Plain Words eLetter
2003 issue 6
Lead Stories
Extra
E-Business news
Personal Emails Push Up Storage Costs
Gambling & Porn - Mobile Commerce Jackpot
New UK Bill To Reform Company Audits
Technology news
IBM Claims Nanotech Breakthrough
Lloyds TSB Trials Voice Biometrics
Off-beat news
Lead stories
Helping Themselves
Leading pensions and benefits administration software maker, Profund Systems Ltd, is streamlining the production of its Help and user manuals.
The firm has had a technical documentation team in place since it was founded in 1984. But when new CTO David Jordan joined the firm in April this year, he felt that Help and technical documentation production could be made more user-friendly and efficient. Discover more...
Will Gaming Go Mainstream?
Despite its success, gaming is not a truly mainstream pursuit - for one thing, gamers are mainly young men. But this looks set to change thanks to the new generation of smart mobile phones, which are increasingly being used to play video games. Discover more...
Extra
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E-Business news
NHS Test Drives Linux Suite
The NHS is to begin tests of a Linux software suite in a move it says could free up money for the frontline health service and save the taxpayer millions of pounds. The health service will evaluate Sun Microsystems' Java Desktop System package, which includes the SUSE Linux operating system, a browser, StarOffice and Ximian email.
The director general of IT at the NHS, Richard Granger, said in a statement: "Our evaluation of the Java Desktop System holds the promise of allowing a greater share of NHS funding to flow directly towards improved levels of Patient Service. If this solution were to prove effective we could save the NHS and the Taxpayer many millions of pounds whilst at the same time using rich and innovative software technology."
Discover more at: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/business/articles/timid71567
Personal Emails Push Up Storage Costs
As much as eight per cent of business data storage costs may be incurred through archiving non-business related material, a new study claims.
Of the 630 IT directors surveyed by Hitachi Data Systems, a quarter reported that e-mails now account for more than 20 per cent of their companies' entire data storage capacity.
Some firms believe that e-mails account for up to 40 per cent of data storage costs - and estimate one in five are non-business related. Personal e-mails are contributing to the rising cost of data storage as firms move towards retaining all e-mails to be sure of complying with regulations such as the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
The bottom line is jokes, MP3s, and all the other trivia that brightens the day costs money. But will firms write it off as an unofficial company perk?
Discover more at: http://nl2.vnunet.com/News/1151148
Microsoft In Your Motor
Microsoft's latest goal is to put a computer in every car. It envisions a driving experience in which cars will speak up when they need an oil change, pay freeway tolls automatically (in the U.S.), and warn of wrecks ahead.
"We'd like to have one of our operating systems in every car on Earth," said Dick Brass, vice-president of Microsoft's automotive business unit. "It's a lofty goal."
The Microsoft platform is already in 23 different car models, including the BMW 7 series, Citroen, Daimler, Fiat, Volvo, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Toyota. Brass added that drivers spend millions of hours commuting and are distracted by myriad gadgets, including hand-held viewers that offer traffic reports from the state Department of Transportation.
Microsoft's TBox, which he said will be available in 12 to 36 months, can connect them all and make them hands-free. "The idea is to make it easy to bring phones and laptops into the car ... and connect to networks around it," Brass said. The TBox has a processor, memory, and a hard drive with no moving parts.
Discover more at: http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,61412,00.html?tw=newsletter_topstories_html
Gambling & Porn Set To Hit Mobile Commerce Jackpot
It might be a sad reflection on humanity, but new studies from Juniper Research conclude that gambling and adult content have the potential to generate revenues in excess of $6.5 billion by 2006, provided the right operating conditions are set by the industry, regulators, and partners.
According to PokerPulse.com, gambling on internet poker alone has risen to an average of more than $50 million per day. And UK-based Juniper's research suggests that the mobile industry could follow suit.
Paul Skeldon, Senior Analyst at Juniper, said: "A high demand from mobile users for adult content, and simple lottery type gambling services, is almost without doubt."
Discover more: http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=mobilecommercejack1070627966 &area=news
New UK Bill To Reform Company Audits
The Government has introduced a bill that aims to restore investor confidence in companies and auditors following the Enron and Worldcom scandals.
The bill tackles concerns over the reliability of financial reporting and the independence of auditors by, amongst other things, requiring that directors state that they have not withheld any relevant information from their auditors.
DTI Minister Jacqui Smith said: "This Bill completes a comprehensive package of measures aimed at restoring investor confidence in corporate governance, company accounting and auditing practices here in Britain. Its aim is to raise corporate performance across the board and beyond."
Discover more: http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=companyauditsrefor1070628054 &area=news
Technology news
IBM Claims Nanotech Breakthrough
Researchers at IBM Corp. claim they have made an important breakthrough in the race to design circuitry at the molecular level - a system that works with existing methods of electronics manufacturing.
In a paper released earlier this month, IBM researchers Chuck Black and Kathyrn Guarini said they used a naturally occurring pattern of molecules as a stencil to etch flash memory circuitry into silicon.
Nanotechnology is believed to be necessary if the high-tech industry can continue to pack more transistors into smaller spaces - a process that continually makes computing faster and less expensive.
"We [have taken a] pattern that nature gives us and have done something with it. We understand it and we know how to build things with it." said Black.
IBM predicts prototype devices using the new technique could emerge in three to five years.
Discover more at: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/7439419.htm
Lloyds TSB Trials Voice Biometrics
Lloyds TSB is running trials of voice biometrics to identify phone banking customers in a bid to reduce identity fraud and improve customer service.
The bank said voice biometrics could double security. It is working with Nortel Networks and speech recognition firm Nuance to test the system.
Peter Littlewood, Lloyds TSB's senior manager of interactive voice response (IVR) service deployment, said the bank was assessing its use for "level two" authentication of banking services, such as customers increasing card limits or cancelling standing orders. "It's a very strong form of authentication and would stop customers having to jump through hoops," he said.
Andy Dennahy, Nortel Networks' Europe, Middle East and Africa director of self-service solutions, added: "[Voice authentication] would improve the usability of the existing applications by removing the need for cumbersome Pins."
Discover more at: http://www.vnunet.com/News/1151064
Off-beat news
Man Sets Rattlesnake Record - Holds Nine Live Ones In His Mouth For Ten Seconds...
Jackie "The Snakeman" Biddy, from Texas, has stuffed the tails of nine live rattlesnakes in his mouth, while holding still for ten seconds - beating his own Guinness World Record of eight.
"I have to break my own records. Heck, there's nobody else who can do it," he told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for its online edition. "I think I could do 12 or 13, but probably no more. My mouth is only so big."
Biddy also holds the world record for sitting in a bathtub with the most live snakes - 75 western diamondbacks, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Discover more: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/11/19/262519-ap.html
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