Volume 12, Issue 07        Atari Online News, Etc.       February 12, 2010   
                                                                           
                                                                              
                  Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2010
                            All Rights Reserved

                          Atari Online News, Etc.
                           A-ONE Online Magazine
                Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
                      Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
                       Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor


                       Atari Online News, Etc. Staff

                        Dana P. Jacobson  --  Editor
                   Joe Mirando  --  "People Are Talking"
                Michael Burkley  --  "Unabashed Atariophile"
                   Albert Dayes  --  "CC: Classic Chips"
                         Rob Mahlert  --  Web site
                Thomas J. Andrews  --  "Keeper of the Flame"


                           With Contributions by:

                                Fred Horvat



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                                  =~=~=~=



A-ONE #1207                                                 02/12/10

   ~ MySpace CEO Steps Down! ~ People Are Talking!    ~ OpenOffice 3.2 Ready!
   ~ Google: Faster Network? ~ MacWorld Without Apple ~ MS Ends 'War' on Macs!
   ~ Beware Craigslist Scams ~ Google Tweaks The Buzz ~ A Peek at Windows 8?
   ~ EA Does Dante's Inferno ~ Illegal Uploader Fined ~ Male Life A Game?    

                  -* Digital "Fort Knox" Hacked!  *-
               -* Microsoft Tackles 17-Year-Old Bug!  *-
           -* Chinese Hacker Training Business Shut Down *-



                                  =~=~=~=



->From the Editor's Keyboard              "Saying it like it is!"
  """"""""""""""""""""""""""



"Snowmageddon"??!!  C'mon, Mr. President, don't be so dramatic!  You folks
had a couple of bad snow blizzards!  Big Deal.  Aren't you the presidential
candidate who ran under the "We Need Change" banner?  Well, you got it, in
the form of a very snowy winter in the D.C. area.  Maybe the folks down there
should invest heavily in some more snow removal equipment to prevent the
area from "shutting down" for awhile!  Did I hear the newscaster correctly
the other night when he stated that it was costing $100 million a day due
to the government not being able to conduct business?  Great, there's a ton
of money being blown for no good reason!  Sorry, but our national government
should not come to a standstill because of excessive snow, and then joke
about it while coining a stupid term.

But yes, the mid-Atlantic states have seen a couple of massive snow storms
over the past couple of weeks - that is, if you haven't seen the reports on
the local news (and especially if you have!).  I have to chuckle, because
up here in New England we were spared those storms - the first because of
the cold, and the second because of the warmth (warm winds off of the
ocean).  And trust me, we're not complaining up here.  Hey, want some fun?
Truck up some of that white stuff and deliver it to Vancouver - they could
use some snow!

Speaking of Vancouver, the 2010 Winter Olympics starts tonight.  I like
the winter Olympics for a number of reasons.  There are a lot of exciting
events; and I hope to be able to catch a few of them.  Go Team USA!

So, in-between watching the opening ceremonies and some early events, we
hope you take some time to check out this week's issue!

Until next time...



                                  =~=~=~=



                             PEOPLE ARE TALKING
                          compiled by Joe Mirando
                             joe@atarinews.org



Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Another week has come and gone, and I think
maybe we'll actually be able to take a look at some UseNet messages! Will
wonders never cease?

But before we do, I just want to mention one thing that's really been
ticking me off for a while. It's the use (or, mis-use, actually) of the
English language. People making up words instead of actively trying to
find existing words to do the job and assuming the rest of the population
is as limited as they are and that they'll just go along with it like
they knew what this new made up thing was all along.

It really irritates me.

Like the current "Snowmageddon". Yeah, we all know what it means, but is
it really necessary to give the situation a new name? That's just
annoying. And yeah, its unusual for the Washington DC area to get that
much snow, but let's face it; it's hardly the end of the world.

I had a supervisor once who used to "documentate" procedures and
"quantifize" the "rezits". Yeah, slightly humorous, but incredibly
annoying when you've actually take the time to LEARN the language. C'mon
folks, there are tens of thousands of words in the English language. Do
we really NEED to make up more out of thin air?

Doing this just leads to scattered thought and the inability to put ones
thoughts into clear, concise terms. No wonder we had a president that was
misunderestimated.

A derivative of this is using words with meanings that really don't fit
what you're trying to say. I started noticing this more and more about 5
years ago. I remember when the Red Sox won the pennant. All of a sudden,
there was a "Red Sox nation". Really? Would someone please explain to me
how this accurately describes ANYTHING?

And if that wasn't bad enough, now other people are using it. I heard it
the other night on one of those tabloid TV shows as I was clicking
through the channels... It was a poll taken in the "A H nation" (the show
was Access Hollywood). Come on, do you mean to tell me that no one at the
network could have come up with a better, more descriptive word or phrase
to impart a feeling of camaraderie among people who have nothing more in
common than that they watch the same mindless gossip show for thirty
minutes a night? No wonder I can't find a job!

Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? Well from now on, I guess
I'll have dual citizenship. Starting now, I'll be a part of both the
Conster Nation and the Indig Nation. One place I'm NOT ready for yet
though is the Resig Nation. [chuckle]

Well, that's enough for this week. Let's take a look at what's going on
online. I HOPE we finally have enough stuff from the UseNet to keep our
interest for a few minutes.


From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================


'Phantom' asks:

"What CD programs are/were available for making Audio/Data CDs on
ST-Falcon?

I know of a couple that I use, but seems I recall a few others that were
made.  If there are any that work, would like info on them and which CD
burners are supported?"


Ronald Hall tells Phantom that he's...

"Not sure, but think I posted this before, but in case you missed it,
ExtenDOS Pro and the CDWriter Suite from Roger Burrows at Anodyne Software
is pretty awesome. It works fine on my Yamaha burner on my Mega ST for
backing up my BBS stuff to CD. Its also great on my Liteon DVD burner on
my Falcon - yes, you can burn DVDs on your Falcon. Does audio CD's on
both as well. There is a list of supported [sic]software on the website.

http://www.anodynesoftware.com/

It is commercial though. Or were you talking about free software?

Of course, I meant a list of supported "hardware"... :)"


Phantom replies:

"I have that software, bought it new, haven't upgraded to the latest
version though.

Was wondering if there was anything else available besides ExtenDos/CD
Writer?"


Ronald tells Phantom:

"[ExtenDOS is] Awesome software, and Roger is great.

> Was wondering if there was anything else available besides ExtenDos/CD
> Writer?

[Maybe] Spin? Not sure about it really does though..

Maybe someone with experience with it can jump in here?"


Uwe Seimet, author of HD Driver, tells Ronald:

"No, Spin is just for reading, not for writing."


Edward Baiz adds:

"This is a no brainer. Get the programs from Anodyne Software.
They are the best and work great."


Phantom tells Edward:

"I have those, just maybe not the latest version.

I do have a different Atari CD Burner Software/hardware system that works
great!"


Now we go from CD writing to music writing as Phantom asks:


"Anyone still using an Atari based stuff for Music stuff these days?

Web sites, links please if you know of any... of just let me know what if
anything is going on...

Also, any real Atari users from the old days still going?

I know most of us have modified our own equipment, just curious if there
is still a demand for Atari based software, hardware, music and the like?

I never left but it seems that everyone else did."


Again, Ronald replies to Phantom.

"Phantomm, check here:

http://www.atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=18392&p=158533&hilit=...

Real Atari users??  Me, me, me! Oh, but I guess you know about me... :)

> I know most of us have modified our own equipment, just curious if there
> is still a demand for Atari based software, hardware, music and the
> like?

Demand for Atari based software? I'm pretty sure that most of us that
frequent the newsgroups and website forums would respond with a resounding
yes.

Nah [we haven't left], we're just hibernating through this cold winter..."


Guillaume Tello adds:

"  I'm still using some Ataris:
        - two TT for programming
        - two STE's for games.

You can see them on my page:
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/gtello/machin_e.htm  "


Dennis Schulmeister adds:

"Sorry, no website but me, too. Though I'm not frequently writing to
the list I'm constantly reading it and do post sometimes at atari-home.de

Actually I'm using Cubase on Falcon for several years now and got it
synced to several audio workstations in the meantime. Back in the days I
used to use a Windows DAW called n-track. Later came Ardour on Linux and
now I have it hooked up with a AW4416 which is a digital mixer with
built-in audio recorder. MTC/MMC works wonders and it's great to have
Cubase play the synthesizers in sync to the audio recordings. 

If I remember correctly, I started with ATARI sometime around 1992 and am
still using it. So I would consider myself to be from the old days."


Edward Baiz jumps in and adds:

"I have been around since the beginning and am still using
an Atari (much to the displeasure of my wife). Right now
I am just using a small Falcon030, but am waiting for the
CTPCI upgrade before I start putting together an upgraded
Falcon system. I am also getting the Coldfire computer. As
far as Midi is concerned, I do not do too much. I probably
when my new systems are up and running. I do have an old
Roland MT-32 MIDI module which still works great. I have
Cub, Cub lite and Sweet-16 (which is still supported I think)."


Phantom replies:

"I've heard of the ColdFire Project, I wouldn't mind getting one,
but need to find out more about it first. I'm glad that projects like this
are still going on. I just don't want to spend my hard earned money on
another board, only to find out, that 6 months later, I'll have to buy
another one to have the bug free one. Where can I place an order for one?"


Jo Even Skarstein supplies the URL:

"http://acp.atari.org/ "


Piotrek asks about using a Compact Flash card:

"I have question with configuration of Hard Disk and Compact Flash card
using HDDriver on Atari falcon. My friend have very old Hard disk Quantum
GLS127A (2.5 inch). Information about this disk I found on web page

http://stason.org/TULARC/pc/hard-drives-hdd/quantum/GODRIVE-GLS-127-A...

But still I have a problem is it possibility to change between master and
slave.

When I connect this drive and Compact Flash Card (Kingstom 4 GB) (connect
to IDE port via special converter using 2,5 inch cable, the HDDriver
showed only the disk, but I connected only the Card HDDriver showed when
boot the system.

ELITE PRO CF CARD 4 GB ver 2 Direct Access

The problem is because I have not possibility to save it, HDDriver
Install in Hddrutil.app is not active.

Does somebody know what can I do with this? Maybe with other disk drive?"


PPera tells Pirotrek:

"Not exactly clear what you try to say...

 Usually on CF card adapters is jumper for selecting will it be master
or slave. But you need to try that Kingston first alone, as master. It
will likely work not good with Falcon - according to my experiences.
Especially writing (save) is troublesome. Maybe it is the reason why
you can not do proper install. [A] Much better choice is some Sandisk CF
card.

In any case, you need first to partition card, update config and only
then you may install driver. What Hddriver vers. you have?"


Jim DeClercq adds:

"This from a TT030 running a generic CF card as a hard drive. This part
works. I would suggest trying the 2.5 inch drive separately, first. If
there is some other problem with the 2.5 inch drive, try ICD Pro Tools,
which does not, I am told, use the complete command set, and may work. It
is compatible with the much better HDDriver.

When you have that working (there should be jumpers on the drive, to be
done at the other end of its cable) then, by my experience, using a SCSI
bridge card and a CF card adapter, any brand should work.  But you need
to partition it, before any driver will install."


Well folks, that's it for this time around. Tune in again next week, same
time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...

PEOPLE ARE TALKING



                                  =~=~=~=



->In This Week's Gaming Section  - EA Does 'Dante's Inferno' Justice!
  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""    Oz Illegal Uploader Fined!
                                   Life Is A Game?
                                   


        
                                  =~=~=~=



->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News   -  The Latest Gaming News!
  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""



                       EA Does 'Dante's Inferno' Justice


If ever there was a work of great literature tailor-made for adaptation
into a video game, it would be Dante Alighieri's "Inferno" from "The
Divine Comedy," a three-part poem. It has hell's signature foreboding
and a litany of monstrous entities that any game developer needs for a
good head start.

Electronic Arts has treated Dante's vision of nine circles of hell with
the care and respect it deserves in "Dante's Inferno" ($60; Xbox 360,
PS3, PSP). It's a frightening journey to the underworld that earns every
ounce of its "M" for mature rating.

You play, of course, as Dante, who is in a Middle Ages midlife crisis.
He must find his lost love Beatrice and rescue her from Lucifer and his
minions while evading and doling out punishment (or absolution) to
thousands of lost souls along the descent through hell. He also does
some navel-gazing about some of his own decisions that have landed him
in this fine predicament.

This third-person action game has a good feel to it, and reminds me in
movements and level adversity to THQ's excellent "Conan" title of 2007.
Slashing combat attacks and deft blocking are crucial to vanquishing the
enemies with Dante's primary weapon, Death's scythe.

I played the Xbox 360 version. In an early level, after killing
innumerable souls who thrust at me with crude weapons, I faced off
against an evil boss who rode atop a beast, steering him by his horns.
Fortunately I had acquired some slick fighting moves after cashing in a
few collected souls, which serve as the currency of choice in hell. You
beat up and kill some souls, then use them to buy better skills.

All along the journey there was wailing, crying and screaming. It echoed
from beyond the walls, as souls seeking salvation begged for my help.
Occasionally, I came upon famous characters in history and was given the
honor of granting absolution or punishment.

For instance, I chose to push the "X" button and punish Pontius Pilate,
the Roman governor who, according to the Gospels, allowed Jesus of
Nazareth to be crucified. As he begged forgiveness, my scythe drove
violently through his skull and his body fell before me. Likewise, I
also punished Clodia, a notorious gambler and seducer of ancient Rome.

I chose, however, to absolve the Greek poet Orpheus, who glowed white
and rose to the heavens. Then I had to grab his sins by pressing the
X-Y-A-B controller buttons as orbs containing his sins floated toward
the corresponding colors in the center of the screen. I grabbed enough
to grant him absolution and earn some bonus souls.

Such were the decisions I made as I fought my way through the circles of
Limbo, Lust and Gluttony.

"Dante's Inferno" isn't a title for the squeamish. After crossing the
River of Acheron, I faced off against bloody toddlers with blades for
arms. They hobbled around and slashed at me, and later reappeared when
the female level boss plucked them from her bosom and sent them to
attack me again. These "unblessed infants" are explained to be children
facing damnation for not having been baptized.

The finishing moves are polished and exciting, the weapons and powers
are fun to use. The lovely Beatrice, however, can barely keep her
clothes on in any of the lively cut scenes. If Dante ever finds and
rescues her, hopefully he'll have saved up enough Judas coins along the
way to buy her something warm.

Beatrice looks cold, though comely, even in hell.

Four out of four stars.



          Gamer To Pay Nintendo $1.3 Million for Illegal Upload


An Australian man has agreed to pay Nintendo 1.3 million US dollars for
illegally uploading a game to the Internet six days before its global
release, the firm said Tuesday.

Nintendo said it had settled the Federal Court action against the man
who hacked into New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii gaming console and put
it on the world wide web on November 6, 2009.

"The legal proceeding resulted in a settlement in which the individual
will pay to Nintendo the sum of 1.5 million (Australian) dollars by way
of damages to compensate Nintendo for the loss of sales revenue caused
by the individual's actions," it said in a statement.

Nintendo said the Australian man, named by local media as 24-year-old
James Burt, bought the popular game ahead of its global release when a
shop accidentally put it on its shelves before the official sale date.

He breached copyright law by hacking into it and illegally making it
available on the Internet, causing the company to lose thousands of
sales, Nintendo said.

Games are generally made available in Australia around six months after
their release in the major markets of Japan and the United States, but
in this instance Australia was ahead of the rest of the world.

"It wasn't just an Australian issue, it was a global issue. There was
thousands and thousands of downloads, at a major cost to us and the
industry really," Nintendo Australia managing director Rose Lappin said.

"Once it's on the Internet it's anyone's really."

Nintendo said when it discovered the game was online, it used computer
forensics experts to identify the individual responsible.

"Nintendo will pursue those who attempt to jeopardise our industry by
using all means available to it under the law," the company said in the
statement.

In the settlement on January 27, Burt was also ordered by the Federal
Court to pay Nintendo's legal fees of 100,000 dollars.



                       Make Life A Game and Save The World


Game designer Jane McGonigal is adamant that epic wins can save the world.

Epic wins are videogame moments when players unflinchingly take on
horrendous enemies for a greater good, and usually a mountain of
experience points that let them "level-up" characters with improved
abilities.

"A goal for the next decade is to make it as easy to save the world in
real life as it is to save the world in online games," McGonigal told a
rapt audience at a prestigious TED Conference that ends here Saturday.

Approximately three billion hours are devoted weekly to playing
videogames online.

The veteran game designer argued that the amount of play time must be
bumped up to 21 billion hours weekly to solve global ills such as
hunger, poverty, and climate change.

"I'm serious," McGonigal said in a playful presentation. "In the game
world we become the best version of ourselves. We feel we are not as
good in reality as we are in games."

If life better reflected games, people would be quickly entrusted with
world-saving missions compatible with their talents and there would be
"tons of collaborators" ready to help along the way.

And, there would be plenty of positive feedback - levelling up - to keep
people inspired.

That is the way it is in "World of Warcraft," the leading online
role-playing game where players have already spent the equivalent of
5.93 million years solving problems and vanquishing evil in that virtual
realm.

If life were crafted more like a game, that passion and persistence
could be unleashed on real problems, according to McGonigal.

Studies cited indicated that it is not unusual for game-loving US youths
to each log 10,000 hours playing online by the time they reach the age
of 21. That equates to the amount of time spent in public school.

"We have a parallel track of education," McGonigal said."We are teaching
urgent optimism' the desire to act immediately to tackle any obstacle
with the belief in success - gamers always think they can win."

McGonigal and the World Bank Institute in March will launch an online
Evoke game at urgentevoke.com that challenges players to complete 10 quests
in as many weeks, with the missions tied to ills facing the planet.

Winners will get to claim World Bank social innovator titles and top
players will earn scholarships and mentor programs.

"Gamers are super-empowered, hopeful individuals," McGonigal said. "We
are using games today to escape real world suffering, everything that is
broken in the real environment, but it doesn't have to end there."

Her prior game creations include "World Without Oil" which challenges
players to thrive in that scenario, and "Superstruct" that calls on
players to re-shape society to survive threats to life on the planet.

"We have to start making the real world more like a game," McGonigal
said. "We want to imagine epic wins and give people the means to create
epic wins."



                                  =~=~=~=



                           A-ONE's Headline News
                   The Latest in Computer Technology News
                       Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson



              Chinese Police Shut Down Hacker Training Business


Police in central China have shut down a hacker training operation that
openly recruited thousands of members online and provided them with
cyberattack lessons and malicious software, state media said Monday.

The crackdown comes amid growing concern that China is a center for
Internet crime and industrial espionage. Search giant Google said last
month its e-mail accounts were hacked from China in an assault that also
hit at least 20 other companies.

Police in Hubei province arrested three people suspected of running the
hacker site known as the Black Hawk Safety Net that disseminated Web
site hacking techniques and Trojan software, the China Daily newspaper
said. Trojans, which can allow outside access to a computer when
implanted, are used by hackers to illegally control computers. The
report did not say exactly when the arrests took place.

Black Hawk Safety Net recruited more than 12,000 paying subscribers and
collected more than 7 million yuan ($1 million) in membership fees,
while another 170,000 people had signed up for free membership, the
paper said.

The report said police seized nine servers, five computers and a car,
and shut down all Web sites involved in the case. Authorities also froze
1.7 million yuan ($250,000) in assets.

The shutdown of the site followed an investigation involving 50 police
officers in three other provinces, the local d iang Times newspaper said.

The case can be traced to a hacking attack in 2007 on an Internet cafe
in Macheng city in Hubei that caused Web services for dozens to be
disrupted for more than 60 hours, the paper said. A few of the suspects
caught in April said they were members of the Black Hawk Safety Net.

Black Hawk's Web site 3800hk.com could not be accessed, but a notice
purportedly from Black Hawk circulating on online forums said that a
backup site had been set up. The notice also sought to reassure members of
its continued operations and said its reputation was being smeared by some
Internet users.

"At this time, there are Internet users with evil intentions who have
deliberately destroyed Black Hawk's reputation, deceived our members and
stole material," the notice addressed to members said. "We must join
forces and attack these Web sites."

A customer service officer contacted by phone, who refused to give his
name, said the backup site provides content for its paying members to
download course material to allow them to continue their computer
lessons - though not in hacking.

The Hubei government refused to comment Monday while officials at the
provincial public security bureau did not respond to repeated requests
for comment.

Google threatened last month to pull out of China unless the government
relented on censorship, an ultimatum that came after the search giant
said it had uncovered a computer attack that tried to plunder its
software coding and the e-mail accounts of human rights activists
protesting Chinese policies.

Government officials have defended China's online censorship and denied
involvement in Internet attacks, saying the country is the biggest
victim of Web attacks. The Ministry of Industry and Information
Technology said hackers tampered with more than 42,000 Web sites last
year.

Meanwhile, scrutiny of Chinese Internet security grows following a rash
of attacks traced to China and aimed at a wide array of U.S. and
European targets, including military contractors, banks and technology
companies.

Security consultants say it is hard to know what proportion of hacking
from China is the work of individuals and whether the government is
involved. But some say the high skill level of some attacks suggests
China's military or other agencies might have trained or directed the
hackers.

"The scale, operation and logistics of conducting these attacks - against
the government, commercial and private sectors - indicates that they're
state-sponsored," security firm Mandiant Corp. said in a report last month.
"The Chinese government may authorize this activity, but there's no way to
determine the extent of its involvement."



                       Microsoft Tackles 17-Year-Old Bug


A 17-year-old bug in Windows will be patched by Microsoft in its latest
security update.

The February update for Windows will close the loophole that dates from
the time of the DOS operating system.

First appearing in Windows NT 3.1, the vulnerability has been carried
over into almost every version of Windows that has appeared since.

The monthly security update will also tackle a further 25 holes in
Windows, five of which are rated as "critical".

The ancient bug was discovered by Google security researcher Tavis
Ormandy in January 2010 and involves a utility that allows newer
versions of Windows to run very old programs.

Mr Ormandy has found a way to exploit this utility in Windows XP,
Windows Server 2003 and 2008 as well as Windows Vista and Windows 7.

The patch for this vulnerability will appear in the February security
update. Five of the vulnerabilities being patched at the same time allow
attackers to effectively hijack a Windows PC and run their own programs
on it.

* Use security software that can tackle viruses and spyware
* Use a firewall
* Apply operating system updates as soon as they become available
* Be suspicious of unsolicited e-mails bearing attachments
* Keep your browser up to date

As well as fixing holes in many versions of Windows, the update also
tackles bugs in Office XP, Office 2003 and Office 2004 for Apple
Macintosh machines.

The bumper update is not the largest that Microsoft has ever released.
The security update for October 2009 tackled a total of 34
vulnerabilities. Eight of those updates were rated as critical - the
highest level.

In January 2010, Microsoft released an "out of band" patch for a serious
vulnerability in Internet Explorer that was being exploited online. The
vulnerability was also thought to be the one used to attack Google in
China.

Following the attack on Google, many other cyber criminals started
seeking ways to exploit the loophole.

Also this week, a security researcher has reported the discovery of a
vulnerability in Internet Explorer that allows attackers to view the
files held on a victim's machine.

Microsoft has issued a security bulletin about the problem and aims to
tackle it at a future date. At the moment there is no evidence that this
latest find is being actively exploited online.



               Security Chip That Does Encryption in PCs Hacked


Deep inside millions of computers is a digital Fort Knox, a special chip
with the locks to highly guarded secrets, including classified government
reports and confidential business plans. Now a former U.S. Army
computer-security specialist has devised a way to break those locks.

The attack can force heavily secured computers to spill documents that
likely were presumed to be safe. This discovery shows one way that spies
and other richly financed attackers can acquire military and trade secrets,
and comes as worries about state-sponsored computer espionage intensify,
underscored by recent hacking attacks on Google Inc.

The new attack discovered by Christopher Tarnovsky is difficult to pull
off, partly because it requires physical access to a computer. But laptops
and smart phones get lost and stolen all the time. And the data that the
most dangerous computer criminals would seek likely would be worth the
expense of an elaborate espionage operation.

Jeff Moss, founder of the Black Hat security conference and a member of the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security's advisory council, called Tarnovsky's
finding "amazing."

"It's sort of doing the impossible," Moss said. "This is a lock on
Pandora's box. And now that he's pried open the lock, it's like, ooh, where
does it lead you?"

Tarnovsky figured out a way to break chips that carry a "Trusted Platform
Module," or TPM, designation by essentially spying on them like a phone
conversation. Such chips are billed as the industry's most secure and are
estimated to be in as many as 100 million personal computers and servers,
according to market research firm IDC.

When activated, the chips provide an additional layer of security by
encrypting, or scrambling, data to prevent outsiders from viewing
information on the machines. An extra password or identification such as a
fingerprint is needed when the machine is turned on.

Many computers sold to businesses and consumers have such chips, though
users might not turn them on. Users are typically given the choice to turn
on a TPM chip when they first use a computer with it. If they ignore the
offer, it's easy to forget the feature exists. However, computers needing
the most security typically have TPM chips activated.

"You've trusted this chip to hold your secrets, but your secrets aren't that
safe," said Tarnovsky, 38, who runs the Flylogic security consultancy in
Vista, Calif., and demonstrated his hack last week at the Black Hat
security conference in Arlington, Va.

The chip Tarnovsky hacked is a flagship model from Infineon Technologies AG,
the top maker of TPM chips. And Tarnovsky says the technique would work on
the entire family of Infineon chips based on the same design. That includes
non-TPM chips used in satellite TV equipment, Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360
game console and smart phones.

That means his attack could be used to pirate satellite TV signals or make
Xbox peripherals, such as handheld controllers, without paying Microsoft a
licensing fee, Tarnovsky said. Microsoft confirmed its Xbox 360 uses
Infineon chips, but would only say that "unauthorized accessories that
circumvent security protocols are not certified to meet our safety and
compliance standards."

The technique can also be used to tap text messages and e-mail belonging
to the user of a lost or stolen phone. Tarnovsky said he can't be sure,
however, whether his attack would work on TPM chips made by companies
other than Infineon.

Infineon said it knew this type of attack was possible when it was testing
its chips. But the company said independent tests determined that the hack
would require such a high skill level that there was a limited chance of
it affecting many users.

"The risk is manageable, and you are just attacking one computer," said
Joerg Borchert, vice president of Infineon's chip card and security
division. "Yes, this can be very valuable. It depends on the information
that is stored. But that's not our task to manage. This gives a certain
strength, and it's better than an unprotected computer without
encryption."

The Trusted Computing Group, which sets standards on TPM chips, called
the attack "exceedingly difficult to replicate in a real-world
environment." It added that the group has "never claimed that a physical
attack - given enough time, specialized equipment, know-how and money -
was impossible. No form of security can ever be held to that standard."

It stood by TPM chips as the most cost-effective way to secure a PC.

It's possible for computer users to scramble data in other ways, beyond
what the TPM chip does. Tarnovsky's attack would do nothing to unlock
those methods. But many computer owners don't bother, figuring the TPM
security already protects them.

Tarnovsky needed six months to figure out his attack, which requires
skill in modifying the tiny parts of the chip without destroying it.

Using off-the-shelf chemicals, Tarnovsky soaked chips in acid to
dissolve their hard outer shells. Then he applied rust remover to help
take off layers of mesh wiring, to expose the chips' cores. From there,
he had to find the right communication channels to tap into using a very
small needle.

The needle allowed him to set up a wiretap and eavesdrop on all the
programming instructions as they are sent back and forth between the
chip and the computer's memory. Those instructions hold the secrets to
the computer's encryption, and he didn't find them encrypted because he
was physically inside the chip.

Even once he had done all that, he said he still had to crack the "huge
problem" of figuring out how to avoid traps programmed into the chip's
software as an extra layer of defense.

"This chip is mean, man - it's like a ticking time bomb if you don't do
something right," Tarnovsky said.

Joe Grand, a hardware hacker and president of product- and
security-research firm Grand Idea Studio Inc., saw Tarnovsky's
presentation and said it represented a huge advancement that chip
companies should take seriously, because it shows that presumptions
about security ought to be reconsidered.

"His work is the next generation of hardware hacking," Grand said.



                Google To Build Ultra-Fast Broadband Networks


Google plans to build experimental, ultra-fast Internet networks in a
handful of communities around the country.

The search company said Wednesday that its fiber-optic broadband networks
will deliver speeds of 1 gigabit per second to as many as 500,000 Americans.
Google Inc. says those systems will be more than 100 times faster than the
networks that most Americans have access to today.

In a blog post, the company said the networks will let consumers download a
high-definition, full-length feature film in less than five minutes and
allow rural health clinics to send 3-D medical images over the Web.

Google says it will seek input from communities that might be interested
in getting one of the testbed networks.



              Microsoft Ends War on Macintosh with Office 2011


The long war between Microsoft and Macintosh is almost over. It will end
when Microsoft ships Office for Mac 2011, the release that ends
Redmond's decade-long attack on Apple computers in business.

Office 2011, due before the holidays, replaces the much-despised
Entourage e-mail client and information manager with a real version of
Microsoft Outlook created for Macintosh.

When that happens, Mac users become full participants on their
companies' Exchange-based e-mail systems. End of the Mac as a
second-class corporate citizen.

Microsoft could have done this previously, but used Entourage to create
a barrier between Mac users and Exchange. Given the issue persisted for
a decade, the incompatibility must be considered intentional.

This nonsense went on much too long and Microsoft still deserves
roasting for having pulled such a stunt in the first place. So, no
congratulations from me.

Entourage appeared in 2000, replacing the previous Outlook Express that
shipped with Office 98. Asked why they didn't just offer a new Mac
version of Outlook, Microsoft replied that Entourage was intended for a
different audience than Outlook served.

That "new audience" being Mac users who didn't need to connect to
Exchange, which left out a huge number of potential Windows-to-Mac
converts over the decade.

Intentionally crippled as a client for Exchange servers, Entourage was a
sure way of keeping Macs from expanding their presence in businesses
large enough to use Exchange and Outlook. (Wikipedia does a good job of
explaining this history.

The incompatibilities diminished somewhat over the years.

Until 2003, Entourage could not connect to an Exchange server at all.
Today, server-side rules are still not supported, nor is synchronization
of tasks and notes. Entourage also relies upon its own user interface,
which is quite unlike Outlook.

Critically, Entourage cannot import Outlook post office (.PST) files
created on a Windows machine, making it impossible to easily move a
user's messages from Windows to Macintosh.

Office 2011, being discussed this week at Macworld Expo in San Francisco,
deals with these issues, finally giving Macs status as first-class
participants in companies using Exchange e-mail.

If you'd like to learn more about Office 2011 - which looks quite nice
and brings Mac users closer to the Windows Office experience - let me
refer you to Dan Miller's story from Macworld and a podcast interview
with Eric Wilfrid, the general manager of Microsoft's Mac Business Unit.

"Nowadays, compatibility means more than just file formats," Microsoft's
Kurt Schmucker told Miller. "It's also workflow, collaboration, and user
interface."

Nowadays? Compatibility always meant workflow, collaboration, user
interface, and feature set - another area where Office 2011 is described
as more like a Windows version.

After a decade of crippling the Mac as a business computer, Microsoft is
now embracing it. Or at least has decided there are enough Windows and
Office users who also use Macs to make improved compatibility something
now in Microsoft's best interest.



                       OpenOffice.org Releases Version 3.2


OpenOffice 3.2 is now available for download, the organization announced
Thursday.

The latest version of the productivity suite - which is intended to be
an open-source alternative to Microsoft Office - boasts faster start-up
times, ODF support, proprietary file support, support for
postscript-based OpenType fonts, and more.

The release comes after OpenOffice.org hit a milestone of 300 million
downloads over the course of its 10-year history, 100 million of which
occurred from the organization's main Web site.

The suite includes basic components like word processor, spreadsheet,
presentation, graphics, and formula and database capabilities. Version
3.2 boasts improvements to those components, including the Calc
spreadsheet. The Chart module, meanwhile, received a "usability
makeover" and includes new chart types.

"Some people are currently locked in to other personal productivity
tools - maybe by corporate IT policy, or by tie-in to other legacy
software. For everyone else, we want OpenOffice.org to be the 2010
office software of choice, and 3.2 takes us another step towards that
goal," said Florian Effenberger, marketing project lead of OpenOffice.org.

Version 3.2 is available for download on the organization's Web site.



                       Microsoft Gives A Peek at Windows 8


Windows 8, the theoretical next version of Microsoft's ubiquitous OS, will
be different from what has been expected of the platform, according to a
cached version of a Microsoft blog post.

The Google-cached version of a January 31 blog on MSDN, entitled, "What's
in store for the next Windows?" provided a limited glimpse of what to
expect. The OS also was referred to as Windows.next.

InfoWorld columnist Randall C. Kennedy offered up predictions on Windows 8
last year.

"The minimum that folks can take for granted is that the next version will
be something completely different from what folks usually expect of Windows
- I am simply impressed with the process that Steven [Sinofsky,  president
of the Microsoft Windows and Windows Live Division] has set up to listen to
our customers needs and wants and get a team together than can make it
happen," the post, from a member of the Windows update team, said.

"To actually bring together dozens and dozens of teams across Microsoft
to come up with a vision for Windows.next is a process that is surreal!
The themes that have been floated truly reflect what people have been
looking for years and it will change the way people think about PCs and
the way they use them. It is the future of PCs," the blogger said.

Microsoft shipped Windows 7 in October.

A Microsoft executive at the Microsoft Global High-Tech Summit 2010
meeting in Santa Clara, Calif. on Thursday was unfamiliar with the blog.
"I don't know what the blog entails, but I am certain we're continuously
innovating [with] with Windows," said Drew Gude, director of US High
Tech & Electronics at Microsoft.



             Google Tweaks Buzz Social Hub After Privacy Woes


As it introduced a new social hub, Google quickly learned that people's
most frequent e-mail contacts are not necessarily their best friends.

Rather, they could be business associates, or even lovers, and the groups
don't necessarily mix well. It's one reason many people keep those worlds
separate by using Facebook for friends and LinkedIn for professional
contacts, or by keeping some people completely off either social circle
despite frequent e-mails with them.

Google Inc. drew privacy complaints this week when it introduced Buzz
and automatically created circles of friends based on users' most
frequent contacts on Gmail. Just days later, Google responded by giving
users more control over what others see about them.

Google introduced Buzz on Tuesday as part of its existing Gmail service.
The service includes many of the features that have turned Facebook into
the Web's top spot for fraternizing with friends and family. Like
Facebook, Buzz lets Gmail users post updates about what they are doing
or thinking. Gmail users can also track other people's updates and
instantly comment on them for everyone else in the social circle to see.

But while Facebook requires both sides to confirm that they are friends
before making that relationship public, Google automatically does so by
analyzing how often they've communicated in the past. Those frequent
contacts become part of the circle of people you follow and who follow
you.

And before Google made the latest changes, who's in those circles could
easily be exposed to others without the user even realizing it. Suddenly
your boss could discover that you've been corresponding with a rival
company that happens to have some job openings.

In response to the privacy concerns, Google said Thursday that it has
tweaked Buzz so you can more easily hide your lists of followers and
followees. It also made it easier for you to block specific people from
following your Buzz updates, such as links, posts, photos and videos.

And it left the conversation open, saying in a blog post that it
welcomed further suggestions "to improve the Buzz experience with user
transparency and control top of mind."

Privacy concerns intensify when Web sites get social because people want
control over what information they share, and with whom. Or at least
they say they do, according to surveys by the Pew Internet & American
Life Project.

Their actions, however, can be contradictory.

"Our surveys have shown that people send mixed messages about privacy,"
said Lee Rainie, director of the project. "When asked directly, they
place a high value on it. They express a strong desire for control over
their personal information and how third parties use it."

But in their day-to-day activities, people are willing to go against
their principles and share quite a lot in exchange for something they
value. Companies navigating this environment, Rainie said, "are getting
a series of messages from consumers that are sometimes hard to figure
out."

The issue of privacy has played out, sometimes loudly, as Facebook
evolved over six years from a closed network for college students to a
social hub for 400 million people around the world.

In 2007, Facebook's since-discontinued tracking tool, Beacon, caught
users off-guard by broadcasting information about their activities at
other Web sites, including holiday gifts they just bought for those who
could see the information. The company ultimately allowed users to turn
Beacon off.

Other changes, too, have often met with user uproar. The latest concerns
have been over changes made late last year to give users more granular
control over what they share with others. But in doing so, Facebook's
recommended settings also nudged users to be more open.

Canada's privacy commissioner is investigating.

Despite privacy uproars, Facebook has been able to amass a sea of users
in part by responding to concerns, as varied as the concerns of 400
million people can be.

Google, too, was quick to respond, something that won praise from Lauren
Weinstein, a privacy advocate who had complained about the automatic
circles that Buzz was creating.

"The thing hasn't been out a week," Weinstein said Friday. "It's going
to take some period to hash out."

Of course, those still dissatisfied can simply turn off Buzz. There's a
small link to do so at the bottom of the Gmail page.



                            MySpace CEO Steps Down


News Corp has replaced the CEO of the social networking site MySpace less
than a year after hiring him, and said a discussion of his priorities led
both sides to agree to a parting.

Owen Van Natta, whose resignation is effective immediately, will be
replaced by Mike Jones and Jason Hirschhorn as co-presidents, News Corp
said on Wednesday.

Van Natta could not be reached immediately for comment.

News Corp acquired MySpace in 2005 for $580 million. Since the acquisition,
the Internet site has lost ground to rival Facebook, which now ranks as
the world's No.1 social network with roughly 400 million active users.

News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch replaced MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe
with Van Natta last year, betting that the former No. 2 executive at
rival Facebook could freshen up the company.

But rekindling MySpace's popularity in the fast-changing Internet world
has proven challenging. And analysts have expressed doubt that MySpace
will be able to renew its $300-million-a-year search advertising deal
with Google Inc on similarly lucrative terms when the deal expires this
year.

News Corp said in its quarterly earnings call last week that advertising
and search revenue declined at MySpace and that it was taking longer
than expected to achieve revenue goals at MySpace.

"Owen took on an incredible challenge in working to refocus and
revitalize MySpace, and the business has shown very positive signs
recently as a result of his dedicated work," said News Corp Digital
Media CEO Jon Miller

"However, in talking to Owen about his priorities both personally and
professionally going forward, we both agreed that it was best for him to
step down at this time. I want to thank Owen for all of his efforts."

Jones and Hirschhorn both also joined MySpace in April 2009 with Van
Natta.



             Macworld Expo Goes On Without Apple's Blessing


What if they gave a Macworld expo and Apple didn't come? That's the
central question surrounding the event that opened Thursday in San
Francisco without the company that created its reason for existence.
This is the first time in 25 years that Apple has not supported or
participated in Macworld, and the company has indicated that it prefers
to focus on its Apple stores and not be bound by Macworld schedules for
product rollouts.

The expo runs through Saturday, while the conference began on Tuesday.

The expo's kickoff has often been a speech with new product
introductions by Apple CEO and cofounder Steve Jobs, but this year New
York Times technology columnist and book author David Pogue gave the
keynote presentation.

His presentation was packed with technology jokes and skits. One skit
was a takeoff on Frank Capra's classic movie, It's a Wonderful Life, in
which the Jobs character wondered what would have transpired if he had
never cofounded Apple. Star Trek's LeVar Burton stepped into the Jobs
role and witnessed a world where nearly all the computers ran DOS
Version 22.0.

Ironically, of course, the expo was imagining what its world will be
like without Jobs or Apple.

In this year's incarnation of that world, there are plenty of new
products - many of them aimed at the iPhone and iPod - but few major
announcements. According to news reports, there were only half as many
exhibitors as last year. About 30,000 people were registered, which is
comparable to last year's attendance but not as good as three times that
number in some previous years.

New applications attracting attention include the Inrix Traffic Pro,
which enables an iPhone owner to watch real-time traffic reports and
have access to traffic cameras. A new service, called SachManya Yapper,
allows users to create RSS-based iPhone applications without coding.

SkyVoyager, an app for the iPhone 3GS, gives a dynamic view of stars in
the sky, with the view changing as you move your iPhone. The Microvision
SHOWW Laser Pico Projector is a palm-sized projector for the iPhone,
iPod touch, MacBook and PCs that displays on whiteboards or walls.

Mac-based products include the Ten One Design Inklet, which transforms
the multi-touch trackpad on the MacBook into a miniature version of a
Wacom tablet.

Interpret Vice President Michael Gartenberg said Macworld has "become a
very different kind of event" without Apple as an anchor. This has led,
he said, "to a lot of vendors pulling out, and raises questions" about
the show's long-term viability.

Gartenberg said that, even without major product announcements or the
presence of Apple, the show remains "a central focal point for the Mac
faithful." Given that strong base, and the open-to-the-public admission
policy, he said, the show is "like a very large user group."

As it turns out, he added, "Apple is only part of the Mac experience."



                        Keep Clear of Craigslist Scams


Given everything from the "Craigslist killer" to Connecticut attorney
general Richard Blumenthal's campaign against the site to the escalating
battle over prostitution ads, you'd have to live under a rock to miss
Craigslist's sensational presence in the media. Lost in the discussions of
illicit or criminal activity, though, are the everyday scams - and every
category on the site has them.

From garden-variety pyramid schemes to complex money laundering ploys to
pet frauds, the sheer diversity of ways to get stiffed on Craigslist is
unmatched.

To be fair, the highly popular site offers very rational advice on how to
recognize and avoid scams. But scammers persist in part because Craigslist
is such a go-to place all over the world and partly because victims
apparently don't heed the aforementioned advice.

One fellow even started a recreational blog called Exposing Scam Artists
Who Use Craigslist, which is devoted to shining a light on the seedy
underbelly of Craig Newmark's paradise.

Below we present a few of the scam classics. Make sure you don't become
one of these poor schmucks.

*Selling Something? Think Twice*

When your significant other finally convinces (read: forces) you to get
rid of that ejection-seat office chair you bought one drunken night on
eBay, Craigslist is clearly the place to go. But one of the most common
cons around is a dose of check fraud that might leave you reeling when you
try to sell your unwanted item.

Here's how it works: The scammer contacts you and offers to buy your
brown corduroy couch; oh, except they're out of town and will send you a
check. When you "accidentally" receive a check for a much larger amount,
they reasonably ask you to wire back the extra money--possibly even
offering to pay a little extra for the inconvenience. But when the bank
determines that the original check is a fake, guess who is responsible
for the balance?

A variation of this scheme even briefly landed unsuspecting seller Matthew
Shinnick in prison. When he tried to deposit just such a check (he thought
he had sold two bikes to a buyer in Canada), the teller had a hunch that
it was fraudulent and called the police. Shinnick wound up in an orange
jumpsuit and had to pay thousands of dollars in legal fees before he could
completely clear his name.

The lesson: Deal locally, never wire money to strangers, and stop buying
ugly furniture.

*Desperate for Work!*

Employment scams on Craigslist are all kinds of questionable, but they
also seem blatantly obvious. What is the likelihood that someone will
pay you $900 per week to telecommute as a "documentation professional"
with no experience necessary?

Yet, the jobs section is well known for tricking otherwise intelligent
people into unfortunate situations. Two of the most common ploys are to
ask for up-front training fees and to solicit personal information
(often via a legitimate-looking Website) for "direct deposit" or
"background check" purposes.

In a truly off-the-wall case, one guy hoodwinked 79 professionals into
working for weeks on a sham project. Promising a $21,000 salary for two
months worth of work, the charlatan set up a fake company, hired the group
via e-mail, assigned seemingly real work, and tricked a lot of people into
giving up their time and personal information. It seems the entire effort
was undertaken in the hopes of getting a woman's attention.

The lesson: Posts that offer high income with little to no experience,
telecommuting without meeting your boss, initial fees, and hiring
without an interview are giant red flags that, in combination, should
send you running.

*Free Stuff (!?!)*

Despite thousands of legitimate postings for free stuff on Craigslist,
there have also been two recorded instances of crowds ransacking all of
a person's worldly belongings. Why? Somebody posted an ad to the "Free"
section claiming that the goods were there for the taking.

In 2007, the angry daughter of an evicted tenant carried out this
particularly nasty revenge. An even more bizarre incident occurred a year
later in rural Oregon. A woman unknown to the victim, Robert Salisbury,
robbed him of a few saddles and then panicked. In a (profoundly stupid)
attempt to cover her tracks, the thief posted a message declaring all
possessions at Salisbury's address were up for grabs. Even his horse.

Anyone found in possession of stolen items is subject to criminal
prosecution - as were the perpetrators of both hoaxes, who were caught and
charged with a medley of crimes that included burglary, criminal
impersonation, and malicious mischief.

The lesson: Just because it says so on Craigslist, it doesn't mean you can
rob people. Be wary of catch-all posts that seem too good to be true.
Also, don't piss anyone off who knows your address.

**Aw, Pets **

Surely the furry and cuddly section of Craigslist is free of worldly
evils? Guess again.

Last year, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an
official warning about a swindle that one site has informally dubbed the
Cameroon Pet Scam, explaining, "Typically, the person offering the animal
for adoption lives in another country and claims to be looking for a good
home for the animal. Victims pay shipping fees up front but never receive
the animal."

Another con involves supposedly "rescuing" dogs or cats, often from an
animal shelter, and then selling them for a profit on the site. According
to one account, a family put their dog up for a free adoption directly via
Craigslist. The very next day, they got a call from a woman who had
purchased the dog for a $100 fee (also via the site) but then tracked down
the original owners after noticing discrepancies on the veterinary papers.

The lesson: Craigslist is not the ASPCA. Make sure to get paperwork and
documentation. Or just go to the ASPCA.

The crimes we've mentioned are hardly limited to Craigslist alone, but
the epicenter of the world's online classified ads also has the following
security ethos: "Simplicity and shame work best." According to Newmark, the
most effective tools are warnings and flagging posts for removal. And
scammers know it.

After witnessing a group of strangers trucking away his personal belongings,
beleaguered homeowner Salisbury commented, "They honestly thought that
because it appeared on the Internet it was true. It boggles the mind."



                                =~=~=~=




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material herein is believed to be accurate at the time of publishing.
