The Newspaper Shop -- Monday edition

[walktalker]

Hehehe, time to unrust myself and type a brand new paper

Intel transistor paves way to 20GHz chips
Intel, the world's largest semiconductor maker, has developed what it says is the fastest and smallest transistor ever. The breakthrough means that Moore's Law, which stipulates that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every two years, will remain on the books until at least 2007. Intel was scheduled to announce the development on Sunday at the Silicon Nanoelectronics Workshop in Kyoto, Japan. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdhpnews01

Battle brews over Linux server share
A major disagreement is brewing about exactly what share of the server market Linux actually holds, and Microsoft is again an active player in the debate. A recently released Gartner Dataquest report, sponsored by several companies including Microsoft, found that just 8.6 percent of server shipments in the U.S. during the third quarter of 2000 were Linux-based. The report, authored by Gartner Dataquest principle analyst Jeff Hewitt, also found that 93 percent of those server systems shipped were Red Hat Linux, with the remaining 7 percent consisting of "other Linux flavors."
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...chkpt=zdnn_tp_

Strife and success in the land of open source
For something that so many people claim to have an understanding of, open source sure appears to be misunderstood a lot lately. Not only do we have Microsoft's efforts to divide and conquer from the outside, but there's even sedition from within, with mud-slinging and accusation where neither is in any way necessary. But even as various storm clouds formed, thundered, emitted rain, and then blew away, a much quieter success became apparent for the open source community, one which recalcitrant hardware vendors would do well to learn from.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/co...772049,00.html

TiVo forum cracks down on hacking discussion
The operator of a Web forum devoted to and sponsored by digital video recorder maker TiVo has asked people to stop posting information about how to copy video off the device onto another machine, fearing he could be held liable for violating a controversial digital copyright law. David Bott, administrator of the TiVo section of AVSforum.com, said he worries discussion of so-called TiVo video extraction may run afoul of copyright laws and threaten the site.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Colombia to challenge .com dominance
A South American nation could pose the greatest challenge yet to the .com Web address if a Colombian university successfully turns the country's Internet code, .co, into a global domain. La Universidad de Los Andes, which has managed Colombia's .co country code since 1991, is inviting bids from companies that would market the domain name internationally as a convenient alternative to .com, .net and other domains. The university's plan, which would help it raise money for scholarships and for investments, is part of a new rush for Web names now that good names in the popular .com domain are increasingly difficult to find.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...092498,00.html

WinXP security row: Expert hits back
Microsoft's assurances that Windows XP will not make it easier for hackers to launch damaging Denial of Service (DoS) attacks across the Internet have been dismissed by the security expert who first alerted the company to the issue. The US software giant released a statement last week in which it said Steve Gibson, president of Gibson Research Group, was incorrect to claim that the implementation of "raw sockets" in its Windows XP operating system was a serious mistake.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...772090,00.html

Second Coming: The Internet Gets Reborn
The Internet got boring real fast. Forget about all the frittered-away cash, the hype, and the failed business models online. The Internet just got plain old dull: The browser became old hat, the thrill of hitting a hyperlink vanished, and Web ads -- well, 'nuff said. But Web technology could become intriguing once again -- and if you listen carefully, you might even hear the faint chortling of engineers unable to contain their enthusiasm within the confines of their own cubicles. That's because the industry may be on the cusp of taking another technological leap forward.
http://www.ecompany.com/articles/web...,12229,00.html

Memory standards fight for the future
The Computex computer show in Taiwan last week became a battleground between two competing formats for next-generation memory, one supported by semiconductor giant Intel, the other a less-expensive open standard. Hynix Semiconductor and Infineon were among the companies promoting Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM, a relatively inexpensive open standard arrived at by the semiconductor industry body, the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association. Hynix, formerly Hyundai Electronics Industries, said it was set to ramp up its DDR production as demand surges.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=cd_mh

HP pulls TV ad after icy response
Hewlett-Packard pulled a TV commercial showing children coordinating a snowball attack on a streetcar using mobile phones after allegations that it led to copycat attacks, Britain's TV watchdog said on Friday.The U.S. computer and printer maker, which also develops mobile software, withdrew the ad from British television after claims that attacks on streetcars, buses and trains had risen in some areas after it aired, the Independent Television Commission said.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200...html?tag=ch_mh

EU to investigate DVD prices
The European Union is opening an investigation into whether major U.S. distributors of movies on DVDs are overpricing their discs for European consumers. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, started the investigation of major distributors following complaints filed by consumer groups, EU spokesman Michael Tscherny said Monday. The inquiry is focusing on whether a U.S. system of regional coding for copyrights is being used to artificially charge higher prices in Europe
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Hackers Lay Off Death Video
After a four-minute glitch preparing the video link between Indiana and Oklahoma, the families of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing viewed an encrypted signal of Timothy McVeigh's execution Monday morning. The FBI said it had no reports of attempts to pirate the signal. As of Monday afternoon, hacker groups and several online militia websites were silent on the execution.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,44450,00.html

My Shoe Size? It'll Cost You
Tired of giving away all your personal information to marketers? Why not sell it instead? Companies are willing to pay big money to learn the juicy tidbits of your life, including your preferred brand of toilet paper or whether you smear your bagels with butter or cream cheese. The problem is, they're not paying you. A new website hopes to remedy this situation by allowing consumers to sell their personal data directly to advertisers.
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,44278,00.html

Farewell Free Downloads
An audible sigh of relief can be heard from the folks at Napster. With major label deals that will keep its trademark access to popular music intact and new technologies that limit the number of songs available on the service, Napster is slowly but decidedly morphing into a commercially viable enterprise. Of course, the consumer experience is going to be radically different than it was a year ago, as filtering technologies and tracking software prevent users from getting to all the music they want.
http://www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,44412,00.html

The sequel is underway

[KevC]

Thank you very much

[Tom9504]

Thank you thank you thank you walktalker... I love these newspaper threads!

[walktalker]

The TV's Eye Is Set on You
Americans have been watching television commercials for more than 50 years. Pretty soon, commercials will be watching them. Cable and satellite giants are installing technology that will enable them to zap targeted TV commercials to different homes based on the occupants' age, gender, ethnicity, income and other personal details, including what shows they watch. Eventually, companies hope to refine the technology to target different viewers in the same family. They might send ads for the new PlayStation 2 to the teenager's room while reserving the life insurance pitch for mom and dad in the den.
http://www.latimes.com/business/cutt...s.topstory.htm

Electronic paper now works in full colour, thanks to a fine filter
The day you can download print onto "electronic paper" and take it anywhere to read just got a step closer. E Ink of Boston has announced that it has succeeded in making electronic paper work in full colour. Like ordinary paper, electronic paper works entirely by reflection. This means that, unlike competing electronic displays like LCDs, it never needs a backlight. In addition, it only needs power when the image changes. Once an image has been produced it will remain visible even with the power switched off.
http://www.newscientist.com/dailynew...p?id=ns9999837

Music Downloads Breathe New Life Into Minidiscs
Though repeatedly decked in showdowns with CDs and, to an extent, cassettes, the decade-old format that uses digital discs encased in 2 1/2-inch plastic squares is back. Analysts say that minidisc recorders are finding fans among young folks who want an economical, portable device for music stored in their PCs. A new generation of the recorders, just hitting the shelves, could be intriguingly attractive rivals to MP3 and recordable CD players. Sony and Sharp, the leading makers of minidisc recorders, now offer units that squeeze 5 hours of music on a disc.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/166691.html

Study Shows 429 Million Net Users In 27 Countries
Some 429 million people in 27 nations have Internet access, and North America's 41 percent chunk of the total is shrinking, an Internet measurement service said today. Twenty-seven percent of the total is in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, followed by the Asia-Pacific region's 20 percent and 4 percent in Latin America, Nielsen//NetRatings said in its Global Internet Trends report for the first quarter of 2001. In terms of penetration, nearly half the homes in the U.S. have Internet access, while one-third of Asia-Pacific households are Net-equipped. Just over one-quarter of European homes have online access, the tally said.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/166705.html

Why Parenting is More Important Than Making Law
Wes Royer, a Zeropaid Columnists writes about the latest Federal Trade Commission report criticizing the music industry for supposedly continuing to market violent music to children. Wes explains how its not the governments responsibility to pass laws in order to censor what our children listen to, he points out that its the parents responsibility to guide our children in making good choices.
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/news.php3?id=06102001a

European Music Sites to Merge
Buoyed by a market-defying share price, the Italian music site Vitaminic plans to acquire its U.K. rival, Peoplesound.com, in a stock-swap worth $29 million (34 million euros). In the last six to 12 months, we’ve seen that the largest players are the ones that are winning the game," said Ernesto Schmitt, CEO of Peoplesound. By merging with Vitaminic, the two independent companies might have a chance to fight against the online distribution services backed by the major labels, he said.
http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,27062,00.html

Napster-MusicNet Deal Is a Real Help
When executives at Warner, EMI and BMG formed MusicNet with RealNetworks in March, few envisioned that the deal also meant climbing into bed with Napster. But two months later, Rob Glaser used his dual capacity as CEO of both RealNetworks and MusicNet to sign a deal that contractually links the outlaw song-swap company with three of the five major music labels. When news of the deal first leaked into the press, Warner Music Group issued its own release to throw cold water on the development.
http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,27069,00.html

Next-generation ‘buddy lists’ could transform phone habits
Early versions of "presence" technology will appear on mobile phones later this year. Motorola Inc., for instance, will begin tests next month of a system that will inform you ahead of time whether your sister has her phone turned on and, if so, whether she is on a call. That way, you’ll know when to make the call, instead of guessing and trading voice mail messages all day. Ultimately, the system should be offering data that discloses a cell phone user’s geographic location, mood and availability. You may, for example, want to take only emergency calls from the office on weekends - but all calls from family and friends.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/584725.asp?0dm=C14OT

MP3 gone from WinXP, and it's not coming back
MP3 ripping is gone for good from the Windows XP beta, and will not return in the shipping product. WinXP will include instructions on how to install third party MP3 encoders, which will then allow Windows Media Player to rip MP3, but quite clearly development is proceeding according to a tried and tested blueprint, and MP3's air supply now stands in some peril. Microsoft's story is that the MP3 encoder that shipped with earlier builds of WinXP was there simply to test that the functionality worked. That encoder wasn't capable of high quality recording, so it did rather look like Microsoft was shipping it deliberately in this form to make WMA sound better.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/19603.html

[Dawn]

Thanks newsman

[TankGirl]

Thanks again WT!

Originally posted by walktalker
Farewell Free Downloads
An audible sigh of relief can be heard from the folks at Napster. With major label deals that will keep its trademark access to popular music intact and new technologies that limit the number of songs available on the service, Napster is slowly but decidedly morphing into a commercially viable enterprise. Of course, the consumer experience is going to be radically different than it was a year ago, as filtering technologies and tracking software prevent users from getting to all the music they want.
http://www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,44412,00.html

Isn't that corporate language funny? "The consumer experience is going to be radically different". I am sure it will LOL. A bit like the difference between living in independence and under a nazi regime.

- tg

[walktalker]

Hey TankGirl, Twodoggy, KevC and Tom !
Thanks for coming... here, take some of these... you deserve it

[RDixon]

WTG Newsdude! Good links.

[Tom9504]

Wow... two newspapers to read AND biscuits! I'll be coming back here again...

Thanks WT!

[VWguy]

Not trying to horn in, but this looked like the place to post.

IBM Has Breakthrough That Boosts Chip Speed:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp.(NYSE:IBM - news) said on Friday it made a breakthrough in semiconductor technology that can boost chip speeds by as much as 35 percent, while also reducing power requirements.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/2001...hips_dc_3.html

[walktalker]

BUMP just because, well, I don't want this baby to go down too fast

[relic]

Originally posted by walktalker
BUMP just because, well, I don't want this baby to go down too fast

thank you much for bumping this thread...I have been very bumping busy since getting back from vacation a little while ago. this one just slipt through my bumping fingers