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Editorial

Not a big newsletter this month, however some interesting information on domain name rule changes and additional functionality for Skype.

Engadine Web Services wish our customers and readers a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

The next Engadine Web Services Newsletter will be produced in February 2005...

Bruce Beresford, Manager & Editor

In this Issue:

• Featured Site - Pacifico Stone
• Virus Watch
• auDA seeks public input as domain rules change
• Disbelief at jobs claim
• Skype offers video
• Quotes of the day

Featured Site  

Pacifico Stone

Pacifico Stone was established in 1997 as a Wholesale Agency representing Stone companies from Spain, Italy and Mexico for the supply of Stone Tiles and Slabs in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

Soon after, Pacifico Stone took all this industry experience to extend its business into the service and supply of Architects, Designers, Home Owners & Renovators and Builders & Developers of residential and commercial property.

We are proud to provide a friendly and knowledgeable advise in the selection of stone for any particular application.

Visit the Pacifico Stone website...

Virus Watch  

Latest Threats - from Symantec

19-12-05 PWSteal.Tarno.Q

18-12-05 Trojan.Mdropper.D

auDA seeks public input as domain rules change  

Australia's domain name regulator is to seek public input as it reviews the rules for registering certain types of Australian domains.

In October .au Domain Administration (auDA) announced it was considering changing the "close and substantial connection rule", which allows companies to register domain names that are connected to their business in some way.

auDA's chief executive Chris Disspain told ZDNet Australia this week comment would soon be sought.

"We expect to run a public consultation early in the new year," he said.

The news comes as some portions of Australia's Internet community have intensified criticism on some companies allegedly using the close and substantial connection rule to register domain names for the primary purpose of capturing Web traffic and selling click-through advertising.

auDA cited this practice -- which sees domain names lie fallow without a Web site associated with them -- as one of the reasons it was considering changing the rule. ZDNet Australia >>> more

Disbelief at jobs claim  

DEPUTY Prime Minister Mark Vaile is being disingenuous in claiming the government had no inkling that Telstra would sack thousands of workers, Labor says.

Telstra announced last week it plans to cut up to 12,000 staff in the next five years. Mr Vaile said yesterday the government was given no warning about the massive job-shedding plan.

"There was no inkling that 12,000 jobs were going to go," he said.

Labor's telecommunications spokesman Stephen Conroy today said this was hard to believe and that his party had loudly warned the government's privatisation agenda would result in more than 10,000 job cuts when the Telstra sale bill was being debated in the Senate.

"The media widely reported the existence of a document outlining Telstra's plans for its workforce during the privatisation debate in the Senate," Senator Conroy said in a statement.

"The fact that Telstra was planning to cut more than 10,000 jobs was the worst kept secret in Australia.

"But apparently everybody knew about it except the deputy prime minister."

Senator Conroy said Mr Vaile was either being dishonest with the Australian public or was claiming to be spectacularly naive.

"Mr Vaile should come clean and admit that the government knew full well that thousands of jobs would be slashed at Telstra as a result of the governments extreme privatisation agenda," he said. AustralianIT

Skype offers video  

SKYPE has added high-resolution video picture phone features to its free telephone replacement service.

Version 2.0 of the Skype software aims to make it easier for customers to sign up and use its phone-over-internet services.

In addition, blog software group Six Apart has agreed to embed links to Skype as an option for millions of users of its Typepad blog service, the two companies said.

The new Skype software will also allow users of Microsoft Outlook to install a browser-based toolbar that offers instant links to Skype and notifications when other Skype users are online.

"Video calling has come of age," Skype vice president of marketing Saul Klein said.

The deal with Six Apart will enable web users to place instant web-based phone calls to bloggers.

The Skype option will be available on Typepad early next year. It will also eventually be added to Six Apart's Live Journal blogging service.

Logitech and Creative, which together sell around two-thirds of the world's webcams, have agreed to distribution partnerships with Skype. For quality video calls, users need to use a broadband connection.

Skype's long-rumoured upgrade to video phone calling capabilities competes with computer instant messaging services that also offer video phone calling features, including Microsoft MSN and America Online's AIM service.

The upgraded Skype software also features "mood indicator" software that allows users to let their contacts signal whether they are happy, sad, listening to music, available or busy and other phone personalisation features.

These include ring tones to alert Skype users to callers and customizable personal images, known as avatars, for which users will pay around $US1 a piece. Among the companies supplying avatars are American Greetings and UK-based Weemees.

Skype and Logitech plan to jointly market Skype Video and Logitech webcams and telephone headsets worldwide, engaging in regional promotions and direct outreach to Logitech customers and Skype users, Logitech said in a separate statement. Reuters

Quotes of the Day  

Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone. Anthony Burgess (1917 - 1993)

Ah, this is obviously some strange usage of the word 'safe' that I wasn't previously aware of. Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001), Arthur Dent in "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"

Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows. David T. Wolf (1943 - )

The way to write American music is simple. All you have to do is be an American and then write any kind of music you wish. Virgil Thompson.

Brought to you by The Quotations Page

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