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Microsoft memo surfaces on Web

Compiled by Seattle Times technology staff

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Somehow the big financial publications received copies of this supposedly secret document just in time to use it when reporting details of the ruling.

We'll see if the company asks the FBI to investigate, as it did when a bit of source code was leaked in February.

Wireless world Spending on wireless voice and data services now accounts for 25 percent of all telecommunications expenditures among U.S. enterprises. Source: Yankee Group

Pulp nonfiction: A fascinating tidbit from Tokyo: Sony and Toppan Printing have developed a 25-gigabyte optical storage disc made mostly of paper.

The Blu-ray laser disc has the capacity for more than two hours of high-definition video material. Its total weight is 51 percent paper, which the companies say will reduce the price of the discs and help expand their use.

"Using printing technology on paper allows a high level of artistic label printing on the optical disc," Hideaki Kawai, managing director of Toppan R&D, said in a news release. "Since a paper disc can be cut by scissors easily, it is simple to preserve data security when disposing of the disc."

A Sony official said the disc works because the Blu-ray laser does not have to pass through the disc substrate.

They forgot to mention that if the discs get scratched or miswritten, you can use them like paper plates to serve appetizers at your next picnic.

'Soft money: Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer and John Connors — the chairman, CEO and CFO, respectively, of Microsoft — have given money to the Bush campaign, but the company's rank-and-file employees were top donors to the campaign of John Kerry last month, Bloomberg news reported.

The biggest source of donations to Kerry's record $43.3 million haul last month were employees at UBS, followed by employees at Microsoft.

UBS workers, including those at its Paine Webber brokerages, gave an average of $50,750 to the Massachusetts senator. Microsoft employees gave an average of $45,390.

Drain game: A new interactive Web site has Lara Croft model Nell McAndrew in deep doo-doo, literally.

The woman who promoted the popular Eidos video game is the virtual host of the Yorkshire Water sewage-treatment plant near Bradford, England.

The "virtual Nell" will give Web visitors a tour of the plant and explain the treatment process. "This is a case of 'Tomb Raider' becoming 'Sewer Raider,' " utility spokesman David Simister said, the Ananova news service reported last week.

McAndrew will provide the voice for the sewerdess. The site, wastewatertour.com, will go live May 20.

On the record

New products: Kirkland-based Talisma released a customer-relationship management suite for higher education.

Partnerships: Isilon Systems, based in Seattle, added broadcaster ABC to its list of customers using the Isilon IQ network storage system. Isilon also announced a partnership with Bright Systems in Reno, Nev., to integrate its technologies for storage and digital content management for media and entertainment companies.

New customers: Seattle-based WatchGuard Technologies' Firebox X security appliance has been selected by Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, for the zoo's network security system.

Download, a column of news bits, observations and miscellany, is gathered by The Seattle Times technology staff. We can be reached at 206-464-2265 or biztech@seattletimes.com.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company