ZDNet reports that the US is introducing anti-privacy measures aimed at catching criminal activity.

Wired news has an article discussing Linux’s penetration into Africa, and some of the challenges it may face. “Big businesses are also growing curious about using Linux in Kenya, with giants such as Kenya Airways and Kenya Power & Lighting already evaluating its merits“

Amazon tried selling DVDS at different prices to different customers and got slammed for it, but if this SiliconValley.com story is correct, more online retailers may soon be pulling the same trick. Will buying anything at all online become as tedious a haggling process as buying a car or an airline ticket? A good question, still unanswered.

Bill Gates is now giving away money faster than he’s making it, and whether you like the man or not, this is a good pattern to establish. This Nando Times story expresses the hope that other computer industry richies will follow in Gates’ footsteps and become mega-donors to various charities both while they are still alive and in their wills.

A (too) short, just-updated list of books not published by the GNU people themselves but that meet their licensing standards.

AMD has been written off as dead many times, but may now be poised to give Intel a serious run for the #1 spot in the PC uP business, says SiliconValley.com

All of the ones that have gone before have failed or are in the process of failing, but PeoplePC thinks it can be successful by offering $24.95/month ISP service and “free” PCs in bulk lots to corporations that want all their employees to have home computers instead of pitching individual users. More at Yahoo News.

“China’s internet research efforts have received a $10 million boost
from the Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing,” says BBC News.

LinuxToday quotes Linus: “This should fix the VM deadlocks (knock wood), and adds the infrastructure
for better samba serving. And lots of small details….”

“More USB synchronziation. Other fixes of stuff that crept in from the big changes before and a few longer term bug fixes” (as reported by lwn.net)