UNU-MERIT: I&T Weekly

	Search \| Sitemap \| Intranet \| PhD Intranet

Subscribe to I&T Weekly A free e-zine about Innovation & Technology developments

text html Please type the above code:
	RSS feed

Previous Issues I&T Weekly

>> back to archive

Previous issues of I&T Weekly:

2013: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

2012: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37]

2011: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44]

2010: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]

2009: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]

2008: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41]

2007: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40]

2006: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44]

2005: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40]

2004: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43]

2003: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47]

2002: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47]

2001: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

Issue no. 29, 2002 Published: Aug 16, 2002
Brussels pushes states over wireless technology
Crypto scientists crack prime problem
Intel details new tech for cheaper chips
Digital forgery attacks website security
United Linux releases beta
China destroys 27.5m illegal CDs and DVDs
IBM staff cuts larger than anticipated
Robot teaches itself flying skills in three hours
'Computer geek' genes 'may be linked to autism'

Brussels pushes states over wireless technology
The European Commission is putting pressure on France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain to lift prohibitions on a new internet wireless technology that could rival third generation mobile phones. The technology enables users to connect their laptops to the web without wires. Governments in the five countries have been jealously guarding the regulation over the public use of the technology, a move that the Commission believes could hinder competitiveness and the widespread use of the new technology. The technology, known as local access networks, allows computers to make wireless connections to the internet at much greater speeds than 3G. The most popular form of the services is known as Wi-Fi or wireless fidelity. The Commission argues that Wi-Fi is complementary to 3G. However, a recent report predicted that the technology could take between 12 and 64 per cent of 3G revenues in the next four years.
Financial Times Aug 12, 2002	back to top

Crypto scientists crack prime problem
Computer scientists in India have cracked an age-old mathematical problem by designing a method for computers to quickly prove whether a figure is a prime number - a vital step in cryptography. RSA, a popular encryption algorithm, is built on the assumption that when prime numbers - those divisible only by themselves and the number one - are large enough, they are nearly impossible to generate and determine. To create encryption keys, RSA uses two huge prime numbers and multiplies them together to produce an even bigger prime. Testing then confirms whether it is in fact a prime number. The current algorithms used in so-called primality tests are speedy but have a miniscule probability of producing a wrong answer. But a new algorithm, developed at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur by Manindra Agrawal and his students is believed to generate correct results every time. Their work is already causing a stir in the field because of the way it handles a math problem that has captivated mathematicians as far back as the ancient Chinese and Greeks.
ZDNet Aug 10, 2002	back to top

Intel details new tech for cheaper chips
Intel on Tuesday unveiled details of plans that would allow the company to make the next exponential leap in building microchips that are smaller, faster, cheaper and more energy efficient. Intel said it plans to move to large-volume manufacturing of chips based on so-called 90-nanometre circuitry technology by the second half of 2003. This move promises to thrust Intel into the lead in the high volume manufacturing of the world's smallest computer chips, which contain billions of circuits each of which are one thousand times thinner than a human hair. The chip-maker currently produces most of its microprocessors with 130 nanometre technology. The company says its new process can create transistors whose key features are just 50 nanometres, or 1/2,000th of the width of a human hair.
CNN / Reuters Aug 13, 2002	back to top

Digital forgery attacks website security
Counterfeit website security certificates can be generated and used to make sites appear secure when they are not, says a US computer programmer. The trick could tempt surfers into handing over personal information, such as credit card details. The forgery technique relies on the way MS Internet Explorer handles the security certificates that verify the identity of a website, says Mike Benham. These certificates are used to establish an encrypted connection to a website so that private information can then be safely handed over. Benham says that when certificates are signed in a certain way IE fails to check that they are legitimate. He says anyone with a basic certificate can generate as many counterfeit certificates as they like for other sites. But a Microsoft spokeswoman said: 'Based on our investigation, the scenario would be a difficult one.' The company says it is still investigating the problem and has not yet released a software fix.
New Scientist Aug 13, 2002	back to top

United Linux releases beta
United Linux - the partnership of Caldera, Conectiva, SuSE Linux and Turbolinux to create a standard distribution of the open-source operating system - said Wednesday it will ship a beta version of its joint product by the end of the month. Initially, the software will be available as a limited beta; a more public, open beta is expected later this year, the companies said. UnitedLinux is an attempt to streamline Linux development and certification and create a uniform distribution, specifically targeting enterprise users. While Linux has flourished as an open-source product, more conservative business users would welcome a more standardised, supported version. And while large vendors such as IBM and Sun are backing specific versions of the operating system for their customers, an industry-wide standard would take such efforts to the next level.
InternetWeek Aug 14, 2002	back to top

China destroys 27.5m illegal CDs and DVDs
The Chinese government has destroyed 27.5 million illegal audio and video discs in a major crackdown on piracy. The campaign shows officials are making good on a promise to boost protection for intellectual property. The action was requested following China's admission into the World Trade Organisation. Trade group the International Intellectual Property Alliance estimates piracy in China costs the entertainment industry $979m in lost sales in 2000. State-run paper the People's Daily says the campaign covered 31 provinces. The highest number of seizures were made in Nanjing. The capital of the eastern Jiangsu province accounted for 11.2 million illegal discs alone.
Ananova Aug 14, 2002	back to top

IBM staff cuts larger than anticipated
IBM, the world's largest computer company, quietly cut nearly 5 per cent of its workforce in the second quarter of this year. The extent of the job cuts was far above the 10,000 Wall Street expected. The details were revealed in a Securities and Exchange filing. Most of the 15,600 workers have already left the company, with the rest leaving by the end of this month. Most of the jobs lost - 14,213 - were in its Global Services group, its largest business. Global Services offers information technology outsourcing, consulting, and related services. Although IT outsourcing is doing well, IT consulting has been hit hard by a global slowdown in IT spending. IBM is reorganising this part of its business, following its planned acquisition of PricewaterhouseCooper's technology consulting group for $3.5bn. This will add about 30,000 workers.
Financial Times Aug 14, 2002	back to top

Robot teaches itself flying skills in three hours
A robot has taught itself the principles of flying - learning in just three hours what evolution took millions of years to achieve, according to research by Swedish scientists at Chalmers University of Technology. The researchers built a robot with wings and then gave it random instructions through a computer at the rate of 20 per second. The robot was attached to two vertical poles to enable it to move up and down. The program instructed the robot its aim was to produce maximum lift, but had no pre-programmed data on the concept of flapping or how to do it. At first the robot produced only twitching and jerking movements but gradually it succeeded in getting off the ground. Feedback from a movement detector told the program how successful each combination of instructions tried had been, enabling it to evolve by ditching unsuccessful ones and pairing up new combinations of the ones that produced most lift.
Yahoo / Reuters Aug 14, 2002	back to top

'Computer geek' genes 'may be linked to autism'
Doctors in California think high autism rates in the Silicon Valley area could be down to the 'computer geek' genes of its workers. Up to one in 150 children in the area have some sort of autistic disorder - much higher than the rest of the US. Experts at the Mind Institute in Sacramento believe hi-tech workers in the area may be carrying genes which contribute to autism. They think the 'computer geek' men probably find it difficult to mix socially and are more likely to meet partners who also carry autistic genes. The number of autistic children attending treatment centres in California between 1987 and 1998 rose by 273 per cent. Some scientists have put it down to better diagnosis. But the theory is backed up in the UK, where areas that attract hi-tech workers also suffer from unusually high levels of child autism. Recent surveys of primary schools in the Cambridge area found similar rates to those reported in Silicon Valley.
Yahoo / BBC News / VNUnet UK Aug 14, 2002	back to top