NewsScan Daily, 25 May 2004 ("Above The Fold")

NewsScan Daily, 25 May 2004 ("Above The Fold")
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"ABOVE THE FOLD"
        Search Engine Contest Ends in a Draw
        E-Gov't Popular, But Citizens Want Multiple Options
        Corporate Execs Shift Their Focus to Outside Cyberthreats
        Get Fit Through Videogames
        Here's a New Wrinkle -- Robot Does Origami

FEATURES
        Flash Card
        Worth Thinking About: Rational Exuberance
        Mailbag: The World As We Find It

SEARCH ENGINE CONTEST ENDS IN A DRAW
      Google is riding high on its reputation as the "best" search engine, 
but a new survey by Vividence Corp. suggests that it doesn't necessarily 
provide significantly better search results than its rivals. After asking 
2,000 Web users to test five popular search engines, the survey found 
little difference among the results. For instance, when asked to find facts 
such as the leading cause of death for 25- to 34-year-olds, Google users 
came up with the right answer 55% of the time compared with 52% to 54% 
using Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, MSN and Lycos. "The search engines all return 
roughly the same results," says Vividence CEO Peter Watkins. But despite 
the statistical similarities, some users still prefer Google for its clean, 
uncluttered design. "I don't get distracted by anything," says one user. 
Other users reported greater satisfaction with the experience, even when 
they didn't find what they were looking for. Nearly 90% of Google users 
described their search effort as a "strongly positive experience," compared 
with 68% for Yahoo, 50% for Ask Jeeves, 48% for Lycos and 41% for MSN. 
Piper Jaffray analyst Safa Rashtchy says the study indicates that Google's 
claims to technological superiority may be shaky, but that its brand is "a 
huge advantage and that matters a lot." (Wall Street Journal 25 May 2004)
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108543636197220010,00.html (sub req'd)

E-GOV'T POPULAR, BUT CITIZENS WANT MULTIPLE OPTIONS
      Ninety-seven million Americans took advantage of government Web sites 
and services last year, an increase of about 50% from 2002, according to 
new research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. At the same 
time, of the 54% of Americans who contacted the government in the past 
year, a phone call or visit was preferred by a 53% to 37% margin over send 
e-mail or visiting a Web site. This was particularly true of those with 
disabilities -- but this cohort was also less likely than the general 
population to have Internet access (40% compared to 63% of the overall 
population). In addition, a phone call or visit were preferred when the 
issue was particularly complex or urgent. Meanwhile, survey results show 
that those with online access are about three times more likely to get in 
touch with government and 30% said they had e-mailed a government official 
to attempt to influence policy or persuade a lawmaker to change a position 
on an issue. Pew senior researcher John B. Horrigan said the results 
indicate that citizens prefer having a choice of communication channels 
when it comes to contacting their government officials. "When citizens 
think about a tool to contact government, they have a Swiss Army knife in 
mind. People want multiple means at hand when they want or need to turn to 
government." (Pew Internet & American Life Project News Release 24 May 2004)
http://www.pewinternet.org

CORPORATE EXECS SHIFT THEIR FOCUS TO OUTSIDE CYBERTHREATS
      A greater percentage of corporate executives are worried about 
cybersecurity threats from outside hackers than inside jobs by disgruntled 
or recently fired workers, according to a recent survey conducted by CSO 
(Chief Security Officer) magazine in cooperation with the Secret Service 
and Carnegie Mellon's CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team). The shift in 
focus marks a change in corporate attitudes toward security, says CSO 
publisher Robert Bragdon: "Historically, businesses have always focused on 
internal threats being the biggest dangers to their organization." But 
despite the change, 36% of the 500 executives polled said they still 
managed to keep a close eye on employees' Web activities and e-mail to 
prevent internal sabotage and leaks. Meanwhile, the costs of computer crime 
are going up. The study estimates that cybercrime attacks against 
businesses and government agencies cost $666 million last year. (Washington 
Post 24 May 2004)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53042-2004May24.html

GET FIT THROUGH VIDEOGAMES
      Game developer ResponDesign has created a first-of-its-kind game 
geared toward helping the player lose weight through exercise and diet. The 
game, titled Yourself!Fitness, is designed for the Xbox console and will be 
marketed to women gamers. It features a virtual personal trainer named Maya 
who guides the player through a customized set of exercises and diets; 
players advance to the next level when certain fitness goals are met. "This 
is the next evolution in the fitness video industry," says ResponDesign 
co-founder Ted Spooner. "Women already participate in 60% of the sales of 
game consoles. This is a way to get women to use the console that is 
already in their home." A Sony PlaySation version will be available at the 
end of the year, and next year the Xbox Live version will enable players to 
use a wireless headset to talk to each other during their workouts. "Users 
will be able to create an online community to discuss each other's 
accomplishments and chat while working out. This will be a virtual gym," 
says Spooner. If Yourself!Fitness catches on, ResponDesign is planning to 
develop spinoff titles featuring Pilates and Yoga exercises. (New York 
Times 24 May 2004)
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/24/technology/24game.html

HERE'S A NEW WRINKLE -- ROBOT DOES ORIGAMI
      Carnegie Mellon graduate student Devin Balkcom has succeeded in the 
very complex task of creating a robot capable of performing the intricate 
folding movements necessary to do origami -- the traditional Japanese art 
of folding paper to make figures or sculptures. Balkcom's professor, 
Matthew Mason, originally tried to discourage the student from taking on 
the project because it was so difficult. "Origami is way out there -- it's 
like a space shot," says Mason, noting that although robots have been 
taught to manipulate rigid objects such as golf clubs, their ability to 
handle flexible materials has been very limited. Balkom's robot consists of 
a small metal arm attached to a table that resembles a sheet metal press. 
It uses a suction cup to pick up and move the paper, which is then 
positioned over an indentation, or gutter, in the flat metal surface. A 
straightedge ruler attached to the robot's arm pushes the paper into the 
gutter, which then crimps it to create the appropriate fold. The process 
may sound simple, but to accomplish it, the robot has been programmed to 
"understand" the properties of paper (it can't be folded more than about 
seven times and it stretches slightly each time it's folded). "To make a 
swan would be 10 PhDs worth of work," says Balkom, whose robot is currently 
concentrating on easier goals like hats and airplanes. (AP/USA Today 24 May 
2004)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2004-05-24-origamibot_x.htm

*****

FLASH CARD
      "The strongest element of growth lies in the human choice." (George 
Eliot)

WORTH THINKING ABOUT: RATIONAL EXUBERANCE
      Economist Michael Mandel challenges us to think optimistically about 
our economic future;
      "We are faced with the question of whether to be optimistic or 
pessimistic about our economic destiny. Can the good times of the 1990s -- 
with its low unemployment, fast wage growth, and soaring stock market -- be 
repeated? Or was that era just a flash in the pan, the product of an 
out-of-control bubble mentality? Will we soar or struggle?
      "Here's the straight answer: The ability of Americans to thrive 
during the next 10,20, or even 30 years does not depend on the budget 
deficit or the potential exodus of a few hundred thousand jobs to other 
countries. Rather, our economic future is inextricably linked to our 
ability to come up with more technological breakthroughs that equal the 
Internet in magnitude. Such large-scale innovations drive growth, create 
new jobs and industries, push up living standards for both rich and poor, 
and open up whole new vistas of possibilities. This is what I call 
'exuberant growth.'
      "How can we be so sure of this? The lessons of history and economic 
research are very clear. Over the long run, economic progress in a highly 
developed country such as the U.S. depends mainly on technological 
advances. It was a succession of innovations-including electricity, 
telephones, radios, automobiles, and antibiotics -- that revolutionized 
life in the first half of the 20th century. By contrast, the drought of 
economically significant innovations in the 1970s -- including the 
unanticipated failure of nuclear energy as a cheap energy source -- helped 
pull down growth. It is no coincidence that the rise of the Internet in the 
1990s coincided with the biggest rise in household incomes, and the biggest 
drop in poverty, in 30 years.
      "Going forward, such technology-driven growth is essential if we are 
not to drown in our problems. The Internet is terrific, but by itself it 
can't power long-term growth. Without cost-saving breakthroughs in medical 
science, it won't be possible to supply health care to a generation of 
aging Americans without bankrupting the young. Without new industries 
created by innovative companies, it won't be possible to generate enough 
good new jobs to replace the ones going abroad. Without breakthroughs in 
energy production and distributions it won't be possible to provide 
inexpensive power for industrialized countries in tee developing world. And 
without rapid growth, it won't be possible to simultaneously pay for 
national defense and the retirement of the baby boomers."
               ***
[See 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060580496/newsscancom/ref=nosim for 
Michael J. Mandel, "Rational Exuberance: Silencing the Enemies of Growth 
and Why the Future Is Better Than You Think -- or look for it in your 
favorite library. We donate all revenue from our book recommendations to 
adult literacy programs.]

MAILBAG: THE WORLD AS WE FIND IT

TWO FACES OF MICROSOFT
Re: http://tinyurl.com/35e58 and http://tinyurl.com/35e58
      I'm sure I'm not the only one who was struck by these two items in 
successive issues. (1) "'There is very little reason for anyone to throw 
anything away," Microsoft research head Rick Rashid told participants at 
this week's World Wide Web conference, referring to the confluence of the 
latest Internet software, cheap memory storage and networked 
communication." And (2) "Microsoft executive allegedly urging employees not 
to save their e-mail for more than 30 days, telling them 'Do not archive 
your e-mail.' Microsoft says the evidence will show that the executive's 
instructions were 'consistent with a policy that is responsive to any legal 
requirements and consistent with a policy of efficient management of 
corporate e-mail.'" (William R. Kennedy, Fairleigh Dickinson University)

ME TOO R&D
Re: http://tinyurl.com/25jub
      It's great that you are covering this subject. Can you ask your 
readers to provide ***step-by-step instructions*** for Microsoft Outlook 
Express and 2-3 other leading mailing packages, to block not just 
DidTheyReadIt but all similar future services (which I'm sure will mushroom 
in the next 3 months all over the world, as most of the spamming industry 
operates on the "me too R&D" principle)? Thanks for doing this important 
public service for all of us. (Nahum Goldmann, ARRAY Development, Ottawa 
and School of Management, University of Ottawa)

POWER IS NOT MY GOD
Re: http://tinyurl.com/2fkux
      Dear Muhammad, with regard to your broad assertion that "Power is 
another god that the American culture worships," I must respectfully 
disagree. It is Individual Choice that we "worship". A broad range of 
choices allows me to tailor a program to best suit my desires -- which 
sometimes change daily. Unfortunately these seemingly endless mercurial 
desires of mine (and presumably of many others) result in choice-swollen 
software which I complain about while loading them, but once loaded and 
tailored to my "needs" (of that moment) I usually find very satisfying. I 
will grumble of course (fortunately (?) I have an iMac which limits my 
choices), but the next time Apple upgrades Operating System X, if it 
includes some new "neat thing" that intrigues me, I will save my pennies 
until I can purchase it. Making the system uniquely mine results in a 
general bloat over all by the creators of programs. But just as the 
beautifully and intricately decorated vehicles running out of Lahore (and 
elsewhere on your magnificent subcontinent) are the unique and intensely 
personal design choice of the owner, so is my version of Apple's OS X 
running on this iMac. Power is not my god whether in operating systems or 
anything else.  Best regards, Axel. (Axel Fritz, Minnesota,USA).

THE CHOICE BELONGS TO GATES
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10652
      Axel, You made my day! I came to know from your response about 
publication of my message in NewsScan that I had sent only yesterday, all 
in a matter of less than 24 hours. Really unsettling speed!
      We are really talking of the same thing. Let me give an example. 
Suppose a bookseller offers a very special deal for a package of 100 books. 
We both buy one each. Now, each of us finds that only about 20 books are 
really worth reading. Your choice, of course, will be different from mine 
but we both will be left with 80 books each that we do not want. What shall 
we do with them? We may keep them on our shelves all the same, but then we 
need space for other useful books. Would it not have been better if the 
bookseller had allowed us to buy individual books at a low price? We could 
then save money, space -- and headache.
      Life would be much easier if the basic version of software was on one 
disk and all the optional and advanced features were on the other. Then 
everybody could choose from the second disk to have his own personalized 
version without overloading the hard disk. My C:/ partition is groaning 
under the load of being 75% full. And I have only three full-length 
programs and some small utilities. The rest is all elephant load of Windows 
XP, Office XP and a large number of Microsoft etc.
      Parkinson's Law says that works expands to fill the time available. 
That applies to Microsoft. It bloats its software to fill the hard disk 
capacity. Choice, dear Axel, really belongs to Bill Gates. Allah Hafiz! 
(Muhammad Abd al-Hameed, Lahore)

FRESH FISH
RE: http://tinyurl.com/2yoy7
      Just a suggestion to make your e-mails more enticing to readers: Use 
the subject line to display your subject. This may seem simple enough but 
many e-mail newsletters such as yours continue to use the subject line to 
display REDUNDANT INFORMATION such as the sender's name or the date. I 
don't need to see "NewsScan Daily, 24 May 2004 ("Above The Fold")" in the 
subject line because the From: field tells me it's from "NewsScan 
<[email protected]>" and my Received: or Sent: fields tell me when the 
email arrived in my inbox.  Moreover, "NewsScan Daily, 24 May 2004 ("Above 
The Fold")" TELLS ME NOTHING about the articles contained within and 
DOESN'T ENTICE ME TO OPEN the email and take a look. A much more effective 
use of the Subject field would be snippets of headlines of the articles 
contained within. A better Subject field example: "Chinese Surfers Persist; 
Database Nation; Tracking Visitors to U.S."  Most people's inboxes are 
overloaded as is. Subject lines that, with a few words that tell them what 
is contained within, grab the recipient's attention and greatly increase 
the chances of your newsletter being read. (Roberto Garcia, Canada)
      [Thanks for the suggestion, Roberto. All your individual points are 
good ones, but we won't be adopting the suggestion because we're not 
competing with other information sources on the basis of individual stories 
but on the basis of our reputation. There's a well-known fish market called 
Joe Patti's, and Joe Patti's would never push their fish ("Grouper! Salmon 
today! Trout! and so on), because everyone knows (or learns soon enough) 
that Joe Patti's means fish. It's the same with NewsScan Daily. NewsScan 
Daily means fish. Wait, no, that's not right, NewsScan Daily means ... 
happiness. Yes, happiness. Sometimes even we forget. Many thanks for 
writing to us.
-- J & S]

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