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Internet p%rn, just as
addictive as crack
Can't
stop surfing inappropriate sites? There may be a reason beyond pure
perversion. A
group of clinicians and researchers say that internet pornography can be
more habit-forming than crack cocaine. The group testified before members
of the U.S. Senate
Commerce Committee last week, saying
the medium is more addictive and harder to recover from than crack and
referring to pornography as a drug and the internet as a delivery system.
One expert said
that while drugs eventually leave the body, pornographic images stay in
the brain forever. Porn encourages masturbation which releases natural,
addictive opium-like substances. The hearing is a result of the ongoing
concern with indecency issues. It was not connected to any law or
legislation but the panelists agreed that the government should fund
campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of pornography.
New net file-swapping program set to debut
If
Kazaa is beginning to feel a bit too 2002, file swappers are getting
another option. The creator of the SuprNova.org web site, a person
known only as Sloncek, will be releasing a new program called Exeem
at the end of this month and says it will be more resilient to
shut-down attempts than past programs. A test format of the program
that was developed by an anonymous company has already been released.
SuprNova was the most popular hub for file-swapping using the
BitTorrent program but was shut down in late December after legal
pressure from Hollywood. Exeem will be a modified version of
BitTorrent technology similar to Kazaa or eDonkey. It will be free to
users and supported by advertisements.
Microsoft: Watch out for another Explorer glitch
The
terms security issues and Internet Explorer are becoming synonymous.
Once again Microsoft is getting troubled by its IE 6 and has
published a warning for users. Because of the imperfections in the
browser, hackers can install spyware and pornography dialers on
computers without users having any clue about it. Internet security
company Secunia
raised
its rating of the flawed software to “extremely critical” because
of the three security holes. Computers
running Microsoft programs are targets even if the Service Pack 2
patch is installed on the computer. Until they can create a patch to
resolve the problems, Microsoft officials are recommending that
people use a different browser and disable IE's Active X support.
AOL
ramps up extras to attract new users
America
Online continues to try to entice customers to its paid services. The
internet service provider that is known for its walled garden
position said Friday that it is planning to offer several new free services to its
subscribers. Subscribers can get 100MB
of memory called My Storage to be used for storing digital files that
they can put on public display to share with others. Users can fill
up the virtual lockers with photos, music and other files. They will
also be able to access the files with any device that can get online.
Another incentive for sticking with AOL is that users can have up to
seven screen names. The
company has not set a launch date for the new features but is aiming
to make them available by the end of the year.
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Jan. 10, 2005
©
2005
Media Life
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