Great
Danes way ahead of world in e-commerce
Nordic countries aren’t just for skiing; they’re also
for buying and selling. Denmark is the world leader in e-commerce, and is
part of the global top five along with three Nordic neighbors and Britain,
well ahead of the United States in sixth. This week The Economist
Intelligence Unity released a report that annually rates countries on
nearly 100 criteria, from PC ownership to general business environment.
Britain was second on the list, followed by Sweden, Finland and Norway.
Tech experts noted that the presence of technology companies Nokia in
Finland and Ericsson in Sweden aided the region’s e-commerce savvy. The
world’s other economic superpower, Japan, ranked 25th in the 64-country
poll. The survey found that the American and Japanese situations would
only improve if their respective governments lent a helping hand.
World
shows vulnerabilities to eager hackers
A secretive effort by international governments and
industry experts has been underway recently to prevent worldwide
disruptions of web surfing, emails and instant messages. The British
government disclosed a security flaw Tuesday that left core internet
technology vulnerable to hackers, which could affect the underlying
technology for virtually all internet traffic. The snafu left open for
violation the internet’s transmission control protocol, TCP, and its
routers that coordinate data flow among distant groups of computers. Left
unchecked, hackers would be able to send routers into standby mode and
hamper the efficiency of data exchange. U.S.
government agencies and companies operating vital digital pipelines have
recently strengthened their own systems because of early warnings given by
security organizations. The flaw was originally found last year by
computer researcher Paul Watson of Milwaukee.
Sprint
and AT&T agree to share the hot spots
Sprint Corp. and
AT&T Wireless Services Inc. inked an agreement Monday that will allow
their wireless internet customers to roam in former dead zones at five
U.S. airports. AT&T Wireless customers will now be able to use
Sprint’s Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) network at Kansas City International
and Salt Lake City International airports. Sprint PCS users are now able
to use AT&T Wireless’ Wi-Fi network at Denver International,
Philadelphia International and Raleigh-Durham International airports.
AT&T Wireless forged a similar partnership with T-Mobile in February.
Analysts compared the agreement to accords that
cellular companies have to allow customers to roam onto competitors'
networks. Wi-Fi customers must currently sign up with several providers to
get service in more than one place. Wi-Fi networks radiate a 300-foot
“hot-spot” of high-speed internet connectivity that many computers can
share.
Jacko
web master shut down in New Jersey
Michael Jackson won a legal
fight to shut down a web site operated by a New Jersey man who was selling
Jackson family memorabilia. The ruling in Los Angeles federal court also
said Henry V. Vaccaro Sr. could not sell Jackson's possessions, but he
said he shipped the goods to a European buyer weeks ago, reportedly for
more than $1.4 million. Vaccaro was awarded the items, including costumes,
letters, awards and financial documents, after years of legal battles that
followed a failed business venture. Vaccaro spent months photographing the
treasure chest for publication on his web site. Jackson’s attorney said
he would seek a court order to have the trove returned.
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