BREAKING SURF
| Online Auction Scams: The Fake Escrow Account |
| Vigilante Hijacking of al-Qaeda Web Sites Not Helpful |
| Netsurfer Recommendations |
| Do You Know an Ass from an Elbow? |
| How Much Do You Make by the Second? |
| Groovy Soundtracks from the '60s and '70s, Baby |
| Happy Holidays! |
| BOOK REVIEWS |
| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
| Contact and Subscription Information |
| Credits |
BREAKING SURF
ElcomSoft Trial: Not Guilty under the DMCA
In a case that made headlines and which is a key test of the criminal provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a jury has acquitted ElcomSoft of violating the act. Both defense and prosecution agreed that ElcomSoft had released software that could crack Adobe's eBook encryption, but the jury foreman said jurors acquitted the company because they believed the company didn't mean to violate the law - although intent is nowhere mentioned in the DMCA. The jury found the law complex and doubted that the executives of a small Russian company could understand it any better then them. The prosecution lacked hard evidence that the software was ever used for malicious purposes: Adobe hired two companies to search online for cracked eBooks, but came up empty. Under US double jeopardy laws, the government cannot appeal the verdict, and that has serious implications for the future of DMCA. Both CNET and Wired have stories with more details.CNET: http://news.com.com/2100-1023-978176.html
Wired: http://wired.com/news/business/0,1367,56898,00.html
New World Trade Center Site Designs
After the last round of designs intended to commemorate the World Trade Center towers was met with lackluster enthusiasm, the project went back to the architectural drawing boards. This week the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation unveiled the second round of new designs. Looking at the slide shows provided by the architectural teams reveals designs which range from the ingenious and graceful to the incomprehensible. While the project is of immediate concrete interest to residents of the New York metropolitan area, what will eventually be built on the site will inevitably interest and reflect the rest of country, and possibly the rest of the world. We trust it will be more graceful than incomprehensible.http://renewnyc.com/
Are you as an American bothered by the prospect that all your personal data is going to be sorted and sifted by Iran Contra conspirator John Poindexter, once convicted of lying to Congress and now head of the Total Information Awareness Office? If so, you are not alone. Matt Smith at SF Weekly was so disturbed that he published the good admiral's home telephone number and address as well as other personal information readily available online. Smith also makes a case for California's secession, but that's a different story. A Wired article notes that over 100 Web sites have reposted Poindexter's particulars. Whether or not this perfectly legal invasion of his privacy will make Poindexter aware of just how upset people are about his office's plans remains unclear. What is clear is that he is probably going to get a new phone number.
SF Weekly: http://sfweekly.com/issues/2002-11-27/smith.html/1/index.html
Wired: http://wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56860,00.html
The highly popular pretend worlds of Everquest, Ultima Online, and other role-playing games cast economic shadows in the real world. In these absorbing role-playing universes, the lure of loot creates a reason for questing and adventuring, and wealth and what it can buy mark progress and advancement. The fascination of the virtual economies, evident in this Wired article, has created a sizeable cash flow for game producers and a surprisingly lucrative market in game items on eBay. Real-world commerce in things that can be used within games poses a challenge to designers, who not only would like to capture more of that money for themselves, but who must ensure it doesn't sully the game experience for subscribers. Sony's approach has been to outlaw trading in game stuff, but Electronic Arts is trying to allow players to purchase custom-made, high-level characters from the company. How real and unreal intersect makes for engaging reading.
http://wired.com/wired/archive/11.01/gaming.html
Google's stats are impressive - versions in 87 languages, 150 million searches a day, fourth most visited Web site - as is the fact that the company is profitable and private. Best of all is the notion that Google may just have opened the Internet up for all of us, allowing us to surf easily on top of the ocean of Web info that inflated so rapidly that it might have overwhelmed less scalable and robust search tools. While it's true that huge bodies of knowledge remain locked away behind subscription barriers and that unsophisticated searchers often misjudge the significance of search results, no one can deny that making the Web manageable and useful is an enormous boon. MSNBC has a searching piece about the phenomenon that is Google.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/844175.asp
AOL Wins Millions in Spam Lawsuit
At one point in 1999, the spam sent by just one firm, CN Productions, accounted for up to 25% of the bulk mail sent through AOL mailservers. Much of this was porn spam with addresses that had been forged to make it look as though they came from AOL itself. Think about that for a moment and consider the millions of users served by AOL, many there specifically for its kid-friendly reputation. AOL had already sued CN Productions and had won an injunction. CN Productions kept spamming, however, and AOL went to court again, finally winning a $7 million judgement against the spammer under Virginia anti-spam laws. Incidentally, AOL says that new spam reporting features in AOL 8.0, with which users can report spam with a single click of the mouse, has helped its filters reduce spam by 20%. CNET has more.http://news.com.com/2100-1023-978019.html
E-Commerce Entrenches in E-Malls
People used to make fun of Jeff Bezos and his vision for Amazon.com, but it's starting to look like he may have the last laugh. By getting big fast and by adding products other than books, he has transformed Amazon.com into a portal, a one-stop shopping destination for consumers - and a rare successful one at that. Along with eBay, the future of Internet commerce has arrived and it looks very much like a brick-and-mortar competitor, the mall. Consumers don't want to wander all over the Net, they want everything in one place. If you're a retailer without access to a portal, you won't get traffic or profits. CNET has posted two articles that make the case for this new cyberspace oligopoly, one original and one a reprint of analysis from Forrester Research.CNET: http://news.com.com/2009-1017-976178.html
Forrester Research: http://news.com.com/2009-1122-976539.html
Windows XP and WinAmp Vulnerable to Hacked Music Files, Fixes Available
Playing music - heck, even just storing music - in Windows XP or with the popular WinAmp MP3 player can be dangerous unless you have the latest patches. Security company Foundstone has released a couple of advisories about how Windows XP Explorer and WinAmp handle MP3 music files. Trying to play a hacked file could lead to your system being compromised, and in the case of Windows XP, even just opening the folder containing a hacked file can compromise your system. Fortunately, fixes exist for both problems, so please update your system before it becomes part of some nefarious distributed attack network.Windows advisory: http://www.foundstone.com/knowledge/randd-advisories-display.html?id=339
WinAmp advisory: http://www.foundstone.com/knowledge/randd-advisories-display.html?id=338
Windows fix: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-072.asp
WinAmp fix: http://www.winamp.com/
Creative Commons Releases Two License Projects
The Creative Commons, an organization dedicated to promoting the creative re-use of intellectual works, has released the first versions of two legal intellectual property projects. The first, called the Licensing Project, is a Web application that automatically builds 11 different licenses, distinguished by various combinations of attribution, derivation, and commercial use terms. The second project, the Founders' Copyright Project, is designed to help you make your work available under same initial term as the framers of the United States Constitution did - just 14 years.http://www.creativecommons.org/
Yahoo Renames a Category: E-Panhandling
First came the porn, then the stores, and then the begging. Thus runneth the Internet, and it's not really news. What is news is the growth of e-panhandling, which has recently prompted Yahoo to officially mark it as e-panhandling in the Yahoo directory. CNET has an article that lets you see how e-panhandling is something anyone can do for any reason. Some people want money to pay for fertility treatments, a divorce, or just the opportunity to spend your money. Maybe you should set up a site. Maybe we should.Yahoo: http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Issues_and_Causes/Poverty/Panhandling/E_Panhandling/
CNET: http://news.com.com/2100-1023-977090.html
ONLINE CULTURE
Online Auction Scams: The Fake Escrow Account
As auction scams go, this one is creative. One of the ways you can pay for the merchandise you buy on sites like eBay is by sending your money to an escrow company. The company holds on to the money and releases it to the seller only when the goods have been shipped. Some con artists set up fake Web sites that look and act exactly like those of real escrow companies. With the fake escrow service in place, they set up a fake, big-ticket auction. The cons tells the winning bidder that they are concerned about security and that the money should be wired to the ostensibly legitimate escrow company. Needless to say, victims who wire the money never get to see the merchandise and don't recover their money . MSNBC has more details about how the elaborate and apparently lucrative scam operates.http://www.msnbc.com/news/846795.asp
Vigilante Hijacking of al-Qaeda Web Sites Not Helpful
This Wired story about a man who hijacked a couple of al-Qaeda (apparently) Web sites points out the dangers of amateurs choosing to get involved in the cyberwar on terror. The man, described only as "manager for a large Minnesota financial services firm", managed to guess his way into a Hotmail account belonging to one of the owners of the domains. Unfortunately, the Minnesota man, called an "idiot" by the ISP that hosts the domains, may have disrupted an FBI intelligence gathering operation. The ISP spokesman said that the FBI has been paying a lot of attention to the two Web sites, which had been making anti-American statents and passing out al-Qaeda propaganda.http://wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,56896,00.html
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A Reader's Manifesto: An Attack on the Growing Pretentiousness in American Literary Prose
1000 Game Heroes
Raymond Chandler: Collected Stories
China's New Rulers: The Secret Files
The Malcontents: The Best Bitter, Cynical, and Satirical Writing in the WorldSURFING SITES
George W. Bush, Movies, and Sleaze - in Amazon Ads
The current US President has an interesting history in business. From 1983 until 1993, he served on the board of directors of Silver Screen Management, a company founded by his Yale fraternity brother and long-time business associate, Roland Betts. Silver Screen has been quite successful from its beginning. It has raised over $1 billion in capital and funded dozens of R-rated films. This site, an Amazon.com Listmania list by Art Snob, self-described Geek Cinephile Extraordinaire, lists 25 of the films with a trenchant comment about each. Of course, the site being part of Amazon.com, readers also have the option to purchase any or all of the films. The melding of merchandising and political comment is brilliant, whether or not you agree with the message.http://tinyurl.com/3oqm
The main focus of news coverage these days is the impending war in Iraq. The media too often present coverage in cookie-cutter fashion. You have to question the ethics and validity of these reports - any reports, in fact. You could seek out alternative news outlets for a fresher approach than that found among the familiar coverage of the big conglomerates. If you do seek a different outlet, try this Web site on for size. Spearheaded by independent journalists and activists currently in Iraq and parading an unapologetic antiwar bias, these are the voices that are often overlooked by the nightly news. These journalists want to voice the perspectives of the millions of Iraqis living in their politically, socially, and economically turbulent society. Dozens of links to external Web sites give visitors an opportunity to experience news coverage vastly different from mainstream western media. In addition, site coordinator Jeremy Scahill provides regular reports from his post in Iraq. In times of conflict and uncertainty, many often forget that there are always two sides to a story. Take some time and browse this site for a look at the other side.
http://www.iraqjournal.org/
Life in North and South in the 19th-Century US
For anyone with even a passing interest in the US Civil War, the Valley of the Shadow is worth a visit. It takes two communities - Augusta County, Va. in the south and Franklin County, Penn. in the north - from the Eve of War through its Aftermath via a hypermedia archive of thousands of original documents. These maps, photographs, military records, newspapers, letters, and diaries are organized into online reference rooms, and they paint a dramatically detailed picture of life for women, slaves, farmers, politicians, and soldiers during the period. The Letters and Diaries room provides scanned images of the documents themselves. Read how Maria Perkins, a slave, tells her husband Richard Perkins that one of their children has been sold to a distant plantation. The images include contemporary photographs of Chambersburg, Penn., which was burned by Confederate cavalry after the town refused to pay a ransom of $500,000. This is the history behind "Gone with the Wind" and, as truth, is stranger than fiction and much more compelling.http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vshadow/
The Museum of World War II, near Boston, is unusual because most of its artifacts do not hide behind glass or rope. Fragile items such as important documents, handguns, and small spy weapons have been placed in glass cases, but everything else is exhibited openly. The documents on display include the first alert of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Montgomery's address to the troops before El Alamein, and the complete plans for the D-Day invasion. Cryptomaniacs will drool over the five Enigma code machines, including a rare ten-rotor model. Fans of James Bond will appreciate the hundreds of items of spy equipment, including a pipe that could be smoked without damaging its concealed compass and map, cigarette lighters that fire bullets, shoes with hidden knives (What? No phone?), and even explosive coal. The collection is privately owned but pre-arranged visits by passionate wartime enthusiasts are welcomed. A virtual tour may also be taken online, but the photographs can be slow to load.
http://www.museumofworldwarii.com/
An Alternate, Evil British Empire
Alternate history takes a premise and plays around with the idea, although they don't normally employ fictional characters in key roles, or any roles. "Playing around" only barely defines the twists which are introduced - in this case, to an evil British Empire that could have arisen during the late Victorian era. In this imaginary Britain, Professor Moriarty, the fictional villain of Sherlock Holmes fame, is the Dr. Evil behind the rise to power of the Empire Party. He deliberately foments tension with other major powers such as France, Germany, and the US, while literary heroes Huck Finn, Harry Flashman, and Raffles are roped in for entertainment value and the plot thickens to the consistency of a London pea souper. This is definitely not the history you learned in school. It is considerably more amusing, albeit in a cynical way. This is the history you get when you have read all the books, decided they only tell half the story, and resolve to invent your own version of events.http://www.flin.demon.co.uk/althist/ebe.htm
One of the perils of living in the US during the Christmas holidays is SNB, seasonal night blindness, which occurs when you step outside at night and are promptly struck blind by all the lights that festoon your neighbor's house. The horror of some illuminated holiday displays is only exceeded by the ghastly power bills their owners must be paying for beaming all that wattage into the cringing eyeballs of their neighbors. Michele, author of the A Small Victory blog, has put together a Christmas Decoration Hell page where she invites her readers to submit pictures of their own neighborhood decorating nightmares. Our readers with a low tolerance for holiday cuteness may wish to have a fainting couch nearby before visiting some of these abominations.
A Small Victory: http://www.asmallvictory.net/~asv/
Christmas Decoration Hell: http://www.asmallvictory.net/~asv/archives/001663.html
Fainting couch: http://www.prestigiousdames.com/kitten/faintingcouch/faintingcouch.html
Lego pieces have become more sophisticated over the years and have allowed Lego engineering and creativity to blossom and become more time efficient. With bendable arms, body panels, and other customized parts, most people could easily put together a Simpson's character without much thought or effort. You may have seen or even created what you think are some pretty amazing Lego sculptures in your time, but you've probably never done or seen anything quite like this. Through the use of mostly Lego Technic, Andrew Lipson has developed a world of Lego creations out of Lego blocks and a little mechanical engineering. Unlike most of us however, Lipson uses LDRAW and MLCAD software to create computer-generated graphs that allow him to use mainly the traditional rectangular Lego bricks. The end result is a unique collection of pieces filled with right angles, sharp corners, and creative ingenuity.
http://www.lipsons.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/lego.htm
Ah, the good old days! Baseball fans disgusted by today's salaries, ticket prices, and shenanigans will enjoy 1918: Babe Ruth and the World Champion Boston Red Sox, a site that celebrates the last year the Red Sox won the World Series. Sportswriter Allan Wood promotes his well-received book of the same title with this nostalgic blast from the past. He sets the stage quickly on the home page: "In 1918, the nation was struggling through the first World War. An epidemic of influenza took the lives of more than 650,000 Americans.... And a young Boston player named Babe Ruth began his historic transformation from ace pitcher to the greatest slugger the game has ever known." One complete chapter here describes the first World Series game against (sigh) the Chicago Cubs. You'll find box scores for the entire season, thumbnail highlights (1918 Season), and a page on the Search for Babe Ruth's Piano. The latter is intriguing. Alas, most of the links from this page to newspaper articles are broken, their target pages lost, mysteriously, in cyberspace, as if to honor the legend that Babe tossed his piano into a pond, either in his cups or in ebullient effort to make room for adoring bambini in his cabin. What a gesture! What a way to spend your vacation and go down in history!
http://www.1918redsox.com/
SportsCenter Commercials - DadaDAH! DadaDAH!
ESPN's SportsCenter aired its 25,000th show last August. To commemorate the event, ESPN.com created SportsCenter 25K, an archive of the usually hilarious ESPN commercials. Apparently, a panel of media journalists picked "Around the World" as the best SportsCenter commercial of all-time, but the commercial is listed as "Global SportsCenter". Duh! fans of SportsCenter know what to expect. If you haven't watched much ESPN, but you do know who Craig Kilborn and Keith Olbermann are, you might be interested to know that those two graduated from the SportsCenter desk. As you might guess, a fast connection will enhance your appreciation. You'll need Windows Media Player or RealPlayer. Six-packs might help, too.http://msn.espn.go.com/thisissportscenter/sc25k/s/index.html
Cal Worthington and His Dog, Spot
Cal Worthington was a long-time car dealer in southern California, during which time he managed to achieve almost legendary levels of notoriety. This site shows Cal riding an Asian bull elephant, riding a biplane, riding a killer whale, and doing all manner of presently politically incorrect things in order to push his auto sales business. Although the site has omitted some of Cal's most problematic gaffes, there's still enough fodder to power a trip down memory lane for many - or to provide an introduction to Cal for the latecomers. You need RealPlayer to check out the audio and video content. If you want a better deal, go see Cal.http://www.mydogspot.com/index.htm
Vintage Consumer Reports Photos
Consumer Reports has been testing and rating just about every kind of product on the market since 1936. Its Web site is one of the most visited sites of all that require a fee for usage. A few areas are free, including the vintage photo gallery, which we cover here. The gallery consists of pages that cover the years 1936 to 1980. Each page has a selection of product photos from Consumer Reports and caption text. The original reports are unfortunately not available here, but the text is sufficient to explain the photo and report. The photos are black and white and can be expanded by clicking on them. The site will bring back memories to older readers and show how far merchandise has evolved or degraded over the years.http://tinyurl.com/3cfa
If you're into woodworking or vintage woodworking machines, you'll want to take a look here. There's a lot of information available. You might want to check out the manufacturers index, which lists info for any North American company known to have produced power woodworking tools. If you just want to drool, slide on over to the photo archives, which could also prove useful if you need to identify a particular machine. Articles relating to restoration and maintenance of vintage equipment can be found in the FAQ section, and there's a discussion group, as well. It looks to be a great resource for folks like you (and you know who you are). By the way, the US recently listed wood dust among many newly-described potential carcinogens. Put on your dust mask, grab your tack cloth, and take a gander.
http://www.oldwwmachines.com/
Get a Stone and Solve the Enigma
With the successes of online gaming and reality TV, many groups are trying to interbreed the two genres. One such project is the Stone. What is it all about? We're not entirely sure, but we do know its mystery and intrigue beckon you to join. The journey begins with the retail purchase of a stone, one embedded with unique symbols that act as your password to the game. Of all stones linked to the game, only one other will possess the same symbols as yours, and its owner - your so-called Stonemate - and you become linked in the game. Through exchanging secrets and clues, it's the mission of you and your Stonemate to uncover the secret of the stone. You do that by navigating the Enigma, an online community of riddles, puzzles, and clues. For a peek at the puzzles and riddles that help solve the mystery, check out the free puzzles section. It's a small sample of the virtually infinite maze that lies beyond.http://www.thestone.com/
Arthur Andersen Alumni Anonymous
What's become of all the Arthur Andersen employees who lost their jobs when the once premiere accounting and consulting firm tanked in the wake of the Enron scandal? Get a taste of the aftermath at AndersenAlumni.net, a free resource designed to help current and former Andersen employees find one-time co-workers, post resumes or job openings, or request donations. Company alumni are encouraged to post their "success stories". At last visit, only one had. This site is an unofficial, valiant, grim Web version of a corporate last gasp.http://www.andersenalumni.net/
FLOTSAM & JETSAM
Do You Know an Ass from an Elbow?
Take this test to see whether you can tell an ass from an elbow. If you score less than eight, we advise you to think very carefully before you next offer to take an old lady's arm to escort her across the road.http://www.ass-o-tron.com/arse-or-elbow/
How Much Do You Make by the Second?
Ever wonder how your salary compares with that of Oprah Winfrey or the former President George Bush? Visit this site, enter your annual salary, choose a celebrity for comparison, and then click. Watch as your salary is broken down by the second and as your chosen celebrity's dollars run away from your pennies.http://content.salary.monster.com/timer/index.asp
Groovy Soundtracks from the '60s and '70s, Baby
If you're into soundtracks from the '60s and '70s, this could be worth a visit. Lots of MP3 clips are here, and there are some late-model offerings as well. Pulp Fusion is well worth checking out, but you'll doubtless find other stuff you just gotta have, if you poke around in here for a while. It's almost too hip, Austin Powers - style.http://www.scorebaby.com/
ADMINISTRIVIA
Netsurfer is off for a break. We'll be back in the second week of January 2002.