Reuters Technology News
Fri Dec 29, 2006. NEW YORK (Reuters) - "RSS" is one of the coolest things you've never heard of when it comes to the Internet.
Short for "Really Simple Syndication," a name that seems designed to induce maximum eye glazing, RSS is in fact one of the best time-savers online. And it's getting easier to use.
RSS is a way for Web surfers to keep up with the latest news or catch hot deals on travel packages, concert tickets and nearly anything else people use the Internet to buy.
Instead of typing in 20 different Web site addresses every time you want to see what's new on washingtonpost.com, craigslist.org or your cousin's blog, just get "RSS feeds." Every time a page updates, you get an alert.
Media blogger Jeff Jarvis is one of the converted. "I don't use bookmarks at all, ever," said Jarvis, who offers RSS as a way to read his blog at Buzzmachine.com. "If a site doesn't have RSS, I find it a great irritant."
RSS comes in handy in a variety of everyday situations, said Forrester analyst Charlene Li.
"I'm currently looking for tickets for The Jersey Boys," she said. "And it's completely sold out. But every once in a while something shows up on Craigslist."
Instead of constantly checking Craigslist, Li sets up an RSS feed searching for four tickets, and if someone posts an ad for tickets, the feed will alert her.
LITTLE ORANGE BUTTONS
So, why are so few people using it?
Only 2 percent of online consumers bother, according to Forrester, and more than half of that group is 40 years old or younger.
For starters, the name is deadly for attracting "average" Internet users -- people who use the Web and handle e-mail, but quail at inscrutabilities like "service-oriented architecture" and "robust enterprise solutions."
Then there are the orange buttons you find on Web pages. Clicking one produces a jumble of computer codes. It's hardly the path to popularity.
"RSS is a horrible name," said Li. "And those little orange buttons don't do anybody any favors."
People often do not realize that the computer code is useless. What they must do is copy the Web address in their browser, and insert it into their RSS reader. The lack of clear instructions on many Web sites dooms the service to obscurity.
Some of the top U.S. news Web sites are changing that, including The New York Times site.
The site's managers plan to offer readers feeds dedicated to topics, reporters and columnists sometime in the first half of 2007, but in an easier way.
"Once we start doing that, you won't get that very geeky screen," said Robert Larson, nytimes.com's vice president of product management and development.
"It should be incredibly easy for anybody, no matter what their technical level, to click a button and add a feed to their MyTimes page," he said.
Washingtonpost.com is sprucing up its RSS system for sometime in early 2007, said Ann Marchand Thompson, the site's editor for discussions, e-mail and RSS.
"We want to let people sign up for the news that they want to receive without having to feel like they need a technical background to do it," she said. "They don't need to know the code behind it."
Getting RSS going on your computer is also simpler today. The two easiest ways are using newer version of the Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers, which contain RSS readers.
Yahoo and Google also offer easy-to-use RSS options. Specialized RSS readers like Bloglines and Newsgator are slightly more sophisticated and take a little more experimentation, but are tough to put down once you get the hang of them.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Injured man wins damages for sex overdrive...
Reuters News
Tue Dec 19, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - A devout Christian who said an accident at work boosted his libido and wrecked his marriage as he turned to prostitutes and pornography was awarded more than 3 million pounds ($5.89 million) in damages Tuesday.
Stephen Tame, 29, from Suffolk, suffered severe head injuries in a fall, transforming him from a loyal newlywed into a "disinhibited" character who had two affairs.
He was in a coma for two months after falling from a gantry while working at a bicycle warehouse shortly after his marriage in January 2002. Doctors said it was a miracle he survived.
Awarding him 3.1 million pounds in compensation at London's High Court, Judge Michael Harris said: "His life and the life of his young wife were shattered."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Tue Dec 19, 2006. LONDON (Reuters) - A devout Christian who said an accident at work boosted his libido and wrecked his marriage as he turned to prostitutes and pornography was awarded more than 3 million pounds ($5.89 million) in damages Tuesday.
Stephen Tame, 29, from Suffolk, suffered severe head injuries in a fall, transforming him from a loyal newlywed into a "disinhibited" character who had two affairs.
He was in a coma for two months after falling from a gantry while working at a bicycle warehouse shortly after his marriage in January 2002. Doctors said it was a miracle he survived.
Awarding him 3.1 million pounds in compensation at London's High Court, Judge Michael Harris said: "His life and the life of his young wife were shattered."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Skype worm on the loose...
ZD-NET Australia:Security News By Munir Kotadia, ZDNet Australia
19 December 2006. Internet security firm Websense has discovered a worm that uses Skype to propagate.
Skype is best known for allowing its subscribers to make free telephone calls over the Internet. The company has over seven million subscribers and was acquired just over a year ago by online auction firm eBay for US$2.6 billion.
Early reports indicate the worm sends messages via Skype Chat, which is an instant messenger tool, asking recipients to download and run a file called sp.exe.
Once the file is executed, it installs spyware that can steal passwords and other personal information. It also connects to a remote server to download additional code.
According to Websense, the worm seems to have come from the APAC region -- possibly Korea.
The number of people affected is still unclear.
19 December 2006. Internet security firm Websense has discovered a worm that uses Skype to propagate.
Skype is best known for allowing its subscribers to make free telephone calls over the Internet. The company has over seven million subscribers and was acquired just over a year ago by online auction firm eBay for US$2.6 billion.
Early reports indicate the worm sends messages via Skype Chat, which is an instant messenger tool, asking recipients to download and run a file called sp.exe.
Once the file is executed, it installs spyware that can steal passwords and other personal information. It also connects to a remote server to download additional code.
According to Websense, the worm seems to have come from the APAC region -- possibly Korea.
The number of people affected is still unclear.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Microsoft tries to stop Vista piracy monster...
ZD-NET REVIEWS By Ina Fried, CNET News.com
15 December 2006.Microsoft has issued an update to Windows Vista that's intended to stop a piracy monster.
The software maker said on Thursday that the update is aimed at thwarting a technique that was letting some people use pirated versions of the operating system without going through the software's built-in product activation. Microsoft has dubbed the approach "frankenbuild" because it works by combining test versions of Vista with the final code to create a hybrid version.
"Windows Vista will use the new Windows Update client to require only the 'frankenbuild' systems to go through a genuine validation check," Microsoft said on its Windows Genuine Advantage program blog. "These systems will fail that check because we have blocked the (product) keys for systems not authorized to use them."
Although Vista was only released to businesses last month -- and won't hit retail shelves until late January -- it has been making the rounds on the Internet, and there have been several reported hacks to bypass its built-in security mechanisms.
A second known issue, Microsoft said, involves using virtualisation technology in conjunction with the mechanism Microsoft uses to allow large businesses to activate multiple copies of Vista.
"Piracy is evolving and has made the expected jump from Windows XP to Windows Vista," David Lazar, director of Genuine Windows, told CNET News.com. "We are already starting to see some workarounds to the Vista licencing requirements."
In a statement, the software company said it hoped the actions would help discourage people from trying to bypass its security mechanisms.
"Microsoft hopes that by taking this action now, we can send a message to counterfeiters and would-be counterfeiters, and help protect our legitimate customers from being victimised by further distribution of these tampered products," the company said.
Microsoft has been more aggressively targeting pirates over the past two years, including a stepped-up program for checking to make sure software is properly licenced. With Vista, software that doesn't pass such authentication will go into severely reduced functionality after 30 days. At that point, only the Web browser will work and then only for an hour at a time.
In addition to that reduced-functionality mode, users can also still boot into Windows "safe mode". That allows full access to data and applications, but offers limited screen resolution, fewer colors and prevents the use of most third-party software drivers.
While Thursday's update addresses only the "frankenbuild," Lazar said Microsoft is also working on a method to counteract the other hack, which uses virtualisation and Microsoft's Key Management Service.
"The update that we are releasing today does not specifically address that, but we are working on an update that will specifically address the KMS workaround," Lazar said.
Vista represents Microsoft's strongest technical effort yet to build antipiracy features into its software. In addition to the activation requirements, some features within the operating system require the software to be validated as genuine. Those include the Windows Defender spyware fighter, Aero user interface and ReadyBoost, a technology that uses USB flash drives as added system memory.
"Vista is the hardest system to pirate that we have yet released," Lazar said.
15 December 2006.Microsoft has issued an update to Windows Vista that's intended to stop a piracy monster.
The software maker said on Thursday that the update is aimed at thwarting a technique that was letting some people use pirated versions of the operating system without going through the software's built-in product activation. Microsoft has dubbed the approach "frankenbuild" because it works by combining test versions of Vista with the final code to create a hybrid version.
"Windows Vista will use the new Windows Update client to require only the 'frankenbuild' systems to go through a genuine validation check," Microsoft said on its Windows Genuine Advantage program blog. "These systems will fail that check because we have blocked the (product) keys for systems not authorized to use them."
Although Vista was only released to businesses last month -- and won't hit retail shelves until late January -- it has been making the rounds on the Internet, and there have been several reported hacks to bypass its built-in security mechanisms.
A second known issue, Microsoft said, involves using virtualisation technology in conjunction with the mechanism Microsoft uses to allow large businesses to activate multiple copies of Vista.
"Piracy is evolving and has made the expected jump from Windows XP to Windows Vista," David Lazar, director of Genuine Windows, told CNET News.com. "We are already starting to see some workarounds to the Vista licencing requirements."
In a statement, the software company said it hoped the actions would help discourage people from trying to bypass its security mechanisms.
"Microsoft hopes that by taking this action now, we can send a message to counterfeiters and would-be counterfeiters, and help protect our legitimate customers from being victimised by further distribution of these tampered products," the company said.
Microsoft has been more aggressively targeting pirates over the past two years, including a stepped-up program for checking to make sure software is properly licenced. With Vista, software that doesn't pass such authentication will go into severely reduced functionality after 30 days. At that point, only the Web browser will work and then only for an hour at a time.
In addition to that reduced-functionality mode, users can also still boot into Windows "safe mode". That allows full access to data and applications, but offers limited screen resolution, fewer colors and prevents the use of most third-party software drivers.
While Thursday's update addresses only the "frankenbuild," Lazar said Microsoft is also working on a method to counteract the other hack, which uses virtualisation and Microsoft's Key Management Service.
"The update that we are releasing today does not specifically address that, but we are working on an update that will specifically address the KMS workaround," Lazar said.
Vista represents Microsoft's strongest technical effort yet to build antipiracy features into its software. In addition to the activation requirements, some features within the operating system require the software to be validated as genuine. Those include the Windows Defender spyware fighter, Aero user interface and ReadyBoost, a technology that uses USB flash drives as added system memory.
"Vista is the hardest system to pirate that we have yet released," Lazar said.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Town to enforce ban on "sexy" dress...
Reuters News
KUALA LUMPUR, Tue Dec 5, 2006(Reuters Life!) - A town in Muslim-majority Malaysia has threatened to fine non-Muslim women for wearing "sexy" clothes, infuriating some women's organizations.
Authorities in northeast Kota Baru, which calls itself an Islamic city, will slap fines of up to 500 ringgit ($140) on women who expose navels, wear body-hugging outfits, mini-skirts or see-through blouses, the Star newspaper said on Tuesday.
"Such outfits are prohibited here as it smears the reputation of Kota Baru and affects its status as an Islamic city," the Star quoted municipal council spokesman Azman Daham as saying.
Some women's groups have voiced anger over the council's decision to use an existing by-law against indecent dress to curb non-Muslim fashions. In Malaysia, almost half the population is non-Muslim and national government is secular.
"It is not the job of the council to become the 'moral police'," Honey Tan, head of the All-Women's Action Society, told the Star.
Kota Baru is capital of Kelantan state, which is run by opposition Parti Islam se Malaysia, whose official platform is to turn the country into an Islamic state.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
KUALA LUMPUR, Tue Dec 5, 2006(Reuters Life!) - A town in Muslim-majority Malaysia has threatened to fine non-Muslim women for wearing "sexy" clothes, infuriating some women's organizations.
Authorities in northeast Kota Baru, which calls itself an Islamic city, will slap fines of up to 500 ringgit ($140) on women who expose navels, wear body-hugging outfits, mini-skirts or see-through blouses, the Star newspaper said on Tuesday.
"Such outfits are prohibited here as it smears the reputation of Kota Baru and affects its status as an Islamic city," the Star quoted municipal council spokesman Azman Daham as saying.
Some women's groups have voiced anger over the council's decision to use an existing by-law against indecent dress to curb non-Muslim fashions. In Malaysia, almost half the population is non-Muslim and national government is secular.
"It is not the job of the council to become the 'moral police'," Honey Tan, head of the All-Women's Action Society, told the Star.
Kota Baru is capital of Kelantan state, which is run by opposition Parti Islam se Malaysia, whose official platform is to turn the country into an Islamic state.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
A saucy mistake about a sex problem...
Reuters News
Fri Dec 1, 2006. LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters Life!) - Nearly two-thirds of Britons think the fiery Italian sauce Arrabiata is a sex infection, according to a survey on Friday.
The survey, of 1,015 people and released on World AIDS day, also showed nearly half were unable to identify a range of common sexual complaints.
"What is very worrying is the lack of knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) revealed in the survey," said sex therapist Emily Dubberley.
"Sixty-three percent in the UK thought an Italian sauce was an STD and over 43 percent
couldn't identify any of the common sexual complaints we asked about.
The survey, conducted by pollsters MYVOICE, also found that 48 percent of respondents found body odor and poor personal hygiene a turn off against just 4 percent who felt the same about a refusal to wear a condom.
The poll also found that 35 percent of people looked for information about sex on the Internet against 27 percent who consulted magazines.
In contrast only 4 percent went to their doctors.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Dec 1, 2006. LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters Life!) - Nearly two-thirds of Britons think the fiery Italian sauce Arrabiata is a sex infection, according to a survey on Friday.
The survey, of 1,015 people and released on World AIDS day, also showed nearly half were unable to identify a range of common sexual complaints.
"What is very worrying is the lack of knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) revealed in the survey," said sex therapist Emily Dubberley.
"Sixty-three percent in the UK thought an Italian sauce was an STD and over 43 percent
couldn't identify any of the common sexual complaints we asked about.
The survey, conducted by pollsters MYVOICE, also found that 48 percent of respondents found body odor and poor personal hygiene a turn off against just 4 percent who felt the same about a refusal to wear a condom.
The poll also found that 35 percent of people looked for information about sex on the Internet against 27 percent who consulted magazines.
In contrast only 4 percent went to their doctors.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
"Finland's sexiest man" ends romance with txt msg...
Reuters News
Fri Dec 1, 2006. HELSINKI (Reuters) - Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, dubbed Finland's sexiest man, broke up by text message with the girlfriend he had met on the Internet, she said in a magazine interview.
"Matti dumped me in a text message, where he said 'that's it'," Susan Kuronen told the magazine Me Naiset (Us Women) in an interview published on Friday.
Her relationship with Vanhanen, a divorced 51-year-old father of two, ended a few weeks ago, but continues to make headlines as Susan, 36, pours her heart out in local media.
Vanhanen, who declines to comment on the relationship, was cited as Finland's sexiest man by French President Jacques Chirac earlier this year, when Finnish tabloids were running daily front-page details of the romance.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Dec 1, 2006. HELSINKI (Reuters) - Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, dubbed Finland's sexiest man, broke up by text message with the girlfriend he had met on the Internet, she said in a magazine interview."Matti dumped me in a text message, where he said 'that's it'," Susan Kuronen told the magazine Me Naiset (Us Women) in an interview published on Friday.
Her relationship with Vanhanen, a divorced 51-year-old father of two, ended a few weeks ago, but continues to make headlines as Susan, 36, pours her heart out in local media.
Vanhanen, who declines to comment on the relationship, was cited as Finland's sexiest man by French President Jacques Chirac earlier this year, when Finnish tabloids were running daily front-page details of the romance.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
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