ACM TechNews - Monday, June 25, 2001

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ACM TechNews
Volume 3, Number 218
Date: June 25, 2001
Site Sponsored by Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)

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

"Telecommuting Gets Stuck in the Slow Lane"
"I.B.M. to Announce Plans for Fast Transistor"
"Tech Industry Seeks Salvation in High-Speed
 Internet Connections"
"Electronic Government Has a Long Way to Go, OMB Chief Says"
"U.S.: Fear Countries, Not Hackers"
"Even When Jobs Are Plentiful, Experience Is a Must"
"Firms Find New Uses For Web"
"Slew of New Domain Names Released in Europe"
"Chemists at UC Berkeley Produce the World's Smallest Laser"
"SimDesk's Software-Over-Net Plan Has Blowout Potential"
"Electronics Makers to Launch Recycling Study"
"Insiders Are Main Computer Security Threat-Survey"
"Internal Threats Justify Increase in Security Spending"
"Tech Firms Alter Furlough Plans to Avoid Legal Questions"
"Execs Become Hackers to Learn How to Stop Snoopers"
"The Challenge of 'Customerization' in Financial Services"
"Personal Networks"
"Software Firms Search for Great Young Minds"
"Tech Needs More Women Says IBM Exec"

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

"Telecommuting Gets Stuck in the Slow Lane"
Telecommuting has not fulfilled its promise, industry observers
say, with fewer employees interested in working at home, and
fewer employers wanting to offer the opportunity.  The U.S.
Department of Labor says there were roughly 21 million . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item1

"I.B.M. to Announce Plans for Fast Transistor"
IBM will reveal Monday that it has developed what could be the
fastest silicon-based transistor yet.  The transistor, based on a
unique method of silicon manufacturing called silicon germanium,
uses 50 percent less power and runs 80 percent faster than . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item2

"Tech Industry Seeks Salvation in High-Speed
 Internet Connections"
Tech companies are lobbying Washington for assistance in building
out nationwide high-speed Internet networks that could stimulate
tech markets.  Last week, the Computer Systems Policy Project--a
consortium of tech giants such as Intel, Motorola, and IBM--met . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item3

"Electronic Government Has a Long Way to Go, OMB Chief Says"
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Mitch Daniels
Thursday reported to the House Government Reform Committee on
federal agencies' progress in e-government.  Specifically, he
addressed each agency's strategy for making all forms available . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item4

"U.S.: Fear Countries, Not Hackers"
Lawrence Gershwin, a technology specialist for the CIA, told
members of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee that
hackers and terrorists pose only "a limited cyber threat" and
that the real danger comes from nations such as China and Russia, . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item5

"Even When Jobs Are Plentiful, Experience Is a Must"
Despite the woes of the dot-com sector, Internet-related jobs are
still booming.  U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao last week
said, "The economy is still producing thousands of service and
technology jobs that go unfilled, even with the recent downturn . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item6

"Firms Find New Uses For Web"
Business portals let workers receive all the information required
for their job on a personalized Web page, increasing efficiency
and creating better business methods.  The U.S. National
Institute of Standards found that business portals increase . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item7

"Slew of New Domain Names Released in Europe"
On June 19, New.net announced that 10 new alternative top level
domain names will be available in Europe, including .arts,
.school, .church, and .love.  The names will cost $25, and will
be available for registration later this week.  New.net . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item8

"Chemists at UC Berkeley Produce the World's Smallest Laser"
Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have
developed a laser one-tenth the width of a human hair.  Such a
tiny instrument could give rise to microchip-aided chemical
analysis, enhanced eye surgery, or increased CD storage capacity. . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item9

"SimDesk's Software-Over-Net Plan Has Blowout Potential"
SimDesk, a small, Houston-based startup, is offering software
that could challenge the desktop applications market that
Microsoft now dominates.  SimDesk's software provides the basic
applications that Windows users receive from Word, Excel, and . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item10

"Electronics Makers to Launch Recycling Study"
Electronics manufacturers are preparing an extensive pilot
program to evaluate the recycling of used computing and
electronics equipment.  Thursday, the Electronics Industries
Alliance announced that it will conduct a one-year project to . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item11

"Insiders Are Main Computer Security Threat-Survey"
Authorized users are the biggest threats that U.S. companies face
to their computer systems, according to a survey by Digital
Research.  Of the 548 businesses polled, 57 percent said that
their worst security breaches were from workers accessing . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item12

"Internal Threats Justify Increase in Security Spending"
Gartner research shows that firms will spend up to 4 percent of
their total revenue on security by 2011, up from just 0.4 percent
currently.  By 2004, 80 percent of all enterprises will use the
Internet for integral business processes, according to Gartner.  . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item13

"Tech Firms Alter Furlough Plans to Avoid Legal Questions"
Several tech firms in Silicon Valley have changed unpaid-leave
plans for employees after receiving notice of possible litigation
by the state.  Adobe Systems, Network Appliance, Sun
Microsystems, and Xilinx told staff to take off the week of the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item14

"Execs Become Hackers to Learn How to Stop Snoopers"
Corporate IT officers attending Ernst & Young's eXtreme Hacking
class learn the details of sophisticated attacks on their
networks.  Executives taking the five-day class eventually are
able to mount an attack against a mock system and steal payroll . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item15

"The Challenge of 'Customerization' in Financial Services"
The financial services industry can offer far more
customer-centric advantages than what is currently being offered.
Through mass customization, tailoring products or services to
individual tastes is no longer as expensive or time-consuming as . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item16

"Personal Networks"
The next step of the Internet's development will likely be the
rise of personal area networks (PANs), which will let individual
users have seamless and wireless access to other devices and the
Internet from their PDAs, cell phones, and other devices.  This . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item17

"Software Firms Search for Great Young Minds"
Software firms in China are suffering from a lack of management
talent in the domestic market.  Managerial talent will be crucial
to the nation's desire to become a key player in the global
marketplace of software products.  Software firms will need to be . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item18

"Tech Needs More Women Says IBM Exec"
IBM executive Janet Perna, addressing the Women in Technology
Summit in Santa Clara, Calif., on Thursday, urged fellow IT
professionals to bring more women into the industry.  Perna,
general manager of IBM's data management solutions division, told . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0625m.html#item19


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