14th January 2005 Archive

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Amazon CEO chooses nowhere for space program

Jeff, there's a tumbleweed in your thruster

Amazon.com's wealthy CEO Jeff Bezos has picked an unlikely home for his space exploration start-up. Van Horn, Texas will serve as the headquarters for Blue Origin, which is Bezos' new company dedicated to creating a suborbital spaceship. The city of around 2,000 residents is located in spacious western Texas somewhat near El …

Bootnotes 14 Jan 2005, 02:51
European workers say outsourcing is good ...

... says survey by outsourcing company

A large number of European employees consider outsourcing to be an opportunity for them to develop their careers. Almost half of the respondents to a LogicaCMG survey cited outsourcing as an opportunity for them to develop further specialisation in their field of work. The survey polled 200 employees in large companies in the …

IT Director 14 Jan 2005, 05:27
A new tool In the spam war

Call in the arbitrators!

Arbitration is part of the next wave of security measures, and can be effective against spammers who illegally harvest email addresses from a honeypot on your website, writes Ethan Preston. Anti-spammers have a new weapon in their arms race with the spammers. A robot recently rummaged through Mike Wendland's website, harvesting …

Spam 14 Jan 2005, 05:29
Macworld: Spotlight, trinkets, mark-ups, and middle-class angst

Our show roundup

It's always worth returning to MacWorld later in the week, to get a better idea of how it's doing. The first day fanatics - the kind of people who during the Maximum Leader's keynote, actually cheer the announcement of price increases ("... And iTools will be $99 a year" ... "Woah! Yeah!!") aren't so apparent. The late-week …

Mac Channel 14 Jan 2005, 08:23
Malware, spam prompts mass net turn off

Hitting ecommerce - report

Both beginners and veterans are finding the Interweb experience so repellent that they're disconnecting in droves, blaming malware and spam. Despite an overall increase in numbers of humans connected to the internet, the mass turn-off is beginning to hit ecommerce in the United States. "Instead of making life easier — the …

Financial News 14 Jan 2005, 10:12
Ofcom ponders open UWB spectrum

Tell us what you think, Ofcom asks

Ofcom has asked the public to comment upon a plan to open up ultrawideband (UWB) spectrum to enable the rapid adoption of the close-range connectivity technology. The UK communications regulator's scheme is outlined in a consultation document, published yesterday. With UWB-based kit already in the works with a view to launching …

Wireless 14 Jan 2005, 10:16
FIFA to trial micro-chipped football

Roy Carroll's nemesis

FIFA is to consider the introduction of micro-chipped footballs after a high-profile incident during a Premiership game between Manchester United and Tottenham. During that match United keeper Roy Carroll fumbled a long-range shot from Spurs' midfielder Miguel Pedro Mendes. Although TV footage showed that the ball had crossed …

Science 14 Jan 2005, 10:19
Cybermachines to take over government IT projects?

Letters What is the world coming to?

We'll begin with a deconstruction of the ills of the civil service, in particular, why their recent pronouncements on managing IT projects should be treated as a comedic diversion from the real business of getting stuff done: Dear Friends I cannot help a bitter chuckle when I read the UK Government's Chief Information Officer …

Letters 14 Jan 2005, 10:22
IBM shunts NTL tech support jobs to India

Cost-cutting

IBM is shunting more helpdesk work to India as it looks to cut costs. Workers at cableco NTL are now having their IT and PC problems handled by staff at IBM's Integrated Delivery Centre (IDC) in India. Big Blue began routing calls to India earlier this week and expects to shunt all calls to the Indian IDC by the end of the …

IT Director 14 Jan 2005, 10:27
Worm plays Tetris with victims

Old game with unpleasant twist

A worm which poses as a version of classic computer game Tetris is spreading across the net. The Cellery worm spreads across insecurely configured network shares and distracts infected users with a Tetris-like arcade game and a MIDI music tune while it scours network drives and attached computers for fresh victims. Few copies of …

Anti-Virus 14 Jan 2005, 10:30
Pachyderm Picasso raises $7k for tsunami relief

Painting elephant's eBay success

A painting by an elephant at Fort Worth zoo in Texas has raised $7,000 dollars for tsunami victims. Thai-born Rasha applied brush to canvas in support of the American Red Cross International Response Fund. The North Hills Lincoln Mercury in Hurst stumped up the winning bid on eBay. That Texans are willing to pay substantial …

Bootnotes 14 Jan 2005, 10:32
Elpida preps low-amp DDR SDRAM for portables

Super Self-refresh

Elpida has begun sampling 256Mb DDR SDRAM chips with a technology claimed to yield significant battery life benefits for notebooks and other portable devices. The technology, dubbed Super Self-refresh (SSR), adjusts the standard on-board self-refresh system according to the chip's operating temperature. At lower temperatures, …

System Builder 14 Jan 2005, 10:41
Apple said to ship PowerBook G5 in Q2 2005

iBooks too, maybe

Expect Apple to ship PowerBook and iBook notebook Macs based on a G5-class PowerPC chip in Q2. So claim sources close to Taiwan's contract manufacturers, DigiTimes reports. Tucked away in a discussion about Apple's manufacturing partners are references to an iBook G5 and a PowerBook G5, which will ship in Q2 2005. They will be …

Mac Channel 14 Jan 2005, 10:59
eBay scammer indicted for $66k fraud

Sold electronic kit, pocketed cash

A 20-year-old man from Toledo, Ohio, has been indicted for allegedly scamming $66,525 from eBayers who thought they were bidding for electronic equipment, the Toledo Blade reports. Nicholas A. Knowles offered kit including laptops, plasma TVs and PlayStations, attracting winning bids of between $100 to $350. Knowles reportedly …

Music and Media 14 Jan 2005, 11:30
Chaintech readies Nvidia 6600 AGP board

Replacement for FX5900 series

Chaintech has announced its latest graphics card, this one based on Nvidia's upcoming AGP 8x version of its GeForce 6600 GT chip. The Chaintech GeForce 6600 GT replaces the company's older FX5900XT board, matching its predecessor on price but providing a significant performance hike, the Taiwanese manufacturer claimed. The …

System Builder 14 Jan 2005, 11:44
eBay Hawaiian skull vendor avoids jail

Community service, $10k fine plus apology

A California man who attempted to sell a 200-year-old Hawaiian skull on eBay has avoided jail on a federal rap and will instead do 600 hours community service, pay a $10,000 fine to the "victims" of the crime and issue an apology to Hawaii's citizens in three newspapers. Jerry David Hasson, 55, was charged in September on a …

Music and Media 14 Jan 2005, 11:50
Sony PSP to ship in UK on 18 March - Amazon

Online retailer names a date

Sony will release the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in the UK on 18 March. So claims Amazon.co.uk, which has now begun taking pre-orders for the in-demand handheld games console. Admitting that "release dates are subject to change", the online retailer nevertheless states: "This item will be released on March 18, 2005. You may …

Consoles 14 Jan 2005, 12:00
Guidelines for FOIA stragglers

Freedom of - what was that?

The Society of IT Managers (Socitm) has published a report on the impact of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), with advice for IT managers on preparing their organisations for dealing with the new legislation. This is free for Insight subscribers. Otherwise, the report costs £25 from the Socitm website. As the FOIA came …

IT Director 14 Jan 2005, 12:02
Apple patches 'highly critical' iTunes bug

Playlist peril

Apple updated its iTunes software this week following the discovery of a security bug that leaves open a way to compromise vulnerable systems. A bug in code used by iTunes to parse .m3u and .pls playlists means a maliciously-crafted playlist (with long URL file entries) can crash vulnerable versions of the application. In the …

Enterprise Security 14 Jan 2005, 12:10
Jail looms for camera phone users

Caught in court

A woman who is facing a jail sentence for using a mobile phone camera in court has denied she took any pictures. Ann Marie McGlacken from Stockport and a teenage girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were caught using the picture phones as Douglas McGlacken was waiting to be sentenced for possessing a key-fob gun at …

Mobile 14 Jan 2005, 12:24
US wireless strategy attracts flak

New body resists increased state regulation

The CTIA, the body representing the US wireless industry, is so concerned by the possible negative effects of increased state regulation on its members, that it has formed a separate organization, with its own funding and budget, to lobby against additional burdens, particularly in respect of taxation. It plans to spend “tens of …

Mobile 14 Jan 2005, 12:26
Economist rekindles open access chip debate

An unlikely open source champion

Chipmakers always face the dilemma of whether to open up their designs, increasing their market reach as well as placating the open source movement, or whether to keep their prime asset, their intellectual property (IP), close to their chests. Intel has come under much fire in the past for its hesitancy in supporting open source …

System Builder 14 Jan 2005, 12:27
Astronomers spy proto-planetary hit-and-run

Have you seen this planetesimal?

Astronomers have spied evidence of planet formation occurring around nearby stars. Observers at the Gemini South 8-meter telescope in Chile, say details in the dusty disk around Beta Pictoris indicate collisions between planet-sized bodies have occurred as recently as in the last few decades. Dr. Charlie Telesco of the …

Science 14 Jan 2005, 13:00
Pipex approaches 200k broadband punters

Been a good year

Pipex is heading for 200,000 broadband punters, it revealed today as it reported that financial figures for the year would be "in line with market expectations". At the beginning of 2004, Pipex had more than 100,000 broadband punters, but that figure has grown by 67 per cent over the year, taking its current subscriber base to …

Telecoms 14 Jan 2005, 14:29
Texas sues student 'spammer' for $2m

World's 'fourth worst' junk emailer

Texan authorities launched federal suit yesterday against a University of Texas student alleged to have run one of the world's largest spam operations. Ryan Samuel Pitylak, 22, and alleged accomplice Mark Stephen Trotter of Encinitas, California are accused of sending hundreds of thousands of junk mail messages through two …

Spam 14 Jan 2005, 14:31
Aussie ambulances to get Wi-Fi

Meat wagons hitched to wireless bandwagon

Australian state Victoria is to equip its metropolitan ambulances with Wi-Fi in a bid to speed the transfer of patient data. It also plans to roll out Bluetooth to reduce cable clutter in the vehicles themselves. That's the plan, at any rate, as outlined by Victoria's Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) in a document issued to …

Wireless 14 Jan 2005, 14:31
Toilet brush secures stupid warning label crown

Important! Do not read this story

A humble toilet brush has beaten stiff competition to win US consumer watchdog group M-LAW's "Wacky Warning Label" contest. The offending item comes complete with the caveat "Do not use for personal hygiene" - a piece of advice sufficiently stupid to impress the jury of listeners of Detroit radio station, WOMC-FM. This year's …

Bootnotes 14 Jan 2005, 14:35
BOFH: Where the hell have you been?

Episode 1 Uh... Holiday?

"Where the hell have you been?!" the Boss snaps as I open the door to Mission Control, letting the PFY in before me. He almost sounds angry! "Yes," I reply, turning to the PFY. "Where the hell have you been?" "I'm talking to you!" the Boss adds. "Yes," I say, still talking to the PFY. "So listen up!" "Not him, you!" the …

BOFH 14 Jan 2005, 14:36
BT's broadband service crashes and burns

Massive network failure hits business punters

BT's broadband service went titsup this afternoon following a massive network failure. Details are still sketchy but it's understood that half of BT's business punters and almost all of its business and consumer dial-up users were hit by the outage, which kicked-off shortly after midday. According to the latest information …

Telecoms 14 Jan 2005, 15:31
FBI blew $170m on doomed IT upgrade

'Virtual Case File' project finally ditched

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has finally conceded defeat in developing a crucial case management system called Virtual Case File. The system, by Science Applications International, was to be part of the Bureau's "Trilogy" modernization scheme, an urgent mandate since the 9/11 atrocities. The system was intended …

Public Sector 14 Jan 2005, 15:46
Huygens probe alive and kicking

Titan mission looking hopeful

Mission scientists have detected the first signals from the Huygens Titan probe, relayed to Earth by its Cassini mothership. Professor John Zarnecki, principle investigator on the UK science package, said: "Cassini has turned back to the earth and started to transmit data. It is fantastic. It means Cassini has flown its mission …

Science 14 Jan 2005, 16:13
Verizon persists with European email blockade

Unsplendid isolation

US ISP Verizon is persisting with a controversial policy of blocking email sent from Europe. Since 22 December, mail servers at verizon.net have been configured not to accept connections from Europe by default. Verizon is blocking ranges of IP addresses belonging to British and European ISPs (the IP space from RIPE, APNIC, and …

Telecoms 14 Jan 2005, 16:17
Intel delays death of 100MHz Pentium

Ten-year-old chip survives a little longer

Anyone in the market for 296-pin 100, 133 or 166MHz Pentium processors, or 200 and 233MHz Pentiums with MMX, now has a little longer to order some. This week Intel told its customers that it was extending the final date to which it will accept orders for these ancient parts to 31 March. However, any orders taken can't be …

System Builder 14 Jan 2005, 16:48
HP unites golden printer biz and gimpy PC unit

Ink to the rescue

HP has decided to combine its ultra-profitable Imaging and Printing business unit with its underachieving Personal Systems unit, which is responsible for PCs and the like. HP will put current printer chief Vyomesh Joshi in charge of the new, larger business unit. Longtime HP exec Duane Zitzner will retire from the company, …

PCs 14 Jan 2005, 17:41
New York fumes over online loss of ciggy taxes

Web puffers must pay up

The city of New York has concocted an unusual scheme for going after lost tax revenue. Officials this week decided to target smokers who have bought cheap cigarettes online by demanding payment for past purchases of smokes. The city's Finance Department has sent out some 2,000 letters, insisting that smokers pay back taxes on …

Music and Media 14 Jan 2005, 19:54
Huygens lands on Titan, and the data floweth

Moon rivers?

At an emotional press conference, the Huygens mission team announced that their probe has started to send experimental data back from the surface of Saturnian moon, Titan. The Huygens probe is the first man-made object to land on the surface of Titan, and is the most distant controlled descent mission undertaken. The first …

Science 14 Jan 2005, 21:59
Infineon issues profit warning

Dollar doldrums

Infineon expects first quarter revenues and earnings to fall below market expectations. In a profit warning yesterday, the German chipmaker blames client inventory build-up, which aggravated by the sharp decline of the US dollar. The German chipmaker now anticipates earnings before tax and interest of €211m and revenues of …

Financial News 14 Jan 2005, 22:17
Small.biz urged to adopt 'professional' email addresses

... by email address supplier

Small firms should adopt ‘professional sounding' email addresses, Easily.co.uk says. The webhosting firm asked more than 1,500 consumers if they preferred fictional email address sales@londonplumbing .com or londonplumbing@hotmail.com. Some 88 per cent plumped for londonplumbing.com, as it suggested to them a more professional …

Small Biz 14 Jan 2005, 22:38
Oracle and the culling of the 5,000

Soylent Green is Peoplesoft?

It took Oracle 18 months to capture Peoplesoft, declaring itself the winner on 7 January. One week on, and it says it will take just 10 days to tell 5,000 employees, give or take the occasional straggler, that they are fired. Oracle staff will get pink slips too, but it is reasonable to infer the axe will fall most heavily on …

Applications 14 Jan 2005, 22:58