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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 09, 2003 New RAM Promises Faster Access University of Delaware Fights Piracy with Mascot Webcasters Threaten RIAA with Antitrust Suit New Web-Services Specification from IBM and Microsoft DARPA Funds High-Performance Computing NEW RAM PROMISES FASTER ACCESS Both Motorola and Altis Semiconductor (a venture of IBM and Infineon Technologies) are working to develop magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) chips to replace current RAM technology. Because RAM is volatile, data must be transferred between it and the computer's hard drive every time the machine is turned on or off. MRAM works by polarizing magnetic layers, rather than with electrical charges, making it a potentially effective non-volatile, high-speed memory. The result, say researchers, could be computers that simply turn on or off rather than go through lengthy boot-up or boot-down procedures. Motorola expects to start shipping MRAM chips by the end of this year. The company expects MRAM cell phones and PDAs to be available around the middle of next year. Elke Eckstein, CEO of Altis Semiconductor, said her company's goal is to "be the first company to bring MRAM to market." Wired News, 9 July 2003 http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,59559,00.html UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE FIGHTS PIRACY WITH MASCOT The University of Delaware's new approach to preventing illegal file sharing and minimizing the spread of computer viruses is a series of television ads featuring the school's mascot telling students about the potential consequences of such actions. The ads are part of the university's "Code of the Web" campaign, designed to inform students about legal issues and bandwidth concerns. Karl D. Hassler, the university's associate director of the IT network and systems services, said network slowdowns have not been a significant problem but that university officials have observed illegal file trading on the school's network. The lighthearted ads are intended to make students laugh while conveying their message. If levity isn't effective, Hassler said, "we can toughen up our tone a little bit." Chronicle of Higher Education, 9 July 2003 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/07/2003070901t.htm WEBCASTERS THREATEN RIAA WITH ANTITRUST SUIT The Webcaster Alliance, which represents around 300 small Webcasters, said it will file an antitrust suit against the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) over royalty rates. According to the Webcaster Alliance, current royalty rates will force as many as 90 percent of small Webcasters to close. The group objects to rates that were negotiated between the RIAA and another organization, the Voice of Webcasters (VOW), which, according to the Webcaster Alliance, represents only about 15 Internet radio stations. Those stations, argued the Webcaster Alliance, are much larger than most "small" stations and can afford much higher rates. A spokesman from the VOW said the small Webcasters were lucky to get existing concessions from the RIAA and that his group never said it represented extremely small or "hobbyist" Webcasters. Washington Post, 9 July 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31245-2003Jul9.html NEW WEB-SERVICES SPECIFICATION FROM IBM AND MICROSOFT IBM and Microsoft have released WS-Federation, the fifth of seven Web-services specifications the two companies are developing. According to a spokesperson from IBM, the WS-Federation specifications "spell out how companies with different security solutions and different trust domains can successfully interoperate." The final two specifications in the series are expected by the end of the year. The specifications being developed by IBM and Microsoft are similar in nature to--though wholly separate from--those of the Liberty Alliance. Neither IBM nor Microsoft is a member of the Liberty Alliance, but some experts believe that eventually the IBM/Microsoft efforts will need to merge with the Liberty Alliance into a single framework. IDG, 8 July 2003 http://www.idg.net/ic_1326041_9677_1-5043.html DARPA FUNDS HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded a total of $146 million to Sun Microsystems, IBM, and Cray to pursue high-performance computing projects. The awards are part of the government's High Productivity Computing Systems Program, the goal of which is to develop extremely fast computing systems that are relatively easy to use. Each company will receive funds to investigate separate projects designed to achieve peta-scale computing power around 2009-2010. The focus of each company's project is making such high-performance systems easy to use, both for researchers and for programmers. Internet News, 9 July 2003 http://dc.internet.com/news/article.php/2232931 ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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