From Beijing to Singapore, SARS has caused a deep chill to run through Asia's citizens.
The regional and world press have been busy trying to see how it will affect the economy, and in particular, the IT industry, a key component of the well-being of the several Asian states. Meanwhile, a U.S. firm is looking worldwide for volunteers to donate spare processor cycles from their PCs to look for a cure.
U.S.:Your PC's cycles for a good cause
A software company has released a distributed computing agent that harnesses the spare processor cycles of PCs all over the world to come up with a possible cure for SARS.
D2OL (Drug Design Optimisation Lab), a public service project from Boca Raton, Florida-based software firm Sengent, is a client application that models potential drug molecules attacking disease-causing germs. When installed on a PC, the D2OL runs in the system tray, and sends results back to D2OL when an Internet link is established.
"By simply downloading a no-cost, non-intrusive software application, you can contribute the idle time available on your computer to fight major heathcare outbreaks and potential biological weapons even when not connected to the Internet," according to the Web site.
"With your help we are testing compounds that are readily available, and credible 'hits' can be tested in cell and animal models of the disease to confirm potential utility in man," it continues.
The D2OL program is similar to other distributed-computing projects, the most famous one being the search interstellar radio waves for signs of intelligent life, the SETI@home (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) project.
D2OL began life as a bid to harness distributed computing for diseases such as anthrax, ebola and smallpox. SARS has just been added to the list.
Taiwan: Computex 2003 cancelled or postponed?
The mayor of Taipei, Ma Ying-jeou last month became a marketer for one of Asia's largest IT shows, Computex 2003, by sending out 200,000 letters of reassurance to attendees.
It looks like the effort may be wasted: The Taiwanese tech news daily Digitimes has reported that a sponsor may be asking that the June 2 -6 show be postponed or cancelled.
The Taipei Computer Association (TCA) will in a few days release results of a survey asking show exhibitors if they wish to cancel or delay the event.
Several of them have complained to the TCA about foreign client balking at flying to Taiwan because of SARS, and their fears are backed up by reports that a recent electronics show also received less than half the usual number of foreign visitors, said Digitimes. About 1,150 companies have registered to take up about 2,500 booths at Computex 2003.
Singapore: From hindrance to help
In Singapore, SARS has turned a necessary evil into a godsend.
"Usually, e-mail is the bane of our lives but, this time, it was the factor that brought us together, discussing what needed to be done," said Professor John Wong, chairman of the Singapore SARS Clinical Consortium, a group of doctors and scientists fighting the diseases jointly.
He was quoted in The Straits Times, a Singapore daily, which reported that a casual email link between medical staff has since grown into an ad-hoc research community.
Hong Kong: Email hoax causes govt anger
A hoax mass email that said the air ducts of Hong Kong's MTR (Mass Transit Rail) passenger cars contain the SARS virus has got the authorities fuming, according to news agency the Associated Press (AP).
"The allegation is absolutely without foundation," Mass Transit Rail Corporation operation director Phil Gaffney was quoted as saying.
MTR ridership has been down 20 percent, but mostly due to crowd avoidance by those fearful of the disease and school closures. No arrests have yet been made.
The email hoax comes after a recent incident in which a fake Web page, made to look like an official government site, declared Hong Kong an "infected area". The teenage boy responsible has been arrested and the government took the novel step sending out a refutation--in a text message-- to all six million mobile phones in the former British colony, said AP.
China: Electronics spending to take a hit
Spending on personal computers, mobile phones and other electronics will be hit by the SARS scare, according to analysts quoted in the Asian Wall Street Journal.
China, the world's fastest-growing market for electronics goods, has seen shopping malls empty of crowds recently, said the report. Bhavin Shah, regional technology analyst at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in Hong Kong, was quoted as saying that the second quarter could see sales of electronics drop by up to a third, with PCs and phones taking the biggest hit.
Another analyst said the SARS scare has caused buyers to "nest" at home rather than shop. The scare comes at a bad time for the Asian tech industry, which was already feeling sickly before the virus took hold.
Play video
There are currently no comments for this post.