The Newspaper Shop -- Sunday edition

[walktalker]

What ? A sunday edition !? Blasphemy !!

Ruling: Cybercops need a hack warrant
A federal judge has ruled that law enforcement officials went too far when they tried to use evidence gathered by a known hacker to convict someone of possessing child pornography. The decision, handed down earlier this month, is believed to be the first to say that hacking into an Internet-connected home PC without a warrant violates the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. "This makes it clear that law enforcement needs a search warrant to do this," said Orin Kerr, an associate professor at George Washington University Law School. Kerr said the ruling was the first of its kind.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-965926.html

New light shed on unbreakable encryption
Scientists at Northwestern University say they have harnessed the properties of light to encrypt information into code that can be cracked only one way: by breaking the physical laws of nature. This high-speed quantum cryptography method allowed the scientists to send encrypted data over a fiber-optic line at 250mbps (megabits per second), which the researchers said was more than 1,000 times faster than what was achievable with existing quantum technology. The research team, led by Northwestern professors Prem Kumar and Horace Yuen, used standard lasers and existing optical technology to transmit a large bundle of photons, the particles that make up light.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-965957.html

Polymers may rocket Net speed to 145GHz
Researchers at Bell Labs have cleared the first hurdle to potentially increasing Internet speeds to well above today's fastest rates. The scientists at Lucent Technologies' research arm have demonstrated in a controlled laboratory setting that certain polymer materials have physical properties to channel data signals at tremendous speeds. The rate could approach a heady 145GHz -- much faster than widely used optical networks that typically clock in at about 10GHz, or 10 billion cycles per second. "Basically, we are cramming a lot more electrical data onto an optical light wave in one second," said Mark Lee, one of the authors of the findings to be published Thursday in the online edition of Science Magazine.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-965874.html

W3C sees graphics on cell phones
In a development that could help Adobe erode some of Macromedia's vector graphics lead, the Web's most influential standards group issued a draft designed to make its vector graphics standard work more easily on cell phones. Facing an end-of-year publishing deadline, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) this week also released a flurry of proposals covering linking and querying Web pages and XML documents. But the consortium reserved most of its enthusiasm for the vector graphics changes, which it hopes will help nudge the industry away from the accepted -- and proprietary -- standard, Macromedia's Flash technology.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-966104.html?tag=fd_top

Intel delves into life sciences
Intel has created an internal group devoted to developing technology for the life sciences market, one of the remaining hot areas in the computer world. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chipmaker said this week that it is working with universities, software developers and server manufacturers to come up with supercomputer-class systems, built around Intel technology, for pharmaceutical engineering, genetic research and other biotech projects, said Rick Herrmann, Intel's manager for worldwide high-performance computing. "There seems to be a rush toward building out the infrastructure around life sciences," Hermann said. "Every country in the world is looking for bioinformatics to be the next technology pillar: Singapore...Taiwan...the U.S. Even Ireland is looking at it."
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-966030.html?tag=fd_top

Java and .Net both a disaster: research
Still trying to decide whether your enterprise development architecture should be based around Sun's Java or Microsoft's .NET? Perhaps you should be more worried about whether either of them is going to work at all. To date, around 70 percent of initial Java implementations have been unsuccessful, according to new research from Gartner Group. "An inordinately large number of large-scale Java projects have been failures," said Mark Driver, Gartner research director for Internet and ebusiness technologies.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/ent...0269968,00.htm

Build software people will actually like. Seriously
If there's one thing an effective empire builder needs, it's a good map. Microsoft's map for reshaping and reviving the world of business software can be found on floor two of Building Four on the company's campus, in the office of a technology strategist named Norm Judah. The map itself doesn't look like much. If anything, it resembles a microchip design or possibly an org chart gone mad. But this poster-sized piece of cardboard is nothing less than a schematic of how business works. Not how Microsoft works. How business works. The "module map," as it's known at Microsoft, is the product of a kind of business genome project.
http://www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?...&doc_id=210285

AbiWord up
The community of software developers who hang out on the IRC chat channel #abiword is small; the number of nicknames registered as present rarely breaks two dozen. But the room is open, and active, 24/7, 365 days a year, because the membership stretches from Australia to France. When the hackers in Cambridge, Mass., finally drag themselves away from their terminals to crash, their counterparts in Melbourne are just settling in for some serious coding and chatting. #abiword is a friendly, casual watering hole, a place to gossip about upcoming exams or the perils of Microsoft Word-formatted job applications. It's a place to talk about a relative's illness, or to slap virtual backs when one of the group does something noteworthy, such as getting accepted as a member of the Gnome Foundation, a group of developers dedicated to making the desktop safe for free software. And, naturally, it's the place to share notes on how to overcome nasty problems such as getting embedded tables to display properly in AbiWord, a free-software word processor.
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/leon/2...ord/index.html

Hungry pets get ‘online feed’
Coined iSeePet, the 3kg device consists of a water tank and food dish equipped with a Web camera. iSeePet stores enough food to feed a small animal for three to four days, said AlphaOmega Soft, the Japanese company marketing the product. To start feeding them, pet owners log on to a dedicated Web site and choose from a virtual menu. Owners can control the amount of food dispensed through the Web interface, in addition to monitoring the feeding process via the attached camera. They will have to pay a monthly subscription fee of 3,900 yen (US$32) for the service operated by telecommunications firm NTT-ME, in addition to a one-time installation charge of 174,800 yen (US$1,448).
http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/person...9098900,00.htm

Deal rescues fee break for Webcasters
A last-minute political deal has salvaged portions of a legislative bid to ease the effects of new online music fees on small and nonprofit Webcasters. In a late-night congressional vote Thursday, legislators approved a compromise bill that will allow small Webcasters and nonprofits such as college radio stations to pay substantially lower royalty rates for online music than will large companies such as America Online or Microsoft. Last month, federally mandated rules went into effect requiring Webcasters to begin paying a small per-song fee to record labels and musicians. Small companies had protested, saying the new fees would put them out of business. Spurred by broadcasters' concerns, Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C. stalled last month a compromise bill aimed at lessening the financial burden on small Webcasting companies.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-965985.html

U.S. won't support Net "hate speech" ban
The Bush administration said on Friday that it will not support a proposed treaty to restrict "hate speech" on the Internet. Last week, the Council of Europe approved an addition to a controversial computer crime treaty that would make it illegal to distribute or publish anything online that "advocates, promotes or incites hatred (or) discrimination." The United States has supported the underlying treaty, which is designed to encourage other countries to enact computer crime and intellectual property laws, but opposes adding the "hate speech" ban. The ban is titled an "Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime."
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-965983.html?tag=cd_mh

Roxio snapping up Napster assets
Roxio, which makes CD-burning software, is acquiring virtually all the assets of Napster, the former file-swapping company, for about $5 million in cash and stock. The deal, expected to close later this month, is subject to the approval of the bankruptcy court handling Napster's case. Roxio said it will receive all of Napster's intellectual property, including its technology patent portfolio, but will not assume any of Napster's liabilities, including pending litigation. The company said it will offer details about how it will use Napster's technology to "expand Roxio's role in the digital media landscape" after the deal closes.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-965960.html?tag=cd_mh

New deals form MusicNet quintet
MusicNet, an online venture of BMG, Warner and EMI, on Friday said it had licensed music from the remaining two major record labels that it hadn't already signed, Sony and Universal, and enhanced its service with CD-burning and portability features. The MusicNet deals come on the heels of an announcement by rival service Pressplay, owned jointly by Sony and Universal, which announced on Wednesday it had signed a deal with Warner, giving it music from all five major labels as well. BMG is part of Bertelsmann AG, EMI is owned by EMI Group, Warner Music is part of AOL Time Warner, Universal is part of Vivendi Universal and Sony Music is owned by Sony. MusicNet's other partner is RealNetworks.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-965928.html?tag=cd_mh

Pressplay arranges fifth major label
Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group's Pressplay music subscription venture on Wednesday said it had reached a deal to provide content from Warner Music Group, giving the online service music from all five major labels. Since launching late last year, Pressplay had been striving to provide music from all the major record labels, in an effort to compete with unlimited free services such as Napster, which was popular before it was shut down by lawsuits from the music industry. "Today is a momentous day. We've accomplished what we set out to do and, while it took a little longer than we expected, we've managed to get all five labels by year-end," said Michael Bebel, chief executive officer of Pressplay.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-965767.html?tag=cd_mh

Dubya, Willya Turn the Book Over?
Bill Clinton peers through a set of binoculars, unconcerned that the lens caps are still on. Reading to a classroom of children, President Bush obliviously holds his book upside down. On an anonymous city street, Hillary Rodham Clinton impetuously lifts her shirt and flashes the camera. Rhodes scholarships and Ivy League educations notwithstanding, our political leaders are imbeciles and we've got the pictures to prove it. Or do we? Phony photographs have become a permanent part of the online political landscape, traveling around the Internet, from inbox to inbox. Ranging from displays of subtle, technical virtuosity to crude and tasteless frippery, digitally altered photographs are becoming one of the most prevalent forms of political commentary.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56430,00.html

Visa Suit: Dictionary Discredited
Domain disputes are a dime a dozen, but legal experts say Visa's recent win over a one-man website is the first time a corporate trademark has prevailed over a word in the dictionary. A Nevada district court found the evisa.com site run by Joe Orr of New York City could possibly dilute Visa's trademark. As shown at a mirror of the site, evisa.com offered travel and translation services, as well as multilingual presentation software. Visa hosts its own e-visa.com site, and has pending applications for trademarks including EVisa, E-Visa, and E Visa. The company could not be reached for comment by press time.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56432,00.html

Screenwriters: Cut to the Web
In Hollywood, an unsolicited screenplay by an unknown writer has almost no chance of getting into a producer's hands, let alone making it to the big screen. But on the Web, that same script can reach a wider audience than ever before, including some producers, agents and even studio executives. A host of websites have sprung up in the past few years where writers can post their work, including Script Pimp, ScriptNet, Writers' Script Network, Hollywoodlitsales, Storybay and ScriptShark. These sites help screenwriters gain exposure, secure representation and sell their screenplays. Some review scripts and provide coaching, while others offer matchmaking services that line up writers with production companies.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,56320,00.html

Privacy Groups Turn Screws on DOJ
Privacy advocates want to know the how and why behind U.S. government surveillance done in the name of the USA Patriot Act. On Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Privacy Information Center asked a federal court judge to force the Justice Department to respond to their Aug. 21 Freedom of Information Act request for documents related to the Patriot Act's surveillance provisions. The request seeks aggregate statistics and policy directives from both the FBI and the Department of Justice, with specific emphasis on details about surveillance that targets American citizens or foreign nationals "on the basis of activities protected by the First Amendment."
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56423,00.html

W3C Rejects Patents on Net Tech
The Internet will remain royalty free. Or at least the part of it standardized by the World Wide Web Consortium, known as W3C, will. That's according to a document released on Thursday by the W3C's Patent Policy Working Group. Daniel Weitzner, the patent group's chairman, said that after spending nearly a year trying to work out ways to allow companies to retain patents on W3C standards, the idea was finally rejected in a 12-7 a vote. Weitzner said that while the W3C will allow another six weeks for public comment on the document before the W3C's executive director Tim Berners-Lee makes a final decision, "from the working group's perspective we're finished."
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,56431,00.html

Kids Get Safe Internet Haven
Congress approved legislation Friday to create a safe haven on the Internet for children, where parents can be assured websites are free of pornography and other material not suitable for youngsters. The measure would make a ".kids.us" Internet domain that would be available within a year and monitored by a government contractor to ensure the material is appropriate for children under 13. The bill won unanimous approval from the Senate on Wednesday and the House on Friday. It now goes to President Bush, who was expected to sign it. The House also sent Bush a bill Friday allowing small Internet music broadcasters to pay lower copyright royalty fees, something those businesses say is key to their survival. If they grow sufficiently, they would no longer be entitled to pay the lower fees.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56429,00.html

Wi-Fi Encryption Fix Not Perfect
The biggest security risk for "Wi-Fi" wireless Internet networks is that users sometimes fail to turn on their encryption software. But even the responsible ones who use the encryption program -- Wired Equivalent Privacy -- aren't immune to malicious attacks. A growing trend on the streets of Manhattan are WarDrivers who break into wireless networks for fun. A professional hacker or anyone with significant programming knowledge can hack through WEP and even steal data off the network.
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,56350,00.html

Teachers Mainely Happy With Tech
When Maine Gov. Angus King unveiled his plan to put a computer in the hands of every seventh-grader in the state, some thought the idea was as loony as trying to catch a laptop in a lobster trap. Teachers in particular were concerned. After all, they would be expected to use the machines with their students -- many of whom knew more about computers than they did. A recent trip to three Maine schools offered a glimpse of how attitudes about the program are shifting: Many teachers are now more enthusiastic than dubious.
http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,56284,00.html

Study Makes Less of Hack Threat
Despite the panting about "cyberterrorists," and despite the scare mongering about venomous hackers preying on fragile federal networks, attacks on government computer systems are declining worldwide, according to a recently released report. In the United States, reported intrusions into government networks fell from 386 in 2001 to 162 in the first 10 months of 2002. Worldwide, such attacks have declined by about a third -- from 2,031 last year to a projected 1,400 today. The report, from the British firm mi2g, comes just a day after the U.S. Justice Department indicted Londoner Gary McKinnon for breaking into military and NASA systems -- and the U.S. Congress approved a $903 million bill for beefing up computer security.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56382,00.html

IM Users: Your Boss Is Watching
Instant messaging -– a tool many perceive as off-limits to the prying eyes of employers –- may soon be going the way of e-mail. In the interests of record-keeping and tighter security, industry analysts say a growing number of companies that allow instant messaging in the office are also monitoring its usage. At the same time, the free instant-messaging platforms that have propagated in workplaces are getting retrofitted for a new world order. This week, the vision of widespread instant-messaging monitoring came closer to reality when AOL -– whose AIM service reigns as the unofficial 300-pound gorilla among instant-messaging providers –- announced the launch of a service for businesses.
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,56290,00.html

Flesh-eating disease linked to gene differences
Genetic differences between people can explain why some develop a fatal "flesh-eating" disease following infection with a common bacterium, while others colonised by the same strain walk away with just a sore throat. The study throws new light on the mechanism of Group A streptococci (GAS) infection, and could lead to treatments better tailored to the patient's needs. A team led by Malak Kotb at the University of Tennessee looked at variants in HLA-II genes, a set of genes that encode proteins on the surface of human immune cells. Previous work has shown that these proteins can bind to certain toxins secreted by Strep A.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993067

Enzymes stop sticky end for paper recycling
The brightly coloured sticky notes that many an office worker could not live without are an expensive nightmare for paper recycling plants - but enzymes are coming to the rescue. Jim Fitzhenry from Buckman Labs in Memphis, Tennessee, says tiny particles of glue inside recycling machinery gum up the works. The glue or gum on envelopes and address labels also contribute to the problem. Traditionally, recyclers tackle the problem with heavy-duty solvents that can be damaging to the environment. But since May, Fitzhenry's team has been carrying out trials using harmless esterase enzymes that attack the sticky residues. The enzymes unclog gummed-up recycling machinery while it is working, avoiding the need for expensive stoppages.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993052

More news later on

[multi]

ooooh the sunday paper!

Deal rescues fee break for Webcasters
A last-minute political deal has salvaged portions of a legislative bid to ease the effects of new online music fees on small and nonprofit Webcasters. In a late-night congressional vote Thursday, legislators approved a compromise bill that will allow small Webcasters and nonprofits such as college radio stations to pay substantially lower royalty rates for online music than will large companies such as America Online or Microsoft. Last month, federally mandated rules went into effect requiring Webcasters to begin paying a small per-song fee to record labels and musicians. Small companies had protested, saying the new fees would put them out of business. Spurred by broadcasters' concerns, Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C. stalled last month a compromise bill aimed at lessening the financial burden on small Webcasting companies.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-965985.html

[TankGirl]

Originally posted by walktalker
What ? A sunday edition !? Blasphemy !!

And an excellent issue too!

- tg

[SA_Dave]

Originally posted by TankGirl


And an excellent issue too!

I concur!

I especially enjoyed the article on recycling.

[SA_Dave]

Satellite DSL on the Cards
South Africans may soon have broadband DSL-like Internet connections available via satellite if a deal between Telkom and Intelsat is concluded. Meanwhile, Intelsat is content to connect remote African base stations for MTN and Vodacom.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211180416.html

The Intelsat Broadband Service offers a down channel of between 2Mbps and 48Mbps with a return pipe of between 512Kbps and 8Mbps. The asymmetrical digital subscriber lines (ADSL) currently offered by Telkom have a download channel of 512Kbps and 512Kbps upstream.

All I need now is the modified LNB for my satellite dish and a pc interface card...