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Electronic stamps to send
e-mail?
New York - February 2, 2004 - The idea of e-mail postage is getting a second
look from the owners of the two largest email systems, Microsoft and Yahoo.
Neither Yahoo nor Microsoft has made any commitment to charging postage, in
part because the idea still faces substantial opposition among Internet
users. The Goodmail system is designed to work even if not all senders and
not all ISPs participate. Senders do not pay for stamps that are not used,
but they do pay whether an email recipient reads the message or not. Under
this plan, Internet providers would still accept incoming email without
stamps. Microsoft has been floating a proposal to accommodate more
sophisticated anti-spam approaches like Internet postage systems. All these
proposals can run into problems because there are legitimate cases when mail
sent by one domain claims to be from another.
The Hindu - February 3, 2004.
E-mails triggered by the MyDoom.A computer virus
33% Pecentage of last week's e-mails is estimated to have been triggered by
the MyDoom.A computer virus. $250,000 reward offered by Microsoft for clues
leading to the conviction of the authors of the MyDoom.B strain targeting
the software giant's website. 40 million number of e-mails written by
Clinton staff members that are to be archived in his presidential library.
Time - February 9, 2004.
Galileo and GPS - A European satellite-navigation network is on its
way
Two years ago the European Union decided to go ahead with plans to lunch a
satellite-navigation network to rival America's existing Global Positioning
System (GPS). Galileo, as the European system is called, met with staunch
opposition form American. However a round of talks last November seems to
have assuaged American concerns. The core of the disagreement between the EU
and America was whether the signals from the two competing systems might
interfere with one another. The Americans wanted the ability to jam Galileo
without rendering GPS signals ineffective. The agreement reached in November
was the first step in this direction. GPS currently has two channels (a
civilian channel known as C/A and a military one, Y-channel, called M-code).
Galileo will debut with five different signals: one freely available to all,
like the GPS C/A signal; a commercial service which is more precise; a
"safety-of-life" service that can be used for critical applications such as
automatically landing aeroplanes; a "public regulated service" (PRS), which
will be used by the EU's governments, and presumably, their armed forces;
and a fifth, unique, service that combines positioning information with a
distress beacon, which could be used by ships at sea or intrepid
mountaineers. Both systems rely on signals precisely timed form atomic
clocks carried by the satellites (GPS has 24 satellites, Galileo will have
30).
The Economist - January 31, 2004.
Watch what you e-mail, the CBI is logged in
New Delhi - February 7, 2004 - The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is
developing a software, Network Monitoring Tool (NMT), which will be capable
of "capturing" emails, and will enable investigators to read scrambled data,
a tactic often used by criminals and terrorists to hide information. It has
been devised by a joint team of scientists from the Department of
Information Technology and IIT Kanpur. All that the CBI snoops have to do is
type in a few keywords using the NMT and a list of emails containing those
words will be displayed. The CBI has "officially" used NMT in four to five
cases relating to organised crime and terrorism, for which Union Home
Secretary's prior sanction had been obtained.
Hindustan Times - February 07, 2004.
Emergency phones
ADA-complaint line-powered phones from Code Blue of Holland, Michigan, are
available. The phones feature single or dual solid-state button activation,
two high-intensity LED indicators, a cast-metal bezel assembly, and
stainless steel housings. The Inter Act 500 series has a built-in- contact
closure to activate a strobe or camera, is remotely programmable, and is
compatible with most monitoring stations. Accessories include beacon
lighting, remote mount strobes, identification signs, line consolidators,
and curb-mount pedestals. The flush mount version includes the flush
mounting box and an oversized face-plate to eliminate additional trim work.
Security Management - January 2004.
Photo ID system
Avery Dennison of Brea, California, has launched a digital
visitor-management photo identification system which combines off-the-shelf
computer and scanner technology into an integrated system that allows lobby
staff to register visitors quickly and efficiently while keeping track of
who is in the building. Data can be entered by either the lobby attendant or
the visitor.
Security Management - January 2004.
Police lockups under strict watch
New Delhi - February 16, 2004 - Every lock up and police station in the
capital is going to have CCTV system. The cameras are going to be installed
in the lock up, the duty officer room, the SHO's room and the main gate of
the police station. "In West District all the 13 police stations have it. In
New Delhi district four police stations have it," a senior police officials
said. The recording system costs close to Rs.2 lakh and the Delhi Police
cannot afford that much for each and every police station," a senior police
official informed.
The Asian Age - February 17, 2004.
Crime check: cell makers unite for design change
Cannes - Crime rates linked to mobile phones have risen sharply across
Europe, Asia and North America in recent years. Seven of the world's biggest
mobile-phone makers have agreed to make changes to handset designs to combat
soaring rates of wireless-related crime, an industry group announced on
Tuesday. Nokia, Motorola, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, NEC, Panasonic and Sagem
have signed on to an initiative to hardwire codes called IMEIs - or
International Mobile Equipment Identities - into the circuitry of their
handsets, the GSM Associated said. Codes belonging to stolen cellphones
could then be posted on an international database. Wireless service
providers who join the initiative could then use the blacklist to block any
stolen phone connecting to their networks. Mobile phones already carry IMEIs,
but the codes can often be reprogrammed by thieves before being resold.
The Times of India - February 27, 2004.
Food for Thoughts
"A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures."
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"The wind and the waves are always on the side of the best Navigators."
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"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." |
