• Popular Online Game Site Spread Nimda Virus - Some video game players got a nasty surprise this week when they downloaded software from a popular online gaming site -- the Nimda computer virus. The installer for GameSpy Arcade 1.09, the main file exchange and gaming software of GameSpy.com, available from sites like CNET Networks Inc.'s Download.com service, was infected with the Nimda virus twice this week, GameSpy Chief Executive Mark Surfas told Reuters.
• New Apache worm starts to spread - A program that exploits a 2-week-old flaw to infect open-source Web servers has been detected by security experts on the Internet
• Hunting for James Bond? - The fictional British spy used technology to his advantage when tracking down criminal masterminds. But in the real-world fight against terrorism, the situation shouldn't be different, Gilman Louie, chief executive of In-Q-Tel, said during a keynote speech at the TechXNY trade show here.
• Magnetic wood - the new mobile phone squelcher - There's a huge market in Asia for mobile phone squelchers - in Hong Kong for example, people don't think twice about making and receiving calls in the cinema and theatre. But now, a Japanese team of boffins, based at the University of Morioka have come up with an new spill-free way of squelching mobile signals - magnetic wood.
• Boeing's BWB -- a Super-Efficient Bat Jet - Boeing Co engineers have designed a super-efficient aircraft that would look like a giant bat and slash the cost of air transport. The "Blended Wing Body" concept, outlined more than 10 years ago but now said to be almost perfected, would have no fuselage or tail. Rather, it would basically be a wing with a belly that would accommodate the passengers and freight. The secret to its design, described by project head Robert Liebeck this week, is that the whole structure of the aircraft would work to generate lift.
• Intel plans to boost demand with more Socket 478 Celerons and later DDR333 chipsets - Industry sources revealed that seeing the weak sales in the OEM market, Intel started to consider postponing the launch of its DDR333-supporting 845PE and 845GE chipsets and increasing its shipments of Socket 478-based Celeron processors to the clone markets. With the later launch schedule, Intel would hope to prolong the product life cycle of its 845G and 845E chipsets, sources said. At present, the inventory level of the two products at many OEM companies remains rather high.
• HW Round-up - AOpen Aeolus GeForce4 Ti 4200 / Gainward GeForce4 PowerPack! Ultra/650 XP Golden Sample / XFX 64MB GF4 TI4200 / GeForce4 Ti 4200 vs ATI Radeon 8500 Deluxe / Matrox Parhelia   / ATI All In Wonder 8500 / E-D Wired 3D Glasses / Thermaltake GeForce4 cooler / Abit KX7-333R / AMD Athlon XP 2200+ Thoroughbred / EPoX 4G4A+ / MSI 845GMax-L.
• DirectX 9 to Arrive in Early October - Industry sources have confirmed that Microsoft's DirectX 9 is likely to arrive in October, quite a while later than ATI's R300 Nvidia-buster.
• Sigma MPEG-4 Video Codec - Sigma Designs, a leader in IP video streaming solutions, demonstrated today for the first time a MPEG-4 video CODEC that works as a plug-in under Windows to encode digitized video content into fully compatible ISO MPEG-4 video files. The new CODEC is available now for download, free of charge, through Sigma's website to support users wishing to build ISO MPEG-4 compatible content.
• Opera 6.04 Final - The final release (java-ver / non-java-ver) of the cool web browser Opera v6.04 has been released.
• CuteFTP 5.0 XP - GlobalSCAPE is pleased to announce the latest release of CuteFTP, Designed for Windows Xr. The Designed for XP logo confirms that CuteFTP meets Windows XP compatibility, performance and stability criteria. CuteFTP 5.0 XP runs on Windows 9x, NT, ME, 2000 and XP. 
• DAEMON Tools 3.16 - DAEMON Tools is an application for multiprotection emulation. It is further development of Generic Safedisc emulator and incorporates all its features. This program allows running backup copies of SafeDisc, Securom or Laserlock protected games. Also included is a Virtual DVDROM drive enabling you to use your CD images as if they were already burned to CD. DAEMON Tools works with all types of CD/DVDROM drives and supports nearly any CD protection.
• PROMISE SuperTrakSX6000 Drivers & Firmware - PROMISE has released new SuperTrakSX6000 firmware and drivers for Windows.
• VIA Twister Drivers  - A new Twister drivers for Windows 2000/XP are available.
• Abit KR7A BIOS (9n)- Abit has released a new BIOS for the popular KR7A - series which includes the following motherboards: KR7A / KR7A-RAID / KR7A-133 / KR7A-133R.

• Feds Fear Possible Al Qaeda Cyber-Attacks - U.S. government experts, wary of al Qaeda's skills on the Internet, are concerned that Osama bin Laden's guerrilla network may be planning cyber-attacks targeting nuclear power plants, dams or other critical structures, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
• Searches by police, FBI target bandits of bandwidth - Authorities investigating the theft of high-speed Internet cable service yesterday seized modems and other computer equipment from homes in Toledo and surrounding suburbs. Members of the Toledo police computer crimes task force and FBI agents served search warrants at 13 residences, including an apartment, a condominium, and single-family houses. Investigators believe cable modems that connect Buckeye Express customers to the Internet were altered, allowing computer users unauthorized access to excessive amounts of bandwidth.
• Lesbian sperm bank site proves popular - Thousands of men have signed up to a Web site to help lesbians start a family. Mannotincluded.com went live on Monday. Since then 5,000 sperm donors have registered with the site along with 3,000 lesbian couples who want children.
• SEX & LUCIA trailer - From fast rising Spanish director Julio Medem comes 'Sex and Lucia' - a young woman's erotic journey from Moscow to Minsk...wait, never mind that last part! But seriously, feel free to share the trailer (2) with your friends.
• Star Trek:Nemesis trailer online - In the film, the crew of the Enterprise is diverted to the planet Romulus when the longtime Federation foes signal they are willing to begin peace negotiations. Once Picard and the gang arrive, they uncover a threat to Earth. New trailer (Quicktime) is available from here.
• X-MEN 2 teaser up - The teaser trailer for "X2" (the X-Men sequel) is now on-line at MyMovies.Net.
• Start-up creates futuristic 3D display - The ideal computer display of today may be flat, but start-up Actuality Systems has gazed into the future--and what it has seen looks more like a crystal ball. Actuality's Perspecta display platform currently costs $40,000 (£28,000) and up, but the company says costs could drop until the device is affordable for ordinary users and gamers. "Component costs will decrease," said Actuality chief technology officer and co-founder Gregg Favalora. "There could be a desktop unit in the future."
• Optical mouse saves space - Dutch researchers at the Philips Center for Industrial Technology have developed a compact, optical interface for portable electronic equipment. The team says that its new input gadget can be easily integrated in cellphones, laptops and PDAs, providing an space-efficient alternative to a mechanical trackball or touch-pad for example.
• Office 11 Unveiled at TechXNY - This week at the TechXNY conference in New York, Microsoft gave attendees a sneak peek at its upcoming next-generation office suite, currently named Office 11. Microsoft group vice president Jeff Raikes discussed the new Office in his keynote speech, touting increased XML support that will better link data between programs. The first beta of Office 11 will ship late this summer with a final release slated for mid-2003. Microsoft is aiming to get Office 11 on store shelves by next May.
• Microsoft paves over media player flaws - The company is urging people to "immediately" download a new patch designed to fix "critical" security holes as well as previous problems in several versions of its media player.
• Fraps 1.8a - Fraps is a tool that lets you monitor current framerates in a corner of the screen for programs utilising DirectX or OpenGL technology. It also allows you to easily take screenshots of games, and manually determine the average framerate between two points.
• Customizer XP 1.8.3 Beta 2 - Customizer XP is a comprehensive and easy-to-use Windows NT, 2000 and XP utility that lets you fine-tune Windows and Internet Explorer.
• RASPPPOE 0.98 - This is a PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) implementation for Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP, .NET. PPPoE as a method for establishing PPP connections through Ethernet adapters is described in RFC 2516 and is used by many broadband service providers to allow authentication and maintain the familiar "dial-up experience" when connecting to the Internet through a broadband modem.
• CloneCD v4.0.1.9 - A new version of CloneCD has been released. No info what is new.
• PowerStrip 3.19 Beta Build 292  - PowerStrip 3.18 provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the venerable Matrox Millennium I to the latest Radeon 8500DV and GeForce4 Ti4600
• Hercules ATI Radeon Driver 7.72 (Prophet 8500/7500) - Hercules have released new ATI Radeon Driver 7.72 (WinALL) for 3D Prophet 8500 128MB / 3D Prophet 8500 LE 128MB / 3D Prophet 8500 LE 64MB / 3D Prophet 7500 DDR 64MB.

• UK Parliament to ban DoS Attacks - This bill is an amendment to the Computer Misuse Act 1990 which bans Denial of Service attacks by name.
• Microsoft's Mira software gets name - Although devices using Mira technology are still a few months from hitting shelves, the software giant says it has a name for the software that will power Web-surfing tablets.
• Hotmail blindsided by Yaha-E virus - The anti-virus protection used by Microsoft's Hotmail service hasn't been updated to protect users against the prolific Yaha-E virus. 
• Xbox 'mod' chip gets killed off - Only weeks after the Enigmah-X goes on sale, the mod chip maker shuts down its business in the Xbox hacking tool--possibly under legal pressure from Microsoft.
• Western Digital Delivers 200 GB / 7,200 RPM HDD - Western Digital introduced the industry's largest capacity hard drive - its WD Caviar 200 GB 7,200 RPM product. This milestone marks the fourth consecutive first-to-market 7,200 RPM hard drive delivered by Western Digital - which was first to deliver 7,200 RPM hard drives in 80, 100 and 120 GB capacities.
• Windows File Protection guide - One of Microsoft's latest efforts to help promote system stability is Windows File Protection (WFP), as debuted in Windows 2000 & now featured in Windows XP. This guide will take you through basic operation of WFP, how to use & configure it for your system.
• GNOME 2.0 Released - The GNOME team has announced the release of GNOME 2.0.
• MS releases Web Matrix dev tool - The new tool, known as the Web Matrix project, offers all of the basic single-user features that would be expected and doesn't have some of the management features that are to be found in Visual Studio .NET.
• DirectX 8.1b Redist Install - This download provides the end-user Redistributable that developers may include with their product. The redistributable license agreement covers the terms under which developers may use the Redistributable. If you choose to distribute the Redistributable Code, you must include the files as specified listed in the Redist Directory Read Me file.
• Windows XP Service Pack 1 Beta Build 1063 - I have noticed over at Neowin and WinXP.nu this download link.
• WinAmp 3 RC2 Build 479 - A new build of the Winamp3 RC2 has been released. This build defaults to the included MAD skin. If you do not install the skin you must change the default skin manully or else Winamp 3 will not show up.
• Riva Tuner v2.0 RC11 - This NVIDIA video card tweaker has been updated to ver. 2.0 RC11.
• CDRWin version 3.9A - Goldenhawk has posted a new version of CDRWin on their website.
• RefreshLock 2.02 - Fed up of getting 60Hz or 75Hz in your favourite OpenGL/Direct3D/DirectX games (e.g. Quake 1/2/3, Half-Life, Unreal, or Deus Ex) instead of the 120Hz your display adapter & monitor are capable of? Yes? Then download this FREE program, and enjoy higher display frequencies without the hassle of installing special drivers!

• Microsoft plans new security system in future Windows - Palladium "is really about security, privacy and system integrity," said Mario Juarez, group product manager for the content security business unit at Microsoft. "We're talking here about rearchitecting the PC platform." The new architecture, as described by Juarez, would see a new security chip used for encryption added to PCs, along with new APIs (Application-Program Interfaces) created to allow programs to be written to take advantage of Palladium, he said. Palladium may also cover chipsets, graphics processors and USB (Universal Serial Bus) input/output systems, he said.
• Russia poised to restrict Net activities - At the request of President Vladimir Putin, the Russian Duma voted 272 to 126 last week in favor of the offline and online restrictions as an immediate response to what Putin called a spate of pro-Nazi and anti-religious extremist activities.
• Evidence found of lake, catastrophic flood on Mars - Geologists at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum have discovered a large former lake in the highlands of Mars that would cover an area the size of Texas and New Mexico combined, and which overflowed to carve one of that planet's largest valleys. The findings appear in the June 21 issue of the journal Science.
• CD pirates in from the cold - Australia plans to endorse CD-copying kiosks in a controversial world-first plan that legalises music piracy. The Australian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society will allow an Adelaide-based business to operate CD-pirating kiosks nationwide for a modest royalty payment. The coin-operated kiosks could open in shopping malls, supermarkets or record stores from September and charge $5 for each CD "burn". Some independent operators have already installed copying machines in convenience stores, but their legality has not been tested.
• HP and Kyocera lift up new handhelds - The Kyocera 7135 is a clamshell-style smartphone that features voice capabilities but can also access high-speed cellular data networks for its PDA functions, according to Kyocera Wireless spokesman Rick Goetter. The 7135 will run on next-generation CDMA 1xRTT networks when they're released nationwide this summer. The 7135 will be available in the fourth quarter and will cost around $500. Unlike the Palm OS-based 7135, HP's new iPaqs run Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 operating system for handheld devices. HP released the $649 iPaq H3950 and the $749 iPaq H3970. Both devices began shipping this week and will be widely available in July. (CNET)
• Yamaha to etch graphics, logos on CD-Rs - With the CDW-F1 drive, Yamaha claims it has the first drive that can use its laser to etch graphics, logos and text onto the surface of a CD-R disc.
• Matrox Parhelia 512 Benchmarks - TomsHardware.de have posted some leaked the Matrox Parhelia 512 Benchmarks! RADEON 8500 1024x768x32= 203fps 1280x1024x32 =136fps 1600x1200x32 =95fps || GF4 Ti4600 1024x768x32= 242fps 1280x1024x32 =184fps 1600x1200x32 =138fps || PARHELIA-512 1024x768x32 =152fps 1280x1024x32 =98fps 1600x1200x32 = 68fps.
• Unlocking AMD's Thoroughbred 2200+  - This is a comprehensive guide to unlocking the 2200+ Thoroughbred processor, brought to you by XtremeSystems.org.
• Download Windows XP SP1 Beta Build 1060 - leaked ~ download - mirror1 / mirror2 / mirror3 (via FTP client IP Address: 129.2.232.67 l/p   xp/xp) All FTP seems to be pretty full...Someone told me that this SP contains the program "Alexa". Well, don't panic - it can be easily removed with Ad-Aware. Anyway Alexa key is part of every Windows XP final and can be found an any OS with Internet Explorer 6 installed <grin>. So don't listen to panic people :).
• WinMX 3.22 - WinMX is a FREE file-sharing program like no other. It allows you to simultaneously connect through the decentralized WinMX Peer Networking Protocol AND to many networks based on the OpenNap and Napster protocols.
• Rage3D Tweak 3.4a - Rage3D Tweak v3.4a (download) is a Radeon Tweaker program designed to fit right in with the other ATi option tabs in the Advanced Display Properties accessed through the Control Panel. It allows easy access to registry tweak options, custom display modes, and overclocking all through an easy to use interface.
• Suma Geforce4 Ti4200 ViVo BIOS - Suma have released a new Nvidia Geforce4 Ti4200 ViVo BIOS.
• Nvidia 29.80 Detonators drivers (WHQL) - Gainward has published on their website new NVIDIA Detonator Drivers version 29.80 - Win9x / WinME / Win2K/XP / WinNT 4.

• Verizon & Microsoft team up to deliver DSL - Verizon and Microsoft are teaming up to deliver innovative, high-speed, digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet access and services that can be offered across the country over Verizon's 34 million DSL-capable access lines. The agreement expands upon the companies' existing relationships in the wireless and online information services arenas and furthers their commitment to providing a superior broadband experience to customers nationwide.
• Surprise asteroid nearly hits home - The space rock missed our planet Friday by only 75,000 miles (120,000 km), about one-third the distance to the moon, making the near collision one of the closest ever recorded. Cruising at 6.2 miles (10 km) per second, the big boulder could have unleashed some major firepower had it struck, according to the NEO (Near Earth Objects) Information Center in Leicester, England. The destructive force might have been comparable to an asteroid or comet that exploded over Siberia in 1908, which flattened 77 square miles (2,000 square km) of trees, according to the NEO.
• IBM joins DVD6C in licensing DVD patents - The DVD6C Licensing Agency today announced that IBM had joined its worldwide joint licensing program for DVD-Video players, DVD-ROM drives, DVD decoders and DVD-Video and DVD-ROM discs.
• Samsung's New Phone Takes AIM - Samsung Telecommunications America said Wednesday that it is integrating America Online's instant message service into its new cellular phone, allowing users to check the availability of online "buddies" and send and receive messages without uttering a word. America Online's AIM service will be integrated into Samsung's new SGH-r225M phone, which will be available to U.S. consumers later this month. The SGH-r225M is the latest offering from Samsung featuring a range of personalization options such as allowing users to assign colors to incoming calls from selected numbers.
• Intel desktop CPUs through to Q2 2003 - Although executives at the firm have repeatedly said that it will have a 3GHz processor by the end of the year, the latest roadmaps still peg the chip at 2.80GHz. We'd expect that to change as the engineers tweak the architecture, however. By the third quarter, Intel will have completely phased out the .18 Pentium 4 with only 256K of cache, while the last P4 at the 130 nanometer level and with only 256K of cache, at 1.80GHz, will disappear during the third calendar quarter.
• ATi RADEON R250 and R300 presentations - Reactor Critical have posted the PowerPoint presentations of ATi's R250 and R300. This way, R300 will become the first graphics accelerator compliant with DirectX9. To commemorate this fact R300 family will be called RADEON 9xxx. According to XBitLabs, the launch is scheduled for August 10.
• Microsoft Producer 1.1 for PowerPoint - Microsoft Producer for PowerPoint 2002 is an add-in for Microsoft PowerPointr 2002 that makes it easy for knowledge workers and enterprise media professionals to capture, synchronize, and publish audio, video, slides, and images. Use Microsoft Producer to create engaging and effective rich-media presentations for viewing on demand in a Web browser.
• MilkDrop v1.03 - MilkDrop is a Winamp visualization plug-in that uses 3D graphics hardware, combined with iterative image-based rendering techniques, to create a visual journey through sound.
• HyperSnap-DX v4.51.01 - HyperSnap-DX 4 is a screen capture and image editing tool for MS Windows. It captures screens from standard desktop programs and even those hard-to-grab DirectX, Direct3D, 3Dfx Voodoo and Glide mode game.
• Asus PC Probe v2.16.09 - The ASUS PC Probe is a simple utility that monitors vital information in the computer such as fan rototations, voltages and temperature. Additionally, it gives system information such as hard disk space, memory usage, CPU type and processor speed.
• Official ATI D3D Driver Update For Catalyst - ATI has released a new Direct3D driver library file (WinXP / Win2k / Win9x/ME).
• SiS AGP Driver 1.10 - SiS has released a new AGP driver (6.2MB) for the following chipsets: SiS630, SiS730, SiS735 , SiS733, SiS635, SiS633, SiS645 , SiS650 , SiS740 , SiS745.
• ASUS Tweak Utility v3.62  - Asus have released a new version (v3.62) of their Asus Tweak Utility.
• ASUS 1006 BIOSes -  Asus have released some new BIOS files for Asus Bios P4S333-M/FX/VF series.

"Matrox said they would not be sending us a review unit on the same schedule as other sites and then revealed some interesting reasons. Matrox stated that due to the nature of our testing that they were not "comfortable" with sending us a Parhelia card. They seemed to think that we would be a bit too rough on the Parhelia and possibly show some issues that the "enthusiast" might identify as weaknesses. Logic would dictate that this of course means that Matrox thinks that the hardware review sites getting the first round of Parhelias would not expose those weaknesses. I had to take that as a compliment. Still, you might keep this in mind when you see the initial reviews hit and we will of course make sure you are aware of them as we always want to keep our readers up to date with current information."

• Lights still on at KPNQwest - The liquidators of bust KPNQwest are to keep the service running until the end of June, after striking a deal with unpaid, 'exhausted' volunteers manning the Brussels network centre Ebone, its European internet backbone operation.
• MS spreads virus--by mistake - The software company owns up to accidentally distributing the deadly Nimda worm in Korean versions of Visual Studio.Net sent out to developers.
• U.S. nabs piracy ring - Twenty people in 14 U.S. states and a man in Saskatoon are facing U.S. federal charges in an Internet computer software, game and movie piracy ring dubbed Rogue Warriorz.The ring made available to undercover investigators 8,434 computer application and utility software programs, 356 movies and 432 computer games.
• DataFort Hacking Challenge - DataFort launches the region's First `Hacking Challenge'.It is primarily to be played online on a website exclusively developed for the challenge .There are eight levels for the DataFort Hacking Contest. Each level has a different problem which will test the candidates hacking capability. Passing level 8 means that the candidate shows his strengths in hacking.
• Supercomputers to Analyze Terror Attacks - Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control are going to use two linked supercomputers to determine what will really happen in the event of a terror attack such as the detonation of a dirty bomb
• Unwired Unleashed - Unwired Australia subscribes to the former - at significant cost. Of the $130 million it raised from the likes of Credit Suisse First Boston, Bruckman Rosser Sherrill and The Invus Group, $110 million was spent on licensing space on the 3.4Ghz spectrum. Yesterday it launched its first trial of the technology at no cost to the people of Paddington, a cosmopolitan suburb in Sydney's inner east.
• 'Killer' bees make killer coffee - Coffee plants (coffea arabica) are capable of self-pollination, so for a long time researchers did not think insects made much difference to the crop. But studies now show that when Africanized bees (or killer bees) pollinate coffee plants, yields can increase by more than 50.
• Creative EAX  SOF II & UT Patches - EAX ADVANCED HD (UT) Game Audio Library takes in-game audio acoustics to a whole new level. New Multi-Environment technology renders up to 4 simultaneous audio environments in real time. Environment Panning makes spatializing and localizing environments in 3D possible. EAX ADVANCED HD (SoF) offers dramatically increased 3D audio performance and functionality, delivering superior audio fidelity and rich environment effects for an unsurpassed digital entertainment experience.
• Opera 6.04 build 1126 - Opera Software have released a new beta version of Opera 6.04 build 1126.
• Sonique v2.0 Alpha Build June 14 - A pre-release version of Sonique2 is now available for public consumption. It is being called an Alpha release to reflect the fact that Sonique2 still has a ways to go before it will be ready for release. Alpha builds are buggy, unsupported and unfinished :P
• MagicTweak 1.88  - MagicTweak is a special program designed to optimize and personalize Microsoft Windows. This unique software makes it easy to tweak hundreds of hidden settings in Windows, so there is no need to dig through the registry looking for that specific setting (from Start Menu,Desktop,IE skin,System Icon to System Security) that just doesn't seem to be there. With the ability to cutomize almost any aspect of Windows, you can become a Windows expert almost instantly.
• Rage3D Tweak v3.3 With Catalyst Driver Support  - Rage3D Tweak has been updated to support the Catalyst drivers(7.72+). It has full support for all the major new tweaks, and some not so major ones. All profiles have been overhauled to support the new and modified registry values, and the help has been updated.

• Game Boy Advance RGB LCD Project - Running Sonic Advance on my Sharp TV and the MiracleRay simultaneously using the PSOne AV port on the back of the LCD and an Interact PS2 AV cable. Funny that my nephew prefers the LCD screen over the TV screen. Possibly because the LCD gives higher resolution and provides RGB level quality. The LCD screen is so bright and vibrant with colors that I had to turn down the Brighness level to take the pictures, otherwise the LCD screen looks white.
• Thieving chimp is no chump - Police in Hackney, London, are hunting a monkey that may have been trained to steal mobile phones. Officers believe that two people may have been victims of the monkey business over the weekend after two burglaries were reported in as many hours. One victim, Mustapha Riat, confirmed seeing a hairy black chimpanzee climb through his ground floor flat window at about 8.30am on Sunday morning. The chimp stole his mobile phone from the bedside table before make a quick exit.
• Europe Plans To Monitor All Electronic Correspondance - Plans are in store for all electronic correspondence, including email and phone logs, to be monitored by Europol, the EU branch of police and intelligence services. Meeting in the Hague last April, various security officials drew up the proposal, a "common code" for all EU states to store electronic data, even chat-room discussions, phone calls and text messages made on mobiles.
• Software pirates cost industry $11 billion  - Global software piracy is on the increase costing the industry almost $11 billion . The worst offender is Vietnam where an estimated 97 per cent of all software is unlicensed. It was followed by other offenders including China where 94 per cent of software is illegal, Indonesia (89 per cent), Ukraine (89 per cent) and Russia (88 per cent). According to the Business Software Alliance's (BSA) latest survey global software piracy grew from 37 percent in 2000 to 40 percent in 2001. 
• Changing the XP Pro Corporate Product Key - This guide describes how to change your CD key without having to Format ...... Especially useful if you happen to loose or forget your old Corporate Key somehow (easily done) and want to enter a new key in.
• AMD Introduces the Athlon XP 2200+ -  AMD today introduced the AMD Athlon XP processor 2200+ with QuantiSpeed architecture-the first AMD desktop processor based on its 0.13 micron process technology. The new AMD Athlon XP processor 2200+ delivers improved performance, lower power and a smaller die size while maintaining a stable, compatible Socket A infrastructure.   Coverage:  HardOCP / Ace's Hardware / Tech Report / AnandTech /  AMDDB / Tom's Hardware  / HEXUS.net / AMD Zone / LostCircuits.
• PHP 4.3.0 Alpha with Zend Engine 2 - The first alpha release of PHP w/ Zend Engine 2 is now available. It is based on the current PHP 4 CVS (4.3.0-dev) and includes the new scripting engine which greatly improves the object model, adds exception handling and provides a much better infrastructure for the integration of external technologies like Java or .NET

• World Cup virus kicks off - Masquerading as an application for viewing match results, WorldCup spreads via email and the popular IRC application. The virus appears to be a simple rewrite of the Chick virus, which claimed to be a collection of Britney Spears pictures. The virus cannot do any damage automatically, as a user has first to open the infected file.
• Shakira worm rocks Outlook users - There's nothing new about the latest Internet worm, Shakira (vbs.vbswg-aq@mm). An e-mail message allegedly containing photos of the Grammy-winning Colombian rock star will instead launch a flood of infected copies on other users of Microsoft Outlook or IRC.
• FBI wants to track your Web trail - Now the FBI is hoping to capture and corral more of our digital detritus in the name of fighting terrorism. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday will examine proposed Justice Department guidelines that would give federal investigators new license to mine publicly available databases and monitor Web use. The changes, which come after a major FBI shakeup last week, have sparked intense debate over the merits of expanding government surveillance powers as the country faces ongoing threats of terrorist attacks.
• 'Disturbing' Xbox ads banned in the U.K. - Regulators in the United Kingdom have given the thumbs-down to a Microsoft advertisement for the Xbox console that has offended some viewers. The Independent Television Commission has slammed the ad as "shocking" and banned the commercial from U.K. television.  The ad begins with a newborn child flying through a window before aging decades in seconds--then crashing and screaming into a grave as an elderly man. It was designed to illustrate the phrase: "Life is short. Play more.
• Nanotechnology's First Fruits Products Soon - The accelerating growth curve is expected to lead roughly 300 nanotech companies to go public over the next 10 years, according to an estimate by Neil Weintraut, founder of 21st Century Venture Partners in Palo Alto.
• AMD XP 1.8Ghz Monday - AMD will introduce its newest desktop PC processor, the 1.8GHz Athlon XP 2200+, next Monday, sources say.
• Half-Life Performance Analyzer - The Half-Life Performance Analyzer enables gamers to quickly and accurately analyze their current computer system components in order to determine if it meets the minimum system requirements needed to play Sierra's award-winning game, Half-Life. The service also gives options to enhance your PC's gaming performance and image quality.
• Windows XP Service Pack Beta Leaked - This beta release of the Windows XP SP1 includes Windows Messenger 4.7 (build 31), Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 (build 2800.1050), a slightly updated version of Windows Media Player 8.0 (build 4483), full support for USB 2.0 and IPv6. Despite these goodies, some people may find the Service Pack 1 to include a rather unpleasant surprise: Microsoft has blacklisted one of the famous Volume License Keys out there in order to prevent pirated copies of Windows XP from updating. This beta will only work on english language systems and users of that popular corporate CD key will find that the patch will not install. This is beta software and I only recommend that you install it, if you know what you are doing. (mirror1, mirror2, mirror3)
• Messenger 4.7 build 0031 ripped from XP SP1 beta - Backup original Messenger files, replace them with the ones in the .zip file.
• Opera 6.04 build 1120 -  Opera Software have released the next beta version of Opera 6.04 build 1120.
• FreeRAM XP Pro 1.1  - Freeware app that defragments and frees up your system's RAM.
• mIRC 6.02 - mIRC version 6.02 has been released thursday, June 6th, 2002. The new mIRC is available from http://www.mirc.com/ and from all fast mirrors all over the world. With this new release we hope to address most, if not all, of the comments, requests and remarks we recieved after the release of version 6.01. Several changes are initiated by the multi-server features introduced in mIRC 6.0. (changelog)
• The Bat! 1.60q - The Bat! (homepage) is a powerful, highly configurable, yet easy to use email client.
• EasyEncode v0.7.31 - EasyEncode (freeware) is a very easy but still high-quality and powerful full automatic DVD to DivX rip-pack.
• WinDriver Expert 1.3 - Detection and backup of your entire hardware device drivers.
• Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility v4.00.1013 - Intel has released a new version of the Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility for windows 9X/ME/2000/XP .This is not an official file from Intel, use at your own risk.
• MSI BIOSes - MSI has released a new BIOS update for the MSI 845EMax(MS-6566E) motherboard, and also new BIOS update for MSI KT3 Ultra-ARU AMI Bios v5.40.
• Detonator 29.42 Refreshrate Fixed - Download fix from Guru3D
• Elsa Nvidia Detonator Drivers + BIOS -  Elsa Asia just relased a new Detonator Drivers and BIOS.
• Aopen Nvidia Detonator WHQL v29.42 drivers WinALL -  Aopen have released their own version of Nvidia's Detonator WHQL v29.42 multilanguage drivers for Win9x/Me / WinNT 4.0 / Win2000/XP

• Gopher hole trips up Internet Explorer - A Finnish security company is warning that hackers could exploit an outdated, little-used Internet protocol to seize control of computers running Microsoft's browser.
• $1 movie site finds shelter in Iran - Taiwan-based Movie88.com, which sold access to thousands of films for $1 each, went dark in mid-February after a powerful motion picture lobbying group worked with the local government to pull its plug. The site, which offered movies owned by the major studios without their authorization, was deemed to be infringing on their copyrights. Now, Film88.com has sprung up in its place, with an uncannily similar formula for renting and streaming films over the Internet. However, the site is a new venture based in Tehran, Iran--a country that broke off diplomatic relations with the United States more than two decades ago and that does not protect foreign copyrights.
• School boy spends $1.4m on friends eBay account - It has been reported that a 13 year-old has used his school's Internet connection to spend a total of about $1.4m on a friend's eBay account. Purchases included a helicopter, jet aircraft, motorbike and pickup truck. His school and parents weren't at all happy to hear about his expenditure. 
• Computex 2002 - Day 3 Coverage - Chaps at T-Break have talked with Iwill, Gainward, Gigabyte, ECS and Albetron. Again, lots of KT400, nForce and Hammer boards.
• Nero Express toggle within Nero 5.5.8.2 - I have noticed over at xp-erience: When you install NERO 5.5.8.2 you can get either the old classic interface -  You can run Nero Express by either creating a shortcut or going to Start...Run.. and entering the following: C:\Program Files\Ahead\Nero\Nero.exe" /w. Incase you don't know Nero Express is basically Nero with a more friendly user interface and can be easily switched to the original Nero interface.
• Windows XP Patches - The first update addresses the Windows Management Instrumentation Cannot Register Permanent Event Consumer with Dynamic Class issue in Windows XP, and is discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) Article Q319322, second update addresses the WMI AccessCheck Receives Local Administrator's SID issue in Windows XP, and is discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) Article Q320678.
• Mozilla 1.0 Released  - Four years in the making, the open-source browser is now available on the Web.
• UltraEdit-32 v9.10 - UltraEdit-32 is a Windows text editor with support for unlimited file sizes, a spell checker, drag and drop, full HEX editing capabilities, user configurable syntax highlighting (pre-configured for HTML, Java, C/C++, VB, Perl), column editing, sorting, and a configurable toolbar.
• Sonique v2.0 Alpha Build June 3 - Sonique is a windows audio player capable of handling Microsoft Windows Media files, MP3 files, audio CDs, and more.
• VCool 1.8 Beta 8 - VCool will cool your Athlon/Duron processor on Via KT133 or KX133(A) (VT8363, VT8361, VT82C691/693A/694 or VT8371 +VT82C686x) chipsets during idle.
• WINTV-DVBs WDM drivers - Technotrend has released new WINTV-DVBs WDM drivers for WinALL.

• Taiwan opens door to open source - The Taiwanese government plans to start an open-source project as early as next year that could save it as much as $295 million in royalty payments to Microsoft, according to a report from Taiwan's Central News Agency.
• Scientist computes ends of the universe - A report in this week's Nature magazine says Seth Lloyd estimated that such a computer would have to contain 10 to the 90th bits of information and perform 10 to the 120th operations on those bits to model the universe in all its various incarnations since the big bang.
• GVision unveils 22-inch LCD TV - GVision has unveiled a 22-inch LCD TV at Computex. The L22BX adopts a Panasonic LCD panel and features a 16:9 aspect ratio, 400:1 contrast ratio, 16ms response time and 160-degree viewing angle both horizontally and vertically.
• WalkieMusic more than MP3 - The pocket-sized design player allows you to play back MP3s burned onto 8-cm CD-Rs and CD-RWs and is capable of storing 45-50 songs. It can even store up to 760 files. In addition to unique, built-in, advanced functions, an ID3 tag support is included, so you can see the song title and artist in running order on the LCD screen.
• Computex Coverage - Tom'sHardware / Tech-Report /  HardOCP  / AnandTech1 - AnandTech2 - AnandTech3 / T-Break1 - T-Break2 / Legion Hardware / OCworkbench / TweakTown /   The DDR Zone
• Computex: ATI R300 - Given that the chip is already up and running and production is due soon we are beginning to wonder if the R300 will be made on a 0.13-micron process or if it will be 0.15-micron like its predecessor. If it is indeed a 0.15-micron chip then there is the question of whether ATI will make it a DX9 compliant part with full floating point pipelines. Assuming ATI does make the R300 as feature rich as NVIDIA's NV30 currently appears on paper, then there's the question of yield and clock speeds. It will be interesting to see the design choices ATI made with the R300 and how that effects competition with the NV30 later this year.
• Plextor 40x12x40 Review -  MBReview has posted their review of Plextor 40x12x40, the fastest IDE CD-RW on the market, which features PoweRec-II and BURN-Proo technology.
• DDR Memory Performance Roundup - Tweakers Australia has come up with an article that will address several of these queries, including the different brands and models on the market, how they perform, and how they compare to each other. We'll be starting off with 4 DDR333 sticks and 1 DDR266 stick, and adding more as we get a hold of them. The DDR Memory Performance Roundup will also feature regular updates and new testing procedures when they are available. but for now we'll be checking out the bandwidth and timing of the models we have here today, so lets get started.
• GF4 Overclocking - Some of the lower-end models of the GeForce4 line, most apparently the GeForce4 MX 440 and the Ti4400, have the best chance of being underclocked, and not reaching their fullest potential right out of the box. The GeForce4 Ti 4400 is simply a lower clocked version of the GeForce4 Ti 4600 core, but with 3.6ns DDR SDRAM instead of the Ti 4600's 2.8ns DDR SDRAM. The same goes for the GeForce4 MX 440, which has the added benefit of many models running at their standard core speeds even without the aid of active cooling.
• Windows Registry Guide 2002 - This article (it's an executable, leech&install it first) version also includes a tutorial for beginners and links to relevant Internet resources.
• KaZaA Cydoor Spyware Removal - This guide will show you how to remove the Cydoor parasite mandatory with the popular KaZaA (for versions 1.5 and up), without crippling KaZaA's main program.
• Maxtor Power Diagnostic Utilities 3.04 - That version is specifically designed to work on all Maxtor and Quantum Hard Disk Drives, including the newly released 160 GB HDD's. It was also designed to allow the testing through both Maxtor Ultra ATA Controller Cards.
• GBA SDK - Anyone who is interested in making their own Gameboy Advance ROMs can go get an unofficial GBA SDK . With this and a flash ROM kit from someplace like lan-kwei.com, we could see a flourishing indie game making community. Available for Linux and Mac OS X only (for now, it's open source). - thanks SlashDot
• QuickTime 6 Public Beta  - This latest release (featuring MPEG-4) of Apple's cutting-edge digital media software for both Mac and Windows-based computers delivers unparalleled quality for creating, playing and streaming audio and video content over the Internet.
• XPTuneup 2.0 - XPTuneup is the software developed to help you apply many of the tips listed on xptuneup.com via a simple interface. It is implementation of about 50 tips listed on that web site.
• Multi Desktop v2.00 - Multi Desktop is a hip software tool that helps you to run more programs and open more windows without getting the screen too crowded. When a lot of windows are opened in the current desktop and you have not work space you switch to another desktop, which appears blank - and continue working in that one.
• Aston Shell 1.6 - Aston fully replaces standard Windows Desktop and delivers a host of new features. It's nice and easy to work on a computer with Aston installed. Aston doesn't require a powerful and expensive machine. With Aston your system is much more stable. Small footprint in RAM and few processor resources yield higher performance.
• WCPUID 3.0g - This small program displays the CPU information of your computer.
• LITE-ON Firmware - Lite on has released a new firmware for the LITE ON LTR-24103S  / LITE ON LTR-40125S / LITE ON LTR-32125W / LITE ON LTR-32123S.

• MIT student hacks into Xbox  - Computer enthusiasts have been excited about the possibility of using the $199 Xbox, which is technologically similar to a PC, as a stand-alone computer running operating systems like Linux.
• Cable pirates splice into broadband - Drawing on old-school methods to splice cable TV lines for unauthorized use, hackers say they can buy a splitter at the local electronics store and easily run an additional line from the cable modem line for the computer into the television. Without a set-top box, the result is free, basic, analog cable; with an illegal converter or set-top, hackers say they have access to premium channels such as HBO and Showtime.
• Napster Files for Bankruptcy in a Delaware Court - Napster Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday, seeking court protection from creditors as music industry heavyweight Bertelsmann AG follows through on a plan to take over what's left of the company.
• Sony pushes flash memory standard - Memory Stick is a removable flash-memory card format roughly the size of a stick of chewing gum. Sony created it for portable consumer-electronics devices, such as cameras and digital audio players. The upcoming Memory Stick Duo is about one-third the size of the original, and is meant to fit into devices such as cell phones and small digital audio players, expanding the number of devices using Memory Stick technology. 
• Hardware world loves AMD Opteron - A couple of weeks ago, AMD announced the support of ATI, 3DLabs, SiS and Matrox and for its upcoming 64-bit chips. Today, it's the turn of Nvidia and VIA to pile in with their support for the Opteron (MP) and Next-Generation Athlons (singletons). Both companies are to produce optimised chipsets - Hypertransport, fat graphics etc; - for AMD's 64-bit platform.
• ALi Introduces New Generation Chipset M1687/M1563 -ALi's M1687 has support for AGP up to 8X, which provides system designers ample room to interface with various levels of graphics requirements. Also, by adapting the industry most innovations - HyperTransportTM technology link bus between ALi's M1687 and M1563, ALi's solution is the best one to complement the architecture of AMD's new processor platform. ALi's M1563 comes highly integrated with AC-Link Host Controller, Dual Channel ATA-133, 6 ports USB 2.0 Host controller, MAC controller for 1/10/100 fast Ethernet, memory stick and SD interface, and HyperTransportTM technology link interface.
• Yamaha CRW-F1 CD-RW Drive Unveiled - Yamaha Corporation today unveiled the CRW-F1, a high-quality, full CAV CD-R/RW recorder that promises unmatched stability, efficiency and offers the new "Advanced Audio Master Quality Recording" and the revolutionary "DiscT@2" laser drawing system.  The new CRW-F1 recorder features a 2'42" recording time for full 80-minute CD-R discs (at full CAV speeds of 44x) along with up to 24x in CD-RW Rewriting. Read speed and digital audio extraction speeds reach 44X, while delivering maximum quality and compatibility.
• Computex 2002 - Day 1 Coverage - T-break has posted their coverage of the Computex 2002.  They say "We met up with ASUS, Epox, MSI and Abit amongst others and saw their upcoming P4 and AMD boards which include everything from the SiS 648 chipset to the Hammer, KT400 and nVidia Cursh 18 chipsets."
• Computex 2002: The Bloodbath Begins  - World exclusive! Whoohoo! Nvidia's next generation nForce! AMD is telling its partner they will have K8 before the year end, and they're getting ready for it. Intel is in no mood to play around and controls pricing. Gigabyte disses Nvidia in favor of ATI. The fight is on for what's left of the PC pie in 2002. Plus, news on IWill, Soltek, and BioStar. Day 1 of the Comdex of the East is a wild ride.
• Computex 2002: Wireless 5.1 Home Theater System - Check it out!
• HW Round-up - Albatron GeForce4 MX440 / Abit Siluro Geforce 4 Ti4400 (videoreview) / Hercules 3D Prophet All-in-Wonder Radeon 8500DV / SiS Xabre 400 Reference Video Card / XFX GeForce4 Ti4400 / VIA C3 1 GHz Gold CPU / Leadtek Winfast K7N420DA (Motherboard) /  MSI KT3 Ultra-ARU (motherboard) /  MSI 845E Max2-BLR Socket-478 (Motherboard) / Lite On LTR-48125S 48X CD-RW / Mitsumi CR-485CTE 40/20/48 CD-RW / Benq 24x10x40 CDRW / Socket 478 Cooler Round-up
• Netscape 7.0 Out for Free Preview - Preview Release 1's purpose is to elicit feedback, and, except for a couple of annoyances, it's pretty slick. There's a quick-launch feature that keeps the browser in memory, so it's quicker to launch a second time. If you're into instant messaging, that feature is highlighted and the default is to ask you for your user ID. That was one annoyance, easy to undo in preferences.
• MagicTweak 1.87 - MagicTweak is a special program designed to optimize and personalize Microsoft Windows. This unique software makes it easy to tweak hundreds of hidden settings in Windows, so there is no need to dig through the registry looking for that specific setting (from Start Menu,Desktop,IE skin,System Icon to System Security) that just doesn't seem to be there.
• HyperSnap-DX 4.50.03 - HyperSnap-DX 4 is a screen capture and image editing tool for MS Windows. This new version features: Bugfix: Image/Crop function would not display correctly the Zoom area after pressing F1 key (help for more precise cropping).
• Ahead InCD Update v.3.2.9.1 - Ahead has released a new version of their InCD Software. A changelog is not available yet.
• TVTool 6.5 Beta - A new version (v6.5) of TV Tool has been released.. This is the program that enables your video card TV-Output and seems to be the best external one.
• Creative's EAX ADVANCED HD Audio Enhancement - With Creative's EAX ADVANCED HD Audio Enhancement for Star Wars Jedi Knighr II: Jedi Outcast , you'll now enjoy the most sophisticated and realistic game audio environments that you've ever heard.
• NVIDIA Detonator Drivers 29.42 WHQL Beta - Warp2Search offers the latest WHQL certified drivers for all Nvidia based video cards for you. The drivers are dated 05/03/2002 and the version number is 29.42.
• nForce Drivers 1.05 WHQL (Win98se) - Nvidia has released new official nForce drivers. Products Supported:
  nForce 220D/415/420/420D Platform Processors.

• Cell phone games are huge - Verizon was the first U.S. carrier to commercially offer BREW-enabled phones, following Korea Telecom Freetel and KDDI in Japan. In Europe, other carriers have found success with such mobile games as "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"  With the new Tiger Woods golf game on Verizon's Sharp BREW-enabled phone, users can choose courses, wind speeds, the number of holes and clubs. The color display clearly distinguishes the trees from the fairway.
• Linux.Simile - Hybrid Virus - The virus infects Portable Executable (PE) files as well as ELFs on both Linux and Win32 systems.
• Afterburner internal lighting kit for the GBA - Visually, the system looks exactly the same from the outside with the exception of a new switch if you choose to install one. Link play, accessories, etc. all work as well (we haven't tried using a second light so we can't say what the result of that would be). Essentially the GBA thinks it is powering an external light; thus it should behave no differently than if a worm light or any other lighting accessory was attached.
• Videologic Vivid!XS 64 MB Kyro II - For the small purse, the Videologic Vivid!XS is the right choice. Itself
  modern games are playable with this graphic card. Who do not and looks absolutely for the newest graphic cards does not see any alternative in nVidia & ATI, should reach for the Videologic Vivid!XS.
• DDR Memory Roundup (updated) - Tweakers Australia has updated their DDR memory roundup.
• FireLINE Pocket HotDrive 30GB from Evergreen - The drive we received is capable of 30GB (27.9 Capable Storage Space) of data storage, this is a factor which will interest anyone in need of a large portable drive with added versatility, because we see the ability to use 3 interfaces, USB 2.0, USB 1.1 & IEEE 1394(Firewire) it can be used universally between systems as well as interfaces. The 30GB fireLINE Pocket HotDrive was much smaller than anticipated; the dimensions are 8.25 x 2.5" and roughly 1.5 high.
• SkyHawk MSR-4610 Aluminum MidTower Case - Personally all the cases up until now I have used have been steel cases and I thought it was time to give an aluminum case a go. Wondering if my case temperatures would drop significantly or just slightly I was about to find out. I have heard people's case temperatures dropping about 9-12 degrees Celsius. That to me is worth it but I would have to find out for myself.
• Matrix Reloaded Screensaver v1.0 - The Matrix Reloaded screensaver is a freeware openGL matrix screen saver that truly captivates the spirit of The Matrix movie, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions sequels. Featuring photos of heroes & foes (Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, Agent Smith, etc presented in a cool slideshow), matrix code emulation scrolling vertically down your computer screen, a cool matrix style digital clock, and original mp3 songs from the film, this eye candy screensaver is recommended to all MATRIX fans.
• Linux Kernel 2.5.19  - A new kernel update v2.5.19 is out, it includes lots of drivers ported to the new API, and lots of ia64 and PPC32 fixes (see changelog)
• How to use Cipher.exe (WinXP) - This tool bundled with XP provides the ability to permanently overwrite (or "wipe") all of the deleted data on a hard disk. This improves security by ensuring that even if an attacker gains complete physical control of a Windows XP computer, they would be unable to recover previously-deleted data.
• Hacked Xbox - The guy reverse engineers the Xbox to expose the security holes and explains them very well.
• Googlecsearchtool v2 - This software application is a handy tool for people like me who are spending lots of time searching the various   newsgroups posts, images, links, Uncle sam, linux, news and stocks in googlec. Search in all or 27 different languages and see the result in one of the 66 available languages. Use one of the 13 search criteria to search in. Customize it to your need.
• CuteFTP XP 5.0.5.30.2 Beta  - CuteFTP is the fastest, easiest way to transfer files across the Internet. Whether publishing a Web page, downloading the latest digital music and software, or transferring high-volume files between branch offices, CuteFTP provides the tools you need to make your life on the Net more enjoyable and productive.
• PlexTools v1.14 - Plextor Europe is proud to announce a new release of the PlexTools software
• CpuIdle v5.9 - CpuIdle (Win9x/ME / Win2k/XP) lowers the CPU temperature. This enhances CPU life (a decrease by 10°C doubles the life span) and cuts power consumption. Unlike normal power management CpuIdle is active all the time and works even when you're actively using your computer.
• ATi Radeon Omega/Plutonium XK1.0.71b Drivers - download drivers from DriversHeaven.

• Men In Black 2 Pictures - Phantastic.de has posted over 40 screenshots of   Men In Black 2, in addition Sony Pictures website offers a movie trailer for download. This movie is to be released July 3rd, 2002 and looks great.
• Gainward Golden Sample Ultra/750 XP Review - Not content with the performance of the Ti4600 Gainward decided to add that little bit of performance to their cards; like some other cards in their range they set the card's default clock speeds past the default 300MHz core, 650MHz memory to 310MHz core and 680MHz memory. So they are selling overclocked products? It seems not. Gainward receive special batches of NVIDIA chips, any that fail to hit the mark at 310MHz get sent back.
• 12 New Nvidia Chips This Fall?! - Nvidia is making major investments in the current quarter with a push to tape out 12 new chips over the next 90 days, ensuring that this fall will be an exciting time for Nvidia," Mosesmann wrote. "(The) NV30, produced at 0.13 micron is expected to take Nvidia's graphics to another level from its current GeForce4 product family."
• DOOM 3's HW Minimum - John Carmack made two posts (first / second) on Slashdot about video hardware as it relates to the engine for their upcoming DOOM III. Here is a snip: Our "full impact" platform from the beginning has been targeted at GF3/Xbox level hardware. Slower hardware can disable features, and faster hardware gets higher frame rates and rendering quality. Even at this target, designers need to be more cognizant of performance than they were with Q3, and we expect some licensee to take an even more aggressive performance stance for games shipping in following years. Games using the new engine will be on shelves FIVEYEARS (or more) after the initial design decisions were made. We had a couple licensees make two generations of products with the Q3 engine, and we expect that to hold true for DOOM as well. The hardware-only decision for Q3 was controversial at the time, but I feel it clearly turned out to be correct. I am confident the target for DOOM will also be seen as correct once there is a little perspective on it.
• Intel's new Pentium 4 chipsets  - The newly updated Pentium 4 chipset offerings, the i850E, i845E and i845G, boast not just faster 533 MHz FSBs for the new Pentium 4 CPUs, but also improved memory support (a lot of it "non-validated" yet, though) and new I/O based on the ICH4 south bridge -- again "non-validated" for i850E, but guess what, most i850E mainboards will have ICH4
• Jedi Knight II Tools v2.0 -  Jedi Knight II tools v2.0 have been released.
• DirectX 9 Web Downloader (Leaked) - This is much smaller (mirror) than the previous leak, which weighed in at approx 30MB, the installer is just 205kb, and the total download is normally 9MB or under. (thanks NeoWin)
• WinZip Internet Browser Support Add-On (beta) - WinZip Internet Browser Support Add-On automates much of the work normally associated with downloading compressed files from the Internet. When you click on a Zip file using Netscape Navigator/Communicator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, this add-on will enable WinZip to take over when the download is completed. WinZip automatically moves the downloaded file to your download folder and then opens the file.
• CDRWin 3.9A - GoldenHawk has released a new version 3.9 of CDRWin.
• PowerStrip 3.18 Build 245 - PowerStrip 3.18 provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the venerable Matrox Millennium I to the latest Radeon 8500DV and GeForce4 Ti4600.
• Nvidia BIOS Editor v1.0 RC3 Build 250 - This program will support all BIOSes from TNT2 and up to Ti 4600. Except TNT and TNT2 with old version of Control Block (less than version 3). Does not require any .dll, and will work under any version of Windows 9x/ME/NT/2K/XP.
• Suma Detonator Beta 29.40  - Suma have released their own version of Nvidia's Detonator 29.40/29/41 drivers.
• 3dfx 1.09 Beta4 Drivers - Many bugs have been fixed in all driver revisions, so we've decided to release a beta 4 revision of drivers for each supported operating system. These drivers should work on Voodoo3, Voodoo4, and Voodoo5 cards in all the supported operating systems. As usual, post bugs in the bug reports forum.

• Hitman 2 Movies - Soundtracks and Wallpapers - Hitman 2 official website has been updated with some goodies for download.
• Weekly Hardware Price Guide - CPUs & Video:May 2002 3rd Edition - This 3rd edition of May's price guides deals with CPUs and video cards. Beginning this coming month of June, the price guides will be updated every week, alternating between CPUs/video cards and Motherboards/Memory. For those of you not familiar with the guides here is a brief overview on how we construct them.
• Sony MZ-S1 S2 Sports Net MD Walkman Review - Sony S2 Sports line now extends to MD player with the introduction of the MZ-S1 Net MD Walkman. Following the tradition of the product line, Sony is outfitting the new portable audio player with a steely white, water-resistant casing with brushed black and scorching orange accents. While the MZ-S1's dashing design might appeal to people leading an active lifestyle, the rest of us might find other feature-rich models more functional.
• NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440/460 Video Cards Roundup (#4) - Digit-Life.com has examined one more batch of video cards based on the NVIDIA GeForce4 MX. They have received cards based on the MX 460, one card on the MX 440 and a hybrid - a card on the MX 440 but with the MX 460's memory. They also analyzed how the performance of these video cards changes with regard to the CPU's frequency and platforms.
• Visiontek XTasy Ti4200 Review - All in all, the Visiontek XTasy Ti4200 is a great little graphics card for the money. It plays all of today's games at reasonable frame rates, and it's pixel and vertex shader support and 128MB frame buffer allow it some breathing room to play next generation titles as well. Cards like the XTasy Ti4200 are truly bringing top of the line performance to the masses, something which no one can find fault with
• PC2700 Comparison - OCPrices compared six different PC2700 modules (namely Samsung, Corsair, Nanya, OCZ, Kingmax and Winbond).
• Windows XP Service Pack 1 Slated For August 14th -XP SP1 is scheduled for release (RTW) on August 14, 2002. The English and German versions will be released on August 14th, and other localized language version will be released according to the schedule. XP SP1 includes drivers to support USB 2.0 devices, developer’s version of IPv6, Mira (software and hardware technology supporting portable display devices), Freestyle (software and hardware technology supporting remote control of the PC) and also support for Table PC (thanks WindowsXP.nu).
• Matrox Parhelia-512 Surround Gaming Demo Videos - Darkcrow has posted 4 video clips of Matrox Parhelia T-512 running in surround gaming mode.
• Winamp 3 Build 475 - Another build of  Winamp 3 is out.
• Rage3D Tweak v3.2 - Rage3D Tweak is a multi-language Radeon Tweaker designed to fit right in with the other ATI option tabs in the Advanced Display Properties accessed through the Control Panel. It allows access to Registry Tweak options, Custom Display Modes, Refresh Rates, and Overclocking all through an easy to use interface
• Fresh Diagnose 4.20  - Fresh Diagnose is an utility designed to analyze and benchmark your computer system. It can analyze and benchmark many kinds of hardware, such as CPU performance, hard disk performance, video system information, mainboard information, and more.
• Win2K SP3 RC Build 3.140 - Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 is available for download from this French site.
• Epox 8KHA+ BIOS - A new official BIOS version of this favorite overclocking mainboard is available.
• HP Detonator v29.17 - HP have released a new detonator driver v29.17 for Windows 2000 and XP.
• ATI OpenGL Driver - ATI has released a new OpenGL driver library to correct issues with Soldier Of Fortune 2: Double Helix. On levels where snow/fog effects are displayed the screen would display a blue tint.