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BREAKING SURF
Bad Week for Windows Security: E-Mail on Windows Is Not Your Friend
Two severe Windows security bugs were discovered recently, both exploitable through e-mail. Ominously, simply receiving an e-mail can compromise your system. Security experts - the ones we trust from long experience - are saying these potentially catastrophic bugs can be much more devastating than the recent "I Love You" virus. The first problem, described by SANS, affects all Windows machines which run Explorer 4.0 or higher and Microsoft Access 97/2000. SANS has links to Microsoft fixes and workarounds. Another bug has also been discovered in versions of Outlook by which viruses can infect your computer via e-mail even if you don't open any attachments. SecurityFocus has the details on that one. The fix appears to be upgrading to Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 1 or Explorer 5.5 on all systems except Windows 2000.SANS: http://www.sans.org/newlook/resources/win_flaw.htm
SecurityFocus: http://www.securityfocus.com/templates/article.html?id=61
Spam Fighter Wars: ORBS Accuses MAPS of Blackholing Traffic
Open Relay Behaviour-modification System (ORBS) probes e-mail servers on the Net and maintains a blacklist of those that allow open relaying, which spammers use to spam. Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS) maintains a different blacklist of sites (Realtime Blackhole List, RBL) which support spam via open relays and other infrastructure. MAPS added ORBS to RBL because they considered ORBS's automated mail scans to be abuse. The feud between the two has reached alarming proportions. According to ORBS, Above.net, an ISP partly owned by the guys who run MAPS (Paul Vixie and Dave Rand), advertises packet routes for ORBS then drops them. If true, this means that Net traffic meant for ORBS heads through Above.net routers where it dies, resulting in netsurfers being unable to reach ORBS or use their service. Above.net may only be drawing traffic from those ISPs that have requested it to, but the situation is murky at the moment. The story illustrates how large ISPs with global points of presence have the power to shut down traffic to competitive sites. Big, big story in Internet insider circles. Meanwhile, MAPS RBL is also a target of a lawsuit from Yesmail.com. DirectMag has that.ORBS Version: http://www.orbs.org/hallofshame.html
MAPS: http://www.mail-abuse.org/
Feud: http://www.kuro5hin.org/?op=displaystory&sid=2000/7/18/05335/5018
DirectMag: http://www.directmag.com/content/newsline/main.html#81#81
Internet Explorer 5.5 Released, Criticized for Breaking Standards
Last week, Microsoft released a new version of Internet Explorer and met with a chorus of criticism for how it implements various HTML standards. On top of all that, a bug in the released version lets malicious strangers read any file on your hard drive. An inauspicious launch by any standard. New features in this version include print preview, increased DHTML and CSS support (and the bone of contention in the standards battle), improved searching, and a Windows Radio button in the toolbar.IE 5.5: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/download/ie55.htm
Standards: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2254214.html
Bug: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2260692.html
Last issue, we reported on the FBI's Carnivore computer wiretap. Since then, public outcry has led the Justice Department to investigate its use. Online privacy advocates have also complained about the system. One major ISP, EarthLink, initially refused the FBI's requests to hook up Carnivore until compelled by a court order, at which point Carnivore promptly brought down some of its servers. EarthLink came to an agreement with the FBI and will now perform court-ordered monitoring with its own equipment and software. CNet has that story. Robert X. Cringely, meanwhile, speculates on the real purpose of Carnivore: to give the US government the ability to turn off the Internet.
CNet: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2257522.html
Cringely: http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20000713.html
In the early '90s, Microsoft found legal and tax trouble for hiring a great many temporary workers who despite their title hung around for years. Since the temps did not enjoy many of the same benefits as full-time Microsoft employees, it was only a matter of time before a lawsuit was filed in an attempt to improve the lot of temporary workers. Enter the law of unintended consequences. Microsoft started insisting that all temp workers must be employed through outside agencies, leading to a serious erosion of employment options for freelancers and the institutionalization of second-class status for temps. FastCompany tells the story, and reveals that the fallout from last decade's legal struggle continues today. This topical glimpse into Microsoft culture tells a cautionary tale of modern labor.
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/37/permatemps.html
CNet explains a type of Web behavior tracking technology known as the Web Bug. A Web Bug is essentially a link to a 1 pixel transparent GIF which can be embedded in a Web page. The user will never see anything and cookie blockers will not detect it, but it can be used effectively to track where the user has been. Needless to say, online advertising companies are making full use of this method.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-2247960.html
New Top-Level Domain Names Finally Approved
ICANN has finally approved a plan for extending the number of top-level domains (TLDs) - the .com, .org, .edu, etc. Nobody yet knows precisely what the new domains will be, but the process has begun. In August, ICANN will accept applications for selling the new domain names. The registrars will be chosen by the end of the year, when the new domains will be sold. Wired has more details, as do the ICANN Yokohama meeting Web pages. While you're at it, let us encourage you to register for ICANN At Large membership, which lets you vote on many important policies, such as the TLD issue. Membership is free.Wired: http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,37594,00.html
Yokohama: http://www.icann.com/yokohama/
Membership: http://members.icann.org/join_now.htm
Don't read this unless you want to know who won the "Survivor" showdown. Maybe. SurvivorSucks.com, a site for people who love "Survivor" but hide behind a facade of distaste, reports that an inquisitive websurfer known as CAPLOCK thinks he knows who won the competition. Clicking through images insecurely stored at show's Web site, CAPLOCK discovered one that showed all contestants but one marked with the red X of failure. Granted, the image could be left over from Web practice drills, but it seems that while CBS erected leak-proof security surrounding the stars, somebody forgot about the little Web guys and gals. But would CBS tell the Web staff who won in advance? That's the key question. In the interest of reducing reader complaints, we won't reveal the purported winner here, but it's clear at the Web site.
http://www.survivorsucks.com/index.html
Launched July 12 from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan by a three-stage, 1.9-million-pound thrust Proton booster, the Zvezda service module is Russia's main contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). The 21-ton module will serve as the station's first living quarters, act as the main docking port for Russian Progress cargo resupply vehicles, and provide attitude control and reboost capabilities early in the station's life. Before it can do all those things, however, Zvezda must link up with the existing two-component station, a process described at this Web site in meticulous detail. This online press kit offers fascinating information about the module and its role in the ISS and a stunning array of pictures and images, including a rendezvous and docking animation. Readers with slow connections should be prepared for a long but worthwhile wait. Click on the URL then put on the coffeepot and enjoy the results with that first cup of java. You can also download this press kit in PDF format.
http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/assembly2_overview.htm
Diamonds are the stuff of romance, used to mark romantic attachment and eternal love. Sure, we know the De Beers cartel cleverly keeps the price of carbon carats artificially high but, for most of us, that knowledge isn't sufficient to dull the allure of diamonds. Sadly, a dark cloud metaphorically obscures the bright, multifaceted refractivity of the gleaming gems. Firms in countries such as Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia mine diamonds responsibly and provide steady employment and economic stability. It's a different story in Angola, Congo, and Sierra Leone. There, diamonds fuel warfare, and produce hellish conditions for millions of people. Although only a small fraction of the diamonds marketed in North America and Europe come from war zones, that's easily enough to perpetuate the misery. The New York Times on the Web (free registration needed) exposes both sides of this story, with pictures and searing words. In addition to the two-part main story, you can read a Web exclusive, listen to a RealPlayer audio report, and probe a discussion forum. After reading this, you'll never see diamonds in quite the same light again.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/040600africa-diamonds.html
The Dangers of File Sharing Programs
File sharing programs like Napster that allow users to share content with other people's hard drives will only become more popular as the Web moves towards greater interconnectivity. Greater connectivity, however, brings with it a host of new security concerns, as users of the entertainment portal Scour have found out. Scour lets users search and download multimedia files shared across millions of computers. And that's the problem. Scour actively searches Web sites and shared PC files for content, and Internet users who haven't secured their computer's hard drives risk inadvertently sharing files as Scour penetrates their drives in search of files. Scour plans to modify its search bots but the use of such technology by malicious parties to retrieve personal financial data and other sensitive information is starting to come to light. The LA Times has an excellent and readable story on the subject with lots of detail.Scour: http://www.scour.com/
LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/business/updates/lat_scour000714.htm
More Inexpensive Domain Registration
As we'd kinda expected, our half-assed attempt at finding an inexpensive domain name registrar with decent service brought a number of reader recommendations. In addition to our find of BuyDomains.com ($17/year), readers bombarded us with others. In inelegant list format (with price), they are: Joker.com ($12); directNIC ($15); Dotster ($15); 123 Domains ($15 or less); and EasyHosting.com ($15 Cdn, or about $10).Joker.com: http://www.joker.com/
directNIC: http://www.directnic.com/
Dotster: http://www.dotster.com/
123 Domains: http://www.123domains.com/
EasyHosting.com: http://www.easyhosting.com/
ONLINE CULTURE
Internet Democracy Project Formed by Civil Rights Groups
The American Civil Liberties Union , Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility , and the Electronic Privacy Information Center joined together on July 6 to launch the Internet Democracy Project, which aims to "encourage participation by non-governmental organizations in Internet governance and to promote the principles of a civil society." The new organization took part in the ICANN Net governance meeting in Yokohama this month, and is publishing a number of relevant papers on its Web site. One paper articulates what a "civil society" is: "Civil society supports freedom of association, freedom of expression, participatory democracy, and respect for diversity. A vigorous civil society is also an important limit on the power of governments and on the power of the commercial sector." Right now, the organization appears to be an ICANN watchdog, but look for it to expand into other areas of Internet development and governance. You can find many good resources links on the home page.http://www.internetdemocracyproject.org/
One of our readers (thanks, Rory!) sent us this great piece of Linux archeology. Professor Andy Tanenbaum found fame as the author of operating system books which educated a whole generation of computer scientists. Back in 1992, Tanenbaum was selling an inexpensive Unix-like operating system called Minix which was wildly popular with a crowd of starving computer students. At the same time, an unknown Finnish student called Linus Torvalds was giving away for free an early incarnation of an upstart operating system called Linux. One day, Professor Tanenbaum posted an article on the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.minix entitled "LINUX is obsolete". The ensuing historic exchange is archived here. In light of subsequent events - specifically, Linux's relentless drive towards world domination - the exchange makes fascinating reading. Also notable is the informative and generally flame-free tone of the discussion - a perfect example of the golden age of Usenet.
http://www.kde.org/food/linux_is_obsolete.html
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Bright Lights Film Journal seems comprehensive. The issue we looked at opened with a piece on Alfred Hitchcock and "Psycho", offering excellent insight into the dynamics of the film and its producer. We also enjoyed the review of "Fight Club". Apparently, it's not a chick flick, as the article makes disparaging references to the effects of testosterone. Liberally sprinkled with stills from the films, the reviews here generally fascinated us. The site encompasses film, DVD, books about film, animation, documentary, profiles, reviews, and interviews - about the only thing missing is profiles of the gaffers, which is probably a temporary oversight. Bad news for anyone not on the DVD train: it appears as though videotape and laserdisc no longer shine brightly. A search for laserdisc yielded a paltry 24 results. Fine and dandy, but you'll have to pry the laserdisc of "2001" from our cold, dead fingers.http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/
Move Over, Anime Fanboy - It's Fangirl's Time.
We've found the hippest site for females into comics: Sequential Tart. It contains intelligent, insightful, incisive articles written with that extra X chromosome in mind. Anyone wondering exactly how guys with long hair in Japanimation never muss it will learn that "perhaps it's something in the anime boys' DNA gives them the distinctive flair of wild hair." A column called Bizarre Breasts will coddle those of us who have marveled at the proportions of Fathom's Aspen and the like, longing for her physics-defying perkiness. The 'zine is packed with interviews, plus Dear Kady Mae, which is a Dear Abbyesque column gone wrong (or is that right?). The archives could be organized more usefully, but for now, we'll just have to deal with pawing through every issue, reading tons of interesting articles.Shucks. http://www.sequentialtart.com/
Movies, classic TV, weather, SF, music, sports, news - sounds like your classic search portal, right? Guess again. These are the streaming features of LikeTelevision, which warns that it is optimized for broadband. Basically, it consists of content from Hollywood movies (trailers and long sequences) and network TV (including news and documentaries) linked in creative ways. Our favorite is Celebrity Video Birthday Calendar, an easy way to blow a few hours clicking from birthday to movie. Too bad it's so hard to find. The site needs a search facility and better navigation; cutesy icons at the bottom of many pages confused us and require a mouse-over for explanation. You'll need RealPlayer to appreciate the full glory of the site. Artists are encouraged to submit scripts and finished works of art for audition. Because of its coolness and variety, we bet a lot of Hollywood, TV, and other media folk will check out LikeTelevision if they aren't already.
http://www.liketelevision.com/
Photographing the American West
Based in California for over 20 years, Scott Shaver has traveled throughout the United States in an effort to find and photograph the nostalgia and beauty of the American West. You can view a variety of portfolio selections at his Web site, ranging from landscapes to desert scenes, trees to three series of portraits. Thumbnails lead to larger, more crisp versions. True to the style of tangible art exhibits and museum showings, Scott's portfolio creatively presents collected pictures that gracefully complement each other. Scott, instead of crowding the display, carefully selected choices like "The River". The result surpasses the threshold of fine art photography.http://www.scottshaver.com/
National Museum of American Art Looks through a Lens
Photographers, art historians, and many others will enjoy Helios, the photographic hub of the National Museum of American Art (part of the Smithsonian Institution). Its inaugural presentation, "American Photographs: The First Century", spans the hundred-year of 1839 to 1939. This collection consists of over 175 photos from the American Civil War and landscapes of the American West in various styles from well-known and obscure photographers of the period. You will probably focus on the gallery, where you can view blow-ups, search for photos similar in subject or style, and send a photo as a free online postcard. For those who enjoy haphazard exploration, the index page links to images, sorted by photographer, with intriguing titles such as "General H.A. Barnum, Recovery After a Penetrating Gunshot Wound", "Riding a Giant Corncob to Market", and - yikes! - "Dentist". Features contains RealAudio commentaries on individual photos.http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu/collections/exhibits/helios/helios.html
Unpirated Free Music? Are You Zeri-ous?
The combination of MP3s and domain names that mean nothing continues. Exclusively for "premier musicians and artists", Zerion offers musicians a free place on the Web to store and share MP3s of original music (no shades of Napster here - home-brew only). Use the space as an online Web page resume by sending people to your work, hope that your stuff is added to the Showcase page, or just check out what the other 340-plus members are doodling around with (some Zerionettes use the space for fiction or photos instead of music). Its creator, Benjamin Solomon, claims to make no money on this site and runs no ad banners anywhere, so this could be a welcome boon to the starving artist in your family.http://www.zerion.com/
If you think after you visit Murray Pfeffer's E-Z 30 Minute Ballroom Dance Course your feet will magically mimic Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers, you've got another thing coming - possibly crutches. However, if what you want is a little confidence before hitting the dance floor, this site can give you just that. Designed by Murray to complement his Big Band database, the course is the equivalent of learning ballroom dance from a book, without having to visit the library. Murray, while admitting that nothing beats a good dance instructor, exhorts students to practice each dance for at least 30 minutes. Without a mirror, a wooden dance floor, and a skilled partner, you could end up having to unlearn all your good intentions. Use the page to boost your familiarity and self-confidence. Leave it at that.
http://nfo.net/.DANCE/dance.html
BOOKS & E-ZINES
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Items our staff likes and you might too. Click on the image or title to order at a hefty discount from our affiliate Amazon.com, and send a few pennies our way as well.
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Building Internet Firewalls, Second Edition
Vanishing Acts: A Science Fiction Anthology
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
For the Boys: The Racy Pin-Ups of WWIIhttp://www.theatlantic.com/
It is kinda like the NSD of popular culture - kinda. Considering the caliber of columnists - Andrei Codrescu, Lydia Lunch, and Robert Anton Wilson, to name a few - this daily update of celebrity scandal, television, and odd news is quite casual and somewhat preoccupied with sex, not that that's a bad thing. The site takes on everything from voyeur TV to drag queens to erotic comic strips, and a stroll through the archives can become addictive. We don't know of anywhere else that you could find a rundown of drug use on "The Simpsons" or get the advice, "stretch before playing with bondage and be fully hydrated". Where's that Evian?
http://www.gettingit.com/
So many sports sites, so little time. Enter SportsJones e-zine and its SurfJones weblog. Some of the material is original, much resides on other media sites, and together the mix creates a delectable potpourri. Here is a taste of the delicious, often humorous oddities and journalistic gems that SurfJones highlights with commentary and a link, from its Science section: "The Babe had fast eyes, fast ears, and steady nerves"; "The physics of the karate chop"; "Scientists losing drug detection race". You might be more interested in something like "Jennifer Capriati: Eaten alive by the New York press" or "Governor the Body" (Jesse Ventura) in the "Entertainment" section. Or "Women in Football" or "GirlJock" in the Women section. There are so few ads you've got to wonder how they make money. Executive editor Jeff Merron may be having too much fun to care. Who knows what new off-the-wall insights may greet you tomorrow?
SportsJones: http://www.sportsjones.com/Default.htm
SurfJones: http://www.sportsjones.com/surfjones/surfjones.htm
Maxi wants to create "a friendly environment in which to empower and inspire" while discussing the common experiences of urban women. They're succeeding. Maxi, a hip little e-zine geared towards younger women, addresses all sorts of issues from the serious to the surreal with thought-provoking, well written articles. Don't miss the link to ChickClick's digital postcard stash, Maxi's contribution to which includes a discreet "Can I have a tampon?" selection for sending to that friendly female co-worker across the vast wasteland of cubicles.
http://www.maximag.com/
In an editor's introduction to a journal, we discover that "little velvet" is Persian slang for a woman's secret garden. No one tells us what "a woman's secret garden" means in American Homebody slang, although we can figure it out. We also tried to figure out for a while what this site's all about, but the answer became obvious when we clicked Homebody of the Month and saw Kaya Adams making carrot-ginger soup. These people stay at home because they like it (we just do it because that's where the computer is), and the site is mostly tongue-in-cheek, too (we think). "Everyone wants to be HomeBody of the Month and why not?" Indeed. We were so intrigued by the This'n That section that the chance to get "tips on keeping the house clean, where to find a good steak dinner or an especially smelly flower" flummoxed us. Loved the letter section.
http://www.americanhomebody.com/
An Episode Based on a Word a Day
It's a tale of misspent lives, suburban claustrophobia, private yearning, sex with stuffed animals, and gardening. It is "World of Douglas". Since January 1998, author Dick Ellis has e-mailed a new episode - sometimes prose, sometimes poetry, always quick and well-written - to subscribers five days a week. In the 544 installments of "World of Douglas", we meet Liz and Carlos, Swami Fasti, several bikers, baby Mugsy, Sylvia, and of course Doug, who is digging tunnels under his neighbors' houses. Each new entry in the serial story contains the featured words at the A Word A Day Web site, and that motive apparently is enough to keep Dick going.http://home.san.rr.com/wanger/douglas/
Health has it over politics by a four to one ratio in this Web site's collection of five useful weekly newsletters. The free e-mail newsletters come as text only, and are easy to read or transfer to your PDA. Brief items from a wide range of sources form the core of three health newsletters: Health Newsbrief; Women's Health Newsbrief, and Men's Health Newsbrief. The fourth, HealthESites, reviews health-related Web sites and online news. The PoliSites newsletter focuses on the role of the Internet in politics and alerts you to new political sites.
http://silverhammerpub.com/
SURFING SCIENCE
This site was a finalist in the 1999 Webby Awards, and it's as strong as ever now, with loads of information about nutrition, lifestyle, and medical conditions. Each section's toolbox offers interactive features such as Symptom Checker, Medicine Checker, Wellness Manager, Find a Physician, and pregnancy and ovulation calendars. You'll also find a drug database (much like a FAQ), health calculators (including one for calorie expenditure), a diet and fitness journal, and forums. You can send health-related online postcards, too. There may be a lot of quacks on the Web, but a quick look at the About OnHealth page provides some reassurance with its impressive medical advisory board and Conditions A-Z Reviewers. One caveat: although there's plenty on women's health here, we found little specifically for men. We guess OnHealth knows its audience.http://www.onhealth.com/home/index.asp
SOFTWARE
The alpha release gives us an excuse to give you a glimpse of the features in the next major release of the Apache Web server. Apache Today has a good article describing things like piped logs, a new architecture for running CGI scripts, better error reporting, and various other minor improvements. Features:http://apachetoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2000-06-30-002-01-NW-LF-SW
Apache: httpd.html
Windows Media Player 7 More Than Just a Player
A whopping 9MB of software gives you a CD player, audio and video player, media jukebox, media guide, Internet radio, portable device music file transfer, and an audio CD burner - all in one package. There's also a slew of non-Microsoft PowerToys. Only for Win 98/2000. Worth a download if you have a fast connection.http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/en/download/default.asp
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Virtual Volunteers to the Rescue
The Virtual Volunteer Project keeps a home for the many social service projects that don't require face-to-face contact. While the name comes close to being an oxymoron, the reality is that virtual volunteering, sometimes called cyber service, telementoring, or teletutoring, works well. Current projects include working with youths with disabilities to help them through their schooling and providing technical assistance for small businesses that can't afford on-site consultants. The web site is a model of organization and clarity and wholly accessible to all.http://www.serviceleader.org/vv/
For a few years, many have mulled over how to leverage the power of the Internet not for profit but for the benefit of worthy causes. The model of the day uses visitor clicks to induce donations by advertisers - sponsors give a few cents every time you click a particular button. FreeDonations.com and sites linked at Quick Donations use this paradigm. Efforts like the fight against AIDS, defeating cancer, protecting the environment, or support of the arts can all benefit. The companies supporting these easy ways to donate hope to receive some customer interest or even surfers from their appearance on the pages. (Some of the linked sites may in fact require you to click on the sponsor to make the donation happen.) While we are at times leery of the potential to use such programs as scams to line non-charitable pockets, we also figure the payoff tops the risk. You can help support a cause you believe in, and help maintain a rate of thousands of donations made each day through such sites.
FreeDonation.com: http://www.freedonation.com/
Quick Donations: http://www.quickdonations.com/