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11th April 2008 Archive

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  • SanDisk warns that unsecured flash drives are coming to get you

    Nightmare at 20,000MB

    Over three quarters of American IT workers use memory sticks for work-related purposes, and most corporate heads don't have a clue about the peril they face as a result of the stick love. Or so that's what SanDisk discovered via a survey commissioned to explore the risks of using unsecured USB flash drives in enterprise …

    Storage 11 Apr 2008, 00:13

  • Network Solutions hijacks customer sub-domains for ad fest

    Your site. Their marketing filth

    Shameless domain registrar and web hoster Network Solutions is hijacking its customers' sub-domains, filling these pilfered pages with a sea of money-making ad links. And you can guess where the money goes. Earlier this week, a man named Win Betteridge told TechCrunch that Network Solutions pulled this clever little trick …

    Telecoms 11 Apr 2008, 00:35

  • Spam busters blacklist MessageLabs and chums

    'Word on the street' says Hotmail downed too

    One of the biggest spam block lists on the internet suffered an embarrassing technical cock-up today which blocked emails from some servers at web security monitoring firm MessageLabs and at some ISPs for about five hours. The CBL (Composite Blocking List), a DNS blacklist that takes its source data from very large spamtraps …

    Spam 11 Apr 2008, 01:15

  • London teen orders 'cab, innit'

    Retail display supplier duly obliges

    A 19-year-old Saaarf London girl has been advised to use the Queen's English on the phone after her hunt for a cab to whisk her to Bristol airport ended less than satisfactorily. According to the Daily Mail, the unnamed teen rang directory enquiries two weeks ago and initially requested a number for a "Joe Baxi" firm. The …

    Bootnotes 11 Apr 2008, 07:46

  • Microsoft deploys protocol defense for IE

    RSA 'We can't do it on our own!'

    Internet Explorer is the next battleground for Microsoft in its goal of securing the Windows stack against an anticipated avalanche of script-based attacks. And the company appears to be putting out the feelers to the community in order to get there. David Cross, Microsoft product unit manager, told RSA generic application- …

    Enterprise Security 11 Apr 2008, 07:50

  • Chinese spammers target 1,200 US, UK firms

    Database breaches put personal data at risk

    The Royal Institute of British Architects' (RIBA) members database was hacked at the weekend, causing the institute to close access to the members' area, which remains shut. RIBA reports that 1,200 other organisations in the US and UK have also been attacked in a similar way, but "neither the RIBA nor other organisations …

    Security 11 Apr 2008, 07:51

  • World wants small, cheap PCs, say makers of small, cheap PCs

    Eee by gum

    World+Dog wants small, cheap computers, companies making small, cheap computers have claimed. First Asus, manufacturer of the popular elfin laptop, the Eee PC. According to a DigiTimes report, Asus President Jerry Shen this week forecast that global shipments of small, cheap computers would hit 10m units this year. In 2009, …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 08:04

  • Is this the ultimate gaming keyboard?

    alt;space/geekchic

    Sometimes a product’s name says it all, so what better label for the latest geek chic gaming keyboard than Cyborg? The keyboard looks like something you might see on the bridge of the new Battlestar Galactica, thanks to the multi-tapper’s angular shape, dashboard control panel and groups of backlit keys. The red, green and …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 08:11

  • Where were you when you learned e-voting was unreliable?

    RSA 'Baffle-gab and buzz words'

    Applications security expert Hugh Thompson remembers his introduction to e-voting systems like it was yesterday. So do computer scientists David Wagner and Doug Jones. What made the experience stand out for all three was the machines' surprising lack of security. For Thompson, the epiphany came after a conference a few years …

    Government 11 Apr 2008, 08:56

  • NASA's Phoenix closes on Red Planet

    Arctic touch-down on 25 May

    NASA has adjusted the flight path of its Phoenix Mars Lander, en route to a planned touch-down on the Red Planet on 25 May, on its mission to explore the body's Arctic plain. The agency has "conditionally approved" a roughly 62 mile by 12 mile (100km by 20km) "landing ellipse" in an area dubbed "Green Valley", which lies at …

    Space 11 Apr 2008, 08:58

  • Nvidia powers up GeForce 9800 GTX, nForce 790i

    Company makes three (graphics) card brag

    Nvidia has rolled out its GeForce 9800 GTX graphics card, a couple of weeks later than anticipated. It also formally unveiled the nForce 790i series of chipsets. The 9800 GTX contains 128 unfied shaders running at 1688MHz - the GPU's core as a whole is clocked to 675MHz. The chip connects to 512MB of GDDR 3 memory over a bus …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 09:04

  • Local council uses snooping laws to spy on three-year-old

    Spying laws used to check school applications

    Poole Borough Council has admitted using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), designed to regulate snooping by police and other bodies, to check the usual address of a three-year-old child applying for a primary school place. The council is unrepentant and said it will continue to use powers available to it under …

    Government 11 Apr 2008, 09:17

  • 'Jisus' Eee-alike sub-notebook to use Chinese Atom-smasher

    Mobile 'miracle', hails supplier

    Need a Jesus Laptop to go with your Jesus Phone? Next month you'll be able to get one: a new Eee PC rival dubbed the Jisus [sic]. Dutch supplier Van Der Led is spreading the word. Jisus' specifications are classic Eee: 8.9in, 800 x 480, LED-backlit display; 512MB of 667MHz DDR 2 memory; 4GB of solid-state storage; 802.11b/g Wi …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 09:46

  • Billy Bragg: Why should songwriters starve so others get rich?

    Interview Singing for the VC Supper

    Why should songwriters starve so that the Web 2.0 kids and tech VCs get rich? Billy Bragg asked the question recently, and the downloaders and VCs quickly shot back - it's because you should be grateful that we're here! "Recorded music is nothing but marketing material to drive awareness of an artist," fumed Michael Arrington, …

    Music and Media 11 Apr 2008, 09:51

  • Controversial DNA profiling technique approved

    Updated GeneWatch: Fundamental problems remain

    An independent review of the science underpinning DNA forensics done on tiny samples has today declared the controversial technique sound for use in investigations. The report highlights poor handling of samples by the police and forensics officers, and recommends new training to reduce the risk of contamination. The probe …

    Policing 11 Apr 2008, 09:59

  • US war robots in Iraq 'turned guns' on fleshy comrades

    Kill-droid rebellion thwarted... this time

    Ground-crawling US war robots armed with machine guns, deployed to fight in Iraq last year, reportedly turned on their fleshy masters almost at once. The rebellious machine warriors have been retired from combat pending upgrades. The revelations were made by Kevin Fahey, US Army program executive officer for ground forces, at …

    Rise of the Machines 11 Apr 2008, 10:10

  • French sites fined for linking to privacy-invading Kylie content

    Minogue/Martinez stories provoke lawsuit

    Three French websites have been found guilty of invading an actor's privacy for publishing links to articles containing the offending material. The Paris Tribunal has fined the operators of all three sites. Oliver Martinez, who is famous for his relationship with pop singer Kylie Minogue, sued two blogs and one news site over …

    Music and Media 11 Apr 2008, 10:19

  • Sony, MS want control of PS3, Xbox iPlayer, Beeb boss claims

    Our platform, our iPlayer

    The BBC's launch of a version of its iPlayer for the Wii left one question on gamers’ lips: why isn’t the streaming service also available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3? This week, the broadcaster claimed it’s because Microsoft and Sony were too demanding. Erik Huggers, head of future media and technology at the BBC, said …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 10:30

  • RM ties up IT school deal with Newham council

    Worth about £53m over next decade

    RM Plc has bagged a contract to supply computing and IT services to the London Borough of Newham. The deal, estimated to be worth about £53m over an 11 year period, is RM’s third government contract win this year for the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Under the new agreement, the firm will provide the …

    Channel Register 11 Apr 2008, 10:38

  • Microsoft updates Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on

    What's the point?

    HD DVD may be dead but it's clearly not yet buried. Microsoft this week unveiled a software update for the Xbox 360’s now-discontinued HD DVD add-on drive. Next time you pop an HD DVD into the drive, the update will be automatically downloaded and installed – provided you’re connected to Xbox Live. If not, then it’ll soon be …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 10:39

  • Apple MacBook Air Early 2008

    Review Style over substance - and thank God too

    Apple's MacBook Air has polarised opinion, not just between the company's fans and everyone else, but even within the Mac community itself. It's expensive, it's arguably underpowered and certainly has very limited expansion opportunities. On the other hand, it's ridiculously thin and is a truly gorgeous-looking object. We were …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 11:02

  • Area 51 drug test victim crashes flying car

    'The government made me do it'

    A 43-year-old man from San Rafael, Califonia, was charged on Tuesday with "driving while intoxicated and causing injuries, reckless driving, and hit-and-run with injuries" after ramming three other vehicles and slightly injuring two people, while under the influence of a veritable pharmacy of narcotics, the Marin Independent …

    Bootnotes 11 Apr 2008, 11:32

  • BOFH: Lift laughs

    Episode 13 Someone's gonna pay for this...

    "You HAD to push the button, didn't you?" the PFY snaps angrily at the Boss in the dark of the elevator. "I only just TOUCHED it!" the Boss snivels. "It's not like I actually PRESSED it!" "Now, now," I say. "No use crying over fried control panels. We need to take a look at how bad it is before we start getting upset. And …

    BOFH 11 Apr 2008, 12:20

  • BAE aims to keep all-u-can-eat ticket at MoD pie-shop

    Analysis Wanna boost market value? Hire some economists

    Fairly soon now, most observers are agreed, the UK Ministry of Defence will have to announce budgetary plans for the coming years. Typically, this is a matter of dull routine. But this year business as usual won't do. The MoD budget rowboat is so overloaded, so near to capsizing, that something big has to be thrown overboard. …

    Government 11 Apr 2008, 12:32

  • Blockbuster to release Apple TV set-top box rival?

    Yes, claims report

    Recent comments by a Blockbuster spokeswoman about how the firm will expand its film-rental services, along with unsubstantiated rumours, have sparked claims that the company will release an Apple TV rival later this month. A spokeswoman for Blockbuster told Hollywood Reporter that the rental firm is looking for ways to …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 12:40

  • STMicro and NXP tie-up in wireless joint venture

    Together we stand (divided we fall)

    STMicroelectronics NV plans to merge its wireless semiconductor business with rival NXP to create the world’s third largest wireless chip company. The joint venture will have about $3bn in combined revenues and some 9,000 staff under one organisation. STMicro will take the lion’s share in the joint venture with an 80 per cent …

    Mobile 11 Apr 2008, 12:41

  • No sense of humour? Avoid Bootnotes

    NSFW Fridays: A warning from history

    It's come to our attention that, while having provided years and years and years of non-IT-related merriment for you, our beloved readers, our Bootnotes section continues, despite containing headlines such as "NZ finds Black Cocks hard to swallow", "Witchdoctor orders Serb to have sex with hedgehog" and indeed "Woman gets mobile …

    Bootnotes 11 Apr 2008, 12:54

  • Malware still malingering for up-to-date anti-virus users

    Panda links into the hive mind to fight zero-day viruses

    Having anti-virus software and keeping it up to date is no longer enough to keep from geting infected by malware. A study by Panda Security revealed that 72 per cent of firms with up-to-date security software still had malware on their networks. The data - based on a sample of 1.5m users last year - also revealed that 23 per …

    Channel Register 11 Apr 2008, 13:07

  • PS3 owners game iPlayer

    'Wii want BBC streaming too'

    Less than 24 hours after the BBC gave great fanfare to its new iPlayer streaming service for Nintendo Wii at a media conference in France, jealous Playstation enthusiasts had used it to cobble together a version of their own. An enterprising coder known as Ixalon has created an unofficial site that spoofs the Wii's user agent …

    Music and Media 11 Apr 2008, 13:23

  • Earth to Ofcom: They're our airwaves. Give them back

    A better Public Service Broadcasting

    Sometimes Ofcom, Britain's media and telecomms uber-regulator, likes to agonise in public whether Britain needs a media and telecomms uber-regulator. It must feel like a stag night in SE1, as the executives fly in expensive blue-sky wonks and consultants, and Ofcom gets quite giddy with itself at the prospect of a world …

    Music and Media 11 Apr 2008, 14:21

  • The full-frontal iPhone case

    Touchscreen protection

    Anyone that’s dropped their iPhone knows the feeling of sickness as it tumbles toward the ground. Now the resulting body scrapes can be prevented with a case that covers the entire phone, but doesn’t interfere with the touchscreen. ivyskin's Xylo Touch-Thru: prevent scratched screens Manufacturer ivyskin claims the Xylo …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 14:24

  • Met police plans to track cops by GPS

    Robo-cops? More like PC Tom-Tom

    The Metropolitan police is planning to spend £2.2m to track its entire plod force by GPS, proving that even Scotland Yard knows you can never find a policeman when you need one. Trials of the system across two boroughs are set for this the autumn before an expected roll-out across London. A spokeswoman for the Met said: "It's …

    Policing 11 Apr 2008, 14:29

  • Swedish lag's wooden todgers fail to impress

    Going-away prezzies not well received by female prison staff

    A 58-year-old Swedish man who thoughtfully left carved wooden phalluses as going-away presents for female staff on his release from chokey has been fined for his trouble, the Borås Tidning reports. The unnamed former lag did a short spell in Smälteryd correctional facility outside of Borås in central Sweden back in 2003. To …

    Bootnotes 11 Apr 2008, 14:50

  • Top-end Fords will be watching your rear

    Blind-spot radar comes to wing mirrors

    Ford will offer blind-spot-checking radar using part of the 24GHz spectrum on US models starting early next year, though cheapskates might opt for the wing mirror with a bent corner instead. Both options will be available, with the modified "Blind Spot Mirror" being a standard feature on Lincoln and Mercury models. Ford claims …

    Wireless 11 Apr 2008, 15:08

  • World Bank chief: Ethanol cars run on human misery

    Fill up with E85, starve a child

    The head of the World Bank has said that soaring food prices are causing hardship and starvation for poor people worldwide, and implied that at least some of the blame lay with Western governments' efforts to encourage biofuel use. "While many worry about filling their gas tanks, many others around the world are struggling to …

    Government 11 Apr 2008, 15:18

  • Truphone picks up Sim4Travel

    You ain't no one if you can't issue your own SIMs

    VoIP operator Truphone has snapped up cheapo-roaming operator SIM4 Travel, with a view to combining the operations and providing travellers with low-cost VoIP calls over cellular infrastructure. Truphone has spent £1.34 million in cash, along with £1.3 million in shares, for the company whose own shares have been in steady …

    Mobile 11 Apr 2008, 15:51

  • A week in the life of Open XML

    Norway protests, German says 'ban it', Microsoft says 'Disco'

    The main players in the ongoing row over the approval of Microsoft’s Open XML (OXML) file format as an international standard ended the week further apart than ever. Microsoft spent much of the week talking up its plans to bring a little bit of “harmony” to the divided file format community by again banging the tried, but not …

    Channel Register 11 Apr 2008, 16:16

  • Gadget to bring relief bubble-wrap-less bubble-wrap addicts

    Once you pop...

    A perk of writing about consumer technology is having the latest gear plonked onto your lap to play with test, and the resulting huge piles of bubble-wrap to pop. Now everyone can pop til their thumbs bleed, thanks to Puchi Puchi. The gadget measures 40 x 40 x 10mm and recreates the sound and feeling of popping bubble-wrap …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 16:17

  • Sony preps 'gunmetal' grey PS3 for MGS4

    Metal Gear Solid 4 awaits

    Sony has re-sprayed the PlayStation 3 with a sexy limited edition gunmetal grey tint to tie-in with the impending release of the eagerly anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4. Sony's gunmetal grey PS3 The announcement was made on Sony’s US PlayStation blog, which sadly means there’s been no mention of a potential release for UK …

    Reg Hardware 11 Apr 2008, 19:02

  • AMD evaporates CTO post

    Hester out. No one in

    AMD Chief Technology Officer Phil Hester has resigned. And he will not be replaced. The Wall Street Journal leaked word of Hester's departure this morning, and company spokesman Drew Prairie confirmed the news with The Reg. In his role as global CTO, Hester was responsible for driving AMD's "technical vision and technical …

    Channel Register 11 Apr 2008, 19:14

  • Google pays for Affero ban

    Others to test SaaS license

    Google's ban on projects licensed under the Affero GPL license has claimed its first victim. The ClipperZ online password manager has defected to rival code host SourceForge. ClipperZ said it was transferring from Google Code to SourceForge because it wanted to use AGPL. The AGPL-licensed Orangemesh open source dashboard …

    Applications 11 Apr 2008, 20:59

  • The rise of the Malware Mafia

    RSA New laws 'a waste of paper'

    Policy makers should reject pressure to draft new laws targeting phishing and other types of cyber crime because existing statutes already cover most of the illegal activity, a researcher who investigates online criminals said. Although phishing, malware attacks, and botnet propagation have all come about in the last decade or …

    Crime 11 Apr 2008, 21:19

  • Google data centers snub Africa, Oz, and anything near Wyoming

    Or do they?

    A Swedish web-site monitoring company has published a worldwide map of Google's data centers. And people love looking at it. Today, as reported by just about every tech-happy news source on the web, the official Pingdom blog got all graphical with a new Google Data Center FAQ from Data Center Knowledge. Pingdom's Map of All …

    Servers 11 Apr 2008, 23:34