NewsScan Daily, 7 Jul 2003 ("Above The Fold")

NewsScan Daily, 7 Jul 2003 ("Above The Fold")
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"ABOVE THE FOLD"
        Linux: The Magician and the Magic
        Security Concerns About Software from China
        College Video Gamers Are a Multitasking Lot
        Internet May Balance Talk Radio's Political Power
        Video Game 'Griefers' Invade 'Sims' Society
        'Phisher' Sites Go Spamming and Scamming

FEATURES
        Flash Card
        Honorary Subscriber: Robert Wood Johnson
        Mailbag: The World As We Find It

LINUX: THE MAGICIAN AND THE MAGIC
Talking with the San Jose Mercury News, Linux creator Linus Torvalds gave 
this explanation of the evolution of the Linux operating system since it 
origination (when he spent six months personally writing the original 
code): "It all boils down to hundreds of different groups. A group can be a 
huge company that has an agenda. Or it can mean one person at a university 
working on a research project. They have their own thing they want to fix. 
All of these people make their modifications, and not all of them are 
accepted. I see it as a kind of ecosystem. You have survival of the 
fittest. Some changes work better. Sometimes it is for purely technical 
reasons. It's just the right thing to do. Sometimes it is for personality 
reasons. Some people who push their changes are more likely to get things 
done because they are nicer about it. It's not really centralized. I am at 
the center, but I don't direct any teams. All these people are trying to 
pull me in different directions. Some groups pull together in the same 
direction. It's a very dynamic situation." (San Jose Mercury News 4 Jul 2003)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6237239.htm

SECURITY CONCERNS ABOUT SOFTWARE FROM CHINA
After being dismissed from Platform Systems in Ottawa, Canada, Gregory 
Gabrenya  is contending he lost his job because he was a whistle-blower who 
repeatedly told management of his security concerns over the company's use 
of a software maintenance and testing facility in Beijing -- a practice 
that had not been made sufficiently clear to its American government 
customers. Keith A. Rhodes, the chief technologist of the General 
Accounting Office, "agrees that there's a potential for trouble: "Software 
is so goofy because there is so many lines of code that hiding Trojans 
inside the system is the easiest thing in the world to do." Platform 
Systems board member Oliver Revell, a former assistant director of the FBI, 
says: " I've spent 35 years defending my country and I would not 
participate or allow my name to be used in a company that had any potential 
risk to the United States. As far as I'm concerned the software provided 
will be thoroughly checked and all of the U.S. government customers are 
aware of what's being done and where it's being done."  (New York Times 7 
Jul 2003)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/07/technology/07BLOW.html

COLLEGE VIDEO GAMERS ARE A MULTITASKING LOT
Forget the stereotype of college video game players being nerdy guys who 
hunch in their cave-like dorm rooms and spend all day blowing up virtual 
bad guys. A new survey conducted for the Pew Internet & American Life 
Project shows that 60% of female college students said they played online 
and computer-based video games, compared with 40% of male, while roughly 
equal numbers of both sexes played PlayStation, Xbox and other 
console-based games. And rather than squandering their study time on 
gaming, most students indicated they used video game playing as a brief 
study break activity. "It's not taking away from studying; nor is it taking 
away from other activities," says researcher Steve Jones, chairman of the 
communications department at the University of Chicago. "What they seem to 
have done is incorporated gaming into a very multitask-oriented lifestyle." 
(AP/CNN.com 6 Jul 2003)
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/07/06/college.gamers.ap/index.html

INTERNET MAY BALANCE TALK RADIO'S POLITICAL POWER
LA Times columnist Ronald Brownstein says the unprecedented success of 
presidential candidate Howard Dean's online fundraising efforts may herald 
"the moment when the Internet emerged as a political tool comparable in 
strength to talk radio… Dean's success doesn't mean the left will dominate 
the Internet. But unlike talk radio, the Internet isn't dominated by the 
right -- it offers both sides a chance to mobilize support. And right now, 
the left may be ahead of the right in seizing this tool's potential." 
Brownstein notes that while the Internet doesn't yet have the universal 
coverage of radio, three-fourths of Americans now have access to it, nearly 
two-thirds in their homes. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center for 
the People & the Press indicates that 17% of Americans listen regularly to 
talk radio, while 15% go online every day for news. But while about half of 
talk radio's fans consider themselves conservative, those who seek news on 
the Net divide more evenly between moderates (39%), conservatives (35%) and 
liberals (23%). "It's unlikely liberals will establish the sort of lasting 
advantage online that conservatives enjoy in talk radio," says Brownstein. 
"But by taking such an aggressive technological leap onto the Internet, 
liberals, for the first time, may have a megaphone that can compete with 
the right's talk-radio message machine. It may turn out the liberal answer 
to Rush wasn't an alternative talker, but the mouse, the keypad and the 
browser." (Los Angeles Times 7 Jul 2003)
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-na-outlook7jul07,1,4047196.column?coll=la-headlines-technology

VIDEO GAME 'GRIEFERS' INVADE 'SIMS' SOCIETY
"Griefers" -- video game players who focus exclusively on destroying and 
publicly humiliating their opponents -- are pretty much passé among the 
communities of most conflict-oriented games, but now they're cropping up 
among the more "socially correct" game communities, such as "The Sims 
Online." And while there are no guns in "Sims," griefers have perfected 
online harassment techniques that have persuaded some enthusiasts to drop 
out of the game. "Sims" players have reported griefers hacking into others' 
accounts, spreading rumors about real people through instant messaging and, 
in some cases, even committing identity theft. Pathologists who study 
online behavior say such trespasses aren't surprising. "The more real you 
try to make these online worlds, the more the problems are real-world 
problems," says John Suler, a Ryder University professor who specializes in 
the psychology of cyberspace. But such behavior could lead to more 
real-world, legal liability for both players and the companies that make 
the games. "We're going to be forced to create a whole new area of social 
convention -- and probably law -- that reflects that kind of behavior," 
says psychologist David Greenfield, founder of the Center for Internet 
Studies. "You can't produce something that's this potent or powerful 
psychologically and not have some accountability for it." (AP 6 Jul 2003)
  http://apnews.excite.com/article/20030707/D7S4D2IO0.html

'PHISHER' SITES GO SPAMMING AND SCAMMING
Bogus Web sites called "phisher" sites "fish" for personal data (e.g., 
credit card numbers), and have been targeting a number of major companies, 
including Best Buy, EarthLink, AOL, and many others. Although telltale 
signs of a phisher operation include misspellings and poor grammar, 
spam-&-scam operations only have to fool some of the people some of the 
time, because operating costs are so low. For $50 or so, identity thieves 
can create a fake Web site and buy a CD with millions of e-mail addresses. 
Linda Goldman-Foley of the Identity Theft Resource Center explains: "If you 
get just get a 0.5% return on 100,000 e-mails, that's a major ID breach." 
(USA Today 6 Jul 2003)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-07-06-spam_x.htm

*****

FLASH CARD
      "Every man bears in himself the germs of every human quality; but 
sometimes one quality manifests itself, sometimes another, and the man 
often becomes unlike himself, while still remaining the same man." (Leo 
Tolstoy)

HONORARY SUBSCRIBER: ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON
      Today's Honorary Subscriber is the American medical manufacturer 
Robert Wood Johnson. (1845-1910), who helped further the cause of modern 
surgery by developing antiseptic bandages and dressings.
      Johnson began his career as an apprentice in a New England pharmacy 
and went on to become a retail pharmacist in New York City. In 1874, he 
formed the partnership of Seabury & Johnson to manufacture bandages using a 
new formula employing India rubber. Eleven years later he left that 
partnership to form the now well-known company of Johnson & Johnson with 
his brothers James and Edward. The company became known for its 
high-quality, inexpensive medical supplies and dressings.
      Johnson was an early proponent of the teachings of Joseph Lister, who 
advocated antiseptic surgery and care of the wound to prevent infection. 
These theories were still novel during the late 1800s. Johnson worked to 
develop a dressing that would be as germ-free as possible, from its 
manufacture in his plants to its eventual use in surgeries across the country.
      The company remained primarily a successful domestic firm until the 
World War II years when Johnson's son expanded the product line and 
extended its market area to include 120 countries, turning Johnson & 
Johnson into the world's largest manufacturer of surgical dressings, 
medical aids, and baby products, with annual sales of $750 million. To 
honor the memory of his father, Johnson's son also established the Robert 
Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey, for the purpose of 
funding projects to improve to health care in the United States.

See 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0966288203/newsscancom/ref=nosim 
for Lawrence G. Foster's "Robert Wood Johnson -- Gentleman Rebel" -- 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

TIT FOR TAT AT THE UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=8709
      I read your story about the telecommuter in Florida.  I couldn't help 
but wonder if there is going to be a decision from the Florida state courts 
in the near future, saying that unemployment benefits derive from the state 
of employment, not the state of residence! (Ben White)

ADS UNDER GLASS
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=8681
      I have often used my digital camera (non-phone based) in bookstores 
as a "note pad" to remember book titles/authors of books I would like to 
read. I first check the library to see if I can get the book from there. If 
I do, does that count as "digital shoplifting"? They have lost a sale. What 
if I can't find it in the library or don't want to wait and I purchase it? 
Then is it "advertising" instead? Ubiquitous cameras are going to change a 
lot of things...  How long until magazine covers are replaced with blank 
covers (or advertisements) that are removed upon purchase? The pages sealed 
until purchase, then behind glass...?  Time will tell. (Tim Kohler)

WAITER, THERE'S AN AD IN MY SOUP!
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=8681
      Unfortunately for the consumer, the Ad execs have found another 
irritating and insidious way to "market": Chain movie theaters. Last 
Sunday, I attended a movie with my wife and son at the local mega-cineplex 
(30 screens, what variety!). At $8.00 a pop, it means a visit to the ATM 
for a major withdrawal. After sitting through a seemingly endless and 
repetitive slide show of advertisements for local businesses and Coca-Cola, 
the room darkened and we were subsequently exposed to no less than 9 (I 
counted) advertisements for various products such as Cadillacs, Starburst 
Fruit Chews, Levi Jeans, etc. Man was that irritating! I paid twenty-four 
bucks for this?...  Some remember the dawning of cable TV, the panacea to 
the endless stream of advertising. Pay $25.00 per month and have HBO, 
ShowTime, et al. and be free of commercial advertisements -- but that, as 
we all know, didn't last. Now, I pay $40.00 per month and channel surf when 
ads appear. Sigh. Now, some corps are trying to get ads on the sides of 
public school buses. Coke & Pepsi are fighting a mini-war to obtain 
beverage license in the local "public" high schools. Bigger sigh. (Eric 
Simon) PS: you rule.

PICKING & CHOOSING JUST TAKES AWAY FROM THE WHOLE
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=8681
      Is it just me, or does this not show something horribly wrong with 
the whole CD/record-buying business? When I buy an album then I expect 
_every_ song to be worth hearing, and generally speaking if there are more 
than 2 songs which aren't up to scratch then I regard that as a duff album. 
I also regard the album as a whole -- the running order, the artwork, not 
just the individual songs -- as an artistic statement to be appreciated in 
its own right: so that to me, downloading individual songs just isn't 
interesting. And what about the joy of putting on an album for the first 
time and hearing not only 1 or 2 tracks which you knew from the radio but 
also 6 or 8 or 10 songs which you've never heard before and which often 
enough turn out to be your favourites in the end? (I could give you 
innumerable examples but I guess NewsScan isn't meant to be a music 
discussion column!) Of course maybe my perspective is due to the fact that 
the bands I listen to are real bands, playing and mostly writing their own 
material, not plastic pop creations... (Allan Todd, UK)

RIAA SUICIDE BOMBING
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=8681
      Major league kudos to Bob Weiss for explaining the impending RIAA 
suicide bombing. He offered the clearest, most prescient argument of 
reality that I've read on the subject to date. RIAA is about to take 
themselves out of the picture and will only take a handful of their best 
customers with them!!?? Beautiful, just beautiful. (H.S. "Chip" Vanture, Jr.)

SONG OF MYSELF
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=8681
      What an excellent piece!  I may be biased because I happen to agree 
with all the points made, but it was still a well-argued analysis.  The 
only thing I'd add is that while established artists can follow the direct 
selling model and expect a certain degree of success, up-and-coming artists 
are unlikely to sell in the same quantities without a serious marketing 
push. So the dilemma is how can new artists make a name for themselves in 
more than just a local or regional way, so that the direct selling model 
provides sufficient income for them to be more than just part-time performers.
      And how can the record industry protect their investment in promoting 
new artists when they sell music online?  Until a solution is found that 
meets the needs of the record industry, the artists, and the consumers, I 
don't think piracy will be drastically reduced, nor will direct selling 
work for anyone but the established artists. A variation to the pricing for 
the direct selling model that I'd like to see would work along the lines of 
all new music releases less than 12 months old would have a price premium, 
and anything older than 12 months would be charged at half the original 
price. Also I wouldn't mind protection to stop me distributing to others, 
but I would want to be able to put the track on any device I own, and burn 
to CD as many times as I like. If I bought the track, I should have the 
right to do whatever I like with it as long as it's for my own use. (Neil 
Bradbury)

FAT CAT MUSIC COMPANIES
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=8681
      One thing that was not mentioned in Mr. Weiss's article, but is worth 
mentioning, is the promises made by the record companies when they were 
trying to convince consumers to switch from vinyl (and cassette) to CD. I 
remember watching a lunch hour news show many years ago, when they were 
interviewing an official from a large record company. At the time there was 
a lot of controversy over the movement to CDs from cassettes and record 
players. This official told the interviewer that the cost to make cassettes 
(for example) was far more than to make a CD. He mentioned it cost about 
$1-$2 (Cdn) to manufacture a cassette, and $0.10 to manufacture a CD. Of 
course he touted the perennial corporate lie "we will pass these savings on 
to the consumer" (yeah right!). Before CDs came onto the scene a cassette 
tape typically cost from $7.99 to $12.99. CD's can now cost anywhere from 
$13 or $14 to the $30 range.
      I am completely in agreement with Mr. Weiss on the idea of 'fair use' 
and my annoyance with the fact that companies want to fundamentally "change 
the rules" or deviate from the precedent that I can make a copy for my own 
personal use (if I own an original recording). We as consumers should be 
screaming our heads off at these fat-cats in the record industry. To quote 
a famous musician "The times... they are a changin'..." Hopefully record 
executives will eventually "clue in". (Phil Lindsay)

BLOGGIN'
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=8674
      You might want to reconsider defining weblogs as "personal diaries" 
since business blogging is picking up steam.  To wit:  Dan Brickin's 
article from last summer: Small Business Blogging 
http://danbricklin.com/log/businessblogging.htm  This week's NY Times: The 
Corporate Blog is Catching On 
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/business/yourmoney/22EXLI.html  Today's 
St. Paul Pioneer Press (shameless self-promotion!) Blogging for Business 
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/6180365.htm (Griff Wigley)

MIND-FREE DRIVING
Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=8663
      After the recent study that said hands-free telephoning was just as 
hazardous as holding it to your ear, all we need is another piece of 
technology to divert the driver's attention from the task that needs it 
most, driving the car! (Bob Schuchman)

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