http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2004230,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594
Agency Reviewing All Sony Laptop Batteries
By Philipp Gollner, Reuters August 16, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters)—Consumer safety officials said on Tuesday they are reviewing all Sony-made lithium-ion batteries in laptop computers for fire hazards after Dell Inc. announced the largest electronics recall in the United States.
... The Sony batteries are also used in laptops from Hewlett-Packard Co., Apple Computer Inc. and Lenovo Group Ltd.
"We are looking at the complete scope of the batteries made by Sony to ensure that no other consumers are in harm's way," U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said. "We recognize that the batteries manufactured by Sony are not unique to just the Dell notebook computers."
Interesting.
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5483.html
Is MySpace.com Your Space?
Q&A with: John Deighton Published: August 16, 2006 Author: Sean Silverthorne
Executive Summary:
Social networking sites such as MySpace.com have demographics to die for, but PR problems with parents, police, and policymakers. Are they safe for advertisers? A Q&A with Professor John Deighton. Key concepts include:
* Social networking sites such as MySpace.com are emerging as powerful advertising platforms reaching millions of desirable consumers.
* They will be advertising rivals to established Internet sites such as Google and Yahoo.
* Although MySpace has been the subject of some community criticism, MySpace advertisers don't seem frightened off.
But Mom, all the other kindergärtners have them! (If I catch them driving while talking on the phone, they're getting a spanking!)
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/16/1746206&from=rss
Kids with Cell Phones, How Young is Too Young?
Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday August 16, @04:16PM from the how-often-are-they-on-their-own dept. Communications Hardware
An anonymous reader writes "CNet is reporting that the average age of a child receiving their first cell phone is continuing to drop. A report carried out last year showed that the average age of a child's first cell phone was just eight years old and is expected to drop closer to 5 years of age this year. The author raises the obligatory medical questions that have been argued about in adults for years. Just how young is too young for a cell phone?
Business model: Leave your laptop at home, when you reach your destination rent one of ours! (The problem is, people still want to keep a copy of their data...)
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/17/0021227&from=rss
Is Your Laptop At Risk While Traveling?
Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 16, @09:38PM from the use-more-bubblewrap dept. Portables Hardware
Editorgirl35 writes "Here's an interesting story on DesignNews.com With last week's announcement that the British government thwarted an alleged terrorist attack planned for flights from the U.K. to the U.S., news that travelers are required to check their laptops as baggage on some flights has raised a new level of panic as they try to figure out the best way to protect their laptops."
Oh please, please, PLEASE give me the opportunity to comment on some of these patent applications.
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/17/0143207&from=rss
Patent Reviews Via Wiki
Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 16, @10:58PM from the patents-of-the-many dept. Patents IT
unboring writes "Fortune reports on a pilot program where the patent approval process would be opened to outsiders for review. Reviewers can vote and discuss on different proposals, through say a wiki. Given the many (recent and past) patent approval fiascos, this seems like a good idea. It'll be interesting to see how they would deal with the issues faced by Wikipedia."
Continuing Microsoft's death by 1000 cuts?
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/17/0226248&from=rss
22,000 Indiana Students Using Linux Desktops
Posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 17, @02:34AM from the open-school dept. Education Linux
Anonymous writes "Indiana's Department of Education has moved 22,000 students onto Linux desktops, and it's looking like that's only going to accelerate with SLED 10, Linspire, and other distributions getting better."
All football, all the time. Think how access to any team (including your old high school) can change the media dynamic. MANY business opportunities here folks. Think this will entice jocks to Harvard?
Smaller Colleges Bypassing TV for Web
By PAT EATON-ROBB Associated Press Writer Aug 16, 5:46 PM EDT
... The big TV networks simply aren't interested in the little Ivy League.
But the Ivy League and other small conferences may have found a way around that - the Internet.
Many schools, and now some conferences, have begun showing football and other sports on their Web sites.
"We can produce our own television and reach, literally, the entire world on the Web, without having to go through the issues of, is there cable availability? Is there satellite availability? Is there advertising support?" said Jeff Orleans, commissioner of the Ivy League.
... Big Sky Conference's Northern Arizona offered webcasts of home football games last year. Using the four cameras already set up to provide replays on the stadium scoreboard, the school added audio from its radio broadcasts along with continually updated statistics.
... This season, the entire nine-school Big Sky Conference will webcast all football, basketball and volleyball games, using technology from Salt Lake City-based SportsCast Network LLC.
Fans will be able to choose which team's audio feed to which to listen. Games will be archived and can be downloaded to portable devices like Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod.
"This is the future," Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton said. "The fan will decide what they are going to watch and when they are going to watch it."
... ---On the Net: http://www.bigskytv.org http://broadband.espn.go.com/ivp/splash http://www.wac.tv
When, not if!
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012148.html
August 15, 2006
New National Survey on Enterprise Data Security Risks
Ponemon Institute Releases National Survey on Confidential Data at Risk
"Stored data presents unique challenges for enterprise security, and the U.S. Survey: Confidential Data at Risk is a first-of-its-kind study on the topic. Derived from a national sampling of nearly 500 experienced information security practitioners, the survey reveals a number of key findings, including: 81 percent of companies surveyed reported the loss of one or more laptop computers containing sensitive information during the previous 12 months."
Keep this link in your “Background research” folder...
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012155.html
August 16, 2006
Updates to World Fact Book Online
CIA - The World Fact Book - What's New
"Country information has been updated as of 8 August 2006.
There have been some significant changes to the latest edition of The World Factbook. The successful secession referendum held in Montenegro in May of 2006 allowed it to legally leave its union with Serbia the following month. These two Balkan countries have now been formally recognized and are listed separately in the Factbook.
A new Appendix G lists Weights and Measures. The appendix includes information on mathematical notation and metric interrelationships, as well as over 400 examples of standard conversion factors.
Revision of some individual country maps, first introduced in the 2001 edition, is continued in this edition. Several regional maps have also been updated to reflect boundary changes and place name spelling changes."
I still can't find the “Ministry of Silly Walks”
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012151.html
August 16, 2006
U.S. Government Manual 2006-2007
"The official handbook of the Federal Government, provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches."
Current Edition (2006-07) only: Quick Search
Federal Regulatory information...
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012156.html
August 16, 2006
OMB Searchable Inventory of Approved Information Collections
"Inventory of Approved Information Collections (updated daily) - This listing includes all collections of information from the public for which a Federal agency has received prior approval from OMB, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. An ongoing collection must be approved by OMB at least once every three years."
Sometime soon, elected officials will have to notice that most voters don't trust these machines... Nah!
http://techdirt.com/articles/20060816/1221223.shtml
Another Lawsuit Filed To Stop E-Voting Machines
from the groundswell dept
For years and years people have been pointing out the massive security flaws in e-voting machines. While the companies in the space laugh off the problem or try to block those who try to make sure the devices are secure, it seems like more and more people are beginning to recognize the problems with the machines. They're speaking up and letting politicians know that they're uncomfortable with these machines. The latest is that yet another lawsuit has been filed to stop these machines from being used in elections. This lawsuit is in Pennsylvania but is similar to lawsuits elsewhere. It's certainly true that no voting system is perfectly secure -- but the level of correctable problems found in many e-voting machines, combined with the level of disdain the equipment makers show towards those who point out the flaws makes it worthwhile to try to stop these machines from being used in elections.
What a great idea!
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2003853,00.asp
'Pen' Testing in the Palm of Your Hand
By Ryan Naraine August 15, 2006
A portable hacking device equipped with hundreds of exploits and an automated exploitation system will go on sale in the United States in October.
The wireless handheld, called Silica, is the latest product to be developed by Immunity, a Miami-based security company that sells penetration testing products and services.
“a virtual strip search” Cool. (Every high school kid in America will be trying to build one of these in his garage...)
http://digg.com/hardware/New_airport_screener_machine_shows_you_naked
New airport screener machine shows you naked
kmk2006 submitted by kmk2006 20 hours 54 minutes ago (via http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/scp_v3/viewer/index.php?pid=16598&rn=49750&cl=704900&ch=49799&src=digg.com )
Title says it all. Link to video.
How can you tell city officials can't write contracts (or laws) worth a damn? (Whatever happened to “We're the government. We can do anything we want.”)
http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1155654959125350.xml&coll=8
Dispute slows school/county fiber-optic network
Tuesday, August 15, 2006 By Lynn Moore CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Debbie Brewer was puzzled when crews started erecting a power pole in front of her Muskegon home at the corner of Francis Avenue and Creston Street last spring.
Why, she thought, put up another one when there's an existing pole not 10 feet away on the same corner?
She wasn't too pleased when she learned the answer: Verizon Communications wouldn't allow a consortium of schools and government to use any of its poles to string fiber optics for a countywide improvement project.
... Verizon's claim that state law prevents it from allowing use of its poles is the latest snag in the $3 million fiber project that is two years behind schedule.
... The fiber also will allow schools, 911 Central Dispatch and the county to stop leasing "T1 lines" from Verizon that cost $500 to $700 per month. Those are broadband lines that can handle large amounts of voice and data.
Let's hope this doesn't escalate!
http://hotair.com/archives/2006/08/16/iran-gives-hezbollah-unlimited-budget-to-rebuild-lebanon/
Iran gives Hezbollah “unlimited budget” to rebuild Lebanon
posted at 12:54 am on August 16, 2006 by Allahpundit
Send to a Friend | printer-friendly
According to an anti-Syrian Lebanese MP who claims he was told by Hezbollah capos themselves. It figures that the one time the west actually wants to see an Arab government propped up with Sunni cash, the Egyptians, Jordanians and even the Saudis are asleep at the wheel. And Nasrallah’s taking full advantage:
Today's Dilbert sums up IT policy quite neatly
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