14th August 2007 Archive

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Las Vegas judge sacked for MySpace page

Foot stuck in mouth - and elsewhere

A North Las Vegas judge has been sacked after telling MySpace readers that his interests include physically beating prosecutors - or words to that effect. In a post to his public MySpace page, The Associated Press reports, substitute judge Jonathan MacArthur laid out his attitude towards prosecutors using a certain graphic …

Law 14 Aug 2007, 00:04
Republican CNN/YouTube debate is back on

Rescheduled to November, when snowmen will be busy

After a few weeks of skepticism-fueled dawdling, the Republican's CNN/YouTube presidential debate is back from limbo. CNN announced today that Rudolph Giuliani and Senator John McCain have signed on for the two-hour forum, which has been rescheduled for November 28. And with two of the GOP's main contenders inked in, its likely …

Government 14 Aug 2007, 00:15
Buffer the Overflow Slayer v. the ActiveX Files

Flashpix nix 'safe for scripts'

Microsoft's DirectX Media software development kit may be doing a lot more than helping designers give a realistic flesh tone to Lara Croft's breasts. It could also be introducing critical vulnerabilities into a countless number of applications that are spawned by the SDK. That's because the SDK, which streamlines much of the …

Security 14 Aug 2007, 01:27
MS announces revamped Xbox 360 coding kit

XNA 2.0 to merge pro, amateur SDKs

Microsoft will offer the next major version of its XNA Game Studio pro- and amateur-oriented Xbox 360 game creation tool for download later this year, the software giant has said. The PC-hosted software development kit, to be re-released as version 2.0, will sport a new user interface that Microsoft said would make …

Developer 14 Aug 2007, 01:29
Apple head-hunters reveal Australia, UK store plans

Hiring, mate

Apple has begun recruiting staff to run its first Australian Apple Store, currently being kitted out in Sydney's central George Street. It's also looking for workers for new stores in the UK in Exeter, Milton Keynes, Glasgow, Reading and Brighton. The Mac maker's website currently lists a range of key posts for the Sydney …

reghardware 14 Aug 2007, 02:20
Surround sound... with a single speaker unit?

Yes, you heard us correctly

Being pelted by speakers placed at almost every angle has long been, acoustically speaking, the tried and tested way to gain surround sound. Now, US-based Polk Audio has created a single-bar speaker that it pledges will deliver a 5.1 surround sound experience from one location. The SurroundBar 50 raises the bar The …

reghardware 14 Aug 2007, 03:59
Unannounced Slingbox surfaces on the web

Original Slingbox revamped?

Sling Media is working on a new incarnation of its Slingbox TV-over-the-internet box, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website has revealed. Sling Media's 'Slingbox 3': in the labs Details of the new box, mentioned in FCC electromagnetic emission testing documentation, are sparse, but it appears to sit …

reghardware 14 Aug 2007, 07:26
Power gadget set to cut electricity bills

Turn off all your equipment at the push of a button

A company based in the UK has launched an innovative way to quickly and easily turn off all that household electronic equipment more often than not left on power-consuming 'standby' mode: a radio-controlled power plug. Ivy's Standby Buster: power cutter Dubbed the Standby Buster, it's a three-pin adaptor that sits between …

reghardware 14 Aug 2007, 08:02
Running biometric footware

Sole of a new machine

There is a new biometric concept afoot from a Vancouver startup, turning a homespun invention for comfortable shoes into an entirely new source of biometric data. At the moment, the pre-funding company is little more than a weirdly graphical but vague website (http://www.plantiga.com/), some patent applications, and the gushing …

Security 14 Aug 2007, 08:02
Info boss publishes information sharing draft

To ensure compliance with DPA

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has launched a consultation on its new framework code of practice for sharing personal information. It published a draft version of the code on 13 August 2007, with a deadline for submissions of 1 October. A spokesperson for the ICO told GC News the framework will not be the basis of …

Public Sector 14 Aug 2007, 08:58
Porn company Perfect 10 sues Microsoft

Claims lost business to MSN search engine

A publisher of nude model photography is suing Microsoft for putting links and images of the company's content in search results taken from other websites that are illegally reproducing the material. The company, Perfect 10, previously lost a similar suit seeking injunctions against Google and Amazon.com and its subsidiary …

Law 14 Aug 2007, 09:10
Mobile phone door surveillance inventor loses out to Nokia

Lodges appeal with Patents Court

An inventor who wrote his patent from scratch and conducted a legal campaign against Nokia himself has lost his claim for patent infringement against the mobile giant. Frank Cunningham must pay £1,500 in costs to Nokia, having lost a review hearing related to an earlier ruling by a hearing officer of the Intellectual Property …

Law 14 Aug 2007, 09:26
Dyson: Climate models are rubbish

More science, less hysteria please

British-born physicist Freeman Dyson has revealed three "heresies", two of which challenge the current scientific orthodoxy that anthropogenic carbon causes climate change. "The fuss about global warming is grossly exaggerated," writes Dyson in his new book Many Colored Glass: Reflections on the Place of Life in the Universe, …

Biology 14 Aug 2007, 09:38
Nokia issues battery warning

Warning over 46m batteries

Batteries used in a range of Nokia handsets, from the 1100 to the latest E60, are at risk of overheating during charging. Of 300 million BL-5C batteries manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial Co. for Nokia last year, 46 million belong to the dodgy batch. One hundred incidents have already been reported, but none have …

Mobile 14 Aug 2007, 09:44
Nokia gets into user-created ~~crud~~ content

The Mosh pit lives

Nokia has launched a public beta of its user-generated content play Mosh, encouraging members to upload videos, pictures, and even applications for sharing with the Mosh community. Most of Mosh will be familiar territory - users upload content which can be rated by other users, but everything is also accessible from a mobile …

Mobile 14 Aug 2007, 10:20
Many Facebook users expose all to strangers

Freddi Staur ate my profile

Many Facebook users are happy to give up access to their personal profile to strangers. In a random survey of Facebook users, 41 per cent were happy to divulge personal information - such as email address, phone number, and date of birth - by agreeing to accept a complete stranger as a friend. Sophos, which conducted the …

Security 14 Aug 2007, 10:38
MIT whitecoats discover super-charged cancer cells

All cells are not created equal

Scientists at MIT report a breakthrough in growing so called cancer stem cells that could aid research into the disease. The researchers have found a way to grow large quantities of cells that initiate tumours. These are not normally available in large quantities, so the discovery could be a real boon to those who study them. …

Biology 14 Aug 2007, 10:48
Motorbike crash man fails to notice loss of leg

Travels 2km before penny drops

A Japanese motorcyclist failed to notice his right leg had been severed below the knee in a collision with a motorway central reservation, and he travelled a further 2km before spotting he'd left something behind at the scene, the Guardian reports. Company worker Kazuo Osada, 54, was on a jaunt with 10 other bikers yesterday …

Bootnotes 14 Aug 2007, 10:59
RIM BlackBerry 8820 smartphone

Review Now with added Wi-Fi

It seems that Research In Motion (RIM) just can't help adding new features to its BlackBerry line. It's barely six months since the 8800 was released and there's already a new model nipping at its heels. The 8820 offers the form factor and features of its predecessor but adds a couple of new extras - most notably Wi-Fi. RIM's …

reghardware 14 Aug 2007, 11:02
Making the move to the Mac

Mac development for Windows programmers

As should be pretty clear from previous ramblings, I've about given up on Windows and am in the process of trying to reinvent myself as a Mac developer (I should perhaps say re-reinvent myself, since I worked with Macs back in the early days of the original 128K Mac, over 20 years ago). Things are going pretty well so far, …

Developer 14 Aug 2007, 11:14
Evesham: Staff and customers speak

Your views on the British PC maker

In what was an extremely difficult week for ex-employees and remaining staff at Evesham Technology, our stories generated a huge amount of comment. Here's a selection of the tears, fears, and jeers you have shared with us: Following rumours of an imminent buy-out, a press release was sent out on 1 August to news services …

Channel Register 14 Aug 2007, 11:16
Intempo gets first dibs on DAB iPod docking station

Tune into this...

We thought the iPod accessory market was already bursting, but apparently the one thing it’s been missing is a DAB digital radio iPod docking station. Intempo claims to have developed the industry’s first such device, incorporating dual band DAB digital and FM radio into a sleek black unit. Intempo’s RDI-03 iPod docking …

reghardware 14 Aug 2007, 12:21
Sony Ericsson slides out K770 mobile camera phone

Another snap-happy mobile

Sony Ericsson has unwrapped its K770 Cyber-shot phone which touts a 3.2-megapixel camera and promises picture quality that rivals a standalone digital camera. But despite the upmarket camera specs, Sony insists it's a phone first and foremost. The handset has a 1.9in TFT screen, which uses Sony’s Cyber-shot camera menu system …

reghardware 14 Aug 2007, 12:38
Camera pole puts you in the frame

Stretch out and snap

It’s weird, it’s ever-so slightly ridiculous and it’s up to 94cm long. What is it? It’s the XShot handheld camera pole, which the manufacturer claims enables users to snap themselves in pictures or videos just by holding it out in-front. XShot said all digital compact cameras can be secured onto the pole, and taking pictures …

reghardware 14 Aug 2007, 12:45
Microsoft gunning for online ads audience

Waves aQuantive stick at Yahoo! and Google

Microsoft has upped the ante to become a serious contender in the world of online advertising with its $6bn buyout of advertising services firm aQuantive. The Redmond-based software giant also confirmed it had rejigged the organisation and management of its online services team. Microsoft said it had passed control of all …

Software 14 Aug 2007, 13:00
iPlayer Politics: Behind the ISPs vs BBC row

Analysis Investment at gunpoint

ISPs including Tiscali and Carphone Warehouse reportedly want the BBC to help pay for bandwidth incurred by usage of its iPlayer. But what's the real power play? It is no surprise to find these two at the head of the queue to complain about the iPlayer. They have been the most aggressive participants in the broadband price …

Telecoms 14 Aug 2007, 13:10
VMware's IPO - Insanity turns Silicon Valley back to normal

Darling Diary Live coverage

Welcome to The Register's live coverage of VMware's IPO. The world has gone insane over this sucker, and I'm not one to deny ecstasy. Preamble It's 6 in the morning here in California, and things have turned palpable. In thirty minutes, VMware's IPO (initial public offering) goes live. Call it the second coming of Google or …

Servers 14 Aug 2007, 13:15
NASA comp fails to produce flying cars

Analysis Where the hell is my flying car?

A NASA-sponsored competition designed to encourage the development of personal aircraft was won on Saturday by a modified Slovenian aircraft piloted by an Australian. The winning Pipistrel Virus. Nice, but no flying car. The inaugural Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) challenge event was held at the Charles Schultz Sonoma County …

Hardware 14 Aug 2007, 13:24
Qualcomm loses general counsel

But not because of its recent legal defeats

Qualcomm's general counsel, Lou Lupin, has left the company after it suffered three spectacular legal defeats in a row, though his departure is for apparently unconnected personal reasons. Qualcomm has been having a bit of a bad time lately - the ban on imports of patent-infringing chips remains in place despite appeals for a …

Law 14 Aug 2007, 13:37
World's oldest person pops clogs at 114

A good innings for Yone Minagawa

Japan's Yone Minagawa yesterday relinquished her short-held title as the world's oldest person when she died "of old age" having clocked up 114 years, news agencies report. Minagawa was born on 4 January, 1893 in Fukuchi, Fukuoka prefecture, southwestern Japan. She was officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the …

Biology 14 Aug 2007, 13:41
How to watch TV on your PC

Feature PC as PVR

Watching TV used to be a passive affair: you sat back and watched whatever happened to be on. These days, passivity is passé. Digital Video Recorder (DVR) set-top boxes can pick up programmes beamed out from a terrestrial transmitter, sent via satellite or pumped down a cable and save them on a hard drive so you begin watching …

reghardware 14 Aug 2007, 14:02
Malware miscreants target parked domains

Lost surfers targeted with Trojan

Malware authors are targeting parked domains in a bid to create a wider network of compromised zombie machines. About 100 domains parked at NameDrive, one of the top 200 websites in the world, were pointed to an "ad server" serving Trojan downloader malware. This server accounted for 10 per cent of web-based malware attacks …

Security 14 Aug 2007, 14:03
US wiretap plan will leave door open for spooks and hackers

Congress should think again

A top-drawer American cryptography boffin has expressed grave doubts about Bush administration plans to let spooks build wiretapping capabilities into the US comms infrastructure. Writing in the Washington Post, Susan Landau, distinguished engineer at Sun Labs, described the capabilities sought by the National Security Agency …

Security 14 Aug 2007, 14:17
Free software campaigners stonewalled at BBC

Attack of the yellow jumpsuits

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) mounted its protests against "corruption" of the BBC by Microsoft in London and Manchester this morning. Smashing the system In filthy weather, about 20 assorted free software and open source advocates turned out at the BBC's Television Centre in west London. The protesters donned yellow …

Software 14 Aug 2007, 14:25
Surrey satellite firm to design NASA lunar mission

From Guildford to the Moon

NASA has asked Surrey University spin-out firm Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) to develop a low cost lunar orbiter for a joint US-UK mission called Magnolia. The project will see the firm develop the primary mission design for NASA. As part of a multi-million pound package the firm will also train engineers from …

Space 14 Aug 2007, 15:17
UFO lover 'lost three ton asteroid in office move'

Siberian plods baffled in case of missing meteorite

An eccentric Russian UFO fancier claims his three ton meteorite has been stolen. Russian news agency Interfax carried reports on Friday that police in the northern Russian town of Krasnoyarsk were "combing the city" for a "giant rock stolen from under the noses of its keepers". According to Interfax, the space boulder was …

Space 14 Aug 2007, 15:31
Top brass want more cash for science class

CBI floats £1k annual spod stipend

Top business leaders have called for science and engineering undergrads to be given an extra £1,000 per year to help reverse the decline in Britain's pool of technical talent. According to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the golden carrot would tempt the youth away from claptrap like David Beckham studies and …

Science 14 Aug 2007, 15:43
Upskirting Dutch bloggers head for court

Glass ceiling escapade could end in jail

Two Dutch bloggers who claim they filmed up women's skirts from a Heerhugowaard underground carpark to "warn the public of the intimate views afforded by see-through stairs" will appear in court in October, Reuters reports. The outrage was facilitated by a glass ceiling atop the carpark's stairwell, "allowing people to look up …

Law 14 Aug 2007, 15:45
Boffins build bendy paper battery

A4 will never be the same

Researchers in the US have developed a flexible paper battery which is about the size of a postage stamp. The concept device works like a conventional battery and can pump out around 2.5 volts, enough power to illuminate a small light. The research team at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York claim the design is …

reghardware 14 Aug 2007, 16:08
Telecel Zimbabwe to lose its licence

Has Mugabe run out of farms to grab?

The Zimbabwe government is revoking the license of one of the country's cellphone operators claiming the firm has not done enough to expand its roster of local shareholders. The move will further restrict communications in the troubled African country. Telecel Zimbabwe company is 60 per cent owned by Orascom Telecom, based in …

Mobile 14 Aug 2007, 16:17
Yahoo! tops! Google! on! customer! satisfaction! survey!

'You like me! You really like me!'

A rare bit of good news for Yahoo!: "For the first time ever" - i.e. for the first time in five years - the beleaguered web portal has topped arch-rival Google on a much-discussed customer satisfaction survey sponsored by the University of Michigan. With the University's new report on search engines and portals, culled from …

Applications 14 Aug 2007, 17:02
Symantec releases new NetBackup

Disk-based protection gets 6.5-ier

Symantec today released Veritas NetBackup 6.5, the company's latest data protection software and cornerstone of its football (*cough* soccer)-themed Storage United business initiative. We've already covered the software's new widgets and what-nots back when it was announced at the Symantec Vision conference in June (which you …

Storage 14 Aug 2007, 18:00
XenSource bulks up and makes more pools with v4

VMware-like tools but less like VMware

XenSource has dished out a fresh version of its flagship server virtualization product that should help the vendor compete with market leader VMware. XenEnterprise Version 4.0 brings a host of new tools for managing large numbers of virtual machines, physical servers and storage boxes. In addition, the software provides serious …

Servers 14 Aug 2007, 19:46
Oracle names 11g Database price

Power of four

Oracle has finally unveiled pricing for its long-awaited next database running on Linux, and it's mixed news for users. The Oracle Database 11g price will remain the same as its predecessor, 10g: expensive. Unless, of course, you want to use some of that new functionality Oracle has been promising, in which case Oracle Database …

Applications 14 Aug 2007, 19:55
NASA weather error sparks global warming debate

1998 no longer hottest year in US

Conservative blogs were alight last week when they turned up an error in NASA's methods for recording US temperatures. As a result, it has been concluded that 1934, not 1998, was America's hottest year on record. The problem was caught when blogger, Stephen McIntyre of Climate Audit, crunched the numbers from NASA's Goddard …

Space 14 Aug 2007, 20:28
Citrix to reveal XenSource buy tomorrow

Gets hypervised

Citrix will announce its acquisition of XenSource tomorrow, The Register has learned. In a bid to expand its software management play, Citrix will grab the developer of the open source Xen hypervisor. The deal will give XenSource heftier corporate backing needed to compete against VMware. Meanwhile, Citrix will be able to …

Servers 14 Aug 2007, 20:45
Student reprimands Facebook for bad manners and exposed code

Rebuke comes amid new leak of purported Facebook code

A recent college grad is taking credit for the disclosure of Facebook's proprietary source code in an episode that demonstrates just how porous Web 2.0 technology can be. His warning, which also included a rebuke for bad manners at Facebook, came as a second batch of purported Facebook code surfaced online, raising new …

Enterprise Security 14 Aug 2007, 21:07
Google spinmeisters defend video refund policy

Two buck Chuck

After summarily shutting down the buy-rent feature on Google Video, leaving customers unable to watch videos they paid good money for over the past 19 months, the world's most popular search engine has defended its less-than-satisfying refund policy. In a recent conversation with The Reg, Google said that customers stripped …

Applications 14 Aug 2007, 21:10
Juniper names Sun exec as CFO

There's a botany joke in that one

Juniper Networks has tapped former Sun executive, Robyn Denholm, as chief financial officer today, filling a hole left by a management shuffle due to a stock options investigation. The CFO spot has been vacant at Juniper since Robert Dykes handed in his resignation in March as a part of the shakeup. Dykes has since become CEO …

Data Networking 14 Aug 2007, 22:22
AMD aims to embrace and extend itself around parellelism

You down with LWP?

AMD has plotted out a path to add a pair of new extensions to its instruction set that should boost the performance of parallelized code. As of today, AMD has released the "Light-Weight Profiling" (LWP) specification for review. The chipmaker likens the technology covered in the specification to similar hardware hooks it has …

PCs & Chips 14 Aug 2007, 23:29
MySQL defends paid tarball decision

FOSS for all

MySQL has defended a decision to end free community access to the latest source code for its popular database in an attempt to snag paying customers. Chief executive Marten Mickos said MySQL remains in full compliance with the principles of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), adding the company's decision will help build a " …

Applications 14 Aug 2007, 23:38
Microsoft delivers critical fixes for Windows, IE and Excel

Everything but the kitchen sink

Microsoft's monthly patch fest for August included fixes for 14 security holes, including critical flaws in Internet Explorer, Excel and in Windows components such as XML Core Services, Vector Markup Language and Object Linking and Embedding automation. Six of the nine bulletins issued as part of this month's Patch Tuesday …

Enterprise Security 14 Aug 2007, 23:42