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Here's something I've been doing all day with regards to the Real ID act and something you might be able to do with regards to this news on the Patriot Act: email the media and get them to cover the issue. Basic format of the email I've been trying to send out follows...

-To -media organiztaion here-,

First off, thank you for taking the time to read this email. While I realize that it is not in good taste for any news organization to take any political stance on matters, I do feel that it is in the best interests of both the media and for the nation if the media would do more to cover the less known topics that happen in Washington.

Case in point is the recent passge of the Real ID act. (H.R. 418, it can be found here: http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:H.R .418:) This act was attached to the recently passed emergency spending bill approved by the President. However, there are some scary details about this act, besides the intended effect of creating a national ID system. For instance, check out Section 102, which allows the Secretary of Homeland Security "the authority to waive, and shall waive, all laws such Secretary, in such Secretary's sole discretion, determines necessary to ensure expeditious construction of the barriers and roads under this section." It also prevents any oversight or judicial review of those actions.

There are several other topics on this bill that I think people would find rather enlightening. Here are a few links to other websites with articles over it:

ArsTechnica Article about a Potential part of the RealID act breaking the Constition:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050509-4886 .html

CNet Article Overview:
http://news.com.com/FAQ+How+Real+ID+will+affect+yo u/2100-1028_3-5697111.html

At any rate, thank you again for taking the time to read this email. I hope that you will at least take the time to consider the impliciations of such an issue, and the rather underhanded means of having it been acheived.

Yours,
-name-

I think the only way we're going to get word across is if we can get the media to reveal the implications of this on a much larger scale that what we might be able to do. Here's a general email I've been sending out to sites like the NYTimes and NBC's The Nightly News:

-To -insert media organization here-,

First off, thank you for taking the time to read this email. While I realize that it is not in good taste for any news organization to take any political stance on matters, I do feel that it is in the best interests of both the media and for the nation if the media would do more to cover the less known topics that happen in Washington.

Case in point is the recent passge of the Real ID act. (H.R. 418, it can be found here: http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:H.R .418:) This act was attached to the recently passed emergency spending bill approved by the President. However, there are some scary details about this act, besides the intended effect of creating a national ID system. For instance, check out Section 102, which allows the Secretary of Homeland Security "the authority to waive, and shall waive, all laws such Secretary, in such Secretary's sole discretion, determines necessary to ensure expeditious construction of the barriers and roads under this section." It also prevents any oversight or judicial review of those actions.

There are several other topics on this bill that I think people would find rather enlightening. Here are a few links to other websites with articles over it:

ArsTechnica Article about a Potential part of the RealID act breaking the Constition:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050509-4886 .html

CNet Article Overview:
http://news.com.com/FAQ+How+Real+ID+will+affect+yo u/2100-1028_3-5697111.html

At any rate, thank you again for taking the time to read this email. I hope that you will at least take the time to consider the impliciations of such an issue, and the rather underhanded means of having it been acheived.

Yours,
Brandon G.

The Paterson interview is all about the coding competition and how wonderful it is that so many students from around the world take part. The headline "Can Johnny still program" was probably slapped on the write-up by an overzealous editor eager to capture eyeballs. Most likely, Patterson had nothing to do with it. Then, Matloff comes along, grabs hold of the headline, ignores the content, and twists the interview to pound on what seems to be his favorite political issue. In the process, he labels Patterson as a shrill alarmist crying for more H1-B visas. Nevermind that, in the interview, Patterson has nothing to say about visas and very little to say about why the US team finished where it did. He's focused entirely on how wonderful the competition is. As both a UC graduate and an ACM member, I don't know whether to be amused or chagrined.

This photo *clearly* shows that it is not Windows.

The formatting of this story just smacks of pre-written garbage. I googled for "specifically, Linux's lack of Token Ring support" and got the following two links:

Here is this same post being made on /. in 2003.

Here is a reader's response on CNET to a story in 2004.

he looks exactly like Spock.... Spock: http://www.rgj.com/news/files/2005/01/11/61802_250 .jpg Professor Matloff: http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/ne/mugs/lg/lg_matloff _n.jpg freaky

The article available at the attached URL indicates that the memory size is 128MB. The point is that AT THE PRESENT TIME, the low-income segment of the population has no easy way to acquire a computer or, after acquiring it, pay for maintenance, power, and upgrades. So a sturdy, no-frills machine is best. As time goes by, their needs will rise and the cost of technology will drop and there will still be a happy intersection of these two graphs. Think of TV: in the 1970s Indians were introduced to black-and-white models and Lucy re-runs. I remember, living then in India, marvelling at a color TV at an international trade show in Delhi in Jan. 1981. Today such things are commonplace in high quality, and the infrastructure (really cheap cable service) has expanded to satisfy the demands. So this sort of thing is good for the common person. http://news.com.com/Indian+firm+unveils+low-cost+L inux-based+PCs/2100-1042_3-5701552.html?tag=nl

Here are some good looking pics of the laptop. Im not sure you can call it a laptop though, it looks more like a hybrid version of a pda and laptop. New segment?

Check out http://news.com.com/Photos+Low-cost+computing+with +style/2009-1005_3-5701496.html

oh. wait a minute. you're a fucking idiot.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1774025,00.as p

http://www.mac360.com/index.php/mac360/more/apple_ lawsuit_dangerous_for_free_speech_or_pr_hype/

http://news.com.com/Apple+lawsuit+A+case+of+sour+g rapes/2010-1047_3-5611497.html?tag=nefd.ac

http://news.com.com/Apple+sues+over+loose+Tiger/21 00-1047_3-5500034.html

oh. wait a minute. you're a fucking idiot.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1774025,00.as p

http://www.mac360.com/index.php/mac360/more/apple_ lawsuit_dangerous_for_free_speech_or_pr_hype/

http://news.com.com/Apple+lawsuit+A+case+of+sour+g rapes/2010-1047_3-5611497.html?tag=nefd.ac

http://news.com.com/Apple+sues+over+loose+Tiger/21 00-1047_3-5500034.html

I sure can.
here

actually, I'm referring to their dubious patent on the iTunes software interface. and no, I don't require your explanation of design patents. they are harmful, and must be neutralized.

Read here, here, here.

I think you are 100% correct. I don't see this release REALLY being aimed at RIM. There are some improved features and you can kind of see that in the next couple years they probably have plans to aim for RIM, but for now I don't think that is the main goal. Your comment on push exchange integration I think is probably right on and we may see it before long. Along with that they will also need (ok maybe not need but it would help) DELL or some other hardware vendor to create a small form device to house this functionailty. Maybe people will get used to using a PDA like a Blackberry, but for me PDAs are still a bit too big and fragile (though getting better) to just wear on my hip everywhere I go like I can (almost) do with a Blackberry.

That said, it seems this release is actually more aimed at Nokia than RIM. Article

I don't have any firm numbers, but Dell and HP have already announced they will let customers upgrade to this new version. Nothing against the post referenced originally but I think this one gives more info. With two big-boys doing this, I'd think most others would have to do the same.

So I think most PDAs will be able to be upgraded. I'd tend to think you are probably right when it comes to phones though.

Their (Intel) whole business plan has been based off of their vast number of production plants and relatively cheap process of putting hordes of chips on the market

....

AMD on the other hand has always started out chips on the enthusiast / enterprise market because they simply don't have the fabrication capacity that Intel does.

Do you even know what Intel's first dual-core processor is? It's the Smithfield product, or, in market terms, the Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840. I'd be willing to argue this isn't targeted at the general desktop world as much as it's targeted at the enthusiast market. The next chip that is releasing (Presler I believe) is aimed at the Xeon, again, not exactly an end-user part.

I think what is more accurate is once Intel has matured a product (to an extent), they use their manufacturing juggernaut to flood the market with their parts. Whereas, AMD cannot, since they don't have the fab capacity, so once their part does become mature (to an extent), they're still producing a seemingly low volume. Therefore, they must target higher ASP's (servers, workstations) in order to make money.

Here's info on the Intel release.

The classification of his investment is a matter of semantics, plain and simple. Since Dell, the individual and not the company is making the investment, the company's board of directors and other executives can down play the move. This helps to keep Microsoft at bay, as indicated above.

While I've never worked for Dell, contractor or otherwise, it's no secret that there are quite a few employees that like Red Hat and have been pushing it to the execs for quite some time. This is what lead the company to include it in their server products in the first place.

The timing of the investment is interesting because Red Hat has beaten street estimates due to a rise in subscriptions (found in this CNET article.) This must have the Red Hat development team jumping for joy. Dell's involvement will only drive them to introduce innovative technologies to both RHEL and Red Hat Desktop.

What I believe will happen in the not too distant future is that Dell (the company) will:

* Ante up and start promoting Red Hat based servers more than they have done in the past. While it may piss off MS, they'll respond, albeit gently, it's just business and keep going.

* Create a sales bundle for small to medium businesses that will include an RHEL server and x amount of desktops loaded with Red Hat Desktop. All this with a migration team waiting in the wings to help the company through the initial learning curve.

* Similar sales bundle for larger corporations, including clustering services and SAN related products.

and finally...

* Further collaborate with Red Hat to offer special pricing on multi-tiered support packages for Dell customers switching from Windows based systems. Since Dell already offers Linux training services and the like, it would basically be a strengthening of its partnership.

Only time will tell! We'll revisit the issue in a few months as I'm sure it will garner more attention when Dell (the company) makes a move.

I'll ignore the fact that this law blatantly violates the 10th Amendment, and will instead cite this CNet article by someone who knows far more about the law than I do:

How Real ID will affect you
By Declan McCullagh

What's all the fuss with the Real ID Act about?

President Bush is expected to sign an $82 billion military spending bill soon that will, in part, create electronically readable, federally approved ID cards for Americans. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the package--which includes the Real ID Act--on Thursday.

What does that mean for me?

Starting three years from now, if you live or work in the United States, you'll need a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of nearly any government service. Practically speaking, your driver's license likely will have to be reissued to meet federal standards. News.context

What's new:

The House of Representatives has approved an $82 billion military spending bill with an attachment that would mandate electronically readable ID cards for Americans. President Bush is expected to sign the bill.

Bottom line:

The Real ID Act would establish what amounts to a national identity card. State drivers' licenses and other such documents would have to meet federal ID standards established by the Department of Homeland Security.

More stories on this topic

The Real ID Act hands the Department of Homeland Security the power to set these standards and determine whether state drivers' licenses and other ID cards pass muster. Only ID cards approved by Homeland Security can be accepted "for any official purpose" by the feds.

How will I get one of these new ID cards?

You'll still get one through your state motor vehicle agency, and it will likely take the place of your drivers' license. But the identification process will be more rigorous.

For instance, you'll need to bring a "photo identity document," document your birth date and address, and show that your Social Security number is what you had claimed it to be. U.S. citizens will have to prove that status, and foreigners will have to show a valid visa.

State DMVs will have to verify that these identity documents are legitimate, digitize them and store them permanently. In addition, Social Security numbers must be verified with the Social Security Administration.

What's going to be stored on this ID card?

At a minimum: name, birth date, sex, ID number, a digital photograph, address, and a "common machine-readable technology" that Homeland Security will decide on. The card must also sport "physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, or duplication of the document for fraudulent purposes."

Homeland Security is permitted to add additional requirements--such as a fingerprint or retinal scan--on top of those. We won't know for a while what these additional requirements will be.

Why did these ID requirements get attached to an "emergency" military spending bill? Because it's difficult for politicians to vote against money that will go to the troops in Iraq and tsunami relief. The funds cover ammunition, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, aircraft, troop housing, death benefits, and so on.

The House already approved a standalone version of the Real ID Act in February, but by a relatively close margin of 261-161. It was expected to run into some trouble in the Senate. Now that it's part of an Iraq spending bill, senators won't want to vote against it.

What's the justification for this legislation anyway?

Its supporters say that the Real ID Act is necessary to hinder terrorists, and to follow the ID card recommendations that the 9/11 Commission made last year.

It will "hamper the ability of terrorist and criminal aliens to move freely throughout our socie

Why your comment got modded as Insightful rather than Funny is beyond me.

If it's flash, why can't you use it in Linux? Flash is one of the few plugins that firefox will install with it's auto-plugin thingy.

Anyway, I've never heard of disposable CC numbers, it does sound handy. I think I'll have to look into too.

And for the "why ask slashdot, when you can google it in two minutes" aswer, it looks like, American Express, and MBNA offer them, but without signing up, I don't know what kind a mechanism they use. The PCworld article says something about "Orbiscom's O-power" application, but I can't find technicle details on it. Orbiscom's clients page says that most of the bigger CC people are dabbling in this sort of tech.

Have fun.

I have a theory regarding ASOTV. Basically, we can all agree that (s)he is either an Apple employee or a very skilled troll. The problem with the Apple employee conclusion, and the reason he draws so much flak as of late, is that (1) Apple is secretive and tends to sack leakers as a general proposition; (2) (s)he makes no secret as to his/her "employer" with gratuituous use of the royal we; (3) while (s)he is usually correct with Apple insider-type information, (s)he does slip up sometimes.

So here's my take. I think (s)he does work for Apple. Now, any ordinary Apple employee would not have held onto his/her job for so long after so much Slashdot discourse, due to (1). But what we have here is no ordinary employee.

Who does Apple want to sell Macs to right now? Everybody, sure. But some folks are more amenable to switching than others. Windows users in general hate their computers, but not because of Windows insamuch as they hate the Microsoft 2-year upgrade cycle; they loathe having to "relearn their computer" at those fixed intervals. Luna and Outlook 2003 (yuck) notwithstanding, Windows/Office transitions are a hell of a lot easier to swallow for your grandma than switching to OS X. There isn't much Apple can do about that; we, their customers, want them to make NeXTSTEP++, not Longhorn or Blackcomb. Heaven forbid they ever start trying to "bend" OS X to be more Windows-like to get the switchers.

So your mom won't necessarily buy a Mac, and Apple cannot change this. But who will buy a Mac? Linux users, BSD users, Unix users in general. Apple does, in fact, occupy the space in the market that once belonged to SGI. Like SGI, they provide a system with (proprietary but damn good) value-adds for niche markets. But unlike SGI, their machines and software are affordable, often more so than the Wintel platform, and those add-ons (Aqua, Quartz, Spotlight, Finder when it behaves) make the system amenable to users of all skill levels, not just people with root. All the better to make root switch. And if root switches, grandma will eventually follow, because root makes software which grandma will use. Or so goes the theory. (Yes, even Linus uses a Mac now, but not for OS X.)

So here's my theory: Since root's /pub is Slashdot, ASOTV has likely been given a second job by Apple management. Her/His task is to try and convince /. users, by destruction of FUD and misconceptions regarding OS X, to give Apple a fair shake. So his activities are sanctioned, perhaps secretly, by Apple; this is why he hasn't been beheaded. If you think that's a crazy proposition, try to put yourself in the shoes of upper-level management in Cupertino. You need to get Unix folks to switch to Mac, because the Windows people keep saying "Windows has more software than Mac" (never mind that 60+% is malware). Meanwhile, people on Slashdot keep posting Apple FUD from the late '90s, which works quite effectively against your goal. Solution? Deploy a secret agent.

What about (1)? If ASOTV really worked for Apple, and needs not to conceal that fact, as in (2), why the secrecy? Because while Apple may want ASOTV to talk, they don't want their other employees to. This is the essence of the secret agent! And this secret agent probably is somewhere between PR and engineering, which is why his/her information is sometimes stale, which would explain (3).

So, I say, let him/her do her job. Since most Slashdot users bash Microsoft on a daily basis, then either resume using or dual-boot into Windows XP, I think there is some nobility in the goal of getting those folks to give the Mac a spin. So, there you go... take it or leave it.

"Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more in

In case you missed the article from the same site: DHS loves RFID.

I like the sample image they used.

I bef of you. Please RTFA.

The worst part is the completely machine-readable/automatic nature of the thing -- you might not even know you're giving your information away.

Um. Huh? With the exception of RFID, how in the living hell would you not know you're "giving your information away"?

If, again, the argument is "ease", thanks to a technological change or technology itself, then why do slashdotters always argue in favor of technology elsewhere, but against it here?

- The card will still be issued by your state motor vehicle agency. It will merely be a federally approved, standardized version of your state Driver's License or state Identification Card.

- The process to obtain the card will be more rigorous, and you will have to provide more documents to prove your identity.

- The House *already approved* a standalone version of the Real ID bill, so the fact this is attached to military spending is irrelevant

- IF the standardized "machine readable technology" (which almost all state issues IDs already have in the form of a bar code, magnetic strip, etc.) ends up being RFID, you must at least concede that this standardization is based on consistency, functionality, and ease of use, not a desire to build a nationwide network of centrally administered RFID detectors for the purposes of tracking every citizen

- All of the information on all of the cards is already accessible to any entity that requests identification, such as banks. However, the information will now be presented and stored in a uniform manner.

- If you think that all of these actions are designed exlusively to institute a 1984-style police state by evil conservatives, you probably don't see the illogic in opposing simple standardization of ID cards that already exist.

- All of the items listed - opening bank accounts, collecting social security checks, travelling by air, etc. - already require ID (and if you want to get retarded about the whole air travel thing, go for it. John Gilmore already found he could travel without ID (a href=http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=140827&ci d=11799450>2, but it didn't serve his agenda).

Look. I don't mind vigilance for the sake of privacy and individual rights. In fact, I think the vigilance of privacy advocates, the ACLU, etc., is necessary and important. But you must realize that extreme views are almost always not the correct ones. It's the interplay and balance between both sides of a reasonable debate that is important. The people who think a national ID card with a DNA fingerprint and everyone implanted with GPS are wrong, and the people who think that every single bit of legislation like this is part of a corporate/government/Republican conspiracy to control them are also wrong. By all means, fight for your convictions, but if you do it from a not-so-tinfoily perspective, you'll have more chance at convincing others of the validity of your position.

Not very long. MSAV is already in the works.

http://news.com.com/Details+of+Microsoft+antivirus +software+leak+out/2100-7349_3-5287496.html

They have.
"For example, even though Intel introduced 64-bit x86 chips midway through 2005--more than a year after AMD--it outpaced AMD in server shipments in 2004."
http://news.com.com/Intel+highlights+its+next-gen+ dual-core+chips/2100-1006_3-5697088.html?tag=nefd. top

They had been a bit slow because they willingly did other things (Itanium 2, etc.) but they should be able to squeeze AMD back to its proper size in x86-64 space.

http://news.com.com/India+launches+mapping+satelli te/2100-7337_3-5696377.html

Excuse me.....when has Microsoft ever really gotten there first? Their signature business method is to buy some small or unknown software company in a given market and then use their monopoly influence, price undercutting, and FUD to drive out or hinder competitors while they hurry to catch up with whatever software they bought. Years later, they have little competition and a product that is "good enough" (read: Marketing has convinced enough people to buy it and put up with all the bugs that remain).

They've already bought their search technology but apparently it's harder than it looks. Of course, they would have preferred to eliminate the competition outright.

The real problem here is that Microsoft can't cut their price below free and Google has at least one software generation or so head start (that, coupled with the other Microsoft bug-a-boo -- FOSS). Billy boy is never so pissed than when a company points out just how uninnovative Microsoft really is...

Their next slogan? "Microsoft -- following the leader like usual."

Here's a better article, with some statistics:

How exactly do they collect this information? It's not like the Chinese are real forthcoming with reliable info.

BTW, This is just another excuse for slashdot editors to kick the US in the crotch.

URL correction. Sorry.

try here sorry

Fuck. I was wrong.

They are not shoving the National ID's down from SSN/Database Snafu.

They putting it in on the IRAQ bill

Welcome to the United States of Bullshit

They covered this themselves two months ago.

It's just the GPL they hate, because they can't use GPL'ed software. See here for example.

The MPA, the Hong Kong Scout Association, and the Hong Kong government announced the program this week. It's the first of its type anywhere in the world.

"The Intellectual Property Badge Award Program will provide thousands of young people -- future leaders -- with a better understanding of the value of intellectual property and of the importance of protecting it," Mike Ellis, senior vice president of the MPA, said in a press release.

It's not unprecedented for one industry to create a merit badge. The Boy Scouts currently offers a long list of badges including "American Business," "American Labor," "Auto Mechanics," "Electronics," "Law," and "Nuclear Science."

It's not clear, though, how much time the MPA's merit badge curriculum will devote to the value of fair use, the problems that region coding on DVDs can create for legitimate purchasers, and the unintended consequences of "anti-circumvention" laws like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Looks like the para-military youth organization started by a latent paedophile is keeping up with the times in indoctrinating our boys with corporate groupthink.

1024x1024 plasmas? That is weird, whats the brand?
Sony...
http://www.unitedvisual.com/eos/Product.asp?dept_i d=7&product_id=5681
Hitachi...
ViewSonic...
http://netscape.com.com/4521-6531_7-5021476-3.html
and more. Mostly 42" PDP's.

You should read more.

From the article:

"Why would a supposedly credible rag like BusinessWeek quote an anonymous hedge fund guy on a totally unsubstantiated rumor designed to spike the stock price?" McNealy said. "I will bet this hedge guy is laughing his butt off that BusinessWeek printed this as he profits from the $0.42 rise in the price this morning."

Full article: McNealy dismisses Sun buyout rumor

Scott has already dismissed this.
http://news.com.com/McNealy+dismisses+Sun+buyout+r umor/2100-7341_3-5689924.html

SCO has lawyers. those lawyers are not stupid. i'd wager they know a little more about this case, and law in general, than the average poster in this thread. they do not want to lose money. SCO does not want to lose money, or at least take a very bad risk on this.

Regardless of how reasonable these arguments may seem, the facts controvert them:

1) SCO's lawyers, like most, are paid whether they win or lose.

2) While it still looked like they might possibly have a case, SCO's revenues and stock price shot up and SCO was infused with large investments.

3) SCO's core server OS business started crumbling long ago under pressure from both Linux and Windows.

So, you see, SCO almost literally had nothing to lose. If they didn't do something, Linux (or Windows) would take their Unix server business. By making asses of themselves, they'll at least continue to receive large paychecks for a few more years. Besides, it was entirely plausible that IBM would have just bought the whole company to shut them up, in which case, jackpot!

Drug induced raving (oops, I mean 'Quote'):
As you can see from here there's no real plan to have a 64-bit version of Exchange, yet would this not be a perfect solution to use it with?

Public discussion of announced 64-b Exchange Server, features, and schedule:
http://news.com.com/New+Microsoft+Exchange+due+out +in+2006/2100-1012_3-5647236.html

Didn't Microsoft buy a license from SCO? http://news.com.com/2100-1016-1007528.html

Way to pay attention to current events.

You receive an F for effort!

Not only MS is guilty of using this vaporware tactics. All the media are lapping it up too, without even a single note of critisism.

I'd appreciate it if the editors could compensate by easy back on the amount of useless MS oriented articles and chaff during that time. I suspect others would, too. The core activity of /. claims to be "News for nerds, stuff that matters" Chaff and press releases fall in neither category.

How is it that the university faculty and students in Spain had major outdoor protests against software patents this week and /. missed it, before and after. May First is even ths weekend.

Apple does have a trademark registered for Tiger as it relates to computer operating system software. However, this trademark was challenged several months ago, so who knows.

It does seem to be case of Google Rage, but something tells me it goes a little deeper. Regardless, I don't see Tiger Direct having any more success than Microware had in their "OS 9" suit five or six years ago.

Yeah, the FreeBSD part is a "kernel within a kernel" (kind of like the executive in Windows NT). And of course, there actually is an x86 port of the whole mess. It doesn't come with the GUI jazz, but if you slap on GNUStep, you've basically got a NeXT box, which ain't a bad start.

As for Apple entering the x86 arena full-force, don't look forward to it. I don't think Apple is eager to compete in the same razor-thin margin market that even IBM couldn't turn a profit on. Competing with Dell is dumb. Competing with Microsoft is dumb too; I'd rather see Apple relegated to perpetual niche status than perpetual death status like Be was or NeXT nearly was.

And the hardware's pretty nice in its own right too.

Note to mention, this thing is just plain ugly. I mean:

http://news.com.com/Photos+Nokia+phones+pack+the+f eatures/2009-1041_3-5686841.html?tag=st.num

Damn.

grib.

I have a Sony Ericsson T610 wich looks startingly similar to this new phone (Nokia N91), but with the addition of the iPod -esque controls on the slider. The T610 is easily the best designed phone I've ever had, and I can't help thinking that Nokia took a few design tips from S-E (and aPple). So, I'm psyched about it!

DTV is not dropping Tivo. DirecTV was purchased by NewsCorp which is owned by Rupert Murdoch as we know. One of his other companies happened to be working on a DVR already. So yes, they will be offering that as an option as well.

But... the NDS DVR isn't out yet and DTV is still actively promoting Tivo both on-air and through combo deals to sign up for service. DTV's contract with Tivo lasts through 2007, and even then they can't just drop Tivo overnight. By the end of January, Tivo had signed up 3 million subscribers, and approx 2/3 of those are DTV subscribers. DTV would be foolish to drop support for something that 2 million of their customers know and love, especially since even if the NDS box is free, if it has problems or just doesn't live up to Tivo, there will likely be a customer backlash.

Take for example Comcast's own foray into DVR land. Users were less than satisfied [login required] and as a result, Comcast recently struck a deal with Tivo to co-develop a DVR based on Tivo technology.

Meanwhile Tivo has released a SDK and encouraged Java programmers to develop applications to make Tivo even more useful. Imagine shows like Survivor! that auction off props at the end of the season for charity being able to send you directly to Ebay on your Tivo!

There are also rumors of a partnership or aquisition of Tivo by Google for an as yet announced Video search/play on-demand product. Tivo already has a partnertship with Netflix to explore and develop technology for on-demand movie downloads.

Tivo needs to work hard in the coming months, but overall I think rumors of Tivo's imminent demise have been greatly exaggerated.

The students didn't steal anything either. They made unlawful copies.

Or maybe not. The RIAA isn't exactly known for gathering accurate evidence. I doubt they could prove any infringement - at most, they might be able to show the students offered files named after popular songs (which could be trademark infrigement), but how could they prove the students actually distributed the files, and that the files really contained the RIAA's copyrighted work?

Judges should make the RIAA provide some real evidence (like sniffer logs) before they issue any subpoenas.

"Within 12 months, we will be at 3GHz. Believe me, this architecture has legs." - Steve Jobs, June 23, 2003
http://news.com.com/Jobs+unveils+new+Power+Macs/21 00-1042_3-1020015.html