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8th June 2007 Archive

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  • Humane Society gets firmer with Amazon's cocks

    Fumes over Feathered Warriors

    The Humane Society has its sights set on Amazon.com's cocks...again. After suing the web retailer in February, in an attempt to crack down on the sale of cockfighting magazines, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has amended the suit. It claims that Amazon violates a second federal law as it continues to sell such …

    Music and Media 8 Jun 2007, 00:04

  • Google promises mobile software platform to challenge Windows

    Analysis Getting in to Gears

    The most critical battle in the wireless world is to take the reins of the mobile internet as it evolves, and that means all the majors are trying to create a software platform that will make the web even more usable on a small device than it is on a PC, and so drive new applications and revenue streams. The company that …

    Mobile 8 Jun 2007, 01:50

  • SAP plays tease over mid-market Salesforce 'killer'

    It's different, but better. Oh yes...

    SAP has doled out a handful of details on A1S, its eagerly anticipated mid-market on-demand suite, while promising to be better than Salesforce.com. After months of teasing SAP watchers at numerous trade shows with screen shots and little else, SAP today revealed A1S would be "closer" to SAP's existing All-In-One suite, rather …

    Applications 8 Jun 2007, 03:33

  • Tie your own Office ribbon

    TechEd Microsoft shows extending Outlook 2007 with VSTO 'Orcas'

    Visual Studio 2008 (codename Orcas, available now as beta 1 and shipping sometime before the end of 2007) will come with Visual Studio Tools for Office 3.0, which finally adds a ribbon designer so you can easily integrate your Office add-ons with the new-look interface. You can also add Windows Forms and WPF controls to …

    Developer 8 Jun 2007, 08:02

  • Paris Hilton dragged back into court

    Judge to hear case for 'reassignment'

    Paris Hilton will later today appear before the judge who sentenced her to 23 days' jail for violating probation on a drink-drive rap at a hearing to decide whether she should indeed be allowed to do the remainder of her sentence under house arrest. Hilton was released yesterday from Century Regional Detention Centre in Lynwood …

    Entertainment 8 Jun 2007, 08:50

  • A cloud over the moon and a suitcase full of cash

    GIGSE 2007 The march of the gamblers

    The Tuesday morning session at the Global Interactive Gaming Summit and Expo (GIGSE) brought the focus back to the most important and dynamic gaming market in the world right now: the EU, where a series of decisions by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and liberalizing efforts by some member states have catalyzed a rapidly …

    Law 8 Jun 2007, 08:53

  • UK mulls admitting wiretap evidence in court

    The secret's out

    The UK government is looking to make wiretap evidence admissible in court as part of its latest review of anti-terrorism legislation. The UK courts currently do not allow it, though the practice is commonly accepted in most Western countries. As part of plans to review anti-terrorism legislation, outgoing Home Secretary John …

    Law 8 Jun 2007, 09:01

  • MUST is a must

    A good addition for migrating Access DBs

    The task of migrating or upsizing Microsoft Access databases is a common one, particularly for small businesses that are growing well and feel a real need to move. Microsoft's SSMA (SQL Server Migration Assistant) is an obvious candidate, but here is an alternative that compares well. Microsoft's SSMA In October last year I …

    Developer 8 Jun 2007, 09:02

  • Vodafone rejects call from rebel investors

    Sticking to its knitting

    Vodafone this morning rejected calls for changes to its debt structure and holdings in Verizon Wireless from rebel investors. A rebel shareholder group led by John Mayo (formerly of Marconi), calling itself Efficient Capital Structures (ECS) and representing 210,000 ordinary shares, called on Vodafone to change its debt …

    Financial News 8 Jun 2007, 09:10

  • EU aims to stop 'visa shopping'

    Schengen states to share visa data

    The European Parliament has approved draft proposals for a biometric database to prevent people who are refused a visa by one Schengen country from applying to other member states. The proposals, approved on 7 June 2007, are aimed at preventing the practice, known as "visa shopping", through the establishment of the Visa …

    Government 8 Jun 2007, 09:13

  • Parallels enhances Windows-on-Mac tool

    3D graphics a-go-go

    Parallels has released an major update to its Parallels Desktop 3.0 Windows-on-Mac application, a year on from the software's original release. The new version promises better integration between Windows and Mac apps. Windows games... in a Mac window SmartSelect, for example, is a new tool that lets users open a right- …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 2007, 09:14

  • Redstone 'delighted' after year of takeovers

    Conversant with convergence

    Redstone, the long-time loss-making fixed-line telecoms firm,has morphed into a new age IT and telephony hybrid with a positive bank balance after a year of financial restructuring and acquisitions. The turnaround followed the arrival in 2005 of a new management team led by CEO Martin Balaam and CFO Tim Perks. The last year …

    Distribution 8 Jun 2007, 09:19

  • Wheelchair user hitches lift on front of lorry

    'Quite a ride', admits Michigan man

    A wheelchair user in Michigan admitted to enjoying "quite a ride" after being accidentally attached to the front grille of a lorry and taken on a 50mph white-knuckle jaunt down the state's Red Arrow Highway, the BBC reports. The unnamed 21-year-old was passing in front of the truck as it left a petrol station in Paw Paw when …

    Bootnotes 8 Jun 2007, 09:23

  • BT claims London NPfIT successes

    Acute trusts back on track

    BT has claimed its revised strategy for London is helping to get the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) back on track in acute trusts. The Commons Health Select Committee heard yesterday that BT's revised strategy to deliver services under the NPfIT to acute hospitals is "proving a success". BT is the national programme's local …

    Public Sector 8 Jun 2007, 09:37

  • Apple readying aluminium iMac?

    Apple's anticipated iMac revision is set to see the revamp of the consumer desktop machine to incorporate a pro-Mac style aluminium casing, it has been claimed. How Apple's aluminium iMac might look Citing "reliable" sources, website ThinkSecret reckons the new models could be announced as early as next week, though the …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 2007, 09:41

  • Sony turns job axe on the US

    Reports operating loss of $1.91bn

    Sony has confirmed it intends to cut jobs at its Computer Entertainment Unit in the US, just two months after it announced plans to slash eight per cent of its European workforce. The troubled firm's game division reported an operating loss of $1.91bn for the year ended 31 March due to the high-costs associated with its …

    Financial News 8 Jun 2007, 09:51

  • Britons are workaholics, survey says

    One in four working more than 48 hours a week

    More than one in four employees in the UK works longer than 48 hours each week. According to a study published today by the International Labour Organisation, more of the UK's workforce put in "excessive hours" than in any other developed country. The ILO estimates that 22 per cent of workers around the world – or over 600 …

    Business 8 Jun 2007, 10:04

  • The slow death of AV technology

    Time to jump ship?

    AV technology is gradually dying and being replaced by far more effective IT security technology based on whitelisting. You could view this as an inevitable development, given the horrible inadequacies of AV technology, or you might want to pin the credit on the AVID (Anti-Virus Is Dead) campaign which has repeatedly drawn …

    Anti-Virus 8 Jun 2007, 10:24

  • Oxford University Libraries say chuck out your crap

    Quick, the WEEE directive is coming!

    A memo reaches Vulture Towers from Oxford University Library Services (OULS) warning that the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment(WEEE) regulations are soon to come into force. D-Day for the WEEE regulations is 1 July and will govern how we can dispose of all types of electrical hardware. But this is more than a heads-up …

    IT Director 8 Jun 2007, 10:28

  • Boffins demo wireless electricity

    Switching on lightbulbs from a distance

    Researchers in the US have demonstrated an experimental wireless energy transfer system that could pave the way for truly wireless computing. The team has already successfully made a 60W light bulb light up from a distance of 2 metres. This might be very early days, but the work has been described as "truly pioneering" by …

    Physics 8 Jun 2007, 10:32

  • Slovakian fountain stunt groom released

    Wedding back on as dad says 'sorry' for nude escapade

    The Worcestershire builder cuffed for jumping naked into a fountain in Bratislava during drunken stag night revels and subsequently slapped with a two-month jail sentence for his trouble has been released, the BBC reports. Stephen Mallone, 25, was arrested on 26 May, and looked likely to miss his 15 June wedding to 22-year-old …

    Bootnotes 8 Jun 2007, 10:38

  • TerraTec docks iPod to internet radio box

    TerraTec has extended its Noxon internet radio line with a new model that has an iPod dock and can grab and play Mac- and PC-hosted music collections. TerraTec's Noxon 2: now iPod friendly The Noxon 2 has 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and 100Mbps Ethernet - handy for folk with powerline networks - to connect to thousands of internet …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 2007, 10:50

  • BOFH: PFY rescue mission

    Episode 20 Back in the saddle

    The world is full of great duos focused on a common goal - Hillary and Norgay, Armstrong and Aldrin, Sooty and Sweep - and so is the world of computing. There's nothing like having a good backup guy, and for me the PFY was that man. My go-to guy, the PFY could be trusted to know what I was looking for almost before I did …

    BOFH 8 Jun 2007, 11:02

  • Five things Sony needs to do save the PS3

    Price cuts, exclusive games and a more integrated mobile strategy would help

    Things are looking tough for Sony: redundancies, missed shipment targets and poor financial results. So what's a giant mega-corporation to do? Take advice from bloggers, of course... 1. Cut the price - now And not just a measly amount either. We'd like to see £125 at least off the UK price. Ideally even more. That would give …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 2007, 11:08

  • Xerox kicks off new channel partner scheme

    VP says, it's all about 'customer intimacy' now...

    Copier giant Xerox is reaching out to its customers in a touchy-feely approach with the launch of a new global partner programme. As we reported yesterday, the firm has changed its business strategy by dipping its toes into the so-called solutions marketplace by touting its HTML-based software, EIP (Extensible Interface …

    Hardware 8 Jun 2007, 11:29

  • eBayers fail to bite amazing penis-shaped crisp

    Limp bidding, despite magical powers

    eBayers have so far failed to bite an amazing penis-shaped crisp which the seller claims will bestow great riches upon the lucky winning bidder. Sadly, the top bid currently stands at a limp £4.70, despite the come-on: During a dull lunch time sandwich, the amazing penis crisp was revealed from a normal packet of walkers …

    Bootnotes 8 Jun 2007, 11:30

  • Babelgum opens up for all

    Beta IPTV for everyone

    Babelgum, another peer-to-peer telly service, opens up for new beta testers from today. Like Joost the service requires a downloaded client, but then gives users ad-supported viewing of various niche channels. While Joost is backed by venture capitalists, Babelgum is backed by Italian telco magnate Silvio Scaglia. The service …

    Music and Media 8 Jun 2007, 11:33

  • Scientists demand ban on North Sea cod fishing

    'Reduced reproduction' threatens stocks

    The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has called for a ban on fishing for North Sea cod, The BBC reports. The organisation's scientists have assessed stocks of this and other fish and concluded that while "saithe and haddock stocks are in good condition and can be the continued basis for sustainable …

    Biology 8 Jun 2007, 11:38

  • IBM dodges bullet as the great URL debate rages

    To subscribe to The Register's weekly newsletter - seven days of IT in a single hit - click here

    Filling the Goolag Google can't find enough big-brained types to populate the expanding Googleplex Stateside. It made representations to Congress for the number of visas available to foreign IT workers to be boosted. Bill Gates has been beating the drum for years. As if to foreshadow how hungry Google is for new input, we had …

    Business 8 Jun 2007, 11:52

  • How Saudi slush kept UK aero biz afloat

    Analysis Surplus Eurofighters could be dropped on high-living Saudis

    The long-smouldering debate around allegations of corrupt British arms deals with Saudi Arabia reignited yesterday, as both the Guardian and the Beeb published the results of new investigations. To recap: back in 1986, the Saudis agreed with the British government to buy a large amount of military hardware from UK firms under …

    Government 8 Jun 2007, 12:33

  • The great migration debate: Essbase to Analysis Services

    Moving Cubes

    There may be multiple political/managerial reasons behind a decision to move from Hyperion's Essbase to Microsoft's Analysis Services – not least of which might be the recent purchase of Hyperion by Oracle. Whatever the reason, from a developer's viewpoint, moving a set of multi-dimensional databases from one engine to another …

    Developer 8 Jun 2007, 12:56

  • Canadian surgeons unmask Vulcan

    Patient oozes 'greenish-black' blood

    Canadian sawbones performing surgery on a man's legs had a bit of a Star Trek moment when he began oozing "dark greenish-black" blood, the BBC reports. The being in question had developed "compartment syndrome" - "localised tissue/nerve damage because of restricted blood flow", according to The Lancet - in both lower legs, …

    Biology 8 Jun 2007, 13:47

  • PC or not PC? Ten desktops on test

    Group Test Which system is right for you?

    The desktop PC is a truly versatile animal, capable of running both our business and personal lives as well as entertaining us like nothing else since the television entered our world. Whether you want an all-encompassing budget marvel or a high-end gaming beast, there's a system out there to suit you. It's just a question of …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 2007, 13:51

  • DIY kits dumb down phishing

    9 out of 10 crooks use ready-made code

    Phishing kits are helping to dumb down the process of creating fraudulent websites. Back in the day, setting up a bogus facsimile of a banking site required a modicum of programming skills. No more. Now the increasing prevalence of DIY fraud website creation kits means setting up a snare for unwary surfers takes about as much …

    ID 8 Jun 2007, 14:05

  • Connery says nay to Indiana Jones reprise

    Retirement 'just too damned much fun' admits hero's dad

    Sir Sean Connery will not play Indiana Jones's dad in the forthcoming fourth film of the series, the actor has confirmed. Steven Spielberg is at the helm of the latest installment - slated for a 2008 release - which stars Harrison Ford, Ray Winstone, Cate Blanchett, and John Hurt. Connery, however, says in a statement on his …

    Entertainment 8 Jun 2007, 14:07

  • Cyberstalker caught after months on the run

    Tracked down to East London cybercafe

    Convicted cyberstalker Felicity Jane Lowde was arrested in a cybercafe in London's Brick Lane this week after two months on the run. Lowde was convicted, in absentia, by Stratford Magistrate's Court of harassing blogger Rachel North on 2 April this year. A warrant was issued for her arrest, and since then she has been in hiding …

    Law 8 Jun 2007, 14:38

  • Atlantis looking good for rain-free launch

    NASA could use some good news

    The scheduled launch of the space shuttle Atlantis (at 23:38pm, GMT) is looking more likely to go ahead as the weather in Florida has slightly improved. The clouds started to clear as NASA technicians were making the last of the pre-flight checks in the final full day before the launch. The Shuttle is loaded with parts for the …

    Space 8 Jun 2007, 14:57

  • Rwanda fires up Africa's 'biggest' solar plant

    250kW facility helps keeps the lights on

    Rwanda yesterday unveiled a 250-kilowatt solar plant which ups the nation's 'leccy-producing capacity to 50 megawatts, Reuters reports. The German-backed project, said to be the largest in Africa, makes a modest contribution to the 100 megawatts the country needs "to meet soaring demand that has triggered regular blackouts". …

    Science 8 Jun 2007, 14:58

  • Galileo to get public cash, agree EU ministers

    Military aspects remain to be settled

    Controversial Euro satnav project Galileo should receive more taxpayer cash to get it moving again, European ministers have concluded. But lengthy wrangles over funding channels and control lie ahead. Reuters reports that the European Union's current German presidency revealed the decision earlier today. Galileo was originally …

    Space 8 Jun 2007, 15:00

  • Microsoft buys data management firm, pulls product line

    And ends spat with LG

    Microsoft has bought data management firm Stratature to provide improvements to its SQL server, business intelligence, and SharePoint products. The Georgia-based company makes "Master Data Management" products to improve business databases. It collects company data from different places and puts it into one standardised system …

    Developer 8 Jun 2007, 15:03

  • World's tigers on 'catastrophic' road to extinction

    The end is nigh, says new report

    The world's tigers face "ecological extinction" due to a combination of "increased poaching, habitat destruction, and poor conservation efforts by governments", Reuters reports. That's according to a report entitled "The Fate of Wild Tigers" in the June issue of BioScience. The gloomy reading notes that loss of habitat and " …

    Biology 8 Jun 2007, 15:04

  • Morse splits to AIM high

    Outlines plan to Monitise future

    Morse has confirmed details of its demerger and the separate listing of its mobile banking business Monitise on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM). As well as its plan to list on AIM, Monitise, which provides mobile phone software for users to access their banking details, hopes a share placing will help it raise £ …

    Channel Register 8 Jun 2007, 15:06

  • A life on the ocean wave(length)

    I'm in the Pacific! No, the PACIFIC!

    Sailors could soon be able to call home from the middle of the ocean on an ordinary GSM mobile phone, thanks to a tie-up between Blue Ocean Wireless (BOW) and Inmarsat-reseller Stratos Comms. The companies have linked up with an as-yet unnamed GSM operator to put small GSM basestations, called picocells, onto merchant ships. …

    Mobile 8 Jun 2007, 15:19

  • Collabnet makes Eclipse distributed

    Distributed development tools for Eclipse IDE

    Distributed software development specialist CollabNet has released what it claims is the first distributed development platform for the Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE). California-based CollabNet says its Desktop Eclipse Edition brings enterprise quality management tools to open source distributed development …

    Developer 8 Jun 2007, 15:20

  • CSA 2.0: defaulting dads to have travel, ID, life switched off

    And get to buy their own bullets?

    The Department of Work and Pensions' latest bid to salvage a viable system from the Child Support Agency catastrophe, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC), adds several extra and potentially draconian sticks to beat recalcitrant parents with. We have a 'name and shame' web site, credit blacklisting,* monitored …

    Government 8 Jun 2007, 15:25

  • Newer releases MacBook battery renewer

    Mac accessory and upgrade specialist Newer Technology has rolled out a battery conditioner designed to re-tune MacBook and MacBook Pro power packs. Newer's MacBook/MacBook Pro battery conditioner The $150 unit is not only capable of recharging a spare battery, but a second bay will also charge a connected battery in a way …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 2007, 15:45

  • Downing St ambivalent on open standards

    Yeah, but no, but yeah..

    The UK government has made a statement offering cautious and qualified support for the adoption of open standards for government documents, but warns that there is no such thing as a document storage panacea. The statement forms part of Number 10's response to a petition calling on the government to promote the use of Open …

    Software 8 Jun 2007, 15:54

  • Naked builders hate ugly logos, but don't frequent Google Maps

    A lucky escape for the rest of us?

    Friday again, folks, and you, our very own chattering masses, have been pressing enter like crazy. We'll start with an issue that seemed to unite us all for a few days. The London 2012 Olympics logo was launched on Monday to universal derision. Opinions were divided over what it was meant to be and what it actually looks like, …

    Letters 8 Jun 2007, 16:00

  • Bradford axes more than 400 jobs

    Union blames 'spiralling' IBM/Serco costs

    IBM/Serco is at the centre of a row over Bradford Council's plans to axe more than 400 jobs. Public services union Unison said the council had made the decision as a result of "spiralling" computer systems costs. It said a £110m contract with IBM/Serco had nearly doubled to over £200m in the space of two years. Unison said …

    Channel Register 8 Jun 2007, 16:14

  • Kelway acquires Elcom

    Hopes to hit £100m mark

    Kelway has acquired rival UK reseller Elcom ITG for an undisclosed sum. Elcom will operate as a separate brand under Kelway, which expects to see a group turnover of more than £100m post-acquisition. Kelway managing director Phil Doye said: "Our growth strategy is based on a combination of ongoing organic business …

    Channel Register 8 Jun 2007, 17:15

  • Infinera grabs top tech IPO of the year

    Optical bull

    Shares of Infinera gained 52 per cent during its first trading day, giving the optical-networking gear maker the best tech IPO debut in 2007. The Sunnyvale-based company's stock closed yesterday at $19.71, a 51.6 per cent leap from the $13 per share initial public offering price. Approximately 14 million shares were sold during …

    Data Networking 8 Jun 2007, 18:55

  • Paris Hilton dereassigned back to jail

    'Mom, mom, it's not right', wails recaged heiress

    Paris Hilton has been sent packing back to jail to complete her stint in chokey for violating probation on a drink-drive rap. The heiress was not initially in Los Angeles County Superior Court this morning to face Judge Sauer, having apparently decided to "appear by phone". Sauer, who originally handed down the sentence and …

    Entertainment 8 Jun 2007, 21:05

  • MEPs draft ring of flowers for fortress Europe

    Caring, sharing police databases

    The European Parliament has fashioned a wreath of caveats it hopes will brighten up legislative measures designed to raise biometric borders and erect a network of biometric controls for police across the continent. The elected chamber is celebrating at least one certain success today: the official ratification of a compromise …

    Government 8 Jun 2007, 21:06

  • Surface computers: debunking Microsoft and Han

    Letters More on the 3D, tabletop UI

    My recent article 'Why Microsoft innovation is only Surface deep' prompted a number of Reg readers to pick up their keyboards in anger. I had anticipated knee-jerk claims of gratuitous "MS bashing", but these aside, the feedback has mostly been supportive. Gary Herbert perhaps best encapsulated the indignant mood of Reg …

    PCs & Chips 8 Jun 2007, 22:22

  • Apple to climb on to Google's cloud?

    Jobs says 'stay tuned'

    Mix one hint from Google's Eric Schmidt with a two-word non-denial from Apple's Steve Jobs, and what do you get? A prediction from Wired blogger Fred Vogelstein that Jobs will announce a partnership between the two companies at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco next week. The idea is that Apple will tap …

    Data Networking 8 Jun 2007, 22:30

  • Yahoo! patch squashes messenger bug

    Vuln researcher questions company's disclosure practices

    Yahoo! bug crushers have plugged a serious hole in Yahoo! Messenger that made it possible for bad guys to remotely take control of a user's machine. The update became available less than 24 hours after an anonymous hacker posted proof-of-concept code that demonstrated how the vulnerability could be exploited. The …

    Enterprise Security 8 Jun 2007, 22:32

  • JK Rowling badmouths eBay

    Auction site 'humiliated' and 'harassed'

    The row continues between eBay and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. As the world awaits the seventh and final Potter tome, the Indian Express reports that eBay has filed papers with the High Court in New Delhi, claiming that Rowling and her representatives are causing the company "immense humiliation and harassment." The two …

    Music and Media 8 Jun 2007, 23:28