Each weekend we highlight the most relevant stories Wired News has covered. To find out what's coming up, jump to The Week Ahead.
The future of music: With a 30 June deadline looming, manufacturers, record labels, and software developers continued to struggle to find common ground for their Secure Digital Music Initiative. Meanwhile, the Electronic Frontier Foundation warned that SDMI may limit free expression.
Reading up on Chapter 11: Law firms that handle corporate bankruptcies are expecting a surge in business soon – when the bubble bursts and on-the-edge Internet companies fall. "All of the firms are in the mode of expanding and hiring associates," said one attorney.
You snooze, you lose: America Online's plans to conquer the world got a bit of a jolt when a Brazilian judge ruled that it couldn't take the domain name aol.com.br away from the company that got it first. Other expansion-minded US companies could run into such troubles overseas, too.
Looking for proof: Biotech firms gathered in California in search of capital, which has turned a cold shoulder to the industry in recent years. Said one conference organizer: "Until we get to a point where these companies can deliver on their promises, venture capitalists will be skeptical."
E-rate debate: Federal regulators voted to boost the amount of money that comes out of your pocket to help pay for wiring schools and libraries. But the issue still figures to get much play during the 2000 campaign.
Show us the money: Welsh-born businessman Peter Llewellyn, who reportedly had offered Russia US$100 million for a ride on Mir, was booted out of the space-station training program for failing to come up with the cash. Those familiar with Llewellyn's background – an arrest record in the United States, allegations of fraud on three continents – were not surprised.
Don't blow it: Wells County, Indiana, was keeping more than a close eye on the convicted drunk drivers it let out of jail this week. Because it's cheaper than keeping them in the poky, officials there began using a new at-home breathalyzer to track blood-alcohol levels from afar.
Domain-name profiteers: There are 456,976 combinations of four-letter strings possible in the English alphabet, and 75,000 of them were nearly snapped up by a London computer club called Pictureweb. These folks were stopped, but more sophisticated cybersquatters aren't so easily spotted.
Parents, don't read this: The Professional Gaming League wrapped up its season, crowning new champions in Quake 2 and Starcraft. The winners got $10,000 apiece, a new PC, and maybe even the chance to earn $100,000 annually testing new games. Meanwhile, just for fun, a Pong match for the ages.
Reality time: Fear lurked in the IPO market this week, and several offerings struggled to hold their opening values. Juno Online and Ziplink actually sunk on their first day of trading. A few new issues did better – like barnesandnoble.com – but there were no monster runups as in olden days (you know, April).
Music is music: More and more creative energy is going into making the music that accompanies videogames. Makes sense, then, that the Grammy people decided to bring the game-tune creators into their annual competition.
Cancer finder: "A spell-checker for mammograms" is how Dr. Robert Schmidt described new technology he designed. It complements standard mammography machinery by converting mammographic film into a digital signal that can be analyzed by a computer.
They need a life: The new documentary Trekkies, depicting the ways of those diehard Star Trek obsessives, opened in movie theaters. It's guaranteed to make you laugh. Unless you're a Trekkie. (Or is it Trekker?)
They have a dream: "They're trying to tame a beast that's too big to corral," said one astronomer when asked about HubbleConstant.com. Nevertheless, NASA launched the site, hoping that someday all the cosmological data and info it acquires can reside in one nice, tidy spot for general consumption.
They know how: Who's making money on the Web? Porn sites, of course. And so it was that mainstream operators gathered in New York to hear the tricks of the trade – the adult trade – from the masters.
None of that Down Under: A far different story in Australia, where legislation that would require Internet service providers to block or remove adult Web content made strides toward becoming law. Once again, all in the name of protecting the children.
Whether they want it or not: Japan's state-run broadcaster showed off digital TV, which is due to reach the masses later this year. The only thing clear from the demo, however, was that the country is rushing headlong into a new technology without giving much thought to its end users.
All in one: VerticalOne got US$12 million in financing to pursue a plan that would merge personal banking information with your favorite portal. Your news, sports, entertainment, and checking account, all in one. Cool idea? One privacy watchdog wasn't so sure.
Law chasing technology: The US Copyright Office said public schools and universities need exemptions and flexible fair-use policies for the copyrighted materials they use in digital long-distance teaching. Those who produce instructional materials are all for it; the motion picture, recording, and publishing industries aren't so sure.
You figure it out: "It's a brilliant example of an important kind of work: deconstructing Web design and Web browsing." So said one artist-type who's studied Hell.com and skinonskin, the interactive online project's latest "experience."
Holding court: Microsoft and Caldera were busy filing motions, making arguments, scheduling hearings. All part of Caldera's antitrust suit, which isn't even scheduled to go to trial until next year.
Odd aspirations: That alleged Web scammer we reported on earlier this month was finally nabbed. Apparently he was hoping his fake Playboy talent contests would draw the attention of Howard Stern.
Spy fallout: The White House said that congressional report on Chinese spying would likely put the kibosh on efforts in Washington to loosen encryption export controls. Some industry reps were skeptical of this view, however, noting that the Clintonites have always been hostile to strong crypto.
Neighborhood bully: Tribal Voice responded to America Online's lawsuit, which seeks to stop the tiny company from using the term "buddy list" with its instant messaging software. "It's just a case of the big company trying to inflict pain on the smaller one," a Tribal Voice rep said.
Law of unintended consequences: Nothing boosts sales like a little censorship. Amazon.com still wasn't shipping that controversial Scientology book in the United Kingdom, but it was available everywhere else again – and there were buyers aplenty.
Getting their Buffy: Concerns about high school shootings led Warner Bros. to postpone Tuesday's violent season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But the show aired as scheduled in Canada, and it took just a few hours for a digitized version of the episode to find its way to the Net. THE WEEK AHEAD
31 May: Financial markets and most businesses in the US – including Wired News – are closed for Memorial Day.
1 June, Washington, DC: After a three-month hiatus – and no breakthrough in settlement talks – the long-running drama US v. Microsoft resumes. At least, that's the plan.
1 June: Until 31 March 2000, the Securities and Exchange Commission will hold off on rules changes that require major reprogramming of its computers, or those of the entities it oversees. This moratorium, set last August, is intended to help the securities industry stay focused on Y2K conversion.
2 June: More work for the Microsoft legal team, as the antitrust suit brought by Bristol Technologies is scheduled to begin.
3 June, Washington, DC: Jim Dempsey of the Center for Democracy and Technology speaks on CALEA, the law the FBI wants to use to vastly expand domestic surveillance.
