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Issue no. 4, 2003 Published: Jan 24, 2003
EU seen letting Microsoft off the hook on Passport
SCO looks for intellectual-property claim on Linux
US internet provider told to unmask file-sharer
Australia to launch biometric 'passports'
IBM aims to get smart about artificial intelligence
Microsoft offers customised copy-protection
Ink-jet printing creates tubes of living tissue
Computer boosts human memory by 10 per cent
Europe offered free digital downloads
Anti-virus virus on the loose
Toothbrush beats computer and cell phone in MIT survey

EU seen letting Microsoft off the hook on Passport
The EU's privacy watchdogs are expected to say next week that Microsoft's .NET Passport system broadly complies with EU data protection rules and only minor changes are needed, EU sources said. In a dramatic climbdown from harsh criticism voiced in July, EU national privacy controllers are expected to adopt a recommendation by experts from their internet Task-Force that says previous concerns were exaggerated. National data controllers are charged with monitoring compliance with the EU's tough rules on personal data privacy. Launched in 1999, .NET Passport aims to simplify e-commerce by allowing consumers to store passwords, credit-card numbers and other personal information in one location. Microsoft has repeatedly said it was fully in line with EU rules and stood ready to cooperate with EU authorities. If adopted next week, the Task-Force's recommendations could be used as a guideline for companies wishing to commercialise similar on-line systems in the future.
Silicon Valley / Reuters Jan 23, 2003	back to top

SCO looks for intellectual-property claim on Linux
Software maker SCO Group, which owns the legal rights to the original development of Unix, has hired former Microsoft prosecutor David Boies to investigate whether Linux users are infringing on the company's intellectual property. SCO, formerly Caldera International, wants to investigate whether any Unix or Linux users need to buy an SCO license for the operating systems. SCO sells a proprietary version of Unix and provides a free version of Linux. Through a series of corporate buyouts over the last decade, SCO owns the original development done on Unix by Bell Labs. The work dates back to the 1970s. As open-source software, volunteers have developed Linux over the years. Most Linux users have assumed the operating system, built by a team of developers headed by Linus Torvalds, did not involve proprietary technology from Bell Labs.
InternetWeek Jan 23, 2003	back to top

US internet provider told to unmask file-sharer
A US court has ordered an internet service provider to reveal the identity of a user accused of illegally downloading hundreds of copyrighted songs. The ruling is a landmark for the music industry. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which brought the case, says it identified the IP address of a computer involved in downloading 600 copyrighted music files in one day through a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network. The IP address revealed this computer to be part of Verizon's user base and Verizon was asked to hand over the name and address of the accused. Verizon has said it will appeal the court order. But if that is unsuccessful, the ruling will clear the way for copyright holders to pursue many thousands of individuals suspected of copyright infringement through P2P filesharing networks.
New Scientist Jan 22, 2003	back to top

Australia to launch biometric 'passports'
The Australian Customs Service (ACS) will next week publicly launch its biometric passport checking system, drastically shortening its trial period, and having not yet resolved concerns about how to apply it to all Australians. The technology, Smartgate, was originally to undergo six months' testing in a live environment. But ACS said that early results had been encouraging enough to 'move its launch up the agenda'. Smartgate scans a person's face and compares it with a mathematical representation of their facial features derived from four photographs of the person. The representation is then stored on the passport. The system has checked over 6,000 passports belonging to cabin crew who volunteered for the trial in its first six weeks of operation, achieving an 80 per cent success rate. The ACS had been aiming for a success rate above 90 per cent, but the photo-matching technology is not to blame for instances in which the system failed, ACS said.
Silicon.com / ZDNet Australia Jan 23, 2003	back to top

IBM aims to get smart about artificial intelligence
In the coming months, IBM will unveil technology that it believes will vastly improve the way computers access and use data by unifying the different schools of thought surrounding artificial intelligence. The Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA) is an XML-based data retrieval architecture under development at IBM. UIMA will greatly expand and enhance the retrieval techniques underlying databases, according to IBM. UIMA could allow cars to obtain and display real-time data on traffic conditions and on average speeds being achieved on motorways, or it could let factories regulate their own fuel consumption and optimally schedule activities. Automated language translation and natural language processing also would become feasible. The theory underlying UIMA is the Combination Hypothesis, which states that statistical machine learning - the sort of data-ranking intelligence behind Google - syntactical artificial intelligence, and other techniques can be married in the relatively near future.
Silicon.com Jan 20, 2003	back to top

Microsoft offers customised copy-protection
Microsoft has extended its repertoire of copy-protection technology by providing software to let entertainment companies put customised piracy blocks on CDs and DVDs. Many digital rights management (DRM) schemes have proved unpopular with consumers who object to having controls placed on their ability to make personal copies of audio and video. Some copy protection systems have also caused some CD players to malfunction and made computers crash. With Microsoft's Windows Data Media Session Toolkit companies can create so-called 'second session' copy protection. This means a CD or DVD contains a layer of data that allows playback on normal CD and DVD players and another layer designed specifically for playback on PCs. The second layer will only work with Microsoft's Windows Media Player and is encrypted to limit copying or playback. For example, tracks could be played a limited number of times in the case of a promotional release.
New Scientist Jan 20, 2003	back to top

Ink-jet printing creates tubes of living tissue
Three-dimensional tubes of living tissue have been printed using modified desktop printers filled with suspensions of cells instead of ink. The work by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina and Clemson University, also in South Carolina, is a first step towards printing complex tissues or even entire organs. The printers are adapted by washing out the ink cartridges and refilling them with suspensions of, say, cells. The software that controls the viscosity, electrical resistances and temperature of the printing fluids is reprogrammed and the feed systems altered. To create 3D structures, the researchers used a 'thermo-reversible' gel, which is liquid below 20 °C and solidifies above 32 °C. By printing alternate layers of the gel and clumps of cells onto glass slides, the researchers have shown 3D structures such as tubes can be built up. They hope that eventually it will be possible to print the entire network of arteries, capillaries and veins that nourish organs.
New Scientist Jan 22, 2003	back to top

Computer boosts human memory by 10 per cent
Scientists believe they may have found a way to improve our memory by as much as 10 per cent. Researchers at Imperial College London have used a technique called neurofeedback to train people to remember more clearly. The technique works by showing people their own brainwaves on a computer screen, and teaching them how to control them. Doctors believe it could one day be used as a treatment for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy and other conditions affecting the brain. Brain activity is monitored through sensors attached to the scalp. The patient can see the brainwaves on a screen. This enables them to see how different moods and behaviour affects the brain. They are then taught how to control their brain activity and correct or stabilise it.
BBC News Jan 22, 2003	back to top

Europe offered free digital downloads
Music producers in Europe have announced a second digital download day in a bid to promote legal music on the internet. The campaign - Digital Download Day Europe - will allow music fans to download five euros' worth of music for free from sites that pay royalties. The promotion takes place on 21 March and will be available in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK and the Netherlands. The scheme, which was piloted in the UK in October, is an attempt to fight back against the huge levels of internet piracy in Europe. More than 150,000 tracks will be available to download, with a third able to be copied to CD. The goal is to show consumers the difference between the high quality files provided through legitimate channels compared to those availabe on peer-to-peer networks, which are increasingly virus-ridden and unreliable, according to the organisers.
BBC News Jan 20, 2003	back to top

Anti-virus virus on the loose
Tech security companies are warning of a new virus designed to attack a version of the already-existing Yaha virus. The W32.Sahay.A@mm virus arrives as an attachment called 'mathmagic.scr'. The Sahay virus checks the computer for characteristics of the W32.Yaha family of worms, and if any are found attempts to remove them and then displays this message: Title: Exchange viruses? Message: Hi there.. it seems you were infected with Yaha.k. That worm however, written by an idiot who sPeLlS lIkE tHiS, abused my website and got me toreceive the complaints. Therefore, I have just disinfected you. Don't worry tho.. as I didn't wanna steal from you, I gave you this virus (Win32.HLLP.YahaSux) in return :) Greetz, Gigabyte [Metaphase VX Team] The worm then sends itself to all contacts in Outlook's Address book and restarts the computer. Clive Wainstein, pre-sales engineer at Trend Micro, said that in five years working in the antivirus field he had never seen a virus attempt to delete another one.
Silicon.com / ZDNet Australia Jan 20, 2003	back to top

Toothbrush beats computer and cell phone in MIT survey
While it may seem that cell phones, computers and other technology gadgets are Americans’ most coveted items, teens and adults agree that the toothbrush is the one invention they cannot live without. The 2003 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index, an annual survey of Americans’ perceptions about inventing and innovating, found that technologically advanced items significantly lag in importance behind the toothbrush, which was developed in the 15th century. When asked to select the invention they could not live without from among five choices - toothbrush, automobile, personal computer, cell phone and microwave - 34 per cent of teens and 42 per cent of adults cited the toothbrush. The automobile ranked a close second, getting votes from 31 per cent of teens and 37 per cent of adults. Of the remaining choices, teens ranked the PC third (16 per cent), the cell phone fourth (10 per cent) and the microwave last (7 per cent). Adults deemed the remaining choices equally important; the PC (6 per cent), microwave oven (6 per cent) and the cell phone (6 per cent).
MIT News Jan 21, 2003	back to top