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Fri, 31 Jul 09
Behind-the-Wheel Texting Laws Might Not Change Habits
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67737.html
A proposed national ban on text messaging while driving is already drawing criticism that it doesn't go far enough and is unlikely to be effective without stringent enforcement and radical attitude shifts in the driving public. "The real safety problem is not just texting, but all cellphone use while driving," said Russ Rader, spokesperson for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "The danger in passing a law that just bans texting is that people will think that everything that's not banned is safe, and it's not."

Fri, 31 Jul 09
Why Apple Hates Jailbroken iPhones
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67739.html
Technologically curious iPhone owners have long been able to jailbreak the device -- in other words, unlock the software to allow third-party applications to run on the iPhone without the approval of Apple. Apple has always discouraged the practice, and its latest memo on jailbreaking iPhones claims that such software modifications could crash cellphone towers, thus disrupting wireless communications. Jailbroken phones also increase support costs, Apple said.

Fri, 31 Jul 09
Security Testers Spot Worrisome Weakness in SSL
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67736.html
Yet more Web security flaws have emerged to threaten Internet users, who are already bedeviled by the likes of drive-by attacks, SQL injections and spam. At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, researchers reportedly demonstrated serious flaws in the Secure Sockets Layer encryption protocol, a commonly used method of protecting communications on the Web. One attack, demonstrated by security researcher Moxie Marlinspike, intercepts SSL traffic using a null-termination certificate -- a certificate containing null characters such as "\0."

Fri, 31 Jul 09
The Comedy - and Tragedy - of the Commons
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67725.html
Sensitive data in unstructured formats poses a distinct problem to security- and compliance-minded organizations, a problem exacerbated by the ubiquity of Web-based portals and collaborative tools such as Microsoft SharePoint. Based on the responses of more than 160 companies in the June 2009 benchmark study, "Securing Unstructured Data: How Best-in-Class Companies Manage to Serve and Protect," this research brief describes how current Microsoft SharePoint users respond to the security challenges raised by their expanding reliance on collaboration.

Fri, 31 Jul 09
Shill-Shocked: The Dark Side of Community Discussion
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67729.html
Name-calling and accusations are nothing new on the Linux blogs, but lately the mud-slinging has become so intense that it seems fair to say a good cleaning is in order, for the walls and floors are covered. Much of the recent ferocity has sprung up over the seemingly never-ending Mono debate, which we here at LinuxInsider Indeed, such was the fever pitch the debate had already reached on that topic by late last month that at least one blogger had already raised the question of whether debates like this one might derail FOSS.

Fri, 31 Jul 09
Greenpeace Tags HP for Lagging in Eco-Commitments
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67724.html
In the latest phase of an ongoing battle with computer makers over the allegedly eco-unfriendly nature of materials they use in manufacturing, environmental activist group Greenpeace on Tuesday hit HP's Palo Alto, Calif., global headquarters. Its members painted the message "Hazardous Products" on the rooftop of HP's building and sent the company's employees automated phone calls from actor William Shatner -- yes, Captain Kirk and Denny Crane -- urging HP to phase out toxic chemicals in its products.

Fri, 31 Jul 09
iConcertCal: Find Your Live Music Fix Without the Fuss
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67718.html
It's not always easy to find quality live entertainment. The problem isn't necessarily a lack of venues or a shortage of musical acts willing to play in front of a live audience. The hard part, from a music fan's perspective, is knowing who's playing, where, and when. There are zillions of Web sites out there that do event roundups. Most venues, from the divey-est dive clubs to city-sized stadiums, at least have an online calendar with upcoming events. And you can always just ask the Beast Itself, Ticketmaster.

Fri, 31 Jul 09
NASA Says It's on the Right Manned Spaceflight Trajectory
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67731.html
Engineers designing NASA's next moon rocket denied that the human space flight program dubbed "Constellation" is too expensive, too risky and would unnecessarily delay man's return to space. The engineers defended their work to a committee appointed by President Barack Obama to review what's planned once the current shuttle program is retired. The head of the office that has spent four years designing the next U.S. rocket, called "Ares," told members of the committee that the current design was the safest, fastest way to get Americans back to space.

Thu, 30 Jul 09
The Antisocial Inclinations of Social Networks
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67717.html
Last year, the buzz surrounding social networking concerned "data portability" -- giving Facebook and MySpace users, for example, an easy way to connect to one another without the need to create new profiles. That once-deafening buzz has now fallen silent, and the social networks are back working to corner more of the Web in exclusion of others. "Facebook and MySpace are having trouble monetizing their database," said Tony Roth, chief executive officer of Celect.org.

Thu, 30 Jul 09
The Twitter Rules
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67719.html
The British government has told civil servants: Go forth and tweet. The government published guidelines Tuesday for its departments on using the microblogging service Twitter. In contrast to Twitter's limit of 140 characters per message, the document runs 20 pages, or more than 5,000 words. It tells civil servants their tweets should be "human and credible" and written in "informal spoken English." The guidelines are the British government's latest attempt to embrace the Internet and social media -- efforts that have been both praised and mocked.

Thu, 30 Jul 09
Big Space Party Breaks Up as Shuttle Undocks From ISS
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67723.html
After 11 days together in orbit, Endeavour undocked from the international space station on Tuesday and began its trip home, leaving behind a larger and more energized outpost. The shuttle's departure broke up the biggest off-the-planet gathering ever: 13 people in space. Seven astronauts headed back aboard the shuttle and six remained. The two spacecraft parted company 220 miles above the Indian Ocean. Endeavour took a lap around the space station for some impressive picture-taking before pulling away for good. The shuttle is aiming for a Friday touchdown.

Wed, 29 Jul 09
Microsoft Fires Starter Gun for WinMo Dev Contest
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67714.html
Microsoft has launched a competition to develop applications on the Windows Mobile platform, part of the company's effort to follow other mobile OS makers on the path toward a centralized storefront for all compatible mobile apps. The prize: a Microsoft Surface, which is a tabletop multitouch computer with special software, all worth about $20,000 at retail, according to Microsoft. The "Race to Market Challenge," as Microsoft calls the competition, will be open to developers and independent software vendors in 29 countries around the world.

Wed, 29 Jul 09
Driving Study: Texting Really Really Bad, Dialing Bad, Talking OK?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67712.html
In what may be a first-of-kind study, researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute have concluded text messaging is just about the most deadly thing you can do behind the wheel of a car. However, talking on a cellphone isn't that big a deal, the research suggests. Virginia Tech's study, which is based on an analysis of 6 million miles driven under electronic observation, reports the risk of at least coming close to crashing balloons by 2,300 percent when drivers start tapping out text messages.

Wed, 29 Jul 09
Google Has No Voice at the App Store
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67713.html
Apple has refused to add a Google Voice application to its App store. Google submitted the app some six weeks ago. Apple's rejection of the third-party app has disappointed users and raised questions about partner AT&T's suspected influence in the matter. It has also revived talk about the increasingly political nature of Apple's decision-making when it comes to what's allowed at the App Store. Google Voice lets users send free text messages and make domestic phone calls for free, and it provides low-rate pricing for international calls.

Wed, 29 Jul 09
Microsoft Forges 3 New Security Tools
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67705.html
Despite the best efforts of the computer security industry, hackers are launching more attacks than ever. In turn, members of the industry are working together to combat the threat. In line with this, Microsoft on Monday unveiled some new tools at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, Nev. These include Microsoft Security Update Guide, Project Quant, and Microsoft Office Visualization Tool. All are available for free download. Microsoft also issued a report on how several programs to combat hackers, announced at Black Hat last year, are shaping up.

Wed, 29 Jul 09
Virgin's 'Eve' Wows Starry-Eyed Crowd
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67709.html
Hundreds of earthlings turned their faces to the sky Monday to see an airplane built to launch a ship into space, watching the gleaming white craft soar overhead. The twin-fuselage craft named "WhiteKnightTwo," looking like two planes connected at the wing tips, circled the runway several times before touching down at the Experimental Aircraft Association's Air Venture annual gathering. It was the first glimpse the public had of the plane, which was made by Virgin Galactic as part of its effort to jump-start commercial space travel.

Wed, 29 Jul 09
Will iTunes 'Cocktail' Juice Up Album Sales?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67706.html
Apple and the four major recording labels are working on launching in the fall a music offering code-named "Cocktail" that aims to add value to digital albums sold on the online iTunes Store, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. The new package will include liner notes, artwork and potentially cellphone ringtones and music videos in a unified software package that the labels hope will boost sales of albums, instead of just single tracks.

Wed, 29 Jul 09
Iranian Activists Keep Protest Going Online
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67703.html
The tweets still fly and the videos hit YouTube whenever protesters take to the streets in Iran -- even as the Internet battle there turns more grueling. Authorities appear to be intensifying their campaign to block Web sites and chase down the opposition online, and the activists search for new ways to elude them. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube remain blocked, as they have been since Iran's political turmoil began following the disputed June 12 presidential election.

Tue, 28 Jul 09
RIM Pitches the BlackBerry Curve Ball
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67699.html
Less than six weeks after announcing the BlackBerry 9630 Tour phone, Research In Motion has released news on its latest product, the BlackBerry Curve 8520. The smartphone will be carried by T-Mobile, and it will be available on Aug. 5. Although it is aimed at the lower end of the BlackBerry market, the 8520 has one important feature that might become standard on RIM's smartphone line: an optical trackpad. The 8520 is aimed at consumers, but like all BlackBerry devices, it can also be used in the enterprise.

Tue, 28 Jul 09
I Can Has 4chan? AT&T Lifts Mischief Site's Quarantine
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67698.html
Once again, the CEO of a major American company has met an untimely -- and fake -- demise on the pages of CNN's iReport Web site -- and once again, the mischief-making Web site 4chan is suspected of being behind it all. It's likely that excutive Randall Stephenson was selected as the cybervandalism target because his company, AT&T, reportedly denied access to 4chan over the weekend. The phony iReport claimed that Stephenson had been found dead after a night of "male dancers everywhere and the best blow west of the Mississippi."

Tue, 28 Jul 09
Acer Aspire One: Easy on the Eyes, Helpful to the Hands
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67687.html
With all the buzz surrounding netbooks, it seems as if they've been around forever. In reality, though, they're youngsters in the great scheme of things. As such, their characteristics are still in flux, their makers still casting about for the best mix of form and power. Acer, with the introduction of its Aspire One AO751h model, is advancing the netbook closer to that best mix. The unit, which sells in the $350-$550 price range, depending on the configuration of its memory, processor and battery, pleasantly addresses two nagging problems with netbooks.

Tue, 28 Jul 09
Tales From Silicon Valley: The Inside Dope on Apple, OSS, Microsoft and Google
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67688.html
I live in Silicon Valley, and sometimes I wonder if someone's putting something in our water. For instance, one of our local folks, who evidently treated his agorophobia by playing "Resistance: Fall of Man," has sued Sony for stealing money from him as a result of Sony's banning him from the game. Evidently, three warnings about his hostile online behavior weren't enough; he feels he has a right to behave badly and wants at least $55,000. I think Sony would like him to buy an Xbox.

Tue, 28 Jul 09
On Pi Approximation Day, Flying Pigs and DRM
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67692.html
America's Independence Day may have come and gone, but that doesn't mean there's been nothing else to celebrate as the summer wears on. No indeed! Last Wednesday was none other than Pi Approximation Day, an event of perhaps even greater import for geeks far and wide. Traditional celebrations include marching in circles and eating pie -- two activities we here at LinuxInsider tend to favor anyway, holiday or no. Happy (belated) Pi Approximation Day, gentle readers!

Tue, 28 Jul 09
Retronyms: Specializing in Smartphone-Sized Sound Studios
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67691.html
Until recently, editing media like audio and video required significant computing muscle, but the iPhone has changed that. Apple has included video editing in its latest version of its snazzy smartphone. Meanwhile, a scrappy company named Retronyms is bringing audio recording and mixing to the gadget. While mixing music on an iPhone may not appear to be a serious pursuit for some, Retronyms' FourTrack software, developed with Sonoma Wire Works, gained some notoriety last month when the rock group The 88 released a sibg recorded and initially mixed on the iPhone with the app.

Mon, 27 Jul 09
Some Healthy Security Habits for On-the-Go WiFi-ers
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67689.html
When Daniel Carter logged on to a shared computer at a hostel in Rome to check e-mail, he had no idea he was in a hacker's sights. After his trip was over, he discovered someone had hijacked his e-mail account and sent a message to hundreds of his contacts asking for money. "Sorry i did not get you informed about my short trip to london ... i was attacked on my way to the hotel by some hoodlums and they took away all my belongings," the e-mail said, ending with a plea for money "so i can sort out my hotel bills and fly back home" and a promise of repayment.

Sun, 26 Jul 09
Is LA's Google Apps Idea Resourceful or Reckless?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67690.html
Security and privacy concerns have been raised over a multimillion-dollar proposal by Los Angeles to tap Google's Internet-based services for government e-mail, police records and other confidential data. At issue is the security of computerized records on everything from police investigations to potholes as the nation's second-largest city considers dumping its in-house computer network for Google e-mail and office programs that are accessed over the Internet. The president of the LA Police Protective League complained Thursday that the union had scant information on the plan.

Sat, 25 Jul 09
Palm Digs a New Tunnel Into iTunes
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67686.html
Just over a week after Apple cut off the Palm Pre's ability to sync with iTunes, Palm has restored that capability with an update to its webOS operating system. In announcing the update on the Palm blog, Palm vice president of business products John Traynor was somewhat circumspect, focusing first on the platform's enhanced support for the enterprise, then slipping in the news about restored iTunes synching. Palm's announcement has triggered a mix of responses by readers of its blog.

Sat, 25 Jul 09
Death Hasn't Softened Right-Wing Bloggers Toward Cronkite
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67675.html
As a child of the 1960s, I already knew that Walter Cronkite was the man who told us about the assassinations of two Kennedys and a King, the riots in the streets, the landing at Tranquility Base. Seeing the archival footage was deja vu for me; I watched most of all that as it happened, sprawled out kid-style on the floor of my living room, chin cradled in the palms of my hands, all less than three feet away from the TV screen despite my mom's warnings about the damage being done to my eyes.

Sat, 25 Jul 09
Anti-Aging Technology Is No Excuse for Bad Habits
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67680.html
For those interested in longevity, July was a good news month. Recently published research in the journal Science shows that caloric restriction helps monkeys live longer and healthier, while a parallel study demonstrated the possibility that a drug could mimic this process. Clearly, new technologies aimed at lengthening and improving human health are in the works, yet what is missing is a clear understanding of what the technology implies.

Sat, 25 Jul 09
Migrating to Linux, Part 2: Avoiding Separation Anxiety
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67679.html
Six months ago, I began a self-imposed experiment to see if I could survive leaving Windows XP behind. After all, despite its flaws and decade-old technology, the aging Microsoft OS had served me well. However, I decided to skip Windows 7 when it comes to town in October. Vista was never worthy of my consideration, and I have too much cash and data invested in my home office inventory of five X86-vintage computers to replace them with Macs. I finessed my way into regularly using Ubuntu Linux and Puppy Linux on all of my computers.

Sat, 25 Jul 09
Cameron's 'Avatar' Pricks Conscience as Well as Imagination
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67681.html
James Cameron originally wrote "Avatar" as a way to challenge the special-effects firm Digital Domain, where he served as chief executive. However, it took technology 14 years to catch up with his vision of a faraway planet populated by otherwordly plants and animals where humans embody avatars just to brave the landscape. "In the same way that I wrote 'Terminator' just to get a directing gig, I decided to write a story that was full of creatures and characters that would push the art of CG for that company," he said. Artists there said it couldn't be done.

Sat, 25 Jul 09
Tweeting Prayers: New Media Meets Ancient Tradition
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67683.html
For centuries, people have stuffed prayers written on scraps of paper into the ancient cracks in the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. In recent years, they could fax or email their prayers. The Western Wall now has its own address on the social network Twitter. The prayer service's founder, Alon Nil, says petitioners can tweet their prayers, and they will be printed out and taken to the wall, where they will join the thousands of handwritten notes placed by visitors who believe their requests will find a shortcut to God by being deposited there.

Fri, 24 Jul 09
Microsoft Takes Windows 7 Out of the Oven
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67674.html
Microsoft's been working hard to build a positive buzz around the release to manufacturing of Windows 7, but there remain a few flies in the ointment. Many enterprises may decide to wait until the first service pack comes out in about six months before moving to Windows 7. Also, complaints have already been popping up on the Windows Team Blog about staggered release dates and incomplete information. Hitches aside, though, Windows XP is beginning to show its age.

Fri, 24 Jul 09
Refining User Access to Keep Employee Power in Check
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67666.html
It has been a year since the city of San Francisco was held hostage because a city network administrator, Terry Childs, allegedly locked down the city's IT system through a privileged account. Yet today, even with the heightened awareness created by this headline incident, companies continue to struggle, as evidenced by the Fannie Mae and Quantum Technology Partners cases, to protect access to their key systems and resources and reduce the risk of data breaches.

Fri, 24 Jul 09
A Summer of Linux Delights
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67667.html
There's nothing like good, clean Linuxy fun to perk up the dog days of summer. What's a little heat, after all, when you can cool off watching your favorite OS on the silver screen? Yes indeed, Linux Today's Carla Schroder has put together a list of YouTube movies that feature Linux, and they are not to be missed! "Skydiving Tux," "Worm Detected" and "Linux Beauty" are among the gems Schroder includes; to those, we'd only add the recent clip of RMS dancing at FISL 10 in Brazil. You just can't buy entertainment like that!

Fri, 24 Jul 09
B&N eReader: A Knack for the Short Story
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67656.html
The only way for me to fairly review an e-reader application for the iPhone is to start right out by saying that reading a full book on anything other than a bound volume filled with pages does not exactly appeal to me. I once borrowed a Sony Reader; it languished in disuse as I sat on the couch and read a real book. I've tried Amazon's Kindle app for the iPhone; that lost me after about three uses. That isn't to say that I think either of these products, or the whole category of e-readers in general, should just go home and die. It's not their problem; it's mine.

Fri, 24 Jul 09
Suit Hitch Halts ISS Spacewalk
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67668.html
Two astronauts cut short their spacewalk and hurried back to the safety of the international space station on Wednesday after a suit problem resulted in rising carbon dioxide levels for one of the men. NASA officials stressed that spacewalker Christopher Cassidy was never in any danger and experienced no symptoms of carbon dioxide buildup. The trouble cropped up late in Wednesday's spacewalk, the third for shuttle Endeavour's crew. Mission Control said that the canister for removing carbon dioxide from Cassidy's suit did not seem to be working properly.

Thu, 23 Jul 09
Report: Feds Short on Cybersecurity Manpower
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67663.html
A report issued jointly by The Partnership for Public Service and consultants Booz Allen Hamilton asserts the U.S. federal government is, in essence, not prepared to cope with cyberattacks. The problem boils down to a lack of enough skilled people, government administrative quagmire, outmoded approaches, and deficiencies in communication. Many of the problems are systemic and require attention from Congress, the report states. However, the report includes some recommendations for action that it says the government can implement now.

Thu, 23 Jul 09
Google to Let 100,000 Surfers Ride Early Wave
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67664.html
If you want to splash around in Google Wave right now -- the search giant's new real-time communication/collaboration tool that received plenty of tech press hype during a May unveiling -- then you have to be a developer with access to the API. However, that will change on Sept. 30, when Google will let 100,000 curious users take Wave for a test swim. Just don't call it a beta, said Google spokesperson Sara Jew-Lim. "We announced earlier this week that we will be extending this preview to a small group of consumers, but I wouldn't characterize this as a 'beta' release."

Thu, 23 Jul 09
Security Experts at Home: No Downtime
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67657.html
If you want to reach Jim Walden by email, you'll have to ping him at work. Three months ago, he ditched his personal email account because he was concerned about the security implications. Unlike some professionals, Walden never emailed confidential documents to his home account. His concern was that his own personal information that could possibly be maintained on a server outside his control. In short, Walden actually practices what he preaches: Maintain vigilance with home security applications. Practice safe computing.

Thu, 23 Jul 09
The Wide-Open Career Landscape of FOSS Tech Support
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67655.html
The growing popularity of free open source software is a sure sign that consumers and software developers alike are becoming more disenchanted with costly proprietary products. However, the promise of free software can be tarnished when software packages need configuration help and that help proves hard to find. When users have to wade through dozens of forum messages seeking a solution, the FOSS philosophy can turn into a turn-off. Especially for business users, the cost of tech support for free software and the various Linux distributions can become an issue.

Thu, 23 Jul 09
New WiFi Router to Include Gigabyte Gauge
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67661.html
How many gigabytes do you consume per month? Not many people can answer that question, complicating the efforts of Internet service providers to get their subscribers to stay below a certain amount of data per month. In August, Netgear plans to introduce a $190 router that will provide the first easy way for users to get a grip on their Internet traffic. Netgear said it will include the feature on future models, eventually making it a standard, and provide software upgrades for older devices.

Thu, 23 Jul 09
Amid Moon Landing Nostalgia, All Eyes on Mars
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67659.html
NASA's new boss said Tuesday he will be "incredibly disappointed" if people aren't on Mars -- or venturing somewhere beyond it -- in his lifetime. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr., who's 62, said his ultimate goal isn't just Mars -- it's anywhere far from Earth. "I did grow up watching Buck Rogers, and Buck Rogers didn't stop at Mars," Bolden said in an interview with The Associated Press. "In my lifetime, I will be incredibly disappointed if we have not at least reached Mars."

Wed, 22 Jul 09
Yahoo Goes DIY With Redesigned Homepage
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67651.html
Third-party applications and customization features take center stage on Yahoo's new homepage as the company rolled out the beta version of its redesign for U.S. users Tuesday. Actually, "center stage" isn't quite accurate; the long list of colorful icons for Facebook, MySpace, eBay and HotJobs, along with Yahoo's homegrown services like Mail and Messenger, can be found on left-hand side of the new home page. Users can add or subtract the apps they want to see on Yahoo's front page, or can take the suggestions offered in a recommendations section at the bottom of the list.

Wed, 22 Jul 09
RIM Caters to Mac Crowd With New BlackBerry Syncing Tool
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67650.html
Research In Motion is making a major overture to its Mac-using customers with BlackBerry Desktop Manager For Mac, a syncing tool that will become available in September. The software will allow Mac owners to update their BlackBerry devices when new software becomes available, back up content automatically, better manage applications on the device, and -- perhaps most importantly -- sync to iTunes. It will be compatible with Mac OS 10.5.5 and above and will come with optional encryption.

Wed, 22 Jul 09
Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Security and the Home-Based Worker
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67636.html
Everyone knows the old adage that "out of sight" is "out of mind." There's quite a bit of truth to it. It's a facet of human nature that things that are directly in front of our face get noticed, while things that are out of our scope of awareness don't. Seems pretty obvious, right? In fact, it is obvious -- or at least intuitive. However, for those of us who care about and manage information security for the companies that we work for, this seemingly obvious nugget of information about human behavior can be quite a stumbling block for us if we let it.

Wed, 22 Jul 09
Adobe Bulks Up Open Source Street Creds
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67645.html
Adobe has released two new platform initiatives for developers and content publishers: Open Source Media Framework, previously part of the Strobe project, gives developers new open source tools to build media players based on the Adobe Flash Platform; Text Layout Framework, or TLF, provides developers with new typography capabilities to Web applications. Both initiatives are designed to increase developers' capabilities as they build video products and services across mediums and content types.

Wed, 22 Jul 09
Putting the Mac to Work in a PC Shop
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67641.html
It used to be that if you had any sort of affinity for Macs, then there was a good chance you were a graphic artist, musician or niche computer fan. Today, the Mac is popular among an increasing number of users in a variety of work environments. Apple's platform doesn't look like it'll completely replace Windows -- or Linux, to a smaller degree -- in the everyday workplace anytime soon. However, Apple's consumer electronics successes have helped the Mac to make steady inroads into the PC-dominated world of work.

Tue, 21 Jul 09
Gateway Joins Under-$300 Netbook Parade
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67638.html
Gateway announced its third entrant in the netbook market on Monday, the LT2000 series, less than a month after introducing the 3100 series, its first product offering in this category. The LT2000 netbooks, which will retail beginning at $299, sport an Intel chip and feature limited multi-gesture support. They have an 11.6-inch high-definition widescreen display and a full-sized keyboard. The newest netbooks are smaller than their predecessors, coming in at about one inch thick.

Tue, 21 Jul 09
Nokia N86 Zooms In on US
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67637.html
Well after launching its latest 8-megapixel smartphone camera elsewhere in the world, Nokia on Monday announced plans to sell the device in the U.S. The Nokia N86 will be available at Nokia stores as well as online. Its price tag: $558, well over twice as much as similar phones from Samsung and Sony Ericsson, when purchased along with a two-year agreement with a mobile carrier. The device is already shipping in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and China, but will it sell in a country where customers are used to low device prices and longterm service commitments?

Tue, 21 Jul 09
Microsoft Spiffs Up Office for Mac
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67639.html
Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit has introduced its second service pack for Office for Mac 2008. The pack increases the productivity application's speed and provides additional sharing tools. New is the Document Connection for Mac, which allows users to browse documents using SharePoint and Office Live workspace. Another plus in this mid-cycle release is Office Live Workspace support for Safari 4.0 and Firefox 2.0. The service pack also has new capabilities for PowerPoint presentations.

Tue, 21 Jul 09
Microsoft Makes Apple Eat Humble Apple Pie
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67628.html
There's generally more attention on the fight between Microsoft and Google this decade than on the fight between Apple and Microsoft. That's because Google seems to represent the future, while Apple and Microsoft are often seen as anachronisms from a prior age. However, these two clearly aren't ready for the tech old folks home yet -- both have done some amazing things over the last few years. The difference is that Apple, because it's marketing-driven, typically gets more credit for its activities than Microsoft does. That has changed recently, and Microsoft has been kicking a little Apple buttusky.

Tue, 21 Jul 09
Apollo 11 Crew to Obama: We Got the Moon, Now Shoot for Mars
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67635.html
The first astronauts to walk on the moon want President Barack Obama to aim for a new destination: Mars. On Monday, the Apollo 11 crewmen, fresh from a Washington lecture Sunday in which two of them expressed concerns about NASA getting bogged down on the moon, are meeting with Obama at the White House. In one of their few joint public appearances, the crew of Apollo 11 spoke on the eve of the 40th anniversary of man's first landing on the moon, but didn't get soggy with nostalgia. They instead spoke about the future and the more distant past.

Tue, 21 Jul 09
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf (Huntress)?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67634.html
A mini-drama of particular interest to bloggers unfolded in the midst of the hoopla surrounding Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's resignation earlier this month. When a false rumor surfaced that she was stepping down because a federal investigation had been launched into possible illegal use of state funds, Palin threatened to sue a blogger who had repeated the scuttlebutt. The blogger was not cowed -- and rightly so. She had the law on her side. Still, the incident raises questions about what it is permissible to say and do online in a Web 2.0 world.

Mon, 20 Jul 09
Despite Friction, US and China Partner for Clean Energy Research
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67626.html
The United States and China, the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters, announced plans for a joint clean energy research center Wednesday as the American commerce secretary appealed to Beijing to avoid imposing trade barriers on green technology. The research center is an effort at compromise between the two governments, which disagree on whether China should join richer nations in adopting binding emissions-reduction targets to stave off environmental devastation from climate change.

Sun, 19 Jul 09
Culture Shock: The Web Generation Meets Corporate America
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67583.html
Ryan Tracy thought he'd entered the Dark Ages when he graduated college and arrived in the working world. His employer blocked access to Facebook, Gmail and other popular Internet sites. He had no wireless access for his laptop and often ran to a nearby cafe on work time so he could use its WiFi connection to send large files. Sure, the barriers did what his employer intended: They stopped him and his colleagues from using work time to goof around online. However, Tracy says the rules also got in the way of legitimate work he needed to do.

Sat, 18 Jul 09
Mozilla Fixes Firefox JavaScript Glitch
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67623.html
Thursday marked yet another chapter in the short, rocky history of Mozilla's Firefox 3.5 browser, as the foundation released a security update a little more than two weeks after unveiling it. Firefox 3.5.1 fixes a JavaScript vulnerability in version 3.5 that exposed users to so-called drive-by attacks. However, the fix may rob Firefox 3.5 of one of its main boasting points -- speed -- and Firefox 3.5.1 may have a few flaws of its own.

Sat, 18 Jul 09
Palm's Mojo Risin'
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67614.html
Palm issued a public release of the Mojo software development kit for its new webOS operating system, in what could possibly be a response to leaks of the SDK in June. The SDK, given a limited release in April, had been slated for public release by the end of summer. Palm's take is that the public release follows the success of its early access program. "After a successful early access program, Palm's Mojo Software Development Kit is available to all interested app developers," begins the announcement on Palm's blog by Online Communications Director Jon Zilber.

Sat, 18 Jul 09
How to Keep XP Running in a Windows 7 World
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67618.html
Many organizations are facing a major decision about what to do with their PC operating system: upgrade it for all users, phase in an upgrade, or stay with their current OS. Migrating poses challenges from equipment upgrades, to installing and configuring the new OS, to moving user data and settings. Many organizations will instead choose to stay with their current OS, which is most likely Windows XP. This alleviates the cost of upgrades, but it introduces its own share of maintenance challenges.

Sat, 18 Jul 09
Migrating to Linux, Part 1: Sharing a Room With Windows
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67617.html
Microsoft has a very clever philosophy that it uses to keep consumers misinformed about the benefits of the Linux operating system. It's a simple message that effectively dissuades consumers from deviating from the Microsoft upgrade path to Windows 7. The argument basically asserts that consumers making the Windows upgrade will continue to enjoy a familiar desktop experience. Why change to an offbeat OS that businesses shy away from? Microsoft has used this approach numerous times in disparaging the use of Linux on netbook and desktop computers.

Sat, 18 Jul 09
Hollywood to the Rescue With Moon Vid Restoration
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67622.html
NASA could put a man on the moon but didn't have the sense to keep the original video of the live TV transmission. In an embarrassing acknowledgment, the space agency said Thursday that it must have erased the Apollo 11 moon footage years ago so that it could reuse the videotape. Now Hollywood is coming to the rescue. The studio wizards who restored "Casablanca" are digitally sharpening and cleaning up the ghostly, grainy footage of the moon landing, making it even better than what TV viewers saw on July 20, 1969.

Sat, 18 Jul 09
Get Off My Platform! Apple Cuts Pre's iTunes Connection
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67615.html
There's a lot of interesting activity to consider in the Apple-focused blogosphere this week, but three items in particular look like they might create some fairly long-range ripples. One analyst says that Apple and its iPhone are wrecking the cellular industry. For Palm, that may very well be true -- Apple cut off the smartphone manufacturer's easy Palm Pre iTunes syncing ability. Finally, in a possible win for prosumers and computing pros alike, there's a rumor running around that Apple might actually give users an option to buy a matte screen in smaller MacBook Pros.

Thu, 16 Jul 09
Sony Ericsson Packs In the Pixels With New Camera Phone
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67600.html
Sony Ericsson is aiming to polish the image of cellphone cameras, which are typically associated with low-resolution, poorly lit, badly focused snapshots. The company's new C905a Cyber-shot camera phone, available through AT&T on Sunday, features an 8.1 megapixel camera. This will be at least the second camera phone in the U.S. market offering more than 8 megapixels; recently, Samsung announced the Memoir, available through T-Mobile. The Sony Ericsson C905a Cyber-shot will be priced at $179.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a two-year service agreement.

Thu, 16 Jul 09
Verizon Gives Social Media a TV Spot
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67601.html
Verizon has launched two products that fall into what it is calling the "social TV" service category: the Widget Bazaar application store and Internet Video on TV. The latter is a collection of widgets that Verizon has developed in conjunction with Facebook Connect, Twitter, ESPN, Veoh, Blip.tv, and Dailymotion that let FiOS TV subscribers connect with others while watching TV. For example, the Twitter widget lets FiOS TV subscribers follow tweets related specifically to the program they are watching.

Thu, 16 Jul 09
Using Technology to Drop Off the Map
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67594.html
I teach people how to disappear. My methods are not like those of the great Houdini or Chris Angel; my operation is more like a private witness protection program that helps people fall off the grid, live under the radar, and vanish from society. What I provide is akin to a real life delete key. Prior to the advances of technology, there were essentially two tools available to anyone who wanted to disappear. The first one was quite morbid -- locating and assuming the identity of a deceased child. The second was simply hiding and hoping not to be found.

Thu, 16 Jul 09
Excuse Me, but Your RFID Is Showing
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67595.html
Climbing into his Volvo, outfitted with a Matrics antenna and a Motorola reader he'd bought on eBay for $190, Chris Paget cruised the streets of San Francisco with this objective: To read the identity cards of strangers, wirelessly, without ever leaving his car. It took him 20 minutes to strike hacker's gold. Zipping past Fisherman's Wharf, his scanner detected, then downloaded to his laptop, the unique serial numbers of two pedestrians' electronic U.S. passport cards embedded with radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags.

Thu, 16 Jul 09
Engrossing 'Devil Survivor' Rich in Demonic Delights
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67599.html
The "Shin Megami Tensei" series may be the epitome of cult video-game franchises, barely known by most players but beloved by a small but devoted core of fans. The name means "true reincarnation of the goddess," and publisher Atlus has stuck with it despite the lack of any notable goddesses in recent installments. What it has come to stand for is a kind of deep, demanding role-playing adventure that few companies are publishing these days.

Thu, 16 Jul 09
Mock Mars Mission Ends After 105 Days of Earthbound Isolation
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67598.html
Russian engineers broke a red wax seal and six men emerged from a metal hatch after 105 days of isolation in a mock spacecraft, still smiling after testing the stresses that space travelers may face on the journey to Mars. Sergei Ryazansky, the captain of the six-man crew, told reporters at a Moscow research institute near the Kremlin on Tuesday that the most difficult thing was knowing that instead of making the 172-million mile journey, they were locked in a windowless module of metal canisters the size of railway cars.

Thu, 16 Jul 09
Critics Pounce on Tweeter's Tale of Bank Job Aftermath
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67597.html
"So tired today," Annemarie Dooling tweeted early Tuesday. "really really tired. ugh." A couple of hours later, things really really picked up. "My bank was just held up -- with me in it. HSBC 34 and 8," the 26-year-old Web producer tweeted her 1,900 or so followers just after 9 a.m. under her Twitter name, "TravelingAnna," referring to 34th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan. "Also my whole trackball is GONE!!! I'm locked in the bank still." Thus began a rather unusual Twitter thread -- a bank heist, or at least its immediate aftermath, in 140-character-or-less updates.

Wed, 15 Jul 09
SpaceX Chalks Up Another First for Commercial Space Travel
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67592.html
Space Exploration Technologies -- or SpaceX, as it is usually called -- took a key step toward providing support for NASA and advancing private space travel on Monday: It successfully launched a small satellite into orbit atop its Falcon 1 rocket. It was a first for the company, which has been making significant strides in private space flight since its founding in 2002 by Elon Musk, cofounder of PayPal. "This is a big step for SpaceX," said John Gedmark, executive director with the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.

Wed, 15 Jul 09
The Changing What, When, Where and How of Video
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67574.html
New technologies are changing the way we watch video. DVRs, VoD, and online video are freeing us from the broadcast schedules that previously dictated when we could watch programming. The latter two, combined with an ever-growing number of channels, are dramatically increasing what we can watch. The revolution in video habits is not yet complete, however. Whole-home DVRs, remote online access to content, and integration with mobile phones promise to change where we can watch video. Interactive TV features and 3-D TV promise to change how we watch video.

Wed, 15 Jul 09
Apple Tablet Rumors Take on New Life
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67582.html
A persistent rumor that Apple has a netbook device in the works has gotten a boost from blog postings and other coverage citing a recent report in the Mandarin-language China Times. Based on a translation of the article to English, it appears the new product will be a tablet-style computer. That alone makes this latest rumor different from some of the earlier reports. The tablet is expected to make its debut in October, in time for the holiday shopping season.

Wed, 15 Jul 09
Where Does Android Stop and Chrome Begin?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67578.html
With Google targeting the netbook with both its Chrome and Android operating systems, which way should developers jump? Should they pick Chrome, the browser that will soon become an OS and is likely to face strong competition from Microsoft and Apple? Or should they go with Android, an OS that has so far been targeted mostly at smartphones, a category poised for strong growth? Efforts to use a browser as the operating system are not new. IBM is developing a new product built around a browser as an application platform in a project code named "Opus Una."

Wed, 15 Jul 09
UFO-Hunting Hacker Seeks to Overturn Extradition Order
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67584.html
Prosecutors failed to consider the human rights argument against forcing an autistic British man accused of hacking into U.S. military computers to stand trial in the United States, a defense lawyer said Tuesday. Attorney Edward Fitzgerald told the High Court that extraditing Gary McKinnon carried "an avoidable and unnecessary risk of serious psychological suffering." U.S. prosecutors accuse McKinnon, 43, of breaking into 97 computers belonging to NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and several branches of the military soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Tue, 14 Jul 09
Nokia Chases Social Crowd With New Surge Smartphone
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67577.html
Nokia and AT&T Wireless have introduced a low-priced smartphone that plays up its social networking features and comes with a Qwerty keyboard. It will run on AT&T's 3G network. The primary constituency of the Nokia Surge is likely to be younger users who rely on their phones to support most of their Internet-related activities. The Surge will be available online and in AT&T stores on July 19. It will retail for $129.99 with a two-year wireless voice plan of at least $39.99 a month and a data plan of $30 or more per month. A $50 mail-in rebate is available.

Tue, 14 Jul 09
Microsoft One-Ups Google With Office 2010
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67575.html
Not content with battling Google on the search front, Microsoft now plans to offer a free, lightweight Web version of its Office productivity suite. The Web app will come as part of the next major release, Microsoft said, as it announced that Office 2010 was entering an invite-only technical preview. The package is similar to free word processing, presentation and spreadsheet applications from Google. What is different in Microsoft's approach is that it will allow users to host the documents on their own networks, something Google currently does not allow.

Tue, 14 Jul 09
Where Are the Cybercops?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67573.html
The month of June saw a host of Web-based attacks compromising legitimate Web sites. One, dubbed "Nine Ball," compromised more than 40,000 Web sites. Another attack injected a malicious script into large numbers of legitimate sites. Victims who access such tainted Web sites are infected with malware. Facebook has been hit repeatedly by cybercriminals. In May, a hacker cracked into Twitter's internal administration system. What can be done about these attacks, and who's policing the Web anyhow?

Tue, 14 Jul 09
Is the Chrome OS an Apple Killer?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67567.html
You betcha. OK, I'm just kidding -- but in most markets that are divided like the PC market, where one vendor has 90 percent and the other 10 percent, a well-funded competitor would likely take out the 10 percent vendor on the way to taking on the 90 percent vendor. However, as I look at this, I think Chrome will cause both Apple and Microsoft to think twice about some things, but I don't see that it represents much of a competitive risk to Apple, in fact, I'm no longer convinced the Android phone is much of a risk to the iPhone anymore, and I'll explain why.

Tue, 14 Jul 09
Reflections on a Chrome-Plated World
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67568.html
Some weeks, there's just no question what topics need to be covered here on the Linux Blog Safari. Take last week, for example. On blog after blog, our travels throughout the Linux blogosphere revealed countless variations on the same, underlying theme: the announcement of Google's Chrome operating system. That Google's original announcement drew more than 5,300 Diggs and 650 comments by Friday is some small indication of the level of excitement that's going on here.

Tue, 14 Jul 09
Scrivener Takes Wordsmiths Beyond Mere Processing
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67551.html
When writers initially discovered word processing, they beamed with delight. Once the blush wore off the technology, though, that delight morphed into distress. While office workers were perfectly content "processing" words, scribblers writing words needed more from their software. Moreover, they found their needs increasingly ignored by big software houses who catered to the cubicle crowd. One of those scribblers, Keith Blount, bumped into the problems writing with commercial word processors when he set off to pen a novel.

Mon, 13 Jul 09
Chinese Government No Match for the Web
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67538.html
The brawl between Han Chinese and Uighurs in southern China was scarcely covered by state media, but accounts and photos spread quickly via the Internet and became a spark that helped ignite deadly riots thousands of miles away in the Uighur homeland. Even in tightly controlled China, relatively unfettered commentaries and images circulating on Web sites helped stir up tensions and rally people to join an initially peaceful protest in the Xinjiang region that spiraled into violence last Sunday, leaving more than 150 people dead.

Sun, 12 Jul 09
Omg! How Yahoo's Chirpy Celeb Site Ropes In Traffic
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67571.html
Think of the most popular brands in celebrity news, and you'll probably come up with a small list that includes Entertainment Tonight, US Weekly and People. Consider the most successful celebrity news destinations online, and something else jumps to the top. For more than a year, one site has attracted more eyeballs than any other in the realm of celebrity gossip: Yahoo's Omg. With a dedicated staff of just five people, and more than a dozen shared with other Yahoo sites, the company has settled on a "highly profitable" formula.

Sat, 11 Jul 09
US Reputation for Scientific Achievement Flagging
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67565.html
U.S. science, medicine and technology were under the microscope in the latest survey from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, and one finding that's generating headlines is that only 17 percent of the public participants held the belief that American scientific achievements are the best in the world. However, the people who write those headlines and do the reporting on science, medicine and technology -- the media -- also got low grades from the scientists who were surveyed.

Sat, 11 Jul 09
The Little MacBook Pro That Could, Batteries That Can't, a Touch That Might
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67561.html
The Apple-focused blogosphere is still chugging along, even as the summer sun starts pounding down. While Apple's new MacBooks have been getting good reviews for the long lives of their built-in batteries, the iPhone still isn't getting battery raves. More and more users seem to be using external battery packs to give their iPhones a new boost of juice. Meanwhile, the 13-inch MacBook Pro seems to be selling surprisingly well, and tracks left behind by an elusive next-generation iPod touch have been spotted in the wild.

Sat, 11 Jul 09
10 Things for Linux Desktop Evangelists to Ponder
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67559.html
This is the year of the Linux Desktop! Oh, um, so was `expr ${THISYEAR} - 1`. No, wait. It was `expr ${THISYEAR} - 2`. Just kidding. Next year is the year of the Linux Desktop! Of course, many continue to dream and hope, cajole, and demand that one of these years be the year of the Linux Desktop. I'm a big fan, and I'm pulling for Linux's success, but it's a complex formula that determines if and when. It's a puzzle with many pieces. I think Linux is close, but the pieces of the puzzle need to come together.

Sat, 11 Jul 09
Jackson Memorial Brought Out Worst in Networks, Best in Web
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67558.html
On June 25th, many Americans learned about the death of Michael Jackson from the Internet. They had already learned how to use social networks to share that information -- and their grief -- with others, far outpacing traditional television media. Apparently, the three main broadcast works didn't learn anything from that day. On July 7, they allowed themselves to take part in the deification of a song-and-dance man when they simply should have let their Internet properties do the work for them.

Sat, 11 Jul 09
Audit Shows Many Classified DoS Laptops Are MIA or Insecure
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67563.html
Nearly a decade after a Department of State laptop containing highly classified information disappeared in an embarrassing security lapse, the agency is still unable to account for all of its portable computers, a government report said Wednesday. The State Department's inspector general said a review of a sample of 334 laptops belonging to four departmental bureaus found that 27 were missing at the time of the audit and that 172, including nine of 14 classified laptops labeled "secret," were not protected with encryption software, potentially risking sensitive information.

Fri, 10 Jul 09
Google's Chrome OS: A Wispy Desktop Adversary?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67554.html
Google's announcement of a Chrome operating system, coming just nine months after its launch of the Chrome browser, has the tech sector buzzing over the possibilities. Google is targeting netbooks, claiming to have agreements with several OEMs already inked. How will the option of a Chrome OS be received by the desktop-using masses? Are they ready for a PC experience that will rely heavily on applications hosted in the cloud? Or would they rather stick with the tried-and-true desktop model, be it Windows, Macintosh or one of the many flavors of Linux?

Fri, 10 Jul 09
The Stunning Impact of E-Discovery on IT
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67550.html
In today's world, it is no wonder that every lawsuit has electronic evidence. Unfortunately, for the most part, lawyers and judges do not understand IT or the Internet. As a result, litigation generally misses the mark regarding what is now referred to as "ESI," or electronically stored information. It is in your best interest to learn more about the legal issues regarding e-discovery to be prepared, since surely everyone reading this article will be impacted in the future, if not already.

Fri, 10 Jul 09
How to Advocate for Linux (Without Coming Across as a Lunatic)
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67546.html
Sometimes it can be difficult to see what's best for those we love. Take Linux, for example. So numerous are its virtues and so brilliant its shine that many of us get completely caught up in adoring it -- sometimes to the detriment of any efforts to advance it in the world. Aiming to direct the efforts of Linux aficionados who want to advocate for their OS, Linux Today's Carla Schroder recently put together a list of tips suggesting some effective ways to do that.

Fri, 10 Jul 09
S. Korean Sites Bombarded in Third Wave of DoS Attacks
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67552.html
South Korean Web sites were attacked again Thursday after a wave of Web site outages in the U.S. and South Korea that several officials suspect North Korea was behind. Seven sites were attacked in the third round of cyberassaults, said Ku Kyo-young, an official from the state-run Korea Communications Commission. Earlier in the day, the country's leading computer security company, AhnLab, had warned of a new attack after analyzing a virus program that sent a flood of Internet traffic to paralyze Web sites in both South Korea and the United States.

Fri, 10 Jul 09
AT&T Navigator: Many Potholes in This Road
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67545.html
A good GPS car navigation system can be a time saver, a money saver, and sometimes possibly even a car-and-people saver. I know that for some, they're incredibly annoying at best and untrustworthy at worst. For me, though, a good GPS unit is great for driving around in unfamiliar territory. It lets me concentrate more on my immediate surroundings by saving me the trouble of mentally mapping out the big picture of where I'm trying to go -- or worse, trying to flip through a Thomas Guide while driving.

Thu, 9 Jul 09
Suspicion Centers on N. Korea in DoS Blitz but No Smoking Gun
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67539.html
U.S. computer security experts didn't have much of an Independence Day holiday this year, thanks to a massive botnet-driven attack launched on July 4 that initially targeted several federal agency Web sites and then went wider to include assaults on private sector Web entities in America and sites for South Korean government departments. The denial-of-service attacks, which reportedly began Saturday and were still hammering away as of Tuesday, shut down or slowed response times for several government Web sites.

Thu, 9 Jul 09
App Testing at the Speed of Change
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67533.html
Adaptability is the name of the game in our fast-paced society. In order to remain on top, every company needs to adapt to the market in which it participates. Software and application developers -- actually, the entire IT department, if you want to get technical -- are particularly affected by this fast pace of change. With mobile phones, netbooks and smartbooks, as well as social networking, there are new platforms and competitors emerging every day. As a result, developers are being pressured to quickly release new, interesting and effective programs.

Thu, 9 Jul 09
Microsoft Puts C#, CLI Under No-Lawsuit Umbrella
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67537.html
Microsoft made good Tuesday on a promise it made months ago to the open source community that it would not sue software developers who use its EMCA C# programming language and Common Language Infrastructure, or CLI. This announcement aims to calm growing fears that Microsoft might restrict open source projects by going after program developers for patent or other intellectual property infringements related to to these two standards. Microsoft made the announcement on its community blog through comments by Peter Galli.

Thu, 9 Jul 09
Panasonic Unveils Robotic Drug Dispenser
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67542.html
Panasonic said Tuesday has developed a medical robot that dispenses drugs to patients, the Japanese electronics giant's first step into robotics. Panasonic will sell the robot to Japanese hospitals next March and will market it in the United States and Europe later. Panasonic spokesperson Akira Kadota said the robot will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. "This robot is the first in our robotics project. It sorts out injection drugs to patients, saving time for pharmacists," said Kadota.

Thu, 9 Jul 09
Thin TVs Are In - If Your Wallet's Fat
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67543.html
Lee Richman installs high-end home theater systems that can cost as much as $170,000. Lately, he's noticed that some of his clients -- or their interior designers -- are perking up when they hear about ultra-slim TV sets, which come off the wall only about an inch. The difference between these thin models and regular flat-panel TVs, which generally are about 3 or 4 inches deep, is pretty small. It's nothing like the aesthetic shock that consumers had when flat panels were introduced to replace fat old cathode ray tube TVs.

Wed, 8 Jul 09
Sony Gets Over Its Netbook Aversion
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67526.html
Sony joined the netbook race on Monday with a new line of Vaio models. The move comes nearly a year after the Sony executive in charge of the Vaio line derided the diminutive computers as part of a damaging "race to the bottom" for computer manufacturers. Retailing for about $500, the Vaio W series isn't quite at the bottom of the netbook market, which floors out under $300. However, it's part of an inescapable trend in the industry, whether PC makers like it or not, said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at the NPD Group.

Wed, 8 Jul 09
ActiveX Shark Stalks IE Surfers
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67532.html
Microsoft has warned Web surfers that an unused ActiveX control in Internet Explorer could let hackers launch malicious code on the user's system if it's running an older OS like Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. Hackers have reportedly already begun exploiting the vulnerability, and security experts predict the attacks could get worse. Microsoft has posted a fix for the problem online. The flaw, which resides in Microsoft Video ActiveX Control, connects Microsoft DirectShow filters for use in capturing, recording and playing video.

Wed, 8 Jul 09
Yahoo Gives Serious Searchers a Bag of Note-Taking Tricks
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67530.html
Yahoo has rolled out a beta for a feature designed to meet an unfilled need in online search: automated note-taking. The new Search Pad feature in Yahoo Search automates note taking through a number of functions, such as saving recently visited links. It does not target the search engine user who's looking for a quick answer and is satisfied with the first or second link returned, said Yahoo's Tom Chi. Rather, it is aimed at people who are researching complex issues -- from a car purchase to a course of medical treatment.

Wed, 8 Jul 09
Your Web App, Their Experience: Load Testing 2.0
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67510.html
Imagine that it's "show time" for your company's annual peak period of e-commerce traffic. If you've ever been an e-commerce manager for a toy company on Black Friday, a floral company the day before Mother's Day, or a sporting events ticketing company a month before the Super Bowl, then you can surely relate. Your online customer service representatives are trained and primed to help your customers. Your warehouse shelves are stocked, and your logistics providers are all lined up at the door.

Wed, 8 Jul 09
Photo Mechanic Cuts Photogs' Greasy Grunt Work
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67460.html
While programs like Picasa and iPhoto can meet the image organizing needs of many digital photographers, professional and prosumer shooters demand more muscle from their wares. Over the years, they've sought that muscle from applications like Photo Mechanic. The robust image organizer, published by Camera Bits, recently celebrated two milestones. It reached the 35,000 licenses-sold mark, and it released a new cut of the program, version 4.6.1. This latest rendering of the software, which works on both Macs and PCs, has some elegant and useful new features

Wed, 8 Jul 09
Scientists Warn SS Numbering System Is Crackable
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67528.html
For all the concern about identity theft, researchers say there's a surprisingly easy way for the technology-savvy to figure out the precious nine digits of Americans' Social Security numbers. "It's good that we found it before the bad guys," Alessandro Acquisti of Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh said of the method for predicting the numbers. Acquisti and Ralph Gross report in Tuesday's edition of "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" that they were able to make the predictions using data available in public records.

Wed, 8 Jul 09
Online Program Seeks to Put Insomniac Surfers to Sleep
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67529.html
Sleepless people sometimes use the Internet to get through the night. Now a small study shows promising results for insomniacs with nine weeks of Internet-based therapy. No human therapist is involved. The Internet software gives advice, even specific bedtimes, based on users' sleep diaries. Patients learn better sleep habits -- like avoiding daytime naps -- through stories, quizzes and games. "This is a very interactive, tailored, personalized program," said study coauthor Frances Thorndike of the University of Virginia Health System.

Tue, 7 Jul 09
The Crunchpad Cometh
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67521.html
A prototype of a mobile Internet device dubbed the "Crunchpad" will reportedly make its public debut later this month. The Crunchpad is a low-cost touchscreen tablet designed for Web surfing, video chat and email use. The main name behind the Crunchpad is Michael Arrington, who told the San Francisco Business Times that he's incorporated a company in Singapore, Crunchpad Inc., in order to manufacture the devices. Arrington is perhaps best known for his TechCrunch blog network.

Tue, 7 Jul 09
How to Build a New-Media/Old-School Journalism Hybrid
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67504.html
2009 is rapidly turning into a vintage year for old-school journalism whine. Traditional newsies -- both the ink-stained wretches and the blow-dried TV variety -- were already approaching critical mass with their complaints about the Internet, Twitter, social media and their impact on journalistic credibility and accountability, not to mention their ability to remain in business. However, the past two weeks' worth of major news developments have practically made heads explode, and it's all because new media's impact on newsgathering has been in their faces and off the charts.

Tue, 7 Jul 09
Has Nokia Been Bitten by the Android Bug?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67520.html
Nokia is denying rumors that it is about to unveil a smartphone running on Google's Android operating system. "There is no truth to this rumor whatsoever," spokesperson Joseph Gallo told LinuxInsider on Monday. "It is a well-known fact that Symbian is our platform of choice for smartphones." The Guardian newspaper in England reported Monday that the company plans to unveil an Android-based mobile phone in September. If it did, it would join a growing parade of manufacturers rolling out models based on the OS.

Tue, 7 Jul 09
Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Freedom
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67503.html
In the United States, the 4th of July is celebrated as Independence Day, recalling the time when Americans stepped away from a government they viewed as repressive and forged a new future. Over the years, I've worked for a number of harsh managers and companies. Some were actually good for me -- others not so much. I wonder if we all shouldn't take a moment to consider whether we wouldn't be better off in another career, department, company -- or retired.

Tue, 7 Jul 09
Are Contentious Debates Derailing FOSS?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67512.html
Well, the Mono debate has been raging in the Linux blogosphere for some time now, and it shows no sign of abating. Ever since RMS himself stepped into the fray to proclaim his own opinion, the fires have been burning higher than ever -- as we noted last week. Close to 150 fresh comments appeared on the topic in just four days last week on LXer, for example, with no end in sight. In the midst of all the din, however, a small, clear voice rang out with an idea we here at LinuxInsider couldn't resist picking up and examining a little more closely.

Tue, 7 Jul 09
Axiotron: Living Comfortably in Apple's Neutral Zone
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67481.html
The deafening buzz over the prospects of an Apple netbook often drowns out the fact that a Mac tablet computer does exist -- although it isn't exactly made by the Infinite Loop crowd. Axiotron, of El Segundo, Calif., has had a tablet notebook based on the Mac platform in the market for two years. As Apple watchers know, the company guards its hardware position with the ferocity of a leopardess protecting a litter, but Axiotron has managed to avoid Apple's wrath by adopting a creative business model.

Mon, 6 Jul 09
They Tweet, You Decide
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67502.html
Cassy Hayes and Jasmine Coleman were among the first fans to arrive outside the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles where Michael Jackson was brought and later pronounced dead. How had Hayes, 25, and Coleman, 21, heard the news so quickly? Twitter. The two young women had learned about Jackson's health like so many who get their news nowadays: by reading the ever-flowing feed of real-time information on the microblogging service. Jackson's unexpected death at 50 was just the latest major news event where Twitter played a central role.

Fri, 3 Jul 09
Bing Dips Toe Into Real-Time Search With Twitter Tie-In
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67501.html
Microsoft's recently released Bing search engine has begun adding real-time Twitter updates from celebrities to its results. So far, it has indexed the Twitter accounts of a few thousand people, Bing director Whitney Burk told TechNewsWorld. Search results are tied directly to online ads. While adding real-time tweets may get more people to use Bing, it's not yet clear whether that will help Microsoft get more ads. That will depend on Bing's growth, notes analyst Greg Sterling.

Fri, 3 Jul 09
Wallflower or Extrovert? Facebook Lets Users Choose by Post
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67499.html
With 200 million members who double as very vocal quality assurance officers, Facebook knows that any tinkering with its privacy policy is going to receive a lot of attention. So, its Wednesday announcement of an upcoming series of tests regarding its new privacy settings was carefully marketed as a matter of "control, simplicity and connection" by chief privacy officer Chris Kelly. "The power to share is the cornerstone of Facebook," Kelly wrote in the Facebook Blog.

Fri, 3 Jul 09
Tea Parties, Pirate Ships and a Kayak: A Summer at Sea
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67496.html
For seven months, a New York Times reporter named David Rohde was held prisoner by Taliban kidnappers. However, you wouldn't learn that from reading The New York Times -- or even Wikipedia, for that matter. In addition to other news organizations, the Times reportedly asked Wikipedia not to publish information on the abduction. For Wikipedia, that meant monitoring Rohde's entry and quickly deleting information regarding the kidnapping as soon as anyone put it up. Everyone involved seemed to have good intentions.

Fri, 3 Jul 09
Is Software Installation on Linux 'Broken'?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67492.html
You know a controversy is a big one when none other than RMS weighs in with his opinion, and sure enough, that's what happened in the Mono debate late last week. "Debian's decision to include Mono in the default installation, for the sake of Tomboy which is an application written in C#, leads the community in a risky direction," RMS wrote on the Free Software Foundation's site. Of course, rather than settling the debate, Stallman's proclamation only fanned the flames higher, resulting in a raging inferno.

Fri, 3 Jul 09
3 Tips for Brushing Up B2B Security
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67490.html
Companies are seeking to establish electronic relationships with as many business partners as possible to enhance competitiveness, make it easier for important third parties to engage with them, cut time and space out of transaction cycle times and drive down the cost of doing business. As a result of exponential growth in electronic information sharing, it's no surprise that higher volumes of sensitive and confidential data are being exchanged, and correspondingly, there are many more opportunities for cybercriminals to steal valuable information.

Fri, 3 Jul 09
Huge Communications Sat to Service Cellular Dead Zones
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67497.html
The world's largest commercial satellite was launched into space Wednesday, with a mission to provide phone service to cellular "dead zones" in North America. The satellite, owned by TerreStar of Reston, Va., blasted off from Kourou in the South American territory of French Guiana shortly before 2 p.m. Eastern time, carried through pink clouds. Half an hour later, French satellite launcher Arianespace announced that the TerreStar-1 had separated successfully from the rocket, on its way to an orbit 22,000 miles above the Earth.

Fri, 3 Jul 09
Jobs' Quiet Comeback, Mini's Big BOM and Maine's Massive MacBook Splurge
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67494.html
After the raging blog activity surrounding the launch of iPhone OS 3.0 and the new iPhone 3GS, the Apple-focused blogosphere has finally slowed down to catch its collective breath. Still, there's plenty to talk about, like Michael Jackson music sales going through the roof on iTunes, CEO Steve Jobs returning to Apple's Cupertino campus, the Mac mini's relatively high build cost, and MacBooks selling like text books in Maine. "Michael Jackson is likely make more money in death than he ever did in life -- the Elvis effect," writes Cult of Mac blogger Leander Kahney.

Thu, 2 Jul 09
Green Dam Protesters Wait for China's Other Shoe to Drop
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67485.html
China reversed itself Tuesday, lifting the mandate to install Web-filtering software on all personal computers sold in the country. The government's announcement of the requirement, made without warning in June, was met with opposition from human rights activists and Chinese citizens protesting censorship, from PC manufacturers reluctant to retrofit their products, and from Internet security professionals who warned the software could introduce more problems than it might solve.

Thu, 2 Jul 09
On the Road to 4G
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67478.html
Though most major U.S. wireless carriers today tout the ubiquity of their third-generation, or 3G, wireless networks, they are simultaneously planning for the future, pushing the development of fourth-generation networks that they hope we'll all be using in a matter of years. Two of the best-known 4G technologies now on the horizon are WiMax, or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access; and LTE, or Long Term Evolution. However, these two different technologies will likely take different paths in their development and eventually be used for different applications.

Thu, 2 Jul 09
Is Dell Building an Android PDA?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67473.html
Here's one of the many questions facing device makers targeting the mini notebook and netbook markets: When business users or consumers want to access the Web on the go, will they be willing to set aside a smartphone or cellphone and instead log on using a next-generation PDA? Dell may be wagering the answer is yes. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday the company is developing an Android-based, non-phone device that will run on the ARM architecture instead of an Intel Atom mobile chip.

Thu, 2 Jul 09
Despite Danger, Iranian Protesters Won't Be Silenced
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67483.html
The Iranian protesters sneak their cellphones onto the streets and hit record, frantically trying to evade being caught or beaten. The shaky, grainy images are emailed to friends. Then they are uploaded to blogs, YouTube or social networking sites -- offering the world some of the only firsthand glimpses of tensions following disputed presidential elections on June 12. However, the Internet window on Iran's upheaval is being increasingly blacked out by the information crackdown by authorities.

Thu, 2 Jul 09
NASA Maps Out Cheaper Route to the Moon
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67482.html
Like a car salesman pushing a luxury vehicle that the customer no longer can afford, NASA has pulled out of its back pocket a deal for a cheaper ride to the moon. It won't be as powerful, and its design is a little dated. Think of it as a base-model Ford station wagon instead of a tricked-out Cadillac Escalade. Officially, the space agency is still on track with a 4-year-old plan to spend $35 billion to build new rockets and return astronauts to the moon in several years. However, a top NASA manager is floating a cut-rate alternative that costs around $6.6 billion.

Wed, 1 Jul 09
Firefox 3.5 Streaks Onto the Web
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67475.html
Mozilla has released Firefox 3.5, the latest edition of its open source browser, one year after its release of Firefox 3. The update went through four betas, incorporating JavaScript fine-tuning and other improvements, resulting in the fastest version yet, according to Mozilla. Firefox 3.5 includes support for a new private browsing mode, native support for open video and audio, and location aware browsing. However, it is the performance upgrades that Mozilla is touting the most.

Wed, 1 Jul 09
YouTube Opens Digital J-School for Amateur Reporters
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67476.html
How do you conduct a great interview? For Katie Couric, it all starts with being a gracious host. "I think the more comfortable you make someone feel, the better interview you'll get," she says. "I know in terms of body language I always try to be very warm and welcoming. It's really critical to put someone at ease." How do you write a great piece of investigative journalism? For Bob Woodward, it's all about calling a lot of people, finding the right documentation -- "and getting your ass out of the chair."

Wed, 1 Jul 09
Wikipedia and the Kidnapped Reporter: Censor or Savior?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67462.html
For seven months, New York Times reporter David Rohde was held by Taliban kidnappers. During his captivity, both his newspaper and Wikipedia kept quiet about his plight. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales reportedly agreed to a request from The New York Times to delete all references to the kidnapping on Rohde's Wikipedia entry. Thus began a cat-and-mouse game, with anywhere from one to several users repeatedly posting news of Rohde's capture on Wikipedia and Wikipedia representatives repeatedly deleting that information.

Wed, 1 Jul 09
iPhone OS 3.0: The Delight Is in the Details
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67461.html
As most iPhone owners already know, the iPhone rocks. More importantly, what makes it come alive isn't so much the svelte touchscreen form factor but the software. The great thing about the iPhone is Apple's dedication to improving it, and Apple's third major version of its iPhone operating system is definitely an improvement. Like millions of other iPhone owners, I downloaded and installed it almost immediately -- though I did it later in the day, so I didn't run into any of the traffic jams that slowed Apple's servers.

Wed, 1 Jul 09
Why Business Transaction Management Is Hot in 2009
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/67416.html
Business transaction management has been getting a lot of attention lately: IT organizations want it, and every major vendor in systems and performance management has rushed to claim they do it. The promise of BTM is to finally be able to manage IT from a business perspective and make sense of the complexity of modern applications broken down in services that run across environments distributed behind the firewall and in the cloud.

 

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