"When we started shipping IIS (Internet Information Server) 6 in beta with things locked down, customers would say, "You broke my applications." We said, "That's because everything's closed. You really need to go in and decide what should be open." So they said, "Oh, here's what we want. Why don't you put in a button that turns everything on?" Well, that just defeats the whole purpose."

Interview with MS info-security czar.

People over 50 and those with compromised immune systems are usually hardest hit by the virus, which can bring high fever, encephalitis and death. But the latest cases are not reflecting that pattern, and "most of the West Nile experts think [all ages] are probably equally at risk for getting infected," said Dr. Erin Brewer, a Louisiana regional medical director. "

The CDC is saying: "Wear bug spray or die."

CNN.com - Fifth West Nile victim dies - August 7, 2002

In case you were wondering, this is the Boondocks on Napster and DeCSS. The series starts on 02/19/01 and goes through 03/03/2001. Just read them in sequence, skipping Sundays. The artist spoke at H2K2 this year.

The Boondocks on Napster and DeCSS

"A presidential advisor encouraged the nation's top computer security professionals and hackers Wednesday to try to break computer programs, but said they might need protection from the legal wrath of software makers."

Some very encouraging words from the Bush administration at this year's Black Hat Briefings.

AP Wire | 07/31/2002 | Bush adviser encourages hacking

Swarming is a classic example of how once-isolated individuals are discovering a new way to organize order out of chaos, without guidance. It reverses the idea that geography, in an Internet age, has become irrelevant -- the whole point is to bring people together in one location for face-to-face contact. Swarming is also leading to such wondrous social developments as "time-softening," "cell dancing," "life skittering," "posse pinging," "drunk dialing," and "smart mobs."

Cell Biology (washingtonpost.com)

"The deals involve distributing Listen.com's Rhapsody online music service to Hughes Electronics' DirecTV Broadband and AOL Time Warner's Road Runner high-speed Internet services. For DirecTV and Road Runner, the deals will allow the services to offer an added perk for their existing subscribers and possibly an incentive to lure new subscribers. "

Selling music to lure subscribers to broadband...

Listen.com inks broadband deals - Tech News - CNET.com

Invoking both the controversial 1998 DMCA and computer crime laws, HP has threatened to sue a team of researchers who publicized a vulnerability in the company's Tru64 Unix operating system.

Yow! If this solidifies into a court battle it could present the first amendment question that the Felton case nearly presented. However, I think there are a number of technicalities here that will prevent this case from making it into a courtroom.

Security warning draws DMCA threat - Tech News - CNET.com

Those lousy frequencies are for brand name, traditional media content that changes daily (if not more often). How will those premier brands charge for access when consumers won't regularly visit for free? The answer? They won't. Consumers don't go online for traditional media content."

Great article about the difference between online and traditional media... Hits the nail right on the head...

AOL Time Warner: It's a New Media, Baby

"In the eyes of many consumers the pricing issues surrounding supermarket "loyalty" card programs can be summed up in one simple concept: those who don't have a card pay more at the register. The stores portray it in a similar manner, but call it "rewarding loyal customers" with lower prices. But few things in life are truly simple, and supermarket cards are no different."

This website offers a really good analysis of SuperMarket cards. Unless you happen to be a "good" consumer ("good" consumers nominally being a minority) you will loose something when you give up your privacy. You DO have something to hide.

Unfortunately, the guy then trys to frame the whole thing as a class warfare issue, so I can't give the site a full endorsement. Grocery stores in different neighborhoods with different income levels already stock different products at different prices, and usually the prices are cheaper in lower income neighborhoods where consumers are more price concious. This issue is far more complex then that. At issue here is WITHIN a store; WITHIN a particular socio-economic group, who are the "good" customers and who are not.

CASPIAN Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion And Numbering

"If Hackers Ruled "

\/\/007!

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