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| "The future masters of technology will have to be lighthearted and intelligent. The machine easily masters the grim and the dumb." -- Marshall McLuhan, 1969 |
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FBI Begins Visiting Libraries |
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| Topic: Civil Liberties |
7:44 pm EDT, Jun 24, 2002 |
"The FBI is visiting libraries nationwide and checking the reading records of people it suspects of having ties to terrorists or plotting an attack, library officials say. The FBI effort, authorized by the antiterrorism law enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks, is the first broad government check of library records since the 1970s when prosecutors reined in the practice for fear of abuses." FBI Begins Visiting Libraries |
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Lessons From Networks, Online and Other |
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| Topic: Science |
7:06 pm EDT, Jun 23, 2002 |
Albert-Lazlo Barabasi, a professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame, became fascinated with the structure of the Internet in 1998. He and his student researchers designed software robots that went out on the Net and mapped as many of its nodes, hubs and links as they could. He then began studying other networks and found that they had similar structures. The Internet in particular, he found, had taken on characteristics of a living ecosystem. That made for a valuable insight in itself. But Professor Barabasi went a step further and analyzed the genetic networks of various living organisms, finding that their genes and proteins interacted in much the same networked way as the Internet. This conclusion, described in Professor Barabasi's new book, "Linked: The New Science of Networks", could alter the way we think about all the networks that affect our lives. Lessons From Networks, Online and Other |
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Six Men Who Could Be Contenders to Lead Palestinians if Arafat Goes |
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| Topic: Current Events |
5:36 pm EDT, Jun 15, 2002 |
Yasir Arafat has remained the Palestinian leader for more than 30 years in part by not cultivating a long-term lieutenant, avoiding a threat to his pre-eminence by dividing up power beneath himself and encouraging rivalries among his top political and security aides. That strategy has also left him without a clear successor. ... Despite Mr. Arafat's maneuverings, a varied, experienced group of potential leaders waits in the wings. Mahmoud Abbas, Lawyer and historian, late 60's
Marwan Barghouti, Politician, 42
Muhammad Dahlan, Security official, 40
Ahmed Qurei, Economic adviser, mid-60's
Jibril Rajoub, Security official, 49
Sheik Ahmad Yassin, Hamas's spiritual leader, mid-60's Six Men Who Could Be Contenders to Lead Palestinians if Arafat Goes |
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Microsoft accidentally distributes virus |
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| Topic: Computer Security |
8:03 pm EDT, Jun 14, 2002 |
Microsoft accidentally sent the virulent Nimda worm to South Korean developers when it distributed Korean-language versions of Visual Studio .Net that carried the virus, the company acknowledged Friday. Microsoft accidentally distributes virus |
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Slashdot | Revolutionary Ideas for Radio Regulation |
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| Topic: Technology |
6:28 pm EDT, Jun 14, 2002 |
Radio is becoming more important to the Internet (Wi-Fi, etc.) and to software (software defined radios, under the right conditions, could be very important). Unlike the Internet and software, there's no excuse for not recognizing right away huge public policy issues. To foster broader and more informed public discussion of radio regulation, I've posted a preliminary discussion paper on my website, galbithink.org. The abstract and outline are below. I hope that even persons without particular expertise in radio will take time to think about these issues and discuss them. Douglas Galbi, FCC Senior Economist. Radio communications are going to be getting a major upgrade over the next few years. Hence, the way we regulate radio spectrum usage is going to have to be readdressed at some point. If we are not proative on the regulatory front, it will wind up slowing a series of major technological advances to a crawl. I think we can already start applying some of what has been learned from the Internet's collision with traditional media here.. Not to mention the effects of the Internet on telcos. Slashdot | Revolutionary Ideas for Radio Regulation |
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| Topic: Miscellaneous |
5:48 pm EDT, Jun 14, 2002 |
Decius: This is an off shore site that is using a form of steganography to hide itself from record industry web spiders. Looks like they've had the domain since 1999. This is real crime. I definately don't recommend that you use this site. However, its existence and method of operation is interesting nonetheless. Islands in the net.... Rattle: Tell all your friends! Download like mad! simplemp3s.com |
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David Bowie, 21st-Century Entrepreneur |
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| Topic: Society |
5:26 pm EDT, Jun 14, 2002 |
Bowie: "I don't even know why I would want to be on a label in a few years, because I don't think it's going to work by labels and by distribution systems in the same way. The absolute transformation of everything that we ever thought about music will take place within 10 years, and nothing is going to be able to stop it. I see absolutely no point in pretending that it's not going to happen. I'm fully confident that copyright, for instance, will no longer exist in 10 years, and authorship and intellectual property is in for such a bashing." David Bowie looks forward to the next music revolution. David Bowie, 21st-Century Entrepreneur |
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Stick a fork in it; 10 GigE is done -- but still too hot to eat |
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| Topic: Technology |
5:18 pm EDT, Jun 14, 2002 |
The first fiber-only Ethernet standard was approved Wednesday, opening the door for a new generation of Ethernet products. The IEEE 802.3 standards group gave the go-ahead to 802.3ae, a version of Ethernet that runs at 10 gigabits per second. Extreme Networks: "We will have a 10gbps module within the next few months." It will cost around $60,000. Stick a fork in it; 10 GigE is done -- but still too hot to eat |
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Found: Solar System Like Our Own |
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| Topic: Science |
5:10 pm EDT, Jun 13, 2002 |
"There's another solar system like ours, and it's very close by. Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley and the Carnegie Institution announced Thursday that they've found the first planetary system that closely resembles our own." Found: Solar System Like Our Own |
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2 Tinkerers Say They've Found a Cheap Way to Broadband |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
8:24 pm EDT, Jun 10, 2002 |
Anyone looking for the next big thing in Silicon Valley should stop here at Layne Holt's garage. Mr. Holt and his business partner, John Furrier, both software engineers, have started a company with a shoestring budget and an ambitious target: the cable and phone companies that currently hold a near-monopoly on high-speed access for the "last mile" between the Internet and the home. ... Although he has partially broken with the Wi-Fi standard, he argues he is doing just what the unlicensed radio spectrum was originally set aside to encourage. John Markoff reports on new developments in the emerging business for large-scale WiFi-based Internet access. The developers have paired 802.11b with a software-defined radio, which Markoff (perhaps mistakenly) refers to as a "software-designed radio". 2 Tinkerers Say They've Found a Cheap Way to Broadband |
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