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PGWeekly_August_27.txt
***The Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter For Wednesday, August 27, 2003***
******eBooks Readable By Both Humans and Computers For Over 32 Years*******
This Week We Passed Another Major Milestone!!!
We Have Produced 2406 eBooks Since 2003 Began!
2,406 eBooks In The Last 7.5 months!!! <<<
We Reached 10/11ths of 10,000 With 9091 On Friday!
Already Over 1/7 Of The Way From 9,000 to 10,000!!!
9149 Books Done. . .851 To Go. . . !
[The Newsletter is now being sent in three sections, so you can directly
go to the portions you find most interesting: 1. Founder's Comments,
2. News, Notes & Queries, and 3. Weekly eBook Update Listing.]
This is Michael Hart's "Founder's Comments" section of the Newsletter
Over Our 32 9/53 Year History, We Have Now Averaged Over 275 Ebooks/Year
And This Year Averaged Over That Same New eBook Level. . .PER MONTH!!!!!
We Are Averaging About 310 Per Month This Year!!!
In this issue of the Project Gutenberg Weekly newsletter:
- Intro (above)
- Requests For Assistance
- Progress Report
- Flashback
- Continuing Requests For Assistance
- Making Donations
- Access To The Collection
- Information About Mirror Sites
- Have We Given Away A Trillion Yet?
- Weekly eBook update:
Updates/corrections in separate section
4 New From PG Australia [Australian, Canadian Copyright Etc.]
66 New Public Domain eBooks Under US Copyright
- "The Future Of Project Gutenberg"
- Headline News from Newsscan and Edupage
- Information about mailing lists
*** Requests For Assistance
!!!I need a copy of zip for AIX that can do the "-9" high compression,
and still unzip via the standard unzip programs!!!
***
I am working on trying to collect and convert some public domain folk tunes
to ABC notation. Could use some help tracking down public domain versions
of the melodies or proof that these songs are in the public domain. Songs
I'm working on at present include:
I Know Where I'm Going
Simple Gifts
She Moved Throught The Fair
A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter (aka Constant Lovers)
The Fisher Who Died in His Bed
Ufros Alienu
If anyone's interesting in converting folk songs to a digital public
domain format and would like to help or if you want to contact me, you can
do so through the mailing list at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pdsongs
***
Latin Is A Dying Language???
Latin Library (www.thelatinlibrary.com) died,
and was resurrected recently. Bring attention
to the fact that we need to save these files,
find matching paper editions, and be sure the
files don't disappear.
If you would like to help with Latin eBooks,
please let me know.
We have a few volunteers for this who could
help coordinate your efforts, if you should
be able to locate any Latin books.
***
Project Gutenberg DVD Needs Burners
So far we have access to a dozen DVD burners. If you have
a DVD burner or know someone with one, please email me,
so we can plan how many DVD's we can make with all 10,000
Project Gutenberg eBooks on them when they are ready. We
can likely send you a box of CDs containing most of these
files early, and then a final update CD in November when
you would download the last month's/weeks' releases.
I have the first test DVD here right now!!! Nearly all
of our first 9,000 eBooks, and multiple formats!
*** PROJECT GUTENBERG IS SEEKING LEGAL BEAGLES
We are seeking pro bono or very cheap legal assistance to pursue
Project Gutenberg trademark infringers and similar issues. Please
email Michael Hart <hart@pobox.com>.
[We received 3 replies from the US, 1 from Australia, but
may need more around December 10.]
*** NEW ADDRESS FOR "PUNCH" MAGAZINE TEAM
If you have, and are willing to scan bound volumes of Punch
pre-1923 please contanct as below. No single issues, please,
unless you have a complete year of them.
Please contact: jonathan_ingram@yahoo.com
*** Progress Report
In the first 7.75 months of this year, we produced 2405 new eBooks.
It took us from 1971 to 1999 to produce our first 2,405 eBooks!
That's 34 WEEKS as Compared to 29 Years!
70 New eBooks This Week
43 New eBooks Last Week
188 New eBooks This Month [August]
310 Average Per Month in 2003 <<<
203 Average Per Month in 2002 <<<
103 Average Per Month in 2001 <<<
2406 New eBooks in 2003
2441 New eBooks in 2002
1240 New eBooks in 2001
====
6067 New eBooks Since Start Of 2001
9,149 Total Project Gutenberg eBooks
5,818 eBooks This Week Last Year
3,279 New eBooks In The Last 12 Months
4,439 New eBooks in the last 18 months
4,556 Would Have Been Exactly Moore's Law
[Only 117 Short!!!]
267 eBooks From Project Gutenberg of Australia
*Main URL is promo.net Webmaster is Pietro di Miceli of Rome, Italy*
Check out our Websites at promo.net/pg & gutenberg.net, and see below
to learn how you can get INSTANT access to our eBooks via FTP servers
even before the new eBooks listed below appear in our catalog.
eBooks are posted throughout the week. You can even get daily lists.
***
FLASHBACK!!!
2406 New eBooks So Far in 2003
It took us 29 years for the first 2406!
That's the 34 WEEKS of 2003 as Compared to 29 YEARS!!!
Here Is A Sample Of What Books Were Being Done Around #2406
Dec 2000 The Diary of a Man of Fifty by H. James [James#21][dmnftxxx.xxx] 2426
Dec 2000 A Bundle of Letters, by Henry James [James#20][bndltxxx.xxx] 2425
Dec 2000 Black Bartlemy's Treasure, by Jeffrey Farnol [bbtrexxx.xxx] 2424
Dec 2000 Anecdotes of Johnson, by Hesther Lynch Piozzi [andsjxxx.xxx] 2423
Dec 2000 Introduction to The Compleat Angler Andrew Lang 23[alcmaxxx.xxx] 2422
Dec 2000 The Beggar's Opera, by John Gay [Gay1][bgoprxxx.xxx] 2421
Dec 2000 Unterhaltungen deutscher AusgewandertenGoethe [30][?untrxxx.xxx] 2420
Dec 2000 La Dame aux Camelias, by Alexandre Dumas [8damexxx.xxx] 2419
Dec 2000 Oldport Days, by Thomas Wentworth Higginson [#2][oldptxxx.xxx] 2418
Dec 2000 Okewood of the Secret Service, Valentine Williams [valenxxx.xxx] 2417
Dec 2000 The House of Pride &c., by Jack London [London#89][hsprdxxx.xxx] 2416
Dec 2000 The Mutiny of the Elsinore, by Jack London[JL #88][elsnrxxx.xxx] 2415
Nov 2000 Cliges: A Romance, by Chretien de Troyes [cligexxx.xxx] 2414
Nov 2000 Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert [Flaubert#4][mbovaxxx.xxx] 2413
Nov 2000 The Categories, by Aristotle [aristxxx.xxx] 2412
Nov 2000 Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre, Goethe [Goethe30][?wmw3xxx.xxx] 2411
Nov 2000 Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre, Goethe [Goethe29][?wmw2xxx.xxx] 2410
Nov 2000 Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre, Goethe [Goethe28][?wmw1xxx.xxx] 2409
Nov 2000 Die Leiden des jungen Werther, Goethe [Goethe27][?ljw2xxx.xxx] 2408
Nov 2000 Die Leiden des jungen Werther, Goethe [Goethe26][?ljw1xxx.xxx] 2407
Nov 2000 Die Geschwister, by Goethe [Goethe25][?geswxxx.xxx] 2406
Nov 2000 Italienische Reise, by Goethe vol. 2 [Goethe24][?itr2xxx.xxx] 2405
Nov 2000 Italienische Reise, by Goethe vol. 1 [Goethe23][?itr1xxx.xxx] 2404
Nov 2000 Die Wahlverwandtschaften, by Goethe [Goethe22][?wahlxxx.xxx] 2403
Nov 2000 Briefe aus der Schweiz, by Goethe [Goethe21][?schwxxx.xxx] 2402
Nov 2000 The Memoirs of General the Baron de Marbot [marboxxx.xxx] 2401
Nov 2000 Vikram and the Vampire, by Sir Richard F. Burton [vikrvxxx.xxx] 2400
Nov 2000 Imaginary Portraits, by Walter Pater [W. Pater #2][iprtrxxx.xxx] 2399
Nov 2000 Story of My Life, by Helen Keller [kellexxx.xxx] 2397
Nov 2000 History of the Catholic Church, by J. MacCaffrey [hcathxxx.xxx] 2396
Nov 2000 The Golden Fleece, by Padraic Colum [fleecxxx.xxx] 2395
[This is not the same as eBook #1614, The Golden Fleece by Julian Hawthorne]
Nov 2000 The Grand Canyon of Arizona, by George W. James [gcoazxxx.xxx] 2394
Nov 2000 His Dog, by Albert Payson Terhune [hsdogxxx.xxx] 2393
Nov 2000 Further Adventures of Lad, Albert Payson Terhune [faladxxx.xxx] 2392
Nov 2000 Bruce, by Albert Payson Terhune [brucexxx.xxx] 2391
Nov 2000 The Conquest of the Old Southwest, by Henderson [cnqswxxx.xxx] 2390
Nov 2000 Bardelys the Magnificent, by Rafael Sabatini [bardexxx.xxx] 2389
Nov 2000 The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Sir Edwin Arnold [bgitaxxx.xxx] 2388
Nov 2000 The Voice, by Margaret Deland [voicexxx.xxx] 2387
Nov 2000 Theodore Roosevelt; An Intimate Biography, Thayer [teddyxxx.xxx] 2386
Nov 2000 Gala-Days, by Gail Hamilton (Abigail Dodge) [galadxxx.xxx] 2385
Nov 2000 The Deliverance, by Ellen Glasgow [delivxxx.xxx] 2384
Nov 2000 Canterbury Tales and Other Poems, Geoffrey Chaucer[cbtlsxxx.xxx] 2383
Nov 2000 Proposed Territory of Arizona, Sylvester Mowry [tarizxxx.xxx] 2382
Nov 2000 Actions and Reactions, by Rudyard Kipling [RK#13][actrexxx.xxx] 2381
Nov 2000 Das Maerchen von dem Myrtenfraeulein, C. Brentano [?myrtxxx.xxx] 2380
Nov 2000 Chastelard, by Algernon Charles Swinburne [chastxxx.xxx] 2379
Oct 2000 Select Epigrams from the Greek Anthology, Mackail [?efgmxxx.xxx] 2378
Oct 2000 The Son of the Wolf, by Jack London [London ###] [snwlfxxx.xxx] 2377
Oct 2000 Up From Slavery, by Booker T. Washington [slvryxxx.xxx] 2376
Oct 2000 Tartarin de Tarascon, by Alphonse Daudet [trtraxxx.xxx] 2375
(See also #1862, a different translation)
Oct 2000 Dora Thorne, by Charlotte M. Braeme [doratxxx.xxx] 2374
Oct 2000 The Path of the Law, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.[#2][pthlwxxx.xxx] 2373
***
The Future Of Project Gutenberg
We have had renewed interest in various areas of music, from publishing
more song lyrics and scores to listenable pieces in MIDI, WAV, and MP3.
We would LOVE to expand our Music Team to all kinds of music: classical,
folk, jazz, and music from a wide variety of countries and cultures.
***
Today Is Day #238 of 2003
This Completes Week #34
133 Days/19 Weeks To Go [We get 53 Wednesdays this year]
851 Books To Go To #10,000
105 Days To December 10, 2003
75 Days To November 10, 2003
[Our Goals For eBook #10,000]
[Our production year begins/ends
1st Wednesday of the month/year]
Week #70 Of Our SECOND 5,000 eBooks
71 Weekly Average in 2003
47 Weekly Average in 2002
24 Weekly Average in 2001
39 Only 39 Numbers Left On Our Reserved Numbers list
[Used to be well over 100]
*** Continuing Requests For Assistance:
Project Gutenberg--Canada will be starting up soon,
please let us know if you would like to volunteer!
Copyright in Canada is "Life +50" as in Australia,
and we have volunteers working on both of these.
We will also be seeking volunteers from others of
the "life +50" countries.
email: Diane Gratton <diane_xml@hotmail.com>
***
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If you have a book that has been scanned, but not yet run
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*** Have We Given Away A Trillion Books/Dollars Yet???
Statistical Review
In the 34 weeks of this year, we have produced 2406 new eBooks.
It took us from 1971 to 1999 to produce our FIRST 2406 eBooks!!!
That's 34 WEEKS as Compared to 29 YEARS!!!
With 9,149 eBooks online as of August 27, 2003 it now takes an average
of 100,000,000 readers gaining a nominal value of $1.09 from each book,
for Project Gutenberg to have currently given away $1,000,000,000,000
[One Trillion Dollars] in books.
100,000,000 readers is only about 1.5% of the world's population!
This "cost" is down from about $1.72 when we had 5818 eBooks A Year Ago
Can you imagine 9,149 books each costing $.63 less a year later???
Or. . .would this say it better?
Can you imagine 9,149 books each costing 1/3 less a year later???
At 9149 eBooks in 32 Years and 2.75 Months We Averaged
284 Per Year [About how many we do per month these days!]
24 Per Month
.79 Per Day
At 2406 eBooks Done In The 238 Days Of 2003 We Averaged
10 Per Day
71 Per Week
310 Per Month
The production statistics are calculated based on full weeks'
production, each production-week starts/ends Wednesday noon,
starts with the first Wednesday of January. January 1st was
the first Wednesday of 2003, and thus ended PG's production
year of 2002 and began the production year of 2003 at noon.
This year there will be 53 Wednesdays, thus one extra week.
***Headline News***
[PG Editor's Comments In Brackets]
>From Newsscan:
[Are You Wondering Why Your First Answers From Google And Yahoo
Often Have *NOTHING* To Do With The Inquiry You Just Entered???]
ADVERTISERS BID UP KEYWORDS ON PAID-SEARCH SITES
Bidding activity on the two most popular paid-search services -- Google's
AdWords program and Overture (soon to be acquired by Yahoo) -- has boosted
the cost of keywords that trigger ad placement along with search results.
"There are a lot of newbies coming on board, some of whom are seriously
inflating the bid market," says Dana Todd, a partner at SiteLab
International. According to Overture ad marketing director Craig Wax, it's
not uncommon for small businesses to have active bids on anywhere from 50
to 500 keywords, while some large companies maintain bids on more than
5,000. If prices continue rise, some search-engine experts say the love
affair with keyword advertising will soon fizzle. "Right now, it's hot. But
eventually, it's going to get too expensive for people," says Grantastic
Designs marketing director Shari Thurow, who notes that keywords that sold
for as little as $1 per click two years ago are now selling for $10 and up.
She suggests a return to so-called "organic listings" -- industry-speak for
search results that aren't paid for. Of course, even organic listings
aren't exactly free -- in order to assure a top-level ranking, Web site
owners commonly spend thousands of dollars to "search engine optimization"
services, which examine code, site structure, linking, content and other
design aspects to improve the chances of a prominent position in the results.
(Wired.com 22 Aug 2003)
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,60121,00.html
[The Plot Sickens]
ONLINE PUBLISHERS EYE CONTEXT-BASED ADS
Taking a cue from the search engine market, big online publishers are
signing up for so-called contextual advertising -- short text ads placed
alongside published articles with a similar theme, such as an antivirus ad
linked to a piece on the latest computer virus outbreak. So far, the
Washington Post Co., Knight Ridder, MSNBC.com and MarketWatch.com are
testing the waters, and other publishers, such as the New York Times'
digital unit and the Wall Street Journal Online are in active negotiations.
The way it works is this: advertisers enter bids for keywords or categories
on ad networks such as Google or Overture. The publishers cede control of
some of the space on their pages to the ad networks, which place ads next
to like-themed stories. The advertiser then pays a certain amount whenever
a reader clicks on its ad, and the money is split between the ad networks
and the publishers. Few sites will release figures on contextual-ad
revenue, but Overture CEO Ted Meisel optimistically predicts that
contextual ads "will rapidly become a billion-dollar market." Meanwhile,
some publishers are experiencing the pitfalls of off-the-wall placements.
An article in the New York Post last month titled "Headless Body Was Packed
to Go," about human remains found in a suitcase, was paired with ads for
luggage. A Google official says the company has since added filters to
ensure that it doesn't serve ads on pages that would be "inappropriate to
monetize," such as articles about murders or natural disasters. (Wall
Street Journal 22 Aug 2003)
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105975068486749200,00.html (sub req'd)
CHINA SEARCH ENGINE CHALLENGES GOOGLE'S TOP SPOT
Huicong International Software is launching a campaign to unseat search
engine giant Google from its dominant position in the market. "Huicong will
devote itself to the research and development of Chinese search engines to
realize the dream of China's own Google," says CEO Chen Pei. The Huicong
search tool covers 200 million Chinese-language Web pages, and incorporates
topic categorization, content analysis and China-region recognition. It
also is capable of suggesting correct spellings of misspelled "pinyin"
words -- a method of using Western letters for Chinese script. In addition,
the tool can search MP3 files, pictures and Flash animations.
(CNet News.com 22 Aug 2003)
http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5067017.html?tag=fd_top
LISTENING IN THE DARK: 'JANE DOE' WANTS TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS
Lawyers for an anonymous Verizon Communications customer known as "Jane
Doe," who's accused of illegal music downloading from the Internet, have
filed a motion in federal court in Washington, D.C., to assert her privacy
and other constitutional rights. So far, the Recording Industry Association
of America (RIAA) has issued more than 1,000 subpoenas to Internet service
providers demanding the names and addresses of people it intends to sue for
illegal use of copyrighted music found online. An RIAA official said the
woman's arguments "have already been addressed by a federal judge -- and
they have been rejected. Courts have already ruled that you are not
anonymous when you publicly distribute music online."
(Reuters/USA Today 21 Aug 2003)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-08-21-jane-doe_x.htm
[But Can She? . . . Remain Anonymous?]
BIOMETRIC SCANS FOR U.S. VISITORS
Biometric face and fingerprint scans for travelers will become routine
security measures for foreign visitors next year. By October 2004 the 27
countries whose citizens can travel to the U.S. without visas must begin
issuing passports with embedded computer chips with the traveler's facial
identification. Civil libertarian Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy
Information Center opposes the mandate: "Our government has forced on
European governments the obligation to adopt biometric identifiers though
most in the U.S. still oppose such systems." But Kelly Shannon of the State
Department argues that is not only "more secure for other countries, it's
more secure for us. The idea is that it is contingent on reciprocal
treatment for United States citizens." And Denis Shagnon of the
International Civil Aviation Organization adds: "What was required was
a globally interoperable biometric -- one biometric that could be used
worldwide and can be read worldwide." He regards the biometric techniques
as "very user-friendly" and "unobtrusive." (New York Times 24 Aug 2003)
http://partners.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/national/24IDEN.html
[I Seem To Recall Something About This In The Economic Reports:
Upper Management Is Still Getting Richer, Even While Downsizing]
MIXED INFORMATION ON SILICON VALLEY ECONOMY
Despite the high-tech slowdown, Silicon Valley residents remain bullish on
the future -- and continue buying up homes in the $500K-plus range. "On one
side companies are still laying people off, on the other side you see new
homes that still have over 100 people on the waiting list," says one Valley
real estate agent. "I call it mixed information."
(San Jose Mercury News 24 Aug 2003)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6606561.htm
[Can Anyone Find "Huw Robson?"]
NEW HP E-BOOK 'READY TO ROCK 'N' ROLL'
Hewlett-Packard researchers have developed a prototype electronic book that
can hold a whole library's worth of reading in a one-centimeter-thick
device about the size of a paperback. The e-book incorporates a series of
touch-sensitive strips that the user strokes to "turn" a page. By stroking
the strip at different speeds, the user can speed-read or browse more
casually. Electronic bookmarks and "fingers" can be inserted for marking a
place or flipping between chapters. The market for electronic books is
still in the embryonic stage, but Hewlett Packard scientist Huw Robson says
his company wants to be ready when it does take off: "Radical new display
technologies are on the horizon which will give a much more paper-like
feel. When this comes along we need to have researched all aspects of how
we will develop new displays so that we're ready to rock and roll."
(BBC News 24 Aug 2003)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3173835.stm
[I have a friend who got over 14,000 of these in one day. . . .]
[I'm getting a few hundred per day]
SOBIG IS FASTEST-SPREADING VIRUS EVER
The newest version of the Sobig virus is said to be the fastest-spreading
network virus ever, and MessageLabs (a company that filters e-mail for
corporate clients) intercepted more than a million copies of the "Sobig.F"
virus in a single day -- or one in every 17 e-mail messages the firm
scanned. The virus spreads through Windows PCs via e-mail and corporate
networks, and deposits a Trojan horse, or hacker back door, that can be
used to turn victims' PCs into relayers of spam e-mail. Yesterday, a worm
virus brought down the signaling systems of railroad company CSX Corp,
causing delays and canceled trains through the Eastern states. (Dow
Jones/AP/SJMN 21 Aug 2003)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6578730.htm
[Humanmade Material Still Inferior To Those Found In Nature]
NATURAL SEA SPONGE FIBERS OUTSHINE MANMADE CABLE
Scientists say the thin glass fibers grown by the "Venus flower basket"
sea sponge are capable of better transmitting light than the
industrial-strength fiber-optic cables that carry most of today's
telecommunications. "You can actually tie a knot in these natural
biological fibers and they will not break -- it's really quite amazing,"
says Joanna Aizenberg, who led the research at Bell Labs. The flexible
fibers -- each about two to seven inches long and the thickness of a human
hair -- grow at the base of the sea sponge to help anchor it to the ocean
floor. In contrast, the glass fibers produced by current manufacturing
methods are heated to high temperatures and produce relatively brittle
cable. In addition, the sponge is able to add traces of sodium to the
fibers, enhancing their ability to conduct light -- something that cannot
be done to manmade fibers because of the heat involved in manufacturing.
"One of the challenges of technology is doping the glass structure with
additives that improve optical properties," says Aizenberg. "If we
understand exactly how we can deposit sodium in glass fibers at low
temperatures as nature does, we can control all the properties."
(AP 20 Aug2003)
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20030820/D7T1UEDO0.html
INTERNET-INSPIRED TERMS MAKE THE OXFORD CUT
The venerable Oxford Dictionary of English has added 3,000 more terms to
its collection of 350,000 words and phrases commonly used in the English
language and a sizeable number are traceable to the Internet. Included in
the latest group are "cyberslacker" -- an employee who surfs the Net for
personal use during work; "ego surfer" -- one who looks for references of
him- or herself online; "data smog" -- the impenetrable morass of facts
available online; and "shovelware" -- low-priced games or other software
programs bundled into higher-priced collections. Meanwhile, the word
"groom" has taken on a more sinister meaning when it refers to paedophiles'
online interactions with potential victims. (The Independent 21 Aug 2003)
http://news.independent.co.uk/digital/news/story.jsp?story=435650
WIRELESS BROADBAND
The "digital divide" that once separated information-poor rural areas and
information-rich urban areas has now pretty much been erased, according to
the Center for Rural Policy and Development. A new report from that group
cites wireless Internet as one reason that people in rural areas now enjoy
about the same level of broadband access as all Americans. For example, the
Rural Minnesota Internet survey showed that 15% of rural Minnesota
households have high-speed connections, compared with 16% of all U.S.
homes. Dennis Miller, chief executive of Midwest Wireless in outstate
Minnesota, is exultant: "You can participate in the global economy, and you
don't have to drive into the Twin Cities." Barb Fasnach, information
technology coordinator for LCS Precision Molding in Waterville, MN,
completely agrees: "I think we would have stagnated and shrunken" without
Midwest's service. "It's, 'If you build it, we will exist.'... We have a
little advantage over the big companies because we're in rural Minnesota
and have a work force that wants to go to work. Our costs are less, and that's
one of the reasons we stay here. Broadband makes the footing more even."
(AP/USA Today 20 Aug 2003)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2003-08-20-wifi-broadband_
NEW ZEALAND SPAMMER 'OUTED' -- SAYS HE'LL GIVE IT UP
Shane Atkinson, a New Zealand man who was recently identified in a local
newspaper as a major spammer, says he's giving up his business after being
inundated with threatening phone calls and having his personal information
posted on the Net. And while vigilantes may rejoice at such intimidation
methods, industry analysts says the potential for wrongful targeting is too
great and, in any event, there's always a steady supply of replacements.
"You'll put a dent in it but somebody else will be there to take his
place," says Gartner research director Maurene Caplan Grey. "The spam kings
know how to get around the system. The only ones you'll frighten are the
occasional spammers trying to make a few extra bucks this weekend."
[This Is Better Left To The Law Enforcement Professionals]
According to a recent estimate, about 200 spammers are responsible for 90%
of the spam-mail sent out globally. Meanwhile, it's not just the spammers
who profit from their activities; other beneficiaries include the providers
of e-mail addresses, suppliers of spamming software, offshore Internet
service providers and even legitimate spam-filtering software vendors.
(TechNewsWorld/E-Commerce Times 25 Aug 2003)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/31421.html
MIT'S OPENCOURSEWARE EXPERIMENT
MIT caught distance educators by surprise in April 2001 when it announced
plans to post the content of some 2,000 classes on the Web, saying it hoped
to spur a worldwide movement among educators to share knowledge and improve
teaching methods. In a world where most institutions are seeking to squeeze
a few extra bucks from their Internet activities, here was a preeminent
university willing to give it all away for free. "It's a profoundly simple
idea that was not intuitive," says Anne Margulies, the former Harvard
assistant provost and executive director of information systems who now
heads up the MIT OpenCourseWare project. "At the time, the world was
clamping down on information, limiting it to those who could pay for it."
In September, MIT will officially launch OpenCourseWare with 500 courses,
but during the past year's beta phase, it's already learned a few lessons,
such as how do you discourage Third World scam artists from hawking MIT
[How?]
degrees as if they were Rolex knock-offs? Despite these problems, the test
was hailed a success, and OpenCourseWare is now set to expand its outreach
by offering translations of 25 courses into Spanish and Portuguese,
courtesy of Universia, a Madrid-based consortium of universities. Similar
offers from the Middle East, the Ukraine and Mongolia are under
consideration. The real test, however, will be whether the project will
sprout the online communities needed to support individual courses. "We'd
like to see self-managed OpenCourseWare communities," says Margulies. "Our
vision is to have this open source software on the site, as well as
information that helps people build a learning community, whether it's in
Namibia, Thailand, whatever." (Wired.com Sep 2003)
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/mit.html
MORE THEORIES ABOUT SOBIG VANDAL'S MOTIVATION
Is money the real motivation for the spread of the Sobig virus? Sobig is
transmitted as an e-mail attachment and is the sixth variant of the
malicious code by an unknown attacker. Mikko H. Hypponen, director of
antivirus research at F-Secure corporation in Finland says: "I think the
motivation is clear: it's money. Behind Sobig we have a group of hackers
who have a budget and money." Computer security expert Russ Cooper suggests
that the vandal is acting out comic book fantasies: "You can liken this guy
to Lex Luthor and we're all Supermen. Luckily, we've been able to get the
kryptonite from around our necks each time so far." One popular theory is
that Sobig is the work of an e-mail spammer who is aggressively trying to
build a clandestine infrastructure for blitzing the Internet with junk
e-mail. Antivirus software researcher Joe Hartman of TrendMicro says, "If
machines remain infected they could be used in any kind of attack. The
question we ask ourselves is, What is he trying to achieve? We don't think
it's planned for a specific threat, rather its more likely a money-making
spam scheme." And Bruce Hughes of Trusecure points out: "There is some
evidence that he's been tied in with spammers." Sobig spreads further only
when a computer user selects the attached program that then secretly mails
itself to e-mail addresses stored in the user's computer. The Computer
Emergency Response Team at Carnegie Mellon University says, "Our current
advice is: Don't open an attachment unless you are expecting one."
(New York Times 26 Aug 2003)
http://partners.nytimes.com/2003/08/26/technology/26VIRU.html
ORGANIZED CRIME BEHIND SOBIG MESS?
Antivirus specialist Peter Simpson warns that the Sobig.F virus is the
latest in a series of attempts on the part of organized crime to shift some
of their illicit activities online. "Sobig smashed all the records in terms
of pure numbers, but that's not nearly the whole story. This is the sixth
in a series of controlled experiments. This isn't about some kiddy writing
viruses in his bedroom -- this is really a very sophisticated example of
organized crime," says Simpson, a manager at Clearswift's ThreatLab.
Simpson explained that the purpose of a virus such as Sobig isn't to cause
damage, but to gain control of the machine in order to access information
such as financial details for the purpose of fraud. It also comes in handy
for disguising the source of spam by hijacking the victim's machine and
identity. "The real question here has to be about the motives of the virus
writer. This isn't just about writing a virus that will spread rapidly and
break records; the motives here are very different and are clearly
criminal. It's all about the hidden agenda." (ZDNet/Silicon.com 25 Aug 2003)
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5067494.html
[Speaking Of Hidden Agendas, The Hidden Agenda In This Case Could Be To
Increase The Penalties For The Script Kiddies Mentioned Above. . .While
Pretending Not To Care About Them. . .Much As The RIAA SAYS It Is *NOT*
Going After The Small Time MP3 Burner, But The Warrants Are Still There]
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>From Edupage
[Court Rules In Favor Of Grokseter and Streamcast, Decision Appealed]
[Kazaa Ruling Still Pending In Same Court, Appeal Certain If Same Ruling]
ENTERTAINMENT GROUPS APPEAL FILE-SHARING RULING
Three media groups have filed an appeal to a federal court ruling in
April that freed Grokster and Streamcast from responsibility for the
copyright violations of their users. The ruling does not apply to
Sharman Networks, distributor of the Kazaa file-sharing software. The
Recording Industry Association of America, along with the Motion
Picture Association of America and the National Music Publishers
Association, argue in their appeal that Judge Stephen Wilson's
decision disregarded a previous appeals court opinion regarding
Napster, which held the maker of the file-sharing software responsible.
Michael Page, an attorney for Grokster, said Wilson did follow the
tenets of the Napster decision and ruled properly. A similar case
against Sharman Networks is still pending in Wilson's court.
CNET, 19 August 2003
http://news.com.com/2100-1026_3-5065729.html
[History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely. . .
once they have exhausted all other alternatives. Abba Eban]
CALIFORNIA GETS CLOSE TO TOUGH PRIVACY LAW
Fearing an even tougher ballot initiative, the California Assembly has
passed a privacy bill that would place severe limits on what
information financial institutions would be allowed to share. The bill
is expected to pass easily through the state Senate, and Governor Gray
Davis has said he will sign the bill. The bill had previously been
rejected by committees, but lawmakers appeared nervous that an
initiative from consumer groups would be placed on a March ballot and
would likely pass. That initiative would have required institutions to
request permission from consumers before sharing any information with
any company. Steve Blackledge of the California Public Interest
Research Group said the "ball is now in the bankers' and insurers'
court" on whether they will challenge the law in court.
San Jose Mercury News, 19 August 2003
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6568074.htm
CALIFORNIA WOMAN FILES MOTION AGAINST RIAA
A legal motion filed in Washington, D.C., federal court by a "Jane Doe"
Internet service subscriber challenges the recording industry's file
trading subpoenas as unconstitutional and a violation of the
plaintiff's right to privacy. The suit is the first by an individual
whose personal information has been subpoenaed by the Recording
Industry Association of America. The RIAA has subpoenaed the identities
of more than 1,000 computer users who have allegedly been offering
copyrighted songs on file-trading networks, with the goal of filing
copyright lawsuits against the individuals. Because the subpoena was
issued to the plaintiff's Internet service provider, the plaintiff
must petition the court for the right to challenge the subpoena.
CNET, 21 August 2003
http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5066754.html
SOBIG CALLED FASTEST-SPREADING WORM
The Sobig.F worm has claimed the dubious distinction of being the
fastest spreading virus to date. The virus flooded e-mail servers and
inboxes, slowing corporate and university network access and causing
some e-mail systems to be taken offline. The assault seems to have
eased since August 21, when the malicious e-mail reportedly accounted
for about 70 percent of e-mail around the world. Security analysts
claim the virus hit the Internet so hard because it uses Trojan-horse
applications distributed by earlier variants of the Sobig worm.
Infected computers became hidden proxy servers, allowing the Sobig-F
worm to employ spamming techniques. Sobig-F is designed to stop on
September 10, leading analysts to suspect another variant will appear
soon thereafter.
Internet News, 21 August 2003
http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3066881
[When I Went To Hand In My Application To Yale In Person,
They Went Out Of Their Way To Make Sure I Did NOT Know...
I Asked The Dean If This Were Intentional. When I Got An
Answer Of "Yes," I Filed My Application In Circular Manner]
CORNELL TESTS WIRELESS CAMPUS TOURS
To make touring the Cornell University campus easier, Cornell is
experimenting with a research project underwritten by Intel that
involves context-aware computers. Visitors carry a Palm organizer
equipped with a global positioning system and the Campus Aware tour
guide program. Students in the university's Human-Computer Interaction
Group load text-based information into each Palm and tag the unit to
the latitude and longitude of campus landmarks. When those stored
components match the components calculated by the GPS unit, the Palm
beeps and displays notes of the official history along with comments
added by previous visitors to that spot. The current user is invited to
add a remark as well. The new notes are synchronized each night with
those on other Campus Aware units. Recent Cornell graduates Kiyo Kubo
and Nick Farina, who developed the Campus Aware project, have started a
company called Spotlight Mobile to program off-the-shelf hardware for
palmtop tours.
New York Times, 21 August 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/21/technology/circuits/21gpss.html
FACIAL RECOGNITION PULLED FROM TAMPA STREETS
Police in Tampa, Florida, are removing facial recognition software
linked to street surveillance cameras in the Ybor City entertainment
district after a two-year deployment failed to produce any arrests. The
test program was paid for by Identix, the producer of the software. The
decision to end the test was based on lack of results, said a police
spokesman, not because of privacy issues. The surveillance cameras,
which were installed in Ybor City in 1997, will remain.
Wired News, 21 August 2003
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,60140,00.html
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