Microsoft pulls plug on potty-mouth; Inkblots as password reminders

NetworkWorld.com | Software Research Center | Update Your Profile Microsoft pulls plug on potty-mouth Santa By John Fontana An artificial-intelligence Santa bot operated by Microsoft to talk to children wavered off topic saying: "It's fun to talk about oral sex, but I want to chat about something else...." Microsoft Tuesday confirmed the bot's potty mouth and snipped Santa's Web connection. Read full story Senior Editor John Fontana covers Microsoft for Network World. Reach him at jfontana@nww.com. SPONSORED BY MICROSOFT Download and Join the Windows Server(r) 2008 Release Candidate community. The Windows Server(r) 2008 Release Candidate operating system is ready. See how built-in Web technologies make Windows Server 2008 a robust, security-enhanced, and reliable foundation on which you can develop, deliver, and manage rich user applications and experiences. Join the growing global community. Download the Release Candidate today! RELATED NEWS: Forget sticky notes, Microsoft using inkblots as password reminders, 12/04/2007Microsoft Research is investigating if the inkblot is a better idea than the sticky note when it comes to remembering passwords that aren't easy ... Users, Web developers vent over IE7, 12/05/2007Users of Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) turned a blog post by a Microsoft program manager into a complaint free-for-all that took the company to task ... Linux, Unix, Mac, Windows PCs get authentication integration, 12/04/2007Centeris, which provides cross-platform authentication via Microsoft's Active Directory, Tuesday enhanced its Likewise platform (Clear Choice Test ... Microsoft to beef up anti-piracy checks in Vista SP1, 12/04/2007Microsoft will change the user experience of its automatic anti-piracy checks in Windows Vista and also make it harder for hackers to bypass the ... Microsoft: Windows flaw could steer IE to hackers, 12/04/2007Microsoft Corp. said Monday that a flaw in the way its Windows operating system looks up other computers on the Internet has resurfaced and could ... Nortel honors its NAP commitment, 12/04/2007Nortel is delivering on its commitment to support Microsoft's version of NAC, which is called network access protection (NAP).. . Nortel has its ... Microsoft buys startup to boost Web, mobile services, 12/03/2007Microsoft has purchased Seattle startup WebFives, which provides a Web-based file-sharing service for Internet and mobile video, photos, audio, and ... Live Chat: Microsoft/Cisco cert tips revealed Get your cert questions answered by cert guru Patrick Regan, author of over a dozen books. Dec. 11, 2-3 p.m. EST. No registration required. Virtualization Center Series: Microsoft’s vision – diversity of virtualization Microsoft Subnet blogger Mitchell Ashley goes deep to explain Microsoft's vision for virtualization, which centers on the concept of diversity of virtualization. Microsoft rules! (at least on one list of the greatest PC innovations) Microsoft technologies garnered eight spots on a recent list of the 100 greatest PC technology innovations of all time. From MS-DOS to Microsoft XP and Solitaire, do you agree with these selections? Today on Microsoft Subnet What users (and Web developers) hate about IE7: It was intended to be an innocent little blog post lauding the browser's milestones, but it set off a firestorm of reaction from frustrated users. Plus, which browser is more secure – Microsoft’s Internet Explorer? Or Mozilla’s Firefox? And how Microsoft's next generation of antipiracy tools aim to stop piracy by annoying users. HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Find the very best tech holiday gift ideas. 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Get the tools and resources you need to keep your DNS healthy and secure. Run a DNSreport on your domain today - 56 critical tests run in 8 seconds. Visit www.dnsreport.com to learn more. (apply coupon NWW2007NLA for a 25% membership discount)   12/06/07 TODAY'S MOST-READ STORIES: Green buildings make employees see red Microsoft uses inkblots as password reminders Microsoft pulls plug on potty-mouth Santa Warrior fills vacant CTO role at Cisco Juniper 'Hurricane' in the forecast 'Cisco-is-the-only-vendor-for-me' mindset Network skills in high demand 2007 Cool Yule Tools Gift Guide Sprint could spin off WiMAX division All-in-one firewalls fall short FEATURED BUYER'S GUIDE: Network Monitoring and Management Case Studies, Market Trends, Peer Discussions Network World's newly enhanced WAN Traffic Optimization Buyer's Guide has everything you need to stay current, research new technology, compare products and implement solutions - all in one convenient location. 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