Wired News: Gamers Spurning TV, Movies: "LOS ANGELES -- About half of the Americans who play video games say they are choosing to watch less television and go to fewer movies so they can spend more time enjoying games, accor"

Ornate Golden VW Beetle: "So would have thought there was another ornate VW Beetle out there, let alone one gilt with 24kt gold? The Vrbanus is ready to drive, detailed with the product of 2500 hours of handiwork, and is ready for weddings, promotions, collections, and coronation ceremonies for the world's most frugal monarchs."

BBC NEWS | Health | Newlyweds advised to lower hopes: "The secret of a long and happy marriage appears to be not to expect too much from it. US researchers say that, unless you have superior relationship skills, your hopes of cosy couple"

Wrought-Iron Lace VW Bug

New Windows Mobile SE Handhelds Expected Soon :: Mobile Gadget News - (MPx200.org) :: News, Reviews, and Help for the MPX200, SCH-i600, and SmartPhone Community I am dying to replace my SideKick and I am geeky about gettig a new do-it-all phone.

colette : paris I don't know why I am posting this. Probably because my girlfriend would like it.

Wired News: Apple Wants to Open Song Vaults: "The programming director of the store is a former radio deejay who's constantly looking for places to find old and out-of-print music. His team of music programmers are experts in world music, hip-hop, rock and classical, to name a few genres. In addition to their own expertise, the iTunes staff regularly collects suggestions from Apple Computer employees, customers and anyone who's looking to fill a hole in his or her music collection."

Welcome to Shareaza.com (English) As solid a file sharing app for windows as I could find in a recent search. No spyware (avoid Kazaa).

Google's man behind the curtain The Man Who (Really) Makes Google Tick - An anonymous reader writes "Like his friends Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Craig Silverstein abandoned his PhD studies at Stanford to become employee No.1 and technology director at Google. While building the search engine in a garage, never in his wildest dreams did he think Google would become what it is today. Not only is it the envy of software giant Microsoft, Google continues to redefine the technology market with its creativity and tenacity. In this in-depth interview, Silverstein discusses a wide range of issues including the backlash against Gmail among privacy advocates, the company's cultural changes and its shifting reliance on PageRank."

Preview: Google's Gmail Beta Gmail does rock. It's so good it makes me wonder if I need Outlook.

We finally had a chance to try Google's new e-mail service and we're happy to say that, for the most part, we love it! In this article, we'll give you an overview of what you can expect from Gmail, as well as what we liked and didn't like about it. We'll also tell you what we think needs to be added to make it even better.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | China couple split over dead dog: "A Chinese woman who hired four hit men to kill her husband's beloved pet wolfhound now faces divorce. "

New York's Premier Alternative Newspaper. Arts, Music, Food, Movies and Opinion

PhotoMann Travel Photgraphy - Images of Japanese Vending Machines PhotoMann recently decided to 'collect' images of unique vending machines found in Japan. They are everywhere. Estimates suggest there are 5.6 million vending machines which works out to be one for every 20 people in Japan. Sales from vending machines in 2000 totaled $56 billion! The most common are drink and cigarette machines followed by machines with pornography. All of the images in this section are taken with a Nikon Coolpix 5000. Below is a sampling of the machines to be found.

The MPx on the radio - Engadget - www.engadget.com

BBC NEWS | Europe | Fine for Spain stag night vandal: "The man, named as Rodrigo JL, broke the hand of the statue of classical goddess Cibeles during stag night celebrations in September 2002, a court was told. "

iTunes Improves as Russians Sell By The Pound

MSN Money - Panama is paradise for retirees - Retire in style Panama is one of the best places in the world for retirees today, combining a low cost of living, near-perfect weather and one of the world’s best discount programs for retirees, with up to 50% off everything from public transport to movies, mortgage rates, doctor’s visits, electricity, restaurants and airfares.

President Bush Watch A Chronology of Environmental Destruction

HIV scare calls halt to porn shoots - SpecialsHealthScience - www.smh.com.au: "James, the first porn actor to test positive for the virus since 1999, had a 'stellar record' of tests - negative every three weeks for the past seven years, said Elizabeth Mitchell of the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare (AIM) Foundation.
Dr Mitchell said James may have contracted the virus about four weeks ago while filming in Brazil on a 'non-condom' set."

Sony�s even thinner five megapixel digital camera - Engadget - www.engadget.com

9/11 Testimony of National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice Viewers' Guide - Center for American Progress Clarke says that he sent a memo to Rice on Jan. 25, 2001, seeking a Cabinet-level meeting on terrorism, and attached plans developed in the Clinton administration to eliminate al-Qaida. Out of the hundred or so meetings of the principals or cabinet level officials in the Bush administration, only one was about terrorism. Instead, the White House said it would have Vice President Dick Cheney head up a task force to analyze the threat himself. The administration waited five months to create the task force, which then never met.

p l a y f a i r: "When Apple opened the iTunes Music Store, they incorporated a technology called 'FairPlay'. FairPlay is a Digital Rights Management (DRM) system that limits a users rights on a digital media file that they've purchased and presumably downloaded. In the case of Apple's iTunes Music Store, when a user downloads an audio track from iTMS, it is a 'Protected AAC Audio File'. When used as intended, these files can only be played through the iTunes program itself. Furthermore, a particular computer must first be 'authorized' to play the given file. FairPlay allows up to three computers and unlimited Apple iPods to be authorized to play the file. As DRM schemes go, FairPlay is only moderately offensive.
So what will playfair do for you? The playfair program is quite simple. It takes one of the iTMS Protected AAC Audio Files, decodes it using a key obtained from your iPod or Microsoft Windows system and then writes the new, decoded version to disk as a regular AAC Audio File. It then optionally copies the metadata tags that describe the song, including the cover art, to the new file."

First Danger Hiptop 2 Pictures! 1st lame pictures of the probably-not-good-enough hiptop 2.

Comparing the MPx - Engadget: Cell Phones - cellphones.engadget.com

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Bargain hunt's sting in the tail: "Thousands of Britons are cashing in on exchange rates by shopping in the US for expensive items like iPods, digital cameras, or designer clothes. But many who think they have found bargains are falling foul of the law which requires them to pay duty on any purchase over �145. "

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Sea 'dead zones' threaten fish: "Oxygen depletion: Set to have a big impact in the 21st century"

Telus Mobility to carry Worlds first Fastap mobile handset : Mobile Phones : MobileMag

BBC NEWS | Africa | Billy's journey: Crossing the Sahara: "Billy, 41, from Guinea, tells the extraordinary tale of how he crossed the Sahara Desert to reach Morocco, where he smuggled himself into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. He is now working in Italy, where he has been given a residence permit, and has just been back to see his family for the first time since he set out on his adventure more than four years ago."

"Boycott Clear Channel and Get Howard Stern Back on the Air"

hosted on the web by our free online petition service, at:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/fs030904/

Your signature on the petition is already complete, and there is no need
to reply to this message.

Your signature number for this petition is 5197.

Free Stern: "Play 'Free Stern Anthem' as featured on The Howard Stern Show
Lyrics and music by Barbara's Bush

Stern: Caught in a Booby Trap
by Chris Gordon

It doesn't take an Oliver Stone to figure out that Clear Channel's decision to take The Howard Stern Show off the air in six markets was the result of more fallout over Janet Jackson exposing herself on the boob tube. The same way President Bush used 9/11 to blindside Americans into going back to war in Iraq, the FCC is milking Janet's breast."

Save The Howard Stern Show!!! During the week of February 23rd, 2004, not only did Infinity Broadcasting send down a zero tolerance edict to it's stations that could virtually or actually result in Howard being fired from the air, but Clear Channel removed the Howard Stern Show from six of it's stations. And all because Janet Jackson showed PART of her breast during the Super Bowl. I don't blame Jackson for the resulting backlash. Part of the blame can be placed on the FCC and reactionary puritanical individuals or politicians of any party who go too far in towing some "indecency intolerance" position swaying whichever way the political winds blow to get votes inspite of rights and freedoms that are guaranteed by the constitution. Those people and also religious zealots are to blame for trying to dictate to the rest of the country what they can or cannot see or hear on radio or tv that was previously acceptable for years but now all of a sudden is not.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush: One year after Iraq

Low-tech 'hack' takes fizz out of Pepsi-iTunes promo | CNET News.com It doesn't take a code breaker or a math whiz to lift songs from Apple Computer's iTunes online music store--it just takes a good pair of eyes and a trip to the corner store.

Researchers: Stem Cells May Cure Baldness SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Research showing that bald mice can grow hair after being implanted with a type of stem cell could lead to a cure for baldness, a group of scientists says.

HeadlinedNews.com - Ipod Used In Domestic Homicide - Mar. 05, 2004: "A Memphis woman was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after she bludgeoned her boyfriend to death with an iPod."

APOD: 2004 February 29 - Julius Caesar and Leap Days: "February 29th is a leap day - a relatively rare occurrence. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar, pictured above in a self-decreed minted coin, created a calendar system that added one leap day every four years. Acting on advice by Alexandrian astronomer Sosigenes, Caesar did this to make up for the fact that the Earth's year is slightly more than 365 days. In modern terms, the time it takes for the Earth to circle the Sun is slightly more than the time it takes for the Earth to rotate 365 times (with respect to the Sun -- actually we now know this takes about 365.24219 rotations). So, if calendar years contained 365 days they would drift from the actual year by about 1 day every 4 years. Eventually July (named posthumously for Julius Caesar himself) would occur during the northern hemisphere winter! By adopting a leap year with an extra day every four years, the calendar year would drift much less. This Julian Calendar system was used until the year 1582 when Pope Gregory XIIIprovided further fine-tuning when he added that leap days should not occur in years ending in 'OO', unless divisible by 400. This Gregorian Calendar system is the one in common use today. "

BBC NEWS | Technology | More than just a pretty interface Dr Bull is one of the few academics, possibly the only one, to spend time researching what owners of iPods and other music players do with their gadgets, why they listen to them and what difference they make to their lives. He started investigating what people do with music players because he realised it was an area that had been neglected by other students of culture.

4/3 - Matt M - Another MPx video! :: MTekk IT Services - Specialists in Server-Based Computing and Microsoft PDA Phones: "Another MPx video!


Matt M drools over a video showing every inch of the Motorola Pocket PC Phone ...


Thanks to our friends at Mobile Gadget News, we've been pointed to a new video of the Windows Mobile 2003 based MPx. The video, which appears to be that of a demo unit (much as you'd see in mobile phone stores, where the device itself doesn't operate, but the physical attributes are accurately reproduced), is provided by Mobile-dreams.net. It depicts more or less every aspect of the phone - other than the actual operation of Windows Mobile - and seeing it handled in person is even better (to me) than the previous previous videos, which looked like somewhat more 'marketing' focused."

MOBILE-DREAMS - Motorola MPx le plus petit PDA /téléphone More Motorola MPx300

How Industry Won the Battle of Pollution Control at E.P.A.: "Just six weeks into the Bush administration, Haley Barbour, a former Republican party chairman who was a lobbyist for electric power companies, sent a memorandum to Vice President Dick Cheney laying down a challenge.

'The question is whether environmental policy still prevails over energy policy with Bush-Cheney, as it did with Clinton-Gore,' Mr. Barbour wrote, and called for measures to show that environmental concerns would no longer 'trump good energy policy"

BBC NEWS | Americas | Brazil's 'last playboy' bows out: "The man regarded as Brazil's last playboy, famous for dating a string of film stars, has died at the age of 88."

Danger to unveil prototype device | CNET News.com

The Register: "Danger's new Hiptop: even more impressive in real life

In short, the device is longer, thinner and a little more rectangular than the first generation Hiptop. It's much more usable as a phone, however, with dedicated call and hang-up buttons that with characteristic Danger ingenuity, nestle around a more discreet, redesigned wheel. Which also doubles up as the earpiece. Over on the left are the familiar Menu and Jump keys, but are joined by a new D-pad. "

Video of Motorola�s MPx300 Pocket PC Phone - engadget: Cell Phones - cellphones.engadget.com Over at Smartphony.org, some video clips of the MPx300, Motorola’s eminently buzzworthy new dual-hinged Pocket PC Phone with a built-in QWERTY keyboard, a 1.3 megapixel digital camera, WiFi, and Bluetooth.

Not a Picture of the New Hiptop, a Picture FROM It - engadget.com - www.engadget.com: "Last week Danger showed off their new Hiptop by appointment only at 3GSM in Cannes. Journalists were allowed to write about the new device, but not allowed to take pictures of it. Here�s what we know: the device is thinner, and a bit longer. On the face, the new model has a couple of new buttons, a new speaker and mic, and we hear there�s a new screen that looks much better [Editor�s note - turns out this isn�t the case]. But the big news is that the camera is finally built in (with an LED flash), and apparently it�s VGA quality. One of the prominent member Hiptopper took a picture with his new baby and posted it to Hiptop Nation, then whoops, Danger asked him remove to the pic. He did, but that didn�t stop a loyal devotee from posting it to his own site. "

BBC NEWS | Business | Girl Power softens Volvo's edges

Khoury Construction: "MEET THE TEAM" Priceless web content of Khoury Construction.

FlipStartpc.com Size and Performance
Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system gives you the performance and functionality of your favorite PC applications in the palm of your hand:
Full Windows XP Home/Professional operating system
1 GHz processor
256 MB system DRAM
30 GB hard drive
3D graphics with 8MB video DRAM
5.8" x 4.0" x 1.0" (148mm x 101mm x 26mm)
Weighs under 1.0 lb (450g)
USB 2.0 port

BBC NEWS | Americas | America: An empire built on sand? : "In the final episode of his six-part series entitled Age of Empire, the BBC's Jonathan Marcus examines the challenges which lie ahead for the world's greatest power."

BBC NEWS | Europe | Putin dismisses entire government: "Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed his government in a live television broadcast."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Girl gamers strike at the boys : "The women challenging the stereotype that professional online gaming is the realm of geeky men alone."

The Archives of the Fed: "How do you like your eggs in the morning?

Un-fertilized, thank you."

BBC NEWS | Americas | Exporting the American dream In the penultimate episode of a six-part series entitled Age of Empire, the BBC's Jonathan Marcus examines how US culture is as crucial a weapon in the American arsenal as its military hardware.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Flexible displays on the horizon

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | FBI weighs into anti-piracy fight: "CDs, DVDs, and video games in the US are to get an FBI seal in an attempt to deter people from copying them.
The new labels warn consumers that criminal copyright infringement could land them with a $250,000 (�133,000) fine and five years in prison. "

DJ Dangermouse - The Grey Album download: "DOWNHILL BATTLE -- DJ Danger Mouse's recent Grey Album, which remixes Jay-Z's The Black Album and the Beatles White Album, has been hailed as a innovative hip-hop triumph. Despite that and the fact that only 3,000 copies of the album are in circulation, EMI sent cease and desist letters yesterday to Danger Mouse and the handful of stores that were selling the album, demanding that the album be destroyed.
'EMI isn't looking for compensation, they're trying to ban a work of art,' said Downhill Battle's Rebecca Laurie.
'Special interests, including the major labels, have turned copyright law into a weapon,' said Downhill Battle co-founder Holmes Wilson. 'If Danger Mouse had requested permission and offered to pay royalties, EMI still would have said no and the public would never have been able to enjoy this critically acclaimed work. Artists are being forced to break the law to innovate.'
The Grey Album has been widely shared on file sharing networks such as Kazaa and Soulseek, and has garnered critical acclaim in Rolling Stone (which called it 'the ultimate remix record' and 'an ingenious hip-hop record that sounds oddly ahead of its time'), the Boston Globe (which called it the 'most creatively captivating' album of the year), and other major news outlets."

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | EMI blocks Beatles album remix: "A DJ who has remixed The Beatles' White Album and rapper Jay-Z's Black Album to make The Grey Album has been ordered by record label EMI to stop it being sold."

MacNETv2: "Apple will deflect this Palm bullet because they will soon introduce a new product that will do for the handheld market what the iPod has done for MP3 players. However, the timeline for the introduction of this product must be moved up, or at least Apple should announce that something is coming soon, rather than sit silent like they always do. For every Mac user (and PC user) that is PDA-dependent (and there are more than you might think) who want to upgrade their Computer this year just got a pretty good reason not to buy another Mac. I can hear some of them now; �If I buy that new Mac I won�t be able to use that new Palm-based Clie I�m waiting for!� (I'm Clie biased, I own several and think they are best Palm-based PDA you can buy)

The timeline for this product is an introduction by July 2004. Hopefully Apple will deliver it sooner now that Palm has gone public with its withdrawal of Mac support."

BBC NEWS | Africa | Gabon acts over school of shame Gabon president sacks teachers after sex-for-grades scandal.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Rascal hopes for world domination

BBC NEWS | Americas | Passion over for Barbie and Ken: "Valentine's Day is approaching, but the romance is over for Barbie and Ken."
Blain-er!!!

BBC NEWS | Business | Microsoft admits 'critical' flaw: "'This is one of the most serious Microsoft vulnerabilities ever released,' said Mr Maiffret.
'The breadth of systems affected is probably the largest ever.' "

seattleparent.org � Parent Advice, Recommendations, Resources andmore... This site is rumored to be built with moveable type.

A Movable Type Intranet

Performance Tuning Movable Type @ Technology & Business, Project Management & Marketing comments, review and links by Christoph C. Cemper, Project Manager

hiptop.com: News Mark/Space, Inc. is proud to announce Missing Sync for hiptop™. Missing Sync for hiptop enables Mac® users to connect and synchronize information between a Danger hiptop (e.g. T-Mobile SideKick, SunCom hiptop, Fido hiptop) and a Mac running Mac OS® X.

Missing Sync for hiptop will be available by the end of February 2004 for purchase in Electronic Software Download (ESD) format for $29.95.

More Details available at: http://www.markspace.com/missingsynchiptop.html

BBC NEWS | Americas | America's 'asymmetric' warfare: "In the third of a six-part series entitled Age of Empire, the BBC's Jonathan Marcus examines some of the issues confronting the US army in an age of the pre-emptive strike. "

BBC NEWS | Technology | Blaming the dark side of gaming: "It is trite and irresponsible to accuse violent video games of promoting crime, argues Daniel Etherington of BBCi Collective in his weekly games column."

THREESOMES BLOW - They're Just Not Natural -- Sorry

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | US blocks Cuban Grammy nominees: "US authorities have refused to let five Cuban Grammy Awards nominees travel to Sunday's ceremony in Los Angeles."
What a shame. Bush sucks.

SonyStyle USA - DSC-T1 It's out!!! My next camera, if I save enough...

My CL Date (WTF!) I'd be interested in getting people's opinions on this funny (as in "jokes on me" funny) dating experience. What a b*tch! I've changed a couple of names to protect the innocent/guilty. So this is about a girl I met on CL but not in the typical manner. Any input would be nice.

Background: I'd been thinking about buying a motorcycle---the upright kind, not a crotch rocket -- and so I was looking at used bikes on CL. Usually you send an e-mail to get more details and pictures of the bike. So I saw 6-7 that I was interested in and asked for pics/more info. One bike that I liked was a large engine European model >1000cc. It was a little more expensive and bigger than what I wanted, but it was a cool bike and everyone said get a bigger bike b/c you'll eventually want that anyway.

Story: Of all the replies I get, the reply for this bike is the only one from a woman--her e-mail was signed "sarah". Now realize that almost all motorcycles (not talking scooters here) are being sold by men. So falling back on my tried and true stereotypes, I assume that the woman selling this (fairly big) bike is a 300+ pound bull dike. No big deal--I'm not going to date her, I just want to check out the bike.

Celebrity: "Janet Sparks New Craze
Super Bowl tease Janet Jackson has ignited a new demand for body art. Phones are ringing at body piercing parlors with inquiries on the nipple shield that she exposed during the Super Bowl halftime show Sunday."

Even more from CES: Pics of Sony's new DSC-T1 digital camera

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Why digital cameras = better photographers: "Digital cameras don't only eliminate the cost and hassle of film processing, they should help do away with bad holiday snaps and see us all become better photographers. "

Quick guide to camera-phone services - CNET reviews: "Camera phones are becoming increasingly popular choices for cell phone customers. According to a recent report from market-research firm Strategy Analytics, these mobiles will outsell standard digital cameras in 2004. In case you're thinking of going the picture-phone route, here's what you need to know about sending images, plus the skinny on each of the major carriers' service offerings. "

Philips to mass produce electronic paper displays: "A few months ago Philips revealed that they we working on electronic paper, and now it looks like they're close to mass-producing them, with the first product being a foldable 5-inch display which can be rolled up and fit into a pen-sized container, and when hooked up to a cellphone, can download web pages, ebooks, or email. Should be out sometime next year."

BBC NEWS | Technology | How to make spam unstoppable: "Good news for spammers, the smart filtering software used to catch spam can be beaten. "

BBC NEWS | Business | Tamagotchi reborn as an adult

Spam Costs $20 Billion Each Year in Lost Productivity What a load of horseshit...

Opera Stands at the Head of Browser Class: "We'll probably go back and forth a few times trying to figure out if we like Opera 7 better than Mozilla. And if you're wondering where eWeek Labs would rate market leader Internet Explorer from Microsoft Corp., that Web browser dinosaur would probably do no better than sixth place."

The History of Valentine's Day Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday?

BBC NEWS | Americas | America: The accidental empire?: "In the second of a six-part series entitled Age of Empire, the BBC's Jonathan Marcus visits Cuba in a continuing investigation into whether the United States is an imperial power."

Gates Backs E-Mail Stamp in War on Spam: "February 2, 2004
Gates Backs E-Mail Stamp in War on Spam
By SAUL HANSELL

Should people have to buy electronic stamps to send e-mail?
Some Internet experts have long suggested that the rising tide of junk e-mail, or spam, would turn into a trickle if senders had to pay even as little as a penny for each message they sent. Such an amount might be minor for legitimate commerce and communications, but it could destroy businesses that send a million offers in hopes that 10 people will respond. The idea has been dismissed both as impractical and against the free spirit of the Internet.

Now, though, the idea of e-mail postage is getting a second look from the owners of the two largest e-mail systems in the world, Microsoft and Yahoo.

Ten days ago, Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman, told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that spam would not be a problem in two years, in part because of systems that would require people to pay money to send e-mail. Yahoo, meanwhile, is quietly evaluating an e-mail postage plan being developed by Goodmail, a Silicon Valley start-up company.

'The fundamental problem with spam is there is not enough friction in sending e-mail,' said Brad Garlinghouse, Yahoo's manager for communications products.

The company is intrigued by the idea of postage, Mr. Garlinghouse said, because it would force mailers to send only those offers a significant number of people might accept. 'All of a sudden, spammers can't behave without regard for the Internet providers' or end users' interests, ' he said.

Neither Yahoo nor Microsoft have made any commitment to charging postage, in part because the idea still faces substantial opposition among Internet users.

"Damn if I will pay postage for my nice list," said David Farber, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, who runs a mailing list on technology and policy with 30,000 recipients. He said electronic postage systems are likely to be too complex and would charge noncommercial users who should be able to send e-mail free.

"I suspect the cost of postage will start out small and it will rapidly escalate," he added.

In the meantime, the big Internet providers, including Microsoft and Yahoo, in recent weeks have renewed talks that stalled last year about creating technological standards to help identify the senders of legitimate e-mail. That way, spammers would either have to identify themselves or risk that users would discard all anonymous mail.

But for the big Internet access providers, or I.S.P.'s, the prospect of e-mail postage creating a new revenue stream that could help offset the cost of their e-mail systems is undeniably attractive.

"Sending large volumes of e-mail involve costs that are paid for by the I.S.P.'s and eventually by consumers," said Linda Beck, executive vice president for operations at EarthLink. "Should there be some sort of financial responsibility borne by the originators of these large volume programs? I think there should." E-mail between private individuals, she added, ought to remain free.

Differentiating among classes of e-mail is one of the substantial technical difficulties that e-mail postage proposals face. In wrestling with this matter, academic researchers have proposed complex stamp systems in which each e-mail recipient sets the price for a message to enter his or her in-box. Mr. Gates talked at Davos about a system that would allow users to waive charges for friends and relatives.

Goodmail, founded by Daniel T. Dreymann, an Israeli entrepreneur, is developing a system that it hopes will be easier to adopt. It proposes that only high-volume mailers pay postage at first, at a rate of a penny a message, with the money going to the e-mail recipient's Internet access provider. (The company suggests, but does not require, that the Internet providers share the payments with their users, either through rebates or by lowering monthly fees.)

The Goodmail system is designed to work even if not all senders and not all Internet providers participate. A mass e-mailer would sign up with Goodmail, buying a block of stamps - actually an encrypted code number - that it would insert in the header of each e-mail message. If the Internet provider of the recipient participates in the system, it decrypts the stamp and submits it to Goodmail. Only then is the sender's account charged a penny and the receiving I.S.P. paid the penny, minus a service fee by Goodmail for acting as a clearinghouse.

Senders do not pay for stamps that are not used, but they do pay whether an e-mail recipient reads the message or not.

Under this plan, Internet providers would still accept incoming e-mail without stamps. But that mail would be subject to the same sort of spam filters in use now, which can at times divert legitimate mail. The Internet providers would deliver all stamped mail without any filter. Goodmail does not require that stamped mail be requested by the recipient, the so-called opt-in requirement of most other anti-spam systems.

"The very notion that I have to get permission to send you a marketing message doesn't make sense and is not good public policy," said Richard Gingras, Goodmail's chief executive. Even so, he said that Goodmail would require mailers to verify their identities and to take people off their mailing lists if such a request was made.

This kind of approach would require major policy changes by Internet providers, which all ban unsolicited e-mail even if they have little ability to block it.

In fact, some experts worry that big spammers will indeed pay the postage. Charles Stiles, manager of the postmaster department at America Online, said he was concerned that such a system might restrict the wrong mail, adding, "It is the spammers who are the ones with the big pockets."

AOL is taking a different approach and is testing a system under development by the Internet Research Task Force. The system, called the Sender Permitted From, or S.P.F., creates a way for the owner of an Internet domain, like aol.com, to specify which computers are authorized to send e-mail with aol.com return addresses. That allows a recipient's e-mail system to determine whether a message being represented as coming from someone at aol.com really is from that address. Most spam being sent now uses forged return addresses.

Microsoft has been floating a similar proposal, labeled "caller ID," that could be expanded in the future to accommodate more sophisticated anti-spam approaches including Internet postage systems. Discussions are under way among the backers of S.P.F., Microsoft and others involved in e-mail to reach a compromise sender notification system.

All these proposals can run into problems because there are legitimate cases when mail sent by one domain claims to be from another. For example, online greeting-card services will send messages with the return address of the person sending the card, even though the message does not go through the sender's e-mail account.

People taking part in the discussion say that companies like greeting-card services may need to change their e-mail software to comply with the new standards.

"Every proposed scheme will break parts of the way e-mail works today," said Hans Peter Brondmo, a senior vice president of Digital Impact who has represented big e-mailers in the spam technology negotiations. The challenge, he said, is to find a system that will require as little retrofitting as possible to e-mail systems.

America Can't Get Enough of Janet Jackson's Right Breast! In the past 12 hours, the Drudge Retort has received 100 times as much traffic as usual because of Internet users seeking a glimpse of Janet Jackson's exposed right breast.

Jackson's metal-encrusted mammary was displayed unexpectedly by Justin Timberlake at the close of the MTV-produced halftime show during the Super Bowl.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Janet Jackson left exposed on TV: "TV network CBS has apologised for its broadcast of the American Super Bowl after Janet Jackson was left exposed when Justin Timberlake ripped her top."

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | On board the historic Ghan: "Australia's dream of a passenger train crossing its unforgiving 'Red Centre' is finally being realised."

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Film | Spanish protest over Basque film: "They were angry that Basque Ball, The Skin Against The Stone by Julio Medem, was nominated for best documentary."

BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Dogs on the New York 'cat walk': "The weather is very bad news for the homeless of New York City. For the dog population though, it is an opportunity to get all dolled up. "

The Mac lovers of Microsoft: "People sometimes stare when Microsoft Corp. executive Tim McDonough opens his laptop in meetings. But that's probably to be expected when someone uses a Mac PowerBook in the center of the Windows world."

Rural Cambodia, Though Far Off the Grid, Is Finding Its Way Online MrHatken writes "An interesting combination of wireless, wheels, and store-and-forward email: 'In Cambodia, motorbikes act as routers for a store-and-forward email system: The New York Times reports on a system that allow remote villages in Cambodia to send and receive email via Wi-Fi-equipped motorbikes. The Motoman system converges in the provincial capital where a satellite-enabled school uploads and downloads email for the remote recipients. The system is funded in part through U.S. benefactors who aren't just sending money; they're spending time there as well, and helping to improve the quality of medicine and people's livelihoods.'"

Wired 12.02: Three Blind Phreaks: "How the phone-phreaking Badir brothers ran rings around Israel's telcos for six scam-filled years."

Monster Survey Compares Vacation Time Around the Globe
MAYNARD, Mass. - August 27, 2003 - Confirming beliefs that Americans spend more time in the office than their European counterparts, a recent poll of more than 86,000 workers worldwide reveals that 70 percent of Americans and 61 percent of Canadians have 15 days or less of vacation time per year. Comparatively, 82 percent of Europeans receive a minimum of three weeks (a). The Monster Meter, a product of Monster, the leading global online careers site and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), is an ongoing series of online polls that gauge users' opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy, and the workplace.
In the United States, 40 percent of workers respond as only having 10 days or less of vacation time during the entire year, while 30 percent of Canadians take similar time away from the office. However, in Europe, just 5 percent of respondents have 10 days or less of vacation. In fact, 61 percent of workers in Europe enjoy 26 days or more of annual leave. In the U.S., that category accounted for just 1 percent, and in Canada, 11 percent.

"Historically, many European governments have regulated mandatory vacation packages to their employees - a tradition that remains despite heightened unemployment," said Jeff Taylor, Founder and Chief Monster. "The U.S. work culture, among the strongest worldwide, has been defined as driven by high demands, tight deadlines, and long hours. While today's economy limits the amount of vacation time some employees were accustomed to a few years ago, it is important for employers to find other ways to recognize hard work and dedication."

The Monster Meter asked American, Canadian, and European Monster users:

How many days of vacation time do you get per year?

Monster U.S. (b) Monster Canada (c) Monster Europe (d)

10 days or fewer 40% 30% 5%

Between 11 and 15 days 30% 31% 4%

Between 16 and 20 days 17% 16% 9%

Between 21 and 25 days 12% 12% 21%

26 days or more 1% 11% 61%

These findings follow the release of Monster's 2003 work/life survey results, which found that 57 percent of Americans consider themselves overworked (e), 80 percent of Americans are unhappy with their work/life balance (f), and 71 percent admit to clocking more than 40 hours per week (g). Yet another proof point that U.S. workers are struggling to achieve work/life balance in today's continued slow economic period.

For more information on the 2003 Global Vacation Survey including specific country results within Europe or to view the complete 2003 Work/Life Survey, please contact Kevin Mullins at 978-461-8751 or kevin.mullins@monster.com.

(a) Several European countries mandate a minimum annual vacation leave for employees.

(b) The results of the Monster Meter are based on 72,713 votes cast by Monster U.S. users from July 7th to July 14th, 2003 on the Monster homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. Anyone interested in voting in Monster's current online poll may do so by logging onto Monster at www.monster.com. Users may review the results of this poll by going to forums.monster.com. These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate.

(c) The results of the Monster Meter are based on 3,770 votes cast by Monster.ca users from July 7th to July 21st, 2003 on the Monster.ca homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

(d) The results of the Monster Meter are based on 10,251 votes cast across 13 Monster Europe sites: users from July 7th to July 21st, 2003 on the corresponding homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

(e) These results are based on 61,346 votes cast by Monster users from April 14th to April 21st, 2003 on the Monster homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

(f) These results are based on 36,128 votes cast by Monster users from June 16th to June 23rd, 2003 on the Monster homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

(g) These results are based on 64,324 votes cast by Monster users from March 24th to March 31st, 2003 on the Monster homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

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BBC NEWS | Technology | Pentagon e-voting plan 'flawed': "'Using a voting system based upon the internet poses a serious and unacceptable risk for election fraud.
'It is simply not secure enough for something as serious as the election of a government official.'
The report recommends that the Serve project be shut down and nothing like it be tried until 'both the internet and the world's home computer infrastructure have been fundamentally redesigned, or some other unforeseen security breakthroughs appear.'
Despite the criticisms, the Pentagon is standing by the project. "

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