News Blog

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web and senior researcher at MIT, recently described his vision for a semantic Web that, instead of analyzing statistical data focused on people, would draw on a layer of metadata to highlight more-complex connections between all types of data, from your banking activity to your photo collection to your business calendar.

But Berners-Lee's enthusiasm for innovation on the Web is tempered by anything that might compromise user privacy. In a story published Monday by the BBC News, he cited his concerns about Open Internet Exchange, an Internet ad platform developed by Web-technology company Phorm. Phorm, whose clients include BT, Virgin Media, and Carphone Warehouse's TalkTalk, offers a system that connects advertisers, Web sites, and ISPs to produce more-targeted advertising based on a user's browsing trends.

Berners-Lee wants no part of it.

"I want to know if I look up a whole lot of books about some form of cancer that that's not going to get to my insurance company and I'm going to find my insurance premium is going to go up by 5 percent because they've figured I'm looking at those books," he told the BBC.

His online data and Web history, he went on to say, belongs to him alone.

"It's mine--you can't have it," he said. "If you want to use it for something, then you have to negotiate with me. I have to agree, I have to understand what I'm getting in return."

The BBC story noted that negative publicity about its Open Internet Exchange prompted Phorm to offer all users the option to opt out of its tracking service. On its Web site, Phorm touts its focus on "creating a new 'gold standard' for user privacy, a more relevant Internet experience, and more value for advertisers, publishers, Internet service providers, and others in the online ecosystem."

Berners-Lee said ISPs should offer an opt-in--rather than opt-out--option.

Berners-Lee's remarks further stoked a long-running debate in the U.K. over the merits of Phorm's service, which security firm Trend Micro has described as "adware." A story published on Monday by technology news site The Register noted that BT admitted to testing the Phorm software without informing the BT customers whose data was used in the test.

"We conducted a very small-scale technical test of a prototype advertising platform on one exchange in June 2007," BT said in a statement. "The test was specifically conducted to evaluate the functional and technical performance of the platform. Absolutely no personally identifiable information was processed, stored or disclosed during this trial. As with all service providers, it is important for BT to ensure that, before any potential new technologies are employed, they are robust and fit for purpose."

Meanwhile, another BBC News story published on Monday notes that the Foundation for Information Policy Research, a think tank for Internet policy in Britain, has warned that Phorm might contravene the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, which protects users from unlawful interception of information. FIPR has written an open letter to the U.K.'s information commissioner, Richard Thomas, arguing that Phorm must not only seek the consent of Web users but also of Web site operators, the story says.

Someday soon, you might be able to figure out where you are in the world by staring.

Researchers from South Korea's Yonsei University will present a paper at the International Solid State Circuits Conference next week on a system that spits out two-dimensional coordinates for the object or place that a person is focusing on. The same group has worked on several eye interfaces in the past, mostly for people with disabilities. By integrating eye interfaces with GPS information, users can apparently get geographic information. The group presents its paper on Monday, February 3.

ISSCC is one of the premier events in the chip design world. Every year, large companies and universities gather to show off products or concepts that will come to the market in the next few months or years. ISSCC firsts include the first papers on Cell processors (2005); digital signal processors or DSPs (Bell Labs, 1980); RISC chips (UC Berkeley, Stanford, 1984); 100MHz processors (Intel, 1991); and 1GHz processors (Digital; Intel, 2000).

Although sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, the conference takes place in San Francisco. (The computer business was centered in Philadelphia when ISSCC got started.) Other conference highlights for next week include:

IBM will discuss a version of the Cell processor made on the 45-nanometer process that consumes 40 percent less power and 36 percent less space than current versions. IBM, along with Toshiba and Sony, is trying to percolate the Cell into the market. Right now, the vast majority of Cell chips are used in the PlayStation 3.

Jeff Hawkins, of Palm fame, will show up Monday morning to talk about Hierarchical Temporal Memory, or storing memories in computers the way brains do. His start-up, Numenta, focuses on this.

Intel will describe a low-power chip that uses an in-order execution pipeline, a design concept that Intel hasn't used in its mainstream chips for years. It will also show off an Itanium with 2 billion--count 'em, 2 billion--transistors.

NTT, the Japanese telecom giant, will show off a fingerprint reader that can differentiate between a real and a fake finger.

Future Waves from the U.K. will describe a wireless body network for monitoring vital signs. It's a disposable system for the last meter problem in body sensor networks, the company says. Right afterward, Massachusetts General Hospital will describe a portable MRI machine. (Other health sessions include updates on brain implant research from Brown University and an artificial pancreas from Medtronic.)

Infineon has a paper titled "UMB Fast Hopping Frequency Generation Based on Sub Harmonic Injection Locking" that will come out during the "UWB Potpourri" session on Monday, while the University of Freiberg will present a paper on "A Continuous Time Hexagonal Field Programmable Analog Array."

Just in case you were wondering.

2008 Cadillac CTS

(Credit: General Motors)

The word "performance" seems to be thrown around a lot in the automotive world these days. With increasing expansion and competition within the luxury sport sedan category, manufacturers are eager to drop statistics about horsepower, torque, zero-to-60 speeds, and other numbers to woo (and maybe even slightly intimidate) potential buyers. But specifications alone can't convey the true spirit of a car; as Aristotle said, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. So it makes sense that the ideal road test subjects the car to a wide range of variables: twisty turns of varying camber, long straightaways, elevation changes, stop-and-go traffic, and many other factors.

But finding the opportunity for such a test can be tough, even for automotive journalists. While we always look for the chance to go fast, brake hard, and put a car through the ringer as much as we can, there is only so much testing we can safely and legally do on public roads. And that's why, during a recent press event for the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS, I was pleased to find that not only did Cadillac provide the opportunity to drive a variety of terrain at length, but offered the chance to test a performance car the way it should truly be tested: on the race track. And not just any track, but Laguna Seca, arguably one of the best tracks in the country.

The drive begins

Our two-day road trip began in San Jose, Calif. The group, which consisted of several journalists and a handful of Cadillac execs and communications folks, paired off into a line of waiting Cadillac CTSs for the drive down to Carmel Valley. My car, which I shared with another freelance writer, had a 3.6 liter direct injection V6 engine, all-wheel drive, and the middle version of the CTS' three suspension options (known as FE2, although when asked, Cadillac reps couldn't remember what the FE stood for). Our route was carefully planned out for us ahead of time, but since I was the "local," I only half paid attention to the directions. The navigation system proved helpful; it loaded directions quickly, had a user-friendly interface, and was easy to read. And although we took a different path, we soon arrived at Laguna Seca with the rest of the group.

Interior and navigation

After a detailed discussion about various powertrain, suspension, and tire options, they turned us loose on the track. Two instructors from Laguna's Skip Barber racing school were on hand to conduct the session, one of whom graciously sat in the passenger seat to help me with my technique as I took my laps in the "track ready" CTS with rear-wheel drive, a six-speed automatic transmission, and the performance-oriented FE3 suspension. Although I was skeptical about an automatic transmission holding up on the track, I found that the gears changed surprisingly quickly, shifted at higher revs to provide ample power, and held on through the turns. The brakes also bit nicely before turn-in, and the tires were plenty sticky for a passenger car. Granted, this version of the car wasn't going to win any World Challenge races, but for a stock production car, it was full of pleasant surprises.

Later that night, we dined al fresco and traded stories about our experience at Laguna. Jim Taylor, general manager of Cadillac, explained that when his team was planning the CTS media drive, it wasn't easy to convince the powers that be to take the cars to Laguna Seca. But he got their attention when he spoke in terms they could understand: He told them that driving Laguna Seca was to a car enthusiast what playing Pebble Beach was to an avid golfer. Apparently that did the trick.

Lots of windy road

The next day, we spent nearly six hours and 180 miles on some of the most narrow, windy and deserted roads in central California. I had the pleasure of driving the first leg with Eric Clough, Cadillac interior designer. We discussed the interior design process in general, as well as some finer points, like why the sunroof cover was thin and translucent instead of rigid and opaque (answer: head room). We took blind corners and off-camber turns with ease, and were able brake quickly for chickens and families of quail who were crossing the road. (One of those chickens wasn't so lucky a few cars later, however.)

Later on, my driving partner was Kevin Smith, manager of Cadillac communications. We talked at length about Cadillac's presence in the Speed World Challenge series. Kevin explained that Cadillac deliberately chose to race production cars, as opposed to sponsoring, say, an open-wheel team, in order to translate what they do on the track as closely as possible into their customer cars.

Not only is the CTS deeply rooted in motorsport, but it's the first Cadillac model tested on the famed Nurburgring, considered by many to be the most technically demanding track in the world. European car manufacturers have long tested their vehicles on "the Ring," and now a new generation of American automakers is realizing the prestige and importance associated with this benchmark. John Zinser, vehicle line director for the rear-wheel platform at General Motors, says the extensive testing at the Nurburgring wasn't designed just to impress U.S. customers, it was to help convince potential buyers around the world that Cadillac is on par with other performance brands. In his words, the company's goal is to get the CTS on people's lists.

Testing at the Nurburgring

(Credit: General Motors)

As our tour ended back in Silicon Valley, I'd developed a newfound respect for the latest version of the CTS. Cadillac seems to have hit the mark on a car that's luxurious to drive, yet can still stick the corkscrew up there with its European peers.

For more on the 2008 Cadillac CTS, see CNET's First Look.

(Credit: Heavy.com)

Heavy, the online video site with a distinct focus on the Jackass demographic, announced Tuesday that it will be using the IP Intelligence technology from Digital Element in order to "geotarget" its advertisements, language, and video content based on where a visitor's IP address is located.

This means a couple of different things. One, by knowing where its visitors come from, Heavy can run locally targeted advertisements, which can make it a more appealing buy for advertisers. This, as we've seen with many of Google's locally-oriented applications, can be very lucrative.

And two, imagine the possibilities of geographically relevant Heavy videos: instead of just seeing videos of skateboarders falling off roofs into kiddie pools full of Jell-O, you might be able to see videos of skateboarders falling off roofs into kiddie pools full of Jell-O that were filmed in your home state. That skateboarder falling off the roof might even be your neighbor.

Heavy, as you may recall, made headlines earlier this year when it hired porn star Ron Jeremy as the host of a tech comedy show.