Technology

Internet viruses and worms are more frequently using popular instant messaging to spread, thus causing greater damage quicker, according to a report on web security threats.

In a report released Wednesday, computer security company Symantec says it has seen a 400 per cent increase in viruses using these so-called peer-to-peer communication applications. Along with the speed of transmission, hackers are learning from their mistakes and creating more efficient viruses, Al Huger, Symantec's senior director in Calgary, said Tuesday.

Manageability Services for Linux

A handful of somewhat futuristic technologies manifested themselves during discussions at the Emerging Technologies Conference last week at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. Specifically, what Intel referred to as proactive systems, wireless mesh networks, and the convergence of wireless devices garnered the most attention.

David Tennenhouse, director of research at Intel, described proactive computing as a scenario in which computers anticipate people's needs and, in some instances, act on a person's behalf.

Even before the electronic ink has dried on the e-page, a new generation of electronic paper may soon be able to bring a moving image to a foldable screen near you, according to scientists in the Netherlands.
Hot on the heels of the invention of a wafer-thin foldable screen that can display static type and may one day replace newspapers as it can be overwritten each day, scientists at Philips Research in Eindhoven have found a way to display high-definition moving pictures as well.

There is pressure on businesses of all sizes to enable remote access to their systems. Companies are having to look at improving productivity while striking a suitable work-life balance for staff needing to work more from home.
Then there's the problem of how best to handle field workers and electronic access for ordering systems for trusted parties such as suppliers and major customers.

In a museum in Tampere, Finland, Ismo Rakkolainen's fog machine conjures up the Mona Lisa on an invisible sheet of water particles.

Thousands of miles away in Hermosa Beach, California, a graduate student passes his hand through an image of a DNA strand produced -- apparently out of thin air -- by a modified video projector.

The two inventions represent the latest front in advanced computer displays -- eliminating the screen altogether.

A robot that thinks like your mum may be running your kitchen and home sooner than you think, thanks to a bit of female intuition from scientists in Sydney.

Peter Hill, founder of the robotic software firm Kadence, claims to have stumbled on a new method of programming robots based on co-operation rather than exploitation.

N5M Filesharing by FM radio, and the viability of Wi-Fi for streaming broadcasts were hot topics on the first day of the Next 5 Minutes Festival of Tactical Media in Amsterdam.

Internet telephony: Talk is cheap

By CNET News.com Staff
September 13, 2003, 4:00 AM PT

Voice over IP is a technology for making phones calls using the Internet Protocol, the world's most popular method for sending data from one computer to another.
VoIP requires a network connection and a PC with a speaker and a microphone, or an to convert a telephone's analog signal into IP and vice versa.

Big Brother technology that already allows people to be tracked through their mobile phones could soon be installed in household objects, tipping off police if they are stolen.

Televisions, DVD players and computers could be fitted with microchips identifying their location and their normal proximity to each other, automatically alerting police if they change unexpectedly, according to a scientist on Wednesday.