A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Westport on Google Earth
An architecturally-detailed, three-dimensional digital model of Westport, Co Mayo, will be available through Google Earth software from next week.
AMT3D, the company that created the model using laser-scanning technology, said the west of Ireland heritage town would have the "most accurate, photorealistic and interactive model" on Google Earth. AMT3D created the model for Westport Town Council to assist with urban design, planning and tourism.
New patches for Windows
Microsoft has released a number of important patches for the Windows operating system to address newly exposed flaws - including one which a specialist security publication said could be the "worst Windows bug ever".
According to Microsoft's security advisory, the flaws related to the processing of TCP/IP internet traffic.
"An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights," Microsoft warned.
The updates can be downloaded from Microsoft's website or will be applied automatically if Windows Update is running on your PC.
Gavrielov next Xilinx chief
US semiconductor company Xilinx has appointed Moshe Gavrielov (53) as president and chief executive. He succeeds Wim Roelandts, who was at the helm for 11 years, to become only the third chief executive in Xilinx's 24-year history.
Xilinx employs 450 staff at its European headquarters and advanced research and development centre in Dublin.
HP low-energy PCs planned
HP has committed to reducing the energy consumption of its bestselling desktop and notebook PCs by 25 per cent before 2010.
Making the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, the firm said it would achieve the power savings through a variety of strategies including the use of more efficient power supplies and lower-energy chipsets.
IBM electronic waste recycling
IBM, in conjunction with WEEE Ireland and Fingal County Council, is hosting a free electronic waste recycling day tomorrow at its technology campus in Mulhuddart, Dublin 15.
Between 10am and 4pm, "anything with a plug or a battery" can be brought along for environmentally friendly disposal.
IDC predicts IT growth of 5.5%
Technology analysts IDC have published their predictions for 2008. They predict that growth in the worldwide IT market will moderate to 5.5 to 6 per cent, down from last year's 6.9 per cent, largely due to economic uncertainties.
As a result, technology companies will focus their efforts on emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and China as well as smaller businesses. IDC is also predicting the emergence of "web gadgets" following in the footsteps of Apple's iTouch and Amazon's Kindle.
Travellers take their time
A new study from Google UK and ComScore has shed some light on the way people purchase travel online.
It found that on average consumers take almost a month from first searching for a travel term to completing the purchase.
They make 12 travel-related searches, visit 22 websites and take 29 days to research their purchase. Just 10 per cent of purchases take place after the first visit to a website.
