The Newspaper Shop -- Thursday edition

[walktalker]

Stand by for more Web attacks in 2002
If security experts are calling 2001 the worst year for computer viruses, and December the worst month, how bad will things get in 2002? Experts are predicting that viruses and their cousins, the self-propagating worms, will find new and even more nasty ways to attack computer systems, possibly even hitting mobile devices, pocket PCs and smart phones in the coming year.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Walter Hewlett files anti-merger proxy
Walter Hewlett has filed his formal proxy notice to shareholders of Hewlett-Packard stock -- making an official call to vote against the megamerger between HP and Compaq Computer. Hewlett's proxy, filed Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, awaits final approval by the SEC. Once the proxy has been finalized, Hewlett can send green cards asking shareholders to tender their votes against the merger.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

RJR attempts to hook smokers on Web
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco has been quietly offering a low-cost PC and Net access package to Doral smokers -- signaling a long-anticipated move onto the Web by cigarette advertising powerhouses. R.J. Reynolds, the No. 2 U.S. cigarette maker, launched a Web site at Smokerswelcome.com in late October for Doral customers. At the same time, in partnership with subsidized-computer merchant PeoplePC, the company introduced a promotion that lets Doral smokers buy a Hewlett-Packard PC, at $21.95 per month for 48 months, with free Net access for a year.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Boeing's airborne Net cleared for takeoff
Airplane maker Boeing said Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission granted the company a license for its in-flight Internet service, which was recently hobbled by the withdrawal of three big U.S. airlines. The future of the Connexion by Boeing service has been in doubt since the Sept. 11 attacks prompted American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines to withdraw financial support after agreeing to partner with Boeing on the project. The three airlines had agreed to become Connexion customers in return for an equity stake in the Boeing subsidiary.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Yahoo wins HotJobs tug-of-war
Yahoo said Thursday that it has entered a definitive agreement to buy HotJobs, declaring victory in a bidding war with Monster.com parent company TMP Worldwide. Yahoo's announcement came shortly after TMP said it wouldn't raise its offering price for HotJobs. Monday, HotJobs notified TMP that it had 72 hours to match or top Yahoo's unsolicited bid, which is worth about $436 million in cash and stock.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Shareholders sue to stop USA-Vivendi deal
Two USA Networks shareholders have sued to block what they allege is an "unfair" deal to sell USA's entertainment assets to French media giant Vivendi Universal for about $10.3 billion. In papers filed Wednesday in the Delaware Court of Chancery, shareholders Ruth and Abraham Ringel said USA's board breached its fiduciary duty by failing to market and auction the company for the highest and best bid in accordance with the "Revlon" precedent of Delaware corporate law.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Yahoo's media head resigns
David Graves, senior vice president of Yahoo's media division, on Wednesday said that he plans to leave the Web portal in February. Graves is the latest high-level executive to resign from the company. Graves oversaw Yahoo's well-known content properties, including news, sports, finance, health and weather. The division recently added entertainment, which includes Yahoo's movie promotions and its online music site Launch.com.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd

FCC licenses Boeing's Internet venture
Airplane maker Boeing said Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission granted the company a license for its in-flight Internet service, which was recently hobbled by the withdrawal of three big U.S. airlines. The future of the Connexion by Boeing service has been in doubt since the Sept. 11 attacks prompted American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines to withdraw financial support after agreeing to partner with Boeing on the project. The three airlines had agreed to become Connexion customers in return for an equity stake in the Boeing subsidiary.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200...html?tag=mn_hd

AOL Time Warner fulfills cable promises
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Thursday certified four providers of high-speed Internet service to compete on AOL Time Warner cable systems around the country. The FTC voted to endorse AOL's application for one of the ISPs, a company called Inter.net, to provide high-speed Internet service on Time Warner cable systems nationwide. In addition, the agency approved three other companies to compete on a regional basis: New York Connect in the New York City area; Internet Junction in Tampa Bay and central Florida; and STIC.net in the San Antonio, Houston and Austin, Texas areas.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Escape from data Alcatraz
Built initially to house currency, the Hostworks data centre in the suburb of Kidman Park, Adelaide is a tribute to the profligacy of Timothy Marcus Clark, former head of the State Bank of South Australia. Nestled in a semi-industrial area, with minimum road signage, it is at once unassuming, virtually impenetrable and to this day an inspirational feet of excess engineering. Any William Gibson fan knows that information is the currency of the new age, and won’t be surprised that what was built as a massive bank vault, now preserves the integrity of vast amounts of data.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/com...0262588,00.htm

eBay's Sept. 11 auction winding down
eBay is bringing the gavel down on its Auction for America charity effort. The San Jose, Calif.-based online auction house has stopped accepting new items for the charity auction, which was launched in September to raise money for the families of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The charity effort will end within the next 10 days, when the final Auction for America items close. eBay representatives declined to say how much the auction has raised.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Much more news later on

[walktalker]

Why Worm Writers Stay Free
Virus writers often act as if the Internet, the most public forum in the world, is their very own private playground. Law enforcement officials are amused and amazed by the many virus writers who carefully include identifying comments or credits in their code, and who often are found bragging about their skills and latest creations in newsgroups or on Internet Relay Chat channels.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,49313,00.html

A Nano Fan for Nano Gadgets
The trend toward smaller gadgets and the demand for more and more functions means electronic gadgets may look really cool, but they may also be too hot to handle. Cramming an increasing amount of circuitry into smaller and smaller spaces makes electronic portables hotter and hotter. Desktops and laptops already have cooling fans in them, but smaller devices make lots of heat, too.
http://www.wired.com/news/gizmos/0,1452,49193,00.html

Amazon.com's Virtual Register Rings 37.9 Million Times
E-commerce giant Amazon.com today said consumers ordered 37.9 million items during its holiday shopping season - which the company defines as Nov. 9 through Dec. 21. The sales figure includes all five Amazon sites, including the main site, plus those specially designed for France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. Last year, Amazon registered over 31 million items ordered, but a company spokesperson cautioned against making direct year-over-year comparisons. He said last year Amazon did not count marketplace items, auctions and outside merchant sales on the site.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/173256.html

Tumbleweed Turns Patent-Defending Guns On eUniverse
Fresh from two financial victories in patent disputes over technology to link electronic greeting cards with their intended recipients, secure e-mail company Tumbleweed Communications Corp. says it is now turning its sights on eUniverse, an Internet-content hatchery with several Web sites serving up e-cards. Among the patents held by Redwood City, Calif.-based Tumbleweed is a pair it says describe the techniques some Web sites use to alert the lucky recipients of e-cards and then direct them to their customized greetings.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/173252.html

Live Human Chat Across Different Languages Due In Europe
Within six months or so, Web users should be able to converse and interact across the Internet with live human operators, and the Web will automatically translate their spoken words to each others' language. Under the European Commission (EC)-administered NESPOLE project, Internet users will be able to call up a set of Web pages for information in the European country they require. They will then be able to interact with each other, both verbally and using their mouse to point to on-screen items, such as maps.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/173251.html

Trade Group Gives Break To Pirated Software Users
A trade group is launching another round of its campaign to stem the use of pirated software by giving violators a month to fess up and get legal without having to pay penalties of as much as $150,000. The Business Software Alliance (BSA), which estimates annual software piracy losses of $12 billion worldwide, said a grace period from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31 gives businesses a chance to comply. The alliance said such infringement in the United States last year cost more than $5.6 billion in lost wages and resulted in a tax loss of close to $1.6 billion.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/173244.html

Failed Dot-Coms Got Too Much Money Too Soon
Some people say you can never be too rich or too thin. But the dot-com watchers at Webmergers.com say piling massive amounts of venture-capital cash on a fundamentally scrawny business idea has broken many Internet companies and helped make 2001 a banner year for shutdowns and bankruptcies. San Francisco-based Webmergers, which provides matchmaking services for buyers and sellers of technology companies, said the plugs were pulled on at least 537 Internet outfits this year, more than double the number logged in 2000.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/173239.html

War Command Center In U.S., Thanks To IT Advances
One of the most unconventional aspects of the U.S. war in Afghanistan is that its commander usually has been on the other side of the planet. There is some disquiet in the military, especially in the Air Force and Army, about Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks's decision to keep his headquarters at the boxy Central Command building in Tampa, overlooking the languid waters of Hillsborough Bay. Critics say Franks should have followed the example of his predecessor at Central Command, Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who moved to Saudi Arabia to direct the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/173237.html

New Tech Boom For Federal Contractors
Uncle Sam may have been overshadowed by the dot-com mania of the late 1990s, but the recession and the war on terrorism have raised his profile. Government contracting is fashionable again. "Patriotism is in," said Lockheed Martin Corp. executive Linda Gooden. "And in addition to being in, there is talk that [federal information technology] budgets will be going up as much as 20 percent."
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/173232.html

IT Spending Forecast Changes Following Terrorist Attacks
Spending on information technology (IT) in the United States is down 5 percent this year compared to 2000. But according to a new study, IT spending is expected to rebound with a 4 percent increase from 2001 to 2002. The study, released Wednesday by technology advisory firm Giga Information Group, is a change from the company's August forecast. Previously, Giga predicted IT spending would drop 3 percent from 2000 to 2001, followed by a 7 percent increase from this year to next.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/173255.html

Hong Kong Identity Cards To Include Digital IDs
All Hong Kong's 6.8 million residents will be offered free digital IDs for use in secure online transactions when a new "smart" national identity card is introduced in mid-2003. Hong Kong's Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting, Carrie Yau, announced the optional inclusion of a digital certificate on the national ID card last week. At the same time Yau was proposing amendments to Hong Kong law to prepare for the introduction of the electronic ID card.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/173233.html

CD-R prices to rise in Europe after dumping levy?
CD-R prices in Europe are set to rise following the European Union's imposition of anti-dumping penalties on Taiwanese manufacturers. Price rises, however, are unlikely to be as high as the penalties themselves, which range from 18.8-39.5 per cent, owing to a combination of localisation of manufacturing and some intriguing political shananigans, according to a Commercial Times report detailed here by AisaBiztech.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/23503.html

2600.com wins dismissal in f**k- generalmotors.com lawsuit
A suit brought by Ford Motor Company against 2600.com founder Eric Corley aka Emmanuel Goldstein for setting up the Web site fuckgeneralmotors.com to re-direct surfers to the Ford home page has been dismissed. The decision came in two parts: denying Ford's request for an injunction, and a ruling that without grounds sufficient for injunctive relief, nothing remains of its case.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/23499.html

"Secret" sound archive revealed
For some innocent online fun this Christmas, try eavesdropping on the semi-secret pages of the UK's National Sound Archive web site. They are part of a largely unpublicised trial, hidden from casual prying eyes by the lack of signposts on the British Library's host site. Paper publishers automatically deposit a copy of each new book with the BL, but the sound archive relies on voluntary donations. Even so, the vaults hold 2.5 million CDs, vinyl LPs, shellac 78s, wax cylinders and tapes, with the largest collection of wildlife recordings in the world.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991728

NASA budget fiasco reaches new depths
NASA's budgetary fiasco has reached the stage where researchers are squabbling over amounts that are "not even peanuts, but the salt on one peanut" compared to the multi-billion dollar overruns on the International Space Station. The flash point was a NASA decision to stop spending $550,000 a year to run a deep-space radar system at the 305-metre Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico. That radar discovered ice at the poles of Mercury and revealed the first double asteroid, but its funding comes from NASA's program to survey potentially hazardous objects approaching the Earth.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991727

Christmas dinners boost stomachs - and global warming
The cranberries Britons eat with their Christmas dinners were probably flown to the UK from Los Angeles, clocking up 9000 kilometres and spewing out carbon dioxide all the way. The carrots could come from South Africa and the potatoes from Italy, all of them contributing to the planet's burden of greenhouse gases. But the consequences of long-haul food are felt all year, as the habit of eating foreign foods is on the rise, according to a report released in December. It comes from the UK public interest group Sustain and the Elm Farm Research Centre in Berkshire and details the hidden costs behind producing, packaging and shipping our food.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991722

More news later on

[TankGirl]

I this news service a lot.

- tg