ACM TechNews - Friday, December 7, 2001

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ACM TechNews
Volume 3, Number 285
Date: December 7, 2001

Top Stories for Friday, December 7, 2001:
http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html

"Lawmakers Studying IT Response to Sept. 11 Attacks"
"Proposal for Volunteer IT Corps Debated"
"Bush Gets Trade Bill Victory to Tech Industry's Delight"
"In Digital Revolution, Mr. Selby Is a Kind of Wireless Guerrilla"
"What About Kamen's Other Machine?"
"Companies Rethink Big Security-Spending Plans"
"New Video Screen Is Like Paper"
"System Suppliers Face Up to New Mood of Realism"
"Web Copyright Treaty Set for March"
"First Weave: In 1991, a Stanford Physicist's Site Put the
 U.S. on the Web"
"Matrix Offers Memory On the Cheap"
"Report Foresees Valley's Recovery"
"Senate Confirms Former Lawmaker as Patent Office Chief"
"Asia Bucks Slump in IT Services Spending"
"Smile, You're on Candid Computer"
"Free For All"
"IT in the Ruins"
"Photonic Transistors No Longer Defy Logic"

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

"Lawmakers Studying IT Response to Sept. 11 Attacks"
Although the IT community made valiant attempts to assist
recovery efforts immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks, not
every initiative was successful and there was a pronounced lack
of coordination.  For example, some firms offered technology that ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item1

"Proposal for Volunteer IT Corps Debated"
Government leaders and IT executives on Wednesday discussed the
merits of NetGuard, a proposed volunteer force of IT
professionals who would help restore the nation's IT
infrastructure should it come under attack.  Senate Science, ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item2

"Bush Gets Trade Bill Victory to Tech Industry's Delight"
So-called fast track trade promotion authority legislation
allowing the president to more effectively implement trade deals
passed by one vote on Thursday in the House of Representatives.
The same power was granted five presidents since 1975, although ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item3

"In Digital Revolution, Mr. Selby Is a Kind of Wireless Guerrilla"
Innovative individuals across the country are broadcasting their
802.11b, or Wi-Fi, high-speed wireless Internet signals for all
to use.  Jim Selby, a self-described ski bum in Aspen, Colo., set
up a 45-square-mile network in just a few years, tapping a T-1 ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item4

"What About Kamen's Other Machine?"
The unveiling of Dean Kamen's Segway Human Transporter has taken
most of the spotlight off its precursor, the Independence 3000
IBot Transporter.  A joint product of Kamen's company, DEKA, and
Johnson & Johnson, the IBot is an all-terrain wheelchair that can ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item5

"Companies Rethink Big Security-Spending Plans"
Businesses looking to secure themselves against terrorist attacks
and hackers may not have the resources available to adopt the
latest IT security measures, but will likely consider
alternatives, such as telecommuting and geographically dispersing ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item6

"New Video Screen Is Like Paper"
Scientists at Royal Philips Electronics in the Netherlands report
in Thursday's issue of Nature that they have taken a major step
toward the creation of electronic paper with the development of a
video display driven by plastic transistors.  Other research ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item7

"System Suppliers Face Up to New Mood of Realism"
Enterprises today are being much more cautious regarding their IT
investments, demanding measurable performance and specific
applications.  Tigris Consulting chief Brent Habig says managers
should look for benefits such as lowered inventory and purchase ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item8

"Web Copyright Treaty Set for March"
March 6 will be the day that a world copyright treaty to protect
authors on the Internet goes into effect, according to an
announcement from the United Nations.  "By ratifying the WIPO
Copyright Treaty, governments in 30 countries have shown their ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item9

"First Weave: In 1991, a Stanford Physicist's Site Put the
U.S. on the Web"
The evolution and future of the World Wide Web will be discussed
at "The Once and Future Web," a symposium at the Stanford Linear
Accelerator Center that celebrates the creation of the first
American Web site 10 years ago.  The bare-bones site was built by ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item10

"Matrix Offers Memory On the Cheap"
Matrix Semiconductor officials claim that a new single-use memory
chip will find its way into consumer devices next year.  The
Matrix 3D Memory will allow users to store data that is protected
from erasure.  3D design technology will enable the chips to be ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item11

"Report Foresees Valley's Recovery"
A new report from Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network indicates
that the convergence of IT and bioscience, the advent of
molecular electronics, and Web-based productivity boosts will
help Silicon Valley bounce back from its economic slump.  The ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item12

"Senate Confirms Former Lawmaker as Patent Office Chief"
The U.S. Senate has confirmed former California Republican
Representative James Rogan as Commerce Department undersecretary
and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  Rogan
dealt with a number of high-tech intellectual property issues ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item13

"Asia Bucks Slump in IT Services Spending"
The Asia-Pacific region, exclusive of Japan, is expected to see
IT services revenue of $31 billion in 2001 and $60 billion by
2005, according to Gartner Dataquest.  The firm predicts the
region will see the strongest growth in IT services, reflecting ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item14

"Smile, You're on Candid Computer"
Dave Schrader of NCR's Teradata division predicts machines
that can read people's emotions through facial expressions will
be on the market within three years.  Such technology lies at the
heart of E-Motions, a joint effort between NCR and UCLA's ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item15

"Free For All"
Open source software (OSS) is used by 56% of the Global
2,500 organizations, according to a recent Forrester survey.  By
allowing the free modification and redistribution of source code,
OSS facilitates a collaborative development environment that ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item16

"IT in the Ruins"
Local governments around the country are renewing their efforts
to work out disaster-recovery plans after the terrorist attacks
in September.  New York City's Department of Technology and
Telecommunications acting commissioner Avi Duvdevani says the ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item17

"Photonic Transistors No Longer Defy Logic"
All-optical computers and network switching arrays could one day
become a reality thanks to photonic transistor research in
Tsukuba, Japan, and San Diego.  Junji Tominaga of the National
Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2001-3/1207f.html#item18

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