February 17, 2005

Klein's former chief of staff defends $180,000 payout CBC - A former chief of staff for Alberta Premier Ralph Klein is defending a $180,000 severance package he got after months on the job, saying it was the only way he could protect himself in the "blood sport" of politics. The lucrative severance attracted calls from the opposition for Steve West – who cut thousands of jobs as cabinet minister in the 1990s – to return the money. [CBC | Canadian News] 9:28:53 PM

Linux fan concedes Microsoft is more secure VNUnet - A Linux enthusiast at the RSA Conference in San Francisco has reluctantly concluded that Microsoft produces more secure code than its open source rivals. In an academic study due to be released next month Dr Richard Ford, from the Florida Institute of Technology, and Dr Herbert Thompson, from application security firm Security Innovation, analysed vulnerabilities and patching and were forced to conclude that Windows Server 2003 is more secure than Red Hat Linux. 9:11:15 PM

AIDS scare is overblown Salon - Medical experts say the "super strain" of HIV found in a New York man is probably not so super after all. By Katharine Mieszkowski. 7:37:24 PM