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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 09 Issue 11
Volume 9, Issue 11 Atari Online News, Etc. March 16, 2007
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2007
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:
Roger Burrows
To subscribe to A-ONE, change e-mail addresses, or unsubscribe,
log on to our website at: www.atarinews.org
and click on "Subscriptions".
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To unsubscribe from A-ONE, send the following: Unsubscribe A-ONE
Please make sure that you include the same address that you used to
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To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the
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Now available:
http://www.atarinews.org
Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
http://forums.delphiforums.com/atari/
=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0911 03/16/07
~ Google Privacy Measures ~ People Are Talking! ~ Mind Control Games!
~ Commodore's At Cebit! ~ Make Spammers Pay Vow! ~ Brain-PC Interface!
~ IE7 Bug Aids Phishers? ~ New Mac OS X Version! ~ OpenID Technology!
~ China's Net Addicts! ~ I-Spy Is Reintroduced! ~ PS3 Fights Cancer!
-* MintNet Driver for SCSI/Link *-
-* Free Domains Promoting Some Malware? *-
-* McAfee Mapping Out Internet's Danger Spots *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
New England weather - ya gotta love it. There's an old adage here in New
England that is quite appropriate, and quite often true: "If you don't
like the weather, wait a minute." As I'm sitting here putting together
this week's issue, it's early Friday morning. Well, early by my standards!
This past Wednesday, we were enjoying temperatures in the upper 60s and
lower 70s in some areas. I uncovered the barbecue that afternoon and
cooked a delicious steak. Spring was definitely in the air. The only
remaining snow on the ground was in the form of a couple of almost-melted
small patches where small mounds had formed. And, there was still ice
sitting on top of our pool cover. Well, according to the forecast last
night (I haven't dared listen to one yet today!), we're supposed to get
a Nor'Easter today - around a half foot of snow. It was supposed to have
started around the morning rush hour, but the skies are still empty, but
threateningly gray.
I drove my wife to work this morning because she's not crazy about
driving in a lot of snow. City folks! And, I dragged the snowblower out
of the garage, anticipating the need to use it again. It's hard to
believe that earlier in the week I had received an e-mail from my local
golf course telling me that the driving range was now open and that the
course was day to day! I almost headed over there to hit a bucket or two
(that's a bucket or two of golf balls, Joe!!), but I decided not to get
too enthusiastic this early in the year. However, I did move my golf
clubs from the corner of my porch to a more accessible spot! I'll
probably clean it out this weekend so I don't have to worry about that
later.
So, as I've been forced to convert from my teeshirt and shorts from earlier
in the week back to thermal and fleece in anticipation of the snow and
much colder temperatures, let me take this time to wish you all a Happy
St. Patrick's Day. yeah, sure and begorrah, we're all Irish this
weekend! Make sure that you be a-wearin' o' the green!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
MintNet Driver for SCSI/Link
A freeware MintNet driver for the Daynaport SCSI/Link is now available.
This is the first public beta, so please watch out for and report any
bugs ;-) You can download it from the following URL:
http://www.anodynesoftware.com/ethernet/main.htm
Roger Burrows
Anodyne Software
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, another week has come and gone, and
I'm still hunting for a job. I've got to tell ya... it's been a tough
month. I never expected to feel like I'd been kicked in the gut after
leaving a job that had taken so much out of me, but that's exactly what
it feels like.
Actually, it feels like 'defeat'... Like I failed, like I 'missed the
bar' somehow. Well, intellectually, I know that's not really the way it
is. But that's the way it FEELS.
On the job-hunt front, I've now gotten my resume into shape and gotten
it online. Unfortunately, there's been much less excitement among
employers over it than I'd hoped. I DID, however, get an offer from the
government. Yeah. They want me to... ummm... 'be all that I can be'.
Can't you just see Bill Murray in the movie 'STRIPES'? [grin]
Anyway, let's get to the news, hints, tips and info available from the
UseNet, okay?
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
I'm going to repeat a message or two here so that we can get a grasp on
a current conversation. Last week, Fred Horvat asked about using
networking under MagiCMac. In part, he posted this:
"...a program called MACSTIP that does what I am after.
I've never heard about this program before as I am sure most of you have
not either.
Also I read bits and pieces translated from German or French about a
program called ICAT that sounds like it may do the same thing.
I have a web page translated on this printed out and will have to study
it closer to see if in fact this will do what I am after."
Now Fidel-Sebastian Hunrichse-Lara tells Fred:
"Auto STip v1.0 and MacSTip v0.9d are components of MacTCP-Connect!
You surely mean In2Cat with IN2CAT.DLL - this is M_PC only!
<http://www.dimitri-junker.de/software/cat/cat.html> is your friend!"
Fred now asks Fidel-Sebastian:
"Cool, Where do I get MacSTIP and how do I configure it?"
Fidel-Sebastian replies:
"Ask for MacTCP-Connect directly at ASH - Oliver Buchmann
<mailto:Oliver.Buchmann@application-systems.de> will surely help you...
[Configuring] Isn't necessary! STip v1.0 starts from the AUTO folder and
you must start MacSTip v0.9d manually at the Mac side - after that
ICONNECT can now connect via the Mac OS TCP/IP network... that's all!"
My co-Managing Editor and our fearless Publisher, Dana Jacobson, posted
this plea from a voice from the past:
"I received the following message from an Atari user of yore,
pertaining to emulator issues and potential for some present needs. I
have suggested that she check here and ask specific questions, but for
now, I told her that I would put her message out here because this is
probably the best place for her to get answers and/or suggestions.
HI Dana-
Hope you are doing well.
It's me Jen Larkin. You may remember me. My dad (John Larkin) and I
were members of SSAG a *long* time ago. For perspective, I remember
talking on the BBS's and coming to the meetings at age 13, back...
I came to the Delphi forum looking to see if there were any Atari
people still kicking around, because I have some emulator questions.
In modern times, I use a G4 ibook for graphics design work. I actually
have my own online business - Designs by Jen L -
http://www.cafepress.com/lovejml.
This venture requires high resolution
graphics, so I do my designing in Photoshop. However, I'm finding I
need to rediscover Degas Elite, Spectrum 512 and Crackart, because
they provide better relative functionality than Photoshop offers
in either CYMK or index mode, and I feel I will design with more
precision and attention to detail if I am forced to adhere to the very
strict color management offered in the old ST programs.
Anyway, I used to have NoSTalgia running decently on an indigo ibook a
few years ago, but it doesn't seem to like OS X 10.3.9. I've tried
running both Hatari and Aranym (sp?) with EmuTOS, which is
abysmal version of TOS by the way, to no real avail. I came by looking
to see if there was anyone out there who could advise me on
configuring one of these emulators, or if there is another solution
that I'm missing (OpenGEM perhaps?). Unfortunately, support for the
various emulators has dropped off astronomically in the last couple of
years. I e-mailed the creator of Nostalgia two months ago
asking how to make Nostalgia run emuTOS without bombing, and how to
make it access the hard drive (easily done under OS 10.2.8). No
response. Not even an auto bounce!
Unfortunately, I have none of my old hardware. Regrettably, the bulk
of it was sold or given away 9 years ago, when my father passed away.
The only vestiges of my ST ownership are a few old manuals (GFA basic
and Tigercub!) that I found in my mother's basement, which I now keep
for purely sentimental reasons.
So if you are still an Atari enthusiast, and can help me out, or at
least point me in the direction of someone who can I'd greatly
appreciate it.
'Mr. Maddog' jumps in and tells Dana (and Jen):
"The current version of NoSTalgia now runs on Mac OS X. You can get it
at http://users.skynet.be/sky39147/ and it's your best bet for running
low rez ST art programs.
MacAranym is better suited for running GEM stuff only since it uses
FreeMINT (EmuTOS is just to get MiNT going). You can also run Hatari
using a real TOS image, though I never actually tried it."
Francois LeCoat adds:
"For OSX.3.9 working version of MacAranym, you may appreciate the
usage of the preconfigured mini pack that is located on my site.
Please have a look at <http://eureka.atari.org/MacAranym.zip> that
I do my best to keep up to date. Your remarks are welcome. You can
always ask questions on ARAnyM's users list <http://aranym.org/>
I personally own a dual-G4@1.25GHz running OSX.3.9 and MacAranym."
'PPera' adds:
"Emutos is in very early stage, and it may happen that it will be never
finished, as many of too ambitious projects around. Hatari is under
active development, and you may try to use it with some of official
TOS (1.62 for STE). Just look around, and you will find it on the WEB. I
don't know of anything better for the MAC. Usage of hard disk inside
emulator is solved pretty good - you can map some of your local
directories as partition for emulated Atari and/or using image file of
some drive - there is sample image for download on Hatari WEBsite.
Everything is configurable via config menu."
Jen now magically appears and posts:
"Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I do have some regular TOS
images. If I remember correctly, "Rainbow" TOS (1.4) was the one that
seemed to be the most stable with older software - at least on my old
hardware - so that's what I will try first.
Mr Maddog:
I recently downloaded NoSTalgia 1.42. Made the HDD_C file as
instructed, but I can't get it to recognize my hard drive no matter
what I do. Any ideas?
Thanks again for your suggestions and help.
*Update*
I now have Hatari up and running, using Rainbow TOS. I have it set in
ST mode (STe mode is a bit glitchy), And as long as I use a native ST
screen resolution (no VDI mode), I can run Degas Elite fine. :) I'll
try crackart and Spectrum next."
Our buddy Hallvard Tangeraas posts this about ethernet solutions:
"All this talk about Ethernet for the ST has gotten me curious and
wondering if I could add something like that for my recased Mega STe.
So far I've found the following:
- various VME boards made specifically for the Mega STe: either near-
impossible to find, too expensive or don't work well.
- NetUSBee (http://hardware.atari.org/netusbee/netus.htm) USB and
networking in one plug-in card and apparently also available! Sounds
promising, but in my case I'd rather not plug anything more into my
already over-filled cartridge port.
- various cartridge adapter solutions: superceeded by NetUSBee as far
as I know and no longer available
- Daynaport SCSI networking adapter (http://www.anodynesoftware.com/
ethernet/main.htm): sounds promising as well, but since I'm not sure
if I will attach any other SCSI devices permanently to my Link 97 and
this solution needs that I don't know if this is for me.
- EtherNEA=
software:
http://home.arcor.de/thomas.redelberger/prj/atari/etherne/index.htm
hardware:
http://www.asamnet.de/~hilgarte/
This solution seems to use the ACSI port (not SCSI) which I hope has a
"thru" port which will allow me to plug my Link 97 into and get SCSI
for hard drives etc.
Apparently it's an adapter which allows for a standard PC Networking
card to be plugged in. Doesn't seem to be readily available though.
- Ethernet adapter II (http://www.asamnet.de/~hilgarte/). Another ACSI
port adapter. But it doesn't seem to have a "thru" connector either. I
also don't know if it's available any longer.
Anything else I can use? Preferably something that connects inside the
machine (I don't mind soldering or even making the whole card myself
just as long as I don't have to design it myself!), or to the ACSI port
(with a "thru" port!) or through an SCSI adapter such as the Link 97.
As I said earlier, I don't think using the cartridge port is suitable
in my case as I already have 4 devices there.
By the way, it has to work with TOS 2.06 as well as MagiC."
Mike Freeman seizes upon something that Hallvard says and asks him:
"Is there a way to plug more than one thing into the cartridge port? I
have a Cubase Audio dongle on my Falcon that's inside my recasing job,
so I'm not able to use any other cartridge port devices (like NetUSBee,
etc.) in any practical way. Something that allows more than one item to
be plugged in would be very helpful, if it exists."
Hallvard replies:
"Yes, for dongle based programs such as Cubase as you mention (and
Notator SL in my case) there are cartridge expansion devices available
(or were available I should say), but they only allow you to select
one cartridge device at a time.
These devices were made for situations where you have several dongle
based programs and you don't want to switch off the computer in order
to change dongles, then power up again.
The device in question really needs a "through" connector so that
another cartridge device can be plugged into it and be accessed at any
time. This is what my C-Lab/Emagic hardware add-on devices have."
Mike replies:
"Great! I never go online and use Cubase at the same time, so switching
between an Ethernet device and Cubase dongle shouldn't be an issue. Do
you have the name of this cartridge expansion device so I could track
one down? Or, does anyone out there have one they want to get rid of?
Thanks for the info!"
Hallvard tells Mike:
"I don't have one for sale or know anyone else who has, but who knows
what fellow Atari users have in their closets (or ex-Atari users).
Since I use Notator I've bought C-Lab/Emagic's "Combiner":
http://www.notator.org/html/notator_faq.html#combiner
Then there's the Cartmaster from Wizztronics:
http://www.notator.org/html/notator_faq.html#cartmaster
(According to their website they seem to have a "low cost" (ehm.... at
US$ 80 I'm not sure if I agree) version of the above called the
Cartmaster lite, though I'm not sure if it has a "pass-through"
connector which you really should have for your Networking interface:
http://www.wizztronics.com/cartmast.htm)
>From Steinberg there's the Midex and Midex+ as far as I know. Since
you use Cubase this might be your best bet for compatibility as if
Cubase is something similar to Notator it automatically changes to the
correct dongle when within the SoftLink environment. It's M.ROS for
Cubase isn't it? Anyway, you're in luck because there's a little over a
day left for an auctioned Midex+ at eBay Germany:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230102638286
If you don't get your hands on that one you could always set up an
automated search at eBay and get alerted whenever something like that
comes up. Also try to find ex-Atari users and places where people
would dump anything "worthless" (to them) meaning you might get a
bargain on stuff like this which within the Atari community is
probably worth a lot for those looking for them.
There are probably other cartridge devices around, but that's all I
can think of at the moment...
Upon further inspection I see that there are several Midex devices
available at the moment. So far only at eBay Germany:
http://search.ebay.de/midex_W0QQfkrZ1QQfromZR8
I don't know where in the world you are, but you could always try to
contact the sellers and ask them if they're willing to send to your
area as in my experience they often are even if the auction page says
they only send it within their own country.
I'd go for one of the Steinberg devices if I were you, to ensure full
compatibility. It's been a while so I don't know the details, but I'm
pretty sure the Midex+ has some advantages over the Midex. Perhaps
someone else can fill you in on that."
Last but definitely not least, Dan Iacovelli posts this about AVC:
"AVC is returning to The Midwest Gaming Classic on June 9th and 10th to
host The Atari Jaguar Festival (aka "Jagfest " to long time Atari
followers) section.
AVC has been involved with Jagfest since 1997 when the first Jagfest
was held in Rosemont,IL and we enjoyed being part of the festivities in
some way or form at other shows.
At last year's show AVC produced a special black t-shirt to
commemorate Jagfest 10th year anniversary. This year AVC continues the
trend by producing four new items to celebrate Jagfest 10th year and
they are:
Limited Edition Jagfest tour Shirt(based on tour shirts that music
bands have. Front of the shirt has the Jagfest on tour Logo below that
the words in RED "1997 to 2007" and "US To OverSeas" Back of the shirt
has a smaller version of logo below that also in RED are that all known
dates and locations of Jagfest(US and overseas)) from 1997 to current)
Black Jagfest on tour cap
White Jagfest on tour cap
Jagfest on tour trucker cap
(all caps have the jagfest on tour logo below that are the words in
RED: "1997 to 2007")
The Tour shirt (and two of three caps) is scheduled to make it's
first appearance at the Jagfest section at Midwest gaming classic, where
AVC will be selling a limited supply of the Tour shirts and take orders
for it after they sell out.
(we will be taking orders for the caps as well for any other Jagfest
On tour items)
AVC also announces a Tour Shirt and a selected Jagfest on tour cap
will be a prize for this years Jagfest Tourney
All above mentioned items are currently on sale until August 1st then
their prices will go up.
The Limited Edition Tour shirt will be removed from the shop after
November 7th (the caps will however remain in the shop) orders for the
Jagfest on Tour items mentioned above can also be done online at:
http://www.cafepress.com/avcnews/1338959
For more information on Jagfest at Midwest Gaming Classic, go to:
http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/content.php?id=jfest "
Well folks, that's it for this time around. 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 - PS2 Gets 'God of War II"!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Mind Control for Video Games!
Adult Ownership Increases!
And more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Award-Winning Franchise Returns With God of War II For PlayStation2
Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced Tuesday the release
of God of War II, the highly anticipated sequel to the multi-award winning
God of War, available exclusively for PlayStation2 computer entertainment
system. Available at $49.99, God of War II contains an extra bonus DVD
with over two hours of behind-the-scenes content created for fans of the
franchise. Additionally, SCEA officially announced that an original God of
War game will be released in the future, exclusively for PSP (PlayStation
Portable) handheld entertainment system.
In God of War II, developed by SCEA's Santa Monica Studios, players rejoin
Kratos and continue his epic adventure through the dark, violent world of
Greek mythology as he journeys to the far reaches of the earth, defeating
untold horrors. Armed with a new set of combat moves and magic, in
addition to some of the weapons and skills from the original God of War,
players will lead Kratos in battle against Colossus, Cyclops, Cerberus,
the Flying Gryphon and many more great beasts of Greek mythology.
Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, God of War II promises high
quality gameplay and is the must-have title for 2007. With fan anticipation
and a 96% rating on GameRankings, supported with the following high review
scores from leading gaming media outlets: IGN - 9.7, GameSpy - 5/5, 1up -
9.5/10, Gamezone - 9.5/10, GameInformer - 9.75/10, and GamePro - 5/5, God
of War II spurred more than one million retail orders prior to launch.
"God of War II demonstrates our continued commitment to provide compelling
content for the PlayStation 2 and sets the stage for the God of War
franchise to become a staple across the PlayStation family of products,"
said Jeff Reese, director, software marketing, SCEA. "There is so much
more of the God of War story left to tell and we are excited to bring the
franchise to PSP - fans may even see their esteemed God of War in full
1080p HD in the not-too-distant future."
God of War II brings players back to the violent world of Greek mythology
where they last left the vicious ex-Spartan warrior Kratos atop his godly
throne as the new God of War. In God of War II, Kratos must journey to
the far reaches of the earth and defeat untold horrors and alter that
which no mortal, or god has ever changed, his fate.
God of War II sets an epic stage for a devastating mythological war to end
all wars. Armed with the deadly blades and blistering rage, players will
be aided by new breath-taking magic and new brutal combat moves. The
journey will take them through vividly striking environments where they
will be faced with a labyrinth of challenging puzzles and mini-games
intricately woven into the story. The violence will come to life in gory
detail as Kratos encounters new mythical characters, and competes in epic
boss battles in his quest.
The award winning franchise will continue the story of Kratos with an
original game developed exclusively for PSP system. More information will
be available soon.
Mind Control for Video Games
Video game players might soon use their thoughts instead of joysticks to
control on-screen characters, if they wear a helmet released Wednesday by
Emotiv Systems Inc.
The "Project Epoc" headset looks like a bicycle racer's helmet, but
instead of protecting the skull, it detects the brainwaves inside it,
using technology similar to electroencephalography found in medical
settings.
Emotiv, a privately-held startup firm in San Francisco, has applied the
technology to video games with the company's first product, the Emotiv
Development Kit (EDK). The kit allows game developers to attach dozens of
thoughts and emotions to the actions in their virtual worlds, Emotiv said.
A game designed with EDK could allow players to move objects on the screen
without touching a keyboard or joystick, make the character smile or wink
when they do, or require a human player to stay calm so his character does
not panic and reveal a hiding place in a stealth game.
The headset is tuned finely enough to distinguish between a player's
mental commands to lift a virtual item or to push, pull or spin it, Emotiv
said. That could allow gamers to experience telekinesis, moving objects
with their minds instead of their muscles like Star Wars' Jedi
knights.
Developers have long sought ways to let gamers interact in ways that offer
more realism than simple devices such as joysticks. In November, Nintendo
Co. Ltd. added physical motion to its system with the motion-sensitive Wii
controller, while Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc.'s PlayStation 3 use vibrating handsets.
Developing a better gaming interface can mean big money for a technology
company. On March 2, Sony lost a patent-infringement lawsuit, agreeing to
pay US$90.7 million to Immersion Corp. for using its vibrating "haptic"
technology. Microsoft had earlier agreed to pay $26 million.
Now Emotiv's product could open a new range of options for developers.
While computer games have evolved dramatically, user interfaces have
remained fairly constant, according to Emotiv Board Director Ed Fries.
Emotiv's EDK connects its headset to three pieces of software: an Expressiv
application that identifies the user's facial expressions, an Affectiv
application that measures players' emotional states and a Cognitiv
application that detects players' conscious thoughts about lifting or
rotating the objects they see.
The company has not announced pricing for the EDK, but says the headset
will be available to consumers in 2008. Emotiv is marketing its technology
first to gamers, and plans to adapt it in the future for medicine,
security, market research, accessibility design and interactive television.
Emotiv is one of the first companies to apply EEG technology to new uses,
but it will face competition from other developers in the future, one
analyst said.
"This technology is obviously way too early for us to really grasp the
full possibilities. However it does appear that a lot of labs are
working on similar things so it will definitely come to market in
some shape or form," said Ben Bajarin, an analyst with Creative
Strategies.
Video Games Grow Up As Adult Ownership Increases
Video games aren't just for the kids anymore. More than one in three U.S.
adults who go online, or 37 percent, own a video game console and 16
percent own a portable gaming device, Nielsen//NetRatings said on Tuesday.
The majority of those console owners, 71 percent, are married, and 66
percent have at least one child in the household.
"As game consoles have become increasingly sophisticated, families have
incorporated them into their centralized home media centers, which include
the television, digital recording device, digital music player and the
PC," said Carolyn Creekmore, senior director of media analytics,
Nielsen//NetRatings.
Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp. are positioning their Xbox 360 and
PlayStation 3 consoles as entertainment hubs for gaming, music and photo
viewing amid a fierce battle for dominance in the $30 billion global
videogame market.
Sony in particular is making a huge bet on the living room, having
installed a Blu-ray high-definition DVD player in each of its new PS3
consoles, which are available for $500 or $600 in the United States,
depending on the size of the unit's hard drive.
Nintendo Co. Ltd. competes with the Xbox 360 and PS3, but is selling a
more basic machine with a motion-sensing controller that has won raves
from gamers and non-gamers and introduced new audiences to video games.
Nintendo's Wii console sells for $250, half the cost of the high-end Xbox
360, and in January was the top-selling console in the United States.
Going into the current console war, analysts had predicted that adult
gamers who grew up with the Japanese game maker's products - dubbed
"Nintendads" - would want to introduce their children to Nintendo games
and be a key market for its new machine.
PlayStation 3 Joins Fight Against Cancer
In an apparent attempt to one-up Nintendo's claims that its Wii system
helps fight obesity, Sony on Thursday announced that its PlayStation 3
video game consoles will engage in a new battle - against disease.
The PS3 will have the capability to connect to Stanford University's
Folding@home program, a distributed-computing project that focuses on
what is called "protein folding." Stanford University is leveraging the
PlayStation 3's Cell Broadband Engine in what could turn out to be a
powerful distributed-computing network of PS3 systems helping study the
causes of diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis, and
many cancers.
"In order to study protein folding, researchers need more than just one
super computer, but the massive processing power of thousands of
networked computers," Masayuki Chatani, corporate executive and CTO
Computer at Sony Computer Entertainment, said in a statement.
Because protein folding is so complex, computers are used to perform
simulations to study the process. And because these simulations can take
up to 30 years for a single computer to complete, Folding@home enables
this task to be shared among thousands of computers connected via the
network, using distributed-computing technology.
Once the data is processed, the information is sent back via the Internet
to the central computer. Sony said the Cell Broadband Engine processor
inside each PS3 is roughly 10 times faster than a standard mainstream chip
inside a PC, so researchers are able to perform the simulations much more
quickly, speeding up the research process.
With the latest system software update expected to become available at the
end of March, PS3 users can join the program simply by clicking on the new
Folding@home icon or optionally set the application to run automatically
whenever the PlayStation 3 is idle.
Mike Goodman, an analyst at the Yankee Group, said the Sony announcement
is further evidence of the changing role of game consoles. "Calling the
PS3 and the Xbox 360 game consoles is a misnomer because they are not game
consoles per se anymore. They are home entertainment systems," Goodman
said. In fact, positioning the PS3 and the Xbox 360 as a
critical-component, home-entertainment system, he added, is part of Sony
and Microsoft's strategy for expanding the marketplace for their hardware.
Gamers might care more about remote control joysticks than joining a
distributed-computing network, though. Even as the PS3 makes its play in
the battle against cancer, news came out that Nintendo's Wii was America's
best-selling video game console in the U.S. again in February.
According to the latest data released by the NPD Group, Nintendo reported
that consumers snapped up nearly every available system in America to
total more than 335,000 units sold. The only gaming system to outsell
Nintendo's Wii was Nintendo's portable DS handheld. The Nintendo DS sold
485,000 units. With this one-two punch, Nintendo systems gobbled up 54
percent of the video game hardware sales pie in February.
"The Wii is doing a little better than I thought it would do initially,
but I still think its long-term prospects are questionable," Goodman said.
With less than four months since the Wii's launch, it is too early to
tell the whole story, Goodman added, but he said he remains skeptical that
the concept is going to have legs, particularly as the prices for the
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 come down.
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
"""""""""""""""""""
Commodore's Back With Gaming PCs
One of the best known computer brands of the 1980s, Commodore, is back at
Cebit 2007.
The name is most commonly associated with the Commodore 64 computer,
which hit the market in 1982 and went on to become the best-selling
computer of all time, according to some estimates. That machine was on
show at Cebit, but these days, the name is being attached to a new
generation of gaming PCs.
"That's really where the essence of the Commodore brand is, and there's
huge potential, and that's the idea now," said Bala Keilman, CEO of
Commodore Gaming. "At Commodore, we feel the time is right now. Gaming
is such a mass phenomenon worldwide, and the variety of consumers that it
talks to is really a broad demographic. The Commodore brand is really a
good brand to speak to consumers on that level."
There will be four basic models of PC available, and consumers will be
able to pick between multiple skins. Additional skins to suit almost any
gaming taste will also be available via Commodore Gaming's Web site.
The machines will also be preloaded with a Commodore 64 emulator and more
than 50 classic games.
Commodore will begin selling Intel-based gaming PCs from next month.
They'll be available online first and then in shops in Europe in May. Then
the company will look further afield.
"It's from America, huge in America, a lot of fans there, so that's where
we want to go very soon afterward. We're not holding back, we're already
preparing plans for that, and we'll see," Keilman said. "Hopefully, it
will be coming around summertime. I don't want to preempt anything, but
the U.S. will be the next big focus, and then we'll see."
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Game Over for China's Net Addicts
Combining sympathy with discipline, a military-style boot camp near
Beijing is at the front-line of China's battle against Internet addiction,
a disorder afflicting millions of the nation's youth.
The Internet Addiction Treatment Center (IATC) in Daxing county uses a
blend of therapy and military drills to treat the children of China's
nouveau riche addicted to online games, Internet pornography, cybersex
and chats.
"I gradually became obsessed," said Li Yanlin, a university student whose
grades plunged after he became addicted to Internet games. But after
several weeks at the Daxing facility, the 18-year-old said he "recognized
the falseness of online gaming."
Concerned by a number of high-profile Internet-related deaths and juvenile
crime, the government is now taking steps to stem Internet addictions by
banning new Internet cafes and mulling restrictions on violent computer
games.
The government-funded Daxing center, run by an army colonel under the
Beijing Military Hospital, is one of a handful of clinics treating
patients with Internet addictions in China.
Patients, overwhelmingly male and aged 14 to 19, wake up in common
dormitories at 6.15 a.m. to do morning calisthenics and march on the
cracked concrete grounds wearing khaki fatigues.
Drill sergeants bark orders at them when they are not attending group and
one-on-one counseling sessions. Therapy includes patients simulating war
games with laser guns.
The IATC's tough love approach to breaking Internet addiction is unique to
China, but necessary in a country with over two million teenage Internet
addicts, according to facility staff.
"Many of the Internet addicts here have rarely considered other peoples'
feelings. The military training allows them to feel what it's like to be a
part of a team," said Xu Leiting, a psychologist at the hospital. "It also
helps their bodies recover and makes them stronger."
The IATC has treated 1,500 patients in this way since opening in 2004, and
boasts a 70 percent success rate at breaking addictions.
The fees cost about 10,000 yuan ($1,290) a month, nearly a year's
average disposable income in China. But the center takes on pro bono cases
for poor families, said Tao Ran, its director.
"There is no trend for Internet addiction as far as social or economic
status, or geography, are concerned. So long as they can get access to a
computer, there will be addiction," Tao said.
At the end of 2006, China had 137 million Internet users, an increase of
23.4 percent from the previous year.
Of users under 18, an estimated 13 percent - or 2.3 million - are Internet
addicts, according to a 2006 study by the China National Children's Center.
Internet addiction rates posted in Western studies vary wildly, with
little consensus as to what constitutes addiction and whether the concept
exists.
A Stanford University of Medicine report in 2006 found one in eight adults
find it hard to be away from the Internet for several days, but the report
was inconclusive as to whether excessive use could be defined as an
addiction.
China's health authorities, however, have few illusions about placing
Internet addiction on a par with alcoholism, drug-taking and gambling.
"The effects are the same," Tao said. "Some addicts drop out of school,
some mug people for money, steal and sell their families' things to keep
playing games. Some end up killing themselves because they feel life has
no point."
The social consequences of addiction had caught the government off guard
- as had the Internet's explosive growth.
"Suddenly, from a handful of users in 1997, China now has over 130
million. People can get online in the most remote places. The legal
system did not have time to develop," Tao said.
Addiction to the Internet is blamed for most juvenile crime in China, a
number of suicides, and deaths from exhaustion by players unable to tear
themselves away from marathon game sessions.
In 2005, a Shanghai court handed a life sentence to an online game player
who stabbed a competitor to death for stealing his cyber-sword - a virtual
prize earned during game-play.
The rising tide of Internet-addicted youth has prompted the government to
ban new Internet cafes in 2007, which are seen in China as breeding
grounds for social delinquency.
Delegates at the National People's Congress, China's annual session of
parliament, have proposed stricter criminal punishments for Internet cafe
operators who admit minors, and have flagged restrictions on violent
games.
"Even President Hu Jintao talked of developing a scientific and civilized
Internet environment recently," Tao said.
But China's Internet addiction is not merely a product of an imperfect
regulatory system, Xu Leiting said.
"The main cause of Internet addiction is that parents' expectations for
their children are too high," said Xu.
With education perceived by many parents as the only means of advancement
in an ultra-competitive society of 1.3 billion people, some lock their
children up to study and ask teachers to assign them extra homework.
The pressure can be too much for some children, Xu said, especially if
they fail.
"Then they escape to the virtual world to seek achievements, importance
and satisfaction, or a sense of belonging."
Apple Releases Mac OS X v10.4.9
Apple on Tuesday released Mac OS X v10.4.9, available in both client and
server versions for PowerPC and Intel-based Macs. The updates are
available for download through the Software Update system preference pane,
and can also be had from the Apple Downloads Web page.
Specific changes in the 10.4.9 release include improvements to raw camera
file support; handling of large or malformed images that could cause
crashes; image capture performance; mouse scrolling and keyboard
shortcuts; font handling; playback quality and bookmarks in DVD player;
USB video conferencing cameras for use with iChat; Bluetooth devices;
browsing AFP servers; Apple USB model; Windows-created digital
certificates; Open and Print dialogs in Rosetta-based applications on
Intel-based Macs; time zone and Daylight Savings Time changes for 2006
and 2007, and security updates.
Apple's Web site has further details about what's specifically changed in
Mac OS X v10.4.9, as well. Highlights include improvements to .Mac sync
performance and sync issues; fixes for wake from sleep issues with
Bluetooth peripherals; changes to iCal; support for USV Video Class
webcams in iChat; iSync support for more devices; WPA2 encryption support
in Network Diagnostics; performance issues related to Intel iMacs working
on high-speed network switches; improvements to OpenGL graphics
reliability in World of Warcraft and more.
Does Free Domain Registration Promote Malware?
Cheap or free registration of new domain names drives the growth in Web
sites used for spamming or hosting malicious software, according to
research from McAfee.
The study, released Monday, highlights continuing problems concerning how
Web sites are registered and the ease with which bad actors can change Web
sites to continue online scams.
McAfee analyzed 8.1 million of the world's most trafficked Web sites
registered on 265 top-level domains (TLDs), such as ".com" and ".biz"
along with country-specific ones, such as ".jp" for Japan.
McAfee offers a free tool, SiteAdvisor, that determines if Web sites send
spam, host bad programs or have excessive pop-ups. McAfee, which bought
SiteAdvisor Inc. in April 2006, also offers a pay version with more
advanced features.
Small islands with their own TLDs remain troublesome. For example, some
18.5 percent of Web sites registered under the ".st" TLD are considered
"risky" for either spam or other malicious activity, McAfee said. The
TLD belongs to Sao Tome and Principe, a country of two volcanic islands
west of Gabon.
Tokelau (.tk), a territory of New Zealand in the south Pacific, and Niue
(.nu), also in the south Pacific east of Tonga, give out domains for
free. That's good for scammers, who often need to register new domains as
older ones are blocked by security software.
Niue also allows anonymous registration of Web sites. Nine years ago the
country declared "no tolerance" policy against spammers, but McAfee said
it wasn't a deterrent.
The safest TLDs belong to countries with stronger registration rules.
Japan, Ireland, Sweden and Finland require a local postal address, while
businesses in Norway have to register with the government to get a ".no"
domain. Consequently, McAfee found the lowest percentage of bad Web sites
in those domains.
Australia and Canada, McAfee said, require a local contact for
registration, which often deters spammer since registrations take more
time.
The ".info" domain ranked first among generic TLDs for its percentage of
risky sites, at 7.5 percent, McAfee said. The domain also hosts many Web
sites that send "spammy" e-mail, the vendor said.
SiteAdvisor submits an e-mail address to Web sites and counts how many
e-mails are received. Users have a 73.2 percent chance of receiving a
spam e-mail by giving their address to a random ".info" site, McAfee
said.
The ".com" domain - created in the 1980s - came in second for risk, with
5.5 percent of its Web sites considered questionable, McAfee said.
McAfee Maps Internet's Danger Spots
How can you and your business avoid the riskiest Web sites? A new research
report by security software vendor McAfee, released Monday, indicates that
you can do more than simply notice if the English seems badly translated.
Like bad neighborhoods, some domains have a higher percentage of
problematic sites than others. Overall, the company found that 4.1 percent
of all tested sites require a warning.
To see the warnings, McAfee is offering SiteAdvisor, available as a free
download at www.mcafee.com. SiteAdvisor provides color-based ratings.
Risky sites, which fail tests for spyware, adware, viruses, and the like,
are given a red rating. A green rating, as any driver knows, means go.
Yellow-rated sites require caution, as they pass the tests but still have
such annoyances as excessive pop-ups.
In the free version of SiteAdvisor, users are steered away from the
riskiest sites. A paid version of SiteAdvisor disables all interactions
with dangerous sites.
About 5.6 percent of sites in the Romania domain (.ro) are risky, as are
4.5 percent in Russia (.ru). If you ever encounter a site ending in .tk,
the domain of the tiny island of Tokelau, you might want to surf away as
quickly as your browser can move. About 10.1 percent of sites with the
Tokelau domain are suspicious, according to McAfee.
Some suspicious domains are not country-based. About 7.5 percent of all
sites with .info were judged as risky, as were 5.5 percent of .com sites.
Because of the sheer number of .com sites, about 86 percent of red and
yellow sites were in that domain. McAfee found that if you give your
e-mail address to a site with the .info domain, you have a 73.2 percent
chance of getting spam e-mail as a result.
The least risky country domains are Finland (.fi, 0.10 percent), Norway
(.no, 0.16 percent), Sweden (.se, 0.21 percent), Iceland (.is, 0.19
percent) and Ireland (.ie, 0.11 percent).
Lest you think the U.S. government has absolutely no redeeming qualities,
.gov was the only domain with no risky sites out of the 265 top-level
domains tested.
The kinds of functionality offered by SiteAdvisor will eventually "be
folded into a larger tool for the enterprise," according to Natalie
Lambert, an analyst with industry watcher Forrester Research.
She said that, while it might add some additional protection against
phishing sites, SiteAdvisor as a standalone was intended primarily for
consumers and wouldn't be that useful for businesses.
Andrew Jaquith, an analyst with The Yankee Group, offered a different
take. "The SiteAdvisor tool is extremely useful for employees to know
what risk is involved in their Web surfing," he said. He noted that
employees have been known to go to sites on company time that are not
business-related.
"I do find the study to be a bit of 'fun facts' to know," he said.
Since few people notice domains, he said it might have been better to
have this kind of information broken down by type of site, such as
entertainment, adult, games, or "get rich quick" sites.
U.S. Lawmakers Introduce New Spyware Bill
Two U.S. lawmakers have reintroduced a bill that would impose penalties of
up to five years of prison time and fines for spyware activities.
The Internet Spyware (I-Spy) Prevention Act, introduced this week by
Representatives Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, and Bob Goodlatte, a
Virginia Republican, was one of two bills that passed the U.S. House of
Representatives in May 2005. The Senate failed to act on both bills,
partly because of concerns raised about the bills.
I-Spy, which passed the House on a 395-1 vote in 2005, would set prison
terms of up to five years for people convicted of using spyware to access
a computer without authorization or using the computer to commit another
federal crime. The bill also would allow a jail term of up to two years
for a person who uses spyware to obtain someone else's personal
information or to defeat security protections on a computer with the
intent of defrauding or injuring the computer owner.
The bill would protect "Americans from Internet crime while not impinging
on software development," Lofgren said in a statement. "Spyware has
become a plague for computer users, and Congress must address the
mounting negative impact that it is having on our economy. Americans
should not be afraid to use the Internet."
The legislation will punish "bad actors" while protecting legitimate
online companies by not over-regulating, Goodlatte added in a statement.
House members introduced a second spyware bill, called the Spy Act, in
February. That bill would prohibit keystroke logging, taking control of a
computer without the user's consent, diverting Web browsers, using
computers to create botnets and modifying a computer users' browser and
security settings without permission.
But the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), a trade group representing
online advertisers, raised objections to the Spy Act this week. While the
IAB supports large portions of the bill that prohibit spyware-like
behavior, a part of the bill broadly prohibits information collection
without prior permission from the computer user.
That portion carves out an exception for cookies, but that exception may
be too narrow, said Mike Zaneis, the IAB's vice president for public
policy. The bill could prohibit certain types of advertising technologies,
including cookies or Java scripts of the future, he said. The IAB
testified against the Spy Act in a congressional hearing Thursday.
"The problem is, it's not technology neutral," Zaneis said in an
interview. "The bill is just a blanket (prohibition) on technology, and
then they try to carve out exceptions. We ought to regulate based on bad
behavior."
The bill also gives exceptions to antispyware programs but those programs
often delete legitimate software such as cookies, Zaneis said. Consumers
should have the choice of what programs to remove, he said, instead of
broad removals by antispyware vendors.
"There's a real push for them to block all in-line advertising," Zaneis
said.
Sponsors of the bill have said the legislation is necessary to protect
consumers against spyware. "It is critical that Congress swiftly pass
legislation that will empower consumers to take back control of their
computers and safeguard their personal information," Representative Mary
Bono, a co-sponsor and California Republican, said in February.
Technology Cuts Down On Web Registrations
An emerging technology standard could be the answer to a major headache:
It lets consumers use the same user name and password for hundreds of
websites that require a sign-in.
OpenID's approach has quickly earned it the support of Microsoft, AOL and
thousands of users online.
"It's all about convenience," says Raven Zachary, 33, a technology
analyst for The 451 Group. He intends to use the same user name and
password for dozens of social-networking and news sites.
Consumers establish an OpenID identifier in the form of a personalized
Web address, such as http://jswartz.myopenid.com, at some 50 websites,
including www.myopenid.com and www.typekey.com. When they do, one of 30
OpenID providers, including VeriSign and JanRain, is assigned to securely
store the user's data.
OpenID users are asked for their personalized Web address whenever they
visit one of hundreds of sites that support OpenID. That address is sent
to their provider, which then confirms the identifier. The system is not
for use on sensitive accounts for financial transactions.
"This is leading us on the path toward one user name and one password,"
says David Recordon, innovator for advanced products and research at
VeriSign, the domain-name registrar.
The idea has resonated with the tech industry after several missteps,
including that of Passport, Microsoft's failed attempt at a universal
password sign-in.
Microsoft became the latest to throw its support behind the fledgling
standard last month. The software giant is supporting OpenID in
conjunction with CardSpace, a feature similar to OpenID that is built into
the Windows Vista operating system. Symantec also threw its support behind
OpenID, as have hundreds of blogging and social-networking sites such as
Digg.
As many as 1,200 sites offer some sort of OpenID services, reaching a
potential 75 million people worldwide. Those figures could balloon to
15,000 sites and 250 million people this year, says Steve Kveton, CEO of
JanRain, which provides ID services on the Internet.
"It's a little surprising," says Brad Fitzpatrick, OpenID's creator and
chief architect at Six Apart, a blogging-software company.
To a lesser extent, OpenID is gaining support as a haven from identity
theft, which has soared on the Internet.
Identity theft was the No. 1 gripe among consumers who filed complaints
with the Federal Trade Commission last year. In 2006, 36% of 674,354
complaints to the FTC were for identity theft, the agency said in a report
last month.
"The Internet was built without an identity system, which is incredible
in retrospect," says Kim Cameron, chief architect of identity at
Microsoft's Connected Systems Division.
"That limits what you can do with it and exposes you to theft, deception
and spam."
Google Adopts New Privacy Measures
After years of discussion with privacy advocates, Google is adopting new
measures that make it more difficult to associate Internet searches with
online users. Google announced the revisions late Wednesday, pledging to
protect the mountains of information it collects about the millions of
users who interact with its search engine.
The company currently collects data on the search query itself, and the
IP addresses associated with those queries, for as long as it deems the
information useful. Going forward, Google said it will anonymize its
server logs after a "limited period of time" unless it is legally required
to retain the data longer.
However, even after Google implements this policy change in the coming
months, Google's legal counsel said it would continue to keep server log
data so that it can improve Google's services and protect them from
security and other abuses. But, the company added, it will take steps to
ensure the data can no longer be identified with individual users after
18 to 24 months.
Peter Fleischer, Google's privacy counsel in Europe, and Nicole Wong,
Google's deputy general counsel, said company executives made the decision
after talking with leading privacy stakeholders in Europe and the U.S.
"We think we're striking the right balance between two goals: continuing
to improve Google's services for you, while providing more transparency
and certainty about our retention practices," the attorneys wrote on
Google's blog.
The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) in Washington is one of
those "stakeholders" to which Google referred. "We've been complaining to
Google for several years trying to get them to keep the information they
need only for the purposes they need," said CDT Deputy Director Ari
Schwartz. "We feel this is a positive step in the right direction."
Google's counsel assured searchers that the company is working toward
having the "best" privacy practices for its users. Those initiatives
include designing privacy protections into its products, such as Google
Talk's "off the record" feature or Google Desktop's "pause" and "lock
search" controls.
It also means providing clear, easy-to-understand privacy policies that
help consumers make informed decisions about using Google's services, the
company said.
Google is not the only search engine to take a second look at privacy
measures. AOL recently revamped its privacy policy after the search
queries of 36 million of its users were posted online. For its part, MSN
encrypts search data and draws from user history to serve up ads. Google,
by contrast, serves ads on the basis of real-time search queries.
"It is healthy to have a robust set of different practices among search
engines as long as the competition protects privacy," Schwartz said. "We
are starting to see that take shape and the Google decision is a clear
signal."
Although Google plans to dump data after a limited time, the company's
legal counsel reminded users that they can choose to allow Google to
retain their data for more personalized services, such as Search History,
but Schwartz said that is ultimately not enough. Google can and should do
more, he argued.
"Google is still not giving the user real choices about what to do with
their information," he said. "At some point, we have to get to the point
where people can decide what they want to keep and what they want to
delete and make it easier for them to do."
Campaigner Vows To "Make Spammers Pay!"
An Internet consultant who won damages in a Scottish court after he
received a single unwanted e-mail has launched a campaign to help people
tackle "spammers."
Gordon Dick, 30, has set up a Web site with the motto "Make the Spammers
Pay!" that tells people how to take legal action against those who send
unsolicited email.
He faces an uphill battle as spam makes up about 80 percent of the
billions of e-mails sent each day, according to U.S. Internet security
company Postini.
Dick, who won 750 pounds ($1,452) plus costs in an Edinburgh court after
suing over the unwanted e-mail last month, hopes others around the world
will follow his lead.
However, the company which sent the e-mail denies sending spam and says
his campaign will damage firms by deterring them from using e-mail as a
marketing tool.
"It was a major decision to take," said Dick, from Edinburgh, whose Web
site is http://scotchspam.org.uk. "I had never been in a court before,
I'd never dealt with the legal process and I was doing this
unrepresented.
"The more familiar people are with the legal system, the more likely they
are to make use of it, which is why I published how you could actually go
about doing it."
His case has reignited the debate over how companies can use e-mail
marketing without breaking anti-spam laws.
The Direct Marketing Association trade body estimates a quarter of
legitimate bulk e-mail is not delivered.
Under European law, companies can only send marketing messages to
consumers with their prior consent.
This rule is relaxed, however, if a company has gathered someone's address
in the course of a sale and it gives the recipient a chance to object.
Transcom, a British-based Internet and satellite firm which sent the
message to Dick, said it was not spam, but a single, annual marketing
e-mail to customers.
Company director William Smith said Dick's address inadvertently entered
his company's system when it received a group email which also contained
Dick's name.
Smith argues that Dick did not even "win" the case, but was awarded
damages by default after Transcom dropped its defense to avoid huge legal
bills.
"I suppose we should have continued, but I didn't want a 50,000 pound bill
for 750 pounds," he said. "Our lawyers said 'well look he's only asked for
750 pounds, if you persist in defending ... it's just going to run into
thousands."
"We're not a marketeering company. There's no need to be labeled a
spammer."
Dick said he did not want to stop companies from sending emails to
genuine customers.
He also accepts his campaign can do little to stop the sort of spam that
offers drugs, sex aids and weight loss pills. Many are sent by criminal
gangs from outside Europe, putting the sender beyond the reach of EU law.
"They have to be dealt with by technological means of filtering," Dick
said.
Scientists Show Thought-Controlled Computer at Cebit
Forget speech-recognition software: How about typing a letter just by
thinking it?
In a quiet corner of the Cebit trade show a small Austrian company is
showing a "brain-computer interface," a technology that could one day
transform how we use computers, play video games and even talk to each
other.
It sounds like science fiction but is a clever application of science and
technology. The system does not really read thoughts; rather, it measures
fluctuations in electrical voltage in the brain and translates them into
commands on a computer screen.
The system consists of a cap that fits over the user's head, with a
few dozen holes through which electrodes are attached so they rest on the
scalp. The electrodes are connected via thin cables to a "biosignal
amplifier," which transmits the signals from the brain to a computer.
Different parts of the brain are used to process different types of
thoughts. Vertical and horizontal hand movements are handled in an area
called the sensory motor cortex, for example, said Christoph Guger, CEO of
g.tec, which built the BCI system shown here at the giant Cebit
technology show.
To use a BCI to move a computer cursor, the electrodes are placed over
the corresponding part of the brain, where they read tiny fluctuations in
voltage and feed them into a software program that analyzes them to figure
out what the person is thinking.
The software needs to be trained to read the signals, which takes several
hours to do properly. The subject responds to commands on a computer
screen, thinking "left" and "right" when they are instructed to do so, for
example. Another test involves looking at a series of blinking letters,
and thinking of a letter when it appears.
The software "learns" what the brain's voltage fluctuations look like when
those directions or letters are thought of, Guger said.
The system today is also quite slow--even a trained system can "read" only
18 characters per minute, or three or four words. Still, that may be
helpful for a disabled person who cannot communicate through speech or
movement. About 200 disabled people worldwide are using the software at
home to communicate, according to Guger, although they need professional
help to set it up.
Another issue is accuracy. In a test at a conference in Austria about two
years ago, 300 attendees were trained on the system for 30 minutes. After
that time the system could figure out simple binary responses from most of
the people 60 percent of
the time--or "better than random," Guger said. For
7 percent of the people, the accuracy was more than 90 percent, he said.
The technology is advancing. Five years ago the system was too bulky to be
transported easily, and now the various parts can fit in a shoebox. In 10
years it could be fast and accurate enough to commercialize in home PCs or
games consoles, according to Guber.
"Ultimately you could have wireless contacts embedded in the brain, and
communicate with others just by thinking," he said. "But then you really
would have to worry about your wife finding out about your girlfriend."
At Cebit, a colleague of Guber's donned the BCI system and played the game
"Pong" against a reporter. It has also been used to write letters, operate
artificial limbs and steer a wheelchair. "It's not safe enough for
wheelchairs today though; if it reads a command wrongly you could veer off
into the road," Guger said.
The study of BCI took off in the 1990s, primarily at three laboratories,
in Austria, Germany and the U.S. There are now 300 laboratories working on
it, Guger said. He completed his Ph.D. in BCI at the Graz University of
Technology, in Austria, in 1999, he said.
He sells his BCI systems mainly to scientists for research work. They are
priced from $26,000 to $132,000 depending on their sophistication. The
company is showing a smaller, Pocket PC-based device at Cebit that starts
at about $4,000. More information is at g.tec's Web site.
Measuring the brain's electrical activity like this is called
electroencephalography, or EEG. It is noninvasive, meaning the electrodes
are placed on the scalp without surgery, but it produces weaker signals
and is subject to noise interference.
Invasive techniques produce better results but are tried only on patients
who require brain surgery in any case, and on monkeys and other animals.
An engineer in the U.S. holds a patent on the general BCI concept, Guger
said; other patents are held by universities for specific software
algorithms used to decode the brain's signals.
G.tec's BCI is among the nominees for the European ICT Prize, the winners
of which will be announced Friday. There are three grand prizes of about
$264,000 each.
New IE7 Bug May Aid Phishers
A vulnerability in Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer (IE) browser could
help fraudsters make phishing Web sites appear legitimate, a security
researcher reported Wednesday.
The flaw lies in the way IE7 processes a locally stored HTML (Hypertext
Markup Language) error message page that is typically shown when the user
cancels the loading of a Web page, said Aviv Raff, a security researcher
based n Israel.
The error message tells the user that "navigation to the webpage was
cancelled," and offers the user the opportunity to "refresh the page." If
the refresh link is clicked, IE can be tricked into displaying the wrong
Web address for a page. Raff has published proof of concept code that
shows how IE can be made to display a Web page on his Web site as if it
is from the cnn.com domain.
This flaw could be exploited by phishers who want to make their spoofed
Web sites appear legitimate, Raff said.
"I can inject a script that will display anything I want in the page when
the user clicks the 'refresh' link," he said via instant message.
"Combining this with the design flaw, an attacker can render in the
browser whatever he wants with whatever URL he wants in the address bar."
This type of bug is known as a cross-site scripting vulnerability. It
affects IE 7 on Vista and Windows XP, Raff added.
Microsoft could not immediately confirm Raff's findings, but the company
issued a statement saying that it is investigating the issue and is "not
aware of any attacks attempting to use the reported vulnerability or of
customer impact at this time."
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