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5th August 2005 Archive

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  • Galactic spring-clean unveils missing quasars

    Kim 'n Aggie would be proud

    A team of astronomers might have solved one of the mysteries of astrophysics with the discovery of a clutch of quasars, hiding behind clouds of dust. The discovery was made using data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and could explain previously mysterious levels of cosmic background radiation. Quasars are very distant, …

    Science 5 Aug 2005, 03:02

  • Anti-pirates seek lifeline

    Rescue hopes for beached UK firm BitArts

    Hopes are growing that a buyer might be found for UK security developer BitArts Ltd after cash flow problems forced the Nottingham-based anti-piracy software firm into administration last month. "The firm went into administration because of short-term funding problems rather than more fundamental problems with its business. …

    Financial News 5 Aug 2005, 08:38

  • EMC crams Clariions full of high-end goodness

    Major Flare up

    EMC this week wrapped a few upgrades for the Clariion line of storage systems around a common theme - making midrange to low-end boxes stronger. Most notably, EMC will ship the Clariion CX300, CX500 and CX700 systems with UltraPoint hardware and software that permits "point-to-point" links between disk drives and storage …

    Small Biz 5 Aug 2005, 09:00

  • AMD ships dual-core Opteron 165

    Calling embedded-market customers

    AMD has begun shipping dual-core Opteron 1xx series processors to the embedded market, the chip maker said yesterday. AMD has shipped dual-core Opteron 2xx and 8xx chips for two- and four-way servers, but has yet to offer a version of its Opteron 1xx family, aimed at uni-processor servers and workstations. Earlier this week, …

    Data Center 5 Aug 2005, 09:13

  • Intel 'not quitting' low-end desktop chipset biz

    Re-prioritising manufacturing, apparently

    Intel isn't abandoning the low-end desktop chipset market, merely adjusting its product mix, the chip giant claimed this week. Various spokesfolks cited by a number of websites all said the company was tweaking its manufacturing schedules to favour products for which there's currently strong demand. However, with wafer …

    PCs 5 Aug 2005, 09:18

  • Too many ATMs are exposed to fraudsters, warns Gartner

    Missing the middle track

    Fraudsters can get cash from ATMs because some banks fail to scan security codes in the magnetic stripes on cards, according to Gartner. Counterfeit cards are made when consumers, tricked by phishing, disclose account numbers and PINs. According to the research firm, ATM fraud is on the rise, affecting an estimated three …

    Security 5 Aug 2005, 09:30

  • AOL snaps up storage firm

    Demand for home storage skyrocketing

    AOL has acquired US-based storage outfit Xdrive to meet the "skyrocketing" demand from net users to save their music, pictures and video online. Financial details concerning the acquisition of the privately-owned company were not disclosed. Xdrive manages an online, centralised storage platform that gives subscribers access to …

    Broadband 5 Aug 2005, 09:38

  • Shuttle gets permission to land

    No fourth spacewalk

    NASA has given the Shuttle Discovery the all-clear to land as scheduled on Monday next week, despite lingering safety concerns. As well as the well-publicised falling foam and protruding gap-fillers, engineers have been worried that a torn section of thermal insulation blanket would need repairing before the Shuttle could make …

    Science 5 Aug 2005, 09:48

  • Gizmondo US launch 'put back to October'

    Sensible move, says firm

    Gizmondo has confirmed that the US release of its GPS-enabled handheld games console has been delayed - again. In May, the company touted 11 August as the date on which the would-be Sony PSP and Nintendo DS rival would hit the streets. This week, it emerged that US gaming retailer EBGames was listing the console's debut as 20 …

    Consoles 5 Aug 2005, 10:21

  • Six patches for MS August Patch Tuesday

    In brief Beige alert

    Microsoft plans to release six patches next Tuesday, 9 August. All of the patches involve Microsoft Windows and at least one is critical, according to minimalist details from an advance bulletin notification from Redmond issued Thursday. ® Related stories Three critical fixes in MS July security update Oracle taken to task …

    Software 5 Aug 2005, 10:26

  • Police appeal for witnesses to Vodafone theft

    Two men sought

    Police are appealing for witnesses in connection with a burglary at Vodafone's offices in Welwyn Garden City earlier this week. The suspects stole IT kit that led to Vodafone's paging network falling over leaving 180,000 subscribers - including hospital staff - without access to the service. The burglary took pace between 11. …

    Mobile 5 Aug 2005, 10:33

  • RFID chips are the mark of the beast: official

    Black helicopter alert Tom Cruise also Satanist, btw

    We have just received breathless confirmation of two facts that we at Vulture Central had suspected for some time: RFID chips are the mark of the beast and Tom Cruise is a Satanist whose pact with the Lord of the Flies has given him fabulous wealth, fame and the power to attract any women on the planet despite being only 4'3" …

    Bootnotes 5 Aug 2005, 10:49

  • It's the 12:01 for Gizmoville

    Tech Digest Toot! Toot!

    Potentially useful gadgets of the week: Samsung's mobile TV range If you thought that TV on the move was all about catching a few seconds of Big Brother on your phone, think again. At IFA, next month's huge consumer electronics fest in Berlin, Samsung is set to unveil a wide range of mobile TV products. This means adding a …

    Peripherals 5 Aug 2005, 11:02

  • Annual hacking game teaches security lessons

    Is code auditing enough?

    LAS VEGAS The weekend-long Capture the Flag tournament stressed code auditing as a measure of hacking skill this year, a move that emphasized more real-world skills, but not without controversy. The annual Capture the Flag tournament at DEF CON has always attracted participants from a variety of background, looking to try their …

    Security 5 Aug 2005, 11:18

  • Nokia 3230 smart phone

    Review Business or pleasure?

    Whereas a few years ago Nokia was big enough to see off the likes of Ericsson and Siemens, it's not quite the giant it once. Part of the reason for that is the fact it's made some odd decidedly odd handset design choices in recent years. It let Sony Ericsson overtake on styling, its early 3G offerings misfired and its more …

    Reviews 5 Aug 2005, 11:30

  • Appley mice infest letters bag

    Letters As do virtual virii, moongazing and black choppers, for drama

    Who knew that there was so much to say about mice? Oh, wait, it was a mouse from Apple. Obviously everyone has an opinion: Apple finally releases the multibutton mouse... First they start using Intel processors, and now ANOTHER BUTTON? What will the Mac fanatics have to say about this one? The overwhelming sound of a million …

    Letters 5 Aug 2005, 11:44

  • Worm risk over Win2K flaw

    Sounds familiar

    An unpatched flaw in a core component of Windows 2000 might be exploited to launch computer worms, security researchers warns. The flaw was discovered by security research firm eEye Digital Security. The firm is witholding details pending the release of a software patch. Microsoft is investigating the issue, which is complicated …

    Security 5 Aug 2005, 11:51

  • Carphone to buy Your Communications - report

    Maybe, maybe not

    United Utilities (UU) has played down speculation that it is about to flog its B2B telco - Your Communications - to Carphone Warehouse for £200m. The Manchester Evening News quotes city sources who say the deal has already been agreed. But a spokeswoman for Carphone told El Reg that the firm didn't comment on rumour and …

    Financial News 5 Aug 2005, 11:55

  • Hurricane Ivan prompts rogue wave rethink

    100ft waves could be quite common

    Hurricane Ivan generated a wave almost 100ft high last September, as the storm passed over the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists reckon it is the tallest wave ever measured in US waters, and that it would have had enough power to literally break a ship in two. The wave was so large that it is likely to prompt scientists to rethink …

    Science 5 Aug 2005, 12:13

  • River Po awash with 'cocaine'

    Scientists 'staggered' by aquatic snowfest

    Italian scientists have discovered that the river Po contains the remains of the consumption of more than 4kg of cocaine daily - equivalent to an annual snow festival of 1,500kg per year among the Po valley's five million inhabitants. The point of all the numbers - published in the net's Environmental Health by a team from the …

    Science 5 Aug 2005, 12:35

  • eBayer auctions ad space on corpse

    His own, mercifully

    He's not dead yet, but one day Andrew Beutin will depart this life for a place free of the fiscal woes which beset this corporal plane. In the meantime, he's looking to raise a quick $10k by auctioning advertising space on his own dead body. Here's the pitch: You are bidding for the sole right to advertise on my corpse....as …

    Media 5 Aug 2005, 13:35

  • New regs target phone scammers

    Premium rate cash 'frozen' for 30 days

    New regulations are due to be introduced next month that should help protect punters from being ripped off by dodgy phone operators. From 15 September, telcos that lease lines to premium rate services will not be able to pass on any cash to service providers for at least 30 days, improving the chances of those hit by scams to …

    Broadband 5 Aug 2005, 13:47

  • High Court rejects itunes.co.uk dispute review

    'Flawed application'

    The High Court in London has rejected an application for a Judicial Review into the ownership of the itunes.co.uk domain. In June, Benjamin Cohen - who registered "itunes.co.uk" in November 2000 some three years before Apple registered the name "itunes.com" - announced he was seeking a Judicial Review of Nominet's ruling in …

    Media 5 Aug 2005, 15:40

  • London Tube terror game sparks outrage

    'Mind the Bombs' branded 'sick' and 'twisted'

    UK tabloid the Sun is beside itself with rage today after discovering an online game in which players have to stop bombs detonating on the London Underground system. The Mind the Bombs website invites you to: "Do your part in the war against terrorism - email this FREE game to all your friends, family and associates to enjoy …

    Bootnotes 5 Aug 2005, 15:47

  • NPfIT still failing to engage doctors

    Haven't we been here before?

    Yet another study of the UK Health Service's National Programme for IT has found that frontline staff, GPs, feel they have been left out of the planning and decision making processes. The study warns that the failure to engage with GPs has put the entire project at risk. The report, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ …

    Management 5 Aug 2005, 16:00

  • EDS wins £39m prisoner profile deal

    Plus a potential £40m extra in services

    Government favourite EDS has reportedly won a £39m contract with the National Offender Management Service to develop technology that will be able to track offenders as they pass through the criminal justice system. The so-called National Offender Management Information System (NOMIS), is the underlying technology that will join …

    Management 5 Aug 2005, 16:03

  • MPs demand Granville Technology probe

    What went wrong at Tiny/Time firm?

    MPs are queuing up to demand an inquiry into last month’s collapse of Granville Technology Group Ltd. Burnley-based Granville, which operated the Time, Tiny and Computer Shop brands, collapsed into administration just over a week ago, following months of losses. One and a half thousand workers immediately lost their jobs. …

    Financial News 5 Aug 2005, 16:32