Latest Top Virus Warnings
Again, you have sucky software Microsoft! (Plus Sync & Go)Synchronization was started at 1:36 PM 4/22/2005."News" group: Preset 1 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "
http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=jbXaf_oNUnweB0FtdQXCK-bINY7Ns_F-")."News" group: Preset 2 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "
http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=Jmxpw5q458GiGoI4-RJtiH2zFU6PiziH")."News" group: Preset 4 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "
http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=L0SVcGqmFcxLtLKMqOvvHRk0wQqWHreA")."News" group: Preset 5 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "
http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=wEpIMi-BzCTUJnp62UwyZ1sa6gpdJIKV")."News" group: Preset 6 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "
http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=2dDC_j3i6pkBw0a1jHJGDZ7loOzx5AAq")."More News" group: Preset 1 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "
http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=8xAlxmWPYA_dlLjidPiOWYOC5o2j3boG")."More News" group: Preset 3 - The requested header was not found - 12150 (0x2F76) "
http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=mD-91kTTCcr9AEuj8pmiO7Uo1MAM09Uk"."More News" group: Preset 4 - The requested header was not found - 12150 (0x2F76) "
http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=rDGeV__8y14djUuTNaKaAeUXeGYOxKuJ".
This will go on your permanent recordA simple prank by a 13-year-old. Now her genetic records are on the National DNA Database foreverTwo months ago, a 13-year-old schoolgirl was arrested in Ashford, Kent for throwing a snowball at a police car. It was reported in thenational and local press, but not one journalist chose to focus on the most disturbing aspect of the incident: she was DNA-swabbedand her details were added to the National DNA Database. Unlike her ticking-off or public humiliation, this mark against her name willremain indefinitely on a mainframe somewhere in the Forensic Science Service.
Story online at Prisonplanet.com
2nd Annual Stupidcon starts tomorrow
Tomorrow kicks off the coolest party in showbiz. Its El_Jefe's Birthday. There will be drinking and cursing and mayhem.
Microsoft: You SuckThis is what happens when I sync my PC with Microsoft Plus Digital Media Edition, Plus Sync and Go. It's more like Give us your money and go away.
Synchronization was started at 3:17 PM 4/21/2005.
"News" group: Preset 1 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=6-r471pJrDBjaJFglW8PMktt2RPYHmSw").
"News" group: Preset 2 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=b5xAtfVLd_Hu9wRmLqseKrrk7JCztWYL").
"News" group: Preset 2 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=hGHG7nkbuTxysuA_H5-CSjdn5fGUlw2t").
"News" group: Preset 3 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=x4fvfD9inrJCSTLewTAWkWwlSCop5goE").
"News" group: Preset 4 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=tav6AYGeX3eEXYtiw_Gj6zAnGpGvV_o9").
"News" group: Preset 5 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=bwPNtxAfJc2bMwl_eJAku5lN15eUVnlC").
"News" group: Preset 5 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=t0Ux-P8-Nk5S-YQaQlxZv2NMh4WHlZWA").
"More News" group: Preset 1 - The requested header was not found - 12150 (0x2F76) "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=qhiVt0eALM9puJJI5QOMe0tE5iuahH2t".
"More News" group: Preset 1 - The media file cannot be downloaded from the Internet. Synchronize your storage card again. (HTTP status code 404 - "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=0bQnKL77BGKZGrYoRLcGY9FMFYGHC1nX").
"More News" group: Preset 3 - The requested header was not found - 12150 (0x2F76) "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=mD-91kTTCcr9AEuj8pmiO7Uo1MAM09Uk".
"More News" group: Preset 4 - The requested header was not found - 12150 (0x2F76) "http://sync.theplatform.com/deliverable.select?pid=rDGeV__8y14djUuTNaKaAeUXeGYOxKuJ".
Microsoft patents 911
Microsoft was today granted a patent for accessing data used by the emergency services.
"The present invention provides a method and system for maintaining emergency data in a manner that provides straightforward user access thereto via a displayed emergency page (or set of pages) or other suitable user interface," according to the Patent documentation. "In one embodiment, the operating system or other suitable components maintain a repository of emergency data such that emergency type information can be aggregated and displayed in one place."
"In sum, what is needed is a way to provide users with access to needed emergency information. This should be simple from the user's perspective, so that even very emotional users can find what is needed in a straightforward, yet comprehensive process."
Of the 13 supporting images published by the USPTO, not one shows a very emotional user. But the document does disclose a user interface for at least one preferred implementation.
In addition to PDAs, Microsoft suggests that the system could be built into rental cars.
Emergency services already use computer systems - and some of these have gone wrong in spectacular fashion. Up to 20 people died in 1992 as a result of the introduction of a computer system for London ambulances, against union warnings. So prior art abounds. As will bad taste jokes about rebooting.
But the worst bad joke is the patent itself. As silly-patent watcher extraordinaire TheoDP points out it was filed a month after the September 11 attacks in the United States
Toshiba Libretto U100It looks like nothing more than a clamshell PDA, but inside you'll find a fully functional Windows XP operating system, a fingerprint reader, and a 60GB hard drive.source: PC Magazine
After a brief U.S. appearance in 1997, the Toshiba Libretto was pulled from the market. Consumers just didn't go for the mini-notebook (though the tiny machines have been consistently popular in Asia). Lately, however, miniature PCs—like the Sony VAIO VGN-U750P ($1,999) and the OQO ($1,999)—have sprung up, paving the way for a reappearance by Toshiba's little gem. This time around it's the 2.1-pound Libretto U100 ($1,999).
The Libretto U100 is about the size of a small book (as its name in Italian translates) and measures a mere 8.3 by 5.7 by 1.2 inches. Inside you'll find a full-size version of the Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition operating system. Outside, there's a touch-typable QWERTY keyboard. It's a little larger than the Sony U-Series, which doesn't have a built-in keyboard, and it's nothing like the OQO, which looks more like a T-Mobile Sidekick II.
The keyboard is often the deal-breaker for many people, and that comes down to personal preference. The Libretto's is 73 percent as big as a full-size keyboard, with key spacing approximately 13 mm wide. It's not the easiest thing to type on, but we were able to pull off some short e-mails with practice. We should note that none of the miniature systems offer ideal typing experiences. (Check out our slide shows of the OQO and Sony U750P to see how their keyboards do it.) The unit integrates a pointing stick instead of a touchpad, and though you often see it placed in the middle of the keyboard on most notebooks, we were surprised to find the Libretto's wedged between the mouse buttons. We typically navigate using one hand, with our index finger on the pointing stick and our thumb clicking mouse buttons. With the Libretto, however, using two hands felt more comfortable.
The Libretto's screen is by far the biggest in this crop of miniature PCs. It sports a 7.2-inch widescreen with Toshiba's TruBrite technology. It looks just as nice as the Sony U750P's XBrite screen. Its high resolution (1280-by-768) is great for DVD movies, but tough on the eyes because the text and icons in Microsoft Word documents, for example, are very small.
The fingerprint reader was a pleasant surprise, and the enrollment process was smooth and easy. The rest of the features read like those found on a typical-size notebook: two USB ports, a FireWire port, a 10/100 Mb Ethernet port, and a modem jack. It supports VGA-out capabilities using a dongle, which is annoying, mainly because dongles are easy to misplace. It also has an SD slot and a PC Card slot for removable storage. The Libretto has built-in Atheros 802.11g wireless and a physical switch to turn wireless on and off. The hard drive is impressive at 60GB, much bigger than the 20GB offerings from OQO and Sony.
Whereas the Sony U-Series comes standard with a mini dock, Toshiba offers it as an option ($379.99). Unlike the Sony's, the Libretto's docking station has a built-in optical drive and, yes, it's a DVD±RW. The dock is perfect if you're watching DVDs on business trips. It even has player controls (Play/Pause, Stop, Rewind, and Fast Forward) for easy touch and play. The travel weight with the AC adapter and dock is about 3.8 pounds.
You'll be delighted that the Libretto scored almost 4 hours (3:57) on our BatteryMark tests. That's over an hour more than the Sony U-Series (2:50). The battery sticks out about an inch from the back, which is fine. SYSmark scores were satisfactory with the system's 1.2-GHz ULV Pentium M processor and 512MB RAM.
There are countless uses for this little wonder. In addition to watching movies while we traveled, we used it to take meeting notes, download e-mail on the fly, listen to MP3s, and create PowerPoint presentations.
The Libretto is a bit pricey and, in some ways, is more toy than productivity tool. For serious productivity tasks, you'll want to look at an ultraportable like the Dell Latitude X1 or the IBM ThinkPad X40. But if you just need something you can toss in your bag to keep you in touch and caught up while on the go, the Libretto should be your tiny notebook of choice.
ABC News: Toshiba Libretto U100
The new Papal is a former Hitler YouthJustin Sparks, Munich, John Follain and Christopher Morgan, Rome
THE wartime past of a leading German contender to succeed John Paul II may return to haunt him as cardinals begin voting in the Sistine Chapel tomorrow to choose a new leader for 1 billion Catholics.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, whose strong defence of Catholic orthodoxy has earned him a variety of sobriquets — including “the enforcer”, “the panzer cardinal” and “God’s rottweiler” — is expected to poll around 40 votes in the first ballot as conservatives rally behind him.
Although far short of the requisite two-thirds majority of the 115 votes, this would almost certainly give Ratzinger, 78 yesterday, an early lead in the voting. Liberals have yet to settle on a rival candidate who could come close to his tally.
Unknown to many members of the church, however, Ratzinger’s past includes brief membership of the Hitler Youth movement and wartime service with a German army anti- aircraft unit.
Although there is no suggestion that he was involved in any atrocities, his service may be contrasted by opponents with the attitude of John Paul II, who took part in anti-Nazi theatre performances in his native Poland and in 1986 became the first pope to visit Rome’s synagogue.
“John Paul was hugely appreciated for what he did for and with the Jewish people,” said Lord Janner, head of the Holocaust Education Trust, who is due to attend ceremonies today to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
“If they were to appoint someone who was on the other side in the war, he would start at a disadvantage, although it wouldn’t mean in the long run he wouldn’t be equally understanding of the concerns of the Jewish world.”
The son of a rural Bavarian police officer, Ratzinger was six when Hitler came to power in 1933. His father, also called Joseph, was an anti-Nazi whose attempts to rein in Hitler’s Brown Shirts forced the family to move home several times.
In 1937 Ratzinger’s father retired and the family moved to Traunstein, a staunchly Catholic town in Bavaria close to the Führer’s mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden. He joined the Hitler Youth aged 14, shortly after membership was made compulsory in 1941.
He quickly won a dispensation on account of his training at a seminary. “Ratzinger was only briefly a member of the Hitler Youth and not an enthusiastic one,” concluded John Allen, his biographer.
Two years later Ratzinger was enrolled in an anti-aircraft unit that protected a BMW factory making aircraft engines. The workforce included slaves from Dachau concentration camp.
Ratzinger has insisted he never took part in combat or fired a shot — adding that his gun was not even loaded — because of a badly infected finger. He was sent to Hungary, where he set up tank traps and saw Jews being herded to death camps. He deserted in April 1944 and spent a few weeks in a prisoner of war camp.
He has since said that although he was opposed to the Nazi regime, any open resistance would have been futile — comments echoed this weekend by his elder brother Georg, a retired priest ordained along with the cardinal in 1951.
“Resistance was truly impossible,” Georg Ratzinger said. “Before we were conscripted, one of our teachers said we should fight and become heroic Nazis and another told us not to worry as only one soldier in a thousand was killed. But neither of us ever used a rifle against the enemy.”
Some locals in Traunstein, like Elizabeth Lohner, 84, whose brother-in-law was sent to Dachau as a conscientious objector, dismiss such suggestions. “It was possible to resist, and those people set an example for others,” she said. “The Ratzingers were young and had made a different choice.”
source:
Papal hopeful is a former Hitler Youth - Sunday Times - Times Online
Remember the Defcon Cannonball Run is around the corner and there is software like find me at http://freewareppc.com/travel/findme.shtml to help you be tracked on our central map at the finish line. If you have a Pocket PC and GPS for your Pocket PC and a Cell Phone get this software.
Students paid for tattling on peerssource: USA TODAY
ATLANTA — Last month's school shooting in Minnesota has stirred interest in organized "snitch" programs that pay students for telling on classmates who carry guns or drugs or violate school rules.
Last week in central Georgia, the Houston County school board became the state's first school district to enroll in the national Student CrimeStoppers program, started in 1983. Students can earn up to $500 for alerting school officials about firearms. They can get up to $100 for fingering classmates involved in vandalism, theft or drugs.
Another Georgia school, Model High School in Rome, said last week it implemented a program that pays students up to $100 for information about thefts, drugs or guns on school property. "It's not a reaction to anything that's happening on campus," says Tim Hensley, spokesman for the Floyd County schools. "It's a proactive attempt from the principal's standpoint."
"There's a balance here between creating a society of snitches and creating a sense of community responsibility," says Russ Skiba, professor of educational psychology at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Skiba, who co-chaired a U.S. Education Department project on violence prevention in 11 schools, says he worries reward programs are a "knee-jerk reaction" to the school shooting in Red Lake, Minn. Student Jeff Weise, 16, of Red Lake, killed nine people and wounded 14 before killing himself March 21.
The Model High program began before the Red Lake shootings, Hensley says. At the 650-student school, money from candy and soda sales will be used to pay $10 for valid information about campus thefts, $25 or $50 for tips on drugs, and $100 for leads on gun possession or other felonies.
A similar program at Cherryville High School in rural Gaston County, N.C., "has really worked well," principal Stephen Huffstetler says. He implemented the program two years ago. "This year, we've given out $1,100," he says. "For $100, they'll turn their mothers in."
He says the money was paid for tips on drug possession or sales, mainly marijuana and prescription pills. The rewards are funded partly by student-run programs, he says.
A wave of student reward programs sprang up after a rash of school shootings in the mid-1990s. Some were in place before then.
In Texas, the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District started a Student CrimeStoppers program in its three middle schools and four high schools in 1994, says Melanie Magee, supervisor of student services.
This year, the district has paid $2,144. Magee says tips have led to students getting busted for attempting to sell prescription drugs, smoking on campus and other offenses. During the 2003-04 school year, tips led to the seizures of 11 weapons.
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Another broadband outage strikes Comcast
Three-hour outage comes after a similar domain name server issue downed the service for six hours last week.
Comcast's high-speed Internet service on Tuesday suffered nationwide outages for the second time in six days, which the cable giant blamed on issues related to its domain name servers.
The three-hour outage came after a similar issue hit Comcast on Thursday for six hours. Both involved issues with the cable giant's domain name servers, which translate and route Web page requests from users. Although Internet applications such as instant messaging could continue to operate, Web site requests either did not respond or were sluggish.
A Comcast spokeswoman said Tuesday night's outage was first noticed about 6:30 p.m. PT and service was restored about three hours later.
"We were able to identify the situation right away," Comcast spokeswoman Jeanne Russo said. "We are working with the (hardware) vendor to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Russo declined to identify Comcast's hardware vendor.
Throughout online message boards, including Comcast's own forum, subscribers fumed at the company's second outage in four days. Michael Spoonauer, a software engineer and Comcast customer from Quincy, Mass., noticed the issue Tuesday evening when Web site requests continued to time out. Spoonauer said Comcast's support representative told him that that the network was experiencing an unscheduled outage due to server maintenance.
Spoonauer bristled at Comcast for not informing its users about the outage, and added that the company's Web site offered little information about why the service was down again.
"I would consider it to be corporately responsible to send a message to customers saying what happened, why it happened and what they're going to be doing to prevent it," Spoonauer said. "It's not too much to ask from a company."
Comcast's Russo said the company communicates issues through areas on its Web site and sometimes through recorded messages that greet callers.
Comcast is the nation's largest broadband Internet access provider. It reported 7 million subscribers at the end of 2004.
Orkut Fundraiser PartyIn celebration of orkut's first year, Google is pleased to present the orkut.com Anniversary Fundraiser Party for Camp Amelia. Beverages will flow while booties shake, as orkut members from around the Bay Area will finally have the chance to party as one. Get on down to the DNA Lounge, one of San Francisco's hottest night spots, on Saturday, April 23, 8 p.m.
To reserve your spot at this orkut bash, please sign up on the guest list at:
http://media.orkut.com/partyThere is no cover charge for the party, but we will be selling tickets for drinks and exclusive orkut merchandise. All funds raised will go to Camp Amelia, an international nonprofit organization that promotes computer learning in underserved communities, including in Africa and Asia. You can read more about their good work at http://www.campamelia.org.
It's been quite a year for orkut.com. Numerous friendships (and even a few marriages) have started on this site, and many more are waiting to be made. What better way to celebrate than with a party!
We hope to see you on Saturday, April 23. Don't forget to RSVP!
Stay beautiful,
the orkut team
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