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18th September 2008 Archive

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  • World of Warcraft upkeep costs only $200m

    Total. Since 2004

    Blizzard Entertainment is indisputably making money hand-over-fist with its massively popular online RPG, World of Warcraft. But surely maintaining a game with some 10 million active subscribers worldwide takes a serious bite out of profits? Not so, according to Blizzard on its Analyst Day conference call on Tuesday. The …

    Applications 18 Sep 2008, 00:08

  • Memo to US Secret Service: Net proxy may pinpoint Palin email hackers

    Updated Not quite Anonymous

    Memo to law enforcement investigators tracking down who broke into Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account: Gabriel Ramuglia might be a good place to start. The 25-year-old webmaster and entrepreneur is the operator of Ctunnel.com, the browsing proxy service used by the group that hacked into the vice presidential candidate's …

    Security 18 Sep 2008, 01:22

  • Is IT stuck with cloud busting budget structures?

    Comment Still dreaming of orgone?

    A lot of noise is currently being generated around Cloud Computing and flexible IT infrastructures based on virtualised platforms. There is no doubt that the technologies to be found at the heart of these types of solutions have matured considerably over the course of the last couple of years. However, both face significant …

    Management 18 Sep 2008, 06:02

  • US military offered flying hover car bike

    Ducted-fan skyhog would be just 23 feet long

    A noted US air'n'space crazytechware firm, engaged in building a comparatively humdrum hover killbot, has strongly suggested that their machine could in fact function as the long-yearned-for flying car - or flying bike anyway. The proposed aerial steed. Pic: AFS Aurora Flight Sciences of Virginia is already well known for …

    Science 18 Sep 2008, 06:02

  • Illuminati spook fails to disarm Soviet cow nuke

    Knoxville Museum of Art black op ends in humiliation

    A US Illuminati black op to seek, locate and disarm a Soviet nuke disguised as a blue plastic cow sculpture ended in failure when the special agent charged with the task got stuck in an air duct in Knoxville Museum of Art, and was obliged to call for traditional law enforcement assistance. According to Knoxville's WBIR, 25- …

    Bootnotes 18 Sep 2008, 09:05

  • China to combine four ships to form space station

    Manga mechanisms made real

    The Director of Jiuquan Launch Center claims that China is set to build a space station by snapping together four spaceships (Shenzhou 7, 8, 9, and 10), to be launched sequentially, according to a report by Hong Kong newspaper the Ming Pao Daily News. Though other reports indicate that taikonauts aboard Shenzhou 7 will return …

    Science 18 Sep 2008, 09:13

  • Union fears 3,000 EDS job cuts in UK

    EDS managers plot cuts at Heathrow camp out

    EDS management are bunkered in a hotel near Heathrow mulling the future of thousands of UK and Europe-based staff, following Hewlett-Packard’s decision to slash nearly 25,000 jobs earlier this week. Yesterday the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union expressed fears that at least 3,000 UK workers would be given their …

    The Channel 18 Sep 2008, 09:27

  • French bid for Brit nuclear sector back on

    Pension funds' gripes sweetened

    The UK nuclear industry is back on track for a future hand in hand with that of France, according to reports. British institutional investors, which had previously blocked French nuke giant EDF's bid for Blighty's nuclear plants, are now thought to be on side with the acquisition. The Financial Times this morning says that " …

    Government 18 Sep 2008, 09:37

  • Apple grabs double-digit US laptop marketshare

    Number four vendor

    Apple's share of the US laptop market jumped into double figures during Q2, once again hitting the kind of marketshare it experienced in its hey-dey. According to local market watcher, NPD DisplaySearch, Apple took 10.6 per cent of the US retail laptop market between April and June 2008, up from 6.6 per cent in the year-ago …

    Hardware 18 Sep 2008, 09:44

  • Toshiba takes wraps off netbook

    Updated Ubuntu on board

    It's official: Toshiba today formally launched its entry into the Small, Cheap Computer arena, following Dell's lead and equipping the Linux version with Ubuntu 8.04. The NB100 is an 8.9in model - the display resolution is 1024 x 600 - and powered by Intel's 1.6GHz Atom N270. Depending on the version you choose, it'll come …

    Hardware 18 Sep 2008, 09:52

  • Oz pub slammed over 'No Undie Sundie'

    Whip off your smalls, get free booze

    The powers that be have clamped down on a Melbourne boozer's planned "No Undie Sundie" - a promotion "urging women to remove their underwear in return for a $50 drink card", Oz's Daily Telegraph reports. The Saint Hotel in St Kilda punted the intended deknickering via a newspaper and online ad featuring the famous Britney …

    Bootnotes 18 Sep 2008, 10:03

  • McKinnon supporters plan US embassy demo

    Last stand against extradition?

    Supporters of accused Pentagon hacker Gary McKinnon are planning a second London demonstration, this time outside the US embassy. The demo - scheduled for 4pm on 28 September in Grosvenor Square - will focus on McKinnon's recent diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome as a reason he should be allowed to face justice in the UK instead …

    Law 18 Sep 2008, 10:07

  • iPhone auto-correct puts Euro tongues out of joint

    'Stop cowwecting mie!!'

    A Swiss web design company, Fruahjahr, has launched a petition to disable auto-correction on the iPhone. To many non-English users this is an even bigger nuisance than bad 3G reception or poor battery life. It is almost impossible to write an email or an SMS message on the iPhone in a language other than English - the phone ' …

    Mobile 18 Sep 2008, 10:12

  • Texting worse for drivers than drink or drugs

    im sterin wit my eers

    The UK's Transport Research Laboratory has established that taking your eyes off the road to look at a tiny screen held in hands that are no longer gripping the wheel is really, really dangerous. It's hard to imagine that this comes as a huge surprise to all but the most stupid, but the Times reports that in (simulator) tests …

    Mobile 18 Sep 2008, 10:22

  • Lloyds buy leaves HBOS techies facing axe - again

    'Stuck between rock and hard place'

    IT workers at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) face the job axe again this morning after the UK’s largest mortgage lender was thrown a £12.2bn lifeline from Lloyds TSB. Reports have suggested that up to 40,000 people at the bank could lose their jobs once the shock merger between the two companies completes. Lloyds chief …

    Management 18 Sep 2008, 11:09

  • Dick Smith pr0n mobe heads for eBay

    Complete with preloaded smut

    The mobile phone at the centre of the Dick Smith Electronics preloaded porn scandal will on Monday hit eBay complete with the snaps that reduced a sickened Cairns woman to a state of shock. For those of you not up to speed on the whole sorry affair, the university student was sold a display phone because it was the last one in …

    Phones 18 Sep 2008, 11:10

  • 'Idiot' pulls cables, downs ISPs at Telecity

    'Wonder what'll happen if i unplug this one'

    A hamfisted worker at colo provider Telecity shut down "several" ISPs and their customers across the country when he started pulling plugs at one of its datacentres late last night. The hapless wire-scrapper then proceeded to make matters worse, by trying to fix the mess himself. El Reg hasn't been able to discover the …

    Broadband 18 Sep 2008, 11:11

  • Brad squeezes Paris out of unsafe search chart

    Rival expert slams McAfee poll as 'dingo's kidneys'

    Internet searches about Brad Pitt are more likely to lead to infection than web hunts about any other celeb, with 18 per cent of searches leading to sites laced with malware or promoted via spam. That's according to the SiteAdvisor division of net security firm McAfee, which reports that Pitt has toppled Paris Hilton for the …

    Security 18 Sep 2008, 11:21

  • Microsoft dumps hilarious comedy duo

    Seinfeld and Gates, we hardly knew you

    Microsoft has ditched its Jerry Seinfeld-fronted advertising campaign, after everyone thought it was crap. According to Redmond's spinners, dropping the awkward, unfunny, boring ads now "was always the plan", Valleywag reports. A statement yesterday said: "We will be executing the second phase of our advertising campaign …

    Operating Systems 18 Sep 2008, 11:26

  • First Android phone to retail for $199

    Cheaper than the iPhone?

    The Googlephone will cost $199 when it lands on T-Mobile in the US next week. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reports that customers will be required to sign up a service contract of unknown duration with T-Mobile in order to bag themselves one of the Android-based talkers. This suggests that …

    Phones 18 Sep 2008, 11:49

  • Battery boss says laptop power tech to drive most electric cars

    'Leccy Tech Lithium-ion to dominate

    A manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for electric cars has said that lithium-ion batteries will dominate the electric car market for the next 15-20 years. The claims comes from Compact Power CEO Prabhakar Patil, speaking this week at the Reuters-sponsored Autos Summit event. If Patil's correct, then it doesn't look like we …

    Science 18 Sep 2008, 11:58

  • Quantum theme debuts on Radio 1

    Beeb website offers 40-second musical Bond teaser

    The Jack White and Alicia Keys theme for forthcoming Bond outing Quantum of Solace this morning enjoyed its first airplay on Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show. The Beeb describes Another Way To Die as "driven by White's trademark fuzzy guitar riffs and thunderous drum rolls" and featuring the lines "Another blinger with the slick …

    Bootnotes 18 Sep 2008, 12:07

  • Norway sends entire citizenry's ID info to media

    Tax office admits to massive data breach

    Norway's national tax office erroneously sent CD-ROMs crammed with the 2006 tax returns of nearly four million people living in Norway to national newspapers, radios and tv stations, news agency AFP reports. Although tax statements have been open to public scrutiny in Norway since 1863, the social security number of each …

    Government 18 Sep 2008, 12:25

  • Windows Live third wave washes up

    Latest beta lands

    Microsoft has given birth to a beta of the next version of Windows Live – the firm’s online software and services suite. Wave 3 was rolled out by Redmond yesterday. MS corporate veep Chris Jones told the blogosphere that the latest release included updated versions of Windows Live Mail, Photo Gallery and Writer. There’s also …

    The Channel 18 Sep 2008, 12:57

  • MySpace Music hears the antitrust song

    Special Report Indies call foul at exclusion

    News Corporation and the major record labels are facing antitrust questions about the blockbuster MySpace Music venture - even before the site has launched. MySpace Music is billed as the biggest music retail launch of the year. It's a one-stop shop backed by the cross-media muscle of Rupert Murdoch's media empire, with the …

    Media 18 Sep 2008, 13:01

  • ITC to probe Wii patent violation claims

    Nintendo facing possible US sales ban

    A US manufacturer’s recent claim that four of its patents for on-screen navigation and control technology have been infringed by the Wii are to be formally investigated by a US trade body. The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted to investigate Hillcrest Laboratories’ allegations – made in a recently filed lawsuit …

    Games 18 Sep 2008, 13:06

  • No uranium for Russia, say Oz MPs

    'Assurances' needed over intended use

    An Australian parliamentary committee has said that an AU$800m deal to supply Russia with uranium should be put on hold until the latter was able to "assuaged doubts" regarding how it intended to use the material. Former Oz PM John Howard and Vladimir Putin inked the accord last year, and Russia has insisted "it would only use …

    Science 18 Sep 2008, 13:18

  • Hitachi and Panasonic tighten flat-TV partnership

    Matsushita and Panasonic parent Matsushita are to extend their flat-panel display development deal. The two Japanese giants said today they will work together on "superthin" plasma panels for TVs and combine their efforts to make such screens more energy efficient. Hitachi will also buy Matsushita-made glass panels and use …

    Hardware 18 Sep 2008, 13:20

  • New Yorkers to pay for RFID in driving licences

    Only $30 to get tagged

    New York drivers will have the option, from June next year, of paying an additional $30 to have an RFID tag embedded in their driving licence, allowing them to cross nearby borders without recourse to a passport. The additional tag offers much the same functionality as the US Passport Card, though it's limited to borders with …

    Government 18 Sep 2008, 13:28

  • Vodafone prices up HSDPA-bundled Dell netbook

    Buy the airtime, get the laptop for free

    Vodafone will be offering Dell's Inspiron Mini 9 netbook for free when it starts selling the HSDPA enabled version of the Small, Cheap Computer next month. To get the Mini 9 for nowt, you have to take out a two-year airtime contract priced at £25 per month. Dell's Inspiron Mini 9: free via Vodafone Alas, that only gets you …

    Mobile 18 Sep 2008, 13:46

  • German cyberplods raid Pirate Party on Skype Trojan mole hunt

    BayernTrojaner controversy heats up

    Bavarian cops have searched the office of a spokesman for the German Pirate Party (Piratenpartei Deutschland) hunting for a mole who leaked information on plans to develop a Trojan capable of eavesdropping on Skype conversation, according to local reports. Golem.de reports that an office in the home of Pirate Party spokesman …

    Law 18 Sep 2008, 14:43

  • Chrysler plans electric car production model

    'Leccy Tech Will 300-mile range model prove popular with sellers?

    Chrysler look set to follow General Motors and put its own electric car into production in 2010 based on the four-door ecoVoyager concept it showed off earlier this year. At the time, Chrysler claimed the entirely electric ecoVoyager will have a range of 300 miles. Put that in your Volt and smoke it, GM. To be fair to GM, its …

    Science 18 Sep 2008, 15:02

  • Say hi to Haumea - our fifth dwarf planet

    'Bizarre' trans-Neptunian object honours Hawaiian goddess

    The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has decreed that the object formerly known as 2003 EL61 will henceforth be addressed as "Haumea", and joins Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Pluto in the solar system's league of dwarf planets. The IAU describes trans-Neptunian Haumea as a fast-spinning "bizarre object with a shape …

    Science 18 Sep 2008, 15:25

  • AT&T lifts (deleted) page from Google EULA

    Chrome-plated content heist

    Remember Google Chrome's copyright-snaffling EULA? AT&T appears to be doing the same courtesy of a BellSouth ISP offering. Carl Meredith, a webmaster for a Bellsouth.net-hosted site, pointed out that BellSouth, an AT&T subsidiary, has just changed its Terms of Service (TOS). Here is sections 10a(i) and 10a(ii) from the new …

    Broadband 18 Sep 2008, 16:10

  • 3G Americas warns against text warning systems

    SMS pushers slam SMS

    3G Americas, the club promoting GSM networks in the Americas, has released a report pointing out that SMS is useless as an emergency notification system, even claiming that using the text network that way could interfere with life-saving services. The snappily-titled Characterizing the Limitations of Third-Party EAS Over …

    Mobile 18 Sep 2008, 17:53

  • Microsoft Live Search gets Powerset boost

    Google-bashing semantics

    Microsoft yesterday revealed how it has begun integrating Powerset’s semantic internet search technology into its own Live Search product. The software giant reportedly paid $100m for the Silicon Valley startup in July in a - some might say - doomed attempt to challenge Google’s search dominance. Powerset was happy enough to …

    Applications 18 Sep 2008, 17:58

  • Robots to engage in mid-air couplings

    Bot probe sniffs out glowing ring

    Flying robots are now able to do many tasks which formerly required assistance from a human pilot. They can land, take off, copy aerobatic manoeuvres and dock a manned jet to another one for air-to-air refuelling - hands off. Now there are plans to take the latter capability to the next level. Unlike previous pilotware …

    Science 18 Sep 2008, 18:01

  • Fujitsu consolidates North American IT operations

    Now, how about eating Siemens and Sun?

    Size matters as much as scope in the IT sector, but at the same time, executives like to carve out their own empires within vast conglomerates. Which often means the big IT players have organizational charts that are messier than some of the code they write. Today, the org chart at the North American operations of Fujitsu just …

    Management 18 Sep 2008, 18:12

  • Symbian: Linux unfit for mobile phones

    Fragments of an OS market

    Symbian has told the world that as open source operating systems go, Linux is unfit for mobile phones. "There’s been a lot of misleading information over the years...about the fitness of Linux for the mobile space," Jerry Panagrossi, vp of Symbian's North American operations, told industry insiders this morning at the GigaOM: …

    Mobile 18 Sep 2008, 18:39

  • Google to DoJ: The clock is ticking

    Will push Goo-Hoo! deal, regulators be damned

    When government regulators come knocking, businesses usually make with the "Yes, sirs" and the "Thank you very much, sirs," attempting a bit of the old boardroom charm to make the probing process go easy. Then there's Google, which actually gives the US Justice Department a three and a half month deadline to review its …

    Government 18 Sep 2008, 19:21

  • IBM gets virtual and cloudy with 22nm chips

    X-ray vision still missing

    IBM may not be in the same league as Intel when it comes to volume chip production, but the PowerPC family of chips gets embedded in all kinds of devices, and it does a decent volume with its related Power chips in servers, too. Plus, the company sells intellectual property related to chip making. And that is why IBM needs to …

    Hardware 18 Sep 2008, 20:54

  • EFF sues Dubya over warrantless surveillance

    Inside AT&T's 'secret room'

    The Electronic Frontier Foundation has sued President Bush, the National Security Agency, and nine other public officials to stop what the civil liberties group characterizes as far-reaching and illegal surveillance on ordinary US citizens. The complaint, filed Thursday in federal district court in San Francisco, comes in …

    Security 18 Sep 2008, 21:48

  • Israeli hamlet plans DNA database for dog poop

    Science triumphs over common sense

    An Israeli city hopes to use DNA analysis in the fight against dog poop littering its footpaths. With a six-month trial program, the city of Petah Tikva, a suburb of Tel Aviv, intends to build a DNA database of local dogs in order to match improperly disposed droppings with owners. Residents are being asked to usher their …

    Science 18 Sep 2008, 21:56

  • Democratic rep fathered alleged Palin hacker

    How to fool Yahoo! email security in 45 minutes or less

    The son of a democratic state representative from Tennessee is at the center of an online investigation into who broke in to the email account of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and shared some of its contents with the world. Representative Mike Kernell, told a reporter with the Tennessean that his 20-year-old son, …

    Security 18 Sep 2008, 23:40