PRINCETON REPORT ON JAVA SECURITY: IS JAVA FUNDAMENTALLY INSECURE?
In recent issues we've reported a number of security problems in Java and Java implementations. The bugs and fixes are coming fast and furious, and since security is a hot-button topic, the issue has attracted attention even in the mainstream press. A recent paper by a Princeton University computer science team received a lot of press for allegedly pointing out that Java can't be made secure in its current incarnation. You can by read the rather technical report, written for the professional programmer, and judge for yourself. Our only quibble is that you can download it only in Postscript or Adobe Acrobat formats. "http://www.cs.princeton.edu/sip/pub/secure96.html"
Timothy Leary oozed colorfully into public conciousness during the sixties with his advocacy of the use of hallucinogenic drugs for expanding conciousness. In recent years he became a maven of cyber fetishists, with his appearances at Digital Be-Ins and his book "Chaos & CyberCulture". He died recently of prostate cancer. This is his site. "http://www.leary.com/"
LONG AWAITED NRC CRYPTOGRAPHY REPORT RELEASED
Commissioned by Congress way back in 1993, this report on cryptographic policy is likely to influence the ongoing national crypto debate. The full text of the report has been placed online. To grossly oversimplify a large document, the report found that "on balance, the advantages of more widespread use of cryptography outweigh the disadvantages." The report contains specific recommendations for policy and legislation that would provide a balance between legitimate individual or commercial use and national security and criminal law enforcement issues. It's a thoughtful document which makes for interesting reading, not only for those who follow the debate, but also those wishing to learn more about the topic. "http://www2.nas.edu/cstbweb/28e2.html"
ALLEGED INTERNET PYRAMID SCHEME HALTED BY FTC
The US Federal Trade Commission likened the operation they busted to an electronic chain letter, in which people who invested $250 were told they could get a 2,000% return. The FTC has won a court order freezing the assets of Fortuna Alliance, which has allegedly pulled in $6 million in the last seven months of operation. Apparently, the operators just transferred $3.5 million to an account in Antigua. A court has ordered the company to return the money to the US. We found the URL of the company, and it sure is hard to believe anybody would fall for something as fishy sounding as this. Their secret? Why, the "Explosive Fibonacci Sequence", of course. "http://members.gnn.com/fortuna/fortuna.htm"
Wired Ventures, Inc., the company behind the so-cool-it's-frosty Wired magazine and the popular HotWired Web site is planning to offer 6.3 million shares (17% of the company) to the public at $12 each. That values the company, which did not make a profit last year, at about $450 million! According to the filing, HotWired receives 25,000-30,000 visitors every weekday, and Wired has a circulation of 300,000. "http://www.hotwired.com/"
MICROSOFT RELEASES FLURRY OF BETA SOFTWARE WITH EXPLORER 3.0
The Explorer 3.0 Web browser, supposedly Microsoft's Netscape killer, is now available for free download. Check the Web page for scads of new features, notably ActiveX multimedia controls. There's no Java support just yet, probably a major strategic mistake given the amount of developer interest in that language. Along with Explorer, Microsoft is also releasing NetMeeting, a groupware program which gives you real-time voice, data communications, and application sharing over the Net. It looks pretty spiffy. Finally, there's a bundle called Microsoft Internet Mail and News 1.0 (Beta 2), an entry into the crowded e-mail and news reader market. Everything can be reached from the initial Microsoft URL, even an irritatingly fawning review of the software from C|net. "http://www.microsoft.com/"
TRACK THE OLYMPIC TORCH VIA SATELITE
We've all had this experience. You wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and quivering, frantically asking yourself where exactly is the Olympic torch THIS VERY INSTANT? Relax. Do a few wind sprints. Chuck a discus through the neighbor's window. Then surf on over to Qualcomm to satisfy your Olympic craving. All this through the wonders of satellite technology. Qualcomm tracks a GPS receiver in the torch's chase car and posts the result on maps of your favorite scale (national, city, street). Totally useless, totally cool, and just right when those nightly Olympic heebie-jeebies strike. "http://www.qualcomm.com/ProdTech/Omni/Torch/"
GLOBAL TRENDS DELPHIC POLL, ROUND TWO
Back in NSD 2.13, we told you about a Delphic poll designed to predict future global trends in the areas of society, science, war, environment, economy, and others. In the first round, a set of consensus trends was identified. Now, in round two, the exact time when these things will happen will be predicted using the Delphic technique. There are a large number of predictions here, some patently unpredictable (a major earthquake striking California), others all too likely (civil war in Russia). The social and economic trends identified in the first round tend to be rather pessimistic. Is this a reflection of our state of mind or a valid prediction of the future? Who knows. In any event, take the time to participate, since bigger numbers give better results. "http://homepage.interramp.com/us000664/"
WIN PRIZES IN HITACHI'S GREAT ZOOWORKS HUNT
The prizes are pretty nifty. There's the Nissan Pathfinder, a Pentium laptop, and a giant TV. It's all in support of a URL-tracking program called ZooWorks. As coyly noted in the rules, "if you're serious about winning some prizes, ZooWorks will make the job easier." However, no purchase is neccesary and you can download the beta of the program for free. The program tracks and files each URL you visit and creates your own local search index. For the contest, you visit various sites on the Net to look for hidden pictures of animals. When you find an animal, you click on it and answer a question. The correct answer takes you to another site. There are 10 chains in the contest, which runs through June 30. Contest: "http://www.zoosoft.com/zooworks/Contest/index.html" ZooWorks: "http://www.zoosoft.com/zooworks/New_Product/index.html"
BARE BONES SOFTWARE RELEASES BBEDIT 4.0
Since we're big fans of this great Mac-based text and (with extensions) HTML editor, we figured we'd let you know that a new release is available. This time around you get color, HTML syntax hilighting, Java support, speed enhancements to what was already a blazingly fast program, and much more. Check out their site for the full list. "http://www.barebones.com/"
KID'S NET ACCESS TIED TO NET INCOME
The most important question in education is no longer whether children are learning readin', writin', and 'rithmetic. Now, judging by a new study, the key to education is getting on the Web. The Children's Partnership, a national research and action organization on children's issues, recently issued a report called "America's Children and the Information Super Highway: An Update". The study looked at how technological advances affect children at home, in school, and in the community. Also provided is a checklist, "Ten Steps to Success for Every Child," designed to help parents and educators. Some of the statistics truly are amazing: 82% of high school students from affluent homes have access to computers at home, compared with 14% of poorer high school students. And 62% of schools with affluent students have access to the Internet, compared to only 31% of schools with students from poor families. "http://www.koco.com/CP/report/"
You've seen the ads (at least in the US): Ronald golfing; kids wrinkling their faces in disgust; and an adolescent girl frustrated with the immaturity of her male counterpart. It's McDonald's new burger, the Arch Deluxe, featuring a large patty and a Dijon mustard-like sauce. But is it good?. Yes and no, according to the folks who frequent the rec.food.cooking newsgroup. Some quite like the taste whereas others lament the onions, tomato, and lettuce that can't seem to decide if their raw or cooked. We suspect their indecision might be due to some judiciously used microwaves. Search the newsgroup for the many threads with "arch" in their names. You could take look at the McDonald's site, too. "http://www.mcdonalds.com/"
Promoting the idea that "everyone can paint", Bob Ross made a career of showing PBS viewers just how easy it could be. Continuing in that vein, though Bob himself has gone on to better vistas, his legacy (known as Bob Ross Inc.) offers tips for the beginner and a complete lesson for one of his famous half-hour paintings. Information on purchasing materials and locating his "Joy of Painting" series is also available. Don't stop by without visiting all the happy little trees painted by students in the gallery. "http://bobross.com/"
Virtual Comics is a new concept in interactive entertainment. For a mere $1.99, you're granted access to full-color comic book adventures. Each of the three currently available books is over 40 pages and can either be viewed online with Netscape or Internet Explorer or offline with downloadable players for both Macs and Windows. All feature eye-popping, digitally enhanced color graphics and navigable 3-D spaces. This is no amateur effort. Comic aficionados will recognize the many big names involved in these projects. The curious and/or poor can enjoy the first three pages of each book at no charge. If you find it tedious to read online text, try surfing with the superheroes! "http://www.virtualcomics.com/"
HOLY NET COMIC BOOK COMPANIES, BATMAN!
DC Comics, the publisher of such gigantic money-making machines as Batman and Superman, has a Web site that shows off some of its newest and oldest comic book stories. The site, part of the Warner Bros. Online megalo-site, offers previews of the Legends of the Dark Knight (Batman) comic book, DC trading cards information, and a RealAudio page that replays old Superman radio shows that kept Americans glued to their radios way back in pre-Net-history. You've heard of that, no? Up, up and away! "http://www.dccomics.com/"
CULTURE IN CYBERSPACE NEWSLETTER
Yes, Virginia, there is Culture in Cyberspace. A reflection and microcosm of good things on the Web, this site has heaps of links, articles, images, and information to help you scoot around the Net without too many hitches. What you'd expect from such a page and a bit more, it's personable, rational, and easy to use, although we do miss a dazzling background. E-mail: wlefurgy@radix.net "http://www.radix.net/~wlefurgy/welcome.htm"
LEAD STORY - IN-DEPTH DAILY NEWS
Lead Story is a free service of the AT&T Business Network, which promises demographic information and market advice pages soon, which makes us a bit suspicious, but the concept is good. No, not good - great. A single topic is focused upon each day, with background history, analysis, information, and opinion used to expand the understanding beyond the average front page grab. Superb research and organization impress us. Thankfully, an archive of past topics is kept on hand. "http://www.leadstory.com/"
HISTORICAL EUROPEAN MANUSCRIPTS
Whether you're working on a term paper or just interested to learn more about the Europe of days gone by, this site provides a fantastic selection of historical documents, manuscripts, and text. From early Greek civilization to medieval times, from the Renaissance to the present, get it straight from the people who were there. "http://history.hanover.edu/europe.htm"
BOOK 'BOT A GOOD IDEA THAT NEEDS WORK
Book Worms Bargainbot is a search agent that lets the bytes do the walking for you, rooting out books and prices at a handful of virtual bookstores, including Macmillian Bookstores, Amazon.com, CompuBooks, Rutherford's, and Books.com. Unfortunately, the agent is not too discerning, so searches can return information on the book you're interested in, plus dozens of others that happen to share the same word in the title. Supplying an author's name does not help the situation (try tracking down James Gleick's "Genius"). That aside, if you'd rather shop at home than browse the musty aisles of the local bookshop, and you know what you want, Bargainbot will help you worm your way through the plethora of books available via the Web. "http://www.ece.curtin.edu.au/~saounb/bargainbot/"
The New York Daily News hits the Web with this preview edition. Extremely limited at press time, the preview includes a reproduction of the printed cover page along with the full text, a small sports feature, a longer gossip column, and a brief history of the paper. It's somewhat early to evaluate content, but the presentation is bold and visually pleasing. One nice touch is the clever use of animated GIFs to flash celebrity photographs in the gossip section. Use the feedback form to enter a contest for Broadway show tickets and, at the same time, influence the future content of the site. "http://www.mostnewyork.com/"
The tree of life may have found a perfect home on the Web. Housed at the University of Arizona and elsewhere, the Tree of Life is a project designed to present the evolutionary history of life. Wandering from the tree's root to its innumerable branches, one can follow the evolution of species, phyla, or any taxon. Each stop along the way offers an introduction to a specific group of organisms, links to relevant sites on the Web, academic references, and a discussion of evolutionary relationships. Currently the Tree of Life numbers just 990 Web pages housed on 10 computers, leaving plenty of work yet to be done and a good deal of the site under construction. But, as the primary authors point out, it took 3,000,000,000 (that's billion) years to build the real thing. "http://phylogeny.arizona.edu/tree/phylogeny.html"
The Summer Institute of Linguistics in Dallas, Tex., hosts the Ethnologue Database and its information on the languages of the world. The site explores the differences between language and dialect, and uses statistics to estimate the number of people who speak eac language. The information is extensive and clickable maps allow you to pick a country and view info on all native languages, even those that are extinct. Alternatively, there's an alphabetical listing of languages. Fascinating. "http://www.sil.org/ethnologue/ethnologue.html"
"HEY, MR. ASTRONAUT: DID YOU DRINK TANG?"
The Ask an Astronaut home page offers access to the men and women who have flown in space. The site offers a biography of and a letter from the month's featured astronaut, and multimedia files. The raison-d'etre of the whole shebang is the opportunity for all us ground-dwellers to ask the ultrahigh flyers anything we want. Answers to selected questions will be posted. "http://www.nss.org/askastro/"
Wow! Join your host, Wendell the Worm, as he takes you on a wacky walk through Worm World. This down-to-earth site delivers it all - exclusive interviews with an earthworm, a leech, a flatworm, and more. Get your hands dirty with information on worm bins and recycling. Peruse details of body parts (cool), the worm art gallery, or a fun-filled worm arcade that's sure to inspire a few yucks. Tapeworms never looked so friendly. "http://www.nj.com/yucky/worm/index.html"
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DUMB
A good number of researchers bemoan what they see as a recent surge in psuedo-science, bad science, or simply sloppy thinking. Classics of Out(land)ish Anthropology, produced by two anthropology professors at Lawrence University in Wisconsin, polices the Net for what they perceive as egregious misrepresentations of anthropological fact. April's edition (the only edition...) featured a critical review of Project Candide, a three-week Web travelogue of East Africa, and Nissan Motors' Web site. It finds both to be "full of outdated, colonialist ideas of Africa" and offers links to alternate sites that focus on Kenya. The site links to whatever or whomever might be under their critical gaze, so you can see for yourself whether the ire is deserved. "http://www.lawrence.edu/dept/anthropology/classics.html"
For those interested in adoption, this Web site devoted to the topic offers detailed information, support, and a variety of resources. Included, for example, is information about attorney sites, books, and search groups. Also provided are links to topics such as finding a pediatrician, dealing with post-adoption depression, and obtaining general parental advice. Those who want to find their "birth family" also can find links to resources for that search. "http://www.adopting.org/"
With a slip of they key we mangled the name of Larry Tesler in our report of Apple's business plan site in NSD 02.15. Our apologies to Mr. Tesler and all Mac fanatics who called us on it. "http://theplan.apple.com/"
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