'Geek spam' emerges as spammers play new trick

Hosted security firm Messagelabs claims geeks are being targetted explicitly by spammers using new techniques to subvert spam filters. It says that over the past few weeks it has seen a new spamming trend arise, which uses 'technobabble' to confuse spam filters into trusting spam mail. MessageLabs is calling it 'geek spam'. ...more

Opera raises curtain further on version 9

The second technical preview of the Opera 9 browser, which is now available for download, features support for widgets, thumbnail previews, site-specific preferences and improved pop-up blocking. By the term 'widgets' Opera means small Web apps that run directly on the desktop. These can interact with online services - such as news feeds, dictionaries or search engines - and Opera's hope is that users develop their own . ...more

Hussein hustles PS2s

If you're wondering what's causing the world shortage of PlayStation 2s, it's because Saddam Hussein is getting them diverted to Iraq to build a military supercomputer. Although embargoed by Japan, the US Customs Service and the FBI are investigating an influx of PS2s (as many as 4,000, according to a Defence Intelligence Report) into Iraq, according to a report on WorldNetDaily. The agencies' fears are that if linked up, the superior graphics capabilities of 32-bit consoles could be used to model terrain and guide unmanned aircraft or missiles. ...more

iSCSI puts storage on the Web

The Internet Engineering Task Force has approved a protocol that will enable SCSI devices attached to workstations and servers to be plugged into Ethernet networks and made available over local networks and the Internet. The technology should be formally ratified within a month. This iSCSI protocol will make it much easier for SCSI devices to be both backed up and managed remotely. ...more

Mean Fiddler.com buys back venues

UK music company, Mean Fiddler.com has bought back its "bricks and mortar" assets in an attempt to strengthen its brand, from chairman Vince Power, in a deal worth ?32m. The assets include London venues such as the Astoria, Jazz Caf?, Mean Fiddler and the Garage, as well as the Fleadh and Reading festivals. ...more