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15th May 2006 Archive

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  • What was wrong with the 'bubble boy'?

    Life inside a bubble suit

    Asked by Jenny Fredericks of Toronto Bubble Boy (2001) is a romantic comedy film in which a young man named Jimmy (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is born without an immune system and must therefore live his entire life within his bedroom inside a plastic bubble. The problem is he falls in love with Chloe (played by Marley Shelton …

    Biology 15 May 2006, 08:15

  • RM talks tough market

    RM reports: could do better

    Schools provider RM posted reasonable results for the six months ended 31 March, in what it described as "tough market conditions". Revenues were up five per cent to £114.2m on the same period a year ago and profit before tax was £2m, reversing a loss of £0.9m last year. The firm said budget pressure on individual schools was …

    Channel Register 15 May 2006, 08:27

  • Fayrewood AGM: warning on profits

    But not all bad news...

    Fayrewood, the pan-European distie and part owner of security distributor ComputerLinks AG, is holding its Annual General Meeting this morning. Investors will hear chairman David Kleeman warn that margins are under the same pressure as in the second half of last year and niche divisional profits are likely to be lower than …

    Channel Register 15 May 2006, 08:31

  • Business Objects extends further into infrastructure

    Looks to take on the big boys in EIM

    At Business Objects' European User Conference in Cannes, the main emphasis was on encouraging users to migrate to BusinessObjects XI Release 2. However, from my perspective, what was most interesting was the announcement of EIM (enterprise information management), though there was also some Crystal stuff of note. Let me start …

    Developer 15 May 2006, 08:34

  • Chinese academic fired for 'faking' chip designs

    Chips didn't work as claimed, if at all, probe alleges

    A senior Chinese university official has been sacked from his position as head of the institution's microelectronics school for allegedly faking an entire series of chips in order to get state funding, local newswires reported late last week. According to the Xinhau news service, Shanghai Jiaotong University said it had …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 08:46

  • Pantech ships iPod-like phone

    PG-3600V sports 'revolutionary' clickwheel

    South Korean phone maker Pantech has launched a mobile phone with an iPod-like clickwheel control it describes as a "revolutionary touch-wheel sensor". The company said it was pitching the product, which goes on sale today in Hong Kong and Taiwan, at "digital generation" music fans. The PG-3600V is a slider phone with a 1. …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 09:05

  • DCC results coming up rosy

    Recovers from rubbish first half

    Irish distie DCC saw overall profits rise in the year to March despite a difficult first half for its computer distribution arm SerCom. DCC brought in revenues of €3.4bn and a profit of €142m for the year ended 31 March 2006. The computer division - DCC SerCom - bounced back from a bad first half of the year, but still saw …

    Channel Register 15 May 2006, 09:11

  • Refactoring and Smalltalk

    A sexy new name for 'design'

    Steve Taylor has emailed us with some interesting remarks on Pan Pantziarka’s review of Ken Pugh’s Prefactoring book: “Your book review of 'Prefactoring' (pre-factoring? Isn't that what we used to call 'design'?) credits Martin Fowler's 1999 book with coining the term 'Refactoring'.” Good point about "design", Steve, but if …

    Developer 15 May 2006, 09:16

  • Casio preps 'highest' power density portable fuel cell

    Runs four times longer than a standard notebook battery, apparently

    Casio has become the latest Japanese electronics giant to hop on the notebook fuel-cell bandwagon, today pledging to offer a compact power source for portable PCs in sample quantities in 2007. Casio's prototype is a 6.5 x 1.9 x 1.8cm unit capable of producing 19.4W of power, yielding a capacity of 882W per litre - the world …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 09:34

  • Carnivores spit roast veggieromance.com

    Mad cow eaters stampede censorous soy-based lonely hearts

    In a deliciously meaty twist to the story of gagged evolutionary psychology visiting fellow Nikolas Lloyd, the thread on a vegetarian dating site, where offended steak-dodgers plotted his silencing at the hands of Newcastle University, has itself been removed by site techs. It was removed on Friday after the site was bombarded …

    Bootnotes 15 May 2006, 09:35

  • Indian employee database to be mandatory

    Staff representation negligible

    The Indian IT industry has declared that all employees will have to register on its biometric database, so it can assure its Western clients that their customers' personal data will be protected. The National Skills Registry (NSR) was set up in January by the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom), …

    IT Director 15 May 2006, 09:37

  • Verizon Wireless closes in on Voda stake

    It could be yours (for $48bn + debt)

    Vodafone has declined to comment on weekend press reports that it is flogging its 45 per cent stake in US cellco Verizon Wireless. The Observer reports that US telco Verizon Communications is prepared to pay around $48bn to take overall control of the joint venture. Slap on around $8bn of debt and the total price is expected to …

    Mobile 15 May 2006, 09:44

  • Nvidia silently ships GeForce 7900 GS

    Four fewer pixel processors than the 7900 GT?

    Nvidia has quietly released a new GeForce 7900-class graphics chip. The company's web site now lists the GeForce 7900 GS, and Dell has just updated the built-to-order options for its XPS 600 gaming machine to include cards based on the GPU. Like other GeForce 7900s, the GS features a 256-bit memory bus that, in this case, …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 09:52

  • Is this the dullest spam ever?

    Dunno. Don't care

    It's a tough job being a spammer, what with continually having to formulate new lines of attack to lure an increasingly scam-savvy world towards your cunningly-disguised CvIiAaLgIrSa link. Well, the following is a refreshing change indeed from the usual "here's that fantastic mortgage offer I promised to forward - you owe me a …

    Spam 15 May 2006, 10:08

  • Five ways to watch the World Cup on the move

    Tech Digest There's no escape this time...

    The clock is ticking - not long until the big World Cup kick off. There's just one problem. To fit in over 60 matches in a one month period means a number of daytime kick offs, when most of us are stuck at work. You've got two options; use your entire holiday allocation from 9 June, or find a way of catching the action at work …

    Mobile 15 May 2006, 10:22

  • Palm launches Palm OS Treo 700 in US

    Is the 700p UK-bound?

    Palm has announced the eagerly awaited Palm OS version of the Treo 700 it launched earlier this year with Windows Mobile on board. The US version of the 700p builds on the existing Treo 650 by adding support for the US 3G system, EVDO. In the US, the handset will be offered by Sprint and Verizon. As yet Palm hasn't said …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 10:26

  • Cab drivers lecturing on lawsuits

    A taxi driver writes The flat pavement syndrome

    The funny thing isn't the cab driver. It's the total, absolute lack of interest in the issue of the ID card. For those of you who don't read Sunday papers, the story that occupied my attention for most of last week was not the preparation for this week's Wireless Event in London, it was the fact that I was exposed as being a …

    ID 15 May 2006, 10:29

  • Create improved human, win prizes

    Competition Reg goodies up for grabs

    Here's a challenge for all you Photoshop jockeys: create an improved human for the chance to win Reg t-shirts and goodie bag overflowing, cornucopia style, with the fruits of Vulture Central. The inspiration for this evolutionary great leap forward comes from our new Odd Body strand, which has proved very popular with you, our …

    Site News 15 May 2006, 10:40

  • C&W bosses in line for massive payday

    Fat cats to lap-up CWeam

    Bosses at Cable & Wireless (C&W) could be in line for fat cat salaries if a new bonus package worth up to £220m gets the go-ahead. C&W wants to give big payouts to some 60 senior execs if they can turn the under-par telco around. The Sunday Times reports that chairman Richard Lapthorne has already written to shareholders …

    Telecoms 15 May 2006, 10:48

  • Sony set to unveil UMPC?

    Vaio UX spec seems a little too good to be true...

    Is Sony about to announce its entry into the UMPC arena? If pictures and specification posted on the web yesterday are anything to go by it will, but the presence of an HD TV-oriented HDMI port on the handheld and does almost everything a dream UMPC might be hoped to do. The Sony machine is apparently dubbed the Vaio UX, …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 10:53

  • SoftBank denies Apple iPhone partnership

    Media speculation, nothin more, firm claims

    Japan's SoftBank has formally distanced itself from claims it's working with Apple to develop a mobile phone based on the iPod. In a terse statement, the company dismissed the allegations, reported last week, as unfounded guesswork. The claim that the two firms are co-operating was made by Japanese newspaper the Nihon Keizai …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 11:09

  • Ireland, Oz and NZ top world loneliness index

    Brentford also nucleus of human misery

    It's official: the good burghers of Dublin are the world's loneliest, narrowly beating Oz's Melbourne into second spot, with Auckland in NZ securing third place in the index of human misery and despair. The irrefutable evidence which fingers these international sloughs of despond comes, natually, from the repository of all …

    Music and Media 15 May 2006, 11:25

  • Blair backs animal testing petition

    Campaigners blast 'hugely irresponsible' stance

    Tony Blair has come out in strong support of animal testing by signing the online “People's Petition”, which hopes to give a voice to a “silent majority”, who it says back research. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the PM said: “Many millions more will be spared an early death or a life of pain because of the research now …

    Biology 15 May 2006, 11:31

  • DoJ intervenes in 'warrantless' wiretapping lawsuit

    Secrets and lies

    The US government is seeking to quash a lawsuit against file by privacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) over a controversial "warrantless" wiretapping program. On Saturday, the Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss EFF's class-action lawsuit against AT&T on the grounds of national security. The EFF said …

    Music and Media 15 May 2006, 11:51

  • Police probe BT break-in

    Telecoms kit nicked

    BT has denied that a load of broadband TV kit has been nicked from its R&D centre at Adastral Park in Suffolk. According to industry whispers, thieves broke into Adastral Park a couple of weeks ago and lifted a load of gear relating to the telco's yet-to-be-launched broadband TV service "BT Vision". One insider told us that …

    Telecoms 15 May 2006, 12:10

  • Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT surfaces

    Board-partner announcements begin

    Club 3D has become the first graphics card vendor to tell Reg Hardware it has launched a board based on Nvidia's new GeForce 7300 GT chip. Hints that Nvidia would announce the part this week emerged just six days ago. Club 3D's 7300 GT 256MB contains a GPU clocked to 350MHz and features 256MB of DDR 2 SDRAM clocked to 325MHz …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 12:45

  • Motorola sees red for Bono's AIDS charity

    Red SLVR ships with Edge support?

    Motorola has launched a red SLVR handset to tie in with Bono's Product Red AIDS awareness charity, as expected. The company said five per cent of the money it makes each month from selling the device will go to the charity. But the real question is, does the handset have Edge support? Ahem, sorry... What the red SLVR does …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 13:13

  • Review Kodak EasyShare V610 6Mp camera

    The twin-lens V610 follows on from Kodak's wide-angle lensed V570, which provided ultra-wide angle dual-zoom optics. Here, the V610 provides two lenses in a single, slimline body. Both lenses provide a 38-380mm, 10x optical zoom range... The Kodak Retina Schneider-Kreuznach C-Variogon lens design means the optics don't …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 13:46

  • AOL Germany for sale?

    Looking for new investments

    Time Warner is to sell its German subsidiary AOL Deutschland, according to financial news agency DPA. Time Warner recently hired Citigroup to explore the sale or restructuring of its entire AOL Europe unit, which also includes the CompuServe brand. The investment of a new partner is also a feasible option, according to sources …

    Telecoms 15 May 2006, 13:49

  • Hospital phone charges 'extortionate' say patients

    It's enough to make you sick

    Nine in ten patients say the cost of using bedside phone systems in hospital are "extortionate" and that prices must come down. While many of the patients quizzed welcomed the convenience of the system, many said the charges for incoming calls were "exorbitant". A survey of 1,200 patients and visitors found deep resentment to …

    Telecoms 15 May 2006, 13:58

  • UK lawyers net £19m from software piracy case

    Nice work if you can get it

    A software piracy case cost the UK taxpayer more than £19m in legal aid last year. The prosecution of six men over allegations of software piracy as part of Operation Blossom racked up £18.4m in legal aid fees plus prosecution fees of more than £750,000. The case culminated with the conviction of all six men. One man was …

    Channel Register 15 May 2006, 14:05

  • CA catches z/OS data for encryption

    IBM left as the Betamax of mainframe tape crypto?

    CA has announced a new foray into mainframe tape encryption. Brightstor Tape Encryption encrypts and decrypts any z/OS application data on its way to and from tape, without recourse to JCL changes. The software giant says its new software offers a more complete approach than existing encryption tools from the likes of NetApp …

    Storage 15 May 2006, 14:14

  • Sony to ship 17in Blu-ray Vaio next month?

    AR11S makes its appearance on dealers' lists

    Sony's first Vaio notebook to ship with a Blu-ray Disc optical drive could hit the UK by the middle of June, it has emerged. A variety of European resellers are already beginning to list the product. Some are even starting to advertise the 17in machine. Dubbed the VGN-A11S, the machine is believed to contain a dual-core 2GHz …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 14:17

  • Football vigilante tackles air rage vixen

    WSA Red card for Swedish supermodel

    Flying British Airways these days can be a perilous affair, and no messing. First up, you're in the Heathrow VIP lounge when Snoop Dogg and his entourage kick off, then no sooner have you settled into your seat than some booze-fuelled Swedish clotheshorse starts giving it the "don't you know who I am?" treatment. Yes indeed, …

    Entertainment 15 May 2006, 14:22

  • RAF admin system takes off

    Stand-by for debriefing

    RAF personnel, frustrated with having their pay messed up by a new computer system, can relax after seven weeks of errors and uncertainty. The Ministry of Defence is expected to announce later today that its stalled RAF administration system is finally running along nicely, allowing personnel to "self-service" their own human …

    Public Sector 15 May 2006, 14:28

  • Telewest scores HDTV deal for World Cup

    On me 'ead, son

    Telewest is offering its TV viewers the chance to watch the World Cup in glorious high definition (HD) clarity following an agreement with ITV and the BBC. As well as the footy, Telewest customers with a TVDrive - the cableco's HD-ready personal video recorder - can also see other shows including Planet Earth, The Proms, and a …

    Telecoms 15 May 2006, 14:59

  • Bill Gates builds massive booze factory

    If you've got it, spend it

    Unimaginably rich nerd Bill Gates is to build a plant in Oregon to produce 35m gallons of liquor annually. The lucky folks of Boardman, on the Columbia river, will play host to Bill's boozy dream factory when it opens its doors toward the end of this year. Sadly, the factory will not be a kind of alcohol-themed Willy Wonka's, …

    Biology 15 May 2006, 15:01

  • Hitachi touts notebook-oriented 'drive of steel'

    Best perpendicular recording around, company claims

    Hitachi's Global Storage Technologies operation today said it had begun shipping what it claims is the world's most "technically advanced" 2.5in hard drive, the 160GB Travelstar 5K160. The drive uses perpendicular recording technology - Hitachi modestly called its version of the technique "super-perpendicular" because it's so " …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 15:26

  • Botnet implicated in click fraud scam

    Google Adword abuse

    Botnets are being used for Google Adword click fraud, according to security watchers. The SANS Institute has uncovered evidence that networks of compromised PCs are being used to click on banner ads, generating revenue for unscrupulous publishers. Pay-per-click schemes such as Google Adsense have programs to detect fraudulent …

    Malware 15 May 2006, 15:43

  • Corsair confirms Nvidia's nForce 590 SLI

    New DIMMs made with auto-overclocking in mind

    Corsair has let slip Nvidia's name for the chip maker's upcoming chipset series. The Memory company today announced a pair of DDR 2 DIMMs "fully optimised to work with new motherboards based on the upcoming Nvidia nForce 590 SLI". The Corsair announcement appears to confirm claims that the nForce 500 series will automatically …

    Reg Hardware 15 May 2006, 15:57

  • US man jailed for hacking supervisor's PC

    DoE hacker learns hard lesson

    A former US government computer security specialist has been jailed for five months for hacking. Kenneth Kwak, 34, of Chantilly, Virginia, admitted unauthorised access to his former boss's computer at the Department of Education. In addition to his spell behind bars, US District Judge Royce Lamberth last week sentenced Kwak to …

    Enterprise Security 15 May 2006, 16:12

  • Apple updates to defend against OS, app and QuickTime flaws

    Take that, Windows

    Apple last week advised users to upgrade following the discovery that various versions of Mac OS X, Safari web browser, Apple Mail, and other products are affected by multiple security vulnerabilities. Users of Apple Mac OS X version 10.3.9 (Panther) and version 10.4.5 (Tiger) are confirmed to be at risk. Older versions of Mac …

    Enterprise Security 15 May 2006, 17:00

  • Sun's storage boss offloaded in reorg

    Server shuffle too

    In its first major shift since Jonathan Schwartz took over as CEO, Sun Microsystems has reworked its hardware organization in an obvious bid to revitalize a flagging storage business. John Fowler, Sun's previous head of x86 servers, will now head up the entire server business, including SPARC systems. Previous SPARC chief David …

    Servers 15 May 2006, 18:43

  • McDonald's wants to fatten Asians on Web 2.0

    Yeeeer of de dock!

    Congratulations go out this week to McDonald's which has pushed racial stereotyping into the Web 2.0 era. McDonald's has done a second take on its infamous I-AM-ASIAN web site, adding some Flash glitz to what used to be a boring hamburger fetish zone. Gone are the odes to Asian and Pacific Islander Americans who "live on the …

    Music and Media 15 May 2006, 21:28