3rd November 2006 Archive
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Microsoft loves SUSE Linux (true!)
Sux to be Red Hat right now
The bad news is raining thick and fast on Red Hat, the dominant Linux distro, what with Oracle last week seeking to undermine its server revenues, and Microsoft today seeking to undermine, its customer base, anointing Novell's SUSE as its Linux distro-in-waiting. Top executives from Microsoft and Novell convened in San …
Operating Systems 3 Nov 2006, 01:40
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Totalitarian threat looms
Not just academic, say academics
Totalitarian regimes teach us important lessons about the consequences of letting nosy state authorities use surveillance to keep their people in check, delegates were told at the Data Protection and Privacy Commissioner's conference in London yesterday. Stalinist Russia and the former German Democratic Republic, which suffered …
Public Sector 3 Nov 2006, 09:44
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BT flirts with Eircom SMEs
Flaunts new all-in-one offering
BT Ireland is looking to woo SME customers away from Eircom with the launch of new all-in-one telecoms packages. The firm said on Thursday it was aiming to "shake up" the indigenous telecoms market by re-launching its Business Enterprise division in a bid to win further market share in the increasingly important SME sector. …
Small Biz 3 Nov 2006, 09:53
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Blair: science is not just for boffins
PM says Brits must stand up for science
Tony Blair is set to deliver a speech in Oxford today calling for Brits to "stand up for science", in a bid to make scientific careers more attractive to young people. He says although kids are interested in science, they only see it as leading to a career as a boffin, rather than as a way into corporate life. He will point to …
Science 3 Nov 2006, 10:01
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Boots in Sarah Jessica Parker prophylactic shocker
Don't want babies? Try this perfume
The couples among you who feel you are not quite ready for the responsibility of children should pop down to Boots the chemist where they have a novel suggestion for how to avoid unwanted pregnancies: We can only assume that Sarah Jessica Parker's fragrance acts as a sort of priapic male repellent - you slap some on and your …
Music and Media 3 Nov 2006, 10:02
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Chips sellers lifted by September sales total
High demand for DRAM
World chip sales hit $21.4bn in September, up 4.2 per cent on August's total and 9.3 per cent on September 2005's tally, the US-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said yesterday. The month's sales brought the quarterly total to $64.1bn. That's up eight per cent on Q3 2005's $59.3bn. September's sales also …
Reg Hardware 3 Nov 2006, 10:11
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UK touts itself as online gambling haven
But will extradite to US if asked
The UK will set itself up as an online gambling haven but will extradite executives to the US if asked, according to Sports Minister Richard Caborn. The US effectively banned online gambling with a new law earlier this year, and Caborn and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell outlined plans to welcome internet gambling companies to …
Music and Media 3 Nov 2006, 10:17
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Nintendo: 4m Wiis to ship by year's end
Beat that, Sony
Nintendo cocked a snook at Sony yesterday by announcing it will ship 4m Wii consoles around the world from the machine's US launch on 19 November to the end of the year. That's in marked contrast to Sony's PS3 roll-out, which has much lower unit-shipment targets and has seen the next-generation console's European debut …
Reg Hardware 3 Nov 2006, 10:28
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Suffering from bugger overflow? McAfee can help
A nasty case of the typos
Those among you concerned that your lovingly-crafted software may be vulnerable to malicious attack are advised to get straight down to McAfee's Free Tools page where you can avail yourselves of Hacme Travel 1.0: We're not entirely sure just how you get a bugger to overflow, and readers' suggestions on the matter are most …
Music and Media 3 Nov 2006, 10:40
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NASA confirms next year's Shuttle missions
Readies final flight of 2006
NASA has confirmed plans to launch three Shuttle missions next year as it continues preparations for the final Shuttle launch of 2006. It looks like it is finally back to business as usual at NASA because, for the first time since the tragic loss of the Shuttle Columbia, the agency's launch announcements have not been …
Space 3 Nov 2006, 10:42
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Where do you store master data?
Comment Questioning the hub-based approach
At IBM's recent Information on Demand conference (which was excellent, incidentally) the company presented its view of master data management (MDM). I am glad to say that this has advanced significantly since its Barcelona conference in May and the company has now recognised that you need to take a flexible approach to MDM. …
Developer 3 Nov 2006, 10:53
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MOD 'fesses up to car-molesting radar
Norfolk mystery solved
The MOD has finally come clean about the car-molesting radar installation in Norfolk which made merry with passing motorists' electronics, the Evening Standard reports. Back in February, we reported that Trimingham Radar Station, on the coast near Cromer, was apparently provoking a range of alarming symptoms, including "engine …
Science 3 Nov 2006, 11:16
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Taiwan, Hong Kong to get PS3 before Europe
Now that Lik-Sang's out of the way...
Presumably having satisfied itself Hong Kong-based online games hardware retailer Lik-Sang.com is now safely out of the way, Sony has said the PS3 will go on sale in the territory on 17 November. Taiwan will get the next-generation console on the same day too. The announcement will come as a blow to European PlayStation fans …
Reg Hardware 3 Nov 2006, 11:16
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Employee privacy versus employer policy
US court rulings cast doubt on privacy policy
Your organisation has a computer and internet use policy. Fine. It's been reviewed by corporate counsel, approved by senior management, and implemented over the years. The policy is comprehensive - it includes policies on expectations of privacy, employee monitoring, and the ownership of corporate electronic assets. Now, …
Business 3 Nov 2006, 11:17
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MS climbs down over Vista licensing
Just in time for 30 November release
Microsoft has backed down to fierce criticism over proposed licensing terms for Windows Vista to allow users to uninstall the forthcoming operating system and install it on another PC. Previously the software giant was only going to permit one re-install before obliging users to re-purchase the operating system, if they wanted …
Operating Systems 3 Nov 2006, 11:19
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WHO issues bird flu warning, warns on Tamiflu research
Virulence and resistance discussed
The World Health Organisation has warned that there is no guarantee that a pandemic strain of the H5N1 virus will be less deadly to people. The report, published this week, contains the findings of a meeting of flu experts held last month. The method of change will determine how deadly the virus is, the report says. If the …
Biology 3 Nov 2006, 11:36
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Nvidia ships final ForceWare drivers for Blu-ray Disc, HD DVD
PureVideo HD moves out of beta testing
Nvidia has updated its ForceWare 90 drivers package, it said yesterday. The company touted the new version's support for its PureVideo HD video-image processing system - essential, it said, for anyone keen to add an HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc drive to their PC. So far, PureVideo HD has been supported in pre-release beta drivers. …
Reg Hardware 3 Nov 2006, 11:47
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BOFH: Data wiping hell
Episode 37 Operation computer clean up
It's early-ish morning and the Boss is stalking around the workplace on a mission. What that mission entails is anyone's guess but his stalking is purposeful, which means sooner or later he's going to end up here. The PFY and I know it's only a matter of time, but why rush into confrontation? I quietly lock the door of …
BOFH 3 Nov 2006, 11:50
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Spanish judge says downloading is legal
CD man gets off scot free
A judge in the northern city of Santander in Spain dismissed a case against an anonymous 48-year-old man who downloaded digital music from the net. Judge Paz Aldecoa of No. 3 Penal Court ruled that under Spanish law a person who downloads music for personal use can not be punished or branded a criminal. He called it "a …
Music and Media 3 Nov 2006, 12:04
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Greeks says Asus media centre PC is a joke - literally
Brandname brouhaha
Asus would been well-advised to check the brandname of its latest media centre PC system with a linguist before announcing the product to the world this week. According to Reg Hardware readers, Asus' Asteio brand means 'joke' in Greek. Ah, the dangers of branding a consumer electronics product to a global audience... A quick …
Reg Hardware 3 Nov 2006, 12:25
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'Sexist' Austrian urinals dumped on eBay
Women's groups pissed at mouth-shaped porcelain
Four "sexist and misogynist" urinals have been removed from a public toilet in Vienna and offered for sale on eBay, Reuters reports. The offending pissoirs - lovingly sculpted by local artist Rudolf Scheffel and installed in "toilet-bar Vienna", next to the National Opera - caused a bit of a rumpus during the run-up to the 1 …
Music and Media 3 Nov 2006, 12:52
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US prepares for killer prayer bead WMD attack
'Terrorist' planned airborne Pope-death...
Did you know you can buy a WMD on eBay? It's true. Right here. Those are rosary peas, seeds of the Crab's Eye weed, which is commonplace in Florida and known as ratti in India. It also contains the protein abrin, which is more toxic than ricin, another similar enzyme. Somehow mankind has muddled through, managing not to …
Music and Media 3 Nov 2006, 12:53
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Dell pulls rug from under resellers
No more discounts
Although famous for its direct sales model Dell has always sold a fair amount of kit through the channel - dealers and systems integrators. But not anymore. Dell will no longer discount bulk orders of Inspiron or Dimension machines. In fact it won't support any reseller who is selling to consumers. This just over a year …
Channel Register 3 Nov 2006, 13:03
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Imperial College launches new BioIncubator
Bridging the gap between academia and the real world
London's Imperial College has opened a new incubator facility that will help its academic staff commercialise their research. Dubbed The Imperial BioIncubator, university authorities hope the centre will help develop the small companies that spin out of the institution. Based at Imperial's South Kensington campus, the …
Small Biz 3 Nov 2006, 13:11
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Dismissal scam spam targets medical centre
Spyware hides under pink slip
Pond-dwelling crooks tried to trick users into visiting a website hosting Trojan keylogging malware via a spam campaign that claimed recipients had been fired. In a spoofed message purporting to come from the Dekalb Medical Center, workers at the US facility were told they were being laid off. The message - headed “Urgent – …
Malware 3 Nov 2006, 13:24
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Microsoft loves Linux, Vista licenses, CA boss goes to jail
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Microsoft's Linux moves It's been a weird couple of weeks for Linux. Last week we saw Larry Ellison's Oracle dive into the server business by offering to resell Red Hat server products for less than Red Hat itself sells them. This week we saw Microsoft get involved through a deal with arch rival Novell. Microsoft will work to …
Business 3 Nov 2006, 13:57
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NAC's looming identity crisis
Will persistence pay off for NAC vendors?
Current network access control (NAC) technologies are not persistent enough, a security vendor has warned. Dominic Wilde, product management veep at Nevis Networks, said that most NAC schemes rely on out-of-band appliances which check whether a client device is "clean", and once it passes muster they grant it access. This …
Data Networking 3 Nov 2006, 14:01
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419ers cut to the chase
No hard-luck stories from Minrada Subaja Rahul
We really are getting worried about the Lads from Lagos. All of the joie de vivre seems to have gone from their previously entertaining efforts to part fools from their money: ----- Dear Sir/Madam I am Mrs. Minrada Subaja Rahul. I have a project I would like to execute with you. Kindly get back to me with your full details. …
Music and Media 3 Nov 2006, 14:05
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Is it true that fewer boy babies are born in hard times?
Survival of the fittest
Also in this week's column: Why do I have an extreme fear of needles? Does TV watching in childhood trigger autism? Is it true that fewer boy babies are born in hard times? Asked by Jack O'Connor of Dublin, Ireland The sex ratio of boy and girl births is affected by severe stressors such as earthquakes, tsunamis, …
Biology 3 Nov 2006, 14:20
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Does TV watching in childhood trigger autism?
The evil box
Also in this week's column: Why do I have an extreme fear of needles? Is it true that fewer boy babies are born in hard times? Does TV watching in childhood trigger autism? Autism is at epidemic levels. Authorities point out that 30 years ago estimates were that one in 2,500 children suffered from autism. Now the figure is …
Biology 3 Nov 2006, 14:20
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Why do I have an extreme fear of needles?
Needling fear!
Also in this week's column: Does TV watching in childhood trigger autism? Is it true that fewer boy babies are born in hard times? Why do I have an extreme fear of needles? Asked by Nicole Rothman of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Belonephobia is the extreme fear of needles. If you have this, you fear getting …
Biology 3 Nov 2006, 14:25
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Orange shouts about Bluetooth stereo loudspeakers
A2DP-enabled
If you can do it with an iPod, you can do it with a music phone. Orange is pitching a stylish set of Bluetooth speakers at phone owners who want to be able to hear the music on their handsets out loud and not just through earphones. The set's made by speaker specialist Acoustic Energy, and it's easy to pair up your phone and …
Reg Hardware 3 Nov 2006, 14:25
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UK charity has minor attack of rebranding madness
LogoWatch Faint whiff of joss-sticks...
Ok, it's not a full-blown Powerpoint-driven attack of rebranding madness, but UK charity The Meningitis Trust has clearly been exposed to at least an quick burst of whalesong. Back in September, trust big cheese Philip Kirby was driven by his company's new brand frontage paradigm to explain: Our supporters have told us that …
Bootnotes 3 Nov 2006, 14:31
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Apple iPod Shuffle 2G
Preview Life's still random, just smaller...
The first iPod Shuffle was something of a surprise. Apple had already said it didn't think too much of Flash-based, low-capacity players, though that's just what the Shuffle was. It didn't even have a screen, unlike so many of its rivals, forcing many an observer to wonder who'd buy the thing. People did though, and the compact …
Reg Hardware 3 Nov 2006, 14:49
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Apple ships second Red iPod Nano
Blessed by Bono?
Apple has followed its initial Product Red 4GB iPod Nano with a second model that offers twice the song-storage capacity of the first one. The upshot: buyers now have two 8GB colours to choose from: black and red. Of course, $10 from the cost of the red model goes to help fight AIDS in Africa. The two 8GB models are priced …
Reg Hardware 3 Nov 2006, 15:17
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Pure plays Marshall amp-styled digital radio
The majesty of rock, the mystery of roll
It's a bloody funny movie, but Spinal Tap has a lot to answer for, specifically all that consumer electronics kit that attempts to appear cooler than it is by including a volume knob that goes up to 11, Tufnel-fashion. The latest in this ignominious list is DAB specialist Pure's Marshall Edition Evoke-1XT digital radio, …
Reg Hardware 3 Nov 2006, 15:34
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Questions of legality: googly, genetic and Vulcan
Letters The serious and the silly
There was some serious news this week, but before we get to that, we must return to the stunning, nay, shocking news that Vista has been further delayed. By 18,000 years: One for the time-capsule, then. Of course, it might be just what the post-apocalyptic mutant inheritor of the earth needs, since it will probably take that …
Letters 3 Nov 2006, 16:10
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FBI-led probe nets phishing gang
That's trawl folks
Seventeen members of an alleged international phishing and carding gang have been arrested in the US and Eastern Europe following an FBI investigation. Eastern European fraudsters are alleged to have run a series of identity theft scams targeting customers of major financial institutions between August and October 2004. These …
ID 3 Nov 2006, 16:18
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Republicans post nuke cookbook on line
Desperately seeking Iraqi WMD
The persistent delusions of senior Republicans in Congress and the President have led to the leaking of sensitive documents on nuclear weapons via the Web, the New York Times reports. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra (Republican, Michigan), and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (Republican, …
Music and Media 3 Nov 2006, 16:23
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SkypeIn not in right now
Incoming calls routed nowhere
Skype, the popular VoIP service, has been having technical difficulties with its SkypeIn service which enables Skype users to have a real phone number and receive normal phone calls through their Skype service. Users report that only a small proportion of calls to UK numbers are getting through, with voice mail failing and some …
VoIP 3 Nov 2006, 16:33
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Aigo lifts sleeve, reveals MP4 wristwatch PMP
Not for time-keepers
Why carry a huge, heavy personal video player when you can wrap one around your wrist? That's what Aigo want to know, and its ultra-light F029 video player is here at last to help you answer. It's not much good for telling the time, but hopefully you'll be so engrossed squinting at episodes of Torchwood you won't care anyway …
Reg Hardware 3 Nov 2006, 16:40
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Big labels are f*cked, and DRM is dead - Peter Jenner
Interview Clash, Pink Floyd manager lifts the lid
Few people know the music industry better than Peter Jenner. Pink Floyd's first manager, who subsequently managed Syd Barrett's solo career, Jenner has also looked after T.Rex, The Clash, Ian Dury, Disposable Heroes and Billy Bragg - who he manages today. He's also secretary general of the International Music Managers Forum. …
Music and Media 3 Nov 2006, 17:04
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Cryoserver goes titsup
Email archiver melts away
Cryoserver Ltd, the UK-headquartered email archiver, is in liquidation (See note, below*) The company was today clearing out of its London offices. Cryoserver's play was a plug-in appliance for stand-alone archiving, which it sold entirely through channel partners. It claimed customers including the Rugby Football Union and …
Channel Register 3 Nov 2006, 17:05
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How a virus crashed Homeland Security
Border chaos from Zotob outbreak 'avoidable'
A computer virus that infected computers connecting the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) US-VISIT border screening system last year first passed through the backbone network of the US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement bureau, according to documents obtained by Wired, following a year long legal fight. The papers - …
Enterprise Security 3 Nov 2006, 18:30
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Read novels on your mobile super-quick
Software makes your brain recognise words by shape, not sound
A British company claims that its software enables users to at least double their reading speed by making use of the way the brain interprets text. It says reading speeds as high as 1200 words per minute (WPM) are possible, compared with a typical speed off the page of 150 WPM. BookMuncher uses a technique called Rapid Serial …
Mobile 3 Nov 2006, 18:39
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Veeam monitors 64-bit VMware
Russians release a Task Manager for 64-bit VMs
With VMware's fully 64-bit versions of ESX Server and VirtualCenter gaining ground fast - and VMworld in Los Angeles just a weekend away - Russian software outfit Veeam said it has ported its VMware monitoring software to 64-bit Windows. The new version of Veeam Monitor can keep track of any 64-bit guest operating system …
Malware 3 Nov 2006, 18:44
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Wikipedia Blaster 'fix' points to malware
Achtung!
Hackers have hijacked links on a Wikipedia article to trick users into downloading malware. A piece on the German edition of Wikipedia was re-written to contain false information about a supposedly new version of the infamous Blaster worm, along with a link to a supposed 'fix'. In reality, the link pointed to malware designed …
Malware 3 Nov 2006, 18:47
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Sun CEO doesn't know what a bubble looks like
They're round and full of profits, silly
Leave it to a veteran technology reporter like the New York Times' John Markoff to start a conversation just right. "So, it seems like we've gone past being the walking dead," Markoff noted, as he sat down last night with Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz at a Churchill Club event in Santa Clara. "No offense taken," …
Servers 3 Nov 2006, 18:49
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FTC fines notorious adware firm $3m
Hurrah!
The company formerly known as 180Solutions has been fined $3m for using drive-by downloads to smuggle adware on the PCs of unwary Americans and for offering no way to remove the software. Now called Zango, the adware firm has promised the Federal Trade Commission that it will ask consumers first before injecting software into …
Malware 3 Nov 2006, 20:05
