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9th August 2007 Archive

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  • Thai police strapped with Hello Kitty armbands

    Delinquent officers bear 'mark of shame'

    A new punishment awaits rule-breaking Thai police officers: Hello Kitty armbands. Unable to control his officers with other disciplinary measures, Colonel Pongpat Chayaphan has said that those caught breaking police rules will be forced to wear a pink armband tagged with Hello Kitty and a pair of hearts, The Associated Press …

    Bootnotes 9 Aug 2007, 00:11

  • Management vs. the virtual server

    LinuxWorld A look at how the industry is moving to abstraction

    Virtualization is certainly creating a lot of buzz in the industry, but despite the technology's hefty promises of cost cutting and consolidation, the vast majority of businesses are still running on physical hardware. Tony Iams, senior analyst of enterprise IT research firm Ideas International has been busy sniffing around …

    Servers 9 Aug 2007, 00:30

  • Hacker cracks Netflix copy restrictions

    DRM is dead. Long live DRM.

    A hacker has found a way to crack digital rights management restrictions in major movies streamed by Netflix, allowing those with a valid account to save, copy and share the videos. Using only Internet Explorer, Windows Media player, notepad and a program called FairUse4WM, a user by the name of DIzzIE offers step-by-step …

    Music and Media 9 Aug 2007, 02:35

  • Shall I compare thee (code) to a summer's day?

    Book review Beauty that's code deep

    Beautiful code? Well, we've all seen plenty of ugly code in our time. If we're being honest, we'd probably even admit to have written some dog-ugly code at one time or other (no doubt with every intention to refactor it later so that it's a bit less brutally repulsive). But code that's beautiful? What does that even mean? …

    Developer 9 Aug 2007, 08:02

  • XML upgrade assessments needed for higher ed

    'Start planning now,' report says

    A new report has warned that urgent work is needed to assess the best way for higher education institutions to upgrade to XML based file formats. The Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc) has published a report highlighting the need for coordinated action to help the higher education sector make a cost effective switch to …

    Software 9 Aug 2007, 08:59

  • Ban texting while driving, say Americans

    Even if half of them do it

    Nine out of ten Americans think that texting while driving is dangerous and should be banned, but over half admitted to indulging in the act behind the wheel. A survey carried out by Harris Interactive found that while 91 per cent of people surveyed said it was as dangerous as getting behind the wheel after a couple of drinks, …

    Mobile 9 Aug 2007, 09:01

  • Pentagon chief: no more oil for blood, man

    US war machine to run on mushroom-based fungus fuel

    Biofuels have been taking a bit of a bashing lately, with people suggesting that maybe they aren't so green after all. And this is not to mention the fact they could require unacceptably large amounts of cropland to produce, so driving up food prices. But now the somewhat beleaguered biofuel lobby has received a boost from US …

    Hardware 9 Aug 2007, 09:36

  • Is AV product testing corrupt?

    Who can you trust?

    I had a conversation a month or two ago with someone high up in one of the IT security companies. He was bemoaning the fact that his company's AV product had performed poorly in tests run by AV-Test.org. He was deeply suspicious of the results anyway because his company actually provides its AV engine to another company that had …

    Malware 9 Aug 2007, 09:37

  • PC buyers: 'Vista Capable' machines weren't Vista capable

    Judge calls for trial

    How misleading was Microsoft's "Windows Vista Capable" campaign? Misleading enough for a judge to approve a federal trial. On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that two PC buyers, Dianne Kelley and Kenneth Hansen, can proceed with a lawsuit that accuses Microsoft of deliberately deceiving the public. The basis of the deception …

    Reg Hardware 9 Aug 2007, 09:43

  • Discovery expands mobile offering

    Meerkats on mobile

    Discovery Channel has launched mobile phone-friendly versions of two more TV channels, Discovery Turbo and Animal Planet, so you'll be able to get your fix of Meerkat Manor wherever you are. The services are available to Vodafone and Orange users, as well as through the Sky Mobile service, and will feature made-for-mobile …

    Mobile 9 Aug 2007, 09:44

  • Space Shuttle Endeavour heads for the skies

    'Flawless' launch, and a pretty picture...

    Endeavour lifts off. Credit: NASA NASA has described the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour as "flawless". The shuttle blasted off from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida late last night (UK time), starting its 14 day mission to the International Space Station without a hitch. The space agency's top dog Michael Griffin …

    Space 9 Aug 2007, 10:03

  • High drama at Evesham, but the Yangtze Dolphin puts it all in perspective

    To subscribe to Channel Register's weekly newsletter - seven days of channel news in a single hit - click here.

    As far as the UK channel was concerned, the big story was the demise (or not) of Evesham Technology. At first, everything looked rosy with El Reg reporting that Tahir Mohsan, founder of TimeUK, was investing $22m in the company through a Dubai-based business called PCC Technology. "By funding this restructuring, we intend to …

    Channel Register 9 Aug 2007, 10:39

  • Malware license agreement tells it straight

    'FU' sucker

    You normally need a law degree and the patience of Job to make sense of End User License Agreements (EULAs). These seldom-read legal screeds have a reputation for being both hard to fathom and often one-sided in protecting the rights of software suppliers. So it's refreshing to find an agreement that gets straight to the point …

    Security 9 Aug 2007, 10:39

  • Offender tracking database could be binned

    Costs jump to £950m

    Spiralling costs have prompted an urgent review of the government's new end-to-end National Offender Management Service database, it has been revealed. The original estimate for the EDS-built system was £234m, but unions reckon that with £155m already spent the project will come in at £950m. The National Association of …

    Government 9 Aug 2007, 11:11

  • Vodafone hedges bets with WiMAX Forum membership

    An egg in every basket

    Vodafone has signed up to principal membership of the WiMAX Forum, the organisation dedicated to the promotion of WiMAX interoperability and adoption, though it's not giving up on 3G any time soon. WiMAX is a long-range wireless standard designed to operate in licensed frequencies - initially for fixed connections, but evolving …

    Mobile 9 Aug 2007, 11:24

  • Shooting stars to dazzle in September...

    Diary marker ...And this Sunday night

    This year, we have a rare chance to see the alpha Aurigids, the remnants of the ancient Comet Kiess. On 1 September, the Earth will pass through an extremely fine band of dust and other debris left behind by Kiess when it passed the sun, way back in 83BC, which will light up the skies as the pieces tear into the atmosphere. …

    Space 9 Aug 2007, 11:36

  • BBC to advertise to foreigners

    Adds ads to broadband-delivered video

    UK public broadcaster the BBC is adding advertising to broadband-delivered video news service when it is delivered outside the UK. The shift to online delivery of video could make a huge difference to the BBC, which is paid for entirely by an annual public levy of around $270 per household across the 24 million or so TV homes …

    Public Sector 9 Aug 2007, 13:02

  • PDF spam tsunami hits email inboxes

    Junk mail leaps 30 per cent

    An aggressive spam campaign designed to ramp up the share price of a convenience store firm led to a 30 per cent increase in the volume of spam circulating across the net at its peak on Tuesday, according to net security firm Sophos. The junk mail messages, containing an attached PDF file, urge recipients to buy shares in a a …

    Security 9 Aug 2007, 13:12

  • Project Hostile Intent plans 'non-invasive' DHS brainscan

    Not the mind probe again, officer? My ass hurts

    The great problem besetting the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is, of course, how on Earth to spend its mountains of federal pork on vaguely security-related stuff. One approach is to build gear which is only tangentially about security, but which might work - for example cryogenic superconductor power lines for New …

    Hardware 9 Aug 2007, 13:28

  • LG brings the cinema to your living room

    But can it cook popcorn?

    LG Electronics has created a home cinema system with enough power under the hood to ensure you could start holding screenings in your own front room. The HT902TB boasts 1000 watts of listening power and is also sleek and stylish to boot. The system includes four stand-alone tallboy speakers, each dipped in a glossy black …

    Reg Hardware 9 Aug 2007, 13:30

  • Pipex invites customer to get 'c**ted'

    NSFW The rudest password

    Automatic password suggestions are naturally something of a crapshoot, but do we detect a foul-mouthed ghost in the machine at Pipex? We were sent this appallingly obscene screengrab by a shaken reader. My eyes! We're really far too shocked to add anything much, but it's little wonder nobody wants to buy Pipex's hosting …

    Telecoms 9 Aug 2007, 13:37

  • Mediaroom: Microsoft's 'operator friendly brand'

    Comment What's in a name?

    A briefing last week from Microsoft's Christine Heckart, the general manager of marketing for Microsoft's freshly named Mediaroom TV business, attempted to straighten out one or two misconceptions about the new name, and additional features added recently to the software. Heckart continues to push the party line of the term " …

    Music and Media 9 Aug 2007, 13:48

  • Buffalo's USB HDDs get bigger, faster

    Bells, whistles, but no horns

    Buffalo Technology has launched two new external hard drives, with storage capacities ranging up to 1 Terabyte. The MiniStation and DriveStation models also include a USB Turbo feature to help boost data transfer rates. The MiniStation model is available in capacities of 80, 120, 160 and 250GB, while the DriveStation offers …

    Reg Hardware 9 Aug 2007, 13:50

  • Jilted Apax gets second bite at GFI Informatique

    Private equity firm buys shares as Fujitsu bid closes

    Private equity group Apax Partners has closed in on leading French reseller GFI Informatique, having taken a 15 per cent stake in the firm. In a surprise move, Apax bought the shares on 7 August, the eve of Fujitsu's bid closing, raising doubts over the Japanese PC vendor's chances of securing the 66.7 per cent shareholder …

    Channel Register 9 Aug 2007, 13:59

  • Get your Ultra Wide Band from Monday

    Regulation hot on the heels of products

    UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has legalised the use of UWB in the UK from Monday, 13 August. The announcement comes within weeks of the first UWB devices being certified as conforming to the Wireless USB standard. The licence exemption means users of UWB won't need a license to operate, assuming it's not fixed to anything …

    Data Networking 9 Aug 2007, 14:42

  • French teen held over online Potter translation

    Jumping the gun

    French police have arrested a 16-year-old accused of posting an unauthorised translation of the final Harry Potter book onto the net before the official translation comes out. The unnamed high school student, from Aix-en-Provence in southern France, was taken in for questioning by police following a complaint from French …

    Crime 9 Aug 2007, 14:47

  • Segway builders develop speedy swim fins

    DARPA, Navy SEALs team with dorkmobile firm on super-Flippers

    The company which gave the world the Segway has developed a revolutionary new set of swim fins, twice as efficient as the ones worn by divers today. DEKA Research, previously most famous for its electric dorkmobile, has previously bid for Pentagon cash with its remarkable man-launching pneumatic cannon, intended to hurl …

    Small Biz 9 Aug 2007, 15:02

  • UK punters love music on the move

    Young or old

    UK music fans are taking their music with them, with 45 per cent of the population listening to an MP3 player more than four times a week, according to research from Frukt. The company polled 904 UK residents and discovered it isn't just the youth taking their tunes with them. Nineteen per cent of over 40s are equally attached …

    Music and Media 9 Aug 2007, 15:16

  • Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet

    Review Dr Lenovo has increased the strength of medication with the latest X61 Tablet

    Lenovo supplies its X series ThinkPad as a regular laptop and also as a reversible Tablet in both X60 and X61 variants, so that's four basic models, but there are so many options and variants that it's almost impossible to list them in a tidy way - but we'll give it our best shot. ThinkPad X61: sports a 12.1in MultiView …

    Reg Hardware 9 Aug 2007, 15:28

  • Sunspots make the world hot and wet

    But climate change still down to humans

    News that paleoclimatologists at Paul Smith's College in New York state have found a link between sunspot activity and rain reaches us on the same day that other mathematicians at the University of Washington have uncovered a correlation between variations in the global temperature and the cycle of solar activity. The …

    Physics 9 Aug 2007, 15:35

  • Xbox 360 Premium to get HDMI?

    Somehow, someway, somewhere

    HDMI connectivity could soon be extended beyond Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Elite to other versions of the gaming platform. Online reports claim that a Microsoft representative has confirmed that HMDI will soon feature in at least one additional version of the console, potentially the Premium edition. The Microsoft mouthpiece …

    Reg Hardware 9 Aug 2007, 15:37

  • NZ parents may lose battle to keep baby '4real'

    'Superman' plan B to the rescue

    Kiwis Pat and Sheena Wheaton may be forced to abandon their brave battle with authorities for the God-given right to name their son "4real", but have announced similarly creative backup plan. If a legal challenge is not mounted, The New Zealand Herald reports the infant will bear the official handle "Superman". According to the …

    Law 9 Aug 2007, 15:40

  • Evesham ex-employee registers Geemore.com

    ...and .co.uk

    Disillusioned ex-Evesham Technology workers now have a new website where the 150 or so redundant staff can vent their spleens, look for new jobs and talk about the good old days at the firm. Geemore.com has been set up with a forum for staff to stay in touch on all things Evesham-related. Surprisingly, despite the fact that …

    Channel Register 9 Aug 2007, 15:59

  • Home Office pops open ID procurement porkbarrel

    Minister: 'Groundbreaking ... huge benefit ... can't wait for mine'

    The UK government has formally launched the selection process which will choose a contractor to run the controversial National Identity Card scheme. Details of the "opportunity" were posted online (pdf) this afternoon. The Home Office Identity & Passport Service (IPS) said: "The procurement approach will select a small group …

    Government 9 Aug 2007, 16:18

  • Blockbuster reels in MovieLink

    Incurable NetFlix envy

    In its ongoing tit-for-tat battle with online movie-rental pioneer NetFlix, Blockbuster has acquired MovieLink, the web-based download service founded by the big-name Hollywood studios in 2002. Following several months of negotiation, the worldwide rental chain snapped up the service for less than $20m, The Wall Street Journal …

    Music and Media 9 Aug 2007, 17:12

  • Dell Ex-CEO Rollins to get $48 million cash

    Might be hard to break a $10,000,000

    Former Dell CEO Kevin Rollins will be making bank after all. Despite receiving a pyrite parachute of a severance package to the tune of $5m, the ex-executive will receive an additional $48.5m in expired stock options that have been frozen because of an accounting investigation. Rollins, however, will have to tuck himself in …

    Financial News 9 Aug 2007, 18:01

  • Dutch police arrest six in 419 scam

    Australian victim bilked of $1.5m

    Six men with ties to a West African crime network have been arrested in the Netherlands over an internet scam that bilked a man of $1.5m, according to police. Five of the suspects are from West Africa, including two Nigerians, according to an article in the Daily Telegraph. They stand accused of engaging in a 419 scheme in …

    Spam 9 Aug 2007, 18:03

  • Microsoft plans six critical patches

    Fixes critical vulns in Windows, Office and Internet Explorer

    Next week's Microsoft patch fest will include nine security updates, spanning a wide range of products. Six of them earned a rating of critical, reserved for the most severe vulnerabilities and apply to Windows, Internet Explorer and Office. According to a blog item from Microsoft security program manager Christopher Budd, …

    Enterprise Security 9 Aug 2007, 20:52

  • Rackable wraps Al Gore around new storage kit

    LinuxWorld Disk a landfill can love

    Rackable Systems has turned to patriotism and Al Goristics to sell its latest line of storage systems. Yes, disk has turned emotional. The server and storage maker this week started hawking a fresh set of RapidScale systems along with a new expansion box called the OmniStor SE3016. At the end of Rackable's statement revealing …

    Servers 9 Aug 2007, 20:53

  • IBM Information Server Blade tackles data integration

    Server blade meets data management software

    IBM is cooking up a server blade that combines grid computing and virtualization to aid consolidating massive amounts of information across a business. The appliance, revealed at LinuxWorld in San Francisco, is dubbed the IBM Information Server Blade. The appliance is a marriage between the IBM BladeCenter HS21 servers …

    Servers 9 Aug 2007, 20:58

  • Red Hat nails Dell as JBoss dealer

    LinuxWorld Bundle trio

    Dell and Red Hat have solidified their long-running partnership with a new deal centered around the JBoss application server. For the first time, Red Hat has secured a Tier 1 server vendor as an OEM for the JBoss Application Platform. Customers will find the JBoss Application Server, Hibernate and JBoss Seam all bundled on Dell …

    Servers 9 Aug 2007, 22:12

  • AMD passes the collection plate again

    Brother, could you spare $1.5bn?

    AMD is hoping to keep the debt collector at bay by selling $1.5bn worth of convertible senior notes. The company will use the money, along with cash on hand, to repay the outstanding balance on a $2.5bn loan obtained from Morgan Stanley Senior Funding back in October 2006 to acquire ATI. AMD will give the initial purchaser a …

    Financial News 9 Aug 2007, 22:14

  • American sent to the slammer for faking Windows certificates

    Microsoft has a party

    On Wednesday, an American man was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for pirating copies of Microsoft's Windows operating system - and Redmond wants the world to know about it. After an FBI investigation and a trial in the US District Court for Northern Georgia, Justin Harrison is the first person sentenced under a new …

    Channel Register 9 Aug 2007, 22:15

  • Universal Music Group invests in rap competition site

    World's largest label / puts bread on the table

    Universal Music Group has acquired a stake in the hip-hop music marketing site Loud.com. The New York-based site serves primarily as a portal for users to create their own songs using pre-made beats for a competition against other would-be MCs. Users download the Loud Studio software, which comes with a handful of free beats, …

    Music and Media 9 Aug 2007, 23:17

  • Symantec security products less than secure

    Two words: Live Update

    In a world where digital gremlins seem to lurk in almost every shadow, many of us feel safer using an internet security package. But for those using many Norton security products who haven't updated recently, that feeling is a false sense of security. That's because a nasty bug residing in two ActiveX controls used in Norton's …

    Security 9 Aug 2007, 23:27