Technology news

Technology

Is Netscape a Peeping Tom?

America Online Inc.’s subsidiary, Netscape, is being accused by New York attorneys of illegally monitoring downloads using SmartDownload software. The result of the claim against Netscape’s illegal spying on users is the filing of suit in federal court. The attorneys have asked that the legal claim be granted class action status.Apparently users who have downloaded information from the internet have identifiable information transmitted back to Netscape. From there, information is compiled and profiles can be created of a customer’s downloads.
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Technology

Shortcut to Blank Slides in PowerPoint

More often than not, you're working on a PowerPoint presentation, and want to insert a blank slide into your presentation.The typical way to do this is to point your mouse to "Insert," click on "Insert New Slide" and then choose a format.If the format remains the same, as it does in many PowerPoint presentations, here is a nifty shortcut.You can simply insert a blank slide by holding down the [Shift] key and clicking the Insert New Slide icon on your toolbar. By doing this, you bypass the New Slide dialog box.
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Technology

Retailers Advocate Revamping Sales Tax Laws

Although the House of Representatives has voted to extend the Internet tax moratorium until 2006, brick & mortar retailers are joining forces in an effort to encourage Congress to completely rewrite what they consider to be archaeic sales tax laws.The retailers' goal is to ensure that online retailers charge the same tax as anyone operating outside cyberspace.
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Technology

Will the Web ever be the same?

Many companies and individuals who own e-commerce method patents are now going after companies that are using these patents online illegally. The patents, which are granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or foreign patent offices, include everything from hyperlinks to Web-based access to databases. How could this be? You mean hyperlinks aren’t free for everyone to use? Apparently not.
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Technology

Clinton e-signs Digital Signature Bill

The passage of the e-signature bill will enable Internet commerce to move forward at an even quicker pace. Now contracts, checks, and loan applications can be signed online. E-signature laws are already in place in several states, and the IRS experimented with receiving some tax returns with e-signatures this past spring.
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Technology

Support Dying for Internet Tax Moratorium

Pro-tax bills have surfaced in both the House and Senate, supported by legislators who recognize the loss in tax revenue that states will continue to suffer as sales on the Internet proliferate. The current Internet sales tax moratorium expires in October, 2001, and it is unlikely any further legislation to either extend this moratorium or institute a sales tax policy will occur this year. All but five states have a sales tax, but currently no state enforces the taxation of sales if the seller has no in-state store or warehouse.
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Technology

Online Banking: Is it in Your Clients' Future?

Many accounting professionals have used the Internet to conduct business with the IRS and other organizations for some time, but may have held off their support of online banking for their clients because of security issues.A new survey reveals Americans remain, for the most part, skeptical of online banking.
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Technology

Hackers Beware: EY Begins Online Security Checkpoint

Online security via e-business is serious stuff, and Ernst & Young is capitalizing on this effort through a new venture called 'eSecurityOnline.com.'Key to the effort is the ability for companies to go through a test to see how vulnerable or hacker-friendly their systems really are.
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Technology

Say Good-Bye to an Old Email Friend

Back in the days when email messages were delivered from machine to machine, much like snail mail which goes from person to person, there was a service called the Unix-to-Unix Copy Protocol (UUCP), kind of the Pony Express of email. Although the UUCP still serves a vital function to less-developed parts of the world, much of this service has been replaced by the instant messaging capabilities of the Internet.
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Technology

How to Prevent Credit Card Fraud on the Internet

Ask any group of CPAs and accounting professionals what they think about buying something over the Internet. More often than not, you'll hear a lot of warnings regarding the security of their credit cards.Online sales have been going on for years, now, and the community still seems to be skeptical.
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Technology

Trojan Horse Virus: A Hoax or the Real Thing?

The latest discovery on the virus front is a type of virus that results when you view a video clip or download a seemingly innocuous executable file from the Internet. Contained in the execution of the action is a program that launches itself on your computer.While you are still online, the program transmits your Internet address to another location where it can be recalled at any time to carry out specific orders, such as sending out data to other addresses.
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Technology

How to Increase the Speed of Your Internet Connection

If you work in a large firm or company, Internet speed really has been a 'non'-issue for the last few years. T-1 and ISDN lines have existed for some time, and now newer connections through DSL and cable modems also have become more readily available.But what if you're a small business, a practitioner working in a small- or even medium-size firm, or in some other capacity?
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Technology

Internet Businesses with European Sales Face Taxation

The European Union (EU) is considering a new program that will “level the playing field” by making U.S. high-tech companies subject to the same type of Value Added Tax (VAT) that European companies enjoy. Initial reaction among U.S. companies is that this program will discourage sales in Europe or, at least, will result in a higher price structure for items sold via the Internet to European customers.The VAT rate is 15% to 25% on non-physical goods, such as software and data. Estimates are that the tax will cost U.S.
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Technology

Excel Tip: Correct Erroneous Dictionary Entries in Word and Excel

Have you ever used the spell-checker in Word or Excel and clicked the Add button when you meant to click Change or Ignore? Suddenly a misspelled word has been added to your dictionary, and from now on, every time you type "acounting" instead of "accounting," the spell-checker blithely accepts your typing and ignores your shouts and pleas to correct the spelling of the word. All words that you add while using the spell-checker in any of the Microsoft Office programs (including Word and Excel), are saved in a file called Custom.dic.
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Technology

If Dr. Seuss Wrote Technical Manuals for Computers

Reprinted from Leadership Express, the newsletter for Academic Partners of the American Accounting Association.Computer Instructions, by Dr.
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Technology

Internet Bigger than Industrial Revolution

With predictions that the Internet industry will top $1 trillion by early 2001, researchers have come to the not-too-surprising conclusion that the Internet is responsible for the nation’s businesses becoming more and more productive.A recent report on measuring the Internet Economy Indicators as they affect U.S. businesses was commissioned by Cisco Systems, Inc. and performed by a team of research experts, which included graduate faculty members from the University of Texas at Austin Business School. The group examined 3,000 U.S.
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Technology

What Will Happen to Us if Bill Gates Stops Controlling Our Lives?

He's at it again - Bill Gates never seems to stand still when it comes to computers and technology. His latest pronouncements involve what Gates refers to as the "bottom line" of Internet usage. The Gates vision projects a third phase of the Internet which follows the initial phases of using the Internet for advertising and conducting business transactions over the Internet. The third phase emphasizes business profitability.Microsoft has already developed the software necessary for achieving the Gates dream.
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Technology

U.S. Bank Takes Internet Services to New Level

U.S. Bank has unveiled a new service for business customers. Called Image Check Web, the service provides the bank's business customers with the ability to view recently cleared checks via the Internet.Checks are available for viewing the day after they clear the bank.
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Technology

Would You Turn Down $7M for a Domain Name?

The crazy world of domain name registration took an even crazier twist with the revelation that a $7 million bid for a domain name was rejected by a UK-based businessman.Peter Littke, MD of Java software developer Naxt Ltd, turned down the offer for e-buy.com from US-based firm Ebuy Inc - despite the fact that he is looking for funding for an e-commerce venture using the name."Of course I was tempted by the offer because it's enough money to live on for rest o
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Technology

E-Trade & EY: Match Made in Financial Heaven?

It has just been announced that Internet securities broker E-Trade and Ernst & Young will partner to form a new venture handling financial advisory services.Each company will put up $25 million for the new company, which has not yet been named.
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Gail Perry, CPA
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editor@accountingweb.com
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