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7th December 2007 Archive

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  • The day Microsoft 'embraced and extended' Java

    Myths and legends Infamy, infamy...

    It's early December 1995 and it has been a heady few days for Java. IBM and Adobe Systems have agreed to license this strange and embryonic new software that Sun Microsystems keeps telling us can be "written once and run anywhere". Two days before, Sun and Netscape had announced JavaScript that - according to the press release …

    Software 7 Dec 2007, 00:02

  • Seagate buys document analysis firm

    MetaLinks assimilated for undisclosed sum

    Seagate plans to buy the digital document search firm MetaLincs for an undisclosed sum. The San Jose-based MetaLincs makes a software suite that helps companies sift through vast amounts of data to find relevant information necessary to respond to a lawsuit or government inquiry. (In the tech world, they call these events " …

    Storage 7 Dec 2007, 01:20

  • How much does El Reg cost the global economy?

    Reader poll Putting a price on Vulture Central

    Our recent shock revelation that Xmas boozing costs the UK economy a cool £790m due to shattered, post-piss-up employees crashing out under their desks or puking their guts up in mission-critical strategy meetings attracted the following provocative comment: How much El Reg costs UK biz each year? You should do a study... …

    Bootnotes 7 Dec 2007, 09:02

  • Dotcom Bubble 2.0: The Musical

    The Richter Scales rock YouTube

    Anyone out there who harbours the suspicion that those companies currently riding the Web 2.0 crest, their share values inflated to the point where a social networking start-up has a paper value greater than the GDP of a small South American nation, might enjoy this ditty from The Richter Scales, currently attracting favourable …

    Music and Media 7 Dec 2007, 09:40

  • AdultFriendFinder rapped for X-rated pop-ups

    Foisted explicit material on wide-eyed innocents

    AdultFriendFinder.com, "The World's Largest Sex & Swingers Personal Community", has agreed to stop flashing X-rated pop-ups to unwitting surfers after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) brought charges that the practice violated federal law. According to an FTC statement, the website and its affiliates use such pop-ups to …

    Law 7 Dec 2007, 10:06

  • CIA erased waterboarding videos

    'It was done in line with the law,' insists top spook

    The director of the CIA has admitted that videotapes of American intelligence operatives using harsh interrogation methods on terrorist suspects have been destroyed. The interrogations in question are said to have taken place in 2002, when the US intelligence community had been unleashed by a vengeful president in response to …

    Government 7 Dec 2007, 10:17

  • Video watch: plays movies, tells time

    If you often check the clock to see if the working day’s over yet, then a digital wrist watch with built in video display should help pass the time faster. Video Watch: have you got time for it? The Video Watch is supplied with software to help convert a whole range of video files, such as MPG, AVI and WMV, into the required …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 10:33

  • DVLA coughs to data slip

    Details sent to wrong addresses

    Today's government data loss comes courtesy of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in Swansea. The agency sent out 1, 215 surveys which included names, addresses, birth dates, license numbers, and motoring offences. Only trouble is that at least 100 went to the wrong addresses. The envelopes were addressed to …

    Government 7 Dec 2007, 10:38

  • 419ers flash big bucks cashcard

    $920k - coming soon to an ATM near you

    It appears the Lads from Lagos have decided to dump the traditional money transfer as a way of redistributing the billions of unclaimed dollars which each year pass through Africa's financial institutions en route to lucky recipients worldwide. Read on... From the FMF, Federal Ministry of Finance No 12 edid lane Idumota …

    Bootnotes 7 Dec 2007, 10:53

  • AMD DisplayPort graphics card spied on web

    Would-be HDMI killer arrives

    AMD's anticipated DisplayPort-supporting graphics chip, 'RV635', has appeared on the web on a card that sports said next-gen digital monitor connector, along with HDMI and DVI portage. The card was obtained and snapped by HotHardware.com, which describes it as an RV635 XT. As we've noted before, AMD's decision to drop such …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 10:55

  • Nokia confused over handset’s features

    Too much Christmas spirit?

    The Christmas party season has taken its toll on Nokia. The Finnish phone giant yesterday became slightly confused over the capabilities of its latest handset, the 6263. Nokia's 6263: 2.0-megapixel... er... 1.3-megapixel camera The 6263’s website claimed the phone has a two-megapixel camera with a built-in flash. It also …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 11:04

  • German Wikipedia attacked over Nazi symbolism

    Updated Politician files charges

    A German politician has filed charges with Berlin police against Wikipedia's German language site on the grounds that it contains "too much Nazi symbolism, particularly an article on the Hitler Youth movement". Katina Schubert, a deputy leader of the Left party, told Reuters she'd sought legal advice before making her move, …

    Law 7 Dec 2007, 11:15

  • Fuel sensor glitch delays Atlantis launch

    Lift-off now pencilled for Saturday

    The launch of space shuttle Atlantis has been delayed until tomorrow (Saturday) at the earliest after the failure of two of four sensors which monitor liquid hydrogen levels in the vessel's fuel tank, Reuters reports. The glitch was spotted during routine checks as the tank was being filled with fuel. The offending sensors …

    Space 7 Dec 2007, 11:23

  • Italy calls for anti-counterfeit commissioner

    Real action needed on faked goods

    An Italian minister has called on the European Union to appoint a specialist anti-counterfeit commissioner. Italian deputy economic development minister Sergio D'Antoni told delegates at a conference in Rome that a dedicated official was needed to deal with the growing economic problems caused by counterfeit or faked goods. " …

    Law 7 Dec 2007, 11:35

  • HMRC still looking for disks - just don't ask Microsoft's Santa

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

    Santa Claus is coming to town - hide It'll be Christmas soon enough, and we can all relax. Well, unless you're the developer behind the filthy Santa robot Microsoft stuck at the end of its festive Messenger progam. A few ho ho hos, and the jolly old gent was alternately discussing oral sex and insulting message senders. …

    Business 7 Dec 2007, 11:48

  • Spinning, flashing Linux logo droid comes to UK

    Geek love

    What gift do you give the Linux nut who has everything? Why, a programmable Linux mascot droid that spins around on its rump, that's what. Tux Droid: it squawks! It lights up! It codes Perl! The ersatz felt-covered Tux is wireless and radio-controlled, courtesy of a fish-styled IR pick up and 2.4GHz transmitter unit that …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 11:53

  • IBM buys Arsenal...

    ...Digital, another storage vendor

    IBM has bought Arsenal Digital to show that, like EMC and the other big information warehousing players, it totally gets online storage and protection of data. The price tag for the 10-year-old North Carolina-based outfit is being kept secret. Its 100 employees will become part of IBM's global technology services division. …

    Channel Register 7 Dec 2007, 11:59

  • Campaign to name US street after Douglas Adams

    42nd Avenue, of course

    A group of American Douglas Adams fans are seeking to have a street named after him in Portland, Oregon. The chosen street - naturally - is currently called 42nd Avenue. "On May 11, 2001 a very talented writer and activist was taken from this world far before his time," say the activists of rename42nd.org. "Not yet 50 years …

    Entertainment 7 Dec 2007, 12:01

  • BOFH: Xmas party: Get a wriggle on

    Episode 41 When the chips are waiting...

    "Get a jiggle on," I tell the PFY as I clamber into the work vehicle, "or we'll be late." "Take it easy," the PFY responds calmly. "Stacks of time. The place doesn't even open for another hour." "Yeah, but it'll take us that long to get there!" I snap. "I'm sure we'll be ok," the Boss says, clambering into the back seat. " …

    BOFH 7 Dec 2007, 12:02

  • It's not too late to join the bioterror gold rush

    Analysis Follow the money

    "If ramping up fear among American's about the threat of biological warfare was intended, in part, to drum up support for biodefense spending - as some conspiracy buffs theorize - then the downside is that accidents may result in an overreaction in the public and the media," reported The Fort Worth Star Telegram in a business …

    Science 7 Dec 2007, 12:07

  • Wigan man traps todger in metal ring

    Cue fire brigade bearing handgrinder

    A Wigan man narrowly avoided having his penis amputated after getting the end of it wedged in a "metal ring", Wigan Today reports. The unnamed chap, in his 40s, was whisked to Wigan Infirmary's A&E department just after midnight on Wednesday carrying the extra hardware which "appeared to be cut off from the end of a pipe". …

    Bootnotes 7 Dec 2007, 12:08

  • Logic3 SoundStation3 PS3 speakers

    Review Three it seems, is the magic number

    So, you’ve got your PS3 all set up, nicely wired into your LCD TV... and it’s sitting there gathering dust ‘cause there are few decent games available for it yet. That’s the prognosis - the diagnosis is: treat yourself to an affordable set of speakers that will breathe life into your under-utilised console. Specifically …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 12:28

  • Sony ponders direct-to-PSP downloads

    Taking the PC out of the picture

    A Sony executive has hinted that mobile gamers may soon be able to download content directly to a PlayStation Portable. Sony's PlayStation Store: designed for PC access only Sony Computer Entertainment America's director of network operations, Eric Lempel, has been quoted as stating that “clearly that’s something we’re …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 12:35

  • IBM sues Asustek over patent dispute

    Big Blue calls for import ban as licensing row goes legal

    IBM is calling on the US government to ban imports of computers and networking kit manufactured by Asustek over alleged patent violations. Big Blue alleges that computers made by the Taiwanese firm for other vendors as well as its own-brand computers violate three IBM patents. The third-party manufacturers were not named in a …

    Channel Register 7 Dec 2007, 12:45

  • Met plan moves police to out of town megabases

    Community support handles the 'accessible and friendly' bit

    London is poised to move on to the next iteration of virtualising its policing, following the publication of the first of a series of consultations on police basing requirements in the capital. The plans effectively place community support officers, aka 'Blunkett's Bobbies' as the primary 'customer interface' for policing in …

    Law 7 Dec 2007, 12:51

  • Teachers: Feel my Truthiness - Jimbo

    Is our children reverting, yet?

    Yes, it's that time of year when children eagerly gather round a kindly old man with a beard. He makes great promises to them, if only they just work hard enough. But they just get a load of obscenities back. Only it's not Santa. Wikipedia's Maximum Leader and peripatetic salesman Jimmy Wales breezed into London yesterday. …

    Applications 7 Dec 2007, 13:23

  • Sony exec confirms PS3 will get Blu-ray Profile 1.1 this month

    But only one, German disc uses the spec

    Sony's PlayStation 3 will this month be updated to allow it to support Blu-ray Disc Profile 1.1 - the version of the optical disc spec that enables picture-in-picture. The claim was made this week by senior Sony executive Don Eklund, who oversees Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's technology policy, including Blu-ray Disc …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 13:34

  • US Blu-ray Disc player sales pass 2.7m

    Close to HD DVD total - if you ignore PS3

    North Americans have bought 2.7m Blu-ray Disc players, including games consoles, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has claimed. The figure encompasses total sales up to and including 24 November, the BDA said. While the exact ratio of PS3s to standalone players isn't clear, the vast majority of them - 2m or more - are Sony …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 13:48

  • Lebanese lottery scam suspect cuffed in Cyprus

    $10m Interpol target awaits possible extradition

    In a positively McNabbian tale of intrigue, an alleged Lebanese lottery scammer has been arrested in Cyprus. Ali Mohamed Kdoud allegedly raked in more than $10m after duping gullible marks into believing they'd won a lottery. The email scam relies on tricking surfers into forking out up-front "processing fees" for non-existent …

    Crime 7 Dec 2007, 13:49

  • LG launches posh music phone

    If you haven’t heard of Mark Levinson, don’t worry. All you need to know is that he’s a US hi-fi guru and the centrepiece of LG’s latest music-oriented handset, the LG-LB3300. LG's LG-LB3300: music is central Also dubbed the Rhapsody in Music handset, LG used audio expert Levinson to help create a number of pre-set …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 13:59

  • MI5, EPA clean up dirty bomb dirt

    Spooks vanquish phantom menace

    The UK government has been running a £7m programme aimed at ridding the UK of surplus "radioactive sources" which could be used in a dirty bomb terror attack, according to reports. According to the Environment Agency, running the disposal programme in cooperation with the police and domestic spook service MI5, there were …

    Physics 7 Dec 2007, 14:17

  • Data centre looted in multimillion pound overnight heist

    Updated Bogus bobbies raid King's Cross site

    Reports are emerging of a massive heist overnight at a data centre in London's King's Cross. According to our sources, the data centre is operated by Verizon Business. A spokeswoman for the firm said it had suffered a "service interruption" last night. She refused to provide any more information on the robbery, saying that it …

    Crime 7 Dec 2007, 14:18

  • Verizon sued for GPL naughtiness

    Where's the source?

    The Software Freedom Law Center is suing Verizon for breaching the terms of the GNU General Public License. Verizon uses a network utility called busybox in a router it has distributed to its broadband customers since 1999. The program is used to administer the router, which is made by ActionTec. However, Busybox is GPL …

    Software 7 Dec 2007, 15:14

  • Eee PC: better with Windows?

    Eking out the power with XP

    I have now installed Windows XP Pro on my Eee PC and while the unit's power consumption characteristics are slightly better than they were under the standard Linux installation, it's not as much of a gain as I'd hoped for. Installing XP is straightforward. The Eee PC's manufacturer, Asus, provides the drivers you need on the …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 15:22

  • How to stuff all of Silicon Valley in a stocking

    Exclusive The ultimate geek gift

    Are you a geek? Do you have a geek in your family? Yes, I thought so. Well, why not warm your heart or someone else's this holiday season by buying my new book - Geek Silicon Valley. See, there's Geek right there in the title. The various blurbs about my tome floating around the internet portray the book as a guide book to …

    Bootnotes 7 Dec 2007, 16:20

  • UK gov: Feds will get BAE bribe files when hell freezes over

    Six month stonewall 'shows we know how serious this is'

    The UK government has refused to say when (or if) it might hand over its files on alleged corrupt payments by British-headquartered arms behemoth BAE Systems to Saudi royalty. The US Justice department formally requested the information six months ago. The files in question are mainly those held by the UK's Serious Fraud …

    Government 7 Dec 2007, 16:30

  • Sega denies Dreamcast revival

    Trademark mysteriously updated

    Sega has denied that it’s getting back into consoles, following rumours it has begun prepping the Dreamcast for a re-entry into the gaming market. Sega's Dreamcast: back from the dead? Rumours first began circulating when it was revealed that Sega had updated its Dreamcast trademark with a selection of seemingly random tech …

    Reg Hardware 7 Dec 2007, 16:50

  • Microsoft, antitrust and blogtards

    Mailbag Beast 2.0

    When Eben Moglen tore Tim 2.0'Reilly to shreds onstage at OSCON in July, it marked a turning point in the Web 2.0 mania. There were clear differences of principles at stake, and simply blowing some feel-good Californian empowerment rhetoric around couldn't disguise them. Actions have consequences, Moglen seemed to be saying: …

    Letters 7 Dec 2007, 16:55

  • MS rejects Web 2.0 moniker for IE

    As you were

    Microsoft has resisted the temptation to sip from the Web 2.0 Kool Aid with confirmation that the next version of its browser will be called IE 8. The choice of moniker comes after the angst-ridden rejection of alternative titles including iIE and IE for Web 2.0. Confirmation that Microsoft has resisted the siren call in …

    Applications 7 Dec 2007, 16:57

  • Codemasters pledges to stay civil on file-sharing

    What, you mean the police have better things to do?

    Codemasters' anti-piracy law firm Davenport Lyons has promised that it will not pursue criminal proceedings against people it has accused of illegally sharing copies of videogames over peer-to-peer networks. In a statement (reproduced in full at the end of this article) in repsonse to our report yesterday, the firm said its …

    Law 7 Dec 2007, 17:02

  • Police launch hunt for bogus bobbies

    Raiders used roof ruse to dupe data centre staff

    The Metropolitan Police have released more details of the data centre robbery in King's Cross last night. A gang of robbers dressed as police told staff at a data centre in London's King's Cross last night they were investigating reports of people on the roof of the building, before tying them up and making off with expensive …

    Crime 7 Dec 2007, 17:23

  • MySpace celebrity hacker downs hacking forum

    Friendly fire

    A wannabe hacker succeeded only in getting a forum for a group he wanted to join taken down after hacking celebrity MySpace profiles. Tesla defaced the MySpace profiles of singers Tila Tequila and Justin Timberlake as well as actress Hilary Duff to post greetings to the Kryogenics crew. Aside from the greeting nothing …

    ID 7 Dec 2007, 18:18

  • Western Digital drive is DRM-crippled for your safety

    Because you are a dirty criminal scumbag

    Western Digital's 1TB My Book World Edition external hard drive has been crippled by DRM for your safety. A kindly Reg reader tipped us off that the remote-access HDD won't share media files over network connections. Which is, as you can see here, the entire stinking point of it. It's a scary world full of potentially …

    Storage 7 Dec 2007, 18:58

  • Microsoft wriggles on Volta concerns

    No Google clone

    As the mad scientists in Microsoft's Live Labs threw the switch on an experimental developer toolset this week the company was already getting flack for copying somebody else - Google. The technology preview of Volta, now available for tire kicking here, is designed to let developers build multitier web applications by …

    Applications 7 Dec 2007, 20:28

  • Google's next web toolkit thinks it's better than you

    GWT Conference Fastest fingers in the West

    Just as Microsoft was brushing aside claims that Volta, its latest .NET programming toolkit, is a Google Web Toolkit (GWT) clone, Google has disclosed how it plans to open the gap on rivals with the next release of its popular AJAX toolkit. GWT 1.5, due in the first quarter of 2008, will produce "better" JavaScript code than …

    Applications 7 Dec 2007, 20:34

  • Top-secret US labs penetrated by phishers

    Coordinated attack

    One of the most sensitive science and technology labs in the US has been hacked as part of what it called "a sophisticated cyber attack that now appears to be part of a coordinated attempt to gain access to computer networks at numerous laboratories and other institutions across the country." The unknown attackers managed to …

    Channel Register 7 Dec 2007, 21:35

  • Novell, Red Hat and Gartner war with Facebook for PR flop award

    Radio Reg Save the fear leader. Save the hurled

    Is there a PR professional decent enough to join the Open Season crew? Like you, we thought "no." But, as it turns out, Lonn Johnston from Page One PR is all class and just as full of vitriol as the rest of us. Lonn helped Open Season get back on track after a brief hiatus. (A number of you actually were kind enough to write, …

    Open Season 7 Dec 2007, 23:44