The News Review:
- Court told of ‘suicide vest film’
- Competition hots up in software
- Google at water-cooler
- X20 Media unveils Xpresenter 2.0
- Terror plot accused ‘had bomb vest instruction video’
- ‘Choking Game’ forum programs set at schools
Court told of ‘suicide vest film’
BBC News – Apr 24, 2007
It included instructions on making a suicide vest explosives and poisons. A Microsoft Powerpoint slideshow “The Illustrated Booby Trapping Course” was allegedly found on a laptop. Younes Tsouli 23 and Tariq Al-Daour 21 both from west London and Waseem Mughal 24 from Kent deny charges under the 2000 Terrorism Act. The raids were carried out in ctober 2005 Woolwich Crown Court heard on Tuesday. ‘Detailed guide’Police found a 26-minute film on a computer CD at the Chatham home of Mr Mughal. It had details about constructing a suicide vest including making the explosive charge and attaching ball bearings to act as shrapnel prosecutor Mark Ellison said.
Competition hots up in software
The Australian – Apr 24, 2007
Google is aiming to steal a bit more of Microsoft’s ffice business with a new online presentation tool that competes with PowerPoint currently near-ubiquitous in business circles. Adobe is looking to muscle in on Microsoft’s Windows Media and others with free multimedia player software dubbed Adobe Video Player. And Microsoft is firing right back with a project called Silverlight a web browser plug-in that challenges Adobe’s Flash software for developing small animated applications delivered via the web. Internet search giant Google has been nibbling away at Microsoft’s ffice software market for some time. It already offers Docs and Spreadsheets – a free online service that allows users to create Microsoft ffice-compatible word-processing and spreadsheet files – and Google Apps Premium a more complete fee-based suite of office productivity software. But neither of these offerings has included anything to rival Microsoft’s PowerPoint used by millions of executives to create slideshows workflow diagrams and other business-style presentations. Now most of us have been bored rigid watching PowerPoint presentations over the years and Professor John Sweller from the University of New South Wales’ education faculty has called them "a disaster" and suggests businesses would be better off ditching the software… It already offers Docs and Spreadsheets – a free online service that allows users to create Microsoft ffice-compatible word-processing and spreadsheet files – and Google Apps Premium a more complete fee-based suite of office productivity software. But neither of these offerings has included anything to rival Microsoft’s PowerPoint used by millions of executives to create slideshows workflow diagrams and other business-style presentations. Now most of us have been bored rigid watching PowerPoint presentations over the years and Professor John Sweller from the University of New South Wales’ education faculty has called them "a disaster" and suggests businesses would be better off ditching the software. Alas the dot-point idea is firmly entrenched in the corporate mind. Now it seems Google chief executive Eric Schmidt too has been bitten by the presentations bug. 0 conference in the US the other day he revealed that Google would soon add a feature to Docs and Spreadsheets that will enable users to create presentations and slideshows.
Google at water-cooler
Sydney Morning Herald – Apr 24, 2007
Google Enterprise sells search appliances – devices that helporganisations to search their documents using the companies’technology – but Google Apps Premier Edition is its latest productfor businesses. Launched in February it combines an online wordprocessor spreadsheet calendar email and web page creator -threatening Microsoft just as organisations are considering ffice2007. The assault on Microsoft will intensify later this year. Lastweek Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said that Google Appswill soon include presentations much like Microsoft’sPowerPoint. Mr Girouard is cautious about comparing Google and Microsoftthis way. “Certainly Microsoft is a competitor of ours and I think whatwe’re doing with Google Apps certainly can be perceived correctlyas being somewhat of a threat to Microsoft” he says. “Having said that when you look at our product level we don’treally see our products as substitutions for Microsoft ffice… Launched in February it combines an online wordprocessor spreadsheet calendar email and web page creator -threatening Microsoft just as organisations are considering ffice2007. The assault on Microsoft will intensify later this year. Lastweek Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said that Google Appswill soon include presentations much like Microsoft’sPowerPoint. Mr Girouard is cautious about comparing Google and Microsoftthis way. “Certainly Microsoft is a competitor of ours and I think whatwe’re doing with Google Apps certainly can be perceived correctlyas being somewhat of a threat to Microsoft” he says. “Having said that when you look at our product level we don’treally see our products as substitutions for Microsoft ffice. Forexample they’re really used in a different type of situation; theyhave very different design points.
X20 Media unveils Xpresenter 2.0
Broadcast Engineering – Apr 26, 2007
0 enables development of digital signage content from within the Microsoft PowerPoint application. X2 Media launched version 2. 0 of its flagship Xpresenter platform at NAB2007.
Terror plot accused ‘had bomb vest instruction video’
yorkshiretoday.co.uk – Apr 25, 2007
The clip details how to construct the vest including the making of the explosive ADVERTISEMENTcharge and the attachment of ball bearings to act as shrapnel. fficers also discovered other computer files and documents likely to be useful to terrorists when they carried out simultaneous raids on the homes of Younes Tsouli 23 and Tariq al-Daour 21 the court heard. Tsouli’s laptop contained a 58-slide Microsoft Powerpoint presentation entitled “The Illustrated Booby Trapping Course”. Prosecutor Mark Ellison said the Arabic document claimed to teach the viewer how to make a remotely detonated bomb suitable for blowing up “passing vehicles or a rich man’s house”. A weapons expert from the Forensic Explosives Laboratory described it as “a detailed guide to the science and use of a variety of military and improvised explosives” the court heard. Mr Ellison said: “The information is quite obviously likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism. “Police allegedly found computer CDs at al-Daour’s home containing files with instructions for making explosives and poisons.
‘Choking Game’ forum programs set at schools
Huntsville Item – Apr 24, 2007
”Metheny and his group will speak to all high school students in the county but parents will be given an opportunity to “opt out” their children if they choose Nabors said. Flyers will also be sent home giving information about Metheny’s presentation. asp as a Microsoft Powerpoint presentation.