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Issue no. 17, 2004 Published: May 07, 2004
Hunt on for Sasser worm culprit
Vodafone launches 3G in Europe
Standards spat threatens RFID roll-out
Microscopic robot takes first steps
New search technology tackles tricky lists
Quantum encryption inches closer to reality
Chaos seems to aid learning
New chip boosts WiFi range by up to 50 per cent
Africans rush for mobile phones

Hunt on for Sasser worm culprit
Security experts began the daunting task on Wednesday of trying to track down the authors of 'Sasser', a tenacious computer worm expected to infect millions of machines before it runs its course. Since appearing at the weekend, the fast-moving worm has wreaked havoc on personal computers running on the ubiquitous Microsoft Windows 2000, NT and XP operating systems, but is expected to slow down as computer users download anti-virus patches. Once infected, the vulnerable PC reboots without warning as the compact program hunts for more machines to infiltrate. Because of Sasser's destructive nature, anti-virus technicians disagree on the motive and identity of its author. One prominent theory is that the creator is part of a Russian group calling itself the 'Skynet anti-virus group', the same gang behind the recurring Netsky e-mail virus outbreak. Microsoft said it is working with US law enforcement authorities, including the FBI, to flush out the culprits.
CNN / Reuters May 05, 2004	back to top

Vodafone launches 3G in Europe
Vodafone is launching its first full third-generation mobile services in Europe, with Portugal and Germany going live this week. The firm has enlisted Samsung to make handsets for the service, but hopes to expand its range in the coming months. The roll-out will be concentrated in densely populated urban areas, covering about 30 per cent of the population. It is planned as the prelude for a much wider launch of 3G mobile technology around Europe. T-Mobile, the mobile arm of Deutsche Telekom, has responded with its own launch of 3G phone services. In Germany, up to 400 cities will have access for people using Nokia 7600 handsets. A T-Mobile launch of 3G in the UK is planned for later this year. The new 3G technology promises to provide data transfers at near-broadband speeds.
BBC News May 04, 2004	back to top

Standards spat threatens RFID roll-out
Different European and US radio frequency identification (RFID) standards could add complexity and cost to the roll-out of the technology, analysts have warned. EPCglobal, the body developing and promoting global common standards in RFID, plans to release a prototype of its UHF Generation 2 specification by June, with a fully approved standard due for release before December. But delays by the European Telecoms Standards Institute (ETSI) in approving its EN 302 208 RFID specifications, which govern radio frequencies and power levels for tags across Europe, have slowed plans by retailers to ask their European suppliers to implement RFID. European ETSI standards, to be decided this autumn, are expected to dictate that European RFID systems operate at a different wattage to those in North America due to health and safety reasons, making it harder for multinational firms to have a consistent infrastructure across the globe.
VNUnet UK May 04, 2004	back to top

Microscopic robot takes first steps
A microscopic robot that walks on two legs made from strands of DNA has taken its first steps. The 'nanowalker', created by chemists at New York University is being hailed as a major breakthrough by scientists learning how to manipulate molecules. Each of the walker's legs is made from two strands of DNA that pair up to form a short double helix. A springy portion of each DNA strand runs across from the left to the right leg forming a bridge between them at the top. At the bottom, one of the two strands pokes out of the helix to serve as a sticky 'foot'. The robot walks along a track or 'footpath' that is also made of DNA and covered in spikes to provide footholds. By controlling the way the feet attach or detach from the track, the robot can be made to move forwards or backwards. Mobile microscopic robots will be needed if nanoscale manufacturing is to become a realistic prospect. They could be used to assemble other nanomachines and move useful molecules and atoms around.
New Scientist May 06, 2004	back to top

New search technology tackles tricky lists
Using search engines to compile a list - like the top 50 greatest blues guitarists by record sales, say - involves a lot of drudge work because you have to visit many web pages to gather the data you need. But the next step in search engine technology could make creating such lists possible with a single mouse click. KnowItAll, a search engine under development at the University of Washington, Seattle, trawls the web for data and then collates it in the form of a list. The US Department of Defense and Google are so impressed that they are providing funding for the project. The software can take a phrase like 'list scientists' and return a long list of scientists' names - each one accompanied by its percentage probability of being correct, as measured by frequency of occurrence of the names on websites. Users will be able to choose the level of confidence they want in the data. KnowItAll can also find words that often occur close to the search term such as 'DNA' and 'quantum' and uses them to refine the probability that a person is indeed a scientist.
New Scientist May 05, 2004	back to top

Quantum encryption inches closer to reality
A team of researchers has set a speed record for a type of quantum encryption, a sign that the theoretically uncrackable system for encrypting documents could find a home commercially. Researchers from Acadia Optronics working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US said they have come up with a system that can transmit a stream of individual photons at a rate of 1 million bits per second. That is about 100 times faster than comparable quantum encryption systems. At that rate, it becomes practical to send encrypted video or other protected material, according to NIST. Quantum encryption involves sending data by way of photons, which are polarised in one of four different directions. Eavesdroppers cause detectable changes in the orientation, which in turn prevents them from getting secret information. In the NIST-Acadia system, disturbed photons in an encryption key prevent that key from being used. The photons are time-stamped so that the intended recipient can reassemble the message and differentiate between photons from the sender versus other sources.
ZDNet May 03, 2004	back to top

Chaos seems to aid learning
Researchers from Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology in Japan have built a computer simulation of the inferior olive, a portion of the brain that probably relays errors in movement to the cerebellum. It has been difficult to explain the mechanics of this relationship because inferior olive cells that connect to the cerebellum fire slowly, and this does not fit well with the common hypothesis that high-fidelity error signals are needed for efficient learning. The researchers got the idea for the simulation after initial research showed that if neurons were electrically coupled a certain type of chaotic signal could emerge. The simulation shows that moderate electrical coupling between nerve cells in the inferior olive could produce a type of chaotic firing that effectively recodes the high-frequency information into slower signals by imparting information within the rhythm rather than just the frequency of nerve firing. The researchers' theory of chaotic resonance could speed electronic communications and optimise learning in robotics.
Technology Review / TRN May 03, 2004	back to top

New chip boosts WiFi range by up to 50 per cent
Chipmaker Broadcom has found a way to boost the range of Wi-Fi network technology by 50 per cent with the launch of new chip technology. The new power amp module will enable 54g-network devices to operate from the home with a signal strong enough for connectivity at up to 68 metres. Broadcom also claims the new technology will cut device manufacturers' costs by up to 30 per cent as the module reduces the number of off-chip components.
TelecomPaper May 05, 2004	back to top

Africans rush for mobile phones
Africa is the world's fastest-growing mobile phone market, according to a report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Mobile phone companies are one of the great success stories of Africa in recent years. Use of mobile phones has been increasing at an annual rate of 65 per cent, more than twice the global average. This remarkable expansion is, in part, a reflection of the wretched state of many fixed line networks throughout the continent. They have often been confined to cities and have suffered from decades of under-investment. Customers have embraced the opportunity to have reliable telephone service, largely free of government interference, and at a relatively cheap price. In countries such as Somalia, which has had no central authority for 13 years, the take-up has been particularly swift. It now has four mobile phone networks and, at about 50 US cents per minute, offers the cheapest international calls in the region.
BBC News May 05, 2004	back to top