This Darwin survey shows that RFID is an important and growing technology, but that it is still in its infancy in terms of understanding of what it is and what it can do.Darwin - Online Feature - Learn - Research Reports

E-Mail is one of those things that most people like to think is private. However, we know that this is not necessarily so. There is lots of opportunity for many people to read your e-mail, including system support people, ISP's, anyone who has access to the parts of a network where your files are stored, and in some cases, management or groups appointed by management to monitor computer use. But the question is - should any or all of these groups have the right to read your e-mail? The law is not up to date on these issues, although it is changing. Technology Review: E-mail Privacy is All the Rage

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has just announced a new initiative to study the use of tagged data in its filings, particularly using XBRL. This is a major step forward for XBRL and will lead to significant changes in accounting over the next few years.Press Release: SEC Announces Initiative to Assess Benefits of Tagged Data in Commission Filings; 2004-97; July 22, 2004

Speech on the internet, for input as well as output, is just a matter of time. A significant development is the announcement of W3C of Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML), which we are going to hear a lot more about over the next few years, as speech gets integrated into web applications. Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) Version 1.0

e-democracy in the form of electronic voting has been around for several years. Before that, there was telephone voting. Yet, we don't seem to be able to pull it all together. You would think we could do that. E-voting's Rush to Failure - Computerworld

A survey released yesterday by Statistics Canada shows that over 50% of households now have at least one member who regularly uses the internet, that internet useage is now extending into lower income groups, thus starting to remove the digital divide, and that the demand for high speed internet access is growing fast.The Daily, Thursday, July 8, 2004. Household Internet Use Survey

RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags will replace bar codes in the not-so-distant future. Giants like Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, Gillette, and Kraft are betting that RFID will revolutionize supply-chain management. This Wired article takes a look at the supermarket of the future and explains how RFID technology will make it happen. Wired 12.07: Attention, Shoppers: You Can Now Speed Straight Through Checkout Lines!

In an amazing study just released by the Business Software Alliance, the true cost of software copying is revealed. It shows that 36% of the world's software is pirated and that it represents a loss of $29 Billion US. Try adding that to the cost of pirated music!Major Study Finds 36 Percent of Software in Use Worldwide is Pirated

You have to be so careful with private information in the age of technology. Here's a new example of how private payroll information was inadvertently sent out by e-mail to outside recipients.E-mail glitch exposes private data in California - Computerworld

When you start a new relationship, you never know when its going to hit the rocks. Amazon and Toys R US were once the dream team. Now look at what's happening. InformationWeek > E-Commerce > Why Amazon Is Suing Toys 'R' Us > June 29, 2004

Is Big Brother here? Check out the new wireless capabilities of the police. There has been concern from day 1 about the possibilities of wireless to track people. The technology is in existence and easy to implement. Just a matter of time. Globetechnology

Here is an interesting article about the message filters of Google’s new Gmail system, which adds targeted advertising messages to incoming e-mails. Apparently, the system still needs some fine-tuning. The New York Times > Technology > Advertising: The Internet Ad You Are About to See Has Already Read Your E-Mail (Free registration required)

Timothy Berners-Lee, the generally acknowledged inventor of the Internet, has received the Millenium Technology Prize of approx 1.7 Million Dollars. This is the first real financial payback he has received from his accomplishment, arguably the greatest single invention of the 20th Century.He had declined to capitalize on his invention commercially from the beginning.The Millennium Technology Prize

The established bricks-based music stores have been watching developments in the sales of music on the web with concern. Like some other types of business in the past, they run the risk that they might be disintermediated by the use of the internet. They've considered going to the internet themselves, but the latest is that they are pulling back and re-thinking. Eventually, they'll have to come up with a new business model and/or strategy. Globetechnology

Microsoft apparently considered the acquisition of Germany’s SAP. Telegraph | Money | Gates flirted with buying German software maker

Micropayments are making a (wireless) comeback. Qualcomm brews tiny transactions | CNET News.com

Those camera phones are not just toys. They could be killer apps! The camera phone's killer app

Could new ad-delivery technologies revitalize Web advertising? Net advertising on a road revisited | CNET News.com

Paypal is turning into a major payment system. It gets around a lot of the problems of other systems, including the use of credit cards, and has more of the characteristics of cash.Economist.com | Articles by Subject | Online payments

A new e-mail tracking tool raises concerns about privacy, with some. E-Commerce News: Security: Service Tracks When E-mail Is Read, How Long and Where: "DidTheyReadIt.com, which will launch Monday, allows anyone to secretly track e-mails they send. "