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Mark Jewell at the AP:
Massachusetts’ tech adviser is resigning after leading the state to embrace an open, nonproprietary electronic data format that challenges Microsoft Corp.’s dominant Office suite of business software.
Peter Quinn, Republican Gov. Mitt Romney’s technology adviser, says the plan is drawing so much attention that it is hurting other state technology initiatives. So he’s resigning, effective Jan. 12.
Quinn wrote in an e-mail to state Informational Technology Division staff that it was “readily apparent that I have become a lightning rod with regard to any IT initiative,” The Boston Globe reported.
Romney spokeswoman Julie Teeter told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Quinn’s resignation would not affect plans to have the state’s executive offices store records in a new “OpenDocument” format by Jan. 1, 2007.
(Via Ed Bott) A flaw in the way WMF files (Windows Metafiles) are processed by Windows means that even fully patched versions of (at least) Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are wide open to attack from exploits currently circulating on the Web that drop and run previously known Trojan Horse programs. Exploits using this flaw are “zero day” since there was no advance warning and “drive-by” in that merely browsing a website or opening email with a malicious WMF file will infect a system.
F-Secure has more and notes that paradoxically, the Firefox browser version 1.5 is safe because it has an apparent bug in how WMF files are handled. There’s more from F-Secure here and possible workarounds are discussed in Juan Carlos Perez’s article at InfoWorld which also contains this observation:
However, the number of attacks could increase dramatically if malicious hackers find more automated ways to target systems, such as using e-mail, instant messages or file sharing, according to Ken Dunham, director of the rapid response team at VeriSign Inc.’s iDefense.
Attacks so far have been limited to installation of adware and spyware on compromised machines, but “you’re probably going to see Trojans and more sinister code develop and emerge in the next few days,” Dunham said in an interview.
Microsoft is investigating.
Forget the solid gold faceplate for your Xbox 360, how about using a car as the controller? Now you can – Xbox 360 Powers All-New Nissan URGE Concept Car:
Nissan North America Inc.(NNA) and Microsoft Corp. have merged automobile design and gaming technology to create the first-ever fully integrated gaming system within a vehicle. Conceived by Nissan Design America Inc. (NDA) and equipped with the Xbox 360™ next-generation video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Nissan URGE concept car allows drivers (while parked) to play “Project Gotham Racing® 3” using the car’s own steering wheel, gas pedal and brake pedal while viewing the game on a flip-down seven-inch LCD screen. “PGR® 3” is developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by Bizarre Creations Ltd. for Microsoft Game Studios.
…
A Nissan URGE driver can, for example, maneuver through the streets of New York, park the car and fire up the Xbox 360, then virtually race through the same streets using the same steering wheel, gas pedal and brake pedal — blurring fantasy and reality in a way that the automotive world has never before seen.
I’m glad they mentioned “while parked.”
The URGE, which will make its world debut at the 2006 North American International Auto Show on Jan. 9, offers a glimpse of how echo boomers are influencing the next generation of vehicle design.
“Nissan conducted an Internet survey of 2,000 echo boomers, a majority of which said technology and gaming are among the most important attributes in their first car,” said Bruce Campbell, vice president of design at Nissan Design America in La Jolla, Calif.
Echo boomers? Apparently, they’re the offspring of the Baby Boomers, but I have to worry if it’s really true that “technology and gaming are among the most important attributes in their first car.” More details by following the link.
Today Microsoft has a press release about the Microsoft telecom deal in Japan we mentioned yesterday and the parameters are rather different than the original press report hinted at:
Microsoft Co. Ltd., SOFTBANK BB Corp., and JAPAN TELECOM CO. LTD., announced that they are developing a security-enhanced, integrated communications service that combines voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), e-mail, Internet access, groupware, presence, instant messaging and desktop services with network infrastructure, and that they have formed a strategic business alliance to provide this service as a business-oriented solution.
The combination of Microsoft® Solution for Enhanced VoIP Services with the IP phone expertise of SOFTBANK BB, Japan’s largest carrier of IP phone services, delivers a platform with enhanced security that provides rich messaging, presence and collaboration functions with high-quality voice services. Further, JAPAN TELECOM plans to couple this integrated communication service with its high-quality networking infrastructure and managed network operation to provide its own information communication technologies (ICT) platform service to the corporate market.
The target is small and medium businesses. The Microsoft® Solution for Enhanced VoIP Services is one of Microsoft’s service provider offerings combining the Microsoft® Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration with partner Sylantro Systems Corp.’s Application Feature Server. A similar deal was done in September in the USA with Qwest.
