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Copyright Dispute of Silence |
6/30/2002 |
'The Sound of Silence' may have prompted engaging harmonies from Simon and Garfunkel – but a more literal appreciation of the absence of noise has prompted one of the more curious copyright disputes of modern times.
Mike Batt, the man behind the Wombles and Vanessa Mae, has put a silent 60-second track on the album of his latest classical chart-topping protégés, the Planets. This has enraged representatives of the avant-garde, experimentalist composer John Cage, who died in 1992. The silence on his group's album clearly sounds uncannily like 4'33", the silence composed by Cage in his prime.
Batt said last night: "I've received a letter on behalf of John Cage's music publishers. I was in hysterics when I read their letter.
"As my mother said when I told her, 'which part of the silence are they claiming you nicked?'. They say they are claiming copyright on a piece of mine called 'One Minute's Silence' on the Planets' album, which I credit Batt/Cage just for a laugh. But my silence is original silence, not a quotation from his silence."
Original Article:
http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=307449
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Athlon XP (Barton) Rating: Learn the New Formula! |
6/30/2002 |
This Chinese site (the same one that shared the confidential ATI slides with us last week (see this news story) shared with us some info, which allows us to derive a new formula and to calculate the rating of Athlon XP processors based on 0.13micron Barton core (it is none other but a Thoroughbred with 512KB L2 cache, which will be manufactured by UMC only and the mass production of which is planned for Q4 2002). Here is this formula:
Rating =3 x Frequency/2 + 100
The reverse formula is also very easy to derive, as you may see:
Frequency =2 x Rating/3 - 66
These formulas are very similar to those used to calculate the rating of Athlon XP processors on Thoroughbred and Palomino core (Rating = 3 x Frequency/2 – 500 and Frequency = 2 x Rating/3 +333, see this news story).
Full article with chart:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/story.html?id=1025349410 |
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AMD roadmaps are genuine |
6/30/2002 |
"We learn from sources close to AMD in Europe that Chinese roadmaps we told the Web about at the end of last week are, indeed, genuine.
We don't know how they escaped from the paranoia net at AMD but that sort of thing happens at even the best regulated companies, you know.
What have we got here then?
Lets start with the workstation and server processor market which you can find here."
Full Article:
http://www.theinquirer.net/30060207.htm |
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SiS Xabre II Released Early? |
6/30/2002 |
As we learned from SiS’ earlier plans, the company was going to introduce their new Xabre II family supporting DirectX9 only next year. Moreover, they were only going to start sampling these products in the far away February 2003. Therefore, keeping in mind that SiS is usually "kind of slow", their mass production could appear postponed nearly until next summer.
However, as we learned from one of our unofficial sources, the chips have every chance to appear in the market a bit earlier, this year already. Although we are talking only about the chipset announcement here and not about the mass production. So, it is still most likely to start selling only next year, but in the beginning and not in the middle of the year as everybody has initially expected. By the way this chip will be manufactured with 0.13micron and the equipment for these production lines will be installed in Q3 2002. So, everything seems to make sense: in Q4 SiS starts making first 0.13micron wafers which are most likely to be the rumored Xabre II.
They also report that Xabre600 chip (275MHz chip and 600MHz (300MHz DDR) memory frequencies), the fastest Xabre solution, will come out in time: in Q3 2002. It will be manufactured with the same 0p.15micron technology, which is already used on half of all SiS’ production lines.
Original Article:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/story.html?id=1025347787 |
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Computer-drawing program allows blind to 'see' |
6/30/2002 |
Frustrated by the difficulty of incorporating charts into his school reports, Hesham Kamel, a blind engineering student at the University of California at Berkeley, has designed a computer-drawing program that permits the visually impaired to create - and "see" - illustrations, graphics and other images on the screen.
Kamel, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, has set his sights on refining the prototype, dubbed Integrated Communication 2 Draw, into a viable commercial product.
"There's nothing else out there that can help me create and view graphics," said Kamel, 40, who lost his vision 17 years ago through a surgeon's error. "With the IC2D, blind people can use screen readers paired with voice synthesizers to literally hear text on the computer screen."
Taking advantage of the universal familiarity with the layout of a telephone keypad, the program divides the screen into nine squares, each labeled with the corresponding numbers "1" through "9." Moving from square to square is just like dialing a telephone number. Each time a user enters a square, he or she has the option of subdividing it into another three-by-three grid, zooming in on increasingly finer details in the drawing. The program is capable of repeating the progression 81 times for a total of 729 possible squares.
The recognizable keypad arrangement replaces the traditional computer staple of pull-down menus - which present a challenge to blind users - for controlling commands, shapes, lines and colors. When pointing a cursor at a particular cell, the navigator can ask for audio feedback that describes the location - for example, square 1 - or the shapes or pictures represented within.
The system can enable the blind to draw and create animations for school, pleasure or work, said Kamel, who has been showing off the evolving project at conferences on human-computer interaction and assistive technology since 1999, in the United States and Europe. He will present the latest model July 8-10 at a meeting of the Association for Computing Machinery in Edinburgh, Scotland.
When he describes his software, Kamel likes to involve the audience in an exercise that demonstrates the struggle the visually impaired face when drawing, particularly on a computer. Standing in the center of the room, palm extended toward his listeners, he asks them to point at his hand, close their eyes, move their finger to another object, then return it to its original position, site now unseen.
Full Article:
http://nandotimes.com/technology/story/451844p-3616614c.html |
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Video signal quality measured |
6/30/2002 |
"When tecChannel recently reviewed the Parhelia, they compared it against cards from a bevy of manufacturers in terms of analog VGA signal quality. Most importantly, tecChannel used instruments to capture the waveforms produced by each card. I'll post links below to their result pages. You'll have to click through to get their full-sized waveform pics.
On the whole, it appears Radeon and GeForce4 cards are reasonably similar in their signal outputs. They are not identical, but close. As with anything, there are exceptions where one particular card is significantly worse or better than the others. There is also the matter of price. On average, a Ti 4600 performs better than the lower-priced cards. That's one of those little hobgoblins we all hate.
The Matrox cards have superior output, at least in part. The G550 puts out a solid signal (especially considering its low price), but it's rivaled by some of the better ATI and NVIDIA implementations. The Parhelia, on the other hand, is very impressive. Its waveform looks almost pristine.
To help illustrate the differences between the various cards, I recommend using the Parhelia signal image as the reference. The closer a card is to matching the shape, height, and width of the Parhelia signal, the bettter the image quality of the card. Also, notice that the RGB signals of the cards are defined as colored lines. Ideally, these lines should stay tight together; keep an eye out for colors that sag or spike. Here are the results for the various cards:"
Full Article:
http://tech-report.com/onearticle.x/3747 |
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Case Mod: How to rubout for a mirror finish. |
6/30/2002 |
"I have seen a lot of people discussing how to rub out new paint, to get that supa shiny PimpRig worthy case. There is a lot of good information posted too, but I am going to show you exactly how I “rub out“ new paint. I have been doing this full time since 1986 and I feel that I am starting to get it figured out so trust me, don’t take any short cuts and let’s get to it.
Wet sanding and rubbing out new paint does require some products that can be harmful, if used improperly. Please read the directions and pay attention to the warning labels. Chemicals affect everyone the same, they don’t just warn everyone else, companies put those warnings on there for you."
Full How-To:
http://www.pimprig.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=69 |
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First Earth Images from New Aqua Satellite |
6/30/2002 |
NASA's recently launched Aqua satellite has returned enough data during its test phase to allow scientists to generate the projects first to pictures.
The onboard Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E), operated by the Japanese, produced Aqua’s first geophysical product: a global map of sea surface temperatures. In the image, ice and snow cover in white and yellow, desert areas in shades of green, other land areas in dark colors, and oceans in shades of blue.
The sea surface temperature map from AMSR-E is indicative of the high level of detail the microwave imager will routinely provide even in the presence of substantial cloud cover.
"After years of preparation on Aqua, I and hundreds of other scientists are thrilled to have the spacecraft launched and its Earth-observing instruments sending down high-quality data," said Claire Parkinson, the Aqua project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "If all goes as planned, these data will lead to improved weather forecasts and a better understanding of Earth's climate system -- especially the role of water in it."
Aqua is an international partnership between the United States, Japan and Brazil. The primary role of the spacecraft is to gather information about water in the Earth’s system.
Full Article:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/planetearth/aqua_firstimages_020628.html |
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Pirate P2P Radio to Circumvent Fees? |
6/30/2002 |
"Streamer - pirate radio for the digital age
I'm publishing this in response to the closing of Audiogalaxy and the imminent closure of many net radio stations at the hands of the RIAA and CARP. This can't be closed. I never did like bullies.
Streamer is an internet radio program that allows anyone to broadcast streaming mp3 music, to an unlimited number of listeners, from an internet connection as humble as a 56k modem, and with the broadcasting pc being fairly untraceable.
It works by relaying the mp3 data stream from one listener to the next, forming a branching tree with the broadcasting pc at the base. This is different to the normal method where all the listeners connect to a central server, and it means you don't need lots of server bandwidth. There is also no limit to the number of listeners, since each new one provides more relay bandwidth to the network.
It's also fairly untraceable because each streamer 'host' doesn't reveal any information about whether it is actually the transmitter or not, or where it is getting it's signal from. And I plan to make it completely untraceable for broadcasters who wish. Tax that CARP!. I hope you get the idea.
This is a beta version, work in progress. There's no clever network optimisation yet, or stuff to handle when listeners leave without disconnecting other downstream listeners. You are likely to get disconnections for large audiences. It definitely works ok for half a dozen or so people though, all using 56k modems. Enough to play your tunes to your mates :-)"
Download streamer.zip
Check for updates regularly please, it doesn't happen automatically yet.
Original Article:
http://www.chaotica.u-net.com/page/streamer.htm |
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Newspro and Coranto |
6/30/2002 |
I had begun an archive of the Newspro and Coranto websites a month ago to help out all of the users of the scripts who have not been able to access the files or helpful content since the official (http://www.amphibianweb.com) website went down.
I, being a strong proponent of the Newspro and Coranto communities, decided that, in the interim, I would host the files so that those who needed access to the content would still be able to find it. I was met by heavy opposition from some people who claimed that I had no right to do this.
These users had been sending 20-50 emails to everyone at my ISP, all of the contributors to my website, etc. when they had absolutely no claim to the intellectual property itself. Needless to say my ISP and my attorney had been discussing the issue and I took the webpages down.
Yesterday I happened to find an article that stated that the files were being offered again. I followed the link and low and behold the same people who had been spamming my ISP and threatening to sue my website are now hosting the files only a few weeks later.
I find that they acted improperly throughout the entirety of this matter. I would have expected a lot more from people who (usually) contribute a lot to the Newspro and Coranto community. This has been a sad state of affairs for all of those who support and love Newspro/Coranto. It's hard to believe that those who will be contributing the most to Newspro/Coranto its development in the future can act in this manner and have such little class.
I have restored the pages and they are now available for everyone to use and download. Help keep Newspro and Coranto alive!
Newspro:
http://www.elektrik-sheep.com/newspro/
Coranto:
http://www.elektrik-sheep.com/coranto/
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World Cup Final to Be Watched by Record 1.5 Billion |
6/30/2002 |
The World Cup final between Germany and Brazil on Sunday will be watched by 1.5 billion giving it the biggest audience in television history, its Swiss broadcasters said.
"1.5 billion is the expectation for the final match -- accumulated for the 64 matches we expect more than 40 billion spectators," said Home Broadcast Services' (HBS) chief executive Francis Tellier on Saturday.
The figure -- around one in four of the planet's population -- is easily the largest ever viewership for a single TV program, according to HBS.
I'll be seeing all 1,499,999,999 of you in 2 and a half hours for the match.
Full Article:
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=entertainmentnews&StoryID=1148425 |
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ICANN Blocks Nomination of Average Users to Board |
6/30/2002 |
The group that oversees the Internet's name system voted on Friday to exclude ordinary Web surfers from its board in a move critics say allows mainstream interests to tighten their grip on the online world.
ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, unanimously passed the resolution at its quarterly meeting, clearing one of the most controversial issues in the development of the four-year-old organization.
Under a radical new system, the online election of individual Internet users to the group's executive board has been abolished.
Instead, the 19-member board of directors will be drawn from representatives of technical, business, government and non-profit organizations. It will have ultimate say over future policy matters that govern the fundamental domain name system for the Internet.
ICANN, a non-profit group, oversees the process of doling out domain names with suffices such as .com to businesses and individuals.
Its chief executive Stuart Lynn said the vote was an important step for the global body as it would demonstrate to lawmakers that ICANN is committed to reform. ICANN has also faced criticism that it is overly influenced by American groups
Full Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/06/28/tech.icann.reut/index.html |
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Case Fan LED Light Mod |
6/30/2002 |
At first I was expecting a mod that I'd seen 1,000X before, but I really like the way he approached this, and how it turned out.
"This mod is very easy to do and make case fans more interesting and exciting. If you have a window in the side of your case or a blowhole this would be a perfect mod to do to any fan that you can see."
Take a look at the full article:
http://www.phlux.co.uk/articles.php?aid=21
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Final Fantasy XI Preview |
6/29/2002 |
With the recent announcement of the Final Fantasy XI beta in Japan, we decided to check in with IGN's resident Final Fantasy guru, David Smith, to find out just what we could expect from Square's next effort. For those of you who don't know (thanks to laboring under a rock on the planet Pluto), this next version of Final Fantasy will be the first massively multiplayer title in the series. (The team isn't releasing any new art as of this point -- the beta only started last week -- but this lengthy preview should serve as a comprehensive overview to the entire game. All present screens and art are from the console version.)
The story takes place in a world that mixes swords, magic, and technology on the beautiful planet known as Vana'Diel. In the past this world was blessed by the source of all things in the world, the Crystals. Together with their power, those that believed in the light fought against the monsters that followed darkness. The monsters destroyed the beautiful villages and cities, turning the lands into a vaste wasteland, and the water into deadly pollution.
Eventually, mankind was able to fight back the monsters and regain peace for their land. However, 20 year after the fighting, when people begin to forget the memories of the horrible war with the monsters, the scent of evil once again blows over the land of Vana'Diel. All is resting on the powers of the crystals.
Full Preview:
http://pc.ign.com/articles/363/363306p1.html |
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Moon rock at center of legal battle |
6/29/2002 |
"In a cross between science fiction and a children's tale, a moon rock gets dug up from its peaceful valley, flies aboard Apollo 17 to Earth, visits Honduras and winds up in a U.S. court.
"It's one of these curious little cases," said Keith Rosenn, a University of Miami law professor recruited by the judge as a consultant on Honduran law. "But it is a real case with grown men arguing about it."
The extensively traveled bit of cosmic geology couldn't care less where it ends up, but Justice Department lawyers and a Florida man who claims it are fighting for possession.
Technically, the encased, fingertip-sized rock is listed as the defendant in the case of "United States v. Lucite ball containing lunar material." For now, it is a prisoner, waiting to learn its fate from a federal judge busy with a fight over congressional redistricting."
Full Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/06/29/moon.rock.lawsuit.ap/index.html
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6/29/2002 |
"By now you may be questioning this article and its purpose. You may have come to the conclusion that there are no tips and hints laid out for you in a neatly packaged summary page. Life doesn’t work that way…sorry. There are no shortcuts and you can’t scan ahead to the benchmarks and the last page in hopes of understanding the big picture without actually seeing it. It isn’t about “free stuff” to be reviewer, or a moderator, or a news poster or the owner of the site itself.
If you’ve actually taken the time to read the previous 5500 or so words you may have picked up quite a few tips and tricks. They are there. I hope you did as you may be the one who replaces me.
Rather than fade away. Or stomp off in a digital hissy fit. Or try to take members away with me to another site. I choose to step down the same way I came in…with my best foot forward.
My other career demands my presence more and more. My personal life demands my presence more and more. And I feel its time for fresh eyes and a bit of a break for me. As a valued member of a site such as Icrontic you have to realize when you to place the good of the site ahead of yourself so it will be there when you return. I was given the privilege to share the Internet with some very talented and knowledgeable individuals. To my colleagues who write for other sites and places beyond….I thank-you for that privilege.
In this time the face of computer technology will change more often than Jekyll and Hyde but Icrontic will still be here. New reviewers may come and go and I hope you enjoy the work that they do. I may have a guest spot now and again and occasionally pop into the forums to “sweep up” a bit. I hope you learned something from me. I certainly did from you.
It really has been fun."
Full Farewell:
http://www.icrontic.com/index.php?page=public/articles&articleId=216 |
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Music Companies Convicted of Price Fixing |
6/29/2002 |
"Two music companies that joined forces to sell recordings of the opera stars known as the Three Tenors illegally fixed prices, an administrative law judge ruled.
The judge ordered subsidiaries of the French corporation Vivendi Universal to stop its anticompetitive practices. The other company, Warner Communications, a unit of AOL Time Warner, reached an accord with the Federal Trade Commission last year.
Judge James P. Timony's decision, filed June 20, was announced today by the commission.
Vivendi's Universal Music Group denied any wrongdoing and said it would appeal the decision, which is subject to review by the full commission.
The case involves a 1998 recording of the tenors Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras and Placido Domingo, who have performed every four years during World Cup soccer finals.
Their fourth World Cup concert, Thursday night in Japan, was billed as their last together. No plans to issue a recording have been announced."
Full Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/29/business/media/29TENO.html |
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Nokia Wins Nokia.me.uk Cybersquatting Case |
6/29/2002 |
"Phone company Nokia has won the first case against a cybersquatter regarding .me.uk domains.
The Finnish phone company wrote to the domain name holder from London asking him to hand over nokia.me.uk.
However, he wrote back claiming that he had registered the domain name in question because his nickname was "Nokia".
Fair enough, you might think.
Snag is, he then asked Nokia (the phone company, that is) if they'd be prepared to buy the domain - for a price.
It's at this point that Nokia sought to reclaim the domain under Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service.
Conceivably, the cybersquatter in this case might, just might, have got away with the nickname story - if only he hadn't also registered vodafone.me.uk, orange.me.uk, virgin.me.uk, bmw.me.uk, nissan.me.uk and sony.me.uk at around the same time."
Full Article:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/25946.html |
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Mandrake Reveals 64-Bit Hammer Support |
6/29/2002 |
MandrakeSoft today announced they are cooperating with AMD to port Mandrake Linux to the forthcoming eighth-generation AMD AthlonTM and AMD OpteronTM processor-based platforms.
Delivering on its commitment to innovative development in the Linux arena, the MandrakeSoft research and development team has begun work on adapting the Mandrake Linux operating system to run optimally on the upcoming AMD processors.
AMD is collaborating with MandrakeSoft to ensure rapid porting and commercial availability of Mandrake Linux for 64-bit AMD Athlon and AMD Opteron processors. AMD Athlon and AMD Opteron processors, based on x86-64 technology, have been designed to support large, intensive workloads providing high-performance solutions for desktops, workstations and servers. The new processors can benefit customers by providing 64-bit application support, while also offering optimized, native support for 32-bit Linux applications to provide a smooth transition from a 32-bit to a 64-bit environment.
"This new generation of AMD Athlon and AMD Opteron processors is extremely exciting. A version of Mandrake Linux dedicated to these powerful 64-bit processors can certainly accelerate MandrakeSoft's growing adoption in the Linux corporate market" said Jacques Le Marois, CEO of MandrakeSoft.
"The 64-bit version of Mandrake Linux optimized for the upcoming eighth-generation AMD Athlon and AMD Opteron processors can provide enterprise customers with a powerful, reliable and easy to install and use Linux distribution", said Robert Stead, Director of European Marketing, AMD.
Full Article:
http://www.amdzone.com/releaseview.cfm?ReleaseID=905 |
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Microsoft Security Fix Also Changes the EULA... Takes Away Your Rights |
6/29/2002 |
Last night I got security bulletin MS02-032 from Microsoft concerning Windows Media Player; there is a patch that fixes all previous vulnerabilities and three new vulnerabilities. As I started the installation of the patch, the End User License Agreement box popped up. Normally I don't even read these things, but this time I did. There was a fairly standard preamble followed by some bullet points; here is the text of the second point:
" * Digital Rights Management (Security). You agree that in order to protect the integrity of content and software protected by digital rights management ("Secure Content"), Microsoft may provide security related updates to the OS Components that will be automatically downloaded onto your computer. These security related updates may disable your ability to copy and/or play Secure Content and use other software on your computer. If we provide such a security update, we will use reasonable efforts to post notices on a web site explaining the update. "
These security related updates sound more like version upgrades to the OS, since new functionality is added, and Windows Media Player will be used as an agent to download and install the new software "automatically." Normally security updates are announced by email containing a link to the website where the patch can be downloaded. There was no mention of which website Microsoft will use to post notices of new or upgraded software that was automatically downloaded to your computer while you were listening to a webcast using Windows Media Player, or how a user will know when to check the website to find out what has been added to the OS.
I have never been a Microsoft basher and have been using MS software since I bought my first computer in 1988, but this is really disappointing. Clearly the Media Player is going to be used for a purpose for which a service pack would be more appropriate. Even if the purpose is to install an automatic update utility, the owner of the computer should be in control and not be subject to "Things That Happen Behind Your Back." I don't think a firewall will help either--you must allow Media Player content to pass through in order to use it.
A funny/ironic/sad point is that the security bulletin reads in part:
" - An information disclosure vulnerability that could provide the means to enable an attacker to run code on the user's system and is rated as critical severity ".
It looks to me like that's exactly what the patch does.
Original Article:
http://bsdvault.net/article.php?sid=527&mode=&order=0 |
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FORD DROPS APPEAL - 2600 VICTORY AFFIRMED |
6/29/2002 |
Ford Motor Company has officially and unconditionally conceded its complete, utter, and perpetual loss on the merits of the FORD v. 2600 "FuckGeneralMotors.com" case. Ford has dismissed its appeal to the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, meaning that Ford has completely given up all attempts to reverse the victory that 2600 Enterprises won on December 20, 2001. The mutually agreed dismissal papers were officially entered by the Sixth Circuit on June 27, 2002.
In the words of another FORD from Michigan -- former President Gerald Ford, "Our long national nightmare is over."
2600, which has given up nothing other than an extremely improbable claim for getting its attorneys' fees back from FORD, has expressly reserved the right to point "FuckGeneralMotors.com" anyplace whatsoever that 2600 pleases -- including at the FORD homepage -- at any time whatsoever, with or without notice.
Of course, the plan in March, 2001, when the lawsuit arose, was to point the address someplace more suitable than the FORD homepage, probably as soon as mid-April or early May, 2001. In other words, the lawsuit has actually delayed 2600's prior plans (several other domain names that were part of the same project have been re-pointed several times, while FuckGeneralMotors.com has remained pointed at FORD). Now that the lawsuit has been won, 2600 will be soliciting suggestions during the H2K2 conference, for the best place to point the Domain Name. Ultimately, this just proves how silly and counterproductive FORD's litigation strategy always has been from the beginning.
In December, 2001, Judge Robert Cleland of the Eastern District of Michigan, dismissed FORD's lawsuit in its entirety for "failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted" -- which means that even assuming every single allegation in FORD's pleadings to be true (but the allegations weren't all true), FORD still had no legal right whatsoever to prohibit 2600 from pointing FuckGeneralMotors.com at FORD's homepage.
Needless to say, FORD did not like that outcome. Neither did a lot of other intellectual property interests all over the world. Indeed, a google search will reveal a number of PowerPoint(tm) presentations published on the Web (e.g., http://austlii.edu.au/hkitlaw/resources/Pun_IP.pdf) by various intellectual property lawyers, emphasizing that the decision is being appealed. Well, now it isn't.
Full 2600 Article:
http://www.2600.com/news/display.shtml?id=1225 |
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Microsoft Longhorn, 3GIO to change PC rules |
6/29/2002 |
"A source close to Intel and Microsoft's plans tells us that plans are well advanced for the successor to Windows XP.
But the source, who works for a third party vendor, tell us that Microsoft will make the bold – perhaps foolhardy step – of making Longhorn incompatible with all previous operating systems.
And the introduction of 3GIO at the same time will also upset the third party applecart and probably end users too.
Although Longhorn does not officially debut until spring 2004, it's expected that in autumn next year, both Intel and Microsoft will give strong indications of their plans.
The reason for making the OS non-backward compatible is that both Intel and Microsoft believe that only by taking this radical step can they give a huge impetus to the PC business.
Their thinking is that people are not interested in small incremental changes such as increased clock speeds or tweaking of the operating system, and hope to persuade the entire industry and the user base to move to much improved features on both the hardware and software front."
Full Article:
http://www.theinquirer.net/28060215.htm |
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AMD Athlon XP 2200+ (1.67 GHz) Throughbred Spotted |
6/29/2002 |
VR Zone:
"AMD Athlon XP 2000+ (1.67Ghz) based on 0.13 T'Bred core is spotted in Japan. The spec code/batch is AXDA2000 AIRGA 0225 matches its counterpart, Athlon XP 2200+ which is currently on sale. The color however looks just like the Palomino which is dark brown. This one runs at 1.60V VCore and the way to unlock is the same as the Athlon XP 2200+. Who knows, this may prove to be a better overclocker than the Athlon XP 2200+."
VR Zone fails to mention that all of the info and pics regarding this are here:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/akiba/hotline/20020629/etc_tbaxp2000.html |
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Taking the Ocean's Temperature |
6/29/2002 |
Scientists find a better way to gauge the high seas.
Even though over seventy percent of the earth’s surface is ocean—more than one billion-billion tons of water—oceanographers still know very little about it. Compared to the sophisticated data collection and information technologies used for atmospheric research, science’s ability to forecast, or even record, ocean conditions remains antiquated.
An international collaborative effort, called the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment, last month announced plans to improve the process. The group intends to tie together a world-wide army of oceanographic floats and satellites in order to get an unprecedented daily view of the high seas. Organizers say these new space and water-based systems will fill the longstanding gap in ocean monitoring abilities that has prevented our ability to better understand the ocean and forecast its constantly changing face.
According to Neville Smith, chair of the project’s international steering team, plans began to form in 1998 as a number of satellites that would provide a wealth of needed ocean data got ready to launch. The satellite Jason-1, launched by NASA last December, uses an altimeter to precisely measure aspects of ocean-surface topography, such as surface conditions, circulation and sea levels. Satellites soon to launch will measure surface winds and other phenomena.
But satellites alone are not enough, says Phil Sharfstein, the data manager for the U.S. component of the assimilation experiment, based at the Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanographic Center in Monterey, CA. "The main problem is that there's just not that much data out there," he says. For example, satellites can measure current sea levels, but predicting future levels requires information that a satellite can't collect, such as salinity and deep-sea temperatures.
Full Article:
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_schrope062802.asp |
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Argonne Develops Device to Detect Hidden Nuclear Weapons, Materials |
6/29/2002 |
Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory's Technology Development Division have invented a wafer that can detect neutron radiation from concealed nuclear weapons.
An inexpensive handheld device that incorporates the wafer could eventually be used in airports by law enforcement agencies or by weapons inspectors. "Generally, you shouldn't be detecting neutrons at all, and if they're there, it's probably coming from something that people shouldn't have, whether it's a weapon, a radioactive source, or fissionable material," says research group leader Raymond Klann.
The fingernail-sized wafer, about 200 microns thick, is made of gallium arsenide, a semiconducting material similar to silicon. An active area in the center, about 5 millimeters in diameter and between 10 and 20 microns thick, is coated with boron or lithium. When neutrons strike the coating, they produce a stream of charged particles that's easy to detect with commercial detectors.
The wafers operate at room temperature, can be powered by batteries, can withstand relatively high levels of radiation, and do not degrade over time. They're made with conventional microchip fabrication techniques and can be tailored to different uses by varying the coating material and the thickness.
The wafer becomes more effective if the active area is etched with holes about 3.5 microns in diameter, creating a "pock-marked" effect, Klann said. The group is experimenting with various hole depths, ranging from 1 to 20 microns.
Adjustments in the coating can make the wafer position-sensitive, so that it can detect not only whether there are neutrons, but also which direction they're coming from, Klann said. By employing several of the devices, users can narrow the location of suspicious materials to within a few feet.
The wafers have been fabricated in facilities at the University of Michigan and Kansas State for about $100 each. Combining the wafer with off-the-shelf electronic components, Klann can build a palm-size detector for less than $2,000.
Full Article:
http://smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=4045 |
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GamersDepot Interviews Matrox about the Parhelia |
6/29/2002 |
"GD: Under which scenarios do you think we'll see the performance advantage of Parhelia over the current crop of video cards?
Kamran/Matrox
"Well, with three monitors hooked up, I’d say we beat everyone else by a factor of everything versus nothing. But for traditional setups, our performance advantage will kick in with image quality settings pushed to the max. It is well understood that Matrox opted for pushing the envelope on the features and quality side rather than on the clock rate side. We feel that we achieve great performance in the default quality modes, and so wanted to sustain that great performance with quality pushed to the max. There have been quite a few benchmarks run on our card that are now public and I think that the conclusions that have been drawn are that with FAA-16x enabled we usually beat the highest scores that other video cards can provide with their maximum AA quality set."
He went on to say that the Matrox also out-performs computer systems without video cards installed by a factor of 10 to 0 and my little kitty laptops.
Full Interview:
http://www.gamersdepot.com/interviews/matrox/001.htm |
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FTC to search engines: Disclose paid links |
6/29/2002 |
Internet search engines that take money from Web sites in exchange for prominent placement should make that practice clearer to Web users, federal regulators said Friday.
Many search engine Web sites, including AltaVista, LookSmart and AOL Search, give preferred placement to paid advertisers. The Federal Trade Commission said that prime space can confuse Web users who are looking for the best response to their search, rather than ads for sites that paid up front.
The commission's decision came in response to a complaint from consumer advocacy group Commercial Alert, which is backed by activist Ralph Nader.
Full Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/06/28/search.engine.ads.ap/index.html |
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eBay still a victim of fraud |
6/29/2002 |
"Joseph D'Amelio thought he'd found a great deal on eBay: a 2000 Porsche 911 for $50,000.
After talking to the seller and getting a copy the car's title sent to him in advance, he wired the money to an escrow company--and fell victim to an elaborate scam. But the seller had actually hijacked a legitimate eBay member's account and set up a fake escrow service.
Out the money and angry at eBay, the Atlanta resident is vowing to never shop there again: "This wasn't $50. This was $50,000. But there was no help," said D'Amelio, who said he got form letters back from eBay when he alerted them to the fraud. "They're useless in a bad situation. I tell everybody to stay away from eBay."
D'Amelio's complaint strikes at the heart of the small but persistent problem of fraud at eBay. Although the company downplays fraud as affecting only one one-hundredth of one percent to one-tenth of one percent of all auctions, eBay's business model rests on buyers and sellers trusting each other. A whiff of a scam, and the deal is off--and eBay loses not only the commission, but also, in cases like D'Amelio, a once loyal customer.
And D'Amelio, who once bought a $2,000 Cartier watch off eBay, is just the kind of big-ticket buyer eBay wants to attract."
Full Article:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-940445.html
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New Apache worm starts to spread |
6/29/2002 |
Security experts are rushing to decode a worm program that exploits a 2-week-old flaw to infect computers running vulnerable versions of the popular open-source Apache Web server application.
The worm is thought to be capable of spreading only to Web servers running the FreeBSD operating system, an open-source variant of Unix, that haven't had a patch applied for the recent flaw. Although few people have reported the worm, it is thought to be infecting vulnerable Web servers worldwide.
"It is spreading," said Domas Mituzas, a systems developer for Baltic information-technology firm Microlink Systems and the first to report the new worm. "It hit us from Poland, and the comments are in Italian, so it could be from any part of the world."
From his early analysis of the worm, the 19-year-old Lithuanian programmer believes it was designed to create a flood net--a collection of compromised servers that can be used in a denial-of-service attack to overwhelm a target with data.
Full Article:
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-940585.html?tag=fd_top
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Carmack apologizes to Matrox & pushes OpenGL2.0 |
6/28/2002 |
Information received from id Software's Public Finger Service:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: John Carmack
Email:
Description: Programmer
Project:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
June 27, 2002
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More graphics card notes:
I need to apologize to Matrox -- their implementation of hardware displacement
mapping is NOT quad based. I was thinking about a certain other companies
proposed approach. Matrox's implementation actually looks quite good, so even
if we don't use it because of the geometry amplification issues, I think it
will serve the noble purpose of killing dead any proposal to implement a quad
based solution.
I got a 3Dlabs P10 card in last week, and yesterday I put it through its
paces. Because my time is fairly over committed, first impressions often
determine how much work I devote to a given card. I didn't speak to ATI for
months after they gave me a beta 8500 board last year with drivers that
rendered the console incorrectly. :-)
I was duly impressed when the P10 just popped right up with full functional
support for both the fallback ARB_ extension path (without specular
highlights), and the NV10 NVidia register combiners path. I only saw two
issues that were at all incorrect in any of our data, and one of them is
debatable. They don't support NV_vertex_program_1_1, which I use for the NV20
path, and when I hacked my programs back to 1.0 support for testing, an
issue did show up, but still, this is the best showing from a new board from
any company other than Nvidia.
It is too early to tell what the performance is going to be like, because they
don't yet support a vertex object extension, so the CPU is hand feeding all
the vertex data to the card at the moment. It was faster than I expected for
those circumstances.
Given the good first impression, I was willing to go ahead and write a new
back end that would let the card do the entire Doom interaction rendering in
a single pass. The most expedient sounding option was to just use the Nvidia
extensions that they implement, NV_vertex_program and NV_register_combiners,
with seven texture units instead of the four available on GF3/GF4. Instead, I
decided to try using the prototype OpenGL 2.0 extensions they provide.
-------------
Follow-up to article
http://www.elektrik-sheep.com/news/fullnews.cgi?newsid1025078566,12472,
To read his full report:
http://finger.planetquake.com/plan.asp?userid=johnc |
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Texans Chip in to Rescue Stranded Chicken-Hypnotist |
6/28/2002 |
From the "so absurd it couldn't have been made up" category
----
LONDON (Reuters) - The plight of an Alaskan chicken-hypnotist whose circus tour was cut short in Edinburgh when a charity shop sold her bicycle by mistake has tweaked heartstrings as far afield as Austin, Texas.
Emily Harris left the 1,200-pound ($1,800) bicycle inside the shop this week and found it was missing after she came out of a fitting room. A shop assistant had sold it for 10 pounds.
Now a group of Austin engineers, who read about her loss on the Internet, have raised $525 to help the 25-year-old from Palmer, Alaska, buy a new bicycle and resume her tour.
"There's been tons of layoffs here, Austin's been hit pretty hard with the technology sector, so we're just looking to do something to cheer ourselves up," software engineer Lawrence Hartley, who started the impromptu fundraising, told Reuters.
Hartley said he and his friends had identified with Harris after reading that her star act consisted of hypnotizing chickens and making them play the piano.
"We're all pretty much not quite normal. We identify more with a chicken-hypnotist than with the normal world," he said.
Full Article:
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=1145489
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