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Combine all that with this, and WATCH OUT!.

See info here, here, and here.

I found this interesting.

Especially this qoute:

"In 2002 Microsoft issued 34 advisories for Windows XP, and 37 advisories for Windows 2000. By comparison, Red Hat Linux saw 87 advisories for its OS and Sun issued 83 alerts for Solaris."

It says nothing about the severity of the alerts but on sheer numbers, it's thought provoking.

Seriously, they should probably be going out of their way to appeal to creative non-geeks, artists and writers who can come up with new ideas and revitalize the stagnant game market. Sure, you can always eke out a few dollars from the latest boring iteration of a proven formula, Grand Theft Auto 7 or Warcraft VI. What the industry needs is fresh ideas from different sorts of people.

Ideas are cheap. Go to any game developer, be they an artist, programmer, level designer, or whatever, and you'll find dozens of interesting ideas for games.

There are two problems. 1) Creative doesn't mean good. An idea may just be stupid. A creative idea might even be interesting and exciting, but not actually produce something fun to play (like the inspired but unplayable Black and White). 2) The business types are cowards. Generic Fighting Game XXVII is seen as safe. It doesn't matter that there are (even after filtering out the bad ideas), many, many creative ideas available to them, they're only interested in low risk projects. It's harsh, but it's also their money.

All that said, while yes the industry is awash in clones and knock-offs, there is always some genuine innovation going on. In the last year for the PS/2 we've seen imaginative titles like Sly Cooper, Kingdom Hearts, and Rez . On other systems we saw Animal Crossing, Freedom Force, Morrowind, and Mafia . Head back a little further and you have brilliant titles like Ico, Jet Grind Radio, or Pikmin . Yes, Grant Theft Auto: Vice City and Warcraft III are both derivative, but they're sequels to cutting edge games that changed expectations. Grand Theft Auto III redefined open ended game play and believable worlds. Warcraft effectively popularized real-time strategy games. Perhaps they're derivative, but they're fundamentally good games which have been continually refined and improved. Why pick on them if they shipping games that are genuinely fun? Instead, complain about Generic Real-Time Strategy II, Racing Game Number 8576, or Street Soul Mortal Ultimate Fighter Extreme Blade Combat IV.

Seriously, they should probably be going out of their way to appeal to creative non-geeks, artists and writers who can come up with new ideas and revitalize the stagnant game market. Sure, you can always eke out a few dollars from the latest boring iteration of a proven formula, Grand Theft Auto 7 or Warcraft VI. What the industry needs is fresh ideas from different sorts of people.

Ideas are cheap. Go to any game developer, be they an artist, programmer, level designer, or whatever, and you'll find dozens of interesting ideas for games.

There are two problems. 1) Creative doesn't mean good. An idea may just be stupid. A creative idea might even be interesting and exciting, but not actually produce something fun to play (like the inspired but unplayable Black and White). 2) The business types are cowards. Generic Fighting Game XXVII is seen as safe. It doesn't matter that there are (even after filtering out the bad ideas), many, many creative ideas available to them, they're only interested in low risk projects. It's harsh, but it's also their money.

All that said, while yes the industry is awash in clones and knock-offs, there is always some genuine innovation going on. In the last year for the PS/2 we've seen imaginative titles like Sly Cooper, Kingdom Hearts, and Rez . On other systems we saw Animal Crossing, Freedom Force, Morrowind, and Mafia . Head back a little further and you have brilliant titles like Ico, Jet Grind Radio, or Pikmin . Yes, Grant Theft Auto: Vice City and Warcraft III are both derivative, but they're sequels to cutting edge games that changed expectations. Grand Theft Auto III redefined open ended game play and believable worlds. Warcraft effectively popularized real-time strategy games. Perhaps they're derivative, but they're fundamentally good games which have been continually refined and improved. Why pick on them if they shipping games that are genuinely fun? Instead, complain about Generic Real-Time Strategy II, Racing Game Number 8576, or Street Soul Mortal Ultimate Fighter Extreme Blade Combat IV.

Seriously, they should probably be going out of their way to appeal to creative non-geeks, artists and writers who can come up with new ideas and revitalize the stagnant game market. Sure, you can always eke out a few dollars from the latest boring iteration of a proven formula, Grand Theft Auto 7 or Warcraft VI. What the industry needs is fresh ideas from different sorts of people.

Ideas are cheap. Go to any game developer, be they an artist, programmer, level designer, or whatever, and you'll find dozens of interesting ideas for games.

There are two problems. 1) Creative doesn't mean good. An idea may just be stupid. A creative idea might even be interesting and exciting, but not actually produce something fun to play (like the inspired but unplayable Black and White). 2) The business types are cowards. Generic Fighting Game XXVII is seen as safe. It doesn't matter that there are (even after filtering out the bad ideas), many, many creative ideas available to them, they're only interested in low risk projects. It's harsh, but it's also their money.

All that said, while yes the industry is awash in clones and knock-offs, there is always some genuine innovation going on. In the last year for the PS/2 we've seen imaginative titles like Sly Cooper, Kingdom Hearts, and Rez . On other systems we saw Animal Crossing, Freedom Force, Morrowind, and Mafia . Head back a little further and you have brilliant titles like Ico, Jet Grind Radio, or Pikmin . Yes, Grant Theft Auto: Vice City and Warcraft III are both derivative, but they're sequels to cutting edge games that changed expectations. Grand Theft Auto III redefined open ended game play and believable worlds. Warcraft effectively popularized real-time strategy games. Perhaps they're derivative, but they're fundamentally good games which have been continually refined and improved. Why pick on them if they shipping games that are genuinely fun? Instead, complain about Generic Real-Time Strategy II, Racing Game Number 8576, or Street Soul Mortal Ultimate Fighter Extreme Blade Combat IV.

Seriously, they should probably be going out of their way to appeal to creative non-geeks, artists and writers who can come up with new ideas and revitalize the stagnant game market. Sure, you can always eke out a few dollars from the latest boring iteration of a proven formula, Grand Theft Auto 7 or Warcraft VI. What the industry needs is fresh ideas from different sorts of people.

Ideas are cheap. Go to any game developer, be they an artist, programmer, level designer, or whatever, and you'll find dozens of interesting ideas for games.

There are two problems. 1) Creative doesn't mean good. An idea may just be stupid. A creative idea might even be interesting and exciting, but not actually produce something fun to play (like the inspired but unplayable Black and White). 2) The business types are cowards. Generic Fighting Game XXVII is seen as safe. It doesn't matter that there are (even after filtering out the bad ideas), many, many creative ideas available to them, they're only interested in low risk projects. It's harsh, but it's also their money.

All that said, while yes the industry is awash in clones and knock-offs, there is always some genuine innovation going on. In the last year for the PS/2 we've seen imaginative titles like Sly Cooper, Kingdom Hearts, and Rez . On other systems we saw Animal Crossing, Freedom Force, Morrowind, and Mafia . Head back a little further and you have brilliant titles like Ico, Jet Grind Radio, or Pikmin . Yes, Grant Theft Auto: Vice City and Warcraft III are both derivative, but they're sequels to cutting edge games that changed expectations. Grand Theft Auto III redefined open ended game play and believable worlds. Warcraft effectively popularized real-time strategy games. Perhaps they're derivative, but they're fundamentally good games which have been continually refined and improved. Why pick on them if they shipping games that are genuinely fun? Instead, complain about Generic Real-Time Strategy II, Racing Game Number 8576, or Street Soul Mortal Ultimate Fighter Extreme Blade Combat IV.

Seriously, they should probably be going out of their way to appeal to creative non-geeks, artists and writers who can come up with new ideas and revitalize the stagnant game market. Sure, you can always eke out a few dollars from the latest boring iteration of a proven formula, Grand Theft Auto 7 or Warcraft VI. What the industry needs is fresh ideas from different sorts of people.

Ideas are cheap. Go to any game developer, be they an artist, programmer, level designer, or whatever, and you'll find dozens of interesting ideas for games.

There are two problems. 1) Creative doesn't mean good. An idea may just be stupid. A creative idea might even be interesting and exciting, but not actually produce something fun to play (like the inspired but unplayable Black and White). 2) The business types are cowards. Generic Fighting Game XXVII is seen as safe. It doesn't matter that there are (even after filtering out the bad ideas), many, many creative ideas available to them, they're only interested in low risk projects. It's harsh, but it's also their money.

All that said, while yes the industry is awash in clones and knock-offs, there is always some genuine innovation going on. In the last year for the PS/2 we've seen imaginative titles like Sly Cooper, Kingdom Hearts, and Rez . On other systems we saw Animal Crossing, Freedom Force, Morrowind, and Mafia . Head back a little further and you have brilliant titles like Ico, Jet Grind Radio, or Pikmin . Yes, Grant Theft Auto: Vice City and Warcraft III are both derivative, but they're sequels to cutting edge games that changed expectations. Grand Theft Auto III redefined open ended game play and believable worlds. Warcraft effectively popularized real-time strategy games. Perhaps they're derivative, but they're fundamentally good games which have been continually refined and improved. Why pick on them if they shipping games that are genuinely fun? Instead, complain about Generic Real-Time Strategy II, Racing Game Number 8576, or Street Soul Mortal Ultimate Fighter Extreme Blade Combat IV.

Seriously, they should probably be going out of their way to appeal to creative non-geeks, artists and writers who can come up with new ideas and revitalize the stagnant game market. Sure, you can always eke out a few dollars from the latest boring iteration of a proven formula, Grand Theft Auto 7 or Warcraft VI. What the industry needs is fresh ideas from different sorts of people.

Ideas are cheap. Go to any game developer, be they an artist, programmer, level designer, or whatever, and you'll find dozens of interesting ideas for games.

There are two problems. 1) Creative doesn't mean good. An idea may just be stupid. A creative idea might even be interesting and exciting, but not actually produce something fun to play (like the inspired but unplayable Black and White). 2) The business types are cowards. Generic Fighting Game XXVII is seen as safe. It doesn't matter that there are (even after filtering out the bad ideas), many, many creative ideas available to them, they're only interested in low risk projects. It's harsh, but it's also their money.

All that said, while yes the industry is awash in clones and knock-offs, there is always some genuine innovation going on. In the last year for the PS/2 we've seen imaginative titles like Sly Cooper, Kingdom Hearts, and Rez . On other systems we saw Animal Crossing, Freedom Force, Morrowind, and Mafia . Head back a little further and you have brilliant titles like Ico, Jet Grind Radio, or Pikmin . Yes, Grant Theft Auto: Vice City and Warcraft III are both derivative, but they're sequels to cutting edge games that changed expectations. Grand Theft Auto III redefined open ended game play and believable worlds. Warcraft effectively popularized real-time strategy games. Perhaps they're derivative, but they're fundamentally good games which have been continually refined and improved. Why pick on them if they shipping games that are genuinely fun? Instead, complain about Generic Real-Time Strategy II, Racing Game Number 8576, or Street Soul Mortal Ultimate Fighter Extreme Blade Combat IV.

Seriously, they should probably be going out of their way to appeal to creative non-geeks, artists and writers who can come up with new ideas and revitalize the stagnant game market. Sure, you can always eke out a few dollars from the latest boring iteration of a proven formula, Grand Theft Auto 7 or Warcraft VI. What the industry needs is fresh ideas from different sorts of people.

Ideas are cheap. Go to any game developer, be they an artist, programmer, level designer, or whatever, and you'll find dozens of interesting ideas for games.

There are two problems. 1) Creative doesn't mean good. An idea may just be stupid. A creative idea might even be interesting and exciting, but not actually produce something fun to play (like the inspired but unplayable Black and White). 2) The business types are cowards. Generic Fighting Game XXVII is seen as safe. It doesn't matter that there are (even after filtering out the bad ideas), many, many creative ideas available to them, they're only interested in low risk projects. It's harsh, but it's also their money.

All that said, while yes the industry is awash in clones and knock-offs, there is always some genuine innovation going on. In the last year for the PS/2 we've seen imaginative titles like Sly Cooper, Kingdom Hearts, and Rez . On other systems we saw Animal Crossing, Freedom Force, Morrowind, and Mafia . Head back a little further and you have brilliant titles like Ico, Jet Grind Radio, or Pikmin . Yes, Grant Theft Auto: Vice City and Warcraft III are both derivative, but they're sequels to cutting edge games that changed expectations. Grand Theft Auto III redefined open ended game play and believable worlds. Warcraft effectively popularized real-time strategy games. Perhaps they're derivative, but they're fundamentally good games which have been continually refined and improved. Why pick on them if they shipping games that are genuinely fun? Instead, complain about Generic Real-Time Strategy II, Racing Game Number 8576, or Street Soul Mortal Ultimate Fighter Extreme Blade Combat IV.

Seriously, they should probably be going out of their way to appeal to creative non-geeks, artists and writers who can come up with new ideas and revitalize the stagnant game market. Sure, you can always eke out a few dollars from the latest boring iteration of a proven formula, Grand Theft Auto 7 or Warcraft VI. What the industry needs is fresh ideas from different sorts of people.

Ideas are cheap. Go to any game developer, be they an artist, programmer, level designer, or whatever, and you'll find dozens of interesting ideas for games.

There are two problems. 1) Creative doesn't mean good. An idea may just be stupid. A creative idea might even be interesting and exciting, but not actually produce something fun to play (like the inspired but unplayable Black and White). 2) The business types are cowards. Generic Fighting Game XXVII is seen as safe. It doesn't matter that there are (even after filtering out the bad ideas), many, many creative ideas available to them, they're only interested in low risk projects. It's harsh, but it's also their money.

All that said, while yes the industry is awash in clones and knock-offs, there is always some genuine innovation going on. In the last year for the PS/2 we've seen imaginative titles like Sly Cooper, Kingdom Hearts, and Rez . On other systems we saw Animal Crossing, Freedom Force, Morrowind, and Mafia . Head back a little further and you have brilliant titles like Ico, Jet Grind Radio, or Pikmin . Yes, Grant Theft Auto: Vice City and Warcraft III are both derivative, but they're sequels to cutting edge games that changed expectations. Grand Theft Auto III redefined open ended game play and believable worlds. Warcraft effectively popularized real-time strategy games. Perhaps they're derivative, but they're fundamentally good games which have been continually refined and improved. Why pick on them if they shipping games that are genuinely fun? Instead, complain about Generic Real-Time Strategy II, Racing Game Number 8576, or Street Soul Mortal Ultimate Fighter Extreme Blade Combat IV.

According to an article on TechTv. A quote:

Because they are both high tech professionals, Paul's parents say they know firsthand the addictive nature of computers and the Internet.

"They are somewhat addicting, and for young children that don't have all of the faculties that we have as adults, I don't think they can determine how much of something is not good for them," Baldridge said.

There are thankfully a few decent sidescrollers left

That would be Morgan

I think tech tv is owned by Paul Allen co-founder of Microsoft.

Most normal folks still aren't keen on this whole digital lifestyle thing. My dad is pining for a single device that lets him control music and video easily, and he won't even do that until its simple and elegant unlike the kludgy PC video capture stuff out there for free. Tivo has the best PVR sheduling features out there, and adding an easy way for joe consumer to get his music and pictures from his pc to his entertainment center (which is where he really wants to enjoy these things in the first place) may just be the extra value that people need to warm up to this whole set-top digital hub concept. outside of us geeks, few have so far.

But charging extra for these features can't last for long. Tivo has the best scheduling features and I love my DirecTivo, but the gap is closing, and many others are starting to offer devices that provide PC power that can be controlled from the couch with a remote control. Microsoft is pushing its Media Center, but the real device that may finally hit it big is the Moxi Media Center. This box does the tv recording and music and photo streaming from a pc as well, and apparently does it elegantly as it was widely considered the best of show at last year's CES. Most importantly, Charter Cable will soon be rolling out this box to tons of subscribers next year, normal folks who would NEVER seek out let alone pay extra for an all-in-one media box, but will likely fall in love with it after the cable guy installs it. This type of functionality is coming fast from many angles and I for one am quite excited about it. I love my Tivo, but if they try to charge too much for the features, the masses will eventually have all this stuff handed to them trojan-horse style. Pioneers often get arrows in their backs...

Charges filed in alleged eBay scam
... Click Here. Charges filed in alleged eBay scam. LA man charged with
26 counts of grand theft. LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4 -- A Los Angeles ...
www.msnbc.com/news/843312.asp?0si=- - 48k - Dec. 12, 2002 - Cached - Similar pages
[ More results from www.msnbc.com ]

Fool.com: Fools Team to Fight eBay Scam [News] May 2, 2001
... This way, every time a scam artist tries to take advantage of a seller ... eBay's response
eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove says this particular scam pops up from ...
www.fool.com/news/2001/ebay010502.htm - 30k - Cached - Similar pages

TechTV | Source of EBay Scam Found
... Ebay wants to protect its trademark, but says it's tough to find
criminals like the email scam artist. It's very hard to track ...
www.techtv.com/news/security/story/ 0,24195,3408892,00.html - 38k - Dec. 12, 2002 - Cached - Similar pages

TechTV | EBay Spam Scam
... that's it.. Ebay wants to protect its trademark, but says it's tough
to find criminals like the email scam artist. It's very hard ...
www.techtv.com/news/security/story/ 0,24195,3408463,00.html - 39k - Dec. 12, 2002 - Cached - Similar pages

Possible Ebay Scam - www.ezboard.com
... It looks like the scam artist is targeting bigger sellers-not small fry-so if
any of you get an email asking for information-contact ebay about it first. ...
pub131.ezboard.com/ fbliss51092frm48.showMessage?topicID=27.topic - 14k - Cached - Similar pages

Ebay scam artists
... to conferm the info. Scam Artist email, Name, Ebay ID, Offence. mtracker@iland.net,
Mark Campbell, tracker44, sells broken items as new.
www.ctlinx.org/ebay/ - 7k - Cached - Similar pages

A New eBay Bidding Scam?
... Then at the last minute, he writes, the scam-artist could withdraw his high bid ... But
with the eBay system and other Internet bidding systems, that might not be ...
www.auctionbytes.com/pages/abu/y200/m03/abu0009/ s05 - 19k - Cached - Similar pages

Scam artist meets fraud hunter
www.brockmoore.com/Scams/SkylineMovies.html - 7k - Cached - Similar pages

PayPal - Internet Info for Real People
... a correction had to be added as MSNBC incorrectly reported the scam artist could
access credit card and bank account information. The eBay community quickly ...
www.thebee.com/bweb/iinfo217.htm - 18k - Cached - Similar pages

Charges filed in alleged eBay scam
... Click Here. Charges filed in alleged eBay scam. LA man charged with
26 counts of grand theft. LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4 -- A Los Angeles ...
www.msnbc.com/news/843312.asp?0si=- - 48k - Dec. 12, 2002 - Cached - Similar pages
[ More results from www.msnbc.com ]

Fool.com: Fools Team to Fight eBay Scam [News] May 2, 2001
... This way, every time a scam artist tries to take advantage of a seller ... eBay's response
eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove says this particular scam pops up from ...
www.fool.com/news/2001/ebay010502.htm - 30k - Cached - Similar pages

TechTV | Source of EBay Scam Found
... Ebay wants to protect its trademark, but says it's tough to find
criminals like the email scam artist. It's very hard to track ...
www.techtv.com/news/security/story/ 0,24195,3408892,00.html - 38k - Dec. 12, 2002 - Cached - Similar pages

TechTV | EBay Spam Scam
... that's it.. Ebay wants to protect its trademark, but says it's tough
to find criminals like the email scam artist. It's very hard ...
www.techtv.com/news/security/story/ 0,24195,3408463,00.html - 39k - Dec. 12, 2002 - Cached - Similar pages

Possible Ebay Scam - www.ezboard.com
... It looks like the scam artist is targeting bigger sellers-not small fry-so if
any of you get an email asking for information-contact ebay about it first. ...
pub131.ezboard.com/ fbliss51092frm48.showMessage?topicID=27.topic - 14k - Cached - Similar pages

Ebay scam artists
... to conferm the info. Scam Artist email, Name, Ebay ID, Offence. mtracker@iland.net,
Mark Campbell, tracker44, sells broken items as new.
www.ctlinx.org/ebay/ - 7k - Cached - Similar pages

A New eBay Bidding Scam?
... Then at the last minute, he writes, the scam-artist could withdraw his high bid ... But
with the eBay system and other Internet bidding systems, that might not be ...
www.auctionbytes.com/pages/abu/y200/m03/abu0009/ s05 - 19k - Cached - Similar pages

Scam artist meets fraud hunter
www.brockmoore.com/Scams/SkylineMovies.html - 7k - Cached - Similar pages

PayPal - Internet Info for Real People
... a correction had to be added as MSNBC incorrectly reported the scam artist could
access credit card and bank account information. The eBay community quickly ...
www.thebee.com/bweb/iinfo217.htm - 18k - Cached - Similar pages

But I will smolder in Hell before I ever buy [one of those obnoxiouly advertised cameras] because of their obnoxious advertising. So who -is- buying them?

I always wondered that, myself. Like you, I see the geek appeal, but their advertising turns me completely off (though I have considered buying one to disassemble and refit for wardriving!).

Then, I went to pick up my daughter at a friend's house. Several of her friends are at the "AOL" level of computer proficiency -- that is, they use it like a microwave, turn it on and push the pretty buttons.

So I go up and knock on the door. What did I see looking down at me from the corner of the porch? An X-10 wireless camera.

Went to pick up my other daughter at another friend's house. There it was... tucked behind a hole in the house's vinyl siding was the telltale lens of the X-10.

I didn't make the connection until your post, but now I know who is buying the X-10s... the same people that think that AOL is "the internet", and are probably responsible for all those Snowhite and Klez emails.

What would a wardriver find in my neighborhood?

Geoffrey's Geek Guide
... Ably assisted by Ledger, the Wonderfully Balanced Dog. Welcome To My Geek Guide;
This Week's Top 5 Geek Sites; Past Masters Of Geek; What Geeks Do For Romance; ...
www.ausmall.com.au/geek/ - 7k - 9 Dec 2002 - Cached - Similar pages

Geoffrey's Geek Guide - Geek Sites Of The Week 14th-20th August ...
Geoffrey's Geek Guide - Geek Sites of the Week
14th-20th August 1996. 14th-20th August 1996. ...
www.ausmall.com.au/geek/geek10.htm - 17k - 9 Dec 2002 - Cached - Similar pages
[ More results from www.ausmall.com.au ]

TechTV | Give Us Geek Sites or Give Us Death
You are here: Home > TV Shows > The Screen Savers > Interact > Give Us
Geek Sites or Give Us Death, ... Give Us Geek Sites or Give Us Death, ...
www.techtv.com/screensavers/interact/ story/0,24330,3319391,00.html - 33k - 9 Dec 2002 - Cached - Similar pages

Sitereview.org: Interesting news & geek sites: page 1
... OpSys, ...Operating Systems: Linux, BSD... Geeknews, ...Interesting
news & geek sites. Sitereview, Create, ...a voting account (optional). ...
sitereview.org/Geeknews.php3 - 23k - Cached - Similar pages

Bote's Sign Pages: Links to road geek sites
Links to other sites by road geeks. Last ... you! Plus, a number of excellent
links to other road sites, especially concerning Florida. ...
pages.prodigy.net/bote/links.html - 11k - Cached - Similar pages

SAGEwire | What online geek sites do you watch?
... Privacy and Legals. What online geek sites do you watch? ... Of course, what geek doesn't
read Slashdot. I'm talking about other, possibly lesser known, sites. ...
sagewire.sage.org/Ask/02/11/15/2217224.shtml - 30k - 9 Dec 2002 - Cached - Similar pages

ZorKa.Com - Geek Sites
... Category->Geek Sites. Sites only a true computer geek would appreciate.
Links. Sexiest Geek Alive (118) Description: Are you a sexy geek? ...
www.zorka.com/index.php/links/view/11 - 11k - Cached - Similar pages

Megarad Technologies - TOP GEEK SITES - 1.8
... 43, Progenic A resource for technology news sites. 0, 0. 44, TechSeekers.net Tech
news and reviews with an Irish slant /, 0, 1. 45, geeknik dot net i'ma geek, you're
a ...

I just followed the link to The Supergeek Challenge for Linux Lovers. Completed the quiz in about 30 seconds with all answers correct in the first attempt... Waaay too easy ;)

It's not illegal just to make a copy of something digital. It is, however, illegal (by the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, aka DMCA) to circumvent any digital copy prevention system, even for fair use purposes*. This means that if you buy a CD (one with no copy protection), you can legally make a backup for your own purposes. But if you buy a copy-protected pseudo-CD and use a circumvention device to make a backup copy, you are breaking the law. This essentially means that content producers get to limit your use of their product arbitrarily, even when it falls under fair use. As far as time shifting goes, the DTV broadcast flag could be considered a copy-protection system under the DMCA, so in a few years using your HDTiVo to time-shift certain programs very well could be illegal. Sucks, doesn't it?

All of the above applies in the United States only (unless you happen to be a certain Russian programmer). I have no clue what laws other countries have about this kind of stuff.

* There is a provision for fair use in the DMCA, but it has never (?) been invoked and probably has no real effect. This has been discussed elsewhere in this thread.

Jay Samit, new media senior vice-president at EMI Recorded Music in Hollywood, explains how it works: 'You're listening to the radio in your car, you love the song but you don't know who it's by. Flick the Keychain and it instantly knows which radio station you're tuned into, and where you are on the planet. It connects to the station, finds out about the track and sends you an e-mail to tell you where you can buy it.

A good description of them with some background and an explanation of how they worked is here. They were never given away but sold for ~US$20 and just didn't catch on, at least never enough to recoup their support costs.

Now gone the way of the iTag, the CueCat and the Modo.

Tech TV ran a great program on this some time ago.

Check it out here.

A co-worker of mine has a friend in China, and it is something that he really takes seriously. He actually wrote an article in our IT newsletter a few months ago, talking about the waste that we dump into Asia. All sorts of countries are doing this. Companies are paying to dump this junk off to the cheapest landfill. It is sick. It is something that we need to take seriously. Large ships take this stuff to Asia every day.

I also read that there are start-up companies that are trying to take this stuff and dismantle it properly. Recycling this stuff, and appropriately preventing serious toxic hazards.

The first way to start is simple... Don't throw this stuff into the trash. Landfills are becoming full of this stuff. Donate working computer stuff, or try to find a suitable recycling facility. It is important to realize that this can be done with all electronics.

I believe he's referring to the Windows Net Messenger "feature". See here for more info.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if that's what he's talking about. Ralsky is just the kind of guy to think that spamming you with pop-ups that can't be blocked by any kind of firewall or spam protection software is just the best thing in the world.

Of course, he's also the kind of guy to not know that particular "feature" can be disabled... see the techtv link to see how it's done :)

dunno if anyone catched it but mr. bell was on the screensavers tonight talking about his project. he's a fascinating (though anassuming) person...

well it is expected that they would say that as they are selling the mods...

anyway, take a look at this recent info-review from fresh gear...

It'll be interesting to see how it does, like it or hate it.

I have a set of these flat panel Monsoon MH-505 5.1 speakers and they *rock*. They are also relatively cheap and should fit your budget nicely.

The sub is slightly underpowered for some but if you have a good soundcard (I use a Hercules Game Theater XP) you should be able to boost the sub channel. Also going against the installation guide and aiming the sub at a wall from about 1 ft distance works well.

I was a little skeptical about the flat panel speakers, however they not only look cool they produce amazing sound aswell. You have to play them for awhile to "break them in" until they sound their best.

You will need 3 sony minijack hookups from your soundcard to use them (front, surround and center/sub) so if you don't have those you will have to get additional hookups. My soundcard has RCA connectors for the center/sub so I had to get a sony minijack to RCA splitter.

Reviews are available: TechTV Amazon and more if you check Google.

-- iCEBaLM

Do you mean like this?

I dont know how hardcore you have to be to dish out 45 bucks for an entire year of subscription to the Xbox live service. i'm wondering if Microsoft is losing money on this as well ...?

with this bad boy?

Check it: Slow 'em down

?sp

Yeah the one by Sony is called the "Sony 18-Device LCD Remote With Learning Function"..

They sell it on amazon here and review here

Sweet stuff

jaguar's mail uses adaptive latent semantic analysis which if i understand correctly is similar to naive bayesian but not the same. anyone wanna correct me? anyway i understand what you are saying.

p.s. try popfile and see if it does any better for ya. it also has statistics tracking so you can see how well it is doing. it won't be able to ignore domains but you can make a feature request for that though...

...in clients. i'm a big fan of popfile but i'm looking forward to a day when eudora etc. will perhaps use some kind of bayesian or adaptive latent semantic analysis filtering techniques in addition to their current methods.

For adding (or changing) an LED in your mouse called Project Iris. Cheap and easy mod that looks nice too.

use a Phased-Array AP to Boost the 802.11b Range, when you can use a Pringles Can as the Wi-Fi Antenna to Boost the Range? ;)

In the settlement it talks about MS having to disclose information only to companies with a sound business model that meats critera set out by MS. Where does OSS fall?

Ah, yes. The infamous section III.J.2. Well, in the past, Microsoft has made its opinion of Open Source quite clear.

Have you not heard of RoboRats? http://www.techtv.com/news/scitech/story/0,24195,3 397528,00.html

had a brief segment last night showing the top 10 Mac OS X killer tips.. the link is here with some nifty tricks for your Mac..

Anyone catch RMS on The Screen Savers last night? He told a very interesting story of the night of fun he had recently at the Playboy mansion...

Where are the TV ads and radio spots?

Microsoft has an entire half hour infomercial billed as a real show on TechTV. It is under the same 'Microsoft Insider' banner as the MS 'switch' ads.
"The show will offer product demos, giveaways and an insider look at Microsoft R&D."

This new form of spam is called messenger spam. Messenger (not to be confused with MSN messenger) is a service that is loaded by default upon the startup of Windows XP/2000/NT. Microsoft has used the messenger service for a number of years to send messages between its servers and clients. Here is Microsoft's official description of the messenger service....

The article was posted in March.

This new form of spam is called messenger spam. Messenger (not to be confused with MSN messenger) is a service that is loaded by default upon the startup of Windows XP/2000/NT. Microsoft has used the messenger service for a number of years to send messages between its servers and clients. Here is Microsoft's official description of the messenger service....

The article was posted in March.

Ok, there is a good amount of misinformation and ignorance in this post, I feel the need to respond.

Tivo is also owned by Phillips.
I'm pretty sure that is not the case. A few companies had large stakes in Tivo, but no one owns them.

Tivo willfully shares your Tivo data with others.
That is a pretty small story you linked to. And if you had read the full story you would know that customers have to specifically agree to be part of the Neilson program.

Tivo has violated their privacy agreement with you a number of times. They changed their privacy policy to allow them to share your data without notifying their customers. The link they provided in their manual still made you click through on about 3 or 4 links before actually getting to the policy. I know of many Tivo owners who were concerned about their privacy were in an absolute uproar about this.
There has been a number debates about Tivo's privacy policy, but I believe they have done a very good job. I don't know what event you are refering to, but I don't believe it to be true. If you could provide a link I could make an intelligent responce.

Replay TV refused to share your private information and were almost forced to do so. They paid lawyers to keep my information to themselves.
Yes, good for them. But to my knowledge Tivo has never shared personal viewing information with anyone. They do share aggregate data, and have always been up front about this.

Replay TV has allowed for me to access my Replay TV from anywhere with an internet connection. I have heard that Tivo has also adopted this. Not sure though.
Tivo currently doesn't provide this feature, but it looks like they are planning to do this in the future. However if you hack your Tivo, you can get TivoWeb, which I imagine has more capabilities than myreplaytv simply because of how it works.

Replay TV gave me the 30 second skip so that I can easily bypass commercials. I believe Tivo has also snagged this feature as well?
Yes, but you have to press a few buttons to active a backdoor to get this feature.

One thing that Tivo has over Replay is that it was the first to let you can hack it to add larger drives.
Yes, and a lot of other hacks too. ReplayTV does now too.

Overall, features on both are very similar, though the methodology to record shows is a little different. Replay gives you more pause time as it isn't just recording things it THINKS you MIGHT like. Replay makes you be specific about what you want to record, though they have theme recording channels. Tivo is programed to make certain assumptions about what you want it to record in addition to what you specifically specify.
This is a rather misleading statement. You have full control over what your tivo records. Although you can argue the merits of the different systems. The suggestions that tivo finds, only records to any extra space you have, and will never delete or preempt anything you have told it to record. And you can turn off suggestions if you want.

Bottom, line, do the math and find yourself the best deal. Even if one or both went out of business, we'd make a hack to grab the programing information anyway.
Agreed

Tivo has a heads up over Replay because it had more marketing dollars (by initially charging their customers a monthly or one time fee). Tivo is also owned by Phillips.

Tivo willfully shares your Tivo data with others.

Tivo has violated their privacy agreement with you a number of times. They changed their privacy policy to allow them to share your data without notifying their customers. The link they provided in their manual still made you click through on about 3 or 4 links before actually getting to the policy. I know of many Tivo owners who were concerned about their privacy were in an absolute uproar about this.

Replay TV refused to share your private information and were almost forced to do so. They paid lawyers to keep my information to themselves.

Though Replay now charges a monthly fee like Tivo on NEW units, I have a unit that did not have this charge. I paid $300 for a 20 hour Replay TV and have never spent a dime since.

Replay TV has allowed for me to access my Replay TV from anywhere with an internet connection. I have heard that Tivo has also adopted this. Not sure though.

Replay TV gave me the 30 second skip so that I can easily bypass commercials. I believe Tivo has also snagged this feature as well?

One thing that Tivo has over Replay is that it was the first to let you can hack it to add larger drives. (1, 2, 3)
ReplayTV does now too. (1, 2) Tivo has historically been easier to do so, but I'm not sure about these days.

Overall, features on both are very similar, though the methodology to record shows is a little different. Replay gives you more pause time as it isn't just recording things it THINKS you MIGHT like. Replay makes you be specific about what you want to record, though they have theme recording channels. Tivo is programed to make certain assumptions about what you want it to record in addition to what you specifically specify.

I know folks who own one or the other. Regardless of brand, they are both extremely happy with their new options for watching TV. For those of you who say, I barely watch TV, its likely because you think there's too much crap on. There is, but with one of these units, you will only be watching exactly what you want, without commercials. Iron Chef, Battlebots, Simpsons (I have archived almost 2/3s of all episodes), Southpark, West Wing, 24, shows for your kids/infants (ON DEMAND!!!) and both can wait for shows that aren't even in the programming guide yet.

Though Tivo is on better financial ground right now, Replay TV isn't and hasn't historically been as shady about your privacy.

Bottom, line, do the math and find yourself the best deal. Even if one or both went out of business, we'd make a hack to grab the programing information anyway.

Call for help is crap, but the Screen Savers is rather more upscale, often mentions Linux (although it's Windows focused), and has hot babes to boot.

Call for help is crap, but the Screen Savers is rather more upscale, often mentions Linux (although it's Windows focused), and has hot babes to boot.

Spam Takes New Form

TechTV covered this earlier this year so you might want to read their breif article for more information.

Basically, they're port scanning for open port 139s and spam IP that comes up positive. Either turn off the messenger service in services or install a firewall/router and block incoming tcp connections on port 139 (NetBIOS).

While you're at it, turn off the remote registry service...

For example, the base tower would have to be 31 miles high, according to this article. Which is 90 times higher than the current tallest structure on earth, the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada is only 1/3 of a mile (about 170 stories) high.

There is also talk about using carbon nanotubes to make up the cable. The pricetag, 40 billion dollars (see 2nd link).