Bellingham officials interested in Google high-speed Internet project

Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike has asked his staff to start discussions about applying to be a part of Google’s Fiber high-speed Internet project.

Google announced Wednesday, Feb. 10, that it is planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States.

The networks would deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than the average U.S. Internet connection, according to Google’s announcement, and the service would be offered to between 50,000 and 500,000 people.

They’ve asked local government and the public to offer up proposals through March 26 to take part in the project.

“The first blush reaction was, well, first of all more speed is a better thing for the city because it helps us in terms of attracting economic development,” Pike said.

The project also has sparked the creation of a Facebook group – Bring Google Fiber for Communities to Bellingham – by residents excited for the city to seek the network.

Pike’s piqued interest is shared by new Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, who announced Thursday, Feb. 11, that his administration would respond to Google’s request for proposals, too.

In Bellingham, any work toward a proposal is in the very early stages, said Information Technology Services Department Director Marty Mulholland.

The city must determine if the project is viable, she said, so staff will look at the status of the city’s infrastructure, use of utility poles, regulatory requirements, existing broadband in the community and more.

“We have many community attributes that seem to me to be positive in considering whether to take this on,” she said. “Our community size, presence of university, commitment to ‘green,’ presence of specific business types, active engaged citizens, and beautiful desirable community setting all seem to me to be positive factors.”

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Britons ‘waving goodbye to humble ‘handshake’

For centuries, the humble handshake has been the respectful greeting practised all over the world. But, now it seems that Britain is waving goodbye to the tradition which dates back to the Middle Ages.

A new research by Manchester Metropolitan University has revealed that many young adults now consider shaking hands too stuffy and instead prefer to give either a casual wave, an air kiss or even a street-savvy fist bump.

Almost three quarters (74 per cent) of British adults have admitted they no longer reach out a hand to greet friends and colleagues. While 69 per cent of the over-25s still use the handshake, only 45 per cent of the under-25s do the same.

In fact, modern youngsters now prefer the touching of clenched fists, a hug or a showbiz-style air kiss. According to the research, based on a survey by hand wash manufacturers Carex, many opt for no physical contact at all because of fears about hygiene. From the poll of some 1000 adults, 67 per cent revealed that health fears played a part in their reluctance to shake somebody’s hand.

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Hackers spied on US oil companies: Report

Three major US oil companies came under cyber attacks that may have come from hackers in China, the Christian Science Monitor newspaper reported Monday.

Sensitive bid data on oil discoveries by Marathon Oil, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips were the target of the attack, the newspaper said citing documents and sources familiar with the investigation.

The attacks occurred in 2008, but their extent only became clear later after the FBI alerted the firms.

At least one attack was traced back to a computer in China, but it was unclear the extent of China’s involvement.

E-mail passwords, e-mails and other information were among the stolen data.

Internet giant Google earlier this month said it had been the victim of cyber attacks and said as a result it would review its operations in China.

China has rejected any involvement in such attacks.

“Accusations that the Chinese government participated in cyber attacks, either in an explicit or inexplicit way, is groundless and aims to denigrate China. We firmly opposed to that,” a spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency earlier Monday.

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Chinese Human Rights Sites Hit by DDoS Attack

Five Web sites run by Chinese human rights activists were attacked by hackers over the weekend, as a separate row continued between Google and China over political cyberattacks.

The Web site of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, an advocacy group, was hit by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack that lasted 16 hours starting Saturday afternoon, the group said in an e-mailed statement on Monday. A DDoS attack involves the attacker ordering a legion of compromised computers all to visit a certain Web site at once, overwhelming its server with requests for communication and leaving the site inaccessible to normal visitors. The group said it could not confirm the origin of the attackers but called the Chinese government the most likely suspect.

Google this month said it had been hit by cyberattacks from China partly aimed at accessing the Gmail accounts of human rights activists. The company cited the attacks, which also resulted in the theft of Google intellectual property, as one reason it plans to stop censoring its Chinese search engine, even if that means closing down its China offices.

The latest hacking attack also targeted another Chinese rights group named Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch; two news sites run by Chinese activists, Canyu and New Century News; and the Independent Chinese Pen Center, which posts essays by dissident writers, according to the e-mailed statement. Public records show the Web sites all share two neighboring IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, suggesting the sites were all affected by the DDoS attack.

The bandwidth consumed by the attack hit 2GB per second at its peak, the statement said, citing the Internet service provider for the Web sites.

The targeted IP addresses belong to The Planet, a server hosting provider based in Texas. No one at The Planet was immediately available to comment.

Hackers also placed malware on two of the Web sites before the attack, but that is now being removed, the statement said. The group that sent out the statement has often been hit by cyberattacks, sometimes leaving its Web site down for days, it said.

An advocacy group for foreign journalists in China last week said the Gmail accounts of at least two reporters there had been recently hijacked.

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Internet to soon run out of IP addresses

The Internet is running out of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, used by computers to communicate.

The Amsterdam-based Number Resource Organization (NRO), the official representative of the five Regional Internet Registries that oversee the allocation of all Internet number resources, announced on Thursday that less than 10 percent of available IPv4 addresses remain unallocated. (V4 IP addresses consist of four sets of numbers separated by colons, which serve as a unique identification for computers on networks.) It said the remaining small pool of existing IP addresses marks a critical moment in IPv4 address exhaustion, ultimately impacting the future network operations of all businesses and organizations around the globe.

The chairman of NRO Axel Pawlik said in an official release that it was vital for the Internet community to shift to a new addressing scheme using six sets of numbers (IPv6) and called for determined action to ensure global adoption of IPv6. “The limited IPv4 addresses will not allow us enough resources to achieve the ambitions we all hold for global Internet access. The deployment of IPv6 is a key infrastructure development that will enable the network to support the billions of people and devices that will connect in the coming years,” Mr. Pawlik said.

Internet Protocol is a set of technical rules that defines how devices communicate over a network. Of the two versions of IP, IPv6 includes a modern numbering system that provides a much larger address pool than IPv4. With so few IPv4 addresses remaining, NRO is urging all Internet stakeholders to take immediate action by planning for the necessary investments required to deploy IPv6, the release said.

The NRO, alongside each individual RIR, has actively promoted IPv6 deployment for several years through grassroots outreach, speaking engagements, conferences and media outreach. Given the less than 10 percent milestone, the NRO is continuing its call for Internet stakeholders, including governments, vendors, enterprises, telecoms operators, and end users, to fulfill their roles in IPv6 adoption, specifically encouraging the following actions: the business sector provide IPv6-capable services and platforms, including web hosting and equipment, ensuring accessibility for IPv6 users; software and hardware vendors implement IPv6 support in their products to guarantee they are available at production standard when needed; governments lead the way by making their own content and services available over IPv6 and encouraging IPv6 deployment efforts in their countries. IPv6 requirements in government procurement policies are critical at this time. Civil society, including organizations and end users, should request that all services they receive from their ISPs and vendors are IPv6-ready, to build demand and ensure competitive availability of IPv6 services in coming years.

The NRO’s campaign to promote the next generation of Internet Protocol continues to positively impact the Internet community. IPv6 allocations increased by nearly 30 per cent in 2009, as community members continued to recognize the benefits of IPv6. “Many decision makers don’t realise how many devices require IP addresses – mobile phones, laptops, servers, routers, the list goes on,” said Raul Echeberria, Secretary of the NRO. “The number of available IPv4 addresses is shrinking rapidly, and if the global Internet community fails to recognize this, it will face grave consequences in the very near future. As such, the NRO is working to educate everyone, from network operators to top executives and government representatives, about the importance of IPv6 adoption,” added Mr. Echeberria.

IP addresses are allocated by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), a contract operated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). IANA distributes IP addresses to regional registries, which in turn issue them to users in their respective regions.

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Gartner Predicts Modest Overall Growth in IT Spending

Gartner has revised its outlook for worldwide IT spending this year, predicting the industry as a whole will see 4.6 percent growth to $3.4 trillion, up from its previous prediction of 3.3 percent growth, according to its latest figures released Thursday.

That figure contrasts with 2009, when spending fell 4.6 percent. Gartner revised its forecast upward to account for an expected weakening of the U.S. dollar.

Spending is also expected to increase due to the increasing confidence of CEOs and CFOs as economic conditions gradually improve, said Richard Gordon, a research vice president with Gartner, in avideo.

Emerging markets will see the strongest gains. Gartner predicts that spending will increase 9.3 percent in Latin America, 7.7 percent in the Middle East and Africa and 7 percent in the Asia-Pacific region.

Due to the recession, the U.S. is expected to post only 2.5 percent growth, with Japan just 1.8 percent. In a bright spot outside of emerging markets, Gartner expects Western Europe to come in at 5.2 percent growth.

On the consumer side, confidence appears to be more fragile, Gordon said. “We think consumers are a bit nervous about job prospects,” Gordon said.

The recovery from the recession will take between 12 to 18 months. The availability of credit should increase, which will help increase spending, and companies may look to make more hardware investments during the second half of this year, Gordon said.

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Bill Gates Joins the Twitterati

With little fanfare, Bill Gates joined the ranks of celebrities on Twitter this week. But if 140-character tweets aren’t enough for you, the software-mogul-turned-philanthropist Wednesday started sharing his more complete thoughts on a Web site dubbed “The Gates Notes.”

Mr. Gates’s site, www.thegatesnotes.com, will be a repository for his thoughts on a range of topics from education to energy. He will list books he’s reading and post emails and excerpts from presentations. Areas of the site are broken into categories including “My Travels” and “What I’m Learning.”

The site follows the Microsoft Corp. chairman’s first use of Twitter’s messaging service on Tuesday. His Twitter page bore the blue check-mark icon used to verify the identifies of famous people who use the service.

The Twitter updates and new Web site are part of an effort to increase communication about a broader range of topics that Mr. Gates has focused on since leaving full-time work at Microsoft in 2008.

His first tweet, “Hello World. Hard at work on my foundation letter – publishing on 1/25,” was enough to start pulling in followers, who by Wednesday afternoon numbered more than 230,000. The message referred to an annual letter coming Monday detailing his thoughts on his philanthropy, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mr. Gates wasn’t just sharing his thoughts, he was also using the service to follow about 40 Twitter users ranging from Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan to actor Ashton Kutcher. “I’d like to welcome @billgates to the twitterverse,” wrote Mr. Kutcher, who has more than four million Twitter followers.

Since leaving the software company he co-founded Mr. Gates has experimented with other non-Microsoft Web tools, including Facebook, which he stopped using after too many people wanted to connect to him on the social-networking site.

Wednesday Mr. Gates used Twitter to announce the Gates Notes site, tweeting that he’s “excited to share more about what I’m learning.”

The first installments include his thoughts on education reform, Haiti and geo-engineering, among other topics. He also gave a thumbs up to the book “Sustainable Energy” by David MacKay and highlighted the work of Vaclav Smil, a professor at the University of Manitoba and author of books on energy, food and population.

Throughout the site, Mr. Gates’s opinions show his overarching belief that more technological innovation, some of it government-led, can cure many of the world’s ills.

Among them is that he believes in “strong government encouragement” to spur innovation in carbon dioxide reduction. He said the world should push for reducing carbon dioxide emissions 80% by 2050.

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Bing to oust Google as default iPhone search?

Apple and Microsoft may be in talks to expel Google as the iPhone’s default search engine, in favor of Bing, according to BusinessWeek. The Apple-Google battle for the mobile throne is getting heated.

This is all coming from “two people familiar with the matter,” so, you know, eat a bowl of salt or whatever, but it sort of makes sense in a Machiavellian kind of way. Windows Mobile 7 notwithstanding, Apple’s competition in the mobile arena isn’t Microsoft, but Google, and so it’s not really that outlandish, especially considering that Bing isn’t necessarily a worse search engine than Google. Apple avoids throwing unnecessary support to Google (although the iPhone will still feature Google Maps, YouTube, and Gmail) while Microsoft gains a huge market for Bing. Everybody wins, except Google, which only mostly wins.

If Bing were the default search engine on your phone, would you go through the necessary steps to change it to Google? I have a feeling a lot of people just might not care. (Via BusinessWeek).

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Google campaign to increase net exposure in state

Google India on Tuesday announced the arrival of the Google Internet Bus, a mobile campaign aimed to reach out to people in tier II and III towns with limited exposure to the internet. After covering Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, Google India kick-starts its 2010 journey in Rajasthan.

The bus is designed to provide an Internet experience to the people. The 30-day journey in Rajasthan will be covering Jaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Beawer, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Pali, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Sikar With a focus on four themes, information, communication, entertainment and education, the Internet Bus will have content in English and Hindi to give users an understanding of how the internet can be used for all these needs.

It is a Google India’s exercise to learn from users on their requirement. The bus experience is specially designed to familiarise people with various applications and services that they can use to make their life simple. In addition to basic familiarisation on using services like search, email, social networking and online maps, the bus will also aim to reach out to first-time users who have little or no exposure to the Internet.

During its 11-month journey the Internet Bus has made an impresssion each time it has visited a city: A businessman in Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu) was amazed to see how he could pay off his utility bills and book train tickets with the click of a button. It was a thrilling experience for a local musician in Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh) to learn how he can use the internet to compose music and showcase his work to the world. A millet farmer in the remote fringes of Tumkur (Karnataka) went back with a memorable experience with the bus and asked his son to go online to search for a job.

“The year 2009 has been a great journey for the Google Internet Bus. Having covered five states we touched the lives of over 460,000 people and showcased the benefit of internet and how it can revolutionize daily lives,” said Prasad Ram, head ,Google R&D, India.

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How to Protect Yourself When Using Internet Explorer

It won’t take more than a few minutes to close a security hole in Internet Explorer that allowed attacks against Google.

Worried about the security hole in Internet Explorer that was used to launch attacks by China against Google and others? There are ways to help close it and limit your exposure to similar threats — and it won’t take more than a few minutes. Here’s how to do it.

Microsoft has confirmed that an IE vulnerability was at fault for the Google attacks. In Microsoft Security Advisory (979352) it spells out details and in a company blog, Mike Reavey, director of Microsoft’s Security Response Center (MSRC) provides more information.

The security advisory notes that IE 5.01 running on Windows 2000 was not vulnerable to the attack, but that IE6, IE7 and IE8 on Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008, Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 are all at risk.

As of yet, you can’t completely close the security hole. However, there are ways to limit your exposure, notably using Protected Mode in IE on Windows Vista and Windows 7, and enabling Data Execution Protection (DEP). Changing your IE security zone to “High” will help as well. Here’s what Reavey has to say:

Protected Mode in IE 7 on Windows Vista and later significantly reduces the ability of an attacker to impact data on a user’s machine. Customers should also enable Data Execution Prevention (DEP) which helps mitigate online attacks. DEP is enabled by default in IE 8 but must be manually enabled in prior versions.

Customers can also set Internet and Local intranet security zone settings to “High” to prompt before running ActiveX Controls and Active Scripting in these zones or configure Internet Explorer to prompt before running Active Scripting or to disable Active Scripting in the Internet and Local intranet security zone. You can find details on implementing these settings in the advisory.

Unfortunately, though, he doesn’t detail how to do that. It’s all relatively straightforward to do, though. Here’s how.

Turning on Protected Mode

Turning on Protected Mode in IE 7 and IE 8 is exceedingly simple. Select Tools –> Internet Options, and click the Security Tab. Then check the box next to Enable Protected Mode, as you can see in the screenshot below. You’ll have to restart IE for it to take effect.

Changing your Security zone to high

It’s also quite simple to change your IE security zone to high. Select Tools –> Internet Options, and click the Security Tab. Then move the slider to High. You won’t need to restart IE for this setting to take effect.

Enabling DEP

DEP ie enabled by default in IE8. To turn it on in IE7, and to ensure that it’s on in IE8, select Tools –> Internet Options and click the Advanced tab. Scroll down until you come to the Security section. Check the box next to “Enable memory protection to mitigate online attacks” then click OK. You can see it, below. You’ll need to restart IE for the new setting to take effect.

As for IE6, I don’t have a copy, so can’t tell you how enable DEP from my own first-hand experience. However, according to About.com, right-click My Computer, select Properties, then choose the Advanced tab. Under Performance, select settings, then select the Data Execution Prevention tab. Next, select the option to “Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select.” Click Apply then click OK.

Microsoft has also released a tool that turns on DEP. To use it, go to this page and follow the instructions.

Will taking all these steps keep you safe from the Chinese Google-style attack? Not completely, but it will keep you safer than if you don’t do it. At some point, though, expect a patch from Microsoft to fix the problem.

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