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Issue no. 7, 2002 Published: Feb 15, 2002
EU ministers approves online sales tax plan
Brussels warns of plateau in EU internet take-up
Soros supports plan calling for web-based science journals
W3C approves XML-based digital signatures
States want Windows source code
Search engines losing popularity
New photo chip seen as breakthrough
Artificial intelligence system acts as journalist
Openwave releases multimedia messaging software
Supply of low-cost DVDs in Europe set to dry up
CD copy protection grip tightens
Molecular computing 'just around the corner'
Games to take on a life of their own

EU ministers approves online sales tax plan
The EU's Council of Economics and Finance Ministers on Tuesday signed off on a proposal to apply the EU's value-added tax (VAT) to sales of digital products via the internet, despite US disapproval. US government officials say the program could violate World Trade Organisation rules, hinting at a possible trade dispute, though the EU claims the VAT is consistent with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's rules. The European Parliament now must agree to the plan before the council officially can adopt the policy. The EU's VAT program would apply to all products sold on the internet, as well as products that actually are consumed online, such as digital music or books. The VAT also would apply to goods and services that EU citizens and companies buy from businesses operating in other countries.
Newsbytes Feb 12, 2002	back to top

Brussels warns of plateau in EU internet take-up
The European Commission on Tuesday warned that growth in internet use in the EU is in danger of halting, two years after Brussels began a drive to 'accelerate Europe's transformation into an Information Society'. In a review of the EU's 'eEurope Action plan', the Commission said that while internet penetration of EU households rose from 18 per cent in March 2000 to 36 per cent in June 2001, it was only 38 per cent in December 2001. Greater internet use is a central part of the EU's ambition, unveiled at the 2000 Lisbon summit, to make the region the world's most dynamic economy by 2010.
Financial Times Feb 12, 2002	back to top

Soros supports plan calling for web-based science journals
The 'Budapest Open Access Initiative', an international group of scientists and academics backed by Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, is calling on scholars around the world to free their research from the control of for-profit, printed journals. The group asks them to post their work on the internet and to create alternative, web-based journals available for free to all researchers. Backing from Soros's Open Society Institute will amount to $1 million a year for three years. The money will be used to find new ways of publishing scholarly literature while maintaining its quality and making it freely available to all, a Society spokesman said. Aside from creating Web-based journals, the Budapest plan calls for academics to 'self-archive' their work. Under that system, researchers would submit their work to journals as usual, but as well they would post the peer-reviewed final version on special university-run websites.
Nando Times / UPI Feb 14, 2002	back to top

W3C approves XML-based digital signatures
The World Wide Web Consortium on Wednesday approved an XML-based language for digital signatures, a technology that will improve security mechanisms for emerging web services. The W3C issued XML-Signature Syntax and Processing as a W3C Recommendation, which means it has been reviewed by W3C membership and is ready for widespread adoption. XML Signature offers basic data integrity and authentication tools that will be used to build more secure web services. Handling digital signatures via XML offers greater flexibility for web-based applications. For instance, with XML users would be able to 'sign' sections of a document without invalidating other portions, a capability vital for uses such as invoices or order forms, the W3C said.
Internet Week Feb 14, 2002	back to top

States want Windows source code
The US state attorneys general still pursuing the antitrust case against Microsoft have asked a federal judge to force the company to show them the inner workings of the Windows operating system. In a bid to pry open one of the world's most valuable pieces of intellectual property, the states argued they need to see the Windows source code in order to verify Microsoft's claim that it is not technically feasible to offer a stripped-down version of Windows. The states also asked the judge to appoint a technical expert to help provide 'impartial opinions on the complex, highly technical issues raised by the parties.'
ZDNet / Reuters Feb 13, 2002	back to top

Search engines losing popularity
Internet surfers are increasingly favouring direct navigation and bookmarks over search engines and web links, according to a new study. WebSideStory, a US company that measures internet audiences, said that as of February 6, nearly 52 per cent of web surfers arrived at sites by direct navigation and bookmarks, compared with about 46 per cent during the same period last year. The results underscore how branding on the web is gaining momentum and having a household name is becoming key to driving traffic to a company's site, WebSideStory said. The study showed that sites with branded names, such as Amazon.com, receive more direct traffic than those sites that are not branded because people only need to type in the address rather than fish around on a search engine.
ZDNet Feb 13, 2002	back to top

New photo chip seen as breakthrough
A new kind of image sensor designed to provide a 'true-colour' picture of a scene could improve digital image resolution for ordinary digital cameras, says its developer, US company Foveon. Digital cameras use millions of light-sensitive cells, or pixels, to detect light. In most digital cameras, each pixel can detect only one primary colour: red, blue or green. But each light-sensitive cell in Foveon's X3 sensor, in fact contains three layers of pixels, allowing it to detect red, blue and green light. This dramatically improves picture quality, because colours are detected in much more detail, Foveon says. The X3 sensor makes use of the natural colour-separating properties of silicon. Different wavelengths of light penetrate silicon to different depths. So by placing sensors at the 'correct' depth, each of the three light colours can be detected. Some professional digital cameras can detect colour with similar accuracy using different technology, but these cameras are large, complex and expensive.
New Scientist Feb 12, 2002	back to top

Artificial intelligence system acts as journalist
Columbia University in the US has developed experimental software called the Columbia Newsblaster that can read a variety of news articles on a topic and then write a lead and summary of the most important information. Newsblaster uses natural language processing and artificial intelligence to interpret and rank the importance of facts contained in news material. A prototype currently digests news from 13 sources including Yahoo, ABCNews, CNN, Reuters, LA Times, CBS News, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Virtual New York, Washington Post, Wired, and USA Today. While Newsblaster is intended as an aid to both average new consumers and journalists who have to deal with an increasing flood of information sources, Dan Dubno, producer and technologist for CBS News, is worried that such technology could dull the 'editorial edge' a reporter or editor brings to covering a story.
IFRA Trend Report / Online Journalism Review Feb 14, 2002	back to top

Openwave releases multimedia messaging software
The long-promised ability to send multimedia messages, such as photos of family and friends or maps and directions, over cell phones is a step closer to reality. Wireless technology firm Openwave Systems said on Wednesday it was launching its multimedia messaging software, which will allow operators to offer consumers the ability to send messages with text, pictures, music and graphics. Openwave said its new software is based on industry standards and compatible with any wireless technology standard. The company said Genie, British mobile phone group mmO2's mobile Internet business, is its first trial customer.
Yahoo / Reuters Feb 13, 2002	back to top

Supply of low-cost DVDs in Europe set to dry up
European supermarkets and high street electrical stores could soon see their supply of low-cost DVD players and discs dry up. Philips, which controls key patents on DVD technology, has asked customs officials throughout Europe to seize players made by unlicensed factories. Philips, Sony and Pioneer have pooled many hundreds of patents covering all aspects of the DVD system. Philips administers the pool, grants licences and collects royalties, which are then shared three ways. Most of the low-cost players come from factories in China. International trade newsletter TV Digest estimates China produces around 10 million DVD decks a year, mainly for export. European and US importers then slap on Western brand name labels and sell them for under $100.
New Scientist Feb 12, 2002	back to top

CD copy protection grip tightens
Israeli company Midbar, the creator of the Cactus Data Shield, said on Tuesday that it had released over 10 million copy protected CDs into the US and European markets. Cactus prevents CDs being copied but has suffered playability issues in PCs and some CD players. However, Midbar says that its latest version of the software addresses these issues and that the company would continue to develop the technology. Previous attempts to leak the technology into the market have caused uproar. Some artists were even forced to apologise to fans and exchange CDs for unprotected versions. Philips, which operates the Compact Disc trademark, announced its opposition to the copy protection scheme last month, even threatening to prevent CDs bearing such technology from using the Compact Disc logo, arguing that they are not technically CDs.
VNUnet UK Feb 13, 2002	back to top

Molecular computing 'just around the corner'
Scientists say the future vision of molecule-sized computers could be closer than many people think. Leading researchers have told a conference in Boston developments in nano-technology are years ahead of schedule. Their confidence stems from the discovery of techniques to build miniscule working circuits last year. These involved hooking up tiny devices such as transistors, wires and switches to form tiny working circuits. These devices exist in a realm of miniaturisation known as the nanoscale, between one and a thousand nanometers in size. The diameter of a single human hair is 150,000 nanometres. James Ellenbogen, of the US non-profit research group the Mitre Corporation, said the feasibility of working nanocircuits means: 'We may be five or six years ahead of schedule.' He says some research is nearing the stage where it can be turned over to industrial production.
Ananova Feb 14, 2002	back to top

Games to take on a life of their own
Video games of the future could have characters with almost human intelligence, capable of understanding and acting on your commands. Scientists from King's College in London are working on enabling computers to understand, speak, learn and eventually, think. The Language Acquisition Device (LAD) emulates the functions of the brain's frontal lobes where humans process language and emotion. The system works by using neural networks to mimic brain function. At the moment, the LAD prototype has the learning ability of an 18-month old child. Its developers are confident it could have the intelligence of six-year-old child by the end of next year. They see potential uses for LAD in areas such as disability learning, home automation, data retrieval and gaming. However, the idea of these 'intelligent' characters in a video game could cause ethical worries. If these characters are conscious in any way, they could have emotions.
BBC News Feb 11, 2002	back to top