Report: City-run Wi-Fi plans could have 'grave flaws'. City-run wireless broadband networks, which appear to be gaining popularity in a number of major metropolitan areas, haven't been fully studied and are being touoted with dubious claims about their benefits, according to the New Millennium Research Council. [Computerworld News]

 

2:40:58 PM    

 

oops, how did this one get in here...Brando's back in EA's 'Godfather'. Catch up with the latest news from the world of video gaming. [BBC News | Technology | UK Edition]

 

2:40:09 PM    

 

Big computer storage gets smaller. The growth in hard disk technology is set to continue with more storage in ever smaller products. [BBC News | Technology | UK Edition]

 

2:38:11 PM    

 

Will India's outsourcers rule China's roost?. New report hints that India's tech services firms could play a role in consolidating China's software-outsourcing industry. [CNET News.com]

 

2:37:11 PM    

 

Wardriving landscape architecture maps are...Large-Format Printable Wardriving Maps of Seattle. drewzhrodague writes "In what is sure to tie up a few print queues, us guys at WiFiMaps.com have released large-format printable maps of Seattle. These were generated during a collaboration with the University of Washington's communications department. This is one of the most comprehensive Wi-Fi mapping project to date, as 100 undergrads swarmed downtown Seattle to collect wardriving data. We've rendered their results at 300dpi, for letter, tabloid, and architectural E sized paper. There is both the standard layout, and the aerial versions available using bittorrent." [Slashdot]

 

2:36:23 PM    

 

Long distance conference call, please...can you see me now?...can you see these plan markups now?   Resurrected Full-Screen VoIP Phones. An anonymous reader writes "Looking for a suitable VoIP phone, I came across these Full-Screen Thin-Client Phones. Not only do they do voice, but they also have a 480x640 screen running at 65K colors and run a number of apps remotely via VNC. They seem to allow a lot more functionality than normal phones, and look really cool too. The site says they have 70 phones running in their office. This seems the way forward for telephony-computer convergence in the 21st century. A document at the end of the page explains their approach and has some cool pictures as well." [Slashdot]

 

2:34:53 PM    

 

Where the virtual landscape intersects with the landscape in real life...Third-World Sweatshops Producing Virtual Goods. prostoalex writes "MSNBC points to the court cases spawned by virtual worlds. Recently, Tom Loftus notes, a virtual island in one of the MMORPGs sold for $30,000, enough to attract commercial attention. Apparently, some businesses create third-world sweatshops, where low-wage laborers are being paid to play and accumulate enough virtual merchandise, so that an eBay sale of it makes the operation profitable. 'One such business, Blacksnow Interactive, actually sued a virtual world's creator in 2002 for attempting to crack down on the practice. The first of its kind to center on virtual goods, the case was eventually dropped,' MSNBC says." [Slashdot]

 

2:31:34 PM    

 

Christie's to auction computer history. This isn't your average eBay auction. For those who want to own a bit of computer and Internet history, the venerable auction house Christie's International is putting on the block a collection of documents that follow the evolution of computing from the 1600s to the 1970s.[InfoWorld: Top News]

 

2:29:33 PM    

 

Freedom to Tinker: BitTrickle. "BitTorrent's main effect is not to make downloads faster as the number of users increases, but to keep downloads from getting much slower." [Hack the Planet]

 

2:28:18 PM    

 

The landscape at large...Dairy Cows Breathe Easier. A long-awaited study attempts to clear the air about just how much dairy cows contribute to air pollution. But the California Air Resources Board says more research is needed. By Amit Asaravala. [Wired News]

 

2:27:25 PM    

 

:)  Indian teen kidnaps self to buy Nokia mobe. Crim mastermind collared by Caller ID [The Register]

 

2:26:17 PM    

 

Browser alternative...Readers respond to Firefox column. Column titled "Business Must Be Cautious With Firefox" generates reader response. [Computerworld News]

 

2:24:29 PM    

 

This is about using an iPod as a RSS based newsreader...I'm still wondering how this might be part of a landscape architect's field kit...Doppler Radio 2.0 is out. "Doppler 2.0 is a different story." [Scripting News]

 

2:23:20 PM    

 

World's largest Linux migration gets major boost. Deutsche Bahn, Germany's national railway, said today that it has successfully migrated all of its 55,000 Lotus Notes users to Linux. [Computerworld News]

 

2:19:21 PM    

 

It just does not end...Thirteen patches planned in next Microsoft security update. Microsoft has telegraphed its plans to release 13 security patches as part of its regular monthly security update next Tuesday. [Computerworld News]

 

2:18:37 PM