Posted online: Monday, October 31, 2005 at 0000 hours IST
Come December 2005, the young and talented writers will be invited to join eAuthor contest by Oxfordbookstore.com. They are the fiction writers whose works have never been published as printed books. This time around, they will get an opportunity to have their works displayed on the internet after the online talent search competition.
“The first three shortlisted fiction by young authors will be put on our website for public reading, besides the cash prize for the best fiction,” says Mona Sengupta, manager —marketing and alliances, Apeejay Oxford Bookstores Pvt Ltd. This is one example of virtual publication which is seriously posing as an alternative to print or offline publication.
Best seller authors like John Grisham have started putting up the first chapter of his new fiction on the internet to entice the readers to buy the print version. Several global internet companies like Google and Amazon plan to offer online versions of various printable contents available in the libraries across the world, besides the existing print version with a price tag to see and download the online version. Recently, Microsoft announced that it would tie up with Open Content Alliance (OCA), that includes Yahoo and University of California and Internet Archive, to develop a MSN Book Search.
One of the earliest initiatives in electronic books was that of Project Gutenberg started by a student of Illinois in July 1971. For him, the goal was to source books whose copyright had expired and make them available free in the virtual world. The first digitised library was developed out of the project Gutenberg and it was also the first internet information site.
According to Marie Lebert’s article on “Michael Hart: Changing the world through e-books”, Michael himself typed in the first hundred books. Now, volunteers across the world have joined the project and a million e-books will be available by 2015. The project has becomeglobal and at the same time country-specific.
“The books are digitised in text format with caps for terms in italic, bold or underlined, so they can be read easily by any machine, operating system or software,” said Ms Lebert. If this is one example of ebooks, the other is the initiatives by Google which is Google Print. Google’s aim is to digitise the content of libraries and develop a database which would be linked to Google search. It plans to make part of the text available to the netizens. In the US, Authors’ Guild and Association of Publishers are opposing Google’s Print program as the both the publishers and authors believe that their could be copyright violation once the texts are available online.
Both Microsoft and Yahoo have announced that they will separately fund OCA digitisation and scanning of works available in the public domain. Penguin India president Thomas Abraham thinks that in the Indian market, e-publication of books will be limited to reference materials like dictionary and encyclopedia. At present, Penguin India’s online initiative is limited to promotional activity of sample chapters of forthcoming books.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Microsoft says multicores need software threading
According to Microsoft, massively multicore CPUs need massively multicore aware software and tools, or you wind up with something that does not go very far, Microsoft has said. Seemingly, single threaded software is going to benefit poorly from multicore. Things are not so bad on the server side, which will benefit, but desktop users are going to have to use specially written code to see benefit. On the server side, no problem. If you have 1000 people hitting your web server and can dedicate a core to each, things will positively fly. If you have a game that has a single critical thread, you are going to get some pretty lame frames d00d.
Microsoft Bill Gates Takes Google, Terrorism War to Israel
By Joel LeydenIsrael News Agency
Jerusalem----October 30 ….He came, he saw, but did he conquer?Bill Gates, the Microsoft CEO, made his first trek to Israel, but his media presence was upstaged by a terror bombing in Hadera. In addition, most likely due to Gates strict security contingent, his schedule was not broadcast by the Government Press Office which usually provides the schedules of visiting heads of state and celebrities.
Gates arrival in Israel was not coincidental. The co-creator of Microsoft did not turn into a Zionist overnight. One just needs to quickly look at Israel's hi-tech headlines the month before. Does one remember the story about Google opening an office in Israel? Bill Gates does. So does Microsoft Israel and their marketing team. But why would Bill Gates risk his life coming to Israel - a tiny Island of democracy in the Middle-East which bleeds nearly every day as a result of Islamic terrorism?
Bill Gates did not become the wealthiest man on the planet by winning the lottery. Current reports estimate that Gates is worth 30 billion. Rather he was in the right place at the right time. With a brilliant mind and the dedication of a workaholic, Gates made and has kept his wealth. He is an excellent businessman with several finely tuned visions of tomorrow's workplace and he plans to retain his place as a world leader.So with or without Hamas, Al Qaeda and Islamic Jihad, Gates would come to Israel to do battle on Google's new turf. Gates would not have the Google flag planted in Israel without a fight. But would Gates also address terrorism while in Israel?
Bill Gates went about his average business signing a meager but symbolic 1.4-million-dollar agreement with Israel to encourage Israel start- up companies. "It's no exaggeration to say that the kind of innovation going on in Israel is critical to the future of the technology business," Gates, who spent only 24 hours in Israel, told a news conference in Tel Aviv with Acting Israel Finance Minister Ehud Olmert. "So many great companies have been started here," he said, adding Israel had been "fairly unique", along with the United States, in creating new products, patents and copyrighted software. Gates, who left the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv met later in the day with Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon. The two announced a project making computers available to 250,000 underprivileged Israeli pupils.
But the real business appeared to be Google. Most media reports from Israel transmitted very general soundbytes making Bill Gates appear warm and cordial. Even Israel Jerusalem Post criticized the Gates visit as all to do with nothing. But the Post reporter did not have his eyes on the ball.
Google and Microsoft are at war. They are spending millions in research and marketing to out do one another. Google is aiming on taking down the Microsoft operating system and replacing it with their own. After all why should Google be second with a search toolbar clinging uncertainly to a Windows browser? And why should Microsoft all but be forgotten with its 12 percent market share in the search and SEO markets?
Microsoft plans to upgrade their search technology in the next six months, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates said in remarks Wednesday. As Gates praised Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Israel's contributions to the global high-tech market. Bill Gates also answered questions about Microsoft's fierce competition with Mountain View, California-based Google. "We are not afraid of Google, but there is intense competition between us. Google is our main competitor, brilliant people work there, but Internet search engines are still in a terrible state compared to where they could be," Gates was quoted as saying in the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot.
"This is a situation that we hope will change for the better in the next six months. We are working on it, as are other companies, such as Google and Yahoo," Gates added in comments that were translated into Hebrew.
Microsoft and Yahoo already have been investing heavily in search, hoping to narrow Google's lead in the field. Google processed 45 percent of US search requests and SEO activity in September, outdistancing 23 percent for Yahoo and 12 percent for Microsoft's MSN, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. Gates denied the Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft intends to acquire Google or other leading Internet companies. Microsoft has recently formed partnerships with Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) and RealNetworks Inc., and is reportedly interested in buying a stake in Time Warner Inc.'s AOL service.
Google also has teamed up with with Comcast Corp., the largest U.S. cable company, to explore buying a minority stake in AOL. Microsoft is sometimes criticized as a giant that crushes competition. Gates' response to the Maariv daily: "Maybe when you succeed there is always someone who will oppose you." Israel, Gates said, does "fantastic things in the field of technology and I am excited to be here." Israel has especially contributed to the area of data security, Gates was quoted as saying in Maariv, largely due to expertise acquired by the Israeli military. Many high-tech workers in Israel received training from elite military units in areas such as encryption and computer security.
Now, have we discovered the second reason for Gates visit to Israel? In taking Google head on would it not make sense for Microsoft, Bill Gates, the Israel Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces to cooperate as Gates advises the US military and Homeland security? But none of this would be stated openly. No one would dare speak of the Gates - Sharon meeting in Israel as one to do with democracy's war against global Islamic terrorism. Was Gates also meeting with the head of the Mossad, the Shaback and their computer heads or just discussing giving away computers to poor children living in Israel?
Just one day after the Gates - Sharon meeting in Jerusalem, Microsoft announced that it would team up with the US Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Action to promote PC protection. If Gates is eager to work with the FTC, then how about the FBI and CIA?
Gates has enormous respect for Israel, Israel's ability to defend herself and Israel most worthy asset - brain-power."Israel has enormous power in the high-tech world, most people know that Israel, relative to its size, has made achievements in the field of technology," Gates told Maariv. Gates refused to say whether Microsoft plans to expand its 200-person facility in the coastal Israeli city of Haifa. Expansion of the Haifa facility would provide more jobs in Israel's highly competitive high-tech market. Israel is considered to be one of the world's leaders in high-tech products, which account for half of the country's exports. Many large technology companies, including Microsoft, Motorola and Intel, have sizable research operations in Israel. Google Inc. recently placed advertisements in Israel newspapers recruiting Israel engineers for its Ireland-based operations. "The business achievements of Microsoft in Israel are excellent and the company is currently working to massively expand its research and development budgets worldwide," Gates was quoted as saying in Israel's largest Hebrew daily Yediot.
“Considering the density of Israeli start-ups and local successes, Israel is like a bit of Silicon Valley,” Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates told "Globes" yesterday. Gates said that being the richest man in the world “is a privilege, but also a responsibility.” He said that working at Microsoft and the charity fund to which he contributes required great responsibility, but also helped him enjoy life. “I don’t think about money all day; I think about software and about my family.” The only thing that disturbed Gates’s calm was questions about Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Microsoft’s young, dynamic competitor. Gates said that Google wasn’t a player in Microsoft’s field, adding that it had copied some of its products from other companies.
”Their product line is rather narrow, and there’s nothing innovative about most of their products. The Internet is much less developed than it could be. Large investments by Google, Yahoo!, and us in this field is like a couple investing in their honeymoon,” Gates remarked. Gates believes that the mobile computer will eventually replace textbooks.
“Computers will be thinner and cheaper, will be based on working through voice identification, and will benefit from ubiquitous wireless Internet. This will change the way we read and learn,” he predicted. Gates said that, in the future, the computer would look completely different from what we know today. It will be based on wireless equipment, television, and other hardware devices connected to each other. He added that he and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen had predicted 30 years ago that every home would have a computer. “It seemed like a crazy idea to many people. We knew then that we were on to something big, and it seemed odd to us that other people didn’t see the opportunity. I expect the next ten years in the industry to be much more exciting than the past 30 years,” he concluded.
Bill Gates left Israel for Europe and the recently terror hit, bus and underground bombed city of London where the Microsoft chairman predicted “the future of advertising is the internet” in a speech during his first official visit to the UK in two years. Gates spoke to 45O members of the advertising and marketing industry at the Engage 2005 conference, organised by the Internet Advertising Bureau. Gates stated that traditional brands would move further into the digital world as boundaries blur between the virtual and the physical.
Gates said the future was not far off in which the internet powered all technology and media would be delivered by broadband through high-definition multi-purpose televisions. He said a wealth of possibilities would open up for the marketer and SEO as consumers had access to everything via the internet – with both advertising and content becoming personalised and inter-active, allowing consumers to watch what they wanted, when they wanted and how they wanted. "In the future we'll see even more convergence, and it will be hard to say what is and what isn't internet-based," he said.
Yes, Gates has his eyes on Google which is quickly turning into the world's largest advertising agency and which just announced that it has hired businessman Johnny Chou to establish and lead Google's sales and business development operations in Greater China. But is it the Google challenge that turns on the world's wealthiest man or going down in history that he personally helped to track down the very roots of Islamic terrorism, from Washington's Pentagon, London's Downing Street to the Israel Prime Minister's Office?
Either way, with Gates bravely coming into terror hit Israel, with terror bombers blowing up innocent civilians just miles from his hotel, one must commend Bill Gates for transcending the Google war and keeping his personal agenda to himself. Gates did not need a trip to Israel Yad Veshem Holocaust memorial, as many visiting dignitaries are provided. Gates, I am sure remembers the brutal terrorism of 9/11, watching New York's World Trade Center burn and crumble, smoke rising from the Pentagon and asking himself: "what can I do to prevent this from happening again."
The author, Joel Leyden, helped create Israel's first commercial Website, NetKing, in 1995 and today serves as Israel number one ranked SEO (search engine optimization) and international public relations, public affairs and crisis communications consultant.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
IBM researchers take Axe to computer security
News Story by Robert McMillanOCTOBER 28, 2005 - Researchers at IBM's Almaden Lab have developed a way to keep those nasty worms and viruses from running on computers, without the use of antivirus software.
The project is the brainchild of researcher Amit Singh, who has been working for several years on techniques to simplify PCs. Two years ago, Singh could see that computers were being choked by the growing amount of security and management software they were using, and he and fellow researchers Anurag Sharma and Steve Welch set about developing software that would make PCs easier to use.
The solution: a research project called the Assured Execution Environment (Axe), which takes a very strict approach to controlling what's run on a computer.
Thanks to a patented IBM technique, Axe loads special "Axe runtime," software into the central part of the operating system, called the kernel, every time the PC is booted up. It then polices every piece of software that's run on the machine, making sure that only authorized code gets used.
Unlike antivirus software, Axe doesn't do this by policing for dangerous software. It simply prohibits any code from running unless it has been preconfigured into a special Axe-friendly format, something the IBM researchers say they can make it virtually impossible for spyware and virus writers to do.
"We are making every machine a unique OS," said Singh, who added that Axe works with both the Windows and Mac OS operating system kernels.
Users or administrators could use a variety of techniques, including encryption, to ensure that unauthorized software could not be run without their permission. They could also use Axe to make sure that certain programs were run only on specific machines or even use Axe techniques to make data unreadable, to keep Word or PowerPoint documents away from prying eyes.
The project is the brainchild of researcher Amit Singh, who has been working for several years on techniques to simplify PCs. Two years ago, Singh could see that computers were being choked by the growing amount of security and management software they were using, and he and fellow researchers Anurag Sharma and Steve Welch set about developing software that would make PCs easier to use.
The solution: a research project called the Assured Execution Environment (Axe), which takes a very strict approach to controlling what's run on a computer.
Thanks to a patented IBM technique, Axe loads special "Axe runtime," software into the central part of the operating system, called the kernel, every time the PC is booted up. It then polices every piece of software that's run on the machine, making sure that only authorized code gets used.
Unlike antivirus software, Axe doesn't do this by policing for dangerous software. It simply prohibits any code from running unless it has been preconfigured into a special Axe-friendly format, something the IBM researchers say they can make it virtually impossible for spyware and virus writers to do.
"We are making every machine a unique OS," said Singh, who added that Axe works with both the Windows and Mac OS operating system kernels.
Users or administrators could use a variety of techniques, including encryption, to ensure that unauthorized software could not be run without their permission. They could also use Axe to make sure that certain programs were run only on specific machines or even use Axe techniques to make data unreadable, to keep Word or PowerPoint documents away from prying eyes.
The Axe developers say that because some users may not want to have every piece of software they run on their machine "blessed" by a central IT administrator, they have built some flexibility into the software's design. PCs can be configured to allow unknown software to run, but only when approved by the user, or they can set unknown software to run only in a virtual machine environment, where it can't do as much damage to the base operating system.
This idea of creating a "whitelist" of authorized applications is going to be more widely adopted by security vendors, because the traditional antivirus technique of blocking known malware is simply becoming too unwieldy, said Yankee Group Research Inc. analyst Andrew Jaquith. "Whitelists are probably the way to go in the future," he said.
Other companies, such as SecureWave Inc. and Bit9 Inc., have taken a similar approach to security, he said.
The downside of whitelists, however, is that they can create a management headache because administrators have to get involved every time any software is updated. "If Microsoft sends out a hot fix, you're probably going to have to re-register those applications," Jaquith said. "The real question is not whether the technology works, but whether it's manageable."
IBM should have a better understanding of how manageable Axe really is by next year. That's when Welch, the project's manager, hopes to have the software in the hands of an early pilot customer.
Users who "really never wanted the openness and complexity of the operating environment that they're running," would benefit most from the Axe security model, he said. Point-of-sale computers or stock-trading machines would be ideal pilot projects, according to Welch.
Whether Axe will ever become part of a shipping product is unknown, but Welch has some experience turning research and development technologies into IBM brands. He was on the team that developed a lot of the ThinkVantage system management technologies that IBM eventually brought to market.
This idea of creating a "whitelist" of authorized applications is going to be more widely adopted by security vendors, because the traditional antivirus technique of blocking known malware is simply becoming too unwieldy, said Yankee Group Research Inc. analyst Andrew Jaquith. "Whitelists are probably the way to go in the future," he said.
Other companies, such as SecureWave Inc. and Bit9 Inc., have taken a similar approach to security, he said.
The downside of whitelists, however, is that they can create a management headache because administrators have to get involved every time any software is updated. "If Microsoft sends out a hot fix, you're probably going to have to re-register those applications," Jaquith said. "The real question is not whether the technology works, but whether it's manageable."
IBM should have a better understanding of how manageable Axe really is by next year. That's when Welch, the project's manager, hopes to have the software in the hands of an early pilot customer.
Users who "really never wanted the openness and complexity of the operating environment that they're running," would benefit most from the Axe security model, he said. Point-of-sale computers or stock-trading machines would be ideal pilot projects, according to Welch.
Whether Axe will ever become part of a shipping product is unknown, but Welch has some experience turning research and development technologies into IBM brands. He was on the team that developed a lot of the ThinkVantage system management technologies that IBM eventually brought to market.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Supercomputer doubles own record
My opinion : US trying to maintain supercomputer rule. Applications of Blue Gene are not that clear.
BBC Report:
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Blue Gene/L is the fastest computer in the worldThe Blue Gene/L supercomputer has broken its own record to achieve more than double the number of calculations it can do a second.
It reached 280.6 teraflops - that is 280.6 trillion calculations a second.
The IBM machine, at the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, officially became the most powerful computer on the planet in June.
The fastest supercomputers in the world are ranked by experts every six months in the Top 500 list.
Blue Gene's performance, while it has been under construction, has quadrupled in just 12 months.
Each person in the world with a handheld calculator would still take decades to do the same calculations Blue Gene is now able to do every second.
BlueGene/L points the way to the future and the computing power we will need to improve our ability to predict the behaviour of the stockpile as it continues to age
Linton F Brooks, NNSALinton F Brooks from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) formerly unveiled it at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Friday.
The completed Blue Gene/L joins another supercomputing team-mate, called ASC Purple, to get to work on safeguarding the US's nuclear stockpile.
Purple can do 100 teraflops while it carries out simulations of nuclear weapons performance.
"The unprecedented computing power of these two supercomputers is more critical than ever to meet the time-urgent issues related to maintaining our nation's ageing nuclear stockpile without testing," said Mr Brooks.
"BlueGene/L points the way to the future and the computing power we will need to improve our ability to predict the behaviour of the stockpile as it continues to age."
Power players
The machines are part of a decade-long project to develop the fastest computers in the world.
Blue Gene will work on materials ageing calculations, molecular dynamics, material modelling as well as turbulence and instability in hydrodynamics.
Purple will then use that information to run 3D weapons codes needed to simulate nuclear weapons performance quickly.
Supercomputers can help scientists predict climate changeThat analysis had previously taken place in underground nuclear tests.
Their massive brains will be able to perform half a petaflop together - that is half a quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) calculations a second.
In a recent demonstration, Blue Gene/L achieved another first by running a materials science application at 101.5 teraflops, sustained over seven hours on the machine's 131,072 processors.
Supercomputers are playing an increasingly crucial role in working out complex problems quickly.
They recently became a major tool in a range of advanced biological applications, from helping to piece together fragmented DNA information to the design of new drug molecules.
Astronomers have also borrowed their brains to re-create how the Universe evolved into the shape it is today.
Their massive simulation and processing power have also been used improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, help design better cars, and improve disease diagnosis.
It reached 280.6 teraflops - that is 280.6 trillion calculations a second.
The IBM machine, at the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, officially became the most powerful computer on the planet in June.
The fastest supercomputers in the world are ranked by experts every six months in the Top 500 list.
Blue Gene's performance, while it has been under construction, has quadrupled in just 12 months.
Each person in the world with a handheld calculator would still take decades to do the same calculations Blue Gene is now able to do every second.
BlueGene/L points the way to the future and the computing power we will need to improve our ability to predict the behaviour of the stockpile as it continues to age
Linton F Brooks, NNSALinton F Brooks from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) formerly unveiled it at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Friday.
The completed Blue Gene/L joins another supercomputing team-mate, called ASC Purple, to get to work on safeguarding the US's nuclear stockpile.
Purple can do 100 teraflops while it carries out simulations of nuclear weapons performance.
"The unprecedented computing power of these two supercomputers is more critical than ever to meet the time-urgent issues related to maintaining our nation's ageing nuclear stockpile without testing," said Mr Brooks.
"BlueGene/L points the way to the future and the computing power we will need to improve our ability to predict the behaviour of the stockpile as it continues to age."
Power players
The machines are part of a decade-long project to develop the fastest computers in the world.
Blue Gene will work on materials ageing calculations, molecular dynamics, material modelling as well as turbulence and instability in hydrodynamics.
Purple will then use that information to run 3D weapons codes needed to simulate nuclear weapons performance quickly.
Supercomputers can help scientists predict climate changeThat analysis had previously taken place in underground nuclear tests.
Their massive brains will be able to perform half a petaflop together - that is half a quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) calculations a second.
In a recent demonstration, Blue Gene/L achieved another first by running a materials science application at 101.5 teraflops, sustained over seven hours on the machine's 131,072 processors.
Supercomputers are playing an increasingly crucial role in working out complex problems quickly.
They recently became a major tool in a range of advanced biological applications, from helping to piece together fragmented DNA information to the design of new drug molecules.
Astronomers have also borrowed their brains to re-create how the Universe evolved into the shape it is today.
Their massive simulation and processing power have also been used improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, help design better cars, and improve disease diagnosis.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Grokker
Innovative and interesting search on
http://www.grokker.com/
However it is powered by Yahoo search which limits its quality. Idea is really cool !
http://www.grokker.com/
However it is powered by Yahoo search which limits its quality. Idea is really cool !
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Microsoft joins book search plan
Microsoft is the latest to join global digital library plansMicrosoft has joined a Yahoo-backed effort to digitise the world's books and other works to make them searchable and accessible to anyone online.
The software giant said it would work with the Open Content Alliance (OCA), set up by the Internet Archive, to initially put 150,000 works online.
The move comes as Google faces growing legal pressure from publishers over its own global digital library plans.
Microsoft said it would initially focus on works already in the public domain.
This way, it hopes to avoid similar legal issues over copyright.
Google said in a statement that it welcomed the move to make more information accessible to anyone online.
Legal trouble
Earlier this month, the Association of American Publishers filed a lawsuit in New York claiming Google's Print Library Project plans would infringe their copyrights.
If we go and bring universal access to all human knowledge it will be remembered as one of the great things humankind has ever done
Brewster Kahle, Internet ArchiveGoogle's project would involve digitising millions of works from Harvard, Stanford, and Michigan universities to make them searchable.
Once the texts were digitised, users would not be able to download or print the whole book, but would be able to view a few sentences from each.
Copyright holders have been given a deadline of 1 November if they do not want their books to be scanned.
Search plans
US libraries which have joined the separate OCA's library project include Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Virginia, and the University of Pittsburgh.
The OCA was set up by a group of digital archivists and is backed by technology firms Adobe and HP, as well as libraries and academia.
It aims to find ways of balancing publisher and author rights with global accessibility.
"It's interesting to see everyone jumping on the digital library bandwagon," said Doron Weber from the Sloan Foundation, part-funders of the Internet Archive which set up the OCA.
"Google's push has galvanized everyone else."
Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, said the OCA's digital library plans were ambitious.
"If we go and bring universal access to all human knowledge it will be remembered as one of the great things humankind has ever done," Mr Kahle said.
Microsoft said it was already liaising with publishers and libraries on ways to make more copyrighted works available for online searches.
A spokeswoman said the firm was still investigating different ways to do this, which could include charging to access content.
Microsoft said it would have a prototype of its library search service ready next year.
The software giant said it would work with the Open Content Alliance (OCA), set up by the Internet Archive, to initially put 150,000 works online.
The move comes as Google faces growing legal pressure from publishers over its own global digital library plans.
Microsoft said it would initially focus on works already in the public domain.
This way, it hopes to avoid similar legal issues over copyright.
Google said in a statement that it welcomed the move to make more information accessible to anyone online.
Legal trouble
Earlier this month, the Association of American Publishers filed a lawsuit in New York claiming Google's Print Library Project plans would infringe their copyrights.
If we go and bring universal access to all human knowledge it will be remembered as one of the great things humankind has ever done
Brewster Kahle, Internet ArchiveGoogle's project would involve digitising millions of works from Harvard, Stanford, and Michigan universities to make them searchable.
Once the texts were digitised, users would not be able to download or print the whole book, but would be able to view a few sentences from each.
Copyright holders have been given a deadline of 1 November if they do not want their books to be scanned.
Search plans
US libraries which have joined the separate OCA's library project include Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Virginia, and the University of Pittsburgh.
The OCA was set up by a group of digital archivists and is backed by technology firms Adobe and HP, as well as libraries and academia.
It aims to find ways of balancing publisher and author rights with global accessibility.
"It's interesting to see everyone jumping on the digital library bandwagon," said Doron Weber from the Sloan Foundation, part-funders of the Internet Archive which set up the OCA.
"Google's push has galvanized everyone else."
Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, said the OCA's digital library plans were ambitious.
"If we go and bring universal access to all human knowledge it will be remembered as one of the great things humankind has ever done," Mr Kahle said.
Microsoft said it was already liaising with publishers and libraries on ways to make more copyrighted works available for online searches.
A spokeswoman said the firm was still investigating different ways to do this, which could include charging to access content.
Microsoft said it would have a prototype of its library search service ready next year.
File-sharing suffers major defeat
This blog is an extract from :BBC News Oct 26th 2005
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Millions of people swap music via file-sharing networksThe US Supreme Court has ruled that file-sharing companies are to blame for what users do with their software.
The surprise ruling could start a legal assault on the creators of file-sharing networks such as Grokster and Morpheus.
The case was brought by 28 movie and music makers who claimed that rampant piracy was denting profits.
The Supreme Court judges were expected to rule in favour of the file-sharers because of legal precedents set when video recorders first appeared.
Big win
READ THE RULING
US Supreme Court ruling: MGM Studios Inc. et al v Grokster Ltd. et al (322KB)
Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Reader.
Download the reader here
The unanimous ruling is a victory for recording companies and film studios in what is widely seen as one of the most important copyright cases in years.
Andrew Lack, chief executive of Sony BMG, said his company would pursue those who failed to comply with the law.
"The court made it very clear that we can go after damages and that we can chase them out," Mr Lack told BBC World's World Business Report.
"We will do that if necessary, but my hope is that we will find new bridges to legitimise a lot of services that formerly were confused about what was right and wrong, legal and illegal."
The legal case against Streamcast Networks - which makes the software behind Grokster and Morpheus - began in October 2001 when 28 media companies filed their legal complaint.
The complaint alleged that Streamcast was prospering on the back of the unfettered piracy taking place on the file-sharing networks.
However, the attempts to win damages suffered a series of defeats as successive courts sided with the file-sharing networks. The judges in those lower courts cited a ruling made in 1984 over Sony's Betamax video recorder.
In that case, the Supreme Court said that the majority of people using a video recorder for legal uses outweighed any illegal use of the technology.
Q&A on File-sharing rulingBut in this latest ruling the judges set aside the lower court decisions. It means the makers of a technology have to answer for what people do with it if they use it to break the law.
In the ruling Justice David Souter wrote: "The question is under what circumstances the distributor of a product capable of both lawful and unlawful use is liable for acts of copyright infringement by third parties using the product."
He added: "We hold that one who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright ... is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties."
Reaction to the ruling was swift.
Dan Glickman, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, said: "Today's unanimous ruling is an historic victory for intellectual property in the digital age, and is good news for consumers, artists, innovation and lawful Internet businesses."
John Kennedy, head of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said: "It quite simply destroys the argument that peer-to-peer services bear no responsibility for illegal activities that take place on their networks."
In other decisions on Monday, the Supreme Court:
ruled against the display of the Ten Commandments inside two Kentucky courtrooms but approved a monument to the same in Texas
declined to hear appeals by two US journalists facing a contempt ruling by a lower court over their investigation into an alleged White House intelligence leak
overturned a ruling that cable operators' high-speed internet lines must be opened up to rivals. The rulings came on the last day of the US Supreme Court's current judicial session. It now breaks for a three-month recess.
One expected announcement that did not appear concerned the retirement of 80-year-old Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
Justice Rehnquist is suffering from thyroid cancer, breathes through a tracheal tube and struggled to talk during a speech closing the current court term that thanked court workers.
Unseen effects
In its ruling the Supreme Court said there was "substantial evidence" that Streamcast Networks had "induced" people to use its software to illegally share copyrighted files.
It is unclear yet what action this ruling will prompt from movie studios and music makers who brought the original case. It could mean claims for substantial damages from Streamcast or moves to get the file-sharing networks shut down.
It is unclear what effect the ruling will have on use of digital mediaWayne Rosso, former Grokster president and now head of legal file-sharing system Mashboxx, said: "If I'm running the RIAA [Recording Industry Association of America], you're going to see lawsuits coming down like a Texas hailstorm. Don't be surprised to see an unusually large number filed immediately."
He said it would mean that users would have to get used to paying for music.
Michael McGuire, from analyst firm GartnerG2, said: "It's something of a surprise. It will be interesting to see how record labels respond. It could be argued that these peer-to-peer services were the most efficient way to deliver rich media."
The decision could also have an impact on any technology firm developing gadgets or devices that let people enjoy media on the move.
If strictly interpreted the ruling means that these hi-tech firms will have to try to predict the ways people can use these devices to pirate copyrighted media and install controls to stop this infringement.
The ruling could also prompt a re-drafting of copyright laws by the US Congress.
Millions of people swap music via file-sharing networksThe US Supreme Court has ruled that file-sharing companies are to blame for what users do with their software.
The surprise ruling could start a legal assault on the creators of file-sharing networks such as Grokster and Morpheus.
The case was brought by 28 movie and music makers who claimed that rampant piracy was denting profits.
The Supreme Court judges were expected to rule in favour of the file-sharers because of legal precedents set when video recorders first appeared.
Big win
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US Supreme Court ruling: MGM Studios Inc. et al v Grokster Ltd. et al (322KB)
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The unanimous ruling is a victory for recording companies and film studios in what is widely seen as one of the most important copyright cases in years.
Andrew Lack, chief executive of Sony BMG, said his company would pursue those who failed to comply with the law.
"The court made it very clear that we can go after damages and that we can chase them out," Mr Lack told BBC World's World Business Report.
"We will do that if necessary, but my hope is that we will find new bridges to legitimise a lot of services that formerly were confused about what was right and wrong, legal and illegal."
The legal case against Streamcast Networks - which makes the software behind Grokster and Morpheus - began in October 2001 when 28 media companies filed their legal complaint.
The complaint alleged that Streamcast was prospering on the back of the unfettered piracy taking place on the file-sharing networks.
However, the attempts to win damages suffered a series of defeats as successive courts sided with the file-sharing networks. The judges in those lower courts cited a ruling made in 1984 over Sony's Betamax video recorder.
In that case, the Supreme Court said that the majority of people using a video recorder for legal uses outweighed any illegal use of the technology.
Q&A on File-sharing rulingBut in this latest ruling the judges set aside the lower court decisions. It means the makers of a technology have to answer for what people do with it if they use it to break the law.
In the ruling Justice David Souter wrote: "The question is under what circumstances the distributor of a product capable of both lawful and unlawful use is liable for acts of copyright infringement by third parties using the product."
He added: "We hold that one who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright ... is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties."
Reaction to the ruling was swift.
Dan Glickman, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, said: "Today's unanimous ruling is an historic victory for intellectual property in the digital age, and is good news for consumers, artists, innovation and lawful Internet businesses."
John Kennedy, head of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said: "It quite simply destroys the argument that peer-to-peer services bear no responsibility for illegal activities that take place on their networks."
In other decisions on Monday, the Supreme Court:
ruled against the display of the Ten Commandments inside two Kentucky courtrooms but approved a monument to the same in Texas
declined to hear appeals by two US journalists facing a contempt ruling by a lower court over their investigation into an alleged White House intelligence leak
overturned a ruling that cable operators' high-speed internet lines must be opened up to rivals. The rulings came on the last day of the US Supreme Court's current judicial session. It now breaks for a three-month recess.
One expected announcement that did not appear concerned the retirement of 80-year-old Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
Justice Rehnquist is suffering from thyroid cancer, breathes through a tracheal tube and struggled to talk during a speech closing the current court term that thanked court workers.
Unseen effects
In its ruling the Supreme Court said there was "substantial evidence" that Streamcast Networks had "induced" people to use its software to illegally share copyrighted files.
It is unclear yet what action this ruling will prompt from movie studios and music makers who brought the original case. It could mean claims for substantial damages from Streamcast or moves to get the file-sharing networks shut down.
It is unclear what effect the ruling will have on use of digital mediaWayne Rosso, former Grokster president and now head of legal file-sharing system Mashboxx, said: "If I'm running the RIAA [Recording Industry Association of America], you're going to see lawsuits coming down like a Texas hailstorm. Don't be surprised to see an unusually large number filed immediately."
He said it would mean that users would have to get used to paying for music.
Michael McGuire, from analyst firm GartnerG2, said: "It's something of a surprise. It will be interesting to see how record labels respond. It could be argued that these peer-to-peer services were the most efficient way to deliver rich media."
The decision could also have an impact on any technology firm developing gadgets or devices that let people enjoy media on the move.
If strictly interpreted the ruling means that these hi-tech firms will have to try to predict the ways people can use these devices to pirate copyrighted media and install controls to stop this infringement.
The ruling could also prompt a re-drafting of copyright laws by the US Congress.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Apple faces iPod Nano litigation
Apple is facing legal action from an aggrieved American consumer over alleged problems with the iPod Nano.
The lawsuit alleges that Apple launched the music player despite knowing its design would limit its life.The legal action follows a rash of complaints from iPod Nano users who reported cracked and scratched screens. Apple said a bad batch of Nanos had caused those problems and denied the device was more likely to scratch than other models of the popular player.
Asked a comment on the lawsuit, Apple said: "We do not comment on pending litigation."
Coating questioned In the first 17 days that the iPod Nano was on sale, Apple sold more than a million of the credit card-sized music players.
But the gloss of the early September launch of the Nano was marred by reports that screens of some devices were cracking or scratching very quickly. Protests were led by Matthew Peterson who started a website to force Apple to admit the problems and replace gadgets.
Now Jason Tomczak, another disgruntled Nano customer, is at the centre of legal action over the gadget.
Represented by Seattle-based legal firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, Mr Tomczak filed a lawsuit on 19 October in the San Jose District Court which alleges that the Nano is too delicate for normal use.
Paperwork supporting the filing says that iPod Nanos "scratch excessively during normal usage, rendering the screen on the Nanos unreadable".
The lawsuit pins the blame for the scratching on changes Apple made to the design of the music player to make it as thin as possible.
It alleges that screen and controls in the Nano are beneath a film of resin much thinner than in other models. It alleges that other versions of the iPod do not scratch as easily because they are covered in a thicker, stronger plastic coat.
Mr Tomczak launched the legal action after a replacement iPod Nano also suffered scratching soon after he got it.
He is seeking the return of a $25 fee he had to pay to send the player back to Apple, plus the original cost of the gadget and damages.
The lawsuit was filed by Mr Tomczak and "on behalf of all others similarly situated" but will require a ruling by a judge to have it granted class action status.
Surging interest in the iPod in all its forms helped Apple report its best ever financial results in the year to 24 September when it reported profits of $430m (£246m).
The lawsuit alleges that Apple launched the music player despite knowing its design would limit its life.The legal action follows a rash of complaints from iPod Nano users who reported cracked and scratched screens. Apple said a bad batch of Nanos had caused those problems and denied the device was more likely to scratch than other models of the popular player.
Asked a comment on the lawsuit, Apple said: "We do not comment on pending litigation."
Coating questioned In the first 17 days that the iPod Nano was on sale, Apple sold more than a million of the credit card-sized music players.
But the gloss of the early September launch of the Nano was marred by reports that screens of some devices were cracking or scratching very quickly. Protests were led by Matthew Peterson who started a website to force Apple to admit the problems and replace gadgets.
Now Jason Tomczak, another disgruntled Nano customer, is at the centre of legal action over the gadget.
Represented by Seattle-based legal firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, Mr Tomczak filed a lawsuit on 19 October in the San Jose District Court which alleges that the Nano is too delicate for normal use.
Paperwork supporting the filing says that iPod Nanos "scratch excessively during normal usage, rendering the screen on the Nanos unreadable".
The lawsuit pins the blame for the scratching on changes Apple made to the design of the music player to make it as thin as possible.
It alleges that screen and controls in the Nano are beneath a film of resin much thinner than in other models. It alleges that other versions of the iPod do not scratch as easily because they are covered in a thicker, stronger plastic coat.
Mr Tomczak launched the legal action after a replacement iPod Nano also suffered scratching soon after he got it.
He is seeking the return of a $25 fee he had to pay to send the player back to Apple, plus the original cost of the gadget and damages.
The lawsuit was filed by Mr Tomczak and "on behalf of all others similarly situated" but will require a ruling by a judge to have it granted class action status.
Surging interest in the iPod in all its forms helped Apple report its best ever financial results in the year to 24 September when it reported profits of $430m (£246m).
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
xBox 360 May Be Juicy Target For Hackers
Even game consoles are under attack by hackers, a security company noted Friday. But although the current crop poses little risk to the average player, the next generation may if attackers decide to take on the Internet-centric xBox 360, Microsoft's next game machine.
Panda Software said that over the last several days, it has tracked a trio of Trojans that aimed to reduce Sony's PSP (PlayStation Portable) and the Nintendo DS game consoles into expensive bricks.
The three pieces of malware -- Format.a, Tahen.a, and Tahen.b -- pose as tools to run unsigned code (games that have been cracked, and then illegally copied) on the PSP or as homemade applications for the Nintendo. When users install them, however, the Trojans overwrite portions of the consoles' firmware -- the software embedded in the machines) and make then unusable.
While that may sound vicious -- rival security firm F-Secure posted a 14MB video file of a PSP being infected, and obliterated -- it's not as dangerous as it sounds, Panda said.
"Videogame consoles are not designed for using third-party software," said Luis Corrons, the director of Panda's research labs, in a statement. "In order for the malicious codes detected so far to reach one of these consoles, users would have to voluntarily run applications from unauthorized sources. Remember that just as with PCs, downloading and running software from dubious sources is always a serious security risk."
Soon, however, the risk to gamers may get a boost from the xBox 360, the Microsoft console expected to ship next month.
xBox 360 is much more Internet-centric than other consoles," argued Patrick Hinojosa, the chief technology officer of Panda, in an interview. "It has a lot more online capabilities, and because of that I think that malicious code will be more prevalent than on other systems."
While he doesn't see a risk in the xBox 360-Windows XP Media Center connection -- the two devices don't share a similar operating system -- Hinojosa expects that hackers will post code online disguised, for instance, as a game crack. "It may not happen in the immediate future, but I think it's a potential danger," he said.
In part, the fact that xBox has a Microsoft nameplate will draw attackers. "There's a certain segment of people who just don't like Microsoft, and the numbers in the black hat [hacker] community are even greater.
Panda Software said that over the last several days, it has tracked a trio of Trojans that aimed to reduce Sony's PSP (PlayStation Portable) and the Nintendo DS game consoles into expensive bricks.
The three pieces of malware -- Format.a, Tahen.a, and Tahen.b -- pose as tools to run unsigned code (games that have been cracked, and then illegally copied) on the PSP or as homemade applications for the Nintendo. When users install them, however, the Trojans overwrite portions of the consoles' firmware -- the software embedded in the machines) and make then unusable.
While that may sound vicious -- rival security firm F-Secure posted a 14MB video file of a PSP being infected, and obliterated -- it's not as dangerous as it sounds, Panda said.
"Videogame consoles are not designed for using third-party software," said Luis Corrons, the director of Panda's research labs, in a statement. "In order for the malicious codes detected so far to reach one of these consoles, users would have to voluntarily run applications from unauthorized sources. Remember that just as with PCs, downloading and running software from dubious sources is always a serious security risk."
Soon, however, the risk to gamers may get a boost from the xBox 360, the Microsoft console expected to ship next month.
xBox 360 is much more Internet-centric than other consoles," argued Patrick Hinojosa, the chief technology officer of Panda, in an interview. "It has a lot more online capabilities, and because of that I think that malicious code will be more prevalent than on other systems."
While he doesn't see a risk in the xBox 360-Windows XP Media Center connection -- the two devices don't share a similar operating system -- Hinojosa expects that hackers will post code online disguised, for instance, as a game crack. "It may not happen in the immediate future, but I think it's a potential danger," he said.
In part, the fact that xBox has a Microsoft nameplate will draw attackers. "There's a certain segment of people who just don't like Microsoft, and the numbers in the black hat [hacker] community are even greater.
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