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Fans snap up Harry Potter deluxe edition

2007-02-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

Fans snap up Harry Potter deluxe edition

NEW YORK -- It's months away from being on bookshelves, but fans can't get enough of the seventh - and final - Harry Potter book, no matter the cost.

Not only is "Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows" topping the charts of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, a deluxe edition, priced at $65, is No. 2, outselling the "You" diet book, Sen. Barack Obama and an Oprah Winfrey-endorsed memoir by Sidney Poitier.

Clinton must face her demons over health

2007-02-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

Clinton must face her demons over health

DURING her first campaign swing last weekend through Iowa, the small mid-western state where a year from now, she will face the first test in her bid to win the Democratic Party nomination for the 2008 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton was asked many times whether she was prepared for the months of scrutiny of her private life and political record.

She said she had been through that sort of scrutiny and those sort of dirty tricks before and was prepared for whatever came her way.

But she was not asked how she would handle questions about perhaps the biggest political failure of her husband's first term, one that played a large role in the Republican Party's mid-term election victories in 1994 and one for which she has to take much of the "credit".

California lawmaker calls for light-bulb ban

2007-01-31T13:01:00.000-08:00

California lawmaker calls for light-bulb ban

Sacramento, Calif. — How many people does it take to change a light bulb? In California, the answer could be a majority of the Legislature.

The electricity-wasting incandescent bulb would be banned — replaced by energy efficient compact fluorescents — under a bill that Assemblyman Lloyd Levine plans to introduce.

He says the spiral light sources are so efficient that consumers should be forced to use them. The compact bulbs use one-fourth the electricity spent in an equivalent incandescent.

“Incandescent light bulbs were first developed almost 125 years ago, and since that time they have undergone no major modifications,” said Mr. Levine, a Democrat from Los Angeles, said in a news release Tuesday. “It's time to take a step forward.”

Blood workers strike Red Cross

2007-01-30T02:14:00.000-08:00

Blood workers strike Red Cross

Hospitals across the region reported little to no effect on their blood supplies as about 160 union workers from the Greater Alleghenies Region of the American Red Cross stayed on strike for a second day.

"At this moment, it's not an issue," said Robin Jennings, a spokeswoman for Excela Health, which operates three hospitals in Westmoreland County, along with affiliates in Fayette and Indiana counties.

The strike started Sunday at 12:01 a.m. and involves members of the blood drive collection staff represented by Communications Workers of America Local 13000.

The union represents about 160 of the 700 workers at a Red Cross chapter that serves 100 counties in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.

Clinton lets personality show during Iowa visit

2007-01-29T02:53:00.000-08:00

Clinton lets personality show during Iowa visitFor Iowans with no other impression of Hillary Clinton than the one etched by the national media, her weekend Iowa swing was a primer on the various traits of the Democrat now asking for support in the state's lead-off presidential caucuses.

In Davenport on Sunday, as in Des Moines on Saturday, the party's national front-runner demonstrated aspects of her personality that don't often break through the media's veneer.

Mammography Rates Inch Downward

2007-01-28T09:37:00.000-08:00

Mammography Rates Inch DownwardSummary: The latest report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that fewer American women are getting mammograms, a screening test that can find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat. The finding troubles experts, who warn that skipping mammograms may eventually lead to higher death rates from breast cancer.

'Progress' in BA talks

2007-01-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

'Progress' in BA talks

Talks aimed at averting next week's strike by British Airways cabin crew have continued with signs that some progress had been made.

The airline's chief executive, Willie Walsh, led the company's negotiators in secret meetings with officials from the Transport and General Workers Union including its general secretary Tony Woodley.

The talks lasted several hours and are set to continue throughout the weekend in the search for a last-ditch deal which would halt the planned walkout by thousands of stewards and stewardesses on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Pop sponge in microwave to kill nasty germs

2007-01-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

Pop sponge in microwave to kill nasty germs Here's some good news for every- one who worries about germs: Zapping that soggy sponge in the microwave for a couple of minutes can pretty much sterilize it.

"Microwave irradiation is a cost- effective, practical, fast, easy and safe method of disinfecting household items," according to a study published recently in the Journal of Environmental Health.

Cell phone companies launch mobile Linux group

2007-01-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

Cell phone companies launch mobile Linux group
Six of the biggest names in cellular telephony have made good on a promise from last year and announced a new foundation to push Linux standardization and adoption on mobile phones.

Hardware-makers Motorola Inc., NEC Corp., Panasonic Mobile Communications Co. Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and carriers NTT DoCoMo Inc. and Vodafone Group Services Ltd. said last June that they planned to work together on a Linux-based open software platform for mobile phones.

Does Apple Have the Backbone to License FairPlay?

2007-01-26T13:20:00.000-08:00

Does Apple Have the Backbone to License FairPlay?Critics say Apple's digital rights management system, FairPlay, forces anyone using iTunes to use an Apple music player for the rest of their lives. Perhaps they're on to something. If Apple thinks it makes the best digital media players in the world, why lock consumers in with a tightly guarded DRM system? Licensing FairPlay would be a tremendous show of confidence from Apple.

Salad offers such variety, try a different one each day

2007-01-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

Salad offers such variety, try a different one each dayThough we aren't staunch advocates of eating at your desk (even though we do it all the time), bringing lunch from home is a good way to save money and calories.

When you can't stand the thought of one more low-fat, low-calorie, low-sodium protein-with-pasta microwaveable entree, consider the salad.

You could eat salad five days a week and never get bored as long as you change the flavors. Look for interesting dressings or make your own. You decide if they should be fat-free, low-fat or fully loaded.

Think about global flavors: Asian, Latin, Southwestern or French. Adding protein to the greens will hold off hunger longer, though it is smart to have some fruit and nuts handy for later in the afternoon.

Dogs may promote good health

2007-01-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

Dogs may promote good healthWells, of Queen's University in Belfast, said dogs can aid in the recovery from heart attacks and give early warning of an approaching epileptic seizure.It is possible that dogs can directly promote our well-being by buffering us from stress, one of the major risk factors associated with ill-health, Wells said.

Robot nurses could be on the wards in three years, say scientists

2007-01-22T04:31:00.000-08:00

Robot nurses could be on the wards in three years, say scientists

ROBOT nurses could be bustling around hospital wards in as little as three years.

The mechanised "angels" - being developed by EU-funded scientists - will perform basic tasks such as mopping up spillages, taking messages and guiding visitors to hospital beds.

They could also be used to distribute medicines and even monitor the temperature of patients remotely with laser thermometers.

Working in teams, the intelligent robots will be able to communicate with each other and co-ordinate their duties.

Scientists from the universities of Warwick, Cardiff, Dublin and Newcastle are among the engineers and software experts taking part in the "IWARD" project. They aim to have a three-robot prototype system ready by 2010.

It is hoped the machines will ease pressure on hospitals and free staff to spend more time with patients.

By helping to keep wards cleaner, they could also cut infections by hospital superbugs such as MRSA. Each "nursebot" will consist of a mobile platform mounted with a module of sensors and equipment for different tasks.

It might be fitted with a laser thermometer which can measure body heat from a distance, or cleaning equipment to mop up spills.

While the hardware and modules can employ off-the-shelf technology, making the robots sufficiently intelligent and autonomous will require ground-breaking work.

Project leader Thomas Schlegel, from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, has teamed up with experts from the University of Warwick to develop the advanced software.

He told The Engineer magazine: "The idea is not only to have mobile robots but also a full system of integrated information terminals and guide lights, so the hospital is full of interaction and intelligence.

"Operating as a completely decentralised network means that the robots can co-ordinate things between themselves, such as deciding which one would be best-equipped to deal with a spillage or to transport medicine."

He said the robots could provide a valuable service guiding people around the hospital. A visitor would state the name of a patient at an information terminal and then follow a robot to the correct bedside.

If the nearest robot was not sure of a patient's location, it could seek help by communicating with others in the right area.

The robots will be fitted with sensors and cameras, allowing them to avoid collisions while travelling through wards and corridors. High-speed lanes could allow them to move from place to place quickly.

The robots would also employ face and voice recognition technology to communicate with patients and spot unauthorised visitors.

"But the human-robot interaction will be tricky, as the robots will have to be able to deal with people with different injuries and disabilities as well as the elderly and seriously ill patients," said Mr Schlegel.

Bill would require girls to be immunized against HPV

2007-01-21T01:41:00.000-08:00

Bill would require girls to be immunized against HPV

SACRAMENTO - When authorities approved a vaccine last summer that prevents most cervical cancers, experts cheered it as a breakthrough in fighting a disease that kills 3,700 American women each year.

Now, a Bay Area lawmaker wants to make sure California girls get that vaccine, which guards against certain strains of human papilloma virus, known as HPV, that can cause cervical cancer. Assemblywoman Sally Lieber has introduced legislation that would require girls to be immunized against HPV before they enter the sixth grade.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that parents get the vaccine for their daughters, ideally when they're aged 11 and 12. But the proposal to mandate vaccination in California, AB 16, is causing quite a stir because HPV is transmitted only through sexual contact.

Mark Mangin of San Jose, Calif., saw his sister die, at age 32, from a different kind of cancer, ovarian, a decade ago. So when he saw a television ad for the new vaccine Gardasil, Mangin wrote his wife a Post-it note reminder to research it.

Mangin said they may talk to their family doctor about whether their three daughters, who attend Leland High and Castillero Middle schools, should get the shots. And he's generally OK with the state mandating the vaccine.

But the subject does give him pause. How much would he want to tell his daughters about Gardasil? Would kids chatter about their shots in homeroom or at lunch?

"It's very complicated," he said. "You don't explain anything to your kid when they get a measles shot. The thing that crossed my mind is, what will the kids think? Will they think it's OK to have sex if you get this vaccine?"

At least 10 states from Maine to Texas are considering HPV bills.

Lieber, who already stirred debate with her recent proposal to ban spanking young children, knows the issue is fraught for many families. But, she said, California requires vaccinations for Hepatitis B, which is transmitted through sexual contact and intravenous drug use.

"This is the first time we have a chance to prevent a virulent form of cancer," Lieber said, adding, "What we're trying to do is prevent disease, not mandate morality."

The state allows parents to decline any vaccination for their children for medical reasons or because of personal beliefs, Lieber stressed. But some bill critics say that option is little publicized.

"This, to me, is clearly an issue between a child and a parent, especially when we know that this vaccine is for a disease that is shown to only occur through sexual activity," said Republican state Sen. George Runner. "The point is that I have certain values and issues to which I deal with my daughter on. And it seems like it sends an inconsistent message about sexual activity."

Runner, a father of two, said he is all in favor of a public information campaign about the vaccine. But he would vote against mandating it.

Human papilloma virus is the most common sexually-transmitted disease in the United States, affecting about 20 million people at any time. Each year, there are about 6.2 million new infections, according to the Atlanta-based CDC.

People with HPV rarely exhibit any symptoms. However, some strains of the virus can carry serious consequences, causing cervical cancer and genital warts. Some 10,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year; about 3,700 die from it.

Gardasil is effective against the strains of HPV responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts. It does not protect against other sexually-transmitted diseases, AIDS or pregnancy.

Merck's Gardasil, given in three shots over six months, costs $360. It's covered by nearly all insurers. Other pharmaceutical companies are working on their own HPV vaccines.

The state's Medi-Cal program covers the shot for girls 18 and younger. The Schwarzenegger administration has proposed $11 million in additional funding to get the vaccine to 50,000 Medi-Cal recipients aged 19 to 26.

Republican Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, a mother of, is passionate that women learn about the vaccine.

"One thing I've told people with a religious objection is, `Your daughter could be a virgin on her wedding day, but you don't know where her partner has been,'" said Garcia. "Once you take off your clothes and get naked, you're at risk."

But she's also reluctant to mandate it. "I don't think that will get out of" the Assembly, she said. "It's really about having parents buy into it."

By late last year, all Kaiser Permanents facilities in Northern California had received the vaccine. It's free to Kaiser patients whose doctors prescribe the vaccine.

"There isn't resistance" to it, said Dr. Ruth Shaber, Kaiser's director of women's health for Northern California. But, "we're surprised. We had expected more women to come in on their own" requesting it, because of Merck's aggressive "One Less" series of television ads.

Shaber said her own 12-year-old daughter has gotten the first Gardasil shot. And she recommends it to her patients. But, "my push would be for more public information."

It's so new, she said, that no one knows how long the vaccine is effective for. Initial studies didn't find any serious side effects from the vaccine, but there's a "remote possibility" that new side effects could emerge as the vaccine is more widely used.

Parent Mia Burnham, who has a 12-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter at Castillero Middle School in San Jose, leans in favor of a bill.

"I would tell my daughter, `This could protect against an STD,'" she said. "'And we would want it for you because we would hate for you to get cervical cancer if we could have prevented it.'"

AB 16 will get its first hearing sometime this spring. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he hasn't seen the bill yet and doesn't have a stance on it.

---

HPV FACTS

The human papilloma virus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States and it can lead to cervical cancer. A Bay Area lawmaker wants to require girls to get a vaccine against it before entering the sixth grade.

_Number of people affected by HPV: About 20 million in the U.S.

_New cases each year: 6.2 million

_Health effects: Usually causes no symptoms, but certain strains can lead to cervical cancer and genital warts.

_Cervical cancer data: 9,700 new U.S. cases a year. 3,700 deaths.

_New vaccine: Gardasil, which is effective against HPV strains causing 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts.

_Recommended recipients: Girls 11- to 12-years-old or before onset of sexual activity. Can be given to girls as young as 9. Also advised for 13- to 26-year-olds.

_Cost: $360 for a set of three shots over six months. Covered by vast majority of insurers.

_Side effects: No serious ones reported; some pain at injection site.

Google plots e-books coup

2007-01-21T01:21:00.000-08:00

Google plots e-books coupGOOGLE and some of the world’s top publishers are working on plans that they hope could do for books what Apple’s iPod has done for music.

The internet search giant is working on a system that would allow readers to download entire books to their computers in a format that they could read on screen or on mobile devices such as a Blackberry.

With 380m people using Google each month, the move would give a significant boost to the development of e-books and have a big impact on the publishing industry and book retailers.

Jens Redmer, director of Google Book Search in Europe, said: “We are working on a platform that will let publishers give readers full access to a book online.”

Full text of president's radio adress

2007-01-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

Full text of president's radio adress

Good morning. For many Americans, the new year began with a resolution to live a better and healthier life. Whatever goals you have set for yourself this year, one goal we can all share is reforming our Nation's health care system.

Americans are fortunate to have the best health care system in the world. The government has an important role to play in our system. We have an obligation to provide care for the most vulnerable members of our society -- the elderly, the disabled, and poor children and their parents. We are meeting this responsibility through Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. We must strengthen these vital programs so that they are around when future generations need them.

For all other Americans, private health insurance is the best way to meet their needs. But rising health care costs are making insurance too expensive for millions of our citizens. Health care costs are growing more than two times faster than wages, and this is making it harder for working families to buy insurance on their own. Rising costs are also making it harder for small businesses to offer health coverage to their employees. Our challenge is clear: We must address these rising costs, so that more Americans can afford basic health insurance. And we need to do it without creating a new Federal entitlement program or raising taxes.

Our Nation is making progress toward this goal. We created Health Savings Accounts, which empower patients and can reduce the cost of coverage. We are working to pass Association Health Plans, so that small businesses can insure their workers at the favorable discounts that big businesses get. We must pass medical liability reform, so we can stop the junk lawsuits that drive costs through the roof and good doctors out of practice. We've taken important steps to increase transparency in health care pricing, and give patients more information about the quality of their doctors and hospitals.

One of the most promising ways to make private health insurance more affordable is by reforming the Federal tax code. Today, the tax code unfairly penalizes people who do not get health insurance through their job. It unwisely encourages workers to choose overly expensive, gold-plated plans. The result is that insurance premiums rise, and many Americans cannot afford the coverage they need.

We need to fix these problems, and one way to do so is to treat health insurance more like home ownership. The current tax code encourages home ownership by allowing you to deduct the interest on your mortgage from your taxes. We can reform the tax code, so that it provides a similar incentive for you to buy health insurance. So in my State of the Union Address next Tuesday, I will propose a tax reform designed to help make basic private health insurance more affordable -- whether you get it through your job or on your own.

As we reform the Federal tax code, we will also support the innovative measures that states are taking to address the problem of the uninsured. Governors across the Nation have put forward plans to make basic private health insurance more accessible for their citizens. When I go before Congress next week, I will announce a new effort -- led by Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt -- to help governors reduce the number of people in their states without private health insurance.

All of these changes are based on a clear principle: Health insurance should be available, it should be affordable, and it should put you and your doctor in charge of your medical decisions. I look forward to working with Congress to pass the initiatives that I lay out next week, so we can help millions more Americans enjoy better care, new choices, and healthier lives.

Unique compromise could end tiny fly's grip on SoCal town

2007-01-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

Unique compromise could end tiny fly's grip on SoCal town

COLTON, Calif. - This city lives in the shadow of a 1-inch fly that zooms around like a hummingbird.

For more than a decade, the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly has been the only fly on the federal endangered species list, its best hope of survival pinned on prime breeding habitat in this city east of Los Angeles. For just as long, city officials have fought to get it off the list, arguing that restrictions on building on its habitat have cost tens of millions of dollars in economic development.

Now, however, the working-class city is offering a new proposal to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that could help relax the insect's economic clout: hassle-free development in one neighborhood in exchange for a pristine preserve nearby. The compromise could end a stalemate that has left the city with limited commercial development and the fly's best habitat marred by rusting refrigerators, off-road trails and homeless encampments.

"I'm thinking there's hope we'll finally find a good solution to a problem that has been intractable for many years," said Dan Silver, executive director of the Endangered Habitats League, an environmental group that tracks Southern California's desert ecosystem. "We'll look back and say, 'Gee, there was a lot of foresight in protecting that.'"

Apple to charge $1.99 for 802.11n update

2007-01-20T10:25:00.000-08:00

Apple to charge $1.99 for 802.11n update

Apple has confirmed that it intends to charge customers a fee to download the software that will enable the built-in 802.11n functionality in its Wi-Fi cards which shipped in some MacBook and MacBook Pro systems. Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that all Core 2 Duo and Intel Xeon-based Macs -- with the exception of the 17-inch 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo iMac -- already has the 802.11n chip during his keynote speech at Macworld. The fee, which Apple says amounts to $1.99, will appear on the company's website once its new AirPort Base Station begins shipping next month. Customers who purchase the new Base Station will receive the software update for free, but Apple has said it is required to charge customers for the software upgrade due to generally accepted accounting principals, according to News.com.

"The nominal distribution fee for the 802.11n software is required in order for Apple to comply with generally accepted accounting principles for revenue recognition, which generally require that we charge for significant feature enhancements, such as 802.11n, when added to previously purchased products," said Apple spokeswoman Lynn Fox.

The new wireless standard boasts a large increase in bandwidth over the previous 802.11g standard, offering a longer range while providing backward compatibility with older wireless standards. The 802.11n standard will likely see ratification later this year, but the Wi-Fi Alliance has said it will begin certifying products based on a draft of the standard.

Health care players offer plan for uninsured

2007-01-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

Health care players offer plan for uninsured

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many of the leading players in U.S. health care joined together as "strange bedfellows" on Thursday to propose what they called a politically practical plan to provide health insurance to more than half of the 47 million Americans who lack it.

The plan envisioned more federal funds to help more children enroll in existing public programs, new tax credits and expanding eligibility for the Medicaid insurance program. Its backers were unable to say how much this would cost the U.S. government.

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the proposal -- offered as the new Democratic-controlled Congress mulls how to address the twin problems of uninsured Americans and escalating health care costs -- was who crafted it.

It was hammered out over two years by 16 groups and companies that in the past often bickered with one another, including leading drug and insurance companies, health plans, the American Medical Association, hospital groups, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and consumer advocates.

Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, a senior AMA official, called the participants "the major players in health care" and said the idea is "to cover as many people as possible as quickly as possible."

The AFL-CIO and the SEIU labor union that represents service workers pulled out before the plan was finished, as did the National Association of Manufacturers.

Participants highlighted what they saw as the urgency of the problem -- 46.6 million Americans without any health insurance in a rich country of 300 million people -- and pledged to work together to demand government action.

MySpace Developing Parental Notification

2007-01-18T14:54:00.000-08:00

MySpace Developing Parental Notification

NEW YORK -- The popular online hangout MySpace.com has been quietly developing software designed to give parents the bare-bones of what their kids are doing on the site.

The tool, which will alert parents of the username, age and location a child lists on personal MySpace pages known as profiles, is designed to spark conversations about Internet safety.

But it is also meant to give kids enough room to maneuver lest they flee to rival social-networking sites such as Facebook or Xanga. Unlike third-party monitoring software available for sale, the free MySpace tool won't let parents see their kids' password-protected profiles or any communications they have with friends.

Microsoft Expands Vista Options

2007-01-18T01:33:00.000-08:00

humor
Microsoft Expands Vista Options

Microsoft is increasing the ways that users can purchase Windows Vista, and upgrade to premium versions.

Upgrade Pricing, Discount Promotions

Tomorrow, the company is expected to announce pricing for a previously revealed consumer upgrade system for Vista called Windows Anytime Upgrade. Microsoft has said it will put all of the versions of Vista on one DVD in packaged form, or on a PC if the OS comes pre-installed. Users will get a product activation key that can activate whatever edition of Vista they purchase, and then can use that to install the OS.

However, if a user decides he or she wants to upgrade to a more feature-rich version of Vista than the one originally purchased--such as from Home Basic to Home Premium--Microsoft will allow a customer to pay $79 for a product activation key for that upgrade rather than requiring that customer to go out and purchase the edition at full price, which for Home Premium would be $159.

Thursday will also see Microsoft unveil a promotion through June 30 intended to inspire computer enthusiasts with more than one PC in the home to upgrade more than one computer to Vista.

Dubbed the Windows Vista Family Discount, it will allow a customer who buys the retail boxed version of Ultimate to purchase digital licenses for Home Premium for $49 each that can be installed on up to two other PCs in the home. As I've explained in the past, the suggested retail price for Windows Home Premium is $159.

Vista, Office to be Available as Downloads

Microsoft will also announce tomorrow that, for the first time, users will be able to purchase its Windows OS by downloading it over the Internet.

On Jan 30, various consumer versions of Windows Vista--such as Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate--will be available at the company's Windows Marketplace. Microsoft Office 2007 will also be available on the site, marking the first time customers can purchase the productivity suite by downloading it.

The company revamped the site in August, adding a new feature called Digital Locker, which keeps track of a customer's license key online so that software can be downloaded and securely purchased over the Internet. This feature is one of the reasons Microsoft now feels it is safe enough to distribute Windows Vista and Office over the Web.

Oracle blocks 51 security holes

2007-01-18T01:20:00.000-08:00

Oracle blocks 51 security holes

Oracle released a quarterly patch update on Tuesday containing 51 fixes, one less than originally expected.

The January 2007 update contains security bug fixes that address vulnerabilities in a wide range of Oracle enterprise software products including flaws in Oracle Database, Application Server, Enterprise Manager, Identity Management, E-Business Suite, Developer Suite, and the PeopleSoft software packages.

More than half the patches (26 of the 51) involve Oracle's flagship database software products. Nine of these might be exploited without the benefit of knowing a user name or password, potentially making them far easier to exploit. Of these, eight involve Oracle HTTP Server. The promised, but delayed, security fix also affects Oracle's database software.

The Oracle patch batch also includes 12 new security fixes for Oracle Application Server, eight of which may be remotely exploitable without authentication, as well as seven new security fixes for the Oracle E-Business Suite. Three patches for Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools, one of which may be remotely exploitable without logging on, and six patches for Oracle Enterprise Manager (five remotely exploitable) complete the unfestive 51.

Secunia reports that the impact of some of the vulnerabilities is unclear while others might be harnessed to gain access to sensitive information, run denial of service attacks, or conduct cross-site scripting and SQL injection attacks.

Oracle has been criticised in the past over the time it takes to develop security patches, and been asked to be more transparent about its security practices. In October, during its last release cycle, Oracle began rating the severity of bugs in its applications according to the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), an industry-wide initiative designed to standardise vulnerability rating. Oracle rates this quarter patch batch at 7.0 in a scale from zero to 10, where 10 indicates impending internet meltdown (or some such calamity).

Amichai Shulman, CTO of Israeli database and application security firm Imperva, reckons that some of the vulnerabilities are more severe than Oracle suggests. In particular, he highlighted flaws in Oracle's HTTP server that might be exploited remotely without authentication. "The SSL implementation flaw is the worst of the lot," he added.

A number of the flaws might lend themselves to SQL injections attacks. Exploits would not be difficult for a skilled hacker to craft, Shulman added. Meanwhile, applying the patches would normally involve downtime so it might be some time before enterprises are ready to roll-out fixes.

Long lead times are involved in developing database packages, and this is as true for IBM as it is for Oracle. For this reason releasing Oracle updates on a monthly instead of quarterly basis is unrealistic, according to Shulman.

He added that although Oracle is making some progress in improving its patching process it ought to to be more flexible about the possibility of releasing unscheduled fixes closer to the time when the most severe security flaws are discovered.

Sims Line Grows with Laptop-Friendly Games

2007-01-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

Sims Line Grows with Laptop-Friendly Games

Just when you thought The Sims franchise couldn't grow any bigger, Electronic Arts has announced a whole new line of Sims games. The Sims Stories allow you to "play through all the great moments of your Sim's life," all from the comfort of your recliner. Geared toward laptop users, the Sims Stories features the ability to start and stop quickly when you open/close your laptop's lid, as well as play in a window while still staying up on email and IM.

Sims Life Stories, coming out February 6, is the first title in the line. It features a new Story Mode, in which you can follow the lives of two different characters and their love lives through twelve chapters. For instance, in one storyline, you'll play along as the character Riley decides whether she'll ditch one boyfriend in favor of another. (This is deep stuff, people.) If that sounds a bit too Days-of-Our-Lives for you, you can also play in classic mode, which is similar to the open-ended play in the original game.

Life Stories will be followed up by two other Sims Stories titles: Pet Stories and Castaway Stories, which will strand you and your Sims on an island so you can indulge all your Lost fantasies.

US doctors plan 1st womb transplant

2007-01-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

US doctors plan 1st womb transplant

New York: Many women cannot bear children because they either have a malfunctioning uterus or their wombs have been damaged due to cancer and other problems.

However, doctors in New York hospital plan on the first womb transplant in the United States. They are screening women who may be fertile enough to bear children, according to The Washington Post.

The womb can be removed after a first successful conception. So there is no need to take anti-rejection drugs through out life.

Said Giuseppe Del Priore of the New York Downtown Hospital, â€œThe desire to have a child is a tremendous driving force for many women. We think we could help many women fulfill this very basic desire.â€

However, objections have been trickling in from various quarters, according to the Post.

Many transplant, fertility specialists and medical ethicists have raised questions of whether the procedure has been tested successfully on animals and whether the transplant may put the woman and the foetus at risk.

"This raises a set of very difficult medical and ethical questions," Thomas H Murray, who heads the Hastings Center, a bioethics think tank said.

He thinks, â€œit's very questionableâ€ and would be â€œvery hard to justify."

However, various experts have also opined that the plans highlight the unique status that childbearing holds in the United States.

They feel that with the availability of such options as adoption and surrogacy, women will go ahead to experience it.

HP Develops New Chip Technology

2007-01-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

HP Develops New Chip Technology

Company researchers describe a method that will allow more transistors on a chip, leading to faster computing and lower power use.

Hewlett-Packard researchers may have figured out a way to prolong Moore's Law by making chips more powerful and less power-hungry.

Today HP Labs said it created a method of using a "crossbar switch" that more efficiently routes signals inside a common kind of chip called an FPGA (field programmable gate array). The technology could lead to the creation of chips packed with far more transistors on board, leading to faster computing times.

HP calls its new technology field programmable nanowire interconnect (FPNI). The lab hopes to make a prototype chip using the technology within a year, and HP believes it could produce chips that contain a 15-nanometer crossbar by 2010.

Keeping Moore's Law Alive

HP is one of a host of companies developing ways to keep chip innovation moving along despite looming size barriers. The battle is to keep alive Moore's Law, which states that the number of transistors on a chip will double about every 18 months. Moore's Law has been the driving force behind increasing computing speeds and the decreasing cost of electronics gear over the 40 years since it was coined by Intel cofounder Gordon Moore.

Even Moore has said his law can't go on forever because the nature of exponentials is that you push them until disaster eventually strikes. So far, the technology industry has pushed those limits to 65-nanometers for mass-produced chips. There are about 3 to 6 atoms in a nanometer, depending on the type of atom, and there are a billion nanometers in a meter. Some scientists believe the atom may be the limit.

Intel is always working on new ways to make chips smaller and more powerful. In addition, scientists from IBM last year said they created circuit patterns as tiny as 29.9 nanometers using a technique called deep-ultraviolet (DUV) optical lithography.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has also worked on the problem, using a fish fin design to ratchet down the size of working transistors to a minute 25-nanometers. It named the transistors Omega FinFETs.

Current Technologies

FPGA chips are often used in networking devices such as those made by Cisco because they can be reprogrammed using software instead of needing to be replaced. It's an important consideration in routers, which are often in tough-to-reach places.

The most common type of chip is called an ASIC, or application specific integrated circuit. As the name implies, it is made to perform one task, such as allow a mobile phone to receive call signals. ASICs cannot be reprogrammed.

The research, by Greg Snider and Stan Williams of HP Labs, is in the January 24 issue of Nanotechnology magazine. Their paper, titled "Nano/CMOS Architectures Using Field-Programmable Nanowire Interconnect," is available for free for 30 days from publication.