IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 16 December
16-12-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
Signal-blocking tech not in all prisons | Eircom takeover moves closer
The Irish Times reports that mobile-signal blocking technology is not fully operational in prisons, almost a year after the Irish Prison Service said most jails would be covered. In reply to a Dail question from Fine Gael justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said the systems introduced to date in four prisons were still seen as pilot projects and only partially working. He said the Irish Prison Service was dealing with the problem not only by introducing signal-blocking technology, but also via strict new search regimes of visitors, inmates and staff. Flanagan said "serious criminals continue to run their businesses from within the four walls of our prisons" despite assurances that most jails would be covered in the first weeks of this year.
The paper also says that STT's takeover of Eircom has moved a step closer, with shareholders of Eircom's Australian parent voting overwhelmingly in favour of the AUD225 million offer. Eircom Holdings Ltd (ERC) said 110.2 million votes were cast in favour of the deal at its annual meeting. This represented 99.68 percent of all ballots cast. Shareholders were offered cash, shares and a mix of both in the new business. No details were released of how many, if any, investors in ERC chose to take stock in the new entity. ERC will on Wednesday seek approval from the Federal Court of Australia for the scheme of arrangement to give effect to the change of ownership. If granted, ERC is expected to delist from the stock market in Sydney on Thursday. The deal should close in early January.
The Irish Examiner says that gaming technology is being used to train surgeons. A high-tech training simulator has been devised by a European research team led by Irish consultant Professor George Shorten. The MedCAP (Medical Competence Assessment Procedure) system has adapted a theory used in computer gaming -- the competence-based knowledge space theory -- and applied it to a simulator to test a doctor's skills when administering a spinal anaesthetic. The system uses 3D goggles, haptic technology and mathematical formulae to assess the doctor's performance at every step in the procedure.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Adobe Systems has posted a fiscal fourth-quarter loss of USD32 million, or USD0.06 a share, compared with a year-ago profit of USD245.9 million, or USD0.46 a share. Excluding the impact of an acquisition, restructuring costs and other items, per-share earnings fell to USD0.39 from USD0.60. Revenue was USD757.3 million, down 17 percent from USD915.3 million a year ago but above the company's forecast of USD690 million to USD740 million. Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen said the company saw an improvement in customer demand for its products.
The paper also notes that Samsung Electronics has undergone a reorganisation, putting its most successful manager, Geesung Choi, in charge of the whole company. Samsung also named Jay Y. Lee, whose grandfather started the Samsung group, to the new position of chief operating officer. Samsung also said it would reorganise four operating divisions into seven units that behave like stand-alone companies, with their own presidents and finance chiefs. The company also unveiled a long-expected plan to adopt international accounting standards at the start of next year.
According to the Financial Times, Microsoft has admitted that MSN Juku, a Chinese micro-blogging site it launched last month, was nearly an identical copy of a site owned by small start-up Plurk. On Monday Plurk accused Microsoft of plagiarising its code. On Tuesday, Microsoft acknowledged that the code for the site had been copied from Plurk. "The vendor [that developed MSN Juku] has now acknowledged that a portion of the code they provided was indeed copied," Microsoft said. "This was in clear violation of the vendor's contract with the MSN China joint venture, and equally inconsistent with Microsoft's policies respecting intellectual property." Microsoft said that MSN Juku would be suspended indefinitely.
The paper also says that Virgin Group is to launch its first new business in the UK for three years, moving into the market for home tech support. Virgin Digital Help aims to be a one-stop shop for people having problems with any digital device, from computers to music players to cameras. To entice users, Virgin will offer free diagnosis and fixing tools online, as well as 140 articles on common problems.
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Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 