31st December 2003 Archive
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Microsoft settles $60 million video patent dispute
Full steam ahead for er, NetMeeting
Microsoft has settled a patent infringement case by cutting a licensing deal and paying the plaintiff $60 million. ImagExpo GmbH, a Munich-based subsidiary of SPX Corporation, the large US industrial manufacturer, claimed that Microsoft's now defunct NetMeeting software infringed on a whiteboard patent held by the firm. A jury …
Software 31 Dec 2003, 00:14
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Arise, Sir Tim Berners-Lee
Beknighted
Tim Berners-Lee, the man who invented the Worldwide Web, has picked up a gong in the New Year Honours List. We shall now have to get used to referring to him as "Sir Tim". Of course, this is an honour "which applies to the whole Web development community" etc. etc., or so says Sir Tim. You can read his press release here. …
Music and Media 31 Dec 2003, 11:40
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Colon cleansing spam on the rise
Gastro-intestinal quackery
It used to be Viagra, body parts enlargers, mortgages, hair tonics and diet products, but lately spammers want to tell you to get your colon cleaned. The average person contains five to 25 pounds of "waste" build-up in their colon, we keep reading in dozens of spam messages. This can lead to colon cancer, deadly toxins and even …
Music and Media 31 Dec 2003, 12:22
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Guardian’s digital edition raises stakes
Online newspaper market hotting up
The Guardian announced in July that it was joining the rest of the UK broadsheets (well, before half of them starting offering tabloid versions) in charging for some of its Web content. Among the changes was the creation of a new digital version of the paper that would allow visitors to read its daily editions online while …
Music and Media 31 Dec 2003, 12:22
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AOL's Sunshine State spam attack thwarted
File another day
The legal beagles at AOL will need to alter their attack against some Florida computer technicians charged with delivering spam after a U.S. federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought against the alleged mass mailers. Judge Claude Hilton who works out of the U.S. District Court in eastern Virginia last week tossed out AOL's case …
Security 31 Dec 2003, 17:53
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Mitnick to exploit hackers for $500 a pop
Fame and glory awaits
Kevin Mitnick has been commissioned to pen another book on the art of hacking and wants you to do the grunt research work for him. America's "most-wanted" computer outlaw, who spent five years in the clink, is calling on fellow Net naughties to submit stories of their exploits for inclusion in a book tentatively titled The Art …
Security 31 Dec 2003, 19:36
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DARPA quells robot road rage
Grand Challenge back on track
After a series of last minute rule changes and a solid outpouring of anger, the final list of competitors for DARPA's Grand Challenge robot race has been set with 25 teams preparing to try and win a $1 million prize. True to the original goals of the race, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has selected a wide …
Business 31 Dec 2003, 22:38
