The Newspaper Shop -- Saturday edition

[walktalker]

Price hikes promised by LCD drought
A worldwide shortage of a key component in making LCDs is likely to lead to a price increase of popular tech products, according to a report from research firm Provizio. Flat-panel display manufacturers, which use LCDs (liquid-crystal displays), have been expecting shortages since the beginning of the year, but Boise, Idaho-based Provizio said in a report released Friday that the shortfall may also affect other markets.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-843614.html

Could Napster win cause labels to lose?
A federal judge gave file-swapping company Napster a significant win in court Friday, ordering new scrutiny of the big record labels' ownership rights to music that could affect their own online plans. The order does not affect the legality of Napster's file-swapping service, which has already been shut down as a result of previous legal decisions. Rather, San Francisco Federal Judge Marilyn Hall Patel's order opens a potential can of worms for the major labels as they seek to push their own Internet music-distribution services.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-843610.html

Week in review: Who's your buddy?
In a high-tech version of David vs. Goliath, a tiny instant messaging start-up has challenged behemoth AOL Time Warner to a fight over access to its AOL Instant Messenger "buddies." PalTalk, which runs its 16-person operation on a shoestring budget, is giving its users access to AOL's claimed 100 million registered IM contacts. The battle heated up as AOL succeeded in shutting out PalTalk for eight hours Wednesday. But the IM upstart foiled AOL's block by the end of the day.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-843703.html

Spawn of Maldal strikes again
Yet another variation of the prolific Maldal virus family is loose on the Internet. Maldal.I (w32.maldal.i@mm) is written in Visual Basic and is 23,552 bytes long. Like its cousin Reeezak, this latest version retards your system's overall performance by producing excess files on your hard drive. Because Maldal.I sends e-mail and does not delete data on infected computers, this worm ranks a 4 on the ZDNet Virus Meter.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-843147.html

Moving from MPEG-4 on to VP5?
Video-compression provider On2 Technologies is taking aim at MPEG-4, releasing an update of its own technology, known as VP5, as companies wrangle over proposed licensing fees for the emerging digital video standard. New York-based On2 said VP5 is up to a 50 percent improvement over its VP4 technology, which supports RealNetworks' RealPlayer and RealSystem iQ to enable consumers to view digital video. The company said VP5 is designed to handle real-time compression of live TV broadcasts, including sports and action footage.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-843565.html

Europe pushes to ban racist Web content
Authors of e-mails and Internet postings that contain racist or xenophobic material may face criminal charges under a proposed European treaty that is dividing the Internet and law-enforcement communities. The proposal, drafted by the Council of Europe, would essentially outlaw the publishing of "hate speech" on the Internet. Welcomed by law-enforcement agencies, it has been slammed by Internet companies as impossible to enforce.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-843346.html

Canon developing new digital cameras
Canon on Friday announced a slew of new products targeting both ends of the digital-camera market. At the low end is the PowerShot 100, an entry-level camera with resolution of 1.2 megapixels and a fixed lens. The more advanced PowerShot A30 and A40 models will offer resolutions of 1.2 and 2 megapixels, respectively, and both have zoom lenses. The A40 and A30 are expected to be available in March, and the A100 in April, at prices to be announced.
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-843567.html

Group to set bug-reporting standards
Microsoft and other software makers met with several computer-security companies Thursday to hash out the last details of a group that will set guidelines for reporting software flaws that affect Internet security. Currently named the Organization for Internet Safety, the group is still in flux, with members and rules not yet finalized, said sources knowledgeable with the discussions. The talks took place here, at the RSA Conference 2002.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-842591.html

Security confab calls for U.S. spending
Two U.S. legislators, a Department of Defense officer and two security experts from government agencies told attendees Thursday at the RSA Conference 2002 that more money from U.S. coffers needs to go to cybersecurity. "While the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 took an unexpected form, we have to make certain that the next attack is better anticipated," said Rep. Zoë Lofgren, D-Calif., who moderated a keynote panel with other members of the government.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-842795.html

They Have Your Secrets On Their Screens
Don't look now, but if you listen to Internet radio at work or sneak in some Web shopping between meetings, chances are a digital snoop is recording your every move. In an ironic twist, some of the more successful Internet ventures these days are selling surveillance software designed to limit Internet use at work. Their software allows companies to set their own e-boundaries, whether by monitoring worker habits or actually blocking employees from some sites.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2002Feb20.html

Full-fledged Linux coming to IBM servers
Full-fledged 64-bit versions of Linux will arrive for IBM servers that previously had to make do with lesser software, Big Blue is expected to announce in the next month. IBM has enthusiastically embraced Linux over the last two years, but its most powerful servers don't yet take advantage of all that the Linux operating system has to offer. The 32-bit versions of Linux, designed for less powerful 32-bit chips such as Intel's Pentium, can't perform some important server tasks such as holding large databases in memory.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-842633.html?tag=cd_mh

Consumer claims victory in CD lawsuit
Makers of a recording by country-pop singer Charley Pride have agreed to stop tracking most listener habits and to warn consumers that the CD is not compatible with MP3 and other players, according to attorneys for a woman who sued the companies. California resident Karen DeLise sued Music City Records, Fahrenheit Entertainment and digital rights management company Sunncomm in Marin County Superior Court in September, alleging that actions they took to exert control over the album "Charley Pride: A Tribute to Jim Reeves" illegally violated consumer expectations. The album was the first known copy-protected CD released in the United States.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-843114.html

EU races to keep people clicking
European Union officials on Friday unanimously approved Spain's plan to bolster Internet usage and help the 15-nation bloc catch up to the United States. With only 37 percent of EU homes connected to the Internet -- vs. 50 percent in the United States -- the officials renewed an agreement reached two years ago, which is about to expire. In Spain, the country currently holding the rotating EU presidency, only 25 percent of homes are wired to the Internet.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-843623.html?tag=cd_mh

Protest e-mails crash Olympic server
South Koreans took to the information superhighway on Friday to let the world know their anger at the disqualification of their skater in the Olympic 1,500 meters men's short track on Wednesday. South Korea is among the world's most wired countries, and e-mail and Web sites were at the forefront of protest, back by the more traditional media. Korean Kim Dong-sung crossed the line first but was disqualified for impeding American Apolo Anton Ohno, who was awarded the gold medal.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-842924.html?tag=cd_mh

Rhythm and blues play a victory tune
Rhythm and blues artists who recorded albums dating back to the 1950s won a court battle on Thursday when an appeals court reinstated a copyright suit against major record companies over digitized works sold on the Internet or downloaded from Web sites. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a lower court ruling that had thrown out the case filed by members of The Chambers Brothers, The Coasters, The Original Drifters and The Main Ingredient.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-842715.html?tag=cd_mh

Cuppa Joe, Easy on the Tummy
Some people can't start their day without a caffeine jolt from a cup of coffee. But for those with sensitive stomachs, even drinking decaffeinated coffee can be uncomfortable. Coffee entrepreneur Johann Wulff insists there's another option. Coffee Legends markets The Considerate Coffee, which claims to be gentler on the stomach than the usual beans sold at coffeehouses and supermarkets.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,49919,00.html

US Air traffic safe from hackers
Computer security weaknesses in the U.S. air traffic control network that have dogged the Federal Aviation Administration since 1998 have been substantially closed, the FAA's CIO said Thursday, but the agency needs more funding to continue the effort. "I think we've made a lot of progress in the last couple of years," said Daniel Mehan, speaking on a panel at the RSA Conference in San Jose, Calif. "I think, for example, it is safe to fly... But we can not continue it without getting substantial aid from the administration and Congress."
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/24166.html

More news later on

[TankGirl]

Thanks Mr. Newsman!

Originally posted by walktalker
Could Napster win cause labels to lose?
A federal judge gave file-swapping company Napster a significant win in court Friday, ordering new scrutiny of the big record labels' ownership rights to music that could affect their own online plans. The order does not affect the legality of Napster's file-swapping service, which has already been shut down as a result of previous legal decisions. Rather, San Francisco Federal Judge Marilyn Hall Patel's order opens a potential can of worms for the major labels as they seek to push their own Internet music-distribution services.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-843610.html

This is an interesting twist in the Napster saga... although it has to be seen more as Bertelsmann's tactical win, giving them a better negotiating position against the other RIAA members. A pity that this did not happen when Napster was still more than Bertelsmann's online brand.

- tg