[Futurework] bits and pieces

[Karen Watters Cole]

All seems to be forgiven between Microsoft and this administration re: monopolies.  I wonder why that is?  KWC   Microsoft joins US Army http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/worldbiz/archives/2003/06/26/2003056831 BLOOMBERG Thursday, Jun 26, 2003,Page 12   Microsoft Corp won a US$478 million, six- year contract to provide software to the US Army, the biggest order ever for the company's programs. The agreement covers 494,000 desktop computers, Microsoft spokesman Keith Hodson said. The Army will buy the software from a Microsoft reseller, Softmart, based in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Hodson didn't know how the companies will divide the revenue.   The Defense Department has questioned the security of Microsoft and rival products in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. One of the department's server computers was attacked in March using a flaw in Microsoft's Windows program. The contract shows the Army has decided that Microsoft's security is sufficient, said Rob Enderle, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc.   And speaking of source codes, there may be more news soon on that, but here’s something I ran across in my benign Sunset magazine that is helpful at the local choice level: (paraphrased) Those tiny stickers on loose fruit and veggies have another purpose besides bar code inventory and pricing at the checkout counter: the Price Lookup Code (PLU) tells how the item was grown.  Produce grown the conventional way with insecticides comes with a four-digit code.  On organically-grown items, a number 9 precedes that basic code, on genetically modified produce, a number 8.   So an apple with a code 4133 was conventionally grown and the organic apple would be 94133 and the GM apple 84133.  –(Sunset July issue, pg. 140)