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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 02 Issue 44
Volume 2, Issue 44 Atari Online News, Etc. November 3, 2000
Published and Copyright (c) 2000
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- CC: Classic Chips
With Contributions by:
Kevin Savetz
Fred Horvat
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To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the
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Coming Soon:
http://a1mag.b-squared.net
Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
http://forums.delphi.com/m/main.asp?sigdir=atari
=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0244 11/03/00
~ Selling Votes Online!? ~ People Are Talking! ~ New NED Player!
~ Sega Shifts To Software ~ Guarding the Children ~ Seagate News!
~ No PSX2? Get Indrema! ~ PayPal Keeps Growing! ~ New AMD Chips!
~ Twisted Metal: Black ~ PlayStation2? Where? ~ Tyson Boxing!
-* Feds: Beware of Web Scams! *-
-* Bertelsmann Drops Suit Of Napster?! *-
-* Cybercrime Treaty Gets It Wrong...Again! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
While I'd love to take on some outrageous issues this week, I'm just not up
to it. A nasty cold has put me fairly out of commission this week; and I
really can't focus on putting together some thoughts between the sneezing,
coughing, and nose-blowing. So, I'll grab a little rest and put the
finishing touches on this week's issue. We'll have plenty to talk about
next week, I'm sure.
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
New Version of NED PLAYER
New NED PLAYER can now play ADPCM sound files directly from disk. It is
also possible on a 8MHz STE. NED PLAYER's home site has been moved.
http://new-design.atari.org
Atari (8-bit) Duplicator Board
The software and firmware source code for the Atari Duplicator Board
have been made available from the creator at:
http://www.silcom.com/~patchell/atari/duplicator.html
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@portone.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Yep, it's that time of the week again.
First of all, I'd like to remind all of my fellow countrymen (and
countryWOMEN) to do their civic duty and vote on Tuesday. It's not just a
right, it's a responsibility.
For a change, my mind is pretty much blank at the moment. I wish that I
had something spiritually uplifting to say, or some hot news about the
status of our favorite computing platform, but there isn't any. Exciting
events and announcements are few and far between these days.
The one bit of exciting news I've got this week is that Rob Mahlert of
Atari-Users.Net has been working on one of the A-ONE sites
( http://atari.b-squared.net ) and I must say that the progress he's made
in a very short amount of time is simply amazing. From looking at the
pages, I'm not positive that a stock ST using CAB will be able to use
every feature, but it's very sharp looking page using some of the latest
technology available. I'm sure that it'll get more and more interesting
as time goes on. Check it out when you get the chance and let us know
what you think!
This page is one of the reasons that I'll always be "Atari folk". In
general, we are a talented, helpful bunch. As a matter of fact, not only
is the b-squared.net site composed by an Atari user, the space is
courtesy of long-time Atari enthusiast and current Linux guru, Scott
Dowdle of b-squared.net and MontanaLinux.org. Scott is also the guy
you've all got to blame for getting me interested in Linux. Heck, if he
hadn't gotten me interested in it, you wouldn't have to listen to me talk
about it every so often.... But it IS a really cool setup and it's worth
taking a look at a faster, more stable, FREE operating system, isn't it?
<grin>
Well, let's get on with the meat-and-potatoes portion of the column, okay?
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
Carl Rowlands asks about using one of the most controversial internet
services around on a Falcon:
"Are there currently any plans for a Napster clone now that the falcon
can play MP3s?
Would anyone like to work on this?"
G.R. Greenway tells Carl:
"Surely a port of GnuTella would be easier, since it's open
source ? The need is more pressing, given that CAB has trouble with
MP3.COM. (Well, _I_ have trouble with MP3.COM, it _used_ to work fine
with CAB 2.7. Grrrrr.) Audiogalaxy seems to work okay, though."
Iggy Drougge adds:
"Mind you, there is a GNUster as well as numerous other free Napster
implementations. Doesn't seem like such a difficult protocol to reverse-
engineer (well, with open source GNU software, even this isn't
necessary)."
Jo Even Skarstein jumps in and posts:
"Since Napster can be shut down any time, I doubt that anyone would
consider such a project right now. An alternative is GNUtella, there are
several GNUtella-clients for Linux and I would assume that some of these
can be ported."
Bill Murphy asks:
"I have a compaq mv520 but would like to read my old atari disc's and run the
games any suggestions on how to do this?"
'Mindfield' tells Bill:
"1) Get an emulator. I suggest either PaCifiST, or WinSTon (or one of
its successors, known as STew)
2) Get MAKEDISK. This comes with the full distribution version of
PaCifiST, but is available separately.
3) Use MAKEDISK to read your ST disk images into a .ST image file.
4) Use these image files in one of the emulators."
John Garone asks about playing an old favorite on a Falcon:
"Has anyone out here gotten the 'Falcon' F16 Fighter Simulation by
Spectrum Holobyte (for the ST) to run on a Falcon030? BackwardIII gets
me somewhere but the fighter program eventually locks up!"
Peter Persson tells John:
"It is possible, at least with backward 2. 8 mhz CPU, 8mhz blitter, no cache
and ST mode sound, I think."
John tells Peter:
"I've been playing with the settings on BackwardIII (don't have 2 )
and got a lot to work with similar settings as your suggestion but
only keyboard control and not all of that either. I can fly around,
fire different weapons, use auto pilot and more but locks up if ESC,
HELP and some others are hit. Maybe it also has to due with having a
different keyboard than an ST (extra keys?)."
Tom (TJ) Andrews asks for help with his newly acquired Mega STE:
"I just received a Mega STE that I intend to use to replace my now comatose
Mega ST4. This MegaE has been idle for some time, and the internal hard
drive was removed a while back. When the previous owner was checking it out
before shipping it, he couldn't get the internal HD port to work.
Fortunately, the external DMA port works fine, so I can use it with my
present drives.
I'd like to put in an internal drive. Can anybody give me the specs I need
to make a proper selection? I use ICD HD software, the Link version of
ICDBOOT 6.5.5 and associated programs, if that makes any difference. Also,
after he had shipped the MegaE, the previous owner remembered something
about a jumper on the motherboard that enabled/disabled the internal HD.
Does anybody know if this is true, and if so, where I can find it?"
Jo Even Skarstein tells TJ:
"Any SCSI-drive that works without parity can be used. Set it's ID to 0,
and don't terminate it.
There is no such jumper to enable/disable the internal HD."
TJ asks Jo Even:
"What about size recommendations? (I don't mean physical. While I
haven't opened the case, the enclosure looks like it was built
for a 3.5" half-height drive.) Currently, I'm using a Toadfile 44 Syquest
removable and a Club Mac 200 Syquest removable. However, both of these
drives have recently given me reason to wonder how much of their useful
lives are left. I'd like to put them into semi-retirement as
backup/archivers when I put in the Mega STE drive. To do this, I need to
know the upper limit of a drive I can use and still be able to access one
or the other Syquest. I know I can put BGM partitions on the Syquests and
limit the drive letters used. I suppose I could use BGM partitions on the
internal HD, but that seems very wasteful when you consider all the short
support and data files for programs like PageStream, UltraScript, CAB,
Newsie, or AtariWorks. Suppose I set up part of the internal HD as Spectre
GCR/Mac partitions? Would ICDBOOT ignore them when booting as an STE?"
Jo Even replies:
"I didn't think of that, the SCSI-interface in the MSTE can't deal with
drives larger than 1Gb.
> know the upper limit of a drive I can use and still be able to access
one
> or the other Syquest. I know I can put BGM partitions on the Syquests
and
> limit the drive letters used. I suppose I could use BGM partitions on
the
> internal HD, but that seems very wasteful when you consider all the
short
> support and data files for programs like PageStream, UltraScript, CAB,
I'd rather waste some space on larger clusters than being restricted by
small partitions. Also, if you use FreeMiNT or MagiC >= 6.10 (IIRC,
correct me anyone if I'm wrong) you can use FAT32 partitions have have
large partitions with as little as one-sector clusters. You need HD-
Driver to use FAT32 though.
> Newsie, or AtariWorks. Suppose I set up part of the internal HD as
Spectre
> GCR/Mac partitions? Would ICDBOOT ignore them when booting as an STE?
I really can't say [about the non-Atari partitions], as it's been many
years since I used ICD. I stopped using it because it wasn't
XHDI-compatible and because it didn't work properly under MiNT and MagiC."
Steve Sweet adds:
"Its gotta be SCSI, and if you're using normal TOS you need to pick a
drive whereby using 512meg partitions doesn't leave space redundant. I've
got a pair of 4.5Gig in mine but I'm using Magic and can have 1Gig
partitions.
I don't think there is such a link [to enable/disable an internal HD].
However, if you've still got the Atari adaptor you need to make sure that
the DIP switches are set to match the ID of the internal drive, ideally
ID 0 so that the Mega will boot from it. If you haven't got the adaptor
then you'll need to find one in order to be able to use internal drives."
Trevor Spencer asks about Texel, the top-notch spreadsheet program:
"Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the latest Texel Demo to try,
preferably in English?"
Dennis Vermeire tells Trevor:
"You can download a German Texel 2.2 demo version straight from the ASH
website http://www.application-systems.de , there's no English version
available and unfortunately probably never will be."
Derryck Croker adds:
"Dennis, you're being far too polite :-)
The truth of the matter is that DDP Translations (and others, including math
teachers etc) put a lot of time and effort into an English translation of
Texel. We were rewarded for our work with continued silence from the author.
Kind of leaves a bad taste in the mouth actually."
Trevor tells Dennis and Derryck:
"I have downloaded it but I have to admit that I'm having problems trying
to work it out, I need a decent spreadsheet as my old one "Digicalc" is
very temperamental with my set up and I the only one I've heard of was
Texel. Ah well it'll give the little grey cells some work to do!"
Chris Thorley asks about some newly acquired software:
"I have just bought some bits and pieces and amongst the software were
original copies of NVDI 5,HD Driver 7.x and Diamond edge 2.Is it still
possible for me to register this software?"
Edward Baiz tells Chris:
"Yes for NVDI and HDDriver. Diamond Edge is now owned by some guy here in
the US. He also owns DiamondBack III. I am not sure if he is accepting
registrations or not."
Dr. Uwe Seimet, author of HD Driver, adds:
"Regarding HDDRIVER, the registration requires sending me the original
floppy disk with the serial number on it. Each legal copy has such a
serial number."
Well folks, that's it for this week. Tune in again next week, same time,
same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Sega Shifts to Software!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Twisted Metal: Black! NBA 2K1
'Jet Grind Radio'! Army Men!
And much more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
MGM Interactive Launches Global Rollout of ``The
World is Not Enough," the Highly Anticipated
First Person James Bond Action Game
MGM Interactive announced the worldwide rollout of the widely anticipated
James Bond action game ``The World Is Not Enough" for the Nintendo 64 game
console in partnership with leading global interactive software company
Electronic Arts. Following its recent Nintendo debut, the game will be
introduced on the Sony PlayStation platform November 7 and on the new
PlayStation 2 platform in the first half of 2001. Nearly two million units
have been shipped to retailers for Nintendo 64 and PlayStation Platforms.
``We are thrilled to introduce the latest cutting edge, state-of-the art
gaming experience to James Bond fans around the world," said David Bishop,
President of MGM Home Entertainment. ``Displaying its own distinct level of
excitement and style, `The World Is Not Enough' stays true to the Bond
legacy."
The game's predecessors, ``GoldenEye" (N64) and ``Tomorrow Never Dies"
(PlayStation), both enjoyed record sales in the interactive arena, selling
an impressive 9 million units, collectively.
Offering challenging mission-based levels inspired by the movie that
require players to cleverly utilize Q-lab weapons and gadgets -- some of
which are exclusive to each platform -- and Bond-style wit to defeat
opponents, each game is designed to take advantage of the strengths of the
platform for which it was developed. For example, the PlayStation® version
of ``The World is Not Enough," with its streaming video capability, uses
actual action footage from the film to help drive the story. The Nintendo
64® version offers a deep multiplayer capability along with massive amounts
of storage space for added graphics and visual effects.
Both versions of ``The World is Not Enough" carry an ESRB rating of ``T"
(Teen), cautioning that they are designed for ages 13 and older. The N64
game will carry a MSRP of $49.95, while the PlayStation will be $44.95.
EA GAMES plans to release ``The World is Not Enough" for the PlayStation 2
and PC in 2001.
Twisted Metal:Black Brings Hell-Raising Car Combat
to the Playstation2 Computer Entertainment System
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced the Summer 2001 release
of Twisted Metal:Black exclusively for the PlayStation2 computer
entertainment system. Based on the successful Twisted Metal franchise,
Twisted Metal:Black brings a whole new look and feel to the series,
catapulting players into a deeper and darker gameplay environment than ever
before. Developed by Incognito Studios and designed by Sony Computer
Entertainment, Santa Monica, Twisted Metal:Black utilizes the PlayStation 2
computer entertainment system's technological prowess to bring the team's
shocking and imaginative vision to life through superior graphics and
outstanding special effects.
Twisted Metal:Black is designed and developed by the creators of Twisted
Metal 1 and 2. When the original Twisted Metal game was released in 1995,
the development team was credited with establishing Car Combat as a whole
new genre within the videogame industry. Twisted Metal 2 was released to
critical claim in 1997 and remains one of the best-selling games of all
time, with almost two million units sold in North America to date. Overall,
the Twisted Metal franchise has sold close to five million units in North
America, making it the best-selling car combat series ever.
``Back in 1995, we introduced PlayStation fans to a new genre in gaming
with Twisted Metal; now in 2000, we plan to redefine it with Twisted
Metal:Black," said Ami Blaire, director, product marketing. ``With the
creative minds of the original Twisted Metal team and the advanced
technological capabilities of the PlayStation 2, gamers will experience a
familiar franchise with a whole new look and feel that provides a deeper
and darker reality than ever before."
``With the technological advancement of the PlayStation 2, art direction
has become an integral part of the videogame development process, just as
it is in the movies," said Dave Jaffe, director and lead designer, Sony
Computer Entertainment, Santa Monica. ``With Twisted Metal:Black, we were
finally able to implement all of the creative ideas we had envisioned for
the first two games. The result is a darkly atmospheric, profound and
strategic game, which is also easy for gamers to get into and lots of fun
to play."
Built upon a world laced with madness and destruction, Twisted Metal:Black
sets the stage for a gruesome, yet electrifying battle. Calypso, the
mastermind behind the Twisted Metal battles, returns once more to host the
ultimate contest of wreckage and devastation. He has plucked some prime
contestants straight out of an asylum and has promised these otherwise
doomed souls a single wish should they defeat their opponents in a battle
of twisted metal. As the carnage unfolds, learn how and why these mad
motorists were locked up behind the walls of insanity. Slip into their
minds, take a walk around their mental anguish and come out screaming for
more.
Through the technological capabilities of PlayStation 2, Twisted
Metal:Black features enhanced player environments with moving traffic,
changing weather conditions, living pedestrians and interactive objects,
making for a highly-charged, living world of destruction. Destruction is at
the game's core, but deadly strategy is essential for creative kills, made
possible by the many different weapons and combo attacks in Twisted
Metal:Black. Get ready to rip through the foreboding battlegrounds and
nightmarish landscapes in a wickedly dark world that is sure to bring out
the madness in everyone.
The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has not yet
rated Twisted Metal:Black.
Jet Grind Radio Brings Graffiti Art, Street Beats
and Futuristic In-Line Skating to Sega Dreamcast
Join the graffiti crew, stamp your territory and keep moving, because the
price of self-expression just got higher! Sega of America today announced
the release of ``Jet Grind Radio," for the 128-bit, Internet-ready Sega
Dreamcast videogame console.
Combining hip-hop and alternative music, extreme skating, and new cel
shading design to achieve a cartoon dimensional style, ``Jet Grind Radio"
takes gamers on the ultimate urban fantasy. Armed with aerosol, overdrive
magnetic-motor skates and tuned into the Jet Set Radio program, kids keep
the spirit of free expression alive in a world full of rival taggers, angry
cops and lots of paint. Fueled by street beats, underground fashion, and
tagging with a purpose, ``Jet Grind Radio" captures the vibe of the street
and takes gamers on an urban adventure like no other.
It is the 21st Century, and the City Government has initiated stringent
laws to keep kids from expressing themselves. In a race against the clock,
players assume the role of various crew members, all with distinct styles,
attitudes and abilities, whose mission is to tag targets and perform tricks
for points while avoiding the police -- all in the name of free expression.
Maneuvering on overdrive magnetic-motor skating shoes, gamers are
challenged to mark their territory throughout the sprawling urban
environments of Tokyo-to and the exclusive New York-inspired Grind City
while simultaneously defending their turf from rivals.
``With the release of 'Jet Grind Radio,' Sega once again breaks the mold
with new and innovative content," said Rob Alvarez, product manager, Sega
of America. ``Never before has a game truly delivered an urban
street-action experience that combines all the edgy elements of the
streets, such as graffiti art, skating and music."
Created with a new cel shading design style, ``Jet Grind Radio" pioneers a
genre that that will pave the way for future videogame design. Cel shading
creates a black outline around the 3D polygonal characters to render them
in a seemingly 2D fashion, thus creating the unique and stylish cartoon
look and feel never before seen in a videogame.
The action in ``Jet Grind Radio" is driven by the powerful sounds of DJ
Professor K from his underground radio station. Featuring an urban and
alternative music soundtrack, the game includes music from Jurassic 5, Mix
Master Mike, Rob Zombie, Cold, P.M.M. and a handful of Asian hip-hop and
techno-funk artists. Special to ``Jet Grind Radio," Players can also
adjust a knob on a virtual boom box to tune into any of the tracks featured
in the game.
For the ultimate piece of graffiti art, players can choose to create their
own custom tag and logo or use graffiti art designed by renowned graffiti
artist Haze, best known for his album cover work for Public Enemy, Beastie
Boys and LL Cool J. ``Jet Grind Radio" lets gamers choose from limitless
customized logos of all shapes, sizes, colors and letters and can be
created for use in the game or exchanged over the Internet via Sega
Dreamcast and saved to a VMU (Visual Memory Unit). For a truly unique
piece, gamers can download any JPEG image from the Web to use as graffiti
art in the game.
``Jet Grind Radio" is rated ``T" for Teen and is available for $49.95 at
retailers nationwide and at www.sega.com.
Two of World's Top Supercross Stars, Jeremy McGrath
and Travis Pastrana Battle in Acclaim Max Sports'
Freestyle Motocross: McGrath vs. Pastrana Video Game
Acclaim Max Sports announced that Freestyle Motocross: McGrath vs.
Pastrana for the PlayStation game console will be available in retail
outlets nationwide on Thursday, November 2nd. Freestyle Motocross: McGrath
vs. Pastrana is developed by Z-Axis, the developer of the highly successful
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX video game from Acclaim Max Sports.
``We're excited that our second Z-Axis developed game will have two of the
same ingredients that made Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX such a hit: total fun
and maximum replay value," commented Steve Felsen, brand director of
Acclaim Max Sports.
Freestyle Motocross: McGrath vs. Pastrana, is the only game to feature
today's top supercross stars: Jeremy ``Showtime" McGrath, 11-time
Supercross Champion; and rookie phenom Travis Pastrana, 2000 125cc MX
Champion and 1999-2000 Freestyle Motocross X Games gold medalist.
``I am really pumped that my first video game will be in stores soon. I
know freestyle fans will enjoy pulling off some of the same stunts I used
to win this year's X Games," stated Travis Pastrana.
Freestyle Motocross: McGrath vs. Pastrana is the first-ever game to combine
racing and freestyle stunts for more than one way to win. Additional game
features include: 30 freestyle motocross stunts; nine stunt-based
interactive environments; five game modes; customizable bikes and riders;
weather, time and environmental effects; 2-player split screen gameplay for
head-to-head competition; and a Card Room section that adds more than 30
specialized mini-games.
Freestyle Motocross: McGrath vs. Pastrana is backed by a nationwide print
and online campaign; a dedicated website on www.acclaimmaxsports.com; and a
cross-promotion with Point X, producers of Travis Pastrana's upcoming
movie, Revelation 199.
EA Ships Knockout Kings 2001 for the PlayStation and
Floors the Competition With a Dream Lineup of Fighters
Knockout Kings 2001 for the PlayStation shipped this week, bringing fans of
the ``sweet science" a boxing experience that includes not only the male
legends of the sport, but also eight tough women boxers. The Knockout Kings
franchise of video games by Electronic Arts continues to be the only boxing
game that showcases such an incredible roll call of the greatest fighters
from present and past eras. Knockout Kings 2001 for the PlayStation2
computer entertainment system ships early next year.
The Knockout Kings franchise is known for featuring the most famous boxers
in the world. Exclusive to Knockout Kings 2001 are such titans of the sport
as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Lennox
Lewis and Shane Mosley. New this year in Knockout Kings 2001, the women
move in and take center stage. Mia St. John, Christy Martin, Lucia Rijker,
Sumya Anani, Chevelle Hallback, Regina Halmich, Belinda Laracuente and
Denise Morietes will all be in Knockout Kings 2001 for the PlayStation and
bring a fresh new look to the game.
The complete roster of boxers in Knockout Kings 2001 is mind-boggling. In
addition to those boxers already mentioned, the game is a virtual ``who's
who" of the boxing world. The heavyweight division of Knockout Kings 2001
includes Frank Bruno, Jack Dempsey, Eric ``Butterbean" Esch, Michael
Grant, Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield, Ingemar Johanson, Sonny Liston, Joe
Louis, Rocky Marciano, Archie Moore, Ken Norton, Floyd Patterson, Earnie
Shavers and David Tua.
In the middleweight and lightweight divisions, the game features Julio
Cesar Chavez, Hector Camacho, Oba Carr, Ruben Carter, Roberto Duran, Vernon
Forrest, Marvin ``Marvelous" Hagler, Bronco McKart, Ike ``Bazooka"
Quartey, Alexis Arguello, Kevin Kelley, Jake Lamotta, Danny ``Little Red"
Lopez, Ray ``Boom Boom" Mancini, Angel Manfredy, Floyd Mayweather, Barry
McGuigan, Erik Morales, Sean O'Grady, Aaron Pryor, Sugar Ray Robinson,
Danny Romero, Fernando Vargas and Pernell ``Sweet Pea" Whitaker.
As a special perk, hidden boxers are also included in the game from other
sports, such as basketball guard Steve Francis, hockey star Owen Nolan,
baseball slugger Jason Giambi, and football legends Junior Seau and Barry
Sanders.
New boxer specific fighting styles enable fans to play as or create a boxer
with a fighting technique that mimics some of the best known boxers of all
time. For example, the ``Crab" style can be utilized to fight like Ken
Norton, or the ``Freestyle" way of fighting made famous by Muhammad Ali
can be used. The ``Slugger" style that Rocky Marciano made famous can be a
fighting technique for those more concerned about offense than defense.
New to the game this year is a feature called Dynamic Punch Control. It
allows a fighter to control every punch in a combination, and it helps the
boxer create and throw limitless new punch combinations. This level of
control, in addition to the breathtaking graphics, is what gives the game a
new level of realism and depth. ``Signature moves" give individual boxers
there own knockout punch, or defensive move that leaves the opponent
swinging at air. Better footwork, faster button-response, and quicker punch
and blocking moves make the user feel he truly is controlling everything
the boxer is doing in the ring. It is also possible to select from a number
of world famous arenas.
Each fighter has a biography in the game that educates the gamer as to what
made the boxer famous and talks about their approach to boxing. With the
ability to throw hooks, jabs, crosses, uppercuts, body punches, and special
counter punches, it is possible to fight any kind of style in the ring.
Each boxer's strength, weight, height, speed, reach and stamina are
factored into the artificial intelligence to ensure a realistic boxing
experience. Also included are the intangibles that make a boxer great, such
as the will to win. Knockout Kings 2001 factors in a boxers ``heart" to
gauge that will, as well as how easily a cut can open on his face.
Setting the tone and attitude for Knockout Kings 2001 is an incredible game
soundtrack. Original music was created for the game by Black Eyed Peas
``It's on", Tash ``Destruction," and many other top hip-hop artists.
These songs come on randomly throughout gameplay, but they also can be
selected in the ``Slugfest" mode if a gamer likes a particular song and
wants to have it on when they fight.
In addition to the music soundtrack, the production team brought other
audio elements to new heights in order to bring a feeling of realism to the
game. Exciting commentary and analysis from Al Bernstein, Max Kellerman and
Teddy Atlas keep the gamer informed on what is happening from a strategic
standpoint. Referees in the game include Mills Lane and Richard Steel, and
they help keep things fair by calling out low blows, rabbit punches, and
other illegal moves that can lose a fighter points from the judges card.
Jimmy Lennon Jr. makes ring announcements to give the fight a big time
feel.
Knockout Kings 2001 for the PlayStation is rated ``T" (Teen) by the ESRB.
The game has a suggested retail price of $39.95.
Sega Sports Nets Success With Industry's
First Online Basketball Title
Get ready for the most realistic basketball experience possible away from
courtside. Tuesday, Sega Sports introduced ``NBA 2K1," the industry's
first basketball game to be played online, for the 128-bit, Internet-ready
Sega Dreamcast. Gamers will now be able to showcase their moves to friends
and family anywhere on the planet in real time over the Internet via their
own ISP or SegaNet the only high-speed low-latency console gaming network.
``Sports gamers are going to be blown away by 'NBA 2K1,"' said Martha
Hill, director of sports marketing, Sega of America. ``This year the game's
been beefed up with Franchise Mode and enhanced AI to be smarter than the
rest. The online gaming experience is completely new to this market, and is
revolutionizing our expectations for sports videogames. We expect 'NBA 2K1'
to stand in a class of its own."
The ``NBA 2K1" online Network Mode supports up to eight players at a time,
with four players competing against four others from two locations -- all
via the Internet. To initiate the online element of ``Sega Sports NBA
2K1," gamers will simply plug in their Dreamcast, select Network Play, and
enter a lobby which lists potential challengers from around the country.
In addition to the online Network Mode, ``NBA 2K1" will also include the
highly anticipated Franchise Mode. This new feature will allow gamers to
step into the shoes of their favorite GM, taking on the responsibility of
signing players and drafting rookies. Updated rosters will also reflect any
recent trades, injuries, or retirements, and it will now be possible to
download rosters to stay current with NBA statistics.
New plays and moves will also be showcased in ``NBA 2K1." These include a
working spin move and crossover, new swat blocks, and the ability to pass
out of lay-ups and rebounds. An improved defensive system and new camera
angles will also bring gamers the courtside action only Sega Sports and the
NBA can provide.
Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) in ``NBA 2K1" will create game
situations that are true-to-life. Details such as intelligent commentary
from announcers, late-game strategy decisions, and AI play calling that
take advantage of player mismatches will utilize the Dreamcast's 128-bit
capabilities to the fullest.
Sega also scores two additional industry firsts with the inclusion of
licensed street courts and historic uniforms. Basketball play limited to
the hardwood floor will be a thing of the past as real NBA players head to
the famous ``Rucker Park" in street clothes for 2, 3, 4 and 5-on-5 player
action. Sega Sports also provides the opportunity to turn back time with
the ``historic player" feature on ``NBA 2K1" which has a classic uniform
option -- another videogame industry first.
``NBA 2K1" has also improved on the already superior graphics of ``NBA
2K." More than 2,000 new and enhanced motion-captured moves have been
added to provide smoother gameplay and even more amazing graphics. Allen
Iverson, a 1999-2000 All-Star, NBA Scoring Leader, and No. 1 First Round
draft pick will grace the cover of ``NBA 2K1," which is officially
licensed by the National Basketball Association and is now available for
$49.95 in retail stores nationwide or at www.sega.com.
EA Brings Interactive Soccer to the Internet For
the First Time EA SPORTS ships FIFA 2001 Major
League Soccer for the PC and the PlayStation
Lace up your cleats and do a warm-up lap, because once you load up EA
SPORTS FIFA 2001 Major League Soccer the competition heats up and you won't
have time for an orange slice at half-time. Electronic Arts ships FIFA 2001
for the PC and the PlayStation. For the first time in the FIFA Series
players can now compete over the Internet against game players around the
world with FIFA 2001 for the PC.
``Soccer is truly a global sport, and therefore it has been our goal to
bring the FIFA Series to the Internet so that FIFA 2001 game players can
compete against each other from all over the world," said EA Executive
Producer Marc Aubanel. ``I feel with FIFA 2001, we created a realistic and
entertaining experience and were able to turn the living room gaming
experience into a global gathering of online soccer players over the
Internet."
FIFA 2001 continues the FIFA Series tradition of complementing cutting-edge
graphics and responsive gameplay with a hip music soundtrack. The lead
track in the game this year is a remix of the hit single ``Bodyrock" from
techno legend, Moby, off his Grammy nominated album PLAY. For a streaming
video of FIFA 2001 set to Moby's Bodyrock remix along with in-game artwork
and additional information about Moby go to http://fifa2001.ea.com.
With more than 50 National teams from over 15 different leagues, the
in-game choices and competition are real and intense. Major League Soccer
is featured alongside Europe's best including the Premier League, German
Bundesliga, Spanish Premier League and the French LNF for a comprehensive,
global line-up. Intelligent commentary provided by legendary announcer John
Motson and soccer legend Mark Lawrenson along with new motion capture moves
from soccer stars Lothar Matthaus, Hidetoshi Nakata, Paul Scholes, Thierry
Henry, Edgar Davids, Gaizka Mendieta, and Shimon Gershom. Major League
Soccer star Ben Olsen is featured on packaging and in marketing materials.
FIFA 2001 provides an unparalleled collection of today's best national
teams, domestic leagues and international matches from around the world in
a variety of game modes including Friendly, League, Cup and Custom modes.
FIFA 2001 will be available for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment
system in late November. FIFA 2001 is rated ``E" (Everyone).
Midway Brings War to Dreamcast Territory With
``Army Men: Sarge's Heroes"
The Plastic Green Army Men Move to Dreamcast with
Advanced Graphics and All-New Mission, Battle and
Deathmatch Modes
Midway Games Inc. announced that ``Army Men: Sarge's Heroes" for Sega
Dreamcast has shipped to retail.
``Army Men: Sarge's Heroes" drops players into the middle of a war between
plastic soldiers, pitting tough, patriotic Sarge and his good green
soldiers against the malevolent General Plastro and the evil Tan Army. A
one-man wrecking ball, Sarge leads a toy soldier offensive across
countertops, through living rooms and into backyards. As they fight to free
their fellow commandos, they must also rescue the Colonel's daughter Vikki
and defend the ``green" way of life. Challenges along the way include
explosive skyrockets, deadly magnifying glasses and the dreaded garbage
disposal.
```Army Men' is an established franchise that has achieved tremendous
success on multiple platforms," said Helene Sheeler, vice president of
marketing, Midway. ``Midway's expertise in Dreamcast design has allowed us
to update `Army Men' with stunning 128 bit technology."
In ``Army Men: Sarge's Heroes," gamers take on missions single-handedly in
one-player mode or fight to the bitter end against one to three other
players in deathmatch mode. Strategic and guerilla tactics are required for
success in the game, which is mission-based and includes puzzles and
objectives on each level.
``Army Men: Sarge's Heroes" will lead gamers into battle with key features
including:
* Multiplayer battle mode for up to four players
* In-game cinematics with new audio that brings characters to life
* Fourteen separate missions in one-player mission mode
* Missions featuring aggressive assault and stealth-style play
* Choice of nine different characters in deathmatch battle mode
* Amazing, realistic graphics with ``plastosheen" lighting technology
* Heightened realism with sniper mode
Mattel Media Launches First-Ever Wild Thornberrys
Game for Playstation
Mattel Media, a leading provider of family-oriented home entertainment
software, today announced that The Wild Thornberrys Animal Adventures for
PlayStation is now available in retail stores nationwide. Based on
Nickelodeon's No. 2 television show, The Wild Thornberrys, Animal
Adventures is the first Wild Thornberrys title for the PlayStation game
console.
The Wild Thornberrys Animal Adventures is an action-packed adventure game
that allows children to explore a variety of global regions while avoiding
traps and solving puzzles. Featuring original voices from the hit TV show,
this game encourages children to not only learn about geography, but also
to learn about animals in their respective environments. Eye-popping,
pre-rendered 3D backgrounds utilize the power of the PlayStation platform
and keep the adventure exciting time after time.
In the game, kids can travel the world with The Wild Thornberrys family in
search of exotic, thought-to-be-extinct animals. By exploring habitats with
Eliza and the rest of the Thornberrys, players progress through fourteen
different games, which each lead to more difficult levels. The Wild
Thornberrys Animal Adventures also is compatible with the Sony Dual Shock
Controller.
``With the exclusive interactive rights to The Wild Thornberrys, Mattel
Media already has brought this popular Nickelodeon franchise to the PC and
Game Boy Color platforms," said Amy Boylan, executive vice president,
Mattel Media. ``Now with this new title, we are expanding our reach to the
PlayStation audience, making it possible for kids to interact with their
favorite characters on every leading entertainment platform."
In support of the title, Mattel Media will kick-off The Wild Thornberrys
Animal Adventures promotional campaign with a 15-second national television
commercial that will air for five weeks, running November 6 through
December 10. Additionally, the title will be featured in Nickelodeon's Year
2000 cross-sell brochure, which is available in software packaging.
The Wild Thornberrys Animal Adventures for PlayStation is available at an
estimated street price of $29.99.
Codemasters Ships Mike Tyson Boxing
A week and a half after Mike Tyson's fierce battle against Andrew Gollata
in Detroit, MI, Codemasters announced it has shipped Mike Tyson Boxing for
the PlayStation. The game includes many features that promise a variety of
modes of play, including a career management and training mode, as well as
a highly advanced character animation system. Its unique physics-based
fight engine allows a much greater freedom of movement in the ring than has
been found in previous boxing games. Mike Tyson Boxing will be available
for the SRP of $39.99.
Mike Tyson Boxing features Versus and Showcase modes where 16 international
boxers each having his own unique personality and fighting style compete
for the championship belt. Six of the boxers are immediately available to
the player. Some 90 boxers, including Tyson, in three different weight
classes are found in the game, 24 of which can be controlled by players.
``Tyson's latest quest to regain the heavyweight championship has
demonstrated why he is considered to be one of the greatest fighters
ever," said Mike Hayes, Worldwide Director of Sales and Marketing. ``His
athleticism and accomplishments in the ring are sure to give gamers a
boxing experience like no other."
Sega Sets Sights on Videogame Software Market
Troubled Japanese videogame maker Sega said on Wednesday it aims to boost
its share of the global market for videogame software to 25 percent,
shifting its focus to software from loss-making hardware.
Sega Corp, the world's third-largest home videogame maker, unveiled last
Friday a far-reaching strategy including plans to provide game software for
rival makers' consoles.
It will also license its mainstay Dreamcast game console's design
technology to makers of personal computers and cell phones so as to
increase compatible PCs and other devices.
``We aim to win the top share of the world market in the near future by
increasing the number of platforms which can operate Sega software," newly
appointed Strategic Counsel Tetsu Kayama told a news conference, setting a
new goal to boost its share to 25 percent from the current 4.2 percent,
surpassing industry leader Nintendo Co Ltd's current 19.6 percent.
``Our focus on content provision is back in place. Sega aims to become a
real game creator."
President Isao Okawa, who is regarded as a prime mover in Sega's
revitalization and disclosed at the meeting that he has cancer of the
oesophagus, added that Sega will speed up providing attractive software,
especially online games, to respond to the now mature videogame industry
and the global Internet boom.
Corporate Vice President Shouichi Yamazaki said the company also aims for a
20 billion yen ($183.8 million) group operating profit in the 2001/02
business year that starts next April, compared with an expected 160 billion
yen loss this business year.
Last week the company warned investors that it expected a consolidated loss
on both a net and recurring basis in the current business year, a fourth
straight net loss, knocking down its shares on Monday.
Yamazaki said, however, the company plans to return to the black on the
group operating profit basis, by cutting its loss on consumer hardware to
20 billion yen next year from an expected 40 billion yen this business
year, while improving profits in its software business as well as arcade
game business.
Shares in Sega, renamed from Sega Enterprises Ltd as of Wednesday, ended
trade at 829 yen, up 6.97 percent. The news conference began after the
market closed.
To boost profits from software, Sega plans to review its whole software
development operations including shifting 30 billion yen investment to its
own game creators from third-party game publishers providing games for
Dreamcast, said Kayama, who has just been recruited from a software company
in which Nintendo has stake.
He said: ``We plan to expand our profit by utilizing our attractive and
affluent software assets to appropriate devices."
Sega officials declined to say which rival game consoles it plans to
provide games for, and ruled out the possibility of releasing new software
to other platforms before using its own.
Analysts welcomed the company's decision to shift its focus to content from
hardware but cited Okawa's illness as possibly clouding the fate of the
troubled company.
Traders said rumors that Okawa was sick had heightened market concerns that
it might delay Sega's restructuring.
Yamazaki said Sega's interest-bearing debt has fallen to 87 billion yen by
October, compared with 213 billion yen a year ago, mostly due to a 10
billion yen capital injection earlier this year by parent company CSK Corp
and Okawa himself.
Okawa, apparently seeking to clear up worries about Sega's financial
standing among investors, said: ``We have enough cash flow to live without
any problem for a couple of years. What worries me rather is how well
PlayStation 2 will be sold."
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
"""""""""""""""""""
Indrema Linux Game System
Indrema Offers Alternative to Hard-to-Find PlayStation2
It seems that every popular news publication, from "Time" to "Good Morning
America," is reporting that the PlayStation2 is the new "impossible to find"
toy this Christmas season. In response to newly-reported PS2 shortages,
even reputable toy stores are selling the $300 console for $500 and above
-- and the console is being auctioned on eBay for up to $1000. In response
to all of this hype and artificially-created demand, Indrema Corporation,
creators of the first Linux-based video game console, is declaring its
upcoming Indrema Entertainment System (IES) as an alternative to PS2 mania.
To this end (and just for fun), Indrema proudly presents the "Top Ten
Reasons to Save Your Money and Buy an Indrema":
Top Ten Reasons to Save Your $$$ and Buy an Indrema Console
#10: The PS2 box looks like Max Headroom designed it. (May the '80s rest in
peace.)
#9: Buy Made in the USA. (Xbox doesn't count -- Bill Gates is his own
country.)
#8: Some losers are going to wait in line for two days in front of some
store just to get a hold of the new "artificially-created demand," "we'll
overcharge you 'cuz we can," overrated toy of the season. You're not one of
those, are you?
#7: God's own game console isn't worth the $600 that PlayStation2 is
scalping for these days.
#6: Some hacker will just make a PS2 emulator for Indrema anyway.
#5: Nintendo is soooo 5th grade.
#4: By the time you actually get a hold of the PS2, its GPU will already be
obsolete. (Indrema's GPU is upgradable.)
#3: Four controller ports and built-in Internet access. Indrema has it --
PS2 doesn't. (Come on, we know you have more than one friend.)
#2: Xbox says: "We are Microsoft. Resistance is futile." Indrema says: "We
are Open Source. Viva la resistance!"
And the number one reason to save your money and buy an Indrema is...
Indrema supports independent developers -- so we'll get all the perverted
games.
About Indrema Corporation
Indrema designs, markets and sells consumer electronics and Open Source
system software for digital home entertainment. Founded in January 2000,
Indrema believes that all operating system software must evolve in an Open
Source environment, where application software may remain proprietary.
Indrema is currently developing a new distribution of the Linux operating
system specifically designed for TV and HDTV applications. Indrema consumer
electronics products will offer digital audio, video, Internet and
next-generation 3D gaming features for the Open Source platform. For more
information, please visit Indrema's Website at
http://www.indrema.com
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Bertelsmann Has Deal with Napster to Drop Lawsuit
Bertelsmann AG, parent of one of the big music companies suing Napster Inc.
for copyright infringement, broke ranks with its rivals on Tuesday and said
it would drop its suit against the song-swap company once it implements a
membership-based service that pays royalties.
Bertelsmann AG, parent of music company BMG Entertainment, said it formed a
strategic alliance with Napster to further develop Napster into a secure,
membership-based service and invited other music labels to participate.
``Napster has pointed the way for a new direction for music distribution,
and we believe it will form the basis of important and exciting new
business models for the future of the music industry," said Thomas
Middelhoff, Bertelsmann's chairman and chief executive officer.
Napster's service, developed by 19-year-old college dropout Shawn Fanning,
lets fans swap songs for free by trading MP3 files, a compression format
that turns music on compact discs into small computer files. It has
attracted 38 million users.
The Bertelsmann deal comes as Napster awaits an appeals court decision on
whether or not to shut down the wildly popular online song-swap service
pending a final decision in a landmark copyright lawsuit brought by the
recording industry.
Other big music companies, including Time Warner Inc. Warner Music, Seagram
Co. Ltd.'s Universal Music, Sony Corp.'s Sony Music and EMI Group Plc, on
Tuesday called the move a positive step.
``There's no question that Napster, with over 35 million users, represents
the killer application, and Bertelsmann's acknowledgment that they're
looking to create an economic platform is a terrific way to accelerate an
adoption for a new delivery mechanism within the music industry," said
Chris Dixon, analyst with PaineWebber.
But industry sources said that while some other labels may join eventually
Bertelsmann, it was unlikely that it would drum up unanimous support, which
would make such a music subscription service most appealing to users.
Bertelsmann and Napster said they have developed a new business model, and
Bertelsmann will provide funds, estimated at $30 million to $50 million, to
further develop the service. Bertelsmann also holds a warrant to buy a
stake in Napster.
The companies provided few details of the new service, except to say it
would preserve the ``Napster experience while at the same time providing
payments to rightsholders."
Napster officials said two services may emerge, one that would be a ``free,
promotional" service and one that would charge a membership fee.
When asked what the fee would be, Napster's chief executive officer Hank
Barry said $4.95 a month had been batted around in earlier discussions, but
that figure was not set in stone.
Ric Dube, analyst with research firm Webnoize, said he expected the other
music companies to wait and see how the Bertelsmann-Napster deal unfolds
before committing to join.
In a separate copyright case involving online music, San Diego-based
Internet music provider MP3.com Inc., has settled with all but Universal
Music related to its My.MP3.com service, which lets users store music and
then access it via any computer.
``It's unlikely that all the labels will come on board with Bertelsmann and
Napster. Even in the case of MP3.com, which generates revenues, only four
came on board," said Eric Scheirer, analyst with Forrester Research.
Universal Music on Tuesday said while it was pleased that Napster had
finally acknowledged the rights of rightsholders, the deal did not affect
the lawsuit against Napster.
``We welcome anyone's decision to become a legitimate player in the online
music industry, building a business based on licensed uses of copyrighted
works," said Hilary Rosen, president of the Recording Industry Association
of America (RIAA), but added, ``the announcement does not bring an end to
the court case.
``In my view, this is Napster aligning themselves with the argument the
industry has been making all along that there ought to be licensing and
paid-for content on their system. This is not what Napster's been saying in
court," she said.
David Boies, Napster's lawyer, told reporters on Tuesday the alliance was
consistent with part of Napster's defense, which says there are many
legitimate uses for the service.
When asked if BMG would now be liable for damages incurred by Napster,
Boies said, ``I don't want to get them into more trouble than they're
already in with the RIAA. They've chosen to provide financial and technical
support to Napster, but they are not a partner," he said.
Barry said on Tuesday said he was optimistic about a positive court ruling
and further alliances with labels.
``We're very optimistic about how the case will go," he said. ``We want to
work with the record companies and I really want them to be involved in
this process. We're going to take it out there and (hopefully) we'll have
an overall solution," he said.
New AMD Chip Set to Boost Athlon PCs
The chip maker launches its newest AMD 760 chip set, looks for big
improvement in PC performance.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on Monday moved a big step closer toward
realizing its promise to offer chips and a chip set that would enable
higher-performance PCs by Thanksgiving.
The chip maker officially announced its 760 chip set, along with three new
high-end Athlon processors, running at 1GHz, 1.13GHz and 1.2GHz. Company
officials say the upshot will be improvements in the performance of PCs
based on the new Athlon chip set over current models based on the Athlon
chip.
The first PCs based on its 760 chip set should begin shipping in late
November, according to Tim Wright, who directs product marketing at AMD.
AMD claims the machines will match PCs built with Intel's forthcoming
Pentium 4 processor in performance.
The AMD 760 chip set increases the front-side bus from 200MHz to 266MHz,
allowing for more data throughput. The front-side bus (sometimes referred
to as the system bus) provides a data pathway between the processor and
system components, such as memory. This improvement allows more data to be
fed into the processor more quickly. The AMD 760 also has the ability to
support a 200MHz front-side bus
To go with the faster bus, AMD announced three new Athlon chips that each
support a 266MHz front-side bus. They include a 1GHz, a 1.2GHz and a new
1.13GHz chip.
More performance will come from memory. The AMD 760 chip set supports
double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM). This memory can more
than double the peak bandwidth available from today's 133MHz synchronous
dynamic RAM or PC133 memory.
Double data rate SDRAM will initially come in two flavors: fast and
faster. The faster of the two, known as PC 2100, will run at 266MHz and
offer 2.1GB-per-second of peak data bandwidth. This flavor will be paired
with the new 266MHz front-side bus.
The other flavor, known as PC 1600, will run at 200MHz and deliver
1.6GB-per-second of peak bandwidth. It will be paired with a 200MHz bus
and will likely ship in PCs more in the mid-range of the market.
Micron PC.com will be the first out of the gate in North America with a
new PC line that pairs the Athlon chip with the new chip set and double
data rate SDRAM.
The company, also known as Micron Electronics Inc., on Monday introduced
Millennia Max Xp, a new line of PCs based on the Athlon chip set.
The line of PCs will initially include two models. When configured with a
1.2GHz Athlon, 128MB of 200MHz double data rate SDRAM, as well as a
17-inch monitor, the Xp will start at $1,999. This configuration will
feature a 200MHz bus.
Micron's other Xp model will offer the 1.2GHz Athlon and 266MHz bus, will
come with 128MB of 266MHz double data rate SDRAM, a 17-inch monitor, and a
dual hard drive setup. It will have a starting price of $2,699.
Best Buy stores will carry similar models, designated Millennia B52-1003
and B53-1003, according to MicronPC.com.
AMD expects broader PC availability in 2001, when SDRAM becomes more
prevalent. As such, PC makers including Compaq Computer Corp. are
evaluating AMD 760 for introduction early next year, AMD said.
While they will make for faster PCs, the performance improvements will
carry only a small price premium, according to AMD officials. There may be
a premium on PC 2100 memory, but it is expected to be in the neighborhood
of 15 percent. However, Wright said that "some vendors" have pledged to
include double data rate SDRAM at price parity with PC 133s. As a result,
most AMD 760-based PCs are expected to list at prices between $1,800 and
$2,500.
PCs based on Intel's Pentium 4 processors are expected to start at about
$2,500 and reach $3,000 or more when fully configured.
AMD also got support from memory makers.
Micron Technology Inc., Samsung, and Infineon Technologies Corp., each said
it would support AMD's 760 platform with double data rate SDRAM memory
modules ranging up to 256MB. Over time, the technology is expected to
increase in availability and decrease in cost.
Seagate Debuts 320MB/sec Drive Technology
Seagate Technology announced that it has demonstrated the Ultra320 SCSI
disc drive technology that supports the industry proposals for the SPI-4
(Ultra320 SCSI) standard.
The demonstration, conducted with a fully-integrated 320 Mbytes/sec SCSI
initiator and target controller designed by Seagate, delivered data
transfers at 320Mbytes/sec and was accomplished with the same backplane and
cabling used with the existing Ultra160 SCSI standard.
"This demonstration's significance is not only in the fact that Seagate has
furthered its technology leadership position, but that Seagate was able to
show that Ultra320 SCSI can be implemented using existing infrastructures,
including backplanes, cables, and terminators," said Tom Porter, executive
vice president and chief technical officer, at Seagate Technology. "System
integrators will appreciate this easy and cost-saving transition to
Ultra320 SCSI, and we expect industry adoption to be rapid as a result.
Seagate Technology's demonstration included the testing and implementation
of the features found within the proposed ANSI standard. These include
free-running clock, pre-compensation, training sequences, and cable
deskewing. These features will help ensure that Ultra320 SCSI maintains
interoperability and signal integrity in addition to increasing
performance.
Manufacturers of Macintosh-compatible PCI SCSI cards are currently being
exposed to the new standard; products based around Ultra320 should begin to
appear early next year.
Cybercrime Treaty Gets It Wrong ... Again
The Council of Europe's latest cybercrime treaty, which bans "hacker
tools," is another case of trying to solve society's problems with the
legal system. Most of the laws passed over the last 20 years to protect
privacy and security in this electronic age aren't really effective;
preventative security measures are really the only viable solution.
Back in the 1980s, when cell phones first became popular among the rich
and powerful, it became apparent that people were eavesdropping on cell
phone conversations with radio scanners available at any Radio Shack.
Instead of informing cell phone users of the limitations of the current
technology, or building encryption technology into the phones, the cell
phone manufacturers lobbied to criminalize listening to "their" section of
the radio spectrum. And Congress complied -- making listening illegal with
the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986.
About the only thing that this accomplished was to disallow law
enforcement from using evidence gathered from intercepted cell phone
conversations in court. Worse, the act gave people a false sense of
security: No one is listening because it is illegal. Uh-huh. We can't be
sure if anyone actually stopped listening because there really is no way
to detect someone doing that. I don't know of any cases that were
prosecuted under this law.
So people went on eavesdropping.
The FCC got into the act in 1994 and made is illegal to manufacture a
scanner that could receive cellular frequencies or be "easily" altered to
receive these frequencies. So companies that made receivers had to do
extra work to make sure they weren't making a technology that could
receive what was illegal. This seemed like the wrong side of the equation
for the legal system to be forcing a technical solution on.
Shouldn't this work be going on at the cell phone companies? Shouldn't
they be required to produce a secure solution if that is what they are
selling? Does anyone really think that these laws and regulations stopped
anyone from listening to cell phone calls?
So now we have a new generation of digital phones. They are covered by all
the same anti-listening laws. As a security researcher I cannot legally
test any of these phones to see if they can be easily intercepted, even on
behalf of a client. We have to take the manufacturers word for it. Now
imagine this system being applied to computer software. Imagine not being
able to legally test the security of Windows or Linux for yourself; you
would have to just take the manufacturer's word for it.
The Council of Europe's latest cybercrime treaty, with the hope of
stopping computer criminals, will ban most of the tools that are used to
find the security problems in networks, operating systems and Internet
applications. This is because the same tools that can be used for good can
be used for evil.
Take Nmap for example. It is a network scanner. It can be used by a
computer criminal to find the
vulnerabilities in a particular computer
system in order to target and attack. It also can be used by a system
administrator to make sure she secured her particular system properly.
Additionally, a security researcher can use Nmap to find security holes in
a firewall or operating system.
As a security researcher I am often given applications or devices, without
source code or design specifications, and asked to test the product for
vulnerabilities. This is usually done on behalf of a third party who wants
to use the product but wants to test the claims of the manufacturer. I
don't know of any other way to do this than to use the scanners and
network sniffers that would be banned by this treaty.
To be certain a particular device can withstand a denial of service attack
you need the tools to create that attack. To test to see whether old
vulnerabilities are reintroduced in new versions of a program it is useful
to regression test with old exploits. These are basic engineering
practices that will be outlawed if "only outlaws can have exploits."
A future where security is dictated by laws and not by sound testing and
engineering will be a failure. Outlawing listening to cell phone calls
just gave consumers a false sense of security -- it did nothing to solve
the privacy problem. If lawmakers want to use their power to actually
solve the security problem, make it a crime to ship products marketed as
secure without a certain level of security testing.
Don't take away the few tools we have to verify and find security
problems.
Guarding The Children
Legislating the Internet is not only a bad idea, it's impossible. A case
in point is the Child Online Protection Act.
Signed into law in 1998, the statute seeks to make it a crime for
commercial Web sites to give minors access to "harmful material." That
includes sexually explicit communication that lacks "serious literary,
artistic, political or scientific value." The law was immediately
challenged by free-speech advocates, blocked by a federal judge and then
appealed by the Department of Justice. It remains in legal limbo.
The federal panel charged with recommending ways to implement the law
didn't fare much better. After analyzing existing filtering technology,
law enforcement efforts and education programs, the august group came to
this stunning conclusion: All of them sort of work, but none directly
solve the problem of kids seeing inappropriate content online.
"After consideration of the information gathered through hearings and
comments filed by a wide range of parties, the commission concludes that
no single technology or method will effectively protect children from
harmful material online," wrote the group in its recent report to
Congress.
The commission included such luminaries as Donald Telage, chief executive
of Network Solutions; Jerry Berman at the Center for Democracy and
Technology; and Greg Rohde, Internet czar at the Department of Commerce.
Given the unenviable task they were handed, the commission came up with
the only conclusion possible. There is no one way to control kids' access
to lewd pictures and newsgroup posts. In fact, there will never be a way
to do it.
Congress doesn't want to hear this. It doesn't play well in the hustings
at rotary groups and school Parent-Teacher Association meetings. I'm all
for the use of filtering programs on a voluntary basis. I think education
is also key. But the Internet is going to be free whether we like it or
not. The more Congress tries to grab it, the more the Net will ooze
between its knuckles.
Therefore, the Child Online Protection Act is dead on arrival in the Real
World, and the only protection against online garbage is good common
sense. I don't use Web filters in my house because they are a hassle and
they don't work terribly well. Instead, when my kids are online, I demand
that the door to the computer room remains open.
So what about when my wife and I are out? I have to trust my kids to have
the smarts to avoid online trash. Do I expect the policy to be 100 percent
successful? Unfortunately, no. But I can hope that good values will steer
them out of the Internet's trash can.
Feds Warn Consumers About Web Scams
Getting stiffed at an Internet auction. An ``all expenses paid" hotel that
turns out not to be free. An offer for free adult material on the Web that
secretly runs up a hefty phone bill.
The government cited these gimmicks Tuesday as it posted its first-ever top
10 list of Internet scams that Americans should avoid, and vowed to work
with overseas law enforcement to crack down on Web con artists.
``The Internet has changed the way consumers gather information, shop and
do business," Federal Trade Commission director of consumer protection
Jodie Bernstein said. ``It's also changed the way law enforcers and
consumer protection agencies do business."
Several of the FTC's ``dot con" scams are very old tricks reincarnated on
the Internet. Miracle products, credit card theft and old-fashioned pyramid
schemes are getting a new life online, officials said.
Worries about Internet thieves have slowed electronic commerce since its
inception, but more consumers are gradually warming to the idea of Internet
purchases. The FTC's new consumer protection effort is intended to keep
criminals from undermining that trust, officials said.
The agency said the government has brought 251 lawsuits against online
scammers in 2000. Officials described a handful of the cases on Tuesday to
better educate Web consumers about the dangers.
For instance, the FTC has sued three individuals and their company,
Computers By Us, in Thomasville, Pa., alleging they participated in online
auctions without delivering the goods or offering a refund after getting
paid.
The operators of the company did not respond to calls at their office for
comment Tuesday.
The agency also alleged that a group of affiliated Arizona companies sent
$3.50 ``rebate" checks to consumers. When the checks were cashed, the
consumers unwittingly agreed to allow the defendants to be their Internet
service provider.
Monthly charges started appearing on phone bills and were difficult to
remove, officials alleged.
The companies had no telephone listings, according to operator assistance.
RJB Telcom of Scottsdale, Ariz., was sued along with its principals for
offering a free ``viewer" or ``dialer" program to access free adult
material.
The government alleges that without consumers' knowledge, the program
disconnected the user's computer from their Internet provider and made an
international call - typically to the Caribbean - to another Internet
provider. Consumers unwittingly racked up large long distance charges, the
government alleged.
The company and its executives also are accused of billing credit card
holders for services the consumers say were never used. The company did not
have a phone listing, according to directory assistance, and did not
immediately respond to an e-mail for comment Tuesday.
Officials also warned that scammers are targeting small business owners and
stock traders. Some consumers have used day trading services that promise
things such as ``huge returns" in predicting the market but later find the
claims inflated.
Titan Business Solutions, a California company, was sued after it
advertised for medical billers that could work at home and earn up to
$45,000 per year.
Customers who called Titan were asked to send more than $300 to the company
in exchange for some software and motivational tapes which they couldn't
return, the lawsuit alleges.
There was no phone or e-mail listing for the company.
In traditional computer crime, such as hacking, law enforcement efforts can
be hobbled by international borders with differing jurisdictions and laws.
The FTC said it is trying to overcome those obstacles by creating a new
international network of consumer protection agencies.
It said it is working with 240 agencies in the United States as well as
officials in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand,
Norway and Britain.
``We want dot con artists to know that consumer protection spans the globe
- physically and in cyberspace," Bernstein said.
On the Net: Federal Trade Commission Top 10 Dot Cons site:
http://www.ftc.gov/dotcons
Web Site Claims to Buy, Sell Votes
A controversial Web site, now being run from Europe, still claims to be
buying and selling votes in the U.S. presidential election. But proof that
the organization is doing anything - legal or not - has yet to surface.
Regardless, officials in at least four states have investigated, sued or
are preparing lawsuits involving vote-auction.com. Hans Bernhard of Vienna,
Austria, runs the Web site which claims to be cutting out the middleman in
the election process.
The site says that by selling one's vote directly, it would no longer
be necessary for special interest groups to donate money to candidates who
would then spend that money for advertising in an attempt to win votes.
What Bernhard has never made clear is how he can prove to have delivered
his product: the vote. Nor has it been shown precisely how many votes have
been sold and by whom the votes were purchased.
PayPal Leads Digital Cash Movement
Just a year old, PayPal has signed up 4 million U.S. accountholders who
transfer an average of $6 million each day via e-mail. With another 140,000
users signing up each week, PayPal and its corporate alter ego, X.com, are
leading the push to conduct more e-commerce with "digital cash" - rather
than credit cards.
Palo Alto-based PayPal, which morphed from an obscure computer security
company a year ago, believes it is on the threshold of becoming an
e-commerce staple, but like most dot-coms, it remains unprofitable. And
formidable challenges loom, including trying to charge for what had until
recently been free.
A buyer using PayPal provides a credit card or bank account number so
PayPal can withdraw a specified amount. The seller is then notified by
e-mail, and has the option of either cashing out or carrying a digital cash
balance to conduct other online business.
=~=~=~=
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