SECURITY...

• Browser Exploit That Doesn't Affect IE - Shocks The World - According to a paper recently published by Eric Johanson of the Shmoo Group, users on most Mozilla-based browsers (Firefox 1.0, Camino .8.5, Mozilla 1.6, etc), Safari 1.2.5, Opera 7.54, Omniweb 5 are victim to a complex International Domain Name [IDN] spoof. This new attack allows an attacker/phisher to spoof the domain/URLs of businesses. Every recent gecko/khtml based browser implements IDN (which is just about every browser except for Internet Explorer). The Smoo Group have created a proof of concept where the links are directed at "http://www.pаypal.com/", which the browsers punycode handlers render as www.xn--pypal-4ve.com.
• Hold the Phone, VOIP Isn't Safe - VOIP services have attracted few specific attacks so far, largely because the relatively small number of VOIP users doesn't make them a worthwhile target. But security researchers have found vulnerabilities in the various protocols used to enable VOIP. For instance, CERT has issued alerts regarding multiple weaknesses with SIP (session initiation protocol) and with H.323.
• Spam approaches 95 per cent of all email - The global junk mail plague is to get dramatically worse as criminal spammers take control of victims' PCs and use them as anonymous proxies to send email via their ISPs' mail relay. According to anti-spam organisation Spamhaus the recent increase in this proxy-spam activity is caused by newly engineered versions of stealth proxy-spam software released by spammers. (Ed.note : Yeah, it's pretty sad. That spam costs time and money is hardly new. And totally avoiding spam is virtually impossible - especially for me)
• MCI accused of harboring spammers - Antispam nonprofit group The Spamhaus Project has accused United States-based Internet service provider MCI of hosting a Web site that distributes malicious software used by spammers.
• Damning Kazaa Evidence Released - As the Altnet component in Kazaa software keeps track of when a sponsored result is displayed, if the user downloads it and whether the download is successful, it shows that it can track user's details such as IP addresses and the content they are after (at least what is signed). According to Priit, the Kazaa Media Desktop interface developer, it is technically possible to do the same with any file also.
• Piracy case: log files "don't show downloads" - Universal Music Australia and 30 others are taking action against MP3s4free.net music and charging them with piracy. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the music industry got a court order to see all the log files from the file sharing outfit. In court they claimed that these were proof that music had been illegally swapped. However, during cross-examination the prosecution's expert witness Gilbert & Tobin IT consultant Shane Pearson conceded that the logs did not show anything. All they proved as that people actually visited the site and searched for files, it did not indicate that they had shared music

OFF-TOPIC...

• New Batman Begins Trailer - You can see the trailer here.
• US brewer adds caffeine to beer - A US brewer is set to exploit Britain's mooted 24/7 licensing laws by launching a caffeine-laced beer. Anheuser-Busch's 4.5 per cent "BE" brew boasts a hit of caffeine equivalent to half a cup of coffee, plus ginseng and Brazilian fatigue-busting guarana
• Take The AQ Test - Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues at Cambridge's Autism Research Centre have created the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, or AQ, as a measure of the extent of autistic traits in adults. In the first major trial using the test, the average score in the control group was 16.4. Eighty percent of those diagnosed with autism or a related disorder scored 32 or higher. The test is not a means for making a diagnosis, however, and many who score above 32 and even meet the diagnostic criteria for mild autism or Asperger's report no difficulty functioning in their everyday lives.
• Getting with the hottie! - Check out this weird movie! :)

TECHNOLOGY...

• Windows XP "Reduced Media Edition" Revealed - Neowin take a look at Microsoft's answer to the controversial EU decision. Microsoft have been forced to remove their Windows Media Player from Windows XP. The product which was originally named "Reduced Media Edition" is rumoured to be renamed after the EU complained to Microsoft officials about their naming strategy.
• Microsoft: Longhorn beta will arrive by June - The company has said publicly that Beta 1 of Longhorn would arrive by the end of 2005, though internally, the company has been aiming for a release by midyear. The final version of Longhorn is slated for the second half of next year.
• Intervideo unveils new 9 in 1 digital media software suite - InterVideo announced the release of MediaOne, "a powerful new digital media software suite that delivers nine multimedia solutions in one convenient package. In addition to integrating the next generation tools consumers need to easily create, share and protect video, photo, music and data discs, InterVideo's new MediaOne includes several customization features." Note: InterVideo DVD Copy does not bypass copy protection. DVDs containing CSS-encryption cannot be copied.
• Hitachi/Panasonic sign next-gen plasma TV deal - Hitachi and Matsushita (commonly known for its Panasonic branded products) have announced a broad-ranging partnership to develop next-generation plasma TV technology. Under the terms of the agreement the companies will establish standards for PDP module components, and jointly explore whether and how they can work with component manufacturers.
• Cell Processor Details And First Pictures - The multi-core processor claims supercomputer-like levels of performance with clock speeds in excess of 4GHz. A first prototype of the device expected to power the Playstation 3 has a 221mm² die, uses 234 million transistors and is made using 90nm process technology. The version of Cell announced today contains eight 64-bit floating point processors, referred to as synergistic processor elements (SPEs). Along side these is a 64-bit Power processor capable of running two threads. SPEs take 128-bit operands, split into four 32-bit words. Up to 128 operands can be stored in the register file.
• Intel Produces One Chip with Two "Brains" -  Intel on Monday said it had completed initial production runs of a chip with two processors-in-one, setting the stage for mainstream marketing of personal computers with two processor "brains."
• Microsoft says Xbox 2 will not make GDC appearance - The public unveiling of the next-generation Xbox system will not happen at the Game Developers Conference next month, Microsoft has confirmed, leaving E3 in May as the most likely venue for the console's debut.

HARDWARE... 

• Lexar JumpDrive TouchGuard 256MB - Capable of remembering 10 different thumbprints and 200 password combinations, the TouchGuard allows fast access to any protected file or website. It also doubles as an AES-encrypted flash drive with 256MB of storage
• Targus Multi-talented USB Docking Station - The use of USB bus to carry video and audio allows the monitor and speakers to remain connected to the station, freeing users from the hassle of disconnecting an array of connectors. The video mode delivers a maximum resolution of 1024-by-768 at 16-bit color either to expand desktop area or simply to use as primary display.  The other interesting feature is the dual 1,000mA Always-on USB ports, which reduce the time needed to recharge USB electronics; and these ports can continue to recharge devices regardless of the laptop power mode.
• Foxconn e-bot Small Form Factor PC - Due in large part to the single channel memory that the SiS661FX chipset supports, the Foxconn e-bot didn't fare as well against two other Pentium 4 driven SFF PCs such as the Shuttle SB61G2 and Epox eX5-320S. Both of these systems are based around the i865G chipset, which utilizes dual memory channels, providing much more bandwidth for applications to use.
• Mayhem G5 gaming laptop - Performance of the G5 is certainly great if not excellent - only a few other laptops like Dell's XPS notebook can compete in its arena. But potential buyers of the G5 need to understand that all this turbo-boosted action comes at a severe weight and battery-life penalties, the worst we've seen so far.
• Gateway 7200XL - Gateway's flagship desktop, the 7200XL is the first system we have seen using Intel's new BTX form factor rather than the well-known ATX form factor. This means that the system should theoretically be quieter and remain cooler than a comparably equipped ATX based system while still being able to handle the best components out there. And Gateway certainly doesn't skimp in that department either. The 7200XL comes with ATI's Radeon X800 XT graphics card, a 3.4GHz Intel processor, 1GB of memory and more. What makes this system even more appealing is its price tag, only $2199.
• Mushkin 1Gb PC4400 High Perf Dual Pack - OCTools has just posted a review of Mushkin's latest DDR offering, the Mushkin 1Gb PC4400 High Perf Dual Pack. It consists of two matched 512mb DDR modules specifically designed for use on dual channel systems at DDR550.
• A Comparison Of The Latest Pentium 4 Motherboards - THG take a look at seven different models from companies challenging the market leaders.
• Leadtek Winfast PX6800 GT TDH - You can pick up this PCI-E 6800 GT for as low as $339.00. The AGP version of this card can be purchased for as low as $379.00. When looking at the price comparison to a 6600 GT for around $200.00 it will be interesting to see the price/performance ratio between the two.
• XpertVision GeForce 6200TC (PCI Express) - If you are a gamer on the budget, there isn't much of a better choice than the XpertVision GeForce 6200. It's fast, it's cheap, it supports DX9.0 and Pixel-Shader model 3.0.
• Hitachi Travelstar 60GB 7200RPM - If your mobile drive is a 4200RPM clunker, and you are dealing with large files all day, or if you need to boost up your capacity upgrading your hard drive is a simple, and relatively painless operation. The Hitachi Travelstar 60GB 7200RPM model with 8MB cache is a fine choice for the job.
• Plextor PX-716A DVD±RW - The PX-716A is the first drive from Plextor with the ability to write to both DVD-R and DVD+R media at 16x. At this speed, the drive was able to write 4GB of data in as little as 5 and a half minutes. While we've seen a few 16x DVD writers that can do it in less time, they are few and far between. The PX-716A also performed very well with other types of recordable media
• 19 PSU group test - TrustedReviews have a group test comparing 19 different power supplies from a wide range of manufacturers.
• Thermaltake PurePower 680 Watt - Gruntvill take a look at the HUGE Thermaltake PurePower 680watt Power Supply Unit (PSU). This thing is a beast! Not only is this PSU powerful, but it supports all the newer technology; 24-pin ATX, dual PCI-express, and SATA. Topped with the gun-metal mirror finish and almost silent fans, you can't go wrong adding this PSU to your powerhouse PC.
• SilverStone's LC10 HTPC Case - It is very important that an HTPC be quiet so as not to be heard when you are watching TV and listening to music.
  Sitting on my couch, about 10 feet away from the TV and HTPC, with no other sounds present in the room, all I could hear was a gentle "whirring" sound coming from the HTPC. You can definitely hear it with nothing else going on, but as soon as I turned the TV on the sound from the HTPC completely disappeared. Good stuff!
• Altec Lansing XT1: Portable USB Speaker System - If you own a laptop computer and would like a quality stereo speaker system that can be easily packed and taken on your next trip, we recommend that you consider the Altec Lansing XTI USB Portable Audio System. It has a suggested retail price of $129.95, although the actual market price is under $100.00
• Pentax Optio SV Digital Camera - It's not just the dimensions of the Optio SV that remind me of the Ixus 500, the specs are very similar too, with a five megapixel CCD - although the maximum image resolution is slightly lower at 2,560 x 1,920. But where the Optio SV does have the edge over its rival is in the optical zoom department. Whereas the Ixus 500 has a 3x optical zoom, Pentax has managed to squeeze a 5x optical zoom into the Optio SV - that's
  equivalent to 36-180mm in 35mm language.

GUIDES... 

• High-End DDR Memory Prices - This week's High-End DDR/DDR2 price list shows continued price cuts to DDR2 modules, along with some interesting price drops on the dual-channel DDR kit side.
• How Dust Impacts a CPU's Temperature - This article didn't start as an in-depth investigation into dust; it began as a personal investigation into why my CPU temperatures were running so high after a random temp check produced alarming results.
• Setting up SATA drives with the VT8237 South Bridge, or VT6410, VT6420/1 controllers - check it out
• WindowsXP Command Prompt - Unlock the enigma that is DOS, and get a handle on the command prompt in Windows XP. PCstats covers the basics, and some commands you ought to know

SOFTWARE...

• A memory leak occurs in the Virtual Disk Service in Windows Storage Server 2003 (hotfix) - On your Microsoft Windows Storage Server-based computer, a memory leak may occur in the Virtual Disk Service (VDS). When this problem occurs, the VDS consumes the computer's available virtual memory, and the computer's performance decreases. This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.
• Debugging Tools for Windows 6.4.7.2 - You can use Debugging Tools for Windows to debug drivers, applications, and services on systems running Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows codenamed "Longhorn," as well as debugging the operating system itself. Versions of the Debugging Tools for Windows package are available for 32-bit x86, native Intel Itanium, and native x64 platforms.
• Malicious Software Removal Tool 1.1 - The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 computers for and helps remove infections by specific, prevalent malicious software including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom.
• Slackware 10.1 - The final version of Slackware 10.1 (mirrors) has been released.
• ICQ 5 5.02 - With ICQ Instant Messenger you can video/audio chat, send email, SMS and wireless-pager messages, as well as transfer files and URLs.
• DVD Identifier version 3.6.2 - Dvd Identifier retrieves and interprets the pre-recorded information that is present on all dvd media (dvd+r, dvd+r dl, dvd+rw, dvd-r, dvd-r dl, dvd-rw and dvd-ram). Last week's release V3.6.1, caused some compatibility problems with (mostly older) drives due to the new DVD-R dual layer code. This has now been resolved.
• CloneDVD 2.7.5.1 - The new version 2.7.5.1 fixes problems with "The Grudge", "Alien Resurrection" and if "copy without menu" is chosen plays CloneDVD now all selected titles one after the other.
• Motherboard tools updated - GIGABYTE EasyTune 5.02 | MSI Core Center 1.7.3.0 | MSI Live Update 3.68
• zer0point 6697 (NVIDIA) - Zer0point Drivers are modified Forceware drivers, meaning they are NOT supported or endorsed by nVidia, or any 3rd party OEM manufacturers. They are not covered by any warranty or guarantee, and you install them at your own risk. Currently these drivers are for all GeForce based desktop cards.