The Newspaper Shop -- Friday edition

[walktalker]

Microsoft preps for Windows XP bash
Microsoft on Friday will host a celebration marking the release of Windows XP to PC manufacturers, but the big question is how much interest the company can generate for the software. At a lavish ceremony at the company's Redmond, Wash., headquarters, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Jim Allchin, group vice president and head of the Windows effort, are expected to present each PC maker representative with a Windows XP-branded briefcase containing a master disc with the operating system's final -- or gold -- code. But the big question is whether the public will take to the software. Analysts and beta testers are offering mixed reviews.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp01

New judge named for Microsoft case
A federal court on Friday randomly assigned U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to preside over the Microsoft antitrust case. Earlier in the day, a federal appeals court, as expected, returned the Microsoft case to the trial court for further proceedings. That order, issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, opens up another chapter in the antitrust saga. The assignment of Kollar-Kotelly means the case can move forward fairly quickly, say legal experts. "We are pleased the case is back in District Court, and we're anxious to proceed," said Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Carnivore to add wireless to its menu?
Federal law enforcement officials may use a controversial surveillance technology to monitor e-mail and other text messages delivered through wireless devices, such as cell phones -- a fact that has one telecommunications group concerned. In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell, the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) warned that the FBI may start using its DCS1000 surveillance system, originally known as Carnivore, to eavesdrop on wireless communications as early as October. The CTIA fears the FBI might start using the DCS1000 system because the wireless industry has so far been unable to develop a standard for law enforcement agencies to monitor e-mails sent between handheld devices.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Trojan horse breaks Windows PCs
A malicious program that masquerades as a Web page or HTML e-mail has dire consequences for those who fall for its ruse, antivirus experts said this week. Known as Trojan. Offensive, the program takes advantage of a 10-month-old flaw in Microsoft's version of the Java Virtual Machine to overwrite critical system settings -- called the registry -- leaving Windows computers unusable. The operating system on the victimized PC must be reinstalled or repaired through an arduous process. "No data loss actually occurs, but the computer is basically hosed," said Craig Schmugar, a virus researcher for security software maker Network Associates.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Fujitsu hard drives as fast as 'pixie dust'
When it comes to capacity, hard-drive manufacturers can hardly contain themselves. Several of the leading hard-drive manufacturers have been professing that they have been innovating technologies that will allow them to store more than 100 gigabits per square inch on a platter, the current ceiling for storage density. A platter is one of the key components in a hard drive and is where data is stored. Fujitsu will be the latest to join them. On Tuesday, the hard-drive maker will announce that it has broken the 100-gigabit ceiling and plans to begin using parts of the technology that allowed it to break the barrier as early as November.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Egghead sale could crack on privacy issues
The proposed sale of Egghead.com to Fry's Electronics could be in jeopardy if too many customers decide they don't want to be on a Fry's mailing list, according to bankruptcy filings. As part of the proposed $10 million sale, Fry's is requiring that no more than 10 percent of active customers -- anyone who bought something at Egghead in the last two years -- can "opt out" of a plan to transfer their information over to Fry's Electronics, according to a bankruptcy filing at U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. Complicating the matter is Egghead's privacy policy, which says that the company will not "sell or rent customer information to any outside party under any circumstances." Unlike statements from other companies, Egghead's policy does not make any exceptions for the sale of the company or its assets.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200...html?tag=tp_pr

Security firm discounts password threat
Network security company SSH Communications said Friday that it is investigating claims that advanced pattern recognition can be used to weaken the security around an encryption standard used to protect connections between computers. The standard, known as secure shell, or SSH, encrypts the data traveling between an administrator's computer and a remote server, allowing for much more secure communications, even over the Internet. That security, however, was called into question at a technical security conference last week, when three University of California-Berkeley researchers outlined a process by which guessing passwords sent using SSH can be made an estimated 50 times easier.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=mn_hd

New worm poses as helpful program
A destructive new worm that purports to rid computers of malicious viruses actually leaves the viruses intact and chews up files instead, security experts said Friday. The worm, dubbed Win32.All3gro.A, poses as a "good worm," experts said, highlighting the dangers of a new fad for creating self-propagating applications to delete malicious programs that resurfaced after the Code Red II worm scare early this month. Code Red II installs a "back door," leaving computers vulnerable to attacks. While it sounds like an attractive concept, the "good worm" notion is actually a bad idea, experts concurred. "Even if it's with good intent, it's not a good idea," said Vincent Weafer, director of Symantec antivirus research center. "It could have unexpected results. And there's no centralized control to update it."
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Compaq signs deal with open-source firm
Compaq Computer has signed a deal with Covalent Technology to jointly develop and market Covalent's Apache Web server software, the companies plan to announce Monday. Apache is an open-source program that's used to house Web sites, delivering pages to browsers across the Internet. According to Internet research company Netcraft, Apache is the most popular Web server. Covalent sells proprietary add-ons to Apache, such as modules for encryption, virus screening, and easier management. Under the agreement with Compaq, the two companies will jointly develop and market Covalent software for Compaq's ProLiant line of Intel-based servers running the Linux operating system. The announcement will be made in conjunction with the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in San Francisco.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Start-ups take control of home devices
As industry heavyweights alternately invest in and abandon the nascent home-networking market, a growing number of start-ups are testing the waters with products that integrate and manage media types in the home. Mediabolic, based in San Francisco, and Ucentric, of Maynard, Mass., are among a handful of companies that have recently attracted venture capital backing to take on this uncertain market, amid fierce competition and the warnings of scattered naysayers. A home server is designed to consolidate and link various devices and media types through a single hub. The term "home networking" originally referred to a method of linking PCs sitting under the same roof, but it now is used more broadly to encompass the pan-media ambitions of home servers.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_pr

U.S. keeps PC surveillance under wraps
The U.S. government for a third time is seeking to cloak a report that would reveal surveillance techniques used to obtain computer passwords and indict an alleged mobster. The government, in the case United States of America v. Nicodemo S. Scarfo, has refused to disclose information about the covert installation of a key logger system. By capturing the keystrokes made on a computer, this technology can be used to discover encrypted passwords. The motion responded to a mandate from Judge Nicholas Politan in a Newark, N.J., court to produce a report "detailing how the key logger device functions" by Aug. 31. The move is the latest salvo in a two-year case that could have broad implications on public privacy and the government's tactics of monitoring computer use in federal investigations.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

More news later on

[walktalker]

The Ever-Evolving Science Class
Students stare blankly at the faded periodic table as an old man scribbles on the board. The lights buzz. Lids droop. If you're like most people, that's how you remember high school science class -- which is why you may not remember much at all about science. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley are trying to change that. Over the past two years, professors, graduate students and undergraduates there have built a Web-based platform designed to make science class a more engaging, and educational, experience.
http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,45901,00.html

XP Invasion Is Imminent: plenty of "ads" ahead
It will take about an hour to install the software on your computer, and it seems to be pretty hassle-free. In three installation attempts (on computers with different configurations), nothing held up the process. There are, however, some reasons to worry. Critics of Microsoft have repeatedly attacked the company for "leveraging" its operating system dominance in a manner that gives it an instant advantage in other areas, and Microsoft has refuted the claim, saying that it has to work as hard as anyone else to compete in the application market. But in fact is it's impossible for any informed computer user to ignore Microsoft's attempts in XP to muscle its way into a greater share of our lives. Almost instantly, the solicitations start...
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,46283,00.html

New MS Tool: Good and Bad
In response to a summer of increased discontent, Microsoft is now focusing on finding easier ways to help people find and patch the security holes in their computers, Microsoft's chief security officer Howard Schmidt said at a press briefing last week. The first public release of this simpler security project is the Microsoft Personal Security Advisor (MPSA), a free Web-based tool for personal users of Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 operating systems. The tool scans computers, looking for any security problems in installed Microsoft software. But the results that some users have received after using MPSA may engender yet more ill will against Microsoft. Every system in a test group of eight machines whose users claimed to be extremely conscientious about applying Microsoft security patches were rated by MPSA as high risks for malicious hack attacks.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,46272,00.html

Study: Human Genes Undercounted
The number of genes that humans have has once again been brought into question by a new study. Over the years, Scientists have made estimates ranging from 20,000 to 160,000, although two separate studies in February claimed there were most likely around 30,000. Arguments over the number have been heated, and some people wonder what it means if the human genome has fewer genes than the corn genome -- which is estimated to have 40,000 genes. For those who take pride in the number of genes they possess, good news has been published in Friday's issue of the scientific journal Cell. They have come up with 42,000 predicted genes, although they said this number is likely to change as more studies are done.
http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,46307,00.html

NASA Junks Ozone Satellite
NASA is ending a satellite mission that kept tabs on the hole in earth's ozone layer because the space agency can't afford the $10 million-a-year bill. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite will cease scientific operations by Sept. 30, 10 years after it was deployed by the space shuttle Discovery. NASA said the 6.5-ton, 35-foot satellite will either be plucked from orbit by the space shuttle or allowed to crash back to Earth sometime between 2016 and 2027.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46288,00.html

India Hackers Face More Charges
Two hackers who defaced the website of Mumbai police’s Cyber Crime Cell last month are finding that the cops are becoming very interested in them. After being arrested for the crime of hacking and subsequently released on bail, the hackers found themselves in police custody again, this time for a more serious crime –- credit card theft, with most of the victims being Americans. The police said they have new evidence against the two hackers, but one of the accused, Mahesh Mhatre, said the CCC is just out for vengeance. He had earlier alleged that he had been beaten while in custody, a case that is pending in a magistrate's court. "They have arrested me again because I dared to speak against them," Mhatre said. "They want to teach me a lesson."
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46230,00.html

E-mail snoopers 'risk legal action'
Bosses who phone staff at home or vet employees' e-mails could face legal action, UK executive representatives have warned.
Ringing staff at home to discuss work matters could, under UK human rights legislation, be construed as an invasion of privacy, the Institute of Management has said. "An employer does not have the right to demand an employee's telephone number, unless it is specified in the contract that the employee has a duty to be available outside normal working hours," the institute said. The institute also warned that unauthorised vetting of e-mails and phone calls, could be considered an invasion of privacy, even if employees are thought to be sending personal messages through company lines.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/bus...00/1507041.stm

Programmers to encode human behaviour
An international set of specifications for writing non-verbal human communications in computer code is being drawn up by a US web standards group. Computer scientists backing the project believe that the language could improve cross-cultural communications and might eventually lend itself to virtual reality and artificial intelligence applications. HumanMarkup Language (HumanML) will allow software engineers to write abstract, non-verbal human communications in computer code. This will give computer users the power to communicate their emotions and gestures to other computer users over the internet. The language is designed to be compatible with eXtensible Markup Language (XML), a highly customisable computer language for designing web pages and internet applications.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991192

Conformity rules in cyberspace
The theory that the anonymity offered by the internet will free its users to behave outside social norms has been shown to be a myth by a study at Murdoch University's school of psychology. Surprising results from the research reveal internet chat-room users replicate social behaviour from the off-line world, such as conforming to authority and peer pressure. Funded by an Australian Research Grant, PhD student Adam Proll and psychology professor Mike Innes ran experiments over three years by accessing chat rooms and testing their theories on participants. "People have a tendency to believe that the internet is a passive communication medium and impersonal," Mr Proll said.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...E12333,00.html

Senator Plans Anti-Piracy Copyright Legislation
Consumer electronics hardware makers, including computer manufacturers, would be required to develop anti-piracy technology to be included in their products under proposed legislation from Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, D-S.C. "It's something that he's been floating around," said Hollingsspokesman Andrew Davis. Hollings also has not specified what type of technology should be used, whether it be something like encryption or watermarking, and Davis noted that Hollings would take a technology-neutral position.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/169394.html

Record labels begin selling copy-proof CDs
Hoping to crack down on music piracy, five major record labels have quietly begun selling CDs containing technology that foils attempts by customers to copy the songs onto blank discs or computer hard drives.The new strategy is not widespread yet and most of the CDs out so far are being sold in Europe. The labels will not say which artists’ works have been digitally padlocked. The so-called stealth CDs play fine in stereos. But if someone tries to turn the music into MP3 files or copy it onto a blank CD, the copied version will not work or the result will sound so bad it’s not worth sharing.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/618816.asp?0dm=C13NT

More news later on

[walktalker]

Back to the top