Big advice, small price - Apr. 30, 2001
Should you serve on an advisory board? Susan Stautberg offers four reasons to do it.
1. Build your network.
2. Associate with innovative group. Advisors chosen for brainpower, not position.
3. Establish relationships with decisionmakers at the company.
4. Prepares you to later serve on corporate board
http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/04/30/sbrunning/q_jane_col/index.htm.
Tuesday, May 08, 2001
Monday, May 07, 2001
New Economy: Privacy Concerns for Google Archive
In Usenet's original incarnation, messages posted to newsgroups disappeared within weeks, replaced by other comments on the same topic in what was perceived as an ongoing electronic conversation. When Deja.com, then called Deja News, began archiving messages in 1995 and making them searchable, there were protests by those who felt the bulletin boards were never intended to be permanent.
In response, Deja made it possible for users to exclude their postings from its archive by typing the phrase "X-No-archive: yes" at the beginning of a message. With that change, and as Deja subsequently shifted its business model toward consumer- written product reviews and trimmed its public Usenet archive, the privacy issue faded to the background.
Google's acquisition of the archive, however, not to mention a mass-audience popularity that Deja never achieved, may revive some of those privacy concerns. Although Google may be preserving an important historical resource — an effort that some have lauded — the company is also making the record of this "human conversation" accessible in ways that its participants may not have been able to anticipate.
Some of the messages on Usenet involve caustic personal attacks — or equally vitriolic defenses against those attacks. Others display ill-conceived opinions, rash statements or embarrassing late-night rants. And all of it is now searchable by entering a key word, a date range or a name. Postings include a name and e-mail address; the text of messages can also be searched to see if someone is mentioned by name.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/07/technology/07NECO.html?pagewanted=all
In Usenet's original incarnation, messages posted to newsgroups disappeared within weeks, replaced by other comments on the same topic in what was perceived as an ongoing electronic conversation. When Deja.com, then called Deja News, began archiving messages in 1995 and making them searchable, there were protests by those who felt the bulletin boards were never intended to be permanent.
In response, Deja made it possible for users to exclude their postings from its archive by typing the phrase "X-No-archive: yes" at the beginning of a message. With that change, and as Deja subsequently shifted its business model toward consumer- written product reviews and trimmed its public Usenet archive, the privacy issue faded to the background.
Google's acquisition of the archive, however, not to mention a mass-audience popularity that Deja never achieved, may revive some of those privacy concerns. Although Google may be preserving an important historical resource — an effort that some have lauded — the company is also making the record of this "human conversation" accessible in ways that its participants may not have been able to anticipate.
Some of the messages on Usenet involve caustic personal attacks — or equally vitriolic defenses against those attacks. Others display ill-conceived opinions, rash statements or embarrassing late-night rants. And all of it is now searchable by entering a key word, a date range or a name. Postings include a name and e-mail address; the text of messages can also be searched to see if someone is mentioned by name.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/07/technology/07NECO.html?pagewanted=all
Sunday, May 06, 2001
Segregation Growing Among U.S. Children
Though, over all, blacks and whites live in slightly more integrated areas now than they did in 1990, the segregation of their children worsened in the decade, according to the analysis by researchers at the State University of New York at Albany.
The conflicting trends between children and the overall population reflect the continuing exodus of white families with children from cities to largely white suburbs, leaving more childless whites to live in more integrated neighborhoods, researchers said. They noted that settings that forced racial integration, like college dormitories, did not include children.
The findings carry unsettling implications for race relations in a nation that, while more racially and ethnically diverse than ever, still has several major urban areas where white and black children are interacting less frequently.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/06/national/06DESE.html?pagewanted=all
Though, over all, blacks and whites live in slightly more integrated areas now than they did in 1990, the segregation of their children worsened in the decade, according to the analysis by researchers at the State University of New York at Albany.
The conflicting trends between children and the overall population reflect the continuing exodus of white families with children from cities to largely white suburbs, leaving more childless whites to live in more integrated neighborhoods, researchers said. They noted that settings that forced racial integration, like college dormitories, did not include children.
The findings carry unsettling implications for race relations in a nation that, while more racially and ethnically diverse than ever, still has several major urban areas where white and black children are interacting less frequently.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/06/national/06DESE.html?pagewanted=all
U.S. Scientists See Big Power Savings From Conservation
Their studies, completed just before the Bush administration took office, are at odds with the administration's repeated assertions in recent weeks that the nation needs to build a big new power plant every week for the next 20 years to keep up with the demand for electricity, and that big increases in production of coal and natural gas are needed to fuel those plants.
A lengthy and detailed report based on three years of work by five national laboratories said that a government-led efficiency program emphasizing research and incentives to adopt new technologies could reduce the growth in electricity demand by 20 percent to 47 percent.
That would be the equivalent of between 265 and 610 big 300-megawatt power plants, a steep reduction from the 1,300 new plants that the administration predicts will be needed. The range depends on how aggressively the government encourages efficiency in buildings, factories and appliances, as well as on the price of energy, which affects whether new technologies are economically attractive.
Another laboratory study found that government office buildings could cut their own use of power by one-fifth at no net cost to the taxpayers by adopting widespread energy conservation measures, paying for the estimated $5 billion investment with the energy savings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/06/national/06CONS.html?pagewanted=all
Their studies, completed just before the Bush administration took office, are at odds with the administration's repeated assertions in recent weeks that the nation needs to build a big new power plant every week for the next 20 years to keep up with the demand for electricity, and that big increases in production of coal and natural gas are needed to fuel those plants.
A lengthy and detailed report based on three years of work by five national laboratories said that a government-led efficiency program emphasizing research and incentives to adopt new technologies could reduce the growth in electricity demand by 20 percent to 47 percent.
That would be the equivalent of between 265 and 610 big 300-megawatt power plants, a steep reduction from the 1,300 new plants that the administration predicts will be needed. The range depends on how aggressively the government encourages efficiency in buildings, factories and appliances, as well as on the price of energy, which affects whether new technologies are economically attractive.
Another laboratory study found that government office buildings could cut their own use of power by one-fifth at no net cost to the taxpayers by adopting widespread energy conservation measures, paying for the estimated $5 billion investment with the energy savings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/06/national/06CONS.html?pagewanted=all
Wednesday, May 02, 2001
ZDNet: Story: Are all hackers nasty, intrusive evildoers? Not necessarily
Outsmart the hackers regardless of their intent. Patch your applications today. For peace of mind, I use this free software update service from ZDNet. So should you.
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2714430,00.html
Outsmart the hackers regardless of their intent. Patch your applications today. For peace of mind, I use this free software update service from ZDNet. So should you.
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2714430,00.html
News: Lawyers slam FBI 'hack'
According to court documents filed in the case, the FBI and Department of Justice lured two suspected Russian hackers to Seattle with job offers at a fictitious security company. After monitoring the duo's connection to two servers in Russia, the FBI used the suspects' passwords to download incriminating data from those servers.
The tactic is likely to be challenged in court; if it is deemed lawful, the precedent could allow law enforcement and intelligence communities free rein to hack foreign computers. In addition, such a ruling could provide a legal loophole for other countries to break into U.S.-based computers in search of data that could aid their own investigations.
"It's extremely dangerous just to throw the door open--it will be a free-for-all," said Jennifer Granick, clinical director for the Stanford University Center for Internet and Society. "It won't just be individuals (hacking each other). It will be corporate espionage."
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5082126,00.html
According to court documents filed in the case, the FBI and Department of Justice lured two suspected Russian hackers to Seattle with job offers at a fictitious security company. After monitoring the duo's connection to two servers in Russia, the FBI used the suspects' passwords to download incriminating data from those servers.
The tactic is likely to be challenged in court; if it is deemed lawful, the precedent could allow law enforcement and intelligence communities free rein to hack foreign computers. In addition, such a ruling could provide a legal loophole for other countries to break into U.S.-based computers in search of data that could aid their own investigations.
"It's extremely dangerous just to throw the door open--it will be a free-for-all," said Jennifer Granick, clinical director for the Stanford University Center for Internet and Society. "It won't just be individuals (hacking each other). It will be corporate espionage."
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5082126,00.html
Tuesday, May 01, 2001
Slashdot | Netscape Says No RSS 0.91 For You The problem here is that the RSS format was written in XML and used a DTD (document type definition) that was stored on the Netscape servers. Whenever *someone* *somewhere* tries to parse a RSS file the Netscape server is queried for the file and the RSS file is validated against it. So now that Netscape removed the file people don't get to see the RSS summary but get an error instead.
What could be done is putting a copy of the file on an alternate location and changing all RSS files to match the new URI... well, this could be done if it weren't for the fact that Netscape copyrighted the RSS DTD... the only sollution left is to change to the updated RSS format which doesn't depend on Netscape.
http://slashdot.org/articles/01/04/28/2119211.shtm
What could be done is putting a copy of the file on an alternate location and changing all RSS files to match the new URI... well, this could be done if it weren't for the fact that Netscape copyrighted the RSS DTD... the only sollution left is to change to the updated RSS format which doesn't depend on Netscape.
http://slashdot.org/articles/01/04/28/2119211.shtm
O'Reilly Network: Oh My! Netscape [May 01, 2001]
My.Netscape, a personal portal sporting hundreds of channels carrying content from individual providers, has shed its free content and become YAM*, Yet Another My.*. In the process, they also broke RSS 0.91.
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/263
My.Netscape, a personal portal sporting hundreds of channels carrying content from individual providers, has shed its free content and become YAM*, Yet Another My.*. In the process, they also broke RSS 0.91.
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/263
Monday, April 30, 2001
MPAA v. 2600 - Brief of Amici Curiae in Support of Appellants and Reversal of the Judgment Below
SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT
It cannot seriously be argued that any form of computer code may be regulated without reference to First Amendment doctrine. The path from idea to human language to source code to object code is a continuum. As one moves from one to the other, the levels of precision and, arguably, abstraction increase, as does the level of training necessary to discern the idea from the expression. Not everyone can understand each of these forms. Only English speakers will understand English formulations. Principally those familiar with the particular programming language will understand the source code expression. And only a relatively small number of skilled programmers and computer scientists will understand the machine readable object code. But each form expresses the same idea, albeit in different ways.
http://cryptome.org/mpaa-v-2600-bac.htm
SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT
It cannot seriously be argued that any form of computer code may be regulated without reference to First Amendment doctrine. The path from idea to human language to source code to object code is a continuum. As one moves from one to the other, the levels of precision and, arguably, abstraction increase, as does the level of training necessary to discern the idea from the expression. Not everyone can understand each of these forms. Only English speakers will understand English formulations. Principally those familiar with the particular programming language will understand the source code expression. And only a relatively small number of skilled programmers and computer scientists will understand the machine readable object code. But each form expresses the same idea, albeit in different ways.
http://cryptome.org/mpaa-v-2600-bac.htm
Friday, April 27, 2001
Does an Anti-Piracy Plan Quash the First Amendment?
The fair use doctrine under copyright law permits uncompensated use of copyrighted works in some circumstances, such as in teaching, research and news gathering. Thanks to fair use, a reporter can quote portions of a newsworthy letter in an article and a scholar can use parts of a poem in a dissertation.
But there's a related question that has never been settled by the courts: Does fair use, which has its roots in the First Amendment, entitle the scholar, reporter or others to gain access to the copyrighted work in the first place -- -- especially when the material is guarded by a technological device designed to prevent digital piracy?
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/27/technology/27CYBERLAW.html?pagewanted=all
The fair use doctrine under copyright law permits uncompensated use of copyrighted works in some circumstances, such as in teaching, research and news gathering. Thanks to fair use, a reporter can quote portions of a newsworthy letter in an article and a scholar can use parts of a poem in a dissertation.
But there's a related question that has never been settled by the courts: Does fair use, which has its roots in the First Amendment, entitle the scholar, reporter or others to gain access to the copyrighted work in the first place -- -- especially when the material is guarded by a technological device designed to prevent digital piracy?
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/27/technology/27CYBERLAW.html?pagewanted=all
Sunday, April 22, 2001
When Online Hearsay Intrudes on Real Life
"It's becoming harder and harder to draw a distinction between the real world and the virtual world," said Lauren Weinstein, creator of an online discussion group called the Privacy Forum. "They've become so intertwined now that most of the same problems and risks that we associate with the real world are coming from the virtual side — and a whole lot of them that nobody thought of."
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/22/technology/22GOOG.html?pagewanted=all
"It's becoming harder and harder to draw a distinction between the real world and the virtual world," said Lauren Weinstein, creator of an online discussion group called the Privacy Forum. "They've become so intertwined now that most of the same problems and risks that we associate with the real world are coming from the virtual side — and a whole lot of them that nobody thought of."
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/22/technology/22GOOG.html?pagewanted=all
Tuesday, April 17, 2001
News: Security expert: 'We are losing the battle'
"The future of Internet security is not very good," Schneier said. "New methods are being invented, new tricks, and every year it gets worse. We are not breaking even. We are losing the battle."
The reason not to panic, Schneier says, is that we have to accept the poor state of security and work to mitigate the risk of attacks rather than try to prevent attacks altogether -- an impossible task.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2705973,00.html
"The future of Internet security is not very good," Schneier said. "New methods are being invented, new tricks, and every year it gets worse. We are not breaking even. We are losing the battle."
The reason not to panic, Schneier says, is that we have to accept the poor state of security and work to mitigate the risk of attacks rather than try to prevent attacks altogether -- an impossible task.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2705973,00.html
DMNews.com | News | Article
Six months after Direct Marketing Association president/CEO H. Robert Wientzen announced a multimillion-dollar privacy consumer education campaign, the effort has yet to see daylight.
http://dmnews.com/cgi-bin/artprevbot.cgi?article_id=14558
Six months after Direct Marketing Association president/CEO H. Robert Wientzen announced a multimillion-dollar privacy consumer education campaign, the effort has yet to see daylight.
http://dmnews.com/cgi-bin/artprevbot.cgi?article_id=14558
FSB: Bush to Small Biz: Share the Load
In the 2002 budget that President George W. Bush formally submitted to Congress on April 9, the SBA's funding was slashed by $360.5 million to $539 million. He plans to achieve some of that savings via an old Clinton-administration cost-cutting theme: cutting subsidies for 7(a) guaranteed loans and having lenders and loan recipients make up the difference by paying higher fees.
The President's plan would also cut federal funds provided to the nation's network of Small Business Development Centers and introduce fees of $10.75 to $11.00 an hour for counseling provided to small firms by an SBDC counselor, after a free first hour. President Bill Clinton had also tried to assess new counseling fees in the past, but Congress enacted legislation in 1997 that barred that move. So a new law would be required to allow the new SBDC fees to be imposed. Federal funding of the SBDCs is matched by state money.
Other cost-cutting measures proposed by Bush include moving certain disaster-assistance programs to other federal agencies.
http://www.fsb.com/fortunesb/articles/0,2227,1555,00.html
In the 2002 budget that President George W. Bush formally submitted to Congress on April 9, the SBA's funding was slashed by $360.5 million to $539 million. He plans to achieve some of that savings via an old Clinton-administration cost-cutting theme: cutting subsidies for 7(a) guaranteed loans and having lenders and loan recipients make up the difference by paying higher fees.
The President's plan would also cut federal funds provided to the nation's network of Small Business Development Centers and introduce fees of $10.75 to $11.00 an hour for counseling provided to small firms by an SBDC counselor, after a free first hour. President Bill Clinton had also tried to assess new counseling fees in the past, but Congress enacted legislation in 1997 that barred that move. So a new law would be required to allow the new SBDC fees to be imposed. Federal funding of the SBDCs is matched by state money.
Other cost-cutting measures proposed by Bush include moving certain disaster-assistance programs to other federal agencies.
http://www.fsb.com/fortunesb/articles/0,2227,1555,00.html
FSB: Win the Loan You Need
The annals of small business history are filled with stories of entrepreneurs who got turned down by banker after banker for a loan. Getting the big brush off is almost a rite of passage.
But it doesn't have to be that way. By understanding how the lending process works, you can fast track your loan application. Use this arsenal of advice to position your company to get the credit you need.
http://www.fsb.com/fortunesb/articles/0,2227,1552,00.html
The annals of small business history are filled with stories of entrepreneurs who got turned down by banker after banker for a loan. Getting the big brush off is almost a rite of passage.
But it doesn't have to be that way. By understanding how the lending process works, you can fast track your loan application. Use this arsenal of advice to position your company to get the credit you need.
http://www.fsb.com/fortunesb/articles/0,2227,1552,00.html
Spirits maker serving free start-up cash - Tech News - CNET.com
Scotch whisky maker Johnnie Walker's Keep Walking Fund will award a total of $500,000 in grants to entrepreneurs, organizations and individuals in September.
The fund plans to give up to $100,000 per grant recipient. And while that amount may be small compared with the investments companies would receive from angel investors or venture investors, entrepreneurs will not have to give up any equity in their companies.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-5578314.html?tag=cd_mh
Scotch whisky maker Johnnie Walker's Keep Walking Fund will award a total of $500,000 in grants to entrepreneurs, organizations and individuals in September.
The fund plans to give up to $100,000 per grant recipient. And while that amount may be small compared with the investments companies would receive from angel investors or venture investors, entrepreneurs will not have to give up any equity in their companies.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-5578314.html?tag=cd_mh
FSB: Attract New Business Now
Just because the economy is uncertain, it doesn't mean you can't continue to grow your business. With a solid game plan, you can insulate your company—and your bottom line—from the ups and downs of the stock market.
Direct Marketing Diva: The Art of Winning Referrals
Get your customers to send new accounts your way.
Net Guys: Expand Your Customer base
Use the Internet to reach consumers around the world.
Net Guys: Direct marketing for the Internet Age
Put these powerhouse techniques to work for your business.
http://www.fsb.com/fortunesb/articles/0,2227,1558,00.html
Just because the economy is uncertain, it doesn't mean you can't continue to grow your business. With a solid game plan, you can insulate your company—and your bottom line—from the ups and downs of the stock market.
Direct Marketing Diva: The Art of Winning Referrals
Get your customers to send new accounts your way.
Net Guys: Expand Your Customer base
Use the Internet to reach consumers around the world.
Net Guys: Direct marketing for the Internet Age
Put these powerhouse techniques to work for your business.
http://www.fsb.com/fortunesb/articles/0,2227,1558,00.html
Fortune.com
1. Household E-Budget Crunch
2. Rebirth of Voice
3. Going for Rapid Returns
4. The End of Privacy
5. Gigabit Ethernet Rocks
6. eBay
7. Stick With Storage
8. Wireless E-Mail
9. The Three-Network Web
10. Beyond the Box
http://www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?doc_id=200846&channel=artcol.jhtml&_DARGS=%2Ffragments%2Ffrg_morestories.jhtml.1_A&_DAV=artcol.jhtml
1. Household E-Budget Crunch
2. Rebirth of Voice
3. Going for Rapid Returns
4. The End of Privacy
5. Gigabit Ethernet Rocks
6. eBay
7. Stick With Storage
8. Wireless E-Mail
9. The Three-Network Web
10. Beyond the Box
http://www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?doc_id=200846&channel=artcol.jhtml&_DARGS=%2Ffragments%2Ffrg_morestories.jhtml.1_A&_DAV=artcol.jhtml
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