Microsoft to fix URI security flaw ... Mozilla to develop mobile Firefox ... 16 ways to keep your best employees

IN THE NEWS

Sony Financial Holdings shares debut in Tokyo
Trading of shares in Sony Financial Holdings Inc., the financial arm of Sony Corp., began on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Thursday morning as the company completed Japan's largest initial public offering of the year to-date. ...continue reading 'Sony Financial Holdings shares debut in Tokyo'

U.S. trade body launches hard-disk drive probe
The United States International Trade Commission has launched an investigation into five companies after allegations of patent infringement in hard-disk drives. ...continue reading 'U.S. trade body launches hard-disk drive probe'

Microsoft to fix URI security flaw after criticism
Microsoft Corp. plans to fix a bug in the Windows operating system that has been blamed for a handful of critical vulnerabilities in Windows software. ...continue reading 'Microsoft to fix URI security flaw after criticism'

California state site can't shake porn problems
The Web site blamed for last week's Internet problems within the State of California has been taken offline after links to pornographic material reappeared on the site. ...continue reading 'California state site can't shake porn problems'

FTC targets spammers hawking weight-loss products
An international enterprise must stop sending unsolicited e-mail advertising human growth hormone (HGH) and weight-loss products using the hoodia gordonii plant under a court order obtained by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. ...continue reading 'FTC targets spammers hawking weight-loss products'

Nacchio appeals insider-trading conviction

Former Qwest Communications International Inc. CEO Joseph Nacchio has appealed his insider-trading conviction, arguing that he didn't have any internal warning that Qwest would miss its financial targets for 2001. ...continue reading 'Nacchio appeals insider-trading conviction'

Dell hands control of desktops to IT departments
Dell Inc. on Wednesday announced On-Demand Desktop Streaming, a server-based software, hardware and services offering that streams the OS, applications and data to diskless desktop clients over a Gigabit Ethernet network. ...continue reading 'Dell hands control of desktops to IT departments'

Small carriers: Spectrum auction rules will limit bids
U.S. Federal Communications Commission rules on a chunk of high-speed wireless spectrum to be auctioned in January may crowd out small carriers wanting to bid, representatives of small firms said Wednesday. ...continue reading 'Small carriers: Spectrum auction rules will limit bids'

'Flat IP' mobile networks face new security challenges
Data will flow more freely as mobile communications networks move towards a "flat IP" model, but developers and operators will face new security challenges, according to engineers gathered at the Freescale Technology Forum in Paris. ...continue reading 'Flat IP' mobile networks face new security challenges'


CAREERS
_______________

16 Ways to Keep Your Best Employees -- Without Breaking the Bank
Joanne G. Sujansky, PhD, CSP

In today's highly competitive business world, your employees have a lot of options. Here are some innovative ideas on how to keep them from seeking greener pastures. ... continue reading '16 Ways to Keep Your Best Employees'


PODCAST
___________________

Daily IT News Audio Update

Mozilla to develop mobile version of Firefox ... California's porn problems continue ... British Net users love social networking sites ...Listen Now!

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY
_______________

Enter to win a Swiss army knife with USB

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now!


ITWHIRLED
_______________

Woman left trapped in CT scanner for five hours; can super powers be far behind?

Many a comic book hero began the transformation from ordinary Joe or Jane into a lycra-clad superhuman with an accidental radiation dose. But the future of Elvira Tellez, who was left in a clinic's CT scanner for hours after medical technicians forgot about her and went home, will probably be less battling with robots from outer space and more malpractice litigation. Read more.

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL
_______________

What was the first computer magazine you subscribed to?

- Portable 100
- Computerworld
- Macworld
- 80 Micro (the TRS-80 magazine)
- Wired
- Hi-Res
- Compute!
- Creative Computing
- PC Magazine

Vote now!

IE, Outlook, Word get critical bug fixes ... Supreme Court greenlights HP lawsuit ... First UWB chipsets get certification

IN THE NEWS

IE, Outlook, Word get critical bug fixes
Microsoft Corp. has released six security updates for its products, fixing critical flaws in Word, Outlook Express, Internet Explorer (IE) and the Kodak image viewer that ships with Windows. ...continue reading 'IE, Outlook, Word get critical bug fixes'

Google brings universal search to Search Appliance
Google Inc. will upgrade its Search Appliance with native support for enterprise content management (ECM) systems like EMC's Documentum, IBM's FileNet, Open Text's LiveLink and Microsoft's SharePoint. ...continue reading 'Google brings universal search to Search Appliance'

Supreme Court lets HP lawsuit move forward
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied an appeal by Hewlett-Packard Co. to dismiss a class-action lawsuit against Compaq Computer Corp., which HP acquired in 2002. ...continue reading 'Supreme Court lets HP lawsuit move forward'

Canonical chases deal to ship Ubuntu server OS
Canonical Ltd., the company that supports Ubuntu Linux, is trying to work out a deal with hardware vendors such as Dell Inc. to make Ubuntu available preinstalled on servers. ...continue reading 'Canonical chases deal to ship Ubuntu server OS
'

Google buys Finnish social-networking company
Google Inc. continued its acquisition spree with the purchase of Jaiku Ltd., a Finnish company that offers a social-networking service similar to Twitter. ...continue reading 'Google buys Finnish social-networking company'

AT&T buys high-speed wireless spectrum
AT&T Inc. has agreed to buy 12MHz of high-speed wireless spectrum from Aloha Partners LP for $2.5 billion, the company announced Tuesday. ...continue reading 'AT&T buys high-speed wireless spectrum'

Google delivers ad-supported video clips via AdSense
Web publishers that participate in Google Inc.'s AdSense ad distribution network will now be able to make money by offering ad-supported video clips from Google's YouTube video sharing site. ...continue reading 'Google delivers ad-supported video clips via AdSense'

3Com waiting for details of Bain/Huawei acquisition bid
Senior 3Com Corp. executives are waiting for the full terms of a US$2.2 billion acquisition bid to be made public, as several important details affecting the company's future remain unclear. ...continue reading '3Com waiting for details of Bain/Huawei acquisition bid'


WINDOWS TIP
_______________

I appreciate hearing from readers with cool tips. Here are three recent submissions. Please note that I haven't had a chance to test any of these tools, so they are presented "as is".
-- By Mitch Tulloch

Annotating web content with JumpKnowledge

Pushing out Group Policy changes across a domain

Web filter blocks unwanted sites


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Scientists win Nobel Prize for hard-disk breakthrough ... Sony to offer cheaper PlayStation 3 ... First UWB chipsets get certification

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY
_______________

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED
_______________

Work computers and porn: Two great tastes that don't go together
Ohio state legislator Matthew Barrett came to a high school civics class to explain how a bill becomes a law, but his presentation began with an image of a naked woman. He claims that the memory stick he used was "a gift" and that he had "no idea" how the dirty pictures got on there. But he's in better shape than motivational speaker Michael Fortino, who brought his laptop into Best Buy to have it fixed -- with its cache of child pornography still on the hard drive. ...continue reading 'Two great tastes that don't go together'

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL
_______________

What was the first computer magazine you subscribed to?

- Portable 100
- Computerworld
- Macworld
- 80 Micro (the TRS-80 magazine)
- Wired
- Hi-Res
- Compute!
- Creative Computing
- PC Magazine

Vote now!

Sun delivers first UltraSparc T2-based servers ... Hacker breaks into eBay servers ... Sony to cut PS3 price

IN THE NEWS

Sun delivers first UltraSparc T2-based servers
Sun Microsystems Inc. late Monday announced its first UltraSparc T2-based servers, which the company hopes will cut the number of servers required in data centers.

Price of DRAM falls 25 percent
A glut of DRAM (dynamic RAM) on the market and sluggish demand due to a holiday in China caused the price of the most widely used computer memory chip to fall 25 percent in a matter of weeks, DRAMeXchange Technology Inc. reported Tuesday.

Sony to cut PS3 price, launch new low-end model
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is launching a new, cut-down version of the PlayStation 3 in the hopes of boosting sales of its gaming console.

McAfee to buy SafeBoot for $350 million
Security software vendor McAfee Inc. will acquire SafeBoot BV for $350 million in an effort to expand its large-business product line, the company announced Monday.

Hacker breaks into eBay server, locks users out
A malicious hacker broke into an eBay Inc. server on Friday and temporarily suspended the accounts of a "very small" number of members, the company said.

Google, IBM promote 'cloud' computing at universities
Google Inc. and IBM Corp. have teamed up to offer a curriculum and support for software development on large-scale distributed computing systems, with six universities signing up so far.


WINDOWS TIP

I appreciate hearing from readers with cool tips. Here are three recent submissions. Please note that I haven't had a chance to test any of these tools, so they are presented "as is".
-- By Mitch Tulloch

Annotating web content with JumpKnowledge

Pushing out Group Policy changes across a domain

Web filter blocks unwanted sites


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Woman to appeal $220,000 file-sharing penalty ... Hacker breaks into eBay servers ... McAfee to acquire SafeBoot

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED
_______________

Harry Potter alert! The invisibility cloak is one step closer
Wouldn't you like to have a Potter-esque cloak that renders you invisible to all around you? Well, scientists at the University of Maryland may be able to help you ... so long as you're less than 10 micrometers in diameter. And two dimensional. OK, there are a few bugs still to work out...


Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

What was the first computer magazine you subscribed to?

- Portable 100
- Computerworld
- Macworld
- 80 Micro (the TRS-80 magazine)
- Wired
- Hi-Res
- Compute!
- Creative Computing
- PC Magazine

Vote now!

Vonage settles Sprint's patent claim ... SAP to buy Business Objects for $6.78B ... VMware to release SMB virtualization kits

IN THE NEWS

SAP to buy Business Objects for $6.78 billion
SAP AG has agreed to buy Business Objects SA for about €4.8 billion ($6.78 billion), a surprise move that breaks with SAP's traditional strategy of avoiding large company acquisitions.

SAP and Business Objects explain strategy shifts
Executives from Business Objects SA and SAP AG each tried to explain Monday why their companies have parted with long-time strategies by agreeing to merge.

Vonage settles Sprint's patent claim
VOIP provider Vonage Holdings Corp. has settled a patent dispute with Sprint Nextel Corp. by agreeing to pay Sprint about $80 million, the two companies announced Monday.

VMware to release SMB virtualization kits by year end
VMware Inc. said Monday it will release three software packages by the end of the year to help small and medium-size businesses take on virtualization projects.

Yahoo holds Open Hack Day in India
Yahoo Inc. held Open Hack Day October 5 and 6 in Bangalore, India, in a bid to build an ecosystem of external developers familiar with the company's technologies.

MSNBC acquires participatory news site Newsvine
MSNBC Interactive News LLC has acquired Newsvine Inc., operator of a Web site that encourages users to link to their favorite news of the day, submit comments, and write their own stories.

Merchants say eBay ad programs drive buyers away
EBay Inc. has significantly boosted its advertising revenue since last year, but some sellers worry that the company's efforts in this area are driving potential buyers away from the online marketplace.


WINDOWS TIP

I appreciate hearing from readers with cool tips. Here are three recent submissions. Please note that I haven't had a chance to test any of these tools, so they are presented "as is".
-- By Mitch Tulloch

Annotating web content with JumpKnowledge

Pushing out Group Policy changes across a domain

Web filter blocks unwanted sites


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
SAP to acquire Business Objects ... iPod Nano catches fire in man's pants ... Microsoft spins off 'Halo 3' developer

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

George Takei gets to space ... in asteroid form
Star Trek's Mr. Sulu was very pleased to find that an asteroid -- 7307 Takei -- was named after him. "I am now a heavenly body," the ever-quotable actor said. "It came out of the clear, blue sky -- just like an asteroid."

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

What was the first computer magazine you subscribed to?

- Portable 100
- Computerworld
- Macworld
- 80 Micro (the TRS-80 magazine)
- Wired
- Hi-Res
- Compute!
- Creative Computing
- PC Magazine

Vote now!

SAP to acquire Business Objects ... iPod Nano catches fire in man's pants ... George Takei gets to space

IN THE NEWS

SAP to buy Business Objects for $6.78 billion
SAP AG has agreed to buy Business Objects SA for about €4.8 billion ($6.78 billion), a surprise move that breaks with SAP's traditional strategy of avoiding large company acquisitions.

Motorola wins major Taiwanese WiMax contract
Motorola Inc. has won two contracts to supply WiMax wireless broadband networking equipment to a Taiwanese WiMax license winner.

MSNBC acquires participatory news site Newsvine
MSNBC Interactive News LLC has acquired Newsvine Inc., operator of a Web site that encourages users to link to their favorite news of the day, submit comments, and write their own stories.

BMC buying out configuration management company
BMC is set to announce Monday that it has closed a deal to acquire Emprisa Networks, equipping the management software maker with network device configuration technology that it will use to augment its IT process automation and business service management product suites.

Merchants say eBay ad programs drive buyers away
EBay Inc. has significantly boosted its advertising revenue since last year, but some sellers worry that the company's efforts in this area are driving potential buyers away from the online marketplace.

iPod Nano catches fire in man's pocket
The iPod contains a lithium-ion battery, which has a history of catching fire in laptops. Now, an Atlanta man says his iPod Nano caught fire in his pants.


WINDOWS TIP

I appreciate hearing from readers with cool tips. Here are three recent submissions. Please note that I haven't had a chance to test any of these tools, so they are presented "as is".
-- By Mitch Tulloch

Annotating web content with JumpKnowledge

Pushing out Group Policy changes across a domain

Web filter blocks unwanted sites


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
SAP to acquire Business Objects ... iPod Nano catches fire in man's pants ... Microsoft spins off 'Halo 3' developer

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

George Takei gets to space ... in asteroid form
Star Trek's Mr. Sulu was very pleased to find that an asteroid -- 7307 Takei -- was named after him. "I am now a heavenly body," the ever-quotable actor said. "It came out of the clear, blue sky -- just like an asteroid."

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

What was the first computer magazine you subscribed to?

- Portable 100
- Computerworld
- Macworld
- 80 Micro (the TRS-80 magazine)
- Wired
- Hi-Res
- Compute!
- Creative Computing
- PC Magazine

Vote now!

Bad things lurk on government sites

The U.S. federal government took steps earlier this week to shut down Web sites in California in order to protect the public from hacked Web sites, but new incidents show that the problem is not going away any time soon.

Microsoft to patch Windows, Word next week
Microsoft Corp. will release critical patches for its Windows and Word software next Tuesday as part of its monthly release of security patches.

Fon's shared Wi-Fi network goes mainstream with BT
BT Group PLC is turning to its own broadband subscribers to help crack a nut that many governments and service providers have struggled with: Widespread Wi-Fi access.

Qualcomm explains failure to provide evidence
Court documents filed by Qualcomm Inc. this week describe a disjointed legal team with communication failures and internal engineers who were forgetful and ignorant of basic principles of technical standards-setting procedure.

U.S. Net ad spending close to $10B in 2007's first half
The growth in online ad spending on U.S. Web sites slowed in the first half of 2007, compared with the same period last year, but the market is still experiencing a boom, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

Jajah cries foul over eBay's block
Web-site buttons from Internet telephony startup Jajah Inc. that allowed eBay Inc. buyers and sellers to initiate phone calls have been banned by eBay, a move that Jajah charges is unjustified.

EMC snaps up Berkeley Data Systems
As previously predicted, EMC has acquired Berkeley Data Systems, provider of Mozy Online backup and recovery services.

DoCoMo flirts with e-paper for phones
NTT DoCoMo Inc. engineers are tinkering with the use of e-paper for cell phones, hoping to develop a keypad that changes icons depending on which application is being used.

Feds pull the plug on ca.gov .. Gov't e-mail becomes spam cannon .. FCC plays favorites with lobbyists

IN THE NEWS

Feds pull the domain name plug on State of California
The Federal government pulled the plug on the ca.gov Web domain used by the State of California on Tuesday, setting into motion a chain of events that threatened to grind government business to a standstill within the state.

U.S. gov't e-mail server turns into spam cannon
Subscribers to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security daily e-mail bulletin were inundated with dozens of e-mails on Wednesday due to a glitch with the mailing list.

MontaVista, Arm, others to build Linux UMPC platform
A group of seven companies including Mozilla Corp., Arm Ltd. and MontaVista Software Inc. are hoping to grow the market for a relatively new device category that sits in between a smartphone and a laptop.

Fraudsters jump to U.S. to cash out on U.K. cards
The U.S. has overtaken France as the number one place where fraudsters can convert U.K. credit and debit card details into cash, according to a U.K. banking trade group.

Auditor: FCC provides more information to some lobbyists
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has routinely let some telecom lobbyists know in advance when votes important to them will happen, but has not done the same for some consumer and public-interest groups, according to a report by a government auditor.

Alcatel-Lucent board pledges support for Russo
The board of Alcatel-Lucent SA voiced support for the company's embattled CEO, Patricia Russo, while acknowledging it is "clearly disappointed" with declines in Alcatel's financial outlook.

FCC plays favorites with lobbyists .. Microsoft launches new Zunes .. Adobe eyes real-time collaboration

IN THE NEWS

Auditor: FCC provides more information to some lobbyists
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has routinely let some telecom lobbyists know in advance when votes important to them will happen, but has not done the same for some consumer and public-interest groups, according to a report by a government auditor.

Motivational speaker sentenced for child porn
A U.S. motivational speaker who took his laptop computer to a Best Buy store for service has been sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for transporting child pornography, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

Malicious code infects Chinese security site
The Web site of one of China's Internet security organizations has been laced with malicious code.

Adobe eyes real-time collaboration with new services
Adobe Systems Inc. is preparing two hosted services that will allow developers to add real-time collaboration capabilities, including voice over IP, to RIAs (rich Internet applications). The company demonstrated the services -- code-named Pacifica and CoCoMo -- at its Adobe MAX 2007 user conference in Chicago Tuesday.

3Com adds three IP PBXs for small businesses
3Com is broadening its IP PBX offerings with the introduction of three new products geared for businesses with as few as five phones.

Tiny Linux hits the streets
A very small Linux operating system, known as Puppy Linux, has had a "major upgrade" after version 3.0 hit the streets this week.

Microsoft launches new Zunes; Google adds Postini services to Google Apps; Sun combines servers, storage businesses

IN THE NEWS

Microsoft unveils new Zune players and community
Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday unveiled three new models of its Zune portable digital media players featuring touch-sensitive buttons for navigating the device, the ability to sync with wireless networks, and flash memory in two of them.

Google's Apps Premier suite adds Postini e-mail services
Google Inc. will add e-mail security, compliance and recovery services to Google Apps Premier edition at no extra charge, boosting an area of this hosted communications and collaboration suite that is key for its adoption by large organizations.

Adobe to give designers visual tool with 'Thermo' project
Adobe Systems Inc. next year will release a visual tool for designers to help them more quickly and easily build RIAs (rich Internet applications) and work better with developers writing code on the back end.

SAP offers NetWeaver subscription for developers
SAP AG is allowing individual developers to buy a one-year subscription for its NetWeaver software in a move to bring new blood to the platform and expand its community of users.

WLAN patent threat may be resolved
A roadblock that reportedly could have held up a key wireless LAN standard seems to have been cleared now that an Australian research group has responded to the IEEE standards body.

Sun combines servers, storage businesses
Sun Microsystems is combining its servers and storage businesses to better sell computing systems to data center customers.


OPINION

I have looked at clouds from both sides now
Sean McGrath, ITworld.com

Depending on your particular point of view, network clouds can be a fantastic concept, not requiring you to know or care where stuff lives or whether the right thing is going to happen when you connect to it. Or they can be a dangerous concept: You cannot know where your stuff lives on the cloud. You cannot care for or protect it by yourself. You have no option but to connect to it and hope that matters such as security, availability etc. happen somehow. How scary is that!


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Microsoft launches new Zunes, Google adds Postini services to Google Apps, Broadcom launches multimedia phone chip

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Linux nerds attempt to sell themselves to sorority girls
Sometimes, when you can't give the junk in your basement away, you can slap $1 price tag on it, set up a garage sale, and people will take it off your hands because they think it's a "bargain." Perhaps that's the logic behind the Washington State University Linux User Group's attempt to auction its members off to campus sorority members.

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

Have you ever been fired?

* Nope - I've been at the same job my whole working life
* Nope - I've always left on my terms
* Well, I've been part of mass layoffs, but I've never been singled out
* Yes, but I've grown as an employee since then
* Yes, due to personality conflicts with the boss
* I am unemployable

Vote now!

Microsoft buys Jellyfish.com .. Toshiba puts fuel cell in media player .. Yahoo sharpens search

IN THE NEWS

Microsoft buys Jellyfish.com comparative shopping site
Microsoft Corp. has bought comparative shopping Web site Jellyfish.com, which gives its customers a cut of advertising revenue from retailers, offering a rebate on purchases made through the site.

Yahoo sharpens precision of search terms
The latest version of Yahoo Inc.'s search engine senses when people are trying to find the right keywords and offers suggestions, an improvement the company says reduces "search fatigue."

Toshiba prototype media player powered by fuel cell
Toshiba Corp. has unveiled a prototype version of its Gigabeat media player that's powered by a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) instead of a battery.

Samsung takes wraps off its iPhone rival Serenata
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and audio product maker Bang & Olufsen on Tuesday unveiled their latest joint music-mobile phone, Serenata, which holds 4G bytes of songs and has a number of other music features similar to the iPhone.

Qualcomm licenses AMD graphics technology
Qualcomm Inc. has licensed 3D graphics core technology from Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD), for integration with Qualcomm's wireless chip sets for mobile gaming devices.

JVC shows prototype 4X high-def camera
As high-definition TV continues its seemingly unstoppable march around the world, engineers at Victor Co. of Japan Ltd. (JVC) are busy working on cameras for a next generation system.


WINDOWS TIPS

I appreciate hearing from readers with cool tips. Here are three recent submissions. Please note that I haven't had a chance to test any of these tools, so they are presented "as is". -- Mitch Tulloch

Annotating web content with JumpKnowledge

Pushing out Group Policy changes across a domain

Web filter blocks unwanted sites


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Toshiba puts fuel cell in media player ... SAP updates Netweaver software .. Microsoft buys Jellyfish.com retail site

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Store owner turns tables with GPS
They told Chris Rowland, whose store was struck by a series of burglaries, that he'd never get his stuff back ... so he started hiding GPS gear in certain items in his store. This allowed the police to track the stolen goods to the apartment where they were stashed -- but sadly, not to the thief himself.

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

Have you ever been fired?

* Nope - I've been at the same job my whole working life
* Nope - I've always left on my terms
* Well, I've been part of mass layoffs, but I've never been singled out
* Yes, but I've grown as an employee since then
* Yes, due to personality conflicts with the boss
* I am unemployable

Vote now!

Hackers post iPhone upgrade reversals .. Palm's financial slide continues .. Microsoft buys Jellyfish.com

IN THE NEWS

Microsoft buys Jellyfish.com comparative shopping site
Microsoft Corp. has bought comparative shopping Web site Jellyfish.com, which gives its customers a cut of advertising revenue from retailers, offering a rebate on purchases made through the site.

Hackers post techniques for reversing iPhone upgrade
Owners of hacked iPhones have begun posting instructions on how to roll back a recent Apple firmware upgrade that rendered their mobile phones unusable.

Palm's financial slide continues despite smartphone gains
Palm Inc. hasn't yet managed to turn around its declining fortunes, posting a quarterly net loss of $840,000 on Monday.

Skype CEO steps down
Skype's co-founder Niklas Zennstrom has handed over his CEO title to become non-executive chairman of the board of directors of this eBay Inc. unit, whose impact on its parent company remains an open question.

Adobe releases developer updates to help AIR take flight
Adobe Systems Inc. Monday released updates for key developer technologies to a newly revamped developer site called Adobe Developer Connection, part of a larger strategy to promote its vision for taking rich Internet applications to the desktop through its Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR).

Former NetApp exec charged with embezzling $90K
Former Network Appliance Inc. executive Bernadette Escue is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on Oct. 11 on a charge of embezzling more than $90,000 from the storage vendor

3Com acquisition good for customers, analysts say
Customers should feel little impact from last week's acquisition of 3Com by Huawei and Bain Capital, analysts say. If anything, users should be comforted that they are not dealing with a company distracted by shareholder scrutiny as 3Com will be taken private under the $2 billion deal.


WINDOWS TIPS

I appreciate hearing from readers with cool tips. Here are three recent submissions. Please note that I haven't had a chance to test any of these tools, so they are presented "as is". -- Mitch Tulloch

Annotating web content with JumpKnowledge

Pushing out Group Policy changes across a domain

Web filter blocks unwanted sites

Nokia spends $8.1 billion on mapping company .. Microsoft puts Office docs online .. FTC settles with spyware operation

IN THE NEWS

Nokia buys mapping service for $8.1 billion
Nokia Corp. has agreed to buy the digital mapping company Navteq for $8.1 billion, supporting a plan to add navigation capabilities to more of its devices.

FTC settles with alleged spyware operation
A Nevada company will pay $330,000 to settle a complaint from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that it hid spyware in other software consumers could download for free, the FTC announced Monday.

Microsoft puts Office on the Web, Adobe follows
In line with its software and services strategy, Microsoft Corp. on Monday announced new services such as Microsoft Office Live Workspace, a new Web-based feature of Microsoft Office that lets people access their documents online and share their work with others.

E.U. begins antitrust investigation into Qualcomm
The European Commission has begun an antitrust investigation of Qualcomm Inc. for suspected exploitative practices in the market for chipsets for mobile phones, it announced Monday.

San Dimas, eBay's desktop app, enters public beta testing
EBay Inc. will significantly widen the beta test for San Dimas, its PC application designed to let buyers interact both offline and online with the company's marketplace.

Adobe releases Media Player beta, boosts SaaS
Adobe Systems Inc. will boost its strategy of helping developers and users create desktop and Web applications that share a similar user experience at its Adobe MAX user conference in Chicago this week.

Fund to invest $25 million in Salesforce.com startups
Salesforce.com Inc. has launched a $25 million investment fund to encourage the development of new applications using its Force.com hosted development platform.

Adobe teams with Business Objects to fight Microsoft
Adobe Systems Inc. is teaming up with Business Objects SA to add business-intelligence capabilities to rich Internet applications (RIAs). The companies plan to announce a partnership at the Adobe MAX 2007 North America user conference, which kicks off Monday in Chicago.


UNIX TIP

Recovering from a fatal error: Lost libgen.so.1
By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

Unix vets know that it is possible to recover from fatal errors. A recent example is when a sysadmin accidentally zeroed out a file named /usr/lib/libgen.so.1. This file is used for string pattern matching and pathname manipulation. When you don't have this shared library on a system, you will get errors such as this. Read the full article here.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Nokia spends $8.1 billion on mapping company ... Microsoft puts Office docs online ... Japan earthquake warning system launches

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Texas teen finds herself on Australian billboard, thanks to Flickr
When you put a picture up on Flickr with a Creative Commons license, do you know what that means, exactly? Among other things, it means that companies can use it in their advertising without paying you, or even consulting the people in the pictures. That's how Alison Chang of Dallas ended up on ads in bus shelters in Melbourne, Australia. Naturally, the lawyers are getting involved.


POLL

Have you ever been fired?

* Nope - I've been at the same job my whole working life
* Nope - I've always left on my terms
* Well, I've been part of mass layoffs, but I've never been singled out
* Yes, but I've grown as an employee since then
* Yes, due to personality conflicts with the boss
* I am unemployable

Vote now!

Gap contractor blamed for data breach .. Internet tax bill stalls .. SCO gets reprieve from Nasdaq

IN THE NEWS

Powerline networking groups connect their standards
Fast in-home networks over electrical wires got a boost on Friday as proponents of two rival technologies merged their approaches and said products already in the market will work together.

Gap contractor blamed for data breach
An unnamed contractor is being blamed for a data breach at Gap Inc. that has compromised the data of about 800,000 people who applied for jobs with the U.S. clothing retailer.

SCO gets reprieve from Nasdaq
The Nasdaq stock exchange has given The SCO Group Inc. a little more time to get its financial house in order.

Huawei, investment fund to buy 3Com for $2.2B
Network equipment vendor 3Com Corp. has agreed to be acquired by associates of Bain Capital LLC and of Huawei Technology Co. Ltd. in a deal worth US$2.2 billion, 3Com said Friday.

Internet tax moratorium bill stalls
A U.S. Senate committee has postponed action on a bill that would extend an Internet tax moratorium after it expires Nov. 1.

Avaya shareholders approve private equity buyout
Avaya stockholders have approved the company's $8.2 billion acquisition by two private equity firms.

Internet blackout in Myanmar stalls citizen reporting
The loss of Internet access in Myanmar has slowed the tide of photos and videos shared with the rest of the world but people outside of the troubled country continue to use new media sites and other technologies to protest military activity in the Southeast Asia country.

EFF sues to uncover alleged telco lobbying
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) believes telecommunications carriers are pushing for an amnesty to protect them from lawsuits over alleged illegal wiretapping, and it is suing for the evidence.

Microsoft: Halo 3 caused 'minor' Xbox Live hiccup
If you were one of the few Xbox 360 owners who didn't buy Halo 3 this week, you were probably wondering why your game of Uno wasn't working properly. The answer, in a word, was Halo.


UNIX TIP

Recovering from a fatal error: Lost libgen.so.1
By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

Unix vets know that it is possible to recover from fatal errors. A recent example is when a sysadmin accidentally zeroed out a file named /usr/lib/libgen.so.1. This file is used for string pattern matching and pathname manipulation. When you don't have this shared library on a system, you will get errors such as this.

Read the full article here.


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Texas teen finds herself on Australian billboard, thanks to Flickr
When you put a picture up on Flickr with a Creative Commons license, do you know what that means, exactly? Among other things, it means that companies can use it in their advertising without paying you, or even consulting the people in the pictures. That's how Alison Chang of Dallas ended up on ads in bus shelters in Melbourne, Australia. Naturally, the lawyers are getting involved.


POLL

Have you ever been fired?

* Nope - I've been at the same job my whole working life
* Nope - I've always left on my terms
* Well, I've been part of mass layoffs, but I've never been singled out
* Yes, but I've grown as an employee since then
* Yes, due to personality conflicts with the boss
* I am unemployable

Vote now!

SCO gets reprieve from Nasdaq ... Microsoft gives XP six more months ... Update breaks hacked iPhones

IN THE NEWS

Huawei, investment fund to buy 3Com for $2.2B
Network equipment vendor 3Com Corp. has agreed to be acquired by associates of Bain Capital LLC and of Huawei Technology Co. Ltd. in a deal worth US$2.2 billion, 3Com said Friday.

SCO gets reprieve from Nasdaq
The Nasdaq stock exchange has given The SCO Group Inc. a little more time to get its financial house in order.

Rival asks FCC to sanction Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless Inc. should be sanctioned and possibly barred from bidding in an upcoming spectrum auction for a violation of U.S. Federal Communications Commission lobbying rules, another wireless company has alleged.

Internet link raises visibility of Myanmar protests
The ability of citizens in Myanmar to keep connected to the world via the Internet could make a substantial difference to the outcome of the current protests taking place in the South East Asian country, dissidents living in Japan said on Friday.

Microsoft blogger accidentally leaks Office Mobile upgrade
A Microsoft Corp. employee on Thursday accidentally blogged about an upgrade to Office Mobile that shouldn't be available for another couple of weeks.

Google buys mobile social networking service
Google Inc. has acquired a mobile social networking start-up called Zingku Inc., the search company's latest move to provide more services through mobile phones.

New update breaks hacked iPhones
Users are reporting that a new update to Apple Inc.'s iPhone is making previously unlocked iPhones unusable.

Microsoft gives OEMs five more months to install XP
Microsoft Corp. is extending the time it will allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and retail outlets to sell PCs with Windows XP as customers continue to balk on upgrading to Windows Vista.


OPINION

My PC has appendicitis
By Sean McGrath, ITworld.com

It recently struck me that the years have not been kind to all parts of what is known as a PC. There are bits of the PC that could disappear tomorrow without adversely affecting its performance. Kind of like the appendix. Humans haven't had a use for those things since we stopped roaming the prairies in our loincloths and chewing on switchgrass.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Apple update hits unlocked iPhones ... Microsoft gives XP six more months ... Microsoft blogger reveals Office Mobile plans

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10

- Top ten laughably bad tech ads
- Top 10 villains you love to hate
- Top 10 programming concepts for librarians to understand

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Google buys mobile social networking service .. MS blogger leaks Office Mobile upgrade .. Top 10 programming concepts

IN THE NEWS

Google buys mobile social networking service
Google Inc. has acquired a mobile social networking start-up called Zingku Inc., the search company's latest move to provide more services through mobile phones.

Microsoft blogger accidentally leaks Office Mobile upgrade
A Microsoft Corp. employee on Thursday accidentally blogged about an upgrade to Office Mobile that shouldn't be available for another couple of weeks.

New update breaks hacked iPhones
Users are reporting that a new update to Apple Inc.'s iPhone is making previously unlocked iPhones unusable.

Microsoft gives OEMs five more months to install XP
Microsoft Corp. is extending the time it will allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and retail outlets to sell PCs with Windows XP as customers continue to balk on upgrading to Windows Vista.

Apple does major bug-fix for iPhone
Apple Inc. has released its biggest iPhone security update yet, fixing bugs in the mobile phone's browser, mail client and Bluetooth networking server.

Microsoft, others protest Google's DoubleClick deal
Google Inc.'s proposed merger with online advertising server DoubleClick Inc. would create a giant that would control a huge portion of online advertising and hurt the Internet, opponents of the deal told U.S. lawmakers Thursday.

Nokia selling $25,000 Ferrari phones
Nokia Corp.'s exclusive Vertu subsidiary is selling a €18,000 ($25,400) phone in shops in Paris, London, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Palm rolls out new smartphone brand
Palm Inc. introduced a smartphone with a new brand aimed at a younger audience on Thursday.

Verizon reverses decision to block text messages
Verizon Wireless Inc. has reversed a decision to block text messages on its network from abortion rights group Naral Pro-Choice America after an outcry from net neutrality advocates and others.


OPINION

Apple Controls the Flow of iPhone Apps
By Dan Blacharski

The difference between Apple and Microsoft has more to do with strategic marketing and business model than technology.


GADGET GIVEAWAY
_______________

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED
_______________

She's a 10

- Top ten laughably bad tech ads
- Top 10 villains you love to hate
- Top 10 programming concepts for librarians to understand

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Windows stealth update blocks XP patches ... Cisco to buy call-center vendor Latigent ... IBM's Symphony downloaded 100k times

IN THE NEWS

Cisco to buy call-center vendor Latigent
Cisco Systems Inc. has agreed to buy Latigent LLC, a vendor of call center reporting tools, and plans to integrate Latigent's products with its unified customer contact center systems.

Verizon reverses decision to block text messages
Verizon Wireless Inc. has reversed a decision to block text messages on its network from abortion rights group Naral Pro-Choice America after an outcry from net neutrality advocates and others.

Live Search plays to its base
Microsoft Corp. thinks its Live Search can match Google Inc. in some areas now, but the company has been the underdog in search for so long it's not even trying to lure users away from its rival -- at least not yet.

Google picks ex-IBMer to lead expansion in Europe
Google Inc. has appointed a top IBM Corp. researcher to lead the expansion of its engineering group in Europe, the search company announced Thursday.

Microsoft's stealth updates stymie XP repairs
The contentious stealth update that Microsoft delivered to customers this summer blocks 80 patches and fixes from installing after Windows XP is restored using its "repair" feature, researchers said Thursday.

HP offers archive system for legal discovery
Hewlett-Packard Co., which had some well publicized legal troubles of its own not long ago, has unveiled a data back-up system to help other companies when they are hit with a lawsuit or regulatory audit.

Panasonic plans new Toughbook PCs, expects big growth
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic) is refreshing its Toughbook rugged laptop PC line and aiming for a big jump in international sales of the computers over the next three years.

IBM software to scan Chicago streets
The City of Chicago is developing a futuristic video surveillance system designed to scan city streets looking for everything from bombs to traffic jams.

Nokia adding WiMax support to products next year
Nokia Corp. plans to add WiMax connectivity to its N-series Internet tablet next year, the company said Wednesday.


OPINION

My PC has appendicitis
By Sean McGrath, ITworld.com

It recently struck me that the years have not been kind to all parts of what is known as a PC. There are bits of the PC that could disappear tomorrow without adversely affecting its performance. Kind of like the appendix. Humans haven't had a use for those things since we stopped roaming the prairies in our loincloths and chewing on switchgrass.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
IBM's Symphony downloaded 100,000 times ... Dell goes carbon-neutral ... Nokia to add WiMax to products next year

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Note to gamers: Take a break now and then, or risk death
A Chinese man who had been playing online videogames in a cybercafe for three days collapsed at his keyboard and was dead by the time paramedics arrived to revive him, according to the Beijing News. The other customers in the cafe fled en masse - perhaps because they suddenly realized the value of getting some fresh air once in a while.

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

New tools for iPhone hackers ... Questions remain about eBay info theft ... Dell sets 'carbon neutral' date

IN THE NEWS

New tools help hack into iPhone
iPhone hackers have some new tools now, thanks to HD Moore, one of the developers of the Metasploit hacking software.

Questions remain about eBay members' info theft
Questions abound over the posting of confidential information from eBay Inc. members on one of the vendor's discussion forums, a sinister incident that has many of the online marketplace's buyers and sellers worried.

Vonage gets partial remand in Verizon case
Vonage is downplaying an appeals court decision affirming an earlier verdict of patent infringement on two patents owned by Verizon.

Dell to go 'carbon neutral' by late 2008
Dell Inc. will neutralize its carbon emissions and become carbon neutral by the end of 2008, Chairman and CEO Michael Dell announced Wednesday.

FCC members call for national broadband policy
Two members of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission called for the federal government to create a wide-ranging national broadband strategy to help small businesses compete on a global level.

Microsoft will replace scratched Halo 3 discs
Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will replace discs of its Halo 3 Xbox 360 game that were already scratched when users purchased them.

Gmail zero-day flaw allows attackers to steal messages
Accounts on Google Inc.'s Gmail can be easily hacked, allowing any past -- and future e-mail messages -- to be forwarded to the attacker's own in-box, a vulnerability researcher said Tuesday.

Branches' bigger role drives Cisco roll outs
Enterprise branch offices increasingly need the same IT tools that the head office has, and Cisco Systems Inc. is set to unveil branch networking gear Wednesday to help fill that need.


SECURITY TIP

Five ways that software vendors can boost security
Is your software vendor doing everything it can to secure its products? As Sun Microsystems Inc. learned this week, there is always room for improvement.


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Web comic of the week: Subterfuge
This ultramoody (and fairly graphic) comic provides an excellent neo-noir punch, one panel at a time. The dark, black-and-grey graphics evoke the days of Bogart, but the action takes place in some unspecified near-future dystopia. It starts with murder and can't end well...

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Symphony downloaded 100,000 times in first week .. Oracle-SAP trial date set .. AIM flaw could allow worm to spread

IN THE NEWS

IBM: Symphony downloaded 100,000 times in first week
People apparently are already tuning in to IBM Corp.'s Symphony. The company reported Wednesday that its free rival to Microsoft Corp.'s Office suite was downloaded 100,000 times in the first week of release.

Oracle-SAP court fight gets February 2009 trial date
Oracle Corp.'s lawsuit against rival SAP AG will move finally to trial on February 9, 2009 - almost two years after the suit was initially filed, SAP said Tuesday.

IBM begins another wave of SOA releases
IBM Corp. released SOA products for integrating software applications and improving business processes, and said more customers are starting to understand the SOA concept.

Researchers say AIM vulnerable to worm attack
A critical flaw in the way that the AOL LLC's instant messaging client displays Web-based graphics could be exploited by criminals to create a self-copying worm attack, security researchers are warning.

Dell to go 'carbon neutral' by late 2008
Dell Inc. will neutralize its carbon emissions and become carbon neutral by the end of 2008, Chairman and CEO Michael Dell announced Wednesday.

Fraud police buckling under mountains of data
Fraud investigators are struggling to cope with vast quantities of data sent to them by financial institutions, meaning some crimes may go uninvestigated or even unnoticed, experts said on Wednesday.


WINDOWS TIP

When the Clipboard Dies
By Mitch Tulloch

Windows Terminal Services is generally a solid platform to use in
enterprise environments but occasionally during a Remote Desktop
Connection session, my clipboard has gone wonky. Here's a quick work
around to the problem.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
AIM flaw could allow worm to spread .. U.K. police say they have too much information to fight fraud .. Oracle-SAP trial date set

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Web comic of the week: Subterfuge
This ultramoody (and fairly graphic) comic provides an excellent neo-noir punch, one panel at a time. The dark, black-and-grey graphics evoke the days of Bogart, but the action takes place in some unspecified near-future dystopia. It starts with murder and can't end well...


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Vote now!

Critical vulnerability found in Ask.com toolbar ... Frontline, AT&T appeal FCC auction order ... Microsoft wants part of Facebook

Critical vulnerability found in Ask.com toolbar
A vulnerability in Ask.com's toolbar for Internet Explorer could allow an attacker to take control of a person's computer, according to security advisories

Frontline, AT&T appeal FCC auction order
Several companies have challenged spectrum auction rules recently set by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, with Frontline Wireless LLC protesting that the auction of the 700MHz band to be auctioned in January could shut out small bidders.

EchoStar to acquire Sling Media
Sling Media Inc., developer of the innovative SlingBox TV-streaming device, is set to be acquired by EchoStar Communications Corp., which operates the Dish Network direct-to-home satellite TV service in the U.S., the companies said late Monday.

Sun launches first x86 quad-core servers
Adding spark to its Sun Fire line on servers, Sun Microsystems Inc. is expected to announced its first x86-based quad-core systems Tuesday.

Microsoft dates, prices Office 2008 for Mac
"Office 2008 for Mac" will be launched on Jan. 15 in the U.S. -- that's the first day of the Macworld Expo event planned for San Francisco -- and it will be launched in other major markets during the first quarter, the company said.

WabiSabi Labi aims to be more than an eBay for zero-days
WabiSabi Labi Ltd., a Swiss start-up that caused a stir with the creation of an eBay Inc.-like marketplace for software vulnerabilities, plans to offer an intrusion-detection system and will open up its auction site to a wider range of intellectual property, according to a company executive.

Pirate Bay hopes for action by Swedish police
Swedish police are expected to decide later this week whether a criminal case is warranted against 10 major music and movie companies over their alleged efforts to disrupt the Pirate Bay, one of the largest file-sharing search engines.

Single-chip 802.11n promises cheap fast Wi-Fi
Broadcom has put 802.11n wireless networking fast Wi-Fi on a single chip, which could make fast Wi-Fi cheaper in the New Year.


WINDOWS TIP
___________________

When the Clipboard Dies
By Mitch Tulloch

Windows Terminal Services is generally a solid platform to use in enterprise environments but occasionally during a Remote Desktop Connection session, my clipboard has gone wonky. Here's a quick workaround to the problem.


GADGET GIVEAWAY
_______________

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED
_______________

Husband and wife have anonymous online affairs ... with each other
You know the song: a man, disenchanted with his relationship, meets a Pina Colada-loving woman through the personal ads, only to find that he's been corresponding with his own girlfriend. A similar scenario played itself out online in Bosnia, where a husband and wife were having anonymous online affairs ... with each other. But when they met in person, things got ugly, fast.


POLL
_______________

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Vote now!

Microsoft releases SP1 beta ... Apple warns unlocked iPhones may become inoperable ... 10 laughably bad tech ads

TOP STORY

Microsoft releases SP1 beta to limited group
Microsoft Corp. released the beta of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 to a private group of testers, taking one step closer to the anticipated official launch in the first quarter of next year.


IN THE NEWS

Microsoft launches campaign against Google-DoubleClick
Microsoft Corp. has teamed with public relations and marketing agency Burson-Marsteller on a campaign to garner industry support for asking regulators to scrutinize and potentially block the proposed merger of Google Inc. and DoubleClick.

Apple warns unlocked iPhones may become inoperable
Apple ended its silence on unlocking the iPhone via third-party hacks with a warning Monday that unlocked iPhones may become inoperable.

Report: Microsoft seeks Facebook stake
Microsoft Corp. has approached Facebook Inc. in recent weeks proposing an investment that would give Microsoft a stake of up to 5 percent in the popular social-networking company, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

NY blasts Facebook over predators, subpoenas docs
Facebook Inc.'s safety controls and procedures are deficient and fail to properly protect minors from adult sexual predators in the company's social-networking site, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo charged Monday.

Report: EMC looking to buy online backup service
EMC Corp. may be set to close on a $76 million purchase of the Mozy online backup product from Berkeley Data Systems, according to a report in the TechCrunch blog.

Microsoft packaging scratching Halo 3 discs
Anecdotal evidence suggests that Microsoft special packaging is to blame for scratched Halo 3 discs on arrival.


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10

- Top ten laughably bad tech ads
- Top 10 villains you love to hate
- Top 10 programming concepts for librarians to understand

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Vote now!

DoubleClick launches mobile ad platform ... FBI investigates Unisys over U.S. gov't hack ... OLPC offers give one, get one

IN THE NEWS

OLPC offers give one, get one for $400
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) group has launched a program that will let U.S. and Canadian residents pay $400 for one laptop to keep and one to give to a child in a developing nation.

FBI investigates Unisys over U.S. government hack
IT systems integrator Unisys Corp. is under fire for allegedly failing to detect the hacking of U.S. Department of Homeland Security computers, an incident that resulted in data being sent to a Chinese-language Web site.

DoubleClick launches mobile ad platform
DoubleClick Inc. is expanding its advertising services for mobile phones, it announced Monday, as it continues waiting to find out if Google Inc.'s attempt to buy it will pass muster with regulators.

Verizon Business adds to service-level agreements
Verizon Communications Inc.'s Business unit has expanded its service-level agreement (SLA) options, allowing customers to invoke their SLAs on the last mile of their network connection, even in cases where Verizon doesn't own those pipes.

Chinese retailer Gome to sell Dell computers
One of China's biggest electronics retailers Gome Electrical Appliances Group will soon start selling Dell computers at its chain of stores across China.

Virgin drops Windows Media-based music download service
Virgin Group Ltd. will shut down its online music subscription and download service in the U.S. and U.K. next month, leaving one less competitor for Apple Inc.'s iTunes Music Store.

Check Point touts Skype blocking technology
Check Point Software has beefed up its enterprise security gateways, in an effort to protect corporate networks against the risks associated with IM and peer-to-peer application such as Skype.


STORAGE TIP

Getting more performance out of high transaction-rate databases
By David Hill, Mesabi Group

What seems to be the problem? Your organization may have an on-line transaction processing (OLTP) system with a high transaction rate. High transaction rate databases may place a high I/O resource demand on performance that may result in response times outlined in the SLA not being met, batch jobs take too long, etc. You'll need a solution. Here's what you need to know.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
OLPC offers 'buy one, donate one' deal ... Microsoft, Philips test White Spaces device ... CCTV cameras don't solve crimes in London

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

For sale on eBay: One smallish European country, slightly used

Citizens of Belgium went to the polls more than three months ago, but the nation's squabbling political parties still haven't been able to agree on a new cabinet yet. Since nobody else seems to want to run the place, disgruntled Belgian Gerrit Six put the country up for sale on eBay. The company pulled the auction when someone placed a $14 million bid.

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

OLPC offers give one, get one for $400 ... Mobile Web developers irate at Vodafone ... Network General bought at discount price

TOP STORY

OLPC offers give one, get one for $400
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) group has launched a program that will let U.S. and Canadian residents pay $400 for one laptop to keep and one to give to a child in a developing nation.


IN THE NEWS

Mobile Web developers irate at Vodafone move
Mobile developers around the world are in an uproar over a change Vodafone Group PLC has made in the U.K. that dramatically decreases the quality of their products and that they fear could prevent new and innovative mobile services from reaching the market.

Microsoft, Philips retest 'white spaces' device
A group of technology vendors has submitted new test results for a wireless device intended to operate in unused portions of the television spectrum, after an identical device malfunctioned in U.S. Federal Communications Commission tests earlier this year.

Tech executives lard richest Americans list
Technology executives dominated the top 10 of Forbes magazine's list of 400 richest Americans this year, with Microsoft Corp. co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates retaining his place at the top of the annual list for the 14th time. According to Forbes, Gates is worth $59 billion.

Zimbra users vexed by Yahoo deal
Zimbra Inc. customers appalled at the company's planned acquisition by Yahoo Inc. are speaking out, saying they are vexed by the deal and upset over its possible negative consequences.

SK Telecom spends on Helio as EarthLink steps back
Struggling EarthLink Inc. has stepped back from further funding Helio, its U.S. mobile joint venture with SK Telecom Co. Ltd., amid hints that the South Korean cellular carrier may become the majority shareholder.

Network General bought at knock-down price
NetScout is to buy Network General, the company behind the legendary Sniffer, for around $205 million in cash, stock and debt


UNIX TIP

Scanning your messages file for warnings
By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

Too often we sysadmins look through our messages files only when something has gone wrong on our systems and we need some clues that might help us piece together what has happened. Routine scanning or, better yet, intelligent extraction and summarization of important notices and warnings can help alert us to problems when they make their first appearance and sometimes avoid the worst repercussions of a problem on your systems. This article looks at a script that scans for warning messages, collects the text and frequency of appearance of these warnings and presents this information in digested form.


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

For sale on eBay: One smallish European country, slightly used
Citizens of Belgium went to the polls more than three months ago, but the nation's squabbling political parties still haven't been able to agree on a new cabinet yet. Since nobody else seems to want to run the place, disgruntled Belgian Gerrit Six put the country up for sale on eBay. The company pulled the auction when someone placed a $14 million bid.


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Tech execs dominate richest Americans list ... eDonkey servers down but not out ... Microsoft, Philips retest 'white spaces' device

IN THE NEWS

Microsoft, Philips retest 'white spaces' device
A group of technology vendors has submitted new test results for a wireless device intended to operate in unused portions of the television spectrum, after an identical device malfunctioned in U.S. Federal Communications Commission tests earlier this year.

Tech executives lard richest Americans list
Technology executives dominated the top 10 of Forbes magazine's list of 400 richest Americans this year, with Microsoft Corp. co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates retaining his place at the top of the annual list for the 14th time. According to Forbes, Gates is worth $59 billion.

Shutdown of eDonkey servers may be short-lived
The music industry claimed another legal victory in its battle against illegal file sharing in Europe on Friday, but the win may not last long.

Researcher sees potential iPhone security problems
Apple Inc.'s iPhone is a tough target for hackers, but a security researcher warned Friday that there are ways the sleek device could potentially be compromised.

Mobile security, virtualization on tap at MS hacking meet
Microsoft Corp. is inviting hackers onto its Redmond, Washington, campus again next week and this time software virtualization and mobile security will be the hot topics.

Remote Vietnamese village gets Internet access via WiMax
WiMax and a satellite connection are bringing broadband Internet access to a remote Vietnamese village, part of a collaboration between the public and private sector to narrow the digital divide in rural Vietnam

Hacker bears bad news about PDF
The hacker who discovered a recently patched QuickTime flaw affecting the Firefox browser says he has found an equally serious flaw in Adobe Systems Inc.'s PDF file format.

Lawsuit charges open-source license violation
In what may be the first action of its kind in the U.S., the Software Freedom Law Center has filed a lawsuit to enforce an open-source license.

Onaro updates SAN automation tools
Onaro has brought out version 4 of SANscreen, its software for extending IT service management (ITSM) and data center automation to networked storage.


CAREER

How to attract women to enterprise IT jobs
Enterprise IT is a fantastic field for women, especially young women, to consider, especially now. Why? Because much of the work capitalizes on women's greatest strengths - communication, collaboration and problem solving - and because a looming worker shortage means the supply-demand balance will tip toward more frenzied recruiting. But ask CIOs whether they think the field is adequately marketed and correctly described, and they admit that it suffers from an outdated image, inadequate promotion, and misperceptions about exactly what the work is.


GADGET GIVEAWAY

It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10

- Top 10 Wikipedia tricks
- Top 10 essential tech skills for the modern man
- 10 reasons not to buy an iPhone (at least, not yet)
- Top 10 tips for managing software piracy

Oracle posts big gains for quarter ... East coast or west for best IT career? ... Lawsuit charges open-source license violation

TOP STORY

Oracle posts big gains for quarter
New software licensing revenue growth -- the highest in ten years for the company -- helped boost Oracle Corp.'s first quarter financials.


IN THE NEWS

Lawsuit charges open-source license violation
In what may be the first action of its kind in the U.S., the Software Freedom Law Center has filed a lawsuit to enforce an open-source license.

Hacker bears bad news about PDF
The hacker who discovered a recently patched QuickTime flaw affecting the Firefox browser says he has found an equally serious flaw in Adobe Systems Inc.'s PDF file format.

Intel sees meal ticket in virtual worlds
The rise of what Intel calls the 3-D Web will transform the way people use the Internet with a far richer experience, exemplified today by Second Life but turning more realistic and being deployed in medicine and business, Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner said in a last-day keynote address at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. The best news for the chip giant, however, is how much computing power all this will take.

VMware bugs shine spotlight on virtualization security
A set of newly discovered flaws in components of VMware Inc.'s virtual machine software has called attention to some of the security risks associated with the practice of running virtual computers on a single system.

Fragmentation threatens mobile Linux momentum
Despite signs that mobile Linux is gaining momentum -- such as the launch of Motorola Inc.'s Linux-based Razr2 -- heated competition, confusion about goals and slow-moving consortiums may be hindering growth.

Google targets verticals with new ad support
Google Inc. is ramping up its efforts to help specific vertical markets create more effective online advertising, using its technology to help clients highlight as many of their assets as possible to drive not only online, but also offline sales.

Senators push for Internet tax ban
Three Republican U.S. senators on Thursday called on Congress to pass a permanent Internet tax ban before a moratorium expires Nov. 1.

Intel's 3D user interface gets an application
A 3D user interface, called Miramar, developed by Intel Corp. researchers during the late 1990s will be used in an upcoming release of Qwaq Inc.'s Qwaq Forums collaboration tool.


OPINION

East vs. West: Which coast is best for an IT career?
Everyone knows that in these two regions geeks rule, most parents explain their child's career by saying say "my kid's into computers" and somebody's always stuck in traffic. But how do the locales stack up in a coast-to-coast showdown? From IT salaries and educational institutions, to climate and real estate, there's much to debate about which is the best spot for an IT career.