The Newspaper Shop -- Monday edition

[walktalker]

Apple: Forget XP, try the Mac
Apple Computer has a message for Windows users considering an upgrade to XP: Come back to the Mac. In the wake of a $1 billion Windows XP marketing campaign, all eyes would appear to be turned away from Mac OS X 10.1.1, the new operating system Apple significantly upgraded in September. But the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is convinced that Windows XP's endorsement of technologies that first appeared on Macs -- 802.11b wireless networking, CD burning, DVD playback, movie making, and easy retrieval of digital camera images, among others -- will help Apple system and software sales.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp01

OpenTV wins Web content delivery patent
Interactive TV software maker OpenTV announced Monday that it has been issued a patent covering the delivery of Internet content over cable and satellite networks to set-top boxes. The patent improves the management of bandwidth for cable and satellite operators, which will create a better experience for subscribers using Internet content and services via television. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company originally filed for the patent in 1996 and has been using technology based on the patent with satellite TV company EchoStar in the United States.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Microsoft admits IE security alert lapse
Microsoft has admitted that it knew about a security hole in Internet Explorer (IE) a full week before it accused a security firm of acting irresponsibly for publicly disclosing details of the exploit. Microsoft has retracted its earlier claim that the first it heard of the exploit was on 8 November -- the date of the public disclosure -- and now admits that it was actually notified a week earlier, on 1 November. Microsoft insists that two weeks were needed to investigate the alert properly, and maintains that no security breaches occurred through the delay.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Pentagon looks to civilian IT for clues
Video distribution technology that allows traders on the New York Stock Exchange floor to watch televised news programming was first developed for the U.S. Navy. Now, as the Department of Defense accelerates efforts to improve IT for 21st century warfare, the DOD is looking at ways traders use IT to improve battlefield applications. The pattern of military-developed technologies evolving into commercial products has come full circle: As the Pentagon hastens to develop tools for battling terrorism and fighting treacherous foes in dangerous environments, it is looking closely at advanced IT products developed for the private sector in the recent high-tech boom.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

MS: We'll always battle software piracy
Offering new evidence of the problem piracy poses to software giant Microsoft Corp., law-enforcement authorities announced Friday they had seized counterfeit goods valued at about $100 million, including about $60 million of fake Microsoft products, as part of an 18-month sting operation in Southern California. Microsoft trumpeted the bust as a victory in its intense campaign against piracy, but the company is struggling with the problem despite antipiracy features in new products such as its just-introduced Windows XP operating system.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Web ads watch the clock instead of clicks
Online publishers and advertisers are closely watching a new experiment in Web marketing that aims to replace discredited "impressions" and "clicks" with a more reliable measurement: time. Called "surround sessions," the new format lets advertisers target readers exclusively for the duration of a Web site visit. For example, a reader would see a series of related advertisements on each page he or she visits, starting by introducing a company and ending with an invitation to visit a Web site or receive more information about a product.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Customers put kibosh on anti-copy CD
Complaints about anti-copying technology have forced a record label to issue CD replacements for angry consumers -- another setback for the music industry's stuttering campaign against record piracy. BMG Entertainment confirmed Monday that it has set up a hotline for consumers in the United Kingdom who are having trouble playing Natalie Imbruglia's latest CD in some CD and DVD players. The disc will be replaced by retailers or by the label itself, a company representative said. "Certain limitations of the protection technology were unforeseeable and only (emerged) when the CDs were released into the general public," said Regine Hofmann, a BMG spokeswoman. "We do need to respond."
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd

No cure for online privacy
About 65 million Americans have sought health information on the Internet, but many of their online activities are not protected by U.S. medical privacy rules, a report released Monday said. The Bush administration unveiled the first legal protections for medical information last April. The rules, which take full effect in April 2003, aim to give patients more control over who sees sensitive, personal information. Consumers should be aware, however, that the rules will not cover most purchases, searches or other actions on thousands of health-related Web sites, the report said.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Online anthrax remedies under fire
.S. authorities Monday warned about 40 Web sites to immediately stop marketing unproven treatments for anthrax or other products they falsely claim can protect against potential biological warfare agents. The Federal Trade Commission said the Internet site operators could face prosecution if they continue promoting the products. The action is part of a federal effort to crack down on Internet sites that aim to capitalize off Americans' worries about bioterrorism with bogus products.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Web services directory put to the test
Four major software makers will launch an updated test version of a public Web services directory that lets businesses list and find online services. IBM, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and SAP on Monday are expected to launch the directory, which conforms to a budding specification called Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI). The new test directory is seen as a crucial step in making UDDI more widely understood and usable. The UDDI specification is the brainchild of IBM, Microsoft and Ariba and is supported by more than 220 companies, including Oracle, Intel, Sun Microsystems, Ford Motor and Nortel Networks.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=ch_mh

Judge denies class status in Microsoft suit
A federal judge in Seattle denied class certification Friday for employees suing Microsoft over alleged racial and gender discrimination, ruling the software giant's managerial system was sound. Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft had rejected charges that it gave current and former African-American and female employees subpar pay, promotions and evaluations. In a 26-page order, U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman concluded: "Microsoft's managerial system is not inherently flawed, and...the statistical data belies (sic) the existence of any class-wide pattern of discrimination."
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=ch_mh

Harry Potter bewitches Web sales
Harry Potter is sprinkling some magic on Net sales of movie tickets. Thousands of bewitched fans of the film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which opened in the U.S. Friday, are logging on to the Net to buy movie tickets to avoid frittering away hours standing in box-office lines. AOL's Moviefone.com, Movieticket.com and Fandango.com predict their combined ticket sales could top 1 million this weekend. Mitch Rubenstein, co-chief executive of privately held Movieticket.com, said his company has sold 300,000 tickets for "Harry Potter," eclipsing the company's previous best seller, "Pearl Harbor."
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200...html?tag=ch_mh

Episode II trailer entices "Star Wars" fans
Traffic to Starwars.com skyrocketed 115 percent this past week, as movie fans flocked to the site to check out previews for "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones." Starwars.com drew 342,000 unique visitors logging on at home during the week ended Nov. 11, compared with 159,000 visitors the previous week, according to Internet-audience measurement service Nielsen/NetRatings. The site attracted a predominantly male audience with an 82 percent to 18 percent gender split. Surfers spent more than 10 minutes at the site, with 57 percent of the total audience visiting the movie trailer section for "Episode II." The film is set to debut in theaters in May 2002.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

More news later on

[walktalker]

Shippers Wrestle With Box Issues
To environmentalists, sentimentalists and those who enjoy a cliche, good things come in small packages. But in the case of shipping boxes, sometimes good things come in packages that are strikingly large, regardless of the size of the item being shipped. Amazon.com regularly ships two CDs in a box measuring 12 by 9 by 4 inches, roughly the size of a shoebox. A pack of paperclips is delivered in a similar-size box from Office Depot. A box from Gateway looks like it could hold a stack of books; instead, the package contains four software discs barely more than an inch thick.
http://www.wired.com/news/holidays/0,1882,48151,00.html

They'll Ride a Balloon Into Space
Two Englishmen plan to don spacesuits this summer and float to the edge of Earth's atmosphere in a balloon as tall as the Empire State Building. If successful, the ambitious -- some might say nutty -- plan will net Andy Elson and Colin Prescot the world altitude record in a manned balloon. Using a flexible plastic balloon the size of a skyscraper, the pair plans to float to a height of more than 25 miles. "The view should be fantastic," Elson said.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,48436,00.html

Photoshop: It's All the Rage
Have you seen the picture with the "tourist guy" standing atop the World Trade Center with a jetliner heading straight for him? Or the one where Sesame Street's Bert is peeking over Osama bin Laden's shoulder? How about Jennifer Lopez looking really, really fat? There was a time when manipulating photographs was considered mean-spirited trickery aimed at deceiving a gullible, technically challenged public. Certainly, if a respected news agency were caught doing it today, public outrage would ensue.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,48342,00.html

Net Shoppers' Complaints on Rise
Internet shopping and services have become a leading source of consumer complaints, joining grievances about auto repair and telemarketing, a survey finds. Problems with auto sales and household goods shared the top spot in the annual list of consumer complaints released Monday by the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators and the Consumer Federation of America. Those categories ranked second and third, respectively, in 1999 and have been in the top five since 1997.
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,48520,00.html

Antarctic History Frozen in Time
In the hut from which Robert Falcon Scott and his four companions left on their doomed trek to the South Pole, pony snowshoes are piled up in what were the stables, and seal blubber still oozes in the hallway. Amid the clutter of food stores, a waxed ball of Dutch cheese lies beside a still-intact biscuit. For the privileged visitor, the huts on Ross Island -- the Discovery and Terra Nova used by Scott's expedition, and the Nimrod, built by Ernest Shackleton's team for their attempt to reach the South Pole -- display the most extraordinary detritus from polar exploration that's almost a century old.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,48372,00.html

Smallpox Treatment or Snake Oil?
With bioterrorism threats snowballing in the United States, one biotech company says it may be able to come to the rescue should an attack occur. But skeptics abound. They say the company, Hemispherx Biopharma, and its leading drug candidate are at best questionable and at worst a fraud. Hemispherx CEO William Carter, one of the earliest researchers on interferon therapies -- now widely used to treat some viruses and cancers -- is used to the criticism. He vigorously defends his company and its product.
http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,48444,00.html

Utah Lawman Faces MS Heat
Utah's Republican attorney general is being criticized for rejecting a settlement of the antitrust suit against Microsoft and is bracing for a possible challenge for his party's nomination when he seeks re-election. Attorney General Mark Shurtleff made up his mind just 15 minutes before the 11 a.m. Nov. 6 deadline to join with eight other states in continuing the antitrust litigation. Nine states joined the Department of Justice in a settlement.
http://www.wired.com/news/antitrust/...,48505,00.html

GameCube launches (in US)
Nintendo's GameCube hit US retail shelves yesterday (officially, anyway), just three days after the debut of Microsoft's Xbox console. Some gamers have been thumbing the controller to Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron 2 and Luigi's Mansion a little earlier though, as various stores leaked consoles before the due date. The arrival makes the competition tougher for the three main players. GameCube (GC) is priced $100 cheaper than its two big rivals: Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox, putting pressure on them to drop prices (and sell at an even greater loss than they do already).
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/22914.html

Man allegedly 'encouraged law-breaking on Web'
A man has been remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric evaluation after allegedly posting inflammatory articles on the Internet during the General Election last month. Robert Ho Chong, 51, was arrested on Friday and produced in court yesterday morning. He allegedly posted the articles from home on Oct 19. Five days later, the police found out about the articles on the Singaporeans for Democracy website at sfdonline.org and the online newsgroup soc. culture.singapore.
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sin...120740,00.html

Disney IT official touts 'wireless' Magic Kingdom
On any given day, between 100,000 and 150,000 visitors crowd into Walt Disney World in Florida, largely unaware that the 47-square-mile theme park is almost completely enveloped by an invisible wireless Web. While families and other patrons watch Goofy and Mickey Mouse on parade, seek thrills on rides or head for the nearest hot dog stand, the attraction's 55,000 "cast members," as Disney employees are called, quietly rely on an 802.11b LAN to do everything from authorize credit card purchases, order up shuttle buses and even track visitors as they wander through the park.
http://www.computerworld.com/storyba...O65816,00.html

Vivendi Universal Consolidates Web Entertainment Sites
Vivendi Universal, the French media conglomerate that controls music labels, a European TV company and a major movie studio, today said it is consolidating its U.S. Web entertainment properties into a single Los Angeles-based business unit. The new division will be called Vivendi Universal Net USA Group Inc., and will be fronted by CEO Robin Richards, who currently heads recent Vivendi Universal acquisition MP3.com. Richards served MP3.com as president from 1999 until its formal acquisition by Vivendi Universal in late August.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172293.html

FTC Ups Crusade Against Online Fake Bioterrorism Cures
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned more than 40 Web site operators that if they don't stop touting bogus bioterrorism cures they could face stiff legal consequences. In a series of e-mail warnings, the FTC passed along a blunt message to suspected Internet hucksters. In effect, the notes said "we know of no scientific basis for the claims that you are making and you should remove those claims or face possible prosecution," FTC Senior Attorney Rich Cleland told Newsbytes today.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172289.html

Online Sales Drop ... 'Til They Shop For Xmas
Online-shopping revenue appeared to dip in October, according to the results of an ongoing study of connected consumers in the U.S. But on the bright side, a separate survey suggested that some 90 percent of shoppers have yet to finish their holiday-season gift-buying. The drop in online shopping last month was reported today by Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research, whose monthly tally showed sales at $3.6 billion, down from $4.0 billion in September.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172286.html

Rep. Baird Introduces Computer Security Legislation
Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., Friday introduced legislation to start a research and development program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to improve computer and network security. The bill, H.R. 3361 - the Computer Security Enhancement and Research Act of 2001 - would support research at higher education institutions for developing better security for networked information systems. The bill awards grants to universities, but also allows collaboration with for-profit companies that develop information security projects, according to a statement from Baird.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172284.html

Consumer Group Reports Hacker Break-Ins
Internet servers operated by the Consumer Project on Technology (CPT), an organization created by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, suffered two security breaches this month. According to CPT director James Love, the non-profit advocacy group's mail server and Web site were "hacked" in the first two weeks of November. Love declined to provide details and said the incidents are still being investigated.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172277.html

Online Companies Draw Fire For Removing 'Offensive' Postings
Yahoo's message boards are erupting with the kind of free-flowing, impassioned discussions the Internet's creators always dreamed of, with postings about practically every aspect of the hunt for terrorists, the capture of Kabul and mysterious plane crashes. But what's also revealing is what is being deleted. Gone are some gloating messages that say America deserved the attacks.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172263.html

Judges Consolidate Aimster Suits, Move Trial To Chicago
In a blow against the music file-swapping service, a multi-jurisdictional panel of judges in San Diego today ordered that a bevy of lawsuits against the fledgling Albany, N.Y.,-based Aimster should be tried in a Chicago federal district court. The order is aimed at splitting the distance that music and movie industry litigants must travel while suing Aimster. Today's decision apparently quashes a ruling by a three-judge panel, filed in mid-October, which ruled that the copyright-infringement cases against Aimster would be held in the Northern District of New York, in company's home base of Albany.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172258.html

Taliban nuclear documents mirror spoof article
Documents found strewn on the floor of a Taliban recruitment centre in Kabul, apparently describing how to build a thermonuclear device, may not be as frightening as they first seem. The papers were picked out by BBC correspondent John Simpson and showed, he said, "how dangerous Bin Laden's Al Qaeda network aspired to be". But the sentences shown in focus by the camera also come from a famous document called "Weekend Scientist: Let's Make a Thermonuclear Device", which was first published in 1979 as a humour piece by The Journal of Irreproducible Results.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991584

Crash jet's flight data turns attention to pilots
The possibility that the flight crew's response to the wake turbulence of another plane contributed to the crash of Flight 587 has been raised by flight recorder data. The American Airlines Airbus A300 crashed on Monday on the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, New York, with the loss all 260 people on board and five people on the ground. While the cause remains a mystery, investigators have been looking closely at how the tail fin of the plane came off and precisely what effect that had on the plane.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991580

U.S. accuses nations of germ warfare
The United States identified Iraq and five other countries Monday as states that are developing germ warfare programs but refused to say whether any may have assisted Osama bin Laden in his quest for biological weapons. John R. Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control, said the existence of Iraq's program is "beyond dispute" and that the United States strongly suspects North Korea, Libya, Syria, Iran and Sudan of developing programs.
http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2001/...are/index.html

More news later on
Hey Copycutie !!!

[VWguy]

Customers put kibosh on anti-copy CD
Complaints about anti-copying technology have forced a record label to issue CD replacements for angry consumers -- another setback for the music industry's stuttering campaign against record piracy. BMG Entertainment confirmed Monday that it has set up a hotline for consumers in the United Kingdom who are having trouble playing Natalie Imbruglia's latest CD in some CD and DVD players. The disc will be replaced by retailers or by the label itself, a company representative said. "Certain limitations of the protection technology were unforeseeable and only (emerged) when the CDs were released into the general public," said Regine Hofmann, a BMG spokeswoman. "We do need to respond."
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-20....html?tag=mn_hd


I have not bought a cd in a long time, but if I do and it doesn't work in my comp.... back it will go in a hurry! For a refund, not a replacement.