SECURITY...

• Credit card breach exposes 40 million accounts - In what could be the largest data security breach to date, MasterCard International on Friday said information on more than 40 million credit cards may have been stolen. Of those exposed accounts, about 13.9 million are for MasterCard-branded cards, the company said in a statement. The other brands affected have not been identified. MasterCard has notified its member banks of the specific accounts involved so the banks can take action to protect cardholders, MasterCard said. Another story can be found on CNN Money, the New York Times, Reuters, MSNBC, ZDNet, C|Net, and the Washington Post.
• Microsoft holds hacker conference - Microsoft has spent a few tough days facing up to the realities of its security problems, by sitting in a room full of hackers and watching the ensuing 'sploits. Microsoft's Blue Hat security conference has seen some of Windows' top executives come face to face with 'security professionals' to look at the problems in the operating system and its apps. Stephen Toulouse, from MS' security unit, said that "You couldn't hear anybody breathe" as hackers brought a Windows machine onto a malicious network with little effort. A News.com report mentions that Microsoft engineers took "body blows" for two days, noting that "Some of the engineers were turning red".
• Netscape sends out another patch - Netscape has released an updated version of its Netscape 8 browser to fix a bug that broke XML rendering in Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The update, version 8.0.2, addresses a problem highlighted in a Microsoft employee blog a few days after Netscape 8's May debut. In the posting, Dave Massy, a program manager on the IE team, warned that installing the Netscape browser would cause IE to render extensible markup language files, such as RSS feeds, as blank pages.
• Foreign spooks target UK techies - MI5 has issued a warning that spies are targeting people working in hi-tech companies. The advisory states that Britain's position at the forefront of technology, as well as its membership of the UN, Nato and the EU, makes it a top target for foreign espionage. The UK intelligence service warns that covert intelligence gathering activity threatens Britain's national security.
• Botnet Hunters Search for 'Command and Control' Servers - Convinced that the recent upswing in virus and Trojan attacks is directly linked to the creation of botnets for nefarious purposes, a group of high-profile security researchers is fighting back, vigilante-style. The objective of the group, which operates on closed, invite-only mailing lists, is to pinpoint and ultimately disable the C&C (command-and-control) infrastructure that sends instructions to millions of zombie drone machines hijacked by malicious hackers.
• Bluetooth flaw allows DoS attack - A flaw has been identified in the Bluetooth stack which could allow a denial of service attack that destroys the ability to link devices. The flaw was reported on the Bugtraq mailing list by Spanish security consultant Hugo Vázquez Caramés and details have been forwarded to the Bluetooth organising body.
• Encrypted Lockbox Aims to Clean Up Password Clutter - Bruce Schneier's PasswordSafe lockbox, which provides a free utility for users to encrypt and manage multiple passwords on a computer, is ready for a new phase of open-source development. The celebrated cryptographer, who is credited with designing or co-designing several widely used encryption algorithms, announced the release of Version 2.1 of the database utility as a full-fledged open-source project at SourceForge.
• Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.4 review - Spybot - Search & Destroy has been unearthing keyloggers, trackers, hijackers, cookies and other adware and spyware for years, so an update is big news. The new version is faster than its predecessor, with a more professional, aesthetically appealing, and less confusing interface than predecessors.

OFFTOPIC...

• MSN Sponsors Anti-Piracy Film Contest - MSN UK is holding a contest for both youths and adults aimed at teaching the evils of intellectual property theft - an issue Microsoft is constantly battling to protect its software. The short film competition, aptly titled Thought Thieves, requires entrants to make a commercial-length video about how IP theft affects society. Films will be accepted for entry until July 1 on CD or DVD in any format compatible with Windows Media Player.
• Army displays latest warfighting innovations - The Army showcased its Future Force Warrior system, the latest in war-fighting technology, at Soldier Modernization Day on Capitol Hill June 16. "Under the concept of managing the Soldier as a system, two uniform systems are under development," Moran said. The Future Force Warrior system will be available to Soldiers in 2010. The Vision 2020 Future Warrior system, which follows the concept of the 2010 Future Force Warrior system, will be fielded 10 years later.
• The Future Of Online Gaming - THG has posted an article called on the future of online gaming.
• The War of the Worlds Internet Trailer - Paramount Pictures has revealed a new internet trailer for director Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds at Yahoo! Movies. ComingSoon.net has also added four more TV spots, which you can view here. Opening Wednesday, June 29th, the sci-fi adventure thriller is a contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells's seminal classic which reveals the extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive it.
• 24 Movie in the Works - The Calgary Sun reports that a movie based on popular Fox series 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, is in the works.

TECHNOLOGY...

• Sony says new console means game over for Microsoft - Japanese giant Sony said on Wednesday that despite coming later to the bout, its newly unveiled PlayStation 3 games console packs enough punch to deliver a knock-out blow to Microsoft's rival offering. In an interview with the CNBC network, Hirai denied that Sony had already decided to start selling the console only in Japan next spring, before releasing it in North America in the autumn. "We haven't determined which territory we will go with first this time around just yet," he said. "We will have to look at development and how things are coming along in terms of manufacture and all the other logistical things to determine which territory or multiple territories go first."
• Q&A with Microsoft's Chris Jones: Longhorn coming summer 2006, open beta summer 2005, part I - Longhorn will be released commercially in the second half of 2006, and will include modifications that will help reduce, if not all together eliminate, phishing by engineering the mail client to recognize a phishing email and tell the user they're being duped said Chris Jones, Microsoft corporate vice president of Windows core operating system program management during an exclusive interview with DigiTimes at the mid-May WinHEC in Taiwan.
• MS boffins use bluetooth for love bites - Scientists at Microsoft Research Cambridge (MSRC) are working on a range of new technologies and gadgets that might find their way into our lives. They've come up with a message board that you can send text messages to, a whereabouts clock that keeps track of where family members are, and in collaboration with Vodafone, a TouchToy, which we will get to later
• Microsoft builds a better Bit Torrent - Researchers at Microsoft's computer science lab in Cambridge have developed a peer-to-peer filesharing system that they say overcomes the scheduling problems associated with existing distribution protocols such as Bit Torrent. The researchers claim download times are between 20-30 per cent faster, using their network coding approach, than on systems that only code at the server, and between 200 and 300 per cent faster than distributing un-encoded information.
• Digital Clock as Thin as Paper - Utilizing the electronic paper display technology, Citizen Watch has created a digital clock that is as thin as paper. This unique design is enabled by E InkImaging Film. This easy-to-read, low-power display component is fully conformable, allowing product designers more creative freedom than ever before. The clock boasts twice the contrast of a reflective LCD, Low power consuption, because there's no backlight and a flexible form allowing developers to create curved eye catching shapes.
• Phones Use GPS to Show You the Way - PCWorld tried out three of the newest services: America Online's MapQuest Find Me, Gate5's Smart2go Mobile Navigator, and TeleNav for Research In Motion's new BlackBerry 7520. MapQuest and TeleNav operate only on GPS-enabled Nextel phones; Gate5's Smart2go is not tied to a carrier and functions on Bluetooth-enabled Symbian Series 60 phones (such as the Nokia 6600 and 7610), Microsoft Windows Mobile phones and PDAs, and the PalmOne Treo 650 and Tungsten T3.
• Cell Phones Face the Music - Napster's recently revealed plan to extend its music service to mobile phones has a long way to go before cells become iPod killers. On Wednesday, Napster and Swedish phone giant Ericsson announced a deal to develop the first digital music service for cell phones. The service will launch sometime in the next year.
• Intel talks up universal wireless networking - Intel is set to present a chip at the VLSI Symposium that features both a 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio running on only 1.4 volts. The chip supports up to 40MHz of bandwidth, up from today's 20MHz versions. The higher frequency will support data rates beyond 100Mbps, enough to deliver streaming video over a wireless connection.
• 2005 Toshiba and Hitachi Line Shows - Toshiba will be rolling out a full lineup of 11 new DLP rear projection TVs in both their TheaterWide Series and Cinema Series lines. Toshiba will offer both 720p and 1080p resolution models. The 720p sets will utilize a new TALEN Light Engine

HARDWARE... 

• NVIDIA slashes budget GPU prices - Nvidia recently lowered the price of its GeForce 6200 with TurboCache by US$15, according to sources at Taiwan graphics-card makers. In addition, the company cut the price on its GeForce 6600 series US$5 and the prices for all parts from its GeForce 6200, GeForce FX5200 and GeForce MX4000 series were reduced US$1-2, indicated the sources.
• Geforce 7800 scores 7800 in 3Dmark05 - Geforce 7800GTX scores exactly 7800 in 3Dmark05 score. When you pair two cards you will get as much as 13000 in the same test, but I have to warn you that those forum boys tested with an FX57 clocked at 2960MHZ, up from its original 2800MHz clock.
• Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 Laptop - The chosen combination of Pentium M 770 and GeForce 6800 Go Ultra 256MB make for, without doubt, the fastest gaming laptop ever!
• MV Mobeus 1.6M - Specification wise, the Mobeus has a 1.6GHz Intel Pentium M CPU driving it along, which makes up half of the Centrino package. The other half is an Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG WiFi adapter that supports 802.11a b and g standards. There's 512MB of memory installed, but 14MB of this has been dedicated to the Intel integrated graphics.
• Sony VAIO and HP Compaq: Two Office Notebooks compared - X-bit labs compared two attractive office solutions from Sony and HP: VAIO VGN-FS115ZR and Compaq nx8220. They run office and multimedia applications at high speeds and can handle professional graphics applications, too. They are handy at work and offer you excellent functionality in office as well as on the road.
• ASUS EN6800 ULTRA DUAL - Almost touching motherboard proportions, it measures 17.5cm by 31.2cm, hits the scales in at 930 grams, and is without a doubt the largest video card we have ever laid eyes on, flooring even the short-lived 3dfx Voodoo 5 5500
• MSI NX6200TC-TD32E Geforce 6200TC  - PC Stats has posted a review of MSI NX6200TC-TD32E Geforce 6200TC Videocard.
• Maxtor DiamondMax 10 300GB SATA150 - PC Modding Malaysia has posted a review of Maxtor DiamondMax 10 300GB SATA150.
• Logitech MX518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse - Whether you're a hardcore gamer looking for an edge against your opponents or a casual gamer who needs a comfortable and responsive mouse, Logitech's MX 518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse is the right choice.
• 19" LCD monitor survey - Behardware.com has updated their last 19" survey with two very much awaited monitors, or to be more accurate - because it is the most interesting aspect - two new very much awaited panels: the PVA 8 ms and one TN 6 ms.
• Olympus Camedia C-7070 - The main feature that sets the C-7070 apart from other semi-pro cameras is its lens. Most digital zoom cameras have a maximum wide-angle setting equivalent to around 35mm, which isn't really very wide at all. The C-7070 has a zoom range equivalent to 27-110mm, which is actually wider than the conventional standard wide angle 28mm lens. Not only that but it uses ultra-high quality Olympus ED optical glass, the same as on the company's professional SLR lenses

GUIDES...

• Adapting a Playstation Joystick to a PC - Learn how to adapt a Playstation joystick to use it on your computer.
• Linux Database Server CPU Comparison - In this article, you will find a comparison of the latest Xeon (Irwindale), the previous Xeon (Nocona), the old Xeon (Galatin), the Dual core Opteron, and the "normal" Opteron, of course.
• Introduction to XQuery in SQL Server 2005 - Discover how XQuery works in SQL Server 2005: the FLWOR statement, operators in XQuery, the if-then-else construct, XML constructors, built-in XQuery functions, type casting operators, and more.
• Building a Web Site with ASP.NET 2.0 to Navigate Your Music Library - Jeff Key wanted a simple, clean way to listen to music anywhere in his apartment, from any computer. See how he built a website that let him get to his music and listen to it as painlessly as possible.
• GTA San Andreas - SoundFix  - It seems the EAX Unified Driver v4.0.0.1 doesn't like some cards. If you are having issues with the sound you should follow these instructions: 1. First backup the file eax.dll inside the GTA San Andreas Folder. 2. Download this file and replace it with the eax.dll inside the GTA San Andreas Folder. Note: It's not for Creative Audigy 2!

SOFTWARE...

• [MS Patch] Outlook Express Update - This update addresses an issue in which messages are improperly handled if the subject line contains the word "begin" and a display issue concerning watched threads in newsgroups. This update also addresses two issues in which Outlook Express stops responding.
• [MS Patch] Not all memory is available when AWE is enabled on a computer that is running a 32-bit version of SQL Server 2000 SP4 (899761) - Microsoft has found an issue with the final build of SQL 2000 SP4 that impacts customers who run SQL Server with AWE support enabled.
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Performance Advisor - Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Performance Advisor provides several specialized reports, including a System Overview (focusing on CPU usage, Memory usage, busy files, busy TCP clients, top CPU consumers) and reports for server roles such as Active Directory, Internet Information System (IIS), DNS, Terminal Services, SQL, print spooler, and others.
• Multilingual User Interface Package for Windows Messenger 5.1 - For Windows XP Multilingual User Interface users, the Multilingual UI Pack for Windows Messenger 5.1 is available from this page.
• Process Explorer 9.12 - Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.
• Symantec W32.Mytob@mm Free Removal Tool 1.20.0 - W32.Mytob@mm Removal Tool is designed to remove infections of the following threats: W32.Mytob@mm, W32.Mytob.B@mm, W32.Mytob.CY@mm and W32.Mytob.DA@mm.
• WinPatrol 9.5 - WinPatrol (download) puts you back in control of your computer so you'll know what programs are and should be running at all times.
• XP-Antispy 3.94-2 - XP-AntiSpy (download) is a little utility that let's you disable some built-in update and authetication 'features' in WindowsXP.
• Eudora 6.2.3 - Eudora (download) is one of the best email program for people who get lots of email.
• Netscape 8.02 -  Netscape has released an updated version of its Netscape 8 browser to fix a bug that broke XML rendering in Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
• SecureCRT 5.0 Final - SecureCRT (download / changelog) gives you an encrypted SSH session with both SSH1 and SSH2 servers. SSH security goes far beyond the basic secure logon, rerouting data or local applications using TCP/IP ports through an encrypted channel. The VCP utility secures file transfers using SFTP.
• AnyDVD 5.2.5.1 -  AnyDVD is a driver, which descrambles DVD-Movies automatically in the background. This DVD appears unprotected and region code free for all applications and the Windows operating system as well. This new version adds support for a new version of the "Sony ARccOS protection" as found on "Closer" R2 (German) to the option to remove "Protection based on unreadable Sectors" (it should really work now).
• MHDD 4.5 - Makes very fast (up to 20 Gb per 6 minutes) and precise diagnostics (download) of all the surface and heads of the HDD irrespective of the data which is on the diagnosed HDD.
• Xtreme G 77.62 HD - These are modified NVIDIA ForceWare drivers for Windows 2000 & XP. Modified drivers simply means that the author takes official or beta drivers from the manufacturer and starts to tweak them for either better image quality and or performance.