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The domain name news is supported by auDA. And don't forget to see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for regular updates. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Are We Slowly Losing Control of the Internet? By Karl Auerbach http://www.circleid.com/posts/losing_control_of_the_internet/ Judge Rules for Ousted Registerfly CEO http://businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2007/tc20070309_245992.htm Allegations Fly at Registerfly http://businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2007/tc20070307_079128.htm New shield foiled Internet backbone attack http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-6166107.html International domain names succeed in testing http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6165972.html XXX Comes to a Head posted by Milton Mueller http://www.circleid.com/posts/xxx_comes_to_a_head/ ***************** GOVERNANCE ***************** uk: POSTnote - Internet Goverance There is increasing international debate on Internet governance, which encompasses a variety of public policy issues related to internet infrastructure, management and use. This POSTnote describes the structure of the Internet and summarises the debate over its management. It also discusses the prospects for its international governance, following the first meeting of the UN-sponsored Internet Governance Forum. http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/postpn279.pdf Are We Slowly Losing Control of the Internet? By Karl Auerbach I have long been intrigued by the question of how do we turn the internet into a lifeline grade infrastructure... My hope that this will occur soon or even within decades is diminishing. Most of us observe, almost daily, how even well established infrastructures tend to crumble when stressed, even slightly... I was at the O'Reilly Etel conference last week. The content was impressive and the people there were frequently the primary actors in the creation and deployment of VOIP. However, not once during the three days did I hear a serious discussion by a speaker or in the hallways about how this evolving system would be managed, monitored, diagnosed, or repaired. http://www.circleid.com/posts/losing_control_of_the_internet/ A complex battle over openness ...Another subtle but important change: the growing role of international organizations. We live in a globalized economy, superintended by important institutions such as the World Trade Organization (which referees trade disputes), the International Monetary Fund (which monitors governments' economy policies), or the lesser-known ICANN (which rules the internet). Decisions made by organizations such as these affect the well-being of millions of citizens but they are not required to comply with the transparency rules that we've imposed on national, state and local governments. http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/OPINION/70310009/1049 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** Judge Rules for Ousted Registerfly CEO In a legal decision that stunned even the lawyers for the victor, a U.S. District Court judge on Mar. 8 handed over the embattled Web registrar Registerfly.com to the executive who was running it when it began to founder. Judge Peter Sheridan ruled in favor of defendant Kevin Medina, who had been chief executive of the parent company, Unifiednames, before he was fired by two other board members on Feb. 12. http://businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2007/tc20070309_245992.htm http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/030907_Ex_Registerfly_CEO_Regains_Control.cfm Allegations Fly at Registerfly Registerfly.com may not be a very big company, but an extremely ugly falling out between the owners of the registrar of Web site domain names is causing a major headache for 200,000 site owners who registered their sites through it. That roster of customers includes registrants as varied as the government of Thailand, the Easter Seals charity, and pop star Michael Jackson. The company's problems have also brought a hail of criticism down on ICANN. Customers of New Jersey-based Registerfly.com complain in online forums that ICANN waited too long to intervene in a dispute that has left the company's statusand some domain namesin flux. http://businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2007/tc20070307_079128.htm Registerfly, a Domain Name Disaster Any business that goes under is a serious personal tragedy for those who worked diligently to try to make it a success. When the business going under is a registrar, a cascade effect can cause ripples through the Internet as other businesses are threatened. Thats exactly what is happening with Registerfly. http://webhosting.devshed.com/c/a/Web-Hosting-News/Registerfly-a-Domain-Name-Disaster/ RegisterFly Update March 10 2007 ICANN spoke yesterday with Kevin Medina and Mark Klein of RegisterFly. ICANN asked for greater clarity from RegisterFly about auth-info codes and draw attention to this link to the registerfly.com auth-info codes retrieval process. http://blog.icann.org/?p=45 RegisterFly Update: 9 Mar 07 The United States District Court in New Jersey yesterday awarded Kevin Medina control of RegisterFly.com Inc. The decision resolves a dispute over ownership of the company. http://blog.icann.org/?p=42 International Womens Day On International Womens Day (8 March), Jacob Malthouse had a look at the number of women on various ICANN groups. He found: Board: 4 of 15 or 27%; Interim ALAC: 5 of 14 or 36%; Nominating Committee: 3 of 22 or 14%; GNSO: 5 of 22 or 23%; and ASO: 0 of 15 or 0%. http://blog.icann.org/?p=41 New shield foiled Internet backbone attack An attack in early February on key parts of the backbone of the Internet had little effect, thanks to new protection technology, according to a report released by ICANN. http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-6166107.html http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6166107.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/cnet/2007-03-11-net-attack_N.htm DNS Attack: Possible Botnet Sales Pitch The attackers behind the distributed denial-of-service attack last month on the Internet's DNS root servers may have been doing a little botnet sales pitch, according to a newly-released postmortem report on the attack. The so-called "factsheet" document, issued yesterday by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), didn't draw any final conclusions on the reasons or motivation for the attack, but it did provide some theories, and it shed new light on a few details about the attack. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=119128 Last month's root-server attack revisited Last month's attack on at least six of the net's root servers was formidable, but thanks to the implementation of a technology designed to protect the infrastructure, only two were affected, according to a factsheet issued today by ICANN. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/09/root_server_assessment/ ICANN release DNS Attack Factsheet ICANN has released a factsheet concerning the recent attack on the root server system on 6 February 2007. The factsheet is intended to provide an explanation of the attack for a non-technical audience in the hope of enlarging public understanding surrounding this and related issues. Aside from covering the attack itself and the engineers' response to it, the factsheet also briefly reviews the root server system, the domain name system, Anycast technology, and what can be done in order to deal with such attacks in future. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-08mar07.htm Factsheet: DNS attack Today ICANN posted the first in what we hope will be a series of factsheets that will help explain various elements of ICANNs mission as well as wider, technical aspects of the Internet. http://blog.icann.org/?p=37 DNS Attack Factsheet Released ICANN has today released a factsheet concerning the recent attack on the root server system on 6 February 2006. The factsheet is intended to provide an explanation of the attack for a non-technical audience in the hope of enlarging public understanding surrounding this and related issues. http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/104325 International domain names succeed in testing Internationalized domain names have moved a step closer to reality, following ICANN's announcement that it had successfully completed testing. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6165972.html http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6165972.html http://www.telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=160345&nr= (sub req'd) Internationalised domain names inch forward (vnunet.com) Internationalised top-level domains have cleared another hurdle, after a test commissioned by Icann failed to detect any adverse effect from domain names containing non-ASCI characters on root name servers. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2185106/internationalized-domain-names http://www.pcmag.co.uk/vnunet/news/2185106/internationalized-domain-names http://www.pcw.co.uk/vnunet/news/2185106/internationalized-domain-names XXX Comes to a Head posted by Milton Mueller Just when you thought the .xxx affair couldnt get any worse, it does. Im beginning to think that ICANNs approach to TLD approval was cooked up by a demented sergeant from Abu Ghraib. http://www.circleid.com/posts/xxx_comes_to_a_head/ Triple-X Domain Will Promote Legalization of Obscenity says Pro-Decency Groups (news release) Thirty-three pro-decency organizations and individuals have sent a letter to the Department of Commerce opposing a revised proposal to create a Triple-X "domain" for pornographic web sites on the Internet. http://standardnewswire.com/news/39697741.html IANA Report on the Delegation of the .TEL Top-Level Domain Conclusion: Based on the foregoing evaluation, IANA concludes that the proposed delegation will promote service to the Internet community and will help assure the continued Internet interoperability through the global technical coordination that ICANN was created to provide. IANA concludes that the .TEL sTLD should be established and delegated to Telnic Limited. http://www.iana.org/reports/tel-report-22jan2007.html ICANN: Outcome of ccNSO Council Nominations The ccNSO is pleased to announce the results of a recent call for nominations to the ccNSO Council. Chris Disspain, Oscar Robles-Garay, Paulos Nyirenda and Bernie Turcotte have been returned to the Council representing Asia/Australia/Pacific, Latin America/Caribbean, Africa and North America respectively. Lesley Cowley replaces Bart Vastenburg as the representative for Europe. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-09mar07.htm Reminder on 2007 Nom Com Positions This is a reminder that the 2007 ICANN Nominating Committee is inviting Statements of Interest on three open positions for the ICANN Board of Directors, two members of the GNSO Council, one member of the ccNSO and three members of the At-Large Advisory Committee. Statements of Interest are due by 1 May 2007. More information is available at http://nomcom.icann.org. http://blog.icann.org/?p=35 In a Global Marketplace, Claiming a Name Becomes an Art in Itself When a snazzy new product goes on sale in many countries, its name must be one of a kind. Yet today it has become increasingly difficult to find a name for a company, a product, even a new shade of lipstick that has not been taken. ... As for the Internet, the growth of trademarked Web addresses or Web sites is exponential, said Delphine Parlier, a founder and partner in Quensis, a company in Paris that goes through the process of choosing a name at the same time that it does the legal, cultural and linguistic screening. Today, there are over 64 million domain names, Ms. Parlier said. This compares to 45 million in August 2005. Naming is not a problem for a small company with local distribution, but its a big problem for global brands, she said. Before, it used to be like climbing a hill. Now, its like crossing the Himalayas. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/08/business/media/08adco.html ca: Federal Court: "Cheap Tickets" for everyone, no more monopoly The Federal Court of Canada has ruled that everyone has the right to sell "Cheap Tickets". In ruling that two registered trademarks, "Cheap Tickets" and "Cheap Tickets and Travel", should be struck from the trademarks registry, The Honourable Justice Barry Strayer decided that no one should have the monopoly over describing their tickets as "cheap". Montreal-based Internet developer, Emall.ca Inc., had taken Victoria-based travel agency, Cheap Tickets and Travel Inc. to Federal Court to strike its registered trademarks. The lawsuit was in response to the travel agency's previous attempts to force Emall.ca Inc. to turn over its domain name, CheapTickets.ca. The travel agency had unsuccessfully complained to the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, and then sued Emall.ca Inc. for trademark infringement in British Columbia. http://www.cnw.ca/fr/releases/archive/March2007/09/c9086.html ca: Fear Based Domain Name Transfer Marketing Jules of Floobergeist breaks down a particularly insidious domain name transfer marketing tactic that's spreading across Canada. For those of you in the US who own domains, you've probably seen this one before: The Domain Registry of Canada is sending out notices to all domain owners whose domain names are due for renewal this year. Not by email, but by regular post. If you arent on the technical side, or if you happen to be one of the thousands of Canadians who have domain names, and dont really keep track of where the domain is (sometimes i can be accused of this), it looks like a very official and professional warning. Its VERY ballsy. http://www.technologyevangelist.com/2007/03/fear_based_domain_na.html uk: Aberdeen business targeted in internet domain-name scam Aberdeen City Trading Standards today warned small businesses to beware of a new attempt to part them from their money. A business in Aberdeen has been contacted by fax by a sender claiming to represent a discount internet domain-name specialist. http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/acci/web/site/CouncilNews/pr/pr_domain_090307.asp Changes In .Be (Belgium Domain Names) Favor Trademark Owners (reg req'd) DNS BE announced a number of changes to its Terms and Conditions that favor trademark owners. The changes involved Faster implementation of Dispute Resolution decisions; Partial recovery of Dispute Resolution costs for Successful complainants and Partial responsibility for Dispute Resolution costs by cybersquatters. http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=46784 The Mind Boggles: 400,000 .mobi Registrations Has the internet turned upside-down? Why do 400,000 registrants believe that creating a separate mobile web is the way to go? http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,54263 Asia Domain Names Set to Explode as Instra Corporation Goes 'Chinese' (news release) Instra Corporation, Australia's leading Domain Name and ENUM Registrar, has been named by HKDNR, the Hong-Kong Domain Name Registry, as their Best Performing New Service Partner 2006 (Overseas). ... Mr. Shea took the opportunity of the Award Ceremony to launch the '.hk' Chinese Domain Name. http://www.asiaregistry.com/about/press.html February Was Tough Month for Domain Name Parking Companies I usually start each month by giving my results for domain parking for the previous month. This will be difficult for Februarys results. First, TrafficClub lost its DomainSponsor and Google Adsense for Domains channels. TrafficClub automatically optimizes your domains across various parking programs. Now all of my domains are only being sent to Skenzo. Although this defeats the general purpose of TrafficClub, TrafficClub does still provide access to Skenzo. Skenzo requires 1,000,000 uniques per month and would not accept my portfolio for its program. You can expect TrafficClub to ad other partners in the near future. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/03/09/february-was-tought-month-for-domain-name-parking-companies/ Auction achieves ludicrous prices for domain names More than US$4 million of domain names have been sold at the recent Moniker TRAFFIC WEST Live Auction in Las Vegas; the domain name Families.com achieved a price of US$650,000, while Greeting.com went for US$350,000 and Blogster.com went for $275,000. http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2007/03/10/auction-achieves-ludicrous-prices-for-domain-names/ Moniker Domain Name Auction Rakes in $4.3M The live domain name auction yesterday in Las Vegas resulted in $4.3M in sales; more to come in silent auction. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/03/08/moniker-domain-name-auction-rakes-in-43m/ More than $4 Million in Domain Names Sold at Moniker's T.R.A.F.F.I.C WEST Live Auction (news release) $4.3 million of premium domain names were purchased during Moniker's T.R.A.F.F.I.C WEST Live Auction on Wednesday, March 7 at The Venetian Resort, Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. http://www.sys-con.com/read/347313.htm LI Web Hosting Reduces Cost of .info Domain Names LI Web Hosting has reduced the cost of .info domain names. The company is offering one-year .info registrations for only $0.99. http://hostsearch.com/news/li_web_hosting_news_5679.asp us: Hold your noses and vote A bogus candidate, hoarding domain names, and a local candidate even sinks to another all-time low by playing the race card; it appears that Jeffersonville politicians will pull out all the stoppers in 2007. http://www.news-tribune.net/opinion/local_story_070032625.html .cn domain name costs 1 yuan China's top Internet address registration agency has slashed the price of domain names ending with .cn to win users from the ".com" service, whose server is overseas. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2007-03/08/content_823053.htm http://english.eviewweek.com/n10322c18.aspx http://eng.zgjrw.com/News/200738/English/833665452700.html CNNIC cuts price of .cn domains to $0.1 (sub req'd) Prices for .cn domains were cut from $5.2 to $0.1 until May 31 to promote the domains, the China Internet Network Information Center, which administrates the .cn domains, announced this week. http://www.interfax.cn/displayarticle.asp?aid=22020&slug=IT ********************** OTHER INTERNET NEWS ********************** Turkey Lifts YouTube Ban After 2 Days (AP) Turkey lifted its ban on YouTube Friday, an official for the country's largest telecommunications firm said, two days after a court ordered the Web site blocked because of videos that allegedly insulted the founder of modern Turkey. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/03/10/1173548008680.html Should Killing Be Merely a Mouse Click Away? Technology that enables people to stalk online and kill real prey has alarmed hunters and lawmakers intent on blocking the practice. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/sports/othersports/11hunt.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2007-03-09-remote-control-hunting_N.htm Read me first: Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive Wikipedia's latest scandal is the revelation that a very high-ranking administrator, and employee (until this month) of an associated commercial venture, Wikia, had falsified his academic credentials. Concerns had been voiced by critics for a long time but the issue was validated by the publication of a correction added to a New Yorker article about Wikipedia. It said: "[A contributor called Essjay] was described in the piece as 'a tenured professor of religion at a private university' with 'a PhD in theology and a degree in canon law' ... Essjay now says that his real name is Ryan Jordan, that he is 24 and holds no advanced degrees, and that he has never taught." http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2028328,00.html China reneges on media freedom CAIJING magazine, one of the most influential publications in China, was withdrawn from sale by the authorities last week - apparently out of concern that it would stir controversy within the National People's Congress. Over the long term, China has been opening up to the media -- but by fits and starts. And during the first week of the annual parliament session, there have been more of the former. The state-owned Xinhua news agency had written on the eve of the NPC that this session was "expected to become a prelude to the country's further openness to foreign observers". http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21364461-7582,00.html Sweden seeks telecoms monitoring Sweden's government has presented a bill to give its defence intelligence agency powers to monitor any e-mail or phone call into or out of the country. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6431863.stm China's great firewall An internet search can lead to jail in China, where the web is used as a weapon by authorities. Sites are blocked, emails monitored and all users registered: A US businessman negotiating in Beijing with a large state-owned Chinese company was startled to discover that the morning after he sent an email back to head office about a certain issue, his counterpart opened their discussion with that same topic. This happened day after day, and he was convinced that his emails were being intercepted and passed on. http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21362873-28737,00.html Wife of Chinese cyber-dissident sues Yahoo! The wife of a jailed Chinese cyber-dissident has travelled to the US to sue Yahoo! for its role in facilitating his prosecution. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/09/yahoo_cyber-dissident_lawsuit/ uk: Brown unveils classification system for new media A "labelling" system for media content is under way to help parents protect their children from unsuitable content in the digital age, Gordon Brown revealed. The chancellor said that Ofcom, the industry regulator, has agreed to introduce a media content rating scheme to provide better information about websites, TV programmes, computer games and other media. http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,,2028490,00.html ITU-T and Child Helpline Discussions Continue ITU-T Study Group 2s February meeting saw work continue on harmonizing numbering resources for child helplines. Study Group 2 is looking at the issue following a request from Child Helpline International (CHI). CHI is a global network of telephone helplines and outreach services for children and young people. http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/newslog/PermaLink,guid,8e5f1cb5-8bf1-411b-9fa7-9f387dcec86c.aspx Al-Qaeda plot to bring down UK internet Scotland Yard has uncovered evidence that Al-Qaeda has been plotting to bring down the internet in Britain, causing chaos to business and the London Stock Exchange. In a series of raids, detectives have recovered computer files revealing that terrorist suspects had targeted a high-security internet hub in London. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article1496831.ece Computers We Count On What's the most important computer system in the world? For nearly anyone who uses a PC extensively in both professional and personal life, the answer is likely a resounding mine. But as shown by the computer malfunction that sent the Dow Jones industrial average plummeting 178 points in one minute Feb. 27, the buzz of daily life is ever more punctuated by contact with computers that we rarely see, but whose constant and reliable operation is a virtual necessity for millions who may not even think about them. The article is based around a list, that they note isn't exhaustive, but aimed at highlighting the systems likely to affect the largest cross section of the population in the event of failure. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/03/0308_crucial_computers/index_01.htm fr: Happy slapping film ban will gag citizen journalists A new French law makes it an offence to distribute images of violence but critics think it will stop the recording of police brutality. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1490130.ece Kaspersky Lab: Annual Report on Malware and Spam Evolution Kaspersky Lab, a developer of secure content management solutions, recently announced its annual report on malware and spam evolution. The report, authored by Kaspersky Lab analysts, surveys the trends of 2006 and looks at what 2007 may bring. http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/newslog/Kaspersky+Lab+Annual+Report+On+Malware+And+Spam+Evolution.aspx us: Crackdown on e-mail scams targets stocks In their biggest strike ever against online investment scams, US regulators on Thursday shut down trading in 35 over-the-counter stocks that have been the subject of spam e-mails touting their investment potential. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/cb76e91e-cdab-11db-839d-000b5df10621.html au: Scam alert as robbers target your identity As the online scams become ever more sophisticated and the scammers more persistent, the most dangerous is the one which takes away your identity. Fighting the good fight is the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce which launched its Scamwatch campaign last week. http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,21362164-462,00.html au: New name for same old scam A company which left town two years ago after being forced to pay back $679,000 to unhappy customers is back in Brisbane this week. And while it has a new name, the American company - subject of numerous international investigations and legal challenges - is still selling the same internet business packages that led to a series of complaints from Australian consumer groups and customers. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2007/03/12/1173548057064.html nz: How not to fall victim to internet fraud If criminals steal money from your bank or use your credit card remotely, the chances are you're to blame. http://stuff.co.nz/3989298a1864.html us: Law School Deans Speak Out on Web Site Content The deans at two top law schools have admonished the operators of an Internet message board that hosts chats containing personal attacks against female students and racist and homophobic remarks. Letters written by the deans at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania law schools, were issued after an article in The Washington Post aired the debate over AutoAdmit, a message board that was created as a forum to exchange advice on law schools and firms. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/09/AR2007030902154.html eBay CEO: Phishers threaten user trust eBay chief Meg Whitman said on Thursday that phishers pose one of the biggest threats to the customer trust that has sustained the auction giant. http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-6165628.html us: Gates calls for new privacy law Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates asked the U.S. Congress to pass a comprehensive privacy law this year, allowing consumers to control how their personal information is used. http://infoworld.com/article/07/03/08/HNgatesprivacylaw_1.html nz: Would-be nanny 'gutted' by internet scam A Christchurch woman is "absolutely gutted" after she was nearly duped in an internet scam offering her a nanny job in London. http://stuff.co.nz/3989576a10.html A worldwide web of hate Hate is big on the internet. Web sites, bloggers, and, worst of all, dreaded hate e-mail. In this e-world where web \sites can be set up in minutes, where mass mail of any variety can be sent with a single click and anonymity is all but assured, it is just too easy to spread hate. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/03/09/1173166947824.html Pope says Web and TV can be 'destructive' for youth (Reuters) Pope Benedict called on the media on Friday to promote family values and criticized the Internet and television's often "destructive" influence on young people. http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-6165930.html Game over for China's net addicts (Reuters) Combining sympathy with discipline, a military-style boot camp near Beijing is at the front-line of China's battle against Internet addiction, a disorder afflicting millions of the nation's youth. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKPEK17527920070312 Computers Yield Sedentary Teens What parents have suspected has now been proven: Computers are making teens more sedentary than ever before, and may contribute to increased adolescent obesity. Research published in the journal Pediatrics found that sedentary behaviors among teenagers increased from 25 to 50 percent in just five years: from 1999 to 2004. The major culprit: non-school-related computer time. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/WBL02026 Millions of abandoned blogs now littering the Internet The last entry on Austinite Kirsten Nothstine's blog, "Cicada," is dated Sept. 24, 2006: "The cicadae have archery fever after taking a weekend course in late July. Olympic dreams abound." http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/16867698.htm Australians own more gadgets than Americans: study Australians adopt gadgets such as digital cameras and MP3 players far more enthusiastically than Americans, new research shows. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/03/12/1173548066803.html The Face of the $100 Laptop The so-called $100 laptop that's being designed for school children in developing nations is known for its bright green and white plastic shell, its power-generating hand crank, and for Nicholas Negroponte, the technology futurist who dreamed it up and who tirelessly promotes it everywhere from Bangkok to Brasilia. What has not received much attention is the graphical user interfacethe software that will be the face of the machine for the millions of children who will own it. In fact, the user interface, called Sugar, may turn out to be one of the more innovative aspects of a project that has already made breakthroughs in mesh networking and battery charging since Negroponte unveiled the concept two years ago. http://businessweek.com/innovate/content/mar2007/id20070301_063165.htm us: A wireless L.A., but with strings attached MORE than a few obstacles stand in the way of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plan, unveiled with some fanfare last month, to blanket all 498 square miles of Los Angeles with wireless Internet access by 2009. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-ca-wifi11mar11,1,1963727.story eu: Women's careers and ICT: An untapped potential (news release) The proportion of women graduates in information and communications technology (ICT) in Europe is falling, especially compared to other regions of the world. To promote women's careers in ICT, the Commission presented on 8 March, International Women's Day, the video diaries of 6 young women who were given the chance to accompany a successful female engineer or technologist for a day. These show the promising career prospects that are possible for women in ICT. http://europa.eu.int/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=3260 History, digitized (and abridged) In the Internet age, historical records that have not been converted to digital form could vanish from the nation's memory. http://iht.com/articles/2007/03/11/technology/web.0311history.php http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/10/business/yourmoney/11archive.html Microsoft Attacks Innovators, Not Just Google In a high-profile speech and an op-ed in the Financial Times, Microsoft has gone out of its way to attack Google, claiming that Google's Library Project "systematically violates copyright" and that YouTube "knowingly tolerates piracy." There is something more important here than just the latest spat between these industry titans: the proper relationship between copyright and innovation. In these screeds against Google, Microsoft comes out in favor of "collaboration" -- in other words, asking permission of affected copyright owners before innovating. It attacks Google for "unilateralism" -- in other words, innovating without asking permission first. Microsoft frames the question this way: "should business models that are built on the backs of others' intellectual property choose a path that respects IP, or a path that devalues it?" http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005146.php us: MIT to offer all courses free online The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will become by year's end the first US university to offer all of its roughly 1800 courses free on the internet, a school official says. "We started this project because MIT believes that one of the best ways to advance education around the world. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10428396 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/03/12/1173548057950.html Panama's Promising Early Results Yahoo's new ad-targeting system has already increased overall clicks and click-through rates. Will it also give Google a run for its money? http://businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2007/tc20070307_187360.htm The Last Days of Internet Radio? A decision by the Copyright Royalty Board to raise royalty fees could put some small online radio stations out of business http://businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2007/tc20070307_534338.htm Cerf: Aussies will demand better broadband Australians will inevitably demand improved broadband speeds for both upstream and downstream connections, "father of the Internet" and Google vice president Vint Cerf said today. http://zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Cerf_Aussies_will_demand_better_broadband/0,130061791,339274117,00.htm Telstra broadband lawsuit threat TELSTRA has warned that Communications Minister Helen Coonan and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would face the "mother of all class actions" if a group of rival telecommunications companies were allowed to go ahead with plans for their own $3.6 billion high-speed broadband network. http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,21349152%5E16123%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html nz: Third mobile network 'good for market' A telecommunications users group says it would "walk over broken glass" to see a third national cellphone network up and running in New Zealand. http://stuff.co.nz/3989372a13.html nz: InternetNZ welcomes New Zealand's improving broadband (news release) InternetNZ welcomes improvements shown in the latest Internet Service Provider survey from Statistics New Zealand but advises there is still plenty of work to be done before we can experience the full benefits of broadband. http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/broadstats +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2007 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home) "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- List policy, unsubscribing and archives => http://dotau.org/
