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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 08 Issue 30
Volume 8, Issue 30 Atari Online News, Etc. July 28, 2006
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2006
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:
Djordje Vukovic
Fred Horvat
To subscribe to A-ONE, change e-mail addresses, or unsubscribe,
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To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the
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http://forums.delphiforums.com/atari/
=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0830 07/28/06
~ Parents Remote Control ~ People Are Talking! ~ Image-based Spam!
~ Online Kid Porn Battle ~ YouTube Keeps Growing! ~ No Vista Delay Now?
~ Click Fraud Settlement ~ Fake Google Site Woes! ~ MS WGA Annoyance?
~ New Adult Web Hangout! ~ Wireless Mighty Mouse! ~ Professor Prank Bust!
-* TeraDesk Update Now Available *-
-* Yahoo To Offer Norton Security Tool *-
-* US Tops Lists of 'Dirty Dozen' Spam Nations *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I'm still a firm believer in the adage that "It's not the heat, it's the
humidity!" What a week! I knew that I should have gone golfing last Monday
because it was the most bearable day of the week. However, I played on
Tuesday instead. And then, a friend from where I used to work called (while
I was playing Tuesday!) and wanted to know if I wanted to play Thursday. Of
course, I said yes. We played down close to Cape Cod, and we were melting!
Still, it was fun on both days.
Still no luck with this "new" DSL service that we hooked up recently. I'm
telling you, I've never seen anything like this. We've been lucky if we've
managed to have access to it for an hour daily. I've made more calls to
their tech support than should be necessary, with no resolution to whatever
the problem might be. The best that I've accomplished so far is to get a
credit on my future bill. So, I can't make any real observations about the
speed differences yet other than to say my Atari online use (at 19,200 baud)
was much more reliable!
If things go as planned, I should get the opportunity to see my father,
brother, and meet my "new" sister-in-law this weekend. We had to cancel
last weekend due to the weather, but this weekend doesn't have any
torrential downpours forecast! So, we'll see what happens.
I have a couple of apologies to make. First of all, to all of our e-mail
subscribers, we've been experiencing problems with our atarinews.org server
and e-mail hasn't been successfully forwarded from there for a few weeks.
However, until the new server is online, the old one has been cleaned up.
Hopefully, this will have resolved our distribution issues for the present.
Additionally, this week's issue is getting out late due to some
unbelievably strong thunderstorms going through my area as I'm putting the
final touches on it. As a result, I haven't been able to get online to get
final articles, etc. So, we'll forego those, clean up a bit, and wait for
the phone lines to clear up (yes, my DSL is still a mess!).
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
TeraDesk 3.84 Released
Version 3.84 of TeraDesk open-source desktop is available at:
http://solair.eunet.yu/~vdjole/teradesk.htm
Two not very important bugs were fixed and several small optimizations
were made.
See the history file for more information.
Have fun.
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE User Group Notes! - Meetings, Shows, and Info!
"""""""""""""""""""""""
The Atari Computer Enthusiasts of Columbus Atari Swap!
Well folks, it is getting to that time of year again. The Atari Computer
Enthusiasts of Columbus are holding their annual Atari Swap meet and
Sale. It is going to be on Saturday September the 9th. It will be at the
same time and place as before. For further information please go to
acec.atari.org
Hope to see you there.
Link: http://acec.atari.org/
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
[Editor's note: Due to the sparseness of messages in comp.sys.atari.st this
week, there won't be a column this week. Stay tuned...
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Wii May Trump PlayStation3?
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Old School On Xbox Live!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Nintendo's Wii May Trump PlayStation 3
A new report from the online edition of Business Week has highlighted the
coming battle for consumer dollars between Sony and Nintendo following each
company's next-generation console offering to be released this fall. In
particular, the report noted that while the PlayStation 2 still maintains
control over the current console market, Nintendo could build upon the
runaway success of its DS handheld with the Wii in its attempt to usurp the
throne from Sony and its significantly higher priced PlayStation 3.
Earlier this week Nintendo announced Japanese hardware sales of 2,340,000
units of both the original Nintendo DS and new DS Lite in the last three
months, as well as 1,420,000 in Europe and 780,000 in North America. In
addition, the company released equally impressive lifetime sales numbers as
well for both iterations of the handheld, which put it at 9,240,000 in
Japan, 6,130,000 in Europe and 5,900,000 in North America. This adds up to
a worldwide title of 21,270,000 units after around a year and a half on
sale.
Another factor noted in the report which could play to Nintendo's advantage
during the next hardware cycle is its emphasis on games aimed at a wider
audience than that of its competitors in Sony and Microsoft. The company's
recently launched Touch Generations label, which is used worldwide to
differentiate its particularly 'mainstream'-oriented titles such as those
in the Brain Training series, has seen phenomenal success by offering
different types of experiences that cannot be had on other platforms,
including Sony's PSP. According to information released earlier this month
by Japanese firm Enterbrain, Brain Training For Adults was ranked as the
overall top-selling title in Japan for the first half of 2006.
"Non-gamers are coming back because there are interesting games people want
to play," commented Hiroshi Kamide, an analyst at KBC Securities in Tokyo.
"The PSP is a beautiful piece of kit but the games are just rehashes of
what you would play on the console."
However, the Business Week report was quick to point out that it remains to
be seen if Nintendo can replicate the success that it has enjoyed within
the handheld market with is upcoming Wii platform. The company has
struggled in the sector with its current console offering, and noted this
week that hardware sales for the GameCube during the three months ended
June 30th, 2006 amounted to only 10,000 units in Japan, while Europe and
North America saw sales of 40,000 and 100,000 units respectively.
Additionally, the report also noted that hardcore gamers are still more
likely to prefer the 'raw power' afforded by the PlayStation 3, and that
some analysts are still not convinced that the Wii be able to trump the
PlayStation 3 once both consoles are released to the public. Yuta Sakurai,
an analyst at Nomura Securities in Tokyo, commented in a note to clients on
July 25 that he foresees the PlayStation 3 selling through 71 million units
by 2011, as compared to the Wii's 40 million.
However, the analyst did note the appeal of the Wii, as well as other
hardware offering from Nintendo by stating, "Software developers are
increasingly interested in creating games for these Nintendo platforms."
Old-School Games on Xbox Live
The Xbox 360 is the most advanced video game console on the market right
now. But apparently, high-def graphics and stereo surround sound aren't
enough for everyone.
Microsoft Corp. recently began a promotion to showcase a "new" retro game
each Wednesday on its Xbox Live Arcade casual games service. A subscription
to Xbox Live, the company's online service, is required to download and
play.
I checked out several titles available such as the recently added
"Frogger," as well as a few classics that have been available on Xbox Live
Arcade for a while now like "Robotron: 2084" and "Joust."
For the most part, these arcade games capture the look, sound and feel of
the originals, sans a quarter slot.
And several things make the updates better: the ability to play "Frogger,"
for example, on a high-def widescreen TV with others in cooperative
multiplayer online mode was even more addicting than playing alone.
You can also compare high scores on an online leaderboard to see who's best
at dodging speeding traffic and hopping over floating logs and turtles.
The graphics aren't going to win any awards, but "Frogger" gets a bit of a
facelift with richer colors and more detailed graphics. Some, however,
might miss the blocky graphics of the original.
"Joust" and "Robotron: 2084" were similarly fun retro games offered
available for download.
Last week's release doesn't really fit into Microsoft's old-school lineup,
but it's a good game nonetheless.
"Cloning Clyde" is a new side-scrolling title where you play a human who
tries to escape from a cloning lab by morphing into mutant chickens and
frog creatures. Each animal-human hybrid gives your character unique
abilities needed to navigate the mazelike levels.
The upcoming release schedule looks even more promising with the space
shooter "Galaga" (one of my all-time favorite games), the brawler "Street
Fighter II: Hyper Fighting" and the dot-munching "Pac-Man."
But these games, old as most of them are, are a bit pricey at $5 to $15
each. That's a lot of quarters.
Buying the games is itself a process in currency conversion. You have to
first buy "Microsoft Points" which you can then redeem on games and other
items on Xbox Live.
I spent $27.06 (tax included) for 2000 points, enough to buy four games and
still have a few hundred points left over. This is on top of the $50 a year
for my Xbox Live Gold membership.
That's a lot of money, considering the seemingly endless number of classic
compilations already available for consoles. Many of them cram dozens of
games on one disk for about same price as the four games I purchased.
The PC, meanwhile, already has subscription services like the excellent
GameTap, which for about $10 a month has more than 500 classic games
available including "Pac-Man" and "Sonic the Hedgehog."
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Picture This: A Sneakier Kind of Spam
A new strain of spam popping up in e-mail boxes is confounding consumers
and corporate security officials.
The spam contains images spouting everything from stock scams to Viagra,
and its volume has more than doubled since April, according to analysis by
anti-spam vendor IronPort Systems.
Image-based spam accounts for 21% of all spam, compared with just 1% in
late 2005, IronPort says.
Marketers are deploying image-based spam because it is harder to detect
than text-based spam, and consumers are more likely to read an e-mail with
a picture or graphic, says Craig Sprosts of IronPort.
The newest spam uses technology that varies the content of individual
messages - through colors, backgrounds, picture sizes or font types - so
they appear to be distinct to spam filters. The spam is delivered to
consumers and companies through millions of compromised PCs, called bots.
As a result, the messages are like snowflakes: No two are alike, says
Julian Haight, founder of anti-spam organization SpamCop.
The surge in new spam has largely eluded software filters and eaten up
space on e-mail systems because each message is more than seven times
larger than regular spam, Sprosts says.
Most image-based spam comes in the form of stock scams, which contain the
same basic language within a shaded box.
Much of it comes from spam gangs in the USA and Russia, Sprosts says.
Stock scams make up about 20% of spam - about twice the share at the start
of the year, IronPort says.
Until last year, image spam was rare. Though it had been around for about
four years, spammers lacked the technology to randomize images, says Dmitri
Alperovitch of e-mail security company CipherTrust. Before, spammers
included a link on e-mail spam to direct recipients to a site containing
pictures.
Not anymore. The new spamming tactic is the latest salvo in the battle
between junk e-mailers and filter developers. As software gets better at
identifying and blocking spam, spammers get smarter at outfoxing software.
"It is a never-ending cat-and-mouse game," Alperovitch says.
U.S. Tops List of 'Dirty Dozen' Spam-Relaying Nations
For the first time in over two years, the United States failed to reduce
the amount of spam, placing it at the top of the list of spam-relaying
countries, according to a report released by security firm Sophos. Spammers
in the U.S. are responsible for 23.2 percent of spam received by Sophos'
global network of spam traps, up from 23.1 percent in the first quarter of
2006.
China follows the U.S. in the number-two spot with 20 percent of global
spam, while South Korea rounds out the top three with only 7.5 percent.
Both these nations, Sophos said, have reduced the amount of spam
originating from their countries since the security firm released their
first quarter report. At that time, China was responsible for 21.9 percent
of spam worldwide.
"Since the introduction of the CAN-SPAM legislation in 2004, we've seen a
regular quarter-on-quarter drop in the proportion of spam coming from the
U.S. - until now, that is," said Graham Cluley, senior technology
consultant at Sophos.
The bulk of the world's spam is relayed by "zombies," or botnet computers,
hijacked by Trojan horses, worms and viruses under the control of hackers,
Sophos reported. PC owners are generally not aware that their PCs are being
used to send spam.
One of the tricks spammers use to disguise their activities and reduce
their chances of having their "collar felt by the long arm of the law,"
according to Cluley, is to not use their own computers to send the spam.
Instead, they relay their spam through innocent people's computers.
"So, for instance, spammers in Russia could exploit poorly protected home
computers in America to send out their advertising messages," Cluley
explained. "Aunt Hilda could be sending out adverts for
performance-enhancing drugs without being aware of it."
Although Russia did not rank in the "dirty dozen" of spam-relaying
countries, the Sophos report uncovered evidence that suggests Russian
spammers may be controlling immense networks of "zombie" PCs. A recently
discovered Russian spamming price list offered e-mail distribution to some
11 million Russian e-mail addresses for just $500, or distribution to one
million addresses in any country for a paltry $50.
The report also found that spammers are using increasingly sophisticated
techniques to outwit anti-spam filters and bilk the unwary out of their
money. One key development in 2006 has been the increase in spam containing
images up from 18.2 percent in January to 35.9 percent in June. Using
images rather than text, spammers are able to avoid detection by anti-spam
filters that rely on the analysis of textual spam content.
So-called pump-and-dump e-mail scams are also on the rise. Sophos estimated
that 15 percent of all spam e-mails fall into that category, compared with
only 0.8 percent in January 2005. The sham e-mails are designed to pump up
the value of a company's stock so that spammers can make a quick profit.
Many of these spam scams also use images in their messages.
"It's incredible what people will believe when they receive it in a nicely
formatted e-mail, which they would never believe if some nutter came up to
them at the mall," Cluley said. "In one example, a recent stock spam
campaign saw the share price rise over 500 percent as a result."
Although eliminating spam is not likely, companies and individuals can
dramatically reduce the amount of spam they receive by properly protecting
themselves and following best practices to minimize exposure. Home users
need to properly protect their computers with up-to-date security patches,
firewalls and anti-virus software to make sure that "unlike Aunt Hilda"
they are not helping the spammers by having a computer that is easy for
them to exploit, Graham advised.
"Given the number of arrests, and the huge fines dished out to guilty
spammers, it's hard to criticize the U.S. for failing to take action,"
Cluley said. "Perhaps the reality is that the statistics can't be reduced
further unless U.S. home users take action to secure their computers and
put a halt to the zombie PC problem."
Yahoo To Offer Norton Security Software
Yahoo will provide an extra measure of protection to its customers by
offering Norton Internet security software. The Norton software, produced
by Symantec, includes protection against the most common cyber threats,
such as spyware, spam, and identity theft. It is intended to be used while
users shop online, handle their e-mail messages, or do their online
banking.
The two companies will provide a co-branded version of Symantec's Norton
Internet Security package that is integrated with the Yahoo toolbar, Yahoo
e-mail, and HotJobs services. It includes Norton AntiVirus and Norton
Personal Firewall for detecting and blocking spyware, viruses, and nuisance
adware.
"Our users want to feel safe online and not have to put a lot of work into
feeling safe," Yahoo spokesperson Nicole Leverich said. "With the Norton
Internet package we are providing an easy way to add comprehensive
protection."
Leverich said it's not uncommon for Yahoo to partner with technology
providers who are specialists in their respective fields. "They are great
at security, so it makes sense to let Symantec do what it does best while
allowing us to focus on what we do best, which is provide an array of
Internet services to our subscribers." Yahoo users can receive a free
30-day trial of Norton Internet Security, after which a 12-month
subscription will cost US$49.99.
Secure Web surfing and e-mail handling is a priority for all Web portals,
and most are taking steps to keep their customers satisfied. AOL recently
rolled out its own Total Care package, with third-party assistance.
Microsoft offers Windows OneCare Live, and Google also has a partnership
with Symantec.
"All ISPs should offer strong security measures, and most of them are
already doing so, because most people aren't educated about protecting
themselves," Yankee Group analyst Johathan Singer said. With some 81
percent of PC users surfing the Web without any of the recommended
precautions, there is no such thing as too many vendors hawking security
solutions, he added.
Security Software Expands Protection
A new generation of security software embodying a holistic vision of PC
health is right around the corner. Besides offering updated security
features, new software from AOL, McAfee, Microsoft, and Symantec promises
backup services and PC tuning utilities, with a different, yearly service
type of pricing.
Microsoft kicked off the new trend at the end of May with its launch of
Windows Live OneCare, which combines antivirus, antispyware, and firewall
tools with Windows' defragging and cleanup utilities in one easy-to-use
interface. OneCare also backs up data to CDs, DVDs, and external hard
drives - though not to network drives or online storage.
McAfee's beta version of Total Protection offers a new backup feature in
addition to traditional security, with 1GB of online storage.Not to be
outdone, established security companies McAfee and Symantec are assembling
competing offerings; even AOL is throwing its hat into the ring. McAfee's
new all-in-one package, Total Protection, came out in public beta in June,
with a final version scheduled for late summer. Symantec's entry, Norton
360, should appear by March 2007; and on July 13, AOL unveiled a
members-only beta of its Total Care suite. AOL will make the final version
of Total Care available to nonsubscribers, though the company is not
commenting on pricing; no final release date has yet been announced.
Norton 360 will include proactive antiphishing protection that analyzes
sites for fraudulent behavior.In addition to firewall, antispyware, and
antivirus protection (AOL uses McAfee's engine for antivirus scanning), all
three new products will add varying types of antiphishing features. OneCare
lacks these defenses, probably because they're built into the new Internet
Explorer 7. Like IE 7, AOL's limited feature blocks known phishing Web
sites; McAfee's and Symantec's more sophisticated offerings can also
analyze other Web sites and rate the sites' safety.
AOL, McAfee, and Symantec are also trying to outdo OneCare by supplementing
their backup services with online storage. McAfee's Total Protection beta
currently comes with 1GB of online storage. Symantec is still firming up
pricing and features for its online backup service, and AOL says that it
will be offering online backups, but not in time for the July 13 beta.
Priced at $50 per year for three PCs, OneCare is less expensive than
traditional security suites, which tend to run $50 and up for a single PC
(plus a yearly antivirus subscription fee). The cost covers all software
updates, too; most traditional products do not. Clearly, consumers have
found Microsoft's package enticing: According to NPD Group, a market
research firm, OneCare ranked among the top eight pieces of software sold
in the United States during its first two weeks on retail shelves.
Chris Swenson, director of software industry analysis for NPD Group,
expects similar pricing for Total Protection and Norton 360, though neither
McAfee nor Symantec has specified prices. He also anticipates improved
customer service as the companies compete. Microsoft offers free
phone-based tech support, compared to McAfee's $3-per-minute and Symantec's
$30-per-incident phone support. Symantec is building real-time chat into
its products, and AOL says its pricing will vary depending on the level of
support it provides.
Microsoft's giant leap into the security software market caused quite a
shake-up - and according to Swenson, that's a positive thing: "Consumers
will benefit in the end."
Judge OKs $90 Million 'Click Fraud' Settlement
An Arkansas judge Thursday approved a $90 million settlement between Google
Inc. and advertisers who claimed the Internet search engine company
improperly billed them for "clicks" that didn't lead to genuine customers
seeking their products.
Miller County Circuit Judge Joe Griffin called the settlement "fair,
reasonable and adequate" and downplayed claims it hurt small advertisers.
More than 70 objections were filed, with smaller companies saying they
didn't have the resources to prove "click fraud" losses.
By settling claims made in the plaintiffs' class-action lawsuit, Google
will give advertising credits that are the equivalent of a $3.80 refund on
every $1,000 spent in its advertising network during the past 4 1/2 years.
No one will receive cash except the lawyers, who will split $30 million.
Some of the plaintiffs went before Griffin on Monday to argue that Google
hadn't taken reasonable care to prevent click fraud and overstated the
steps it has taken against would-be swindlers. Click fraud drives up
advertisers' costs by falsely indicating the number of Web users who have
"clicked" on an Internet ad.
A Texarkana company - Lane's Gifts and Collectibles - filed the lawsuit,
which Griffin certified as a class action. Google did not admit liability
in the case, which also involves other Internet companies whose cases
continue.
Calls to Lane's Gifts and Collectibles lawyer John C. Goodson were not
immediately returned Thursday.
Google lawyer Nicole Wong said the company was pleased by Griffin's
decision.
"We look forward to continuing to manage invalid clicks effectively and
provide our advertisers with an outstanding return on their investment,"
she said in a statement.
Google lawyer Daralyn Durie had told Griffin this week that 19 of the
company's 20 largest advertisers had agreed to the settlement and urged
its approval.
Brian Kabateck, a California-based lawyer who has sued Google for click
fraud in a similar class-action lawsuit in San Francisco and objected to
the Texarkana settlement, said he was disappointed with a decision awarding
plaintiffs what he calculated to be a half-cent on the dollar.
"We just don't think it was fairly disclosed," Kabateck said from Los
Angeles. "I suspect there's going to be a lot of happy lawyers in
Texarkana. I bet the planes are landing at the Texarkana municipal airport
right now carrying the cases of Dom Perignon."
Kabateck, who had some clients in the Texarkana case, said he plans to
appeal Griffin's decision.
In his ruling, Griffin said he based his decision on the strength of Lane's
case, Google's ability to pay, the potential expense of further litigation
and the limited amount of opposition.
Those who opposed the settlement said the agreement switched the burden of
proof to them, and argued they didn't have the resources to easily pursue
their claims. Griffin said, however, their task wouldn't be impossible.
"The settlement class is not required ... to submit records or documents
that they simply do not possess," Griffin wrote. "The settlement class is
not burdened or discouraged from filing claims because they are required
only to provide information to the best of their knowledge in submitting a
claim form."
Daralyn Durie, an attorney representing Google, said the majority of class
members have agreed to the settlement, including 19 of the company's 20
largest advertisers.
In Internet advertising, clicking on ads or windows - typically displayed
at the top and sides of Web pages - triggers sales commissions even if the
activity doesn't lead to a sale. Click fraud cropped up several years ago
as a way to drain advertising budgets or funnel illicit revenue to Web
sites.
An independent report filed in court last week said while Google appears
to be doing reasonably well protecting advertisers from scam artists
preying upon Internet advertisers, it remains unclear how much the system
is being bilked by click fraud.
Since 2001, the ads have generated $15.7 billion in revenue for Google and
its partners, turning the Mountain View, Calif.-based company into one of
the world's most prized businesses.
Under the settlement, if advertisers do not claim the full amount
available, a portion would be made available to charitable organizations.
Griffin also said 556 advertisers notified him they did not want to
participate in the class-action lawsuit.
U.S. Struggles to Fight Online Child Porn
The U.S. has the dubious honor of hosting more online child porn sites than
anywhere is the world, according to an international agency that tracks
such sites.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reports that some 50 percent of online
child pornography can be traced to U.S. sites, compared to 15 percent in
Russia, 12 percent in Japan, and 0.2 percent in the UK. The foundation also
noted that some Web sites containing child abuse content remain accessible
for up to five years despite being reported to authorities.
Figures for the U.S. can be attributed to the fact that it has the most
ISPs and handles the most Internet traffic, according to the IWF.
During the first half of this year, the IWF said it received 14,000 reports
of online child pornography, up 24 percent from the year-ago period. The
increase was attributed to public intolerance of child abuse content along
with an increased awareness of the agency's role in combating the problem.
In a statement, IWF chief executive Peter Robbins said, "2006 is proving to
be our busiest year yet; with record reports processed and a record number
of Web sites confirmed to contain child abuse content. In addition, more of
our members are choosing to implement blocking mechanisms so their
customers are protected from being inadvertently exposed to potentially
illegal sites."
This report comes on the heels of an announcement last month that
EarthLink, Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL, and United Online will contribute $1
million and technical support to a Technology Coalition within the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a 22-year old group that
is a leader in this effort.
The coalition will develop and implement technology solutions to detect and
disrupt the distribution of child pornography across the Internet. That
effort will include a central clearinghouse of images and related
information, developing better law-enforcement tools, and evaluating the
technologies used by child predators.
Yankee Group analyst Laura DiDio noted in a recent interview that ISPs have
collaborated before for similar efforts, including combating software
piracy. "It's a good start," she said, "although I'd like to see Google and
MySpace, among others, join them."
The fight against child pornography is an ongoing challenge, she noted.
"The child porn industry, unfortunately, is something we'll never be able
to declare complete victory against. This is the first generation with
webcams and the Net, so parents, and companies, have to learn how to deal
with this."
Mukul Krishna, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan pointed out that tech
companies must take a scientific approach to the image-recognition system
at the core of the database effort. If a family is exchanging innocent
pictures of a baby having a first bath, for example, the technology will
have to be able to differentiate those images from child porn, he said.
SearchHelp Offers Parents Remote Control Of Child's Computer
SearchHelp Inc. on Wednesday launched a Sentry Remote upgrade that allows
parents to connect to their child's computer from another location to
monitor its use and prevent inappropriate behavior or conversations.
In addition, the new capability allows parents to lock the computer or shut
down an application, even from a mobile phone.
Sentry Remote can be configured to automatically close instant messaging
or chat sessions when either party in a coversation uses certain words,
phrases or slang. The application can also send email alerts or cell phone
text messages to parents when inappropriate conversations occur.
In offering the software, SearchHelp, based in Bethpage, N.Y., is
targeting parents looking for software to help prevent children from seeing
Internet pornography or other objectionable materials, and having online
conversations with potential pedophiles.
Sentry Remote is sold at major retailers, such as CompUSA, OfficeMax and
Fry's Electronics. It's also available online through Search Help.
Fake Google Site Hides Trojan Horse
Scammers have set up an exact copy of the download page for Google's
Toolbar plug-in in an attempt to lure users to download a Trojan backdoor.
Reported by security outfit Surfcontrol, some versions of the scam even
spoof the correct Google Toolbar web address for Internet Explorer, using
Google's own redirection service in an attempt to hide the real, non-Google
address.
The Trojan itself - W32.Ranky.FW - is designed to turn the PC into a bot
zombie, and is spread using the conventional technique of asking recipients
of a spam e-mail to follow an embedded link.
According to Surfcontrol, the version detected by the company fails because
of poor programming of defective compilation, but it remains a
proof-of-concept in how to attack users using a simple combination of
convincing elements.
Outwardly simple, the scam has a clever combination of tricks. Although
using parts of established Web sites is standard in phishing scams, it is
relatively unusual to go to the length of reproducing an entire page
precisely, in combination with a convincingly-spoofed web address.
The fact that the spammed e-mail appears to come from Google could convince
recipients to follow the link.
Assuming that a re-engineered version appears - highly likely - once
infected, users will notice nothing untoward, although their PCs will have
become part of a bot-controlled network.
Google has been attacked in similar way before. Last September, scammers
faked the Google search page itself in order to aid the spread of a worm.
More recently, a Trojan attacked the company's adsense advertisements,
replacing them, in-browser, with fake ones on any PC infected with the
malware.
Microsoft Sees No Reason for Vista Shipment Delay
Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday it sees no reason why its new Windows
Vista operating system would be delayed, but it stopped short of committing
to its previously stated launch target.
"We will ship Windows Vista when it is available," Kevin Johnson,
co-president of Microsoft's platforms and services unit, said at the
company's annual financial analyst meeting.
"However, we are going to ship the product when it is ready and we are
just going to take it milestone by milestone," he said of the upgrade to
Windows, which sits on more than 90 percent of the world's personal
computers.
Microsoft has already postponed the release of its new Windows for
consumers until early 2007 - after the crucial holiday shopping season - to
improve the system's quality.
Vista is set to ship to corporate customers this November.
Chairman Bill Gates stoked concerns over delays last month by predicting
there was an "80 percent" chance that Vista would ship on time.
Uncertainty over when Microsoft will begin benefiting from the surge in
revenue growth that typically accompanies a major Windows software upgrade
led Microsoft's shares to dip as much as 60 cents, or 2.5 percent, to as
low as $23.77 in afternoon Nasdaq trading.
Goldman Sachs analyst Rick Sherlund said the cautious comments represent a
delayed confirmation of his thesis that Microsoft will not begin to see
revenue from the general availability of Windows Vista until March or April
of 2007.
"When they hesitate, that's confirmation we were right," he said. Microsoft
has consistently been this cautious in the past, an acknowledgment of its
history of slipping a few months beyond initial targets for major software
releases, he said.
"They hedged, they definitely hedged," said another Wall Street software
analyst, who asked not to be named, of Microsoft's comments regarding its
Windows Vista plans.
Johnson said he sees revenue from the core desktop Windows business growing
8 percent to 10 percent in the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2007.
Windows, nearly a third of Microsoft's total revenue, should generate
between $14.3 billion and $14.5 billion in fiscal 2007, he said.
"Explain why I'm paying 20 times for a stock that is growing at 10 with a
whole lot of investments that are not really going anywhere," said Greg
Palmer, head of equity trading at Pacific Crest Securities.
Chief Executive Steve Ballmer told analysts and reporters at the company's
annual financial analysts' meeting here that Microsoft is confident it can
build two great new businesses - online services and entertainment - on top
of its industry-dominating desktop and server software businesses.
"We see incredible amounts of opportunity," Ballmer said.
The giant software company also reiterated that it expects to maintain its
double-digit revenue growth in the coming year. Last week, Microsoft had
forecast revenue in the fiscal year ending in June 2007 to grow 12 percent
to 14 percent, to between $49.7 billion and $50.7 billion.
The new Microsoft is being built on "four pillars," Ballmer said. Upgrades
to the company's two core products - the Windows operating system and
Office applications suite - should act as engines to drive growth and buy
it time to erect two new pillars - its Internet and Xbox game businesses.
Underscoring the leadership transition that is taking place at the company,
Bill Gates, the company's co-founder and chairman, is missing from the
annual analysts' meeting for the first time ever. He is vacationing in
Africa, Ballmer said.
In mid-June, Microsoft announced that Gates planned to move from full-time
involvement to part-time in 2008. The company split Gates' technology
responsibilities between Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie and Chief
Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie.
Apple Releases Wireless Mighty Mouse
Apple today released a new wireless Mighty Mouse. The new cordless mouse
aims to improve navigation on both desktop and notebook Macs, using
Bluetooth technology. Like its wired predecessor, the new mouse has four
programmable buttons, or touch sensors, for quick access to Mac OS X
applications.
Among the cooler features of the cordless Mighty Mouse is a laser
technology that the company says is 20 times more sensitive than standard
optical mice for better tracking on smooth surfaces.
Priced at $69, Apple's wireless Mighty Mouse includes up to four
independently programmable buttons and a 360-degree clickable scroll ball
that lets users move the cursor in any direction.
"This gives users even more flexibility when using a Mac," said Apple
product manager Scott Broderick. "They can remove the clutter on their
desks, and take the wireless Mighty Mouse with them to use with a MacBook
when they're on the road."
With a single click on the upper right or left side of the mouse, users can
instantly access the features menus found in Mac OS X. The other two other
buttons are activated by pressing the scroll ball and squeezing its sides,
and can be programmed to connect with Apple's Spotlight, Dashboard and
Expos applications.
The wireless device uses either one or two AA batteries, to save weight,
and can be configured for lefties or righties. It powers down automatically
when not in use, and has an on/off switch to maintain battery life.
Broderick said the wireless Mighty Mouse complements the Apple's wireless,
Bluetooth-enabled keyboard, and he noted that all of the company's latest
notebook computers, as well as the Mac mini and other desktops, all feature
Bluetooth short-range mobile technology.
The new device requires Mac OS X Tiger version 10.4.6 or later to configure
the buttons for access to Spotlight, Dashboard and Expos, or to launch
applications.
Apple isn't alone in cutting the cord on computer peripherals. Arch rival
Microsoft earlier this year introduced a Wireless Laser Desktop package for
Mac that includes a cordless keyboard and a laser mouse.
Microsoft is touting its mouse as "high definition," saying that it is two
generations ahead of other competing optical devices in terms of precision
and responsiveness. Similar to Apple's Might Mouse, Microsoft's mouse
features a tilt wheel for moving around large documents and a slider that
lets you zoom in for viewing in greater detail.
"Adult" Web Company Launches MySpace-styled Site
The operators of an X-rated online video game on Wednesday debuted
Utherverse.com, an adults-only site that aims to duplicate the success of
wildly popular teen hangout MySpace.com.
Owners of the new site, who recently launched RedLightCenter.com, expect
to have more than 1 million registered users by the end of 2006 and
encourage members to upload erotic photos and to complete fantasy profiles.
Brian Shuster, chief executive of Utherverse.com Inc., said people under
the age of 18 are banned from using the new social networking site - a move
that should help the upstart online community avoid MySpace.com's No. 1
pitfall: pedophiles.
Teenagers, young adults and some full-fledged adults have flocked to News
Corp.'s MySpace property to socialize, share interests
and find dates.
But the site has also been fertile ground for some sexual predators, who
have attracted the attention of parents and U.S. law enforcement following
multiple reports of sexual assaults to minors.
Shuster said Utherverse.com's uses credit-card age verification and has
people monitoring the site, scouring it for postings from minors to ensure
safety.
"Our users can feel safe and relaxed in the knowledge that they are dealing
with other adults," he said.
Windows Genuine Annoyance?
A Microsoft program designed to thwart software piracy has instead opened
a Pandora's box of privacy concerns. PC users cried foul when Microsoft's
Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) software frequently phoned home to
Microsoft servers and apparently flagged some legitimate copies of the
Windows operating system as pirated. The incident spawned two lawsuits and
has raised concerns about what Microsoft is adding to its software updates.
WGA consists of two parts. WGA Validation is required for downloading some
pieces of software from Microsoft Web sites, but Microsoft says that it is
not required for receiving critical security fixes through Automatic
Updates. The software sends a PC's Windows license key to Microsoft, which
checks the key against ID numbers in a database of putatively pirated
copies of the OS.
If the software discovers a match, users receive a recurring alert from WGA
Notifications warning them that they are running an illegitimate copy of
Windows. But the program doesn't prevent the user from continuing to run
Windows. As yet, WGA Notifications (rolled into Automatic Updates in April)
is not a mandatory download.
In June, Lauren Weinstein, who is a cofounder of the Internet information
and discussion resource group People for Internet Responsibility, found
out that WGA Notifications sent data to Microsoft every time someone
rebooted an affected PC.
A June 29 Microsoft statement confirmed that some PCs working with a
version of WGA Notifications installed during the pilot phase checked a
server-side configuration setting at each log-in to determine whether WGA
Notifications should run or not. Microsoft has since removed that version
of WGA Notifications from its update servers; and the company has released
instructions for uninstalling it.
Still, privacy experts debated whether these check-ins - and the initial
lack of documentation about them - made the WGA program spyware.
Plaintiffs in two class-action lawsuits, one filed in California and the
other in Washington, claim that WGA violates those states' antispyware
legislation; but Weinstein doesn't buy the plaintiffs' argument.
"It's not stealing information or damaging [computers]," Weinstein reasons.
"It's more a screw-up on Microsoft's part - one they've admitted."
In its statement, Microsoft reiterated that newer versions of WGA
(distributed through Automatic Updates) do not connect to Microsoft after
every reboot. Instead, they connect and validate keys at least once every
90 days, or whenever Microsoft rolls out an update to WGA. Microsoft has
also denied rumors that WGA will eventually include a kill switch to stop
unvalidated copies of the operating system from running.
Harvard spyware researcher Ben Edelman questions the appropriateness of
Microsoft's decision to release a noncritical, non-security-related update
to Windows users via the operating system's Automatic Updates mechanism.
"They are supposed to be security updates, and supposed to be robust,
commercially viable code," Edelman says about the WGA service. "This was
neither."
Other reports circulating through the Internet cited instances in which WGA
had sent repeated piracy pop-ups to people who owned legitimate copies of
Windows. Robert Grosshandler, the Evanston, Illinois-based founder of
iGive.com, said his computer ran a legitimate copy of Windows prior to a
service call. But upon the PC's return, he began getting WGA Notifications
alerts.
"Who knows what had been done to the drive," Grosshandler mused. "[It] had
been out of my hands for a while."
Grosshandler said that he made a single half-hour call to Microsoft to
revalidate his license key. "Throughout, I was given the presumption of
innocence," he says.
For users who are receiving invalid license pop-ups, Microsoft has provided
a fix that may help them reset the license keys if their copy of Windows is
legitimate. Other users may need to call the toll-free number displayed on
the WGA Notifications dialog box.
Yet another option: Independent programmers have created RemoveWGA, a WGA
Notifications removal tool that will exorcise the piracy-alert demons
afflicting your PC.
YouTube Growth Continues To Soar
Video-sharing site YouTube attracted 19.6 million visitors in June, a 297
percent increase from January, a market research firm said Friday.
The site's growth has been even more dramatic in terms of number of Web
pages viewed, Nielsen/NetRatings said. In June, that number rose 515
percent from January to 72.4 million. The average time spent at the site
during the same period increased 64 percent to 28 minutes from 17 minutes.
On a week-to-week basis, the number of visitors to YouTube increased by 75
percent in the week ending July 16 to 12.8 million visitors.
Despite YouTube's phenomenal growth, some analysts have questioned whether
the site can transition from a free service to one that can make money.
Experts are skeptical that people visiting the Internet company's site
would be willing to pay for content, and believe mainstream advertisers
would likely avoid having their brands associated with the oftentimes edgy
and racy content.
Nielsen found that men are 20 percent more likely to visit YouTube than
women, and people between the ages of 12 and 17 years old are nearly 1.5
times more likely than the average Web user to go to YouTube.
Students Charged With Professor Prank
Two students each face up to a year in jail for a prank that involved
hacking into a professor's computer, giving grades to other students and
sending pizza, magazine subscriptions and CDs to the professor's home.
Lena Chen, 20, and Jennifer Ngan, 19, face misdemeanor charges of illegally
accessing computers. The pair, both students of California State
University, Northridge, are scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 21.
An investigation showed the professor's network account had been accessed
without her permission and grades were assigned to nearly 300 students,
prosecutor Robert Fratianne said.
The professor's campus e-mail was being forwarded to an account established
by Chen and Ngan, investigators said.
Prosecutors also alleged Chen and Ngan used personal identifying
information found on the university system to order food, magazine
subscriptions and a shipment of blank CDs to the professor's home. The
professor was billed for the purchases but was not required to pay.
The school would not release the professor's name.
Heat Wave Shuts Down MySpace Website
Americans are sweating out a searing heat wave that has caused major power
outages from coast to coast and briefly knocked out the most popular US
website MySpace.
Power shortages were reported in California, Missouri and New York, with
the mercury hitting an unprecedented 48 degrees C (119 degrees F) over the
weekend in Woodland Hills, part of the sprawling Los Angeles metropolitan
region.
"This is clearly a historic weather pattern that we have not seen in 57
years," said Joe Desmond, undersecretary of energy affairs at the
California Resources Agency.
"Voluntary conservation is making the key difference right now," he said
after two days of power outages that stretched up the Pacific Coast, from
Los Angeles in the south to San Francisco to the north and into
California's Central Valley.
The heat knocked out the Los Angeles-based servers for the hugely popular
personal web page host MySpace for several hours Monday after an area power
outage and a backup generator failed, the company said.
In the Midwestern state of Missouri, 159,000 people remained without
electricity amid boiling heat and humidity in the wake of two thunderstorms
that hit the region over the past week and shut down power supplies.
And in New York City, where at least 6,000 people and 750 businesses in the
Borough of Queens have been without electricity for nine days, an
antiquated power grid has provoked bitter reactions among city residents.
The Los Angeles Times reported 13 heat-related deaths in California's
Central Valley and four in southern California, mostly among the elderly.
High temperatures in Los Angeles averaged near 38 degrees C (100 degrees
F) over the past two weeks, driving air conditioner use and taking nearly
all of the state's electricity generation capacity.
California has a population of 36.1 million. Electricity demand hit a
record 50,538 megawatts on Monday.
"We are happy we got through yesterday (Monday), but please do not stop the
conservation efforts," said Yakout Mansour, the chief executive officer of
the Independent System Operator, which manages most of California's
electricity grid.
Heat also helped a fire in a southern California forest to double in size
over the past 24 hours, scorching some 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres),
officials said Tuesday.
The blaze, which spread through the Cleveland National Forest 40 miles (65
kilometers) east of San Diego, was ignited Sunday by a campfire according
to the California Department of Forestry (CDF). Spokeswoman Roxanne
Provaznik said, "As the day heats up, we expect the same parts of the fire
to come to life," she said.
California has lived under a power cuts threat since a 2001 crisis that was
blamed in part on deregulation of the electricity sector.
Some parts of the electricity network date back to the 1930s. Los Angeles
officials acknowledge that some stress stems from a lack of investment
going back years.
On the opposite side of the country, close to 100,000 people in New York
City were without power over the weekend one week after city power supplier
Consolidated Edison was hit by breakdowns.
Some streets were taken over by refugees from the blackouts, with the Red
Cross providing food, water and ice to people seeking relief from the heat.
Doctors made their rounds along sidewalks, while residents vented
frustration with city authorities.
"It's surreal. This is New York City and it shouldn't be this way with the
taxes and utility bills we pay," Peter Hidasi, a Queens resident, told the
USA Today daily.
Laptops in Tow, More Americans Work on Vacation
The number of Americans who work during their vacations has nearly doubled
in the last decade, with the laptop computer replacing the cellular phone
as the most useful tool for working on holiday.
Some 43 percent of office workers said they work on vacation, compared with
23 percent in a survey taken in 1995, said the poll conducted for Grand
Rapids, Michigan-based Steelcase Inc., a designer and maker of office
furniture.
Overall, roughly one in four employees said they spent three or more hours
working during vacation. Most said they were committed to the job or had a
pressing assignment, while 10 percent cited an inability to relax until
things were taken care of.
Edward Hallowell, a psychiatrist and author of "Crazy Busy: Overstretched,
Overbooked, and About to Snap!," said the trend likely includes people who
keep working for good reasons as well as bad.
"The good way would be someone who says, 'Look, I really want to get away
with my kids, but I do have work to do... I'm going to combine work and
vacation,"' he said.
"The bad one would be someone who is just so addicted to work that they
can't ever leave it. It's their only way of amusing themselves, and that's
a problem," he said.
Technology, not unsurprisingly, makes all that work possible, although it
has changed over the last decade.
In the latest survey, 41 percent of workers said their laptop computer made
it easiest to work on holiday, followed by their cellular phone, personal
computer and BlackBerry.
In 1995, most people cited their cell phone first, along with their beeper,
fax machine, laptop and personal computer.
"These tools can be very freeing," Hallowell said. "They can allow you to
go away, but they can also be enslaving. It's all a matter of how you use
them."
The survey of 640 randomly selected full- or part-time workers was
conducted in June by telephone. It was conducted by the Opinion Research
Corporation.
It also found that only 61 percent of Americans use all of the vacation
time they have coming to them.
=~=~=~=
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