ACM TechNews - Friday, May 25, 2001

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ACM TechNews
Volume 3, Number 207
Date: May 25, 2001
Site Sponsored by Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)

Top Stories for Friday, May 25, 2001:
http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html

"Tech Firms Unruffled by Impending Senate Power Shift"
"A 'White Hat' Goes to Jail"
"Computer Vandals Clog Antivandalism Web Site"
"Senate Approves Permanent R&D Tax Credit"
"EU Waits for U.S. in Microsoft Antitrust Case"
"Talking to Computers"
"Batteries Push Paper Into Electronics Age"
"Oakland Hosts Energy Department Supercomputer Lab"
"Microsoft Survey Finds Tech Optimism in Europe"
"Europe Ready to Fund Asian IT Projects"
"Hobbyists Souping Up Electronics"
"Despite Slump, New Server Companies Flourish"
"Privacy Is Becoming Everyone's Business"
"Democrats Talk IT"
"Linux Looks Good on Server"
"Proponents Take IPv6 Off Its Pedestal"
"Getting the Lead Out"
"Skills for Tomorrow"
"Buzzing Around"

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

"Tech Firms Unruffled by Impending Senate Power Shift"
Although Sen. James Jefford's (R-Vt.) apparent decision to leave
the GOP to become either a Democrat or an independent, shifting
the balance of power in the Senate to the Democrats, has sent
shockwaves through Washington, D.C., tech industry officials do . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item1

"A 'White Hat' Goes to Jail"
Computer security expert Max Butler was sentenced to 18 months in
prison for hacking, but his case highlights the difficulties in
distinguishing between good guy and bad guy hackers.  Max Butler,
also known as Max Vision, ran Max Vision Network Security, which . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item2

"Computer Vandals Clog Antivandalism Web Site"
The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) was knocked offline
Monday and Tuesday after a distributed denial of service (DDoS)
attack sent information into its Web site at rates several
hundred times higher than normal.  The CERT Coordination Center, . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item3

"Senate Approves Permanent R&D Tax Credit"
The Senate on Wednesday ratified a permanent research and
development (R&D) tax credit, with senators voting 62-38 in favor
of the plan.  Campaigners for the R&D tax credit had feared that
the addition would not be included among the tax packages in the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item4

"EU Waits for U.S. in Microsoft Antitrust Case"
The European Commission's efforts to bring Microsoft to trial are
on hold, pending a firmer resolution by U.S. officials to pursue
the matter.  EU competition director general Alexander Schaub
explained at a meeting in Berlin earlier this week that his team . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item5

"Talking to Computers"
New technologies may not signal the end for the standard devices
used with computers, some experts predict.  Alan Hedge, a
professor of ergonomics at Cornell University, thinks that the
mouse could be on its way out, while Terry Winograd, a professor . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item6

"Batteries Push Paper Into Electronics Age"
Israeli electronics company Power Paper has developed a battery
that can be printed onto paper, plastic, or other surfaces,
opening up a variety of possible applications.  CEO Baruch
Levanon says the battery uses conventional energy storage . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item7

"Oakland Hosts Energy Department Supercomputer Lab"
The Department of Energy is currently testing a new
2,528-processor supercomputer that it plans to bring online this
summer.  The supercomputer is located at the department's
Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory in Oakland, Calif.  . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item8

"Microsoft Survey Finds Tech Optimism in Europe"
A new poll from International Data (IDC), on behalf of Microsoft,
reveals that 93 percent of 500 senior executives in Europe are
planning to retain or raise IT spending this fiscal year.  The
IDC survey found that 60 percent of executives have confidence in . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item9

"Europe Ready to Fund Asian IT Projects"
The 15 countries in the European Union and 17 countries in South
and Southeast Asia are currently working together to build their
collective IT and communications.  The European Union agreed to
co-fund up to 100 programs that would link the European and Asian . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item10

"Hobbyists Souping Up Electronics"
Enthusiasts can add modifications to a number of electronic
devices, altering their function.  TiVo, a digital recorder of
television programs, is a favorite target of such high-tech
tinkerers--they increase its recording time by installing extra . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item11

"Despite Slump, New Server Companies Flourish"
New server companies are capitalizing on the tight economy to
sell low-power, optimized servers to data centers and corporate
buyers.  Based on a component "blade" design, hundreds of these
small computer boxes can be placed in a traditional server rack. . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item12

"Privacy Is Becoming Everyone's Business"
The privacy consulting business is rapidly expanding to help
corporations deal with mounting consumer fears and the
difficulties posed by different U.S., European, and international
privacy regulations, especially recent U.S. laws concerning . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item13

"Democrats Talk IT"
Members of the Clinton administration, including the former
president himself, have made or are scheduled to make key
speeches before tech audiences.  This week, Al Gore gave the
keynote address at the Association of Communications Enterprises' . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item14

"Linux Looks Good on Server"
Linux-based systems are quickly gaining ground in the commercial
server market as the technology improves and big vendors adopt
the platform.  Tests on IBM's DB2 7.2 Linux 2.4.3 database server
demonstrate that it beats Microsoft's SQL Server 2000 running . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item15

"Proponents Take IPv6 Off Its Pedestal"
Backers of the new Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) standard
are now touting only one reason for migrating networks from the
existing Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)--the addition of
several billion more IP addresses.  The wireless industry has . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item16

"Getting the Lead Out"
The European Parliament has toughened the European Commission's
original proposals on electronic waste.  Last week the Parliament
adopted the changes, which include increasing the target
collection rates for electronic waste, setting 30 months--instead . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item17

"Skills for Tomorrow"
With the pace of technological change rapidly increasing,
companies are taking several approaches to the evaluation and
implementation of cutting-edge systems.  At Northrop Grumman
subsidiary PRC, the company has established a process known as . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item18

"Buzzing Around"
A Xerox researcher in France has devised a new network for
distributing digital information.  Applying the approach in which
bees distribute pollen from flower to flower, Dave Snowden, a
researcher at the Xerox Research Center in Grenoble, has . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0525f.html#item19


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