*Edited by Brain Dakss ([email protected])
Cyberposse Trains To Battle Internet Crime
For government agencies and companies working in areas critical to the national infrastructure, there's a posse on the way to combat cybercrime--it just needs training.The first class of cyberterrorism fighters reported for class two weeks ago at the University of Tulsa. The 14 students are part of the university's $5 million federal grant to study cyberterrorism and create cybersavvy warriors for national cyberdefense. Among the topics the students will study are technologies to protect telecom, financial, and other vital Internet-connected industries.
--George V. Hulme ([email protected])
No Money-Back Guarantee
[email protected] isn't planning to repay $50 million to Promethean Asset Management, which lent the beleaguered cable-modem service provider $100 million in exchange for convertible notes issued in June to two investment funds. Promethean sought the refund on the grounds that it was misled regarding [email protected]'s finances. An Excite spokeswoman says the request has no merit, and lawyers for the companies are trying to reach an agreement.Mack McLarty, former White House chief of staff, and his consulting firm last week reportedly expressed interest in investing in the company. Also, two cable partners, Cox Communications and Comcast, say they'll stop carrying the company's cable-modem service next June.
--Tony Kontzer ([email protected])
Beefing Up Beef Safety
EMerge Interactive, which sells technology aimed at increasing food safety in the beef industry, held an auction of nearly 8,000 cattle last week in Lexington, Ky., that was conducted simultaneously live and on the Internet. Videotaping the cattle rather than transporting them to an auction site decreased the possibility of spreading diseases, eMerge officials say. The company is also partnering with Allflex Holding, a maker of electronic ID tags, to devise a system that tracks animals throughout the industry's supply chain.
--Tischelle George ([email protected])
Passwords Say A Lot
What does your Internet password say about your hidden self? Those who choose their own name or that of a pet, community, or family member--nearly half of people online--have strong family and community ties, says Helen Petrie, a consulting psychologist for Internet registry CentralNic, which polled 1,200 people for their passwords.One-third of those surveyed identify more with their peer group, using celebrity names. There are those who use words like "sexy," but IT experts tend to be more clinical--choosing a mixture of letters and numerals that don't have obvious meaning.
--Diane Rezendes KhirallahI ([email protected])
All Broadband, All The Time In Norwegian Village
There are only 350 residents in Modalen, a community on Norway's west coast, but they might end up marked in history as the most technologically advanced citizens of their time. Modalen is in the midst of making broadband-based Internet with 2-Mbit online access the basis of all interactions and communications between townspeople's homes and the outside world. It's the first community to undergo an all-broadband project in an effort by the Norwegian government to achieve broadband coverage nationwide by 2004.
--Eileen Colkin ([email protected])
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