eastwikkers

There's A New Man in Town

You may have noticed a new voice on eastwikkers this past week…welcome Joel Postman!  Joel comes to Eastwick as our new EVP of Emerging Media from his most recent stint at HP as head of executive communications for the Technology Solutions Group.  He has been involved in HP's executive blogging program for almost two years, and personally launched what is widely thought to be the industry's first podcast by a senior tech executive, Nora Denzel's Agility Radio. Stephen Shankland recognized stodgy old HP for having beat Sun and Jonathan Schwartz to the punch in this hot new medium. http://news.com.com/2061-10808_3-5697155.html

One of Joel’s claims to fame was his four year stint as senior speechwriter and executive communications manager to Sun Chairman and CEO, Scott McNealy. He has personally written close to 1000 CEO speeches, Q&As, briefings, presentations, video and webcast scripts, company-wide e-mails, editorials, and other projects for Scott. And is very proud of the Dukie Award that sits on his desk here at Eastwick. http://java.com/en/dukeszone/dukeschoice.jsp Apparently, he’s the only non-developer to ever get one!  Joel’s first blog  http://www.hydeparkassociates.com/blog for executive communicators and speakers was well read and well thought of. His new blog, www.techneuroti.com I’m sure will also attract a loyal following.

We are thrilled to have Joel take over from where Giovanni left off…driving the agency’s social media consciousness as well as programs. As Joel has already alluded to…you’ll be hearing more from him both here on eastwikkers as well as his own blog.

Once again…welcome aboard.

An Efficient Government? More Optimism

This from an InfoWorld Real World SOA blog post: “In working on a few projects, both commercial and government, I've come to the conclusion that many of the government organizations are both bullish on SOA, and are actually blazing trails that most in the commercial sector has yet to attempt.

“This is very different from the government IT work of my youth, where they were more about commodity and short-term cost savings, than long term strategic use of technology. However, things have changed, and for the better. As a tax payer, I could not be happier.”

Sometimes it seems that SOA has been hyped so much that it can’t actually be real and substantial, so this is great on two fronts. First that so much money and thought is being committed to SOAs that they may one day actually deliver the promised benefits. Second that the government might actually get it. I grew up with my conservative father dismissing any complicated activity he didn’t like with a pejorative “this is turning into a federal project.” Might be nice if some day that was a compliment.

Thinking About the Future and Happy About It

I started writing a post that drew rather depressing conclusions based on connecting (well, associating at any rate) news in InfoWorld that “Yahoo Inc. is researching areas such as microeconomics to help it better understand the behavior of users, or of advertisers in areas such as keyword auctions” with comments by Jaron Lanier, who voiced some justifiable concerns in “Digital Maoism” and now concludes “Beware the Online Collective” with:

“What’s to stop an online mass of anonymous but connected people from suddenly turning into a mean mob, just like masses of people have time and time again in the history of every human culture? It’s amazing that details in the design of online software can bring out such varied potentials in human behavior. It’s time to think about that power on a moral basis.” [There’s more to the article than this, so check it out]

Then I read this:

“Paradoxically, one of the biggest reasons for being optimistic is that there are systemic flaws in the reported world view. Certain types of news — for example dramatic disasters and terrorist actions — are massively over-reported, others — such as scientific progress and meaningful statistical surveys of the state of the world — massively under-reported.

“Although this leads to major problems such as distortion of rational public policy and a perpetual gnawing fear of apocalypse, it is also reason to be optimistic. Once you realize you're being inadvertently brainwashed to believe things are worse than they are, you can... with a little courage... step out into the sunshine.”

It’s by Chris Anderson and appears in The Edge Annual Question 2007. The question is “What are you optimistic about?” and the 160 responses (I have yet to get through them all) are often encouraging. It can be hard to look at current trends – the environment, population growth, pandemics, politics and religion, and, yes, algorithmically fueled mass online activity, and remain all that sanguine about the future, so it’s great to see these impressive thinkers immersed in the power of positive thinking. Of course, the question was phrased to elicit some kind of optimistic response. It doesn’t ask if the respondents are on the whole optimistic about the future. Anyway, I’m going to use up a little of that courage, get back to coverage of CES, and see if there’s a new toy I can’t live without.

 

Fun at CES? It Is When Bill Gates Stops By

Eastwick client Tzero got more than it could have hoped for at CES when Bill Gates dropped by the Tzero booth and bumped into Rachel Rosmarin of Forbes, who was already there for an interview with Tzero SVP Dan Karr. Writes Rosmarin:

“Gates was obviously looking for [Karr]. Gates has limited time on the show floor; he must make a short list of top visits and stick to it. That he chose Tzero implies Gates is curious about the potential of Ultra Wideband technology to network the home—perhaps in a future version of Windows Media Center PCs? Karr wouldn't tell me exactly what Gates wanted to know, saying only that Microsoft wanted to demonstrate a piece of software to Tzero at a later date.”

Interest in Tzero’s ultra wideband-based wireless chipset for distributing HD video throughout the home is rocketing because, as Rosmarin says, “consumers are clamoring for wirelessly-networked home theater setups.” Other bloggers have taken notice too, including Engadget, Bloggy Geek, and SmallNetBuilder. Check out more coverage here.

Also at CES, Eastwick client Seagate is sponsoring Podtech’s Bloghaus CES, a 24x7 haven for CES bloggers, complete with a podcasting station, lots of food, and a gaming room. Kudos to Seagate for understanding the key role bloggers are playing at this year’s event.

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

Studios OK Movie Downloads Technology

San Jose Mercury News

Hollywood studios have approved a new technology and licensing arrangement that should remove a major obstacle consumers now face with burning movies they buy digitally over the Internet onto a DVD that will play everywhere.

Analyst Rates Apple Product Rumors

BusinessWeek

It is almost certain Apple Computer Inc.'s much-hyped iPhone is entering a production phase of 12 million units in the next few months, and even more certain the company will soon release an improved version of iTV.

Computer Theft Exposes Patient Data Across Five States

Computerworld

The theft of a computer from the office of an Ohio-based health care contractor on Nov. 23 has exposed sensitive data belonging to tens of thousands of patients in five health care firms across five states.

Why Your Next Wireless Gadget Will be a Car

Computerworld

We Americans love our cars, don't we? We have turned them into mobile bubbles of comfort and entertainment -- extensions of our homes, really. Nowadays, cars have incredible sound systems, comfortable seats, DVD players -- you name it. Just like home. But our homes have one thing cars don't have: Wi-Fi networks.

Taiwan Company Sues Apple Over Lost Sales

PC World

Luxpro wants compensation for millions it says were lost while its products were under injunction in an Apple lawsuit.

Useless Searches

From InfoWorld, an interesting but not surprising study from Accenture:

“In a survey of 1,000 middle managers at large companies in the U.S. and U.K., Accenture found that managers spend as long as two hours a day searching for information and more than half of the data they find has no value to them.”

But wait, isn’t “search” old news? Think about all we’ve read over the last couple of years about desktop search, centralizing information, new forms of collaboration. Then read:

* “Fifty-seven percent of those polled said that having to go to numerous sources to collect information makes managing data difficult.”

* “Forty percent of respondents said that other parts of their companies aren't willing to share information.”

* “Only 16 percent of managers said they store valuable data in a collaborative workplace, like an intranet portal.”

* “Just less than half – 42 percent – of those surveyed said that they accidentally use the wrong information at least once a week.”

It just goes to show that writing about a technology, even writing a lot about it, and even having all sorts of predictions about how it will take the world by storm, doesn’t mean that companies are implementing it. And even if they implement it, there’s no guarantee users will adopt it.

As we work through this latest prediction season, and as new (and often truly useful) technologies are unleashed, let’s keep in mind that many of us are early adopters, or at least early wannabe adopters, or early adopters in assessment, and that the rest of the world is just trying to make it through the day without falling too much further behind.

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

Time Warner to Announce Dual-format DVDs Next Week

Reuters

Time Warner Inc. will unveil a new high-definition DVD next week, dubbed Total HD, which could end the battle between two next-generation videodisc technologies.

SanDisk Releases 32GB Flash Drive

PC World

SanDisk has launched a 32GB solid-state drive using flash memory chips, intended as a replacement for conventional hard disk drives.

Adobe to Bring Premiere Pro to Intel Macs

CNET News.com

Adobe Systems said that it will release its Premiere Pro video editing software on Intel-based Macs by the middle of this year.

Fuji Introduces New Digital Point-and-Shoots

PC Magazine

The company announced the addition of four point-and-shoot digital cameras, three under--$300 models, and a pricier, niche superzoom camera.

Samsung Unveils Double-Sided LCD Display

InformationWeek

Samsung is coming out with a new double-sided, mobile LCD panel that is designed to show either a set of the same images or two entirely different pictures on the front and back of the same screen.

Technology Helps Hollywood Control Burning

InfoWorld

Sonic Solutions has come up with a way to help Hollywood studios and other providers of video content distribute their movies over the Internet without fear of rampant, illegal DVD burning.

Amazon Pushes Service After Google Drops

Forbes

Amazon's Askville.com site, like others in the online answer service niche, allows visitors to post questions to be answered by other users.

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

This Device Brings Broadband to the Car

Computerworld

Autonet Mobile, a San Francisco startup, said it is preparing to release a product for cars that combines 3G cellular access and Wi-Fi that will plug into your car's cigarette lighter.

MySQL is on Track with New Storage Engine

Computerworld

Open-source database maker MySQL AB will soon release the alpha version of its Falcon storage engine, designed for high-volume Web server environments.

Ahead of the Bell: Apple, Google, Napster

BusinessWeek

Digital heavyweights Apple Computer Inc., Google Inc. and Napster Inc. were sued for patent infringement by Intertainer Inc., a now defunct online video and audio on-demand service.

Pharos Launches Unlocked GPS Smartphone

PC Magazine

GPS firm Pharos launched its first hybrid GPS/cell phone, an unlocked Windows Mobile smartphone called the Pharos GPS Phone. 

U.S. Group Sues Nokia, Samsung Over Bluetooth

Reuters

A U.S. research institute sued the three companies for violating a Bluetooth patent, potentially putting the wireless standard at risk. 

EarthLink CEO Garry Betty Dies

PC World

Garry Betty, the president and CEO of EarthLink, has passed away due to complications from cancer. He was only 49 and had been with the company since 1996, which is a remarkably long run in the fast-forward world of technology.

Hitachi Database Software Finds U.S. Customer

CNET News.com 

Hitachi has found its first U.S. customer for embedded database software designed to ease searches on gadgets such as media players and vehicle navigation systems.

Security breaches: the “gift” that keeps on giving

How’s this for a holiday “wish list” gift item: Never having to worry about ID theft, stolen data or cyber fraud again…

My daily trip to the mailbox has been anxiety-provoking the last few days… I fear that stuffed between the bills, magazines and Christmas cards, there will be a letter from my alma mater, UCLA, stating that my personal data may be in the hands of hackers who apparently gained access to a giant database containing personal information for 800,000 current and former students, faculty and staff members. Read more here. UCLA is not alone.

It seems there has been a steady stream of stories about hacked databases, stolen laptops and compromised/exposed personal data. Those affected have included students, consumers, and veterans. In this age of spam, spyware, bots, worms and phishing… why isn’t more personal data encrypted? During the eight years it took me to pay off student loans (from another UC), every month I’d get a bill with my social security number doubling as my account number. These statements had my full legal name, address, social security number and other details printed all in once place – talk about one-stop shopping for potential ID theft. I also recall being instructed to write my account number (social) on my check. If you think of all this private data out there and the potential for ID theft as it passes through various channels – pretty scary.

Well, what is the answer then? Bolting laptops to desks? Standards and mandating for encrypting data? Rules for disposing and retaining data (does a school really need to store social security numbers of graduates from 15 years ago)? We’ll be watching.

Defining SaaS, Again

A terrific discussion by ZDNet’s Phil Wainewright about the various flavors and characteristics of SaaS, its relationship to SOA and Web 2.0, and more. If you haven’t figured out exactly what SaaS is and what SaaS isn’t, you’re not alone because it means different things to different people.

The quote below says a lot about the future of the Internet, and follow the link in the quote for another great discussion

“Once your software becomes a service in the cloud, it opens up the potential to link it up with other services that are out there. For many vendors and users this is still a barely dawning realization, but it’s of fundamental importance. In many ways, the Internet cloud is one great global SOA — still very rudimentary in many ways, but flexible enough to accommodate different levels of sophistication, and evolving fast.”

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

New Congress Likely to Support Net Neutrality

InformationWeek

Internet neutrality proponents believe that the recent change in Congress is likely to boost their efforts to push legislation that would prohibit tiered access to the Internet.

Hackers Use Virtual Machine Detection to Foil Researchers

InformationWeek

The tactic is designed to thwart researchers who use virtualization software, notably that made by VMware, to quickly and safely test the impact of malicious code.

Universal Music Sues MySpace for Copyright Infringement

New York Times

The Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, filed a copyright infringement lawsuit yesterday against MySpace, the popular social networking Web site, for allowing users to upload and download songs and music videos.

Nintendo's Wii Joins Console Wars

PC World

The next-generation video games battle became a three-console race on Sunday as retailers across the U.S. and Canada put Nintendo's Wii on sale.

Second Life Virus Shuts Gamers Out

Computerworld

Online gamers were locked out of Second Life yesterday after a self-replicating worm planted spinning golden rings throughout the virtual world.

JBoss Fills out 'Stack' with Integration

CNET News.com

JBoss is set to update its Java software suite with an integration server, an important component in its services-oriented architecture strategy.

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

HBO to Launch Internet Comedy Channel

PC Magazine

Pay cable TV network HBO, whose shows such as "The Sopranos" have earned critical acclaim, will launch an Internet channel with original programming early next year in partnership with AOL.

Happy Holidays Ahead for Tech

PC Magazine

Experts predict a very healthy economy this holiday season with consumer electronics (CE) spending increasing by at least 15 percent from last year.

Sony PlayStation Debuts in U.S., Sells Out in Minutes

Bloomberg

Sony Corp., the world's largest maker of video-game players, began selling the PlayStation 3 in the U.S. in a debut marred by production delays and software glitches.

Best Lip Syncher? Yahoo Buy, Bix, Lets You Prove it

PC World

Yahoo plans to buy Bix.com, a Web site that lets users create online contests, as part of its push into offering more online social media services.

A Digital SLR That Gives Hints on What an F-Stop Means

New York Times

Nikon has unveiled its D40, an all-new entry-level digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera designed to offer consumers the ability to get higher quality and impressive looking pictures.

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Adopt Same Web Index Tool

CNET News.com

Search engine rivals Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are teaming up to make it easier for Web site owners to make sure their sites get included in the Web indexes.

Microsoft-Sprint Mobile Search Alliance Aims to Bring in Ad Dollars

InformationWeek

In addition to tapping into Microsoft's rich mapping and directions offerings, users will be able to access Sprint portals that offer music downloading, ring tones, games, and screen savers.

Scientists Envision Power Without Wires

InformationWeek

An MIT professor at a scientific conference describes the physics of non-radiative energy transfer and its potential for making wireless power systems.

Red Hat, Nokia Announce Collaboration

BusinessWeek

Red Hat Inc., a provider of open source Linux software and services, said it has agreed to collaborate on carrier-grade telecommunications products with Nokia Corp., the world's top mobile phone maker.

Quest Releases SharePoint Migration Tool

PC World

Quest Software has released a new tool to move public folders from Microsoft's Exchange e-mail server software to SharePoint Server 2007.

Skype Launches First Mobile Service

InfoWorld

Skype launched its first mobile voice-over-IP service in collaboration with an operator, 3 Group, whose customers will soon be the first to use it.

…And to remind us that our computers problems aren’t really so bad after all:

http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2006/11/13/daily25.html

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

Deal Adds Mobile Social Networking Plan

San Jose Mercury News

Palo Alto start-up Loopt plans to launch a new service with Boost Mobile, where customers will be able to create groups of friends and keep track of them using a combination of text messaging, pictures and the GPS technology embedded in most new mobile phones today.

Motorola to Buy Netopia for $200 Million

CNET News.com

Motorola plans to acquire DSL equipment maker Netopia in a deal worth more than $200 million as it pushes into the digital living room.

Intel Launches Quad Chips

Forbes

Intel launched its first microchips with four processing cores in an effort to slow the momentum of its smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices.

Microsoft Launches its First Foray into Wi-Fi Municipal Search in Portland

InformationWeek

MetroFi will finance the network, which will cover 95% of the city by mid-2008.

Microsoft Forms Interoperability Alliance with Other Tech Vendors

InformationWeek

The goal of the Interoperability Vendor Alliance is to work with Microsoft in making their products work better together, based on input by customers.

AOL to Announce New Version of AIM

PC World

AOL expects to announce an upgrade to its popular AIM instant messaging service tomorrow, with new features such as the ability to send messages to offline users and to store IM sessions in a PC.

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

6 Airlines to Integrate iPod in Planes

San Jose Mercury News

Apple Computer Inc. said its iPod media players will be integrated with the in-flight entertainment systems of six airlines, including UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, Continental Airlines Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc., as well as Dubai-based Emirates, Dutch carrier KLM and Air France.

AMD Discontinues Personal Internet Communicator Device

San Jose Mercury News

Advanced Micro Devices Inc., the world's No. 2 computer chip maker behind Intel Corp., has quietly discontinued a money-losing line of low-cost PCs aimed at helping customers in developing countries get access to the Internet.

Hate Your Cell Phone Photos? HP Aims to Up Quality

InformationWeek

HP is teaming up with Flextronics to bring digital still photography quality to camera phones.

TiVo Taps the Internet for Content

CNET News.com

TiVo enthusiasts will soon be able to use their devices to watch Internet video content on their TV set.

Dell Sets Up 'Second Life' Shop, Offers PCs to Residents

CNET News.com

Contrary to the old axiom, Dell's getting a second chance to make a first impression.

Google Closes on YouTube Acquisition

BusinessWeek

Internet search engine Google Inc. said it completed its $1.65 billion acquisition of online video-sharing site YouTube.

Cingular to Sell Slim Samsung Phone with Keyboard

Reuters

Cingular Wireless will sell a slim cell phone from Samsung Electronics with a computer-like keyboard and a music and video player.

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

With IE 7, Green Means Go for Legit Sites

CNET News.com

Starting early next year, the address bar in Internet Explorer 7 will turn green when surfing to a legitimate Web site--but only in some cases, not all.

Sun Pours out Java Cup

eWeek

To those long-suffering open-source developers who have been waiting for years to venture unencumbered into Java code and tweak it to their heart's content, Sun Microsystems has three things to say: G, P and L.

Motorola Gets Good

BusinessWeek

By buying Good Technology, Motorola, the handset maker, is seeking a foothold in the mobile messaging market dominated by rivals RIM and Palm.

Google Gives Hosted Apps Suite a 'Start' Page

CIO

Google’s Apps for Your Domain has a new component: an entry webpage that organizations can use as a central point for users to access this suite of hosted applications.

IBM Again Heads List of Fastest Computers

San Jose Mercury News

The company's famous Blue Gene/L, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, again topped the list of 500 of the world's fastest supercomputers.

Eclipse Moves on Device Software Development

InfoWorld

The Eclipse Foundation has announced three milestone releases as part of its Eclipse Device Software Development Platform (DSDP), which is intended to provide a standards-based development platform for building software for devices. 

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

IBM Gets a Second Life

InformationWeek

IBM is set to invest $10 million to increase its presence in the market for technologies that enable so-called virtual worlds such as Second Life.

Microsoft Releases Sony Rootkit Hunter's Tools

PC World

Nearly four months after hiring Sony rootkit whistleblower Mark Russinovich, Microsoft has moved his company's software to its Web site and has released a new Windows system tool that can help fight hackers.

Google Downplays Video Lawsuit

PC World

Google said a lawsuit against Google Video is small and relevant to just one video that appeared briefly on the site.

Linksys, Yahoo Team on Net Cordless Phone

CNET News.com

Linksys and Yahoo have joined forces to sell a cordless phone that is specially designed for use with Yahoo's Internet phone service.

Technology Mistake du Jour:

"I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper."

-Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in "Gone With The Wind."

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

Google Video Blog Apologizes for E-mailing Kama Sutra Worm

InformationWeek

Google announced that a member of its video team had sent the worm, which wipes out files, to members of a Google Video Blog discussion list.

Intel Packages Blogs, RSS, and Wikis for Businesses

InformationWeek

Intel says the tools will boost productivity by 50%, speed projects by 25%, and cut e-mail volume by 30%.

Microsoft Strikes Deal for Music

New York Times

In a rare move, Microsoft said that it had agreed to pay a percentage of the sales of its new portable media player to the Universal Music Group.

Helio Adds New GPS-enabled Phone

CNET News.com

Helio, the mobile phone operator created for tech-savvy hipsters, plans to announce a new phone for its service that uses satellite location technology to help subscribers stay connected.

Yahoo to Embed Instant Messaging in E-mail

CNET News.com

Yahoo is planning to embed instant messaging into its Web-based e-mail program within the next few months so that people can have live chats in Yahoo Mail, even if they don't have an instant-messaging application installed.

Broadcom Claims First Universal DVD Chip

EETimes.com

Consumer and communications chip supplier Broadcom Corp. introduced what the company labeled the first single-chip solution to support both Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD standards.

Technology Mistake du Jour:

"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?"

--H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

AOL Acquires Financial News Search Company

CNET News.com

AOL announced that it has snapped up search technology company Relegence, which specializes in finding financial news and information.

Network Appliance to Buy Topio for $160 Million

San Jose Mercury News

NetApp has announced the acquisition of Topio, a California-based data de-duplication and protection software firm for $160m cash.

Dell Servers, Workstations Get Quad-Core Processors

CIO

Dell will begin shipping its first servers and workstations running quad-core Intel processors in a two-socket configuration next week.

Skype Upgrade to Get Smart New Features

CIO

Skype will begin testing an upgrade of its free communications software that can automatically detect phone numbers in Web pages and initiate calls.

Web 2.0: The return of Kim Polese

San Francisco Chronicle

Polese joined with Intel and a number of Web 2.0 software firms, including Six Apart, Socialtext, NewsGator, SimpleFeed, to unveil a new product, Suite2, a Web 2.0 software suite for businesses.

Samsung Unveils Multi-featured PDA with WiMax

InformationWeek

Samsung has unveiled its version of a high-tech Swiss Army knife: a combination PC, cell phone, portable music player with built-in WiMax.

Technology Mistake du Jour:

"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible."

--A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

Microsoft Launches 3-D Maps for Web Search

InformationWeek

The goal is to beef up local search traffic by offering photo-realistic 3-D models of buildings and landscape in cities including Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, and Dallas.

Palm Sued by NTP Over Patents for Wireless Devices

Bloomberg

NTP Inc. sued Palm Inc., maker of the Treo e-mail phone, for patent infringement, eight months after winning $612.5 million from Research In Motion, creator of the Blackberry.

Verizon Near Content Deal with YouTube

Reuters

Verizon Communications Inc., the No. 2 U.S. telecommunications company, is in advanced talks with YouTube Inc. to bring the Web site's videos to cell phones and television sets.

Yahoo Brings More Imagery to Mobile Ads

BusinessWeek

Yahoo Inc. is expanding a test of its mobile telephone advertising network to include more visually appealing messages.

Microsoft Will Offer Video Downloads to Xbox

CIO

Microsoft will launch a new service later this month that allows customers to download movies and television programs through their Xbox 360 gaming consoles.

Check Point Debuts Wireless-security Router for the Home

CNET News.com

Check Point Software Technologies unveiled its ZoneAlarm Secure Wireless Router Z100G, its first dedicated home network security device.

Technology Mistake du Jour:

"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?"

--David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

Wikipedia Used to Spread Malicious Code

CNET News.com

Hackers have used a Wikipedia page in an attempt to spread malicious code.

Nvidia Acquires PortalPlayer for $357 Million

InformationWeek

NVIDIA Corporation reported that it is acquiring PortalPlayer Inc., in a move to beef up its development of personal media players (PMPs.)

Virtualization Software Goes Beyond X86 Clones

InformationWeek

Virtualization software, which turns one hardware server into several virtual servers, is garnering a lot of attention, and the leading vendors aren't losing opportunities to upgrade their offerings to try and one-up one another in market share and mindshare.

Microsoft Completes Office 2007

PC World

Microsoft announced that it has completed the code for its 2007 Office system, a major overhaul for the best-selling productivity suite that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and a slew of other applications (depending on which version of the suite you buy).

Microsoft Follows Oracle in Tighter Linux Embrace

Computerworld

Microsoft Corp. announced a deal to promote the use of Novell Inc.’s SUSE Linux operating system alongside Windows in mixed server environments - a move that came just a week after nemesis Oracle Corp.

Suzuki's Fuel Cell Wheelchair

BusinessWeek

A fuel-cell-powered wheelchair prototype named the MIO generates it own electricity, reducing odds of being stranded.

InterSystems' Cache 2007 Speeds Database Development

eWeek

The latest version of InterSystems' Cache database product features new technology for rapid, rich Internet application development.

Technology Mistake du Jour:

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."

--Western Union internal memo, 1876

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

What are Web's Societal, Scientific Consequences?

San Francisco Chronicle

As the World Wide Web continues its explosive growth, a group of academics, including the Web's inventor, have started an interdisciplinary effort to study the scientific and societal consequences of wiring the planet together.

Oracle Buys Software Maker SPL WorldGroup

Reuters

Oracle Corp said it acquired privately held software maker SPL WorldGroup from private equity fund manager GFI Energy Ventures LLC.

Amazon.com Sees New Web Utility Business

Reuters

The company has assembled the pieces of a strategy that positions Amazon to supply underlying computing, data storage, and other services to Web businesses.

Red Hat Couches Microsoft-Novell Pact as a Linux Win

CNET News.com

Red Hat moved quickly on Friday to pour cold water on fellow Linux software maker Novell's partnership with Microsoft.

Technology Mistake du Jour:

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."

--Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

Rachel's Daily Tech Tidbits

Yahoo Adds Food Web Site to Attract Women, Expand its Content