Even if you aren't in the medical profession, this is an interesting
demo of a patient information system available via web browsers on
Windows and Macintosh...... and iPhone (kinda makes me want to become
a surgeon just so I can use it.... .when I get an iPhone, of
course. ::-)
Wayne
...from:
http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2007/07/25/the-iphone-really-can-save-
lives/
http://emr.liferecord.com/
July 25, 2007, 3:41 pm
The iPhone Really Can Save Lives!
Posted by Ben Worthen
The iPhone can’t do brain surgery. But it sure can help, according to
one doctor, reinforcing this blog’s belief that creative iPhone users
will show that the device holds great promise as a business tool –
often before tech managers figure that out.
For business users, the biggest advantage of the iPhone over the
BlackBerry isn’t the ability to play music or its lack of buttons or
its several degrees of cool. It’s the iPhone’s Web browser, which
makes the phone function more like a laptop than a handheld.
Dr. Robert Singer is already taking advantage of that iPhone feature.
By his own admission a tech geek, the Nashville, Tenn., neurovascular
surgeon initially bought an iPhone because he thought it would be a
fun device to own. “I was one of the June 29ers,” he tells the
Business Technology Blog, referring to the day the iPhone went on
sale. But he quickly saw that the browser made it an ideal workplace
tool.
Video demo: http://www.youtube.com/v/uX_6yIO2bR8
Dr. Singer, who says he performs about 450 surgeries a year, uses his
iPhone to access his practice’s electronic medical-records system.
Thanks to the iPhone’s browser, he is able to review patients’ X-
Rays, angiograms and medical histories while in the operating room.
(Click on the video to the left for a demonstration.) He was never
able to do this with his BlackBerry, he says; instead, he would
review a patient’s file in his office the night before a surgery. Not
only does the iPhone let him go into surgery fresher, he also can see
updated information. Earlier this week, for example, he changed the
way he performed a back operation based on notes from an old surgery
that had been added to a patient’s electronic record shortly before
he made his first cut.
Verizon was similarly critical. “Google’s filing urges the F.C.C. to
adopt rules that force all bidders to [allow consumers to buy a
wireless phone at a store, but instead of being forced to use a
specific carrier, they would be free to pick any carrier they wanted.
Instead of the wireless carrier choosing what software goes on their
phones, users would be free to put any software they want on it] —
which would reduce the incentives for other players to bid,” said
Thomas J. Tauke, Verizon’s executive vice president of public
affairs, policy and communications, in a statement
...from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/21/technology/21google.html?
pagewanted=2&th&emc=th
Google Pushes for Rules to Aid Wireless Plans
By MIGUEL HELFT and STEPHEN LABATON
Published: July 21, 2007
If Google succeeds with federal regulators, it could change the way
millions of Americans use their cellphones and how they connect to
the Internet on their wireless devices.
In the Internet giant’s view of the future, consumers would buy a
wireless phone at a store, but instead of being forced to use a
specific carrier, they would be free to pick any carrier they wanted.
Instead of the wireless carrier choosing what software goes on their
phones, users would be free to put any software they want on it.
Google believes that the cost of voice calls and data connections to
the Internet may be partly subsidized by advertisements brought to
users by Google’s powerful online advertising machine.
There might even be a Google phone.
That vision, according to several analysts, is the reason Google said
yesterday that it would bid upward of $4.6 billion for a swath of the
nation’s airwaves, which are set to be auctioned by the federal
government next year — as long as certain conditions are met.
But Google’s efforts to position itself on the side of the consumer
are also part of a fierce lobbying battle that pits it and other tech
companies against wireless carriers, who oppose conditions that
Google wants to set on the winners of the auction. Verizon Wireless
has called the conditions “corporate welfare for Google.” And AT&T
rejected Google’s latest effort, calling it an “all or nothing
ultimatum.” The Federal Communications Commission chairman, Kevin
Martin, has come out squarely against two of Google’s four proposed
conditions.
The F.C.C.’s rules governing the auction could shape the landscape
for the next generation of mobile telephones and wireless Internet use.
“When you go to Best Buy to buy a TV, they don’t ask whether you have
cable or satellite,” said Blair Levin, a former F.C.C. official who
is now an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Company. “When you buy a
computer, they don’t ask what kind of Internet service you have, and
the computer can run any application or service. That doesn’t exist
in the wireless world. That’s where Google wants to go with this
auction.”
Google has already invested millions of dollars in mobile phone
technology, in part, to develop a comprehensive set of software for
mobile devices that goes well beyond the mobile search and map
services it already offers. Rumors about a Google phone that would
provide easy access to the company’s mobile services have been
persistent.
The company has been characteristically circumspect about its mobile
plans, and just this week, Eric E. Schmidt, Google’s chief executive,
deflected questions from an analyst about plans for a mobile phone.
“We have looked pretty carefully at wireless and are thinking about
what we want to do there,” Mr. Schmidt said.
But Mr. Schmidt stressed the importance to Google of a network where
anyone could plug in any device and have access to the full abilities
of the Internet. In such an environment, Mr. Schmidt noted, mobile
phone users would become significant consumers of online advertising,
Google’s core business.
Google fears that some of its mobile efforts could be thwarted — or
prove less lucrative — if a handful of cellphone carriers continue to
dominate the wireless Internet world and retain the power to
determine what services and applications run on their networks.
Google’s set of proposed rules would have the F.C.C. require that any
devices and any application could be connected to the wireless
network using the auctioned spectrum. Further, they would require
that whoever wins the spectrum make a portion of it available to
resellers on a wholesale basis, which Google and other technology
companies believe is necessary to promote broadband competition.
“I want people to have the choice to use our service,” said Chris
Sacca, head of special initiatives at Google. “That is something that
I fear won’t exist in this space.”
Even if Google’s service was not blocked outright, an open network
would be favorable to Google’s business, as the company would not
have to contract with carriers to insert ads into the service, said
Paul Kedrosky, executive director of the William J. von Liebig Center
for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement at the University of
California, San Diego.
So what would Google do if its conditions were put in place and it
won the auction?
Mr. Sacca said that Google was not likely to build a wireless network
or get into the Internet service business itself. “We could offer it
to anyone who wants to collaborate with us who embraces our
principles of openness,” Mr. Sacca said.
The licenses, considered the beach-front property on the
electromagnetic spectrum, are in the 700 megahertz band of radio
frequencies, which are being surrendered by television stations as
they convert to digital broadcast. The auction, to be held early next
year, is expected to raise more than $10 billion in revenue for the
government.
The commission has been heavily lobbied in recent months about
crafting auction rules. The commission is expected to issue the rules
in the coming weeks. Any rules can be adopted only by a majority of
the five commissioners.
Mr. Martin’s draft proposal contains some elements of Google’s plan
but not others. It proposed, among other things, that about one-third
of the spectrum being auctioned be available for an “open network”
that could be used by any mobile device or service. It also proposed
no limits on the software applications used over that network.
“We’re trying to ensure that we develop a wireless broadband provider
who has a more open platform,” he said in an interview yesterday.
He said he wanted the terms of the auction set so the winners invest
in upgrading wireless networks. But he also emphasized that his
proposed rules would permit the winners to resell spectrum.
“If you want to be the winner of the auction, we are proposing open
handsets and open applications,” he said. “If you win, you can be a
wholesale supplier. Nothing prevents that.”
On Thursday, AT&T said it represented a fair compromise. But
yesterday, after Google said the Mr. Martin’s proposal didn’t go far
enough, AT&T reacted swiftly.
“This is an attempt to pressure the U.S. government to turn the
auction process on its head by ensuring only a few, if any, bidders
will compete with Google,” said James W. Cicconi, a senior executive
vice president at AT&T, in a statement. “If Google is serious about
introducing a competing business model into the wireless industry,
Chairman Martin’s compromise proposal allows them to bid in the
auction, win the spectrum, and then implement every one of the
conditions they seek.”
Verizon was similarly critical. “Google’s filing urges the F.C.C. to
adopt rules that force all bidders to implement Google’s business
plan — which would reduce the incentives for other players to bid,”
said Thomas J. Tauke, Verizon’s executive vice president of public
affairs, policy and communications, in a statement.
At a Congressional hearing next Tuesday, Mr. Martin is expected to
testify about the auction and the proposed rules.
Some commission officials and telephone industry executives have
expressed concern that Google was seeking the imposition of a
wholesale requirement so that it could purposefully lose the auction,
but still have access to a network at lower cost.
Mr. Levin, the former F.C.C. official, suggested that Google’s latest
move might simply be an effort to put pressure on the commission.
“There is a significant difference between saying you are going to
bid and actually bidding,” Mr. Levin said.
“Lots of people in the context of an auction policy make promises,”
he said. “Whether they follow through is a different matter.”
...from:
http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/07/20/dukecisco/index.php
Cisco access point at fault for Duke's wireless issues
July 20, 2007 6:11 pm ET
Macworld
By Jim Dalrymple
After blaming Apple’s iPhone for its wireless networking problems,
Duke University said earlier today that it hadn’t been able to
pinpoint what the problem was. Now, it has been confirmed that a
Cisco wireless access point was at fault for the networking issues.
“Cisco worked closely with Duke and Apple to identify the source of
this problem, which was caused by a Cisco-based network issue,” said
Cisco in a statement provided to Macworld. “Cisco has provided a fix
that has been applied to Duke’s network and the problem has not
occurred since.”
In a statement posted to the universities Web site late Friday Tracy
Futhey, Duke’s chief information officer, said that “Earlier reports
that this was a problem with the iPhone in particular have proved to
be inaccurate.”
Futhey went on to say that the iPhone is fully operable within Duke’s
networking environment.
Kevin Miller, assistant director, communications infrastructure, with
Duke’s Office of Information Technology, laid the blame for Duke’s
networking problems squarely on the iPhone.
The network team began capturing wireless traffic for analysis and
that’s when they discovered that the offending devices were iPhones,
Miller said earlier this week.
“I don’t believe it’s a Cisco problem in any way, shape or form,”
Miller said firmly.
Duke began backpedaling earlier today when Julian Lombardi, assistant
vice president of academic services technology support for Duke
University, said the university was still investigating the issue.
It would appear at this point that Miller made his statements without
a full report or any basis to blame the iPhone or Apple for the
problems.
...from:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3391477
Duke: iPhone May Be Disrupting Network
Apple Inc.'s flashy new iPhones may be jamming parts of the wireless
network at Duke University, where technology officials worked with
the company Wednesday to fix problems before classes begin next month.
Bill Cannon, a Duke technology spokesman, said an analysis of traffic
found that iPhones flooded parts of the campus' wireless network with
access requests, freezing parts of the system for 10 minutes at a time.
A single iPhone was powerful enough to cause the problem, and there
are 100 to 150 of them registered on the network, Cannon said.
Network administrators have noticed the problem nine times in the
past week.
"The scale of the problem is very small right now," said Cannon,
adding that the school is working with Apple and Cisco Systems Inc.,
Duke's network equipment provider, to pinpoint the problem. "But the
more iPhones that are around, the more they could be knocking on the
door for access."
The iPhone is Apple's first foray into the cellular phone business.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company released the product which
combines a cell phone, media player and wireless Internet device at
the end of June, with some consumers lining up outside stores days
before the phones went on sale. The phones retail for $499 to $599.
The gadget can access the Internet through AT&T Inc.'s Edge network
or through Wi-Fi. When a Wi-Fi hotspot is unavailable, it
automatically switches to the slower network but continues to check
for a Wi-Fi signal.
Ashok Agrawala, a computer science professor at the University of
Maryland, speculated that both the phone and Duke's network are to
blame for the glitches at the university. Agrawala said the phones
could be struggling to regain a connection with a wireless access
point, possibly when a wireless hotspot hands off to another.
"When you set up a network on the campus, you set up the network to
accommodate the devices you have in use," Agrawala said, noting
laptops as the primary users on college campuses. "Now with the
popularity of the iPhones, the network parameters may not be set right.
But he added that the iPhone should be able to properly handle that
problem without flooding the network. Agrawala said he also questions
whether an iPhone is capable of accessing Duke's network 10,000 times
a second, as found by the school's analysis.
Natalie Kerris, an Apple spokeswoman, said the company is working
with Duke to quickly resolve the issue but didn't know details or its
source.
The problem has generated discussion on Internet technology forums,
but there have been no reports of other networks being affected. At
Maryland, for example, officials said they hadn't seen anything like
the problems at Duke.
Greg James, associate director of data networking at nearby North
Carolina State University, said Wednesday that the school hasn't
noticed any issues at its campus in Raleigh despite the usual
monitoring of all wireless access points.
"We're keeping a close eye out to what happens at Duke and what they
find," James said.
"Read [Mac] volumes when booted in Windows"
<http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20070717090846961>
"... HFSExplorer, a free and open-source utility that provides read-only
access to HFS+ volumes and DMG files from Windows. If you use Boot
Camp to
run Windows, this is a great way to get to your Mac's files, at least
on a
read-only basis."
For you non-Mac people, "HFS+" is the filesystem used by virtually all
Mac volumes; "DMG files" are .dmg disk image archive files, commonly
used.
{QUICK REFRESHER ON}
(from various sources including: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
2005_Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal)
In 2005 Sony/BMG Music began distributing audio CDs which included
copy protection software. The CDs would not play on computers until
some software had been installed from the CD onto the computer.
The problems were that this "protection" software acted in the same
manner as a rootkit - a type of program that hides itself from the
user - and it also opened vulnerabilities in the Windows OS making it
easier for viruses and other malware to infiltrate such a computer.
"On November 16, 2005, US-CERT, part of the United States Department
of Homeland Security, issued an advisory on XCP DRM. They said that
XCP uses rootkit technology to hide certain files from the computer
user, and that this technique is a security threat to computer users.
They also said one of the uninstallation options provided by Sony BMG
introduces further vulnerabilities to a system. US-CERT advised, 'Do
not install software from sources that you do not expect to contain
software, such as an audio CD.'"
Further, some CD owners reported that removing this software ended up
with a corrupted hard disk involving the loss of all data and needing
the reinstallation of the operating system to make the computer
usable again.
The CDs were recalled, class-action lawsuits and other legal action
followed in various locations, and "on January 30, 2007, the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a settlement with Sony BMG
on charges that their CD copy protection had violated Federal Law.
The settlement requires Sony BMG to reimburse consumers up to $150 to
repair damage that resulted directly from their attempts to remove
the software installed without their consent. The settlement also
requires them to provide clear and prominent disclosure on the
packaging of future CDs of any limits on copying or restrictions on
the use of playback devices, and bars the company from installing
content protection software without obtaining consumers’
authorization. FTC chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras added that,
'Installations of secret software that create security risks are
intrusive and unlawful. Consumers' computers belong to them, and
companies must adequately disclose unexpected limitations on the
customary use of their products so consumers can make informed
decisions regarding whether to purchase and install that content.'"
{QUICK REFRESHER OFF}
...from:
http://www.oto-online.com/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=516&Itemid=1
Sony sues anti-piracy company
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Following a class action settlement proposed in a lawsuit against
Sony BMG Music Entertainment, SunnComm International, and First 4
Internet, Sony BMG is suing The Amergence Group Inc (formerly
SunnComm), claiming that its technology was defective and cost the
record company millions of dollars to settle consumer complaints and
government investigations.
The MediaMax CD copy protection caused an uproar amongst consumers,
following the discovery that the software caused various problems,
including playability issues. Sony BMG is trying to get about $12
million in damages from Amergence, accusing the company of
negligence, unfair business practices and breaching the terms of its
license agreement by delivering software that "did not perform as
warranted".
Amergence has countered by saying that it was "unexpectedly served
with a summons in a civil lawsuit brought by Sony-BMG. The suit
alleges, among other things, that SunnComm's CD copy protection
component, called MediaMax, was defective and that the small Phoenix-
based company has a contractual obligation to indemnify the
entertainment giant against consumer actions which Amergence believes
resulted primarily from 1) Sony's under-tested release of a
competitor's technology, and 2) BMG's 'final authority' input in
determining the functional specifications of the MediaMax copy
protection."
The following procedure is specifically intended for "smart" Lithium-
Ion batteries so, really what is being addressed is not the battery
so much as the battery's microprocessor, the bit of the battery that
is responsible for tracking the power remaining in the battery. Over
time (on the scale of years rather than months) Li-Ion batteries see
their maximum charge levels drop (around 10-2-%). This is not the
"memory" that the previous NiCad batteries encountered but just a
gradual reduction of the max charge.
The following procedure does not "condition" the battery it merely
allows the on-battery microprocessor to discover the new "maximum
charge" if it has changed.
As such, this procedure would benefit any Li-Ion battery that has
"smarts" added to it (such as iPod or iPhone) and so would be
applicable to any such device not only Apple's laptops. If the device
in question does not have these "smarts" the following procedure does
nothing for the Li-Ion battery. This procedure is not so much
"conditioning the battery" as "recalculating the maximum power
estimate".
Every source I was able to find seems to agree that the worst thing
for Li-Ion battery life is excess heat. The caution on Apple's iPhone
page, for example, says:
"Paying attention to just a few commonsense pointers will pay off
with a longer battery lifespan and battery life for your iPhone. The
most important thing is to keep your iPhone out of the sun or a hot
car (even the glove box). Heat will degrade your battery’s
performance the most."
The same would be true of any Li-Ion battery such as your iPod.
Wayne
...from:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284
Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance
You can calibrate your iBook, PowerBook, MacBook or MacBook Pro
computer's lithium ion battery for best performance.
The battery has an internal microprocessor that provides an estimate
of the amount of energy in the battery as it charges and discharges.
The battery needs to be recalibrated from time to time to keep the
onscreen battery time and percent display accurate. With all iBooks
and PowerBook G4 computers except the aluminum PowerBook G4 (15-inch
Double-Layer SD), you should perform this procedure when you first
use your computer and then every few months thereafter.
iBooks and PowerBook G4s other than the PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-
Layer SD)
Plug the power adapter in and fully charge your computer's battery
until the battery indicator lights turn off and the adapter plug
light goes from amber to green, which indicates that the battery is
fully charged.
Disconnect the power adapter and use your iBook or PowerBook. When
your battery gets low, you will see the low battery warning dialog on
the screen. Continue to use your computer until it goes to sleep. At
that point the battery has been sufficiently drained for calibration.
Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is
fully charged again.
You have to fully charge and then discharge your battery only once to
calibrate it. After that, you can connect and disconnect the power
adapter when the battery is at any charge level.
Tip: When the battery reaches "empty", the computer is forced into
sleep mode. The battery actually keeps back a reserve beyond "empty",
to maintain the computer in sleep for a period of time. Once the
battery is truly exhausted, the computer is forced to shut down. At
this point, any open files could be lost. Therefore, it is important
that you find an electrical outlet and connect the adapter before the
forced shutdown occurs.
PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD), MacBook (all models), MacBook
Pro (all models), and MacBook Pro (17-inch) (all models)
The battery calibration for the PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer
SD) and any model of MacBook or MacBook Pro has been updated because
of a new battery released with this computer. With these computers,
follow these steps to calibrate your battery:
Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your PowerBook's battery
until the light ring or LED on the power adapter plug changes to
green and the onscreen meter in the menu bar indicates that the
battery is fully charged.
Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for at least two
hours. You may use your computer during this time as long as the
adapter is plugged in.
Disconnect the power adapter with the computer still on and start
running the computer off battery power. You may use your computer
during this time. When your battery gets low, you will see the low
battery warning dialog on the screen.
Continue to keep your computer on until it goes to sleep. Save all
your work and close all applications when the battery gets very low,
before the computer goes to sleep.
Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or more.
Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is
fully charged again.
Tip: When the battery reaches "empty", the computer is forced into
sleep mode. The battery actually keeps back a reserve beyond "empty",
to maintain the computer in sleep for a period of time. Once the
battery is truly exhausted, the computer is forced to shut down. At
this point, with the safe sleep function introduced in the PowerBook
G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD) computers, the computer's memory
contents have been saved to the hard drive. When power is restored,
the computer returns itself to its pre-sleep state using the safe
sleep image on the hard drive.
If you're not sure which model of PowerBook you have, see article
88248 to figure out which model you have.
- - - - - - - - - -
For battery saving tips for your iPod or iPhone (when it comes) see:
http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipods.htmlhttp://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html
...from:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=379&tag=nl.e622
July 13th, 2007
Critical MS Excel flaw dings Mac users
Posted by Ryan Naraine @ 12:34 pm
Microsoft has re-released the critical MS07-036 bulletin to add
protection for Mac OS X users.
When the bulletin was originally released in this month’s Patch
Tuesday batch, there was no mention of Mac users being at risk but
the bulletin was reissued late Thursday night with a note that all
three vulnerabilities affect the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac software.
The Office 2004 for Mac portion of the bulletin is rated “important”
across the board for all three flaws. A successful attack could lead
to remote code execution on the affected system.
The reissued bulletin also includes updated File Manifest information
for Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and
PowerPoint 2007.
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx?pid=download&location=/
mac/download/Office2004/Office2004_1136.xml
or
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2cjvfb
Hello to All:
Apple has just announced two free seminars in Winnipeg on August 15,
2007, on their Aperture digital photography workflow application. The
seminar topics and related links are
For the Wedding and Event Photography from 9am to 12pm
http://www.seminars.apple.com/goToEvent.html?id=64752
Streamlining your RAW Photography Workflow from 7pm to 9pm
http://www.seminars.apple.com/goToEvent.html?id=64852
Please forward this message on to anyone whom you think would be
interested.
For those of you working at or attending PrairieView School of
Photography, could you please forward this message on to other
students or staff you think would be interested.
I am aware that Don's Photo is partnering with Apple on this one, but
if you have any friends/contacts at PhotoCentral please feel free to
send this information to them.
Regards,
Doug
-------------
Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, APP
Senior Computer Consultant
Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba
204-474-6196 (Ph.)
204-474-7556 (Fax)
http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/
...from:
http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/05/25/stock/index.php
Microsoft sues alleged stock scammers
By Robert McMillan, IDG News Service
Hoping to tackle the growing problem of pump-and-dump stock scams
Microsoft has quietly filed lawsuits against at least three alleged
perpetrators who it says used its MSN Hotmail networks to promote
stocks.
Hotmail has “received large volumes of unsolicited commercial e-mail
messages” promoting stocks for companies such as Distributed Power,
TGC Ventures, China Biolife Enterprises, and Irwin Resources,
according to court documents filed during April and May in King
County Superior Court in Seattle.
Microsoft charges the defendants with violating the federal CAN-SPAM
act as well as Washington state consumer protection laws, and is
seeking unspecified damages, according to the filings.
Pump-and-dump e-mail scams are a form of fraud where the criminals
purchase stock in a company — typically an inexpensive penny stock —
and then promote the equity in millions of unsolicited email messages.
The technique is one of the more lucrative spamming practices, and
has been “the fastest growing area in spam” over the past few months,
said Craig Schmugar, a threat research manager with McAfee’s Avert Labs.
Pump-and-dump spam has not only taken up resources and threatened the
smooth functioning of Hotmail, but it “continues to result in
significant costs to Microsoft,” the court filings state. Microsoft
executives were not immediately available to comment for this story.
Because Microsoft does not know the name of the spammers behind the
unsolicited e-mails, it has filed the lawsuits as “John Doe” cases,
giving it the power to subpoena information in the case and
ultimately name the parties responsible when they are uncovered.
It’s the latest move in the cat and mouse game between pump-and-dump
spammers and the technology companies trying to stop them.
Pump-and-dump scams are gaining more attention from criminals and
companies like Microsoft for one simple reason: they work.
Researchers at Purdue and Oxford Universities recently examined] the
dynamics of pump-and-dump and found that spammers could realize 5
percent returns in a single day.
Because these scams are so lucrative, they’ve attracted some of the
most technically competent spammers to develop new techniques, said
Adam O’Donnell, a senior research scientist at Cloudmark. “The pump
and dump schemes are basically driving spam research and
development,” he said.
[...]
With the jump in pump-and-dump e-mail, O’Donnell said it’s no
surprise that Microsoft has brought the lawsuits. “Hotmail is heavily
used and is viewed by the Web community as one of the most
challenging spam environments right now,” he said.
