Please see the Digital Issues page for a personal summary and reflections on computing issues from ASLA 2004 in Salt Lake.

Edward Flaherty

1:50:37 PM    

 

Novell extols desktop Linux. Novell this week spruced up a version of its Linux desktop aimed squarely at enterprise users. [InfoWorld: Top News]

 

9:49:26 AM    

 

Bluetooth chews on future plans. Technical group outlines its wireless plans through 2006, updates current specification to trim power consumption. [CNET News.com]

 

9:48:46 AM    

 

Skype Founder Interviewed On Engadget. prostoalex writes "Niklas Zennstr[^]m, the ever-elusive CEO of Skype, is interviewed by Engadget. Turns out Skype currently has more than 13 mln users in 200+ countries. The interview also discusses the future of Skype and VOIP applications in general." [Slashdot]

 

9:48:09 AM    

 

Best Buy: 20% Of Customers Are Wrong. Mr Show writes "Ars Technica has an article up discussing Best Buy's strategies to drive off the deal hunters. It's a good follow up to the Slashdot story from back in July, and offers some details on what they're actually trying to do." [Slashdot]

 

9:46:34 AM    

 

Everything Is Green at This Fair. San Francisco's Green Festival is a cornucopia of environmentally conscious products and services, displaying everything from a corn-based disposable printer to hemp bars. Daniel Terdiman reports from San Francisco. [Wired News]

 

9:45:14 AM    

 

The Great Southwest Salt Saga. How an accidental oasis in the Mexican desert sank Arizona's $250 million desalination plant. A case study in the law of unintended consequences. By Jeff Howe from Wired magazine. [Wired News]

 

9:44:46 AM    

 

Ideas Stolen Right From Nature. Nature is pretty good at solving engineering problems, so designers are increasingly turning to biomimetics to improve their products and ideas. By Rowan Hooper. [Wired News]

 

9:43:49 AM    

 

OpenBSD Project Announces OpenBGPD. 44BSD writes "As noted at undeadly, the OpenBSD Project has announced an BSD-licensed implementation of the Border Gateway Protocol, BGP. Project details, design goals, documentation, and more are at the project web site. BGP is documented in RFC 1771. Lucky for Cisco, BSD is dying..." [Slashdot]

 

9:43:10 AM    

 

UK firms 'embracing e-commerce'. A minister hails progress on e-commerce after a study suggests UK firms are the third most sophisticated users of IT. [BBC News | Technology | UK Edition]

 

9:42:15 AM    

 

Mozilla releases Firefox 1.0. update The release could make a big impact if pre-release trends propel the browser into serious contention with Internet Explorer. [CNET News.com]

 

9:41:17 AM    

 

Sony Ericsson V800 3G handset. Review The phone 3G was made for? [The Register]

 

9:39:06 AM    

 

Say hello to the 'time bomb' exploit. Danger UXB [The Register]

 

9:36:32 AM    

 

NASA scramjet goes for Mach 10 burn. Monday launch for third X-43A [The Register]

 

9:34:02 AM    

 

Mars Express sends postcard from Phobos. Mars moon in all its hi-res glory [The Register]

 

9:33:31 AM    

 

Where Is Sun Going With Linux?. jg21 writes "LinuxWorld has an interview with Sun's head software honcho John Loiacono which provides an opportunity to gauge Sun's intentions with regard to Linux in particular, open source in general, and where Solaris fits in. In spite of the assertion "Sun was founded on the principle of open source. We have contributed more lines of open source code than any other entity on the planet except for Cal Berkeley," Sun seems to view Linux somewhat grudgingly, judging from Loiacono's tone: "Linux is something that we'll have to interoperate with because it may exist far beyond whatever Solaris turns out to be." An important read, if only because a Windows-free Loiacono notes that he's been using the Linux-based Java Desktop System for a year. "It is not perfect by any means," he concedes though. Refreshing honesty from Sun's top software exec." [Slashdot]

 

9:32:45 AM    

 

Making Holograms In The Kitchen. Paul writes "Over at www.litiholo.com is a newly launched hologram kit that lets you make your own holograms at home. No, it's not Princess Leia asking you for help, but it's still pretty cool making a hologram on your kitchen table. Particularly interesting is the instant hologram film that makes holograms with no developing (kind of a Polaroid film for holograms). The hologram kit costs $99, including the laser, film, and everything else." [Slashdot]

 

9:31:19 AM    

 

Cisco expands WLAN line, teams up with AirDefense. Cisco Systems has announced a pair of wireless access points that offer dual-band connectivity and said its line of wireless networking products is being integrated with intrusion-detection software from AirDefense. [Computerworld News]

 

9:29:14 AM    

 

Whom do you trust?   Vote Fraud Theories, Spread by Blogs, Are Quickly Buried. Some Web logs were swift to provide dark theories about the presidential election, but others were just as quick to debunk them. By By TOM ZELLER Jr.. [NYT > Technology]

 

9:28:15 AM    

 

UPS reinvents package flow. UPS likes to do things big way. Last year, the company garnered a place in the InfoWorld 100 with a wireless project that will ultimately replace 55,000 scanning devices. This year, the company takes the coveted top slot, thanks to a nine-year, $600 million package flow initiative that as of October 2004 has successfully transformed 250 of the companyís 1,500 package centers. [InfoWorld: Top News]

 

9:26:43 AM    

 

McAfee, CA integrate anti-spyware. As pests, adware, and other malicious applications infiltrate corporate computers with greater frequency, some vendors, including McAfee and Computer Associates, are bundling anti-spyware into security management suites, giving IT more tools to control the hazard. [InfoWorld: Top News]

 

9:26:00 AM    

 

Games and landscape...moving a viewer through a landscape...is that landscape architecture???  Halo sequel delivers on the hype. Halo 2 has the feel of an instant classic, with addictive gameplay and impressive graphics. [BBC News | Technology | UK Edition]

 

9:25:12 AM