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19th February 2007 Archive

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  • Registerfly on the fly, ICANN on the run

    This domain will self-destruct in five seconds

    "In the past couple of weeks, over 70% of the non-jurisdictional contacts my Office has received have concerned registerfly… In most circumstances, the matter would be refered to Mr. Mike Zupke, ICANN's Registrar Manager, and he would in turn pass along consumer concerns to the registerfly contact… If, however, Mr. Zupke …

    Small Biz 19 Feb 2007, 05:14

  • Blog: End-user experience with Citrix

    A service is measured by the end-user experience it delivers...

    I’ve always had a soft spot for Citrix as a platform but it used to have limitations for general use – not least, that it used not to work too well without a network connection. Well, it looks like those days are properly over now. Citrix has been acquiring new technology for some time and now with release 4.5 of Presentation …

    Developer 19 Feb 2007, 05:16

  • Brit boys conquer Silicon Valley

    SAP Open Brothers Murray sweep the leg

    Just 19 years old, Andy Murray has turned into a veteran slayer of Silicon Valley. The Scotsman on Sunday defeated Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic in three gripping sets to capture his second SAP Open tennis title in as many years. Murray figured the six foot ten Karlovic would prove a huge challenge, particularly on a super fast …

    Bootnotes 19 Feb 2007, 07:55

  • Swiss SOA firm puts modelling over programming

    Enterprise integration tool is run-time UML interpreter

    Swiss company E2E has set up a UK office to sell its enterprise application integration software. It's taking an unorthodox approach to EAI - instead of selling tools to help programmers build interfaces that translate between applications, it has designed a interpreter, called E2E Bridge, that takes business models written in …

    Developer 19 Feb 2007, 09:54

  • NHS patient bar codes slammed

    Patients are not 'boxes of bandages': NO2ID

    The NHS has proposed making patients wear bar code bracelets or RFID tags as a way of saving hospital time and money, but identity card opponents have said that the measure means treating patients "like boxes of bandages". Dismissing government claims on cost savings and past success as "purely anecdotal", anti-identity card …

    Policy 19 Feb 2007, 10:01

  • Packeteer gets wide with WAN accelerators

    Supports bigger data pipes, and laptops too

    Packeteer is extending its WAN acceleration range this week, with new systems at each end of the spectrum. The biggest is a box capable of optimising a 622 Mbit/s OC12 link, and aimed at linking primary and backup data centres. The other extreme is a software client for a desktop or laptop PC. The SkyX Accelerator 750-622 is …

    Data Networking 19 Feb 2007, 10:21

  • EqualLogic doubles up its enterprise SAS

    4.8TB in one array - but are these drives getting too big?

    IP-based storage is thoroughly enterprise-ready, claimed iSCSI specialist EqualLogic as it doubled the capacity of its high-end SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) storage box with almost no change in price. The new PS3900XV array uses Seagate 300GB SAS drives to provide 4.8TB of capacity for around £40,000 - just £1,000 more than the 2 …

    Storage 19 Feb 2007, 10:28

  • FSA has power to order data breach disclosure

    But should all breaches be publicised?

    The Financial Services Authority (FSA) could order all regulated financial companies to immediately inform customers of data security breaches, it has said. It has that power, which would largely negate the need for a law ordering notification. Some privacy experts believe that a law ordering notification would make companies …

    Security 19 Feb 2007, 10:29

  • Linux vendors gang up for enterprise

    Alliance formed

    A group of 10 companies have formed an alliance to improve open source enterprise applications. The Open Solutions Alliance (OSA) believes the market for open source business products is still in its infancy. It will work on defining and promoting best practise and frameworks to improve interoperability between applications …

    Software 19 Feb 2007, 11:05

  • Imperfect Storm aids spammers

    Anti-spam sites under spam fire

    For 24 hours in mid-January, stock-fraud investigation site StockPatrol disappeared from the internet, overwhelmed by a massive flood of web requests coming from thousands of sources. The attack came after the site wrote a handful of reports investigating and condemning the practice of pump-and-dump stock spam campaigns. No …

    Security 19 Feb 2007, 11:18

  • Internet sex 'addict' sues IBM for $5m

    Sacked for chat room indiscretion

    A former IBM employee sacked for visiting an internet chat room "for a sexual experience during work" has sued the company for $5m, AP reports. James Pacenza, 58, of Montgomery, New York, worked as a chip machine operator at IBM's East Fishkill plant. On 28 May 2003, he used a 10 minute period of "downtime" - while the machine …

    Law 19 Feb 2007, 11:34

  • Cowon D2 premium digital media player

    Review Pretty, practical and pricey

    Time was when Asian digital media players scored highly for the range of features they offered but rated dismally when it came to their looks. Cheap-looking silver-painted plastic, too many buttons, crude on-screen graphics - it's no wonder the iPod's clean lines and simple UI took off... Times have changed, and the players …

    Hardware 19 Feb 2007, 12:02

  • T-Mobile signs Tech Data Europe

    Phone company delighted and excited

    Tech Data has struck a deal to distribute T-Mobile goods and services to resellers across Europe. In a written statement, Tech Data said it would be distributing T-Mobile's full range, including GPRS/EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA (3G) data cards, notebooks with embedded SIM modules, and bundled SIM cards. Michael Wilkens, executive …

    The Channel 19 Feb 2007, 12:19

  • Google makes a play at ads in games

    Buys Adscape Media

    Google is spreading its advertising reach by buying a company which provides adverts within computer games. According to Red Herring, which broke the story late last week, the search giant paid $23m for Adscape Media. Adscape Media has offices in San Francisco and Canada. In February last year, it showed off technology based …

    Software 19 Feb 2007, 12:24

  • Skiing tops bunny hopping in lunar races

    So says ex-astronaut

    Future lunar explorers should learn cross country skiing so they can explore the surface of the moon faster and with less effort. Dr Harrison Schmitt, the ex-Apollo crew member making the recommendations, isn't suggesting that lunar landers carry skis with them, but that they learn to propel themselves forward, in the same way …

    Science 19 Feb 2007, 12:34

  • Vista security overhaul questioned

    User Account Control: insecure by design?

    Security researchers have taken issue with Microsoft's implementation of a security feature in Vista that is designed to stop users from routinely running systems in admin mode. Users of Windows XP and older Microsoft operating systems habitually ran PCs in admin mode, which gives unrestricted access to the system. As a …

    Security 19 Feb 2007, 12:40

  • Could chocolate protect your brain?

    Boosting blood flow with a Mars bar

    Excellent news: chocolate is might be good for your brain. Research presented at the American Associate for the Advancement of Science suggests that eating a specially formulated type of cocoa could improve brain function and slow the brain's decline as we slide into old age. Sadly for anyone who relishes objective science, …

    Science 19 Feb 2007, 13:53

  • Regulators probe Richard and Judy quiz line furore

    ICSTIS investigates

    The company behind Channel 4's daytime telly show Richard and Judy is being quizzed by regulators over the way competitors for the show's "You Say, We Pay" quiz are selected from a premium-rate phone line. According to emails seen by The Mail on Sunday, Richard and Judy's afternoon show has called for people to enter its quiz …

    Broadband 19 Feb 2007, 14:08

  • Nokia spreads its love

    Ah, oui, oui...vous aimez?

    Nokia has added three phones to its fashion handset collection, dubbed "the L'Amour Collection". The Finnish handset manufacturer says it has released the phones due to a growing demand from "stylish consumers the world over". (Does that mean customers weren't stylish before?) Nokia's 7390 comes packaged with a 3-megapixel …

    Phones 19 Feb 2007, 14:57

  • British forces auction old kit online

    Would Sir like that tank gift-wrapped?

    The Ministry of Defence (MoD) launched its Del Boy auction website on Sunday, offering everything from a fully-armoured Land Rover Discovery (£9,500) to a complete RAF uniform or a Gordon Highlanders kilt. The site has been flogging off old Army gear for a while, but the auction section should really liven things up. Items …

    Bootnotes 19 Feb 2007, 15:27

  • Boffins develop RFID 'powder' chips

    Radio controlled dust devils

    Tiny Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips, 64 times smaller than current devices, have been developed by Hitatchi in Japan. Little bigger than a grain of sand at 0.05 x 0.05mm, the chips come with a 128-bit memory capable of storing an identification number of up to 38 digits. RFID powder chips (right) are 64 times …

    Broadband 19 Feb 2007, 15:39

  • Traxdata jumps on Blu-ray bandwagon

    Re-record not fade away...

    Traxdata has launched its first Blu-ray re-writable disc. The single-layer disc can store up to 25GB and plays up to 1920 x 1080 HD formats at 40Mbit/sec. It incorporates a hard-coating technology the company claims offers a "stronger resistance to scratches and fingerprints". It also has 2x write-rate using a shorter …

    Hardware 19 Feb 2007, 16:06

  • Letter bomb police make arrest

    Bombs may still be in system

    Police investigating a series of letter bombs earlier this month have arrested a man in Cambridge. The authorities have also warned there might still be devices in the post en route to UK addresses. Earlier this month, letter bombs exploded at Capita, the firm which administers London's congestion charge, an accountancy firm …

    Security 19 Feb 2007, 16:39

  • Boffins announce a year of solar-physical fun

    International Heliophysical Year, no less

    Just days after the launch of THEMIS, NASA's mission to unravel the mysteries of the aurorae, the international scientific community is celebrating the start of the International Heliophysical Year (IHY). According to the very po-faced announcement, this is "a year of scientific collaboration and public engagement events aimed …

    Science 19 Feb 2007, 16:47

  • Bluetooth goes BOOM

    5.6kg 'portable' speaker proves weight is secondary to sharing ya sounds

    French mobile phone accessories company Parrot has launched its BOOMBOX – a Hi-Fi compact speaker that uses Bluetooth wireless technology. The 60-Watt speaker (430 mm x 150 mm x 225 mm) is compatible with Bluetooth music sources, such as mobile phones, MP3-players and PCs - which means you can play tunes through the air …

    Hardware 19 Feb 2007, 17:18

  • Europeans fear data loss disaster

    Even more worried than Americans

    One in five (22 per cent) European businesses expect to have to cope with "major data loss" of some sort annually over the next five years compared to 10 per cent of their US counterparts. Multiple reports of data losses in the US, publicised because of information security disclosure laws, have given the impression that the …

    Security 19 Feb 2007, 19:20