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ACM TechNews - Friday, August 10, 2001
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ACM TechNews
Volume 3, Number 238
Date: August 10, 2001
Site Sponsored by Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)
Top Stories for Friday, August 10, 2001:
http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html
"Russians Won't Prosecute Programmer"
"Officials Brief Bush on Microsoft Case"
"Internet Access by Telephone Grows Strongly"
"Judges' Ire Stirs Debate on Web Monitoring"
"Discarded Computers Mounting Up to Environmental Threat"
"New Virus Spreads Using Acrobat Files"
"Top Execs Seek Bright Spots in the Downturn"
"Computer Security Lapses Cost Firms Billions of Dollars"
"A Chip That Mimics a Retina but Strains for Light"
"Material Benefits From Mighty Molecules"
"Sex, Lies and TLDs"
"Talking About...Wearable Computers"
"Web3D Consortium Launches Successor to VRML"
"Beyond Sight"
"Assembling Nanocircuits From the Bottom Up"
"Davis Pushes Public-Private Exchange of IT Workers"
"Hidden Pitfalls in .Net Open Source?"
"Get in Touch With Your PC"
******************* News Stories ***********************
"Russians Won't Prosecute Programmer"
Dmitry Sklyarov, charged with violating American copyright laws,
will not face prosecution in Russia, police said Thursday. The
computer programmer may still face imprisonment in the United
States if found guilty of breaking the 1998 Digital Millennium . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item1
"Officials Brief Bush on Microsoft Case"
President Bush this week was briefed by Justice Department
officials on the state of the government's antitrust case against
Microsoft, leading analysts to believe the case is nearing its
end. Bush had said prior to his election that he is against . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item2
"Internet Access by Telephone Grows Strongly"
When it comes to providing high-speed Internet service, cable
broadband providers still have a huge lead over telephone-based
DSL services, with 3.6 million connections. But telecom carriers
are making rapid advances, growing from 370,000 subscribers to . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item3
"Judges' Ire Stirs Debate on Web Monitoring"
The rebellious actions of a group of West Coast judges may force
lawmakers to revise federal edicts on the monitoring of online
activity by employers. "We may need to have people in a position
of power affected by electronic monitoring before there is going . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item4
"Discarded Computers Mounting Up to Environmental Threat"
Unrecycled computers constitute a serious environmental hazard;
they are a source of lead, cadmium, brominated flame retardants,
and chromium. The EPA prohibits businesses from dumping old
computers as garbage, and in California it is illegal to place . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item5
"New Virus Spreads Using Acrobat Files"
Portable Document Format (PDF) files used in Adobe Acrobat are
susceptible to an experimental virus, according to analysis by
HispaSec Sistemas head Bernardo Quinteros and Privacy Foundation
CTO Richard M. Smith. The virus, Outlook.pdf, proliferates . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item6
"Top Execs Seek Bright Spots in the Downturn"
Over 50% of the leading executives at Fortune 1000 firms
are convinced the elimination of poor business models will
greatly assist their companies during the current financial
downturn, according to a new Accenture study. The programs . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item7
"Computer Security Lapses Cost Firms Billions of Dollars"
Mary Pat McCarthy, KPMG's global chair of information,
communications, and entertainment practice, contends that
billions of dollars can be saved if companies spend more money on
implementing preventative measures against computer security . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item8
"A Chip That Mimics a Retina but Strains for Light"
Many research projects are investigating ways technology can be
used to repair or restore damaged vision, and one of the most
interesting is a subretinal chip developed by Optiobionics COO
Dr. Alan Chow and his brother, Vincent. The 2mm-long electronic . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item9
"Material Benefits From Mighty Molecules"
Nanomaterial technology promises to change the way engineers
build the tools and applications people use every day. By
manipulating individual molecules, scientists are able to
custom-build materials at the atomic level so that they display . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item10
"Sex, Lies and TLDs"
After trademark holders are finished exploiting pre-registration
loopholes to claim attractive new TLD domain names that they
have no trademark rights to, those awaiting general registration
will find nothing left, argues Brock N. Meeks of MSNBC, and a columnist . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item11
"Talking About...Wearable Computers"
Venture Development senior analyst Tim Shea and colleague Dave
Krebs discuss the current state of wearable computers and what
the future has in store. Wearable technology is currently
finding its widest use in the workplace: warehouse employees use . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item12
"Web3D Consortium Launches Successor to VRML"
A group of browser firms have banded together to create a new
standard for next-generation 3D modeling over the Internet. The
Web3D Consortium plans to develop an X3D, or Extensible 3D,
standard that will enable different developers to innovate new . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item13
"Beyond Sight"
Ampacet global IT director Bob Woods breaks the stereotypical
view that disabled people cannot function in the workplace. In
addition to a rigorous work ethic and an incredible memory, the
legally blind Woods uses adaptive technology. Magnifier from . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item14
"Assembling Nanocircuits From the Bottom Up"
Researchers are probing into molecular electronics, in which
self-assembling, nanometer-sized circuits are fashioned from the
bottom up, as a way to create devices with greater computing
power and lower fabrication costs. Molecular assembly became . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item15
"Davis Pushes Public-Private Exchange of IT Workers"
Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) supports the Digital Tech Corps Act, a
bill that calls for an exchange of midlevel IT personnel between
the public and private sectors to help address a shortfall of IT
workers as well as foster an understanding of government among . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item16
"Hidden Pitfalls in .Net Open Source?"
Open-source developers are concerned about hidden patents
Microsoft might be able to leverage against them if they make
their applications interoperable with Microsoft's .Net
initiative. Some say that a patent is likely to be behind the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item17
"Get in Touch With Your PC"
Immersion founder Louis Rosenberg believes touch-enhanced devices
will become highly desirable once they can be inexpensively
mass-produced. Consumers are primarily familiar with so-called
force-feedback sensations through videogames. However, experts . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/0810f.html#item18
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