NewsScan Daily, 3 Jul 2003 ("Above The Fold")

NewsScan Daily, 3 Jul 2003 ("Above The Fold")
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"ABOVE THE FOLD"
        Web Vandalism Alert
        Network Extortion
        Laptops Outsell Desktops for First Time
        Microsoft's E-Book Giveaway
        Out-of-State Telecommuter Is Out of Luck
        Are Yakking Drivers More Distracted Than Others?

FEATURES
        Flash Card
        Honorary Subscriber Lillian Wald

[NewsScan Publishing Schedule: We will take tomorrow off in celebration of 
the 4th of July U.S. national holiday, Independence Day. Publication of 
NewsScan Daily will resume on Monday, 7 July 2003.]

WEB VANDALISM ALERT
Anonymous organizers of a Web-vandalizing contest this weekend say that the 
goal will be to deface 6,000 Web sites in six hours, with winners to be 
awarded prizes such as Web hosting space and Internet domain names. Pete 
Allor of Internet Security Systems Inc., which runs a threat-detection 
service, cautions Web operators: "The problem is now, and you shouldn't 
wait until Sunday to address it." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 3 Jul 2003)
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/0703/03hacker.html

NETWORK EXTORTION
Oleg Zezev, a Kazakh man who hacked into the computer of the Bloomberg 
media company in attempt to extort $200,000 from billionaire media mogul 
(and now New York City major) Michael Bloomberg has been sentenced by a 
Manhattan court to four years in prison and fined $950,000, or almost five 
times the amount he hoped to extort. Judge Kimba Wood told Zezev: "Your 
crime was a very serious one because of its threat to international 
commerce and the integrity of data that the financial community relies upon 
to do its business." (Australian IT News 3 Jul 2003)
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,6692859%5E15331%5E%5Enbv%5E1 
5306-15318,00.html

LAPTOPS OUTSELL DESKTOPS FOR FIRST TIME
Sales of laptop computers accounted for more than 54% of the total retail 
computer sales in May, with laptop outpacing desktop sales for the first 
time ever, according to NPD Group. In comparison, laptops represented less 
than 25% of total sales as recently as January 2000. May also marked the 
first time that sales of LCD screens surpassed traditional CRT monitors. 
Analysts contribute the shift to consumers' desire for laptops' 
"portability, appealing form factors and attractive design" as well as more 
competitive pricing, says NPD analyst Stephen Baker. In addition, "LCDs' 
slim profile and sleek looks are more appealing." (AP 2 Jul 2003)
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20030702/D7S1HP5G1.html

MICROSOFT'S E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
In an effort to boost adoption of its Microsoft Reader software, the 
software leader is offering free e-book downloads over a 20-week period. 
Microsoft Reader has received 6 million downloads since its debut in August 
2000, but it faces an uphill battle against e-book market leader Adobe. 
Over the five-month promotion period, Microsoft Reader users will be able 
to download three e-book bestsellers a week from the company's Web site via 
a Pocket PC, a Tablet PC, a laptop or a desktop. (CNet News.com 2 Jul 2003)
http://news.com.com/2100-1046_3-1023134.html?tag=fd_top

OUT-OF-STATE TELECOMMUTER IS OUT OF LUCK
A telecommuter living in Florida and doing work for a company in New York 
has been told by the highest court in New York that she's ineligible for 
New York State unemployment benefits. The court ruled unanimously that the 
eligibility for benefits depends not on where the employer is but on where 
the worker is. Since about 28 million Americans telecommute, this decision 
is likely to have implications for workers throughout the country. (AP/San 
Jose Mercury News 3 Jul 2003)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6226207.htm

ARE YAKKING DRIVERS MORE DISTRACTED THAN OTHERS?
It turns out that drivers who chat on chat away on their cell phones are 
more likely to get in accidents even when they're not on the phone, 
according to a national survey conducted last month by Response Insurance. 
The results imply that cell-phone-using drivers may be more predisposed 
toward a "distracted personality type behind the wheel" than drivers who 
never talk on the phone while on the road, says Response spokesman Ray 
Palermo. "We're somewhat surprised by these results. It could point to the 
fact that there is a certain type of driver that is already more likely to 
be distracted." Survey results indicated that cell-phone-yakking drivers 
were 56% more likely to be distracted while thinking about eating, 36% more 
likely to be distracted while thinking about relationship issues, 32% more 
likely to be distracted while thinking about their jobs, and 27% more 
likely to be distracted while thinking about health concerns. Response 
chairman Mory Katz says, "Our analysis points to what could be a chronic 
inattentiveness problem for a specific group of drivers." That conclusion 
doesn't surprise Lisa Shiekh, director of the Partnership for Safe Driving: 
"I am sure there is a good percentage of the population that is just 
hyperactive people. It's hard for them to sit still and drive because it's 
boring… it's not because they have call to tend or business to conduct. 
Their entertainment is to talk on their cell phones while they drive." 
(Wired.com 3 Jul 2003)
http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,59478,00.html

*****

FLASH CARD
      "Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot." 
(Charles Chaplin)

HONORARY SUBSCRIBER: LILLIAN WALD
      Today's Honorary Subscriber is the nurse and social worker Lillian D. 
Wald (1867-1940), who in 1893 founded the internationally known Henry 
Street Settlement House for social services on New York City's Lower East 
Side. She later expanded the Henry Street Settlement House into a training 
center and headquarters of a visiting-nurse service. And in 1902 Wald 
assigned one of her nurses to the city's public schools, thereby initiating 
the world's first public-school nursing system. Following this she worked 
with the American Red Cross in planning a rural nursing service, and in 
1912 her efforts on behalf of child welfare resulted in the establishment 
of the federal Children's Bureau. She also promoted the establishment of 
public playgrounds and cultural institutions, especially theatres, in slum 
areas in New York City.
      Wald was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was graduated from the New 
York Hospital School for Nurses in 1891. She then worked for a year in an 
orphanage, where she quickly became disillusioned with the prevailing 
conditions of institutional care of children. She undertook studies at the 
New York Woman's Medical College and with Mary Brewster she moved to the 
College Settlement House on Rivington Street. With support from the New 
York financier Jacob Shiff, Wald and Brewster soon opened their own 
settlement house, first on Jefferson Street, and soon thereafter in the 
more spacious facility on Henry Street.
      Wald was a supporter of women suffrage and a pacifist, but during 
World War I she nevertheless she provided nursing care for soldiers and 
joined the Council on National Defense. After the war she represented the 
United States at several international conferences concerned with medicine 
and public health. In 1918-19 she organized the fight against the influenza 
epidemic and chaired the Nurses' Emergency Council.
      She wrote two books: "The House on Henry Street" (1915) and "Windows 
on Henry Street" (1934). When she died in 1940 she was hailed as a symbol 
of what was democratic, cosmopolitan, humane and practical in American 
social tradition.

See 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1558610006/newsscancom/ref=nosim 
for Clare Cross's "Lillian D. Wald, Progressive Activist"  -- or look for 
it in your favorite library. (We donate all revenue from our book 
recommendations to adult literacy programs.)

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