NewsScan Daily, 18 December 2003 ("Above The Fold")

NewsScan Daily, 18 December 2003 ("Above The Fold")
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"ABOVE THE FOLD"
       Civil Suits Against Spammers
       FCC Revises School 'E-Rate' Rules
       Investors Aggogle At Google
       Do-It-Yourself DVD
       Jogging Robots

FEATURES
       Flash Card
       Worth Thinking About: Value Dynamics

CIVIL SUITS AGAINST SPAMMERS
New York State and Microsoft are filing civil lawsuits suits against
prominent e-mail marketing operations, including Scott Richter's
OptInRealBig. The lawsuits will attempt to hold responsible not just those
accused of actually sending spam but also those who financially benefit from
it. Richter, who has stoutly and publicly defended his marketing practices,
says he's unconcerned about the lawsuits: "Messing with us is a big mistake.
The more press I get, even bad press, the bigger we get." (New York Times 18
Dec 2003)
http://partners.nytimes.com/2003/12/18/technology/18spam.html

#FCC REVISES SCHOOL 'E-RATE' RULES
The Federal Communications Commission is tightening financial guidelines for
beneficiaries of the federal "e-rate program," which allows schools and
libraries to buy computers and install high-speed Internet connections at
deep discounts. The FCC's intent in imposing the new rules is to discourage
poorer schools and libraries from using discounts under the program to buy
equipment for wealthier ones. Under the e-rate program, a school or library
applies for money to buy computers or install Internet connections in
classrooms, and the schools and libraries are awarded discounts based on
need.(Washington Post 17 Dec 2003)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9545-2003Dec17.html

INVESTORS AGGOGLE AT GOOGLE
Google is positioning itself to make an initial public offering (IPO) of its
stock, at a time when venture capitalists are once again bidding up
valuations for private companies. In fact, valuations in the third quarter
were higher than at any time since 2001, says VentureOne, a data research
firm, and Google continues to expand aggressively -- opening an R&D center
in Bangalore, India, and continuing to launch new products. (One such
product is an experimental program to index excerpts of popular books and
filter them into Google's search results.) A Google IPO is expected to be
given a valuation of, at the very least, $10 billion. (San Jose Mercury News
18 Dec 2003) http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/7519981.htm

DO-IT-YOURSELF DVD
Sony, Hitachi and Panasonic now offer DVD camcorders, allowing you to shoot
a disc and play it immediately on your DVD player. For product comparisons,
see the details in the story cited. (AP/USA Today 17 Dec 2003)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techreviews/products/2003-12-17-dvd-camcorders_
x.htm

JOGGING ROBOTS
Sony's child-shaped walking robot can not do a little shuffle-dance and kick
a soccer ball a little, but can now actually jog (a really neat trick,
requiring the machine to jump off the ground as it moves along). The machine
has been developed as an entertainment robot that carries out no chores but
is merely amusing. The robot's price has not been estimated, so get
something else for your loved one this holiday season. Maybe something in
diamonds. Or maybe a book. (AP/Los Angeles Times 18 Dec 2003)
http://www.latimes.com/technology/ats-ap_technology10dec18,1,7892190.story?c
oll=sns-ap-toptechnology

*****

FLASH CARD
     "The greatest cost of the specialization of technological life -- and
out of which all other damages are birthed -- is arguably our separation
from the practical and enriching sense of ourselves as embodied beings. When
we are alienated from the wisdom of the body, our lives become theoretical
and abstract, and we are distanced from the direct, felt sense of living."
(Richard Strozzi-Heckler)

WORTH THINKING ABOUT: VALUE DYNAMICS
     In his contribution to Richard Strozzi-Heckler's new book, "Being Human
at Work," our friend Peter Denning, the noted computer scientist, writes
about "The Somatic Engineer." He explains:
     "From the beginning, my heart has gone out to students who came to me
for help with breakdowns they were experiencing in their personal and
professional lives. Like Peanut's Lucy, I sat behind my desk listening to my
students and dispensing logical, rational, and intellectual advice. Because
I had become an expert at containing my own emotional rushes and reactions,
I was almost completely unaware of my own body, my own sensations, and my
own flows of energy. I could not empathize with other people's emotions
because I did not sense them in myself. My logical advice probably rang
hollow to many of my students because I did not address how they were
feeling and experiencing. When I became a manager I was very competent at
the management processes of stating our mission, defining our promises,
recruiting good people, and getting things done on time. But when a
disagreement came up in the group, or a confrontation, or anger, or even
great joy, I would pull back from it. If someone confronted me, I would
tense up and defend. Some of my teams became dysfunctional because I was
unable to move with the emotions and moods of the group.
     "Dr. Fernando Flores's language-action principles made the first real
dent in this. He showed me that I was not a skilled performer of basic
speech acts and that my fears of negative assessments and emotions kept me
from successfully accomplishing the simplest of things such as making or
declining a request. But I found it frustrating that my knowledge of such a
powerful framework did not help me in challenging or charged situations,
where it mattered the most.
     "The addition of somatic principles ["somatics" from the Greek word
meaning "the living body in its wholeness"] to the language-action framework
made a dramatic difference for me, and then for my students. I finally
learned to sense my own body and to release the old contractions that
contained my emotional energy. The more I became aware of my own sensations,
the more I was able to be aware with others. I began to experience genuine
connections with other people and to find that I could listen for what they
care about. Once aware of what they cared about, I more easily formulated
actions that were of great value to them. I came to see that many of my
colleagues in computer science and engineering were in the same boat I was.
We have all been trained to deal with abstract concepts, not with sensing,
living bodies. Most of the breakdown that our users experience with software
and computers would be avoided if software engineers knew how to listen to
their customers. I see that all I have learned in Sense 21 [a course
developed and taught by Denning] and from my teachers can now be synthesized
as value dynamics and can help them. I am working with national and
international curriculum groups toward adding a value dimension to
engineering education."
                           ***
See 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1556434472/newsscancom/ref=nos
im for "Being Human at Work: Bringing Somatic Intelligence Into Your
Professional Life" (edited by Richard Strozzi-Heckler) -- or look for it in
your favorite library. (We donate all revenue from our book recommendations
to adult literacy programs.)

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