2003 January

Secrecy has long been a hallmark of the software development process: Let too many people know too much about what you’re working on too early, and somebody might steal your ideas.
More on development
But a growing array of big-name software developers are finding they can make better software if they leave the doors […]

“Speth, an ex-Apple programmer, is working on a file-sharing application for Mac OS X called iCommune, which allows users to share music over the Internet. But unlike most other music-sharing applications, the software isn’t an open box that lets anyone on the Internet copy files. Rather, iCommune users decide with whom they want to share […]

“Swedish scientists offer cell-phone users food for thought in a study that found that exposing young rats to the same radiation emitted by popular mobile handsets damaged the rodents’ brains.”

“The US space agency’s (Nasa) spacecraft and satellites could soon have their own net address. The agency is working on a project to make it easier to retrieve data from space vehicles in orbit or deep space and is turning to net data protocols to help. The project will allow mission scientists to use a […]

“Americans who use the Internet consider it at least as important as newspapers and books, even as they’ve become more skeptical of what they find online, a UCLA survey finds. The Internet now exceeds television, radio and magazines in importance among online users, the third annual nationwide telephone survey of 2,000 households determined.”

Richard A. Clarke, the top cyber-security adviser to President Bush, is confirming plans to resign from the White House, and he raised an ominous warning to colleagues about the destructive effects of future attacks on the Internet. Clarke, in an e-mail sent overnight Thursday to colleagues, cited damage from the weekend’s infection that struck hundreds […]

Security experts say investigators will have a difficult time tracking down whoever was responsible for the Slammer worm that attacked the Internet and other networks over the weekend. If caught, however, the culprit could face life in prison.

Sony plans to release a new fingerprint-secured Memory Stick product called the Memory Stick Puppy next month. The fingerprint recognition module can verify the identity of a user using the public key infrastructure (PKI). The correct fingerprint unlocks the memory stick which, when inserted into a device, unlocks the PKI. Unfortunately the Memory Stick Puppy […]

The German electronics giant Siemens has come out with a new line of “cell phone accessories” for people who like to decorate themselves with overdesigned phones. In the announcement, George Appling, President of XELIBRI, the division of Siemens responsible for this travesty, said, “We envisage the scenario where people will own many fashion accessory phones […]

The FilmWise web site takes stills from famous movies and uses Photoshop to remove the people, leaving their clothes floating in place in the scenery. What’s the point? Well, there is none, although you get to guess what movies the scenes come from. (If you’d like to learn how to do this kind of slick […]

Master’s degree candidates Rickard Gunee and Ali Iranpour submitted a project for their thesis that “investigates mobile gaming over GSM and Bluetooth networks.” They built a concept prototype that shows “it’s possible to connect two Gameboys over a GSM network by connecting to the phone using the Bluetooth plugin developed for the Gameboy.” Sounds like […]

“A Norwegian MP has been caught playing games on his handheld computer during a debate in parliament. Trond Helleland didn’t know television cameras had zoomed in on him during a debate about Norwegians fighting in Afghanistan. The Conservative MP says he had been meaning to check his schedule on his personal digital assistant, but couldn’t […]

“Deep vein thrombosis has been associated with long-haul air travel, but people who work or play for excessive periods at their PCs are also at risk of developing blood clots that could lead to DVT, according to a new report.”

“Code-named SmarterChild, the instantaneous fact-finding technology will be one of the first tests of a paid consumer service over IM–which has quickly rivaled e-mail as the Net’s most loved application. In its new, advanced incarnation, SmarterChild will tentatively cost $10 per year, according to ActiveBuddy, the software company behind the technology. The tool will let […]

“An internet cafe is due to be opened by the grandson of Sherpa Tensing on Mount Everest in March. Tsering Gyaltsen Sherpa, 32, will be opening the cafe at the Khumbu glacier at 5,300 metres to allow climbers to access the web. Expeditions, which cost almost £40000 on average, are expected to pay some £660 […]

Talking on cell phones is the leading cause of crashes that can be attributed to driver distraction, according to a report that will be released this week by the California Highway Patrol. Tuesday, state officials said they were able to discover what distracted drivers in 9,000 crashes, almost 18 percent of the accidents that resulted […]

Self-organizing wireless-sensor networks, a realization of the Pentagon’s “smart-dust” concept, have reached the prototype stage worldwide. The smart sensors, or Motes, were created by the University of California at Berkeley and Intel, and are being tested out worldwide today. “At this stage, there are over 100 groups around the world that are using the combination […]

“Lord, keep me from drooling over Internet porn, spreading spam and wasting my day with online games.” This heartfelt plea may soon get a heavenly hand: A group of Vatican elders is angling to give the Internet a patron saint - a holy helper with a dedicated connection to the Divine. The church’s leading candidate […]

For any serious button-masher, the Pyramat may be the must-have accessory of the year. Like a yoga pad for gamers, this lounge’s cushy foam backrest has a 50-watt, three-speaker boom box trapped inside with a 4-inch subwoofer that ports out against the player’s back. What does all that ampage amount to? A surround-sound experience, complete […]

“Hackers have once again disabled the Web site of the Recording Industry Association of America, a group of record labels that is leading the charge in the crackdown on online music piracy.”
Both the Secret Service and the FBI are now investigating the attacks.