Job Cuts Announced for BC Gambling Industry
The Canadian Press reported that as many as 80 people will be without jobs as part of a move to streamline management of British Columbia's gaming industry.
In addition, oversight of the industry will be consolidated into the hands of two agencies instead of the five currently responsible for gaming. The territory's gaming policy enforcement division and the BC Lottery Corp. will now handle gaming issues.
The decision was announced Friday by Solicitor General Rich Coleman and came a day after Finance Minister Gary Collins suggested that the territory needed to deal with its slowing economy and a $2 billion deficit.
Officials predict the move will save the area's gaming industry, valued at $2 billion, up to $10 million a year.
FBI Investigating New Worm
Anti-virus researchers are fighting a new Internet attacker similar to the "Code Red'' worm that infected hundreds of thousands of computers several months ago.
The worm, known as "W32.Nimda,'' had affected "thousands, possibly tens of thousands'' of targets by midday Tuesday, according to Vincent Gullotto, head virus fighter at McAfee.com, a software company.
Even when the attack isn't successful, the worm's scanning process can slow down the Internet for many users and can have the effect of knocking Web sites or entire company networks offline.
The FBI is investigating the worm, said spokeswoman Debbie Weierman. The agency has not indicated whether the worm is connected to last week's terrorism attacks.
On security e-mail lists, system administrators nationwide reported unprecedented activity related to the worm, which tries to break into Microsoft's Internet Information Services software. That software was also targeted by the Code Red worm and is typically found on computers running Microsoft Windows NT or 2000.
Internet Used for Collecting Donations for Victims
Charities have already collected more than $200 million for victims of the terrorist attacks to the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, much of it spurred by the ease of donating over the Internet.
Many charity officials believe the amount raised for victims of the Sept. 11 catastrophe will eclipse the total collected after other major disasters, including the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
America Online has been greeting its subscribers with a special window outlining ways to donate. eBay began a "$100 million in 100 days'' campaign. Amazon.com and Yahoo are also collecting money for major charities.
The International Association of Fire Fighters received several million dollars for families of the hundreds of firefighters believed killed. Spokesman George Burke credited the many Web sites that created links to the fund.
TV Ratings Dominate Terrorist Attack Coverage
While the Internet continues to evolve, last week's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C. showed how much farther it has to go.
People from all over the world sought information on an instant basis and turned to the television and the Internet to get their fix. Many of the big news service sites saw their servers crash due to the high amount of traffic while millions were able to get their information uninterrupted from TV.
The Pew Internet & American Life Project said Saturday that more than four-fifths of Americans relied primarily on television for coverage. The project's telephone survey found that 11 percent used radio and only 3 percent turned to the Internet as their primary source of news.
European Meeting to Look at Varying Policies
A meeting of legal experts from about 18 European countries will take place in London on Sept. 25 to compare the differing interpretations and states of implementation of the European Electronic Signatures Directive, which was supposed to have been introduced into the laws of each European country by July 19.
The European Electronic Signature Directive was introduced by the European Commission to ensure that electronic signatures--every kind of electronic authentication attached to, or logically associated with other electronic data--should be able to have the same legal validity as a handwritten signature.
Anna Kournikova Virus Writer Goes to Trial
Jan de Wit, the 20 year old who wrote the Anna Kournikova virus, went to trial last week, but the prosecutor asked for a relatively light sentence--240 hours of community service.
Public prosecutor Roelof de Graaf also asked the court not to return de Wit's computer or a CD-ROM containing computer viruses.
De Wit was charged with spreading data through a computer network with the intent to cause damage. The maximum penalty for the offense is four years' jail and a fine of up to US $41,000.
It is the first time in Dutch history that a writer of a computer virus is being tried. De Wit had written the worm with a worm-making toolkit, then posted it on an Internet newsgroup, where it spread across the world.
SMS Option Can Create Revenue for Interactive TV Operators
Interactive TV has entered a new phase with the offering of SMS (short messaging service) and interactive television software that lets viewers discuss what they are watching via OpenTV.
The company said the new service, in addition to enhancing the TV experience for viewers, represents a revenue-generating opportunity for wireless operators.
In taking advantage of the worldwide boom in mobile phone text messaging, OpenTV said users of its new software can send short text messages from their TV to any SMS-capable mobile phone in their region. The service is pay per use and operators can create additional revenue sources by charging premium call rates for each SMS message sent and through banner advertising.