Tapping Voip, UK fights EU data directive, is you computer freezing?, and much more

This week's print edition of the Technology supplement is online too..

• Lifting the veil on internet voices
  Police and intelligence agencies are lobbying hard for means of snooping on internet-based telephony, arguing that they need them to catch criminals, reports Peter Warren.
• UK fights against tide on data directive
  A Europe-wide project to harmonise access to geographical data is at risk due to Britain's support for state-owned agencies.
• Computer freezing? It might be too hot
  It's the middle of a heatwave, but computers across the country are freezing.
• Divided by a common language
  The internet is a global revolution in communication - as long as you use letters from the western alphabet. Kieren McCarthy on the growing pressure for a net that recognises Asian, Arabic and Hindi characters, too.
• Newly Asked Questions
  • Didn't the collapse of Enron solve California's electricity problems?
    Apparently not. While some people suspect that the failed energy broker was the real reason for power "brownouts" in California between November 2000 and May 2001 (and it was at least a contributor), the state has once more been suffering a shortage of distribution capacity - and this time the crooked company isn't there to blame.
  • How can I tell if I'll be any good as a programmer?
    Easily, according to a test devised by Saeed Dehnadi and Richard Bornat at Middlesex University's school of computing.
  
  
• Where does the film end and the game begin?
  Aleks Krotoski: I had the delight last weekend of watching Johnny Depp swashbuckling through preposterous and perilous adventures in this summer's blockbuster, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Oh come on, it was that or Superman Returns; I'd already seen Hard Candy.
• Games
  Titan Quest | Prey | Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2
• Idealistic pirates at bay over Swedish file sharing
  The founders of the bastion of large-scale file sharing have come under attack following reports of large profits from advertising.
• Intel raises the bar as AMD drops prices in chip battle
  Jack Schofield: PCs are cheap today, and soon they'll be even cheaper, thanks to a price war between the two leading chip suppliers, AMD and Intel.
• The slimy answer to fertility
  Alginate, a new type of algal extract, could also ensure the survival of critically endangered species.
• Can Microsoft make 'pay as you go' PCs pay off?
  It has been tried before and it failed, but the big name support may this time give it the required cachet.
• Let slip the dogs of (broadband) war
  Victor Keegan: The outbreak of "broadband wars" in the UK - as big hitters such as Carphone Warehouse, Orange and BSkyB compete to offer us cheap or "free" internet access - is bound to boost this vital area of the economy.
• Technobile
  Paul May: Proximity detectors may make daily tasks easier, but if they were really any good they'd be everywhere.
• Ask Jack
  Send your questions and comments to jack.schofield@theguardian.com. Published letters will be edited for brevity, but include full details with your query.
  

  Please visit our Ask Jack weblog for daily updates.

• Newsbytes
  End of Monopoly money | Panda-friendly PC | Tourist Remover | Are you covered? | N for go | Thumb-driven book | Big screen | Subject line of the century
• Letters and blogs
  Send your letters, comments, questions and rants to tech@theguardian.com, and please include your address and post town.