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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 06 Issue 39
Volume 6, Issue 30 Atari Online News, Etc. September 24, 2004
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2004
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips"
Rob Mahlert -- Web site
Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame"
With Contributions by:
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0639 09/24/04
~ Ireland Scam Crackdown ~ People Are Talking! ~ Web Withdrawal!
~ E-mail Phishing Scam! ~ Playstation Portable! ~ X-Men Legend!
~ New Cutting Edge Mice! ~ Ask Jeeves Spruces Up! ~ Google Browser?!
~ Console Makers Gear Up ~ Blogger Tracks Spam! ~ Kids' Identity Token
-* Spyware Bill Vote Next Week! *-
-* AOL To Offer Second Security Level! *-
-* Microsoft Sues Web Hoster, Others Over Spam *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
What a beautiful week to officially end summer, and start the fall! This
has been one great week, weather-wise. And on a personal note, I recently
added another year to my age this week. Well, I guess "old age" is a state
of mind, because I don't feel as old as the calendar tells me I should!
Speaking of age, I continue to discover just how amazing computer technology
and the internet has become over the years. I just wish that Atari had been
able to stick around to be a part of it these days. But, that's another
story best left to the writers of history! Anyway, for the past few months,
I've been discovering a "new" aspect of computers and the internet: internet
radio. In the department that I work, we're situated in an area of the
hospital that is underground, with the radiology department above us. Being
able to listen to FM radio is practically impossible. When I'm in my
office, I like to be able to listen to some music every once in awhile; talk
radio just bores me to death after about a half hour! I then discovered
Media Player by accident, and found web radio. After a colleague and I did
a little searching, we discovered a "station" that brought back memories of
our college days of the late 60's and early 70's - Radio IO 70's! This
station reminds us both of the terrific progressive rock stations of that
era. Lots of old favorites from the 60's and early 70's - much of it that
rarely makes airplay these days on "normal" radio, but was prevalent in "our
day" 30-plus years ago! Every once in awhile, I go home and dust off an
album (yes, I still have vinyl albums!) and play something that contained
one of the singles that I heard earlier in the day. What terrific memories!
Without the advances in today's PCs, this capability would be impossible.
Personally, I'm grateful for the opportunity to do some work on my PC and be
able to listen to some fantastic music that I grew up listening. Those were
the "good ol' days", come back for a second round of enjoyment! If you
haven't tried listening to radio on the web, give it a try. There are
enough variety of stations out there to please every taste in music!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Okay, so I was a bit hasty when I said
that Hurricane Ivan wasn't going to cause a lot of deaths. I knew it as
I was writing that last week, but even ONE life lost is too much. The
loss of life still doesn't make "preventive measures" against hurricanes
like I was mentioning last week. I mean, the idea of using a big fan to
blow a storm back out to sea may be laughable, but I'll bet that there
are still many out there who would be willing to give it a try.
Of course, since we've got about 6 weeks left until the election, I'm
going to hammer at you some more about registering to vote. Here's your
chance to have your say about who will lead this country for the next
four years. And after the last presidential election, I don't want to
hear any bunk about one vote not counting. One of ANYTHING usually
doesn't seem important, but add all those ones up and you've got a
majority. And if you're lucky, you might even have the electoral votes
to back it up.
No, I'm not going to get into the "popular vote vs. electoral college"
thing. Our system is set up to work the way it does for a reason. If you
don't like it... no, you don't have to leave... you just have to stand
up and have your opinion counted when you vote.
Now, you've got, at most, two weeks left to register. Most states are
kind of funny about making sure that people who register to vote are
really residents and such. The bottom line it... don't wait. Get your
non-voting, shifting-the-blame,
must-be-someone-else's-fault-'cause-I-didn't-vote-for-them butt to your
local town hall and register. You'll need some form of I.D., so be
prepared.
While we're on the subject of being prepared, a good friend mentioned to
me that, while I was bugging you to vote, I should also tell you to find
out all you can and educate yourself so that you can make an informed
decision.
That's an excellent recommendation, but where do you go for that kind of
info? A liberal-minded newspaper? A conservative-minded talkshow host?
Well, that's pretty much up to you. There is certainly no shortage of
information out there.
But let's face it... you've probably made up your mind already. Even if
you don't realize it yet. Your personal philosophy, combined with the
parts of your brain that lead you toward one end of the scale or the
other have pretty much predestined you to vote one way or another.
Now in its simplest form, that would mean that nothing would ever change,
that one 'side' or the other would always be in the lead, and the other
would always be subordinate. But things change. Hell, even change
changes. I can remember back about a decade and a half ago when a
democratic attorney general won a senate seat from a republican by
"running at him from the right". He went on to become Al Gore's running
mate in 2000. Almost a hundred years ago, Teddy Roosevelt was THE
conservative. He believed in protecting the environment above almost
everything else. These days, the conservatives want to loot the
environment for a short-term gain while the long term would suffer even
by their own estimations.
Like I said, things change. You can either be a part of that change, or
sit on the sidelines and complain because you don't know what's going
on. Which will it be?
Okay, that's enough of that. Let's take a look at the UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
Mark Duckworth posts this about a BBS package:
"I'd just like to note that over at http://portal.atari-source.com,
there's news of a new Octopus BBS release. For those that don't know,
this is the single only Atari BBS package that runs natively on an Atari
and uses the Stik internet connection to run an internet available
telnet BBS (if you choose) or still functions in it's original form
using any port, even MIDI.
I've taken up development and maintenance for Octopus BBS from the
original author, Koos Kuil and it's completely free now. I've evaluated
other Atari BBS options and I believe that no other package for the Atari
is even remotely as flexible as Octopus BBS is. Take into account also
that the current author is still around and will add any features you
wish and if you have the idea to put up an Atari BBS, this is the way to
go!
If you have any questions, just email me, or you can Download the BBS and
read about it here:
http://portal.atari-source.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=22&page=1
You may wonder why I would bother maintaining an old BBS package. I
think a lot of people are moving back to their roots a bit, hence the
sudden influx of new people (or rather a return of old people) back to
Atari well after leaving to PC's. I think having internet available
BBS's suits that, if it is integrated into normal internet life (usenet,
ftp, etc), so much the better. If for nothing else, it's something for
my TT to do.
If you're curious, the Octopus BBS is running on pikachu.dynup.net.
Under windows or linux, just go to a terminal and type "telnet
pikachu.dynup.net" and you got it.
As always, please keep in mind that this is a work in progress. Most
things probably won't properly like File transfers, magazines, all files
listing, qwk and of course, the message bases have no activity."
Greg Goodwin tells Mark:
"This is really great, thanks! I have a TT that I am tempted to put on
the network and use as a BBS. This a idea I've been knocking around for
a bit now. [I] Just need to get my daynaport working, and this program,
and let 'er fly.
I understand this program is still quite buggy, right?
How many out there have had luck getting the daynaport ethernet adaptor
to work out there?"
Mark tells Greg:
"Not really, this was quite a mature program before I got my hands on it.
Now with each release it gets more stable. It doesn't really crash
anymore, you can tell just by telnetting to it. The only time it goes
down is for a version upgrade. And with the scripting and menus you can
customize the whole system to your hearts content. And of course if you
need any help understanding how to set it up for internet mode (which
isn't as well documented but easy nonetheless) you can ask me for help.
Buggy or not, this is the only supported BBS package left and I plan to
support multi-node telnet operation soon. What we really could use is
more or less gszrz for STiK. I have a zmodem program for unix but it's
for unix sockets and Octopus uses STiK so no real hope getting them to
cooperate without digging deep into gluestik, and even then that's only
good for MiNT users. I have more testing to do as far as running Octopus
under MagiC, etc but I can say for certain it runs well on Falcon and TT
with MiNT. I'm working hard to maintain compatibility with 4 meg
ST's, singleTOS and MagiC."
Kenneth Medin asks for help with Highwire and Okami:
"Highwire can't find its modules directory if launched from within Okami
by clicking on a html link. If I put a symbolic link to the modules
folder in the Okami path everything is OK.
Could this be a config error by me or a bug/anomaly in
Highwire/Okami/Magic6?"
Martin Byttebier takes a guess:
"Bug in Magic maybe?I'm using the cfg as found in the package. I just
changed the CACHEMEN and the path of CACHEDIR path."
Ronald Hall posts this about several of my all-time favorite Atari
Vendors:
"One hears so much of "horror stories" when it comes to service that when
something nice does happen, well...I like to give credit where credit is
due. Just this week:
Brad Koda of Best Electronics continued his unshakeable support of Atari
- I bought a Falcon memory board from him and having a few problems, he
offers to send a SIMM guaranteed to work.
Steve Cohen of Wizztronics (the Falcon memory boards maker) offers to
check the board and any SIMM I want to send with it, free of charge.
Thomas Binder, of the famed Thing desktop, after I e-mail him concerning
re-registering, calmly informs me that he still has the details from
where I registered several *years* ago, and sends the key, at no extra
charge. (and there are lots more - these 3 just stood out this week)
This is the Atari community that I remember. Greatest bunch of people in
the world."
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 - Dragon Quest VIII!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" X-Men Legends Ships!
Console Makers Make Push!
And much more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Dragon Quest VIII to Be Released in November
Square Enix Co., Ltd., a leading developer and publisher of interactive
entertainment software including two of the world's most popular franchises
Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest announced that Dragon Quest VIII for the
Playstation2, will be released November 27, 2004 in Japan.
The Dragon Quest Series is one of the leading RPGs in Japan. The series was
first released in 1986 and has sold 35.89 million units worldwide. Dragon
Quest VIII "Sora to Umi to Daiichi to Norowaleshi Himegimi," using
cutting-edge graphics and a new game system, will be released for the PS2
as a completely new Dragon Quest, four years after the last Dragon Quest
VII. In addition, the company will prepare a playable version for the 2004
Tokyo Game Show which will be held September 24-26, 2004. This will be the
premiere of a DQ VIII playable.
The world of Dragon Quest VIII is created with breakthrough 3D graphics.
The world, which includes fields, towns and dungeons, will allow players to
move around seamlessly. The graphics are of a high-quality animation, and
players can feel as if they are walking around inside the world created by
Character Designer, Akira Toriyama.
The battle scenes and monsters make users feel as if they were actually
facing them. All of the monsters and characters are transformed with 3D
graphics. Battle scenes provide a strong presence of characters and
monsters due to its stunning visuals. Moreover, both new and familiar
monsters have been recreated with uniquely detailed animation popular among
fans of Dragon Quest. These characters come alive with a fresh breath of
life.
Koichi Sugiyama, the composer of Dragon Quest VIII and all of the music
from previous titles in the series, composed an entirely original score. A
classic and elegant score, the music is also memorable and will leave
people humming the tunes. The impressive score makes the journey much more
adventurous and paints each scene with emotion.
X-Men Legends Ships For Playstation 2, Xbox, And GameCube
The mutant battle rages on to North American retail shelves with the
release of Activision, Inc.?s X-Men Legends. An epic action-RPG featuring a
compelling storyline written by former X-Men comic book writers, the game
allows players to pick and customize a team of legendary X-Men from the
Marvel Universe to combat evil and protect the fate of mankind from certain
doom. Developed by Raven Software, X-Men Legends has already received
critical acclaim, earning an "Editors Choice" award from IGN.com. The title
is currently available for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system,
Xbox video game system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube for a suggested
retail price of $49.99 and carries a 'T' (Teen, Blood, Violence) rating by
the ESRB.
"X-Men Legends is the only game that allows players to fully customize and
develop their ultimate dream team of 15 of Marvel's most popular X-Men
characters,"? states Kathy Vrabeck, president, Activision Publishing, Inc.
"The game's original storyline is full of plot twists and turns that will
captivate players and enlist them in the most immersive X-Men quest ever."
X-Men Legends challenges players to master the attributes of their favorite
X-Men characters by creating, customizing and controlling teams of four
mutants in real time, as they embark on a quest to stop the extinction of
mankind. Throughout the action-filled saga players assume the role of up to
15 popular X-Men characters, each with individual mutant powers and
fighting skills, including Wolverine, Gambit, Nightcrawler and Storm.
Gamers select specific X-Men characters depending on each mission and
unlock new playable mutants and super powers as they battle the Brotherhood
of Mutants and other Marvel villains in fully interactive and destructible
3-D environments. Along the way, players lead teams of mutants on a variety
of challenging missions set in some of the most popular locations from the
X-Men comics, including the X- Mansion, New York City and the infamous
Weapon X facility.
Gamers can adventure alone or team up with friends to battle in up to a
4-player co-operative mode for dynamic Super Hero action.
X-Men Legends is powered by Vicarious Visions Alchemy middleware game
engine.
Ubisoft Announces Tork: Prehistoric Punk for Xbox
Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced Tork:
Prehistoric Punk for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Tork:
Prehistoric Punk, a high-spirited, fast-paced action-adventure game, allows
gamers to play as Tork, a fearless and determined cave boy hero who has
magical powers that allow him to travel through time and transform into
other creatures. Tork: Prehistoric Punk will ship for Xbox in North America
in October for a suggested retail price of $19.99.
"Tork: Prehistoric Punk is one of the few high-action yet kid-friendly
games available for Microsoft's Xbox system," said Helene Juguet, Ubisoft's
director of marketing in the United States. With an expected ESRB rating of
E for Everyone,' Tork: Prehistoric Punk will provide great entertainment
for kids of all ages.
After seeing his village destroyed and his father kidnapped, Tork embarks
on an adventure to save his father before the course of history is changed
forever. To do so, the spontaneous, young punk will travel and explore
different time periods, including his own Prehistoric Age, the Medieval
Age, and finally the futuristic Age of Machines. As the game progresses,
Tork will gain special abilities and attack modes, learn new tricks and
pick up cool age-specific power-ups. Tork will battle large dinosaurs,
hails of spears, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters that
Mother Nature throws his way. Other gameplay features include:
* Venture through 13 dynamic levels.
* Challenge beastly bosses with a set of bolas that pack a serious
punch.
* Using Tork's special magical powers, morph into different animal
creatures such as a bulldozing yeti, a mighty armor-plated armadillo,
or a high-flying squirrel.
* Unique attacks and abilities add variety to the gameplay.
* Easy to pick up and play, but captivating and varied enough to keep
a younger audience interested.
Sony to Launch Latest Gran Turismo Software in Dec
Sony Corp. said on Friday it would launch the latest version of its
blockbuster racing game software "Gran Turismo" in December in a
potentially strong boost for holiday sales of its PlayStation 2 console.
The Gran Turismo series, originally launched in 1997, has sold more than
36 million units worldwide, making it the most popular PlayStation title
created in-house by Sony Computer Entertainment, the videogame unit of
Sony.
"More than 650 cars from 80 manufacturers will go into the software,
topping the series record of 500 cars in GT 2," Sony Computer Entertainment
Japan senior vice president Kazunori Yamauchi told a packed auditorium at
Tokyo Game Show 2004.
"Gran Turismo 4" will be released on Dec. 3 in Japan and the rest of Asia,
and on Dec. 14 in North America. The European launch will take place around
the same time.
Prices have yet to be set, and there is no concrete sales target for the
latest version, Yamauchi said.
Gamers Get a Look at PlayStation Portable
Gamers got their first chance to lay their hands on Sony Computer
Entertainment's highly-anticipated PlayStation Portable (PSP) at the
Tokyo Game Show this week and initial reactions were mostly positive.
People who already own a PlayStation 2 (PS2) say the PSP faithfully
translates the larger console's environment.
"The performance is quite incredible and the buttons are comfortable....
It's just like the PS2," says Cody Pang, a 30-year-old gamer who traveled
to the show from Hong Kong. Pang, who likes to game on large screens, says
he feels that the PSP screen is clear and sharp, and faithfully renders
"Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater."
Pang, who owns a PS2, says he thinks the PSP device was a little big for
his pocket. But in contrast, Fujiko Yamanaka, a 26-year-old gamer from
Japan, was impressed by the PSP's form factor and says it would be a big
selling point for Japanese gamers.
"It's so cute! It's so cool!" Yamanaka says. "To me it's almost like my
mobile phone, and I feel I can put it in my handbag and carry it around.
It's going to be popular with girls."
Sony has yet to announce the exact launch date of the PSP, but it will be
on sale in Japan by the end of 2004 and internationally in the first half
of 2005, according to Sony spokesperson, Masami Nakamura. Ahead of this,
however, the company has announced just over 100 game titles for the
Japanese market.
Even Sony's gaming rivals were impressed with the PSP, according to a
developer for Microsoft's Xbox games console attending the show who asked
not to be identified. "The visual fidelity is there, the control schematics
are faithful to the PS2, the frame rate is fast, and the picture crisp,
with the frame rate only showing a lag during particularly heavy combat
fire," the developer says.
While PSP's hardware performance received a thumbs up from the floor of the
Tokyo Game Show, one hurdle the handheld may face is a perceived lack of
original titles, gamers say. For example, while Pang says that he'd be
happy if Sony managed to port most of PS2's extensive list of games onto
PSP, some gamers are looking for more.
"What I really wanted to try was to play "Spider Man 2," and it wasn't
there," says Yoshihiro Sakita, who says he is visiting the show for his
tenth year in a row. "I want to play games on the train, and I want to play
movie titles," he says.
While Sony gears up for its assault on the handheld console market,
Nintendo is not showing its Nintendo Double Screen (DS) handheld console at
the Tokyo Game Show. That did not stop gamers and developers from
expressing positive opinions about the Nintendo device.
The Nintendo DS's touch screen is arousing particular interest, as is the
price. It will sell at about $150, or about half the price of the PSP.
"I have a PS2, but it's my private secret that I am looking at the DS, and
the touch screen looks very, very interesting," says Takafumi Izawa, a
22-year-old gamer. "In terms of performance, the PSP will win. In terms of
price, the DS will win," he says.
The Nintendo DS had only two games on display, according to a Tokyo Game
Show list. One is "Eggumonsutah Hero" by Square Enix, and the other is
"Project Rub," a provisional title, by Sega. Despite the lack of titles on
display at the show, a flood of games is coming, according to developers,
who say they are anxious for both Nintendo DS and PSP to succeed.
Hudson Soft is developing its Bomberman series, already announced for PSP,
but is facing some issues redeveloping the game for Nintendo DS's dual
screen, says Taeko Makanae, a Hudson spokesperson.
Some developers suggest that Nintendo DS and Sony PSP may suit different
markets in Japan, with PSP seen as scoring heavily with hardcore gamers
who have a little more money to spend and who expect higher performance.
The Nintendo DS may be more popular with younger players, according to
Koji Suga, chief of Square Enix's sales and marketing division.
"The DS will make a big success, we think, because Nintendo understands
what children like, and they have Mario and Zelda and Pokemon," he says.
Square Enix did not have its "Eggumonsutah Hero" game on display.
Sega will put its "Project Rub" game for the Nintendo DS on sale in Japan
in December, says Takeshi Shimizu, Nintendo DS marketing manager. Beyond
this, the company is planning a big release of games for the console, but
it cannot say when, he says.
"The DS has a different screen size and spec than the PSP, but the dual
screen also opens up new possibilities for games developers, so we are very
positive about developing games for both consoles, for the whole market,
from kids to adults," Shimizu says.
Against this, Sony's key to success after launch will be to come up with
original games titles and content that will narrow any perception amongst
gamers that the PSP might be too expensive, according to the XBox
developer.
"The biggest challenges are going to be the retail price of $300 and how
fast and how good Sony can move away from porting games from the
PlayStation 2," Shimizu says.
The Tokyo Game Show runs September 24 to September 26 at the Nippon
Convention Center in Chiba, Japan.
Nintendo, Sony Make Pushes Before Holidays
Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp. made separate product announcements Tuesday
that the video game giants hope will attract more customers ahead of the
highly competitive holiday shopping season.
Nintendo said its handheld device, called Nintendo DS, will arrive in North
American stores for $149.99 on Nov. 21, 10 days before the product is
launched in Japan.
Rival Sony, meanwhile, announced a much slimmer, reworked PlayStation 2
designed to cut manufacturing costs amid fierce competition in the console
market, which includes Nintendo's own GameCube and the Xbox from Microsoft
Corp.
The DS and PS2 aren't competing against each other, but analyst PJ McNealy
with American Technology Research said the timing of the announcements was
important for both companies. December alone, McNealy said, typically
accounts for about half of the industry's annual revenue, which now tops
$10 billion annually.
Nintendo officials said they decided to release the DS in North America
before Japan - a first for the Tokyo-based company - because it fit better
with holiday shopping patterns. Nov. 21 falls on the Sunday before
Thanksgiving, which typically kicks off the Christmas shopping rush in the
United States.
Building on the success of Nintendo's top-selling Game Boy Advance SP
handheld, the silver and black DS has a flip-screen and is about the size
of a paperback.
It adds two 3-inch color liquid-crystal displays so players can see the
action and an overhead map at the same time, for example.
The DS will ship with "PictoChat," a program that lets players write
messages and draw pictures on the touch screen with a stylus, then send the
info wirelessly to nearby DS users.
No specific games have been announced, but more than 100 companies plan to
make games, officials said.
McNealy, the analyst, said the November release gives Nintendo an edge over
Sony in the battle of next-generation handhelds.
Sony's PlayStation Portable, nicknamed PSP, won't arrive in the U.S. until
sometime next year. Pricing and other details haven't been announced.
Earlier this month, Nintendo slashed the price on the SP model but said the
move was unrelated to the DS, which the company is aiming at older, more
sophisticated gamers.
Sony said its reworked PS2 weighs half of the current model and will go on
sale worldwide in November.
It includes the functions from the old model, including DVD movie playback,
and adds a built-in Ethernet port and a modem jack for online gaming. The
older model required a $40 adapter to play online.
However, a PS2 price cut was not included in the announcement. Sony and
Microsoft both cut prices on their consoles by $30 to $149 in the spring.
The GameCube goes for $99.
Sony has sold about 74 million PS2s worldwide, including 40 million in
United States and nearly 21 million in Japan, officials said. The PS2 leads
the global video game market with 80 percent of the market in Japan and
Europe, and about 47 percent in the United States, according to Sony.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
AOL Moves Beyond Passwords for Log-Ons
Passwords alone won't be enough to get onto America Online under a new,
optional log-on service that makes AOL the first major U.S. online business
to offer customers a second layer of security.
The so-called two-factor authentication scheme, being unveiled Tuesday,
will cost $1.95 a month in addition to a one-time $9.95 fee. It is
initially targeted at small businesses, victims of identity theft and
individuals who pay a lot of bills and conduct other financial transactions
through their AOL accounts.
Subscribers get a matchbook-size device from RSA Security Inc. displaying
a six-digit code that changes every minute. The code is necessary to log
on, so a scammer who guesses or steals a password cannot access the account
without the device in hand.
Two-factor authentication - whether through the RSA device, biometrics or
cards printed with rotating lists of passwords - is common in Scandinavia,
Brazil, Singapore and selected countries. In the United States, its use is
largely limited to employees accessing office networks remotely, or people
with high-value financial portfolios.
AOL spokesman Andrew Weinstein said the time was ripe to offer it as
subscribers move more of their sensitive personal, business and financial
information online.
The offering also comes as scammers increasingly find ways to trick
subscribers into giving their passwords by sending e-mail disguised as
legitimate information requests.
And with so many sites now requiring passwords, many Internet users have
become careless: They create easy-to-remember passwords that tend to be
easy to guess - or they write them down on sticky notes and post them at
their computers.
By requiring the second, rotating password, "you don't have to remember
complicated passwords to still have good security," said Scott Schnell, a
senior vice president at RSA Security.
The second password will be required for checking e-mail and accessing
services tied to the AOL account, including calendars, stock portfolios
and AOL's Bill Pay.
It won't protect services offered by third parties on the open Internet,
outside AOL's walled gardens, except in cases where their statements and
other sensitive information are sent to the AOL e-mail account. Nor is the
second password needed to use AOL Instant Messenger.
Gartner analyst Avivah Litan believes a "very narrow set of consumers" -
perhaps 5 percent to 15 percent of AOL's 30 million subscribers - would
sign up, but "you have to start somewhere."
She said AOL's offering likely would prompt other Internet service
providers and banks to consider such systems more seriously, though the
prevailing belief these days is that customers will find them difficult to
use.
Just this summer, HSBC Bank USA began requiring a second password to access
its bill-payment services.
That password is entered using an on-screen keypad to thwart snoops who
secretly install software that records keystrokes as they are typed on a
regular keyboard.
Unlike AOL's service, though, neither password automatically changes, nor
is there a charge.
House Could Vote on Spyware Bill Next Week
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote as soon as next week on a
measure to crack down on deceptive "spyware" that hides in users' computers
and secretly monitors their activities, key lawmakers said on Wednesday.
House leaders will combine two spyware bills and bring them to the House
floor for a yes-or-no vote, said Rep. Joe Barton (news, bio, voting
record), the Texas Republican who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee.
The bill is expected to pass by a wide margin thanks to the backing of
high-tech companies like Yahoo Inc. and Dell Inc., he said.
"I think that'll help us to get close to 435 votes when this bill comes up
on the floor," Barton said on a conference call.
Spyware can sap computing power, crash machines and bury users under a
blizzard of unwanted ads. It can capture passwords, credit-card numbers and
other sensitive data.
The bill approved by Barton's committee would require software makers to
notify people before loading new programs on their machines that can
collect information about them. Violators could face millions of dollars
in fines.
It will be combined with another bill, passed by the Judiciary Committee,
that would establish criminal penalties for those who use spyware to
commit identity theft or other crimes.
The two bills will be combined in the Rules Committee, then taken up for a
vote under a procedure that does not allow opponents to suggest changes,
Barton said. It will require a two-thirds majority for passage.
In the Senate, the Commerce Committee approved a similar bill on Wednesday.
A Barton aide said there were few substantial differences between the two
bills.
FDIC Warns About E-Mail 'Phishing' Scam
The FDIC on Friday issued an alert about an increasingly common e-mail scam
designed to steal personal information and money from millions of unwary
consumers.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), perhaps best known as an
insurer of bank deposits, issued its warning about so-called "phishing"
eight months after criminals began misappropriating its name and reputation
to perpetrate e-mail fraud.
Phishing lures innocent people to bogus Web sites that look like those of
well-known or reputable government agencies, banks, credit card companies
and retailers, and deceives them into divulging personal data.
The term is derived from the act of computer thieves who "fish" for private
data.
The Anti-Phishing Working Group, which monitors Internet scams, said up to
5 percent of recipients of the scam e-mails respond, often suffering
identity theft or financial loss.
The group identified 1,974 distinct phishing attacks in July, up about
1,700 percent from 116 in December.
Institutions that scammers target include Citibank, U.S. Bank, eBay and
PayPal, Capital One, SunTrust and Wells Fargo. Two-thirds of July's attacks
targeted Citibank and U.S. Bank, the anti-phishing group said.
In a typical scam, the fake e-mail gives you a reason to verify or resubmit
personal or confidential information, such as to confirm a recent
transaction, or to help safeguard your account from fraud.
The message then provides a link to what appears to be a real Web site of
the issuing entity, but which in fact is operated by the scammer.
You might then be asked to provide Social Security or account numbers,
passwords, or information commonly needed to access accounts, such as your
mother's maiden name. Armed with this information, scammers can rip you
off.
Many fake e-mails carry return addresses at sites such as Yahoo.com, or
contain typographical or grammatical errors - two-thirds of scammers come
from such countries as South Korea, China and Russia, the anti-phishing
group said. E-mails might even appear to come from entities you don't do
business with.
One recent fake e-mail seeming to come from Citibank urges you to restore
full access to your accounts following a tampering by an "unauthorized
third party." Another urges you to provide up-to-date information because
your "Account Has been frozen!" (The "h" in "Has" is capitalized.)
The FDIC said if anyone suspects an e-mail or Web site is fake, they should
tell the real entity, using contact information you know is reliable. It
said people may also contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a
partnership between the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center, at
http://www.ifccfbi.gov.
If anyone believes they are a victim of identity theft or see unauthorized
account or credit card activity, the FDIC said, they should contact their
financial institution and, if necessary, close existing accounts and open
new ones. People may also call the three major credit bureaus - Equifax at
1-800-525-6285, Experian at 1-888-397-3742, and TransUnion at
1-800-680-7289 - to request a fraud alert be placed on their credit report.
The FDIC alert appears at
http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/alerts/index.html. The U.S. Federal
Trade Commission also maintains a Web site on identity theft at
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft.
Ireland Cracks Down on Internet Scams
Ireland is taking "extraordinary" measures to protect Internet users from
rogue auto-dialer programs that hijack their modems and run up
long-distance phone charges, the country's telecom regulator says. Direct
dialing to 13 countries - most of which are South Pacific islands - will be
suspended.
The measure, announced by Ireland's Commission for Communications
Regulation, came in response to hundreds of consumer complaints about the
scams. ComReg acknowledges that its move is extreme but says that previous
efforts to raise awareness of the problem failed to significantly diminish
complaints.
The auto-dialer programs change Internet users' dial-up settings to call
an international number without their knowledge. Users are often unaware
that they have been targeted until they receive exorbitant phone bills at
the end of the month. Broadband users, who have fixed numbers, are not
affected.
According to the RegCom spokesperson, one business in Ireland complained of
receiving a phone bill for more than $22,000 due to the scam, while some
home users unwittingly racked up phone bills as high as $2400.
RegCom's crackdown follows an increase in reports by consumers worldwide
about the rising number of Internet scams, putting the onus on regulators
to relieve the problem, the spokesperson for RegCom says.
Numerous complaints about auto-dialers have also been received in the
United Kingdom, but so far it has not moved to block direct dialing. In
July, however, the United Kingdom's premium-rate telephone services
regulator, ICSTIS, began requiring companies that wanted to run Internet
dialer services to apply for permission first. Furthermore, the United
Kingdom's telecom regulator, Ofcom, decided in August to look into
strengthening ICSTIS' powers so it could further tackle these types of
Internet scams.
A spokesperson for Ofcom says that authorities are well aware of the dialer
scam and that many U.K. consumers have been affected. Regulators fear that
if they do not take action, confidence in premium-rate services will be
damaged, he says. It remains to be seen whether the United Kingdom and
other countries will adopt the measures of Ireland's regulators.
RegCom gave telecommunications operators until October 4 to suspend direct
dial to 13 countries where many of the auto-dialer calls were routed. The
countries being blocked include Norfork Island, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu,
and Comoros, as well as Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean that
has no indigenous inhabitants, only a joint U.K.-U.S. military base.
The South Pacific island destinations may have been selected because they
are some of the most expensive to call from Europe.
RegCom will keep the block in place for six months, after which it will be
reviewed. All direct-dial calls will initially be blocked, although the
regulator is also compiling a "white list" of legitimate numbers that
consumers have requested to call.
The regulator is also working with government representatives from the
blocked countries, such as the Irish ambassador for the Cook Islands, to
compile the list of legitimate numbers.
Microsoft Sues Web Hoster, Others Over Spam
Microsoft Corp. filed nine new lawsuits against spammers who send
unsolicited e-mail, including an e-mail marketing Web hosting company, the
world's largest software maker said on Thursday
With the latest batch of lawsuits, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said
it is involved in more than 100 legal cases against spammers, including
more than 70 lawsuits filed in the United States.
Microsoft has launched a barrage of lawsuits against spammers over the past
year in an attempt to curb the spread of unsolicited e-mail pitching
everything from get-rich-quick schemes and herbal remedies to penis
enlargements.
Microsoft said it filed a lawsuit last week in Washington State's King
County Superior Court against Web hosting company National Online Sales and
its owner Levon Gillespie, as well as those who used his services, for
offering "bulletproof" services for those seeking to send marketing email.
Gillespie was not immediately available for comment and e-mails sent to his
company's site were not immediately answered.
Aaron Kornblum, an attorney for Microsoft, said the Web hosting company,
which offers space on computers for serving Web pages and sending e-mail,
based its operations in China so the sites would not be shut down.
"This is the first action against a Web host catering to spammers,"
Kornblum said, "they're providing a safe place for spammers to drive
customers to."
The other recent lawsuits filed by Microsoft were against spammers sending
unsolicited e-mail.
Kornblum said that by taking legal action, Microsoft is "trying to change
the economics of spam" by making it costlier for spammers to continue their
activities.
Rumors Aside, Browser Is a Logical Step for Google
Google's next move may be to add a browser offering to its portfolio of
Internet products. A New York Post news report suggests that the
search-engine giant has added employees to develop such a technology based
on the open-source Mozilla browser.
The article, which ran on September 19th, indicated that "Google appears to
be planning to launch its own Web browser and other software products to
challenge Microsoft." The evidence for the assertion rests on Google's
hiring of top talent from Microsoft, Sun and other companies.
Google needs a browser, say the experts. It is the next piece of its
evolution. Besides, the company's innovative toolbar has been watered down
by the offerings of competitors. It no longer differentiates Google. "The
next level is controlling the application," Meta Group analyst Tim
Hickernell told NewsFactor.
Certainly, someone at Google has thought about the issue; the company has
reserved the URL gbrowser.com.
With Microsoft getting into the search business, it would make sense that
Google would want a piece of the Explorer user base. Moreover,
Internet-based applications are in right now.
"In the advertising market, vendors are starting to ship 32-bit
applications," Hickernell added. "And they ship applications to do searches
from within those applications."
Google obviously has the muscle to use the same idea to provide more than
just a pop-under ad. He says the Mozilla browser is a great starting point.
But regardless of whether a Google browser turns the consumer world upside
down, the enterprise will remain steady-as-she-goes. "In the enterprise
market, there's just no way," said Hickernell. Businesses will not stop
using Explorer just to gain a slight technology edge.
Many businesses have engaged in too many projects and Web sites, optimized
for Explorer, to switch to another browser. Mozilla's security
characteristics also are untested. Until it is widely installed, the
breakability of the application is largely unknown. "If you're sitting in
the CIO's office trying to make the case to drop Explorer in favor of a
Google browser, it's futile," Hickernell asserted. "Enterprises just have
way too many other concerns than to deal with what kind of browser they're
using."
Ask Jeeves Spruces Up for Search-Engine Fight
Search engine Ask Jeeves has rolled out new functionality on its Web site
that will help it take aim not only at the big players in this space -
Google, Yahoo and AOL - but also at Amazon's up-and-coming A9.com.
Some of this functionality already has been presented to users, such as Ask
Jeeve's Local Search, which was introduced earlier this summer. But the
company is reintroducing the entire package through a marketing campaign
headed by its iconic butler, Jeeves.
"Jeeves is a resilient guy, a survivor," said Scott Garell, executive vice
president and general manager of U.S. Sites at Ask Jeeves. "Since he made
his debut on Ask Jeeves in 1996, he has weathered the dot-com collapse and
the rise of some pretty big players in the search space. While he is
holding his own against Google and Yahoo, we thought we should get him into
shape before MSN's butterfly climbs into the ring."
The company said Jeeves was last updated in 2000, when Ask Jeeves launched
a marketing campaign around its natural language.
Besides its successful brand campaign over the years, Ask Jeeves also has
been quietly building its portfolio, both through acquisition and organic
growth. This past summer, it acquired all of the assets of Tukaroo, a San
Jose, California-based desktop search-technology company.
And earlier this year, the company purchased Interactive Search Holdings in
a US$343 million cash-and-stock deal.
The Interactive Search Holdings deal was expected to double Ask Jeeves'
market share, the company said, with multiple brands that included My Way,
My Search, My Web Search, iWon, Excite and the MaxOnline advertising
network.
"Ask Jeeves has been trying for some time to shed its old image as a clunky
question/answer search engine in favor of its new technology," Meta Group
analyst Tim Hickernell told NewsFactor.
VeriSign Touts Childrens' Online Identity Token
VeriSign Inc. and a children's safety group unveiled a new technology on
Thursday that they said would make it easier for children to avoid child
predators online.
The i-Stik token, inserted in a computer's USB port, provides verification
of a child's age and gender. Chatroom lurkers who can't prove their age
will stick out like sore thumbs as more kids adopt the tokens, backers
said.
"This doesn't guarantee everything, but at least it cuts the field down,"
said Montana Republican Sen. Conrad Burns at a Capitol Hill press
conference that was attended by several other lawmakers.
The token will be available free to students in a handful of schools this
fall. School administrators will provide a list of students, with their
ages and genders, and VeriSign will encode that information onto the
tokens.
The program will be expanded to thousands of schools across the country
starting in the spring of 2005, said Teri Schroeder, president of the
children's' online safety group i-Safe America.
The token, made by VeriSign, is also used to verify the identity of people
logging on to corporate networks.
New Computer Mice Cutting Edge
If you're still pointing and clicking with the factory-issued mouse that
came with your computer - or, heaven forbid, if you're still using your
laptop's barbaric touch pad - it's time to upgrade.
A new generation of cordless mice debuts this month, featuring lasers and
rechargeable batteries. They even provide a modicum of relief to carpal
tunnels and aching fingers.
Eat your hearts out, co-workers.
The sleek new gizmos that now pass for computer mice look more like
miniature spaceships or palm-sized remote controls than gray rodents whose
roller balls choke on dust - even if they do set you back at least $50.
I tried two new models from Logitech Inc., the Swiss technology giant that
has sold more than 500 million mice since 1981. Doug Engelbart, who
invented the mouse in 1962, still maintains an office at Logitech's office
park in Fremont, Calif.
My favorite was the $80 MX1000 Laser, billed as the world's first
commercial laser mouse.
It comes with a built-in, rechargeable lithium-ion battery that requires a
recharge every three weeks in its docking station. It works with Windows
98 or Macintosh OS X or newer operating systems and requires a USB or
PS/2 port.
The MX1000 tracks movements using Agilent Technologies' short-wavelength
laser instead of a typical optical mouse's light-emitting diode, making the
MX1000 roughly 20 times more sensitive to surface details.
The laser beams through a silver ring on mouse's belly. The light bounces
off the surface of your desk (or filing cabinet, or piece of cardboard, or
slab of marble) and signals a sensor that captures 5.8 megapixels of detail
per second.
That lets you click and point over most flat surfaces, such as glass, tile
or lacquer - a boon to graphic artists, Web designers and others in the
Bang & Olufsen crowd who disdain plebeian wooden desks.
But you don't have to be a fashionista to appreciate the 1.7-pound MX1000.
From sticky tabs to manila folders, crumbs and dog hair, so much junk clogs
my desk that old-fashioned mice trip more often than track. The MX1000
never missed a point or click, even on a daunting obstacle course of
reporter's notebooks, a cookie sheet and a pile of stamped postcards.
It even performed admirably - though not flawlessly - on the rubberized,
curved arm rest of my office chair. It worked up to a distance of about 5
feet.
I also tried the $50 MediaPlay Cordless Mouse, designed for people who
listen to music and watch videos on their PCs.
MediaPlay is a wireless mouse that doubles as a remote control to adjust
volume, forward and rewind digital media programs up to 10 feet from the
base station. The 16.6-ounce mouse works with Windows 98 or newer operating
systems on IBM-compatible PCs and requires a USB or PS/2 port.
The slick design includes six backlit media buttons, such as play, pause,
forward and back. The software works with media players including Windows
Media Player and RealPlayer.
Buying a MediaPlay mouse gets you 10 free downloads from Musicmatch. A
button just beneath the scroll wheel launches Logitech's MediaLife
software, which gives you more free music and video.
MediaPlay comes with a desktop USB stand, two AA batteries and a wireless
mini receiver the size of a flip-out car key that plugs into a USB port.
MediaPlay has an easy-to-grip hourglass shape and contoured base so it
easily doubles as a remote control. Its rubber ridge felt grippable and
firm - better than standard-issue, straightedged remotes.
This mouse won't spend its life on your desk.
I've been a Logitech fan for years, mainly because the company makes
gadgets so easy to install and use that I rarely have to read the
directions.
My only complaint was that installing the software resulted in a slew of
icons - including advertising and marketing for other companies - on my
start menu and desktop that took time to uninstall. This complaint isn't
unique to Logitech, but I wish tech companies would be more respectful of
my computer's memory and my low tolerance for third-party ads -
particularly applications that launch AOL for Broadband.
I'm also wondering about the laser mouse's battery life. (My Sonicare
toothbrush was great for a year, then spent most of its remaining life in
the recharging cradle. It died within three years of purchase, making me
wonder whether other rechargeable products will meet the same fate.)
Complaints aside, I really like how the new mice let you toggle between Web
pages with only the slightest thumb movement - eliminating unnecessary
movement for my soon-to-be-arthritic fingers.
If you spend any amount of time with your computer mouse, the $50 that a
new optical mouse costs is a worthwhile investment. And you won't even have
to clear your desktop of crumbs.
Yahoo Survey Reveals 'Web Withdrawal'
Take away their Web access, and most people have a hard time coping,
suffering withdrawal symptoms reflected in feelings of being hopelessly
out of touch with the world. That is the conclusion drawn from research
conducted by Web portal Yahoo and media services firm OMD.
Participants in the Internet Deprivation Study, which examined consumers'
media habits and their emotional connection toward the Internet, revealed
that carrying on their normal routine without the Web was more difficult
than they expected - and in some cases impossible, because the Internet's
tools and services had become firmly ingrained in their daily lives.
Participants located in Portland, Chicago and Boston found that daily
activities - such as booking travel, paying bills, checking sports scores
and communicating with friends and family - were significantly impaired
when Internet access was removed for two weeks.
Regardless of age, household income or ethnic background, all participants
in the ethnographic research study experienced feelings of loss,
frustration and disconnectedness when cut off from the online world. Users
described their time offline as "feeling left out of the loop," having to
"resist temptation," and missing their "private escape time" during the day.
Nearly half the respondents in a complementary quantitative study indicated
they could not go without the Internet for more than two weeks, and the
median time respondents said they could go without being online was five
days.
Sean Finnegan, director of OMD Digital, told NewsFactor that the study
results, indicating "an utter reliance" on the Internet among individuals,
will be applied by his company as it advises clients on how to spend their
advertising dollars.
"From a corporate standpoint, the advertising industry now has information
on the behavior of a fragmented online universe," Finnegan said. "We can
put a face on the everyday user and the amount of time being spent online.
It's clear that advertisers should consider the Web as a viable platform in
reaching consumers, even though they may have some misgivings."
The participants' reactions were captured at different stages throughout
the two-week study period and supplemented with video and written diaries.
Despite being paid some SP5000 per household, most participants were
ready to return the money within five days in exchange for reconnecting to
the Internet, said Finnegan. "There was a clear expression of frustration."
The survey findings demonstrate that a larger circle of social networks
have developed as a result of Web access. Among the comments offered by
participants was, "I haven't talked to people I usually talk to and have
been tempted to go on instant-messenger, because I feel out of the loop,"
from Kristin S.
"One man in Boston even reported that he was missing spam," said Finnegan.
With Internet access removed, participants reported increased reliance on
mobile phones, traditional media such as newspapers, and visits to the bank
and travel agency.
"The study indicates that conducting such tasks is much quicker and cheaper
online, providing a distinct advantage for consumers," Finnegan said.
At the same time, he noted, individuals without Web access did spend more
face-to-face time with friends, family and co-workers, which is not a bad
thing.
Microsoft Blogger Tracks 7 Years Of Spam
Microsoft employee Raymond Chen has compiled unique evidence of the
explosion of spam: he's saved every spam message and virus-laden e-mail
he's received at work since 1997.
Not willing to stop there, Chen graphed the spams and viruses to create a
cool visual representation of one man's malicious traffic.
Why save every spam? Good question.
Chen's answer? "Occasionally, it comes in handy, for example, to add nave
Bayesian spam filter to my custom-written email filter," he wrote in his
blog.
Actually, the graph is an interesting view, for it visually demonstrates
the explosion of spam in 2002, its continued rage in 2003, and finally, in
2004, a bit of a fall-off as enterprise filters and defenses come into
play.
"You can see that in late 2003, the blue dot density [which shows spam
received] diminished considerably. That's when mail administrators found a
filter whose false-positive rate was low enough to be acceptable," Chen
wrote.
For a peek at the graph, head to Chen's blog.
=~=~=~=
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