Johnson: NSA-linked carriers face tough issues, 05/22/06
Is the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping, as alleged by the government, necessary in the fight against terrorism? I’ve no idea, but consider this: On Sept. 10, 2001, the NSA had in its possession an Al Qaeda message that read “Tomorrow is zero hour” – but …
Cool Tools: Handy tools for Skype users, 05/22/06
If you haven’t tried Skype, now is the perfect time to download the application, because the free-call offer only lasts until the end of 2006. Here are some Skype-accessible cool tools to check out.
Gearhead: Taking computers under water, 05/22/06
Mark loves to go scuba diving, but he’d like to take his computer along. He compares products that let him do that.
Editorial: Job skills for the new IT, 05/22/06
A Society for Information Management study examining IT workforce trends revealed, among other things, that companies plan to shift more jobs to outsourcers and, for in-house staff, put a higher priority on business knowledge.
Backspin: ICANN, crashed in the cranium, 05/22/06
What should concern us is that it is impossible for ICANN not to be the center of a storm of politics, yet the board apparently doesn’t understand it has to rise above that. Without transparency and evenhandedness, the board dooms ICANN and America’s …
Nolle: Market mass or open standards? 05/22/06
At Interop this month, we heard keynotes from two network vendors who are not only archrivals in a business sense but also in their approach to the market. Cisco represents market power, account control. Juniper represents open standards. Who will win …
Rothman: You say you want a security revolution, 05/22/06
Well, you know… I’m not much of a singer. Just ask my kids. But the old Beatles anthem about revolution doesn’t have much of a place in today’s network and security space. Not that a revolution isn’t sometimes needed, but most of the time it’s not …
Presti: Through Channels: Words to the wise on managed services, 05/22/06
A managed-service package can be a very viable option, especially for companies that don’t have a deep bench when it comes to IT talent. But there are plenty of land mines to look out for as you evaluate the options and make your choices.
Dr. Internet: Free video conversion on Windows and OS X, 05/22/06
Is there an inexpensive video conversion program that can do batch conversions of files from one format to another? I would like one that works on Windows as well as on Mac OS X.
‘Net Buzz: Something odd about Google Trends, 05/22/06
The word Yahoo apparently is the undefeated heavyweight champ of Google search terms – search terms, not search engines – according to no less an authority than a new feature from Google called Google Trends.
Nutter’s Help Desk: Ratcheting up SpamAssassin to block even more spam, 05/22/06
You wrote a column on 5/1 about controlling spam with SpamAssassin. We have taken the steps you suggested but we still have an amount of spam getting through greater than we think would be the norm. Are there any other steps that we can take?
Bradner: Patents: Don’t just say ‘no’, 05/22/06
It’s not a new complaint to say the patent system is a mess. Far too many patents containing far too little innovation have been issued and then asserted against companies actually trying to make a buck.
Bleeding Edge: MVNOs need to do more than just branding, 05/16/06
Mobile Virtual Network Operators continue to sprout up left and right, building on the success of Virgin Mobile (the progenitor of the MVNO craze) and more recent offerings like ESPN Mobile. Perhaps the biggest name to get in the game recently – not …
