News Wrap-Up for March
Fred picks his favorites from the Wired News Service
- IPods Beat in Heart of the City
New York and iPods go together like bagels and cream cheese. Just search for the word 'iPod' in New York personal ads, and you get a unique insight into the mentality of the city. By Leander Kahney. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Music Group Sues Another Batch
The music industry sues another 500 people, bringing the total number of people it is pursuing to almost 2,000. This time, 89 of the defendants are likely to be students. By Katie Dean. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Congress Moves to Criminalize P2P
Two senators introduce legislation that would impose jail time for sharing as little as one file, while the House may consider another that would lower the bar to take people to court. Looks like entertainment lobbyists are winning their war against peer-to-peer networks. By Xeni Jardin. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Gates: Hardware Will Be Free
Microsoft has a fitful relationship with PC makers, so Bill Gates probably enjoyed predicting that advancing technology will blow a hole through their business model. And, naturally, Microsoft will be there to exploit it. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Comcast Buys TechTV
The rumors turn out to be true, as the cable TV monolith concludes a deal to acquire the struggling technology TV company for a reported $300 million. By Daniel Terdiman. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Topica Users Pay the Piper
Longtime users of free e-mail discussion lists provided by Topica recently started getting ads with their messages. Blood pressures have risen, but the owners say the free-lunch era is over. By Daniel Terdiman. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Upstarts Vie to Outcrawl Google
The star of search has plenty of company these days, as startups and leading tech companies tinker with new ways of culling and presenting information. It could prompt the next revolution in search. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Your Privacy vs. Their Profit
Members of a Senate subcommittee can't define what spyware is, exactly, but they know they don't like it and want to ban it. Marketing types fear any draconian legislation as an assault on the edifice of capitalism. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- The God Particle and the Grid
The physics lab that brought us the Web is reinventing the Internet. Get ready for the atom-smashing, supercomputing, 5-Gbps grid economy. By Richard Martin from Wired magazine. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Pay Once, Share Often With LWDRM
The German organization that came up with the MP3 format now proposes a way to keep it under control. LWDRM would put licensing problems in the hands of the consumer. Henny van der Pluijm reports from Hannover, Germany. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Tell It What You're Searching For
Good news for carpal tunnel sufferers and others who can't use keyboards: Opera Software demonstrates a new Web browser that talks and understands spoken requests. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Soviets Burned By CIA Hackers?
When the Reagan White House discovered that the USSR was stealing American technology, it planted a Trojan horse in a chip that controlled pipelines. An author says the hack caused a huge explosion, but former KGB members deny they were duped. By Steve Kettmann. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Virus Era Hits 5-Year Milestone
The first massive Net virus infestation -- Melissa -- happened five years ago. Since then, not much has changed, except for the frequency of outbreaks. By Michelle Delio. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Spam Gets Its Claws in the U.N.
Delegates from around the globe gather to discuss how to tame the beast of Internet regulation and maintenance. Dealing with spam might be a test case. Michelle Delio reports from New York. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Net Hoaxes Snare Fools All Year
Infinite power supplies, 87-pound house cats and dehydrated water do not exist. Yet people continue to be fooled by online hoaxes. It's that time of year again, so watch out. By Joanna Glasner. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- Feds Crank Up Heat on P2P
The Justice Department says a newly created task force will focus on figuring out how to stamp out content piracy. The effort comes as Congress moves to punish file swappers who use peer-to-peer networks to trade copyright works. By Xeni Jardin. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
- USB Ports Just Ducky
The universal serial bus, developed as a faster, easier way to connect printers and other computing peripherals, has become the choice to power all kinds of gadgets -- blankets, noodle cookers and even a duck. Wired News issued: 03/31/2004
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Reviewed by Fred Showker for the User Group Network News Service. (C) 2004, all rights reserved. Affiliate groups may freely republish this piece so long as they include the tag line: "From the User Group Network News Service at http://www.user-groups.net/ "
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