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22nd May 2007 Archive

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  • Of colour schemes and cognitive dissonance

    Comment Grey matter

    My mother trained as a shorthand-typist back in the early 1940s. As a lad, I was always impressed by her typing. With one of those old fashioned Imperial typewriters, she could bash out around 60 or 70 words a minute, which wasn't bad considering the mechanical inertia built into something that weighed as much as a Chieftain …

    Developer 22 May 2007, 08:02

  • Public-private shoe-in wins Birmingham contract

    Capita's second foothold in Europe's largest council

    Birmingham Council has handed the second raft of its 10 year transformation programme over to a public-private vehicle that is majority owned by Capita. Capita said in a statement to the City yesterday that Service Birmingham, its joint venture with Birmingham City Council, had been given a budget of £142m over 10 years to …

    Public Sector 22 May 2007, 08:38

  • Parliament IT dept is rubbish

    Westminster help desk gets slated by MPs

    Members of Parliament and their staff have expressed massive dissatisfaction with their IT support. In a recently published report (pdf), cheesed-off politicos and admin types fulminated against the Parliamentary Information and Communications Technology Department (PICT). "My career has been spent in the national offices of a …

    Government 22 May 2007, 08:57

  • Siemens names new CEO

    Loescher steps up as bribery probe continues

    Engineering giant Siemens has appointed Peter Loescher as its new chief executive in an attempt to kick start efforts to restore the German firm's image. Shares in Siemens rose as much as 2.7 per cent to a six-year high on Monday after its supervisory board surprised markets on Sunday by naming the Austrian born US healthcare …

    Financial News 22 May 2007, 09:08

  • Virgin Media still claiming no usage limits

    Updated Transparency? They've heard of it

    Virgin Media's website still says the firm has "no plans to introduce any usage limits", despite the nationwide rollout of bandwidth throttling at the beginning of May. Virgin now limits speeds between 4pm and midnight once users reach a MB limit, which is dependent on how much they pay per month. However, in the firm's FAQ, …

    Telecoms 22 May 2007, 09:45

  • Apple to revamp iMac line next month?

    17in model for the chop, it's claimed

    Apple will update its iMac desktop family late next month, it has been claimed - and that the move that will see the 17in model dropped from the line up. Apple currently offers four standard iMac models: two 17in machines, a 20in version and a fourth, with a 24in display. According to a ThinkSecret report, only the 20in and …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2007, 09:54

  • Royal Marine helmet-cam auteur hit during Afghan gunfight

    'You've been shot in the arse, mate'

    A Royal Marine recently returned from combat in Afghanistan has uploaded some astonishing Doom-style helmet-cam footage, taken during a massive gun battle with the Taliban. Viewers be warned: unlike the Iraq headquarters PR channel videos, it contains extensive profanity. Also, the cameraman gets hit in a mildly embarrassing …

    Music and Media 22 May 2007, 09:55

  • Can we have a proper study of Wi-Fi, please?

    Column Paging James Randi

    Well done, Sir William Stewart. Only four weeks ago, we called for serious research into wireless radiation. The good news: Sir William Stewart - chair of the Health Protection Agency - has said that the time has come to do this research. My only problem with this is that I honestly doubt any useful information is going to …

    Mobile 22 May 2007, 10:06

  • RM Group spends £4m to get into Europe

    Lego and Wi-Fi are addressed

    Educational technology specialist RM Group has acquired DACTA, and with it a mainland European presence, for just shy of £4m. DACTA, which recorded an operating profit of £570k on revenues of £6.5m in its last financial year, manages a pan-European network of resellers of branded educational resources. It is also the exclusive …

    PCs & Chips 22 May 2007, 10:10

  • IBM goes big green with Big Green

    Comment $1bn efficiency drive

    IBM has announced it is redirecting $1bn per year across its businesses to increase the energy efficiency of IT operations. Called Project Big Green, IBM's initiative targets corporate data centres where energy constraints and costs can limit their ability to grow. The initiative includes a new global green team of 850+ …

    Servers 22 May 2007, 10:11

  • Casio 12Mp compact cam comes to UK

    Casio will bring the first 12-megapixel compact digital camera to the UK later this month, the company best known for its calculators and digital watches said today. Casio's Z1200: more megapixels than you can shake a stick at The Exilim Zoom EX-Z1200 builds on the Z1000 ten-megapixel camera launched last year and a …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2007, 10:22

  • Viagra reduces jet lag in hamsters

    But only from Paris to New York

    Argentinian reseachers have rather unaccountably discovered that Viagra helps ameliorate the effects of "jet lag" in hamsters, and might do the same for humans. According to New Scientist, hamsters who were favoured with small doses of sildenafil, punted as Viagra, coped better with a simulated six-hour time-zone shift than …

    Biology 22 May 2007, 10:24

  • Microsoft launches no-code mashup tool

    Visual mashups for the MySpace generation

    Popfly, Microsoft's first Silverlight application, is a visual development tool for creating mashups without writing any code. Dan Fernandez, lead product manager in Microsoft's developer division, wants Popfly to reach what he calls "the MySpace generation" who want cutting edge web gadgets without cutting edge coding. "We …

    Developer 22 May 2007, 10:30

  • University moves to hush Facebook criticism

    Keele teaching, administration slammed by students

    Keele University has ordered its students to watch their mouths on Facebook, and asked them not to express dissatisfaction with the institution on social networking sites. The administration was provoked by a Facebook group called "James Knowles is a Twat". Professor James Knowles is an English literature academic at the …

    Law 22 May 2007, 10:48

  • Salesforce.com gets that old SOA religion

    Cosies up to Adobe, but doesn't get down with Google (yet)

    The elephant in the room was one of the presenters at Salesforce.com's one day developer conference in Silicon Valley yesterday. With rumours of an upcoming Google partnership sparking financial news, the company's CEO Marc Benioff joked that he wasn't going to talk about the rumours – though he did proceed to hint that there …

    Developer 22 May 2007, 10:54

  • Alcatel debuts fashion mag friendly ladyphone

    Elle's belles...

    Alactel Mobile Phones' latest - the 1970s-sounding GlamPhone - is sponsored by womens' fashion mag Elle, so guess what, Reg Hardware told yours truly to go and watch this "glamorous icon of the season" strut its stuff. Alcatel GlamPhone Elle No.3: what, no pink? no frills? Despite its name, the GlamPhone isn't all …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2007, 11:08

  • Mars: more evidence of a watery past

    Rover's broken wheel digs deep

    Over-achieving Mars rover Spirit has literally uncovered new evidence that Mars used to have a much wetter climate, thanks to a dodgy wheel. Spirit has been on Mars for much longer than mission planners had ever hoped, and is beginning to show its age: one of its six wheels no longer rotates, instead dragging a deep furrow …

    Space 22 May 2007, 11:17

  • Greek cops to paintball rioting fans

    Colourful Champions League final plan

    Greek cops have come up with a colourful way to deal with rampaging ne'er-do-wells at tomorrow's Champions League final in Athens - paintball the blighters into submission. The authorities expect around 50,000 Liverpool and AC Milan fans to descend on the capital for the epic struggle for European supremacy, The Scotsman …

    Bootnotes 22 May 2007, 11:20

  • How the mobile phone biz lost the plot

    Opinion Will the iPhone save the mobile industry?

    Nokia's recent announcement heralding the arrival of "widgets" is further proof that the entire mobile industry is a rudderless ship furiously innovating in circles. Having lost sight of consumer sentiment years ago, all sectors of the industry seem to be clamouring to give every crackpot idea a chance in a desperate attempt …

    Networks 22 May 2007, 11:29

  • EnterpriseDB ramps up focus on Europe

    Open source database firm seeks European partners

    An open source services firm is looking for European partners to sell a version of the Postgres database it has souped-up for enterprise customers. EnterpriseDB, a contributor to the open source version of PostgreSQL, launched its commercial version in Europe in January, which it said would save customers 80 per cent over the …

    Servers 22 May 2007, 13:11

  • EU poised on roaming agreement (again)

    Compromise rates annoy everyone

    The EU's much debated roaming agreement is set to take a step forward if a modified proposal is accepted by the majority in a vote tomorrow. If approved, it will be voted on by the member states on 7 June. While there is broad approval for a capped "Euro tariff", a fixed-rate tariff which all operators in Europe will be …

    Networks 22 May 2007, 13:14

  • Scotty: ashes located and heading home

    Hurrah!

    The missing seven grams of "Scotty" actor James Doohan have been found safe and, er, well, in the New Mexico mountains where his near-space capsule crash landed three weeks ago. Doohan's ashes were sent into suborbital space as part of a memorial package. The plan was the ashes would visit almost space, crash land in the New …

    Space 22 May 2007, 13:19

  • Amnesty Int to hold web censorship conference

    Activists unite online

    Amnesty International and the Observer newspaper have called a conference against internet censorship and repression. The interactive global event will be held on 6 June at 18:30 (UK), 19:30 (Europe), 13:30 (EST), 10:30 (PST). Go here for the webcast. Topping the the list of speakers, perhaps curiously, is Martha Lane Fox the …

    Law 22 May 2007, 13:40

  • Sharp Aquos LC32RD2E 32in LCD TV

    Review Exemplary?

    Sharp is perhaps the keenest supporter of LCD TV technology. It was the first really big name to switch to producing only LCD TVs and thus has had more practice than most. This longevity of experience has allowed Sharp to filter down some of its top-line technologies to its smaller sets and this unit is a good example of that …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2007, 13:41

  • Panama spits out 'poison' Chinese toothpaste

    A brighter smile with diethylene glycol

    Two brands of Chinese-made toothpastes were last week pulled from shelves in Panama after authorities discovered they contained potentially-fatal diethylene glycol, AP reports. Diethylene glycol is commonly used as a cheap substitute for glycerine, and in this case apparently to prevent the offending toothpastes from drying out …

    Science 22 May 2007, 13:47

  • Malware targets OpenOffice users

    BadBunny

    Malware miscreants have crafted a cross-platform worm targeted at OpenOffice users that's capable of infecting Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. The OpenOffice/StarBasic macro worm, dubbed BadBunny, is a proof-of-concept worm that's not been seen outside the lab. Most anti-virus firms describe it as a low-risk threat. …

    Malware 22 May 2007, 13:50

  • Home Office wants officials to watch more TV

    Power to the subbies!

    Oh for the life of a sub editor. It must be the most thankless task: people only notice you when you don't do your job perfectly. And when it comes to spelling and grammar, someone can always be relied upon to notice. But it is also a position of incredible power, which must occasionally be wielded. Take, for instance, the …

    Music and Media 22 May 2007, 13:56

  • Gozi hybrid Trojan menaces the net

    Key-logging, SSL-sniffing malware surfaces

    VXers have developed a strain of malware capable of logging keystrokes as well as snooping on encrypted SSL streams originating from compromised PCs. The hybrid variant of the Gozi Trojan was discovered by Don Jackson, a researcher with SecureWorks who discovered the original Gozi malware earlier this year. In its original form …

    Malware 22 May 2007, 14:03

  • New York set for terror-proof 'leccy

    'Project Hydra' to keep capitalism running even with its head cut off...

    The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is to fund a new, high-tech power grid for New York's financial centres which will use advanced superconductor technology. DHS feds have named the new system "Project Hydra". The allusion is to the Lernaean Hydra, the terrible nine-headed monster of Greek legend which was hard to …

    Enterprise Security 22 May 2007, 14:09

  • VIA samples first Pico-ITX mobo

    VIA has begun allowing system builders the chance to get their hands on its ridiculously small Pico ITX motherboard, the EPIA PX, ahead of the product's wider availability later this month. VIA's EPIA PX: useful for UMPCs? Measuring just 10 x 7.2cm, the PX provides all the basics you need to build a PC. There's a 1GHz x86- …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2007, 14:30

  • Just one VoIP service to SIP from?

    Gizmo scores Nokia coup

    Serial entrepreneur Michael Robertson has learned a thing or two from competing with Microsoft. Life is much easier if you can get the dominant hardware vendors to bundle your software. After founding MP3.com, and paying around a quarter of a billion dollars in damages to the record labels, Robertson went on to create the …

    VoIP 22 May 2007, 14:50

  • Gambling and prediction markets gamble on growth

    House of Cards Reg hack ponders mysterious whiteboard symbols

    Ever since the DARPA "Terror Casino" went down in flames a couple of years ago in the face of Congressional scorn, the idea that prediction markets can evaluate risk better than pundits or policymakers has been pushed nearly out of the public imagination. The idea still has adherents among economists, however, and companies …

    Business 22 May 2007, 15:02

  • Logicalis eyes UK acquisitions

    Got the green

    Bosses at reselling monster Logicalis may be on the look out for a UK managed services acquisition, after revenues crept towards $1bn for the last year. Last week, the firm reported revenue growth of 37 per cent for the year ending 28 February, including $43m from acquisitions made during the year. Sales hit $696m, and chief …

    Hardware 22 May 2007, 15:08

  • Magical elf jailed for lifting women's knickers

    Shadowrun-inspired knife heist ends in chokey

    A 45-year-old man who "blurred the line between reality and make believe" and adopted the character of magical elf Buho from Shadowrun to rob a Belfast lingerie store at knifepoint, has been brought down to Earth with a two-year jail sentence, The Times reports. Robert Boyd, of Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, told Belfast Crown …

    Crime 22 May 2007, 15:13

  • Sony speeds up Vaio BX laptop line

    Centrino revamp but no 802.11n

    Sony has unwrapped its latest business-centric Centrino, the Vaio BX40 series. The entire line-up's based on Intel's recently released 'Santa Rosa' platform. So, it's new Core 2 Duo processors and 802.11n all round? Not quite - some models come with 802.11a/b/g rather than the next-gen wireless networking technology. …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2007, 15:31

  • Europe gets a space policy

    Defence or exploration?

    The European Union has officially got a space policy, an essential item for any aspiring superpower. The document talks a lot about the importance of space as an inspirational tool to get youngsters into science and engineering, and it mentions the need for pan-European coordination of space efforts to maximise research gains …

    Space 22 May 2007, 15:47

  • Telegraph floored by DDoS attack

    Bowled over

    The website of UK broadsheet the Daily Telegraph is returning to normal after a sustained denial of service attack left the site intermittently unavailable over the last two days. Unknown hackers bombarded the telegraph.co.uk with thousands of spurious requests from around 9am yesterday morning. The site was largely …

    Security 22 May 2007, 16:07

  • Crypto boffin: writing is on the wall for 1024-bit RSA

    But nobody can read it yet

    Crypto-busting boffins have broken a new record in their quest to find the prime factors in large numbers, and may soon threaten part of the encryption system used to secure retail websites. Professor Arjen Lenstra of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) yesterday broke the news that computing clusters run by the …

    Security 22 May 2007, 16:09

  • Google pulls essay adverts

    Universities 'warmly welcome' ban

    From next month, ads selling essay writing services will join those punting prostitution or tobacco on Google's list of proscribed activities across its global network, the BBC reports. The search monolith has responded to "claims that plagiarism is threatening the integrity of university degrees" and "complaints from …

    Law 22 May 2007, 16:15

  • Intel frees Flash biz

    Goes Swiss with STMicroelectronics

    Intel has followed AMD's lead by creating a separate flash memory business with a partner. Intel and STMicroelectronics have signed an agreement to create an independent flash memory company based in Geneva. The new venture could have annual revenue of up to $3.6bn and will create products for mobile devices such as MP3 players …

    Financial News 22 May 2007, 17:11

  • Cisco borgs BroadWare Technologies

    Now shipping with more eyes

    The seventh company to be assimilated into the Cisco collective this year is IP-based video surveillance company, BroadWare Technologies. BroadWare makes software for web-based monitoring, management, recording and storage of audio and video on the internet. Cisco plans to close the transaction in the fourth fiscal quarter, …

    Data Networking 22 May 2007, 17:19

  • Battle for EMI hots up

    ... while EC approves BMG deal

    EMI's board has been trying to sell the music group almost from the day it was liberated from Thorn EMI a decade ago - and it's let it be known privately for some months that it favours a private equity buy-out. This weekend a concrete offer landed in their laps. Private equity firm Terra Firma, run by financier Guy Hands, has …

    Music and Media 22 May 2007, 18:21

  • Red Hat chief tells start ups to grow, not cash out

    OSBC The romance is gone

    Red Hat chief executive Matthew Szulik today told startups to forget the "romance" of open source and build businesses that compete with proprietary vendors on services and value. Opening the Open Source Business Conference (OSBC) in San Francisco, Szulik said [advocates of] open source no longer need to legitimize its …

    Applications 22 May 2007, 18:38

  • Sun finds Hitachi's fresh, fat storage box

    Thin on the inside and on details

    Sun Microsystems will vend Hitachi's latest high-end "virtual" storage system as the Sun StorageTek 9990V. The StorageTek 9990V supports a wide range of operating systems including Solaris and features thin provisioning software, which Sun has decided to dub "Dynamic Provisioning," — with capitals. The new unit joins Sun's …

    Storage 22 May 2007, 18:48

  • Sun to do Xeon and Niagara blade thing next month

    Too much, too late?

    Sun Microsystems looks set to dish out its new UltraSPARC T1- and Xeon-based blades on June 6 at an event in Washington D.C. Our invite and plane ticket seem to have been lost in the mail, but Sun customers have been told to show up for the unveiling of "an open design and featuring SPARC and x64 processors." None of this comes …

    Servers 22 May 2007, 19:23

  • Cringely catches IBM trying to hire 15,000

    Comment Apocalypse nears

    Those of you afraid of Robert Cringely's claim that IBM will layoff 150,000 workers might want to read his latest column. The PBS scribe has blown it again. At the bottom of a piece on Google, Cringely returns to the IBM layoff topic and makes the following statement: "Last week IBM also posted more than 15,000 new positions on …

    Hardware 22 May 2007, 20:11

  • IBM pAVEs the way for x86 Linux apps

    Comment Tackling performance and portability

    IBM has introduced an open beta version of the IBM System p Application Virtual Environment (System p AVE), a virtual Linux environment that enables x86-based Linux applications to run without modification on POWER processor-based IBM servers. This announcement follows the company's recent launch of three System p Web-tier …

    Servers 22 May 2007, 22:07

  • Pay-as-you-drive roads coming to the UK

    'Trojan horse'

    Controversial plans by the UK government to introduce road pricing are to go ahead, despite fierce opposition The government has published a draft Bill laying the ground for local authorities to develop local pay-as-you-drive road charging across England and Wales. Pilot road charging projects are already under way in 10 local …

    Government 22 May 2007, 22:19

  • Microsoft releases security tool for Office 2003

    Defangs Office doc, spreads the XML love

    Microsoft has released a tool designed to protect Office 2003 users from malicious payloads surreptitiously dropped into innocent-looking office files - an attack tactic that has grown in popularity over the past year. Called MOICE - short for Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment - the enhancement converts Word, …

    Enterprise Security 22 May 2007, 22:34

  • Open Source may be cheap - but we still want support

    OSBC Eating the cake

    Open source is increasingly driving enterprise development projects and installations, but big customers still rely on start-up software providers for support. A panel of customers at the Open Source Business Conference (OSBC) in San Francisco today agreed unanimously that open source enable them to kick-start projects they …

    Applications 22 May 2007, 23:01