Dear ACM TechNews Subscriber: Welcome to the August 21, 2002 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for IT professionals three times a week. For instructions on how to unsubscribe from this service, please see below. ACM's MemberNet is now online. For discussion (and voting) forums on current industry issues and the latest on ACM activities, visit http://www.acm.org/membernet Remember to check out our hot new online essay and opinion magazine, Ubiquity, at http://www.acm.org/ubiquity ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ACM TechNews Volume 4, Number 389 Date: August 21, 2002 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Site Sponsored by Hewlett Packard Company ( ) HP is the premier source for computing services, products and solutions. Responding to customers' requirements for quality and reliability at aggressive prices, HP offers performance-packed products and comprehensive services. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Top Stories for Wednesday, August 21, 2002: http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html "Firms Wringing Value From IT Units" "Tactics Toughen on Music Piracy" "U.S. Probes Firm In Security Breach" "A Map of Wireless Controversy?" "Group Fear EU Surveillance Mission" "Moving Pages From Web to Wireless" "Plans Emerging for National Security Data Sharing" "Pushing Back the Boundaries" "The Cosmic Code" "Nanoscale Metal Deposition Eyed for MRAMs" "Notebook Overhaul on the Horizon" "Report: Average Worker's Tech Skills Not Keeping Pace" "Internet2's Network Adopts New Protocol for Addressing and Packaging Data" "New Act Tightens Software Licensing Laws" "Sony Scientist: Robots Need Culture" "Portable Plastic Power" ******************* News Stories *********************** "Firms Wringing Value From IT Units" Fifty percent of IT managers polled by InformationWeek's Optimize magazine say they are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their tech investments are showing positive returns. "The trick to IT being more effective is treating it as if it's a ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item1 "Tactics Toughen on Music Piracy" The music industry is becoming more aggressive in its efforts to clamp down on digital piracy. Most recently, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed a motion to force Verizon Communications to disclose the name of a customer ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item2 "U.S. Probes Firm In Security Breach" Hours after the Washington Post reported that ForensicTec Solutions consultants were able to break into computers at Fort Hood, the Energy Department, NASA, and other government centers using freely available software, federal law enforcement ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item3 "A Map of Wireless Controversy?" "Warchalking" and "wardriving" are activities designed to locate where people can establish an easy Wi-Fi connection. Wardrivers, for example, roam throughout neighborhoods on cars or bicycles, using laptops with Wi-Fi cards to identify strong wireless ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item4 "Group Fear EU Surveillance Mission" The European Parliament is discussing the revision of the 1997 EU Directive on privacy in telecommunications, which currently authorizes that communications-related data can only be retained for billing purposes and then must be erased. The British ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item5 "Moving Pages From Web to Wireless" Until recently, viewing Web pages on mobile devices such as phones and PDAs was not an enjoyable task. But more capable devices, emerging standards, and 2.5G networks have made the wireless Web more appealing for both users and Web content ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item6 "Plans Emerging for National Security Data Sharing" In Philadelphia, over 900 defense and intelligence community specialists from both government and the private sector met yesterday to debate how to improve data sharing and collaborative efforts between federal, state, and local agencies in the event ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item7 "Pushing Back the Boundaries" Microsoft's Madelyn Bryant McIntire leads an effort to embed functionality within computers so that they are accessible to handicapped users whose disabilities range from slight to severe. She says the initiative is business-driven rather than ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item8 "The Cosmic Code" In his book "A New Kind of Science," physicist Stephen Wolfram boils down the universe to a simple computer program, one whose instructions have yet to be revealed. He uses a cellular automaton (CA) as the basis for his theory: A CA forms an ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item9 "Nanoscale Metal Deposition Eyed for MRAMs" Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered a way to reduce the energy needed to power magnetoresistive random-access memories (MRAMs), making the hardware more durable in the process. The scientists worked with ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item10 "Notebook Overhaul on the Horizon" Notebook computer designs are continuing to improve, especially as the notebook market continues to grow as the overall PC market declines. Gartner estimates that notebook sales rose 6.1 percent in the second quarter, adding fuel to the fires of innovation at ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item11 "Report: Average Worker's Tech Skills Not Keeping Pace" The average professional will not have enough IT skills to compete in a job market that increasingly relies on workers well-versed in technology, according to a report from the National Policy Association. The nonprofit's senior vice ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item12 "Internet2's Network Adopts New Protocol for Addressing and Packaging Data" The Internet2 network serving many U.S. universities is now running Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) alongside the old code used to manage Internet traffic. IPv6 will provide for virtually limitless Internet addresses and avoid the impending shortage of ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item13 "New Act Tightens Software Licensing Laws" Britain's Copyright and Trade Marks Act 2002 will target businesses that use unlicensed software, according to Bristows partner Rachel Burnett. Under the new legislation, businesses that make unsanctioned copies of copyrighted works will be ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item14 "Sony Scientist: Robots Need Culture" University of Brussels Professor Luc Steels, who also heads Sony's Computer Science Laboratories in Paris, believes that robots can become more intelligent by allowing them to interact with one another and develop their own forms of communication and ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item15 "Portable Plastic Power" University of California, Berkeley researchers Paul Alivisatos and Janke Dittmer have developed a semiconductor-polymer voltaic cell that they claim can be painted onto any surface, enabling devices to be powered by solar energy whenever their batteries ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0821w.html#item16 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- To review Monday's issue please visit http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0819m.html -- To visit the TechNews home page, point your browser to: http://www.acm.org/technews/ -- To unsubscribe from the ACM TechNews Early Alert Service: Please send a separate email to listserv@listserv2.acm.org with the line signoff technews in the body of your message. -- Please note that replying directly to this message does not automatically unsubscribe you from the TechNews list. -- To submit feedback about ACM TechNews, contact: technews@hq.acm.org -- ACM may have a different email address on file for you, so if you're unable to "unsubscribe" yourself, please direct your request to: technews-request@acm.org We will remove your name from the TechNews list on your behalf. -- For help with technical problems, including problems with leaving the list, please write to: technews-request@acm.org ---- ACM TechNews is sponsored by Hewlett Packard Company.