The silicon.com Weekly Round-Up: 21.02.03

Do you live near a mobile phone mast? Well don't worry about it. They don't do you any harm. And that's official. Again.

For the second year running, the government has given them the all-clear. Its latest study into emissions from mobile phone masts has found no evidence whatsoever that public health is being compromised.

A total of 109 masts were tested by the Radiocommunications Agency during 2002, of which 82 were sited on schools and 17 on hospitals. The one giving out the most radiation was at Aintree Hospital in Liverpool, but even if you multiplied its emission levels 700 times they would still be lower than the maximum allowed under international safety guidelines.

But before several of you send us a hotly worded 'angry of Tunbridge Wells' email, we'll save you the time by saying: "Ah yes, but we were told cigarettes were safe for years..."

(By the way, why is everyone in Tunbridge Wells so angry? The Round-Up went there once and it seemed like quite a civilised place, but you know what they say about still waters. God knows what would happen if they erected a mobile phone mast in the middle of the Pantiles. A mass outbreak of 'tutting' perhaps?)

Anyway, government officials - rather like teenage boys during a slow-dance - are aware that these erections aren't universally popular, and wants mobile operators to take this into account when planning their network rollouts. Ecommerce minister Stephen Timms said: "I urge the mobile phone industry to work closely with communities and each other when putting up masts and base stations. They should consult with local groups to lessen any impact on communities and share infrastructure where possible. Building public confidence is essential to building a strong future for the industry."

Good to see where his priorities lie... But let's leave this debate for now. All we have to add is: MOBILE MASTS AREN'T BAD FOR YOU. This has not been a government health warning.

Meanwhile, over in Seattle, Microsoft has set its sights firmly on a very real menace: Hotmail spammers. About time too. The company has filed a lawsuit which will allow it to go after people it suspects of having harvested email addresses from its Hotmail servers.

The so-called 'John Doe' suit does not name any individuals, but gives the company the power to issue subpoenas as part of the investigative phase of the trial.

Microsoft filed the suit in the same week it called for legislators to toughen their stance against spammers. It issued a statement saying: "We are intensifying our efforts to co-operate with other ISPs in fighting spam, and working with government to enforce current laws against it. But new, strong laws are needed. At a minimum, senders should not be allowed to misrepresent their identity, falsify the subject of a message, or use automated means to gather email addresses without the owners' consent."

Nice idea (if perhaps a bit of a barn door/horse scenario). You never know: such a law might make the Nigerian 419 scammers think twice before sending emails promising massive financial rewards if we help them get some cash out of the country.

You may remember that last week we published one fine example of such a scam email in which the Round-Up was described as a 'thrust worthy person'. That triggered a few happy memories for one silicon reader - an IT manager from the Peak District - who emailed us saying: "[That] reminded me of my regular supplier of computer accessories when I was in Lagos. He claimed to be in a position to offer me very competitive prices on 'floppy dics'. Needless to say I declined his offer."

Before we come over all Daily Mail and start taking the mickey out of 'Jonny Foreigner', let's return to the theme of the 419 scammers. Have you ever wondered what happens if you reply to one of their emails? Well, wonder no more. We did it. With apologies to Louis Theroux, this is what happened When Silicon Met Mr Madu Frank. It'll take a while to read but it's worth it.

We've had a few emails of late about O2's 'email to phone' service. It doesn't work you see. If you're an O2 subscriber and you go to that part of its website, you'll see this message: "Unfortunately, we regret that the 'Email to mobile' service has been temporarily suspended. Don't worry - the service is not being completely withdrawn, but is offline whilst essential improvements are carried out. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, but are confident that the service will resume shortly."

Is 'improvements' a euphemism? Was the whole service screwed (to use a technical term)? We wanted to know, so we asked O2 for clarification. What were the problems? When did they start? And when could its loyal customers expect the service to return? Three days on and the fleet-footed company has yet to provide any kind of response. O2: See what you can't do...

Normally we wouldn't 'out' this kind of laxness (because it's not that uncommon to be honest), but this time we will, simply because we suspect the people who really know what's going on have spent most of this week in Cannes. On a swanky yacht. 'Working hard' at the 3GSM World Conference. And we're jealous, dammit. Next year, invite the Round-Up and you can be as rubbish as you like in getting back to us.

If that isn't enough for you, O2 - which sponsors the England rugby union team - has lost some life-sized cardboard cut-outs of the players.

The company produced the figures as part of an MMS promotion which took place during the games against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa last November. Supporters were invited to have their pictures taken next to the facsimiles of their heroes. O2 hoped to continue this marketing activity during the Six Nations championship which kicked off last weekend - until it emerged that the cut-outs had been nicked.

O2 is appealing for news of the figures. Proving that its PR people can talk to key journalists when they want to, a spokesman told Planet Rugby: "Whilst O2 does not condone theft in any shape or form, we have decided to create a cardboard cut-out amnesty. If the cut-outs are returned safe and sound to Twickenham, there'll be no questions asked and we'll say no more about it. However, we understand if you cannot bear to part from your heroes - just let us know that they're safe."

So it's looking for useless lumps of wood... Might be an idea to start looking in the press office... (Only joking. We love you really).

The Round-Up won't be settling any personal scores next week, honest. Until then, there's the usual array of the past week's headlines below (the first of which almost caused our servers to fry under the impressions it generated, you naughty - if predictable - lot). But if you'd rather help us gain an insight into the current state of the IT industry, then why not complete our fifth annual Skills Survey. You could even win a bottle of champagne by so doing. Cheers...

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