ACM TechNews - Friday, January 12, 2001

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ACM TechNews
Volume 3, Number 152
Date: January 12, 2001
Site Sponsored by Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)

Top Stories for Friday, January 12, 2001:
http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html

"The Dog Day in June the Lights Went Out"
"Clinton Advisers Trace Productivity Gains to Technology"
"Clinton Reduces Export Curbs on Computers"
"President May Need a Tech Czar"
"Dutch Employers Can Monitor Employees' Online Activities"
"Israel High Tech Braces for Drop in Investment"
"Consumers Holding Off on Buying Computers"
"Microsoft Competitors Hire Starr to Back Breakup"
"Privacy Policies Could Hang Dying Dot-Coms"
"Europe Tries to Take On Spammers"
"Are All Dot-Com Layoffs Created Equal?"
"Do You Even Know Who's Watching?"
"Yahoo! Will Allow Nazi Stamps, Coins"
"Global Consortium to Market IPv6 Tech in India"
"Quantum Computers: Using Light Instead of Moving Atoms"
"Outlook for 2001"
"Change Agents: The Leading Trends for 2001's Digital Citizen"
"If Girls Don't Get IT, IT Won't Get Girls"
"Protecting Digital Content"

******************* News Stories ***********************

"The Dog Day in June the Lights Went Out"
The energy crisis in California, where utility officials continue
to threaten rolling blackouts, may wreak havoc in Silicon Valley.
High-tech firms fear a repeat of Jun. 14 of last year, when
energy shortages forced many utilities to blackout customers.  . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item1

"Clinton Advisers Trace Productivity Gains to Technology"
President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) yesterday
issued its final report in which it said technology was the
driving force behind recent economic gains in productivity and
efficiency.  The report found that technology applied throughout . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item2

"Clinton Reduces Export Curbs on Computers"
The White House yesterday announced it would allow computer
makers to export more powerful machines to several countries,
including Russia, China, and Vietnam.  The decision to reduce
export controls follows an internal review that concluded that . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item3

"President May Need a Tech Czar"
Tech-industry analysts say President-elect George W. Bush should
name a "tech czar" to play the role of White House CIO.  The tech
czar would oversee tech issues for the federal government,
including Internet privacy and sales tax on e-commerce purchases.  . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item4

"Dutch Employers Can Monitor Employees' Online Activities"
A new data protection ordinance grants employers in the
Netherlands the right to monitor the email and Web activities of
their employees, according to the Dutch Data Protection
Registrar, or Registratiekamer.  "The prohibition on processing . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item5

"Israel High Tech Braces for Drop in Investment"
Sources from the venture-capital industry predict that investment
in Israeli high-tech firms will decline this year by as much as
50 percent.  The decline follows a record-setting year for
high-tech investment in Israel, with a total of $3.1 billion . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item6

"Consumers Holding Off on Buying Computers"
Revenue from the sale of PCs in December 2000 fell 30 percent
from the same period in 1999, according to a recent report from
PC Data.  Analysts say the slow sales will likely continue into
the new year.  Many analysts think that the decline in PC . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item7

"Microsoft Competitors Hire Starr to Back Breakup"
A trade group of Microsoft rivals, including Oracle, America
Online, and Sun Microsystems, has hired Kenneth Starr to bolster
the government's case against the software giant.  Although Starr
gained public notice as he pursued the Whitewater case and later . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item8

"Privacy Policies Could Hang Dying Dot-Coms"
The privacy firestorm surrounding Toysmart.com's attempted sale
of its customer database may have ended with parent company Walt
Disney's purchase of the data, but analysts say other online
retailers may be tempted to commit similar privacy violations in . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item9

"Europe Tries to Take On Spammers"
European legislators have set their sights on the prohibition of
spam and other unsolicited electronic messages, but European
Union Commissioner Erkki Liikanen acknowledged at a public
hearing that enforcement would be a difficult proposition.  Under . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item10

"Are All Dot-Com Layoffs Created Equal?"
Dot-com layoffs have been the target of much recent media
attention, but few reports have focused on the different reasons
for the job cuts.  More than 40,000 dot-com jobs were cut in
2000, but the causes of the layoffs changed over time, according . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item11

"Do You Even Know Who's Watching?"
Germany's Virtual Privacy Center educates citizens on their right
to control their personal information online, and Independent
Center for Privacy Protection head Marit Koehntopp hopes its
cause will encourage worldwide participation.  "The user has to . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item12

"Yahoo! Will Allow Nazi Stamps, Coins"
Yahoo!'s recently imposed ban on the sale of Nazi memorabilia on
its Web sites will not include copies of Adolf Hitler's "Mein
Kampf" or Nazi coins and stamps, the company has announced.  The
company says it views Mein Kampf as an educational resource.  The . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item13

"Global Consortium to Market IPv6 Tech in India"
The Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) forum, held in India, is
considering marketing next generation IPv6 technologies in Asia
with a focus on India.  India could then leverage these
technologies to enter global markets.  "Now we have a chance to . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item14

"Quantum Computers: Using Light Instead of Moving Atoms"
Although quantum computers require only the spins of atoms to
operate, the devices can take up an entire room, according to
Pierre M. Petroff of the University of California, Santa Barbara.
A research team led by Petroff has created a device that may . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item15

"Outlook for 2001"
IT executives appear confident that their budgets will rise this
year, despite recent concerns about the economy, according to
InformationWeek Research's Outlook For 2001 Study.  Although many
large tech companies have taken a beating on Wall Street . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item16

"Change Agents: The Leading Trends for 2001's Digital Citizen"
The year 2001 will be a year of major developments key to the
growth of the Internet.  In the digital entertainment industry,
the controversy over copyrighted material online is expected to
continue.  Early in the year, the courts will decide on the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item17

"If Girls Don't Get IT, IT Won't Get Girls"
High school girls show the same level of competence in technology
as boys, but are five times less likely to consider IT careers,
according to a recent study from Arthur Andersen's GROW (Growth
and Retention of Women) Project.  About 500 girls and 150 boys . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item18

"Protecting Digital Content"
Congress will most likely have to deal with the copyright
protection of digital content during its next session.  Although
the copyright industries, which include movie studios and record
companies, allege that they want to wait and see how well the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0112f.html#item19


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