] This white paper responds point by point to several
] papers and web pages which have criticized the TCPA chip
] based on misunderstandings and incorrect analysis.

This is an interesting paper. I'd like to see a response from Ross Anderson. Essentially, what it argues is that the capabilities that could be imagined for using TCPA chips as Fritz chips do not exist. A strong, but incomplete, argument is also made that DRM is not practical in the TCPA framework as it currently exists. Microsoft's Pallidium effort is claimed to involve a different chip which is similar, but not exactly the same. It is not known if Pallidium will support TCPA.

I think this is enough to say that its worth taking another look at TCPA. This analysis is not clear enough to say that I would recommend buying it. I want to know exactly how impractical DRM is in TCPA, and I want to know exactly what you can and cannot do with the endorsement key.

As my computer is secure to the extent that I control what it does and for whom, DRM and security are mutually exclusive. I will not buy a computer that enables third parties to absolutely subvert my control. If it can be demonstrated that TCPA cannot be used for this purpose, then I'll buy one.

IBM claims TCPA is NOT a 'Fritz Chip.'

] To reward those who can attract a paying audience, and
] the firms that support them, much shorter copyrights
] would be enough. The 14-year term of the original
] 18th-century British and American copyright laws,
] renewable once, might be a good place to start.

The economist presents a radical copyright proposal.

Economist.com | Copyrights

] I don't own an SUV, but now that they've been identified
] as the locus of evil, I'm thinking of getting one. And if
] I do, I figure I might as well let the inner wolf out for
] a rampage and get the most obnoxious SUV I can find.

Cars are supposed to be fun.

WSJ.com - The Scarlet SUV

] Almost un-noticed by the wider world, one of the pioneers
] of electronic music has died. Without Daphne Oram, we may
] never have known what the Tardis sounded like.

The life of a pioneer...

BBC NEWS | UK | Daphne Oram, the unsung pioneer of techno

] "I wanted to remind everyone that this 'old Europe' has
] resilience, and is capable of bouncing back," Mr. Mer
] told LCI television. "And it will show it, in time."
]
] "If you knew what I feel like telling him, to Mr. Rumsfeld
] ...," French Ecology Minister Roselyne Bachelot said on
] Europe-1 radio. She then stopped herself and said the
] word would be too offensive to publish.

The best thing about this story is the picture of Bush with his back turned. This is so well done that I almost find it humerous.

France/Germany pissed off about Rumsfeld comments

] An 80-year-old man has been arrested on charges that
] might be described as shopping cart rage.

Who needs the onion when you got people like this...

Grocery Store Customer, 80, Charged With Bumping Man's Cart

] Proponents of the machines assert that any invasion of
] privacy is not alarming because there's not much privacy
] left to invade. Grocery stores already track customers'
] personal information with loyalty cards, for example.

Bars in Northern California start collecting your detailed personal information in the process of doing an age check. The arguement above is particularly disturbing.

SacTicket // Nightlife // Taking license

] A San Francisco-area database company recently posted 10
] IT positions on Monster.com. It was flooded with more
] than 8,000 resumes. Only 10% of those will be
] scrutinized. And of the people who sent those 800
] resumes, perhaps five to 10 per position will be called,
] and only half of them will be invited for interviews.
] Those lucky few will then wait about a month just to get
] to the point where they can sell themselves in person.

This article is a little dated, but basically, the job market is still fucked.

The New IT Job Hunt - Computerworld

] President Bush's policy toward Iraq is in distress, and
] the reason is stunningly simple: His administration
] hasn't made a very effective public case for war with
] Saddam Hussein.

[IP] When the Wall Street Journal starts asking why are we invading Iraq...

] Three-dimensional tubes of living tissue have been
] printed using modified desktop printers filled with
] suspensions of cells instead of ink.

This is simply amazing stuff.

New Scientist - Ink-jet printing creates tubes of living tissue