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In Government …

2006 ESRI Federal User Conference Focuses on GIS Solutions in Government

The 2006 ESRI Federal User Conference,taking place January 31–February 2, 2006, at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center, will explore the use of GIS for geoprocessing and analysis, integrated workflows, and intelligent collaboration across government agencies. This year’s conference will also include state government agencies and a special focus on intergovernmental partnerships. Details Here: www.esri.com/news/releases/06_1qtr/feduc.html

• Air Force raises bar on desktop security. The Air Force plans to test its new Microsoft standard desktop computer configuration at five field sites later this month. The service wants to install the configuration on 70 percent of its computers by June 2006 and on the rest by the end of 2006, Air Force and industry officials said. The Air Force will distribute Microsoft software with standard security configurations servicewide to improve network security and management. Military and civilian agencies are watching the testing because they could use the software governmentwide early next year. Many security problems associated with Microsoft software occur when users do not properly configure their systems. As part of this initiative, the Air Force is standardizing desktop PCs that are set up with all appropriate controls in place.. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91318-11-07-05-Print%20&newsletter%3Dyes

• APCO Releases New Web Seminar Series. The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Institute announced the release of its new Supervisor Tool Kit Web Seminar Series. The first offerings in the series concentrate on Leadership and Supervision. Each seminar in the series is one hour and qualifies for one continuing dispatch education (CDE) credit. The Leadership and Supervision offerings will run from January though June 2006. Titles in the Leadership and Supervision offerings are:

Transitioning to Supervisor
Developing Effective Team Building/Coaching Skills
Gossips, Complainers and Terminators, Oh My. - Dealing with Problem
Employees
Ethical/Legal Responsibilities of Management
Developing a "True" QA/QI Program
Project Management Principals
Hiring: Against All Odds
Improving Public and Media Relations
Myths and Urban Legends of Emergency Medical Dispatch
Making Performance Appraisals Work!

Details Here: www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=97630

• California Proposes Telecom Bill of Rights. alifornia Public Utilities Commission (PUC) President Michael R. Peevey and Commissioner Susan P. Kennedy last week issued a new Telecommunications Consumer Bill of Rights to protect consumers from fraud and abuse. The joint proposed decision calls for the launch of an extensive consumer education program, creation of a special Telecommunications Consumer Fraud Unit at the PUC, and expansion of the Commission's toll-free consumer hotline for complaints against wireless and other carriers. Details Here: www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=97720

• China developing its digital gazetteer Click on the electronic touch screen in the information kiosk in Changsha, capital of central China“s Hunan province, and you will easily locate the Yuelu Academy, the city's famous historical site, one of the four imperial academies of higher learning in ancient China. Such as this, locating a place and the best route to get there, will be accessed by logging on a place name website or calling phone centers and sending text messages in any Chinese cities in five years. Details Here: english.people.com.cn/200511/02/eng20051102_218513.html

Great China Wall

China to Spend Staggering Amounts on Surveying the Great Wall.

Precisely how long is the Great Wall of China? Because historical records and measurements differ, officials in China have decided to survey the length and orientation of the Great Wall, using the latest techniques and a budget of 200 million yuan (approximately US$ 25 million). Hong Kong’s Mingpao Newspaper reports that The Information Center for Basic Geography of China's State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping will use state-of-the art techniques such as aerial mapping via remote sensing, GIS (Geographic Information Systems), and GPS (Global Positioning System) to measure the exact length and orientation of the Great Wall, built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE). For the new survey, an airplane equipped with a remote sensing camera will take photos of the Wall while flying along it. Any damaged parts of the Wall will be located using archaeological analysis and the age of the soil. Details Here: english.epochtimes.com/news/6-1-21/37143.html

• Chris Mack, a geographic information systems (GIS) senior analyst in Marana, Ariz., routinely monitors changes in the land surrounding Marana's town limits that might impact the community. During one of his assessments, he noticed bulldozer tracks and extensive land scraping on the property where Scottsdale developer George Johnson, of Johnson International Inc., intended to construct 67,000 homes, a resort, golf courses and businesses. Details Here: www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/95676

• Another CIO bites the dust. The departure of Transportation Department CIO Dan Matthews seems to demonstrate the obvious -- that the government can't really pay its senior people what they deserve. Dan Matthews, the Transportation Department’s chief information officer, is the latest federal information technology executive to resign from office. Matthews said he plans to return to Lockheed Martin, where he worked for 17 years. “I look forward to continuing working in the federal IT community and helping federal agencies accomplish their mission,” he said in a telephone interview. Matthews has been a steady figure in IT circles and has served as vice chairman of the CIO Council, the federal advisory board for CIOs. In 2004 he received the top leadership award from the Association for Federal Information Resources Management's annual leadership award ceremony. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91718-12-13-05-Web

• City of Pomona, CA, Deploys Modeling Technology for Water and Sewer Systems Management. The City of Pomona, Calif, has selected MWH Soft’s Water and Sewer GIS-based software to develop accurate, comprehensive models of its water distribution and sanitary sewer collection systems. The city covers nearly twenty-three square miles and serves a population of approximately 156,000. It operates and maintains about 420 miles of water transmission and distribution pipes and 300 miles of gravity sewer pipes. The software offers geospatial solutions for managing complex water distribution and sewer collections systems. Details Here: www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=97607

• DEVELOPING CONSERVATION GIS CAPACITY. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and remote sensing provide powerful conservation tools. Using these technologies effectively, conservation biologists can collect spatial data to quantify landscape patterns, predict outcomes of landscape changes, model habitat suitability, and analyze animal movements and home ranges. In Latin America, training in these technologies’ conservation applications is scarce, but demand is high. Details Here: http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0726-cbc_technology.html

•Congress proves itself unable to cut back on pork. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, vowed Thursday to resign from the Senate if his fellow lawmakers followed through on threats to cancel spending on a $230 million “bridge to nowhere” in Alaska that was stuck into a pork-filled highway bill earlier this year. The bridge, longer than the Golden Gate, would cross from Ketchikan (pop. 8,000) to Gravina Island (pop. 50), replacing a seven-minute ferry that connects the town with the regional airport. Its main critic, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma., argued that the bridge money is enough to buy each island resident a Lear jet. The bridge, and Stevens’ success in preserving it, illustrates a trend in Congress, where lawmakers load spending bills with pet projects worth tens of millions of dollars. Details Here: www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/nation/12955796.htm

• A congressional subcommittee grilled federal emergency communications officials today about what they have done to improve communications for first responders since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast Aug. 29. Katrina knocked down more than 3 million phone lines and 1,000 cellular towers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, which severely limited first responders’ ability to share information and react effectively after the storm, said Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology Subcommittee. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91211-10-26-05-Web

• Court Rules Public Has Right to GIS Information in Greenwich In a case watched closely by Westport and other towns upgrading technology, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that the public has a right to see aerial photos and other records of Greenwich despite concerns about privacy, crime and terrorism. The high court ruled unanimously Wednesday that Greenwich must release its computer database of aerial photographs and maps known as a geographic information system. The court said the town failed to show the records are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act because of security concerns. Details Here: www.westportnow.com/archives/011824.htm

• A Conversation with Governor Mark Sanford. Q: What are the top four or five things you want to accomplish this session? A: One of the hottest topics is the larger theme of economic development. …I believe in preparing the soil conditions. And I think we took an important step toward getting soil conditions better in South Carolina. I believe we can complement those efforts with worker’s comp reform. It is achievable. We’ve had productive conversations with House and Senate leadership. ... Details Here: www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/13386871.htm

• The Department of Commerce United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) created a partnership with the open source community to ensure that patent examiners have access to all available prior art relating to software code during the patent examination process. Last month, USPTO representatives met with members of the open source software community, which provided an opportunity for members to discuss with the USPTO issues related to software patent quality. The meeting focused on getting the best prior art references to the examiner during the initial examination process.Details Here: www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=97817

• DHS to issue RFP for border control technology. Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff said today that his department will soon issue a request for proposals for an integrated package of next-generation technologies to secure the country’s borders. The department has been planning to increase the use of newer technologies at the borders with Mexico and Canada to help Border Patrol agents monitor and curb the tide of illegal immigration. At a press conference in Washington, D.C., Chertoff provided more details about DHS’ Secure Border Initiative, a multiyear effort to add more agents to the borders, improve processes for detention and removal, and develop technological infrastructure to help agents monitor areas. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91564-12-01-05-Web&newsletter%3Dyes

• DISA declares GIG-BE fiber net fully operational. The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) declared its nationwide fiber-optic network operational … but said a few outlying nodes remain to be connected in the near future. DISA’s Global Information Grid-Bandwidth Expansion (GIG-BE) network consists of high-speed OC-192 circuits that connect major Defense Department installations in the United States. The network can handle traffic up to the top-secret level. DISA did not say how many GIG-BE nodes were operational today, but agency officials said earlier this year that they planned to have about 90 nodes connected by this September. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91833-12-30-05-Web&RSS=yes

• E-gov grades drop for six agencies. E-government took a hit in the latest report card on the President’s Management Agenda’s initiatives, as the current status rating dropped for six agencies. In the Office of Management and Budget’s latest score card for the quarter ending Sept. 30, four agencies received green scores for their current state of e-government, compared with seven agencies after the previous quarter. Nine agencies scored red in e-government, compared with six failing grades last quarter. Last year at this time, eight agencies were seeing green and seven failed. In the quarterly score card, OMB officials evaluate agency status and progress in five areas: workforce management, competitive sourcing, financial performance, e-government, and budget and performance integration. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91453-11-16-05-Web

• The Environmental Systems Research Institute has given its 2005 Special Achievement in Geographic Information Systems Award for Kentucky to the Northern Kentucky Planning Commission. The commission received the award for its LINK-GIS, an Internet-based geographic information system for Boone, Campbell, Kenton and Pendleton counties. Details Here: http://news.kypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050729/NEWS02/507290354/1014

• The Department of Homeland Security has built sufficient momentum over the last couple of years to begin reshaping how local governments plan and build emergency operations centers (EOCs). The focus is an EOC housing all emergency-response disciplines, from police to fire, EMS, public health and other entities seemingly unrelated to emergency response, such as public works departments, or water and sewer agencies Details Here: www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php?channel=7&id=93538

• FBI Director Robert Mueller Friday named Louis Blazy as assistant director in charge of the Information Technology Operations Division. The FBI said Blazy will be responsible for operating and maintaining a global information technology infrastructure in support of the bureau's administrative, intelligence and law enforcement efforts. Details Here: www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=012000008UIO

• Feds get D+ on 2005 cybersecurity. The federal government earned a barely passing grade in enacting meaningful improvements in cybersecurity during the past year,…. The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) released its report card evaluating the federal government�s progress on 12 recommendations. Congress and the Bush administration received one B, four Cs, six Ds and an F � a 1.4 average on a 4.0 scale, or a D+. “Cybersecurity research is in a crisis,” said Paul Kurtz, CSIA’s executive director. “Information sharing is largely at a standstill. There continues to be a lack of priorities.” Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91710-12-13-05-Web&newsletter%3Dyes

• A grant from NASA’s Earth Sciences Fund will help develop spatial technologies training programs at two state community colleges. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., announced a $390,000 grant ... that will allow both schools to conduct training for users of geographic information systems, global positioning systems and remote sensing technologies. Each school will receive $195,000. Details Here: www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/business/11507881.htm

• Geographic Deficit Puts U.S. At Risk. During the past four decades, a generation of Americans has lost its ability to read and use maps, and this has already resulted in dangerous global consequences, says Harm de Blij, author of “Why Geography Matters” (Oxford 2005). “I still wonder to what extent a simple layout of geography was understood by those who took us to Vietnam,” as well as “those who sat around those tables” in the White House and led us into the war in Iraq, he said. … 100 people fought through the rain and wind to hear de Blij speak at the Eldredge Public Library in Chatham as a part of the Book and Author series sponsored by the Friends of the Library and Yellow Umbrella Books. As Nancy Groves said, in introducing de Blij, “t is a wonderful turnout for such a horrible day.” De Blij, who divides his time between Chatham and Boca Grande, FL, spoke for about 40 minutes and answered questions for another 20. Details Here: www.capecodchronicle.com/chatnews/chat110305_6.htm

• California State Geospatial Data Service Under Discussion. The California State Information Technology Strategic Plan contains the following lines: "The Governor will appoint a Geospatial Information Officer (GIO) to lead and coordinate the development, licensing and sharing of geospatial data by state government agencies..." While the GIO Web site is up, the GIS strategic Plan is officially under construction. Details Here: http://govtech.net/news/news.php?id=93969

• GIS training for PE teachers.The Spatial Technologies Unit in the faculty of Engineering at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is offering geographical information systems (GIS) training to learners and educators at Woolhope Secondary School in Port Elizabeth. “The project was introduced ahead of the introduction of GIS into the 2006 school curriculum for grade 10 to 12 learners and should enable learners to get a head start next year,” says Dr Dalenca Pottas, head of the Applied Informatics Department in the Engineering Faculty at NMMU. Details Here: www.itweb.co.za/sections/computing/2005/0505041035.asp?S=e-Learning&A=ELR&O=FPT

• Governor Rod R. Blagojevich and Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke today announced the state is developing new, cutting edge technology to help emergency officials respond more quickly and effectively in the event of an agroterrorist attack. After securing a Federal Homeland Security grant through the Illinois Terrorism Task Force Homeland Security program, the state is taking initial steps to develop a computer tracking program that features GIS (geographic information systems) technology to collect and share information on all livestock and other agriculture resources. Today's announcement follows the success of a pilot program the Governor launched in 2003 that used GIS technology to plot agricultural assets and livestock. Details Here: www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=1&RecNum=3976

GSA takes down eOffer after finding security flaw

The General Services Administration took down the eOffer electronic commerce Web site after a contractor discovered that anyone with access to the system could change bids submitted by other contractors. Jennifer Millikin, deputy director of communications at GSA, said in a statement that the agency believes they learned of the problem before any users were harmed. “The glitch was brought to our attention by an authorized user of the site,” Millikin said in the statement. “Once informed, GSA immediately shut down the site and began taking corrective action. The agency also launched an intensive search to identify possible irregularities within the other electronic tools GSA provides to its customers.” Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91960-01-13-06-Web

• The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) has contracted with GIS Solutions and ESRI to develop geographic information system (GIS) tools that will improve the effectiveness of a coordinated response to a Foreign Animal Disease outbreak. IDOA is pursuing GIS technologies to provide support for critical emergency response functions and gain critical information about threatened areas, animals and producers. The goals of the project are to improve IDOA's ability to respond to an emergency outbreak of a Foreign Animal Disease as well as supporting IDOA functions of monitoring and promoting animal health and productivity. The project will be completed in two phases. The first phase will focus on the completion of a comprehensive GIS Strategic Plan for IDOA. The strategic plan will give IDOA officials a detailed understanding of the capabilities of GIS software in an enterprise environment and provide the framework for the continued expansion of GIS applications and services within IDOA. Details Here: www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/94132

• IRAQ: technology minister says know-how is vital. In a country scarred by daily violence and ethnic strife, where basic services are lacking, Iraqi science minister Basima Yousif Putros has a hard time convincing her people that technology is a priority. “The problem is to compromise between the basic, the necessary and the urgent needs of the public, and the implementation of technology in sectors with a direct impact on their lives,” Putros told Adnkronos International (AKI). “Technology has always been the driver of activities. Being under sanctions for more than a decade and isolated from the international community because of the actions of the previous regime, the Iraqi nation has become distanced from technology,” said Putros, 42, a female biochemist. Details Here: www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Trends&loid=8.0.215370484&par=#

• ITAA questions time-and-materials subcontracting rule. Proposed restrictions on the use of subcontractors in some federal contracts are unnecessary and could affect the quality of services that contractors can offer, according to the Information Technology Association of America. ITAA, a trade group that represents industry, said the rules set rigid conditions regarding the amount of money that contractors can charge for work subcontractors perform when the subcontractors are not listed in the original contract. ITAA made the comments in a written submission to the General Services Administration in response to the publication of the proposed rule. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91670-12-09-05-Web&newsletter%3Dyes

• In Katrina's mess, maps as good as lifesavers. In an area left in ruins by the hurricane, experts in geographic information systems, or GIS, used computer-mapping programs that analyze data geographically to help locate people trapped in their homes and assist emergency responders searching for the missing. They turned addresses and visual descriptions into latitudes and longitudes for rescue helicopters and provided navigation guides to ground-based rescuers working in terrain bared of road signs and landmarks. “It's amazing realizing that the profession that we're in can help save people's lives,” said Shoreh Elhami, who coordinates the GIS Corps, a volunteer organization of mapping experts who deployed in Katrina's wake. … In the two weeks following Katrina, the group mapped 10,000 locations in their effort to find missing storm victims. Details Here: www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/nation/13405014.htm

• Dozens of county assessors across the state are likely violating Iowa law by using a special tax levy to fund their operating budgets. Both Muscatine and Louisa counties have used the special tax to help get their Geographic Information Systems in place.The 1948 law that created the special assessor's fund says leftover money from the special assessor's fund may be transferred into the assessor's office for general fund purposes “from time to time.” Details Here: www.muscatinejournal.com/articles/2005/04/06/news/
doc4253faa9c2072686429413.txt

• The first city-wide commercial deployment of broadband-over-powerline (BPL) technology anywhere in the United States was cut over in Manassas, Va., according to Communication Technologies Inc. (COMTek), the Chantilly, Va.-based company that owns and operates the network. Both the White House and the Federal Communications Commission have highlighted BPL technology as an important way to get broadband access to underserved portions of the nation. In a ceremony cutting the ribbon on the service. Details Here: www.telecomweb.com/news/1128447868.htm

• New Jersey Creates Blood Bank for Stem Cell Research. Continuing his efforts to make New Jersey a leader in stem cell research, Acting Governor Richard J. Codey announced today the creation of what he called the nation’s first statewide public bank for umbilical and placental blood, to be used by stem cell researchers and patients in need of transplants. Also, he signed an executive order directing state officials to educate doctors and nurses about the medical value of such donations, and to create two pilot programs, in Camden and Paramus, to help new parents donate placental and umbilical cord blood shortly after a baby is born. Details Here: www.nytimes.com/2005/10/18/nyregion/18cnd-STEM.html

• New Orleans is up and running with muni Wi-Fi. Does it take the worst sort of disaster to provide a city with a glimmer of modern technology? New Orleans will become the first city to operate municipally owned Wi-Fi today, with a system deployed in the French Quarter. Launched with donated equipment, the network will meet a number of crucial public safety needs, the Post reports: Already, WiFi communications for government services are helping the city speed its recovery. The biggest benefit, (Deputy Mayor) Meffert said, has been enabling building inspectors to quickly process paperwork for reconstruction permits without having to travel back and forth to city offices. Moreover, Meffert said the hurricane provided valuable lessons on the ability of traditional, wired telecommunications systems to withstand natural disasters. “I know what failed,” Meffert said. “Staying with the status quo would be the single most reckless thing I could do … If I put it back the same way that it was, people should fire me before I finish.” Details Here: government.zdnet.com/?p=1871

• New York Governor George E. Pataki unveiled the redesigned New York State Internet Portal. The portal, with a new web address, www.ny.gov. the gateway for citizens and businesses to more than 300 online transactions and nearly 500,000ages of web content currently found on state agency web sites. The state portal brings to the forefront many of the most commonly used services and sources of information. Visitors will find quick references to information on weather, transportation and traffic, Amber Alert, homeland security alerts, I Love NY travel, and the winning state lottery numbers. Details Here: www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/96861

• NIST to tweak mandatory security controls. Federal officials say it is not too late to submit suggestions for changes in a standards document describing security controls that will become mandatory for federal information systems in 2006. The National Institute of Standards and Technology plans to revise its Special Publication 800-53 on mandatory security controls and to publish the revised version when it releases a companion document, Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 200. The FIPS 200 document probably will not be signed by the Commerce Department�s secretary until February 2006, according to the latest FIPS 200 status update from Ronald Ross, a senior computer scientist and leader of the Federal Information Security Management Act project at NIST. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91381-11-11-05-Web&newsletter%3Dyes

• Mapping the future of Oroville. Maps pinpointing the locations of everything in the city from sewer lines to proposed new developments are tucked in every nook of her office. Kelly Allen came to work for the city of Oroville as a temporary employee in September of 2004. The city hired her full time in November as a Geographical Information Systems Specialist/Engineering Assistant. Details Here: www.orovillemr.com/Stories/0,1413,157~26686~2893041,00.html

• PDAs, GIS Used in Disaster Program. Public health prevention and response personnel in North Carolina will use PDAs equipped with geographical information system technology to collect and integrate data captured in the field after a disaster. The Rapid Response Project 516 is funded through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The grant enabled state officials to customize GIS software from ESRI, Redlands, Calif., for the initiative. It also funded hardware and training. Bradshaw Consulting Services Inc., Aiken, S.C., helped customize the software. Details Here: www.mobilehealthdata.com/article.cfm?articleid=1687

• Pentagon gets new manager. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has appointed Michael Donley as the Pentagon’s new director of administration and management. Details Here: washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050517-103214-1526r.htm

• Prop. 80: There is No Turning Back. California again must lead the way on energy. Nevertheless, Prop 80 on the November ballot, sponsored The Utility Reform Network (TURN), the San Francisco-based ratepayer advocate group, is just exactly the wrong thing to do at this particular point in time. Prop. 80 promises to deliver to Californians a secure and affordable energy supply. ... Yet in its efforts to protect small consumers, Prop. 80 tries to go back in time, trusting our fate to utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison, entities that created many of our energy problems in the first place. What’s worse, Prop. 80 takes an apparently deliberate swipe at efforts by Democrats and Gov. Schwarzenegger to boost the amount of non-polluting, fixed-price renewable energy supply that is the key to solving our energy and environmental challenges. Details Here: www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1130

• Saginaw revamps online search for records. Saginaw officials have a new pal, and it's not My Pal. Citizens wishing to find property records -- who previously used the My Pal link on the city's Web site, www.saginaw-mi.com will see a new server: SONAR. SONAR is an acronym for Saginaw's Online Network of Accessible Records, says Jeff E. Klopcic, Geographic Information Systems administrator for the city. Details Here: www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1117030822117880.xml

• Seven integrators eye San Diego IT outsourcing renewal. More than a half dozen large systems integrators are considering whether to bid as prime contractors on San Diego County's IT outsourcing contract renewal this year. Details Here: www.washingtontechnology.com/news/1_1/daily_news/25893-1.html

• Study: Contractors fail to use free government resources. Many businesses are missing out on important tools that could provide them with valuable information and access to the government marketplace, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Government Contractors.The survey, conducted earlier this year among businesses � mostly small � that are new to government contracting shows that some have won contracts and are generally satisfied with the contracting process. But others are not taking advantage or are unaware of resources such as the Federal Business Opportunities Web site and the General Services Administration schedules program. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91799-12-28-05-Web&RSS=yes

Texas Department of Information Resources and Texas Association of HUBs Sign Collaboration Agreement.

The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) and the Texas Association of HUBs (Historically Underutilized Businesses) have launched a new initiative expanding their commitment to partnership and promoting mutual opportunities in Texas. The collaboration agreement facilitates increased communication and cooperation between HUB companies and the state through several important new and existing technology initiatives. The agreement establishes a HUB advisory board and expands communication channels between HUBs and the public sector. Details Here: www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=97870

• The Truth About FEMA: Analysis and Proposals. The days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall saw a flood engulf the city of New Orleans and a deluge of instant incriminations and knee-jerk solutions for improving the national response to catastrophes. Many complaints centered on the performance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for coordinating federal disaster support to state and local governments. More sober analysis of FEMA�s performance before and after it joined the DHS suggests that many of these criticisms were unfounded. Details Here: www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandDefense/bg1901.cfm

• U.S. Trade Deficit Narrows Slightly The U.S. trade deficit improved slightly in November but was still the third highest on record as imports of foreign cars hit an all-time high and America's foreign oil bill remained near record levels. The politically sensitive deficit with China narrowed modestly as shipments of Chinese toys, clothing and other consumer products fell. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the deficit declined by 5.7 percent in November to $64.2 billion after hitting a record of $68.1 billion in October. Details Here: www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181412,00.html

• Virginia Governor Warner Approves Sweeping $2 Billion State IT Partnership. The Commonwealth of Virginia has awarded Northrop Grumman Corp. an interim contract to help transform and improve the state's information technology infrastructure. The interim contract phase is funded at $3.5 million. Upon review by Virginia's General Assembly, the interim contract will transition to a 10-year contract valued at approximately $2 billion. Details Here: www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=97266

• Tennessee is testing a green-card authentication system produced by BSI2000 Inc. The company develops integrated optical card-based systems and technology. The Tennessee Driver’s License Issuance Division of the Department of Safety is conducting field trials of the company's patent-pending VERUS2000 green-card authentication system. Tennessee issues “driving certificates” to resident aliens who present a green card demonstrating that they are legal U.S. residents. Many states have similar programs. Details Here: www.washingtontechnology.com/news/1_1/daily_news/24096-1.html

• DEVELOP Program Honored by VA Association of Counties The NASA-funded DEVELOP program has been instrumental locally in the creation of the Wise County Geographic Information Science Department; the Mountain Empire Community College Geographic Information System professional career certificate; and, the planned academic minor in Geographic Information Science at The University of Virginia's College at Wise. Details Here: www.mywisecounty.com/listing/jump.cgi?ID=1211

In Technology …

• Seven Intranet Trends to Watch for in 2006. The trends are based on experiences with large companies across the country and observations of how the intranet ecosystem is evolving to support corporate America. Some of the trends shouldn�t come as a surprise to you, especially if you are an intranet manager in a forward-looking, vibrant company. Other trends, though, will certainly be surprising. Details Here: www.cio.com/weighin/column.html?CID=15817

• The 10 Symptoms of a Lack of Good IT Governance. Good IT governance is a required ingredient for any organization or company to succeed in the 21st century. It provides the mechanism by which the executive team can capture the appropriate information and then leverage that information to plan, manage and verify decision making, which accomplishes the act of transforming the business. Without it, a company stumbles over itself and becomes grossly inefficient as it strives to maintain its position as an industry leader or keep up with the competition. The ten symptoms are: … Details Here: www.architectureandgovernance.com/articles/03-rogers.asp

• Adobe, Macromedia Deal Nearly Done. Adobe Systems’ proposed buyout of Macromedia is expected to close Saturday, December 3, … The deal is valued at about $3.4 billion and will pair two powerful franchises: Adobe’s professional publishing and graphics tools and Macromedia’s Flash player and Dreamweaver Web toolset. Solution providers have said the "Macrodobe" combination Adobe’s ubiquitous PDF file format and Acrobat reader and strong PhotoShop franchise along with Macromedia’s robust Dreamweaver toolset for Web development and Flash player for multimedia web sites, are a potent counterweight even to Microsoft’s software dominance. Both PDF and Flash are seen as even more pervasive on PCs, desktops , and devices than Microsoft Windows or Internet Explorer, for example. The planned merger cleared U.S. Department of Justice hurdles in mid October Details Here: www.crn.com/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=QHYT5T1HQDUJEQSNDBECKHSCJUMEKJVN?articleID=174403492

• AOL, Warner to Bring Old TV Shows Online. Dozens of old television shows including "Welcome Back Kotter" will be available online and free-of-charge under a deal between America Online Inc. and Warner Bros. In the latest alternative to traditional TV viewing, a new broadband network called In2TV will be launched in early 2006 by AOL and Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution, the companies said Monday. Besides the TV shows, In2TV will include games, polls and other interactive features. "Welcome Back Kotter," "Sisters" and "Growing Pains" are among the 30 series to be offered initially. They will be grouped on channels by genre, including comedy, drama, animation, sci-fi and horror, action-adventure and "vintage TV." In2TV plans to offer more than 100 TV series and at least 300 episodes per month in the first year, the companies said. Details Here: news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051114/ap_on_hi_te/online_tv;_ylt=
Aqe7JLsiePePVD0LePvDprIjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

• AMD files antitrust suit against Intel Advanced Micro Devices fired off a federal antitrust lawsuit against Intel on Tuesday, claiming that its rival has a monopolistic grip on the PC industry. Details Here: ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=258590-413230&brand=zdnet&ds=5
apps/story/0,10801,101687,00.html

• Asian software: more than half is pirated. The Business Software Alliance found in its survey that 53 percent of the software used in the region in 2004 was illegally downloaded, The Australian reported. The figure was the same as the previous year. Worldwide the figure was 35 percent, down slightly from 36 percent in 2003, the association of software makers say. Details Here: www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=63704

• China Tightening Internet Reins The Chinese government announced new regulations Sunday intended to tighten control of news reported over the Internet, according to a report from IDG News. Chinese news sites will be encouraged to report on progress on economic and social programs, and there are now fines for reporting false or distorted information. According to a July survey conducted by the China Internet Network Information Center, 79.3% of the country’s 103 million Internet users read news online. Only email is more popular. Details Here: www.fool.com/News/mft/2005/mft05093018.htm

•Cisco Systems® announced a major investment initiative in India totaling US $1.1 billion. This announcement highlights the growing importance of the Indian market in the global economy. The announcement was made by John Chambers, President and CEO of Cisco Systems, on the first day of his three-day visit to India. Chambers discussed Cisco’s investment plans in India with the Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Honorable Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Shri Dayanidhi Maran, while in New Delhi . Details Here: www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=82647&WT.svl=wire1_3

• US early warning center opens. The Cyber Incident Detection Data Analysis Center (CIDDAC) has announced the opening of its National Operations Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The non-profit organization aims to set up an automated real-time threat reporting system, which will enable it to issue early warning alerts to its member companies and provide information to law enforcement agencies. Details Here: www.askipartners.com/linkpages/virus_bull.php

• Dell has unveiled four-processor systems equipped with Intel�s dual-core technology and integrated with Microsoft�s SQL Server 2005. Customers can place orders now for the PowerEdge 6800 and 6850 servers, which will ship in two weeks. In addition to SQL Server, the systems come with the 32/64-bit editions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Prices start at around $6,400. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91283-11-02-05-Web&newsletter%3Dyes

• Disney to outsource IT jobs. Walt Disney Co. will outsource about 1,000 information technology jobs, potentially affecting workers in California, New York and Florida. The cost-saving move, which follows an 18-month review of Disney’s information technology division, is expected to result in “minimal layoffs,” the company said. Details Here: washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050513-104527-2557r.htm

• EMC, Sun make nice with Solaris support. Sun Microsystems and EMC, sometime bitter rivals in the storage arena, are collaborating to make life simpler for customers running EMC software on Sun's Solaris 10 operating system, executives from the two companies confirmed last Friday. Details Here: www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1365989943;fp;16;fpid;0

• Fake Microsoft security updates circulate. An e-mail campaign designed to lure people to a bogus Microsoft Web site is making the rounds as part of an attempt to install a Trojan horse, antivirus company Sophos said. Details Here: ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=117294-413230&brand=zdnet&ds=5

• Firefox Web browser has surpassed 100 million downloads just before celebrating its first birthday. The Mozilla Foundation attributed the browser’s success to its community of developers who have contributed code and features to the project, and the Spread Firefox community which develops, tests and markets Firefox. Supporters of the browser say it is a more secure, innovative and feature-rich browser than Microsoft's dominant Internet Explorer. It has certainly been the first browser to eat away at Explorer’s market share–now holding between seven and nine percent of the Web browser market. Editor’s Note: I like Firefox, but the hype about its success is curious. Gee, now IE only has a 93% market share! It is weird how there can be so much excitement about how one free product might encroach upon another free product’s turf. For the record, I use Safari, but always write web pages for Explorer first. It is frustrating because IE does not adhere to www standards, but the fact is it is the world leader in web browsers. Go figure!-ch. Details Here: www.techworld.com/applications/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4623&inkc=0

• A flaw in a key Internet security protocol used by major networking products could open systems up to denial-of-service and other kinds of attacks, experts have warned.

Finnish researchers at the University of Oulu announced Monday that they have found a vulnerability in the Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol, or ISAKMP. The technology is used in IPsec virtual private network and firewall products from a range of networking companies, including giants Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks.

The severity of the problems varies by software vendor, according to an advisory issued jointly by the British National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre and the Finnish CERT. Details Here: news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5951916.html?tag=nl.e589

Flaw affects wireless laptops.

Mark Loveless, (aka Simple Nomad), a senior security researcher for Vernier Threat Labs and self–confessed hacker, revealed the wireless security flaw that has the potential to affect any laptop computer running a recent version of the Microsoft Windows operating system. His address, which was detailed in a security blog on the Washington Post, divulged that Mr Loveless had successfully exploited the vulnerability on airline flights to gain access to Windows machines that other passengers were using. Details Here: www.theage.com.au/

• The worst foods to eat over a keyboard (by Becky Roberts, TechRepublic) Whether it’s merely snacking to help pass the time or voraciously devouring lunch while trying to restore the CEO’s files we inadvertently deleted, we all eat at our keyboard. On any given day, my keyboard is assaulted with fragments of chocolate, drops of coffee, blobs of spaghetti sauce, and those long, stringy things that fall off bananas. Details Here: www.zdnet.com.au/jobs/resources/0,2000056675,39191112,00.htm

• Geographic information systems could become a more essential part of disaster relief efforts after experts effectively used the technology to aid emergency operations after Hurricane Katrina. In the days following Katrina, GIS experts in Mississippi helped build search maps for first responders, created and updated maps on various issues such as electrical power restoration, and helped Coast Guard rescue operations by translating hundreds of addresses into coordinates. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91003-10-03-05-Print

• Google Merges Maps, Local. Who says Google tools never come out of beta? Today the company removed the beta tag from both Google Local, where you can search for businesses and services in a particular area, and Google Maps, where you get local maps and driving directions. Plus, it has decided to combine the two services and serve them both up under the name Google Local. Now, when you query Google Local (local.google.com), a map pops up, displaying the many businesses and services that match you query. If you search on “Pizza in San Francisco,” for instance, it displays a map of San Francisco sprinkled with red tabs pointing to various pizza parlors. Details Here: www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1867589,00.asp

• GPS Could Speed Tsunami Warnings. GPS satellite receivers are already navigational must-haves for hikers and drivers. Now scientists are hatching plans to press them into service as tsunami predictors. International organizations like the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, or PTWC, in Hawaii currently depend on coastal seismic stations to record deep-sea earthquakes that could cause giant waves. But according to Jeff Freymueller, a geophysicist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, data from GPS receivers could provide quicker, more accurate estimates of the magnitude of a tsunami-causing quake, buying time for evacuation. Freymueller presented his findings at this week’s American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco, CA. Unlike seismometers, GPS receivers can measure the movement of the ground in real time. Because quake magnitude is a direct function of how much the earth shifts, Freymueller has demonstrated that the receivers can obtain precise measurements of a massive quake's severity in as little as 20 minutes. “Seismometers measure the velocity of the ground, and you have to collect a number of cycles of the important wave in order to get that measurement,” he said. “GPS receivers measure the static displacement of the earth, and after the first few minutes of a quake, that doesn’t change much” Details Here: www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,69847,00.html

• Hong Kong man gets three-month jail term for BitTorrent file sharing. In what might be the first case of prosecution for copyright violation using file sharing, Chan Nai-ming, a 38-year-old Hong Kong man accused of distributing three films illegally through the BitTorrent software, was handed a prison term of three months by a Hong Kong court. He was charged with the illegal distribution of Hollywood flicks Miss Congeniality, Daredevil and Red Planet over the Internet. ... BitTorrent, a program written by Bram Cohen, allows Internet users to break a large file into small ones and effectively share them in a short span of time. However, the entertainment industry has been lobbying against the software and file sharing claiming that the losses due to the phenomenon run into millions of dollars annually. Details Here: www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/4402.html#

IBM, Partners Extend Cell Chip Allianc

Having successfully collaborated on the Cell microprocessor, IBM, Sony, and Toshiba are taking their partnership to the next level with a five-year extension of a technology-development alliance and an eye toward creating the next generation of small-scale chips. The three companies have pledged to join forces on research related to 32-nanometer process technologies in an effort to speed the development of processors for consumer products and other applications.Their first effort, the Cell chip, will power the next-generation Sony PlayStation 3 console, and is designed to deliver supercomputer-grade processing power to digital-entertainment hardware. Details Here: news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20060114/bs_nf/40890

• IBM open sources enterprise search. BM is open sourcing a jointly developed search architecture with a view to creating a common industry approach to querying unstructured enterprise data. The company is today expected to announce plans to open source the Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA) used in the company's WebSphere Information Integrator OmniFind Edition, WebSphere Portal Server and Lotus Workplace. IBM is also open sourcing the UIMA toolkit. Details Here: www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/08/_ibm_uima/

• Intel to invest $1 b in India. CHIP maker Intel's Chairman, Mr Craig Barrett, announced an investment of over $1 billion in India in the next five years on activities that include expansion of research and development operations in Bangalore, marketing, education initiatives, and a $250-million venture capital fund to invest in technology companies. But those expecting Intel to match rival AMD's enthusiasm on the manufacturing front are in for a slight disappointment as the visiting Intel Chief said that, while the discussions with the Government on the possibility of establishing a manufacturing plant were still on, the company was not ready to announce anything as yet.Details Here: www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/12/06/stories/2005120602870100.htm

• Insurers Gear Up for Web Services Implementation. Obstacles such as cost, security and legacy systems have stymied Web services adoption, but the industry appears to be ready to overcome them. Talk concerning the benefits that Web services can bring to the insurance industry has run rampant during the past few years. But talk is cheap-and Web services, on the other hand, can be expensive. That leaves one perplexing question: When will carriers actually let go of the purse strings and invest in this promising technology? … Details Here: www.insurancenetworking.com/protected/article.cfm?articleId=3701l

• IT Talent War: Are You Ready? According to all the indicators, IT worker demand is rapidly increasing. In fact a number of surveys show that the demand for IT talent will surpass supply by the publishing of this column or shortly thereafter. When you couple this information with the fact that many experts tell us unhappy and frustrated IT staffers are ready to bolt out the door as opportunities open up elsewhere, it becomes clear that IT leaders need to spruce up their recruiting strategies. Details Here: http://www.cioupdate.com/career/article.php/3570951

• MasterCard Study Shows Automatic Payments Surpass Checks for First Time as Bill-Paying Method. The 2005 MasterCard Recurring Payments Awareness, Behavior & Attitude study showed that more than two thirds of U.S. households (67 percent) now pay some recurring bills automatically compared to those writing checks (64 percent). Nearly four in ten households link payments automatically to a credit card (38 percent) and three in ten households charge them automatically to a debit card (31 percent). In addition, among automatic bill paying households, the number of bills paid automatically rose in the last five years, from an average of 3.1 bills per household in 2000 to 4.4 bills today. During the same period, the number of checks written declined by nearly 50 percent, from 4.4 to 2.4 among these households. Details Here: www.crm2day.com/news/crm/116263.php

• Microsoft's 'big bang' could be its last. When Microsoft releases its SQL Server 2005 database on Nov. 7, it will have been five years since the last version debuted. If Windows Vista arrives as scheduled next fall, it too will follow its predecessor by five years. That’s a pretty long time to make customers wait for a new release. Too long, concedes Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “We just can't make our customers wait three or four years for the things which should have been on more interim cycles,” he said at last week’s Gartner Symposium/IT Expo in Orlando. Details Here: news.zdnet.com/2100-9593_22-5915900.html?tag=nl.e589

• Microsoft's top 10 hurdles for 2006. Microsoft is expected to enter the new year facing a number of hurdles--but the chief one will be to position Windows Vista as an enterprise product. Analyst firm Directions on Microsoft, which last week published its list of Microsoft's top 10 challenges for 2006, cited the marketing of Windows Vista as its top concern. “Windows Vista could offer large organizations improvements in software development, security, reliability, systems management and user interface,” according to the report. “However, public demonstrations have been full of cool graphics effects and consumer features that probably turn off more IT staff than they attract” Microsoft’s challenges in the order they were published are to: … Details Here: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-5996913.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=zdnn

• Municipal WI-FI is in another fine mesh! he unstoppable leviathan of municipal Wi-Fi keeps on moving. But even though citywide mesh networks are technically feasible (and desirable), legislation is limiting who can implement them. Phone and cable companies are welcome. Townships are not. Details Here: ct.cnet-ssa.com.com/clicks?c=260726-413230&brand=cnet-ssa&ds=5

• Software giant Microsoft is launching a new security product, which offers virus and spyware protection, a new firewall and various tune-up tools for Windows PCs.�A pilot version of Windows OneCare is scheduled to be available by the end of this year. It marks the company's long-awaited entry into antivirus software. Details Here: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/
2005-05/16/content_2962521.htm

• Microsoft warms up for security push. Microsoft plans to release a full suite of security products for enterprise desktops, dubbed Microsoft Client Protection, chief executive Steve Ballmer said – at an event in Munich. The forthcoming security product is aimed at desktops, laptops and servers and will protect against spyware, rootkits, viruses and other traditional attacks. Details Here: www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2143417/microsoft-unveils-enterprise

•Microsoft's Maps Product May Not Reverse Drop in Market Share July 26 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft’'s satellite map service, released three months after Google Inc.’s competing product, may come too late to reverse a slide in market share for its MSN search engine. Microsoft’s new Internet product lets users zoom in on satellite photos. Google’s satellite-maps and other services already helped it double revenue from search advertising in the year ended June 30, while MSN sales rose 2.6 percent in the same period. MSN’s market share fell to 11 percent in April from 12 percent last year. MSN's Virtual Earth “just doesnt live up to the initial hype,” said Chris Sherman, a product researcher at SearchEngineWatch.com in Boulder, Colorado. Details Here: www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a1jaZMqSC2Fs&refer=us

• NEC Electronics Corp. said it developed a technology to make advanced microchips with circuitry width of 55-nanometres, and would aim to start mass-production by the end of 2007. NEC Electronics currently makes chips with circuitry widths of 90 manometers, or billionths of a meter, putting it behind some players in the race to finer circuitry, which decreases the size of a chip and cuts per-unit production costs. Details Here: Reuters News (Sorry, the actual URL is too long for this space).

• NSF established two new technology centers. The National Science Foundation said it intends to establish two new science and technology centers in fiscal year 2005. Each is expected to cost nearly $19 million during the next five years. Details Here: http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20050412-014517-5417r.htm

• Why Offshoring Will Always Be a Novelty, Never a Valuable Strategy– commentary by By Jeff Angus, Ziff Davis Internet. Opinion: Distance and difference do more than make managing offshore development difficult. They make it impossible to give developers a tight-enough grasp on user requirements to make good software. Details Here: www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1397,1821367,00.asp

• An open-source group Thursday launched the final version of OpenOffice.org 2.0, a free application suite that's drawn attention from governments interested in breaking away from Microsoft's office application bundles. OpenOffice.org 2.0, which has been in development for more than two years and recently delayed by some last-minute bugs, can now be downloaded from the Web in versions for Windows, Linux, and Solaris. A native Mac OS X edition is still being ported. “OpenOffice.org is on a path toward being the most popular office suite the world has ever seen,” claimed Jonathan Schwartz, the chief executive of Sun Microsystems. Details Here: www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=172302917

• Phase-change memory investigation begins. IBM teamed with chip developers Macronix and Infineon to study an emerging technology known as phase-change memory. PCM stores data by changing the state of a special material from an amorphous to a crystalline structure, rather than storing data as an electrical charge. Data is maintained even when power is turned off, PC Pro reported Wednesday. Details Here: www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=
Science&article=UPI-1-20050525-16414300-bc-us-putermemory.xm

• Phishers Pose as IRS Agents. The Department of Labor says it is working to fix a programming glitch in a government Web portal that makes it easier for phishers to trick people into disclosing sensitive information. The flaw was first exploited by phishers who, earlier this week, began sending out bogus e-mail messages asking for personal information, including social security and credit card numbers.The bug lets these phishers redirect URLs that use the GovBenefits.gov domain to fraudulent Web sites that are unconnected with the U.S. government. Details Here: www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123765,00.asp

• Preventing and Responding to Identity Theft. You can be a victim of identity theft even if you never use a computer. Malicious people may be able to obtain personal information (such as credit card numbers, phone numbers, account numbers, and addresses) by stealing your wallet, overhearing a phone conversation, rummaging through your trash (a practice known as dumpster diving), or picking up a receipt at a restaurant that has your account number on it. If a thief has enough information, he or she may be able to impersonate you to purchase items, open new accounts, or apply for loans. The internet has made it easier for thieves to obtain personal and financial data. Most companies and other institutions store information about their clients in databases; if a thief can access that database, he or she can obtain information about many people at once rather than focus on one person at a time. The internet has also made it easier for thieves to sell or trade the information, making it more difficult for law enforcement to identify and apprehend the criminals. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee that you will not be a victim of online identity theft. However, there are ways to minimize your risk … Details Here: www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST05-019.html

• The Root of the Problem. Sony BMG's disastrous use of rootkit software has taught us a valuable lesson: we're too trusting of commercial software. Sony BMG Music Entertainment's decision to include covert and potentially dangerous software on millions of its compact discs taught us two painfully important lessons: that people have placed too much faith in the safety of commercially distributed software and that the tools for protecting computers from malicious "rootkit" applications have been inadequate. As the music and movie industries continue to put legal pressure on file-trading networks such as Kazaa and individual violaters, Sony BMG Music Entertainment made the decision to try to thwart file-sharing at the head of the problem: on the CD. To do that, the company included a software program called the Extended Copy Protection (XCP), a digital rights management (DRM) application developed by First4Internet. Among other problems, it caused a security hole to open that enabled other virus writers to covertly install malicious applications. Unlike a virus that propagates exponentially from system to system, and quickly draws attention, such "rootkit" applications often fly under the radar..Details Here: www.technologyreview.com/InfoTech/wtr_15971,300,p1.html

• Russia puts telecommunications satellite into orbit. Russia’s Federal Space Agency has confirmed that they successfully fired a Russian telecommunications satellite into orbit on Saturday. The launch took place from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The satellite will help in providing digital television and radio broadcasting into Russia as well as some countries in Southeast Asia. The Proton K booster rocket, which carried the Express-AM3 communications satellite, lifted off at 11:41 p.m. (1941 GMT) on Friday. The satellite successfully entered its planned orbit at 6:15 a.m. (0215 GMT) on Saturday, according to the Itar-Tass news agency. Details Here: www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/3333.html

• Scientists Revisit Historic Animal Diversity Survey... They are also using new geographic information systems (GIS), which can compare local climate data in California from previous decades and be used to create climate models from Grinnell's day. It also allows scientists to project what kinds faunal changes might occur due to the effects of global warming, for example. "(Grinnell) wanted to describe the fauna of California in such a way and in such detail that that basic description could provide the baseline information for us today," said James Patton, curator of mammals at the museum and professor emeritus in the UC Berkeley Department of Integrative Biology. Details Here: www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=18582

• Siebel Systems Inc. (www.siebel.com) ousted Chief Executive Michael Lawrie on Wednesday, days after the business software maker warned quarterly sales would be the lowest in five years and as a group of disgruntled shareholders was to meet to mull the company's future. Siebel named George Shaheen, a Siebel board member for the past 10 years, as the new CEO Details Here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,153374,00.html

• Skype, VoIP Are Hot And Risky. Security experts are throwing up warning flags about VoIP on the corporate network and pointing to one provider in particular. Research from VeriSign and Info-Tech Research Group said security risks surrounding increasingly-popular Internet phone software could put networks at risk and should be addressed. Ross Armstrong, senior research analyst at Info-Tech, is also urging businesses to ban the use of free Voice over IP software provider Skype in the workplace – especially if they already have similar policies regarding the use of peer–to–peer technologies. Skype usage in the enterprise, he said, is in many ways similar to the steady growth of public instant messaging (IM) services the past couple years. The real danger, he said, is if Skype is downloaded and used in an enterprise as an unsanctioned software application. Details Here: www.cioupdate.com/article.php/3563586

• Smarter networks and a boom in wireless sensors will change how you use and think about the Internet. … 802.11 wireless data networks and the expected growth of voice transmission over the Internet as fundamental changes that will make both data and voice services ubiquitous properties of all networks. That-along with the anticipated expansion of the market for inexpensive wireless sensors-will permit far smarter networks in which authority for controlling data is distributed among appliances and servers that analyze and share information on traffic patterns, even predicting user needs to activate additional capacity in advance. Details Here: www.technologyreview.com/articles/03/10/tr100internet1003.asp?p=1

• Start-up merges cell phone and PC into a handheld. It’s a cell phone. It’s a computer. It’s the two invaluable companions of the modern executive in one. In January, 2006, DualCor Technologies will unveil the cPC, a full-fledged handheld Windows XP computer that also comes with a built-in smart phone that runs Windows Mobile 5.0. The cPC is 6.5 inches long, 3.3 inches wide, 1.2 inches thick and has a 5-inch diagonal screen. It will be aimed at sales representatives and executives who travel extensively, said CEO Steven Hanley, who joined the company seven months ago. Details Here: news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-5997426.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=zdnn

• Storage networks for the masses. Sharply falling prices make Fibre Channel storage gear worth a new look. Why go with an entry-level Fibre Channel solution when IP storage-area networks (SANs) based on the Internet SCSI storage networking protocol and Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) drives remain less expensive? Performance and reliability are the main factors. Serial ATA “and low duty cycle drives have their place in the market,” said Nathan McDaniel, network services manager for Mohave County, Ariz. “But I don’t think I’d ever run critical systems on [a Serial ATA] infrastructure.” On the connectivity side, Fibre Channel provides 2 gigabits/sec and 4 gigabits/sec throughput, compared with Gigabit Ethernet's 1 gigabit/sec speed. The new 10 Gigabit Ethernet standard provides a boost for the IP SAN camp, but few government agencies use it. ... Vendors offer an intermediate alternative for customers that want to stick with Fibre Channel but don't require its performance and reliability. Companies such as EMC and iQstor Networks, for example, offer products that feature Serial ATA drives and Fibre Channel networking. Those products push the entry-level SAN price tag well below $10,000. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91255-10-31-05-Print&newsletter%3Dyes

Summary of Security Items from January 5 through January 11, 2006.

The US-CERT Cyber Security Bulletin provides a summary of new and updated vulnerabilities, exploits, trends, and malicious code that have recently been openly reported. Information in the Cyber Security Bulletin is a compilation of open source and US-CERT vulnerability information. As such, the Cyber Security Bulletin includes information published by sources outside of US-CERT and should not be considered the result of US-CERT analysis or as an official report of US-CERT. Details Here: www.us-cert.gov/cas/bulletins/SB06-012.html

• Sun Microsystems Unveils New Server Chip. Looking to leapfrog its rivals, computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. announced a server chip that it claims will deliver more performance while requiring less electricity than competing microprocessors. The UltraSparc T1 processor, code-named Niagara, has eight computing engines on a single chip, with each core capable of handling up to four tasks at once, Sun said Monday. It expects to ship systems based on the processor by the end of the year. The new chip uses about 70 watts of power on average, significantly less than the 150 watts to 200 watts required by server chips from Intel Corp. or International Business Machines Corp., Sun claimed. Details Here: news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051114/ap_on_hi_te/sun_chip&printer=
1;_ylt=AqIgimbsouyujDLjrCFx4m9k24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

• The Supreme Court handed movie studios and record labels a sweeping victory against file-swapping, ruling Monday that peer-to-peer companies such as Grokster could be held responsible for the copyright piracy on their networks. In a unanimous decision, the justices ruled companies that build businesses with the active intent of encouraging copyright infringement should be held liable for their customers' illegal actions. "We hold that one who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster infringement, is liable for the resulting acts of infringement," Justice David Souter wrote in the majority opinion. Details Here: news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5764135.html

• Taking GIS Into the Field: Why the End-user Experience is Critical to Success. GIS is a technology, not a business process. As a result, taking GIS into the field by itself creates a number of potential challenges. Applications can be too slow, with learning curves that are too steep for rapid acceptance among end-users. To ensure a successful transition, utilities will likely need to implement GIS with integrated field design. When considering your options, it is important to focus first on the end-user – not the solution itself. Changing workflow or processes depends on acceptance by those doing the work. New tools for field users should be easy to operate – preferably easier than accepted methods. The ideal field design solution incorporates all the information and functions needed to complete the job – such as work orders, specifications, GPS data, design tools, and maps – in an intuitive interface. As you integrate field design with georeferenced data, consider systems that: … Details Here: www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1169l

U.K. banks off the hook for Indian data breach.

British banks will not face any action over an alleged data breach in an Indian call center last year, the U.K.’s data protection watchdog has said. In the breach an undercover newspaper reporter was allegedly able to buy the bank account, credit card, passport and driving license details of 1,000 British bank customers for just 4.25 pounds ($7.50) each from a New Delhi call center worker who was said to have promised to supply confidential data from 200,000 accounts per month. The Information Commissioner, the U.K.’s data protection agency, warned at the time that the banks could face prosecution for a criminal breach of the country’s Data Protection Act. Details Here: news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6027073.html

• US-CERT:Oracle Products Contain Multiple Vulnerabilities. Various Oracle products and components are affected by multiple vulnerabilities. The impacts of these vulnerabilities include unauthenticated, remote code execution, information disclosure, and denial of service. Oracle released a Critical Patch Update in October 2005. It addresses more than eighty vulnerabilities in different Oracle products and components. The Critical Patch Update provides information about affected components, access and authorization required, and the impact of the vulnerabilities on data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Details Here: www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA05-292A.html

• Virginia Tech biologists create protocol to track how land use influences the way streams work. Virginia Tech biology researchers have applied tools from geology, geography, and hydrologic modeling to determine the effect of different land uses on stream quality across 10 watersheds of the French Broad River in the North Carolina mountains. The result is a new protocol for determining the health or condition of huge land-water systems. The research has also resulted in a set of tools for predicting the effect of development decisions in the watersheds studied, which are near Ashville, N.C. Details Here: www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2005&itemno=1029

• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). What is voice over internet protocol (VoIP)? Voice over internet protocol (VoIP), also known as IP telephony, allows you to use your internet connection to make telephone calls. Instead of relying on an analog line like traditional telephones, VoIP uses digital technology and requires a high-speed broadband connection such as DSL or cable. There are a variety of providers who offer VoIP, and they offer different services. The most common application of VoIP for personal or home use is internet-based phone services that rely on a telephone switch. With this application, you will still have a phone number, will still dial phone numbers, and will likely have an adapter that allows you to use a regular telephone. The person you are calling will not likely notice a difference from a traditional phone call. Some service providers also offer the ability to use your VoIP adapter any place you have a high-speed internet connection, allowing you to take it with you when you travel. What are the security implications of VoIP? Details Here: www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST05-018.html

• Wired News Best and Worst Gadgets of 2005. 2005 has been a banner year for gearheads, with more hot gadget launches than you could shake a USB cable at. But there’s a great chasm separating pre-launch buzz from real-world performance, and not all gizmos live up to the hype. Here’s a look back at the most anticipated product launches of 2005. Some were hot, some were not, and [Wired News] made the call. Details Here: www.wired.com/news/technology/0,69912-0.html?tw=wn_tophead_1

• Who Owns XML? A small software-maker has patent rights on parts of the Web language. or Web programmers, the Extensible Markup Language (XML) is not only a lingua franca -- it's the water that floats the boat, the air that holds up the plane. In other words, it's a free resource without which the rest of the Web wouldn't work. Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) between 1996 and 1998, XML has become the dominant way of describing and structuring data so that it can be shared across the Internet and displayed in any browser.

But now executives at Scientigo, a small software maker based in Charlotte, NC, say the company owns two U.S. patents (No. 5,842,213 and No. 6,393,426), that cover one of the fundamental concepts behind XML: the idea of packaging data in a self-defining format that allows it to be correctly displayed wherever it travels. Details Here: www.technologyreview.com/BizTech/wtr_14885,311,p1.html

• Yahoo! closes some chat rooms. The Internet portal closed the rooms after companies such as PepsiCo Inc. and Georgia-Pacific Corp. pulled advertising, citing concerns the sites were being used by adults to lure young children. Details Here: www.nwherald.com/BusinessSection/289971905646192.php

In Utilities …

• Agency sees world demand for oil climbing. Global energy needs will surge 50 percent by 2030 and prices will rise if capacity is not significantly increased, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Monday, November 7, in its 2005 World Energy Outlook. There are sufficient oil and natural gas reserves to meet those needs, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East, but about $20 trillion in new investments is urgently needed to bring those supplies to the consumer market, the agency said. New energy sources will increasingly be needed to meet demand in growing economies like China and India, according to IEA. Details Here: www.worldenergyoutlook.org

• Alabama Power Company displays porn movie in store-front window. Imagine being stopped at a traffic light and seeing soft core porn displayed in the storefront window of the local power company. This scenario became reality for many Alabama Power customers Thursday night, as they watched graphic imagines of sex flash across the screen of a plasma TV currently on sale and on display in the company's store window. “We are very, very embarrassed,” said Alabama Power spokesman Bernie Fogarty. “We are very apologetic.” Details Here: www.wpmi.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=F3E0F2F6-0C48-4C2D-B2FD-25183E9A9E06

• Alliant getting back to basics. Alliant Energy Corp. is winding down its international adventure - forays that include operations in Mexico, Brazil and China - and returning to more reliable Midwestern roots. William Harvey became CEO of Alliant Energy last month. Harvey said the company is committed to simplifying its portfolio by reducing debt and focusing on growing its Iowa and Wisconsin utilities. Alliant Energy (its Madison headquarters above) is reinvesting in Iowa and Wisconsin because of favorable regulatory climates in those states. The promise of fast-growing demand for electricity and higher returns than U.S. utilities earn lured the company overseas, and the Madison-based energy company continued to invest in them through last year. Details Here: www.jsonline.com/bym/news/aug05/346818.asp

•Ameren Corp. considering expanding its nuclear power unit. Ameren Corp. is considering building a second nuclear power unit in Callaway County, although the idea is only in the discussion phase, said Gary Rainwater, chief executive officer of Ameren. Rainwater said the utility had analyzed a variety of sources to expand its energy generation capacity and decided a second unit at the Callaway plant, 10 miles southeast of Fulton, would be the most feasible. Details Here: www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/13320613.htm

Australian gas set for U.S. sale

White House officials are working to clear the final barriers to the sale of billions of dollars worth of Australian gas to the U.S. by the end of the decade. Speaking ahead of talks in Sydney, Australia, this week on energy markets, the U.S. Government expressed interest in seeing Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) gain direct access to U.S. customers for the first time. Approval for a gas terminal – which would be located offshore from Oxnard, north of Los Angeles – could have shipments of Australian LNG sent to the U.S. market by the end of the decade. Details Here: www.fcw.com/article91960-01-13-06-Web

• The Business Case for Demand Response. The recent rise in energy costs, concerns about availability of electric supplies and the reliability of the electric transmission and distribution grid have once again focused customers and planners on alternative energy solutions, like demand response (DR), as viable options in the resource portfolio. The idea of encouraging customers to move electric load from peak to off peak periods, or conserve or use alternative supplies during peak periods is not new. The electric industry has been conducting programs of this nature for decades. While today�s trends, and regulatory and customer interest are driving an increasing need for demand response, deregulation and a fragmented market have made the process more complex. With the proliferation of demand response programs at the state and regional levels, and the inclusion of language supporting demand response in the recently passed federal energy legislation, various levels of government have instituted demand response programs or provided incentives for the creation of such programs. However only a limited number of customers and suppliers have taken advantage of demand response opportunities because:<ul> <li>An evolving regulatory framework has increased the number of stakeholders involved in a DR program resulting in:<ul> <li>The need for additional benefits and a more efficient process to successfully implement DR options <li>Many inconsistent protocols for obtaining and sharing information increasing the cost of DR efforts <li>Market confusion and barriers</ul> <li>A patchwork approach for determining and providing benefits has increased risks and volatility of benefits <li>The lack of an acceptable process to all stakeholders for valuing and accessing all the benefits of DR (e.g., capacity, transmission, environmental and distribution) has resulted in longer payback periods <li>While demand response, resource adequacy and infrastructure planning are interrelated, they are often treated independently reducing the potential benefits <li>There is a lack of market focus, including market research, that has led to a supply-oriented solutions rather than solutions based on customer needs</ul> This article discusses how these issues underpin the potential success of DR as an option to meet future energy requirements. Details Here: www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1123

• California, Connecticut facing tight power supplies. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said on Wednesday, May 4, that most of the United States would have adequate electricity supplies this summer, though parts of the West could face price spikes and power outages, and parts of Connecticut continue to struggle with tight supplies ahead of the summer. The commission did warn in its annual summer assessment that the outlook for hydroelectric supplies, a major source of power for Western states, was "not good." Details Here: www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/Files/20050504161533-5-A-3-combined.pdf

• California PUC proposes $2.9 billion solar initiative. The California Public Utilities Commission yesterday proposed a $2.9 billion initiative to install solar electric systems on a million roofs over 11 years and in the process make the state among the largest solar markets in the world. The California Solar Initiative – which largely mirrors a plan that failed to win approval in the Legislature earlier this year – would initially provide subsidies of roughly one-third the cost of a residential rooftop photovoltaic system, which typically cost $16,000 to $25,000. Details Here: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20051214-9999-1b14solar.html

• Colonial Pipeline back to full power. Colonial Pipeline has reported it now has full commercial power at all of its facilities, allowing its gasoline and distillate mainlines to operate at full rates, subject to product availability. Colonial’s pipeline and facilities were undamaged by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, but had to rely on portable power to expedite its return to service. With the return of commercial power. The pipeline delivers a daily average of 100 million gallons of gasoline, home heating oil, aviation fuel and other refined petroleum products throughout South and the Eastern United States. It has more than 5,500 miles of pipeline stretching from Houston to New York harbor. Details Here: www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2005/10/10/daily32.html?from_rss=

• Deregulation spawns energy conglomerates. In the utility industry, Progress Energy is becoming an endangered species. Deregulation and mergers have so transformed the industry that by and large, utilities are no longer the safe, predictable -- and boring -- investments they once were. Deregulation introduces competition among utilities -- either competition for customers or for deals from electricity suppliers. Mergers are creating energy conglomerates that span multistate regions, and expand into natural-gas production and other ventures, leaving the regulated business as an increasingly smaller portion of revenue. Both increase the stock’s potential return and risk of volatility. Details Here: powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5BfipstolUUgcw11rbfek%5C%212

• Department of Energy Announces 24 Nuclear Energy Research Awards to U.S. Universities. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced 24 research awards totaling $12 million over three years to U.S. universities to engage students and professors in DOE's advanced nuclear energy research and development programs … “These awards support the department’s advanced nuclear technology development efforts and foster the education and training of the next generation of scientists and engineers needed to move this vital industry forward,” Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said. Details Here: www.energycentral.com/centers/news/daily/article.cfm?aid=6168439

• Dominion successfully joins power grid operator. The PJM Interconnection power grid operator successfully took control of Dominion Resources Inc.'s high-voltage transmission system on Sunday, May 1, the companies said. Adding Richmond, VA-based Dominion and its 6,000 miles of transmission lines expands PJM to cover 13 states and the District of Columbia, an area that includes 51 million people and more than 56,000 miles of transmission. PJM is a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-approved Regional Transmission Organization, or RTO. RTOs are intended to provide more efficient use of the high-voltage system by managing the grid to guard against utilities giving their power trading affiliates any unfair advantages. Details Here: money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt.jsp?cat=USMARKET&src=704&feed=dji§ion=news&
news_id=dji-00023220050502&date=20050502&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw

• DWP's Pay Among Best of Utilities. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials say they need to offer employees a union contract that could boost salaries by as much as 34% over five years to remain competitive with other utilities. But the city's utility already has a higher pay scale for key positions than three of the four other major utilities in the state. And agency officials admit they did not research how their salaries compared with other utilities before recommending the raises. Details Here: www.latimes.com/news/local/state/la-me-dwp8aug08,1,4230053.story?coll=la-news-state

• Electronic Theft? Man goes to prison for causing power failures. A man who called himself “Dr. Chaos” online was sentenced Wednesday, November 30, 2005 to seven years in federal prison for hacking into computers and causing power failures in northeastern Wisconsin. Joseph D. Konopka, 29, already is serving a 13-year federal prison sentence for pleading guilty in 2002 to chemical weapons possession for storing cyanide near a Chicago subway. Details Here: www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/12/01/dr.chaos.ap/

• Energy Harvest Program Investing $6 Million in PA's Future. Pennsylvania is using Governor Edward G. Rendell’s Energy Harvest Grant Program to create a diversified energy base, support clean energy technologies and lessen the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. Governor Rendell announced the investment of $5.9 million to support 34 projects that will enhance energy security, promote advanced technologies, spur economic growth and improve the environment. ’Pennsylvania is developing and supporting homegrown solutions through the Energy Harvest program to lessen our dependence on foreign oil,” Governor Rendell said. “We can’t wait for the federal government to establish a policy that gives us back our energy independence. Instead, we are acting.” Details Here: www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-18-2005/0004219635&EDATE=

• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - Commission temporarily eases natural gas construction rules to speed recovery from hurricanes. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Thursday, November 17, temporarily waived certain requirements to expedite the construction of natural gas infrastructure and mitigate supply disruptions caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. FERC Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher said: … Details Here: www.ferc.gov/press-room/pr-current/11-17-05-C-1.asp

• Florida Power & Light Co. plans to build a $1.2 billion natural-gas fired electric generating plant in Palm Beach County, the company's president, Armando Olivera, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Friday. FPL, the state's largest utility, wants to build the 2,200-megawatt complex to meet burgeoning demand for electric power, especially in South Florida. The new plant will be able to provide electricity to the equivalent of 460,000 homes and businesses. Details Here: www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/
sfl-zbfpl14may14,0,253212.story?coll=sfla-news-florida9

• California, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada are creating a partnership to develop a high-voltage power line through the four states to serve the western power transmission grid. The "Frontier Line" will be constructed through each state over the next five years. The governors of the four states created the partnership through a memorandum of understanding out of recognition that there is growing consumer electric power demand in the West and that it is best handled through regional cooperation. The project will also more tightly coordinate the four states' development of renewable and conventional resources. The agreement creates a transmission project coordinating committee, the Frontier Line Task Force, that will include a member from each state. Work has already been done to identify potential routes for the project, most of which will be along proposed or existing corridors. Details Here: www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2005/04/04/daily6.html

• Gas shortage could cause power outages this winter. A shortage of natural gas caused by this year's hurricanes will have to be managed closely to avoid rolling blackouts in New England this winter, industry officials say. Residential and commercial gas customers will not be affected but some gas?fired power plants around New England may not be able to make electricity if there is a shortage unless they can operate on another source of fuel. "A significant amount of the natural gas supply may be out of production," said Ellen Foley, a spokesperson for ISO New England, the organization that dispenses electricity to New England. Details Here: www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct-brf--gasshortage1104nov04,0,7928831.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticut

• Greenspan projects energy prices to drag economy. A rising demand for oil, spurred by increased use in Asian countries, has eliminated the slack in world oil markets that Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan said had kept oil prices relatively contained from 1985 through 2000. According to Greenspan, the oil market this year, however, “had been subject to a degree of strain not experienced in a generation.” Details Here: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/18/AR2005101800147.html

• Gulf operators struggle as energy prices soar. Over a month after Hurricane Katrina bore down on the Gulf of Mexico, less than 10% of the region's oil production has been brought back on line, worrying Wall Street and Washington. The offshore industry’s painfully slow recovery, dealt a second devastating blow in late August by Hurricane Rita, is playing havoc with fuel prices and the economy, adding to the nation’s trade deficit as foreign oil pours into U.S. ports to cover lost production offshore and at Gulf Coast refineries. Details Here: www.marketwatch.com/news/

• Idaho nuclear lab can't explain lost items. A nuclear reactor research lab in Idaho cannot account for more than 200 missing computers and disk drives that may have contained sensitive information, the Department of Energy's inspector general says. The computers were among 998 items costing $2.2 million dollars that came up missing over the past three years at the federal Idaho National Laboratory, located in Idaho Falls, ID, according to a new report. Lab officials told investigators that none of the 269 missing computers and disk drives had been authorized to process classified information. Details Here: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2005/05/06/AR2005050601 258.html

• Integrated Energy Policy Report Released by California Energy Commission. The 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report (Energy Policy Report) that recommends actions to meet the state's energy needs has been approved by the California Energy Commission. Details Here: www.energy.ca.gov/2005_energypolicy/

• Grid operator assesses hurricane impact on region’s electricity supply. ISO New England Inc., the operator of the New England’s bulk power system and wholesale electricity markets, on Thursday, October 13, released findings of an assessment of the potential impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on New England’s electric generation capability for the coming winter. Overall, New England can expect the high cost of fuel, particularly natural gas and oil, to continue through the November-through-March heating season as supplies from the Gulf of Mexico remain uncertain due to heavy hurricane damage to offshore drilling infrastructure and onshore refining capacity. Gordon van Welie, President and CEO of ISO New England, said, Based on our experience with extreme winter conditions, including the Cold Snap of January 2004, ISO New England is planning for contingencies and implementing mitigation measures to prepare the region’s bulk power system for any negative impacts that the hurricanes may have caused on the fuel supply for electricity. And to ensure a reliable supply of electricity this winter, we need all businesses and consumers to take precautionary steps by becoming more energy efficient and conserving electricity, consistent with their own health and safety needs. New England is highly reliant on natural gas and oil for both electric generation and heating. Report Post Katrina and Rita Outlook on Fuel Supply Adequacy and Bulk Power Security in New England: Details Here: www.iso-ne.com/nwsiss/pr/2005/
hurricane_impact_release.pdf

• Widespread blackout unlikely in Kentucky. A widespread electric outage like the one that left millions powerless in the Northeast in 2003 can’t be ruled out in Kentucky, but the state’s ability to generate plentiful amounts of electricity provides some protection against such problems, according to a Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) report released on Thursday, April 28. Commonwealth Associates, a Jackson, MI, engineering consulting firm prepared the report using computer simulations of nearly 100,000 scenarios that could strain the state's grid. Fewer than 1,200 of the scenarios showed any possibility of creating widespread outages. Details Here: www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050429/BUSINESS/ 504290366/1003

• Man accused of sabotaging Arizona gas lines. A fired employee of a natural gas distribution company has been indicted on charges he sabotaged the utility's pipelines by puncturing them and tampering with valves, authorities said. A federal indictment released Friday, October 28, charges Thomas Lee Young, 58, with 16 counts of destruction of energy facilities between November 2000 and December 2002, and two counts of mailing threatening communications. Young is accused of sabotaging Southwest Gas Corp. facilities in Pima and Pinal counties in southern Arizona. Details Here: news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051029/ap_on_re_us/pipeline_sabotage_1

• The National Academies - Study says spent fuel at some nuclear power plants potentially at risk from terrorist attacks. Spent nuclear fuel stored in pools at some of the nation's 103 operating commercial nuclear reactors may be at risk from terrorist attacks, says a new report from a committee of the National Academies' Board on Radioactive Waste Management. The report calls on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to conduct additional analyses to obtain a better understanding of potential risks and to ensure that power-plant operators take prompt and effective measures to reduce the possible consequences of such attacks. Details Here: www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309096472?OpenDocument

• Nuclear energy may be back in vogue. Expectations of a sharp rise in energy demand and the risk of climate change are pushing many countries to return to the idea of nuclear power, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said Monday, March 21. Even the most conservative estimates predict at least a doubling of energy usage by mid-century, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told a conference on nuclear energy in the 21st century. He said any discussion of the energy sector "must begin by acknowledging the expected substantial growth in energy demand in the coming decades." It was unclear what role nuclear power would play, though it appeared to be an increasingly important one, he said. Details Here: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/
20050321/sc_nm/energy_nuclear_dc

• Oil prices climbed above $60 a barrel Monday, December 12, 2005 as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to maintain its present production levels amid anticipation that energy demand would grow as colder weather grips the northeastern United States, the world's largest heating oil market. Explosions at an oil terminal north of London on Sunday also raised supply concerns, but authorities said the blasts will not lead to a shortage. Oil ministers from OPEC agreed Monday to keep oil spigots open and maintain production at the group’s highest-ever levels – at least for now. Details Here: news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?feed=AP&Date=2

• OPEC expected to increase production capacity. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary General Adnan Shihab-Eldin said at the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on energy and mining in Gyeoniu, South Korea, that OPEC will increase crude output by 5.5 million bpd (barrels per day) by 2009. He said: “Combined with a plan to increase production from OPEC from 32.5 million barrels a day to 38 million barrels a day by the year 2009 and an additional 1.5 million barrels a day of National Gas Liquids coming also from OPEC over the same period ... accumulative world oil production capacity (including non-OPEC countries) will rise by around 12 million barrels a day over that period.” Details Here: www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=75425

• PJM Approves $464 Million in Transmission System Improvements, Bringing Total Approved Upgrades to Nearly $2 Billion. PJM Interconnection authorized an additional $464 million in upgrades to the electric transmission system in the 13-state PJM region. To date, transmission investments approved under the PJM plan total nearly $2 billion. In addition, PJM has changed its planning process to look further into the future. The transmission additions are part of PJM's current Regional Transmission Expansion Plan. The plan is the end result of a continuing, systematic process to make necessary transmission grid improvements. Transmission improvements keep the system in compliance with reliability standards. These standards ensure that the system continues to deliver electricity throughout the area. The improvements also accommodate interconnection of new generating projects. Details Here: www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-07-2005/0004229860&EDATE=

power utilities shifting to coal from gas says new report

Coal is expected to make a comeback as a fuel for power generation, according to projections by leading power equipment makers Alstom, Siemens AG and General Electric Co, the (Hong Kong) Financial Times reported. Alstom and Siemens have independently concluded that coal-powered generating equipment is increasingly in favor, with the newspaper saying that some 40 pct of turbine orders in the next 10 years will run on coal while the share of gas-fired equipment will fall to between 25–30 pct. The report said new technology that makes coal operations less polluting is behind the shift. Details Here: www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/01/15/afx2451243.html

• PUCO backs Duke-Cinergy merger. The staff of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is recommending approval of Duke Energy Corp’s takeover of Cinergy Corp., if the deal is modified to include about $20 million more in rate reductions for Ohio customers and safegards against reductions in customer service and reliability. Charlotte, N.C. -based Duke proposed merging with Cincinnati-based Cinergy ) in a deal valued at $9.1 billion. The utilties have estimated the merger will generate $655 million in cost savings over five years, mostly from the elimination of up to 1,500 jobs and the relocation of Cinergy headquarters to Charlotte. Details Here: cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2005/11/14/daily9.html

• Qatar, U.S. launch huge gas project in strategic alliance. Qatar and Washington have launched a joint project to build the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) refinery mostly for export to the United States, in a $14 billion strategic alliance between the two countries. Qatar Petroleum has a 70 percent stake in the project and ExxonMobil Ras Laffan III Limited, a subsidiary of the U.S. oil major ExxonMobil, the remaining 30 percent. Under the 25 year accord starting in 2008, signed Tuesday, November 15, … Details Here: news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051118/wl_mideast_afp/qatarusgas_051118154534

• SCE&G seeks 50 percent natural gas rate increase Consumers would pay 50 percent more for natural gas this winter under rates South Carolina Electric and Gas has proposed.

Scana, SCE&G's parent company, is asking the South Carolina Public Service Commission to allow it to raise the portion of customers' bills that pays for gas by 57 percent on average. That would boost the average charge from $121 a month to $172, or 42 percent. The state Office of Regulatory Staff will review the rate increase request. "I've been in the business a long time and I don't recall anything of this size," agency executive director Dukes Scott said. "In the winter time, when people start getting the bills, we'll hear from them." Details Here: www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/12732996.htm

Sempra to settle energy crisis suit, pay $580 million

Seeking to close a case that could have bankrupted the company, Sempra Energy agreed yesterday to pay $580 million to settle a class-action suit alleging it rigged natural gas supplies around the time of the state’s power crisis in 2000 and 2001. Plaintiffs in the antitrust case, representing millions of Southern California utility customers, said the proposed agreement is worth $1.9 billion if the changes Sempra has agreed to make in its business practices are included. The settlement is still subject to approval by courts in California and Nevada. Details Here: www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20060105-9999-7n5sempra.html

• Arizona bill would authorize “shoot to kill” order at nuclear plant. The Arizona Legislature on Monday, April 4, sent Governor Janet Napolitano a bill that would authorize private security guards to shoot and kill to protect the Palo Verde nuclear plant, located in Wintersburg, AZ. On a 52-3 vote, the House endorsed Senate Bill 1214, which would give security guards the authority to shoot those believed to be terrorists or other intruders who threaten the facility. Supporters say the measure is necessary because the federal government expects armed private guards to use lethal force. The proposed law won’t stop peaceful protesters from expressing their views, said George Diaz, a lobbyist for Pinnacle West Capital Corp., the parent company of Arizona Public Service Co., which operates the plant. Details Here: www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0405nuclear05.html

• Southern Company Approves Plan to Merge Savannah Electric Into Georgia Power. Electric utility holding company Southern Co. said its board and the boards of its utility subsidiaries Savannah Electric and Georgia Power approved Savannah’s merger into Georgia Electric. Savannah’s 163 power plant workers will be transferred to Georgia Power. Details Here: www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8EFIL1G1.htm?campaign_id=apn_home_down&chan=db

• Southern Company announced today that it has signed two long-term wholesale power agreements with Progress Energy Florida. Under the agreements, Southern Company will provide a total of 424 megawatts of electric capacity and energy to Progress Energy Florida. Power to supply the contracts will be generated from Southern Company's existing wholesale plant capacity. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to continue to serve a portion of the growing energy needs of Progress Energy Florida, a valued, long-term customer,” said Ronnie Bates, executive vice president, Competitive Generation for Southern Company Generation, the business unit of Southern Company that oversees both retail and wholesale generation and generation services. Details Here: www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-11-2005/0004165623&EDATE=

• Nuclear Regulatory Commission seeks to allay fear of transport. A new round of testing has found that casks used to transport dangerous nuclear waste are capable of surviving a catastrophe such as Baltimore, MD's 2001 Howard Street Tunnel fire with no more than minor releases of radioactivity, according to a report presented to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) panel Tuesday, January 10. NRC experts found that one of three types of cylinders commonly used to carry spent nuclear fuel would withstand such a fire with no radioactive release. They said a fire as hot as the tunnel fire could breach the seals on two other cask models, but concluded that the amount of radioactive material released would be "very small." The hearing by the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste was part of the NRC's consideration of the best ways to carry out a plan to ship highly radioactive spent fuel from nuclear power plants to be stored at Nevada's Yucca Mountain starting about 2010. A 2002 study said that more than 300,000 people could have been exposed to radiation from the Howard Street incident had there been containers of spent nuclear fuel on the train. The NRC launched an investigation that yielded the aforementioned report. Details Here: www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.nuclear11jan11,1,5524664.story ?ctrack=1&cset=true

• First solar system assembly plant to be built in Uganda. Solar Energy for Africa, a US-based organization, will build a solar system assembly plant in Entebbe, Uganda, the first of its kind in east Africa, local press reported on Saturday. Details Here: http://english.people.com.cn/200508/08/eng20050808_200922.html

• Utility struggles to relight New Orleans. Vast stretches of New Orleans without access to electrical power represent the magnitude of work utility Entergy New Orleans must perform before the city can recover. Nearly three months after Hurricane Katrina, the afflicted areas include not only devastated sections of town like the Lower Ninth Ward, but also neighborhoods that suffered relatively little water and wind damage. It is not just a lack of electrical power that is hindering the city's revival. Almost half of New Orleans lacks natural gas for cooking or heating, according to Entergy, even as temperatures have fallen sharply in recent days, dipping below 40 degrees at night. Under pressure from the New Orleans City Council and residents, Entergy has developed a plan to be providing electricity to at least 80 percent of customers by year's end, and gas services to 80 percent by mid-January. Details Here: www.nytimes.com/2005/11/19/national/nationalspecial/19power.html

• Vietnam to build 1st nuclear power plant. Vietnam is likely to pour 3.4 billion US dollars into constructing its first nuclear power plant in central Ninh Thuan province, which is scheduled to become operational in the 2017-2020 period, a local official said here Wednesday.�“We’ve submitted to the government a pre-feasibility study on building a 2,000-MW nuclear power plant either in Ninh Phuoc or Ninh Hai (two districts of Ninh Thuan). Total investment for it is 3.4 billion dollars,” chief of the International Cooperation Department under the Vietnam Institute of Energy, Tran Thanh Lien, said at a press conference held after a Vietnam-France seminar on selecting technology and location for the plant. Details Here: news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-10/19/content_3648626.htm

• Virginia Residents urge state to consider environmental impact of more reactors. Some Lake Anna residents are worried that additional nuclear reactors at the North Anna power station could land them in hot water. Literally. Harry Ruth of Bumpass said using lake water to cool a third reactor would reduce water levels and heat parts of the lake to temperatures unsafe for swimmers. Dominion Virginia Power officials insist the utility could safely regulate both water level and temperature in the 13,000-acre lake, which was built for the nuclear plant in the early 1970s. Details Here: www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--lakeannareactors1002oct02,0,4498131.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia

•Weep not for utilities; you’re padding their budgets. Florida’s electric companies have had a difficult couple of years, as we all have, dealing with the devastation wrought by a record number of hurricanes. Triple-digit wind gusts and horizontal, driving rain just don’t mesh well with skinny wooden poles and miles of exposed cables and transformer boxes. Weep not for these legal monopolies, however, for they enjoy a bucket truck full of means to recoup their losses - advantages that are unavailable to us poor slobs still trying to pay for new roofs and flooded cars. If these companies are feeling windburned now, just wait. There’s a major storm brewing over the horizon, and it's heading straight for them. More on that later. But first, some useful background … Details Here: www.sptimes.com/2005/12/12/Northpinellas/Weep_not_for_utilitie.shtml

• Annual Rankings Released on U.S. Wind Industry. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) released its second annual rankings of wind energy development in the U.S. The rankings, which include the top states for wind energy development, the top suppliers of wind energy turbines and the top developers and purchasers of wind energy, provide a useful perspective on the size and scope of the American wind industry. Details Here: http://renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=29446

Government • Technology • Utilities

return to current industry notes

Archived Industry Notes

Government • Technology • Utilities

In Government …

2006 ESRI Federal User Conference Focuses on GIS Solutions in Government

China to Spend Staggering Amounts on Surveying the Great Wall.

GSA takes down eOffer after finding security flaw

Texas Department of Information Resources and Texas Association of HUBs Sign Collaboration Agreement.

In Technology …

Flaw affects wireless laptops.

IBM, Partners Extend Cell Chip Allianc

Summary of Security Items from January 5 through January 11, 2006.

U.K. banks off the hook for Indian data breach.

In Utilities …

Australian gas set for U.S. sale

power utilities shifting to coal from gas says new report

Sempra to settle energy crisis suit, pay $580 million

Government • Technology • Utilities

Volume 28