BRUCEB NEWS
Data Brokers: The Companies Hiding In The Shadows That Know Everything About You
Your personal information is being bought and sold by companies that lurk in the shadows. You've never heard of them. That's the way they like it. This is the most important issue that affects your privacy today. Let's start with a tight focus. Assume there's a...
WINDOWS XP SERVICE PACK 1
Service Pack 1 for Windows XP will be available at some point during the next ten days. It’s a big update, full of security fixes and a few new features (including built-in...
WORDPERFECT: THE DEATH WATCH CONTINUES
Corel has announced a couple of bundling deals for slimmed down versions of the WordPerfect suite. Hewlett Packard is installing WordPerfect on all of its Pavilion computers, and...
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PALLADIUM AND “TRUSTED COMPUTING”
Here’s an extensive discussion of the “Palladium” software that Microsoft is developing for future versions of Windows, to work with hardware designed by the “Trusted Computing...
FREE AMAZON SHIPPING
Amazon has improved its free shipping offer – starting today, you can get free shipping for any purchase over $25.
THE TEN IMMUTABLE LAWS OF SECURITY
This is important reading for everyone that owns a computer: The Ten Immutable Laws Of Security. The article has a short, non-technical discussion of each one. Highly...
USB 2.0 vs FIREWIRE
There’s two new ways to connect devices to your computer, USB 2.0 and Firewire (aka IEEE 1394). Each requires new hardware to support it – either a new card added into your...
GATEWAY COMPETES WITH IMAC
Gateway is taking aim at Apple Computer and the flat-panel iMac. Gateway has had an all-in-one, flat-panel-based Profile PC series for far longer than Apple’s new iMac. The new...
NEW PATCH FOR INTERNET EXPLORER
There’s another update for Internet Explorer versions 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0, to fix a slew of vulnerabilities that have come to light recently. Here’s an article with details....
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY DEMANDS CENSORSHIP RIGHTS ON WEB SURFING
The recording industry heavyweights - the usual gang, including Vivendi, Sony, Bertelsmann and Warner Bros - have now filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against a number of...
LEGISLATORS ASK ASHCROFT TO JAIL FILE SWAPPERS
Another strong indication that executives and legislators are actually becoming insane whenever copyright issues are discussed. Nineteen of the most senior members of Congress...
BIGGER HARD DRIVES AHEAD
Hard drive manufacturers see demand for bigger drives ahead when we start storing digital video on devices integrated into our entertainment centers. You can already buy 120Gb...
BLUBSTER
AudioGalaxy is gone, Kazaa is loaded with spyware, Morpheus is having legal problems. The new peer-to-peer file sharing network getting the most buzz is Blubster. I don't have...
TELEVISION LOCKDOWN IN PROGRESS
The FCC has proposed draft regulations on two issues: (1) Beginning July 1, 2004, all new televisions with 36” screens or larger must include digital receivers; in 2007, all new...
THE BATTLE BETWEEN HOLLYWOOD AND HIGH TECH
There is growing tension between the computer industry and the entertainment industry about how to handle copyright issues. It’s easy for me to imagine new business models for...
MORE FROM JANIS IAN
Janis Ian wrote a thoughtful followup to her original article about the record industry - insightful comments on the wrongheadedness of the industry's current approach to its...