e-Clippings Late February 2003

"There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already
full."
Henry Alfred Kissinger

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So e-Clippings has been sporadic to say the least of late. I really
am going to keep doing it and thanks again for all the kind words
from those of you who wrote in to tell me that. I do find it
interesting to note however; that two of my favorite bloggers, Anne
Galloway and Peter Merholz, have also been going through similar
soul-searches:
http://peterme.com/archives/00000364.html
http://www.purselipsquarejaw.org/2003_02_01_blogge
r_archives.php#90349485

Don't know what to make of this trend (if it is a trend) but I
want to keep my eye on it. If the act of blogging can wear out these
hardy souls then what does that say about this medium anyway.
Ramblings for now but something to watch.
v/r
Mark Oehlert, Editor
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NEWS

Why Did Google Want Blogger?
02:00 AM Feb. 22, 2003 PT: SAN FRANCISCO -- Forget war and strife,
the only news that mattered on the Web this week was Google's
acquisition of Pyra Labs, the scrappy San Francisco startup behind
the Blogger weblogging tool.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57754,00.html

We've got the tech, lets build some communities
Wilbert Kraan, CETIS staff: February 21, 2003
At the quarterly IMS meetings, the open technical forum is often the
one to watch for the latest trends in elearning. The tech forum that
is taking place in Vancouver, Canada right now is no exception, and
the next priority is clear: building communities.
http://www.cetis.ac.uk/content/20030221033122

Few Cheers for New FCC Rules
By Elisa Batista 02:00 AM Feb. 21, 2003 PT: A Federal Communications
Commission decision to let states regulate competition among the
regional Bell telephone companies drew sharp criticism on Thursday
from lawmakers, some members of the telecom industry and consumer
advocacy groups.
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,57755,00.html

Some Say Product May Curb Whistleblowing
By HELEN JUNG The Associated Press Saturday, February 22, 2003; 12:35
PM Microsoft Corp. is developing new technology to help companies
control their internal documents - a move some fear could also stamp
out whistleblowing on corporate wrongdoing
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48184-2003Feb22.html

(NY Times requires free registration)
Trial Near in Patent Case on Key Internet Technology
By JOHN MARKOFF: SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19 — The patent claims of a
74-year-old inventor over a technology that is the foundation of
virtually all online commerce will come to trial next week in a court
test that could force huge payments from some of the Internet's most
powerful companies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/20/technology/20NET.html
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TRENDS SECTION

The Hard Life and Restless Mind of America's Education Billionaire by
Bill Breen: from FC issue 68, page 80
John Sperling was born dirt-poor, fell in with Communists, and became
a union organizer who led a strike that ended in disaster. Today, he
runs the world's largest for-profit university -- and a company whose
shares are defying gravity on Wall Street. So why do so many smart
people say such terrible things about him? And why does he relish
their attacks?
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/68/sperling.html

E-learning-will its day ever come?: "E-learning can work but it is
not about the technology, which is now relatively cheap and
available. What has been expensive is the tuition - those online
courses have cost me a fortune! It is also not about brand names.
What is important is providers understanding their customer base,
making tools simple to use and having self- motivated users."
http://www.silicon.com/opinion/500021-500001/1/2846.html

Plan Approved To Save U.S. Digital History
By Nicholas Johnston Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, February
15, 2003; Page E01: Here's the flip side of the digital age's magic
act: It's also making information disappear. "The digital history of
this nation is imperiled by the very technology that is used to
create it," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10278-2003Feb14.html

(NY Times requires free registration)
Twilight of the CD? Not if It Can Be Reinvented
February 23, 2003 By LAURA M. HOLSON: LOS ANGELES: TONIGHT in
Manhattan, rock stars, divas and rappers will descend en masse on
Madison Square Garden, arriving at the Grammy ceremonies in a parade
of glamour and attitude. But the excitement they create will only
mask the growing anxiety in the recording industry about the future
of its fundamental product, the CD, which is threatened with the same
obsolescence that it long ago foisted on the LP and then the tape
cassette.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/23/business/yourmon
ey/23MUSI.html?pagewanted=print&position=top

Teacher Tech Training Takes a Hit (Making the Grade 2:00 a.m. PDT)
A program that provided cash to train new teachers in technology
will likely get the ax in President Bush's proposed budget. It's a
disappointing end for those who say it's been an unqualified success.
By Katie Dean.
http://go.hotwired.com/news/school/0,1383,57583,00.html/wn_ascii

Fighting piracy with P2P blocking: By John Borland : CNET News.com
February 20, 2003, 5:45 AM PT: For months, the digital equivalent of
a postal censor has been sorting through virtually all file-swapping
traffic on the University of Wyoming's network, quietly noting every
trade of an Eminem song or "Friends" episode.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-985027.html
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EMERGING TECH SECTION

Faster, Mightier Web Mail -- For a Price
By Leslie Walker: Sunday, February 23, 2003; Page H07
A California company is betting that people will pay for Web e-mail
if it's faster and more powerful than today's clunky free Web-mail
services. The new e-mail offering from Oddpost looks and works like
Microsoft Outlook and similar desktop programs, with the same simple
drag-and- drop transfer of messages to folders -- but it runs
entirely in a Web browser's window.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45447-2003Feb21.html

Practical Innovation at Demo
By Cynthia L. Webb: washingtonpost.com Staff Writer: Friday, February
21, 2003; 9:19 AM: A glimpse at gadgets and software highlighted at
the Demo 2003 conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., this week offers hope
that the creative minds of technology are still churning out ideas,
despite the lackluster economy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40801-2003Feb21.html

DEMO: MOST INTRIGUING PRODUCTS OF THE NEAR FUTURE
(Source: PC World.com) Substance (and shipment) favored over
style among spotlighted products and services.
http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=787824
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MOBILE COMPUTING SECTION

NY Times requires free registration)
New Tricks From Do-It-All Palmtops
By DAVID POGUE: WHEN it comes to generating enthusiasm among the
masses, not all electronics are created equal. Almost anyone can see
the appeal of, say, a DVD player. But describe a palmtop that does
nothing but let you check your e-mail at any time of the day or
night, and people may stare at you as though you had just grown
antlers
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/20/technology/circuits/20stat.html

Mobiles 'let you control your life'
By Jane Wakefield : BBC News Online technology staff in Cannes
Mobile phones are used by people to decide how and
when they communicate with the rest of the world, say researchers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2779619.stm

CANNES, France -- Feb. 17, 2003
Pocket MSN Delivers Always-On Services to Pocket PCs and Smartphones
New Service Offers Mobile Operators Means to Attract New Subscribers
and Increase Network Use With Always-On Mobile Access to MSN
Messenger, MSN Hotmail and Other Offerings
http://216.239.35.120/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://w
ww.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/Feb03/02-17P
ocketMSNPR.asp&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpocket%2Bp

Downloading Web Sites to Your Pocket PC
One of the neat uses of your Pocket PC is downloading web sites and
taking them with you for offline reading. Let's look at a couple
resources that help you do this, including Mobile Favorites and iSilo.
http://www.pocketpcmag.com/karpencolumns/webguide.asp?id=132
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GAMING SECTION

(NY Times requires free registration)
A Thin Line Between Film and Joystick: By MICHEL MARRIOTT: BURBANK,
Calif. AS if in a shadow play of a major Hollywood premiere,
photographers pressed up to a procession of film stars strolling into
a theater aglow with hype and klieg lights. Keanu Reeves chatted on
camera with "Access Hollywood" and MTV reporters. Will Smith and his
wife, the actress Jada Pinkett Smith, waved to onlookers. Carrie-Anne
Moss and Laurence Fishburne glittered on a black carpet ordered for
the occasion. The event at Warner Brothers Studios was a sort of
coming-out party for Enter the Matrix - not one of the
long-anticipated sequels to "The Matrix," the cyber-chic 1999
thriller, but a video game.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/20/technology/circuits/20matr.html

Digital Games Research Conference 2003
Monday, February 17 2003
DiGRA today announced its brand new conference, which will be held at
University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, on November 5-8, 2003. The
Call for Papers is still not out, but should be available later this
year. The deadline for submission will be by the end of April but,
again, the actual dates remain to be announced.
http://frasca.nubla.net/article.php?story=20030217135656883

More Fallout Over Greek Game Ban (Joystick 2:00 a.m. PDT)
The Greek government's sweeping ban of online games -- intended to
squash illegal gambling -- has gamers, Internet café owners and
other businesses seeing red. The European Union may step in to save
the day. Amanda Castleman reports from Athens.
http://go.hotwired.com/news/games/0,2101,57305,00.html/wn_ascii

(NY Times requires free registration)
For Sale: Nostalgia, and Its Frustrations: By CHARLES HEROLD:
NOSTALGIA is a powerful sales tool, and the people from Konami
thought I would be very excited about Contra: Shattered Soldier, a
sequel to the 1987 video game Contra. When they told me that a
sequence of button presses would activate a cheat code to make
the game easier, as in the original game for Nintendo, it was as
though they were heralding the Second Coming.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/20/technology/circuits/20game.html

(NY Times requires free registration)
Who's Blocking the Xbox? Sony and Its Games
By MATT RICHTEL: SAN FRANCISCO -- XBOX, the video game console that
Microsoft introduced nearly 14 months ago, is technologically
sophisticated and, by many accounts, the best way to play games
against competitors over the Internet. But the advantages have not
translated into the returns Microsoft had hoped for. It has sold nine
million Xbox consoles, on the low end of its projections; it
continues to lose money on each one it sells; and it remains
desperately behind Sony, whose PlayStation 2 is selling at a record
pace. Wall Street analysts have mixed opinions about whether
Microsoft's early effort has been successful, but they agree that it
has a way to go.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/16/business/yourmoney/16XBOX.html
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SECURITY SECTION

UPDATE: SYSTEM BREAK-IN NETS INFO ON 5.6 MILLION CREDIT CARDS
(Source: IDG.net) A computer hacker, or hackers, has gained
access to the credit card numbers of as many as five million
credit card customers.
http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=787827

POSSIBLE PASSWORD FLAW FOUND IN WINDOWS XP
(Source: PC World.com) Security hole could allow an unauthorized
user to render passwords useless, expert says.
http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=787828

Nigerian Slain Over E-Mail Scam
Michelle Delio 08:27 AM Feb. 21, 2003 PT: A notorious e-mail scam has
resulted in the murder of a Nigerian diplomat in the Czech Republic.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,57760,00.html

Sneaky Toolbar Hijacks Browsers (IT/IS Important 2:00 a.m. PDT)
Internet users are mystified by a tricky browser add-on that installs
itself without permission and defies attempts to remove it. Some are
calling the program the most insidious thing on the Web. By Michelle
Delio.
http://go.hotwired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,5
7467,00.html/wn_ascii

Hackers Run Wild and Free on AOL
By Christopher Null 02:00 AM Feb. 21, 2003 PT: Using a combination
of trade tricks and clever programming, hackers have thoroughly
compromised security at America Online, potentially exposing the
personal information of AOL's 35 million users.
http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,57753,00.html

What Symantec Knew But Didn't Say (IT/IS Important 2:00 a.m. PDT)
Security experts are fuming about a Symantec press release indicating
the company knew about the devastating Slammer worm hours before the
general public did. The company shared the knowledge with select
customers but kept mum with everybody else. By Michelle Delio.
http://go.hotwired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,5
7676,00.html/wn_ascii

Are You Scared Stupid? Do Tell
By Michelle Delio 02:00 AM Feb. 17, 2003 PT: Privacy International,
a coalition of human rights and privacy advocacy groups, charges that
security measures are getting stupider by the moment. To prove it,
the organization has announced a Stupid Security Awards, an
international competition to discover the world's most "pointless,
intrusive, stupid and self-serving security measure."
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,57686,00.html

Spam Offers: Some Legit, Most Not (IT/IS Important 2:00 a.m. PDT)
Ever wonder what happens when you respond to unsolicited e-mail come-
ons to make money at home, pump up your manhood or spy on anyone
online? Turns out, spam begets spam. And that's usually about it. By
Michelle Delio.
http://go.hotwired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,5
7613,00.html/wn_ascii
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MISC. SECTION

Is the EPA Gutting Clean Air? (Politics Tuesday)
The EPA is easing restrictions of the Clean Air Act, in a move that
critics say will 'bring more acid rain, more smog, more asthma and
more respiratory disease to millions of Americans.' A coalition of
New England and mid-Atlantic states are challenging the changes in
court.
http://go.hotwired.com/news/politics/0,1283,57027,00.html/wn_ascii

Vaporware 2002: Tech up in Smoke? (Culture 2:00 a.m. PDT)
In an unusual turn, three products out of the 10 to receive the
Wired News 2002 Vaporware Award also appeared on last year's list.
Tech-hungry readers wonder: Why can't these developers get it
together?
http://go.hotwired.com/news/culture/0,1284,57023,00.html/wn_ascii

Private Army: This Gun for Hire (Wired magazine 2:00 a.m. PDT)
The future of national security rests on private-sector workers --
from IT experts to chopper pilots. By Dan Baum from Wired magazine.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.02/gunhire.html
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