonishing variety of creatures all destined for the dinner tables in this part of China.

(on camera): Last spring at the height of the SARS epidemic the Chinese government banned the sale of wild animals in markets like this. But in August, the ban was lifted, a move which drew criticism both here in China and abroad.

(voice-over): We came in search of the animal researchers believe, was the source of the SARS virus, the Mass Palm Civet (ph). But traders didn't want to us get too close a look, hiding the animals away. Market officials ordered us to stop taping and leave.

(on camera): Obviously they are very sensitive about the fact that Civets are on sale here and they don't want the publicity.

(voice-over): Here's why, the sale of farm raised Civets is legal here, but selling those captured in the wild is not. This Civet is one of many missing a limb making it likely the animals were caught illegally in leg hold traps. Animal rights activist, Jill Robinson, has been monitoring conditions in markets like this for years.

JILL ROBINSON, ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Clearly they know they are operating an illegal industry. They don't want to us have evidence to show to the government.

Hygiene in this market is nonexistent. This place is just a melting pot of misery and disease.

CHINOY: But the traders seem utterly unconcerned.

SARS doesn't come from animal, says this woman. People say it comes from a foreign country's germ warfare program. Ignorance, filth, official regulations that appear not to be enforced. All ingredients for what medical experts in several countries fear could be a possible return of SARS.

SIEBERG: That certainly could be a scary possibility for a lot of people. But speaking of come backs in Israel and Jordan, they're hoping for a resurrection of the Dead Sea. That's after water levels have been dropping dramatically in recent years. John Vause has more.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Go back 1 million year, maybe even 5 million years, to the lowest point on Earth here in what would become known as the Jordan valley, the Dead Sea was born. The "Bible" tells us the city Sodom and Gomorah was here before being destroyed by God's wrath.

On the Jordanian side where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, tradition says this is the place where Jesus was baptized. And in a small cave a bedouin shepherd found the Dead Sea Scrolls.

But the Dead Sea is dying. Scientists say in just the last 50 years alone, the sea has shrunk by a third. A rapidly receding shore line, these days retreating by more than three feet every year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am feeling like something bad happens to a good friend of mine and I can do nothing. VAUSE: Ali Draw (ph) has spent 20 years with Israel's National Parks Protection Authority. A district ranger responsible for the Dead Sea region. The level of the Dead Sea, he says, has been constantly changing. The receding water leaving behind fossilized remains of trees.

The sea is more lake. High temperatures and low humidity have left the water with a salt concentration ten times greater than any ocean and rich with 21 different minerals, creating that legendary buoyancy.

So what's killing the Dead Sea? The Jordan River is the Dead Sea's life line, but over recent years the flow has become a trickle as Israel, Syria and Jordan divert more and more water for farms, towns and cities. Environmentalists also blame the mining industry.

The Dead Sea works on the Israeli side began operating more than 60 years ago, while the Arab Cortash Companies (ph) on the Jordanian side, both extracting minerals like magnesium, potassium and chloride. As the sea level goes down, profits go up.

Dr. Amos Bein is head of the Israeli Geological Survey, a group which has been monitoring the changes in the region. Right now, they're worried about the sudden appearance of giant sink holes within the last 12 months.

Is there another example anywhere around the world where sink holes developing at this same speed, at the same rate?

DR. AMOS BEIN, ISRAELI GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: As much as we know, this is an exception. I think the main exception is the dropping of the Dead Sea level. It causes also a collapse of the infrastructure which surrounds the Dead Sea. This is definitely a unique situation around the world.

VAUSE: The sink holes are evidence of what some have described as a looming ecological disaster. As the sea level goes down, so too, the underground fresh water, a one-time reserve which scientists say may never be replaced. Environmentalists say time is fast running out. Soon the damage will be irreparable.

TOMER MARSHAL, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH: This is like the last moment before things go totally out of hand. We do have option to get our act together and start working things out.

VAUSE (on camera): So what can be done? Well, almost everyone agrees the best plan would be to stop diverting water from the Jordan River. By now Israel, Syria and Jordan use about 90 percent of the river's water leaving precious little for the Dead Sea. So there's one other thing almost everyone agrees on. That plan has virtually no chance.

(voice-over): So that brings in plan B called the Red Dead. A $10 billion underground pipeline which would pump about 1 billion gallons of sea water from the Red Sea every year, an idea which has been for about 100 years, but now with the backing of the World Bank it's being taken seriously. No one knows for certain what could be the long-term impact.

MARSHAL: We know about other places where they try to do things which brutally change the way nature intended them. And it didn't work and there's no way of changing it back.

VAUSE: One of the biggest fears is that the two different sea waters would not mix, creating a Red Sea level on top of the Dead Sea. It could mean a blooming of microorganisms, even cause turn the water to turn whitish color. But as the water level continues to fall and the multimillion dollar hotels are left further behind on dry land, the wait and see option seems temporary at best.

Already a sand bar cuts the sea into north and south. And while most agree the sea will never disappear completely, many are asking what will be left in generations to come.

ANNOUNCER: Coming up, it doesn't do windows yet, but this robot will clean the floor without any guidance. Who says you can't get good help any more?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIEBERG: It's the rise of the machines. No, there's no sign of the soon to be California governor in sight, no terminators running amuck here. Instead mechanical helpers designed to do the dirty work around the house. Christie Lu Stout reports.

CHRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It looks like a giant hockey puck. And hums like a hot rod. But the trilobite is not a toy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First of all, it's a vacuum cleaner.

LU STOUT: A robotic vacuum cleaner. The Trilobite can clean a room on its own using sound waves to feel its way around.

FREDRIK RAMEN, PRES. ELECTROLLIX-EAST ASIA: It does it when you are not there. You can basically turn it on when you leave for office, and when you get home it is clean and fixed.

LU STOUT: It's like something straight out of "The Jetsons."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You will not get one word out of me. Not one word.

LU STOUT: But the stuff of sci-fantasy is happening now, as more and more people turn to robots to do the chores. According to new U.N. survey, sales of domestic robots in 2002 rose to 33,000 units. That's up from 20,000 the year before. Sales are taking off for robots that wash windows, scan for intruders, and sweep the floor. The U.N. study says domestic robot sales are expected to soar over the next three years. About 400,000 vacuum robots will be in service by 2006 despite their high price tags.

JAN KARLSSON, U.N. ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE: Prices are coming down, which means that there are solid signs that they will become mass markets.

LU STOUT: The Trilobite retails at around $2,000. Electrollix won't reveal any plans to slash the price. Anyway, the company says it's not built to save money, but to save time.

ANNOUNCER: Coming up in our next half hour a 10 foot cat fish. We'll tell you why these giants are in trouble.

And people who aren't contend just to play games are having fun building their own games and winning big bucks in the process. Those stories and a lot more are coming up after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: How does it feel to own an Edsel?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like falling in love.

ANNOUNCER: This is the Edsel. As its grateful flight deck and classic vertical grill suggests, it is elegant in every detail. And it acts the way it looks. But it doesn't cost that much. See, drive, and be sure to price the new member of the Ford family of fine cars, the Edsel at your Edsel dealer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNICAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome back to NEXT@CNN. Now, if you could picture Seoul, South Korea, it has a lot of people and a lot of technology, all crowded into a relatively small area. Now, sharing space harmoniously gets some help for what the locals call a "bong." (SIC) It's not what you're thinking. Although there may be some munchies involved. Martin Savidge explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Over 10 million people live in Seoul. If you include the suburbs, it's over 13 million. And, that brings up the obvious problems of space, privacy, and South Koreans have come up with a unique way of dealing with both.

Bang, spelled B-A-N-G, is Korean for room. Places people go to do things in public we tend to do in private. This is a P.C. bang. Seoul has 25,000 of them. If you thought America was online, download this. 50 percent of Koreans have high speed Internet access compared to less than 20 percent of Americans. This DVD bang may look familiar, but there's a twist.

(on camera): Right, now what I'm doing is not only paying to rent the movie, I'm renting the room to watch the movie in.

Hello. Hi there.

(voice-over): Hi joined Sung Wan and Hey Im (PH).

(on camera): Excuse me.

(voice-over): It's like a home theater, only minus the home. Big sofa, big sound, little cost, less than $11 for a movie and the room.

(on camera): Do you do this like, on a date?

HEY IM, DVD ROOM RENTER: Yeah, of course.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): I can take a hint. It's time to go.

Not all bangs are high-tech. This is a comic book bang. Koreans take their funnies very seriously.

And this is the place that started it all, the Ping-Pong bang. Koreans don't really call these bangs. I just couldn't resist the rhyme.

Speaking of rhymes, this is a noray (ph) bang, which translated means song bang. Karaoke practiced in private rooms. Koreans say it's a great stress reliever, and sure enough, in just minutes, I feel the tension and my journalistic credibility slipping away.

With enough bang for my buck for my buck, I take a break. At this cafe, your coffee comes with a side of fortune telling. For about $20, I tell Mi So (ph) her when I was born, she consults her crystal calculator to reveal all.

MI SO, FORTUNE TELLER, (through translator): You are very friendly to others. You are also very fashionable.

SAVIDGE: This woman is good. But in Korea, where psycho analysis isn't embraced, I'm also expected to present Mi So with a problem.

(on camera): I am thinking about quitting my job and becoming a professional singer.

(voice-over): For the answer, I choose three sticks. Her next words will change my life.

SO (through translator): It's a little late, but maybe.

SAVIDGE: Mi So was being polite, but I could read between the lines. Don't quit your day job. Quietly, I turned away, for once welcoming Seoul's crowded streets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Coming up, we'll help you get a jump your honor holiday shopping with "Consumer Reports" picks of the top gadgety gifts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIEBERG: Well, does it seem a little early to start thinking about holiday gift giving ideas? Well, maybe, but "Consumer Report's" new issue is out and they've compiled more than 2,800 products and some holiday gift giving ideas. Not all are related to high-tech, but since we couldn't fit all 2,800 of them in here, we thought we'd look at the more high-tech ones. And, joining us now, is the managing editor of "Consumer Reports," David Heim, to help walk us through this veritable smorgasbord of ideas, here.

David, first of all, how did you come up with these suggestions?

DAVID HEIM, "CONSUMER REPORTS": The editors and the engineers go through the 2,800 or so products that we test every year and ask themselves: What is it we'd like to get as a gift? What would really make a good present this time of year? We boil that list down to the gift guide, our compilation of desk gifts that's in the December issue of "Consumer Reports."

SIEBERG: All right. Well, we're going to go through a few high- tech acronyms, here. We're going start with DVD, this is the Pioneer sort of a entry level DVD player, shall we say. And, they've really come down in price, haven't they?

HEIM: It's about $80. Like all the DVD players we've tested, it delivers very high quality images, very easy to use, and prices continue to drop. By the end of the year, that Pioneer may be selling for much less than it's selling for now.

SIEBERG: All right, speak of dropping, we're going to drop down to these two here, from Panasonic. One that allows you to record on DVDs and one that also has the VHS deck, in case you're still hanging on to those old VHS tapes.

HEIM: Right. The one that handles both tape and disk is a very nice compromise if you don't want to give up on tapes right away. You can't copy tape to disk, but with the more expensive recorder about, $550, you can make copies of home videos, you shoot on a camcorder. You can record off the air onto a disk, and very high quality.

SIEBERG: Very high quality. All right. And, always good to look for the inputs on the back. Now, let's go from DVD to LCD, Liquid Crystal Displays. We've got a couple here, one large one from Sony and the prices, you say, are coming down. We talked earlier and you say prices are coming down, but still not cheap for this one.

HEIM: The big Sony that you have there, is a $5,000 LCD set. 30 inch screen, wide angle aspect ratio set up and ready for high definition TV. Excellent performance in our "Consumer Reports" test, and even though it's $5,000, a good value.

SIEBERG: All right now, the other one there from Sony is less than half -- about half the size, but less than half the price, right? About $900, so if you don't want to go for the $5,000 version, there's the 15 inch on here, for $900.

Now, let's talk about digital cameras, if we can, that hand held products, that are in "Consumer Reports." What about this Canon PowerShot A70? HEIM: The Canon PowerShot A70 is a 3 megapixel camera, it's a good, kind of, entry-level all-purpose camera for people who like snap shots for prints or e-mail attachments. Good images, easy to use, decent value. We have, in the magazine, in the December issue of "Consumer Reports" and on our website, consumerreports.org, information on almost 60 different digital cameras. Very hot item this Christmas.

SIEBERG: A lot of items out there.

And finally, if people want to look for another type of hand held, there is the entry level palm Zire. This is under $100?

HEIM: It's under $100, there's several different Zire models. The basic one sells for $70 to $80. It's perfect if you just want an address book, date book, the very simple things that an electronic organizer does.

SIEBERG: All right. David Heim, the managing editor at "Consumer Reports." Thanks so much for joining us to talk about some high-tech gift ideas for the holiday season.

David, thanks for being with us.

HEIM: OK.

ANNOUNER: Coming up, we'll explore a cavern that developed over millions of years, but apparently was never seen by humans until 1974.

DAVID KIRKPATRICK, "FORTUNE" SENIOR EDITOR: Dean Kamen is famous as an inventor, he's done groundbreaking and very profitable kidney dialysis machines, and he invented the Segue Scooter. But, one of the things he -- most wants to address is this problem of no clean drinking water and no electricity in vast parts of the world.

He's got two devices. Now, one is a sterling engine that can produce about 500 watts of power per hour. And, another one is a water purification device that is powered by that engine that could be used at night to power the lights in a village and in the day to purify their water. The interesting thing about these sterling engines is that they can burn any organic material. And, they run for five years without any servicing whatsoever.

Kamen's got the technology; the problem is it's extremely expensive unless you make it in volume and until he gets the financing, it's not going be possible to deploy these things in any kind of numbers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a rough life for baboons living at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya. Dodging predators, finding food, yet many females pressed for time, take the time to groom and socialize with each others. Why bother?

Well, after 16 years studying their behavior, researchers reporting in the journal "Science" have finally found an evolutionary explanation. The more social a mother baboon, the more likely her babies will survive through the critical first year of life. More solitary baboons tend to have fewer offspring and those babies are more likely to die in that first critical year.

While researchers at Duke, UCLA, and Princeton can't say why this happens, they think the need to be social may be genetic. That applies to all primates, even humans. After all studies have shown people who feel isolated and lonely suffer more mental and physical illnesses than those who seek out the company of good friends and family.

Ann Kellan, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIEBERG: 24 tigers, this week, were removed from a private facility in New Jersey where officials said they were kept in deplorable conditions. The tigers were shipped on trucks to a sanctuary in Texas where animal experts say they will get proper care. Their New Jersey home was owned by a former circus performer, known locally as the "Tiger Lady." State officials have been fighting in court since 1999 to get the tigers away from her.

Authorities in New Hampshire are investigating the death of six seals which Washed up on shore or were found by boaters. Two of the seals had been skinned, others were badly decomposed. Some had their genitalia removed. Seal genitalia are sold on the black market as aphrodisiacs. A federal fisheries agent says whoever skinned the seals did a professional job. Now, catching a marine mammal is a crime that can bring a $20,000 fine and a year in jail.

Well, one of the world's largest fresh water fish species is on the brink of extinction, that's according to environmentalists. The Mekong Giant Catfish can grow to be 10 feet long and weigh more than 600 pounds. The fish was once common in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Now researchers say there are no more than 1,000 left, maybe as few as 100. Over-fishing is blamed for their disappearance and the Cambodian Fisheries and some U.S. scientists are trying to stop it.

OK, it's time to do a little exploring. Kartchner Caverns is a network of caves in Southeastern Arizona discovered 30 years ago by two amateur explorers. They kept the find secret for years, that was to protect the caves from vandalism or exploitation. Now though, the caverns are protected as an Arizona state park. And, we get the tour from one of the discoverers and a park official.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TENEN, CAVE DISCOVERER: You can just see the edge of it right now.

That's essentially how it was. Over off to the right we followed a little crevice.

Kartchner Caverns it's a cave that my caving partner and I, Randy Tufts, discovered in 1974. Even today, I come into this cave and I see things I have never seen before. Lots of caves can point out a great formation. But, this as well, as we say, chock you jammed full of great stuff, and there is the large magnificent grand walls of those cascading flow stones, and then there's the delicate stalactites and "soda straws." That's what makes this a world-class cave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Kartchner Caverns State Park.

TENEN: It has been now a -- almost, 30-year journey for us, and we're bringing it to a point that we can consider it protected and safe.

KEN TRAVOUS, EXEC. DIRECTOR, ARIZONA STATE PARKS: Depending on where you like to measure time, it could be a quarter of a million years old and the formations that you see around us that are dripping have been here a long time. And will be a long time -- here a long time after we're gone.

We only want the light these enough for you can see them, we want you to understand that shadows are important, and they give you that depth.

It's over 550 people going through the caves every day.

We've not seen any indication that humans made it in here, until Randy and Gary came in.

There is a dome-shaped ceiling, that's how the room got its name as the Rotunda Room.

There are two major complexes, the Rotunda Throne Room and the Big Room, which are really, two separate caves.

The trail you see in the mud is another segment of discoverer's trail.

The Rotunda Room has the tracks of Randy and Gary when they first came through the cave. And when -- if you look down at the mud, what you see is that there were some soda straws, these delicate things that, from their own weight, had fallen from the ceiling and stuck in the mud. They're still standing there. They might have fallen there 15, 20,000 years ago. And, you can watch Gary's and Randy's come in, and they see what they're going to hit and go around it.

Now, the column that you see in front of you is called Kubla Khan...

TENEN: The name of the cave, before it was Kartchner Caverns, was Xanadu, because many of the features of the cave reminded us of Coleridge's poem, so when we got the throne room, I think it was Randy, who said "This must be Kubla Khan."

TRAVOUS: If you were standing down there, that's about how tall you'd be.

TENEN: It is a column that's over 50 feet tall, massive, and of course, it started out, no doubt, as a small stalactite and small stalagmite, growing together for tens of thousands of years.

TRAVOUS: While we visit a Kartchner or any cave, we're looking at a slice of time over a long life of this cave.

My favorite part of the tour is watching kid.

What happened up here?

And, the simpler questions and seeing people just gasp at the beauty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

TRAVOUS: I hope that we've created a bunch of people who are excited about the world and really like to explore and discover the world around them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Still ahead, we'll audit a few classes at Unreal University.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIEBERG: Well, it didn't take long. Just one month after Nokia launched its Engage gaming cell phone, the company announced this week that hackers have cracked the security codes that prevent copying of games. That means the games can be downloaded over the internet and played on other phones that use the same software as the Engage. But, Nokia says you'd have to have some specialized software tools to do it. The company also says it's working to strengthen copy protection codes to prevent more of this activity in the future.

Well, here's something that could be in your future. A cell phone you use by sticking your finger in your ear. It's called the Finger Whisper Phone. You wear the microphone and ear phone on your wrist. Your bones transmit the voice from the phone to your ear. The phenomenon is called bone conduction, and that's why you can still hear yourself clearly when your ears are plugged. You can now tell someone "I can't hear you; I've got a cell phone in my ear." The phone is currently under development in Japan.

All right, so you're tired of sitting on the couch and just playing the games and you want to break into the gaming industry itself? Well, here's your chance. Graphics card maker, NVidia has teamed up with Epic, they're makers of one of the most popular games out there called "Unreal." And, they're offering a rather unreal prize: $1 million in cash and prizes to folks who make their own games using the unreal technology, and for a few lucky folks, doing just that just got a lot easier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SIEBERG (voice-over): Hundreds of folks from all over the country turned North Carolina State University into Unreal University, hoping to learn some tricks of the trade and to rub elbows with some of the best minds in the gaming business.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, I'd like to thank everyone and welcome you all to Unreal University.

MATTHEW WOTRING, MODDER: It's great. I was thinking that it was either going to be not a whole lot of people responding or a whole bunch, it turned out to be a ton.

SIEBERG: The lead designer of Epic Games, the makers of Unreal Tournament, says seeing how others modify or "mod" Unreal technology into brand new games of their own is more than just fun.

CLIFF BLESZINSKI, EPIC GAMES: I would say mods are a great way to break into the gaming industry. Nothing makes a better resume than an actual (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MIKE WINTERS, MODDER: Well, mod making is as difficult as you want it to be. You can pick up the game, bring it home, install it and be making your own levels in five minutes, or you can go to school for years, you can become a professional programmer and you can be doing things that the creators of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) never thought of to do.

BRANDY SWIGART, MODDER: My husband got me started make Unreal mods about five years ago, when I married him. Unreal University really takes it down to a personal level and takes you from, I don't know what you're talking about, to OK, I can go home and do that.

BLESZINSKI: Contest isn't over yet so you can pick up the game and get going now.

SIEBERG: And, of course don't forget the $1 million contest.

CHRIS MONTROSE, MODDER: Will I win the million dollars? Well, I hope so, but -- you know, we'll see -- we'll have to see.

WINTERS: That's a tough question. Will I be able to do it? No. Will my team? Maybe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIEBERG: Ah, the tension, the drama of it all. Well, the winners will be announced in GDC, the Game Developers Conference in San Jose in March. And, in case you're wondering, you can find a link to the Unreal Contest at our website, that's at CNN.com/next.

Well, that's all the time we have for now, but here's what's coming up next week: We're heading out on a road trip as we take NEXT@CNN to Las Vegas for COMDEX, the annual computer industry extravaganza. This year, though, we expect to see a little less glitz, more practical applications for digital gear. But, believe me, we'll still show you the fun stuff, too, including the robotics petting zoo, where you likely can't beat the machines.

That's coming up on NEXT. Until then, we'd like to hear from you. You can send us an e-mail at NEXT@CNN.com.

Thanks so much for joining us. For all of us on the SciTech beat, I'm Daniel Sieberg. We'll see you next time.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Leonids Meteor Shower To Light Up Night Sky This Week; Robotic House Keepers Gaining In Sales>


Aired November 15, 2003 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, I'm Daniel Sieberg. Today on NEXT@CNN there's a celestial show coming up. We'll have some tips on how to get the best view.

Also a robot that cleans house. It's no longer science fiction. Find out what else the new crop of domestic robots can do.

And we'll show you some of the wonders of a world class cave in Arizona. All that and more on NEXT.

Starting the week after next, cell phone users will have a lot more options, and for a change we're not talking about cramming more features into your cell phone. Instead many people will be able to take their home phone number and use that as their cell phone number or keep an existing cell phone even if they switch carriers.

Now, as Chris Huntington reports there are a lot of people who know this story. It's likely to bring mayor changes to the mobile phone business.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you're confused by the dizzying array of home and cell phone deals that are currently available, just wait until November 24, that's when most U.S. phone customers will be free to take their home or current cell phone numbers to any wireless provider they choose. It's called wire number portability. And telephone industry analysts believe it will so heat up the competition between wireless carriers that they will be forced to offer a whole new area of customer service.

RUDY BACA, PRECURSOR: For consumers, this is a great idea. I think you're going see consumers going into your providers and saying okay, what's the deal? You want to keep me, what are you offering? You want me to go to you, what are you offering? Bad news is maybe for the wire wireless providers because they need to go after a consumer that now has much more bargaining power.

HUNTINGTON: Heavy cell phone users will have the most leverage and should be able push carriers for discounts, rebates, free phones and added minutes. The carriers are bracing for a flood of changeovers. Industry studies predict close to half of the more than 150 million cell phone accounts currently in use will switch to new carriers within the next year. That's nearly twice the current churn rate. Most of the big wireless and local phone companies initially fought number portability. Particularly the FCC's November deadline, because of expensive system upgrades needed to handle the switching volume.

DAVID SAMBERG, VERIZON WIRELESS: When somebody comes in to a store to transfer their number, they have to remember that it's a two carrier process. We're ready. We've done everything to be ready on our end. But if the other carrier isn't ready, or has some issues with their systems it could delay the process.

HUNTINGTON (on camera): Industry insiders admit that some numbers may not be switchable at all. Of course, they will be the good old fashion problem of dropped or fading calls. The best advice is to wait a few months and see which carrier is doing a good job and offering the good deals.

SIEBERG: Switching gears to space news. The Annual Leonid Meteor Shower hits this week. But astronomers and observers are waiting to see just how stellar this heavenly spectacle will be.

(voice-over): As the Earth spins its way around the Sun, it encounters the same mine field of debris every year around this time. Tiny particles left behind by the comet Tempel-Tuttle hit the Earth's atmosphere causing the Leonid's Meteor Shower.

KELLY BEATTY, "SKY & TELESCOPE": The comet goes around the Sun every 33 years. And when it comes near the sun, a lot of the dust and gas it has boils off into space.

SIEBERG: Tempel-Tuttle's last close encounter with the Sun was in 1998, leaving behind a fresh trail of debris.

BEATTY: When the Earth plows into this these particles race through our atmosphere at 44 miles per second, causing them to heat up to tremendous temperatures for just a fraction of the second. That's what we see as a meteor.

SIEBERG: The Leonid's Meteor Shower gets its name from the constellation Leo, where the shooting stars appear to originate. But this year's show is already started with the best viewing expected before dawn on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

BEATTY: This is great eyeball astronomy. You don't need any kind of experience or any kind of equipment. You just need to go out late at night, the hours before dawn are best, get comfortable and just look up into the sky, because these meteors can appear anywhere. Some will be very bright, most will be pretty faint.

SIEBERG: Leonids can produce thousands of shooting stars in an hour. But astronomers are not anticipating an impressive show this year. Unfortunately, the moonlight will wash out much of the show. Predictions, though, range from about 20 visible meteors per hour to several hundred in the best viewing areas over Europe.

But the Leonids have proven difficult to predict. After Tempel- Tuttle left its fresh trail in 1998, astronomers predicted a once in a lifetime show. Only to leave enthusiasts rather disappointed.

BEATTY: You know, the prediction this year is for a not so hot shower, but astronomers don't have all the answers and I think people should go out take a look at the sky, take a look at the sky, it's a good chance to get outdoors, familiarize yourself with the night sky. Who know, maybe one of those strong pulses will come and deliver a whole bunch of meteors just for you.

SIEBERG: So, for those of you prepared to stay up into the wee hours of night, who knows maybe the stars might come into alignment.

(on camera): In case you're wondering, you can find out more about the Leonids on the space section of the CNN Web site. You can get there from CNN.com/next.

ANNOUNCER: Coming up, could a new wave of SARS be brewing in the animal markets of south China?

And later in the show, technology in a place where space is at a premium.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIEBERG: The first two of four aging and contaminated U.S. Navy vessels have arrived in England for dismantling. That's amid protests from environmentalists. Tugs brought a 58-year-old tanker into port at Hartlepool on Wednesday. A second ship arrived Thursday.

A British firm won the bid to dispose of 13 ships from the so- called ghost fleet. That's nearly 100 retired Navy vessels moored in Virginia. But environmentalists say the rusting ships contain arsenic and PCB's and could break up in choppy water. Britain's environment secretary says the ships should be sent back to the United States. The case is being contested in court. Two more ships from the ghost fleet are scheduled to arrive next week.

Well, for some people, it may be hard to believe it's been this long, but a year ago this month, the world's first known SARS victim turned up in a village in southern China. The deadly virus apparently came from animals, and urban animal markets may be where it jumped to humans.

Mike Chinoy visited one of those markets and he reports on how they could be the breeding ground for a possible return of SARS.

Now, we need to warn you, though some of the video of this market is disturbing and some viewers may want to skip the next couple of minutes of our show.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's midmorning and the cages packed with dogs and cat, rabbits and badgers, are unloaded at the Jung Chao (ph) road animal markets in Gung Jo (ph). It's a smelly and depressing place and there are lots of them in southern Chin, the kind of places where experts believe the SARS virus may have jumped from animals to humans. A place where we found an astonishing variety of creatures all destined for the dinner tables in this part of China.

(on camera): Last spring at the height of the SARS epidemic the Chinese government banned the sale of wild animals in markets like this. But in August, the ban was lifted, a move which drew criticism both here in China and abroad.

(voice-over): We came in search of the animal researchers believe, was the source of the SARS virus, the Mass Palm Civet (ph). But traders didn't want to us get too close a look, hiding the animals away. Market officials ordered us to stop taping and leave.

(on camera): Obviously they are very sensitive about the fact that Civets are on sale here and they don't want the publicity.

(voice-over): Here's why, the sale of farm raised Civets is legal here, but selling those captured in the wild is not. This Civet is one of many missing a limb making it likely the animals were caught illegally in leg hold traps. Animal rights activist, Jill Robinson, has been monitoring conditions in markets like this for years.

JILL ROBINSON, ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Clearly they know they are operating an illegal industry. They don't want to us have evidence to show to the government.

Hygiene in this market is nonexistent. This place is just a melting pot of misery and disease.

CHINOY: But the traders seem utterly unconcerned.

SARS doesn't come from animal, says this woman. People say it comes from a foreign country's germ warfare program. Ignorance, filth, official regulations that appear not to be enforced. All ingredients for what medical experts in several countries fear could be a possible return of SARS.

SIEBERG: That certainly could be a scary possibility for a lot of people. But speaking of come backs in Israel and Jordan, they're hoping for a resurrection of the Dead Sea. That's after water levels have been dropping dramatically in recent years. John Vause has more.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Go back 1 million year, maybe even 5 million years, to the lowest point on Earth here in what would become known as the Jordan valley, the Dead Sea was born. The "Bible" tells us the city Sodom and Gomorah was here before being destroyed by God's wrath.

On the Jordanian side where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, tradition says this is the place where Jesus was baptized. And in a small cave a bedouin shepherd found the Dead Sea Scrolls.

But the Dead Sea is dying. Scientists say in just the last 50 years alone, the sea has shrunk by a third. A rapidly receding shore line, these days retreating by more than three feet every year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am feeling like something bad happens to a good friend of mine and I can do nothing. VAUSE: Ali Draw (ph) has spent 20 years with Israel's National Parks Protection Authority. A district ranger responsible for the Dead Sea region. The level of the Dead Sea, he says, has been constantly changing. The receding water leaving behind fossilized remains of trees.

The sea is more lake. High temperatures and low humidity have left the water with a salt concentration ten times greater than any ocean and rich with 21 different minerals, creating that legendary buoyancy.

So what's killing the Dead Sea? The Jordan River is the Dead Sea's life line, but over recent years the flow has become a trickle as Israel, Syria and Jordan divert more and more water for farms, towns and cities. Environmentalists also blame the mining industry.

The Dead Sea works on the Israeli side began operating more than 60 years ago, while the Arab Cortash Companies (ph) on the Jordanian side, both extracting minerals like magnesium, potassium and chloride. As the sea level goes down, profits go up.

Dr. Amos Bein is head of the Israeli Geological Survey, a group which has been monitoring the changes in the region. Right now, they're worried about the sudden appearance of giant sink holes within the last 12 months.

Is there another example anywhere around the world where sink holes developing at this same speed, at the same rate?

DR. AMOS BEIN, ISRAELI GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: As much as we know, this is an exception. I think the main exception is the dropping of the Dead Sea level. It causes also a collapse of the infrastructure which surrounds the Dead Sea. This is definitely a unique situation around the world.

VAUSE: The sink holes are evidence of what some have described as a looming ecological disaster. As the sea level goes down, so too, the underground fresh water, a one-time reserve which scientists say may never be replaced. Environmentalists say time is fast running out. Soon the damage will be irreparable.

TOMER MARSHAL, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH: This is like the last moment before things go totally out of hand. We do have option to get our act together and start working things out.

VAUSE (on camera): So what can be done? Well, almost everyone agrees the best plan would be to stop diverting water from the Jordan River. By now Israel, Syria and Jordan use about 90 percent of the river's water leaving precious little for the Dead Sea. So there's one other thing almost everyone agrees on. That plan has virtually no chance.

(voice-over): So that brings in plan B called the Red Dead. A $10 billion underground pipeline which would pump about 1 billion gallons of sea water from the Red Sea every year, an idea which has been for about 100 years, but now with the backing of the World Bank it's being taken seriously. No one knows for certain what could be the long-term impact.

MARSHAL: We know about other places where they try to do things which brutally change the way nature intended them. And it didn't work and there's no way of changing it back.

VAUSE: One of the biggest fears is that the two different sea waters would not mix, creating a Red Sea level on top of the Dead Sea. It could mean a blooming of microorganisms, even cause turn the water to turn whitish color. But as the water level continues to fall and the multimillion dollar hotels are left further behind on dry land, the wait and see option seems temporary at best.

Already a sand bar cuts the sea into north and south. And while most agree the sea will never disappear completely, many are asking what will be left in generations to come.

ANNOUNCER: Coming up, it doesn't do windows yet, but this robot will clean the floor without any guidance. Who says you can't get good help any more?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIEBERG: It's the rise of the machines. No, there's no sign of the soon to be California governor in sight, no terminators running amuck here. Instead mechanical helpers designed to do the dirty work around the house. Christie Lu Stout reports.

CHRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It looks like a giant hockey puck. And hums like a hot rod. But the trilobite is not a toy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First of all, it's a vacuum cleaner.

LU STOUT: A robotic vacuum cleaner. The Trilobite can clean a room on its own using sound waves to feel its way around.

FREDRIK RAMEN, PRES. ELECTROLLIX-EAST ASIA: It does it when you are not there. You can basically turn it on when you leave for office, and when you get home it is clean and fixed.

LU STOUT: It's like something straight out of "The Jetsons."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You will not get one word out of me. Not one word.

LU STOUT: But the stuff of sci-fantasy is happening now, as more and more people turn to robots to do the chores. According to new U.N. survey, sales of domestic robots in 2002 rose to 33,000 units. That's up from 20,000 the year before. Sales are taking off for robots that wash windows, scan for intruders, and sweep the floor. The U.N. study says domestic robot sales are expected to soar over the next three years. About 400,000 vacuum robots will be in service by 2006 despite their high price tags.

JAN KARLSSON, U.N. ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE: Prices are coming down, which means that there are solid signs that they will become mass markets.

LU STOUT: The Trilobite retails at around $2,000. Electrollix won't reveal any plans to slash the price. Anyway, the company says it's not built to save money, but to save time.

ANNOUNCER: Coming up in our next half hour a 10 foot cat fish. We'll tell you why these giants are in trouble.

And people who aren't contend just to play games are having fun building their own games and winning big bucks in the process. Those stories and a lot more are coming up after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: How does it feel to own an Edsel?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like falling in love.

ANNOUNCER: This is the Edsel. As its grateful flight deck and classic vertical grill suggests, it is elegant in every detail. And it acts the way it looks. But it doesn't cost that much. See, drive, and be sure to price the new member of the Ford family of fine cars, the Edsel at your Edsel dealer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNICAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome back to NEXT@CNN. Now, if you could picture Seoul, South Korea, it has a lot of people and a lot of technology, all crowded into a relatively small area. Now, sharing space harmoniously gets some help for what the locals call a "bong." (SIC) It's not what you're thinking. Although there may be some munchies involved. Martin Savidge explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Over 10 million people live in Seoul. If you include the suburbs, it's over 13 million. And, that brings up the obvious problems of space, privacy, and South Koreans have come up with a unique way of dealing with both.

Bang, spelled B-A-N-G, is Korean for room. Places people go to do things in public we tend to do in private. This is a P.C. bang. Seoul has 25,000 of them. If you thought America was online, download this. 50 percent of Koreans have high speed Internet access compared to less than 20 percent of Americans. This DVD bang may look familiar, but there's a twist.

(on camera): Right, now what I'm doing is not only paying to rent the movie, I'm renting the room to watch the movie in.

Hello. Hi there.

(voice-over): Hi joined Sung Wan and Hey Im (PH).

(on camera): Excuse me.

(voice-over): It's like a home theater, only minus the home. Big sofa, big sound, little cost, less than $11 for a movie and the room.

(on camera): Do you do this like, on a date?

HEY IM, DVD ROOM RENTER: Yeah, of course.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): I can take a hint. It's time to go.

Not all bangs are high-tech. This is a comic book bang. Koreans take their funnies very seriously.

And this is the place that started it all, the Ping-Pong bang. Koreans don't really call these bangs. I just couldn't resist the rhyme.

Speaking of rhymes, this is a noray (ph) bang, which translated means song bang. Karaoke practiced in private rooms. Koreans say it's a great stress reliever, and sure enough, in just minutes, I feel the tension and my journalistic credibility slipping away.

With enough bang for my buck for my buck, I take a break. At this cafe, your coffee comes with a side of fortune telling. For about $20, I tell Mi So (ph) her when I was born, she consults her crystal calculator to reveal all.

MI SO, FORTUNE TELLER, (through translator): You are very friendly to others. You are also very fashionable.

SAVIDGE: This woman is good. But in Korea, where psycho analysis isn't embraced, I'm also expected to present Mi So with a problem.

(on camera): I am thinking about quitting my job and becoming a professional singer.

(voice-over): For the answer, I choose three sticks. Her next words will change my life.

SO (through translator): It's a little late, but maybe.

SAVIDGE: Mi So was being polite, but I could read between the lines. Don't quit your day job. Quietly, I turned away, for once welcoming Seoul's crowded streets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Coming up, we'll help you get a jump your honor holiday shopping with "Consumer Reports" picks of the top gadgety gifts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIEBERG: Well, does it seem a little early to start thinking about holiday gift giving ideas? Well, maybe, but "Consumer Report's" new issue is out and they've compiled more than 2,800 products and some holiday gift giving ideas. Not all are related to high-tech, but since we couldn't fit all 2,800 of them in here, we thought we'd look at the more high-tech ones. And, joining us now, is the managing editor of "Consumer Reports," David Heim, to help walk us through this veritable smorgasbord of ideas, here.

David, first of all, how did you come up with these suggestions?

DAVID HEIM, "CONSUMER REPORTS": The editors and the engineers go through the 2,800 or so products that we test every year and ask themselves: What is it we'd like to get as a gift? What would really make a good present this time of year? We boil that list down to the gift guide, our compilation of desk gifts that's in the December issue of "Consumer Reports."

SIEBERG: All right. Well, we're going to go through a few high- tech acronyms, here. We're going start with DVD, this is the Pioneer sort of a entry level DVD player, shall we say. And, they've really come down in price, haven't they?

HEIM: It's about $80. Like all the DVD players we've tested, it delivers very high quality images, very easy to use, and prices continue to drop. By the end of the year, that Pioneer may be selling for much less than it's selling for now.

SIEBERG: All right, speak of dropping, we're going to drop down to these two here, from Panasonic. One that allows you to record on DVDs and one that also has the VHS deck, in case you're still hanging on to those old VHS tapes.

HEIM: Right. The one that handles both tape and disk is a very nice compromise if you don't want to give up on tapes right away. You can't copy tape to disk, but with the more expensive recorder about, $550, you can make copies of home videos, you shoot on a camcorder. You can record off the air onto a disk, and very high quality.

SIEBERG: Very high quality. All right. And, always good to look for the inputs on the back. Now, let's go from DVD to LCD, Liquid Crystal Displays. We've got a couple here, one large one from Sony and the prices, you say, are coming down. We talked earlier and you say prices are coming down, but still not cheap for this one.

HEIM: The big Sony that you have there, is a $5,000 LCD set. 30 inch screen, wide angle aspect ratio set up and ready for high definition TV. Excellent performance in our "Consumer Reports" test, and even though it's $5,000, a good value.

SIEBERG: All right now, the other one there from Sony is less than half -- about half the size, but less than half the price, right? About $900, so if you don't want to go for the $5,000 version, there's the 15 inch on here, for $900.

Now, let's talk about digital cameras, if we can, that hand held products, that are in "Consumer Reports." What about this Canon PowerShot A70? HEIM: The Canon PowerShot A70 is a 3 megapixel camera, it's a good, kind of, entry-level all-purpose camera for people who like snap shots for prints or e-mail attachments. Good images, easy to use, decent value. We have, in the magazine, in the December issue of "Consumer Reports" and on our website, consumerreports.org, information on almost 60 different digital cameras. Very hot item this Christmas.

SIEBERG: A lot of items out there.

And finally, if people want to look for another type of hand held, there is the entry level palm Zire. This is under $100?

HEIM: It's under $100, there's several different Zire models. The basic one sells for $70 to $80. It's perfect if you just want an address book, date book, the very simple things that an electronic organizer does.

SIEBERG: All right. David Heim, the managing editor at "Consumer Reports." Thanks so much for joining us to talk about some high-tech gift ideas for the holiday season.

David, thanks for being with us.

HEIM: OK.

ANNOUNER: Coming up, we'll explore a cavern that developed over millions of years, but apparently was never seen by humans until 1974.

DAVID KIRKPATRICK, "FORTUNE" SENIOR EDITOR: Dean Kamen is famous as an inventor, he's done groundbreaking and very profitable kidney dialysis machines, and he invented the Segue Scooter. But, one of the things he -- most wants to address is this problem of no clean drinking water and no electricity in vast parts of the world.

He's got two devices. Now, one is a sterling engine that can produce about 500 watts of power per hour. And, another one is a water purification device that is powered by that engine that could be used at night to power the lights in a village and in the day to purify their water. The interesting thing about these sterling engines is that they can burn any organic material. And, they run for five years without any servicing whatsoever.

Kamen's got the technology; the problem is it's extremely expensive unless you make it in volume and until he gets the financing, it's not going be possible to deploy these things in any kind of numbers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a rough life for baboons living at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya. Dodging predators, finding food, yet many females pressed for time, take the time to groom and socialize with each others. Why bother?

Well, after 16 years studying their behavior, researchers reporting in the journal "Science" have finally found an evolutionary explanation. The more social a mother baboon, the more likely her babies will survive through the critical first year of life. More solitary baboons tend to have fewer offspring and those babies are more likely to die in that first critical year.

While researchers at Duke, UCLA, and Princeton can't say why this happens, they think the need to be social may be genetic. That applies to all primates, even humans. After all studies have shown people who feel isolated and lonely suffer more mental and physical illnesses than those who seek out the company of good friends and family.

Ann Kellan, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIEBERG: 24 tigers, this week, were removed from a private facility in New Jersey where officials said they were kept in deplorable conditions. The tigers were shipped on trucks to a sanctuary in Texas where animal experts say they will get proper care. Their New Jersey home was owned by a former circus performer, known locally as the "Tiger Lady." State officials have been fighting in court since 1999 to get the tigers away from her.

Authorities in New Hampshire are investigating the death of six seals which Washed up on shore or were found by boaters. Two of the seals had been skinned, others were badly decomposed. Some had their genitalia removed. Seal genitalia are sold on the black market as aphrodisiacs. A federal fisheries agent says whoever skinned the seals did a professional job. Now, catching a marine mammal is a crime that can bring a $20,000 fine and a year in jail.

Well, one of the world's largest fresh water fish species is on the brink of extinction, that's according to environmentalists. The Mekong Giant Catfish can grow to be 10 feet long and weigh more than 600 pounds. The fish was once common in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Now researchers say there are no more than 1,000 left, maybe as few as 100. Over-fishing is blamed for their disappearance and the Cambodian Fisheries and some U.S. scientists are trying to stop it.

OK, it's time to do a little exploring. Kartchner Caverns is a network of caves in Southeastern Arizona discovered 30 years ago by two amateur explorers. They kept the find secret for years, that was to protect the caves from vandalism or exploitation. Now though, the caverns are protected as an Arizona state park. And, we get the tour from one of the discoverers and a park official.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TENEN, CAVE DISCOVERER: You can just see the edge of it right now.

That's essentially how it was. Over off to the right we followed a little crevice.

Kartchner Caverns it's a cave that my caving partner and I, Randy Tufts, discovered in 1974. Even today, I come into this cave and I see things I have never seen before. Lots of caves can point out a great formation. But, this as well, as we say, chock you jammed full of great stuff, and there is the large magnificent grand walls of those cascading flow stones, and then there's the delicate stalactites and "soda straws." That's what makes this a world-class cave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Kartchner Caverns State Park.

TENEN: It has been now a -- almost, 30-year journey for us, and we're bringing it to a point that we can consider it protected and safe.

KEN TRAVOUS, EXEC. DIRECTOR, ARIZONA STATE PARKS: Depending on where you like to measure time, it could be a quarter of a million years old and the formations that you see around us that are dripping have been here a long time. And will be a long time -- here a long time after we're gone.

We only want the light these enough for you can see them, we want you to understand that shadows are important, and they give you that depth.

It's over 550 people going through the caves every day.

We've not seen any indication that humans made it in here, until Randy and Gary came in.

There is a dome-shaped ceiling, that's how the room got its name as the Rotunda Room.

There are two major complexes, the Rotunda Throne Room and the Big Room, which are really, two separate caves.

The trail you see in the mud is another segment of discoverer's trail.

The Rotunda Room has the tracks of Randy and Gary when they first came through the cave. And when -- if you look down at the mud, what you see is that there were some soda straws, these delicate things that, from their own weight, had fallen from the ceiling and stuck in the mud. They're still standing there. They might have fallen there 15, 20,000 years ago. And, you can watch Gary's and Randy's come in, and they see what they're going to hit and go around it.

Now, the column that you see in front of you is called Kubla Khan...

TENEN: The name of the cave, before it was Kartchner Caverns, was Xanadu, because many of the features of the cave reminded us of Coleridge's poem, so when we got the throne room, I think it was Randy, who said "This must be Kubla Khan."

TRAVOUS: If you were standing down there, that's about how tall you'd be.

TENEN: It is a column that's over 50 feet tall, massive, and of course, it started out, no doubt, as a small stalactite and small stalagmite, growing together for tens of thousands of years.

TRAVOUS: While we visit a Kartchner or any cave, we're looking at a slice of time over a long life of this cave.

My favorite part of the tour is watching kid.

What happened up here?

And, the simpler questions and seeing people just gasp at the beauty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

TRAVOUS: I hope that we've created a bunch of people who are excited about the world and really like to explore and discover the world around them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Still ahead, we'll audit a few classes at Unreal University.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIEBERG: Well, it didn't take long. Just one month after Nokia launched its Engage gaming cell phone, the company announced this week that hackers have cracked the security codes that prevent copying of games. That means the games can be downloaded over the internet and played on other phones that use the same software as the Engage. But, Nokia says you'd have to have some specialized software tools to do it. The company also says it's working to strengthen copy protection codes to prevent more of this activity in the future.

Well, here's something that could be in your future. A cell phone you use by sticking your finger in your ear. It's called the Finger Whisper Phone. You wear the microphone and ear phone on your wrist. Your bones transmit the voice from the phone to your ear. The phenomenon is called bone conduction, and that's why you can still hear yourself clearly when your ears are plugged. You can now tell someone "I can't hear you; I've got a cell phone in my ear." The phone is currently under development in Japan.

All right, so you're tired of sitting on the couch and just playing the games and you want to break into the gaming industry itself? Well, here's your chance. Graphics card maker, NVidia has teamed up with Epic, they're makers of one of the most popular games out there called "Unreal." And, they're offering a rather unreal prize: $1 million in cash and prizes to folks who make their own games using the unreal technology, and for a few lucky folks, doing just that just got a lot easier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SIEBERG (voice-over): Hundreds of folks from all over the country turned North Carolina State University into Unreal University, hoping to learn some tricks of the trade and to rub elbows with some of the best minds in the gaming business.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, I'd like to thank everyone and welcome you all to Unreal University.

MATTHEW WOTRING, MODDER: It's great. I was thinking that it was either going to be not a whole lot of people responding or a whole bunch, it turned out to be a ton.

SIEBERG: The lead designer of Epic Games, the makers of Unreal Tournament, says seeing how others modify or "mod" Unreal technology into brand new games of their own is more than just fun.

CLIFF BLESZINSKI, EPIC GAMES: I would say mods are a great way to break into the gaming industry. Nothing makes a better resume than an actual (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MIKE WINTERS, MODDER: Well, mod making is as difficult as you want it to be. You can pick up the game, bring it home, install it and be making your own levels in five minutes, or you can go to school for years, you can become a professional programmer and you can be doing things that the creators of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) never thought of to do.

BRANDY SWIGART, MODDER: My husband got me started make Unreal mods about five years ago, when I married him. Unreal University really takes it down to a personal level and takes you from, I don't know what you're talking about, to OK, I can go home and do that.

BLESZINSKI: Contest isn't over yet so you can pick up the game and get going now.

SIEBERG: And, of course don't forget the $1 million contest.

CHRIS MONTROSE, MODDER: Will I win the million dollars? Well, I hope so, but -- you know, we'll see -- we'll have to see.

WINTERS: That's a tough question. Will I be able to do it? No. Will my team? Maybe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIEBERG: Ah, the tension, the drama of it all. Well, the winners will be announced in GDC, the Game Developers Conference in San Jose in March. And, in case you're wondering, you can find a link to the Unreal Contest at our website, that's at CNN.com/next.

Well, that's all the time we have for now, but here's what's coming up next week: We're heading out on a road trip as we take NEXT@CNN to Las Vegas for COMDEX, the annual computer industry extravaganza. This year, though, we expect to see a little less glitz, more practical applications for digital gear. But, believe me, we'll still show you the fun stuff, too, including the robotics petting zoo, where you likely can't beat the machines.

That's coming up on NEXT. Until then, we'd like to hear from you. You can send us an e-mail at NEXT@CNN.com.

Thanks so much for joining us. For all of us on the SciTech beat, I'm Daniel Sieberg. We'll see you next time.

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