The Newspaper Shop -- Friday edition

[walktalker]

Thursday are overrated

MS customers balk at licensing program
With a summer deadline looming, about two-thirds of Microsoft's largest customers have not signed up for a new software licensing program that represents an important revenue stream for the company. According to surveys by two research groups, Gartner and Giga Information Group, one-third of businesses contacted said they do not intend to sign up for the subscriptionlike software program, and another one-third of businesses said they are undecided. Most of this latter group are expected to go with the program, the market researchers concluded.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-908802.html

Report roasts Linux on mainframes
Market research company Meta Group has something to say about the current growth of Linux on mainframes: Don't believe the hype. In a report published this week, Meta Group said that while mainframes running Linux have some advantages in the short term, after two years or so these will become irrelevant as the cost of Intel-based servers continues to drop and their management capabilities improve. The company also said that Linux is not yet mature enough to handle critical business applications.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-909084.html

EU plays waiting game on Microsoft
The European Commission is a long way from settling on a remedy for Microsoft's alleged abuse of its dominant position in Europe's personal computer operating system market, a Commission spokeswoman said on Friday. The Financial Times had reported on Friday that the commission was "studying" several possible remedies for its alleged violations.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-909006.html

Star Wars film clones invade the Net
Bootleg copies of "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" have appeared on the Internet a week before the film's premiere in cinemas, according to a report in the LA Times. The newspaper said that at least two versions have already popped up, distributed over Internet Relay Chat (IRC), a system often used for both communications and file-swapping. Both versions appeared to have been recorded by tripod-mounted digital camcorders at private screenings of the film, which is at the center of a massive promotional campaign.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-909087.html

States cancel modular Windows demo
Nine states seeking strong antitrust sanctions against Microsoft abruptly canceled on Thursday plans to demonstrate a version of the Windows operating system with removable features. An attorney for the states said they had made the decision to avoid prolonging the case after Microsoft said it needed an indefinite period of time to prepare its response. A modular version of Windows is one of the key demands of the nine states that have rejected a proposed settlement of the landmark case.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-908623.html

Gadget converts woofs into words
If Dr Dolittle can't make animals talk, perhaps Japanese toy maker Takara can. The company unveiled Thursday a new gadget, called Bowlingual, which can scrutinize and translate a dog's bark into expressions, such as "I've had enough" or "I'm a little bored, let's play." The gizmo was tested on a dog at the Tokyo Toy Show, an annual event featuring electronic games, collectibles and dolls from all over the world. The four-day event ends Sunday.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-908889.html

IBM backs developer bot battle
More than 120,000 developers have already signed up for a Java coding competition which will see the finalist's virtual robots battle it out in August. Based on the Robocode programming game, the competition was launched at IBM's DeveloperWorks Live conference in San Francisco this week. Finals are being held at the Linux World conference scheduled to be held here August 13-15. The competition is part of a bundle of initiatives IBM has announced, designed to garner a community of focus with developers.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-908911.html

States grill Microsoft's computer expert
A computer expert testifying for Microsoft conceded Friday that it would be possible to remove features from the company's Windows operating system even if technically difficult. University of Colorado computer science professor John Bennett had testified Thursday that a version of Windows with removable features was "technically infeasible." Questioned by an attorney for nine states seeking stiff antitrust sanctions against the software giant, Bennett said anything was possible with software.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-909287.html?tag=fd_top

Post office puts stamp on intranet revamp
The U.S. Postal Service hopes to save up to $200 million over the next five years by overhauling its intranet, officials said this week. As part of an initiative called the Advanced Computing Environment, or ACE, the USPS will centralize computer systems for 130,000 people at some 28,000 facilities nationwide, officials said. The $200 million in savings is certainly needed at the Postal Service, which lost $303 million in the second quarter and saw revenue come in $621 million short of expectations. The USPS has been struggling with declining mail volume as citizens turn more and more to e-mail and professional package delivery services.
http://news.com.com/2100-1017-909011.html?tag=fd_top

Use the blog, Luke
Nearly eight years after Justin Hall uploaded his first hypertext diary entry, weblogging has finally hit the mainstream. Everyone seems to have a published opinion on this not-so-new new thing, and if the attention seems a little belated, it's not undeserved. After all, a number of significant developments separate us from pioneering sites like Links From the Underground or Robot Wisdom: The blogging population itself has grown dramatically, and has begun organizing itself into a genuine community rather than a series of isolated sites; software tools have been built specifically to let noncoders create and maintain blogs; and the universe of potential pages to link to has expanded by several orders of magnitude since Hall launched his site.
http://salon.com/tech/feature/2002/0...ain/index.html

New distribution platform is solution for copyright theft
About the copyright protection battle: there is merit to both sides of the dichotomous debate. What's missing, though, is a third, more palatable alternative, one that would give Hollywood the freedom to protect its revenue streams without permanently damaging the American computer industry's ability to innovate. Clearly, the government should not take the unpopular, draconian step of requiring that all future electronics devices monitor consumer viewing, reading or listening habits. What makes more sense is to let the marketplace, not the government, determine the contours of the increasingly intertwined electronics and entertainment industries.
http://www.sfgate.com/technology/beat/

Will Watson Make Web Browsers Obsolete?
We are slaves to our browsers. How many webpages will you look at today? Between job-related sites and just plain goofing off, I'd say it's at least 50 per person -- and for some people it's a multiple of that. We click away our days to get to the sea of data that is out there beckoning to us -- the news, airline schedules, recipes for Cajun catfish, and anything else we can think of. Unfortunately, though, our browsers are not terribly efficient at organizing information. Even with bookmarks and Google, all that information is available just one page at a time. Or is it? A program called Watson, written by Karelia Software for Apple (AAPL) Macintoshes computers running OS X, could be a harbinger of things to come.
http://www.business2.com/articles/we...,40439,FF.html

How secure is your password?
In order to access computer networks, online bank or e-mail accounts, we need a wide range of usernames and passwords. Constant attention is required to track what our name is in each virtual environment, and what password is needed at that moment to access personal information. This means that using the internet requires us to constantly create and manage multiple identities. The complaint that the internet enables people all too freely to impersonate alternate identities often overlooks a fundamental point: online, we are all required to assume multiple personae.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci...00/1977405.stm

Microsoft's file-share rule makes waves
Microsoft has opened a new chapter in its long-running dispute with open-source software developers -- and it could have antitrust implications. In late March, Microsoft published a document that outlines how third-party developers can use Common Internet File Sharing (CIFS), a protocol developed by Microsoft that specifies how Windows PCs share files with servers. Though publishing the document should make it easier to write software that incorporates CIFS, it contains a crucial restriction that has instead handcuffed some developers.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-904017.html?tag=cd_mh

Web site to put gov't rules under one roof
The U.S. government is developing a Web portal that would give citizens one access point to read up on and comment on federal rules and regulations from multiple agencies. The Online Rulemaking Initiative is part of the Office of Management and Budget's 24-step eGovernment Initiative. The new site is scheduled to be ready by Dec. 31. "Millions of Americans want to easily find and comment on proposed regulation," Mark Forman, the OMB's associate director for technology and e-government, wrote in a memo to the heads of federal agencies this week. "This action means that by the end of the year, the public will no longer need to navigate through a sea of agency Web sites to comment on regulations that will impact their lives."
http://news.com.com/2100-1017-903327.html?tag=cd_mh

Group targets cell phone waste
An environmental research group is calling on cell phone makers to think green in designing their products. New York-based Inform on Wednesday released a report highlighting what it says are the environmental and health threats posed by discarded cell phones. By 2005, the group says, 130 million of the devices -- totaling about 65,000 tons -- will be thrown away every year in the United States. Once the phones end up in landfills or incinerators, they could pose a problem because of ingredients such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and flame-retarding chemicals, according to Inform. That warning echoes the word from other environmental groups and a number of governments about the dangers posed by other types of "e-waste" such as discarded PCs and computer monitors.
http://news.com.com/2100-1033-904363.html?tag=cd_mh

Judge denies dismissal bid in DMCA case
A federal judge on Wednesday denied a motion to dismiss criminal charges against a Russian software company accused of selling a product designed to break anti-copying technology. U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte found that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) does not violate ElcomSoft's due process and free-speech rights. The decision clears the way for a trial in the closely watched case -- believed to be the first criminal prosecution under the contentious law. Attorneys for the software maker had argued that the law is overly vague and undercuts copying that is legally protected under "fair use" doctrines, among other things.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-903720.html

Sony joins PC-animation push
Sony Pictures Entertainment said Thursday that it will begin producing computer-animated films, aiming for a share of the box-office success rivals have reaped from blockbusters such as "Shrek" and "Ice Age." The Hollywood arm of Japan's Sony said its new division will be headed by Sandra Rabins and Penney Finkelman Cox, the producing duo who started DreamWorks' animation unit. The pair, who left DreamWorks last summer, were also executive producers of that company's 2001 Oscar-winning storybook satire "Shrek."
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-908644.html?tag=cd_mh

Chip implants aim to save lives
If your aging father had Alzheimer's, would you plant a chip in his back to keep him safe? What about placing one in a teen with allergies? A Palm Beach, Fla.-based company is betting you would. On Friday, Applied Digital Solutions plans to implant chips in eight test volunteers so their personal information can be scanned with the wave of a wand. Chips containing statistics such as addresses have been popular among pet owners who fear their dogs will stray. Now Applied Digital is appealing to people worried about the safety of loved ones with medical problems.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-908591.html?tag=cd_mh

Children taking interest in Web ads
A recent study on Web usability indicates that children may account for a significant proportion of Web advertising click-through traffic. The study, conducted by consulting firm Nielsen Norman Group (NNG), found that children are likely click on Web advertising, having difficulty distinguishing it from regular content. "The most notable finding of our study was that children click the advertisements on Web sites. Unfortunately they often do so by mistake, thinking ads are just one more site element," according to NNG.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-904180.html?tag=cd_mh

Web site turns up Net porn suspects
U.S. federal and state officials say they are targeting up to 200 suspects in what they called the first undercover computer sting operation to combat child pornography. New Jersey Attorney General David Samson said Wednesday that officials in 29 U.S. states and at least 15 other countries were looking to serve search warrants on suspects' computers after authorities took over a child pornography Web site and used it to set up an undercover site. The warrants authorized the seizure of computers, computer systems, programs, hardware and software that might contain evidence relating to the possession or distribution of child pornography.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-904101.html?tag=cd_mh

Webcasters plan march on Washington
More than two dozen Web radio companies plan to speak to members of Congress on Thursday and Friday to protest proposed royalty rates they say could put many members of the industry out of business. The lobbying by the Webcasters follows a "silent" protest staged last week by hundreds of Web radio station operators who oppose rates that were recommended in February by a Copyright Royalty Arbitration Panel (CARP) working for the U.S. Copyright Office. The Webcasters' plight is taking on greater urgency as a May 21 deadline approaches for the Register of Copyrights to rule on the proposed royalty rates.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-904060.html?tag=cd_mh

Microsoft issues Messenger patch
Microsoft has issued a security alert after discovering a weak spot in its popular MSN Messenger service that could be exploited by hackers. The alert, issued Wednesday, said that the vulnerability affected MSN Messenger's chat feature, which allows multiple messenger users to exchange text messages in a separate ActiveX-based window. Hackers can exploit the vulnerability to impose a buffer-overflow attack, the alert said. Buffer-overflow vulnerabilities allow hackers to execute potentially harmful programs on a victim's computer that could delete files or cripple the system's security.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-903989.html?tag=cd_mh

Gorilla lovers beat chests in domain clash
Supporters of Steuart Dewar have a message for those who've crossed his path: Don't mess with the gorilla man. The millionaire and retired software executive has been donating the proceeds from his DateBk scheduling application to build a private gorilla sanctuary near his home in the North Georgia mountains. DateBk is one of the most popular handheld applications, partly because Dewar licensed it to Handspring for use in its Visor devices.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-903161.html?tag=cd_mh

Intel says flash memory will thrive
Intel said the amount of flash memory in cellular phones is poised to increase, which could help industrywide revenue of flash memory chips even if worldwide mobile phone sales don't surge. Next-generation cell phones, some of which are referred to as 2.5G phones, have more data-intensive functions such as instant messaging and color screens, Curt Nichols, general manager of Intel's flash memory products group, told investors at a J.P. Morgan conference. The functions increase the amount of memory, or density of memory, per phone, he said.
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-903851.html?tag=cd_mh

More news later on

[walktalker]

Hey, Who's That Face in My Song?
Back in the old days of vinyl records, pop groups like The Beatles and Black Sabbath were accused of sneaking satanic messages into songs, which could only be heard when the music was played backward. Now it seems one of the world's most popular electronic musicians has discovered the modern digital equivalent. Aphex Twin, who has been described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music," appears to have sneaked the digital image of a devilish face into at least one of his songs.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,52426,00.html

A Wearable Aid for Special Kids
Jeremy Rossiter was not able to speak when he first entered Lisa Zverloff's class for the multiple-handicapped. The third-grader, who is autistic, communicated by hitting and biting. His success story propelled Xybernaut, the manufacturer of the wearable computer, into a new market. But with the help of a wearable computer, Jeremy learned to mimic, then utter, words and small phrases.
http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,52148,00.html

Call His Testimony a MStake
What a difference a word makes. As nine states press for stronger antitrust penalties against Microsoft, the embattled company has staunchly maintained that its fiercest rivals -- such as AOL Time Warner, Palm and Sun Microsystems -- essentially "developed" many provisions of the states' 42-page proposed sanctions (PDF) for their own benefit. But University of Virginia professor Kenneth Elzinga, whom Microsoft summoned for its defense, dismissed that longstanding argument in federal court on Thursday. Under cross-examination from states' attorney Steven Kuney, Elzinga downplayed the role that Microsoft's competitors may have played in developing the proposed sanctions.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,52439,00.html

Dirty Sites Jittery After Ruling
A federal court judge is sending shockwaves through the cyberporn industry by suggesting the companies that limit access to dirty pictures on the Internet could be held liable for illegal content on the websites they protect. Adult Check, which bills itself as the world's largest "adult verification system," (AVS) followed an order by U.S. Federal Court Judge Lourdes Baird on Monday and dropped support for thousands of nude celebrity websites. Other AVS companies are expected to follow in the wake of a lawsuit that puts Adult Check on the defensive against a high-toned porn magazine and its unlikely ally, Britney Spears.
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,52429,00.html

Amy Grant Spams a Sour Note
Jesus preached the gospel of turning the other cheek, but what would he have said about spam? Fans of superstar Christian singer Amy Grant have been eagerly awaiting the release of her 17th album, Legacy, Hymns & Faith. What they haven't been eagerly awaiting is the marketing campaign that Grant's record label, Word Records, is unleashing upon them.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,52435,00.html

Pop-Pop-Pop-Pop-Culture Video
Jimi Hendrix plays guitar, Meryl Streep's on violin, Ella Fitzgerald sings and someone's playing piano, but only his hands are visible. They're just a few of the hundreds of actual and acting musicians who appear, however briefly, in artist Christian Marclay's Video Quartet, a new digitally synchronized DVD installation that's currently enthralling art mavens and music lovers alike at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The concept is simple -- four simultaneous clips of music making sampled from Hollywood movies are projected on the wall, their combined sound forming a new piece of experimental music, with an inextricable visual component.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,52031,00.html

Europe's MS sanctions to be wide-ranging, long-taking
Europe is likely to impose tougher measures on Microsoft than those proposed in last year's MS-DoJ deal in the US, according to a story in today's Financial Times. Citing "people familiar with the case" the piece claims regulators are studying "wide-ranging" measures to be taken against the company. It's not entirely clear what these measures are, but they would appear to include the unbundling of Media Player and substantial disclosure of technical data on Windows. If the former is required, then presumably the Competition Commission will demand it as a part of a more general removal of middleware. Removal, rather than simply hiding, has been one of the things Microsoft has fought hardest against in the US case.
http://www.theregus.com/content/4/24916.html

Tiny Triumph for Science
Scientists have for the first time used the power of light to create mechanical energy for a microdevice, making a single molecule of plastic drive a tiny machine. The experiment could have important implications for the field of nanotechnology, which seeks to miniaturize machines and mechanisms to an atomic or molecular scale. "We know [the machine] works pretty well," said researcher Hermann E. Gaub. "Miniaturization drives progress."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...-2002May9.html

Britain faces TV test of IQ
The UK's IQ will be tested via interactive television and the internet on Saturday night. The BBC hopes millions of people will watch and participate in the Test the Nation programme. The results, along with those from studio-based tests of population sub-groups, will reveal, the BBC says: "where the cleverest people in the UK live. Who are the brainiest football supporters? Are blondes really dumb? "However Colin Cooper, an expert on psychological testing at Queen's University, Belfast, who created the 70-item IQ test for the BBC, told New Scientist: "They have to do that sort of thing for televisual appeal - but I wish they weren't."
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992270

In Artist's Freeway Prank, Form Followed Function
What more could an artist want? An unusual medium. A chance to take a jab at the establishment. An almost endless audience, speeding to see the work. Richard Ankrom created that enviable milieu above an unlikely canvas -- the Harbor Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. For two years, the rail-thin artist planned and prepared for his most ambitious project, a piece that would be seen by more than 150,000 motorists per day on the freeway, near 3rd Street.
http://latimes.com/news/local/la-050902artist.story

LSU Sues Law Student Over Web Site
Douglas Dorhauer has a tiger by the tail. The second-year student at Louisiana State University's law school is the target of a trademark infringement lawsuit by the school because he operates a Web site called LSULAW.com. The school's lawsuit, which is documented on Dorhauer's site, alleges that his use of the registered mark "LSU" creates a "mental association" with the school.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176519.html

AOL Follows Trillian's Lead In Encrypted Messaging
Imitating a competitor it has attempted to block customers from using, America Online said it will soon add a new security feature to its AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) product. The feature will enable encryption of the messages sent between users of a new premium AOL service called "Enterprise AIM," a test version of which will be rolled out soon, according to AOL officials.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176517.html

Jupiter Analyst, RIAA Trade Barbs Over P2P Findings
The industry group representing the five major music labels this week blasted a Jupiter Media Metrix report on peer-to-peer file sharing, issuing its own data to "refute" Jupiter's conclusion that Internet song-swapping, on balance, is good for the music industry. Jupiter reported in late April that experienced online song-swappers are more likely to buy new music than average music fans, not less. The data was culled from a June 2001 survey of more than 3,000 adult online music listeners.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176497.html

Man Gets 12 Years In 'Candyman' Child-Porn Sweep
A Georgia man who photographed his sexual molestation of young boys and then distributed the images on the Internet has been sentenced by a federal court to more than 12 years in prison. The punishment meted out Wednesday to 19-year-old Robert William Burford of Lawrenceville brought an end to a case that was part of an ongoing Internet child-pornography sweep federal officials call 'Operation Candyman.'
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176496.html

House Panel OKs Morphed Kid Porn Ban
A House subcommittee today approved legislation that would criminalize the distribution of images that have been digitally "morphed" to look like child pornography. By voice vote, the Judiciary Committee's Crime Subcommittee passed the "Child Obscenity and Pornography Prevention Act of 2002." Proposed by Crime Subcommittee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and backed by Attorney General John Ashcroft, the legislation was introduced in response to a Supreme Court ruling that voided a 1996 prohibition on morphed child porn.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176495.html

Patent Office Battles Paper Tiger
By necessity, electronic government means less reliance on paper. But as one federal agency that's taken the lead in e-government is learning, offloading the stuff can be as difficult as curbing dependence on it. Fresh from its transition to an electronic filing system, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is embarking upon a controversial plan to dispose of an estimated 135 million documents - literally tons of paper - chronicling more than 200 years of innovation.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176493.html

More news later on

[TankGirl]

Thanks again, WT - excellent work as usual!

Originally posted by walktalker
Jupiter Analyst, RIAA Trade Barbs Over P2P Findings
The industry group representing the five major music labels this week blasted a Jupiter Media Metrix report on peer-to-peer file sharing, issuing its own data to "refute" Jupiter's conclusion that Internet song-swapping, on balance, is good for the music industry. Jupiter reported in late April that experienced online song-swappers are more likely to buy new music than average music fans, not less. The data was culled from a June 2001 survey of more than 3,000 adult online music listeners.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176497.html

This is getting interesting...

The analyst noted that it is unusual for the RIAA to take on a single research report in so public a manner. "I've never seen it before," he said. But he said he can guess why it happened.

"I think I struck a nerve," he said. "I think the RIAA more than anything right now is threatened from a credibility standpoint. Consumers feel like the record labels are not acting in their best interests, and the RIAA tried to pull a smokescreen by blaming declining files on file sharing. We came out with some very solid data that disputes that claim."

- tg