_ _ _____ _ __ Issue ALPHA 21/3/97o ------------------- NTK-now o | \ | |_ _| |/ /_ __ _____ __o ------- a week of new media o | \| | | | | ' /| '_ \ / _ \ \ /\ / /o sorted, spooled and spliced o | |\ | | | | . \| | | | (_) \ V V / o ----- tips, stories, flames o |_| \_| |_| |_|\_\_| |_|\___/ \_/\_/ o ----------to: ntk@spesh.com >> WHAT TH-? <<< It's okay! Calm, calm. It's me, Dan O'Brien, and I'm conducting a small experiment on behalf of humanity. About a fortnight ago, we were kicking around a few ideas at Need To Know HQ, and decided that what we'd love is a WEEKLY E-MAIL NEWSHEET that included a summary of the more interesting of the weeks' tech media, pointed up nodules of info that perhaps we would have missed, kept us up to date with the general UK net scene, and included a few cranky selections of what we liked to call entertainment. This is not that newsheet. However, it is an alpha version of that newsheet. It's got all the bits that I hope NTK-now could carry: certainly enough to give you, dear reader, the idea. Now, all it needs is your passive support. Would you want to receive this newsletter? Do you think we should carry on? Would you be interested in contributing titbits, even? If your response to any of the above was 'Well, I dunno', please read on. There's more idle chat at the end of the 'sheet'. Later! >> HARD NEWS <<< All the news you need to know APPLE'S WOES continued as it announced that 4,100 employees are to lose their jobs. This represents a third of Apple's workforce and is only the latest in a series of lay-offs by the company. Apple Chairman GIL AMELIO also announced the cancellation of Mac projects including OpenDoc, Open Transport, the Cyberdog Web browser, and the MacOS development tools. Amelio said "We're getting back to basics." Heard *that* before. ISPs and others running USENET NEWS SERVERS on their machines were the victim of an ongoing HACKING ATTEMPT, as rogue newsgroup control postings were used to steal password files and other confidential info. The control posts exploited a known security hole in an old version of INN, the freely available news server package. As the postings spread, they attack more and more machines. CERT (the Computer Emergency Response Team) report that over a hundred machines have fallen victim so far. ftp://info.cert.org/pub/cert_summaries/CS-97.02 Visitors to BT.NET and SUCK.COM got 'site not found' this week, as NETWORK SOLUTIONS' crackdown on DOMAIN REGISTRATION DEBTS got nasty. Network Solutions, who run the Internet's central registry for .com, .edu, .gov, .net and .org addresses, put 29,000 domains names on hold, after final demand notices failed to get a reaction. The sites effectively disappeared from the Net. BRITISH TELECOM recorded pre-tax profits of UKP3,000 million in 1996. Reserving a domain name costs $100. There's a new INTEL chip in town. The PENTIUM II, due for release early in May, is essentially the top-o'the-range Pentium Pro with the new MMX multimedia extensions jammed in. Chips sampled so far clock in at 266 Mhz, but will probably be expensive for a while: PC designers will need to revamp their motherboards to cope with its new shape. AMD, Intel's rival, is due to release a similarly specced chip called the K6 at the same time: early speed comparisons are said to put the chips neck and neck. >> IN THE PAPERS <<< What "fair use" was invented for INTER@CTIVE WEEK revealed that European software developers are to license PHIL ZIMMERMAN'S PGP trademark in order to create separately-developed, international versions of the company's products. This effectively bypasses any export restrictions that would have been placed on the ultra-secure encryption software. http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/daily/970313x.html RICHARD BELFIELD in the NEW STATESMAN (15/3/97) investigated the Research Study Group, who study Britain's cold-war defences. RSG is part of SUBTERRANEA BRITANNICA, the (literally) underground history movement. http://www.stonix.demon.co.uk/rsg The NEW SCIENTIST (15/3/97) described the tech background to the NEW 56KBPS MODEMS, as well as looking forward to the future 6Mbps xDSL systems and 400Kbps satellite downlinks, in an article by HANK HOGAN. THE FINANCIAL TIMES (18/3/97) reported that BT Research labs have been testing QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY on optical links as long as 30km. Researchers at John Hopkins University are researching QC systems that use polarised photons in open air and in broad daylight. Roger Walker of the DEFENCE RESEARCH AGENCY is concerned about the clutter produced by LOW-ORBIT SATELLITE NETWORKS (like Bill Gates' Teledesic), according to THE TIMES (16/3/97). The effect of launching the hundreds of satellite required could lead to a 30% increase in space debris, he says. http://www.teledesic.com/visualizations/earth.html KEVIN WARWICK, professor of cybernetics at Reading University, reassured DAILY EXPRESS readers in his op-ed "WILL THE MICROCHIP PROVE THE ULTIMATE MENACE TO MAN?" (17/3/97) "In 2001 ... Hal turns against its human masters and tries to kill them," Kevin writes. "I fear that such a nightmare future is terrifyingly close." Frightened Express readers can send their PCs to our mailing address. NEAL ASCHERSON in the INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY (16/3/97) compared the Albanian "mob rule" with a flock of geese's hive-mind: "Like the wild geese, the Albanian crowds are whirling about before they find a common aim and head towards it." In PETER COCHRANE's column in the DAILY TELEGRAPH (20/3/97), he explained why newbies crash his machine more than he does. Investigating, he realised that while he thought his machine was uncrashable, his own behaviour subtly avoided the dangerspots. He had been "quietly tutored not to touch the mouse when my browser was doing its stuff. I had been subject to a subliminal process of conditioning by my machines." Watch the Netscape 'N' ... you are feeling sleepy... http://www.telegraph.co.uk >> CULTURE <<< Issue 15 of the cyber fanzine BOING-BOING is out. Topics covered: Bruce Sterling on his Dead Media Project, a lady's visit to a nudist colony and Web cam voyeurism. Send six dollars to bOING bOING, 11288 Ventura Blvd #818, Studio City CA 91604 USA http://www.well.com/user/mark/ That marvellous weekly anti-CJA rag, SCHNEWS, has a new Web site. SchNEWS is based in Brighton and covers all forms of direct action, from animal rights to right-to-party, in its own cheery manner. The Web site includes a diary, a news update page, and a *very* good contacts list. Wake up! http://www.cbuzz.co.uk/SchNEWS/ Details are up on Hacking In Progress, the open-air hacking conference to be held in Amsterdam in August. (In fact, the details have been around for a while, but they seem to be re-publicising the site). Tents, techies, raves and that dutch can-do attitude: http://www.hip97.nl/ >> TRACKING <<< Stuff our bots told us to tell you Among YAHOO!'s new British sites is THE UK STREETMAP PAGE, which produces complete map images for any street or postcode in the Greater London area. Images are taken from the Bartholomew road maps; the service is provided by BTex Ltd. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/ Most popular download at SHAREWARE.COM (beating WinZip and Quake even) is WebStereo, a standalone utility pre-loaded with the RealAudio addresses of over thirty Internet Radio stations. Registered WebStereo sells for $19.95. http://www.igsnet.com/webstereo.html >> MEMEWATCH <<< Tired *and* Wired "PUNCH 'EM UP" SHOCKWAVE APPS as SOCIAL COMMENTARY ... General election sites EQUAL UK Webvertising's LAST CHANCE SALOON .. The new Microsoft development package, Visual Studio, is Bill Gates' HEROIN FOR CODERS... GLADIATORS VS ROBOT WARS: who wins in a fight? ... ULTRALAB's "DAMAGED GENERATION" : PC users whose intuition has been CRIPPLED by using old user interfaces ... WINDOWS 3.11 retail prices now greater than WIN 95 due to "scarcity value" ... ACRONYMS that "don't stand for anything" (SUN, MIPS, Windows CE) ... AND IT'S NET MAG RELAUNCH TIME! >> ANTI-NEWS <<< Items that would be news if they hadn't happened THE SUN reports IBM boffins have invented 'a computer you can wear in your shoe' (18/3/97) ... security flaws found in Netscape + Shockwave, Explorer, FrontPage, The WELL, car stereos, front doors ... EMAP says UK NET AD REVENUES booming, expect rises of 6 million UKP a year - EMAP also own Internet Sales, a sales house for Web ads ... NOP reports that 10% of UK population have used the Net in the last year - and 3% of users swear they'll never use it again... >> NEXT WEEK <<< Still working on the format for this... SAT 22ND 11.15GMT (RA) NEIL INNES off of the Rutles gets uncomfortably close to meta-parody at the Beatlefest Web event. http://www.grit.com/beatlefest.html 14.00GMT (Live Webcam) ASPIRE II LIVE ROCKET launch from NEC Birmingham. Britain's homemade rocket enthusiasts sit you on the top of their latest. http://www.aspirespace.co.uk/aspire.htm SUN 23RD 20.00GMT (CH4 TV) TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: THE SECRET UNDERWORLD. Underwater, underground exploration. Ecosystems based on sulphur! 10.30GMT (BBC1 TV) OMNIBUS. On George Lucas, Dark Lord of the Sith. MON 24TH 19.30GMT (BBC2 TV) THE SCI FILES. This week: Computer Hackers. Vanessa Collingridge fans the flames. 21.00GMT (CH4 TV) CUTTING EDGE. It's the one where a group of Tory friends sit around, have a dinner party, and say highly controversial things that get them into newspapers. 02.00GMT (BBC2 TV) THE OSCARS. Trainspotting is up for an award. They have to show clips. Pray for the toilet sequence. TUES 25TH 17.30GMT (Webchat/RA) Post-Oscar discussion with the US TV Guide's film editor. http://www.tvguide.com/chat/index.htm 00.15GMT (BBC1 TV) ANNIE HALL. Kookiness and kvetching collide. INTERNET EXPO, WEB WORLD AND E-MAIL WORLD Earls Court Exhibition Centre. http://www.dciexpo.com/INTERNET/ <<<<AND SO ON>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Okay, I'm back. How was that? Frankly, I think that 'Next week' section needs another look; It's too long, badly formatted, and what is this anyway The TV Times? And "culture"? Mmm. Great name, guys - The news stuff I'm happy with - is it useful? too dull? Overall, it's more geeky than I imagined, but I think that's due to me knocking this one out on pretty much on my own (my cultural attache pal Dave is currently dead with a disease). With other people's suggestions, it should blend out a bit. It certainly seems doable on a weekly basis. Talking of missed deadlines, the original plan was to release this on Friday morning. I may rejuggle this to Friday 3PM allow us to review *next* week's weekly mags (which generally arrive on Friday). Well. I'm pleased I've managed to get this prop out before my period of enforced net.isolation while I do Oblomov. I'm going to take a long break, and then come back to this. God will bless you thricefold if you send us a quick mail telling me what you think, and whether you'd be interested in forwarding the odd scrap to NTK-now from time to time. We'll do nothing with it until May, at which point we hope to burst fully armoured from our own heads. Or something. Thanks for reading, and do let me know. We need to know. D. (and D) 21/3/97