"AES may have been broken. Serpent, too. Or maybe not. In either case, there's no need to panic. Yet. But there might be soon. Maybe."

Bruce Schneier on possible weaknesses in encryption systems

Do you use the Internet at work? I see lots of hands. You may not realize it, but your access to the Net is most likely mediated by some kind of firewall. Companies are spending thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of dollars on these systems—and trust them to protect their networks from snoopers and intruders.

Do firewalls really give protection? --By Simson Garfinkel

One of its agents has issued a warning about the popular practice of using chalk marks to show the location of wireless networks.

The marks, or "warchalks", are cropping up in cities and suburbs across the world.

The FBI is now telling companies that, if they see the chalk marks outside their offices, they should check the security of wireless networks and ensure they remain closed to outsiders.

FBI warns of Wireless Warchalking

"News reports late last week claimed that Sun and Apple have partnered to bring Sun's StarOffice suite of applications to Mac OS X. While Sun officials acknowledge work on an OpenOffice port for Mac OS X, the company denied a port of StarOffice is in the works."

booooooooooo......

No StarOffice planned for Mac OS X

KLEEMANN is proud to announce:
A new world record has been set in the category “World’s Fastest Saloon” - The fastest 4-door Saloon in the world top speed 338 km/h.
When you need to get up too almost 600bhp for your Mercedes
and make it look good! You know where to look.

Kleemann - Mercedes Benz Tuning Company

Monday, super investor Warren Buffett ( news - web sites) jolted the nearly prostrate telecom industry by leading an investment of $500 million in Level 3 Communications. Telecom companies now are so reviled, and Buffett is so worshiped, the investment is like the prom queen deciding to dance with the greasy kid who broke both legs of the star quarterback by accidentally running him over in the school parking lot before the first game.

Beyond the surface, the potential intrigue could get fascinating. This is where the soap opera aspects come in. Buffett's investment could set in motion a complex web of relationships and -- if you play it all out in just the right way -- put Bill Gates ( news - web sites) in charge of every fiber-optic line in the USA.

This stuff is layered on top of Monday's congressional hearings, during which new WorldCom management threw tomatoes at old WorldCom management, which liked Level 3's founder and CEO, James Crowe, about as much as homeowners like termites.

Read the rest...great prediction

checkmate?

"In London today a gang war broke out over a territorial dispute. However, the territory was not physical space, but a wireless cloud of bandwidth. The dispute erupted when a Wi-fi user of a local free network connection accused another of dropping in on his wave. "Not only did this newbie drop in, he launched a p2p flood.", said one of the local Wibos.

Several laptops were broken in the fight, and one Wibo was taken to hospital for the removal of a PCMCIA Card. Residents of the casual cafe strip expressed some distress at the increase chalk markings that have appeared, and the rise of threatening looking white bespeckled males."

OK. Maybe not. But I think it's worth while setting some ground rules for the use of the Wi-fi freenets that are popping up, especially with the increased profile via warchalking.

Warchalking - Collaboratively creating a hobo-language for free wireless networking.

One of my newer hobbies is war-driving. If you are not familiar with what war-driving is, simply check out sites like Wardriving.com and Netstumbler. Basically, it's driving around and discovering wireless networks. I war-drive with one general purpose--to gauge the growth of WiFi (802.11b) use in the Northern Virginia area. I do not war-drive with the intent to steal Internet access, sniff network traffic, or break into computers. In fact, I usually don't man the laptop--I simply drive.

A VERY Nice War-driving Setup

Technology is a crucial component in America's war against terrorism, President George W. Bush said Thursday, in his first major address to technology industry leaders since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
In a 30-minute speech, Bush praised the technology industry in broad strokes and offered encouraging remarks for companies in the business of high-speed Internet access.
"The country must be aggressive with the expansion of broadband," he said, winning a loud round of applause from some 100 technology CEOs and luminaries gathered at the White House for the address.
Bush also commented on the government's $53 billion technology spending budget--the largest such appropriation in history. "If you're a recipient, make sure the product actually works," he said, half-jokingly.

"For my taste, they're focusing on the right issues," said Napster CEO Konrad Hilbers. "Broadband is very high on our agenda. I'm glad broadband was brought up with a very high priority."

Bush: Broadband must be 'aggressive'

Adelphia Communications Corp. inflated the number of its cable-TV subscribers by between 400,000 and 500,000, or as much as 10 percent of the company’s total customer base, according to people familiar the situation. In addition, investigators have uncovered evidence that Adelphia kept two sets of accounting books for its capital expenditures, one of which was shown to Wall Street and boosted the amount Adelphia spent to upgrade its cable systems.

The SEC is also focusing heavily on the role Deloitte & Touche played as Adelphia’s auditor. Regulators are taking a close look at what Deloitte knew about related-party transactions, co-borrowing arrangements and subscriber inflation, said a person close to the situation. The SEC is concerned that Deloitte “knew things and didn’t bring them to the board’s attention,” this person said.

Adelphia kept 2 sets of books