August 2000 Technology Updates1. Digital freebiesWhile some people were watching fireworks over the July 4th weekend, others were snatching up unintended bargains at online stores. A number of computer glitches allowed savvy shoppers at sites such as Buy.com and Staples.com to receive something for virtually nothing.Shoppers took advantage of a Buy.com coupon that was supposed to be redeemable for $50 off of a purchase of $500 or more. However, the coupon did not function correctly and allowed users to take $50 off any purchase of $50 or more. Over 4000 people benefited. At Staples.com shoppers were able to scoop up a $60 briefcase, which was supposed to be given away to shoppers who made large purchases, for only one cent. For more information, click on these links:
2. PC Tips - Sorting mailIf you receive numerous e-mail messages, you can keep track of your various correspondents by having Outlook Express automatically sort your mail. Based on rules you establish, messages can be sent to different folders (even the Deleted Items folder) as soon as they arrive. Follow these steps:
If you wanted to send all e-mail from Bill Clinton to a folder called Whitehouse, you would first create a Whitehouse folder by following steps 2-4 above. Then you would access the New Rule dialog box (step 6). In the Select the Conditions for your rule area, check the Where the From line contains people box (step 7). In the Select the Actions for your rule area, check the Move it to the specified folder box (step 8). In the Rule Description area click on contains people. Type Bill Clinton. Then click on Add, then click on OK. In the Rule Description area, click on specified, then click on the Whitehouse folder, then click on OK. 3. New high-level domain namesOn July 16, 2000, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced a major change in the way Web sites will be addressed. It has approved a procedure to create additional top level-domains (TLDs). Currently, the most widely used TLDs are .com, .org, .edu., and .gov. In August, ICANN will begin to accept proposals from companies that want to become the official registrar of new TLDs. Along with a $50,000 application fee, any potential registrar will need to submit details on how it plans to screen those companies and people who want to register a new name under its TLD. For example, many experts expect that .shop will become a new TLD to represent shopping sites. The .shop registrar might have to screen potential .shop sites to ensure they include an online store. The first new TLDs are expected by December 2000. This is the first major change in TLDs in over ten years.For more information, click on these links:
4. Privacy in bankruptcyOn July 10, 2000, the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) filed a lawsuit against the bankrupt online toy company Toysmart.com. The FTC is attempting to prevent Toysmart.com from selling its customer database. The company had a posted privacy policy indicating that customer information would not be sold to a third party. The company's privacy policies were strong enough to receive a seal of approval from TRUSTe, a non-profit privacy seal organization. A TRUSTe employee read a notice of the upcoming database sale and contacted the FTC.A day after the lawsuit was filed Disney, Toysmart.com's parent company, offered to purchase the customer database. Disney has stated that if the bankruptcy court approves its purchase, it will "retire the list." If the court does not approve the purchase, Disney will work with the FTC to bundle all of Toysmart.com's assets to sell to one buyer, who would maintain the privacy of the company's customers. Many legal experts believe that this type of situation, the sale of personal information from bankrupt .coms, will continue to occur as more .com companies go out of business. In traditional bankruptcy proceedings all of a company's assets are sold off to pay creditors. These assets usually consist of physical items. However, with .com companies the most valuable assets are often information, such as a customer database. For more information, click on these links:
5. NASA attacks hackersFor three days in July customers of one of the largest Internet service providers, Excite@Home, were unable to access one of the World Wide Web's (WWW) most popular sites, NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). The JPL site is a frequent hacker target, having been attacked at least a dozen times over the past two years. On July 7, 2000, a system's administrator at JPL detected two hackers trying to exploit a specific vulnerability in one of JPL's programs. Both hackers used Excite@Home's service.The system's administrator sent an e-mail to Excite@Home requesting assistance. After three days without a reply from the company JPL decided to block all access to its site from Excite@Home subscribers. Within a few days the company had responded to NASA, indicating that it had taken action against the hackers. The company has also implemented a new e-mail response system to deal more quickly with hacker notifications. For more information click on these links:
6. Internet appliancesThe New Internet Computer Company (NICC) began selling its Internet appliance on July 6, 2000. The machine, called New Internet Computer, sells for $199 without a monitor and $328 with one. It runs on the Linux operating system and does not have a hard drive. The new device is the realization of a long-held vision by NICC's chairman Larry Ellison (who is also the CEO of Oracle).The first ten devices were auctioned off on Amazon.com. Each was individually numbered and came with a certificate of authenticity signed by Ellison. The winning bid was $1,650 for each machine. NICC's competition, Netpliance, announced that it would quadruple the cost of its Internet appliance, called I-opener. The device will now cost $399, up from the original $99. The I-opener comes with an integrated LCD monitor. For more information, click on these links:
7. Cookies management comingMicrosoft announced on July 20, 2000, that it was testing new cookies management features for Internet Explorer 5.5 in a limited beta test. Cookies are small pieces of data that a Web site can place on a user's computer. They are typically used for tracking customers and storing frequently used information, such as addresses and passwords. Recently, privacy advocates have become concerned cookies can be used to track Web users across sites. For example, many companies that sell Web advertising use cookies to track an individual's Web surfing habits and build a marketing profile based on those habits.The new cookies management features will allow users to customize how their computers handle cookies. For example, a user can set the system to accept cookies from some sites but reject cookies from others. The new system will also allow users to easily remove all the cookies on their computer. The new system should be generally available in August. For more information, click on these links:
8. International mergerOn July 24, 2000, Europe's largest telecommunications provider, Deutsche Telekom (DT), agreed to purchase the U.S. wireless company VoiceStream. The $50.7 billion acquisition would give DT wireless access in just about every state. However, the U.S. government may block the deal. The main stumbling block is the German government's 58 percent ownership stake in DT.A number of influential U.S. senators are proposing legislation that would bar foreign governments from owning more than 25 percent of U.S.-based telecommunications companies. After the proposed sale the German government would own 48 percent of the combined company. The European Union has complained that the proposed legislation and language in this year's Federal Communication Commission (FCC) budget is contrary to the 1997 World Trade Organization (WTO) telecommunications treaty. For more information, click on this link:
9. The fight for the worldwide wireless marketThe importance of ideas in the new global economy was emphasized on July 17, 2000, when courts in Japan and Europe ruled to uphold key patents on wireless phone technology held by Qualcomm, a U.S.-based company. Qualcomm's revenues are derived almost entirely from the patents it holds on a technology called code division multiple access (CDMA).Wireless phone and telecommunications companies, such as Nokia, Ericsson, and NTT, filed suit in Japan challenging Qualcomm's patent claims on a standard known as W- CDMA. Many companies are leaning toward the W-CDMA standard over Qualcomm's own CDMA2000 standard for the next generation of wireless phones. The Japanese court ruled that Qualcomm has the right to receive royalties on both W-CDMA and CDMA2000. For more information, click on these links:
10. RobodocOn July 11, 2000, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of a robotic device to aid in laparoscopic surgery. The device, made by Intuitive Surgical, is called the da Vinci Surgical System.In traditional laparoscopic procedures, like gall bladder removal, doctors make small incisions and use flexible fiber optic instruments (called laparoscopes) to perform the operation. With the da Vinci's robotic arms, doctors enjoy a greater range of motion, using joysticks and foot pedals to control the system while watching the progress of the procedure on a special three-dimensional display. The system costs $1 million and has already been used successfully in many European countries. For more information, click on these links:
|