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ACM TechNews - Wednesday, August 21, 2002



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ACM TechNews
Volume 4, Number 389
Date: August 21, 2002

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Top Stories for Wednesday, August 21, 2002:
http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html

"Firms Wringing Value From IT Units"
"Tactics Toughen on Music Piracy"
"U.S. Probes Firm In Security Breach"
"A Map of Wireless Controversy?"
"Group Fear EU Surveillance Mission"
"Moving Pages From Web to Wireless"
"Plans Emerging for National Security Data Sharing"
"Pushing Back the Boundaries"
"The Cosmic Code"
"Nanoscale Metal Deposition Eyed for MRAMs"
"Notebook Overhaul on the Horizon"
"Report: Average Worker's Tech Skills Not Keeping Pace"
"Internet2's Network Adopts New Protocol for Addressing and
 Packaging Data"
"New Act Tightens Software Licensing Laws"
"Sony Scientist: Robots Need Culture"
"Portable Plastic Power"

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

"Firms Wringing Value From IT Units"
Fifty percent of IT managers polled by InformationWeek's Optimize
magazine say they are under increasing pressure to demonstrate
that their tech investments are showing positive returns.  "The
trick to IT being more effective is treating it as if it's a ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item1

"Tactics Toughen on Music Piracy"
The music industry is becoming more aggressive in its efforts to
clamp down on digital piracy.  Most recently, the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed a motion to force
Verizon Communications to disclose the name of a customer ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item2

"U.S. Probes Firm In Security Breach"
Hours after the Washington Post reported that ForensicTec
Solutions consultants were able to break into computers at Fort
Hood, the Energy Department, NASA, and other government centers
using freely available software, federal law enforcement ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item3

"A Map of Wireless Controversy?"
"Warchalking" and "wardriving" are activities designed to locate
where people can establish an easy Wi-Fi connection.  Wardrivers,
for example, roam throughout neighborhoods on cars or bicycles,
using laptops with Wi-Fi cards to identify strong wireless ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item4

"Group Fear EU Surveillance Mission"
The European Parliament is discussing the revision of the 1997 EU
Directive on privacy in telecommunications, which currently
authorizes that communications-related data can only be retained
for billing purposes and then must be erased.  The British ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item5

"Moving Pages From Web to Wireless"
Until recently, viewing Web pages on mobile devices such as
phones and PDAs was not an enjoyable task.  But more capable
devices, emerging standards, and 2.5G networks have made the
wireless Web more appealing for both users and Web content ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item6

"Plans Emerging for National Security Data Sharing"
In Philadelphia, over 900 defense and intelligence community
specialists from both government and the private sector met
yesterday to debate how to improve data sharing and collaborative
efforts between federal, state, and local agencies in the event ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item7

"Pushing Back the Boundaries"
Microsoft's Madelyn Bryant McIntire leads an effort to embed
functionality within computers so that they are accessible to
handicapped users whose disabilities range from slight to severe.
She says the initiative is business-driven rather than ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item8

"The Cosmic Code"
In his book "A New Kind of Science," physicist Stephen Wolfram
boils down the universe to a simple computer program, one whose
instructions have yet to be revealed.  He uses a cellular
automaton (CA) as the basis for his theory:  A CA forms an ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item9

"Nanoscale Metal Deposition Eyed for MRAMs"
Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have
discovered a way to reduce the energy needed to power
magnetoresistive random-access memories (MRAMs), making the
hardware more durable in the process.  The scientists worked with ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item10

"Notebook Overhaul on the Horizon"
Notebook computer designs are continuing to improve, especially
as the notebook market continues to grow as the overall PC market
declines.  Gartner estimates that notebook sales rose 6.1 percent
in the second quarter, adding fuel to the fires of innovation at ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item11

"Report: Average Worker's Tech Skills Not Keeping Pace"
The average professional will not have enough IT skills to
compete in a job market that increasingly relies on workers
well-versed in technology, according to a report from the
National Policy Association.  The nonprofit's senior vice ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item12

"Internet2's Network Adopts New Protocol for Addressing and
 Packaging Data"
The Internet2 network serving many U.S. universities is now
running Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) alongside the old code
used to manage Internet traffic.  IPv6 will provide for virtually
limitless Internet addresses and avoid the impending shortage of ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item13

"New Act Tightens Software Licensing Laws"
Britain's Copyright and Trade Marks Act 2002 will target
businesses that use unlicensed software, according to Bristows
partner Rachel Burnett.  Under the new legislation, businesses
that make unsanctioned copies of copyrighted works will be ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item14

"Sony Scientist: Robots Need Culture"
University of Brussels Professor Luc Steels, who also heads
Sony's Computer Science Laboratories in Paris, believes that
robots can become more intelligent by allowing them to interact
with one another and develop their own forms of communication and ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item15

"Portable Plastic Power"
University of California, Berkeley researchers Paul Alivisatos
and Janke Dittmer have developed a semiconductor-polymer voltaic
cell that they claim can be painted onto any surface, enabling
devices to be powered by solar energy whenever their batteries ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item16


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