Dear ACM TechNews Subscriber: Welcome to the December 18, 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 the latest on ACM activities, member benefits, and industry issues, 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 436 Date: December 18, 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, December 18, 2002: http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html "U.S. Clears Russian Tech Firm In E-Book Copyright Case" "Gilmore Commission Critical of Bush Cybersecurity Plan" "DMCA Critics Say Reform Still Needed" "Limits Sought on Net Access Without Wire" "Netherlands Court Ruling Offers Haven to File-Sharing Services" "Portland Lacks an E-Waste Disposal System" "Regulating Cyberspace" "Fastest Computer Spawns High-Tech Race" "Philanthropy Meets Technology in Global Stanford Program" "Does Moore's Law Still Hold True?" "Software, Security, and Ethnicity" "Sandia 'Be There Now' Hardware Enhances Long-Distance Collaborations" "The Semantic Web Gets Real" "Cool Runnings" "ACM Extends Deadline for Awards Nominees" "Links Adding Up for Grid Computing" "CCR Using Larger-Than-Life Technology" "The High Cost of Handhelds" "Getting Real" ******************* News Stories *********************** "U.S. Clears Russian Tech Firm In E-Book Copyright Case" The U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., ruled in favor of Russian software company ElcomSoft on Tuesday, thus dismissing a federal lawsuit alleging that the firm violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by distributing a program that ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item1 "Gilmore Commission Critical of Bush Cybersecurity Plan" In its fourth annual report, the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction finds fault with President Bush's Draft National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace. The commission says the plan is ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item2 "DMCA Critics Say Reform Still Needed" Although a jury acquitted Russian software maker ElcomSoft of willfully violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by distributing a program that bypassed e-book copy protections, Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) says this is no reason to get ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item3 "Limits Sought on Net Access Without Wire" The U.S. Department of Defense is looking to curb the growth of low-power radio technology for commercial use that could interfere with military radar. Industry representatives have already met with Pentagon officials to discuss the issue, after ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item4 "Netherlands Court Ruling Offers Haven to File-Sharing Services" An Amsterdam appeals court ruling last March that local file-trading service Kazaa is not legally responsible for copyright violations committed by its users may encourage other file-trading service providers to set up operations in the Netherlands. Dutch lawyer ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item5 "Portland Lacks an E-Waste Disposal System" The mounting problem of electronic waste (e-waste) is being addressed in the United States and elsewhere, but with different approaches. The EPA estimates that up to 500 million personal computers will be discarded between 2000 and 2007 in the United ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item6 "Regulating Cyberspace" The so-called lawlessness of the Internet has been increasingly called into question, most recently with an Australian court's ruling that U.S.-based Dow Jones had committed libel against an Australian businessman by publishing an article accessible via a ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item7 "Fastest Computer Spawns High-Tech Race" NEC's $350 million Earth Simulator in Japan has raised the bar for other supercomputing efforts and has taken away the U.S.'s lead in the supercomputing race; it is now the world's fastest supercomputer, capable of running 35.6 trillion ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item8 "Philanthropy Meets Technology in Global Stanford Program" The goal of the Reuters Foundation's Digital Vision Fellowship Program at Stanford University is to bring information technology to far-flung regions of developing countries by creating usable initiatives. Fellows covering a wide range of disciplines ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item9 "Does Moore's Law Still Hold True?" A recent academic paper from Ilkka Tuomi, a visiting scholar at the European Commission's Joint Research Center, argues that there is a disparity between the doctrine of Moore's Law, which states that computing power doubles every 18 to 24 months, and ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item10 "Software, Security, and Ethnicity" As the U.S. and its allies and foes worldwide ramp up their ability to make war on the digital front, U.S. organizations need to improve their software security without casting suspicion on IT workers of foreign descent. The threat ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item11 "Sandia 'Be There Now' Hardware Enhances Long-Distance Collaborations" Sandia National Laboratories has devised interactive remote-visualization hardware that will allow people to view and manipulate computer-generated images from remote locations with no significant lag time. "The niche for this product is when the ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item12 "The Semantic Web Gets Real" The development and future of the Semantic Web is debatable--there are those who argue it is a waste of time that will never get past the drawing board stage, while others claim it could facilitate seamless communication between computers and ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item13 "Cool Runnings" Sandia National Laboratories researchers have created a device that cools down computer chips without heat sinks and fans, using 7-micron-thick channels that convey liquid methanol through capillary action. These "smart heat pipes" are contained in a ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item14 "ACM Extends Deadline for Awards Nominees" In an effort to expand the net of qualified contenders, ACM has extended the deadline for nominations to four of its annual awards. The deadline is now February 28 for nominees to the ACM-IEEE CS Eckert Mauchly Award; the Grace Murray Hopper Award; and the ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item15 "Links Adding Up for Grid Computing" Grid computing is taking hold outside of the academic community, according to Argonne National Laboratory researcher and University of Chicago computer science professor Ian Foster. He and colleagues around the country continue to develop the ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item16 "CCR Using Larger-Than-Life Technology" The University at Buffalo's Center for Computational Research (CCR) has built a relatively low-cost facility enabling real-time communication, remote collaboration, and high-definition displays of large images. The room has a 12-foot tiled-display wall and ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item17 "The High Cost of Handhelds" Gartner says that handheld computers can be more expensive than most people think: Whereas the average store-bought handheld can cost as little as $300, Gartner estimates that hidden costs--training, support, etc.--can drive up the total cost of ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item18 "Getting Real" Researchers are developing new 3D display technologies that do away with headpieces, such as the classic blue and red cellophane glasses used decades ago. At New York University's Media Research Laboratory, director Ken Perlin is developing an ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1218w.html#item19 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- To review Monday's issue, please visit http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/1216m.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.