NewsScan Daily, 19 October 2004 ("Above The Fold")

NewsScan Daily, 19 October 2004 ("Above The Fold")
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"ABOVE THE FOLD"
        Google's PC Search Tool Might Prove the 'Perfect Spy'
        Australian Firm in Push to Cut Card Fraud
        NetGear Modem Will Provide On-the-Road Connectivity
        Each Printer Carries Unique Signature
        TV-B-Gone Zaps Intrusive Broadcasts

FEATURES
        Flash Card
        Worth Thinking About: What Do People Really Want?

GOOGLE'S PC SEARCH TOOL MIGHT PROVE THE 'PERFECT SPY'
      Google Desktop Search, released last Thursday in a "beta" test phase, 
may prove a boon to disorganized PC users who need assistance in finding 
data on their computers, but it also has a downside for those who use 
public or workplace computers. Its indexing function may compromise the 
privacy of users who share computers for such tasks as processing e-mail, 
online shopping, medical research, banking or any activity that requires a 
password. "It's clearly a very powerful tool for locating information on 
the computer," says one privacy consultant. "On the flip side of things, 
it's a perfect spy program." The program, which is currently available only 
for Windows PCs, automatically records any e-mail read through Outlook, 
Outlook Express or the Internet Explorer browser, and also saves pages 
viewed through IE and conversations conducted via AOL Instant Messenger. In 
addition, it finds Word, Excel and PowerPoint files stored on the computer. 
And unlike the built-in cache of recent Web sites visited that's included 
in most browser histories, Google's index is permanent, although 
individuals can delete items individually. Acknowledging potential privacy 
concerns, a Google executive says managers of shared computers should think 
twice about installing the tool before advanced features like password 
protection and multi-user support are available. (AP/Washington Post 19 Oct 
2004)
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43548-2004Oct18.html>

AUSTRALIAN FIRM IN PUSH TO CUT CARD FRAUD
      A Queensland-based firm has begun a push to market a locally 
developed application, which it says can significantly reduce or eliminate 
credit card fraud. The Credit Card Scanning Protection System runs on the 
server of the financial institution. Each user is served a page where he or 
she can set personal parameters -- the type of credit card, level of alert 
and any additional data that needs to be input in order that a transaction 
can be completed. For example, apart from merely having a username and a 
password for gaining entry to one's account, a user can also set up his or 
her preferences so that a transaction does not go through unless the 
specified rules are met. Regular debits, and outlets to which regular 
payments are made can also be specified. And any time a transaction goes 
through, the customer can receive an alert, either by SMS or email, to a 
variety of devices. (The Age 15 Oct 2004) rec'd from John Lamp
<http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/15/1097784019869.html>

NETGEAR MODEM WILL PROVIDE ON-THE-ROAD CONNECTIVITY
      NetGear is designing a broadband modem designed to work with a 
long-range wireless data service called Flash-OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency 
Division Multiplexing), developed by Flarion Technologies. Flash-OFDM was 
designed to work well in moving cars and trains, and is currently being 
tested by Nextel, T-Mobile and Vodafone. The question will be whether those 
companies can offer the service at a price competitive enough to convince 
consumers and small businesses to cut the cord on their DSL or cable 
service, which typically cost $30 to $40 for unlimited usage. The lowest 
rate Nextel charges for its Flarion service is $50 a month. "People want 
ubiquity because it's easy. They don't have to think about whether this is 
a hot spot, or if they need to input a user name or credit card," says 
Susan Simmons, industry consultant for the Management Network Group. "But 
ultimately, those services are expensive, so I think it will be challenging 
to have a significant number of users pay those prices vs. free Wi-Fi 
services in places and BlackBerry" wireless e-mail devices. (AP/New York 
Times 19 Oct 2004)
<http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-High-Speed-Wireless.html>

EACH PRINTER CARRIES UNIQUE SIGNATURE
      It turns out that every printer leaves a unique "intrinsic signature" 
on all the documents it produces, enabling law enforcement officials to 
track down printers used to make bogus bank notes, fake passports or other 
important documents. In a test, a research team from Purdue University was 
able to identify the correct printer more than 90% of the time. The 
signature derives from the way different printers lay down ink in distinct 
bands that can be spotted by image processing software. "We extract 
mathematical features, or measurements, from printed letters, then we use 
image analysis and pattern-recognition techniques to identify the printer," 
says Purdue professor Edward Delp. The research has been focused on 
identifying laserjet signatures, but the researchers are now turning their 
attention to inkjet printers as well. (BBC News 18 Oct 2004)
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3753886.stm>

TV-B-GONE ZAPS INTRUSIVE BROADCASTS
     Inventor Mitch Altman has the answer for people in airports, doctors' 
offices, restaurants and bars that feature blaring television sets as part 
of the ambiance. The TV-B-Gone is a universal remote disguised as a tiny 
keychain fob that works on most televisions and comes in two models geared 
toward European TV sets or Asian-American ones. When activated by pressing 
a button, the device runs through about 200 different codes that turn off 
various TV models, starting with the most popular brands and then moving to 
the more obscure. One TV-B-Gone enthusiast notes, "You've heard about the 
battle for eyeballs. They're your eyeballs. You should not have your 
consciousness constantly invaded. Television people are getting better and 
better at finding ways of roping us into TV where we can't get away." 
Altman says friends who've heard about the device have approached him about 
other uses, such as one that could jam cell phones or shut down vehicle 
subwoofers and car alarms. (Wired.com 19 Oct 2004)
<http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65392,00.html>

*****

FLASH CARD
       "We're obviously going to spend a lot in marketing because we think 
the product sells itself." (Jim Allchin)

WORTH THINKING ABOUT: WHAT DO PEOPLE REALLY WANT?
      In his latest of his perceptive columns in the Wall Street Journal, 
technology journalist Lee Gomes writes:
      "One of the fondest dreams of observers of the technology scene is 
that there are legions of would-be Web surfers willing to pay good money to 
be able to go online anytime, anywhere. But this may be an instance of 
psychological projection. The sorts of people who engage in this sort of 
punditry tend to be online addicts, and assume the rest of the world is as 
well.
      "Questioning the popularity of wireless may be counterintuitive; 
after all, hasn't Wi-Fi been a huge hit? In fact, it has. For a recent 
column, I drove around my ZIP Code and counted more than 5,000 hot spots 
using software that detects such signals. But virtually all of these were 
houses and apartments where Wi-Fi was being used essentially as a 
network-cable replacement, such as to connect a computer in the front of 
the house with the DSL modem in the back.
       "As for people paying $50 or so a month to be able to access the Web 
wherever they are -- that's a different story. With a few exceptions like 
T-Mobile, the business of providing wireless connectivity has been a 
wasteland, akin to the online pet-food companies that sprang up during the 
Internet bubble.
      "The simple truth may be that outside of homes and offices, and 
outside of obvious white-collar tar pits like hotels and airport lounges, 
there really may not be much of a market for high-speed mobile Internet 
connectivity. The proverbial killer app could always emerge, like being 
able to watch movies over the Web, the way they do in Hong Kong. It's just 
as likely, though, that people would prefer to watch them at home."
                                                      ***
[Read Lee Gomes's columns at wsj.com, or visit RLG's RedLightGreen.com to 
find a library copy of Paul Bedell's "Wireless Crash Course": 
<http://www.redlightgreen.com/ucwprod/servlet/ucw.servlets.UCWController?ACTION=EDITION&WORKID=8229321&>-- 
or you might want to visit Amazon to find a copy of Bedell's book: 
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071372105/qid=1098118803/sr=2-2/ref 
=pd_ka_b_2_2/103-0127514-9787029>. Note: We donate all revenue from our 
recommendations to adult literacy programs.]

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