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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 15 Issue 24
Volume 15, Issue 24 Atari Online News, Etc. June 21, 2013
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2013
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 #1524 06/21/13
~ Microsoft Bounty Offer! ~ People Are Talking! ~ Yahoo To Use Old IDs!
~ Firefox's Do Not Track! ~ Japanese Politicians! ~ Pirate Bay Founder!
~ Pre-orders Break Record ~ Dotcom Was 'In Tears'! ~ Where The Teens Go!
~ 360 Mainframe Nears 50! ~ RI and 38 Studios Bond ~ First Apple, Big $$$?
-* MS Changes Xbox One Policies *-
-* Steam Might Let You Borrow Games! *-
-* Cyber Threats, Leaks Spur Increased Focus! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Welcome to the first day of Summer; and it certainly felt like it today
around here. While I have no idea where this past Spring season went, I
really welcome the new season. Time to relax a little, hopefully. Time
to make frequesnt use of the barbecue, and have a few (okay, a lot) of
cold ones. Maybe a trip to the beach if I get the opportunity! After
this past year of madness, we deserve a little break from it all!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Microsoft Changes Xbox One Policies After Outcry!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Xbox One Will Not Require Internet, Restrict Used Games!
Steam Might Let You Borrow Friends' Games!
And more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Microsoft Reverses Position on Xbox One Internet, Game Sharing
Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday that users of its forthcoming Xbox One
game console will be able to play games offline without establishing an
Internet connection, and will be able to lend or sell used disc-based
games.
The announcement reverses the company's position when it unveiled the
console in May, causing consternation among hardcore gamers.
The company had reversed its earlier stance on used games and daily online
authentication after listening to "candid feedback" from its fans, Don
Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at
Microsoft, said in a blog post on Wednesday.
Last week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles,
Microsoft announced a $499 price tag for its first new Xbox in eight years
and said it would go on sale in the United States in November in 21
countries.
Its rival, Sony Corp, said it would sell the next-generation PlayStation
model for $399 late in the year. At an E3 presentation to announce
features of the PlayStation 4, Sony drew cheers from the audience when it
said the PS4 would run second-hand games and did not require an always-on
Internet connection.
Before changing its policy, Microsoft had elicited groans from gamers when
it announced that used games could be played on the Xbox One for a fee to
be determined by game publishers and said players had to log onto the
Internet for authentication.
"You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games
delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at
your discretion is of incredible importance to you," Mattrick said in his
blog post. "Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any
length of time, anywhere in the world."
Microsoft Changes Xbox One Policies After Outcry
Microsoft rolled back a much-criticized requirement that its upcoming Xbox
One gaming console be regularly connected to the Internet and made clear
that there will be no limitations on sharing games.
Microsoft Corp. has been criticized for vague statements about whether it
will allow Xbox One buyers to play secondhand software. Gamers also
expressed distaste for a requirement that the console be connected to the
Internet once every 24 hours.
Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment business,
said in a blog post Wednesday that an Internet connection will no longer be
required to play games on the Xbox One after its initial setup, and users
can share and play games like they have on the Xbox 360.
Mattrick said the changes are in response to feedback Microsoft received
since unveiling plans for the console in May.
"You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games
delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at
your discretion is of incredible importance to you," he wrote. "Also
important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time,
anywhere in the world."
In a shot aimed at Microsoft, rival Sony Corp. announced during last week's
Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles that its upcoming
PlayStation 4 will not require a regular Internet connection to work and
that the company won't try to restrict used game sales.
Both consoles will go on sale later this year, the Xbox One at $499 and the
PS4 at $399.
Xbox One Will Not Require Internet, Restrict Used Games
Microsoft has changed its policies regarding Xbox Ones internet
requirements, used game restrictions and more.
Contrary to the details announced earlier this month, Microsoft has now
confirmed news originally reported on Giant Bomb that Xbox One will not
require an internet connection to play offline games or need to check in
every 24 hours; instead, internet will only be required when initially
setting up the console.
"After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc
based game without ever connecting online again," Microsoft wrote. "There
is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One
anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360."
Like on Xbox 360, "playing disc based games will require that the disc be
in the tray."
I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your
assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.
Xbox One will also no longer restrict used games, and will instead allow
discs to be exchanged in the same way they are on Xbox 360. There will be
no additional restrictions for trade-ins or lending games to friends. The
system is also no longer be region locked and all downloaded games will
function the same way whether your console is connected or not.
"Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly
from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback,"
Microsoft's Don Mattrick wrote. "I would like to take the opportunity
today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future
of Xbox One. You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today
with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these
games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also
important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time,
anywhere in the world."
In addition to being available in retail stores, Xbox One games will still
be available for download on day one and will be playable on any Xbox One
console.
"These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced
for Xbox One," Mattrick noted. "The sharing of games will work as it does
today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared
or resold."
"We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the
assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity," Mattrick concluded.
"While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and
access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers
the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we
have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of
both worlds."
Microsoft's decision follows mass confusion following the announcement of
Xbox One in May. At E3 last week, Sony announced similar policies for
PlayStation 4, which will not require an internet connection or periodic
authentication and does not restrict used games.
Xbox One DRM Restrictions Dropped After Gamer Outcry
Microsoft has sensationally abandoned its controversial plans to restrict
the sharing of Xbox One games, and has also removed daily online
authentication requirements for its forthcoming console.
In a statement released on the Xbox website on Wednesday, Don Mattrick,
the president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, wrote
that the company had listened to "candid feedback" from gamers. Before
listing the changes, his explanation reads, "You told us how much you
loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The
ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of
incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to
play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world."
When the new console is released this November, there will be no need to
authenticate the system online every 24 hours a requirement thought to
have been introduced as a digital rights management measure. According to
the statement, "After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you
can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again."
Furthermore, plans to restrict the sales of pre-owned titles, as well as
the sharing of games among friends, have also been cancelled. There will
now be no limits on gifting, re-selling, sharing or renting Xbox One game
titles. In addition to these reversals, Microsoft is also removing
regional locks on Xbox One games, which means titles bought in one global
territory will work in all others.
The announcement follows a huge backlash against Microsoft which began
when the company first revealed the Xbox One console at a press
conference in May. Company representatives explained to journalists that
all Xbox One games would need to be fully installed onto systems before
play and that each copy would then be watermarked to its owner. Attempts
to then sell on or give away the boxed copy of the game would be
controlled by Microsoft; although the details have always been
ambiguous, it appeared that the company would work with selected retail
partners for the sale of pre-owned titles, and that publishers may have
had the opportunity to charge purchasers of second-hand discs for the
right to play.
There were also confusing propositions on sharing games with others.
Microsoft informed gamers that they would be able to make their software
library available to 10 friends, but that concurrent access to games
would not be possible. Considered by industry insiders as an intriguing
feature it has now been removed, as have other interesting possibilities.
"There is some give and some take," said Brian Blau, a research director
at Gartner. "The rules about used games have now been removed but the
cool feature where you could go to a friends house and play your games
(by signing in and downloading them from your library) has been removed,
or at least partially removed."
Some pundits feel that Microsoft's error has been in poorly explaining its
vision for a new era of digitally-centered console gaming. The company
attempted to push its proposals as a forward-looking approach to games
distribution, inspired by iTunes and the PC gaming service Steam. But for
a huge number of gamers, the negatives of the restrictions outweighed any
positive possibilities. On Wednesday night, high profile games designer
Cliff Bleszinski hit Twitter to claim that the original Xbox One
infrastructure would have helped to prevent piracy and ensure publishers
made money from second-hand sales. "Brace yourselves. More tacked on
multiplayer and DLC are coming," he wrote; followed by "I want
*developers* who worked their asses off to see money on every copy of
their game that is sold instead of Gamestop."
At the major E3 video game conference in June, Sony used the widescale
backlash against Microsoft's plans to boost the popularity of its rival
PlayStation 4 machine. At Sony's E3 press conference, company executives
made it clear that PS4 would place no restrictions on pre-owned sales
and wouldn't require daily online authentication the announcements
received a huge applause. Earlier this week, Amazon ran a poll on its
website, asking readers to vote for PS4 or Xbox One as the best next-gen
console; some US sites are reporting that the results were so
overwhelmingly skewed toward the Sony console, the online retailer
removed the survey.
"This reversal is a positive move for Microsoft as they need to compete
strongly against the PS4," said Blau. "It's a really good sign that
Microsoft is listening and providing the functions and features that
their core audience is asking for. This has to help improve the overall
impression that some may have had about Microsoft being a bully when it
comes to video game DRM."
Xbox One is the follow-up to Microsoft's hugely successful Xbox 360
console, launched in 2005. The machine will feature an eight-core CPU,
Blu-ray player and a more advanced version of its Kinect motion control
device. PlayStation 4 is also set to launch this winter. Both now face a
very different fight for the support of the huge global gaming audience.
Steam Might Let You Borrow Friends' Games More Easily Than Next-gen Consoles
A snippet of code in the Steam digital distribution platform has revealed
that Valve may be planning to let users easily share their games with
friends in the future. The Verge has verified the code's authenticity,
which was originally spotted by a member of the NeoGAF gaming forum; the
code references a "shared game library" and a notification that would
alert a user when their games are currently in use by a borrower. Steam
users can, of course, already share their games by lending friends their
usernames and passwords, but that's not the most efficient or secure
method of sharing.
A shared game feature would be a huge addition to the Steam platform, and
a highly attractive feature in light of Sony and Microsoft's battle over
sharing and used game policies for their next-generation consoles. Sony
has seized recent confusion over the Xbox One's restrictive policies to
insist that it will not impose restrictions on used games, but sharing
games on either console will still generally require users to swap discs
(unlike Sony, Microsoft will let Xbox One users create a shared game
library for up to 10 family members).
While Steam is primarily used on traditional PCs, Valve has been pushing
to create a console-like PC running Steam called the Steam Box, which
could compete with traditional consoles in the living room. PC gamers can
already create their own Steam Boxes since the release of Steam's Big
Picture Mode, but Valve plans to bring its own hardware to the living
room in the future.
PS4/Xbox One Pre-Orders Break Amazon Records,
Double All Black Friday Game Sales in a Day
Random iOS developers love to say that consoles are dead, pointing to the
declining sales of the PS3 and Xbox 360, as well as the non-starter that
was the Wii U. Thankfully, it looks like theyre all wrong Amazon has
revealed that the PS4 and Xbox One are selling faster than free kittens
covered in hotcakes.
The worlds largest online retailer told us that the Amazon Video Games
store made history with its biggest pre-order week ever, with more than
2,500 Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles sold per minute at its peak.
Thats nearly two times that of all video games sales on Black Friday
last year, despite Black Friday being the biggest shopping day of the
year, and those figures including all video game platforms and games, as
well as all the lightning deals the company holds. Wow.
The figure not surprisingly trounced last years E3, with an increase in
console orders of more than 4,000% over E3 2012.
We asked Amazon which console sold more, but they have yet to comment. The
$399 PS4 was on top of the Amazon charts all of last week, with the launch
edition selling out, and an Amazon PS4 vs XBO poll infamously saw 95% of
the votes in Sonys favor, but the $499 Xbox One did take the number one
spot this week even before Microsoft reversed its unpopular DRM plan.
However, considering there is only one Xbox in the charts compared to
several PS4 bundles, its hard to say who is winning now.
Do you think that the early sales lead of the PS4, buoyed by a cheaper
price and Xbox One hatred, will allow the console to keep up the momentum?
And how crazy do you think this years Black Friday sales will be?
Rhode Island On Track To Make Payment On 38 Studios Bonds
Rhode Island remains on track to make a $2.5 million interest payment next
year on bonds that were used to finance the facilities of 38 Studios, a
now-bankrupt videogame company founded by former Boston Red Sox pitcher
Curt Schilling.
The state's House Finance Committee approved a budget late Tuesday night
that included making an interest payment next May on $75 million of
taxable bonds that the state sold in 2010 to make a loan to the company
and lure it to Rhode Island.
The company's loan payments were originally supposed to secure the bonds.
Now the state could wind up paying $89 million for them, according to its
director of administration, Richard Licht.
Recently, some lawmakers had suggested the state walk away from the debt
as it confronts a budget gap of $30 million for the fiscal year starting
July 1, raising concerns about Rhode Island's credit rating and also
about the willingness of issuers in the $3.7 trillion municipal bond
market to honor their debts.
The state legislature will have to approve funds each year to make the
interest payments. Even if it approves a transfer this year, it is not
obligated to make one next year, Finance Committee Chairman Helio Melo
said.
The state budget must still pass the entire House and then be approved by
the Democrat-controlled Senate.
Worried their fellow lawmakers will abandon the bonds, Democratic leaders
in the Senate called a special caucus earlier on Tuesday evening, where
Licht and State Deputy Treasurer Mark Dingley warned that the municipal
bond market would penalize Rhode Island if it defaulted on the debt.
"This isn't about 38 Studios. It's about protecting our reputation," Licht
said, adding there were options to refinance the debt so that it pays less
interest.
On Monday Moody's Investors Service downgraded its rating of the bonds and
also put $2.1 billion of Rhode Island's debt under review for possible
downgrade.
"Failure is contagious," Licht also said, adding that ratings would drop
across the state in the advent of default, in turn pushing up the costs of
borrowing for all Rhode Island's issuers.
That could prove painful for the small state and its towns, which have
struggled in recent years with high unemployment and with covering the
costs of their public pensions.
When it went under last year, 38 Studios - named after Schilling's Major
League jersey number - said it had owed more than $150 million and had
less than $22 million in assets. Schilling said the company cost him $50
million of his own fortune.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Cyber Threats and Leaks Spur Increased Security Focus
Increased cyber espionage by China and recent leaks by a contractor
working at the National Security Agency have put a sharp focus on cyber
security for aerospace and defense companies showing off their wares at
this year's Paris Airshow.
"We, like others, are constantly being bombarded by people who are trying
to get into our systems," said Mark DeYoung, chief executive of U.S.
rocket engine and ammunition maker Alliant Techsystems (ATK).
ATK, Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing Co and other defence companies report
hundreds of thousands of attempted probes into their computer networks
every day, a matter of growing concern to the U.S. government, which
after years of silence has become far more open about its belief that
China is actively stealing intellectual property.
Trade shows, especially in foreign countries, pose particular challenges
given the large array of people coming in contact with top executives who
have access to sensitive information. In recent years, training has
focused heavily on avoiding any violations of U.S. export control laws,
but cyber security was a huge focus this year.
"The threat is not exaggerated," Dave Hess, president of Pratt & Whitney,
a unit of United Technologies Corp, said. "It's a significant issue that
we're all struggling with."
ATK disclosed several months ago that its networks had been attacked, but
DeYoung said no classified or protected information was lost.
He said every ATK employee attending this year's air show took part in an
extensive security briefing before coming and the company has invested
millions of dollars in recent years to stay ahead of constantly changing
data security threats.
Only new, encrypted laptops may be used, and executives are warned about
disclosing sensitive information in any phone call, text message, email
or even conversation, "whether you think you're in a private room or car
or not," DeYoung said.
Two weeks ago, half a dozen FBI experts joined by officials from other
government agencies gave a two-hour briefing on cyber security issues for
DeYoung's top dozen executives.
"The sophistication of the people who are trying to get into our systems
continues to increase," DeYoung said.
"If you're comfortable, you're probably in trouble, but we're quite
confident that we're putting in place all the right kinds of protocols,
processes, training and people to keep up with the threat."
Raytheon executives also participate in a lengthy security briefing before
the show, but they are not allowed to travel with a laptop at all, said
William Swanson, chief executive of Raytheon Co.
Swanson said the disclosure of classified data by former NSA contractor
Edward Snowden, who worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, had reinforced the
need for vigilant security.
"Every good company always questions everything when they get new
information," he said.
Chris Raymond, who heads business development for the defence division of
Boeing, said his company had rigorous security processes in place given
the massive size of the parent company's global networks.
He said the increasing openness of the Obama administration about cyber
espionage by China and others underscored the importance of building cyber
security into every weapons system from the start, but acknowledged that
the market for cyber security services was not developing as quickly as
some companies in the sector had hoped.
President Barack Obama earlier this month called on his Chinese
counterpart, Xi Jinping, to acknowledge the threat posed by
"cyber-enabled espionage" against the United States and investigate the
problem.
Microsoft Offers Hefty Bounties To Thwart Hackers
Microsoft Corp is looking to recruit computer geeks in its ongoing efforts
to protect Windows PCs from attacks, offering rewards of as much as
$150,000 to anybody who helps identify and fix major security holes in its
software.
Microsoft unveiled the rewards program, one of the most generous in the
high-tech industry to date, on Wednesday as it sought ways to prevent
sophisticated attackers from subverting new security technologies it has
introduced in the latest versions of the Windows operating system.
The program is open to computer experts as young as 14, though minors need
permission from their parents. Residents of countries under U.S.
sanctions, such as Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, are banned
from the program.
The sheer size of the bonus is likely to grab the attention of the hacking
community, though claiming the big money will require them to do battle
with Microsoft's latest anti-hacking technology and then detail their
approach.
"It's pretty generous, though what they are asking for is a pretty high
bar," said Chris Wysopal, chief technology officer of Veracode, a
security firm that helps identify software bugs.
Microsoft has plenty of competition in getting elite hackers to turn their
attention on its aging Windows franchise, which operates the vast majority
of the world's personal computers.
Windows computers have been involved in most major attacks to date,
including the recent Citadel cyber crime ring that stole more than $500
million from banks and the Stuxnet virus that attacked Iran's nuclear
program in 2010 by exploiting previously unknown bugs in Microsoft
software.
The best hackers are heavily recruited by the military, intelligence
agencies and big corporations, who lure them with scholarships and
high-paying jobs.
Microsoft is also competing for the attention of the top hacking talent
on a growing global gray market, where information about vulnerabilities
is sold to criminals as well as governments that use it in military and
intelligence operations. Bounties start at $50,000 for tools that enable
attackers to break into computers, even when they are protected by
up-to-date security software.
In the industry, exploits of such vulnerabilities are called "zero-days,"
because a targeted software maker has had zero days' notice to fix the
hole when the malicious software is eventually discovered.
Mike Reavey, senior director with the Microsoft Security Response Center,
declined in an interview to talk about the "zero day" market for
vulnerabilities in Windows products, saying the company was seeking to
encourage hackers to use their skills in helpful ways.
"It's difficult to comment on the dark side," he said. "The intention of
these (bounty) programs is to incentivize good behavior."
Reavey said he hoped Microsoft's new program would woo some candidates
away from an annual contest known as Pwn2Own (pronounced "pown to own"),
which has become a key venue for elite hackers to disclose major security
flaws in software.
The latest Pwn2Own, which was held in Vancouver in March and sponsored by
Hewlett-Packard Co, paid out nearly $480,000 in prize money, according to
HP's website.
Hackers won the competition by identifying new ways to "pwn," or take
ownership of, browsers from Microsoft, Firefox and Google Inc, Oracle
Corp's Java and Adobe System Inc's Flash and Reader software.
Some other big technology firms already offer similar programs. Google has
handed out $1.7 million in 3 years, including prizes as big as $60,000.
Facebook Inc said it has paid out $500,000 to $1 million since it began
its program two years ago. Adobe does not offer bounties, though it
brings in hackers as temporary consultants to help fix problems that they
identify.
Microsoft is also running a one-month contest, starting July 26, offering
bounties of up to $11,000 to hackers who find bugs in the trial version of
its new Internet Explorer 11 browser, which will be in preview release.
Dotcom 'In Tears' After Megaupload Files Deleted
Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom said Thursday he was "in tears" after a
European company deleted all the data it was hosting from his shuttered
file-sharing site.
Netherlands-based LeaseWeb announced it had deleted all Megaupload files
from 630 servers.
LeaseWeb said in a statement it hosted the data for over a year at its
own expense without receiving any requests to access it or retain it
before deciding the time had come to use the servers for other purposes.
But Dotcom said in a series of Twitter posts that his lawyers repeatedly
asked LeaseWeb to keep the data pending U.S. court proceedings.
Dotcom said that millions of users' personal files had been lost in the
"largest data massacre in the history of the Internet."
U.S. authorities shut down Megaupload last year and indicted Dotcom and
other executives. Prosecutors accuse them of racketeering by facilitating
massive copyright fraud. Dotcom says he's innocent and can't be held
responsible for those who chose to use Megaupload to illegally download
songs or movies.
LeaseWeb's deletions would mostly affect former Megaupload users in
Europe. Other Megaupload files remain stored on U.S. servers.
U.S. attempts to extradite Dotcom from his home in New Zealand have been
delayed as his complex legal case plays out. His extradition hearing is
now scheduled for November.
Dotcom this year started a new site called Mega. The deletions do not
affect that site.
Pirate Bay Founder Sentenced to 2 Years in Sweden Hacking Case
A co-founder of file-sharing website Pirate Bay was sentenced to two
years in jail on Thursday for hacking into computers at a company that
manages data for Swedish authorities and making illegal online money
transfers, a court said.
Gottfrid Svartholm Warg was extradited to Sweden last year from Cambodia
to begin a one-year jail sentence after being convicted in 2009 of
internet piracy. He was then charged by authorities as part of the
separate hacking investigation.
"The hacking has been very extensive and technically advanced," the Nacka
district court said in a statement. "The attacker has affected very
sensitive systems."
He had denied the charges.
Prosecution documents say Warg, a 28-year-old Swede, managed to transfer
24,200 Danish crowns ($4,300) online, but also attempted, in several
different transactions, to transfer a total of around 683,000 euros
($915,500).
The investigation was into data infringement involving outsourcing firm
Logica.
Swedish authorities have said the hackers gained access to information on
several people with protected identities.
In the 2009 trial, a court in Sweden - where The Pirate Bay was founded in
2003 - fined and sentenced to jail Warg and two co-founders then behind
the site for breaching copyright in a case brought by firms including Sony
Universal Music and EMI.
Swedish prosecutors in May launched a new attempt to close down Pirate Bay,
which provides links to music and movie files stored on other users'
computers.
The site is now run by an unknown group and uses a domain name registered
in Sint Maarten, a Dutch territory in the Caribbean.
Social Network Gaffes Plague Japanese Politicians
On the Internet, no one can save you from yourself. That is a lesson many
Japanese politicians have learned recently in painful, awkward and at
times costly fashion.
In the latest flap, a senior reconstruction official in charge of helping
victims of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear crisis was dismissed last week
after he used a scatological insult on Twitter to deride civil activists.
Another official's loss of composure at a U.N. committee meeting might
have gone unnoticed in another time, but today it's on YouTube. Even
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been reproached for remarks on Facebook
that some deemed disrespectful to his opponents.
Japan only began allowing use of social media in political campaigns in
April. As campaigning heats up for a pivotal July 21 election for the
upper house of parliament, this relatively new tool for reaching the
public appears as much a liability as it is a blessing.
Japanese politicians and government agencies control access to information
through a system of press clubs, and to keep their memberships,
traditional Japanese media often have overlooked politicians' gaffes.
Politicians' aides also help them avoid making embarrassing comments on
TV and in print media. But those filters disappear when a politician
posts a comment online.
"It takes only one emotional sentence. Once you hit the comment or tweet
button, it's too late. You're caught by gaffe watchers on the net, with
your true nature exposed," said Junichiro Nakagawa, an editor at the
Internet news site Shunkan Research News.
Yasuhisa Mizuno, the former Reconstruction Agency official for
Fukushima-Dai-ichi victims, was fired over this tweet: "Attended a meeting
where I was merely yelled at by leftist (vulgarity). Surprisingly, I'm not
outraged. I only have pity for their lack of intelligence."
He posted the comment March 7, but it was overlooked for several weeks
before "gaffe watchers" discovered it and made it more widely known.
In late May, Hideaki Ueda, Japan's representative to the United Nations'
committee on torture, shouted while defending Japan's judicial system
against criticism by an envoy from Mauritius who said its lack of
protections for suspects' rights was "medieval."
Speaking in somewhat broken English in footage shown on YouTube and an
official website, Ueda said, "Certainly Japan is not the Middle Age. We
are one of the most advanced country in the field."
To giggles from the audience, he shouted, "Don't laugh! Why you are
laughing?"
"Shut up! Shut up!" he said. By Wednesday the video had been viewed on
YouTube more than 200,000 times. The footage was also repeatedly shown on
mainstream Japanese TV and in newspapers until the Foreign Ministry
reprimanded him last week.
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto said and tweeted that sex slavery by Japan's
Imperial Army before and during World War II was a "necessary" wartime
evil. He also used Twitter to post his suggestion that the U.S. military
patronize adult entertainment to help reduce sex crimes committed by
American troops.
U.S. officials characterized the comments as "outrageous and offensive."
Hashimoto, a co-founder of the nationalist Japan Restoration Party,
apologized, but only for his adult entertainment remark. He has continued
tweeting his assertions about the Imperial Army's use of prostitutes.
Sophia University political science professor Koichi Nakano said gaffes by
politicians and others spotlight a lack of sensitivity to a variety of
issues, and to opposing views.
"The society that leaves such problems unchecked could become one that is
insensitive," Nakano said. "People gradually lose sensitivity and then
think nothing of it anymore."
One word that has drawn attention is "leftist," which is being used as a
catch-all term for liberals supportive of minority rights and pacifism,
and who sometimes challenge conservative values.
The media and the political opposition are taking Abe to task for using
the term too casually. Abe has also called former Prime Minister Naoto Kan
a leftist, criticizing his civil activist background and relatively
lenient stance toward North Korea.
Abe, who is known for his nationalist and hawkish views, complained in a
recent Facebook entry about hecklers at a public rally. "A group of
leftists came into the crowd, intensely trying to interfere with my
speech by shouting into a loudspeaker and banging drums, full of hatred,"
he wrote
"Mr. Abe, what do you mean by 'leftists?'" asked Hideo Matsushita, senior
editor at the liberal-leaning Asahi newspaper, in a commentary published
Sunday.
Many of the hundreds of comments attached to Abe's Facebook entry
expressed support for his remark, along with hatred of the political left,
ethnic Koreans and China. But others questioned for using the word
"leftists" to describe hecklers who were apparently opposing Abe's plans
to join a U.S.-led trans-Pacific trade bloc.
Matsushita said Abe showed a lack of respect for dissent and was fanning
animosity toward Japan's neighbors and ethnic minorities.
"What's the point of making a distinction between the left and the
right?" he asked.
Since taking office in December, Abe has mainly focused on the economy.
But his wider agenda includes revising Japan's pacifist constitution to
allow a stronger military and building what he calls a "beautiful
country" through patriotic education, traditional family values and
respect for the emperor. Some critics say his plans harken back to the
militaristic atmosphere prevailing before and during World War II.
The emergence of Hashimoto's Japan Restoration Party and the Liberal
Democrats' victory in December elections is seen by many in Japan as a
swing to the right that has been accompanied by verbal attacks on Japan's
sizable ethnic Korean minority both on the Internet and in street
protests, where members of ultra-rightist groups have shouted threats like
"Kill Koreans" and "Go back to Korea."
Hundreds of thousands of Koreans comprise Japan's largest ethnic minority
group. Many are descendants of workers shipped to Japan during its
1910-1945 colonial rule of Korea. Decades later, they still face
widespread discrimination in education, business and marriage.
Anti-Korean sentiments have prompted a group of lawmakers and experts to
propose excluding "hate speech" from the constitutionally guaranteed right
to freedom of expression.
"These problems underscore Japan's lack of human rights awareness, and the
world is raising its eyebrows," said Kazuko Ito, a lawyer who heads
Japan's branch of Human Rights Now.
Firefox Brushes Off Advertisers, Plows Ahead with Do Not Track
Anyone looking to search the web without being tracked by advertisers will
soon be able to use Mozillas Firefox browser without worries. The
Washington Post reports that Mozilla is moving ahead with plans to
implement a Do Not Track system that will let users opt out of the most
common types of tracking that advertisers use. Advertisers are
predictably unhappy with Mozillas decision, of course, but the Post says
that Mozilla executives are confident about the growing sophistication
of tools they are building to limit the placement of cookies in users
browsers such as their plan to add limits on cookies placed by sites
users intentionally visit, such as Facebook, to prevent tracking when
users sign off and go to other sites. Mozilla CTO Brendan Eich said that
the organizations efforts to carry out a strong Do Not Track policy were
the best way to change the dynamic so that trackers behave better.
Yahoo Rejects Fears Hackers Will Exploit Old User IDs
Yahoo Inc on Wednesday downplayed concerns that its plans to recycle
inactive user IDs could leave users exposed to hackers, saying only 7
percent of those IDs are tied to actual Yahoo email accounts.
The Internet company, which announced last week it would release user IDs
that have been inactive for more than 12 months so that other people can
claim them, was pressed to defend the plan after critics warned that
hackers who take control of inactive accounts could also assume the
identities of the accounts' previous owners.
Yahoo hopes the plan will spark fresh interest in its Web products like
Mail, where users prefer individualized user IDs often derived from common
names. But criticism of the plan comes at a time when fears over the
security of personal information on the Internet have been heightened by
revelations of massive U.S. government snooping and international online
crime.
Yahoo stressed that it has put in place various safeguards, such as
coordinating with other major Web companies including Google Inc and
Amazon Inc to minimize the risk of identity theft.
The possibility of identity theft is "something we are aware of and we've
gone through a bunch of different steps to mitigate that concern," said
Dylan Casey, a senior director for consumer platforms. "We put a lot of
thought, a lot of resources dedicated to this project."
Critics say hackers could claim inactive accounts for identity theft. If a
Yahoo email is associated with a Google account, for instance, an identity
thief with access to the Yahoo email account could use it to reset the
Google account password and assume control.
Mat Honan, a Wired magazine writer who has previously written about being
the victim of a devastating hacker attack, on Wednesday slammed Yahoo's
plan as a "spectacularly bad idea."
"This is going to lead to a social engineering gold rush come mid-July,"
Honan wrote, referring to hacker tactic of obtaining passwords by
deceiving people rather than cracking codes.
But Casey said that the vast majority of inactive accounts were more
limited, used for services such as Yahoo's Fantasy Sports that are not
tied to an email address and therefore not susceptible to identity theft.
Yahoo will also unsubscribe its inactive email accounts from mailing lists
so that their new owners will not receive unwanted mail, Casey said.
"Can I tell you with 100 percent certainty that it's absolutely impossible
for anything to happen? No. But we're going to extraordinary lengths to
ensure that nothing bad happens to our users," Casey said.
Since the company announced its plans on June 12, users have 30 days to
claim their inactive accounts before they are released, Yahoo said.
Where Teens Go Instead of Facebook (and Why You Should Too)
Remember a few years back, when teenagers left MySpace in droves for this
new thing called Facebook? Grown-ups soon followed suit (not that they
were ever much on MySpace), and joined Facebook by the hundreds of
millions which made it far less cool for their kids. So where on the Web
are teens going now, and what can you learn from them?
A recent study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that
94% of American teens still have a Facebook account, but theyre using it
less, and using it more carefully. More than half have tightened down
their privacy settings and regularly delete or edit previous posts.
But even with tightened privacy settings, teens have realized that
Facebook is more like a family picnic than the private party they want it
to be. They still share photos and use Facebook messaging, but they are
increasingly turning to newer social networks to fill the function of
traditional status updates. So which sites are they using and why?
While teens do seem to understand privacy much better now than in the
early days of social media, they still have a desire to put themselves out
there in a public way. And thats where microblogs like Tumblr and Pheed
come in. The culture that has evolved on these sites is more slanted to
creative self-expression than Facebooks life-casting (telling all the
mundane details of your day). Both are deeply skewed towards mobile use,
and there are tons of clever and thematic blogs, think Texts from Hillary
or Reasons My Son is Crying.Neither are particularly teen-oriented, but
there are clear differences in style and content between a Tumblr and a
Facebook feed.
Twitter saw a doubling of teen users last year. And young people use it
more publicly than they do Facebook; while teens with Facebook accounts
typically keep their postings private, visible only to their friends, only
24% report keeping their tweets private. Since Twitter feels more instant
than Facebook, its a good one to consider if your musings are topical
and timely.
Increasingly, the hot sites among the younger set create private networks,
ones that automatically restrict who can see your updates, like Path,
which limits your friend list to 150 people.This built-in privacy makes
everything feel more personal though if you have 151 real-world
friends, youll just have to choose.
Instagram is pretty good for photo sharing, especially if you like using
their funky filters. Teens thought that it great, until mom and dad
showed up there, too.
So then came Snapchat, a way to send pics that self-destruct after being
viewed. Except that assuming what you send will really disappear is
fraught with peril, since the recipient can grab a permanent screen shot
of a picture before its deleted. Still, Snapchat is hot to the tune of
150 million snaps a day for good reason: it is a fun way to share
casual, goofy pics that arent meant to signify deep meaning in your
life. Just remember that, as with anything you post digitally, deleting
may not really mean it cant come back to haunt you.
If youre paying as much as $20 a month (or really, any amount over zero)
for texting on your phone, think about these alternatives: Kik and
WhatsApp have bitten into Facebook messaging, especially here in the US.
Globally, services like WeChat in China, KakaoTalk in Korea, and Line in
the Middle East and Asia, are all on the rise. Using these services may
eat a tiny bit into your data usage, but should enable you to reduce what
you spend on your cell phone overall.
IBM System/360 Mainframe: Countdown to 50th Anniversary
IBMs System/360 mainframethe companys first mainframe system with a
compatible, upgradable architectureturns 50 next year. Applications
written for the S/360 can still run today, while prior systems were custom
built, created for special purposes such as census taking. Big Blue's
signature big iron has been a core part of IT industry lore and remains at
the heart of major transactional systems today. IBM has continued to
evolve the mainframe, which is now used for cloud, big data, mobile and
social computing workloads. Last August, IBM announced a major new
version of its mainframe system, the zEnterprise EC12 mainframe server.
IBM called the latest mainframe the most powerful and technologically
advanced version of an IBM system that has been the linchpin of
enterprise computing for 49 years. Mainframes support significant
portions of the data environment at most large enterprises, which today
are looking for new ways to secure and gain insights from such critical
information as financial, customer and enterprise resource data that
will enable them to provide their clients with new services. The
zEC12a result of a more than $1 billion R&D investmentoffers enhanced
security and support for operational analytics that can help clients
sift through large volumes of raw data and transform it to gain
knowledge that can be used for competitive advantage. This eWEEK slide
show, produced with IBM, takes a look at where the IBM mainframe has
come from and where it is headed.
First Apple Computer Could Fetch $500,000 or More
It's the kind of electronic junk that piles up in basements and garages
an old computer motherboard with wires sticking out.
But because it was designed and sold by two college dropouts named Steve
Jobs and Steve Wozniak, it could be worth more than half a million
dollars.
An Apple 1 from 1976, one of the first Apple computers ever built and
forerunner of today's MacBooks, IPads and IPhones, goes on the auction
block at Christie's next week. The bidding starts at $300,000, with a
pre-sale estimated value of up to $500,000.
"This is a piece of history that made a difference in the world, it's
where the computer revolution started," said Ted Perry, a retired school
psychologist who owns the old Apple and has kept it stashed away in a
cardboard box at his home outside Sacramento, Calif.
The 11-by-14 green piece of plastic covered with a grid of memory chips
above a labyrinth of wires was one of the first 25 such computer elements,
and sold for $666.66.
About 200 were made but most have disappeared or been discarded. Various
estimates put the number known to still exist from about 30 to 50. They
came with eight kilobytes of memory a million times less than the
average computer today.
Vintage Apple products have become an especially hot item since Jobs'
death in October 2011, surrounding the mystique attached to this
entrepreneur who joined forces with Wozniak to build computer prototypes
in a California garage.
Another Apple 1 was sold last month for a record $671,400 by a German
auction house, breaking a previous record of $640,000 set in November.
Sotheby's sold one last year for $374,500.
"This is the seed from which the entire orchard grew, and without this,
there would be no Apple," said Stephen A. Edwards, professor of computer
science at Columbia University. "I've been shocked auction prices got
into the six digits. The market has just gone crazy."
The latest auction at Christie's, "First Bytes: Iconic Technology from the
Twentieth Century," is being conducted online only from June 24 to July 9.
The Apple 1 is to be displayed starting Monday at the Computer History
Museum in Mountain View, south of San Francisco.
Perry, 70, acquired his Apple 1 in either 1979 or 1980, as a secondhand
item he saw advertised.
He paid nothing for it; it was a swap with the owner.
"I traded some other computer equipment I had for the Apple 1," he said.
At the time, he was working as a psychologist in a school in Carmichael,
a town near Sacramento. While observing special needs children, he
noticed that a teletype machine "made a huge difference" in how a deaf
boy using it responded and learned.
As the first computers came on the market, Perry learned to program them.
Then he approached Wozniak, who agreed to provide what the psychologist
calls Apple's "internal code" so he could create interactive lessons for
his students using the new technology.
An expert hired by Christie's recently came to Perry's home to examine the
old Apple and try to turn it on. Only the Apple motherboard is original. A
keyboard, monitor and a storage device in this case a portable cassette
tape deck were added later.
"I was a little afraid to run it, but it still works, with the original
chips!" he says.
=~=~=~=
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