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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 12 Issue 41
Volume 12, Issue 41 Atari Online News, Etc. October 8, 2010
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2010
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:
Fred Horvat
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #1241 10/08/10
~ China Blocks Nobel News ~ People Are Talking! ~ More Privacy Online!
~ Windows Slates Coming! ~ Apple Challenges Award ~ New World of Warcraft!
~ New USB 3.0 Portables! ~ 'Toasted Skin' Warning ~ New Call of Duty, 3D!
~ Zeus Trojan Will Go On ~ OLPC Developing Tablet ~ Holiday Hopes for Games!
-* Freedom of Speech in China? *-
-* iPad, Tablets Killing Laptops, Etc. *-
-* October Is Cyber Security Awareness Month! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Naturally, my last week at the golf course was one filled with rain! Last
week, we postponed aerating the greens one last time for the year because
of heavy rains. This week, we did the process anyway. What a mess for
the crew that had to clean up after the fact! None of the work involved is
"easy" for those involved; and, as [bad] luck would have it, I was one of the
two guys at the end of the process - we got to shovel up all of the plugs
that were pulled/blown off of the greens! I'm telling you, when those plugs
are as wet as they were, it's like shoveling mud - wet and heavy! I slept
well those two nights!
But you know what, I had it easy compared to one family that lives (or lived)
in a small Tennessee town. You see, they happen to live in a house on the
outskirts of a town in Tennessee. Because they lived outside of the town
limits, they were required to pay a $75.00 annual service fee that would have
provided them with fire protection. Well, the family forgot to pay that fee
this year, and it cost him the family home, as well as the family pets.
Reportedly, a fire started in some barrels outside. The flames quickly moved
to the house. Firefighters were called, but watched as the fire consumed the
house. They didn't lift a finger, or a hose, to save the home!
Sorry, but I can't accept that decision, nor can I accept a law or provision
that requires payment of a fee for city or town services that should be
covered by local taxes. How barbaric is that?? This kind of thing reminds
me of "protection rackets" by organized crime - pay us a regular fee and
we'll protect your home or business from harm. It's extortion! Just what
do you get for your tax dollar these days? I pay my town taxes every year,
and some of that money goes to support the local schools. However, I don't
have kids - do I get a partial refund? Of course not. Do I get any
additional services to make up for those I don't need or use? No.
There's no plausible excuse for someone's home to burn to the ground while
the firefighters stood and watched because of a missed fee payment. And to
hear the mayor's excuse: "South Fulton Mayor David Crocker didn't exude
compassion when interviewed for the same report, comparing the service to an
insurance policy. ""Anybody that's not in the city of South Fulton, it's a
service we offer, either they accept it or they don't.""
A family in Tennessee didn't accept. They lost their home over a $75 fee.
Just where is this country headed?!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho, friends and neighbors. First of all, let me apologize for missing
last week's issue. I've had more allergy attacks and sinus infections this
year than I can count... and I'm not going to say whether that says more
about my memory or my math skills. [grin]
And from what healthcare professionals are telling me, it's not just me.
This year seems to have been an active one for respiratory issues. If I
had to guess, I would say that it had a lot to to with pollen from
plants spurred on by warm temperatures and lots of rain early in the
spring, and enough of both to keep the cycle going throughout the summer...
but that's just a guess.
At any rate, my latest bout with sinus/respiratory issues has gotten me to
thinking again about the state of our healthcare system.
The word 'Obamacare' is on the lips of every self-respecting (often the
ONLY thing they respect) teabagger this election cycle, since it's what
their feeble minds have been told is "socialized medicine"... and THAT is
one of the buzzwords they love to throw around... socialism. I guarantee
you that a majority of them couldn't give you a definition of socialism if
asked, but nonetheless, they're afraid of it. It seems to me that the
"grass roots" conservatives just love to be afraid of things. They wear it
like a badge of honor and wrap themselves in the tissue of worries and woe
doled out to them by whoever happens to be talking the loudest at the time.
I just love the people who get so up in arms about "socialized healthcare"
and government-run programs, and are afraid that it'll screw up their
social security benefits... ummm, guys?... look at the first word in
"SOCIAL Security"... ring a bell? Mean anything to you?
The fact is that Social Security IS an entitlement program. That means
that it's not an insurance policy, it's not a club or group. You are
entitled to benefits simply by virtue of the fact that you're a citizen of
a certain age and have paid into the system. And most people seem to think
that it IS a type of insurance policy or an escrow type of thing where
your money is held in trust for you. That's not the case either. The money
you pay in this week goes into someone's monthly check. That's the way it
was set up; that's what it was always supposed to do.
And there are, of course, always people complaining that Social Security
isn't enough to live on. They're right... at least in most cases. It was
never meant to be a sole means of support. It's a supplement, not a
retirement package.
What gets me, again, is the people who complain from both sides of the
argument: That they don't like the idea of socialized anything, and that
what they do get from the government isn't enough to live on.
Now Medicare is a different situation entirely. Medicare IS
state-sponsored insurance. It's actually an insurance policy that you pay
a premium for. Granted, this is no paradise situation for anyone... except
maybe for those who defraud the system. And there are always plenty of
those. One of the things that people don't see when they start screaming
about fraud and abuse is that the only means the government really has to
weed out fraud is to make the system slower and more difficult for
everyone. That results in a lot of frustration, since everyone who screams
about it assumes that their benefits will remain unaffected, since they
couldn't POSSIBLY be the problem. Well the government don't know that,
Chucky. As far as they're concerned, the problems could be any of us.
Hahahaha! You're not going to believe this. JUST as I finished typing that
last paragraph, there was a commercial on television for
http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov. Check it out if you're interested.
Then there's Medicaid. That's something a little different. It's designed
for low/limited income families, individuals with disabilities, and is
funded by both federal and state governments. Another instance of
'government interference'... until you need it.
So what's the buzz about this "Obamacare" and why are people so against it?
Well, in short, people aren't necessarily against it. There are those who
are against Obama, those who are against the "bleeding heart liberals",
those who are, in short, just against. It reminds me of the old Groucho
Marx song...
I don't know what they have to say
It makes no difference anyway
Whatever it is, I'm against it
No matter what it is or who commenced it
I'm against it
Your proposition may be good
But let's have one thing understood
Whatever it is, I'm against it
And even when you've changed it or condensed it
I'm against it
There's more, but you get the idea. If you're interested in the whole
song, you can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtMV44yoXZ0
The truth is (and you can find out what the government has to say about
Obamacare at http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov, but in short, it's a plan
to cut waste and fraud, increase benefits and help those in need with
subsidies, and to pay for it while still reducing the national debt.
Now, being that the conservatives (as a rule) have to oppose just about
anything that the liberals propose, it's much easier for them to call it
'socialism' than to stand up and say "We don't want a 10% tax on indoor
tanning or a half a percent tax on those of us who make more that two
hundred grand a year!"
Probably the one aspect of this 'plan' that I find objectionable is that
it is structured to be implemented in steps over as many as eight years.
This was done, in my estimation, so that the slow response to the
implementations or unforeseen circumstances does not hobble the whole
system, and that, in and of itself, is a good thing. My concern is that,
just as we have seen in the finance and credit card industry, given that
amount of time, companies will find ways to circumvent these new
provisions. Let's face it; corporations are in business to make money, and
that's fine. But healthcare should be something different. It's just too
damned important to trust a bean counter to do the right thing instead of
squeezing every last dime out of each of us to increase their profits.
In short, 'Obamacare' isn't socialized healthcare; it's regulation. And
we've already seen what happens when an industry has no regulation. Look
at the finance industry of just a few years ago. The result of a lack of
regulation and enforcement was that the entire system almost came crashing
down around our ears. That's what happens when a company's end product
becomes their stock offering and their real, physical product or service
becomes just an inconvenient intermediate step to said stock offering.
They lose sight of the rest of us, and the reason people buy their
services and products in the first place. Ask GM about it sometime.
Well, that's about it for this week, friends and neighbors. Tune in again
next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they
are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 'Call of Duty: Black Ops' in 3-D!
Dragon Age 1 Affects Dragon Age II!
And more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Happens December 7
Buckle up World of Warcraft wonks, your world's finally ending in December
after five geophysically peaceful years of topographical regularity.
Kiss your Azeroth (as you know it) goodbye when the apocalypse takes place
on December 7. Mark your calendars, take any final pictures, and say your
farewells while you can.
The cost of catastrophe? $39.99 for the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
regular edition, or $79.99 for a collector's trove stuffed with a
behind-the-scenes DVD, soundtrack, 176-page art book, trading card
starter packs, and an exclusive in-game pet named Lil' Deathwing, after
the monster responsible for the looming disaster. Note the collector's
edition will only be available at retail.
Cataclysm marks Blizzard's attempt to bring more than just a couple new
races (werewolves and goblins), zones, raids, battlegrounds, and a new
level cap (85) to the party. This time, Azeroth itself goes under the
knife (or, if you will, world-sized payloader).
"Cataclysm includes the best content we've ever created for World of
Warcraft," said Blizzard CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime in a press
statement. "It's not just an expansion, but a re-creation of much of the
original Azeroth, complete with epic new high-level adventures for
current players and a redesigned leveling experience for those just
starting out."
"With the help of our beta testers, we're putting on the final polish,
and we look forward to welcoming gamers around the world to enjoy it in
just a couple of months."
Blizzard's still soliciting beta testers if you want a sneak peek. I'll
wait. I've got my hands full leveling up a Tauren Hunter and Night Elf
Druid before some guy in a rabbit suit shows up in Thunder Bluff with a
stopwatch and I'm hearing Tears for Fears tunes over slow-motion raid
video playbacks.
'Call of Duty: Black Ops' To Be Released in 3-D
As if the gun-toting action in "Call of Duty: Black Ops" wasn't expected
to feel real enough in high definition, Activision Blizzard Inc. announced
Tuesday that the latest entry in its successful first-person-shooter video
game franchise would be released in 3-D, yet another addition to the 3-D
revolution's growing arsenal.
Mark Lamia, studio head at developer Treyarch, said "Black Ops" would be
available in 3-D as an option for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC
editions of the game when it is released Nov. 9. He said the game would
be the same if played in 2-D or 3-D and that no content was created
especially for the 3-D version, though it looks much more immersive.
"When you're looking at the game in 3-D, the space you're looking at
feels real," said Lamia. "When I've got a weapon, and I'm painting a red
dot on an enemy target, I'm painting a red dot on an enemy target. When
I'm aiming down the sights, I'm aiming down the sights. When someone's
down the corridor, it feels like somebody's down that corridor - for
real."
"Black Ops," the seventh installment in the "Call of Duty" shoot-'em-up
saga, will take aim at the Cold War, thrusting players into a time-hopping
adventure that involves military cover-ups and shoot-outs in locales such
as Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cuba and Russia. The game will also include
extensive online multiplayer and cooperative "zombie" modes.
"We haven't actually changed any art in the game as a result of 3-D," Lamia
said. "It's the same high-quality, high-fidelity art in both experiences.
It's all engineering that's gone into that. I think people are going to be
shocked when they see it because they're going to think that we crafted art
or experiences for 3-D because it looks so good in 3-D."
The gaming medium is well suited to be displayed in 3-D because most modern
games are already created in three virtual dimensions, unlike many films
and TV shows that must either be filmed with special cameras or converted
to 3-D. At this early stage, however, many gamers have yet to adopt the
in-your-face technology because it requires a 3-D TV and glasses.
Only a handful of games, such as Ubisoft's "Avatar: The Game" and Warner
Bros. Interactive Entertainment's "Batman: Arkham Asylum," are available
on the Xbox 360 and PS3 in 3-D, while hundreds of games, including
Electronic Arts' "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" and Capcom's "Resident
Evil 5," can be played on a PC in 3-D with the right equipment.
What You Did in Dragon Age: Origins Matters in Dragon Age II
All that time you put in ping-ponging around Ferelden with your
multitalented entourage slaughtering Army of Darkness lookalikes in
BioWare's Dragon Age wasn't for nothing.
Speaking to NowGamer, Dragon Age II lead designer Mike Laidlaw says Dragon
Age II will know what you did last summer...or whenever you finally
delivered the coup de grace in BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins.
Like Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age II will scan your save game and offer a few
shout-outs to choices you made in the original.
"We look at it as importing the world really," said Laidlaw. "I've always
seen Dragon Age as a franchise as about more than any one character. It's
about an entire span of history and the whole world that's affected by
what happens."
"You know, who's in charge of Ferelden, what happened with the Dwarves,
who's running Orzammar? All of these things are reflected and accounted
for in Dragon Age II."
I thought the plot nods allowed for in Mass Effect 2 were actually pretty
cursory, and I'm expecting the same in Dragon Age II. After playing a Mass
Effect 2 import and then a fresh game, all that really changed was some
window dressing here and there. I'd almost rather BioWare drop the import
mechanics and spend the extra time in areas better served (say ensuring
we never see a functionally ridiculous outfit like Morrigan's in a game
that billed itself as "the HBO of RPGs" again).
Until what you do (or did) can *dynamically* alter the plot, I'm happier
knowing I'm experiencing fixed authorial creative choices, not just cueing
up a few desultory choose-your-own-adventure beats.
Sales of Top Video Game Titles Boost Holiday Hopes
Finally, there's a bit of good news this year for the video game business.
New titles from proven franchises, like Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty
and Electronic Arts Inc's FIFA, are stoking hopes that the industry could
emerge from its two-year slump after the holiday season.
After Microsoft's Halo made $200 million on its launch day in September,
EA's FIFA 11 this month became the fastest-selling sports game ever.
This week, Activision said "World of Warcraft," its online role-playing
game, has 12 million subscribers, the most subscribers ever to the game.
Last year, it made $1 billion in revenue.
"When you look at how the industry looks today, we are seeing the top
products doing really well," said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of
Blizzard Entertainment, the unit of Activision that publishes "World of
Warcraft."
Industry sales numbers, published by research group NPD, are due out next
week and should provide a clearer picture.
Arvind Bhatia, a Sterne Agee analyst, expects September numbers to be
better than August's, when video game equipment and software sales were
down 10 percent.
"It's a tough economy, but the overall picture for video games is starting
to look a little bit better," Bhatia said.
The $60.4 billion global video game industry, which dwarfs Hollywood's
annual box office take, is on shaky ground.
US video game sales are down 8 percent this year on top of an 8 percent
drop in 2009, according to NPD.
EA shares were last trading at $16.68, down 7.3 percent this year, while
Activision shares were at $11.01, down about 2 percent this year.
But with U.S. same-store sales rising more than expected in September,
executives and analysts are more upbeat now than a year ago.
Activision's console release, "Call of Duty: Black Ops," is expected to
sell considerably more than ThinkEquity analyst Atul Bagga originally
expected, generating an additional $90 million in revenue and adding 2
cents per share in profit.
Blizzard's COO Sams called Black-Ops "absolutely one of the biggest
titles of the year, if not the biggest," for its sister company
Activision.
Cataclysm, the first World of Warcraft expansion pack released in two
years, will also come out Dec 7 in time for holiday shopping.
"We're very hopeful of what will occur in the holiday season for us,"
Sams added.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
October Declared Cyber Security Awareness Month
Appropriately for a month that concludes with a holiday designed around
scary things, October has been declared Cyber Security Awareness Month.
President Obama recently signed a proclamation and urged everyone to
back up files, keep Internet-surfing children safe, and "play an active
role in securing the cyber networks we use every day."
National Cyber Security Awareness Month is part of a campaign organized
by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and backed by the
Department of Homeland Security. The government agency said, "America's
competitiveness and economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend
on effective cybersecurity."
NCSA said October's designation is part of the first Global Online Safety
Campaign, called STOP | THINK | CONNECT, which began Monday. The
public-private partnership is intended to "help all digital citizens
employ universal behaviors to protect themselves," the organization said.
Several companies have initiated specific security-related measures in
support of the month.
Digital security firm McAfee, for instance, announced Monday it will
expand its initiative to fight cybercrime. The McAfee initiative includes
an Online Safety for Kids program, in which its employees and partners
volunteer to teach schoolchildren about safety and security online. It
also made a cybercrime grant to the National White Collar Crime Center to
train more law-enforcement personnel to detect, investigate and arrest
lawbreakers.
The cybersafety education program was piloted last year in more than 100
schools, and the company reports it has reached more than 3,000 children.
It's being expanded this fall to more schools in the U.S., as well as to
other countries.
The initiative was originally announced by McAfee two years ago this month.
It includes awards to individuals and organizations, an online resource
portal, and an advisory council.
Security software provider CyberDefender has issued guidelines to keep
families safe. The recommendations suggest that families set up separate
user accounts for shared computers, make sure antivirus security programs
are up to date, set up specific times each week to do virus scans on every
PC, and talk among family members about smart computing practices.
Other tips from CyberDefender suggest using parental controls, keeping
the security software suite running at all times, and calling a
technician when problems arise, as opposed to only using software tools.
Visa said it will mark the month with a new web site to help cardholders
and small businesses protect account data and avoid scams. It noted that
a study from Javelin Strategy & Research found that more than 50 percent
of consumers see the responsibility of protecting financial accounts as
shared between users and the companies or institutions.
Some tips from the credit-card company include looking for the padlock
icon in a browser's status bar and an "s" after "http" in the URL when
exchanging confidential information online. Users can also activate
"Verified by Visa" to add extra protection during online checkouts, and
the company pointed out that Visa never calls users for private account
information.
Microsoft CEO Says Will See Windows Slates by Christmas
A Microsoft slate to counter Apple's popular iPad tablet computer will be
seen by the Christmas holiday, Microsoft's Chief Executive Steve Ballmer
said on Tuesday.
Ballmer did not say whether the palm-sized slates would actually be on
sale in time for Christmas, nor did he say who would make them. Microsoft
has been slow to respond to the iPad, and has also made little headway in
mobile phones.
"You'll see new slates with Windows on them. You'll see them this
Christmas," he told an audience of students, staff and journalists at the
London School of Economics.
"Certainly we have done work around the tablet as both a productivity
device and a consumption device," he said.
IT research firm Gartner expects 10 million tablet PCs to be sold this year
as consumers begin embracing such devices, which include Dell's Streak and
Asustek's Eee Pad. The Apple iPad alone sold 3.3 million in its first
quarter.
At this year's Consumer Electronics show in January, Ballmer unveiled a
Hewlett-Packard tablet computer running Windows, beating Apple's hotly
anticipated move into the market.
But little has been heard about the device since HP agreed to buy
smartphone maker Palm in April for $1.2 billion, and HP has said it plans
a new crop of devices including tablets based on Palm software, although
it will still offer Windows tablets.
Microsoft has also failed to make much headway in the smartphone market,
where rivals like Apple and HTC are growing fast, while Research in Motion
captured the corporate market with its BlackBerry.
Microsoft's Windows phone software had 8.7 percent of the smartphone market
last year and that is expected to decline to 3.9 percent by 2014,
according to Gartner.
Microsoft also ditched a feature phone aimed at teenagers in July after
just three months.
"The job right now is we've got to get back seriously into the game of
phones," Ballmer said.
Ballmer did not get his maximum bonus for the last fiscal year despite
scoring the company's highest-ever sales, mainly because of missteps on
phones and tablets.
Microsoft is due to launch its new Windows Phone 7 software later this
month, after unveiling it a year later than expected at this year's Mobile
World Congress in February.
"We've got to have a comeback against the competition and I think with our
new Windows phones we really have a beautiful product," Ballmer said on
Tuesday.
Verbatim Introduces New USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive Line
Verbatim's new Store 'n' Go SuperSpeed USB 3.0 hard drives should be just
what their name purports them to be: really fast, thanks to USB 3.0.
The new hard drives will come in three capacities: 500 GB and 700 GB will
be available in October, and 1 TB will be available in November. The new
drives are, of course, backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 ports for those
of you who haven't yet upgraded your computers to USB 3.0.
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 features a 5Gbps data rate, which is significantly faster
than Hi-Speed USB 2.0's rate of 480Mbps. For example, a 25GB movie will
only take 70 seconds to transfer using a USB 3.0 port, as opposed to 13.9
minutes with a USB 2.0 port.
All capacities of the new Store 'n' Go hard drives will come bundled with
Nero BackItUp & Burn software (Windows), a 5GB trial of Norton Online
Backup, and a 7-year limited warranty. At the moment, there's no word on a
price point.
OLPC Gets $5.6M from Marvell To Develop Tablet
One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) has received a $5.6 million grant from
chipmaker Marvell to make an educational tablet device.
"The money is a grant to the OLPC Foundation to develop a tablet or tablets
based on [Marvell's] chip," OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte told Xconomy.
"They're going to put the whole system on a chip."
The donation is an expansion of the partnership OLPC and Marvell announced
in May. Both organizations signed an agreement to jointly develop the next
generation of OLPC XO devices, the first of which will be a tablet set to
debut next year. As part of the deal, OLPC will also make its design and
reference work available to Marvell and its partners in order to get its
technology more widely adopted.
Developing an OLPC tablet will be a two-step process. The Marvell-based
tablet set to be released next year will likely be a "first world"
Android-based device for children in the developed world. OLPC will follow
that up the following year with its own Linux-based, plastic tablet that
will work better in developing nations, according to Xconomy.
"The second one would have our brand on it, because it will be identified
with and for the developing world," Negroponte said.
OLPC has had somewhat of a rocky path to its end goal of providing laptops
to children in developing nations. It cut its staff by 50 percent in
January 2009, saying at the time that it would refocus its mission on the
development of second-generation laptops. In May, Ed McNierney, chief
technology officer at OLPC, said that he still believes that transitioning
to an ARM processor and tablet design point is where the organization
needs to go.
iPad, Tablets Cannibalizing Laptop, Netbook Sales
Laptop sales are decreasing, and it looks like the iPad is to blame. It's
well known that the iPad has essentially destroyed the netbook, plummeting
its sales into the negative, but now tablets are eating away at higher-end
and less-portable laptop sales.
The NPD Group estimated that U.S. laptop sales rose 12.3 percent in the
first eight months of 2010, which /sounds/ good, but was dramatically less
than the 30 percent growth of the year-earlier-period. Laptop sales also
dropped 1 percent in July and August 2010 - the peak of back-to-school
shopping season, as the Wall Street Journal notes.
Blaming the iPad for the computer industry's woes is the hippest thing to
do nowadays, especially when sales numbers are compared to Apple's. A
Morgan Stanley/Alphawise study conducted in May showed that 44 percent of
U.S. consumers who planned to buy an iPad were doing so in lieu of a
netbook or notebook PC. Forrester Research also found that 14 percent of
U.S. online customers plan to buy a tablet computer within the next 12
months, ahead of the 13 percent planning to buy a laptop, 11 percent
planning to buy an eBook reader, 8 percent planning to buy a netbook, and
8 percent said to be planning to buy a desktop computer. The iPad is not a
fad. At least for now.
In fact, the iPad is now the fastest-selling electronic device ever, and
with Apple's competition all building tablets - including RIM's PlayBook,
Samsung's Galaxy Tab, Toshiba's Libretto, Dell's Streak, among others - the
tablet market is set to inundate consumers with more choices, especially
Android options. Android just became the most prominent smartphone OS, and
more and more Android-powered tablets are being released or announced.
While there is no such thing as an iPad killer - just as an iPhone-killer
does not exist - Android might keep Apple up at night.
But the more options consumers are given, the more this situation looks like
the rise and fall of the netbook. Not too long ago, netbooks were the
must-have item. Then the tablet rose to prominence, and now retailers can't
sell netbooks fast enough. It's hard to tell whether the tablet frenzy will
mimic the now-faded netbook fad, but it would be wise for companies not to
break their backs building tablets, lest they produce another JooJoo-esque
embarrassment.
Apple Challenges $625.5 Million Patent-Infringement Award
Apple Inc. is challenging a federal jury's order that it pay $625.5
million in damages for violating a small technology company's patents.
If upheld, the verdict would be one of the largest in a patent lawsuit.
Last Friday, the jury in Tyler, Texas, found that Apple infringed on three
patents held by Mirror Worlds LLC, a company founded by Yale University
computer science professor David Gelernter to commercialize his ideas.
The patents cover characteristic features on Apple's Macintosh computers,
iPods and iPhones. The technologies include Cover Flow, which lets users
flip through album covers and other content as if through a stack of
cards; Time Machine, which performs automatic backups; and Spotlight,
which is software for searching computer hard drives.
Over the weekend, Apple asked the U.S. District Court to hold off on
imposing the jury award, saying there were still issues that needed to be
addressed. Among other things, Apple objects to the way the damages were
calculated.
Apple has not commented further on the case. Lawyers for Mirror Worlds did
not return requests for comment.
In 1991, before access to the World Wide Web was mainstream, Gelernter
published a book called "Mirror Worlds: or the Day Software Puts the
Universe in a Shoebox...How it Will Happen and What it Will Mean." The
volume laid out a vision of the future in which people can access and
interpret unprecedented volumes of real-time, real-world data using a
computer.
A decade later, Gelernter's Mirror Worlds Technologies Inc. launched its
first and only product, Scopeware, which could organize all sorts of
information on a timeline or "lifestream." It looked like a cascade of
index cards on the screen, each representing a unique piece of e-mail, a
Web page, spreadsheet or other document, updated constantly as new items
arrive. From descriptions at the time, Scopeware had a similar look to
and functionality as Apple's Cover Flow, which is built into the
company's Mac OS X operating system and the software that runs on iPods
and other devices.
Parents, Teens Want More Privacy Online
A large percentage of U.S. parents would support a law requiring companies
to be barred from collecting information about Internet users unless they
explicitly agree, according to a new poll out on Friday.
Concern over privacy, which 85 percent of parents said they were more
concerned about now than five years ago, has pushed lawmakers and federal
agencies to advocate tighter rules.
A poll commissioned by Common Sense Media and done by Zogby International
found support for government action.
The poll found that 92 percent of parents were concerned that teenagers and
children were too open about personal matters online and that 75 percent
believed that social networking sites failed to protect children's privacy.
Eighty-eight percent of parents and 85 percent of teenagers wanted online
companies to ask their permission before sharing information with
advertisers, and 88 percent of parents would support a law making "opt in"
a legal requirement, according to the poll.
Since much of the information on the Web is free because it is a vehicle
for advertising, companies have worried that "do not track" lists could
shake the Web's financial foundations.
But the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, which is pushing
a plan to extend broadband, argued that privacy concerns could hurt
Internet commerce.
"This distrust has implications for industry," FCC chairman Julius
Genachowski said.
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz has urged the industry to
do a better job of self-regulation or face tougher federal oversight.
"If there were a 'do not track' adopted, I'm not sure that the rate of
people who would not want to be tracked would be terribly high," he said.
Earlier this month, in an attempt to self-regulate, a coalition of major
online advertising groups announced a program to allow Internet users to
opt out of being tracked by marketers.
Rep. Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Rep. Joe Barton, a
Texas Republican, criticized online marketers on Friday.
Markey, who was the author of legislation banning companies from collecting
personal information about children aged 12 and under without parental
consent, said he was also concerned about privacy related to
health concerns.
"As more consumers seek health information online, individuals should not
be targeted with advertisements based on information about medical
conditions they may seek online unless they first choose to receive them,"
he said in a statement.
Criminals Will Continue to Use Zeus Trojan, Expert Says
Despite dozens of recent arrests targeting large online fraud
organizations, other criminals are continuing to use the Zeus Trojan and
other Web tools to steal identities and money from Internet users, one
cybersecurity expert said Tuesday.
The arrests last week of dozens of people in the U.S., U.K. and Ukraine
were a "massive coup" for law enforcement, said Patrick Peterson, CEO of
Authentication Metrics, an e-mail authentication vendor. Those connected
are suspected of being part of a huge criminal organization that has
stolen about US$70 million from
small businesses and other organizations in the U.S.
"This is really a breath of fresh air and a great success after a long time
and a lot of frustration," Peterson said during a presentation at a meeting
of the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group in Arlington, Virginia. "The
good news is that we're seeing some great progress from law enforcement."
The not-so-good news is that it's easy and relatively inexpensive for
prospective criminals to launch their own online fraud operation, Peterson
said. The Zeus Trojan, a highly configurable piece of malware designed to
steal personal information, is available for sale at several websites
where cybercriminals gather, and there are dozens of versions available,
he said.
In addition, Fragus, and other exploit kits, make it easy for
cybercriminals to target specific vulnerabilties that may be on a computer,
he said. And vulnerabilities in servers and browsers make it easy for
criminals to hijack legitimate websites and send Web users to sites where
they unknowingly download malware.
Fragus gives criminals a simple interface to check which applications they
want to target, said Peterson, a Cisco Systems fellow. The exploit kit
includes a reporting tool connected back to developers so that users can
ask them to target new applications or operating systems, he said.
For an investment of about $2,500, a criminal could buy versions of Zeus
and Fragus and get a thriving online fraud operation running, Peterson
said.
These new cybercriminals have sophisticated systems in place to measure
the success of their tools. Data later obtained from the Russian makers
of the Mpack malware kit, which began appearing in 2006, showed that
more than 13 percent of the computers in the U.S. that went to a defaced
website became infected. More than 20 percent of the computers from
Japan and Germany became infected when encountering Mpack malware, and
more than 50 percent of computers in Romania became infected, Peterson
said.
In addition, cybercriminals continue to use spamming tools to drive traffic
to phishing websites, as well as affiliate programs with partners linking
to exploited websites, he said. Many large criminal operations are using
so-called money mules, people in targeted countries who will wire stolen
money back to criminals overseas, he said. U.S. Federal Bureau of
Investigation officials said the Ukrainian Zeus operation employed about
3,500 money mules in the U.S.
Money mules are needed, because a U.S. cybercriminal targeting U.S.
residents would be "rich for a day" before the FBI showed up at his house,
Peterson said. With a money mule operation, it's more difficult to track
the money, with dozens of mules sending small amounts of money from
multiple wiring locations.
Freedom of Speech 'Indispensable': China's Premier
Freedom of speech is indispensable and the people's desire for democracy
"irresistible," China's Premier Wen Jiabao said Sunday, as he brushed
aside criticisms that Beijing was curbing such rights.
"I believe freedom of speech is indispensable for any country, a country
in the course of development and a country that has become strong," Wen
told the network's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" program.
He trumpeted the fact that in a country of some 1.3 billion people, there
were 400 million Internet users and 800 million people with mobile phones.
And Wen revealed that he often logs onto the Internet.
"I have read sharp critical comments on the work of the government on
the Internet and also there are commendable words about the work of the
government," he said.
But in a rare interview with US media, Wen brushed aside widespread
criticism from international observers and rights groups over efforts to
censor the Internet, insisting China's communist leaders were adapting.
"I believe, I and all the Chinese people have such a conviction, that
China will make continuous progress and the people's wishes for and
needs for democracy and freedom are irresistible," Wen said.
"I hope that you will be able to gradually see the continuous progress
of China."
China's communist leaders have ruled with a iron fist since
revolutionary leader Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of Communist
China in 1949, but in past decades have gradually opened some spheres
such as economic activity.
But they remain wary of loosening controls on freedom of expression and
demonstrations, and there are many high-profile writers, lawyers and
political activists currently imprisoned in China.
Wen repeated the government line that any such opening up of people's
rights "must be conducted within the range allowed by the constitution
and the laws."
"So that the country will have a normal order. And that is all the more
necessary for such a large country as China, with 1.3 billion people,"
he stressed.
"I often say that we should not only let people have the freedom of
speech. We, more importantly, must create conditions to let them
criticize the work of the government," Wen said.
"And it is only when there is the supervision and critical oversight
from the people that the government will be in a position to do an even
better job."
Earlier this year there were months of tension between Internet search
engine Google and Beijing over state censorship and cyberattacks that
Google said had originated in China.
And a senior executive from the social networking site, Facebook, said
last month that Asia was the fastest-growing region for new subscribers
despite restrictions on access in China.
China restricted access to the site in July 2009 amid deadly ethnic
unrest in the restive far-western region of Xinjiang, but users have
found ways of breaching the censorship wall.
China Blocks News of Peace Prize for Dissident
News that jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo had won the 2010 Nobel Peace
Prize quickly made headlines around the world Friday, but in China the
award was hard to find on TV and major Internet sites.
China's official Xinhua news agency carried news of the prize in English
and Chinese -- by headlining the government's angry reaction to it.
But searches using the key words "Nobel Peace Prize" and "Liu Xiaobo"
brought up no results on Chinese web portals Sina, Sohu and Baidu while
similar searches on Weibo, a Twitter-like service, also drew a blank.
The evening news on China Central Television made no mention of Liu,
opening instead with a story about flooding on the southern island of
Hainan as foreign news outlets splashed the story across the front pages
of their websites.
Text messages sent containing the full name of Liu Xiaobo appeared to be
blocked, according to several tests carried out by AFP correspondents.
Liu, a writer and one-time university professor, was honoured "for his
long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China,"
Norwegian Nobel Committee president Thorbjoern Jagland said in his
announcement.
Beijing slammed the decision as a violation of the Nobel Peace Prize's
ideals, while the laureate's joyful wife led calls for his immediate
release.
China - which has repeatedly branded the 54-year-old a criminal following
his December 2009 jailing for 11 years on subversion charges - also warned
Norway that ties would suffer over the Nobel committee's decision.
Beijing operates a vast system of web censorship, sometimes referred to
as the "Great Firewall of China". It blocks access to any content the
government deems unacceptable, ranging from pornography to political
dissent.
Critics at home and abroad complain that the Internet rules stifle
criticism of the ruling Communist Party and restrict discussion on
sensitive topics such as Tibet and the brutal crackdown on the 1989
Tiananmen pro-democracy protests.
Doctors Warn of 'Toasted Skin' from Prolonged Laptop Use
It's been a joke among computer users that working too long with a notebook
PC on your lap can lead to a laptop tan. Swedish researchers aren't
laughing. They say using a hot laptop that rests on your legs can give you
mottled, discolored skin that could lead to a condition called "toasted
skin syndrome".
In a case cited by the journal, a 12-year-old boy developed
"sponge-patterned skin coloration" on his left thigh after playing video
games with the computer on his lap for a few hours a day for several months.
The image on the right, courtesy of Dr. Benabio, of a "toasted" thigh shows
the disgusting details.
Another case that's come to light involves a law student in Virginia, the
AP reported. In that instance, the future lawyer showed up at the Eastern
Virginia Medical School complaining about mottled discoloration on her leg.
When probed about her work habits, the student revealed she spent about
six hours a day working with her laptop which could reach a temperature of
125 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the assistant dermatology professor
who examined the student, Dr. Kimberley Salkey.
The Swiss researchers, Drs. Andrea Arnold and Peter Itin, told the AP that
laptops rarely get hot enough to burn their operators, but they can cause
skin damage that might lead to cancer. The physicians, however, could not
cite any specific cases where that happened.
Other dangers from prolonged laptop usage in a lap have been reported in
the past, according to the Daily Mail. For example, Dr. Dr. Yefim Sheynkin
conducted research at New York State University at Stony Brook
demonstrating that a laptop balanced on the thighs raises the temperature
of male sperm by three degrees Centigrade. That could trigger fertility
problems and over time could cause irreversible damage, he concluded.
=~=~=~=
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