Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Back for a Re-Phil

    By
    Spencer F. Katt
    -
    February 7, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      From: spencer_katt@ziffdavis.com

      Sent: Monday, February 7, 2005 12:32 AM

      To: eWEEK readers

      Subject: Groundhog delay; a lazy Firefox trips on a blog; Mudge adieu; a Yankees doodles

      “Damn you, Punxsutawney Phil,” Spencer cursed the famed groundhogs name as he typed it into the new MSN Search service. The sun-starved snitch needed warmth, not six more weeks of winter. After trying several other search engines, the frigid Furball still couldnt locate a street address in Gobblers Knob to find and dig up dirt on the worthless woodchuck.

      If Google needs new algorithms, maybe it will get them from Ben Goodger, who just jumped to the search juggernaut from his perch as lead engineer for Mozillas Firefox. Before swapping the purity of open source for what must have been the allure of stock options, Goodger in a blog put the kibosh on a possible March release for Firefox Version 1.1 but said, “The slippage from March is not due to my move to Google.”

      Clicking on his TV, Spence hoped to ease his rodent rage by focusing on another Phil—the self-help guru. Just as Dr. Phil pronounced, “Its better to be healthy alone than sick with someone else,” the Katt got a call from a crony about the recent shotgun wedding of Oracle and PeopleSoft. Noting that Larry Ellison has been singing sonnets of love to database rival IBM—since many PeopleSoft customers use Big Blues consulting services—the crony wondered how long it would take Larry to turn samurai if whispers are true that IBM will roll out an SAP-optimized DB2 at PartnerWorld later this month in Las Vegas. As Dr. Phil said that “awareness without action is worthless,” Spencers BlackBerry went nuts with a message that “Mudge”—aka Peiter Zatko, an original member of the L0pht hacking crew and a founder of @Stake and Intrusic—is taking on a division scientist gig at BBN, which built ARPAnet. Zatko will reportedly handle government security projects. Nice. He may be best remembered for telling a Senate committee in 1998 that he or any of his cronies could crash the Internet in 30 minutes and keep it down.

      Spence noted that the British tabloids assumed a page of doodles left on the podium at the World Economic Summit in Davos belonged to U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair. The tabs, which hired handwriting experts to analyze the scrawlings, were left with egg on their faces when reps for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said the doodles were Bill Gates. The experts saw the writer as “struggling to keep control” and “an unstable man who is feeling under enormous pressure.” “Mmm, I wonder what Dr. Phil would have to say to Bill about that assessment?” cackled the Kitty, who suddenly heard the good doctor tell his audience, “Sometimes its hard to see your face without a mirror.” “Meouch!” howled His Hirsuteness.

      Spencer F. Katt
      Spencer F. Katt, the Whiskered Wonder, has been the mascot and tipster extraordinaire for eWEEK and its predecessor print publication PC Week since 1984. The Gadabout Gatto makes the rounds of the high tech centers of the U.S. and beyond in search of news and gossip about the products, companies and people that keep the IT industry in top gear. By day he can often be found padding about the exhibit halls and briefing rooms searching for tips about the latest breakthrough products. By night he haunts the sushi bars and watering holes his ears alert to the merest whisper about a big round of venture capital funding or a blockbuster corporate buyout. The often tart-tongued tabby is always ready to share his own views about the inside stories behind the headlines. 
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×