NewsScan Daily, 8 July 2004 ("Above The Fold")

NewsScan Daily, 8 July 2004 ("Above The Fold")
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NewsScan Daily is underwritten by RLG, a world-class organization making
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"ABOVE THE FOLD"  
       In Hot Pursuit of Faster Computers
       Hooked for Renting Out Private Customer Data
       E-Voting Concerns
       The Growing Auto Industry Market for Microchips
       L.A. to Clean Up Cyberdens of Iniquity
       UN Seeks Spam Mandate

FEATURES           
       Flash Card
       Mailbag: The World As We Find It

IN HOT PURSUIT OF FASTER COMPUTERS
     To help the U.S. regain an edge in high-performance supercomputing, the
House of Representatives has passed two bills to encourage the development
high-speed supercomputers for use by automakers, drug makers and other major
industries. Noting Japan's introduction of the world's fastest computer in
2002, House Science Committee Chairman Boehlert (R, NY) says: "What the
Japanese have done is send a strong signal as a reminder to all of us that
this is a very competitive marketplace." (Reuters/Los Angeles Times 8 Jul
2004) http://tinyurl.com/2ucqp

HOOKED FOR RENTING OUT PRIVATE CUSTOMER DATA
     The Hooked on Phonics company, which markets learning systems, has
settled a complaint by the Federal Trade Commission that the company rented
out customer data to outside marketers even though it had promised on its
Web site that it would keep the information private. The FTC's J. Howard
Beales III says: "It's simple: If you collect information and promise not to
share, you can't share unless the consumer agrees." But Chris Jay Hoofnagle
of the Electronic Privacy Information Center criticizes the FTC on the
grounds that the Agency is in effect pushing companies to have the fewest
restrictions possible without alienating potential customers: "The obvious
encouragement here is to not make promises. We think that approach is
somewhat inflexible." (Washington Post 7 Jul 2004)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35434-2004Jul7.html

E-VOTING CONCERNS
     California's Secretary of State has won a victory in federal court and
new agreements from counties with touch-screen machines to make extra
security arrangements. U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper denied
requests by disability rights activists and four California counties to
overturn the Secretary's conditional April 30 ban on touch screens for the
November election. In the suit, disability groups argued that banning
electronic voting will deny hundreds of thousands of people the right to
vote in private, but the judge ruled the Americans With Disabilities Act
requires only that disabled voters be given the opportunity to vote.
(Bloomberg News/San Jose Mercury News 7 Jul 2004)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/9100600.htm

THE GROWING AUTO INDUSTRY MARKET FOR MICROCHIPS TOKYO
     Gartner Research is predicting that, as electronics become the main
driver of car innovation, chip makers will be a major beneficiary. Gartner
executive Mike Williams says: "Because penetration of electronics in cars is
still quite low, we expect to see growth [in chip demand] coming from
further penetration," and Drue Freeman of Philips Semiconductors adds:
"Electronics is where car makers can really start to do innovation and they
can differentiate their cars from competition. Also, the use of more
electronics and semiconductors will actually help reduce the costs that car
makers have to spend in building cars." (Reuters/USA Today 8 Jul 2004)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2004-07-08-auto-chips_x.ht
m

L.A. TO CLEAN UP CYBERDENS OF INIQUITY
     The Los Angeles City Council members have voted unanimously to regulate
cyber cafés where teens and others hang out to use computers. The proposal
was introduced after a string of shootings at cyber cafés, but council
members say it is not their intention to drive the cafés out of business.
One 14-year-old patron says: "Most people can't afford computers that work
this good. At least we're being social here instead of staying at home."
(Los Angeles Times 6 Jul 2004) http://tinyurl.com/25pcj

UN SEEKS SPAM MANDATE
     The United Nations aims to bring the international junk email
"epidemic" under control within two years by standardizing anti-spam
legislation around the world. Representatives from 60 countries are in
Australia attending a meeting hosted by the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU). The goal is to develop examples of anti-spam legislation that
governments can adopt to make cross-border cooperation easier. (The
Australian 7 Jul 2004) Recd from John Lamp
http://tinyurl.com/37m8n

*****

FLASH CARD
     "It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a
question without debating it." (Joseph Joubert)

MAILBAG: THE WORLD AS WE FIND IT

LAW VERSUS JUSTICE
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10904
     Now that the response to Maelstrom's question, "Was this justice?" has
abated; I would like to point out that few respondents cared to distinguish
between Law and Justice. Very sad. The incident was illegal, but that was
not what Maelstrom's question was about. Attacking Maelstrom because they
were responding to the preamble that supported the question, indicates a
high level of vulnerability. It was not the question but the perception of
the person presenting the question. "Not the ideas but whose idea", by
attempting to discredit the messenger the issue is deferred. Some of the
respondents grasped the issue. My question is do these people blindly
support all legislation? Many people believe that sometimes bad law is
enforced, and such bad law expresses the will of the majority. I guess scary
people just like to be scary. Just because I am a Canadian does not of
course confer expertise on bad law, or good law either. That justice is
"blind" is perhaps a bit hard to grasp when one is in the grip of fear. The
world is plagued with injustice in the guise of law. My preference is
justice over law, but the law will prevail. (Tom Mousseau, Ottawa)

SAD LESSONS
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10904
     With regard to MEMO FROM MAELSTROM: 'THE JURY IS IN!': I still can't
help but feel that maelstrom is drawing the wrong moral from both his
anecdotal court case and his reference to the aggregation of data at the
FBI's website. Employers aren't going to learn that they shouldn't "piss
off" employees. They're going to learn to (a) not trust their employees and
(b) really stick it to ex-employees when they try the funny stuff.
     The first will result in more checks and balances inside the corporate
security system. The second will be prosecutions in which individuals who
had a momentary lapse of moral judgment are held up as examples for all the
world to see (think 12 years in prison and $80,000 fines). And IBM will
still get paid for security consulting, perhaps even more so.
     The lessons, sad as the case may be, are really for ex-employees: IT
jobs are just not secure. If you lose one, just move on. Bad things happen
to good people. Worse things happen to bad people. By which i mean, of
course, "people with momentary lapses in good judgment". ;)
     Another note: maelstrom asks, "Do You Know Who I AM?" It really doesn't
matter. I only know what you tell me. But that's how it is with everyone,
whether I know their names and addresses or not. The benefit of anonymity is
that it gives me a mask to say things I might not otherwise have the courage
to say. The troubles with anonymity are much greater: I might be willing to
say things that I don't actually believe or feel; I don't have to measure my
words as carefully, since I don't have to answer for them; I'm tempted to a
moral superiority over those who have revealed themselves and can't back
away from previously held views without losing face; people will color me in
-- imagine a face for me -- because that's their nature, and I STILL don't
get to decide what they think of me.  Maybe that's just me. I don't really
have a problem with maelstrom's anonymity (it's kinda cute). I'm just a
little surprised that he (and of course I use the pronoun in its loosest
sense) would stand on it. (Skipper Pickle)

HACKERS AND CRACKERS
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10883
     I was pleased to see Howard Matthews make the distinction between
³cracker² and ³hacker². I¹m proud to be part of the rich hacker tradition
associated with the MIT Tech Model Railroad club, AI Labs and millions of
personal computer ³users² over the past 50 years. Using the term ³hacker² to
describe the former employee and his activities denigrates that tradition
and the millions of enthusiasts and hobbyists like me. Not all ³hackers²
(enthusiasts and hobbyists) are law breakers. Law breakers are just ³common
criminals², people who have committed or been convicted of a crime. The
former employee broke the law and the law performed the job it is designed
to do- to protect private property and deter others breaking the law in the
future. Maybe the punishment didn¹t fit the crime, maybe the prosecutors
were on a witch hunt, maybe IBM mislead the courts (and should be liable for
wasting taxpayers dollars) but in this was just another criminal who¹s been
prosecuted under the current law. The system will eventually determine if
this type crime is a misdemeanor or a felony.
     BTW, the media may have tired head over the long standing
hacker/cracker argument, but the public will continue to use the words the
media uses (accurately or not). The first three definitions describe the
traditional ³hacker². The fourth definition really describes a ³cracker² (as
in safe cracker or bank robber).² From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Main Entry: hacker Pronunciation: 'ha-k&r Function: noun 1: one that hacks
(to write computer programs for enjoyment) 2: a person who is inexperienced
or unskilled at a particular activity <a tennis hacker> 3: an expert at
programming and solving problems with a computer 4: a person who illegally
gains access to and sometimes tampers with information in a computer system
(Chris L. White)

THE EXIT DOOR IS STRAIGHT AHEAD
Re: Re: 
http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10883
     Maelstrom commented: "It may not "feel" right to have to jolly an
employee who has been a right pain in the arse, but if you piss him off,
your network security better be top-notch." It is amazing that companies
still have to be told this. If a CEO is sacked for running the company into
the buffers, he can expect to walk away with a multi-million dollar pay-off
and a huge pension pot. If a middle manager is sacked, he will be escorted
to the door by security guards and have to beg for any back pay or bonuses
due to him. No wonder the ex-employees get upset! (BillK)

HUDDLING TOGETHER FOR WARMTH
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10898
     Wouldn't it be nice to be able to harness some of those BTU's in some
way as a heating device. Let's say "they" develop a heating system from
computer heat. Great way to heat an arctic exploration station. Or, plug a
laptop into a thermal suit and those artic explorers could go out and waddle
with the penguins. Or put a docking station for a laptop or a handheld into
a vehicle that had a heat exchange with a boiler and we could bring back the
Stanley Steamer automobile. Could be another million dollar prize contest
sponsored by the government, like that driverless car race in California.
(Michael H. Bell) 

THE REST OF THE STORY
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10863
     Interesting bit on mobile phones. For a follow-up you may want to post
the other side of the story, as laid out by some of these news stories.
http://tinyurl.com/2qxv4 (Nate Scherer)

REBELLION AT THE PERIPHERY
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10912
     The fall of Microsoft, like that of big powers of history, will start
with rebellion at the periphery. The poor will rebel against huge prices,
just as they did against the forced collection of taxes that they could not
pay. Linux vendors, like neighboring enemy states, will go all-out to help
the rebels. The retreat of Microsoft legions will start. In Pakistan, a good
desktop PC, including a 17-inch monitor, costs about $450, while the pirated
copies of Windows XP, Office XP and other software cost less than a dollar
per disk. Even the companies cannot pay the Microsoft prices, despite being
heavily discounted. Therefore, the users will go for Linux. So, will the
government. The same is happening all over the poor countries. When
Microsoft threatens prosecution for piracy, they all will switch rather than
fight. Any way out? Microsoft should sell Windows XP and Office XP packages
for 5-10 dollars each in countries with less than $1000 per capita income.
It will be protecting the market share while waiting for better days. If
Microsoft thinks that the nominal price will cause too much loss of revenue,
it will end up losing everything. In any case, it won't be a loss. With
genuine software available at a slightly higher price, the users will not go
for the pirated one. Multiply the proposed price by tens of millions of
pirated disk floating around the poor countries and you get a quite
substantial figure. It will be certainly far better than nothing. The
sensible emperors used to waive taxes and take other action to win back the
loyalty of rebels. Those who did not change their ways ended up in the
dustbin of history. ( Muhammad Abd al-Hameed Lahore, Pakistan)

REAL (OR MUCH-EXAGGERATED) DAMAGE?
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10914
     Whenever I hear the software or recording industry lamenting the loss
of money to pirates, I'm reminded of an episode of an old TV series called
"Green Acres" (where a city couple move to the country). The local mailman
found a letter that had been misplaced and delivered it months late. The
protagonist, upon reading the recovered letter is very upset because he
consequently lost $20. The locals then offer to help him find it. When the
industry claims to have lost money, I have to wonder if they truly believe
that if all piracy was eliminated that they would be nearly 30 billion
dollars richer as a result. What then, is the real value of the damage?
Furthermore, is the damage real? I have noticed that despite the increase in
piracy, software sales (and profits) have also increased. Is it possible
that sampling illegitimate copies prompt many consumers to acquire proper
license? I also note that the biggest offenders are from developing
countries with weak currency. Where for us, paying a hundred dollars is an
inconvenience, for them it represents several weeks (or months) salary.
While I agree that such intellectual property must be protected, I am more
sympathetic to those with few alternatives. (Louis Jezsik, Montreal)

IDLE HANDS ARE THE DEVIL'S WORKSHOP
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10874
     Thank you for the best candid quote I've seen in a long time.
"Unemployed people get into trouble. They go into politics or crime." HA!
Just like in the US. (Emily Bristor)

LEAD-LINED MEN'S UNDERWEAR
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10863
     Thinking about MOBILE PHONES CUT SPERM COUNT:  Tomorrow at
Hammacher-Schlemmer, next month at Wal-Mart, lead-lined men's underwear. Or
maybe a pick-up line about not wearing them, resulting in a virtual
vasectomy. (Joe Callahan)

QUESTION NEGOTIATION
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=10893
     As a librarian, I'm often asked what it is that allows librarians to
find information for customers after the customer has searched and failed
and has come to the library as a last resort. Bertrand Russell's quote ("The
greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way  that will
allow a solution.") reveals the secret. In schools of library and
information science, the skill is taught in courses on reference services,
and referred to as "question negotiation." (Jerry Baldwin)

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