The Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Germany has electronically linked snail neurons onto transistor chips and got them to communicate with each other — and with the chips. It’s primitive, but it’s the first time a neural network has directly interfaced with a silicon chip. They’re now working on a 15,000 neuron-transistor experiment
Microsoft has quietly disclosed that the latest versions of its Internet Explorer browser will not support Netscape-style plug-ins — the software bridges that extend the capabilities of a browser. The move means many Web sites that use popular programs like Apple’s QuickTime won’t work right with Windows unless developers change the code to meet Microsoft’s requirements
A flaw in at least one BigPond e-mail server allows spammers to hijack the infrastructure to send bulk e-mails, resulting in the Telstra server being blacklisted and innocent outgoing e-mails bouncing back to users
Brian West uncovered a security error on the Poteau Daily News web site — caused by the extremely dodgy Microsoft FrontPage — that meant anyone could edit the site without having to provide a password. He notified the editor and later met with undercover FBI agents asking him to reproduce the vulnerability — now he’s up on felony charges for wire fraud
IBM scientists have built a computer circuit out of a single strand of carbon, taking a step toward post-silicon computers
Microsoft’s antitrust battle against the US government has drawn out of the woodwork a number of supporters for a quick resolution — unfortunately, not all of them are alive
You don’t have to be the Man of Steel to put X-ray vision to good use. Drivers on Japan’s heavily congested roads soon may see through tall trucks and buses — thanks to an in-car computer prototype designed to rid roads of safety black spots
An international set of specifications for writing non-verbal human communications in computer code is being drawn up by a US web standards group. Computer scientists backing the project believe that the language could improve cross-cultural communications and might eventually lend itself to virtual reality and artificial intelligence applications
If you’ve read even one article about Microsoft you probably already know that everything the company does is in the interest of consumer convenience — well, that’s the spin, anyway
Telstra has hung up its latest mobile phone promotion, which essentially forces users to foot the bill for spam messages, following an uproar from the Australian Consumer’s Association and pressure from the government
The last of the so-called free Internet Service Providers in Australia — FreeOnline — has called it quits, announcing today that its service will no longer be in operation from 1 September onwards
Massachusetts attorney general prevents bankrupt dot-com, Essential.com, from cashing in on users’ personal information
Despite recent attempts by the Chinese Government to restrict Internet access and curtail the burgeoning growth of Internet cafes, the Chinese continue to flock to the Internet in their millions
The Federal Opposition has forced Telstra into disclosing an embarrassing cover up, revealing a backlog of 20,000 faults on its telephone network Australia-wide
The $6.2 million Pentagon program designed to let Americans living overseas vote online received only 84 ballots last year. An estimated six million Americans are currently living overseas. That means the experiment — which the Pentagon describes as a success — spent $74,000 per voter
The high-speed Southern Cross Cable connecting Australia to the United States is to be reconfigured in light of service disruptions due to damage from a ship’s anchor late last month. The Southern Cross Cable Network is taking steps to enhance the self-restoring ability of the network
The real motive for raw socket support is for Microsoft to use Windows XP to exploit a bad situation, to deliberately make things worse. Microsoft wants to replace TCP/IP with a proprietary protocol that it will tout as being more secure
A growing number of online companies are ambushing competitors through software that puts ads where marketers want them most — in front of customers visiting rival web sites
Man has always had trouble understanding exactly what his best friend is trying to say. But a new gadget released in Japan is trying to reduce the lingual divide between dog and its owner
Rob Rosenberger is determined to shine the bright light of sarcasm into every dark corner of the computer security industry. He carefully reviews the press coverage of every virus alert and rips into reporters who mindlessly repeat whatever facts
they may have been fed by their sources
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