January 8, 2004

Call centre to bring 300 jobs to Brandon CBC - An American company has announced plans to open a call centre in Brandon, creating as many as 300 jobs in the first two years of operation. Cincinnati-based Convergys Corporation, which handles billing, employee care and customer service for companies in 40 countries, already has operations in several Canadian cities (including Winnipeg). 9:06:25 AM

AOL launches bargain basement Net access AOL is setting up a cheap-as-chips Internet access service in its American heartland. The dial-up service, branded under the Netscape moniker, offers unlimited access for $9.95 per month. Customers will get @netscape.com addresses, and built-in spam filters for their email. The home page incorporates a Google search box, and a news headline feed.  [The Register] 9:04:20 AM

Israeli´s Plan Chosen For World Trade Center Site Israel National News - The winning plan for the memorial to be built at the site of the felled World Trade Center towers was co-designed by Israeli-born Michael Arad. Over 5,200 proposals from more than 60 countries - and from every state in the U.S. except Alaska - were received last year, and in November, eight finalists were chosen. A special team of 13 jurors deliberated this week for nearly 12 hours, and announced yesterday that it had chosen the plan entitled "Reflecting Absence." Architect Michael Arad, 34, works for New York City's Housing Authority. He is the son of former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Moshe Arad. 8:14:59 AM

Computer titans try to move in on home-entertainment profits Denver Post, CO - Microsoft, Intel, Dell and Hewlett-Packard, the stalwarts of computing, have stepped out of the office and are trying to get comfortable in the living room. Their Johnny-come-lately status makes them, for now, underdogs in the $95 billion industry highlighted at the International Consumer Electronics Show that gets underway today. But their efforts - from Dell's and H-P's entry into the flat-screen TV market to Microsoft's foray into portable media players - are far from mere toe-dipping, analysts say. 7:14:17 AM

Apple's Unlikely Guardian Angel Wired News - Over the years, one company has stuck by Apple through thick and thin. While plenty of other companies, friend and foe alike, abandoned the Mac platform, one firm's support never wavered. And when other companies failed to make products compatible with Macs, this software maker frequently made sure it shipped cross-platform products. In fact, without the backing of this firm, Apple likely would have died. Who is Apple's guardian angel? Well, it's the firm that Mac users most love to hate, the bogeyman of the Mac universe, the one company whose products some Mac fans refuse to use on principle: Microsoft. 7:11:43 AM