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3rd July 2007 Archive

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  • Woman arrested for WoW love affair

    She was a 31 mage, he was a 17 warrior. Unfortunately, we're talking about their ages

    An Australian woman is facing child abduction charges in the US after trying to bring her 17-year-old World of Warcraft boyfriend back to Oz. Tamara Broome, a 31-year-old university student, was arrested on June 26 after she flew from Adelaide to the boy's home in Greenville, North Carolina to pick up her internet beau. Broome …

    Law 3 Jul 2007, 00:42

  • Massachusetts kowtows to Microsoft

    Redmond's 'open' standards approved

    Massachusetts is back on the Microsoft bandwagon. Nearly two years ago, the US state unveiled a policy that required its agencies to abandon Microsoft's Office applications in favor of apps that use "open" standards, such as the OpenDocument format (ODF). Now, the state's Information Technology Division has released a draft …

    Applications 3 Jul 2007, 00:46

  • Dell gets hot over refrigerant

    Ich liebe Liebert

    Doing its best to imitate The Fonz, Dell has formed an exclusive partnership with data center cooling specialist Liebert to put your boxes on ice. Okay, sure, The Fonz wouldn't have wasted his time talking about CRAC units and maximizing air flow. Server vendors, however, sure think cooling data centers is hip. So, we find Dell …

    Servers 3 Jul 2007, 00:52

  • iPhone hackers disclose vulns and hunt for clues

    Closing in on their Holy Grail

    The game is on for hackers trying to spot security vulnerabilities in Apple's iPhone and already they're scoring points. Less than 72 hours after the iPhone's introduction, researchers have reported at least one flaw that could allow an attacker some level of control over the device, while other hackers have uncovered passwords …

    Phones 3 Jul 2007, 01:37

  • Kylie confirmed for Who Xmas special

    Oz popstress embarks on Voyage Of The Damned

    The BBC has confirmed that Oz popstress Kylie Minogue will appear in an hour-long Xmas Doctor Who special, enticingly entitled Voyage of the Damned. Producer and writer Russell T Davies said he was "delighted and excited" to have Minogue on board, adding: "Doctor Who Xmas specials are always a joy and we feel very confident …

    Bootnotes 3 Jul 2007, 06:46

  • Swiss take on North America at nano-droid Subbuteo

    'Sh*t, I've dropped the Annapolis football team down a drain'

    This weekend, the city of Atlanta, Georgia will play host to an international soccer contest, in which all the players will be robots. So far, so yawnworthy - but wait. These droid sportsmen - unlike the ordinary, everyday mechanoid ballplayer - will be nanoscale ones, each smaller than an amoeba. Now we're talking. …

    Science 3 Jul 2007, 08:02

  • Possession of extreme porn to become criminal offence

    Perpetrators face three years in chokey

    The Government has published a new law which will criminalise extreme pornography. The Government first indicated that it would criminalise the possession of violent pornography two years ago. A new Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill has had its first reading in Parliament, which means that it has been published and awaits …

    Law 3 Jul 2007, 08:50

  • Slot machine inventions denied patents

    Game over

    A slot machine company has been refused the chance to patent parts of its games because the hearing officer and the Court of Appeal said that the company had simply changed the gameplay and rules of its slot machine games and so were not patentable. IGT had applied for four patents for gaming systems which operated games of …

    Law 3 Jul 2007, 08:56

  • Eircom injects €5m in Northern Ireland network

    More good news for the job market

    Eircom is to make a €5m investment in its network in Northern Ireland as the telecoms firm looks to develop its business in the area. The investment will see Eircom establish a network operations centre in Belfast, employing 15 people in roles such as network engineers, project managers, and qualified service professionals. …

    Networks 3 Jul 2007, 09:06

  • GSMA tackles 'innovation bottleneck' on mobile phones

    More innovation needed, and quickly

    The GSM Association (GSMA) thinks mobile innovation is ticking along too slowly, so has launched a programme to help smaller companies pitch their ideas to operators. Companies must have a turnover of less than £20m, and will be eligible to be nominated for awards at the next few GSMA shows. Selling applications to network …

    Small Biz 3 Jul 2007, 09:13

  • Global mobile subscriptions hit three billion

    Multiple SIMs boosting numbers

    Worldwide mobile phone subscriptions have hit three billion, according to a new report by Informa Telecoms and Media. The study, entitled Multiple SIMs: Quantifying the phenomenon taking mobile penetration beyond 100 per cent, estimates that the number of actual mobile users is far lower than the total number of subscriptions …

    Mobile 3 Jul 2007, 09:14

  • EU launches EUtube with a bang

    NSFW Minor kerfuffle over soft-core shagfest

    The EU has launched its very own YouTube channel, cunningly entitled EUtube, and aimed at disseminating the very best of the union's audiovisual content. Among the delights on offer are the truly fascinating The Reform of the Common Market Organisation for Sugar and an insight into the workings of the European Anti-Fraud Office …

    Government 3 Jul 2007, 09:15

  • Website honours battling Glasgow baggage handler

    Buy a pint for 'BAA's answer to Jack Bauer'

    A website set up to honour battling Glaswegian baggage handler John Smeaton, who magnificently waded in to prevent al-Qaeda's comedy kamikaze division raining fiery apocalypse upon the UK's airport infrastructure, has succeeded in getting grateful netizens to stick 480 pints behind the bar of the Glasgow Airport Holiday Inn for …

    Bootnotes 3 Jul 2007, 09:17

  • UK gov fights public spending website

    Says it'd 'cost too much'

    The government is obstructing a bill aimed at establishing a new website for information on public sector spending. The bill, which originated in the House of Lords, is now being led by Conservative MP David Gauke. It would require the Treasury to create a government expenditure website, as well as giving the government the …

    Government 3 Jul 2007, 09:27

  • Vibrator speaker system causes a buzz

    You hum it, I'll play it

    It's probably better to read about what this little gizmo does before you look at the pictures, otherwise you may forgiven for thinking that the I-MU Vibro was some sort of, ahem, 'personal stimulation product'. Just like a good spy novel or a run around the block... i-MU's Vibro: you hum it, I'll play it But the I-MU …

    Hardware 3 Jul 2007, 09:34

  • Digital divide becoming chasm, research reveals

    Work on bridging the gap has stalled

    Movement on the digital divide has stalled with only marginally more people online today than three years ago. UK online centres, managed by the University for Industry, have issued a report which says that bridging the digital divide is the responsibility of the public, private, and third sector working together. Conducted in …

    Business 3 Jul 2007, 09:35

  • Banks want data pulled from US

    Swift told to retreat all but US data

    The central banks of China and Russia have joined private companies in calling on Swift, the international financial intermediary, to pull all non-US data from America, The Register has learned. SWIFT has found itself caught between a rock and a hard place. The organisation secretly handed over personal data to comply with …

    Government 3 Jul 2007, 09:53

  • Pensioner used live shell as doorstop

    Bomb disposal disarms 'family heirloom'

    Royal Navy bomb disposal experts were called to a house in Paignton, Devon, after a tip-off that 68-year-old Thelma Bonnett was rather ill-advisedly using a live First World War German shell as a doorstop, the Daily Mail reports. The seven-inch-long "squat shell", which Bonnett's grandad Arthur acquired during his Navy days, …

    Bootnotes 3 Jul 2007, 09:54

  • Europe and Russia plan next generation spaceship

    Parallel to Orion

    Plans are underway to build a European alternative to the US's shuttle replacement Orion. The European Space Agency (ESA) has convened a series of meetings with key industrial groups in Europe to thrash out the details of new passenger launch systems. Russia will lead the feasibility study of various Crew Space Transportation …

    Science 3 Jul 2007, 10:03

  • Internet Governance Forum still searching for something to govern

    ICANN San Juan 2007 In the beginning was the...uh...

    After a crazed American federal prosecutor wreaked havoc on the Puerto Rican roads by wiping out on his motorcycle at 3am doing 105 mph, immobilizing traffic for ten hours on a major highway, I walked four miles on Thursday morning along the beach to the site of the ICANN meeting. I made it just in time to the Caribe Hilton for …

    Management 3 Jul 2007, 10:09

  • US nutter counts to one million on net

    Charity marathon caught on webcam

    A US chap is counting to one million live on the net to raise funds for the Push America disabilities charity. Jeremy Harper, 31, reckons it will take a total of three to four months to work his way to the big total, counting 12,000-15,000 numbers during a 16 hour daily stint. He's currently at around 191,000, and will not …

    Bootnotes 3 Jul 2007, 10:13

  • Institutional idiocy in IT

    High tech narcissism or old fashioned stupidity?

    Every now and then, I think it's healthy to sit back and recap on industry best practice. However, I'm not going to do that here. It's much more fun to tear into worst practice. I'm talking about the sort of institutional behaviour that transforms the simplest task into something requiring a 20 person committee. The measures …

    Developer 3 Jul 2007, 10:25

  • Russian copyright wars to continue despite AllofMP3 shutdown

    iTuneski RIP, but more where that came from

    AllofMP3.com, the UK's second most popular source for music downloads after iTunes, has been shut down after diplomatic pressure was piled on Russian authorities. MediaServices, the combative firm behind the site, is still selling cut-price music however, meaning the international legal posturing is set to continue. The …

    Media 3 Jul 2007, 10:47

  • Philips parades gem-like gadgets for luxury loving ladies

    Look, girls, sparklies

    I like being a girl. If I were a man, I'd never get the chance to purchase shiny items like Philips' Swarovski crystal-encased earphones and - luxury of luxuries - USB Flash drives, all hi-tech toys cunningly disguised as jewelry. Philips announced its Active Crystal range in March with a view to getting these sparkly items …

    Hardware 3 Jul 2007, 10:53

  • Autonomy forks out $375m for US expansion

    Eats Zantaz Inc

    Cambridge-based software firm Autonomy is buying US document storage and retrieval company Zantaz Inc. The deal should complete by August, and generate savings of $25m a year. Zantaz counts nine of the world's ten biggest law companies among its customers, and 11 of the Fortune 25, so Autonomy is buying a serious customer …

    Storage 3 Jul 2007, 11:18

  • Malware scammers target iPhone

    iFraud

    Fraudsters have been busy at work exploiting the hype surrounding last week's launch of the Apple iPhone. One strain of scam email makes the bogus claim that recipients have won one of the much sought after devices in a bid to trick prospective marks into visiting a malware loaded site. The site attempts to exploit a number …

    Mobile 3 Jul 2007, 11:23

  • Dell provides software assurance to Special Ops Command

    SEALs deal with snake-eaters

    Dell continues to be a favoured software licencing and assurance contractor for the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). The Department of Defence announced on 29 June that Dell would receive a $17,865,560.23 contract modification for "renewal of software assurance for software that currently has a license and software …

    Servers 3 Jul 2007, 11:27

  • Wireless gadget maker to offer on-the-move internet for free

    DataWind blows in to Blighty

    Canadian mobile internet gadget maker DataWind is coming to Europe this month on the back of the second generation of its Pocket Surfer wireless web browser, Register Hardware has learned. And it's promising "the internet anywhere... for free". Wireless internet for free: DataWind's Pocket Surfer 2 The Pocket Surfer 2's …

    Phones 3 Jul 2007, 11:30

  • SEC chases former Veritas execs over cursed AOL contract

    Watchdog still bugged by year 2000 deal

    The SEC is suing five former execs at Veritas over alleged securities fraud back in 2000. The agency alleges that the five “inflated and/or intentionally manipulated and distorted Veritas' reported financial results and misled Veritas' independent auditors” leading the firm to file false and misleading financial statements from …

    Servers 3 Jul 2007, 11:35

  • Downing Street dodges 'unlimited' broadband debate

    The latest victory for people's paralysis

    The government has responded to more than 9,000 people who signed a petition against misleading "unlimited" broadband advertising by bouncing them back to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which has already repeatedly refused to act. The response, posted on the much-vaunted e-petitions experiment in inclusive democracy …

    Broadband 3 Jul 2007, 11:35

  • Gigabyte Odin GT 800W power supply unit

    UK Exclusive Review The Father of the Norse Gods sends a new PSU...

    Manufacturers love to cram extra features into every part of a PC, but it comes as a surprise that Gigabyte - making its debut in the PSU biz - has managed the same trick with its new Odin GT 800W power supply. Gigabyte has borrowed some aspects of the Odin from other high-end PSUs, so the casing is heavily perforated to …

    Hardware 3 Jul 2007, 11:46

  • 'Effete' Europe useless in GWOT, says bin Laden man

    Declining continent - we don't need them anyway...

    "Everyone is entitled to my opinion!" could be the motto of Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA's bin Laden unit. Regularly showing up on American television, Scheuer is good as a talkative churl spewing calumnies on whatever political figure in the war on terror news hosts want defamed, always enthusiastically addressing …

    Government 3 Jul 2007, 12:07

  • SAP confesses to 'inappropriate' Oracle downloads

    Ooo-er

    SAP has admitted making "inappropriate downloads" of code and supporting documents from Oracle's website through its US-based Tomorrow Now subsidiary. The firm says it has since tightened its governance and control mechanisms, with CEO Henning Kagermann saying he "very much regret[s] this occurred". The two firms have been …

    Servers 3 Jul 2007, 12:08

  • Defend your home with a walking webcam

    I, Robot

    Using a webcam to ensure the safety of your home isn't new, but thieves just steal them along with your laptop. However, maybe Burglar Bill will think again when a webcam-toting robot steps up to block his passage. Robot webcam: taking the metal mickey? Yes, he'll be too busy laughing he won't hear the boys in blue come …

    Hardware 3 Jul 2007, 12:10

  • Starburst snap holds clues to galactic evolution

    Hubble's still got it

    In a galaxy far, far away, a period of unusually intense star formation is underway. Thousands upon thousands of new stars are blazing into life, as a starburst rips through the galaxy NGC 4449. A newly released picture, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), shows clusters of young, hot, bluish white stars blazing …

    Science 3 Jul 2007, 12:12

  • Six Wiis sold for every PS3 purchased in Japan

    We want Wii, say consumers

    Nintendo's Wii continued to reign supreme in Japan last month, with sales outstripping Sony's PlayStation 3 by a staggering six to one. The Wii outsold Microsoft's Xbox 360 by an even greater margin. According to figures from Japanese market watcher and publisher Enterbrain, some 270,974 Wii consoles were sold in the four …

    Games 3 Jul 2007, 12:24

  • Holux says balls to GPS

    With the UK's public-space smoking ban now firmly in place, your car's cigarette lighter may be seeing a little less action. Holux reckons its spherical GR-239 Bluetooth GPS receiver will give the in-car power outlet a new lease of life. The GR-239 provides Bluetooth devices with access to GPS data thanks to built-in a …

    Science 3 Jul 2007, 12:45

  • Hacker stalked Linkin Park frontman

    Musical discord

    A former US government lab worker has admitted stalking Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington after using computing hacking tactics to obtain data on her target. Devon Townsend, 28, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, confessed to using government computers to break into the email account of the singer and hacking into the …

    Security 3 Jul 2007, 12:47

  • London NHS paper reveals plans to share patient data

    Social services and ContactPoint included

    A document produced for London NHS reveals plans for extensive sharing of personal data between the NHS, social services, education and the police. Obtained by William Heath's Ideal Government blog, it says that the "Health and Social Care Integration Project" should fit with "known and future national developments... e.g. …

    Policy 3 Jul 2007, 12:54

  • Never say sorry I'm late again

    Have your phone say it for you

    A new smartphone application links to your diary and GPS to automatically let people know when you're running late. The Oops I'm Late app sends an SMS or makes a call to let a person know when you'll be arriving. The concept sounds sane enough - the application uses GeoNames to work out where your appointments are, then GPS to …

    Mobile 3 Jul 2007, 13:04

  • MEP plans EU build ban on cars faster than 100mph

    Committee considers tech-lite plan to save planet

    The EU Parliament's environment committee is considering a proposal to ban all cars capable of exceeding 100 mph (162 km/hour) from 2013. The proposal, put forward by LibDem MEP Chris Davies, is based on the arguments that cars that go faster than 100 mph are "over-engineered to a ridiculous degree", and that for safety reasons …

    Government 3 Jul 2007, 13:05

  • New ASA boss targets bogus web sites

    Advertiser websites in his sights

    The new boss of the advertising watchdog has said bogus web adverts and websites need better regulation and conceded that current rules are not far-reaching enough. Lord Chris Smith, in his first day as chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), said he wanted to respond to growing public concern over misleading …

    Media 3 Jul 2007, 13:26

  • Customers give new ISP market thumbs down

    Consumer casualties on broadband battleground

    The volatile ISP sector is continuing to annoy UK consumers as it sacrifices service for lower prices. Overall, a quarter of broadband punters are unhappy with their service - a 12 per cent slide compared to a year earlier. TalkTalk and Orange, who both provide "free" internet service, dominated the lower reaches of the half …

    Broadband 3 Jul 2007, 13:31

  • Stingy AT&T spoiled the iPhone party

    Why the Jesus phone couldn't perform miracles

    Much of the urban United States has enjoyed indoor toilets for some years now, and - Hallelujah! - thanks to Apple, it finally has a modern mobile phone, too. Welcome USA, seriously. While Apple shifted over 500,000 iPhones this weekend, its partner AT&T didn't keep its part of the bargain. And that's because it couldn't, a …

    Mobile 3 Jul 2007, 13:34

  • Inflated real-estate market goes ballistic (in space)

    You can afford to build it: can they afford to come?

    Vegas-based real-estate kingpin Robert Bigelow's second prototype inflatable space habitat is now in orbit and doing well, according to its parent company. The business plan of Bigelow Aerospace is to build and put into orbit large, pressurised inflatable modules which can be leased out to paying customers. Many have …

    Science 3 Jul 2007, 13:40

  • Virgin: Take the money and run, Beardie

    Analysis: Carlyle's cash could come in handy

    Private equity group Carlyle is bidding to take over Virgin Media, the UK's cable monopoly formerly known as NTL. We reckon Branson should take the money. He could get shot of the debt-burdened albatross, and put the money to good use elsewhere in the Virgin telco empire. (I analysed Virgin's debt troubles recently here.) When …

    Networks 3 Jul 2007, 13:47

  • Universal downgrades kneecapping to kick in nuts

    Reserves nuclear option

    Universal Music Group (UMG) has responded to yesterday's report in the New York Times by declaring that it will continue to supply its catalog to Apple's iTunes store. It'll just do so on new terms, far more flexible than it previously enjoyed. The Times reported that UMG had refused to renew its new annual contract with Apple …

    Media 3 Jul 2007, 14:02

  • Whiteboards could damage kids and teachers' eyesight

    Razzle dazzle 'em

    Interactive whiteboards that are used in schools and colleges across the UK could potentially cause eyesight damage due to a lack of basic government guidelines. According to an investigation carried out by the BBC, many of the devices used by teachers and school children do not carry adequate warnings about the "dazzle effect …

    Policy 3 Jul 2007, 14:09

  • Carphone Warehouses picks BlackBerry

    Anyone not satisfied with the current selection of shops selling BlackBerry handsets now has another choice: Carphone Warehouse is finally going to stock BlackBerry grower Research in Motion's three latest consumer-friendly models in its 780 UK stores. CW will offer the BlackBerry Curve, 8800 and Pearl. The icing on the cake …

    Phones 3 Jul 2007, 14:29

  • Riverbed dives into certification territory

    Teams up with Pearson Vue

    WAN optimiser Riverbed Technology has signed an IT professional certification program deal with testing provider Pearson VUE. The Riverbed Certified Solutions Professional (RCSP) exam is aimed at users of the firm's Riverbed Optimisation System (RiOS) wide area network software platform. Individuals that pass the exam will …

    Broadband 3 Jul 2007, 15:46

  • Talking Trojan taunts victims

    Everything must go

    Malware authors have developed a talking Trojan capable of taunting its victims even as it goes about its work trashing their PCs. The BotVoice-A Trojan informs victims that their Windows PCs have been infected as it deletes files. The malware uses Windows text reader to play the following message: You has been infected I …

    Security 3 Jul 2007, 15:49

  • Palm OS II launch date delayed again

    Not dead, just sleeping

    Palm CEO Ed Colligan has told Brighthand it won't have devices based on its own version of Palm OS until some time in 2008, despite saying two months ago the devices would be available later this year. Palm has been building its own version of the Palm OS - Palm OS II - since December when it paid $44m for the source code of …

    Operating Systems 3 Jul 2007, 15:51

  • Intel, MS eye Japanese housewives in mobile PC push

    Keyboardphobe friendly

    Intel, Microsoft and Japanese online payments company Bit Wallet have teamed up to develop a mobile PC platform designed to bring computing to those traditionally considered to be unfamiliar with shopping online, browsing the web or sitting at a desktop PC. Like housewives, apparently. PBJ's Slate DT FeliCa According to …

    Hardware 3 Jul 2007, 16:00

  • Google buys voicemail firm for $50m

    Loose change for Grand Central

    Google has acquired GrandCentral Communications, a California-based provider of web-based communications solutions. GrandCentral's service allows people to use a single phone number and voice mailbox for all of their phones. Google's product manager Wesley Chan made the announcement Tuesday on the company's official blog. Terms …

    Broadband 3 Jul 2007, 16:58

  • US Navy looks to achieve spy-fi miracle-dork capability

    'OK Brains, where's the secret enemy HQ?'

    The US Office of Naval Research (ONR), one of the Pentagon's many securo-boffin pork outlets, is having a timely look at dealing with the threat from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) - military speak for terrorist bombs. It might seem a little odd for the navy to be funding anti-terror-bomb knowhow, but not when you think …

    Science 3 Jul 2007, 17:17

  • MPack malware exposes cheapskate web hosts

    Apache and the Domino Effect

    Poor configuration of Apache servers allowed multiple websites hosted on the same physical server to become infected in last month's Mpack compromise. An analysis by security researchers at the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Centre reveals that only one of the websites hosted on a machine needed to contain a vulnerable PHP …

    Security 3 Jul 2007, 19:21

  • Apple, Ebay and Amazon receive failing grade from environmentalists

    Big Blue is green, Apple is brown. Whodathunkit?

    Eco-lobby group Climate Counts has issued a green rating scorecard that lauds Canon and IBM as veritable Planeteers, but dumps on eBay, Amazon and Apple as planet-hating muckity-mucks. The group scored 56 well-known companies on 22 criteria based on their self-reported actions. Points were awarded or deducted for corporate …

    Hardware 3 Jul 2007, 20:01

  • Gates loses 'World's richest' crown

    Slim only in name

    A Mexican telecoms tycoon has dethroned Bill Gates as the World's richest man. Carlos Slim ended Gates's 13-year reign thanks to a 26 per cent surge in the stock price of his company America Movil during the second quarter. Slim boosted his personal net worth to $67.8bn compared to last year’s $30bn. Gates was worth $59.2bn …

    Financial News 3 Jul 2007, 20:07

  • Yahoo! Unveils! New! Banner! Ad! Engine!

    It knows what you want

    Score one for Yahoo! in the ongoing battle for online ad dollars. Yesterday, the beleaguered company unveiled a new banner ad platform that allows marketers to target web users according to their online behavior, a talent typically reserved for text-based ad engines. The new platform, known as SmartAds, could give Yahoo! at …

    Applications 3 Jul 2007, 21:27

  • Sony teams up with Nielsen to track game ads

    Press start to enjoy Funyuns® brand Onion Flavored Rings

    Sony Computer Entertainment America has inked a deal with media head counter Nielsen Company to track gamer behavior for advertising revenue. Nielsen will have access to data on Sony PS3 systems and the company's online PlayStation Network to track video game traffic, the effectiveness of in-game advertisements and demographics …

    Financial News 3 Jul 2007, 22:10