Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 11 Issue 20
Volume 11, Issue 20 Atari Online News, Etc. May 15, 2009
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2008
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:
To subscribe to A-ONE, change e-mail addresses, or unsubscribe,
log on to our website at: www.atarinews.org
and click on "Subscriptions".
OR subscribe to A-ONE by sending a message to: dpj@atarinews.org
and your address will be added to the distribution list.
To unsubscribe from A-ONE, send the following: Unsubscribe A-ONE
Please make sure that you include the same address that you used to
subscribe from.
To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the
following sites:
http://people.delphiforums.com/dpj/a-one.htm
Now available:
http://www.atarinews.org
Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
http://forums.delphiforums.com/atari/
=~=~=~=
A-ONE #1120 05/15/09
~ Import to Gmail Easier ~ People Are Talking! ~ EU Fines Intel!
~ Yahoo Wins Nude Battle ~ New Mac OS X Update! ~ Gyy, Solar Power!
~ Win7 Before Year's End ~ Facebook Users Attacked ~ Wii MotionPlus!
~ Where Will The Data Go? ~ Games Tank After Boom! ~ eBay Cuts Some Fees!
-* Apple to Microsoft: It's On! *-
-* Greedy Gadgets Suck Global Resources *-
-* Cyberbullying More Than Just Messing Around *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Another long and tiring week. I really didn't have any ideas for an
editorial topic this week, so rather than bore you with tales of our
recent New England weather, or what's happening with our economy these
days (like you don't already know!), I'll just jump everyone right into
this week's issue! So, sit back and relax, and enjoy another weekly
edition of A-ONE!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, another week has come and gone, and
there were a whopping 11 new messages in the NewsGroup this week. I'm
going to add them to the bunch I've collected from the past couple of
weeks, and we'll see if we can put a decent question-and-answer column
together, okay?
Good. I THOUGHT you'd agree. [grin]
... But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to talk politics this week.
Okay, okay, stop with the groaning, you in the back row over there.
There has been a lot of stuff going on that I think we should talk
about... or at least think about.
All of what I'm going to talk about this week deals with former VP Dick
Cheney and his assertion that there are two CIA memos out there somewhere
that prove that torture works, and a bit about the 'situation' with Nancy
Pelosi and her CIA briefing.
Well first of all, let's look at torture. You can call it whatever you
want... "extreme interrogation", "enhanced techniques" or whatever else,
but that doesn't change the fact that it is indeed torture.
Waterboarding is torture. We considered it torture 60 years ago, we
considered it torture 40 years ago, we considered it torture 20 years
ago. So what's changed between then and now? The circumstances? The
urgency? My friend, those are exactly the times when we should stand firm
and for our principles. If we don't have our principles, we have nothing.
Of course, we were repeatedly told that we needed to be afraid, that the
world hated us, that we were in danger of imminent attack. Yes, the world
was now a more dangerous place than it had been.
Really? Is it really more dangerous now than it was when the World Trade
Center was bombed the first time? Is it more dangerous now than when the
Marine barracks were bombed in Lebanon? More dangerous than when the USS
Cole was attacked? Or is it that we stopped wanting or looking for
friends. Anyone... any country... that didn't fall in line behind us and
automatically accept what we told them was now a 'bad country'. Remember
the time, money and attention wasted on "Freedom Fries"? Give me a break.
Okay, let's get back to 'Dick'. Dick Cheney said recently that there were
two memos that prove that torture worked to provide information that kept
Americans safe. He also said that he was going to ask the CIA to
declassify and release them. And he did ask.
Just a day ago now, the CIA refused the request, saying: "The process for
Mandatory Declassification Review is governed by Executive Order 12958, as
amended."
Well Executive Order 12958 was the one Clinton put into effect to get
things declassified sooner. It resulted in tens to hundreds of thousands
of pages of formerly classified documents being released. It's a
long, long document, but you can find it from its official source here:
http://tinyurl.com/prlh6g . I had to shorten the URL in order to format
it here (It was 95 characters long, and anything over 78 or so gives our
format fits), but it's the government's Federal Register site... it's not
something that one side or the other dreamed up as propaganda... it's
fact. THIS is exactly what the Executive Order is, not my interpretation,
not some scary misrepresentation. This IS the stuff.
Anyway. This particular Executive Order had the effect of declassifying
tons of stuff... like what the government knows about UFOs and who shot
JFK. Yeah, remember it now? It was big news back in 1995.
Well, the CIA referencing this Executive Order is a bit misleading. Did
you notice up above where the CIA spokesman said "as amended"?
The word 'amended' could well be replaced with "gutted" or even
"perverted" or "rendered useless" where national security is concerned.
And it's ALL about national security. That's because, eight years later,
there was another order; Executive Order 13292, that set this one on its
ear. The URL for EO 13292 is:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/pdf/03-7736.pdf. EO 13292 didn't
'replace' EO 12959, it 'amended' it. It not only made it harder to
declassify things that any particular president had decided to term
'national security', it reaffirmed the VICE President's ability to
classify things too.
Now... WHICH Vice President could it possibly have been that originally
classified the 2 memos that former VP Cheney says can prove that torture
works?
That's right. Mr. Cheney requested two memos be released that he may well
have "locked up" his-own-darned self. Proving your point by asking a
government agency to release memos that you yourself may have told them
they couldn't... What a slick new take on Senator McCarthy's "I've got a
top secret memo in my pocket that proves it... but I can't show you"
sleight of hand.
Mr. Cheney has also left the impression that he's eager to talk to
Congress about what works and what doesn't, and why waterboarding is now
not torture. Given the fact that Cheney has been somewhat cagey about
being placed under oath, and the fact that he's so sure that
waterboarding is safe and effective, I say we do away with the oath and
bring in the waterboarding equipment and save the Congress some time.
No need to worry about the former VP's heart... he's already told us that
waterboarding constitutes very little risk to health and safety. Heck, it
shouldn't take more than 182 instances of waterboarding, right? [evil
grin]
The other thing I want to talk about it the controversy surrounding
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It's recently come out that she was
briefed on techniques used with 'terror suspects', and the CIA now says
that she was told that waterboarding was used. She says that she was told
that they felt it was legal, but that it hadn't been used.
So now our good friends on the right are bellowing about Speaker Pelosi
having known about waterboarding being used, and what a terrible thing
that is.
What it comes down to is that they think she's guilty of supporting
something they once said isn't torture, was never used, and was necessary
anyway.
The fact is that National Security Briefings are kept secret. She
wouldn't be allowed to even acknowledge what she'd been told. Note taking
is not allowed, and she had no recourse if she found something
unacceptable.
One thing that no one seems to be talking about... yet... is that she was
not the only Congressperson briefed at that time. Porter Goss,
Republican Congressman from Florida, was evidently briefed at the same
time. Why hasn't Mr. Goss come forward on either side? Why hasn't he
offered his recollections of the briefing?
Could it possibly be that, in addition to being a Congressman, he was
also director of the CIA shortly after Executive order 13292 took effect?
I don't know. Perhaps someone should ask him.
Well, enough of that. Let's get to the news, hints, tips and info
available from the UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
'PPera' posts this about his new Atari forum:
"http://ppera.07x.net/forum/index.php
The reasons for starting it are described in Welcome thread. I hope that
we can do some things better than it goes at moment..."
Edward Baiz tells ppera:
"Thanks. I will check it out. Nothing is better than talking with a bunch
of Atarians."
Vincent Rivière posts this about the Atari Coldfire Project:
"Atari Coldfire Project is back !
http://acp.atari.org/news.html
http://acp.atari.org/news_de.html
http://acp.atari.org/news_fr.html
The schema of the new computer is now available there, and it rocks!
That's a new computer Atari-compatible based on a ColdFire CPU."
'GMan' tells Vincent:
"I'd much prefer SATA over IDE"
Martin Byttebier adds:
"I'm surely interested to get one to replace my dead Hades."
Edward Baiz adds his thoughts:
"You and me both Martin. I am on the list even though I will be upgrading
my Falcon with the CT63 and the CTPCI. Never hurts to have a backup
system."
'KJMann' posts this about a new video adapter:
"After some careful thought and some trial and error, I have come up
with a design for a Video Adapter for the Atari ST/TT systems that
will provide S-Video and Composite Video for all Atari ST/TT systems
that use the DIN 13 pin Video Port.
This Unit Will Work Even if your ST/TT Does not Have an RF Modulator
Built in.
This Adapter not only provides a Beautiful S-video Signal and a Decent
Composite Signal, but will only cost about $60 USD as a complete unit.
(not just a board with components)
It also fixes the problem with over Drivin signals coming from the RGB
lines. So the Picture you get will be Bright and Crisp with no blurred
Colors or that Grainy look.
As an Atari ST User Of many years I have always taken note of the fact
that not only is it expensive to buy a refurbished monitor (shipping
etc.) but It is also very inconvenient to have an extra monitor set up
in the house. This unit works in NTSC only (I'm Still working on a PAL
version). The S-Video is so Good on this that I can't hardly tell the
difference between the adapter and an Original SC1224 RGB monitor.
I don't know how soon that I will have them available but I hoping to
have them ready to ship to Video61 no later than Mid May.
There's a mock up of what the Unit will look like completed on atari
Age in the ST/TT discussion area."
Edward tells KJMann:
"Sounds real good. It should sell. I will check it out."
'Phantom' asks for opinions on protecting ideas an inventions:
"Has anyone gave any thought to how we can protect our,
intellectual property when we post to this group or other
forums?
Most of us have came up with new ideas, projects and new
ways to do things, and posted them here in the past for others
to use. Most of us have creativity and want to share it with others
who use a Atari Computer or emulator.
But I don't want some company making a fortune off my ideas, unless
I get my part of the fortune. Working to make someone else rich
while getting nothing in return is not the correct way to do things.
You might want to check out the following before posting that next
idea, invention or etc.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/trolling-for-patents-to-fight-
patent-trolls/
I've just recently started looking at how big this problem can be.
I'd like to here from anyone who has more knowledge on this and
how we can best protect what we post."
Ed Edelenbos replies:
"Y'know, there was a time when I was as Atari-geek as the best. I really
find it hard to believe that anyone is going to miss out on a fortune by
having Atari ideas stolen in todays world, though."
Ray Collins adds:
"Ideas are a dime a dozen. Everyone has them, but the successful people
put in the hard work to execute them.
My million dollar idea would be a handheld ST or Atari 8-bit in the size
of a Game Boy but with a keyboard like a blackberry. Add wireless and
sell it for $100. There's an idea for someone to make a lot of money
with."
Lonny Pursell adds his thoughts:
"In short don't post to a public forum. Or if you do have your idea
patented BEFORE you go blabbing in a public forum. Keep a legal staff on
the payroll, and... <insert funny rewind sound> What?! Lol Seriously? I
fail to see how that is even relevant to this platform. [I] Have to agree
with Ed."
'Charlie' adds this:
"Its obvious that a person should be rewarded for there good ideal,
whats difficult is the fact which faces us that if something is good
then everybody likes then wants it... but has to be proven before the
wheels go in motion.. where as opposite bad i deals get frowned upon
and disregarded....
My only input might be, have your ideal done or at least done in
rough, and only expose the thought of the ideal, not the real full
program...
Especially if on your atari, I can't see it being that
revolutionary, but who knows... you know, why build a trampoline for
people with no legs!
so don't be worried cause your not the one going to do all the hard
work, its just your idea until you commission on a team to
debug,write,develop and launch this ideal.. its only hypothetical "dust in
the wind" as said.
I have ideals too but its child like to just sit here and believe with
the five years programming experience i have that my program is going
to make me wealthy.
it just is a positive step towards the contribution to the atari
computer realm. Exposure is another good point. I'll stop now.. blab
blab blah..."
Well folks, that's it for this time around. Tune in again next time, same
time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Videogame Stats Tank After Boom!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" New Wii MotionPlus Soon!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Video-Game Statistics Plunge After Boom in 2008
Sales of video games, consoles and accessories fell 17 percent in April,
to $1 billion versus $1.2 billion in the same period last year,
according to NPD Group. Year-to-date sales also saw a drop. Sales for
the year were $5.28 billion, down from $5.48 billion.
The decrease for April may be steep, but analysts say there's no need to
worry.
"While April sales might appear soft on the surface, it's important to
remember that April is being compared against a month (April 2008) that
realized nearly 50 percent growth over April 2007," said Anita Frazier,
a video-game and toy analyst with NPD. "This year's performance still
represents the second-best performance for the industry in the month of
April, besting April 2007, which is the previous second-place holder, by
26 percent."
Sales of portable game systems have increased because of Nintendo's
release of the DSi. The Nintendo DS category accounted for 31 percent of
total sales in April, according to NPD. Despite the portables' success,
there will be a weakness in sales for other platforms this month with a
year-over-year decrease in Wii hardware sales.
"Taking that into account, Wii unit sales are still very strong and only
followed the DS this month in terms of dollar and unit sales
contribution to total industry sales," Frazier said.
Video-game software took the hardest hit in comparison to hardware and
accessories. Software sales in April were down 23 percent from April
2008, dropping from $660.1 billion to $510.7 billion
"The number of new releases this month is fairly comparable to what was
introduced last April, but GTA IV - on both PS3 and the 360 - sold
nearly one million more units last April than the entire top 10 list did
this year," Frazier said.
April 2008 also included the release of Mario Kart for Wii, which has
remained a top-selling game for the past year. The game is also on
April's top 10 list along with the Wii Fit with balance board, Wii Play
with Remote, and Pokemon Platinum Version for the Nintendo DS.
"This really illustrates the impact of comparing against a month when
there were several blockbuster titles new to the market," Frazier said.
Because other big game titles weren't expected in April, it would have
been a good month to release a new game, according to Frazier.
While sales appeared bleak last month, analysts don't expect the
statistics to get better in the short term.
"Given how strong the growth was in the industry last year, there are
still some months ahead where year-over-year comparisons may be
difficult, but May should be an easier comparison than the last two
months have been," Frazier said.
Despite the tough month for the video-game results, NPD said the
company's monthly consumer-spending indicator shows that consumers are
least likely to cut spending on video games compared to other consumer
goods.
May releases to watch out for include InFAMOUS, Fallout 3, Patapon 2,
and UFC.
Nintendo Prepares To Set New Wii Gizmo into Motion
There's nothing all that charming about Nintendo's latest gadget.
It's not as zany as a zapper or as sexy as a steering wheel. It doesn't
even tell you whether you're losing weight. However, the gamemaker is
hoping a small cube-shaped device called Wii MotionPlus will take the
Wii's motion-sensing controls to a new level of precision.
It's no secret the wrist-flicking Wii Remote's lack of accuracy has long
been the console's clunky downfall. The Wii MotionPlus, available
beginning June 8, successfully defeats that dilemma by using gyroscopic
sensors to exactly mimic gamers' hand movements, making such activities
as sword fighting, disc throwing and golfing look seamless on screen.
"The great thing about this particular new technology, which isn't
always true for other new technologies, is that we immediately saw the
benefits of it," said "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10" senior producer Jason
Shenkman. "Before I even touched it or got my hands on it, I knew
exactly what having a gyroscope in our possession would do for this
game."
Electronic Arts' "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10" will be the first game
bundled with the Wii MotionPlus. Shenkman insists the increased
sensitivity doesn't boost difficulty because instant feedback helps
gamers before their shots.
Nintendo has been pairing cute peripheral gadgets with games since
launching the Wii, such as the Wii Wheel, Wii Zapper and Wii Balance
Board, the scale-ish device packaged with "Wii Fit." Just how Nintendo
plans to market the obscure Wii MotionPlus accessory - or why such
technology wasn't originally included in the controller - is unclear.
"We are always looking at ways to enhance the gaming experience for
consumers," said Denise Kaigler, Nintendo vice president of corporate
affairs. "This was another way of enhancing the gaming experience, and
consumers will hopefully choose to experience that more immersive type
of gameplay and enjoy it."
Only five games have so far been confirmed to employ the new
functionality. The most prominent is Nintendo's own "Wii Sports Resort,"
a beachy follow-up to the popular "Wii Sports." Besides "Tiger Woods,"
the other games are Electronic Arts' "Grand Slam Tennis," Capcom's
"Virtua Tennis 2009" and Ubisoft's slice-and-shoot-'em-up sequel "Red
Steel 2."
Though the original "Red Steel" was one of the most anticipated games to
debut alongside the Wii in 2006, the first-person samurai shooter's
wonky fidelity left many gamers feeling let down. Creative director
Jason Vandenberghe promises Wii MotionPlus technology will remedy that
in "Red Steel 2."
"One of the cool things is that with Wii MotionPlus, we know how hard
you have swung the remote," said Vandenberghe. "That means we can ask
the player to have a more physical experience, like having enemies who
are wearing armor that players will have to hit harder with their sword."
If the blockbuster sales of the Wii Balance Board with "Wii Fit" are any
indication, gamers want the new contraption even if it's not compatible
with their old titles.
Wedbush Morgan game analyst Michael Pachter believes Wii MotionPlus'
price - $19.99 for one, $49.99 if bundled with "Wii Sports Resort" - is
right for cash-strapped consumers. He anticipates that over 30 million
Wii owners will pick up the new accessory in the first year.
"Some people will find Wii MotionPlus really appealing, and some people
won't understand it and will wait until they're told by their friends
they need it," said Pachter.
Nintendo is likely to promote Wii MotionPlus and announce new games that
use the technology at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo, where
the gadget was first unveiled last year. Rumors have been circulating
that Nintendo competitors Microsoft and Sony may announce their own
motion-control technologies for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles
at E3.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
EU Fines Intel Record $1.45 Billion for Sales Tactics
The European Union fined Intel Corp. a record euro1.06 billion ($1.45
billion) on Wednesday and ordered the world's biggest maker of computer
chips to stop illegal sales tactics that shut out Silicon Valley rival
AMD.
The fine, which exceeded a euro899 million monopoly abuse penalty
imposed on Microsoft Corp. last year, was denounced by Intel, which
plans to appeal to an EU court within 60 days.
AMD's stock jumped in midday trading Wednesday, while Intel shares were
up slightly.
"Given that Intel has harmed millions of European consumers by
deliberately acting to keep competitors out of the market for over five
years, the size of the fine should come as no surprise," said EU
Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
"Intel did not compete fairly, frustrating innovation and reducing
consumer welfare in the process," she said.
The European Commission also told Intel to immediately cease some sales
practices in Europe, though it refused to say what those were. Intel
said it was "mystified" about what it was supposed to change but would
comply with the "extremely ambiguous" EU order.
Intel, based in Santa Clara, Calif., has about 80 percent of the world's
personal computer microprocessor market and faces just one real rival,
Advanced Micro Devices Inc., which has its headquarters just three miles
from Intel in Sunnyvale, Calif.
The two companies have been fighting for years over what AMD claims is
Intel's intimidation of computer makers into striking exclusive deals
for the chips they use in their new machines.
AMD claims the rebates and financial incentives that Intel offers to
those companies for buying more Intel chips are designed to prevent AMD
from gaining market share. AMD argues that Intel's volume discounts are
sometimes so steep that AMD can't cut its own prices enough to compete
without losing money on the sales.
In siding with AMD to wrap up an eight-year probe, the European
Commission said Intel broke EU competition law by exploiting its
dominant position, thereby limiting customer choice.
The EU said Intel gave rebates to computer manufacturers Acer Inc., Dell
Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Lenovo Group Ltd. and NEC Corp. for buying
all or most of their chips from Intel and paid them to stop or delay the
launch of computers based on AMD chips.
The commission said price discounts were linked to promises from
computer manufacturers to restrict AMD purchases. It said such discounts
were left off Intel's official contracts because the company "went to
great lengths to cover up many of its anticompetitive actions."
Officials said they learned of them through e-mails and statements from
businesses, some seized during surprise raids.
Bruce Sewell, Intel's general counsel, said the case was based on weak
evidence and unfair inferences from a small number of documents.
Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini said "there has been absolutely
zero harm to consumers."
But AMD Chief Executive Dirk Meyer said the decision was "an important
step toward establishing a truly competitive market."
"AMD has consistently been a technology innovation leader and we are
looking forward to the move from a world in which Intel ruled, to one
which is ruled by customers," Meyer said in a statement.
Tom McCoy, AMD's executive vice president for legal affairs, said the
ruling would bring consumers "greater choice, value and innovation."
Regulators said Intel also paid Germany's biggest electronics retailer,
Media Saturn Holding, from 2002 to 2007 to stock only Intel-based
computers at its MediaMarkt superstores, even in Dresden, Germany, where
many AMD chips are made.
The decision does not affect Intel's pricing strategy outside Europe but
could have an important effect in the United States and Asia.
This week, one of the top U.S. antitrust officials, Christine Varney,
signaled a return to trustbusting as the Obama administration dropped a
strict interpretation of antitrust rules that saw regulators shun major
action against alleged monopolies during the Bush years.
Kroes said Varney's words gave her hope that the EU's current "close
cooperation" and information exchanges with the Federal Trade Commission
"could go in a very positive way" in the future. The FTC upgraded a
probe into Intel last year.
"The more competition authorities are joining us in our philosophy, the
better it is for it is a global world," she said. "The more who are
doing the job ... and with the same approach then the better it is."
Intel's Sewell said the concept that rebates could damage competition
was an area "where the law is now in flux" and regulators were testing
the boundaries.
"There is a line of thought developing primarily out of the European
antitrust authorities but also perhaps being picked up by the Japanese
and the Koreans that suggest that rebates can be anticompetitive," he
said.
EU regulators said they calculated Intel's fine - 4 percent of last
year's $37.6 billion in worldwide sales - on the value of its European
chip sales over the five years and three months that it broke the law.
Europeans buy some 30 percent of all computer chips sold every year.
The EU could have gone even higher. EU antitrust rules allow for a fine
of up to 10 percent of a company's annual global revenue for each year
of bad behavior.
The EU said the fine must be paid within three months. The money
eventually goes into the EU budget, reducing the funding it seeks from
European taxpayers.
European consumers group BEUC welcomed the fine and urged customers to
seek damages in civil courts.
The EU said rebates like the ones Intel offered PC makers, with
discounts for large orders, are illegal when a monopoly company makes
them conditional on buying less of a rival's products or not buying them
at all. EU officials said the discounts were so steep that only a
competitor that sold chips for less than they cost to make would have
any chance of grabbing customers.
According to regulators, AMD offered 1 million free chips to one
manufacturer, but it ultimately could only accept 160,000 to avoid
losing a rebate on many millions of other chips from Intel.
Apple to Microsoft: It's On
Are you sick of the constant Mac-versus-PC bickering? If so, I hate to
be the bearer of bad news: Apple has unleashed its latest batch of "Get
a Mac" TV ads, one of which takes direct aim at Microsoft's "Laptop
Hunters" series of ads.
With "Elimination," Apple responds directly to the Laptop Hunters
campaign for the first time. John Hodgman's PC character brings along a
few of his friends to find the best computer for a shopper named Megan.
Megan wants a computer without viruses or crashes or headaches, and
ultimately chooses a Mac.
While Microsoft's main message seems to be that price is the deciding
factor in computing purchases (along with the wide variety of Windows
PCs), Apple continues to push the message that the Mac provides a
trouble-free computing experience (though if you spend enough time around
Mac users, you'll discover that yes, Macs can have issues too).
Following it up is "Customer Care," where PC must deal with a
frustrating series of tech support calls. The final of the three ads,
"PC Choice Chat," features PC hosting a radio call-in show where he
gives advice on computer purchases.
Microsoft's Laptop Hunters campaign may be Microsoft's strongest ad
campaign in some time, and has drawn praise and criticism from all
corners of the tech universe, as well as debates over which company's
has the better ad campaign. It may go without saying, but when you get
people talking about your ads, you're probably doing something right.
Apple posted the new ads on its site for your viewing pleasure (or
*displeasure*, depending on your point of view). If you're looking for
some grown-up reasons to buy either a Mac or a PC, read Harry McCracken's
Eight Reasons Your Next Computer Should Be A Mac and Eight Reasons Your
Next Computer Should Be A PC. If you're sick of the whole computing
platform war, I'm terribly sorry. And to everyone else, debate away!
Cyberbullying, More Than Just "Messing Around"
If may affect as many as half of U.S. teenagers, can be as bad or worse
than being beaten up in the schoolyard, and is so relentless and
emotionally devastating that suicide can sometimes be the result.
Whether it is through emails, instant messaging, cell phones, texting or
websites, cyberbullying is a growing problem.
In the past 10 years 37 U.S. states have adopted legislation mandating
that schools implement anti-bullying statutes.
"It is becoming something that people recognize as a significant issue
as more and more students start talking about it, and unfortunately, as
these extreme cases of suicide and students hurting themselves is
becoming more prevalent," said Dan Tarplin, the New York Educational
Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which fights anti-Semitism
and bigotry.
Unlike schoolyard taunts or fights, Tarplin said the anonymity of
electronic media can embolden bullies and its pervasiveness enables a
nasty comment, a harsh remark, an unflattering photo or video to be sent
to countless numbers of people in an instant.
"With electronic forms of bullying there is no refuge," said Scott
Hirschfeld, director of curriculum and training in ADL's education
division, who created its program to raise awareness to counter
cyberbullying.
"Here it is 24/7. It is always online. Even if you turn off your
computer you know that Web page is up, or that people are spreading this
rumor about you. The relentlessness of it is very psychologically
devastating."
Teenagers at a day-long ADL conference said they thought cyberbullying
was "just messing around" until they heard John Halligan speak about his
13-year-old son Ryan, who committed suicide in 2003 after years of
bullying, both on and offline.
"He was continually harassed about being potentially gay," Halligan, a
former manager at IBM who now tells Ryan's story at schools around the
country, said in an interview.
Halligan only discovered the extent of the torment his son had endured
after his death.
"He was trying to manage the situation on his own, which a lot of these
kids do, tragically," he said. "I never anticipated that his peers would
become such a danger to him."
Halligan encourages bystanders, students who are aware of cyberbullying
and choose to do nothing, to use the power of peer pressure to stop it.
His message to parents is to speak to their children.
"Make sure you turn that computer off, often, and have a sit-down
conversation about what is going on in their lives. Create as much
opportunity as you can to allow them to express their feelings and what
they might be going through."
Halligan was instrumental in getting a Bullying Prevention Law passed in
Vermont seven months after Ryan's death.
For those states that don't already have one, Tarplin said the ADL's
civil rights department has created model legislation to help lawmakers
lobby for laws to address bullying and cyberbullying.
"It would make schools and other institutions accountable to insure that
prevention measures were happening in their institutions," he said.
Yahoo Wins Round in Oregon Nude Photo Court Battle
Yahoo Inc. has won a legal battle over its long delay in removing nude
photos that an Oregon woman claimed her ex-boyfriend posted on its Web
site without her knowledge or permission.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed that Internet service
providers such as Yahoo are generally protected from liability for
materials published or posted on their sites by outside parties.
But the court left open the possibility that the woman, Cecilia Barnes,
could sue Yahoo over whether it had promised to remove the photos and
the unauthorized profile, amounting to a breach of contract.
Barnes filed a lawsuit in 2005 in Portland claiming her ex-boyfriend not
only posted nude photos taken of her without her knowledge or consent,
but also created a fraudulent profile with personal information and
posed as her in an online chat room to solicit sex.
As the court noted: "Before long, men whom Barnes did not know were
peppering her office with e-mails, phone calls and personal visits, all
in the expectation of sex."
"This case stems from a dangerous, cruel and highly indecent use of the
Internet for the apparent purpose of revenge," Judge Diarmuid
O'Scannlain wrote.
According to court documents, even after Barnes notified Yahoo the
profile was fraudulent and unauthorized, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based
company failed to remove it for months - despite media attention - until
Barnes filed a lawsuit.
Nonetheless, the court rejected arguments that Yahoo was negligent for
failing to immediately remove the material.
In the opinion issued last week by O'Scannlain, the court said Yahoo was
protected under a 1996 federal law that gives broad immunity to service
providers to encourage the open exchange of material on the Internet by
its users. The logic was that service providers shouldn't be liable for
what their users do online, similar to the way phone companies aren't
responsible for private conversations used to plan crimes.
Based on that provision, courts across the country have repeatedly sided
with service providers in disputes over users' conduct.
Barnes' attorney, Thomas Rask of Portland, said Internet service
providers are getting a "blanket immunity" that "doesn't make sense."
"We've always argued you can't be immune for everything," Rask said.
Rask said Barnes will now pursue a breach of contract claim, adding that
his client was "happy the court allowed her case to move forward at
least in part." Barnes claimed that a Yahoo official promised to
immediately remove the photos when a local TV station was preparing a
report, but never followed through.
Yahoo officials released a statement Monday saying they were pleased
with the ruling and were evaluating any breach of contract claim.
Greedy Gadgets Suck Global Resources
A new study from the International Energy Agency predicts that by 2030,
the energy demands of gadgets globally will collectively drain an amount
of electricity equivalent to the total power consumption of two of the
world's largest developed countries.
According to the intergovernmental organization, consumer gear currently
accounts for 15 percent of household electricity consumption, and its
share of the total is rapidly rising. Without new policies, noted IEA
Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka, the energy consumed by high-tech gear
will double by 2022 and increase threefold by 2030.
"This increase up to 1700 TWh is equivalent to the current combined
total residential electricity consumption of the United States and
Japan," Tanaka said. "It would also cost households around the world
$200 billion in electricity bills and require the addition of
approximately 280 gigawatts of new generating capacity between now and
2030."
The good news is that higher-efficiency technologies are already
available that could cut this demand in half, Tanaka noted. "Many mobile
devices are already far more efficient in their use of power than other
devices which run off a main electricity supply. Because extending the
battery life of a mobile device is a selling point, manufacturers place
an emphasis on designing products which require very little power."
However, Tanaka believes that little will be accomplished in the area of
world energy consumption reductions without government intervention.
"Without new policies, the projected energy demand from information and
communications technologies and consumer electronics will undermine our
energy security and climate change mitigation," Tanaka said.
Government intervention is needed because consumers currently are not
well informed about the problem and have little personal economic
incentive to reduce gadget power consumption when their individual use
is so small, Tanaka noted. Moreover, the entire gadget supply chain is
currently geared toward delivering products with the lowest possible
up-front cost, which often makes low energy consumption a secondary
design and marketing priority.
The new IEA study notes that the share of electricity currently consumed
by refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers and other larger household
appliances has actually declined of late due to the positive impact of
energy-efficiency programs. On the downside, the growing popularity of
electronic gear is acting to eat up the savings.
The IEA, which has 28 member countries, notes that there are nearly two
billion television sets already in use, with an average of over 1.3 sets
in each home having access to electricity. The ongoing shift to digital
TV will only exacerbate the problem as consumers attach digital adapter
boxes to their home-entertainment systems, adding to their existing
energy budgets.
Though some power savings can be realized through better equipment and
components, the largest improvement opportunity will come from making
hardware and software work together more effectively to ensure that
energy is used only when, and to the extent, needed, Tanaka observed.
Moreover, there's no time like the present to get started.
Mobile phones and laptops are good examples of just what can be achieved
when people realize that energy consumption really matters. "Where no
such commercial drivers exist, governments must step in to ensure that
we make the most of every energy efficiency opportunity," Tanaka said.
Up to 30 percent energy savings are possible right now for no additional
lifetime costs, Tanaka said. Moreover, up to 50 percent energy savings
are available using current technologies at small cost, and that figure
may actually be a zero net cost if avoided carbon cost is considered.
Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.5.7
Apple on Tuesday released the latest update for its Leopard operating
system, Mac OS X 10.5.7, bringing with it more than 20 bug fixes as well
as a number of security updates.
Among the improvements in the update are additional RAW image support
for third-party cameras, improved performance of video playback for
recent Macs with Nvidia graphics chips, and resolution for an issue with
the Dvorak keyboard layout in 10.5.6.
Also included in 10.5.7 are patches that help resolve issues with
third-party network services, such as improved reliability for syncing
contacts with Yahoo, and a fix for some problems that could occur when
logging into Gmail. The update also improves the reliability and
accuracy of several of OS X's Dashboard widgets, like Unit Converter,
Weather, Stocks, and Movies.
Besides the general issues resolved, 10.5.7 includes updates for
specific Apple applications, as well. iCal sports improved reliability
for both CalDav and syncing with MobileMe, while Mail now has better
reliability for syncing Notes and fixes a bug where the BCC field
populated incorrectly in certain cases. Apple also improved consistency
with Parental Controls and fixed a bug with the system when using
full-screen games and Fast User Switching, and also fixed several
printing issues, including adding the ability for non-admin users to add
and remove printers.
In addition, there are a number of security fixes in the update for the
Apache Web server, PHP, CoreGraphics, and more. Among the fixes are
patches for three separate vulnerabilities discovered as part of Tipping
Point's Zero Day Initiative, which appear to be the same ones demonstrated
at the CanSecWest security conference last March. The fixes address issues
in Apple Type Services, QuickDraw Manager, and WebKit, each of which could
lead to arbitrary code execution.
Apple also released Mac OS X Server 10.5.7 Update, which rolls out fixes
for a number of systems, including Client Management, Directory Services,
AFP Server, System Image Utility, and more. The update also includes
improved kernel stability and a number of security enhancements which had
not been detailed at this writing.
The Mac OS X 10.5.7 update is available from Software Update and is
recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard. A combo updater,
weighing in at a hefty 729MB, is also available for those upgrading from
versions of Leopard previous to 10.5.6.
Meet Gyy, The First Solar Powered Netbook
A solar powered notebook PC has been an awesome no-brainer of a great
idea for years. But until now, laptops have been too power-hungry and
solar technology has not been efficient enough to make this green dream
a reality. The time is now upon us that we can bask in the sun of new
day of endless and cordless laptop use. Meet Gyy, the first solar
powered netbook.
Spanish company iUnika is set to launch next month an uber-cheap (and
uber wimpy) netbook that runs on solar power. Coming in at about $200,
Gyy weighs only 700 grams, runs on Linux (hence the small price) and is
made of biodegradable materials.
Make no mistake, the Gyy won't be a gaming netbook, as it runs on a
400Mhz MIPS processor and has only 128MB of RAM. On the good side
though, you get a 64GB solid-state storage space, three USB ports,
Ethernet, and Wi-Fi.
Gyy's display is not on the brilliant side, either, with only an
800-by-480 resolution on the 8-inch screen. But these rather antiquated
specs have their advantage, as you would never run out of power
(virtually that is) on the Gyy, thanks to the solar panel mounted on the
lid of the netbook.
The solar panel charges the Gyy's internal battery and you can check the
state of the battery via the small LCD display on the lower left corner
of the netbook. Initially, the Gyy will be available only in Europe in
June.
Here's the manufacturer's Website, if you're good with Spanish.
Windows 7 Available Before End of the Year
US software giant Microsoft confirmed on Monday that Windows 7, its
new-generation computer operating system, would be available before the
end of the year.
"Windows 7 is tracking well for holiday availability," said Bill Veghte,
senior vice president of the Windows Business at Microsoft.
In a statement, Microsoft said it is "anticipating that the next version
of its client operating system, Windows 7, will be available to
customers in time for the holiday shopping season."
Microsoft last week released a nearly-final version of Window 7 known as
Windows 7 Release Candidate and invited feedback from the public.
Users were invited to download the Windows 7 software from Microsoft's
official website and install it on computers in a public test of the
operating system's capabilities.
Copies of Windows 7 RC have also been made available to developers and
early reviews have praised the operating system for its stability and
for avoiding problems that plagued its predecessor Vista.
Complaints about Vista included that it was not compatible with some
software designed for the previous-generation Windows XP operating
system and that it was too much for smaller capacity "netbooks" or older
computers to handle.
Gmail Makes Switching E-Mail Services Easier
Gmail is making the frustrating process of switching e-mail providers
just a bit easier. Google introduced a new feature for its Webmail
service that allows new users to easily import all their e-mail and
contacts from Hotmail, Yahoo, or AOL accounts, just by typing their
username and password.
The feature allows new Gmail users to enter their Webmail account details
into Google's service, and over the next 24 to 48 hours all their e-mails
and contacts will be automatically imported to their new account. A 30-day
test-drive mode is also provided, giving you time to decide whether you
like Gmail.
The new importing feature is available for all new users, and will be
slowly rolled-out for older accounts over the coming weeks. Older users
can still use POP3 mail fetching and importing contacts via a CSV file
while they wait for the new feature.
Google also added a few more features for Gmail yesterday. The
recently-launched standalone contacts manager can now unify all your
contacts by importing contacts from Outlook, Outlook Express, Hotmail and
Yahoo in CSV format, and OS X Address Book in vCard format. A birthday
field was added upon user request as well.
The Google Calendar app got an update and can now support tasks, in a
similar way to how Gmail handles them. While they appear in a separate
calendar in the app, Google Calendar tasks cannot send SMS notifications
or synchronized with other applications.
Gmail is trailing webmail leaders Yahoo, AOL and Hotmail, with
approximately 29.6 million users. It will be interesting to see over the
coming months whether this balance will shift with the introduction of
this easy to switch feature in Gmail.
Hackers Launch Phishing Attack on Facebook Users
Hackers launched an attack on Facebook's 200 million users on Thursday,
successfully gathering passwords from some of them in the latest
campaign to prey on members of the popular social networking site.
Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said on Thursday that the site was in
the process of cleaning up damage from the attack.
He said that Facebook was blocking compromised accounts.
Schnitt declined to say how many accounts had been compromised.
The hackers got passwords through what is known as a phishing attack,
breaking into accounts of some Facebook members, then sending e-mails to
friends and urging them to click on links to fake websites.
Those sites were designed to look like the Facebook home page. The
victims were directed to log back in to the site, but actually logged
into the one controlled by the hackers, unwittingly giving away their
passwords.
The purpose of such attacks is generally identify theft and to spread
spam.
The fake domains include www.151.im, www.121.im and www.123.im. Facebook
has deleted all references to those domains.
Schnitt said that Facebook's security team believes the hackers intended
to collect a large number of credentials, then use those accounts at a
later time to send spam hawking fake pharmaceuticals and other goods to
Facebook members.
The site fought off a similar attack two weeks ago, he said.
Privately held Facebook and rival social network MySpace, which is owned
by News Corp, require senders of messages within the network to be
members and hide user data from people who do not have accounts. Because
of that, users tend to be far less suspicious of messages they receive.
Hackers used a phishing attack last year to spread a malicious virus
known as Koobface (a reference to Facebook). It was downloaded onto
Facebook members' PCs when they clicked on a link sent to them in an
email that looked like it had been sent by a friend on Facebook.
Will Your Data Disappear When Your Online Storage Site Shuts Down?
Online storage sites, the toast of the Internet circa 2006, are shutting
down in droves, putting the data and images of their users in jeopardy.
Online storage services that have announced closings in the past ten
months include big names in tech: AOL (Xdrive and AOL Pictures,
Hewlett-Packard (Upline), Sony (Image Station), and Yahoo (Briefcase).
Plenty of lesser-known online storage firms also have kicked the bucket,
including Digital Railroad and Streamload MediaMax, which turned into The
Linkup.
Using these sites used to be a no-brainer - you just uploaded your
summer-vacation pictures or your business files and then shared or used
them anytime you wished. Now you have to wonder: Will my information
still be around tomorrow?
Canadian freelance photographer Ryan Pyle lost thousands of digital
photos when Digital Railroad abruptly shut down last October. The online
storage service posted a note to its Web site stating that it ran out of
money and would have to close. Digital Railroad gave customers 24 hours to
remove their images before the files would be destroyed.
Pyle, who is based in Shanghai, China, lost over 7000 images that he had
painstakingly edited, created captions for, keyword-tagged, and uploaded
as part of his professional online archive. Pyle says the original digital
images were safely stored locally, but the hundreds of hours he had spent
creating an online portfolio were gone.
"One day everything was fine, and the next I had 24 hours to get all my
images off of the company's servers," Pyle says. Access to Digital
Railroad following notification of the deadline was severely limited at
first, as a crush of customers rushed to save images hosted on the
company's servers, according to Pyle. Pyle says he was able to retrieve
fewer than a dozen of his images. He quit his efforts to save his
portfolio at 2 a.m.
The failures of popular online storage services are giving cloud
computing a black eye. For years Internet companies invited people to
store photos and data online, promoting the services as smart alternatives
to storing data on a local PC or backup drive. AOL once stated in its
Xdrive service's marketing literature: "You'll never have to worry that a
computer crash or virus will destroy all your files because they will
always be safe 'n' sound up on Xdrive." Xdrive officially closed in
mid-January.
The bloom is off online storage, according to Kurt Scherf, vice
president and principal analyst with market research firm Park
Associates. He says the online storage market is in the bust stage. "It
comes down to economics," Scherf says. He notes that too many online
storage firms are chasing after too few dollars. "There isn't a lot of
money to be made by parking someone else's data on your servers," he
says. "Companies without a business model are going to fail."
AOL spokesperson Allie Burns says that the AOL Pictures service
couldn't financially justify its own existence. Over the past year, AOL
as a company has undergone some painful cost-saving cuts. "We took a
look at what products didn't make sense to maintain. And ultimately we
needed to reduce cost," she says.
Still, some free online photo services claim that they can make storing
your digital images profitable.
Representatives of PhotoWorks, American Greetings' free online photo site,
say that business is good and that the site plans to stick around
indefinitely.
Sally Babcock, American Greetings' general manager of digital
photography, says the difference between PhotoWorks and its struggling
competitors is that people actively use PhotoWorks to share images, buy
prints, and purchase photo merchandise. She says that services such as
AOL's focused too much on straight storage.
"It's expensive to maintain millions of images, but we're making it
work," Babcock says. She declines to say how much PhotoWorks earns and
what the associated costs are for storing millions of images. Experts
estimate that it costs companies like PhotoWorks around $100 a month to
manage 1TB of data.
As for data storage firms, Alan Williamson, cofounder of the cloud
computing firm AW2.0, says that the most successful consumer services,
such as EMC's Mozy online backup site or the collaboration site Box.net,
are successful because they have a narrow focus on business users who
are willing to pay monthly fees to share data with collegues, and to use
the site's online tools to conduct regular data backups. Williamson
warns that consumers should think twice about relying on free or
low-cost sites that only store data.
The one thing that AOL and a lot of the big tech firms have done right:
They have given their customers fair warning to move their data to a safe
place before pulling the plug on the services. AOL, Hewlett-Packard, and
Yahoo gave their customers months to remove data before shuttering their
services. AOL brokered a deal with PhotoWorks and the Pixum photo-gift
site for image transfers. AOL now offers a tool to sideload data and
photos to those new accounts, too.
Smaller firms such as Digital Railroad apparently didn't have the luxury
of giving users fair warning. A company with no doomsday plan is setting
up its customers for a data disaster, says Lauren Whitehouse of
Enterprise Strategy Group.
What is problematic about the smaller online storage companies is that
they engaged in a classic virtual land grab, Whitehouse says. "They
rushed out and acquired as many customers as they could, fast, without
thinking about the long term," she says. Inevitably, without a real
business model, many of these companies tanked and took their customers'
data with them. In better economic times, smaller storage firms might be
able to look to the investment community for a financial lifeline, she
says.
Kodak Gallery (originally called Ofoto) recently went from free to
kind-of free in March.
"For Kodak it comes down to keeping the 5 million customers who are
willing to pay for a service and recognizing that the other 70 million
that pay nothing aren't worth as much," Park Associates' Scherf says. By
keeping loyal customers over freeloaders, these companies increase the
average revenue per user and reduce overhead costs.
That could be vital in a year like this one, in which Kodak reported to
investors that it was on track to lose from $200 million to $400 million.
"Online storage is not like putting money in a bank," AW2.0's Williamson
says. "You can't just assume data will be safe on the Internet until the
day we die." He adds, "Users cannot absolve themselves from being 100
percent responsible for their own data."
EBay Cuts Auction Listing Fees for Casual Sellers
The online marketplace eBay is eliminating some upfront fees to attract
more sellers who occasionally auction off items.
San Jose, Calif.-based eBay Inc. said Tuesday that users will soon be
able to offer up to five items for auction every 30 days without paying
the fees that eBay usually charges to list goods. Those listing fees
usually run 10 cents to $4, depending on the item.
EBay users will still have to pay fees for items sold. Under a new fee
schedule that applies to no-listing-fee items, sellers pay a flat 8.75
percent of the sale price, with a cap of $20 per item. Usually, sellers
pay different rates depending on the sale price, with no cap.
EBay spokesman Usher Lieberman said the change, which takes effect June
16, is meant to make it simpler for consumers to list items on the site.
It also lowers the upfront risk for putting items up for sale;
something that eBay hopes will lead more consumers to dust off items
buried in their garages and closets and auction them off online.
"We love that inventory and we want more of it," Lieberman said.
The fee change does not apply to fixed-price listings, and sellers pay
standard fees after their five no-fee items.
The majority of the 25 million people who sell on eBay are occasional
sellers, and many of them stand to benefit from the change. Some could
end up paying more in fees, though, particularly for items that sell for
$50 to $450.
For example, if you sold a pair of earrings for $300, you would owe eBay
$20 under the new fee structure. Under the current system, you would pay
up to $3 to list the earrings and $11.82 as a final value fee, for a
total of less than $15. However, you'd pay the listing fee of up to $3
even if the earrings don't sell, whereas you'd owe nothing under the new
system.
Users can still choose the old fee structure for their first five items.
=~=~=~=
Atari Online News, Etc. is a weekly publication covering the entire
Atari community. Reprint permission is granted, unless otherwise noted
at the beginning of any article, to Atari user groups and not for
profit publications only under the following terms: articles must
remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of
each article reprinted. Other reprints granted upon approval of
request. Send requests to: dpj@atarinews.org
No issue of Atari Online News, Etc. may be included on any commercial
media, nor uploaded or transmitted to any commercial online service or
internet site, in whole or in part, by any agent or means, without
the expressed consent or permission from the Publisher or Editor of
Atari Online News, Etc.
Opinions presented herein are those of the individual authors and do
not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or of the publishers. All
material herein is believed to be accurate at the time of publishing.
