Monthly Technology Updates

OCTOBER 1999

October 1999 Technology Updates

1. Year 2000 - Over the first hurdle on 9/9/99

Many utilities, government agencies, and businesses treated September 9, 1999, as a full dress rehearsal for the Year 2000 rollover. Some experts had anticipated that some computer systems would have problems on 9/9/99, as that date had been used in the past to indicate any undefined future date (see July Technology Updates). However, no major problems were reported. The North American Electric Reliability Council conducted an exercise on the evening of Sept. 8/9 to ensure that contingency plans for the Year 2000 rollover are adequate. Five hundred utility companies throughout North America. Everything went according to plan, and there was no disruption in the generation and delivery of electricity.

For more information, click on these links:


2. PC Tips - PowerPoint animation

If you want to spice up your next PowerPoint presentation, try using animation. The animation tool allows you to make text and images pop onto your slide or fly in from one of the edges. To use animation follow these steps (which work with PowerPoint 2000; other version may require slightly different steps):

  1. Open an existing presentation or create a new one
     
  2. Click on the element you want to animate (it can be a text area, an image, or a chart)
     
  3. On the menu bar click on Slide Show
     
  4. Choose Preset Animation
     
  5. Choose an effect and click on it
     

Some of the more interesting effects are:

  • Laser text - letters fly in from the upper right with a laser beam sound
     
  • Flying - entire bullet points fly in from the left with a swoosh sound
     
  • Dissolve - an element gradually appears on the slide, no sound effect
     

When you have completed your animation, use the slide show feature to view it by pressing the F5 key.

Check next month's technology updates for advanced animation tips.

3. Online docs make house calls

The Internet offers a wealth of medical information. The National Library of Medicine's has provided Internet access to its MEDLINE database of medical journal articles for many years. Lately, a number of medical World Wide Web sites have gained a lot of media attention and some have gone public. For example, drkoop.com, which is the site for former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, provides information about medical conditions and health insurance and even rates other health-related Web sites. However, none of these sites provided a real doctor -- until now.

On September 14, 1999, ExpressDoctors, Inc. launched its Web site, which allows users to request a doctor. This is not merely a referral service; the doctors will actually make house (or office) calls. ExpressDoctors is the first Web site to offer nationwide doctor house calls. It has been offering the same service via telephone since 1997.

The cost for the house call is $150, which includes an examination and diagnosis. The doctor brings all of the necessary equipment and may provide medication for an additional fee. The company advertises a one-hour response time. In most cases insurance will cover at least part of the fee.

For more information click on these links:


4. Selling body parts on eBay

A user of the popular online auction site eBay attempted to sell a human kidney. The item for sale was advertised as follows: "Fully functional kidney for sale. You can choose either kidney. Buyer pays all transplant and medical costs. Of course only one for sale, as I need the other one to live. Serious bids only."

The bidding for the kidney began on August 26, 1999, and started at $25,000. By the time eBay officials terminated the auction on September 3, 1999, the bidding had reached $5.7 million. eBay removed the item from its site because selling human organs is a crime punishable by five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. An eBay spokesperson speculated that the item and a subsequent listing for another kidney were probably pranks.

This is not the first time that eBay has had to terminate illegal or questionable auctions. The company has banned the sale of stock on its site. In addition, it has banned the sale of guns and ammunition.

For more information, click on this link:


5. Microsoft security woes

During late August and early September Microsoft was plagued by a number of security problems. These problems range from its Internet services, such as Microsoft Messenger and Hotmail (MicrosoftÕs free e-mail service), to its latest operating system, Windows 2000. Microsoft Messenger allows non-America Online (AOL) users to send instant messages to AOL users and others (such as Yahoo! Users) (see the August Technology Updates). A bug in the Messenger software allowed anyone using a person's computer to discover that personÕs Hotmail ID and password. Hotmail is a free E-mail service.

Hotmail continued to have security problems. On August 30 hackers in the UK and Sweden set up Web sites that allow access to any Hotmail account without needing a password. On September 9, Microsoft announced that it had hired an outside auditor to test the integrity of the Hotmail system.

At the beginning of September two security flaws were found in the Beta 3 version of Windows 2000. A security expert for a company called Cryptonym found that one of the two cryptographic keys used in Windows 2000 could easily be replaced. The second security flaw was discovered by an expert with Arca Systems. This flaw would allow unauthorized users to access Windows 2000 systems that are using a new autologin feature. Microsoft has since corrected the problem.

Microsoft's problems continued on September 15, when it became aware that an E-mail with a Trojan horse (a type of computer virus) attached has been circulating on the Internet. The return address on the E-mail is support@microsoft.com, and the message invites the reader to download the attached Microsoft Year 2000 Counter. However, the attachment replaces an important Windows file that can enable a hacker to steal login and password information. Microsoft did not send the message, and it stated that it never sends updates via E-mail.

For more information click on these links:


6. Renting software

There is a new trend in software distribution -- renting expensive software to small- and medium-sized companies. Many of these companies cannot afford to purchase expensive enterprise software packages. Enterprise software packages enable organizations to automate their entire business. SAP, the makers of the R/3 enterprise software package, has announced the release of mySAP.com, which will use a rental pricing strategy.

The trend seems to be filtering down to more consumer-oriented products. For example, Intuit allowed consumers with simple tax returns to download and rent the popular TurboTax program. The program, with a purchase price of about $40, rented for $9.95. The major consumer software vendors, such as Microsoft and Corel, are considering allowing users to rent applications via the Internet. This service would be offered through so-called Application Service Providers (ASPs). Some experts estimate that the ASP market could grow to $2 billion by 2003 (data from IDC).

For more information, click on this link:


7. Digital music phone

Digital music in the MP3 format can be played on personal computers and portable players, such as Diamond's Rio. Soon MP3 fans will be able to play their favorite tunes on their cell phone. Samsung Electronics has introduced a new cell phone that contains 16MB of random access memory (RAM). This memory will allow people to store about 15 minutes of digital music. The phone is currently available only in Korea and uses Samsung's proprietary music format, called SecuMax. The phone comes with a standard headphone jack for private listening.

Samsung has announced plans for an upgraded version of the phone, which will contain 32MB of RAM. The company has also announced that the phone should be available in the United States by the end of the year. The U.S. version of the phone will allow users to store and play MP3 files. The files will need to be downloaded to a PC and then transferred onto the phone. The company expects the phone to cost about $400.

For more information, click on these links:


8. New FCC rules on Internet competition

Prompted by a January Supreme Court decision, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) ruled on September 15, 1999, that the Bell phone companies will not have to share their high-speed Internet networks with local competitors. The Supreme Court ruling had required the FCC to reconsider which network elements the local phone companies must make available to the competition.

The original list, devised in 1996, included seven elements:

  1. loops (the outside phone lines, including high-speed lines such as xDSL)
     
  2. network interface devices (used to connect inside wiring to outside loops)
     
  3. local circuit switching
     
  4. dedicated and shared transport
     
  5. signaling and call-related databases
     
  6. operations support systems (includes items such as ordering, maintenance, and repair)
     
  7. access to operator and directory assistance services
     

The new ruling removes the requirement that the local phone companies provide access to operator and directory assistance. Also, local phone companies are not required to provide competitors access to packet-switching equipment. This equipment is used in high-speed Internet connections.

For more information, click on these links:


9. Ebooks

Can't decide which paperback to take with you on vacation? Well, you can take them all (up to about ten) if you use NuvoMedia's Rocket eBook. The Rocket eBook is an electronic book viewer that allows users to download electronic copies of books. The device is slightly larger than a standard paperback and weighs less than two pounds. It can store about 4,000 pages of text, which is the equivalent of about ten paperback novels. The device costs $329.

Ebooks can be purchased from Barnes and Noble's online site Barnesandnoble.com. The company has also announced that it will begin selling the device and books in their physical stores. Barnes and Noble has about 1,400 eBooks available. The price for eBooks varies widely and may be more expensive than the print version. For example, Stephen King's latest Hearts in Atlantis was available in hardback from Barnesandnoble.com for $19.60. The eBook version cost $22.40. Electronic textbooks are not currently available.

For more information, click on these links:


10. Database for handheld computers

Handheld computers and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are easy to take wherever you go. Because of their limited memory capacity, however, it has been difficult to store large databases on them. Now Oracle has solved the problem by introducing Oracle 8i Lite. This thin-client version of Oracle's flagship database package uses less than 1MB of storage.

The Lite database is capable of synchronizing with the Enterprise version of Oracle 8i in a process called replication. This can be achieved via a wireless connection, via the Internet, or via a local-area or dialup network connection. Oracle 8i Lite provides Java language support so that new database applications can be easily built. Lite runs on both Windows CE-based PDAs and the Palm Pilot line.

For more information, click on these links:

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