A security flaw in all versions of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer leaves users wide open for attack, with millions of computers already infected. Microsoft did not say when a patch might be available. Simply opening a Web page in IE can infect an unprotected computer. Proper security protection, not a browser switch, is the best defence
Dell is moving to replace traditional styrofoam packaging with old milk and laundry detergent bottles in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint and shave $US8 million from packaging expenses. The computer manufacturer has set itself a goal of eliminating 10 per cent, or 9 million kilograms, of its global laptop and computer packaging material over the next four years. Dell will replace the styrofoam packaging it uses to ship all its laptops and desktop computers with 100 per cent recycled High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) thermal-formed cushions
The investment community delivered a savage vote of no confidence in the management of Telstra yesterday after the telco was dramatically kicked out of the tender for the federal Government’s $15 billion national broadband network. The move, which casts doubt over Telstra’s future earnings and profit margins, came as tensions emerged between the company’s board and management, as almost $6 billion was wiped off the company’s market value yesterday
The blocking mechanism used to censor Wikipedia in the UK has been described as fragile
and easy to evade
by Cambridge University security expert Richard Clayton
Microsoft’s Live Labs on Wednesday introduced a new service that lets users collect snippets of information from Web sites and share the collections with others. A user investigating vacation ideas, for example, might find Thumbtack helpful. Once users log into Thumbtack, they can copy a portion of a Web site, perhaps one that describes a hotel in a particular city, and paste it into a new collection in Thumbtack. The information appears in Thumbtack as an item in a box that can be placed anywhere on the collection page or as an item in a list. The user can continue browsing online for other hotels, similarly cutting and pasting relevant information into the Thumbtack collection
Google has published its year-end Zeitgeist, the tool which reveals what internet users are searching for
Internode, iPrimus and Westnet have all made ABC’s online video site iView unmetered content. These ISPs follow iiNet, which has unmetered the iView service since its launch in July. The site features full TV episodes that have previously aired on the ABC such as The 7.30 Report and The Bill
A British Steam Car is a step closer to breaking the longest held speed record after completing a number of successful runs. After a first successful low-speed run last week at Newton Park, the car was shipped to the MoD’s Thorney Island facility near Portsmouth for a series of higher speed runs this week
University of Utah researchers have invented technology that could come to be embraced by teenagers with the same enthusiasm they have for curfews and ID checks. And like those things, it could save their lives. Key2SafeDriving technology uses RFID or Bluetooth wireless capabilities to issue signals from car keys to mobile phones to prevent drivers from talking on their phones or texting while driving
In a lawsuit, the US charged the music unit of Sony of collecting information from more than 30,000 children under the age of 13 since 2004
A fast-charging laptop battery that promises to last at least three years without any degradation in performance is coming to the market as an option with Hewlett-Packard laptops. The Sonata battery is the product of three years of development work by Boston-Power and will be rebranded by HP as the Enviro
battery and offered from early 2009 with select machines. The battery can be charged to 80 percent of capacity in 30 minutes, which could be useful for travellers who only have a limited amount of time near an electric outlet, and will go 1,000 charges before the battery’s capacity begins degrading. That’s a charge a day for three years — or four years if it’s only used on weekdays — so it should last the average life of a business laptop. Common laptop batteries today start to degrade after 300 charges
Wikipedia functionality has returned for Brits after the country’s internet watchdog reversed its decision to prevent users in that country from visiting a Wikipedia page containing an image of a naked child
The Government’s plan to censor the internet is in tatters, with Australia’s largest ISP saying it will not take part in live trials of the system and the second largest committing only to a scaled-back trial. And the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, has written to critics saying that the so-called live
trials would be a closed network test and will not involve actual customers
. Greens Senator Scott Ludlam said this was a sign the Government was slowly backing away from the heavily criticised policy
Among international outrages, depriving citizens of personalised maps seems far down on the list. Still, that was the condition put on the introduction of Apple’s iPhone 3G in Egypt. The government demanded that Apple disable the phone’s global-positioning system, arguing that GPS is a military prerogative
Identity thieves who claim they stole details of 21 million German bank accounts are offering to sell the data on the black market for €12 million (US$15.3 million)
Consumers will no longer have to wait weeks or even months after a film is released on DVD to watch it on pay-TV or download it over the internet, with major studios planning simultaneous roll-outs. Australia’s biggest video rental group predicts a major film studio will begin simultaneously releasing movies to DVD and video-on-demand by March
Wikinews has learned that at least six of the United Kingdom’s main ISPs have implemented monitoring and filtering mechanisms that are causing major problems for UK contributors on websites operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, amongst up to 1200 other websites. The filters appear to be applied because Wikimedia sites are hosting a Scorpions album cover which some call child pornography. The Scorpions are a German rock band who have used several controversial album covers and are perhaps best known for their song, Rock You Like a Hurricane
Visitors to the world’s largest adult BitTorrent tracker were met with a surprise this morning. According to Google and Firefox, users accessing Empornium.us are exposed to four trojan horses and three exploits. The malware doesn’t appear to be hosted by the site itself, but it is coming from outside sources — via redwolf.newsvine.com
With its £4,000 price tag, the Tesla supercomputer is beyond the reach of most consumers, but is expected to revolutionise the way scientists and medical professionals carry out their work. The gadget’s power will allow doctors to process the results of brain and body scans much more quickly. This would allow them to tell patients within hours instead of days whether they have a tumour
The Number Resource Organisation, which is made up of the five Regional Internet Registries, announces today that the rate of new entrants into the IPv6 routing system has increased by approximately 300 percent over the past two years. This growth has been helped by the active promotion of IPv6 by the five RIRs and their communities; and developing economies, such as India, are playing an increasingly important role in generating demand for global IPv6 deployment
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