24 September 2002

Grassroots Connectivity Nicholas Negroponte and Peter Cochrane think there will be a grassroots movement to supplant some of the services now offered by traditional telecom companies. They point to the growth of Wi-Fi networks in the U.S. and the movement in Europe by local municipalities and universities to build and operate their own telecom networks. These things will change the way telecom services operate forever, says Negroponte. "Telecom could invert itself and become a bottom-up phenomenon."

Weapons-Grade Uranium Headed for Iraq CNN.com -- Reports indicate that 33 pounds of weapons-grade uranium was seized 155 miles from Iraq's border. This is the kind of smoking gun that the US will use to invade Iraq.

Hacking by Any Other Name The New York Times then Ireland's Sunday Tribune reported last week how Congress is struggling to find a definition of the term "hacking". Debate in Congress over legislation proposed by Howard Berman's bill would give the recording industry the right to use network software to inspect people's personal computer files to make sure they do not contain copyrighted music. USA Today carries thoughts from Berman's opponents who say it goes too far in invading the rights of individuals. Wayne State University professor and computer security expert Jessica Litman says of the proposed legislation: "What it seems to say is that if the copyright owner doesn't impair the integrity of files, it gets a complete free pass, and if it does impair the integrity of files, it gets a qualified cheap pass." Stan Lebowitz, a management professor at University of Texas-Dallas, comments: "Spoofing seems like a legitimate technique for them to use. Hacking, however, seems to go to far" -- and notes that what the bill allows "would still qualify as hacking, under most laws and in most people's minds."