News for Tooz

We're chewing up the bandwidth again. This time it's the Return of the King trailer, available from Apple and The Lord of the Rings official site. The first information revolution began on this day in 1452 when Gutenberg published his bible. And pianos went airborne when the first Boeing 747 rolled out on this day in 1968.

• Microsoft has demanded that Lindows take down its MSFreePC web site claiming the site includes false and misleading information and encourages filing of fraudulent claims.
• It's looking good for the RIAA. 64 lawsuit targets have settled with the RIAA, 838 others apply for amnesty. Kazaa use is down 40% since last spring. Will it jump back now that students are back on campus?
• Don't open that online greeting card! Lover Spy claims to be able to spy on loved ones by simply sending them an innocuous e-greeting. Using the software could violate the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. (I've received spam advertising this program many times already.)
• Microsoft has agreed to open its source code to China. The Chinese government is worried about security and NSA backdoors. Russia, the UK, and NATO are also said to be browsing the Windows source looking for holes. No word that Adrian Lamo will be given a shot at the source.
• PanAmSat launches HDTV satellite this week.
• In attempt to block a Yahoo! group sponsored by a separatist movement, Indian ISPs block 'em all.

News for Wodin's Day

Happy October. The Babe's called shot home run was hit on this day in the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field. Yanks went on to beat the Cubbies four straight. Roger Maris broke the Babe's home run record on this day in 1961. (2003: Giants 1 - Marlins 0. Barry: 0 HR so far.) First UHF TV station opens on this day in 1952. NASA is launched in 1958.

• Music industry tells Senate Committee that it will send letters asking for money or explanation before going to court. RIAA Chair Mitch Bainwol said the lawsuits got consumers' attention and established a deterrent. Senator Coleman responded, "Public floggings would get attention, too, but we don't do that." Moby says, sue me! but he's not volunteering for flogging.
• Palm releases three new handhelds, the Tungsten T3, E, and $100 Zire 21.
• Symantec issues its semi-annual Internet Security Threat Report. Says Web application vulnerabilities increased 12 percent, malicious codes were up 20 percent, and worms and viruses increased 19 percent. Infection speeds are higher. Dramatic increase in IM and P2P threats.
• OpenSSL reporting numerous vulnerabilities.
• Dutch government study shows that radiation from 3G mobile phone networks can cause headaches and nausea but does make you more alert!
• California regulators join Wisconsin and Minnesota in regulating Voice over IP providers. States say VoIP is just like any other telephone service. Providers moan and groan.
• Presidential candidate Wesley Clark says it's time to harness science. Says he believes we'll be able to exceed speed of light some day. " It's my only faith-based initiative." He also supports NASA. "America needs a dream and a space program." Says he'll fund research on warp drive. Just kidding.

Thursday News

Happy Thursday. Patrick and I will be flying to Atlanta tomorrow morning. We'll be appearing at the Lenox Square Mall, near Macy's, from 1-3p Saturday and Sunday. Happy Birthday to my close personal friend, Kelly Ripa. Groucho was born on this day in 1890. In the news today...

• Giants lose. A's win in 12. Entire state of Massachusetts oversleeps this morning.
• Microsoft acknowledges that piecemeal patches don't work, says it plans next week to "secure the perimeter." In other words, block attacks before they enter the system. Sounds like a beefed-up firewall to me.
• EFF white paper approves of most parts of Microsoft and Intel's Trusted Computing initiative (formerly Palladium and TCPA) but says remote attestation is a problem. Says users should be able to "lie" to remote rights owners.
• Microsoft agrees to pay $10.5 million to consumers who overpaid for software. But you must have purchased the software either through Microsoft's Web site between Feb. 22, 1999, and April 30, 2003, or through certain Microsoft direct marketing campaigns between Nov. 10, 1995, and April 30, 2003.

And in non-Microsoft news...

• All new PCs sold in Japan will come with pre-paid recycling.
• Congress plans streamlined sales tax rules that will make it easier for states to collect on Internet sales. (The current Internet tax prohibition specifically allows state sales taxes.)
• Napster 2.0 test launches in one week. Roxio licensed the Napster name, but the new service ain't free.
• Open Office 1.1 ships.

Getaway Day News

Sure I'm getting on a plane in an hour. But I wouldn't leave you without a news summary! The Screen Savers is dark today since Patrick and I are on the road. Kevin Rose will fill-in for me on Call for Help for the very first time. Help him out with some good questions, today at 3p Eastern.

• An LA woman who was the victim of identity theft has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft for Windows' security flaws. She claims that the disclaimers in Microsoft's licence agreements constitute an unfair business practice under California law, because consumers have little choice but to use Microsoft software. You go girl! Microsoft says the lawsuit misses the point. The attacks aren't their fault. It's the evil-doers!
• Speaking of evil-doers, Valve acknowledges that the Half-Life 2 source code was indeed stolen. Managing Director Gabe Newell says his email was hacked, and keystroke loggers were installed at Valve HQ. And Valve and Steam have been DoS attacked for the past year. Newell asks anyone with information about the hack to email helpvalve@valvesoftware.com. Hey it's one thing to hack a 50 year old mother of two, but stay away from our games, dude.
• Better start stocking up on tuna fish. New Federal sentencing guidelines will significantly increase jail time for hackers starting next month. Mitnick says it won't make a difference. "I really can't see people researching what the penalties are before they do something."
• Fairfax county, VA, has started putting the names of vehicle tax cheats online. You can even turn in your neighbors online.
• Did you see that? New Scientist has reported the closest approach by an asteroid ever recorded. An asteroid the size of a small house whizzed by on September 27, just 88,000 kilometers away.
• Traffic reporters say the economy must be getting better because Silicon Valley traffic is getting worse. That reminds me, I've got a flight to catch. I'm in NYC Monday so there probably won't be a news summary, but I'll be back on Tuesday. See you then.

Today's News

I'm back, just in time for Marriage Protection Week. Wait 'til I tell my wife. Maybe I'll write a poem for her like President Bush did for Laura. Ford started the first assembly line on this day in 1913. USSR's Luna 3 satellite shows far side of the moon for the first time in 1959. The MPAA started rating films in 1968. And it's Election Day in California. Allow a little extra time for voting; the 135 candidates for governor are in random order on the ballot. I sent in my absentee ballot last week voting against the recall. No matter what you think of Gray Davis, the recall process just doesn't work, as we'll learn when Arnold is elected and then recalled within six months. And now the tech news...

• 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco yesterday instructed the FCC to reconsider its policy requiring DSL providers to open their networks but exempting cable modem providers. The ruling could mean that cable companies will have to offer other ISPs access to their broadband service. The FCC will appeal.
• Micrsosoft reveals planned changes in Internet Explorer in response to Eolas patent victory. Users will be prompted each time an ActiveX control is to be loaded. Content providers are encouraged to provide data in non-ActiveX form, as well. Well it's about time - ActiveX is a proprietary standard that leaves out all non-Windows users. It's insecure, to boot.
• Here's one way to beat Linux. Microsoft is working with Phoenix to put DRM and other parts of Windows into the BIOS.
• ICANN stands up to Verisign, and wins, at least temporarily.
• US Supreme Court hands RAMBUS a victory in fraud case. The company still faces civil charges from the FTC over not disclosing its pending patents to memory standards group. The group unwittingly incorporated RAMBUS technologies into the standard and now RAMBUS is demanding royalties from makers of DDR and SDRAM.
• Sony shows PSX in Japan. Available later this year in Japan, the product may debut elsewhere by next year. The $720 PSX combines Tivo-like functions with a PS/2 and DVD player.
• Charter sues recording industry over P2P subpoenas.
• New Thinkpads have built-in shock protection.
• Survey says, only 50,000 blogs are updated daily and most bloggers give up within one year. Perseus Development Corp. randomly surveyed 3,634 of the estimated 4.12 million blogs online and found that two-thirds hadn't been updated in over two months. Over one million blogs only contained a single day's posts. Active blogs were updated on average every 14 days. Only 106,579 of the hosted blogs were updated on average at least once a week. Fewer than 50,000 were updated daily. There's lots more in the report - it's interesting reading. QOTD: When's the last time you updated your blog.