Unlimited Access - 200,000+ MP3s to choose from. Full Albums - Download complete albums or individual songs. Known Artists - 900+ of the world's best record labels. Real MP3s - Burn, transfer, make multiple copies. Guaranteed Quality - MP3s hosted at EMusic, not someone's bedroom.

The final version has been released, following a couple of test models sent out my way, and true to form, the final product is spot-on. It holds firmly without snapping off too easily. It has been designed so that it will come off with a few pounds of pressure, ensuring that you don't get your notebook a foot or two off of your lap before it gives out. Instead, it should let go before the entire thing is lifted from a resting state, but still hold tightly enough to allow some shifts and repositioning as you squirm in your chair.

With the perfectly tuned MouzPad, to go along with the USB Nite-Key-Lite and Laptop Desk, Furo is a happy mobile camper. But wait, there's more! President of LapWorks, Jose Calero informs me that they will soon have a SwivlPad device to complete the ensemble. As you might have guessed, it will rest underneath of the Laptop Desk when configured to work at a table or desk. As I understand it, the SwivlPad will slip in between the two panels of a folded Laptop Desk for storage. Hmmm... this would have to mean that it's extremely thin. Indeed it is. More on that once I have further details myself. In the meantime, I'm still their biggest fan for creating a mobile peripheral that is ideal for how I work.

See You at Gnomedex,              
Randy Nieland       

GnomeNETWORK

MS03-016: BizTalk Server Patch

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-016.asp

This patch addresses two newly reported vulnerabilities in BizTalk Server. The first vulnerability affects Microsoft BizTalk Server 2002 only. BizTalk Server 2002 provides the ability to exchange documents using the HTTP format. A buffer overrun exists in the component used to receive HTTP documents - the HTTP receiver - and could result in an attacker being able to execute code of their choice on the BizTalk Server.

The second vulnerability affects both Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000 and BizTalk Server 2002. BizTalk Server provides the ability for administrators to manage documents via a Document Tracking and Administration (DTA) web interface. A SQL injection vulnerability exists in some of the pages used by DTA that could allow an attacker to send a crafted URL query string to a legitimate DTA user. If that user were to then navigate to the URL sent by the attacker, he or she could execute a malicious embedded SQL statement in the query string.

Bulletin MS02-071 Revised

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-071.asp

Subsequent to the release of this patch Microsoft identified a problem affected Windows NT 4.0 TSE multi processor systems which was causing them to fail. The patch should have been installable on both single and multi processor system and the installer should have copied the correct binaries onto the system depending on whether the system was single or multi processor. However an installer error meant that the correct binaries were not being copied onto multi processor systems, causing them to fail under certain scenarios. Microsoft has updated the patch for Windows NT 4.0 TSE to correct this error. It should be noted that this patch only corrects an installer problem with multi processor Windows NT 4.0 TSE systems - there is no requirement to re-install the patch on single processor systems as the installer functions correctly on those systems.

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GnomeSYSTEM

Want to make your home network wireless? Lockergnome's Jake Ludington recommends The Wireless Networking Starter Kit - "From the basics to get you up and running, to security concerns, to boosting wireless signals with external antennas, this book covers everything you need to know in order to be wireless at home or in your office." Download your copy today - complete with updated coverage on 802.11g.

http://www.nomadworld.com/

Say what you will about Apple, but one thing is abundantly clear. If it were not for Apple's innovation and cool factor, devices like the Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen wouldn't even be on the radar screen. Now that the Zen is a reality, they're hoping to win back a bunch of those Windows users that were considering iPods. Admittedly, the specs of the NOMAD Jukebox Zen are attractive, including a 60GB capacity, lower price than the iPod and an optional FM tuner and wired remote. The device is USB 2.0 capable, but no mention of Firewire or Mac compatibility, though I doubt they're looking to compete with Apple on their own turf anyway. The remaining question is whether Creative can pull back some of the market share that they let slip away to the iPod. If they have a chance of doing so, this is the sort of device that will take them there, but watch your back, Creative. Apple is working on a Windows version of iTunes as well, which will undoubtedly work with devices other than the iPod, but will have some specific iPod tricks to show off as well.

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GnomeCLICKS

GnomeSTUFF

Eve Online Mini-Review

http://www.eve-online.com/

While I haven't had the opportunity to partake in gaming lately, I have been able to watch over the shoulder of my good friend, Jason, as he toys with the beta of Eve Online. The space-based online sim/RPG has been among the 2003 titles talked about quite a bit. As Jason walked me through some of the finer points of his characters and the game play, a few things are pretty clear.

First, the May 6, 2003 release date seems a litle rushed. The client portion has gone gold and CDs are being pressed, but there continues to be a steady stream of errors and crashes, judging by the snarls coming from Jason's direction. With the right video drivers, it gets a bit better, but many of the error pop-ups are coding glitches that need additional ironing. There will be patches streaming down after installing the client from CD regardless, so perhaps this won't be a major issue. The last patch I saw come down was less than 4MB, so that doesn't seem too bad when compared to some of the other updates I've experienced with online games.

Next, the content. I'll admit that I don't know a lot about the structure of the game, but it seems a little thin on plot right now. As I understand it, the point of the game is to build a player-influenced economy. This will naturally take time to mature, so much of the initial game play will be focused on building wealth, then banding together to form corporations. Then it's a matter of trade to grow the size and scope of coporations, eventually taking over entire solar systems as the controlling entity, by way of combat forces and economic muscle.

I sat down in front of the keyboard for an hour and a half to see if I could get a sense of how to do things without a fresh start or much explanation. Once you know the basics, the rest is just a matter of working down through the details of where to go and for what purpose. I'd say that the game is reasonably intuitive, and there's even a tutorial to help you get started with a new character, but it was broken when I tried it for myself. This would likely be on the list of important fixes before launch, though.

If you're more of a shoot-em-up gamer, don't even think about Eve Online. If the likes of EverQuest, Ultima Online and other MMORPGs suit your tastes better, then perhaps getting in on the early stages of Eve might be worthwhile. After thinking about it for a bit, a game that consists of one environment will grow quickly. Putting up with a few glitches early on in order for the right to stake your claim somewhere seems worth the pain.

Two main advantages to a game like Eve jump out. Skill building is somewhat tedious, but the "training" time required passes even when you're not logged on. If you don't have time to play, a quick logon to kick off the training of another skill will ensure that the time offline isn't going to waste. In addition to skills is some latitude in how you make your living within the game. Jason is toiling away at his day job, so I snatched his logon information this morning and went about a few minor tasks. Jason had indicated that several functions can be performed while doing other things. Yeah, right... I've heard that before, then let four hours slip away before I knew what hit me.

But wait... Eve Online does indeed seem to lend itself to the multitasker. One of the early character building tasks seems to be the mining of ore from asteroids scattered throughout the vast universe. Point and shoot, then find something else to do while your ship fills up. When finished, set a course for a space station to sell your booty... lather, rinse, repeat ad nauseum. Boring? Yeah, somewhat, but productive both in and out of game. Jason has a really big spaceship apparently, so the length of time required to fill up his cargo bay is supposedly far greater than the starter ship, so that's a note to jot down for you play-while-working types.

Jason also pointed out a couple of things that I could do besides drilling for rocks, while still allowing focus on other tasks. It took me five minutes to find some stuff to buy from one corporation and sell to another for a tidy profit. Set a course for the seller's port, pick up the cargo, then head for the buyer, watching out for pirates that are said to be roaming around looking for easy prey. The autopilot function does all of the navigatory work, and during the couple of sample trips I performed, I was met with no resistance as the ship guided itself along the half hour journey. Still a tad boring if you don't have other things to do, but no complaints from me since 90% of the hour and a half was dedicated to answering email, fixing some domain/web stuff and taking phone calls from real world corporations.

When they took the servers down for their daily beta maintenance cycle, I had added about 15% to Jason's bank account and managed to keep him alive without too much trouble. He has an interesting plan in place to have a few of our group of friends band together to ramp up quickly in order to establish a corporation right out of the gate.

One of the gang prefers the combat role, so he'll ride shotgun while traveling through dangerous areas, as well as hunting down scoundrels with player-initiated bounties on their heads. Jason has a pile totalling about 8 million units of the game's currency. The most wanted outlaw in all of Eve is a guy named Zwoosh. Taking him out will earn a pot 750,001,337 units in size, while hunting down Leeloo garners over 736 million. They must have really spit in someone's Pepsi because the next highest reward is a little over 5 million. This is another important aspect of the game that isn't immediately apparent. Maintaining your security index among the citizens and officials of various star systems is important if you want to stay alive for long. Killing the innocent will quickly make you a target by both non-player entities and players alike.

Overall, I liked what I saw of Eve Online, particularly the smooth, detailed graphics. The interface elements need polishing and bug hunting over the next week, but the core features seem to work. Watching the in-game chatroom gave me a sense that many long-standing issues have already been addressed, with current complaints revolving around promised content and character abilities that have yet to be implemented. I'm saving my money until the release happens and Jason gives me a report on the progress of outstanding weaknesses, but I might be able to contribute something without a major time commitment. I enjoy taking a spot of time to tune everything else out, but the last thing I want is to be sucked into hours of pointless toil. The aim is to play with friends whenever possible, but without falling too far behind in character maturity. Eve Online fits that wish so far.

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GnomeTRAFFIC

Global Internet Traffic Index

The Internet Traffic Report monitors the flow of data around the world. It then displays a value between zero and 100. Higher values indicate faster and more reliable connections. Times are U.S. Mountain Standard Time (GMT -7).

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