Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Microsoft to unveil antispam plans. Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates will use this week's RSA Conference in San Francisco to unveil a proposed open technology standard that Microsoft hopes will make it harder to fake the source of unsolicited commercial e-mail. [InfoWorld: Top News] 4:12:31 PM    comment []

Congress Is Urged to Pass Amendment to the Constitution. President Bush said he wants to stop activist judges from changing the definition of the "most enduring human institution." By The Associated Press. [New York Times: NYT HomePage] 4:11:32 PM    comment []

Briefly: Google, EFF rally in trademark case. The two file amicus briefs in a case that could affect the search engine ad business...An ex-ViewSonic worker must serve one year in prison...Napster: 5 million songs sold. [CNET News.com - Front Door] 4:10:15 PM    comment []

Greenspan Says Mortgage Debt May Be Threat. Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could pose a threat to the country's financial system if their debt is not restrained, the Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said today. By The Associated Press. [New York Times: Business] 4:09:24 PM    comment []

HP calls in Gartner cheerleader for Opteron launch. EPIC backtrack [The Register] 4:06:06 PM    comment []

Senate panel hears VoIP arguments. While agreeing on the need to go easy with federal regulations, U.S. senators on Tuesday split over whether states should be able to tax Internet phone calls. [CNET News.com - Front Door] 4:05:04 PM    comment []

S.E.C. Charges FleetBoston Unit in Fraud. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said today it charged a FleetBoston unit with civil securities fraud involving improper mutual fund trading. By Reuters. [New York Times: Business] 4:03:33 PM    comment []

Finding a way to fry spam. Author and consultant John Levine has made the elimination of annoying junk e-mail his life's work. But is he close to realizing his dream? [CNET News.com - Front Door] 4:00:41 PM    comment []

Yahoo, Sendmail to test antispam system. The companies are developing an authentication system to reduce the common spam practice of spoofing, and they plan to test it by March. [CNET News.com - Front Door] 4:00:15 PM    comment []

MySQL Profits From Open Source. Linux is still the most famous open-source app, but database software using the same model is getting some play. MySQL is giving established software firms a run for their money. By Joanna Glasner. [Wired News] 10:23:00 AM    comment []

E-Voting Activists: Vote Absentee. Citing concerns that electronic voting machines may not count votes correctly, activists are asking voters to use a paper absentee ballot instead. By Kim Zetter. [Wired News] 10:22:35 AM    comment []

Cell Phone Reads User Fingerprint. Backed by a few technology and telecommunications heavy hitters, Atrua Technologies unveils a cell phone with a laptoplike touchpad and built-in fingerprint reader for transaction security. [Wired News] 10:22:07 AM    comment []

New Jersey to Research Stem Cells. The first state in the nation to finance stem-cell research, New Jersey will set up a $6.5 billion institute, hoping to attract the best scientists in the field. California may be right behind. [Wired News] 10:21:43 AM    comment []

Go West, Netflix. Netflix updates its numbers -- some higher, some lower. [The Motley Fool] 10:21:05 AM    comment []

Is broadband set to make power lines sing?. After years of failed promises, the time may be right for accessing the Net over power lines, now that an FCC proposal is galvanizing backers. [CNET News.com - Front Door] 10:19:36 AM    comment []

The Patriot Act Is Your Friend. This year, as the Bush administration pushes to renew some surveillance powers in the Patriot Act that are set to expire, the author of the act discusses why the legislation is misunderstood and why Americans shouldn't fear it. An interview by Kim Zetter. [Wired News] 10:18:51 AM    comment []

U.S. Still Mining Terror Data. When Congress deep-sixed the Total Information Awareness program for fear it would compromise individual privacy, the government simply moved its research to various intelligence offices. [Wired News] 10:18:01 AM    comment []

Microjets May Become Taxis of the Sky. Business travelers who are not potential purchasers - or passengers - of light corporate jets might wonder how any of this could possibly affect them. By Joe Sharkey. [New York Times: Business] 10:15:35 AM    comment []

Foreign Workers Assessing What a New Bill Will Mean. Many small business owners express doubt about President Bush's proposal that employers be able to sponsor immigrants, including those already in the country illegally. By Seth Kugel. [New York Times: Business] 10:14:13 AM    comment []

Expert Advice on Avoiding the Pitfalls of Being Small. Preventing tax woes is not all that hard, especially with inexpensive accounting software to track spending and by hiring firms that will do it for you. By David Cay Johnston. [New York Times: Business] 10:13:15 AM    comment []

Soaring Health Care Costs Leave Little Companies in a Bind. While rates are rising for almost everybody leading to higher numbers of people without insurance they have climbed even faster for small companies. By Edmund L. Andrews. [New York Times: Business] 10:12:37 AM    comment []

Another Painful Issue: On-the-Job Coverage. Health insurance is not the only kind of insurance giving small-business owners fits these days. By Robin Stein. [New York Times: Business] 10:11:53 AM    comment []

I'm considering an illegal drug deal My doctor tells me I need Lipitor to lower my cholesterol. My cut rate health plan, which I like to refer to as Kevorkian Kare, does not have a prescription drug benefit. Lipitor 40mg 90 tablets at my local CVS Pharmacy costs $319.99. The same stuff via CanadaPharmacy.com costs $190. Oh dear, oh dear, what should Mike do? 1. Should I "score" the drugs and risk criminal prosecution? I figure I could survive a stint in minimum security prison but I don't think I would fare to well if I had to do hard time. 2. Should I just move to Canada? If I do move to Canada, will I be covered under the Canadian socialized medical plan? If I move to Canada and marry a Canadian woman will I be covered by the Canadian system? 5:56:54 AM    comment []

Comcast vs. Tivo?? I was one of the early adopters of Tivo back in late 2000 but since I "upgraded" to Comcast's new digital service in March 2003, I have *not* been able to get my Tivo to work.  My Tivo does not seem to be able to control the channel changing.  I've had two service calls by Comcast and still no luck.  Yesterday I overheard a discussion between two Uber geeks at Best Buy.  It seems they had both tried Tivo with Comcast digital and couldn't get it to work. I read recently that Comcast will be launching it's own version of Tivo later this year.  Could it be that Comcast is deliberately sandbagging existing and potential Tivo customers in anticipation of launching their own service? So here's my question... has anyone out there gotten their Tivo to work with Comcast's digital service?  If yes, would you please share with me the connection configuration you use. 5:11:06 AM    comment []