Official News page 11

WINDING DOWN

An idiosyncratic look at, and comment on, the week's net and technology news
by Alan Lenton

Something's definitely wrong. The sun has been shining for both days this weekend. This is unprecedented. It always rains in the UK. Especially at this time of the year when it's just switching over from the spring rains to summer rains.

Phooey! I blame it on the ecologists, they're the ones that want to change the climate. It's not so much a butterfly effect as a waving of hands at G20 summit effect.

OK, to business. Let's start this week's edition with a look at the implications of Amazon's new Kindle DX e-book reader.

Story: The Kindle DX - An e-book for all seasons?

Story of the week, for me at any rate, was the launch of the new Kindle DX book reader. It looks to me as though this might be something to put on my Xmas wish list, since it won't be available here in the UK until later on this year.

Supporting a number of e-book formats and, just as importantly, pdf files, the larger format reader looks set to take the market by storm, especially if the price starts to drop as volumes increase.

But for book and newspaper publishers, the new Kindle represents a mixed blessing.

Newspaper publishers are between a rock and a hard place. Their sales of print papers are dropping, partly because of the move towards free online news, and partly because of the gradual extension of free 'news' papers in large cities.

For newspaper publishers the new Kindle, which is big enough to support an electronic newspaper format, would appear, at first sight, to be a lifeline. Unfortunately, it isn't as simple as that. If the Kindle DX becomes successful enough to drag them out of the mire, this will give Amazon a lock on the distribution, and potentially, a large cut of the subscription income.

For book publishers the issue is slightly different. Most of the book publishers are doing OK. Not brilliantly, but the marginal nature of e-readers so far has meant that, unlike the music business, the old ways of doing business have held up.

Publishers like Baen who have experimented with making back catalog available free online have been able to boost back catalog paper sales significantly. But this may not be a useful model if the main way of reading books becomes electronic, rather than paper.

The real problem for the book publishers is that once it becomes digital, the value of the content is reckoned to drop by 50%. Actually, I think that's a very conservative estimate - I would have said it would drop by 70%, possibly 80%. Maybe not all at once, but certainly within the first few years after things take off.

OK, the production costs are going to drop dramatically, but not by enough to balance out value falls of this magnitude.

Potentially the hardest hit will be educational and technical publishers, whose offerings are usually in the US$40+ range. These are the books that are likely to be the first to feel the heat, if only because they are so bulky, and because, for students, they are effectively compulsory.

Certainly, one of the things that appeals to me about the Kindle DX is that I could move all my commonly used technical library on to it. For me as a working C++ programmer there are two books that I have to have both at work and at home. One is Bjarne Stroustrup's 'The C++ Programming Language, Special Edition', and the other is Nicolai Josuttis's 'The C++ Standard Library'.

Both these books are hardback, nearly two inches thick, and weigh in at around 4lb each (I just stuck one of them on the kitchen scales in case you are wondering). There is no chance that I'm going to lug those to and from work every day, so I have two copies of each, and at US$75 a pop, that represents an investment of around US$300, for just the two basic technical books of my trade.

That's well over half the current cost of buying a Kindle DX (US$489). So even now, while it is at what is likely to be its most expensive, the Kindle DX is starting to look very attractive indeed. Add to this the ability of the reader to display pdf, and a screen big enough to display charts and diagrams, and it becomes a really compelling offering.

However, I don't expect to have to pay US$75 for the e-versions of my books, and I do worry about Amazon having a lock on what is available and being able to act as a gatekeeper to what I read.

I've no idea how all this will play out in the end, but I'm hopeful that a balance will eventually be struck that doesn't shaft either the authors, the publishers, or the readers. If nothing else I think that market forces will bring all sides into line. Well I hope so, anyway!
http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/reviews/showArticle.jhtml;
jsessionid= HLEWDLC2WJ4EYQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=
217300642&pgno=1& queryText=&isPrev=

Shorts:

The iPhonatics among you will no doubt have been happily coughing up for all those neat little low priced applets that the iTunes store have made available.

They may be neat, but pity the poor developers, who are suffering from Apple's gross incompetence. The sort of people who develop these applications rarely come from a well funded background, and so the fact that some of them still haven't been paid their February money is causing serious problems.

It seems that Apple's payment processing system is, to put it mildly, crap. Some of these developers are owed tens of thousands of dollars, and have mortgages to pay and families to care for (not everyone who writes programs is an anti-social geek living free in their parents' basement).

The situation is getting so bad, and being exacerbated by Apple's refusal to apologise, or even comment, that some of the affected developers are seriously considering taking legal action.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/05/iphone_devs/

And while on the subject of Apple and class actions, I note that a group of users of Apple's much hyped MagSafe Adapter have filed for a class action.

They claim that the beast ain't safe and that the cable 'dangerously frays, sparks and prematurely fails to work.' According to the filing Apple is aware of the problems, but hasn't disclosed them, or stopped manufacturing them. Sounds like a design fault to me...

This isn't the first problem of this type. In 2001 Apple recalled and replaced over half a million adapters for the Power Book G3. I suspect sorting out the latest round of problems is going to impact on Apple's bottom line in the not too distant future.

I think that Apple has yet to realise that while you can get away with shoddy workmanship when you are selling to enthusiasts, when you move into the consumer market it's a whole different ball-game, even if your customers buy because your kit is ultra-cool. Consumer gadgets are expected to work. Full stop. And if they don't, then annoyed consumers are much more likely to take action against the offending company than enthusiasts.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/06/apple_magsafe_lawsuit/

So, finally, it's the end for one of the longest running pieces of vapour-ware in the business - 'Duke Nukem Forever'. Games studio 3D Realms, has been working on this title for no less than 12 (yes, twelve) years, and has finally closed its doors with the mythical game still unreleased. So now, we know - forever is 12 years!
http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=1127

The European parliament has rapped France over the knuckles and rejected its proposed 'three strikes' rule. All except 57 of the MEPs voted to restore an original amendment which made it illegal to disconnect users from the internet without direct judicial oversight of the process.

This means that the European Parliament, made up of directly elected representatives (well nearly directly elected - this is after all the EU), is on a collision course with the Council of Ministers, a body consisting of ministers from all the constituent nations.

France is opposed to this amendment and managed to get it taken out of the bill at the Council of Ministers. France wants to create a new non-judicial body to handle disconnecting users whom it deems have been downloading 'illegal' content. It will be interesting to see what happens next...
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/05/european-parliament-smacks-
down-france-on-three-strikes-law.ars

Various version of Windows 7 - Microsoft's putative replacement for the much maligned Vista - are circulating at the moment (legally, I might add). Several commentators have pointed out that it does nothing to close a famous security hole, frequently exploited by the malicious.

As it ships the system chooses not to display the filename extensions, so you can't tell which files are executable, and which aren't. So, for instance, a malicious executable of, say, meeting_dates.doc.exe would appear in the file listing as meeting_dates.doc. When the unsuspecting user double clicks on it, instead of loading the file into Microsoft Word, the program executes and wipes the machines hard drive.

Windows - all versions as far as I am aware - ship with the file name extensions turned off. One of the first things I do on getting a new computer is to turn them back on. I'd advise you to do the same. In Windows XP you can do it by firing up Windows Explorer and selecting Tools|Folder options. Click on the View tab, and make sure that the 'Hide extensions for known file types' is clear.
http://www.infopackets.com/news/technology/word_of_the_day/2009/20090507_
executable_file.htm

Incidentally, if you do want to try an advanced copy of Windows 7, make sure you get it from the Microsoft site. According to Microsoft, cybercriminals are already spreading malware awash versions of the new operating system around the net. You have been warned...
http://www.physorg.com/news160942189.html

Now, for once, here is a really good use of RFID tags. Transport for London, who run London's buses and Underground (that's the subways, for my American readers) are using them on each and every step on the escalators.

Previously, the engineers used to log the escalator steps for maintenance and replacement by moving the thing one step at a time and logging the number on the back of the step. This little exercise used to take about five hours. Not exactly a great use of an expensive trained engineer.

Now the reader can just be placed in a cradle by the escalator and it reads off the numbers as the RFID tags go by. Now that's what I call a real use for RFID tags!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/07/rfid_underground/

Smirk of the week goes to a story on Sky News that the boss of Serco, a company that makes speed cameras, has been banned from driving after being caught driving at more than 100 miles an hour (102.92mph, as a matter of fact).

By the way this snippet also qualifies for the most ridiculously long URL I've ever come across.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Speed-Camera-Boss-Tom-Riall-A-Chief-
Executive-Of-Serco-Banned-After-Being-Clocked-At-Over-100mph/
Article/200905115276217?lpos=UK_News_Third_Home_Page_Article_Teaser_
Region__8&lid=ARTICLE_15276217_Speed_Camera_Boss_Tom_Riall,_A_Chief_
Executive_Of_Serco,_Banned_After_Being_Clocked_At_Over_100mph_

Homework:

Some issues ago I drew readers attention to the plight of Bletchley Park, home of the Enigma code breakers in World War II. Now I'd like to tell you about a place called Wardenclyffe, on New York's Long Island. The Estate houses just about the only surviving relic of inventor Nikola Tesla's work.

Tesla was the inventor of alternating current generators, distribution systems and motors - something that became the motor force (if you'll forgive the pun) of the Twentieth Century.

Wardenclyffe was the home of his last major experiment, and in 1903 its 187 ft high steel tower rumbled into life emitting powerful bolts of electricity. The New York Sun reported at the time that the blinding flashes, "seemed to shoot off in the darkness on some mysterious errand."

Unfortunately, Tesla's backers, including the financier J. Pierpont Morgan, were not impressed by the lack of practical results, and refused to continue funding it. Tesla was eventually forced to sell the estate to clear his debts.

The estate, currently owned by the Agfa Corporation, is now up for sale, and a campaign has been launched to obtain the site, which is being advertised for US$1.6 million with the site cleared (ie, the lab demolished).

Agfa have made it clear that they have no intention of donating the site, claiming that they need the money to survive in today's straightened economic circumstances. In the meantime, preservation groups are gearing up to try and preserve and restore the site.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/science/05tesla.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Something else that's historical, but dating back much further, are the catacombs of Rome. There are over a hundred miles of them dating back to the 2nd century AD, containing Christian, Jewish and pagan burial sites.

Because of safety concerns only a small part of the catacombs are open to the public. Now, however, a team of scientists has just finished a three year project using laser mapping to produce a 3-D map of one of the largest catacombs.

There's a couple of samples at the URL, the images are stunning. As a bonus, the lasers have been able to reproduce wall paintings that are too faded to be seen normally.

Absolutely stunning.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8027650.stm

OK, I guess it's history lessons this week. Do you like old maps? Then I've got a treat for you. Take a look at the David Rumsey Map Collection. It's gorgeous, so be prepared to start coveting.
http://www.davidrumsey.com/

And here's something a little more recent to get your teeth into. New York magazine has a fascinating article by the programmer who wrote the code for the Wall Street programs that made the 'toxic assets' bonds workable. It's not an apologia, it's a fairly honest account of his work, which makes it all the more compelling.
http://nymag.com/news/business/55687/

Geek Toys:

And for the young geek, we would like to introduce Barbie's Virtual World! Yep, it really exists. Just point your browser here and you too can dress your virtual doll, furnish your virtual pad and 'Chill & chat with your fab friends'. I just hope you like the color pink!
http://blogs.spectrum.ieee.org/gizmos/2009/05/barbies_virtual_world.htm

Scanner: Other Stories

Atom smasher boffins probe dud whisky deluge ("Mm, yes, that one's fake too. Put it in my desk drawer, will you...")
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/05/atom_boffins_whisky_malarkey/

Did Pentagon lose billions, pennies at a time?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30456930/

StoryLine Online - reading childrens books on video
http://www.storylineonline.net/

US Peer2Peer bill will shackle browsers and instant messaging as well as p2p
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/06/p2p_bill_overreach/

Acknowledgements

Please send suggestions for stories to alan@ibgames.com and include the words Winding Down in the subject line, unless you want your deathless prose gobbled up by my voracious Spamato spam filter...

Alan Lenton
alan@ibgames.com
10 May 2009

Alan Lenton is an on-line games designer, programmer and sociologist. His web site is at http://www.ibgames.net/alan.

Past issues of Winding Down can be found at http://www.ibgames.net/alan/winding/index.html.

Fed2 Star index Previous issues Fed 2 home page