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July 26, 2006
More dangers in online banking
It was interesting last night, driving home, to hear the sudden discovery by the ABC's PM program of "man in the middle attacks". It was lifted from The Age's story that day. The real story, as we wrote in the column a couple of weeks ago, is far worse, of course.
And here's the latest from InfoWorld on how criminal hackers are getting around two-factor identification.
Scammers have found a way around new token-based authentication systems that have been adopted by some banks. Over the past few weeks, approximately 35 phishing Web sites have been set up that use the new attack ...Phishers have only recently begun looking for ways around token authentication, using what is known as a "man-in-the-middle" attack, said Rich Miller, an analyst with Internet research company Netcraft Ltd.. "These attacks are worrisome because they took advantage, fairly early on, of a system that's seen as enhancing security for banking customers."So much for Australian businesses, including some banks, "leading the world in developing strong 'two-factor' authentication for online transactions."
We've been bringing this to the attention of readers and ABC listeners for years. The stories are getting more and more alarming. But there's been absolutely no response from the banks, or from the government. What will have to happen before they act?
Posted by cw at 01:51 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
July 24, 2006
A novel approach to the news
As we mentioned below, Bob Cringely suggests that relying on the Internet for news creates some form of intellectual bottleneck which makes us, well, less-rounded. For the record, Bleeding Edge doesn't agree with him, but it's interesting to think about these things. Is Bob taking a narrow view of what news is? Does it extend, for instance, to what's in the magazine section, or the literary section?
It seems to us that the Internet massively expands our ability to pursue all sorts of things. Take, for instance, literature. A few weeks ago, for instance, we picked up a copy of Salley Vickers' latest novel, The Other Side of You. A week or so later, we noticed that Ramona Koval interviewed the author in the July 18 edition of ABC Radio National's wonderful series, The Book Show. We downloaded the podcast.
Then we did a Google search, and found out a little more through The Times Online interview with Vickers. An essential part of the story is Caravaggio's painting, Supper at Emmaus. There are two of them, indeed, it seems, three, by the way. (The cover illustration, incidentally, is from another Caravaggio, Death of the Virgin.
The fact that Vickers was a Jungian analyst has clearly helped colour the book. That can lead to an examination of Jung's theory of the anima and the animus. Of course, this sort of activity does leave a lot less time to be bothered with stuff like news.
Posted by cw at 02:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Protecting us from IP-TV
In any free society - a society that is not beautifully regulated by the back-scratching arrangements of government and the mass media (that is, the Packers and the Murdochs, Alan Jones et al.) - restrictions on IP-TV would be regarded as abhorrent. Not in Australia, home of the developed world's most passive, least-informed consumers.
Here, according to media analyst Peter Cox, addressing yesterday's Future of Media Summit in Sydney, Communications and IT Minister Senator Helen Coonan is under pressure from the big boys of free-to-air TV to put restrictions, including a licensing requirement, on IP-TV in Australia.
According to a report in Computer Daily News, while other experts claimed it was impossible to legislate against IP-TV, given the universal open access to the technology and the fact that it doesn't require public spectrum, Cox was adamant. Drawing on the example of online gambling, where the Australian Government has virtually banned it, Cox declared: "She can legislate - she will legislate."
The fact that IP-TV is predicted to be a $US10 billion industry by 2010, and that legislative restrictions will seriously hamper any home-grown industry won't necessarily enter into the equation. After all, successive government kow-towing to the Packers in particular has already stuffed local televison production, and there's been precious little reaction to that.
And if IP-TV did take off in Australia, wouldn't that introduce a most undesirable level of democratic debate to the electoral process? Far better, surely, to relieve the people of the responsibility of genuine freedom of choice.
Posted by cw at 12:27 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 21, 2006
Is news slowing down?
You've given up your newspaper subscription. After all, who needs to pay when you can get the news for free on the Web. But are you losing touch? That's the argument Bob Cringely presents. Inspired by a recent study from the University of Notre Dame that says news stories survive on the Web for an average of 36 hours before half of their eventual readers have read them - compared to traditional print newspapers that are typically read by half their readers in 24 hours or less - he declares that in the connected world, "we read less and ultimately learn less than we did in the past".
According to Bob, "Those of us who rely on the Internet for our news tend to get less of it later rather than the more of it earlier that we think we do".
Newspapers, because they are printed daily, have a lifespan of one day. And because they generally have several stories on each page, we have the opportunity to SCAN the news in parallel. These are two huge advantages of print journalism over its electronic counterpart. In newspapers, news gets out of the way at the end of each day, leaving room for more news. On the Internet, we're still talking about that safe landing of the Space Shuttle Discovery 48 hours after it happened. Okay, they're down, get on with it. So people who get their news from the Internet may know a lot about Britney Spears' attitude toward child car seats, but they don't know about many other things because of all that Britney news cluttering the ether.And then, of course, there's the matter of blogs, which possibly present a little more news than Cringely gives them credit for, but principally deal in commentary. So maybe we're getting by on fewer facts, but more opinions. Fascinating. What do you think?
Posted by cw at 11:59 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 20, 2006
Telstra: We're here to fleece you
Is anyone else irritated by Telstra's latest exercise in profit-seeking social engineering? If you ring 12455 for directory inquiries - which ought to be a free service, in our opinion, in return for the untold millions they make out of monopolising directory listings, including the Yellow Pages - you're no longer given the number automatically.
Instead the canned voice tells you that you may be asked to have the call connected, and something along the lines of "further charges will apply". Then , instead of giving you the damned number, the operator asks "May I connect you?" My answer - and I hope yours too - is "No, you may not." You've already paid through the nose to get the number. Why should you be kept waiting for it, on the chance that you'll pay even more to have them dial the bloody number? How many polite Australians are prepared to decline, we wonder? Honestly. They are a cynical pack of exploitative bastards, aren't they?
Posted by cw at 09:14 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Apple: profiting from the herd instinct
Apple's 47 per cent jump in profit for the third quarter shows you just how profitable those iPods are. Those little white (and black) thingies now account for 34 per cent of the company's sales, and they pumped 8.1 million of the things into the market during the quarter (a cool $1.5 billion, thanks very much), compared to 6.2 million in the same period last year. A sharp drop in prices of components like the 1.8-inch hard drive used in the 5G iPod would have gone straight to the bottom line. And it picked up $457 million in revenue from the "Other Music" category, which includes the iTunes Music Store and iPod accessories ... what with the fact that the iTunes Music Store has an 80 percent market share of the digital music download market.
What's also interesting is that sales of Macs were up slightly to 1.3 million units ($1.87 billion), compared with 1.2 million units, or $1.57 billion, a year earlier. That seems to indicate that the new Intel chips are more profitable (unless we've got the arithmetic wrong). It also indicates to us that Windows users are NOT moving over to the Mac platform, which some observers suggested would happen, as a result of its dual-booting capabilities. We'd be prepared to bet the increase in sales would have come almost entirely from existing users eager to upgrade from the older and slower models.
Analysts say the results indicate there won't be any new iPod models until September which is a disappointment for some, given that it has been nine months since we had the 5G video iPod, 10 months since the iPod nano, and 18 months since the sad iPod shuffle. Others, however, will probably be overjoyed with the unaccountable longevity of their iPod investments.
Perhaps Steve's just been too busy, what with planning an iTunes movie rental business.
Having just reviewed the SanDisk Sansa e200, it's quite clear that the iPod nano, for instance, is seriously over-priced and lacks functions that its competitors deliver for considerably less. And the iPod bundle seems to have been stripped of basic components, for which one is now expected to pay extra. To say nothing, of course, of its lamentable customer service record, which I note, by the way, they are now addressing, at least according to David Flynn. Says a good deal about the consumer, does it not? Apple offers poor value for money and abysmal customer service, yet they've got the best brand recognition, and the best reputation for trust. Yes, a lot of it is accountable to Apple's peerless skills in design. But it's also the triumph of perception over pragmatism. Today's typical consumer has the instincts of a sheep.
Posted by cw at 11:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 18, 2006
Surfacing for air
Well, that took longer than we thought. What with two extra deadlines in a row, we've only just managed to come up for air. It wasn't just the research and writing. The local Institution of Marriage has been attending a conference in Zurich, and won't be home until Friday, which means we've had no-one to share all those other tasks, like feeding and walking the Bleeding Edge bulldog, Basil, washing, ironing, bed-making etc. that arise from the fact that, due to an appalling oversight, we do not have household servants.
Bleeding Edge already does all the food shopping, and most of the cooking, but what with so many of our friends coming around to make sure we don't expire from loneliness, ironically they've been generating even more chores. When they drop around, you see, we cook them a meal, and then - as Jimmy Durante would have put it, "Coises!" - we have to wash up. We definitely miss the IoM's washing up. Oh. And the IoM too, of course.
There has, however, been some deep-seated change in the Bleeding Edge character. Normally by now (after close to two weeks of solitude) the place would be an absolute mess, and we'd be desperate. This time we've managed to cope surprisingly well. Although. As you've probably noticed. We haven't done much posting. We'd be fascinated to know whether blogging has exacerbated the well-known tendency of the average male to lump the other sex with an unfair share of household duties. Should we expect a blogging-induced blip in the divorce rate?
Posted by cw at 10:28 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
July 12, 2006
Broadband bluff?
If we catch Stephen Bartholomeusz' drift, the alternative Fibre To The Node network proposed by the G9 is actually a telecommunications industry version of a straw man, and there's no chance whatsoever that it will ever be built.
The real point of SpeedReach, one suspects, is to influence the discussions the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is having with Telstra over the FTTN network and the terms on which competitors would gain access to it. And to lay the groundwork for a challenge to the Australian Competition Tribunal if the ACCC signs off on an access regime and clears the way for the network to be built.And according to telco analysts, the proposal doesn't make economic sense. Fascinating stuff. We can't wait for the next betting round to see who folds, and who ups the ante.
Posted by cw at 12:15 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
July 10, 2006
The thick of it
We've got an urgent deadline, so we're probably not going to be posting as frequently this week. But given we're in the thick of it, we thought we might recommend to you the British TV series of the same name: The Thick of It. You can get the entire six episodes by BitTorrent from uknova.com. It's hilarious.
Posted by cw at 11:37 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 07, 2006
What have the Romans ever done for us?
If you have installed either Windows Vista Beta or Microsoft Office 2007 Beta, you would have noticed the emergence of new default fonts. It would be interesting to see how these new fonts "take" in typical workplace documents.
Remember life before Windows and the Mac? We used to do everything in Courier. Not Courier New, but Courier 10 point. Every character had the same width. Suited the text based console screen, Wordstar and the dot matrix printer. Proportional width fonts had to wait for GUI windows, laserjets that composed the full page in memory before they print. When that came, we embraced Times New Roman, Arial (or whatever your non Microsoft equivalents are).
Many of us still do type in Times New Roman because that is what Microsoft Word on Windows starts up with. That font family has permeated through the corporate document format as well as the web. After a while, some rebels decided that Times New Roman was boringly formal and tedious, eschewing that for Arial as the document default. Eventually, even that wasn't satisfying enough. People have been complaining that both Times New Roman and Arial are so passé. They seem so crude. So primitive. So Windows 3.1.
Lost in the midst of hot topics like the Open Document Format and the delays in the launch dates of Vista and Office 2007, is the fact that the folks at the Microsoft have now addressed this dissatisfaction by providing a brace of new fonts. Calibri will be the new black followed by Cambria, Candara, Constantia, Corbel, Nyala and of course, the Segoe(s).
Neosmart has screenshots in A Comprehensive Look at the Microsoft fonts. If you like a Scots accent, the Channel 9 interview with Bill Hill is supremely entertainin.
Although often a primary focus, changing to new fonts isn't just about print aesthetics and the corporate look. It's also about on-screen readability in the context of the eyesight of the baby boomer generation as well as modern higher resolution screens. We've come a long way from the eyes of youth and 640x480 pixels.
All good. But where does that leave the guardian(s) of the corporate document style? Will aesthetic upmanship overcome the need to keep the hardware budget under control? What about non Microsoft word processors and non Microsoft operating systems? What good is the Open Document Format when the font is not universally available or acceptable? Will people race to correct their CSS? Will the left side of the brain overcome the right side?
Posted by Anandasim at 10:28 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Oscar Freire - success through confusion
On behalf of the absent-minded, we would just like to say that Oscar Freire has restored our self-esteem. Yes, we might get a little confused from time to time, but sometimes there's genius in the madness.
Freire's claims that he had somehow blundered into the limelight and a second Tour stage win of his career were very much in keeping with his reputation for absent-mindedness.He regularly forgets his race number - back-up staff take red and black pens, paper and Sellotape with them so they can knock up a makeshift replacement - and once drove 100 kilometres to pick up his riding licence but got so engrossed in eating yoghurts at a friend's house that he forgot to take it home with him.
Posted by cw at 11:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
When Lexar says "Jump", it means it
If you happen to be using a Lexar JumpDrive, you might want to stop using it, right now. A press release from Lexar which just arrived in our Inbox explains that a previously unknown feature of the drive includes the potential to burst into flames. Which would certainly make you Jump.
What it actually says is: "Lexar Media, Inc. has announced a voluntary recall of the Firefly JumpDrive product due to a potential to overheat. Lexar JumpDrive FireFly products in the following capacities 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB, sold between April 1 and May 30, 2006 have been recalled from retailers." Details are here. Perhaps they might re-issue it as a barbecue lighter?
Posted by cw at 11:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Now Amanda really is Un-Boomed
Let's face it. The reason we love the pioneering video blog, Rocketboom is Amanda Congdon. We imagine most of the fans watch the show because of Amanda Congdon. So the fact that Amanda Congdon abruptly disappeared from the show would, we imagine, be A Bad Thing
No doubt, however, fans will keep on tuning in, if only to learn why, and in what circumstances Amanda disappeared, and whether she will return. The entire blogosphere is in a frenzy. The script, as it unfolds, is as zany as any Rocketboom treatment. According to the Rocketboom site, which is being maintained by Amanda's former business partner, and the show's producer, Andrew Baron: "Amanda Congdon has decided to move to L.A. to pursue opportunities that have arisen for her in Hollywood. We wanted to meet her demands to move production out to L.A., however, we are a small company and have not been able to figure out a way to make it work, financially and in many other ways at this time. While we continue to remain with open arms, Amanda has in fact quit and left Rocketboom. So sadly, we bid Amanda adieu and wish her all the best. "
Over at Amanda's personal site, however, Amanda says, "No way." In a touching, and let's face it, bewildering post in which Amanda answers what purports to be a reconciliation attempt by Baron, but actually appears to be a positioning statement, the dialogue goes like this:
Baron: Dear Amanda, this is my last attempt to reach out and let you know I really wish you would stay.In Amanda's version of the story, it's Baron who apparently decided to pursue other opportunities. The He-says-She-says dialogue is gripping. He says, "After everything that has built up over the last several months (and longer apparently) and with everything I have learned about your disinterest in my various levels of critical input, I can understand why you would need to leave and I as I have always said, I will never hold you back."
Amanda: Andrew, you fired me.
She says, "It saddens me that you have not had the time and/or willingness to significantly participate creatively in Rocketboom for some months now. We've sent you things during the production process, and what we've received back is criticism after the show has already been produced or after it is too late to make changes. Statements like 'I'll continue to check my Blackberry but please don't wait on me if it starts to slow you down' and 'I will have my phone so I can still chime in but don't feel ever wait [sic] on me for any answers if I can't respond in time' really don't cut it."
What emerges from Amanda's side of the exchange is that she planned to do the showfrom LA, while she pursued those other opportunities, and had no intention of giving up her 49 per cent share in the company. Our experience suggests that people don't voluntarily give up 49 per cent of something that's making as much money as Rocketboom - $45,000 to $85,000 a week - so we tend to accept Amanda's story. But it could be, you know, that, like thousands of other Rocketboom viewers, we're just a little bit in love with her. Who knows. Maybe she did just decide to give everything to Andrew, and become a star. Spotted any aerial pigs lately?
Posted by cw at 10:58 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 06, 2006
Poms to sue Allofmp3.com
Looks like music crosses borders in more ways than one. The British High Court has cleared the local phonographic industry to sue the Russian music download site, Allofmp3.com in a local court.
Posted by cw at 04:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bleeding Edge: sort of intact
Thanks for the messages of concern. We can report that after a battery of tests and some sleepless nights, there's apparently nothing seriously wrong with us. Aside from, of course, that high blood pressure. The GP informs us that there are three areas of concern, but each of them is correctable. We don't know about two of them, because it took so long to explain the significance of the fact that we have an exceptionally low level of a hormone called DHEA. On the other hand, there does seem to be some concern about DHEA supplements.
Posted by cw at 12:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 04, 2006
SBS Cutting Edge: Google - Behind the Screen
SBS TV Tuesday, 4 July at 8.30pm
If you have some questions whilst watching tonight or later via your PVR, we will follow up on this show over in the forum here.
This documentary provides an in-depth look into the world of Google and how it is achieving its goals. However, it also investigates whether Google is aware of the responsibility it has, being the guardian to the entire world’s information, including personal information about its users.
The program also visits the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, California and its London offices and Vint Cerf, named ‘the father’ of the Internet, explains the inner workings of Google as a company. Since 2004, Cerf has been working for Google, helping them to develop new applications for the Internet. This documentary reveals Cerf’s view on the development of the Internet and on the role Google plays in today’s world.
With its motto ‘Don't be evil’, Google seems to have the best intentions, but this program reveals that there are also claims that Google is slowly turning into Big Brother, keeping track of its users and continuously making decisions about the information it provides to an ever faster growing number of users.
The program poses the question: Will Google continue to serve as a middleman that brings all useful information to the people? Or will it turn into a monopolistic Big Brother that challenges the freedom of information?
Posted by Stephen at 09:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Something to worry about?
High on Bleeding Edge's list of Not Particularly Wanted Experiences is when your GP orders a series of tests - we've got high blood pressure, you see - and a few days later you get a call from the receptionist telling you that the doctor "would like to discuss the results". If you've got an active imagination, you start running through the possibilities. Let's see now. Diabetes? Prostate cancer? Heart disease? Oh dear. So many nasty things to choose from, and we won't find out what it is until tomorrow morning. Could be something minor, of course, but if it were minor, wouldn't you expect them to say something like, "Nothing to worry about, but ..."?
Posted by cw at 03:46 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
July 01, 2006
WGAvn isn't WGA. Really.
Late breaking news from Infoworld - Worm appears as Microsoft antipiracy program. It had to happen. Someone just had to write a worm that goes by the filename wgavn.exe, with a visible service name of "Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Notification". Called W32/Cuebot-K by Sophos, it takes the oppurtunity to rub salt into the Microsoft wound.
Posted by Anandasim at 05:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack