On The Net - Computing News

with Chris Goh

I'm someone who can see the glass as both half empty and half full. To maintain my optimism, I'll say it's half full, but I often feel it's half empty in my heart.

Regular readers might get the impression I'm a critic of technology, but the information age has given me so many opportunities that I feel duty-bound to support it.

If I've learned anything about humanity, it's that we have two favourite pursuits - inquiry and competition. The competition is all about comparison, and the information age has given us the ability to compare things on a global scale.

Of course our own experiences and beliefs remain central to our understanding of the world, but because the Internet provides a voice for so many different cultures, ideas and age groups, it means we have the opportunity for even greater comparisons, as well as an increased capacity question our own values.

The Net can help develop a social conscience and encourage a community to learn

But given the power that can be harnessed on the Internet, it's funny how easily taken for granted it already is. Imagine you're a child in a family that can't afford all the textbooks you need and you depend on the local library for research. Provide children with Internet access and their capacity to explore and learn is limited only by the imagination and curiosity. And those brave souls who are willing to question and put their thoughts on the web, can be part of the greater collective web consciousness.

Granted there is plenty of junk online, but as any eager collector of trash and treasure will tell you, there are also gems to be found.

HotNews

While Aussies celebrated Australia Day, the rest of the world was dealing with MyDoom, the latest virus to flood email inboxes. Australia received a day's grace due to the public holiday, but it hit with a vengeance on Tuesday, with some people receiving hundreds of emails with an attachment that will allow remote users to access and manipulate infected systems, as well as creating a denial of service (DoS) attack on internal systems. Interestingly, the software business site www.sco.com, is under siege in an attack due to last for a fortnight. I suspect someone is not happy with SCO's recent claims that Linux infringes on SCO's copyright.

The virus strain, known as MiMail, has spread across the globe in less than 24 hours in unprecedented numbers, and often uses spoof email addresses. Check with your virus vendor for patches and don't open any zip or exe files that turn up.

If you are having trouble reaching REM sleep to dream, then a Japanese invention may help you. Its inventors ask you to talk to it before you go to bed whilst concentrating on a picture and playing out a fantasy. Once you're nicely tucked away, it estimates when you'll reach REM stage and then plays music with a selected smell, designed for the Yumemi Kobo, the "Dream Workshop".

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has confirmed a deal with the UN that will see his company contributing $1 billion over the next five years to help developing countries get access to computers. The deal includes cash and software. Sceptics view it as a ploy similar to Microsoft's attempt to strike a deal with the Justice Department to offer schools millions of dollars of support. That offer was turned down because government officials believed it would give Microsoft a greater monopoly. Let us hope that Microsoft's intentions are honourable.

Bev Holzrichter was kicked in the head by a mare while helping it give birth. She was badly injured and may have ended up lying there undetected for days except for one small detail: Bev was broadcasting the event live on a WebCam. Viewers from around the world contacted emergency services to send them to her rescue.

The Bagle Worm uses a familiar greeting to lure users into clicking on an icon that looks like a calculator. If you get an email with the subject "Hi", with an attachment with no proper explanation other than some words saying test, delete it. The worm has backdoor software that listens for openings in systems. Sigh. A new year and some things never change.

I'm always amazed by some mergers - you wonder how they can get away with it. Time Warner and AOL is an example. How could AOL take over such a giant? Now it's happened in Australia between Vignette and Tower Technology. Tower makes Australia's number one document management system, which has been adopted by the American Defence Force. Vignette only appeared on the scene in the last couple of years and its CMS has received poor reviews. That hasn't stopped them taking over Tower.

It now seems possible for anyone to make a movie that can grab Hollywood's attention. For a US$218.32 investment, an iMac with iMovie, Caouette has caused a stir at the Sundance Movie Festival with her movie Tarnation, which features 200 photos and film footage documenting her life, all assembled on a Mac. It's an amazing display of how technology can give everyone a voice that can get worldwide attention.

ScanBuy is about to be released in the US. It allows mobile phones with a digital camera to go to a shop and scan product barcodes. The phone then links to a database providing the shopper with in-depth information about the product. I wonder if, when you scan a pack of cigarettes, they'll say it can kill you.

Hotsites

www.australiaday.com.au

Sure, I'm a few of days late, but this is a site to celebrate a journey that has culminated in loss, triumph, joy and maturity in a nation.

It's a reminder that we share a common humanity, no matter what your background, and our diversity.

www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cny/default.html

Joining in the festivities is the City of Sydney has an 'official' Chinese New Year site.

www.new-year.co.uk/chinese/calendar.htm

I'm a week late - Chinese New Year was last Thursday, but the celebrations continue for a month. And if you're more interested in your Chinese zodiac, this site explains the signs and what they mean.