The Newspaper Shop -- Thursday edition

[walktalker]

Did I miss something yesterday ?
My sister came back from France last night, and I had to wish her welcome back at the airport... And then it was time to celebrate (kind of )... The paper had to wait

Experts: Don't trust your PDA
Handheld computers are increasingly vulnerable to hacker attacks and should not be trusted to store "any critical or confidential information," security experts warned Thursday. Peiter Zatko, chief scientist and a vice president of @Stake, a Cambridge, Mass.-based security-engineering firm, and Joe Grand, an @Stake research scientist, noted that the growing business use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) raises concerns about security. Security firms have been making similar warnings for some time. "PDAs were designed for personal use but are now being used more for business," Zatko told a computer security conference here. "There's a security boundary that's being crossed."
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Study: Java to overtake C/C++ in 2002
Developers using Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java programming language will outnumber those using the C/C++ languages by next year, the findings of a series of studies conducted by Evans Data Corp. and released late Wednesday show. Presenting the firm's research findings at IBM's Solutions technical developers conference here on Wednesday afternoon, Janel Garvin, vice president of research at Evans, said that more than half of North American developers use Java today, with that number expected to rise by 10 percent next year. The research also shows that Java usage has been rising at the expense of Visual Basic and C/C++. "This means that, for the first time, more North American developers will be using Java than Visual Basic or C/C++ next year," Garvin said. "Java usage is even stronger outside North America, with almost 60 percent of developers expecting to spend some part of their programming time using Java."
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Microsoft tightens reins on software security
In an effort to address growing concerns over bugs and viruses that target its software, Microsoft on Thursday released a new patch for its Web server software and said it plans two new tools for customers to assess the security level of their Microsoft software. The Microsoft Network Security Hotfix Checker, or Hfnetchk tool, made available on Wednesday, allows business users of the company's software to assess the status of security patches for the Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 operating systems, as well as fixes for Internet Information Server 4.0 and 5.0 (IIS), SQL Server 7.0 and SQL Server 2000, and Internet Explorer 5.01 and later, according to Microsoft. The tool scans and monitors the status of all machines on a network, checking for the presence or absence of security patches.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Professor unveils anti-copying flaws
A talk billed as the "presentation the RIAA does not want you to see" went ahead Wednesday, as encryption researcher Edward Felten addressed security experts as planned at a conference in Washington, D.C. Felten, who earlier this year was threatened with legal action by the Recording Industry Association of America if he gave a speech on cracking digital watermarks, proceeded with his presentation at the USENIX 2001 Security Symposium after entertainment industry officials assured him they wouldn't sue. Cases such as Felten's may have a chilling effect on other programmers, who fear they too may come under legal fire for presenting their research.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Case shines light on tech injuries
A worker fired over injuries that prevented her from typing cannot sue her former employer under federal anti-discrimination law, an appeals court has ruled. Wednesday's decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals casts a spotlight on disability protections for computer use, an issue that is of burgeoning concern in the workplace. So-called repetitive stress injuries (RSI) affect workers in a wide range of industries, ranking as one of the top causes of absenteeism, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The decision marks what employee attorneys say is a sobering trend, particularly in technology workplaces where long stretches of computer keyboard use are as much an ordinary part of the workday as the morning cup of coffee. Workers compensation lawyers say RSI claims can take up as much as 60 percent or 70 percent of their workload, with a large and growing number of these resulting solely from computer use.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=tp_pr

The Industry Standard to stop publishing
The Industry Standard has ceased publication and will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to an editor at the magazine. The magazine will continue to publish its Web site for the time being, according to Cory Johnson, editor at large. Employees are on a mandatory vacation this week. At the company's San Francisco offices, a note on the door says, "The Standard will be closed the week of Aug. 13. We will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 20." Johnson was interviewed in front of the company's San Francisco offices. Investors including majority owner IDG and venture capital group Flatiron Partners were not immediately available for comment. Calls to publisher Standard Media International were not returned. "This is a shame. We put out some great magazines," Johnson told CNET News.com.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Microsoft slaps back at Sun in Java spat
The long-running battle between Microsoft and Sun Microsystems over the Java programming language escalated Thursday, as Microsoft issued a terse response to a Sun ad campaign that ran last week. Microsoft released a statement to the press late Thursday explaining the reasons for its removal of support for Java in its upcoming Windows XP operating system. Sun took out full-page ads in three newspapers last week asking consumers to "demand that Microsoft include the Java platform in their XP operating system." In April, Microsoft removed its 4-year-old version of Sun's Java Virtual Machine (JVM) from testing versions of the Internet Explorer 6 browser, which is integrated into Windows XP. The JVM will be an optional 5MB download the first time a user accesses a Web page requiring Java support.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=mn_hd

HP software users urged to patch hole
Security experts are warning information technology administrators to patch a newly discovered vulnerability in Hewlett-Packard's OpenView and NetView software to prevent a repeat of Code Red. Systems running HP's OpenView Network Node Manager version 6.1 or Tivoli NetView versions 5.x and 6.x have been found to contain a hole that could allow an intruder to gain complete administrative control of a machine. The vulnerability has been reported by the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), and security experts are anxious for system administrators to install HP's patch. "In (the) wake of Code Red, it has never been more important to install the patch," said Graham Cluely, senior technology consultant for antivirus company Sophos. "Hackers are often on these mailing lists, so system administrators need to be ahead of the game."
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Hands-free phones can steer drivers astray
A study released Thursday suggests that simply talking on a cellular phone while behind the wheel -- whether using a hands-free or hand-held device -- slows a driver's response time and diverts attention more than other common in-car distractions. With 120 million cell phone subscriptions in the United States, and an estimated 60 percent of cell-phone use happening on the road, automakers and cellular companies have been racing to sell phone services built into vehicles, such as General Motors' OnStar. But the report by four scientists at the University of Utah adds to a growing body of research that suggest calling and driving poses a danger to motorists, regardless of the type of phone they use.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200...html?tag=mn_hd

More news later on

[walktalker]

Code Red II hits Hong Kong government
The Code Red II computer worm has attacked some of the Hong Kong government's internal servers, causing temporary suspension of access, a government representative said Wednesday. "The first signs of infection appeared shortly after 6 p.m. (local time) on Monday, and access to the intranet was suspended soon afterwards," a representative with the Information Technology Services Department told Reuters. It is expected that access to the government intranet will resume later on Wednesday, the representative said. The intranet system is for the distribution of information within government departments and bureaus. The government's public Web site is unaffected.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=ch_mh

Film giants team for video-on-demand
In the biggest effort to date by Hollywood to beam movies to viewers via the Internet, five major movie studios on Thursday announced plans for a joint on-demand movie service, offering a broad selection of films available for digital delivery to broadband Internet users in the United States. The studios involved in the service are Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Vivendi Universal's Universal Studios, and Warner Bros., a unit of AOL Time Warner. Don Levy, a spokesman for Sony, said the launch of the service is at least several months away. He declined to elaborate. A name for the service will be announced at a later time.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

U.S. sites fail EU privacy test
A survey of 75 corporate Web sites released Thursday found that none measured up to a set of international standards for ensuring the privacy of customers' personal information. Although many of the Web sites surveyed were found to provide adequate data privacy in one or two areas, the Andersen study found that none met all six privacy guidelines developed between the United States and the European Union last year. The guidelines were developed last year to ensure that U.S. companies that do business in the European Union abide by tougher EU standards for electronic consumer privacy.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Privacy group attacks Windows XP, Passport
A group of privacy organizations on Wednesday renewed their attacks on Microsoft's Passport authentification service and Windows XP, asking the Federal Trade Commission to mandate changes in Microsoft's new operating system. The loose affiliation of 14 groups amended an existing complaint filed in late July with the FTC. During a media event here, Marc Rotenberg, executive director for the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), said the groups had filed a 12-page supplemental complaint "alleging that Microsoft by offering Passport (authentication) and associated services is engaging in unfair and deceptive trade practices in violation of Section 5 of the FTC act."
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

IE upgrade cuts off QuickTime
Apple Computer this week said it is trying to fix a problem that prevents its QuickTime media player from working with the most recent versions of Microsoft's browser. The problem cropped up July 31, when Microsoft released a service pack upgrade for Internet Explorer 5.5, dubbed SP2. Microsoft routinely issues service packs to patch security problems with its browser. In this case, however, Web surfers who installed the product were unable to view QuickTime video. The same problem affects a test release of Microsoft's new Internet Explorer 6 browser. "Apple is aware of the compatibility issue between QuickTime and the beta of Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2, and we are working with Microsoft to resolve the issue," an Apple representative said in a statement. "There will be a fix for which more information will be made available shortly."
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=ch_mh

Web sites find homes for TV ads
Web surfers could mistake their PCs for televisions as sites peddle conventional advertising -- even made-for-TV commercials. In the latest example, CBS MarketWatch started airing a commercial Monday that re-purposes American Airlines' upcoming TV ad campaign. To see the ad, consumers can click a large square beside articles on the MarketWatch site, which publishes financial news and information. Other major Web publishers also are pushing formats that resemble offline ads. Microsoft last week started running full-page ads that imitate movie trailers, forcing visitors to view a 10-second promotion before a requested page is shown.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=ch_mh

Korean song-swap creators indicted
Internet song-sharing software is downloaded and enjoyed by millions of music fans and becomes the talk of the nation. Record labels complain and seek to punish the program's creators for allegedly encouraging music piracy. So it goes for Soribada, or "Sea of Sound," South Korea's answer to Napster. Except instead of facing a lawsuit, the two U.S.-educated brothers who authored the file-swapping program are in deeper trouble. Yang Jung-hwan, 28, and his 32-year-old brother Yang Il-hwan were indicted Sunday on criminal charges of copyright violation. The Yang brothers, who face up to five years in jail and up to $38,500 in fines if convicted, are fighting the charges.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=ch_mh

More news later on

[walktalker]

License PC Users? It's a Thought
In a connected world, we suffer from the consequences of other people's computer ignorance. This summer, inboxes have been filled to overflowing with SirCam-infected e-mails, a hassle even if you don't click on the attachments. And well-protected networks continue to be whacked by constant scans from Code Red-infested computers. Most security experts lay the blame for the widespread virus and worm attacks on sloppy hardware and software design, and say that systems are designed with far too many unneeded fancy features intended to woo the reluctant buyer but skimp on basic "boring" security.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46096,00.html

Planetary Pile-Up Created Moon
The moon was created during a spectacular smash between the Earth and another planet, a new computer simulation suggests. The planetary pile-up may also account for the fact that Earth days are 24 hours long. Scientists at the Southwest Research Institute and the University of California at Santa Cruz have developed a new computer simulation that lends credence to the "giant impact" theory of the moon's birth.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,46114,00.html

New Find: Similar Solar System
Astronomers have found the first solar system outside our own where multiple planets travel round the same star in circular orbits. "It's heartwarming to find a planetary system that finally reminds us of our solar system," said astronomy professor Geoffrey Marcy, a member of the University of California at Berkeley team that made the discovery. The astronomers announced the discovery of the second planet orbiting the star 47 Ursae Majoris on Wednesday. Most of the roughly 70 planets found so far outside our solar system travel in tight, erratic orbits around their stars.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,46103,00.html

Online Court Cases Move Forward
People could log onto their home computers instead of going to the federal courthouse to get information on many cases under a plan to put records on the Internet. A panel of judges stopped short of directing that all cases be available online, however, taking a tentative step into the Internet age with civil cases first. Records would be edited to remove personal information that could be used by cyber criminals. A committee of 14 judges said records of criminal cases should not be put on the Internet for now because "information could then be very easily used to intimidate, harass and possibly harm victims, defendants and their families." They said the policy should be reviewed within two years.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46104,00.html

ASCI White: It's Here, It's Now
The most powerful computer in the world, programmed to simulate the explosion of a nuclear bomb, was unveiled Wednesday at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. ASCI White, a $110 million computer squeezed into enough refrigerator-sized units to fill a couple of basketball courts, will be used to simulate nuclear tests that the government has promised not to carry out for real. The beast -- built by IBM (IBM) from off-the-shelf processors using a souped-up version of its commercial operating system, AIX -- weighs as much as 17 full-size elephants. It requires as much cooling as 765 homes, and can do in a second what a calculator would take 10 million years to do, IBM claims.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,46105,00.html

Synthespians No 'Final' Fantasy
In an upcoming Jet Li film, the martial arts master battles a copy of himself from another dimension -- and takes filmmaking a step closer to virtual actors. Digital effects expert Jeff Kleiser creates the illusion of dueling doubles by pasting Li's head on the stuntman who's actually fighting him. The seamless results illustrate how newly developed computer tools are allowing filmmakers to add so-called synthespians into indistinguishable parts of the action.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,46102,00.html

US firm offers stars DNA copyright
A privately-held corporation in the United States is trying to persuade famous individuals to copyright their DNA. The DNA Copyright Institute, San Franscisco, wants stars to use its services to strengthen their legal position should anyone decide to clone them against their will. Most scientists disapprove of the idea of trying to clone human beings, but DNACI's founder, Andre Crump, told the BBC that he believed it would not be difficult to find someone to carry out the cloning procedure. "Cloning is going to be as easy as in vitro fertilisation," he told the BBC's Today programme.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci...00/1492859.stm

Privacy experts slam snooping code of practice
Cyber-liberty experts are frustrated that the Home Office consultation paper offers no guidelines on the legitimate interception of communications. Privacy experts have slammed the Home Office's draft Code of Practice for accessing communications data as a nebulous attempt to justify the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). The draft Code of Practice addresses the most controversial part of RIPA, which is expected to come into force later this year - it regulates monitoring of electronic communications such as email messages. At the centre of the controversy is the power that RIPA gives to law enforcement officers to monitor email communications.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t26...kpt=zdnn_nbs_h

McAfee's Monopoly on Antivirus Software Could Prove Deadly
Complain all you want; dealing with viruses has become a part of everyday computing life. Like the Love Bug and Melissa viruses before them, SirCam and at least three known variants of Code Red are out there wreaking havoc right now -- and they're just the most publicized ones. New viruses and Internet worms seem to appear almost daily. Easy-to-use tool kits let even the least talented of hackers create new ones in minutes, adding to what seems like a never-ending list. Though it's probably wishful thinking to hope that even a single one of us will escape virus infection at one point or another, at least there's some comfort. Antivirus software is available to help us clean up the mess, and these programs are dutifully kept updated with fixes for all the latest bugs.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../16/mcafee.DTL

More Moons Around Earth? It’s Not So Loony
Earth has a second moon, of sorts, and could have many others, according to three astronomers who did calculations to describe orbital motions at gravitational balance points in space that temporarily pull asteroids into bizarre orbits near our planet. The 3-mile-wide (5-km) satellite, which takes 770 years to complete a horseshoe-shaped orbit around Earth, is called Cruithne and will remain in a suspended state around Earth for at least 5,000 years. Cruithne, discovered in 1986, and then found in 1997 to have a highly eccentric orbit, cannot be seen by the naked eye, but scientists working at Queen Mary and Westfield College in London were intrigued enough with its peregrinations to come up with mathematical models to describe its path. That led them to theorize that the model could explain the movement of other objects captured at the gravitational balance points that exist between all planets and the sun.
http://space.com/scienceastronomy/so...on_991029.html

Welcome to the Always-On World
These days our culture is trying to digest several new technologies at the same time. The controversy over cell-phone etiquette is part of this process, and it portends much greater controversies to come. How can we think about it? You are sitting in the theater and your cell phone rings. The theater performance has been disrupted, but the caller is innocent. Instead, everyone is mad at you: you could have turned your phone off or switched it to vibrate instead of ringing. It's your fault. But something deeper is going on. Think about it: anyone in the world can reach into the theater and cause a machine to emit a loud noise. In the old days, the theater was a more controlled space than that. The theater, in its very architecture, reflects a set of social relationships: between the players and the audience, between those who have been admitted into the seating areas and those who haven't, between the people with the expensive tickets and the people with the cheap tickets, between the bartenders and the customers, and so on. Everyone plays his or her part in this institutional drama, and so the play can get performed.
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY...ce/speaka.html

[nanook]

oh, walktalker.........so much to talk about, i'd be here all night typing up my thoughts.

so i'll just say, you got some damn good info there, as usual.

now i'll have to go back and reread, link, think, ponder and wish each was it's own thread, so i could take one at a time.

still i'd be here all night responding to each and every one.

i'll just say.........the world just keeps going on and on and i'm still happy as a pig in shit. heehee

thanks newsdude, u rock!