Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.tech From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: tech Fri, May 8 1992 Date: Fri, 8 May 92 05:31:37 EDT Message-ID: 05-08 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update May 8-10, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network ENDEAVOUR MAKES MAIDEN VOYAGE: Space Shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew blasted off from Cape Canaveral at 6:40 p.m. EDT Thursday on a mission that will include a record three space walks. Weather woes and a computer glitch delayed the launch for 34 minutes. Sunday, the crew will try to save a $157 million satellite stuck in a low orbit. The crew also will test methods of assembling space station Freedom. CONTRACTORS OVERCHARGE NASA: NASA's system for overseeing billions of dollars in contracts for private industry services is badly mismanaged and the space agency often pays too much for too little, according to audits by congressional investigators and NASA's inspector general. They show the agency has been victimized by contractors handling everything from the manufacture hardware to custodial and office work. (For more, see Special NASA package below.) HOUSE BILL FUNDS ONE SEAWOLF: The House approved, 412-2, a measure that would cut $5.8 billion from this year's federal budget, but saves one of two Seawolf submarines that President Bush wants scrapped. It could lead the way to a compromise between Bush and Congress in their fight over the sophisticated subs. The Senate passed an $8.3 billion spending-cut bill Wednesday that would allow both craft to be built. IBM SELLS STAKE IN ROLM: IBM is giving up on ROLM, the telecommunications company it bought in 1984. IBM said Thursday that it will sell its remaining 50% stake in ROLM to the U.S. subsidiary of Germany's Siemens, an electronics company. ROLM is a leading supplier of telephone-switching systems, called private branch exchanges, and related products. IBM TO BUY STAKE IN TIME WARNER: IBM is in discussions to take a $500 million stake in Time Warner's movie, TV and cable division as part of a plan by the firms to merge IBM's computer technology with Time Warner's movies, TV shows and cable TV system, the Associated Press reports, quoting unnamed industry sources. IBM's investment would equal the 12.5% stake in Time Warner Entertainment being sold to Toshiba and Itoh. TWO-WAY PROGRAMMING TO BE TRIED: Time Warner and IBM are working to establish a joint venture to own and operate a nationwide fiber-optic system to deliver two-way programming to homes, AP reports. The system would deliver entertainment, information, shopping services, educational material and other items via television. It would be interactive, allowing a viewer, for example, to answer questions or order a movie. HDTV DEVELOPERS TEAM UP: Four leaders in the development of high-definition television technology signed an agreement Thursday to share interest in their HDTV systems. AT&T, General Instrument Corp., the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Zenith Electronics Corp. have agreed that, if any of their entries is selected by the Federal Communications Commission, the four would share royalty income. OPTICAL SPECIALTIES MAKES BUY: Optical Specialties Inc. Thursday said it has entered a definitive agreement to buy Insystems Inc. Insystems makes inspection systems for use in the fabrication of integrated circuits and liquid crystal display panels. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. OSI makes microprocessor-controlled inspection and measurement systems for the semiconductor industry. INTEL UPGRADES LANSIGHT: Intel Corp. has expanded its LANSight Support product designed to remotely monitor desktop computers that are connected to a Microsoft local area network (LAN) Manager or an IBM LAN server. The new version, 3.0, is now available and costs $395. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON NASA: AGENCY FAILS TO WATCH CONTRACTS: Rep. Howard Wolpe, D-Mich., says NASA is paying far too little attention to contract administration. Wolpe, who chairs the oversight and investigations subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, conducted a Thursday hearing on contracting problems at NASA. Reports say NASA pays too much for private industry services. NEW APPROACH IS NEEDED: Auditors and lawmakers at the hearing offered some praise for changes that have been made. But those changes, including installation of new computer systems to track use of contracted funds, are only a start, they said. Several noted that NASA's contracting problems require a new approach by agency officials, including a commitment to consistent contractor monitoring. FIELD CENTERS POORLY INTEGRATED: Many NASA contracting problems stem from poor integration among NASA field centers, which assign much of their contracted work independently, and agency headquarters, the auditors said. And NASA officials noted at the hearing that new systems are being installed to coordinate agency contracting procedures. (End of package.) Technology Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM