Legislators Tackle Bulk Surveillance Issue

The political frenzy over the United States National Security Agency's collection of Americans' bulk telephone metadata is escalating, with both the White House and the U.S. House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee announcing plans to introduce legislation to regulate the practice.

The White House's proposal reportedly would require phone companies to store the data and provide it under a court order.The House Intelligence Committee's legislation, drafted by NSA supporters Mike Rogers and C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger, would lower the bar for surveillance.
Meanwhile, an earlier bill, sponsored by Rep. John Sensenbrenner, a coauthor of the USA Patriot Act, is widely viewed as more likely to rein in surveillance, but it is languishing in the House.

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Service-Based IT Switches Up Feds' Vendor Relationships

Cloud computing has ushered in an emphasis on service-oriented, on-demand information technology in the federal market. The shift from acquiring hard assets, such as computers, servers and even mobile devices, as well as software packages installed on those assets, has been gradual. However, the process has reached a point that it requires more attention from the vendor community.

Beyond cloud technology -- or sometimes allied with it -- the service approach to data storage, Big Data, analytics and mobile device management is increasing, and vendors are being asked to change with the times.
Underscoring the significance of this change, the Professional Services Council is expanding its portfolio to align the its agenda with the shifting direction of the federal technology and professional services market.
The PSC, an association of more than 370 companies, represents small, medium, and large businesses that

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Nvidia's ECS: Some Amazing Little Companies to Watch

 ECS -- Nvidia's Emerging Companies Summit -- is a place to check out some of the firms that could become the next breakout company. It didn't disappoint this year. Among the highlights: A firm that could redefine advertising connected to Web pictures and videos; a company that could put your entire desktop and gaming experience in the cloud; one that could help you actually hear that TV you see at a restaurant or bar (one of my favorites); and one that equips a little box to do a workload that typically would require a server farm.This was an amazing event, and Nvidia gave US$100K to the firm the audience and judges thought was the most amazing among the small, young firms presenting.I'll close with my product of the week, which comes from Nvidia but will be

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Microsoft's Merry-Making MS-DOS Code Caper

Well it's the end of another March here in the Linux blogosphere, and that can mean only one thing: the arrival of another April Fools' Day.

As if on cue, Microsoft recently made an eminently Fools' Day-worthy move.
"On Tuesday, we dusted off the source code for early versions of MS-DOS and Word for Windows," wrote Roy Levin, distinguished engineer and managing director for Microsoft Research Silicon Valley, in a blog post last week. "With the help of the Computer History Museum, we are making this code available to the public for the first time."Microsoft? Opening up code? Hah, yeah right -- nice one.
Well, it may seem like an April Fools' Day joke, but the move was genuine -- sort of.

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This is fantastic.......samsung launches 28-inch 4K billion-color UD590 monitor for just $700

Time to get that second graphics cards, guys: Samsung has announced that its 28-inch 4K UD590 monitor will soon be available in the US for the paltry sum of $700. The UD590 packs a 28-inch 3840×2160 TN panel (157 PPI), capable of displaying 10-bit color (1 billion colors) at 60Hz with 1ms GTG response time. Priced at $700, this is probably your best bet if you want to try your hand at 4K gaming — or, if you’re a creative of some kind, the idea of 10-bit color on a 4K display should be very, very alluring.
From what we can tell, the UD590 has been available as a gray import from South Korea for a month or two — but now Samsung is preparing to launch it officially in the USA. Design-wise, the UD590 has a very minimal stand and bezel that’s finished in silver and black — in my opinion it’s much more attractive than the Dell P2815Q, the other $700 4K monitor that’s currently on the market. There are no DVI connectors,

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New iPhone 6 screens to enter production

Apple Inc(AAPL.O) suppliers will begin mass producing displays as early as May for the next iPhone, expected to be launched this autumn, with a 4.7-inch screen likely to be produced first while a 5.5-inch version could be delayed, supply chain sources said.
Japan Display Inc (6740.T), Sharp Corp (6753.T) and South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd (034220.KS) have all been tapped to make the screens, said the sources, who asked not to be identified.
Representatives for the three suppliers and for Apple declined to comment.
Both iPhone 6 screens will be larger than the 4.0-inch panels on Apple's existing iPhone 5S and 5C models.
Larger iPhones, the subject of months of speculation, would mark yet another incremental tweak to the

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Apple again seeks decisive U.S. court ruling against Samsung

Apple and Samsung return to federal court on Tuesday for opening statements in their latest patent battle, with the iPhone maker expected to present more detailed evidence in its attempt to win a U.S. ban on sales of several Samsung smartphones.
Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) have been litigating around the world for nearly three years. Jurors awarded the iPhone maker about $930 million after a 2012 trial in San Jose, California, but Apple failed to persuade U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh to issue a permanent injunction against the sale of Samsung phones.
A sales ban would be a far more serious threat to Samsung, which earned $7.7 billion in the quarter that ended in December. Samsung's mobile division, which includes smartphones, generated operating profit of

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