Intrepid

Security expert Bruce Schneier warns delegates at RSA Conference Europe that judging quality of products can be difficult. Link To Original Article

InfoWorld - A CA security researcher is sounding the alarm that Facebook's controversial Beacon online ad system goes much further than anyone has imagined in tracking people's Web activities outside the popular social networking site. Link To Original Article

Despite earlier tussle, the two companies announce joint participation in a forum aimed at promoting security best practices. Link To Original Article

Starting December 4, Xbox 360 owners will be able to download the latest dashboard update from Microsoft. While we announced earlier in the month that this update would allow users to download original Xbox titles, this update will also add various additional features to the console's interface. Since dashboard updates are only released bi-yearly, they are usually packed with a hefty amount of changes and this fall update is no different: Xbox LIVE Arcade hits: Best-selling Xbox LIVE Arcade games like Marble Blast Ultra and Lumines LIVE will be available at permanently discounted prices. New video features: Support for full-screen video previews and, more importantly, support for the DivX video codec (version 5.0 and higher). Inside Xbox: A direct newsfeed from Microsoft outlining up-to-the-minute information regarding Xbox LIVE and the Marketplace. Enhanced parental controls: New features include a timer that can limit the amount of time a child can play per day or week. ... Link To Original Article

AP - Monthly sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 in Japan topped the Nintendo Wii for the first time since the gaming consoles debuted late last year, according to a November survey. Link To Original Article

[/url]AP - AT&T Inc. says it plans to offer a version of an iPhone next year that runs on a faster wireless network so users can get speedier results when surfing the Web. Link To Original Article

[/url]AP - An ambitious plan to re-ignite Dell Inc.'s fortunes has met a mixed response among analysts and investors apparently split over how well � and how quickly � the computer maker can reinvent itself as an all-in-one technology juggernaut. Link To Original Article

AP - Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP operating system is about to get faster and Windows Vista isn't, according to a report that caused a stir online this week as industry watchers speculated that a zippier XP could keep customers from upgrading to Vista. Link To Original Article

[/url]Reuters - Confronted with mounting privacy protests, Facebook.com has scaled back a Web monitoring feature that notifies one's friends when the Facebook user visits affiliated Web sites, the company said on Thursday. Link To Original Article

AP - Motorola Inc. said Friday that Ed Zander will step down as chief executive of the troubled cell phone maker on Jan. 1. Link To Original Article

White House wanted immunity for phone companies over possible cooperation with NSA, but new bill also would shield e-mail, IM providers. Link To Original Article

[/url]Reuters - South Korean police say what they thought had been a death caused by an exploding mobile phone was actually a ruse used by a co-worker to cover up an accidental vehicular homicide. Link To Original Article

Use of encryption key for peer-to-peer traffic, researcher says, could allow creation of smaller networks--and "a lot more of Storm." Link To Original Article

TechWeb - Top 5 Things Microsoft Must Fix In Windows Vista In 2008 Link To Original Article

Update includes fixes for 27 vulnerabilities in Oracle Database, five of which may be exploited remotely without authentication. Link To Original Article

InfoWorld - In IT, change is the only constant, as hardware and software is updated almost continuously. Companies that take business continuity seriously protect themselves by creating a recovery site to run vital business processes during an emergency. Link To Original Article

Arizona senior citizen sentenced to 10 years for inventing the name "Peter Reynolds" and using it to open bank accounts, pay his monthly bills. Link To Original Article

InfoWorld - Social networking site Facebook has modified a controversial service that*broadcast details of its users' online activities*outside the site to their friends, following complaints about its privacy implications. The service now requires users to opt in before their actions are broadcast. Link To Original Article

Solid-state drives are still going to be somewhat hard to find and expensive in 2008, but mass production, cheaper flash, and tech advances will start to change that in 2009 and 2010. Micron Technology, the Boise, Idaho-based maker of DRAM and flash memory, this week unveiled plans to come out ... Link To Original Article

Sophos study reveals, however, that remote employees are becoming a bigger perceived network threat to businesses. Link To Original Article

Remember the good ol' days of enterprise software when a vendor could foist a multimillion-dollar software package on an IT buyer and get away with also charging downstream fees for support and maintenance? In a sign that this bleak time for IT buyers is at an end (and a bleak period is ahead for proprietary software vendors), Goldman Sachs this week cut its 2008 estimates on a wide range of software companies, citing a softening in capital expenditures for the near term. According to a Barron's blog: Goldman cut 2008 estimates on many software stocks, focusing on enterprise exposure, pure-plays that could be harmed as customers seeks to purchase good enough substitutes from larger vendors, and vendors who sell big ticket items that could be delayed in a slower spending environment. The firm cut estimates by 1 percent on average... ... Link To Original Article

[/url]Reuters - Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation 3 outsold Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) Wii game console in Japan in November for the first time, raising the prospect that Sony might regain its dominance in the global videogame market. Link To Original Article

AP - The desire for greater control over how search engines index and display Web sites is driving an effort by leading news organizations and other publishers to revise a 13-year-old technology for restricting access. Link To Original Article

AP - Adobe Systems Inc. and Yahoo Inc. plan to launch a service Thursday allowing publishers to insert advertisements into many online newsletters or other electronic documents. Link To Original Article

AP - Online pornography hunters' Internet adventures are already fraught with danger from malicious code many porn sites use to commandeer visitors' machines or steal personal data. Link To Original Article