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Issue no. 34, 2002 Published: Sep 20, 2002
Computer worm networks infected machines
'Ten-year wait' for 3G rewards
Latest Windows violates deal, say Microsoft rivals
Intel unveils new communications chip
Chipset could give sight to the blind
Coming soon: hypersonic sound
Speed of light broken with basic lab kit
DVD drives burn out attempting high speed
Women look to net for health advice
Is your mobile phone a ticking bomb?

Computer worm networks infected machines
Thousands of internet servers have been infected by a new computer worm that links machines together to create a peer-to-peer attack network. The Linux.Slapper.Worm was first identified on Friday. On Monday morning, around 6,700 computers were reportedly contaminated. Computer systems running both Apache web server software and the Linux operating system are vulnerable. Once installed on a machine, the worm attempts to forward itself on to other computers. It also tries to establish connections with computers that have already been infected. This peer-to-peer network could be used to bombard other computers with massive amounts of decoy traffic. This type of attack can render targeted machines inoperable. A bug in a component called Apache_mod_ssl is exploited to force entry to a vulnerable computer system. A software patch for this bug has been available since August.
New Scientist / ZDNet Sep 16, 2002	back to top

'Ten-year wait' for 3G rewards
Despite the delays and difficulties in rolling out 'third generation' mobile internet services, their commercial potential remains enormous, the United Nations telecommunications agency says in a report. The $100bn-plus invested in acquiring 3G licences represents the biggest gamble the industry has taken, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) says. The agency warns that commercial benefit may take 10 to 15 years. Tim Kelly, head of the ITU's strategy and policy unit, believes mobile internet services will drive telecoms demand over the next decade. 'Just as microchips infiltrated into a lot of different appliances in the 1980s and 1990s, so we will get microchips communicating with each other,' he says.
Financial Times Sep 17, 2002	back to top

Latest Windows violates deal, say Microsoft rivals
Industry lobbying group Procomp on Wednesday claimed the latest version of Windows XP operating system issued last week violated the proposed anti-trust settlement between Microsoft and the US Department of Justice. Procomp argued that Windows Service Pack 1 violated the settlement in at least six separate ways. The lobby group - supported by companies such as Oracle, Sun Microsystems and Netscape - called on the Department of Justice to force Microsoft to comply with the agreement. Procomp alleged that Microsoft had not made the service pack readily available to customers. It said the file was so large that it would take 10 hours 50 minutes to download using a 28k modem. Many computer-makers would not be installing the new software on new machines until next year, and a CD version would cost $9.95, providing Microsoft with revenues for complying with the law. In addition, the part of Windows XP capable of replacing Microsoft products by third party products, such as Netscape and Real Player, was difficult to find and use, said Procomp.
Financial Times Sep 19, 2002	back to top

Intel unveils new communications chip
Intel said this week it is employing a new manufacturing process that is capable of packing both digital and analogue functions onto one chip. Existing digital microchips have in-built mechanisms that allow the devices to handle and interpret the 'on and off' signals that equate to binary code, the basic instructions for computers. Analogue chips, however, collect different types of information, such as radio waves, and convert those signals into digital information. Many wireless devices, including most mobile phones, require both analogue circuits and digital chips in order to function. Intel's new manufacturing process could combine both digital and analogue capabilities in a single chip. Such a combination would enhance the performance of most wireless devices and would dramatically affect the price of these tools and the local networks they run on.
Yahoo / INTC Sep 17, 2002	back to top

Chipset could give sight to the blind
Researchers at Sandia National Labs in the US are getting closer to an eye implant designed to restore sight to the blind. They have developed the Multiple-unit Artificial Retinal Chipset, which sits inside the eye. It is aimed at those suffering from illnesses where the light-sensitive cells on the retina stop working but the nerves survive. The system involves multiple components mounted both inside and outside the eye. A spectacle-mounted camera takes video that is then processed and transmitted into the eye by radio. There, a chip made from micro-machined silicon and protective coatings receives the signal and extracts data with which to stimulate the retinal nerves. Like a crystal radio set, it also extracts the power it needs to run from the radio signal, removing the need for any external wires or internal power pack. The project is due to be finished in 2004, by which time the team hope the picture will be sharp enough to distinguish text and faces, and could be available as a treatment for blindness.
New York Times / CNET Sep 18, 2002	back to top

Coming soon: hypersonic sound
This autumn American Technology will bring on the market ultrasonic speakers that focus sound in a tight beam. The technology was first demonstrated five years ago, but high levels of distortion and low volume kept it in R&D labs. However, this time audio quality will reportedly rival that of compact discs. The ultrasonic speakers create sound at more than 20,000 cycles per second, a rate high enough to keep in a focused beam and beyond the range of human hearing. As the waves disperse, properties of the air cause them to break into three additional frequencies, one of which you can hear. This sonic frequency gets trapped within the other three, so it stays within the ultrasonic cone to create directional audio. Step into the beam and you hear the sound as if it were being generated inside your head. Reflect it off a surface and it sounds as if it originated there. At 30,000 cycles, the sound can travel almost 150 metres without any distortion or loss of volume.
Popular Science Sep 20, 2002	back to top

Speed of light broken with basic lab kit
Scientists have sent light signals at faster-than-light speeds over the distances of a few metres for the last two decades - but only with the aid of complicated, expensive equipment. Now physicists at Middle Tennessee State University have broken that speed limit over distances of nearly 120 metres, using off-the-shelf equipment costing just $500. The scientists made a 120-metre-long cable by alternating six- to eight- metre-long lengths of two different kinds of coaxial cable, each with a different electrical resistance. They hooked this hybrid cable up to two signal generators, one of which broadcast a fast wave, the other a slow one. The waves interfere with each other to produce electric pulses. The different electrical resistances in the hybrid cable cause the waves in the pulse's rear to reflect off each other, accelerating the pulse's peak forward. One physicist said it may be possible to use this reflection technique to boost electrical signal speeds in computers and telecommunications grids by more than 50 per cent.
New Scientist Sep 16, 2002	back to top

DVD drives burn out attempting high speed
Well over a million computer users around the world who have Pioneer DVD recorders, or PCs and Macs with Pioneer's drives inside them, will destroy them in five minutes if they try to use new high-speed blank disks just going on sale. Users of Pioneer's stand-alone DVD recorder/players, about 100,000 people, are also affected. Pioneer is urging all owners of its drives to contact the company for a firmware upgrade to prevent self-destruction. But as most computer manufacturers do not say who makes their component parts, many owners will not know they are at risk until it is too late. The laser in DVD drives always tests a blank disk before recording, to set the correct burn power. But because of a bug in its drive software Pioneer's laser does not recognise the new blanks, so keeps on trying, gets hot and burns out in around five minutes.
New Scientist Sep 18, 2002	back to top

Women look to net for health advice
A new survey has found women are more likely than men to look for health information on the internet. A survey of 4,500 people found 12 per cent more women claim to use the net to investigate health issues. This may be due to women being more health conscious but also because they are finding out about concerns for their partner and children. A poll was conducted with adults in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK, as well as the US. Forty-four per cent of women in Europe and the US say they used the net to answer health question, compared with 32 per cent of men. The report from market analysts Datamonitor also says between 32 per cent and 34 per cent of adults aged 18 to 54 use the internet to look up health issues, while for those aged 55 to 64 the number goes down to 27 per cent.
Yahoo / Ananova Sep 16, 2002	back to top

Is your mobile phone a ticking bomb?
German electronics giant Siemens has issued a warning to customers - alerting them to the danger posed by exploding fake phone batteries. Siemens said it knows of one couple who suffered slight burns and injuries to their eyes when their C-25 mobile phone exploded while sat in its recharging station in their car. The company said the problem is caused by the use of cheap batteries which have crept into the European market from Asia. All owners of Siemens handsets, especially the C-25, in Europe and Asia have been advised to check the batteries and replace fakes immediately.
Silicon.com Sep 18, 2002	back to top