NewsScan Daily, 25 February 2005 (" Above The Fold" )

NewsScan Daily, 25 February 2005 (" Above The Fold" )
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NewsScan Daily is underwritten by RLG, a world-class organization making
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appropriate use of information technology. NSD is written by John Gehl and
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"ABOVE THE FOLD" 
        Sony to Drop PDAs
        Privacy Issues and The Department of Homeland Security
        The Podcasting Business
        Brain Drain Changes Direction
 
FEATURES
        Flash Card
        Honorary Subscriber: Horace Liveright
        Mailbag: The World As We Find It
 
SONY TO DROP PDAs
     Sony will stop making personal digital assistants for Japan in July,
completing its withdrawal from a market hit by multi-functional mobiles, and
casting a shadow over the devices' growth potential. The move was widely
expected after the electronics and entertainment conglomerate said last year
it would stop selling new handheld digital assistants outside Japan,
striking a blow to PalmSource, whose software powers the devices. "The PDA
market is being encroached by mobile phones and other mobile devices that
can offer similar functions, making it difficult for PDAs to maintain their
position in the market," a Sony spokeswoman said. (The Australian 24 Feb
2005) (J. Lamp, Deakin U)
<http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,12355392%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html>
 
PRIVACY ISSUES AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
     Privacy advocates are saying that a committee set up to advise the
Homeland Security Department on privacy issues is skewed too heavily toward
corporations such as Intel, Computer Associates, IBM, and Oracle. George
Washington University Law School professor and privacy expert Daniel Solove
says, "The strong privacy advocacy community seems underrepresented on this
list." But Homeland Security Chief Privacy Officer Nuala O'Connor Kelly says
the committee represents a cross-section of viewpoints, including people
"who have gone to companies that have had challenges and tried to fix them."
She pointed to several privacy advocates on the board: Tara Lemmey, former
executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation; Lance Hoffman, a
George Washington University professor; and James Harper, editor of
Privacilla.org and a strong critic of government surveillance. (AP/San Jose
Mercury News 25 Feb 2005)
<http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/10991077.htm>
 
THE PODCASTING BUSINESS
     Is "podcasting" the next big thing? A San Francisco start-up company
called Odeo is hoping to make a business of podcasting -- the process of
creating, finding, organizing and listening to digital audio files on
portable iPods and other devices that handle files in the MP3 audio format.
And last week, Audible.com, which in 1994 pioneered the use of the Internet
for downloading audio books and other material to personal computers,
announced it is planning to enter the podcasting fray. (New York Times 25
Feb 2005)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/technology/25podcast.html?
 
BRAIN DRAIN CHANGES DIRECTION
     Whereas a few years ago the "brain drain" of Indian talent to the West
represented a $2 billion annual loss to India, the recent growth of the tech
industry in India is bringing home as many as 45% of the Indian
high-technology workers abroad. Some engineering schools are already
claiming a 50% decline in the number of students leaving the country, and V.
Kalyanaraman of the prestigious engineering school IIT in Madras says:
"Students are finding interesting and challenging jobs in India. The pay is
also better than it used to be, and they find that they can have a good
quality of life." (USA Today 24 Feb 2005)
<http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2005-02-24-indians-tech-wave_x.htm>
 
***** 
 
FLASH CARD
     "Never confuse movement with action." (Ernest Hemingway)
 
HONORARY SUBSCRIBER: HORACE LIVERIGHT
     Today's Honorary Subscriber is the colorful 20th century publisher
Horace Liveright (1884-1933), who contributed importantly to the creative
ferment of the Nineteen Twenties by publishing new works by unknown authors
destined for later fame, such as Theodore Dreiser, Sherwood Anderson,
William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Hart Crane, E.E. Cummings, Ezra Pound,
T.S. Eliot, and Eugene O'Neill.
     Born in Osceola Mills, Pennsylvania, Liveright's family moved to
Philadelphia when he was in grammar school. His family was decidedly
bookish, providing a home environment that turned young Liveright into a
voracious reader by his early teen years. At sixteen he dropped out of
school and began working as an office boy in a Philadelphia banking and
brokerage firm. He lost this job when his employers found out he used to
enjoy having a drink during his off time. He then moved to New York City
where he tried his hand at composing and selling popular tunes. His most
memorable composition was "Mammy," which he sold in 1900. After that he
wrote an opera that went nowhere.
     At eighteen he became a bonds salesman and idled away his time until
1910 when he married Lucille Elsas, whose father Hermann had created the
International Paper Company. He spent the next six years working for
father-in-law's companies. But in the fall of 1916 he met Albert Boni and
the two found they had a mutual interest in starting a book publishing
company. Their firm, Boni and Liveright, was established to produce a modern
library of recognized classics and books that would become such. Up to that
time the American book industry had very cautious and conservative. In
contrast, through promotion, advertising, and publicity. Liveright would
compel the same attention to his books that Hearst had compelled for his
newspapers. 
     Some idea of the dynamics Liveright brought to the publishing world can
be gathered from the staff he hired: Bennett Cerf, Lillian Hellman, Louis
Kronenberger, and Richard Simon (Simon & Schuster), to name a few.  Boni &
Liveright through their Modern Library editions would publish the first
works of "radical" writers as well as time-honored classics.
     Liveright believed in new ideas, and the Boni and Liveright book list
was filled with books of originality and rebellion, not a few of which
public authorities considered obscene or affronts to decency. Liveright
vigorously opposed any form of censorship and was willing to take on the
anti-vice societies. Although other publishers would benefit from
Liveright's costly legal battles, he did it all on his own dollar.
     In 1925, Liveright's need of money prompted him to sell Modern Library
to Bennett Cerf, who built the present-day Random House on its solid
foundation. Liveright's financial troubles continued to grow and in 1930
Boni & Liveright went out of business. Liveright then went to work at
Paramount, moved to RKO, and later returned to New York City. In 1933 he
died due to pneumonia and emphysema. Although nearly forgotten today, it was
Horace Liveright -- a man ahead of his time -- who modernized American book
publishing.
 
[To find a library copy of Tom Dardis's biography of Liveright, "Firebrand,"
visit RLG's RedLightGreen service at
<http://www.redlightgreen.com/ucwprod/servlet/ucw.servlets.UCWController?ACTION=EDITION&WORKID=11081374&>
-- or to purchase a copy go to:
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679406751/newsscancom/ref=nosim>
     We donate all revenue from our book recommendations to adult literacy
programs.]

MAILBAG: THE WORLD AS WE FIND IT
 
LESS CENSORSHIP, MORE RESPONSIBILITY
Re: <http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=12098>
     A NewScan reader says: "We need not be ashamed of censorship rightly
exercised; there is a time and a place for it." (Richard Lanser). I
disagree! We should not be ashamed of censorship, we should be frightened by
it! As long as we have different definitions of what constitutes "a moral
people" or "an upright society" we will have different ideas of what should
be censored. 
     We need to be responsible for our words and actions but censorship goes
too far. Few would be happy with what I would like to censor, just as I
would not be happy with what other people would want to censor. I would
rather reduce the censorship and increase the responsibility. (Howard Peck)
 
MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES, HANGNAILS, & PINKEYE
Re: 
<http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&dateissued=20050217>
     Extending dependence on technology makes me nervous. I worry that my
typing is not sufficiently consistent and that I'll appear to have multiple
personalities. Suppose I come in with a hangnail on my thumb and the
resulting pain causes me to type differently? Does pinkeye cause a retina
scan to fail? Do I really want to put my faith in controlling access to my
most privileged data to a security system running on Windows? Oh, wait, I
already do! (John Beck)
 
ARTHRITIS, BROKEN WRISTS, BABIES, PETS, SODAS
Re: 
<http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&dateissued=20050217>
This is an interesting but pretty scary idea. While it's probably true that
most individuals have distinct typing patterns, I cringe at the thought of
using those patterns to validate or reject a password for access to a needed
resource.             Typing patterns can vary due to many random factors,
which programmers can't possibly predict. Is the arthritis in your hands
bothering you today? Are you typing one-handed, due to a broken wrist? Do
you have a baby in one arm? A soda in one hand? A pet on your lap, who wants
to be stroked? Etc.
     I like the idea of truly reliable bio security measures, like retinal
scans. But this idea disturbs me...
     As always, thanks for a thought-provoking newsletter! (Carol D.
Mortimer)
 
'THE REAL DR. FORBIN, AN IMPOSTER!'
Re: 
<http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&dateissued=20050217>
     It was a plot point in the novel ad movie "Colossus: The Forbin
Project" that the out-of-control computer would not be fooled by someone
else typing in place of Dr. Forbin because it would notice differences in
style. My recollection is that it was described as minute differences in the
physical act of typing (but it's been a long time, so maybe they were
talking about style of language). (Bill Carpenter)
 
MULTIPLE PERSONALITES AT GARTNER?
Re: <http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=12102>
     What Worker Shortage? Is it the same Gartner that just issued a report
that says that by 2015, 40% of IT Jobs will be Lost to Automation? Do they
ever talk to each other at various Gartner's practices? (Nahum Goldmann)
 
NOGUCHI AT THE COOPER UNION
Re: 
http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=honorary_subscriber&id=891
     Thank you for selecting Isamu Noguchi as today's Honorary subscriber.
But you didn't mention my Absolutely favorite Noguchi sculpture -- the Cube
outside Cooper Union, in New York City. Anyhow, keep up the good work.
(Barbara Beeton)
 
IMMEDIACY IS NOT THE SAME THING AS PRIVACY
Re: <http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=12108>
     This article reminded me of the high demand in the UK for region-free
DVD players. Not so that users could play pirated DVDs as Hollywood claims,
but so that they can purchase and watch region 1 movies that have yet to be
released in Britain. I can accept the need for copy protection on movies,
but not the system of regions so that Hollywood doesn't have to release
their movies globally at the same time. Whether it's movies or TV shows,
there's a clear demand for immediacy, which shouldn't be confused with
piracy. (Neil Bradbury)
 
EINSTEIN AND KERN
Re: <http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=12113>
     I loved your juxtaposition of Einstein to Jerome Kern. Thanks for
boosting the bio beyond fascinating (all his songs you mentioned were
friendly memories), and helping us think in new ways about Einstein. (Sharon
Cramer) 
 
HIT BEHIND THE EARS WITH A STUFFED EEL-SKIN
Re: <http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=12113>
     Friends at NewsScan, I was thrilled to see the Jerome Kern lyrics
selection in NewsScan, and only sorry that there was no sample from one of
Kern's famous early partners, P.G. Wodehouse; he and Guy Bolton were close
associates of Kern and worked with him on many early musicals. Boulton
provided the "book" while Wodehouse wrote the lyrics. The most famous
Wodehouse/Kern song is probably "Bill," which was originally included in "Oh
Lady! Lady!" in 1918, but revised by Oscar Hammerstein II and included in
1927's "Show Boat."
     Wodehouse (1881-1975) is far better known today for Jeeves and Bertie
Wooster and his many other comic characters set in pre-WWI Edwardian
England. His active role in Broadway and London West End musical theater is
largely ignored or forgotten today. Wodehouse's rich and long and
interesting life has been recently retold in "Wodehouse: A Life" a new
biography by Robert McCrum. I've nearly finished with it, and found it
nearly as interesting as one of the books written by "The Master" (so named
by Evelyn Waugh). 
     Wodehouse's career nearly came to an end when he was captured by German
troops while living in France at the outbreak of the Second World War.
Wodehouse always cocooned himself in his work, taking no interest in world
politics or the affairs of society. His naiveté made him woefully unprepared
to deal with the challenge of being a captive of the Nazis, and he
innocently agreed to produce a series of broadcasts in English describing
life in German civilian containment camps with the same light-comic "voice"
of his popular stories. Though these five broadcasts never condoned Nazi
policies--and seem perfectly innocent out of context--they were seen in
their day as the words of a traitor and enemy collaborator.
     Wodehouse never fully recovered from this error, a decision he later
called "loony." However, by making his home in America after the war--rather
than his native England--Wodehouse was able to eventually return to his art
and continue to write of the now-deceased world of butlers and London
gentlemen's clubs.
     When a search on past NewsScan "Honorary Subscribers" did not include
Wodehouse, my reaction "resembled a minor prophet who has been hit behind
the ears with a stuffed eel-skin."
     There are thousands of Wodehouse quotations worth including in the
daily mail--too many, perhaps. But here's a suggestion: "There is only one
cure for gray hair. It was invented by a Frenchman. It is called the
guillotine." But my reason for starting this letter was Jerome Kern song
lyrics. So don't forget these written for "Bill" by PGW:
     "I know that Apollo would beat him all hollow, And I can't explain it's
surely not his brain That makes me thrill. I love him because he's
wonderful...Because he's just old Bill."
     Only painful self-discipline keeps me from writing flagrant responses
like this every week. Keep that NewsScan coming. I've loved it years...
(David Reitmeyer) 
                      ***
     [Well, David, since you've raised the subject: We're going to let
NewsScan Daily go dark for awhile, starting Tuesday, March 1st. However, we
plan to return, once we've had a break the duration of which we do not yet
know. We'll make an announcement on Monday.]
 
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We call our news section " Above The Fold"  to honor the tradition of the
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