The Newspaper Shop -- Thursday edition

[walktalker]

Intel revamps the Pentium 4
New versions of Intel's Pentium 4 due out next week are expected to stifle criticism that the chip is more expensive and offers less-enthralling performance than its nearest competitor. On Monday, Intel will introduce two new versions of the Pentium 4 -- code-named Northwood -- that will run at 2.2GHz and 2.0GHz. But more important than the speed bump are the design of the chips and the way they are manufactured, developments that are expected to help the company open a competitive gap between itself and cross-freeway rival Advanced Micro Devices.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp01

W3C in spat over Web patent
A Canadian company is claiming that a popular Web technology infringes on a patent it owns. The technology in question, Resource Description Framework, is based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) and allows programmers to write software to access Web resources, such as Web page content, music files and digital photos. The RDF standard has been endorsed by the World Wide Web Consortium, which evaluates and recommends standards for Web technologies.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

AOL fills AIM security hole
AOL Time Warner on Thursday plugged a security hole in its instant messenger application that experts say could have provided wiggle room for a widespread and destructive worm. The company said it implemented a server-side fix, meaning that customers will not have to download the patch. As earlier reported, the security bug affected AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) version 4.7 and the 4.8 beta, or test version. Only AIM users running Microsoft's Windows operating system are vulnerable.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

'Junkyard' viruses take a toll
As antivirus companies look back to log the year's busiest viruses, it seems virtuoso worm writing has gone out of style. At least five companies recently listed SirCam, which ravaged PCs during the summer, as one of the two most reported viruses of the year. Central Command placed SirCam atop its "Dirty Dozen for 2001" list of viruses; Sophos, Symantec, Computer Associates and Trend Micro viewed it as number two, behind Nimda, Hybris and Badtrans, respectively.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Go go gadgets -- Gates to kick off CES
Consumer electronics companies will get a chance to change their luck next week in Las Vegas. After a dismal 2001, companies plan to use this year's Consumer Electronics Show to introduce upcoming products and announce new strategies aimed at reviving consumer interest in gadgetry. CES starts Monday and runs through Jan. 11. As was the case last year, one of the dominant themes of the show will be the convergence of computers and consumer electronics devices.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Bush raises computer export speed limit
President Bush on Wednesday allowed U.S. companies to sell high-speed computers to countries such as Russia, China and India, easing a Cold War-era ban designed to halt the spread of nuclear arms. Computer makers may now export computers capable of complex 3D modeling, fluid dynamics calculations and other advanced applications to Pakistan, Vietnam and other "Tier 3" countries without specific permission from the government.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

You can't hide those lying eyes
Scientists have developed an instant lie detector technique which picks up mini hot flushes around the eyes and could lead to truth tests becoming standard at airport check-ins, the journal Nature reported on Wednesday. In the new tests developed by scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, a high definition thermal-imaging camera scans a person's face to see if they blush when answering a question.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Fiber-optic glut saps bandwidth trading
Hopes that trading of bandwidth could turn out to be the next big thing have collapsed amid a glut of fiber-optic cable and the bankruptcy of Enron, its biggest proponent. Bandwidth -- the capacity of a fiber-optic line to transmit data from one point to another as on the Internet -- was once thought to be a commodity as easily traded as gold or oil. The bursting of the Internet bubble, however, revealed bandwidth trading, like many of the worst excesses of the dot-com boom, to be little more than hype.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Midwest states pass tech hubs online
Prairie states Kansas and Illinois topped a survey released Thursday of U.S. state governments' online efforts, outpacing high-tech hubs such as California and Massachusetts. The two Midwestern states, followed by Washington state and Maryland, received high marks for a variety of services -- from business regulation to education to law enforcement. The Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) noted in its annual survey that states overall have made great strides in bringing their offerings online over the past several years.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Computerized Control Is Next for Artificial Limbs
The C-Leg is, in effect, a wearable computer, although Otto Bock and other prosthetic-device makers avoid the phrase. Beneath its carbon fiber composite shell are two microprocessors that receive data from a string of sensors at a rate of 50 times a second. The processors' sophisticated software coordinates a mechanical and hydraulic system that allows the leg to switch seamlessly from a rigid position that supports the user's weight to a relaxed position that allows the user to walk in a way that closely imitates a natural gait. Computerized prosthetic legs may not get the kind of attention given to some prospective wearable devices — like glasses that receive e-mail — but for patients like Mr. Grimsley, they are undoubtedly more useful.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/03/te...ts/03KNEE.html

Terror and technology: How Sept. 11 changed the face of business
Technology's strengths and shortcomings were in the spotlight after Sept. 11. From cell phones that were used by victims aboard hijacked airplanes to a renewed focus on e-mail following the anthrax incidents, technology was a notable sidebar to the terrorist attacks. While phone lines were maxed out, millions of people turned to the Internet to communicate with friends and family via instant messaging and e-mail. Many used the Web to research previously little-known organizations such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban. And individuals created Web sites to keep track of the missing and dead.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-201-8233297-0.html

Online retailers fumble on customer care
While online retailers are tallying the results of a strong holiday shopping season, their customers may be enumerating their service failures, according to a report released Thursday. According to a Jupiter Media Metrix study which measured 250 Web sites, 70 percent of online retailers failed to resolve basic customer requests online within six hours. Customers that went with online-only operations endured the worst treatment, according to the study.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Feds clamp down on bioterror cure sites
U.S. officials said on Wednesday they warned 71 Web sites selling products that claim to protect against biowarfare agents to remove any claims they cannot support with scientific evidence or risk legal action. The Federal Trade Commission said the warnings, sent via e-mail, were the second wave in an effort to crack down on Internet sites that try to sell fraudulent products to Americans worried about bioterrorism.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Disney looks for Net profits
Entertainment giant Walt Disney said Thursday that it expects its scaled-back Internet operations to be profitable by the end of the fiscal year. In a letter to shareholders, Chief Executive Michael Eisner said Disney, owner of theme parks, a movie studio and the ABC and ESPN TV networks, had cut back its Internet operations to core initiatives and expects to achieve profitability by the end of the current fiscal year in September. Last year, Disney cut jobs from its now defunct Go.com Internet portal and drastically curtailed operations at its Disney Internet Group, aligning Web sites with existing business divisions.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Higher access fee hits some AOL users
America Online has quietly raised the price for people wishing to access AOL through their own Internet service. The online unit of AOL Time Warner raised the monthly subscription fee for its "Bring Your Own Access" (BYOA) plan by $5 to $14.95 last October. The price change occurred a few months after its general subscription fee jumped to $23.90 a month from $21.95.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

More news later on

[Catbert13]

Originally posted by walktalker
Bush raises computer export speed limit
President Bush on Wednesday allowed U.S. companies to sell high-speed computers to countries such as Russia, China and India, easing a Cold War-era ban designed to halt the spread of nuclear arms. Computer makers may now export computers capable of complex 3D modeling, fluid dynamics calculations and other advanced applications to Pakistan, Vietnam and other "Tier 3" countries without specific permission from the government.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

yeah..maybe if the exported comps are booted with Microsoft Software ...we should be able to control their government by accessing all the security holes M$ forgot to tell anyone about.

Thus concludes Gate's quest for global domination

[Catbert13]

Attack of the Clones
From the stars-wars-loyalty-fighting-with-disgust dept.
ramakant writes: "It looks like George Lucas has really sold out this time. If you thought Jar-Jar Binks was bad, MTV.com is running a story that a few members of 'NSYNC will be making cameos in Episode II. I think the target demographic for these films has changed a little since the original trilogy. Oh well, at least LOTR rocked." The MTV article says that NSYNC asked for the part; an article in a UK tabloid says Lucas asked them.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=0...57&mode=thread


boy bands....pffft