NewsScan Daily, 4 June 2004 ("Above The Fold")

NewsScan Daily, 4 June 2004 ("Above The Fold")
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NewsScan Daily is underwritten by RLG, a world-class organization making
significant and sustained contributions to the effective management and
appropriate use of information technology. NSD is written by John Gehl and
Suzanne Douglas, [email protected].
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"ABOVE THE FOLD"  
       Who Gets Your Data When You Die?
       Friendster, Single, Looking for Advertiser Love
       T-Mobile Wi-Fi Access at Hyatt Hotels
       Rebound in Ad Sales Sign of Recovering Economy
       Toxic Dust

FEATURES        
       Flash Card
       Honorary Subscriber: Carolyn Wells
       Mailbag: The World As We Find It

WHO GETS YOUR DATA WHEN YOU DIE?
     When a deceased person's family members don't want to go to the time
and effort of gaining access to the data on the person's computer, they
simply erase the hard drive and get rid of the computer without ever knowing
what was on it. The manager of one computer-repair service says, "We're
probably wiping away a lot of memories. Most people want to give the
computer away without worrying about someone else getting access to personal
information. When they bring it in, they don't know what's on it and they
don't seem to care." Of course, relatives may also be afraid that there may
be e-mail messages or other things on the computer that they'd rather not
see. Eric Thompson, founder of AccessData Corporation, suggests that
sometimes it might be best to let some secrets go to the grave with the
deceased: "When you break into computer files you're reconstructing a
person's life, both the good and the bad." (New York Times 3 Jun 2004)
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/03/technology/circuits/03data.html

FRIENDSTER, SINGLE, LOOKING FOR ADVERISER LOVE
     Friendster, a well-known Internet "social networking" company has
selected former NBC executive Scott Sassa as its new chief executive, and
has hinted that advertising will be key to making Friendster profitable.
Sassa told a journalist, "We think there's a big opportunity around using
social networks to recommend products because you have that trusted
reference." It had 1 million unique visitors in the month of April, down
from 1.7 million in October 2003, according to comScore Media Metrix."
(Washington Post 3 Jun 2004)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12121-2004Jun3.html

T-MOBILE WI-FI ACCESS AT HYATT HOTELS
     Nearly all of Hyatt hotels will have high-speed wireless Internet
access by 2005, under a deal between Hyatt and T-Mobile. Hyatt's senior
executive for strategy and systems boasts, "This furthers Hyatt's position
as a premium, global brand and industry leader." But Hyatt's wireless access
won't be free, unless the hotel guest already subscribes to T-Mobile's Wi-Fi
service. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 3 Jun 2004)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/8830654.htm

REBOUND IN AD SALES SIGN OF RECOVERING ECONOMY
     A 9.6% gain in first-quarter ad spending vs. a year earlier is good
news both for the advertising industry and for the nation. Peter Olsen, head
of national broadcast for ad buyer MediaCom, says: "It's definitely
indicative of a recovering economy. It's not surprising, given the corporate
profit picture we saw in the first quarter."(AP/USA Today 3 Jun 2004)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-06-03-adrebound_x.htm

TOXIC DUST
     A survey by environment groups called the Silicon Valley Toxics
Coalition says that "toxic dust" found on computer processors and monitors
contains chemicals linked to reproductive and neurological disorders.
Coalition director Ted Smith says, "This will be a great surprise to
everyone who uses a computer. The chemical industry is subjecting us all to
what amounts to chemical trespass by putting these substances into use in
commerce. They continue to use their chemicals in ways that are affecting
humans and other species." However, physician Gina Solomon of the Natural
Resources Defense Council says: "The levels in the dust are enough to raise
a red flag, but not enough to create a crisis. I have an old computer
monitor in front of me now, and I'm not about to throw it away. But when I
get a new one, it darn well will be free of these chemicals." A Dell
spokesman says, "People can be very confident about their new computer
purchase. We've worked a lot with suppliers, and we require audits and
material data sheets on all our products." (AP/Los Angeles Times 4 Jun 2004
http://tinyurl.com/294m6

*****  

FLASH CARD
       "A cat is a puzzle for which there is no solution." (Hazel Nicholson)

HONORARY SUBSCRIBER: CAROLYN WELLS
     Today's Honorary Subscriber is the versatile writer-librarian Carolyn
Wells (1862-1942), who went from being a voracious reader to become a
literary powerhouse, producing a steady stream of books in several genres.
     Published in 1896, her first book was a collection of charades, "At the
Sign of the Sphinx,' inspired by her love of puzzles. Following this in 1899
she brought out the first of a series of novels for girls. In 1900 she
published a book of verse for adults, which marked the beginning of an
extraordinary four-decade literary career that saw her produce a varied
assortment of children's stories, mystery and detective stories,
anthologies, books of humor, and nonsense writings. In 1937 she wrote an
autobiography entitled "The Rest of My Life."
     Wells was born in Rahway, New Jersey, where she was educated in public
and private schools, and where she began her working life as a librarian for
the Rahway Library Association. As a writer, she developed a flair for
humor, and became a frequent contributor of nonsense verse and whimsical
items to such little magazines of the day as The Lark, the Chap Book, the
Yellow Book, and the Philistine. Among her more popular books were the two
series of novels she wrote for girls. Also well received was her 1902
"Nonsense Anthology." Other noteworthy titles include "The Rubaiyat of a
Motor Car" (1906), "The Maxwell Mystery" (1913), "The Book of Humorous
Verse" (1920), "Murder in the Bookshop" (1936), and "Murder Will In" (1942).
     Wells was one of the few women who wrote detective fiction in the
pre-World War I era, and it is interesting to note that in 1913 she
published a study on the construction, purpose, and limitations of the
detective story, entitled "The Technique of the Mystery Story."
     Wells was so prolific (a lifetime total of 170 titles), she also wrote
under the pseudonym 'Rowland Wright.' She died in 1942 and is buried in the
family plot in the Rahway cemetery. The house where she lived still stands
on the corner of Elm Street and Esterbrook Avenue.
     For a career librarian, Wells wrote this thought-provoking comment in
her autobiography: "I think, for the rest of my life, I shall refrain from
looking up things. It is the most ravenous time-snatcher I know. You pull
one book from the shelf, which carries a hint or a reference that sends you
posthaste to another book, and that to successive others."
     [See 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0841428379/newsscancom/ref=nos
im for "The Technique of the Mystery Story" -- 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

BAYBERRIES ACROSS THE SEA
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10699
     Rita Seplowitz Salz wrote that she "decided 'bayberries' was British
slang for 'hackers' and moved on to other things." Whereas I took the
opposite view. Being British and fairly well up on computer jargon/slang, I
assumed that this was a word invented by our American cousins! According to
my dictionary these are "The fruit of a deciduous, eastern North American
shrub (Myrica pensylvanica)," so at least this partially supports my view.
(Mark Bennison)

'DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HIS-TOR-EEE'
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10718
     I really appreciate that you had the insight to include a
disclaimer/caveat/explanation for your readers. ("Eisenhower's reference was
really to the 'Allies' -- i.e., the nations that had joined a coalition of
forces to defeat the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo 'Axis' powers. Eisenhower used the
word 'crusade' without in any way suggesting that the war was a religious
crusade. Germany and Italy were predominantly Christian countries." I forget
how much of history is NOT known to many, both young Americans and
internationals. These two points were well worth footnoting. (Mark H.
Zollinhofer)

SCREEN DOOR ON A SUBMARINE
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10718
     I both enjoy and admire NewsScan, but do you really think you needed to
explain about Eisenhower's use of "United Nations"? In my lifetime, 1956
A.D.-present, the United Nations has been about as useful as a screen door
on a submarine. Can you really imagine that the United Nations could be
perceived by anybody as being able to handle any major task, much less an
undertaking like the Allies faced? A Little Humor. (Q Smith)

NO ADMISSION WITHOUT PERMISSION
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10705
     Accenture LLP will get $10 billion for the Homeland Security contract
but whether it will help the authorities capture suspected terrorists and
criminals is quite another matter. In South Asia (my part of the world),
some government offices display a notice on the door, ³No admission without
permission,² a legacy of the British colonial rule. A visitor asked the man
sitting besides the door of such an office whether he could enter. "No," he
replied curtly. Just then somebody else came and went straight into the
office. "Why did you let him enter without permission?" asked the irate
visitor. "He never asked for it."
     The U.S. government must be very naïve indeed, if it believes that a
terrorist will pass through the elaborate security system that it will be
building. He will certainly have the common sense to use any of the entry
points on the continent-wide border that millions of illegal Mexicans cross
every year. No passport, no visa, no fingerprint, no digital picture, no
trail whatsoever to follow. Remember that just one successful terrorist will
be enough to cause havoc.
     Will it be enough to have extraordinary security to make entry of
terrorists impossible at airports and ports of entry? In 1962, India
provoked a border clash with China and got a drubbing in return. Its army
had to retreat far back in its own territory. (Meanwhile, the Chinese
declared a unilateral cease-fire just 30 days later, returned the arms they
had captured and went back. They had made their point: don¹t mess with us.)
     There was an official inquiry into the debacle. As the story goes, the
commander of the area was asked why he failed to stop the Chinese army. He
replied that he had identified every valley, pass and route in the area that
was used for crossing over the Himalayas and deployed his men near them.
However, the Chinese bypassed all those passes and used new paths. He
argued, "How could I stop the people, who did not use the established routes
and passes?" 
     Meanwhile, contractors like Accenture LLP will make hay while the sun
shines. (Muhammad Abd al-Hameed, Lahore, Pakistan. You may use my e-mail
address in case someone wants to contact me directly:  Email:
[email protected]) 

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We call our news section "Above The Fold" to honor the tradition of the
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