The Newspaper Shop -- Monday edition

[walktalker]

Newsman newsman

Network Associates begins war on spam
Network Associates on Monday acquired anti-spam software provider Deersoft, the first in a series of acquisitions the company plans to make to help people thwart unsolicited e-mail. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Deersoft sells software that allows individuals and businesses to filter unwanted e-mail, or spam. Once a message has been identified as spam from a list of known unsolicited bulk e-mailers, Deersoft software either blocks delivery of the e-mail or tracks it for further review.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-979247.html

Macworld keys on "digital hub"
Apple Computer on Tuesday is expected to unveil a new portable product aimed at bolstering the company's strategy to make itself into a major player in home entertainment, sources and analysts said. The product, which is expected to be shown off during a keynote speech by CEO Steve Jobs at Macworld in San Francisco on Tuesday, will come with 802.11g and Bluetooth wireless capabilities and serve to make the Mac a more appealing "digital hub" than Windows XP PCs, according to sources. Machines with Windows XP Media Center can be used to record TV shows, similar to digital video recorders (DVR) such as TiVo boxes, and catalog music and video.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-979204.html

Ask Jeeves boots banner ads
Ask Jeeves is dropping banner ads from its flagship search site and will instead rely on paid sponsorships and other "targeted" advertising for revenue, the company said Monday. The search company recently dropped pop-up ads from its site and said the decision to cancel the banner ads is part of a move to provide targeted ad links in search results. "Though we're removing banners from Ask.com, search marketing remains a powerful way to brand products and services online," Steve Berkowitz, president of Ask Jeeves Web properties, said in a release. Banner ads, once the most common method of advertising online, have been falling out of favor for some time.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-979262.html

Hitachi Global unveils 4GB microdrive
Newly formed hard disk drive company Hitachi Global Storage Technologies on Monday unveiled plans for a tiny drive that will be used in consumer electronic devices and said it will turn a profit in 2004. IBM sold its hard disk drive business to Japan's Hitachi last week, forming the new company. But the computer maker still owns a 30 percent stake. Chief Operating Officer Doug Grose, formerly with IBM, said in an interview with Reuters that while the company is still working on its business plans for 2003, 2004 and 2005, it will turn a profit starting next year. "We will start making money and we believe that it will be in the 2004 timeframe," he said.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-979233.html

Saving your life in bits and bytes
"Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of mechanized private file and library," wrote information technology visionary Vannevar Bush in the July 1945 issue of the Atlantic Monthly. "It...is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory." Thus did Bush describe what he called a "memex," which he envisioned as a desk-size appliance festooned with "slanting translucent screens," buttons and levers, and loaded with microfilm. Data entry would be accomplished by means of "dry photography" on a transparent platen -- a midcentury vision of the scanner.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-979246.html

Supreme Court won't hear DeCSS case
The U.S. Supreme Court has bowed out of a long-running dispute over a DVD descrambling utility, dealing a preliminary defeat to Hollywood studios and electronics makers. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor placed a ruling by the California Supreme Court on hold last week, but rescinded her emergency stay on Friday. O'Connor's decision came in response to court papers filed by lawyers for the defendant, Matthew Pavlovich, late Thursday. The effect is that Pavlovich is no longer barred from distributing the DeCSS descrambling utility by a court order, but he could be sued again if he decides to do so.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-979197.html

Start-up beats IBM to Linux tool
A revamped version of key disk drive management software in Linux will be based on a project from a start-up, spurring a retreat by IBM programmers who had been working on competing software. Sistina Software's LVM 2.0 will be included in the coming 2.6 version of the Linux kernel, while IBM's programmers working on competing software have refocused their work on volume management administration tools. IBM has pumped billions of dollars into its Linux development efforts and has had success in areas such as getting Linux to work better on high-end machines with numerous processors. But Big Blue's clout and the 200 or so programmers in its Linux Technology Center don't guarantee the company victory over smaller rivals.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-979142.html

Dell puts DSL in PC packages
Dell Computer has begun selling broadband services from the top two U.S. providers of DSL (digital subscriber line) Internet access, the company will announce on Tuesday. The PC reseller is offering various high-speed Internet access plans from SBC Communications, the leader in U.S. sales of DSL services, and from second-place rival Verizon Communications, said Kurt Kirsch, director of home sales at Dell. The broadband services are being sold directly to Dell customers who buy new PCs, he said. In addition, the PC company is reselling Web subscriptions offered by smaller DSL provider BellSouth. Dell will join computer makers Gateway and Compaq in reselling high-speed Web services directly to customers.
http://news.com.com/2100-1033-979333.html?tag=fd_top

Jobs' autograph garners high bids
How much is the autograph of Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs worth? At least one bidder on eBay was willing to pay $2,274 for the signature scrawled across the cover of the premier issue of Macworld magazine. But the top offer among 70 bidders failed to meet the seller's minimum price, so no sale was consummated by the auction's close Sunday. Macintosh fans and collectors, however, may get another run at the item, the seller told CNET News.com in an e-mail interview. "I think it's worth a lot to any Apple fan -- or to anyone who collects things. I've seen the "Think Different" posters sell for at least $500 -- for just one.
http://news.com.com/2100-1017-979309.html?tag=fd_top

Cleveland library to launch eBook system
The Cleveland Public Library is launching an eBook system that will let people download publications onto their PCs and personal digital assistants. The new eBook collection, which will go online in March, is believed to be the first of its kind in a public library and will operate much the same as a traditional library system. Patrons wishing to download the eBooks will need to have a Cleveland Public Library card. What's more, only a limited number of each eBook will be available, and after a preset number of days, the eBook will lock out the current reader so another patron can check it out. About 1,000 books, including the latest titles from authors such as Michael Crichton, Clive Barker and Joyce Carol Oates, will be available as eBooks.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-979337.html?tag=fd_top

MSN Messenger goes dark
Microsoft's Instant Messenger service went down early Monday, affecting up to 75 million people worldwide who sign on to the service to chat with friends and co-workers. The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker lost for six hours much of the power to its .Net Messenger service, the backend component that runs all of its instant messaging clients -- including Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger. Bob Visse, MSN's director of marketing, said that the source of the problem was as yet undetected, but the outage was "fairly widespread." "It's a worldwide outage, and most customers are affected," he said. "We're investigating it, but we do not know what the issue is." Visse said the company started receiving its first outage reports at about 6 a.m. PST.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-979303.html?tag=fd_top

PC army tackles Xbox security code
A growing army of PC owners is hoping to use the power of the masses to crack the main security code of Microsoft's Xbox and claim $100,000 in the process. The bid to break the video game console's encryption has been launched by the Neo project, a group of computing enthusiasts using distributed computing techniques to crack security challenges. More than 3,500 Neo users were working on the Xbox project as of Monday morning, according to the project's Web site, and had already eliminated 776 million possibilities for the encryption key.
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-979301.html?tag=fd_top

Computer Sciences lands deals
Information technology services company Computer Sciences on Monday said it landed deals with the National Security Agency and automotive glass-repair company Belron, worth a total of roughly $358 million. The El Segundo, Calif.-based company said it is one of four selected by the National Security Agency to provide IT services under a five-year blanket purchase agreement. Computer Sciences estimated its portion of the award to be about $300 million if all options are exercised. The company will provide IT engineering, technical and management services in support of the Information Technology Infrastructure Services program at the NSA's Washington campus and other NSA sites worldwide. About 250 employees from Computer Sciences' Maryland Intelligence Center, as well as 16 other companies and 23 small or disadvantaged businesses the company said it is teaming up with, will work for the NSA.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-979298.html?tag=fd_top

Technology drives the plug 'n' play car
Coming soon, perhaps, to your driveway: the plug 'n' play car. Taking a cue from the personal computer industry, the world's carmakers are borrowing heavily from geek speak to describe their latest concepts at the North American International Auto Show. Maybe that's because technology has become the driving force of automotive innovation, influencing every aspect of design, engineering, safety and entertainment. This year, high tech also has changed the face of the Cobo Center exhibit floor. Automakers are using technology to showcase their products like never before, with powerful new multimedia displays and dozens of giant-screen televisions, including a monster-sized video screen that's over 100 feet long in the Ford exhibit and a 3D topographic map that shows how DaimlerChrysler says a Jeep navigates even the roughest terrain.
http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend6_20030106.htm

Piracy: Is TV Show Swapping Legal?
When enterprising hackers cracked encrypted DVDs, allowing movies to be copied and swapped online, Hollywood made sure you knew about it. Lawyers swung into action, cease-and-desist letters flooded mailboxes, and even a few show trials were arranged. When SONICblue introduced a personal video recorder that allowed users to swap recorded TV shows over the Internet, the reaction was much the same. Twenty-nine media companies sued SONICblue to keep its ReplayTV 4000 model out of consumers' hands. Yet so far the entertainment industry bulldogs have stayed noticeably silent about an old model of TiVo recorder and a new flavor of Windows that now allow hackers to swap video. Why haven't TV executives mounted a similar defense against these potential tools for would-be pirates? Perhaps because their erstwhile partners, TiVo and Microsoft, all but invited the video swappers in.
http://www.fortune.com/fortune/techn...403968,00.html

Fooled again: Virus hoaxes persist
Computer users continue to be duped by false virus alerts persuading them to delete harmless -- but sometimes vital -- files, and then forward the hoaxes to their friends. Fueled by concern over genuine threats such as Klez, Bugbear and Magistr, computer users are continuing to fall for false warnings of nonexistent viruses. Anti-virus firm Sophos released details of its latest top 10 virus hoaxes on Thursday. These hoaxes typically warn the reader not to open an e-mail with a certain subject line, or to immediately delete a particular file on their hard drive because they contain a virus. They will also tell the reader to forward the warning to their friends and colleagues.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-979045.html?tag=cd_mh

Microsoft foes urge antitrust punishment
Two more Microsoft foes have joined an effort to overturn the landmark antitrust settlement that a federal judge approved in November. In court documents released Thursday, the Consumers for Computing Choice and the Open Platform Working Group asked for permission to intervene in the case so they could appeal the settlement between Microsoft and the U.S. Justice Department. The groups are hoping to persuade the courts to impose additional sanctions on Microsoft. Because U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly approved the settlement, saying after weeks of hearings that it benefited consumers, the deal will become final unless an appeals court can be convinced to modify it.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-978994.html?tag=cd_mh

Microsoft counts on antipiracy technique
Microsoft is set to release its first mainstream consumer software application protected by product activation, in what could be a first step toward expanding use of the antipiracy technology. On Tuesday, Microsoft plans to officially launch Plus Digital Media Edition (DME), a $19.95 add-on pack for the Windows XP operating system. Microsoft has offered various versions of Plus since the release of Windows 95. But unlike earlier versions, Plus DME is protected by product activation, meaning that consumers will have to enter a 25-key code to install the software and then "activate" Plus DME over the Internet. The change comes as the Redmond, Wash.-based software titan also has been experimenting with new methods for distributing software.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-978913.html?tag=cd_mh

Satellite TV orbits closer to cable
The number of cable TV subscriptions will be lower in 2002 than the year before, ending nine straight years of growth, the Federal Communications Commission predicted in a recent report. A worsening economic climate and lower consumer spending contributed to what "may be the first year in which the industry as a whole has had a net loss of subscribers," the FCC said in its "Ninth Annual Report on Video Competition." A percentage of customers leaving cable companies are turning to satellite TV providers, such as DirecTV, which grew at a "significantly higher (rate) than cable subscriber growth," the FCC said. The number of people subscribing to satellite TV companies increased from 19.3 million to 21.1 million, a 9 percent jump, during the first half of 2002, the report showed.
http://news.com.com/2100-1033-979128.html?tag=cd_mh

Net's New Year resolution: Outlaw spam
Rising angst over junk e-mail has the majority of the Internet population in favor of outlawing it, a new study shows. Web users are more annoyed than ever by the continuous flood of unsolicited bulk e-mail sent to in-boxes every day; 80 percent of Internet users surveyed said they are "very annoyed" by spam, compared with only 49 percent who responded similarly two-and-a-half years ago, according to the latest Harris Poll. As a result of their irritation, an estimated 74 percent are proponents of making bulk e-mail illegal, while only 12 percent are opposed to banning it. Spam has grown by gigantic proportions in the last year. According to e-mail filtering company Brightmail, the number of spam attacks grew from nearly 2 million in November 2001 to about 5.5 million in the same period of 2002. Each spam attack represents a unique mass mailing of commercial messages.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-979108.html?tag=cd_mh

DirecTV secrets allegedly pilfered
The FBI arrested a college student in Los Angeles on Thursday for allegedly sending stolen information about satellite TV access cards to a Web site. Igor Serebryany, 19, a student at the University of Chicago, is accused of stealing confidential documents describing the smart card and encryption technology used in DirecTV's newest system. When questioned by agents, the FBI said, Serebryany confessed to stealing documents from an outside document-copying service used by DirecTV's lawyers. If convicted on charges of theft of trade secrets, Serebryany faces up to 10 years in prison. The case escalates what has been an ongoing legal and technological tussle between DirecTV, which continues to invent better ways of scrambling its signals, and the pirate community, which keeps finding ways to break them.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-979001.html?tag=cd_mh

Federal agency pulls Web documents
The Transportation Security Administration has quietly removed four password-protected documents about airport security from its Web site after reporters raised questions about locking up government data. In a column last week, CNET News.com's Declan McCullagh speculated on whether he would be violating the contentious Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) if he viewed downloaded documents from the TSA's Web site after obtaining the password in an unauthorized manner. At the time, anyone could download the encrypted documents, but a password was required to open and read them.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-978981.html?tag=cd_mh

The Net marks its birthday, again
According to one Net pioneer, the Internet celebrated its "most logical" 20th birthday on New Year's Day -- barely three months after its 33rd birthday. A posting this week from Bob Braden on an influential mailing list states that the most logical origin of the Internet is Jan. 1, 1983, "when the ARPAnet officially switched from the NCP protocol to TCP/IP." Braden, who posted the claim on a mailing list of the Internet Engineering Task Force, was a member of the research group that worked on the TCP protocol. There are others who put the age of the Internet much earlier. On Sept. 24, 1999, a group of Internet luminaries gathered at a private estate in the San Francisco suburb of Atherton to mark the 30th anniversary of the Net. Settling on an exact date is likely to prove contentious, and the Internet is not the only technical entity suffering from vintage vagueness.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-978918.html?tag=cd_mh

Giving robots the gift of sight
A Carnegie Mellon University professor known for predicting the evolution of super-capable robots says he's just given robots better eyesight. Hans Moravec has completed work on a three-dimensional robotic vision system he says will allow machines to make their way through offices and homes. The technology is "more than good enough to reliably navigate robots through a general environment," he said. Moravec's system consists of stereoscopic digital cameras and a 3D grid set up in the robot's computer brain. The system determines the robot's distance from objects by noticing the different placement of the object in the two camera images and applying a geometric equation. The grid, which is made up of 32 million digital cells, is used to help handle incomplete or potentially misleading visual data. For example, an object visible in one camera lens might be blocked from the view of the other, or a blank wall may lack distinct features that can be used for triangulation.
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-978854.html?tag=cd_mh

Put the Compact Disc Out of Its Misery
This spring, the compact disc celebrates the 20th anniversary of its arrival in stores, which puts the once-revolutionary music format two decades behind Moore's Law. The IBM PC, introduced about a year and a half earlier, has been revved up a thousandfold in performance since 1983. But the CD has whiled away the time, coasting on its Reagan-era breakthroughs in digital recording and storage. The two technologies, the PC and the CD, merged not long after their debuts — try to buy a computer without a disc player. But the relationship has become a dysfunctional one. The computer long ago outgrew its stagnant partner. To the new generation of music artists and engineers, "CD-quality sound" is an ironic joke. In recording studios, today's musicians produce their works digitally at resolutions far beyond the grainy old CD standard.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2076336/

[JackSpratts]

Another great issue wt!

"Today's fans want their music in a form that fits the pocket-sized, personalized, interconnected world of their computers, cameras, phones, and PDAs. Asking digital consumers to give that power back in exchange for a better-sounding disc is like offering them a phonograph needle."

- js.

[TankGirl]

Originally posted by walktalker
Newsman newsman

Hey, he's back from holidays!!!



- tg

[multi]

interesting stuff..

The Net marks its birthday, again
According to one Net pioneer, the Internet celebrated its "most logical" 20th birthday on New Year's Day -- barely three months after its 33rd birthday. A posting this week from Bob Braden on an influential mailing list states that the most logical origin of the Internet is Jan. 1, 1983, "when the ARPAnet officially switched from the NCP protocol to TCP/IP." Braden, who posted the claim on a mailing list of the Internet Engineering Task Force, was a member of the research group that worked on the TCP protocol. There are others who put the age of the Internet much earlier. On Sept. 24, 1999, a group of Internet luminaries gathered at a private estate in the San Francisco suburb of Atherton to mark the 30th anniversary of the Net. Settling on an exact date is likely to prove contentious, and the Internet is not the only technical entity suffering from vintage vagueness.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-978918.html?tag=cd_mh