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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 09 Issue 28
Volume 9, Issue 28 Atari Online News, Etc. July 13, 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:
Yvan Doyeux
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0928 07/13/07
~ Net Radio Gets Reprieve ~ People Are Talking! ~ New DCLab Released!
~ AOL Promises Refunds! ~ Video Games Boring? ~ Webkinz Kids Site!
~ Online Stock Scheme! ~ Simpsons & Springfield ~ New Studio Son beta!
~ Preteens Network Online ~ E3 Toned Down for 2007 ~
-* FBI Ramps Up War Against Spam *-
-* Web Warnings May Not Make Kids Safe *-
-* Military Files Are Left Unprotected Online *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, it's been a whirlwind type of a week, both literally and
figuratively. Thunderstorms (and the threat of them) loomed at us all
week. And, a lot of family issues (my wife's, this time around) made
for a hectic week, that's not over yet. So, as all this is going on,
I haven't really had much opportunity to consider editorial topics for
this week, much less sit down and write 'em up.
So, while I try to catch my breath and figure out what more I can do to
help my wife cope with all that's going on, I'll let you all relax with
this week's issue.
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
CDLab 0.92 Released
Tuesday, July 10th 2007,
CDLab 0.92 is available.
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/cdlab/v0.92/CDLAB092.ZIP
A CD-R burning tool for Atari-compatible computers.
---------------
New features since 0.91 version
---------------
- Better AIFF implementation.
- New audio formats for audio extraction. (AU/SND, AIFF, AIFF Cubase
Audio).
- Filenames mask for audio extraction.
- Interface improvement in Monochrome.
---------------
Main features
---------------
- Audio track extraction.
- CD-RW blanking function.
- DAO (Disc-At-Once) copy for any single-session discs. (But it doesn't
work with my MMC compliant drive)
- Data CD Mode. (TAO (Track-At-Once) multisession mode.)
You need the SCSIDRV interface. (already included in HDDriver)
You can also run this program before CDLab.
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/scsidrv/SCSIDRV.PRG
CDLab is now released under terms of the GNU General Public License.
The source code can be retrieved here:
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/cdlab/v0.92/
Original Francois GALEA website:
http://fgalea.free.fr/cdlab/
Yvan Doyeux
Studio Son 2.093 beta FR & UK
Today, it is not a day of bad luck because there is the new release of
Studio Son for your Atari Falcon.
Studio Son 2.093b is available in the wonderful french language:
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/studioson/std2093b/STD2093F.ZIP
The english version can be found here:
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/studioson/std2093b/STD2093E.ZIP
You can, of course, find the classic 68030 and 68030+68882 versions in
these archives.
I have performed a lot of hard tests to check the quality of my
algorithms. I have written a lot of different DSP and C programs to obtain
correct results. But, it is still a beta version, so be careful with your
samples !
This version has been tested with an original Falcon 030 with a 68882
coprocessor. The CT60 card is not officially supported.
-----------
Bugs fixed:
-----------
- Better WAV, AIFF and AVR formats implementation.
- Space disk remaining bug fixed.
-----------------------------
New features and bugs fixed:
(since 2.09b version)
-----------------------------
- Rewritten "Apply Effect" function. Studio Son does not need a temporary
file any more.
- You can now create with "New Sound File..." blank AIFF, WAV, TRK,
SND and AVR files. WAV files created are always 8 bits unsigned and
16 bits signed with little endian format ( Intel ). Either are always
big endian format (Motorola).
- You can create you own sample frequency.
- New management of external DSP effects.
- New useful alert boxes added.
- AU/SND files header write error fixed.
- Several loop errors.
- The approximative hi-speed play has been disabled.
- Icons draw bugs.
- Intempestive play.
- DSP effect restore bug after effects changes during a play.
- Reverse stereo with Invert function.
- Block undraw after a Scrub.
- Undo after the "Replace" function.
- Reverse stereo of echo-delay DSP effect.
- Record from cursor.
- Pause with SPACE while recording under Magic.
- Crashes when filtering under Magic fixed.
- For a resample process under Magic, internal file management fixed.
- Significative noise reduction of plopping sounds as long as you use
Studio Son.
- Management improved of AIFF files compatible with Cubase Audio. These
files are now saved with a physical size rounded to 1024 bytes
multiples. Useful to prevent crackling noise when you import your
AIFF files with Cubase Audio.
- Buggy "Scrub" function rewritten. No crash occurs.
- Reverse stereo bug for a "Scrub" fixed but still in beta test mode.
- Buggy "Cross Fade" function improved. Autocorrection for wrong
parameters. The UNDO is also correct.
- Cut, Copy, Paste, Insert and others have their UNDO bugs fixed.
- Bug of the current working folder fixed. (After an Insert for example)
- DSP effect after a Resample and Filtering is now restored with no
problem.
- Overall settings saving are now re-enabled ! Up to date, you MUST keep
the STUDIO.SYS folder.
- Rewritten "New Sound File" function. You can now create a file with the
fileselector, choose a frequency, ...
- Rewritten "Apply Effect" function. Sample gap subtly fixed. Due to the
DSP real time application of this function, it is obvious that it
remains a very small gap into your final sample. This gap is usually
filled by zero values as it has been thought for this rewritten
function. So, it's not recommended to apply an effect to a block
selection.
- Markers management bugs fixed. (Delete, saving and loading procedures)
- There was play error with "Preview Cut" function. It's now okay.
- Block selection with SHIFT+TAB to the next marker has been debugged.
- Sample time length is now updated after any UNDO.
- Little bug fixed during a play actived by the space bar with an
exported sample from Studio Son.
- Resampling function added (Linear Interpolation).
- Resampling function includes a filter and linear interpolation code in
only one DSP program.
- You can resample from 2 Khz to 192 Khz.
- WAV files opening issue fixed.
- Huge undo bug fixed.
- Huge bug of the volume of mono samples filtered fixed.
- FIR filters (Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass and Band Reject) up to 2048
coeefficients.
- Resample process can be followed by a LowPass filter up to 1024
coefficients.
- DSP Filter algorithm improved. The speed of the treatment have been
increased. Now you can enjoy a good optimization of the filtering
process.
- The end of the sample is now truly filtered.
- Vu meter clipping problems fixed.
- The cursor running is now correct when sample frequency is not the same
as the system frequency.
- Desktop background pattern modified to improve the work in monochrome.
- Redraw bug of the desktop in monochrome corrected.
- Several dialog boxes fields bugs fixed in monochrome.
- Crashes at very high zoom levels fixed.
- You can now really select all the sample with the mouse.
- You can now really place the cursor at the end of the sample with the
mouse.
- Wrong size of the blocks at the end of the sample corrected.
- You can now create a block with a "one sample" size when you make a
long click on a part of the sample.
- New alert boxes for the Filtering and Resampling function.
- New internal undo for the Resampling function.
New function "Resample..." allows you to change the frequency of your
samples with a linear interpolation and an optional Low Pass filter.
The "Filtering..." function enables you to carry out FIR filters ( Low
Pass, High Pass, Band Pass and Band Reject ).
This is performed by the DSP 56001 and with Direct to Disk process.
-------------
Known bugs:
-------------
- No sound when playing very high frequency samples.
- Slowly WAV files opening.
- Selected block after a resampling task is not deleted.
- Sample duration and time counter are wrong when the system frequency
doesn't match with the sample frequency.
- Unable to reduce physically the size of a sample when you cut blocks.
- In the time counter, the value 99 is followed by 10.
- Several little bugs into the sample window.
- The icon of the function "Generate Low Frequencies" differs with the
colour of the resolution.
- Little bugs of sample drawing.
- Random error messages when filter steepness is very low.
- Minor bugs.
Up to date, you MUST keep the STUDIO.SYS folder with Studio Son
program file.
If you are using Studio Son on a single TOS, I strongly recommend the
launch of ARROWFIX.PRG in the AUTO folder:
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/studioson/std2093b/arrfix15/
If you are using NVDI, just run ARROWFIX.PRG after this.
Otherwise, GEM must be copied in RAM with the program GEMRAM.PRG before
running ARROWFIX.PRG:
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/studioson/std2093b/GEMRAM16/
If you have troubles to run Studio Son under Magic, you can use the patch
DSPSLOW1.PRG by Centek included into the package or you can find it here:
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/studioson/std2093b/DSPSLOW1.PRG
Don't run DSPSLOW1.PRG if you launch Studio Son under TOS otherwise you
might have display or DSP locked issues.
You can also use the nice DSPXBIOS patch by Didier Mequignon:
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/didierm/files/dspxbios.zip
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/studioson/std2093b/dspxbios.zip
If you use an external clock, run FDI_INIT.PRG into the AUTO folder:
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/studioson/std2093b/FDI_INIT.PRG
FPATCH2.PRG is now included in the package.
You can also download self-extracting STZIP unpacker:
http://doyeuxyvan.free.fr/stzip26/STZIP26.TOS
Have fun !
Yvan Doyeux
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, here in the northeast we've
weathered our second heat wave of the season already. They weren't
really what I'd call major heat waves, certainly nothing to compare to
some of the extreme weather we've seen around the world in the past
decade or so... the heatwave that enveloped Europe several years ago,
for instance. I've forgotten how many lives that sucker took, but it
was not insubstantial. Tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons, floods,
droughts, heatwaves, shrinking polar caps, El Nino, La Nina, shifting
ocean currents ... what's next? Locusts? Yeah, I know, I shouldn't even
joke about it.
For a change, I'm not going to blame the weather on Global Warming or
anything else. It's enough that it IS. It's not really important for me
to point a finger. What IS important is that we realize that
something's going on and take steps to protect ourselves. That's all
I'm saying... that we need to cover our own pink, fleshy butts. If the
"breadbasket" of the U.S. turns to desert, will it matter to any of us
whether it was caused by man or by nature? I didn't think so.
You have no way of knowing this, but I just wrote (and deleted) three
rather large paragraphs dealing with politics and elected (for the most
part) officials who feel empowered to lie with impunity in order to
further their own ends. Yeah, you can probably guess who I'm talking
about. I'm not even going to try being subliminal about it. [grin]
When I went back and read what I'd written, I decided to delete the
paragraphs. First of all, because this isn't the place for diatribes
about power corrupting (and absolute power corrupting absolutely), but
also because I don't have the time to 'do it up' right. When the
highest elected official in the land 'pulls strings' to get things
done, one can perhaps file it under 'it's a tough job, and sometimes
you've got to get your hands dirty', but lying point blank to the media
(and therefore to the electorate)... and making it a half-hearted lie
that was so transparent and self-serving that it made Nixon look like a
Pollyanna... well, I give up.
What bothers me most is that the media stepped right over this
particular lie... and it is a lie... it's not even up for debate... and
decided to just ignore it all together.
That brings up an interesting question: Are you derelict in your duties
if you fail to report someone derelict in their duties in favor of
something 'sexier' to report on? Ummmm...
Y E S !
Okay, let's get to the news, hints, tips and info from the UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
'Ryan' asks about the correct way of shutting down a MegaSTE:
"Hi all. I'm more of a Mac person, coming late to the Atari game. I'm
used to needing to tell the computer that I want to turn it off, using
e.g. the "Shutdown" menu option on a Mac, and only then turning off the
power. I've also used an Atari STf before, which didn't have a hard
drive. Now I have a Mega STE with a hard drive. Can I just turn it off
when I'm done with it, or do I need to shut it down through software
first? I just don't want to damage the hard drive."
Derryck Croker tells Ryan:
"After you've quit any running software you can just turn it off.
Different rules apply if you have alternative operating systems such as
MagiC etc. In such cases, there will most likely be a Shutdown menu
item."
Hallvard Tangeraas adds:
"Yes, and once you've down the "Shutdown" procedure in MagiC etc. you
can physically turn off the power with the power switch.
It's funny this subject should come up now because I dusted off my
Mega STe a couple of days ago and having finished working with it I
stopped up for a second wondering if there was a "shutdown" menu to
select or not!"
Hallvard now turns his attention to Ethernet for the MegaSTE:
"Apparently the "comp.sys.atari.st.tech" no longer serves its purpose
of being the technical discussion side of the Atari ST, but this
newsgroup seems to be THE Atari ST group....
I'd like to add Ethernet to my Mega STe (which will be recased, so its
physical location/size etc. doesn't matter).
The current solutions using the cartridge port won't work for me since
my cartridge port is already full of MIDI expansion devices daisy-
chained together. The NetUSBee for example (http://hardware.atari.org/
netusbee/netus.htm) doesn't have a "pass thru" port, and I'm worried
about data loss or poor performance by joining so many cartridge based
devices together.
Then there's the ACSI port (or SCSI through a Link 97) by using a
Daynaport SCSI Link (http://www.anodynesoftware.com/ethernet/
main.htm). I'll be having a Link 97 connected to the ACSI port on the
back of my Mega STe, so at first glance this should work fine, but I
don't know if the Daynaport devices have SCSI "thru" connectors
allowing for multiple SCSI devices to be connected together in a chain
(I'll most likely have a SCSI CD-ROM burner connected to the Link 97
inside the new recased computer, and a new SCSI connector on the back
of the computer's case for other devices such as an external SCSI hard
drive or ZIP drive etc.).
I also don't know how well this works as the Anodyne link above
explained that you needed to deactivate the ethernet driver in order
to use the floppy drive.
I was hoping for something more "plug and play" and always available,
but is this a common issue when it comes to networking an Atari ST?
The final solution is one that I've never heard about but at least in
my mind sounds like a great one: using the built-in hard drive
interface of the Mega STe!
I've read (http://atari-ste.anvil-soft.com/html/devdocu6.htm) that the
internal hard drive of the Mega STe actually runs off an ACSI port,
which seems to imply that the interface board (where the internal SCSI
drive plugs into) is more or less similar to an ICD Link or something.
Having heard about the EthernNE adapter which allows for a standard
NE2000 compatible ISA networking card to be used with the Atari ST,
which is then to be connected to either the cartridge port (being the
EtherNEC version, which isn't of interest for me as explained above),
but also as an EtherNEA version which uses the ACSI port, that sounded
interesting to me.
I assume the adapter is meant to be connected to the ACSI port on the
back of any Atari ST, but if the internal hard drive accesses a second
ACSI bus, then I don't see why I couldn't connect it there instead.
After all, I won't be using the internal hard drive any longer, which
would leave the bus completely alone for the sole purpose of
networking! Wouldn't this be a whole lot better than sharing the
cartridge or external ACSI ports with other devices in addition to
networking?
Unfortunately I haven't had any success in getting in touch with the
developers of these adapters (Elmar Hilgart and Thomas Redelberger),
and there's not enough information available online to etch your own
PCBs.
Here are the sites I've found:
http://home.arcor.de/thomas.redelberger/prj/atari/etherne/index.htm
(EtherNEA/EtherNEC adapters)
http://www.asamnet.de/~hilgarte/ (EtherNEA and Ethernet adapter II)
I'd like to hear from people who know more about the subject and could
possibly help me get hold of these devices, or information about
building one myself."
David Wade tells Hallvard:
"The DaynaPorts are the nearest thing to "plug and play" I have seen.
They have passthrough ports and switchable terminators. You do need
HDDRIVER though...."
Hallvard replies to David:
"I already have HDdriver (can't remember which version, but I haven't
updated it for years).
Yes, the Daynaport solution is probably the simplest way to go (and I
assume those outdated ethernet adapters for the Mac platform are dirt
cheap these days), but I'm a little concerned about the limitations
mentioned at the Anodyne site about the floppy drive being inaccessible
while being online.
Since using an ethernet connection gives that side-effect, does it
mean that I possibly can't use an SCSI device (connected through the
Daynaport) before I access the STiNG settings and turn off ethernet?
I'm trying to set up a *simple* and efficient system. Not the kind of
computer where you have to remember to change a certain setting before
doing task A, but if doing task B turn it on, while remembering to
disable C and D, but not E... if you catch my drift.
I would guess that a dedicated ethernet card for the VME port would be
the best solution, but those cards are near impossible to find these
days (and very expensive when they do pop up)."
'Coda' adds:
"I have a PAM's VME ethernet card, which works great in MiNT on my TT,
I seem to remember getting it working also in Sting, but I'm not 100%
sure. Because I have NetUSBee now which frees up my VME slot for my
GFX card, I don't need the PAM's card. Maybe I could sell it if you
are interested."
Hallvard tells Coda:
"I'd be interested in hearing more about this card. I've never
heard of the PAM card before and searching the web didn't give any
useful results.
Does it have an RJ45 connector, and would this solution give a better
result and with less complications than the ones where the ACSI
interface is used?
I don't run MiNT, only TOS 2.06 and MagiC. Since the computer will
become a dedicated MIDI computer I will run it mostly in TOS, so the
ethernet card would have to work within TOS.
Once installed in my MegaSTe and with the correct drivers, how would I
transfer files from the Atari to my Mac? Will the Mac appear on the
TOS desktop as a drive and it's just a matter of drag & drop, or is it
a bit more complicated than that?"
Derryck tells Hallvard:
"Take a look at <http://www.myatari.net/issues/feb2002/samba.htm>. I
haven't read the whole thing, so I'm writing this from the perspective
of connecting from the Mac to the MSTe.
Assuming! that that suits your purpose then, in the Mac Finder, go to
Go/Connect To Server... and enter "smb://<your MegaSTe's dotted quad
address>". You may also need to go to Network Prefs and turn Windows
Sharing on.
You can go to Network Utility and give your STe's IP address a name if
you want. I can go to my TiVo's web server (at 192.168.1.9) by simply
entering "http://tivo" in the address bar. You'll need to look up the
specifics on how to do this.
You could also set up an ftp client as Coda suggests, but this is much
better if you can get it running (better integration), BUT you will
get .ds_store and .trash files piling up on the Atari."
Jason Harmon asks about bringing his 1040 back from the dead:
"I have a later model 1040STFM and a dying MegaFile 60. I guess the old
RLL mechanism is nearing its end.
What I'd like to do is remove the guts of the MegaFile, and insert a
SCSI host adapter and more modern SCSI drive mechanism (I have a few
working 4GB drives) into the MegaFile case. Before I begin this
endeavor, I need to locate a SCSI adapter. I've seen a few ICD models,
as well as the one from an Atari SH204 available.
Are there any real functional differences between these that would make
one preferable to another?
Second, my 1040STFM currently has TOS 1.0 ROMs installed. Although it
is a STFM and not an STE, it uses a 2-chip ROM set, and not the 6 chip
set like earlier STs. Does this mean I can install TOS 2.06, or am I
limited to version 1.4 unless I do motherboard mods?"
Coda tells Jason:
"Yes you are limited to TOS 1.4 unless you do the mod, because TOS 1.6+
resides at a different physical address."
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're saying
when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - PS3 Price Cut & New Model!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" E3 - Re-named, Toned Down!
Video Games Boring?
And much more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
New PlayStation To Go On Sale In August
Sony Corp. slashed the price of its current PlayStation 3 by $100, or 16.7
percent, and introduced a high-capacity model in an effort to spur sales
of the struggling video game console. Starting Monday, the current 60
gigabyte model will cost $499, down from $599.
The Japanese electronics maker also said it is introducing a new version
of the PlayStation 3 with a bigger hard drive for storing downloaded
content such as video games and high-definition movies.
The new PS3 increases the system's storage capacity to 80 gigabytes from
60 gigabytes and also includes a retail copy of the online racing title
"MotorStorm," a company spokesman said. It will be priced at $599.
The larger capacity machine won't be available in the United States and
Canada until August.
It plays into the company's upcoming strategy of eventually offering
downloaded high-definition movies, video games, movie trailers and demos,
Sony spokesman David Karraker said.
Karraker said further details on high-def movies for download would be
released at a later date.
The announcement comes two days before the E3 Media & Business Summit in
Santa Monica, Calif., where dozens of industry heavyweights including
Sony rivals Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co. are expected to show off
their latest games and related products.
Sony has said it sold 3.6 million PS3s in the fiscal year ending March 31
and expects to sell another 11 million in the current fiscal year.
Microsoft said in its most recent quarterly earnings report filed in April
that it had shipped 11 million Xbox 360s.
Nintendo, meanwhile, claims it has sold nearly 6 million Wiis worldwide as
of March 31, and more than 40 million Nintendo DS handhelds. The company
has predicted it will sell another 14 million Wiis and 22 million
additional DS systems by the end of the current fiscal year.
The Wii and PS3 were released within days of each other late last year.
Microsoft had a head start in the current generation of consoles, having
launched its Xbox 360 in 2005. Last week, the software company announced
an extension of the warranty due to the high number of systems suffering
from hardware failure, also called the "red ring of death."
In April, Microsoft began selling a version of its Xbox 360 with a
120-gigabyte hard drive and a souped up high-definition video connection.
Called Xbox 360 Elite, the black-colored system sells for $479.99.
Xbox gamers who already own the $399.99 20-gigabyte model can buy a
snap-on 120-gigabyte hard drive for $179.99.
Karraker said Sony would use the E3 show to focus on two areas: ways to
increase the number of consumers who own PS3s and other products such as
the PlayStation Portable handheld system, and expanding the system's
library of available games.
He said Sony would be releasing 100 new video games during the current
fiscal year, including 15 titles that are exclusive to the PS3 such as the
hack-and-slash action title "Heavenly Sword."
Video Game Expo Gets Toned Down For '07
The video game industry's annual showcase is saying goodbye to scantily
clad booth babes, extravagant multimillion dollar exhibits, blaring lights
and pounding music. Celebrity appearances from the likes of Paris Hilton
or Snoop Dogg are a thing of the past, too.
This year's version of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, renamed the E3
Media & Business Summit, will be a toned-down affair as organizers hope
to have a far less flashy discussion on new and upcoming video games.
The event, which starts Wednesday, looks to be more like a country club
getaway, an invitation-only gathering complete with luxury beach-side
hotels, sushi restaurants and meetings in private conference rooms.
To put it more diplomatically, "It's about the quality of connection for
leaders of the industry," says Michael Gallagher, a former
telecommunications policy adviser under the Bush administration who now
heads the Entertainment Software Association, the trade group that puts
together the show.
After last year's expo, organizers decided it had become too big for its
own good. With more than 60,000 people cramming into the Los Angeles
Convention Center, there was a feeling that the needs of no one - be it
the media, retailers or video game publishers - were being addressed
particularly well.
"It had gotten out of control and needed to die," said Mike Wilson, chief
executive of Austin, Texas-based game publisher Gamecock. "It was hot,
techno was blasting everywhere, there was no place to sit and the
microwave cheeseburgers were $8. It just wasn't pleasant."
Wilson's company wasn't invited to the new E3 that's being held in a
handful of hotels along the beach in Santa Monica, Calif. He isn't the
only one.
Only about 30 of the largest video game software and hardware companies
are attending, down from the hundreds that packed the event in previous
years. Also missing will be the army of small-time bloggers, zealous game
fans and others who somehow managed to infiltrate the trade-only event.
As someone who was at the first E3 in 1995 and attended every one since,
Dorothy Ferguson said she believes the new format will benefit the 3,000
or so people attending.
"It kind of got away from what was important, which is really the
content," said Ferguson, a vice president of sales and marketing for
NCSoft Inc. "At the end you felt like a pinball in a pinball machine. It
was sensory overload and it was really difficult to hear anything."
This week's event, which runs through Friday, will focus on the
industry's largest players, including No. 1 game-software maker Electronic
Arts Inc. and console makers Microsoft Corp., Sony Corp. and Nintendo
Corp.
The big story last year was Sony's decision to price PlayStation 3 at up
to $600 and whether it would catch on with consumers. Nintendo,
meanwhile, promised to bring more non-gamers into the fold with its
interactive Wii. Microsoft continued to build on its Xbox Live online
gaming platform.
Since then, both the PS3 and the Wii have been unleashed on the
marketplace. (Microsoft launched its next-generation console, the Xbox
360, in 2005.)
Analyst Ted Pollack of Jon Peddie Research said he doesn't see any losers
in the current crop of consoles and believes they will be a boon for the
industry for at least the next five years.
"They're all doing well in their own way," he said. "All three consoles
will win battles in the console wars and at the end everyone will be left
standing."
And now that all of the hardware has been available for a while,
consumers can expect to see a flood of new video games.
Josh Larson, director of the online game review Web site GameSpot, said
he is looking for this year's show to shed more light on software that
takes advantage of each system's unique capabilities.
He also expects more details on big video game franchises like "Halo 3,"
"Grand Theft Auto IV" and "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" as well has more
information on Sony's strategy to compete online with Microsoft's Xbox
Live service.
Other top games could include Konami's "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the
Patriots," a "Killzone" sequel from Sony and the latest chapter in the
"Final Fantasy" saga from Square-Enix Co.
"It's ultimately about the games," Larson said. "The PS3 box can look real
shiny and have lots of powerful specs, but it's ultimately the game
experience that causes you to go out and get that gaming system."
In another twist, the ESA is hoping to appeal to the general gaming
consumer later this fall. The "E for All 2007," an event that will be open
to the public, is scheduled for Oct. 18-21 at E3's former home, the Los
Angeles Convention Center.
EA CEO Calls Video Games "Boring," Complicated
Most video games are "boring" or too complicated, and game makers need to
do more to appeal to casual players, according to the head of the world's
largest video game publisher, Electronic Arts Inc.
"We're boring people to death and making games that are harder and harder
to play," EA Chief Executive John Riccitiello told the Wall Street Journal
in a story posted on its Web site on Sunday.
Riccitiello became CEO at EA in April in his return to the game maker.
EA's former chief operating officer had left the company in 2004 to help
found Elevation Partners, a media and entertainment buyout firm.
The video game executive criticized the industry for rolling out sequels
to new games that add little from the previous version.
"For the most part, the industry has been rinse-and-repeat," he was
quoted as saying. "There's been lots of product that looked like last
year's product, that looked a lot like the year before."
The comments were made as the $30 billion video game industry prepares
for its annual gathering, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, in
Santa Monica, California. Anticipation is running high that cheaper
hardware and a host of keenly awaited new games will fuel the strongest
sales in years.
Lawsuit Claims Xbox 360s Scratch Discs
Just days after Microsoft took an earnings charge of more than $1 billion
to fix hardware problems in Xbox 360 consoles, a class-action suit says
that the consoles also damage game discs.
Filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
Florida, the suit claims that Xbox 360s scratch game discs, making them
unusable. Thousands of people have been affected by and have complained to
Microsoft about the problem, the suit claims.
While Microsoft hasn't yet evaluated the suit, it says it hasn't heard a
significant number of complaints. "Out of the millions of Xbox consoles in
use, Microsoft has not received any widespread reports of Xbox 360s
scratching discs," said Jack Evans, a Microsoft spokesman, in a statement.
The problem isn't limited to the United States, the suit says. It
describes a television program that aired in the Netherlands earlier this
year detailing complaints by Xbox 360 users and including results of lab
tests that resulted in disc scratching by some of the consoles.
Microsoft offers a worldwide disc replacement program for games that it
authors. A user can send a damaged disc back to Microsoft plus $20 and
receive a replacement. Microsoft also will examine and repair consoles
that consumers believe may have scratched discs, the company said.
The suit details the experience of Jorge Brouwer, the plaintiff in the
case. He said that his two games stopped working on his new Xbox 360. When
he called customer support and mentioned that he noticed scratches on the
discs, customer support advised him to buy replacement discs. He also said
that customer support wouldn't acknowledge that the console might be to
blame.
The suit asks for damages of more than $5 million and the repair of Xbox
360s that cause the scratching and replacement of damaged discs.
The filing follows an announcement on Thursday that Microsoft would repair
or replace Xbox 360s that suffer a certain type of hardware failure. Users
have been complaining about the failure, which is indicated by three
flashing red lights on the console. Microsoft has not offered details on
the type of hardware failure.
The company has yet to record a profit for its Xbox business but said
that, despite the $1 billion charge, it expects to be profitable in 2008.
Microsoft sells the consoles at a loss, hoping to earn profit from games
sales.
According to the District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the
suit claims that Xbox 360s scratch game discs, making them unusable.
Thousands of people have been affected by and have complained to
Microsoft about the problem, the suit claims.
While Microsoft hasn't yet evaluated the suit, it says it hasn't heard a
significant number of complaints. "Out of the millions of Xbox consoles
in use, Microsoft has not received any widespread reports of Xbox 360s
scratching discs," said Jack Evans, a Microsoft spokesman, in a statement.
The problem isn't limited to the United States, the suit says. It
describes a television program that aired in the Netherlands earlier this
year detailing complaints by Xbox 360 users and including results of lab
tests that resulted in disc scratching by some of the consoles.
Microsoft offers a worldwide disc replacement program for games that it
authors. A user can send a damaged disc back to Microsoft plus $20 and
receive a replacement. Microsoft also will examine and repair consoles
that consumers believe may have scratched discs, the company said.
The suit details the experience of Jorge Brouwer, the plaintiff in the
case. He said that his two games stopped working on his new Xbox 360.
When he called customer support and mentioned that he noticed scratches on
the discs, customer support advised him to buy replacement discs. He also
said that customer support wouldn't acknowledge that the console might be
to blame.
The suit asks for damages of more than $5 million and the repair of Xbox
360s that cause the scratching and replacement of damaged discs.
The filing follows an announcement on Thursday that Microsoft would repair
or replace Xbox 360s that suffer a certain type of hardware failure.
Users have been complaining about the failure, which is indicated by three
flashing red lights on the console. Microsoft has not offered details on
the type of hardware failure.
The company has yet to record a profit for its Xbox business but said
that, despite the $1 billion charge, it expects to be profitable in 2008.
Microsoft sells the consoles at a loss, hoping to earn profit from games
sales.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Crooks Used Botnets, Spam in Stock Scheme
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed securities fraud
charges against two Texas men who allegedly hijacked computers nationwide
to send millions of spam e-mails and cheat investors out of more than US
$4.6 million.
The men used networks of compromised computers, often called botnets, to
send out spam about at least 13 penny stock companies, the SEC said
Monday. The SEC began to investigate the operation after one of its
enforcement attorneys received one of the e-mail messages at work.
Darrel Uselton and his uncle, Jack Uselton, both repeat securities law
violators, illegally profited during a 20-month scalping scam, the SEC
said. The two obtained shares from 13 or more penny stock companies and
sold those shares after pumping up the market through manipulative
trading, spam e-mail campaigns, direct mailers and Internet-based
promotions, the SEC said.
The SEC defines scalping as recommending that other people purchase a
security while secretly selling the same stock.
In related actions, the Attorney General's Office for Texas and the
Harris County District Attorney's Office indicted the Useltons for
engaging in organized criminal activity and money laundering. The Texas
authorities have seized more than $4.2 million from bank accounts
controlled by the Useltons, the SEC said.
The SEC's action is "intended to protect investors from fraud artists who
would treat the investing public as their personal ATM machines," SEC
Chairman Christopher Cox said in a statement. The scheme, by combining
get-rich-quick promises, computer intrusions and spam, was a "virulent
threat to ordinary investors," he added.
The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of Texas in Houston, alleges that the Useltons used an array of
computer botnets to anonymously flood the inboxes of American investors
with millions of spam e-mails touting near-worthless penny stocks. Each
campaign, which featured a single company, lasted from several days to
several weeks.
Between May 2005 and December 2006, the Useltons obtained more than $4.6
million through their fraudulent scheme, the SEC alleged. The Useltons
and the companies they controlled typically received unrestricted shares
from penny stock companies for little or no money, in return for
purported financing or promotional activities, the SEC said.
Darrel Uselton was disciplined by the National Association of Securities
Dealers in 2004 and 2005. Jack Uselton was permanently barred from
violating the SEC's antifraud provision in a 2002 settled action, the SEC
said.
The SEC in March 2007 suspended trading in the securities of three of the
companies involved as part of its antispam initiative. The SEC revoked
the registration of a fourth company in December 2005.
S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston, alleges
that the Useltons used an array of computer botnets to anonymously flood
Between May 2005 and December 2006, the Useltons obtained more than $4.6
million through their fraudulent scheme, the SEC alleged. The Useltons
and the companies they controlled typically received unrestricted shares
from penny stock companies for little or no money, in return for
purported financing or promotional activities, the SEC said.
Darrel Uselton was disciplined by the National Association of Securities
Dealers in 2004 and 2005. Jack Uselton was permanently barred from
violating the SEC's antifraud provision in a 2002 settled action, the SEC
said.
The SEC in March 2007 suspended trading in the securities of three of the
companies involved as part of its antispam initiative. The SEC revoked
the registration of a fourth company in December 2005.
FBI Ramps Up Spam War
U.S. Internet users should expect a growing number of prosecutions for
sending spam and related activities, such as creating botnets, officials
with two U.S. law enforcement organizations said Thursday.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has 70 active investigations into
spam-related crimes, said FBI special agent J. Keith Mularski, speaking at
the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's spam summit. The FBI has worked with
the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), a partnership
between law enforcement agencies, universities and private businesses, to
identity spammers, he said.
The NCFTA, launched in 2002, has identified more than 100 "significant
spammers," including five tied to traditional organized crime, Mularski
said.
Partnerships with industry are important to fight cybercrime, Mularski
said. The Internet Crime Complaint Center, a joint operation of the FBI
and the National White Collar Crime Center, gets more than 22,000
complaints about cybercrime each month, up from 18,000 complaints a month
last year, he said.
"If we don't address it together, it's only going to get worse," he said.
"Industry has all the information, because these guys are hitting their
networks."
The U.S. Department of Justice is targeting several spam-related
activities, added Mona Sedky Spivack, a trial attorney in the DOJ Criminal
Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. In June, the
DOJ and FBI launched Operation Bot Roast, targeting criminals who use
networks of compromised computers, often called botnets, to send spam and
launch distributed denial-of-service attacks.
In addition to targeting "bot herders," criminals who control botnets,
the DOJ will begin targeting "bot brokers," the people who negotiate the
sale of botnet resources, she said. "We're going to start pegging them
with some criminal liability," she said. "There is a lot of money getting
exchanged here."
Botnets and anonymous proxies are popular with spammers right now because
they don't have to use their own computer resources to send the e-mail
messages, Spivack said. This makes it more difficult for law enforcement
agencies to track down spammers.
The DOJ and other federal agencies are also targeting stock-scheme spam
campaigns, she said. In a typical "pump and dump" stock scheme, spammers
buy cheap stocks, then send out huge volumes of spam telling recipients
that the stock price is poised to rise. The stock price goes up because
of the spam campaign, and the spammers sell their stock at a large
profit.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed securities
fraud charges against two Texas men for an alleged pump and dump scheme.
The scheme allegedly cost investors US$4.6 million.
Despite news reports of such schemes, they tend to work, Spivack said.
"It appeals to unsophisticated investors who are day traders at home,"
she said.
The U.S. Congress passed the Controlling the Assault of on-Solicited
Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act in 2003, and there's still
debate over whether the law has reduced the amount of spam U.S. Internet
users receive. CAN-SPAM allows senders to deliver unsolicited commercial
e-mail, but requires that they stop when a recipient asks them to.
CAN-SPAM also requires that commercial e-mail have accurate header
information, have a legitimate postal address for the sender and have a
working opt-out mechanism.
The law has given some spammers a set of rules they must follow to become
legitimate marketers, said Aaron Kornblum, a senior attorney with
Microsoft Corp.
But law breakers have become inventive as law enforcement and private
companies find new ways to combat spam, he added. Some spammers rotate the
URLs (uniform resource locators) in their spam, making it difficult to
track, others don't include URLs at all, he said. Some used pixelated text
to defeat spam filters.
"We need our investigative techniques to evolve," he said.
Military Files Left Unprotected Online
Detailed schematics of a military detainee holding facility in southern
Iraq. Geographical surveys and aerial photographs of two military
airfields outside Baghdad. Plans for a new fuel farm at Bagram Air Base in
Afghanistan.
The military calls it "need-to-know" information that would pose a direct
threat to U.S. troops if it were to fall into the hands of terrorists.
It's material so sensitive that officials refused to release the documents
when asked.
But it's already out there, posted carelessly to file servers by
government agencies and contractors, accessible to anyone with an Internet
connection.
In a survey of servers run by agencies or companies involved with the
military and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, The Associated Press found
dozens of documents that officials refused to release when asked
directly, citing troop security.
Such material goes online all the time, posted most often by mistake.
It's not in plain sight, unlike the plans for the new American embassy in
Baghdad that appeared recently on the Web site of an architectural firm.
But it is almost as easy to find.
And experts said foreign intelligence agencies and terrorists working with
al-Qaida likely know where to look.
In one case, the Army Corps of Engineers asked the AP to promptly dispose
of several documents found on a contractor's server that detailed a
project to expand the fuel infrastructure at Bagram, including a map of
the entry point to be used by fuel trucks and the location of pump houses
and fuel tanks. The Corps of Engineers then changed its policies for
storing material online following the AP's inquiry.
But a week later, the AP downloaded a new document directly from the
agency's own server. The 61 pages of photos, graphics and charts map out
the security features at Tallil Air Base, a compound outside of Nasiriyah
in southeastern Iraq, and depict proposed upgrades to the facility's
perimeter fencing.
"That security fence guards our lives," said Lisa Coghlan, a spokeswoman
for the Corps of Engineers in Iraq, who is based at Tallil. "Those
drawings should not have been released. I hope to God this is the last
document that will be released from us."
The Corps of Engineers and its contractor weren't alone:
* The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which provides the military
with maps and charts, said it plans to review its policies after the AP
found several sensitive documents, including aerial surveys of military
airfields near Balad and Al Asad, Iraq, on its server.
* Benham Companies LLC is securing its site after learning it had
inadvertently posted detailed maps of buildings and infrastructure at Fort
Sill, Okla. "Now, everything will be protected," said Steve Tompkins, a
spokesman for Oklahoma City-based Benham.
* Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, two of
the nation's leading nuclear laboratories, closed public access to their
file transfer protocol servers after the AP contacted them about material
posted there. Both said the change was unrelated to the AP's inquiry.
The AP has destroyed the documents it downloaded, and all the material
cited in this story is no longer available online on the sites surveyed.
The posting of private material on publicly available FTP servers is a
familiar problem to security experts hired by companies to secure sites
and police the actions of employees who aren't always tech-savvy. They
said files that never should appear online are often left unprotected by
inexperienced or careless users who don't know better.
A spokeswoman for contractor SRA International Inc., where the AP found a
document the Defense Department said could let hackers access military
computer networks, said the company wasn't concerned because the
unclassified file was on an FTP site that's not indexed by Internet search
engines.
"The only way you could find it is by an awful lot of investigation," said
SRA spokeswoman Laura Luke.
But on Tuesday, SRA had effectively shut down its FTP server. The only
file online was a short statement: "In order to mitigate the risk of SRA
or client proprietary information being inadvertently made available to
the public, the SRA anonymous ftp server has been shutdown indefinitely.
In the coming months, a new secure ftp site will be introduced that will
replace the functionality of this site."
Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer of BT Counterpane, a Mountain
View, Calif.-based technology security company, said the attitude that
material posted on FTP sites is hard to find reflects a misunderstanding
of how the Internet works.
"For some, there's sort of this myth that 'if I put something on the Net
and don't tell anybody,' that it's hidden," Schneier said. "It's a sloppy
user mistake. This is yet another human error that creates a major
problem."
File transfer protocol is a relatively old technology that makes files
available on the Internet. It remains popular for its simplicity,
efficiency and low cost. In fact, several agencies and contractors said
the documents found by the AP were posted online so they could be easily
shared among colleagues.
Internet users can't scour the sites with a typical search engine, but FTP
servers routinely share a similar address as public Web sites. To log on,
users often only need to replace "http" and "http://www" in a Web address
with "ftp."
Some are secured by password or a firewall, but others are occasionally
left open to anyone with an Internet connection to browse and download
anonymously. Experts said that when unsophisticated users post sensitive
information to the servers, they would not necessarily know it could be
downloaded by people outside of their business or agency.
"What they don't realize is that every time you set up any type of
server, you have that possibility," said Danny Allan, director of
security research for Watchfire, a Waltham, Mass.-based Web security
company. "Any files that you are putting on the server you want to
monitor on a continuous basis."
Allan said he and others in the security industry have watched for more
than a decade as files, including credit card information, sensitive
blueprints of government buildings and military intelligence reports,
spread through the public domain via unsecured FTP servers.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Central Command, which oversees the war in
Iraq, declined to say if material accidentally left on the Internet had
led to a physical breach of security.
But among the documents the AP found were aerial photographs and detailed
schematics of Camp Bucca, a U.S.-run facility for detainees in Iraq. One
of he documents was password-protected, but the password was printed in
an unsecure document stored on the same server. They showed where U.S.
forces keep prisoners and fuel tanks, as well as the locations of
security fences, guard towers and other security measures.
"It gets down to a level of detail that would assist insurgents in trying
to free their members from the camp or overpower guards," said Loren
Thompson, a military analyst with the Virginia-based Lexington Institute.
"When you post ... the map of a high-security facility that houses
insurgents, you're basically giving their allies on the outside
information useful in freeing them."
The Corps of Engineers expressed a similar concern when it learned that
the AP had downloaded the details about the fuel infrastructure upgrade at
Bagram from a contractor's FTP site. Spokeswoman Joan Kibler said that
kind of information "could put our troops in harm's way."
The AP's discovery led the agency to ask all its contractors to
immediately put such material under password protection. In fact, all the
agencies and contractors contacted by the AP have either shut down their
FTP sites, secured them with a password or pledged to install other
safeguards to ensure the documents are no longer accessible.
"We saw that there have been instances where some documents have been
placed on FTP sites, and they haven't had any safeguarding mechanisms for
them," Kibler said. "We've determined that those documents need to be
safeguarded, so we've amended our practices here to require that any of
those types of documents have restricted access when they're placed on
FTP sites."
Documents found by the AP about Contingency Operating Base Speicher near
Tikrit, Iraq, describe potential security vulnerabilities at the facility
and paraphrase an Army major expressing concerns about a "great
separation between personnel and equipment" as the base prepared for the
military's current counterinsurgency push.
"For force-protection reasons and operational security, that's sensitive
stuff," said Lt. Col. Michael Donnelly, a military spokesman based at
Speicher. "That's for a need-to-know basis. The enemy regularly takes that
stuff and pieces it together for their advantage."
The information about Camp Bucca, Bagram Air Base and Contingency
Operating Base Speicher was found on the FTP server of CH2M Hill
Companies Ltd., an engineering, consulting and construction company based
in Englewood, Colo.
"None of the drawings are classified and we believe they were all handled
appropriately per the government's direction," said CH2M Hill spokesman
John Corsi. But the company added a password protection to its FTP site
after the AP's inquiry and referred the direct request for the documents
to the government.
Military officials said they could jeopardize troop security and refused
to release them.
Other files found by the AP didn't appear to pose an immediate threat to
troop security, but illustrated advanced military technologies. The
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency posted PowerPoint presentations
outlining military GPS systems, including plans to combat GPS jammers.
Files from Los Alamos give an early look at a developing technology to
combat enemy snipers in urban environments, including one file describing
the levels of security behind the new program.
Dean Carver, a counterintelligence officer with the federal Office of the
National Counterintelligence Executive, part of the Office of the Director
of National Intelligence, said at a recent security conference that such
trade secrets, even those dealing with a basic technology, are often a
common target for foreign espionage because they can be used to advance a
country's own military technology.
"Every military-critical technology is sought by many foreign
governments," said Carver, mentioning China and Russia as the leading
culprits of snooping on the Internet.
Christopher Freeman believes he may have witnessed such hunting for
secrets. While working on an internal security review at his job with the
city of Greensboro, N.C.., Freeman watched as a computer with an
electronic address from Tehran, Iran, accessed the city's FTP server and
downloaded a file that contained design drawings for the area's water
infrastructure.
He said that while there's no way to know if there was malicious intent
behind the download, "when you think of Iran, you think of all the bad
stuff first."
"It could have been anyone," Freeman said. "It opened our eyes to show
that we're not just little old Greensboro. We're a part of the global
community."
That was years ago, and it led Freeman to start looking for FTP sites he
thought should be secure. He found a manual describing how to operate a
Navy encryption device on the server of the Space and Naval Warfare
Systems Command. He also found photographs and graphics detailing the
inner workings of missiles designed at Sandia.
"It's not something that had any business being on a FTP site," said
Sandia spokeswoman Stephanie Holinka of the material Freeman found. The
agency has shut down its FTP site while a security upgrade is put in
place, she said.
Many sites housed raw data, presentations and documents that didn't have
security classifications, while other documents were clearly marked to
prevent public release. The manual of the encryption device tells users
to "destroy by any method that will prevent disclosure of contents or
reconstruction of this document." A warning says exporting the document
could result in "severe criminal penalties."
"The military is often criticized for making too many things secret, but
when you're enabling an enemy to find out how you use encryption
devices, you easily could be helping them to defeat America," said
Thompson, the military analyst.
Freeman, who showed the AP the documents from Sandia and the Space and
Naval Warfare Systems Command, said he made a conscious effort to avoid
information labeled classified but still managed to accidentally download
files from Sandia with "top secret" classifications, forcing him to wipe
his computer hard drive clean and notify authorities.
Freeman passed along his findings to the FBI and the Department of Defense
and later aided investigators in securing the Space and Naval Warfare
Systems Command site. After getting calls from a contractor and the Army
Materiel Command asking about what he found online, Freeman has sought
legal representation from Denner Pellegrino, a Boston-based firm that
specializes in cyber crime.
"This is a treasure trove for terrorists," Freeman said. "They can just
waltz in and browse. I'm by no means a high-tech person. I'm not a
programmer. I don't know hacking. I'm just a slightly above-average
computer user."
FBI officials declined to specifically discuss Freeman and what he told
the agency. But Mark Moss, a Charlotte-based FBI agent who focuses on
online security, said foreign intelligence agencies spend a lot of time
on the Internet because online intelligence-gathering is cheap, quick and
anonymous.
"If they steal your technology through the Internet, it's overseas in an
instant," Moss said. "It's the perfect conduit."
AOL Promises Refunds
AOL LLC will pay more than US$3 million to settle complaints that it
charged customers for unauthorized services.
The settlement money will go to 48 states and the District of Columbia,
which plan to use the money in various ways, typically for consumer
education and to fund consumer-fraud investigations.
In addition to the $3 million, AOL agreed to offer refunds to consumers
who complain to the company or through the offices of states' attorneys
general. AOL must refund consumers who complain of unauthorized charges
for services, the states say.
AOL also agreed to improve the way that customers can cancel their
services. Previously, most customers could only cancel their service by
calling AOL. But AOL customer service representatives received incentives
for retaining customers. As a result, many customers complained that it
was very difficult and in some cases impossible to cancel their service,
according to the Arkansas attorney general's office.
In Illinois, customers who tried to cancel their services were often
offered a free month of service as an incentive to stick with AOL, said
that state's attorney general office. After the free month, customers
would try again to cancel but customer care representatives would
pressure them to stay. Some consumers said that they thought they'd
cancelled their service only to continue receiving bills for the service.
To address the problem, AOL setup an Internet site that customers can
use to cancel their service. In addition, when customers cancel, AOL must
clearly disclose the amount of time remaining on the account and provide
a confirmation number showing that the customer cancelled the service.
AOL made many of the changes during 2005 and 2006 on a voluntary basis
nationwide, said AOL spokeswoman Amy Call. The settlement "puts to rest
any remaining issues related to our old access business model," she said
in a statement.
Many customers may have recently begun trying to cancel their service
because AOL is in the midst of a business transition. It now offers free
e-mail services and grants anyone access to its portal, in hopes of
earning revenue from advertisements. AOL still offers dial-up Internet
access and a tech support service for a fee.
Sites Let Preteens Network Online
This past spring, 10-year-old Adam Young joined other tweens on Club
Penguin, playing
games, throwing virtual snowballs and chatting with
fellow kids who appear onscreen as plump cartoon penguins. A few weeks
later, Adam asked Mom to pay $5 a month for extra features, such as
decorating his online persona's igloo.
Karen Young demanded to learn more about what some have billed as
"training wheels" for the next MySpace generation. She spent time on the
site with Adam and consulted with her sister, the mother of another daily
visitor.
"I said, `Well, what is it? What does it involve?'" Young recalled. "I
wanted him to show me what he wanted and what it was about."
Drawing preteens as young as 6 or 7, sites like Club Penguin and Webkinz
are forcing parents to decide at what age they are willing to let their
children roam about and interact with friends online. They, along with
schools, are having to teach earlier lessons on safety, etiquette and
balance with offline activities.
"It's kind of like what happened in the real world with Cabbage Patch
dolls and Beanie Babies," said Monique Nelson, executive vice president of
Web Wise Kids, a nonprofit focused on Internet safety for children. "Their
friends are doing it, so like kids who follow like sheep, they go online
and go on these sites."
According to comScore Media Metrix, U.S. visitors to Club Penguin early
tripled over the past year, while Webkinz' grew 13 times.
Peggy Meszaros, a professor of human development at Virginia Tech, said
kids' identities begin to blossom by 8 and they start wanting to meet
other children, so these sites may become their introduction to social
networking. But she said kids that age would get much more "going to the
swimming pool and meeting friends face to face," making parental oversight
of online usage ever-important.
Young, a first-grade teacher in Louisville, Ky., ultimately deemed the
environment relatively safe and agreed to pay for a membership. Unlike
News Corp.'s MySpace, the anything-goes site frequented by Young's older
son, Club Penguin limits what kids can say to one another, reducing the
risks of predators and online bullying.
That sentiment was echoed by Tony Bayliss, father of 7-year-old Maisie in
England. Club Penguin is the only site Bayliss lets Maisie visit
unsupervised; Bayliss also has a cartoon penguin of his own and visits his
daughter online while traveling.
"It's what the future is," Bayliss said of the online environment. "It's
what she's going to be using for the rest of her life."
Club Penguin was started more than a year ago as "an online playground for
kids," said Lane Merrifield, the site's co-founder and chief executive.
"How can we take the fun pieces of these more grown-up and adult
(social-networking) sites and surround them in a safe environment?"
Kids win gold coins by playing games such as sled racing and, with a paid
membership, buy virtual items like furniture and clothing. Kids can
attend parties and make friends by adding other penguins to their buddy
lists.
The site, from Canada's New Horizon Interactive Ltd., does not try to keep
out older users - after all, anyone can lie about age. Rather, it builds
in controls meant to curb outside contact and harassment. The company says
it has never had a problem with predators.
Parents can choose an "ultimate safe" mode, meaning chat messages sent and
received are limited to prewritten phrases, such as "How are you today?"
In the standard mode, kids can type messages like any other chat program,
but only the sender sees messages containing foul language and even
innocent-sounding words such as "mom" - to prevent someone from asking,
"Is your mom home?" Senders would think they are being ignored and not try
tricks to bypass filters.
The filters also catch numbers that might form a phone number a kid is
trying to share, even if someone tries to replace "1" with "one."
Veterans can apply to become "secret agents," responsible for patrolling
the site and reporting bad behavior, and violations can get a kid banned
for a day or longer.
Likewise, Webkinz limits chats by permitting only prewritten phrases, and
e-cards go only to those already on friends lists.
Kids take quizzes or perform chores to earn "KinzCash" to buy furniture
for their virtual room and food for their virtual pet. They must return to
the site regularly to keep their pets fed and healthy; otherwise, it's a
trip to Dr. Quack for medical care, though the pets themselves never die.
Unlike Club Penguin, though, access to the Canadian-based site from Ganz
is restricted to those who buy a Webkinz plush toy at a retail store for
about $15, many of which have been selling out because of high demand.
Think Beanie Babies with an online component. A code on each toy unlocks
the site for a year.
Both sites do require some reading skills, though younger kids can
participate with older siblings or parents.
Other popular tween online hangouts include Millsberry, a General Mills
Inc. site that promotes good eating but features product placements for
its cereals, and Numedeon Inc.'s Whyville, where tweens play games and
earn clams.
Although these social-networking precursors for tweens tend to
incorporate more safety measures than MySpace, Facebook and other sites
geared toward teenagers and adults, experts warn that parents can't
simply sign their kids on and leave them there, especially during the
summer months when kids have more time to spend online.
"We want them to develop and grow physically, spiritually and
emotionally," Meszaros said. "If they are on the computer three or four
hours a day, that's time they could be doing other things. Parents need
to be monitoring."
Step one is to decide whether kids should be there at all.
Jane Healy, author of "Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our
Children's Minds - for Better and Worse," said kids may feel they are
"going to be a hopeless social failure" if they can't participate.
Advocates say the controlled environment can teach kids important lessons
about typing, communicating, caring for pets and budgeting - they must
learn to work and save for the trampoline they want for their virtual
room.
But Healy said these sites also teach kids to be "a good consuming member
of the consuming culture (and) to need stuff to be considered successful
or good."
She urges caution in opening the door to "powerful forces out there
trying to intrude into your family life and personal relations with your
child." Not only do these sites introduce commercialism, she said, but
they also can take kids away from offline environments where they can
learn to pick up body language and facial expressions.
Software tools are available to help parents control Internet activities,
including use of these sites. Monitoring software can record a kid's chat
conversations and whereabouts - secretly if the parent wishes. Other
tools, some available for free, aim to block porn or limit when or how
long a child can be online.
Parents should at least keep computers in an open room and surf the Web
side-by-side with their kids now and then. A discussion on time limits is
important because rules are far easier to impose from the beginning, and
Club Penguin will soon introduce a feature for parents to set such limits
on the site.
"As soon as the egg timer comes up, we're going to have a list of
activities they can do outside," Merrifield said.
Parents should also start addressing safety and online etiquette.
"They can't be there every time they go online .... so it's even more
important to spend more time up front teaching them how to be safe and
smart," said Susan Sachs, chief operating officer with the nonprofit
Common Sense Media.
It helps that many parents are now using the Internet not just for work
but also for recreation, information sharing and other social interaction.
"When kids start to use technology, (parents) can be much more part of
the process, as opposed to, `Gee, this is all new and strange to me. I
don't want you using it,'" said Peter Grunwald, a researcher who
specializes in kids and technology.
Nonetheless, Grunwald said, "kids are using online services at an earlier
age, and that means parents do have to exercise their role as parents and
be mindful of it at an earlier age than, say, seven, eight or nine years
ago."
Webkinz Site Not Just For Kids
For about a week my 6-year-old son, Mark, was having a grand old time on
Webkinz, one of several children's Web sites that have exploded in
popularity in the last year or so.
Then it dawned on him. His online pet, a gorilla named Ben, was playing
games like "Rock Paper Scissors" and "Go Fish" against the other denizens
of Webkinz World, nearly all of whom were pink kittens or fluffy-maned
horses.
"Is PoniesRock!24 a girl?" he asked.
"What difference does it make?" my wife and I responded.
"Yeah, but is PoniesRock!24 a girl?"
We finally conceded: "Probably, yes."
Click.
He quickly reconciled his little internal conflict and was soon happily
back on track. And that was fine with us. Webkinz is one of the few
sites that has captured our son's attention without aggressive
promotional tie-ins for superhero movies or television shows. He doesn't
need a lot of parental help to navigate the site.
And Webkinz has broad appeal.
While it seems that the sweet spot in the Webkinz demographic - what with
the cutesy-pie graphics and the proliferation of fluffy felines in
pastels - is probably the preteen girl, the site has something for
everybody. When we boot Mark off the computer to go play outside, either
my wife or I will often play a few games before we shut it down.
To log on to Webkinz, you first have to buy a specially designated stuffed
animal for about $15 or so. (The toys themselves appear a little cheaply
made, like what you'd find at a roadside carnival. My wife has already had
to stitch Ben up twice.)
The price compares favorably to another popular site, Club Penguin, which
charges about $60 a year for full access, though limited features are
available for free.
The toy comes with a code giving you one year's access to the Webkinz
World site at webkinz.com. There your toy gorilla or cat or frog or bunny
becomes a virtual pet, and it's your job to keep it happy, healthy and
well-fed.
You do this by "buying" food, toys and amenities with Webkinz cash, which
you earn by playing the games and fulfilling various tasks.
Or just buy another stuffed animal - you get 2,500 or more in KinzCash
for every subsequent toy you purchase, compared with 3 to 50 by playing
games. That is assuredly part of the reason many people seem to collect
dozens of WebKinz toys.
The huge variety of games and activities is by far the site's best
feature. Some are habit-forming and addictive, including math, word and
shape puzzles in the vein of "Tetris" or sudoku. Most reward critical
thinking in some fashion or another.
Some games appeal to the very young - my 3-year-old laughed
uncontrollably at one game where you whack a puffball-type creature with a
club - and others appeal to adults and teens. I suspect many players are
adults, either using their children's accounts like we do or childless
adults who have moved on from their Beanie Baby collections.
The games can be played solo or two-player, and the Web site will usually
find you a challenger in seconds. You can see the site's appeal to adults
late at night, when the arcade is still hopping and the level of
competition on those word puzzle games rises dramatically.
Some of the games seem complicated even for older kids. A dice game that
is apparently popular was a little confounding. Mark needs help playing
some games, but can do others by himself. The variety is sufficient to
please everybody.
The lack of advertising on the site is also welcome. The Web site provides
rewards and incentives for buying additional toys but does not seem
particularly aggressive in pushing kids to spend real money. Some
features, like tending to a garden, reward players who log on to the site
every day. My wife says it promotes responsibility, though I find it
mildly obnoxious to insist on my child's daily participation.
The ability to outfit your pet's living quarters is also staggering.
Thousands of virtual items are available for purchase, from custom towel
racks for the bathroom, swimming pools for the backyard and designer
clothes for your pet to wear.
The virtual shopping mimics real online shopping, with "add to cart"
icons. Some may see it as indoctrination into real online shopping, but we
were actually pleased because my son is learning to save money, forgoing
smaller items to buy the big stuff.
And it provides an interesting window into what kids find appealing. I was
a little surprised he spent so much time selecting particular types of
furniture.
The Web site limits the ability to chat and interact with other users to a
series of prefab questions and statements - "What's Up?" "I'm feeling
tired." "Do you want to play in the arcade?" and so on. That makes it
impossible for skeevy pervs to prey on children.
Unfortunately those limitations - while necessary - also make it difficult
to have any substantive interaction. Playing a live opponent really feels
no different from playing a computer. What's the fun of winning "Rock
Paper Scissors" if you can't trash-talk your opponent after your rock
whomps all over his scissors?
The interactions with your virtual pet are also a little stilted, and like
politicians, the virtual pets have a tendency to pander to their audience.
"Do you want something to eat?" Mark asked his gorilla.
"You take good care of me," the gorilla responded.
"How are you doing?" Mark asked.
"I'm glad I'm your pet," he responded as a little heart burped out from
the gorilla.
The graphics are cute and simple, and the site itself usually seems to
work well. At times on a recent weekend, though, the entire Web site was
shut down for maintenance. We also previously faced glitches running some
games on a Safari browser on a somewhat-dated Macintosh; those problems
cleared up after switching to the Firefox browser.
The Web site is operated by the Ganz company, a third-generation family
business outside Toronto that had been primarily known for manufacturing
plush toys and collectibles. Spokeswoman Susan McVeigh would not discuss
the number of registered users or which features on the site are most
popular.
She did say that the site began in 2005 but really took off late last
year. Many stores have been selling out of the toys.
And she said more boys inhabit Webkinz than people realize.
Ben the gorilla will be glad to hear it.
Web Warnings May Not Make Kids Safe
Almost every lesson on Internet safety warns against posting personal
information such as phone numbers and school names. Researchers are now
suggesting, though, that such advice, however well-intentioned, doesn't
necessarily make children safer from predators and related threats.
In a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent
Medicine, researchers found no evidence that sharing personal information
increases the chances of online victimization, such as unwanted sexual
solicitation and harassment.
Rather, victimization is more likely to result from other online behavior,
such as talking about sex with people met online and intentionally
embarrassing someone else on the Internet.
"For a long time, we really didn't know," said Michele Ybarra, one of the
study's authors. "It made sense if you post or send information you
increase your risk. It's also a very easy message: Don't post personal
information and you'll be safe."
But Ybarra, who is president of the nonprofit Internet Solutions for Kids,
warned that parents and educators must now reassess the lessons, saying
resources may be wasted on tips that do not address the underlying
problem.
Instead of discouraging children from communicating, she said, the better
approach is to teach them about what at-risk behaviors to avoid and
warning signs to spot.
"We now need to be a lot more specific and accurate in our message," she
said.
The research, published in February, was based on telephone surveys of
1,500 Internet users ages 10 to 17.
In a separate study of 2,574 law-enforcement agencies, researchers found
that online sex crimes rarely involve offenders lying about their ages
or sexual motives. The 2004 study, published in Journal of Adolescent
Health, said offenders generally aren't strangers, and pedophiles aren't
luring unsuspecting children by pretending to be a peer.
"Most of these sexual-victimization (cases) happen at the hands of people
they know, and a lot happen at the hands of peers," said Janis Wolak,
co-author of both studies and a researcher with the University of New
Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center.
The research also found that online victims tend to be teens with
troubles offline, such as poor relationships with parents, loneliness and
depression.
"A lot of parents, I think, can breathe a big sigh of relief," said Anne
Collier, editor of the online newsletter Net Family News. "If their kids
are just socializing with their friends online, they are going to be
fine."
Nancy Willard, author of "Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens," said
predators don't need to be snatching kids by piecing together clues from
personal information when they can go for the low-hanging fruit - the
teens specifically engaging in at-risk behavior, such as posting sexually
provocative images in their profiles.
Many Internet-safety experts remain skeptical that parents and educators
can let their guard down on the posting of personal information at sites
like Facebook and News Corp.'s MySpace.
"The only way they can get into trouble is if they end up meeting the
stranger, and that's going to come from giving out personal information,"
said Susan Sachs, chief operating officer with the nonprofit Common Sense
Media. "It's pretty clear to connect the dots between personal
information and predators."
Monique Nelson, executive vice president of the Internet safety group Web
Wise Kids, said kids "don't have the sense of ... knowing when a predator
would be grooming them" so a blanket message against posting personal
information is a good first line of defense.
Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at the Pew Internet and
American Life Project, agrees that the attention on personal information
may be misplaced, but she said caution may still be wise.
"There is something to be said for preserving your privacy for other
reasons," Lenhart said, noting that too much information could come to
haunt teens when they apply for college or jobs. "Safety is not
necessarily the No. 1 reason."
Net Radio Gets Last-Minute Reprieve
The sand in the Internet radio hourglass was rushing to the bottom as a
Sunday deadline that would see new fees imposed on Internet broadcasters
approached. But a last-minute reprieve has webcasters rejoicing, at least
temporarily.
It's been a roller coaster ride for webcasters in the past weeks, as
Internet radio faces a royalty rate increases of more than 20 percent a
year for the next three years. On Thursday, Internet radio lost its appeal
to the federal D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which refused to halt the
rate increase.
Despite the court ruling, however, a deal was inked late Thursday that
temporarily waives the minimum charge of $6,000 per channel that the
Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) required. But webcasters aren't in the clear
just yet, for if negotiations fail, the old story line of doom and gloom
for webcasters will continue.
"During negotiations, SoundExchange committed temporarily not to enforce
the new royalty rates so webcasters can stay online as new rates are
agreed upon," the SaveNetRadio Coalition reported on its Web site.
SoundExchange, the company that collects royalties on behalf of music
labels, did not return calls seeking comment.
SaveNetRadio gave part of the credit to the millions of people who
contacted Congress in support of Internet radio. The support came in the
wake of a unique protest in June, when webcasters silenced their
broadcasts for one day to demonstrate what the Web would sound like
without them.
Yahoo, Live365, Rhapsody, MTV Online, AccuRadio, Radioio, Born Again
Radio, Pearadio.com, Ear.fm, and scores of others participated in the
national "Day of Silence" on June 26. Notably, AOL Radio did not
participate.
SoundExchange proposed a $2,500 cap on the fees charged against royalties
for recordings played on Internet Radio. Recently enacted regulations due
to go into effect on July 15 require webcasting services to pay a $500
minimum fee "per station or channel," regardless of the overall number of
stations or channels they stream. The new offer was SoundExchange's
attempt to address webcasters' concerns about their liability for
per-channel minimums.
Jonathan Potter, executive director of the Digital Media Association
(DiMA), said his members would agree to a $2,500 per-service cap for the
entire term of the copyright royalty ruling through 2010, but not the
partial offer presented to DiMA in writing, which would terminate in
2008. Any offer that doesn't cover the full term is simply a stay of
execution for Internet radio, he argued.
Now, both sides of the table are talking again. Gartner analyst Mike
McGuire, for one, said he is glad to see the negotiations continue: "We
are seeing an acknowledgment on SoundExchange's part that it's better to
negotiate now than risk killing off a potentially brand new revenue
stream."
Meanwhile, late Thursday, Nydia Velasquez, Chair of the House Small
Business Committee, and Ranking Republican Steve Chabot introduced H.R.
3015, a bill to delay the effective date of the CRB's Internet radio
royalty rate decision by 60 days, until September 13, 2007.
"We are hopeful that this support and that of other members of Congress
will help resolve the current rate dispute, as well as the long-term
problem of royalty standard parity," Potter said.
Site Chosen To Host Simpsons Premiere
Welcome home to Springfield, Vermont, Homer and Marge Simpson. The Vermont
town on Tuesday beat 13 other Springfields from around the United States
in an online vote for the right to host the premiere of the upcoming
Simpsons movie featuring the popular television cartoon family.
The New England town, with a population of about 9,500, won with a video
showing a Homer Simpson look-alike chasing a giant, pink doughnut through
the town. It also boasted similarities to the cartoon Springfield, such
as having a nuclear power plant nearby.
"After 18 years, it's good to finally welcome the Simpsons home.
Vermonters love The Simpsons," Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont
said in a statement.
"Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie will look great on that yellow
carpet with the green mountains as a backdrop."
The Vermont town beat Springfields in Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska,
Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Florida and Louisiana in the video contest to best portray
the "Simpsons' spirit."
It landed 15,367 votes of 109,582 votes cast. Springfield, Illinois,
coming in second with 14,634 votes and Springfield, Oregon, ranked third
at 13,894.
Springfield, Florida, came last with 1,386 votes.
The creator of the TV series, Matt Groening, located Homer, Marge and
their children Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie in the fictional town of
Springfield after noting that this was one of the most common U.S. town
names.
Some already had a claim to fame, such as Springfield, Illinois, which
was home to Abraham Lincoln, and Springfield, Massachusetts, known as
the birthplace of basketball.
But in the TV series' 18-year history it has never been clear which of
the 34 Springfields in the United States was the basis for the version
in the cartoon, a satirical parody of Middle American lifestyle.
The contest between the Springfields sparked friendly rivalry, with
some pulling in top-name endorsements to try to win such as Democratic
Sen. Edward Kennedy for his home state of Massachusetts and
skateboarder Tony Hawks for the Oregon bid.
The premier of "The Simpsons Movie," being released by News Corp.'s
20th Century Fox, will be held on July 21 in Vermont with the
filmmakers on hand to walk the yellow carpet.
But the other 13 Springfields will also be given small screenings on
July 26, the night before the movie hits theaters nationwide.
=~=~=~=
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