Tuesday, January 31, 2006

The long awaited Internet Explorer 7.0 beta preview was released to the public on January 31.

Large amounts of the architecture, including the security framework, have been completely overhauled. Partly as a result of these security enhancements, the browser will be a stand-alone application, rather than integrated with the Windows shell.

The final Beta 2 is scheduled by Microsoft to be released in April, with the full version scheduled for the Summer of 2006.

According to Microsoft’s announcement, the beta will only run on Windows XP Service Pack 2 systems, but the final release version is intended to be able to run on Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, and Windows Server 2003 as well.

Version 7 includes a number of new features.

• Improved rendering engine – Internet Explorer’s rendering engine, codenamed Trident has been completely rewritten to compete with the faster rendering engines of Opera and Firefox.
• Tabbed Browsing – users can now have several web pages in the same window via “tabs”.
• Quick Tabs – enables users to view thumbnail images of all open tabs in one view.
• Tab Groups – enables users to organize multiple tabs in the same category as a single Tab Group that can be saved as a Favorite and the user can open all the sites in the Tab Group with a single click on the arrow to the right of the folder.
• Page zoom – enables users to increase or decrease the page size for easier viewing.
• IDN support
• RSS Support – Version 7.0 now supports RSS, which allows users to gather “news feeds” from web sites that have RSS support. Microsoft implements RSS in a shared library, known as a DLL, so that third party developers can develop their own RSS-enabled applications.
• Alpha transparency – Version 7.0 now has native support for PNG alpha transparency. This allows certain image (PNGs) to have opaque areas that can blend in with other images and text.
• OpenSearch Extensions – Users of version 7.0 can now use search engines by typing in search terms directly from the browser’s toolbar.
• Administration improvements – All previous and new features are manageable via Group Policy, including the Phishing Filter and all browser add-ons.
• Improved CSS support – Version 7.0 has improved CSS support, which means Internet Explorer will now render pages closer to the method defined by the W3C, a standards body for World Wide Web technologies. This means web page designers and developers will have an easier time designing web sites and applications to look the same on all web browsers.
• Improved AJAX functionality – Applications that use a web development technique called AJAX to make interactive web applications will run more efficiently because Microsoft has included support for its main component, the XMLHttpRequest Object, into the browser. Previous versions of Internet Explorer required a helper application, called an ActiveX Object to implement this functionality (a good example of an AJAX application is Google’s popular Google Maps application.
• Enhanced security – Microsoft has attempted to fix a number of security issues with how Internet Explorer behaves. This includes:
  • Protected Mode – In Protected Mode, Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista is completely unable to modify user or system files and settings.
  • Internet Explorer 7.0 is a stand-alone application, rather than integrated with the Windows shell like version 6.0. This means that you can no longer open a folder, type in a URL and get a web page.
  • URL Handling Protections.
  • Protection Against Cross-Domain Scripting Attacks.
  • Anti-Phishing and Anti-Spoofing filters.
  • Security Status Bar – color-coded visual and icons cues to the safety and trustworthiness of a Web site.

The current release is intended for compatibility testing by developers and IT professionals, and is not aimed at the general public.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s Health Minister, introduced emergency legislation in the lower house of the Irish parliament yesterday evening, to negate the legal loophole created by a decision from Dublin’s Court of Appeal that morning. Various hard drugs — including ketamine, ecstasy, and magic mushrooms — were rendered legal, following the law governing their prohibition being found to be unconstitutional.

The drug possession case of Stanislav Bederev led to the legal loophole; his lawyers arguing the 2010 addition of several drugs to the country’s controlled substances list, governed by the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977, was unlawful. They contended it was unconstitutional to add these substances to the list without consulting the Oireachtas — i.e., parliament.

The Irish government is stressing the urgency of parliamentary legislation to rectify the situation. “It is now important from both a public health and criminal justice perspective that the legislation be enacted as soon as possible”, said a government spokesperson. The Health Minister expressed concern both for the welfare of individuals taking advantage of the temporary legality of the substances involved, and for drug-related convictions handed down since the now-unconstitutional changes came into effect.

“The emergency legislation I am introducing today will re-instate the status quo ante and re-control all drugs that were controlled prior to this judgment”, said Mr Varadkar.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Today, the satellite radio providers XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio submitted a joint application to transfer control of their ground and space-based transmitters to the new, merged company. This is a major step for the XM/Sirius merger deal, as FCC approval represents a major hurdle for the merger. This document also answers some questions that have plagued subscribers of both services.

While there is not much information for the casual listener, two of the most frequently asked questions have been addressed, at least in part:

Pricing has been clarified, to some exeent. From the FCC filing: “After the merger, customers may elect to receive fewer channels at a monthly price lower than $12.95;substantially similar programming at the existing $12.95 price; or more channels, including someof the ‘best of both’ networks, at a modest premium to the cost of one service, and considerablyless than the cost of subscribing to both services.” The document goes on to explain that channel blocking will be available, and that credit will be given for blocked channels.

The filing also addresses the potential need for new receivers. “Subscribers could continue to use their existing radios or eventually purchase new radios capable of receiving all of the content of both services when they become available.” Apparently, some programming will be available on both networks, but this will be limited. To get the full range of programming, subscribers will need new equipment.

Another major stumbling block for the merger deal is the potential for monopoly. To counter the arguments that the merged company will become a monopoly, the document goes on to describe the nature of satellite radio’s competition: HD radio, Internet radio, AM and FM radio, portable media players, mobile phones, and even CD players. “It is clear that all of the above providers view themselves as being in direct competitionwith each other,” the document alleges, and then goes on to quote statements by the National Association of Broadcasters in support of this assertion. “local radio stations compete for listeners with other forms of audio delivery offering an almost unlimited array of content. IPods and other MP3 players, music [subscription] services, podcasting and the Internet streaming of U.S. and foreign radio stations literally provide content from around the world to listeners in each local radio market in America.”

As this is only the first step in the FCC process, and the FCC is only one of three major steps in the merger process, the deal is far from over. However, convincing the FCC that the merger should happen will remove a major barrier in the companies’ efforts.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

A 15-year prison sentence was handed down by a Cuban court to US Agency for International Development (USAID) worker Alan Gross for crimes against the state.

Gross was arrested in December 2009 while on a USAID mission intended to promote democracy by distributing satellite communications equipment to Jewish groups; these groups have denied any involvement in the matter. Such equipment, and distributing it, is illegal in Cuba.

According to a Cuban court, Gross’s activities were part of “a subversive project of the US government that aimed to destroy the Revolution through the use of communications systems out of the control of authorities.”

In response to the decision, a US National Security Council spokesperson said that the “sentencing adds another injustice to Alan Gross’s ordeal. He has already spent too many days in detention and should not spend one more.”

Gross’s wife has requested that Cuba release her husband on humanitarian grounds; some political analysts expect this to eventually occur. Gross, aged 61, is reported to have lost 90 pounds while imprisoned since his arrest, and is affected by ulcers, gout, and arthritis.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Caracas, Venezuela — The fifth edition of the Expo Gastronomía food event finished its run yesterday in Caracas at the Plaza Francia in Altamira. It was the first time the event was held at this particular location. Starting on Thursday, it was the first edition of the event to be held in 2013, and was organized by Carlos Garcia and Yolanda Martin.

In its fifth version, the exhibition organizers estimated to receive between 10,000 and 13,000 people to the event, which had nine pavilions representing eight countries around the world. The exhibitors were divided into four categories: typical food of the country they represent, handicrafts, gastronomy (comprised of cooking books and products, and metalwork ^{((es))es:Orfebrería: ?orfebrería}), and hotel businesses and tourism.

The event was sponsored by Coca-Cola, La Granja, Oroweat, G2000 Events, CGYM Group, and the Chacao Mayor’s Office. In addition, the food company Cosecha San José participated as one of the exhibitors. According to organizers, the sixth edition of the event is planned for later this year.

The festival first took place on April 2011, with a attendance of around 3,000 people. On that occasion, eight countries participated in the event.