Tuesday, September 7

Lucent Technologies announced a new product, Stinger, which provides data service 30 times faster than normal phone lines, while using the same copper phone line technology. Stinger also provides voice service without degrading voice quality.

Thursday is September 9, otherwise known as 9/9/99, one of the potential Y2K buglet dates: some programs use a string of 9s to mark the end of a field or file, or to shutdown a computer. Should you be worried this Thursday? No, says Reuters, in "9/9/99: Bug or Dud?." Last month we reported that the U.S. Navy issued warnings about potential problems from GPS rollover - another Y2K buglet - but no significant problems were reported.

Intel will release the specs for USB 2.0 in October. The new version's top speed will between 360 and 480 megabits per second, up from just 12 Mbps in the current incarnation. Firewire (IEEE 1394) - popular with Apple and Sony, but not supported in Intel chips - has a current speed of 400 Mbps.

There is controversy over the ability to upgrade G3 Power Macintoshes. According to some sources, a firmware update released in May prevents blue and white G3s from booting with a G4 upgrade installed.

Breakin' the law

The Thursday Word macro virus is set to go off on December 13 and delete all of the files on the C drive of affected computers. McAfee and Associates has received reports of the virus from its clients, so it is a real threat. (The Kriz Virus, which affects .exe files, is set to go off on December 25, but has not been detected in the wild.)

Microsoft denies a Canadian security company's claims that Microsoft gave the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) a backdoor key to users' computers.  

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Friday, September 10

Denis Satrom was the first to point out that Logicode has finally shut down for good. Logicode went out of business in February, 1998, and closed their web site in June of the same year, but continued to provide telephone tech support until this August. Some of the company's software, firmware, and drivers are available at WinDrivers.com. The company never produced a V.90 upgrade, and to my knowledge you can't use another company's upgrades with Logicode modems.

Conexant Systems (formerly Rockwell Semiconductor Systems) is producing the 56K modem in the Sega Dreamcast.

Macworld reviews four USB 56K modems from Boca Research, BestData, Diamond Multimedia, and Viking Components.

After just a few months of offering free Internet service, AltaVista now has 300,000 users.

AT&T's purchase of MediaOne is stirring up trouble with the FCC. Under U.S. regulations intended to prevent cable monopolies, no company can control more than 30 percent of the domestic cable market. Depending on the method used to measure the total market, AT&T would control either 42 or 50 percent of the U.S. cable market if the MediaOne acquisition were approved.

Thursday (9-9-99) seems to have passed by without any date-related glitches, but it did inspire some goofy stories:

She's 99 at 9 on 9/9/99

99 Cents Only Stores Would Like to Announce That It Has Found a Baby Born on 9-9-99 Weighing 9 Pounds and 9 Ounces; Baby Megan Haggard Will Receive $999.99

Handspring - the company founded by Donna Dubinsky and Palm founder Jeff Hawkins - will release their first Palm clones on Tuesday. Dubbed the Visor, the models will start at just $149, and will offer improved software and expansion modules.

Internet Explorer 5 for the Mac has been delayed until first quarter 2000.

Computer Associates has discovered a new worm and virus program called Cholera on a German hacking web site, but they do not believe that the virus has been released.

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