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13th December 2007 Archive

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  • Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's

    An embuggerance

    Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, as he announced yesterday with a post to the web. The best-selling author of the Discworld fantasy books is 59 years-old. "I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to …

    Media 13 Dec 2007, 00:13

  • Canadian cable giant slips Yahoo! name onto Google home page

    Rogers and out

    Rogers Communications, the Canadian cable and telcoms giant, has slapped the Yahoo! name onto the Google home page. And Google isn't too happy about it. As first revealed by Lauren Weinstein, co-founder of the People For Internet Responsibility (PFIR), Rogers is testing a new technology on its high-speed internet service that …

    Broadband 13 Dec 2007, 00:33

  • Facebook takes the Captcha rap

    Stop the word verification madness

    From time to time we capture word verification silliness for posterity. It's been a while, but we've got another for you, this time from Facebook - and this time it ain't so silly. The text reads: "rape now". It was displayed next to the picture of a female work colleague our tipster (a Reg reader, of course) was adding to his …

    Security 13 Dec 2007, 01:59

  • AMD's CrossFire X to enable integrated, discrete GPU co-operation

    Working together

    AMD announced in May year that its upcoming M780 laptop chipset will allow the user to switch between a discrete graphics chip and an integrated one on the fly. The technology is expected to be included in desktop chipsets too, but not for power saving. Instead, it'll use both GPUs at once. So claim Taiwanese motherboard maker …

    Hardware 13 Dec 2007, 09:46

  • New European Patent Convention kicks off

    Got there in the end... w00t

    The revised European Patent Convention (EPC) finally came into effect today – nearly a decade after it was first agreed that an overhaul of the system was needed. The convention applies to 32 member states of the European Patent Organisation (EPO) and will provide a new legal framework for patent protection. EPO's president …

    Small Biz 13 Dec 2007, 09:51

  • eBay to appeal patent decision

    $30m patent claim

    Online auctioneer eBay is to appeal a US court decision relating to its patent dispute with MercExchange. MercExchange holds patents relating to internet auctions, and on Tuesday a court in Virginia found eBay had infringed some of its patents. The company was awarded $30m from eBay. For its part, eBay said the court had …

    Law 13 Dec 2007, 09:53

  • M&S ties up managed services deal with Computacenter

    Will also handle knicker giant's WEEE issues

    Computacenter Services has won a £19m managed IT contract with UK retail behemoth Marks & Spencer (M&S). Under the deal, Computacenter will provide infrastructure and software management support for 4,000 M&S head office staff across six sites over the next five years. The new agreement, which plumps up an existing …

    The Channel 13 Dec 2007, 10:18

  • Knickerless celebutards: the secure data centre connection

    Discarded panties threaten national security

    The champagne corks are popping this morning down at Vulture Central because, after years of trying, we've finally found a rock-solid link between IT and knickerless celebutards: For the record, the panties in question were spotted by a reader in a well-known London data centre. Our man says that the premises are protected by …

    Bootnotes 13 Dec 2007, 10:46

  • IT errors continue to plague EU single payments scheme

    Farmers still short changed

    The Rural Payments Agency still has plenty to do to resolve the IT difficulties it experienced in implementing the EU Single Payment Scheme. A report by the National Audit Office finds that the agency has yet to deal with all those farmers who were paid too little in 2005 – the first year of the scheme – nor recovered the sums …

    Policy 13 Dec 2007, 10:52

  • Toshiba tech paves way for 100Gb Flash chips

    Massive capacity iPods coming... but not for a few years yet

    Toshiba has developed what it believes will be a key component of Flash chips capable of storing 100Gb of data. Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait four more generations of Flash technology to get it. Toshiba's Sonos Flash structure By then, Flash chips will be made using a 10nm process, Toshiba reckons. Today's …

    Hardware 13 Dec 2007, 11:01

  • AMD ATI Radeon HD 3850 graphics chip

    Review AMD back on top

    The AMD ATI Radeon HD 3850 uses the same chip as the HD 3870 with the core and memory clock speeds reduced from 775MHz and 2250MHz to 668MHz and 1650MHz. But the really big difference is the 600MHz gap in the memory speed because AMD has chosen to run the 3850 on 256MB of GDDR 3 while the 3870 gets 512MB of the Full Monty GDDR 4 …

    Hardware 13 Dec 2007, 11:01

  • Nokia wins in Qualcomm case

    Another round in world's longest court battle

    Nokia has won a limited victory in its long-running court battle with Qualcomm. The US International Trade Commission has ruled that Nokia is not infringing Qualcomm patents relating to its 3G phones. The victory means the International Trade Commission will not ban the importing of Nokia handsets into the United States. The …

    Mobile 13 Dec 2007, 11:05

  • Drink-drive chain gang obliged to bury dead alcoholics

    Don't mess with 'America's toughest sheriff'

    Our Arizona readers who are thinking of getting behind the wheel after a few liveners are advised not to do it in Maricopa County, where you could end up on a chain gang, dressed in pink and burying deceased alcoholics for your trouble. We kid you not: that's how Joe Arpaio (right), dubbed "America's toughest sheriff", deals …

    Bootnotes 13 Dec 2007, 11:07

  • Greenpeace slams next-gen consoles

    Gaming not green enough

    Eco-lobbyist Greenpeace is on a mission to upset the gaming industry, because consoles are apparently upsetting the environment. It’s ranked the Wii as the least environmentally friendly console, compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360. Clash of the Consoles: Greenpeace urges gaming to go green Although none of the consoles fare …

    Games 13 Dec 2007, 11:18

  • Opera hits Microsoft with EC complaint

    Accuses Redmond of illegal bundling, breaking standards

    Opera is complaining to the European Commission that Microsoft is continuing to abuse its dominant position by tying its browser to its operating system and by not following web protocols. Jon von Tetzchner, CEO of Opera, said: "We are filing this complaint on behalf of all consumers who are tired of having a monopolist make …

    The Channel 13 Dec 2007, 11:45

  • Ordnance Survey rescues rural towns from juggernauts

    Keeping local shops really local

    Killjoys at the Ordnance Survey are to direct heavy goods vehicle drivers away from narrow country lanes and high streets, depriving rural residents of the most fun they've had since fox hunting was banned. The government mapping agency has asked local councils to provide it with approved freight route maps. OS provides the …

    Applications 13 Dec 2007, 11:59

  • Fasthosts primes another password reset

    Third time's the charm

    Punch drunk Fasthosts customers are set to be hit with a third compulsory password reset next week, as the budget web hosting company scrambles to cope with a major security breach. The latest system-wide wipe will affect people who run dedicated servers, have bought backup storage at the firm's Gloucester data centre, and who …

    Broadband 13 Dec 2007, 12:02

  • Northgate looks to private equity

    Possible buy-out in the pipeline?

    UK HR software firm Northgate said late yesterday that it was in possible takeover talks with an unnamed private equity group. Northgate will be hoping that the potential buy-out could fetch a price of around 100 pence per share, which would value the firm at up to £580m, according to the Financial Times. Earlier this week …

    The Channel 13 Dec 2007, 12:07

  • Test your liver... with your phone

    Dial-a-Doc

    If you’re worried that your liver could be in for some punishment this Christmas, then don’t. Just reach for your mobile phone and check its health on the fly. The mobile phone liver sensor Boffins from the Korean Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology have created a liver health senor that connects to your mobile phone …

    Hardware 13 Dec 2007, 12:16

  • Brown quizzed on gov IT failures

    'We've got a long way to go...'

    Prime Minister Gordon Brown admitted this morning that the government has "a long way to go" to a coherent IT strategy. Brown was giving evidence to the Liaison Committee, which is made up of the chairmen of all other Parliamentary committees. Andrew Miller, chairman of Parliament IT body Pitcom, said the government had said …

    Government 13 Dec 2007, 12:35

  • O2 names UK boss

    CFO to CEO

    O2 has named its previous UK finance boss as its new chief executive for the UK. Ronan Dunne steps up to the top job following Matthew Key, who has been bumped up to CEO for Telefonica O2 Europe replacing Peter Erskine. Erskine stays on the board. Dunne starts in his new post on 31 January. More from Reuters here. ®

    Mobile 13 Dec 2007, 12:36

  • Budget HD DVD player to include even more free discs

    Not much stick, plenty of carrot

    Venturer's anticipated cut-price HD DVD player will, for a brief period, come effectively half price, the manufacturer announced today. No, it's not a philanthropic gesture on the part of Venturer, and you'll still have to pay up front for the SHD7001 - it's still refusing to say how much it will charge - but until 31 January …

    Hardware 13 Dec 2007, 13:03

  • Retailers: Xbox 360 to win next-gen console war

    And they're pee'd off with the Wii

    Retailers think the Xbox 360 is most likely to win the next generation console war, but they're still pi**ed with the ongoing Wii shortage, according to a survey. The poll, which questioned 100 independent videogames shops and was commissioned by trade paper MCV, found that 49 per cent of retailers believe Microsoft’s Xbox 360 …

    Games 13 Dec 2007, 13:13

  • Geminids warm up for annual light show

    Conditions promising for meteor shower spectacular

    This year's Geminid meteor shower looks set to be a good 'un for European stargazers, with hopefully clear skies coupled with a slim waxing crescent Moon offering ideal conditions for the lightshow. According to New Scientist, the Geminids should peak at around 1745 GMT tomorrow. Observers in Asia are advised to look skywards …

    Science 13 Dec 2007, 13:46

  • Cisco punts buzzword bingo 'OS'

    Tivo meets Nascar

    Cisco says it is cooking up something called an "entertainment operating system" from second-hand bits of social networks, TV set-top box software, and a big blast of hot air. Operating system seems a rather grand description for the wheeze, which Cisco's top "media solutions" wonk Dan Scheinman began trailing at the firm's …

    Data Networking 13 Dec 2007, 13:50

  • Code morpher Transitive dives into Red Hat Exchange

    Proprietary chums meet open sourcers

    Red Hat added a peculiar name to its Exchange software store by picking up OS morphing code from Transitive. Last year, Red Hat launched RHX (Red Hat Exchange) as a centralized shop for customers looking to pick up software that runs on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux server operating system. RHX offers up code such as Alfresco's …

    Servers 13 Dec 2007, 13:53

  • MEPs slate EU's terror assault on our data rights

    As EU charter proclaims respect for data rights

    The European Parliament has condemned the EU's fondness for collecting personal information, mining and generating profiles in a resolution slamming the EU and national governments' approach to fighting terrorism. The resolution was adopted yesterday, with 359 MEPs voting for, 293 against. Another 38 abstained. The resolution …

    Law 13 Dec 2007, 14:05

  • NeoScale web man posts Better Off Dead invoice

    'I want my $4,400'

    Think of it as the technology world's equivalent of the Better Off Dead newspaper boy hunting down his $2. Earlier this week, the website of encryption specialist Neoscale displayed the following message. NeoScale owes its webmaster, of the last 5 years, $4400 USD The message appeared just as UK-based security outfit nCipher …

    Bootnotes 13 Dec 2007, 14:26

  • Ofcom puts digital dividend on the auction block

    Will stage small beauty parade for luvvies

    Communications regulator Ofcom has confirmed it will auction off all the spectrum freed up by the switchover to digital services. Virtually all the spectrum will be auctioned off to the highest bidder - despite broadcasters asking for some to be reserved for high definition TV broadcasts. It is expected that total prices will …

    Broadband 13 Dec 2007, 14:51

  • Flash-based iPlayer is go

    Simmer down, zealots

    UK Linux and Mac fanboys can afford to turn a lighter shade of puce today, as the BBC has opened the shutters on the Flash-based version of iPlayer, its seven day TV catch-up service. It's also set to prove popular with Windows users who don't want the hassle of the buggy, DRM-locked download iPlayer. The service has been …

    Applications 13 Dec 2007, 14:54

  • Canadian runs up $85,000 mobe bill

    Unlimited browser plan? Not exactly...

    A Calgary man who mistakenly believed that a $10 "unlimited mobile browser plan" would enable him to surf the internet with impunity, "downloading high-definition movies and other bandwidth-hungry applications", was slapped with an $85,000 bill for his trouble. According to Canada's Globe and Mail, 22-year-old Piotr Staniaszek …

    Mobile 13 Dec 2007, 14:56

  • Nokia to turn cameraphones into foreign food finders

    They'll help you shop too

    Nokia has developed prototype cameraphone applications that’ll not only make ordering dinner from foreign restaurant menus easier, but which also promises to take window shopping online. Point&Find: snap, order, eat Dubbed Point&Find, the technology incorporates numerous elements, including GPS positioning, image …

    Phones 13 Dec 2007, 14:58

  • Laughing Squid squirts ink at Best Buy

    Chain backs down in T-shirt/First Amendment spat

    Best Buy has sent a snivelling apology to bloggers at Laughing Squid after it wrongly accused the website of promoting t-shirts that parody the firm. The electronics retail giant had issued Cease and Desist (C&D) letters to Improv Everywhere and Neighboorhoodies demanding that the websites stop promoting and selling the t- …

    The Channel 13 Dec 2007, 15:26

  • Jackass 2.5 to premiere online

    Straight-to-internet release bypasses cinemas

    The world's first "studio-backed broadband film" - Jackass 2.5 - will later this month premiere online, bypassing a traditional cinema release. The third movie spin-off of the Jackass franchise will be offered, courtesy of Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment and MTV New Media in association with Blockbuster, completely …

    Bootnotes 13 Dec 2007, 15:43

  • Privacy storm descends on Dutch health care database

    Details about every citizen revealed

    The Dutch Data Protection Authority is investigating claims that a medical database set up by health insurance companies reveals details about nearly every Dutch citizen. Birth dates, social security numbers, health insurance information, and addresses of Dutch celebrities, MPs, and even well-known criminals can be easily …

    Security 13 Dec 2007, 16:55

  • Dell parks itself in PC superstores across Europe

    Picks DSGi for retail love-in

    DSGi has inked a fat pan-European deal with Dell to punt the firm's notebooks and desktops in stores across 12 countries including the UK. Under the agreement UK customers will be able to buy Dell goods in Dixons, Currys, PC World and online from January next year. Elsewhere in Europe the products will be sold through DSGi …

    The Channel 13 Dec 2007, 17:03

  • Dismantling a Religion: The EFF's Faith-Based Internet

    An Expert View

    The Electronic Frontier Foundation likes to portray the internet as under attack. But the activist group is doing more to imperil its future than any of its favourite targets. The latest salvo in the utopians' war is a report on Comcast's traffic management policies. It's an amazingly conflicted piece of work, bristling with …

    Data Networking 13 Dec 2007, 17:05

  • AMD to experts: Experts don't know jack

    Lobbing olive branch to Wall Street

    Sometimes, experts don't know what they're talking about. Just ask AMD, which over the past 12 months has had to endure second-guessing from financial analysts and industry pundits about slumping market share, a string of financial losses, and costly distribution and design gaffes. On Thursday, AMD's top brass traveled to New …

    Servers 13 Dec 2007, 20:36

  • Wikipedia COO was convicted felon

    Exclusive Audit pending

    For more than six months, beginning in January of this year, Wikipedia's million-dollar check book was balanced by a convicted felon. When Carolyn Bothwell Doran was hired as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Florida-based Wikimedia Foundation, she had a criminal record in three other states - Virginia, Maryland, and …

    Media 13 Dec 2007, 23:24