ogitech has released what it calls the first laser controlled mouse, the MX1000, a big beast, judging from the photographs.

The laser cordless mouse lets you use your mouse on any surface, without a mouse pad. The technology is an advance over the current use of optical tracking. Optical mice typically use a red light-emitting diode to illuminate the surface on which they are tracking. With laser light, the new mouse is 20 times more accurate than the average optical mouse, Logitech says.

You need this kind of accuracy if you?re working with graphics for example or are a hardcore gamer. However be warned. This is a large mouse. Those with smaller hands should stop by a store for a test drive before buying, Logitech advises.

The Isle of Man has launched a programme under which it would make a set of agreements with other offshore jurisdictions on IT disaster recovery centres.

Under the proposed agreements the Isle of Man would allow any companies using an Isle of Man-based disaster recovery service to operate under the same regulations as their home centre.

The Isle of Man?s Financial Services Commission will allow such a continuation in an emergency so long as the businesses using the service are subject to adequate supervision in their own jurisdictions.

The project will target offshore jurisdictions that are vulnerable to natural disasters, such as the hurricane-hit islands in the Caribbean, and of course, Bermuda.

Since it would be much better for financial services businesses to set up their disaster IT centres in Bermuda, the project is an attempt by the Isle of Man is going after Bermuda?s lunch!

Small companies will be able to outsource their e-mail security to McAfee (www.mcafee.com), under a new online service launched Monday. The company?s Managed Mail Protection filters a company?s e-mails online for viruses and spam before they enter a customer?s network. The cost ranges from about $21 to $47 per desktop and means you won?t have to worry if your anti-virus is up-to-date. Remember, you?ll still need firewall protection from other types of security intrusions.

Apple Computer released an update to the Mac OS X operating system to fix 15 security issues in the software. The patch is available for Mac OS X 10.3.5 and Mac OS X 10.3.4, and also fixes issues in Mac OS X 10.2, known as ?Jaguar?.

The patch fixes software flaws that could enable an attacker to crash or freeze the Apache 2 Web server, run software by using Apple?s Safari Web browser or expose the password data used by the network. Get the patch at www.apple.com and click on the ?Support? section.

Here?s a gift to the world from the British Library, which has made 93 digital copies of the original 21 plays written by Shakespeare available online. Thus you can see the plays in their original splendour and compare the various copies from the 1600s. A neat feature allows you to compare, side by side on the screen, different versions of a particular play, to see how it evolved.

This is a great resource for teachers and aficionados. In the ?background? section you can find information on Shakespeare?s life and the evolution of the plays through time. I only wish the library had also put on line Shakespeare?s famous last will, in which all he left his wife, Anne Hathaway, his ?second-best bed?. It shows a cruelty of character in a man whose life still mainly remains a mystery. Check out the resource at www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/homepage.html.