I think that the non-Mobitex networks were jammed because that's what existing devices work on. Only a relatively few number of devices actually work with Mobitex networks (i.e. the Palm VIIx and the other RIM offerings).
Mobitex isn't technically superior--it's been around for nearly a decade now, surely--but there's a lot of spectrum allocated to it that's not really being used right now. If they could update their protocol to transmit slightly faster somehow, and if Palm VIIx would bring down their Palm.Net rates ($50/mo unlimited? No f'in way), they'd see their subscriber base increase. (This is what happened with the cell phone providers--as soon as the price came down and acceptance went up, the subscriber base increased, which leads to 'no service' signals at peak hours on cell phone (well, here in central Texas anyway)).
Tell me you instantly want to go out and buy the albums groups are hawking. The music is either pablum for the teen masses, a la Britney Spears, pseudo-intellectual neo-sensitive grunge like Creed, or mindless, repetitive breakbeats with woman singing, 'ooh, ooh baby' underneath it.
Not inspiring, is it? There's good music being made, but it's not being marketed. Maybe the RIAA hasn't got it through their inscrutable little heads that people don't want the same shit they've been given for decades! People want intelligent, thought-provoking, emotionally engaging music. Meanwhile, this crap is pushed on it, and frankly, I think the CD consumer is starting to wise up and decide it's just not worth the $15 to buy the CD.
Good job, RIAA. Keep it comin'. Meanwhile, I'll find my niche music in the corners of the Internet where you'll never find it hiding.
There's an interesting analogy to cable television scrambled signals. At what point do you 'own' the signal?
Let's say you were to build a device that you placed in front of your TV that used mirrors and prisms to magically descramble a wavy, scrambled signals. Is the signal 'yours' when it's in RF form at the F connector? What about when it's downconverted to IF? No? Then maybe when it's demodulated into Y and C components? That's what your question reminds me of.
Admittedly, if it's a televised program to which you don't own the rights, you may never own the signal. But what if you're listening to streamed MP3 data? Is there any part of that signal you own? Maybe when it's NATted into a 192.168.x.x address it becomes yours. I think this is an important question that needs to be explored by jurists. Any lawyers out there?
It's well known that this was enacted after this scroll was found kingdom-wide, causing no end of ladies to faint, the filling of dustbins and a temporary shortage of parchment:
Lords and squires,
Were you aware of the fact that you could increaseth the size of your penis by as much as half a cubit? Come visit the apothecary and essay the new miracle tonic by Dr. Goodfellow! You'll have all the fair maidens screaming, 'Good Knight!'
It's been said in earlier post that this is a good move. I agree wholeheartedly... this has so many more benefits than just 'getting everyone online'.
What many people fail to see is that by doing this, you'll draw young people into the world of computer science and other badly-needed fields, like engineering, physics and chemistry. Giving young kids the access to the vast resources that the Internet has to offer is going to encourage them to use the technology and become skilled with it, and that's the first step to a 21st-century workforce. Schools are laden with psyc, business and communications majors, none of whom are helping the estimated half-million job vacancies in high-tech job positions in the US alone. But get kids motivated and interested in technology, and even if a small percentage of them becomes so enamoured of it that they choose it as a career, Alberta is developing a very, very educated and desired workforce. This brings jobs and investment to the province.
I honestly cannot see why the US doesn't do this more. Kids' education here, let's face it, is suspect, and those that do graduate won't touch engineering and science (hence the glut of comms and psyc majors searching low-paying jobs in the market right now). But light the spark of interest in technology by granting them access to these resources, and reap the rewards many hundred fold in the future.
I feel bad for the legitimate Asian users of e-mail trying to communicate with their comrades in the West, but it has been proven that this is the only way that ISPs will finally own up to the task of stopping spammers abusing the networks. Look what just the mere threat of the Usenet Death Penalty did to @Home--they have cleaned up their act significantly.
Strange as it is to say, this 'denial of service' is one that I think may actually have some future positive effect. The way the world seems to work is that no one will bother to do anything unless you threaten them with the loss of their service, and then they take action. Sad, but true.
While this study is very interesting, what I'd like to see more posted about is how often an e-mail address, unpublished on the Web but used for e-commerce, becomes the target for spam. Whenever I post something where the e-mail address goes up on a Web page, I sufficiently de-spamify it so that the harvesters won't know what to do with it (i.e. it's an obfuscated form of my address). But what really gets me is when I used my e-mail address for getting e-commerce confirmations, important for verifying orders, etc., and find that address the target of spam, even when I decline it.
I also find it handy to have a 'spamdrop' account, which is just another e-mail alias on my host, for signing up for one-off things, like chat, games, etc. That account fills up incredibly quickly; I receive on the order of 50 spams/day at that address. Wow...
Let me explain what I mean. I'd love to see a book on 3D game programming they way it ought to be done--by talented, dedicated, game developers at actual game development companies, not hacks who've been doing it for a while in the basement who believe they have enough skills to write a book on it.
Tradeoffs, design choices, speed enhancements, math optimizations, etc., that sort of thing. A book where the writer sits in with a game development team on a project and shows the code along with the thought process behind the code itself. Giving formulas for physics equations is great, but showing how developers in the real world use them and how they use them to animate their objects would be even better.
It's not a big surprise that Palm's products are losing market share, and quickly. Where they were once popular and led the market, that market share has eroded to competitors running Windows CE, which, though higher priced, has had more attractive features (like interoperability with most Microsoft products).
I have three Palms, including a VIIx (for which they're charging too much, thus killing it, but that's another story), but I think my next PDA won't be a Palm. I haven't seen much from them that would entice me to buy a new model. The i405 was a disappointment--using memory sticks instead of CF cards was a major factor in me rejecting it for a purchase.
Anyway, I digress. I like Palms, don't get me wrong. But I'm not sure if the combination of Palm OS 5 arriving late to the game as well as the high cost and relatively small feature set of the Palm line will allow it to survive.
Amen. This is the same argument I was going for in this thread.
Apparently, this sort of data collection is OK, because TiVos are 'cool' and PVR technology needs to be fostered. I totally agree that they are, but so is Windows Media Player (IMHO). If it sent filenames back to Microsoft of all streams I watched, but let you opt out of it, the same people defending TiVo would be quite literally foaming at the mouth.
keep in mind that Tivo doesn't know, even remotely, what commercials you may or may not be fast forwarding through
Did you read the article? Guess not.
"Based on a random sampling of 10,000 of the 280,000 subscribers, they found out that Pepsi/Britney was the subject of the most replayed Ad(s)... "
TiVo sure as fuck knows what commercial I'm watching.
This is going to be modded down. Mark my works, but I'm going to say it anyway.
I've been rather upset at all the people defending TiVo because they have an 'opt-out' policy and that their e-mails to their customers update them about changes to the privacy statement. Apparently it doesn't matter that there have been several posts indicating that they send a log of all of the IR messages the TiVo receives correlated to the zip code.
I'm getting the impression that the defence of TiVo is based on the fact that yes, it is cool technology, and if this helps its succeed, then it's OK. It is cool technology. I own a TiVo myself and want to see the PVR revolution continue and strengthen viewers' choices in programming.
But wait a second--if Microsoft was doing something similar in their OS, with their software, the same people praising TiVo would be up in arms. There really is a double standard among most of the/. readership--if the company is OK, then their practices must be. If it's Microsoft or Adobe or the latest bully-of-the-week, it's not. And it frustrates me. We need to be very careful with our privacy information no matter with whom we entrust it.
I urge the/. readership to look carefully at all companies when it comes to privacy and personal information, not only those they want to see taken down a notch, like Microsoft.
...is that I pay them for shitty program information that's a tenth of the quality of that which I already get with my digital cable box. TiVo has been slow in acknowledging the lineup changes in our digital service and has a few triply-multiplexed channels in the lineup where there ought not to be.
So $10/month gets me this service, but at the same time they're making money on this goldmine that they're collecting and publishing reports about. Think about it--they are one step from offering up customized information to the networks for a fortune. And I'm supposed to pay for crap lineup information AND have all my personal viewing habit data sent to them so they can sell it to advertisers and networks? No thanks.
You apparently believe whatever TiVo tells you regarding how its keeps your information private. OK, they might do that, but should TiVo ever experience some serious financial trouble and need a way to make money quick, I don't believe for one second the information they collect won't find its way into the hands of the highest bidder.
And of course they know who you are--the TiVo serial is sent as part of the authentication when the daily calls are made. They know your entire demographic, and I'm sure it's not a huge stretch to go through those logs and calculate how many 18-24-year-olds reviewed the commercial 7:30 into ESPN's Sportscenter.
TiVo might not do this now and they might not in the future, but I sure as hell am going to remain vigilant to make sure it never happens. It's pretty scary as it is. If you want them to have that information, great, but don't expect me to want to volunteer it.
IMJHBT (I May Have Just Been Trolled), but do this:
Enable backdoors. Then use the keystroke sequence that allows you to view log file (it might be Select, Clear, Select, Instant Replay, Select or something like that--check out tivocommunity.com and search for "backdoors". Then look at the file containing a log of all your remote control presses. Now don't tell me not to get in a tizzy because it isn't "warranted".
If they did that to you at work on your computer, I'd bet you'd be in a tizzy. I'll bet if the version of XP you're using at home did that, you'd be in a tizzy. The fact that it's TiVo and that it's an undoubtedly cool product does not in any way make this right. I support TiVo--I subscribe to their monthly service, I use my TiVo faithfully, but it does not make this sinister tactic right, especially when they send me e-mails and messages to the TiVo about how much they value my privacy.
Maybe you're not so bothered by it, but there's no way you can justify what they're doing simply because it's new technology and they need to get a foothold. They need to get a clue.
I recently found online a set of backdoors that can be enabled on the TiVo through the 'Select A Program To Record' mode. Check out tivocommunity.com and search for backdoors.
By enabling backdoors, one of the options allows you to display TiVo's logs on the TV screen. While this is pretty benign information, including things like the status of the scheduler and the daily PPP outcall status, one of the log files appears to be every remote control action you perform with the TiVo controller. I shit you not. From what I remember, the first field is the timestamp, and other field indicate TiVo mode, channel, and various sundry associated with the IR event. Even more scary is that things like volume up and volume down are logged, along with a very precise timestamp. Correlate that to a music show on MTV, and bam--TiVo instantly knows you like the new *NSync or Britney song.
If this were solely used for diagnostic purposes, it would not be so bad, except that TiVo acknowledges that they zip the log files and upload to TiVo as part of the daily call it makes to update its program information.
I urge everyone with a TiVo to contact Philips about this matter and tell them that you don't agree to this or abide by the sending of these longs. Furthermore, if you can hack your TiVo to get the Bash prompt (again, see the link above), I'd set something up to wipe that log before the daily call. This is an absolutely scary invasion of my privacy, and though I love my TiVo, I love my privacy much, much more.
WARNING: The Surgeon General (in conjunction with Jocelyn Elders) has determined that masturbation, while an enjoying, normal and healthy activity, can cause carpal tunnel syndrome in practiced too frequently with the arm and wrist in a non-ergonomic position.
Old Lady #1: When my ex-husband passed away, the insurance company said his policy didn't cover him.
Old Lady #2: They didn't have enough money for the funeral.
Old Lady #3: It's so hard nowadays, with all the gangs and rap music..
Old Lady #1: What about the robots?
Old Lady #4: Oh, they're everywhere!
Old Lady #1: I don't even know why the scientists make them.
Old Lady #2: Darren and I have a policy with Old Glory Insurance, in case we're attacked by robots.
Old Lady #1: An insurance policy with a robot plan? Certainly, I'm too old.
Old Lady #2: Old Glory covers anyone over the age of 50 against robot attack, regardless of current health.
[ cut to Sam Waterston, Compensated Endorser ]
Sam Waterson: I'm Sam Waterston, of the popular TV series "Law & Order". As a senior citizen, you're probably aware of the threat robots pose. Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel. Well, now there's a company that offers coverage against the unfortunate event of robot attack, with Old Glory Insurance. Old Glory will cover you with no health check-up or age consideration.
[ SUPER: Limitied Benefits First Two Years ]
You need to feel safe. And that's harder and harder to do nowadays, because robots may strike at any time.
[ show pie chart reading "Cause of Death in Persons Over 50 Years of Age": Heart Disease, 42% - Robots, 58% ]
And when they grab you with those metal claws, you can't break free.. because they're made of metal, and robots are strong. Now, for only $4 a month, you can achieve peace of mind in a world full of grime and robots, with Old Glory Insurance. So, don't cower under your afghan any longer. Make a choice.
[ SUPER: "WARNING: Persons denying the existence of Robots may be Robots themselves. ]
Old Glory Insurance. For when the metal ones decide to come for you - and they will.
This is something that all big corporations have difficulty doing: stopping all new work, which tends to be what interests the developers involved, and making them go back to old work to fix the bugs that they (maybe reluctantly) acknolwedge that exist in the codebase.
Those who use Windows should find this a major boon, as it does mean more stability. I am forced to use W2K at work (I run Linux at home) and I for one am quite pleased to see this happen--there are a couple of nasty bugs that cause almost inexplicable bluescreens when writing our video drivers.
So can we lay off for a little bit and recognize that this is really a good thing? Sure, we scoff and say, 'About time!', but they're actually doing it.
This product is doomed to failure, much like the wonderful VIIx (which I purchased when Palm was unloading them to developers at just over US$100), and doesn't deserve to be.
The problem is that Palm.Net is asking $40/month for unlimited wireless access. The non-unlimited rate and data transfer allotment basically get you one/. page view, and that's it. I think Palm could completely dominate mobile handheld e-everything, except that they are asking way too much for the service. Halve the cost and I'll sign up tomorrow, and I'll bet that I'm not the only one who would do so. But $40/mo is preying on executives' big expense budgets, not the average consumer who would snap stuff up like this in an instant. All Palm needs to do is retarget their.Net, especially in light of the changing business economy, reduce the price for the service, and I think you'll see Palm finally succeed.
Inanimate carbon rod!
on
Apollo 1
·
· Score: 2, Funny
...and include a new quick-opening hatch
Am I the only one thinking of the Simpsons episode where Homer jimmies the latch with a carbon rod which gets the fame rather than him?
Ah yes, this is Slashdot. I thought not.;-)
---
Some say Netware is just like a wheel/ When you abend it, you can't mend it
Sorry, Yahoo. It's already been established that people won't pay for information, even when it's stuff they can't get anywhere else. Look at Salon, for example, whose subscription-based service has been a momumental disaster.
I suspect a lot of people will say that Google is the better search engine anyway, and though I agree, don't count out the sway of Yahoo's excellent categorization. However, I'm pretty sure that something will come along (maybe Vivissimo (check my spelling on that)) that will supplant's Yahoo's tried-and-true categories.
This just doesn't bode well for Yahoo. I hope they are able to stay afloat. They're still among the top ten sites for hits on the Web for sure.
Slashdot Mirror
I think that the non-Mobitex networks were jammed because that's what existing devices work on. Only a relatively few number of devices actually work with Mobitex networks (i.e. the Palm VIIx and the other RIM offerings).
Mobitex isn't technically superior--it's been around for nearly a decade now, surely--but there's a lot of spectrum allocated to it that's not really being used right now. If they could update their protocol to transmit slightly faster somehow, and if Palm VIIx would bring down their Palm.Net rates ($50/mo unlimited? No f'in way), they'd see their subscriber base increase. (This is what happened with the cell phone providers--as soon as the price came down and acceptance went up, the subscriber base increased, which leads to 'no service' signals at peak hours on cell phone (well, here in central Texas anyway)).
now that is reasurring... a Mac user packing heat
;-)
He would only be packing heat if he didn't use a CPU cooling fan for his PowerPC 601 or 603-based Mac.
Go watch MTV or MTV2 for a while.
Tell me you instantly want to go out and buy the albums groups are hawking. The music is either pablum for the teen masses, a la Britney Spears, pseudo-intellectual neo-sensitive grunge like Creed, or mindless, repetitive breakbeats with woman singing, 'ooh, ooh baby' underneath it.
Not inspiring, is it? There's good music being made, but it's not being marketed. Maybe the RIAA hasn't got it through their inscrutable little heads that people don't want the same shit they've been given for decades! People want intelligent, thought-provoking, emotionally engaging music. Meanwhile, this crap is pushed on it, and frankly, I think the CD consumer is starting to wise up and decide it's just not worth the $15 to buy the CD.
Good job, RIAA. Keep it comin'. Meanwhile, I'll find my niche music in the corners of the Internet where you'll never find it hiding.
There's an interesting analogy to cable television scrambled signals. At what point do you 'own' the signal?
Let's say you were to build a device that you placed in front of your TV that used mirrors and prisms to magically descramble a wavy, scrambled signals. Is the signal 'yours' when it's in RF form at the F connector? What about when it's downconverted to IF? No? Then maybe when it's demodulated into Y and C components? That's what your question reminds me of.
Admittedly, if it's a televised program to which you don't own the rights, you may never own the signal. But what if you're listening to streamed MP3 data? Is there any part of that signal you own? Maybe when it's NATted into a 192.168.x.x address it becomes yours. I think this is an important question that needs to be explored by jurists. Any lawyers out there?
The opening section is actually entitled 'First Chapter!' :)
It's well known that this was enacted after this scroll was found kingdom-wide, causing no end of ladies to faint, the filling of dustbins and a temporary shortage of parchment:
:)
Lords and squires,
Were you aware of the fact that you could increaseth the size of your penis by as much as half a cubit? Come visit the apothecary and essay the new miracle tonic by Dr. Goodfellow! You'll have all the fair maidens screaming, 'Good Knight!'
It's been said in earlier post that this is a good move. I agree wholeheartedly... this has so many more benefits than just 'getting everyone online'.
What many people fail to see is that by doing this, you'll draw young people into the world of computer science and other badly-needed fields, like engineering, physics and chemistry. Giving young kids the access to the vast resources that the Internet has to offer is going to encourage them to use the technology and become skilled with it, and that's the first step to a 21st-century workforce. Schools are laden with psyc, business and communications majors, none of whom are helping the estimated half-million job vacancies in high-tech job positions in the US alone. But get kids motivated and interested in technology, and even if a small percentage of them becomes so enamoured of it that they choose it as a career, Alberta is developing a very, very educated and desired workforce. This brings jobs and investment to the province.
I honestly cannot see why the US doesn't do this more. Kids' education here, let's face it, is suspect, and those that do graduate won't touch engineering and science (hence the glut of comms and psyc majors searching low-paying jobs in the market right now). But light the spark of interest in technology by granting them access to these resources, and reap the rewards many hundred fold in the future.
I feel bad for the legitimate Asian users of e-mail trying to communicate with their comrades in the West, but it has been proven that this is the only way that ISPs will finally own up to the task of stopping spammers abusing the networks. Look what just the mere threat of the Usenet Death Penalty did to @Home--they have cleaned up their act significantly.
Strange as it is to say, this 'denial of service' is one that I think may actually have some future positive effect. The way the world seems to work is that no one will bother to do anything unless you threaten them with the loss of their service, and then they take action. Sad, but true.
While this study is very interesting, what I'd like to see more posted about is how often an e-mail address, unpublished on the Web but used for e-commerce, becomes the target for spam. Whenever I post something where the e-mail address goes up on a Web page, I sufficiently de-spamify it so that the harvesters won't know what to do with it (i.e. it's an obfuscated form of my address). But what really gets me is when I used my e-mail address for getting e-commerce confirmations, important for verifying orders, etc., and find that address the target of spam, even when I decline it.
I also find it handy to have a 'spamdrop' account, which is just another e-mail alias on my host, for signing up for one-off things, like chat, games, etc. That account fills up incredibly quickly; I receive on the order of 50 spams/day at that address. Wow...
Let me explain what I mean. I'd love to see a book on 3D game programming they way it ought to be done--by talented, dedicated, game developers at actual game development companies, not hacks who've been doing it for a while in the basement who believe they have enough skills to write a book on it.
Tradeoffs, design choices, speed enhancements, math optimizations, etc., that sort of thing. A book where the writer sits in with a game development team on a project and shows the code along with the thought process behind the code itself. Giving formulas for physics equations is great, but showing how developers in the real world use them and how they use them to animate their objects would be even better.
It's not a big surprise that Palm's products are losing market share, and quickly. Where they were once popular and led the market, that market share has eroded to competitors running Windows CE, which, though higher priced, has had more attractive features (like interoperability with most Microsoft products).
I have three Palms, including a VIIx (for which they're charging too much, thus killing it, but that's another story), but I think my next PDA won't be a Palm. I haven't seen much from them that would entice me to buy a new model. The i405 was a disappointment--using memory sticks instead of CF cards was a major factor in me rejecting it for a purchase.
Anyway, I digress. I like Palms, don't get me wrong. But I'm not sure if the combination of Palm OS 5 arriving late to the game as well as the high cost and relatively small feature set of the Palm line will allow it to survive.
Amen. This is the same argument I was going for in this thread.
Apparently, this sort of data collection is OK, because TiVos are 'cool' and PVR technology needs to be fostered. I totally agree that they are, but so is Windows Media Player (IMHO). If it sent filenames back to Microsoft of all streams I watched, but let you opt out of it, the same people defending TiVo would be quite literally foaming at the mouth.
keep in mind that Tivo doesn't know, even remotely, what commercials you may or may not be fast forwarding through
... "
Did you read the article? Guess not. "Based on a random sampling of 10,000 of the 280,000 subscribers, they found out that Pepsi/Britney was the subject of the most replayed Ad(s)
TiVo sure as fuck knows what commercial I'm watching.
This is going to be modded down. Mark my works, but I'm going to say it anyway.
/. readership--if the company is OK, then their practices must be. If it's Microsoft or Adobe or the latest bully-of-the-week, it's not. And it frustrates me. We need to be very careful with our privacy information no matter with whom we entrust it.
/. readership to look carefully at all companies when it comes to privacy and personal information, not only those they want to see taken down a notch, like Microsoft.
I've been rather upset at all the people defending TiVo because they have an 'opt-out' policy and that their e-mails to their customers update them about changes to the privacy statement. Apparently it doesn't matter that there have been several posts indicating that they send a log of all of the IR messages the TiVo receives correlated to the zip code.
I'm getting the impression that the defence of TiVo is based on the fact that yes, it is cool technology, and if this helps its succeed, then it's OK. It is cool technology. I own a TiVo myself and want to see the PVR revolution continue and strengthen viewers' choices in programming.
But wait a second--if Microsoft was doing something similar in their OS, with their software, the same people praising TiVo would be up in arms. There really is a double standard among most of the
I urge the
...is that I pay them for shitty program information that's a tenth of the quality of that which I already get with my digital cable box. TiVo has been slow in acknowledging the lineup changes in our digital service and has a few triply-multiplexed channels in the lineup where there ought not to be. So $10/month gets me this service, but at the same time they're making money on this goldmine that they're collecting and publishing reports about. Think about it--they are one step from offering up customized information to the networks for a fortune. And I'm supposed to pay for crap lineup information AND have all my personal viewing habit data sent to them so they can sell it to advertisers and networks? No thanks.
You apparently believe whatever TiVo tells you regarding how its keeps your information private. OK, they might do that, but should TiVo ever experience some serious financial trouble and need a way to make money quick, I don't believe for one second the information they collect won't find its way into the hands of the highest bidder.
And of course they know who you are--the TiVo serial is sent as part of the authentication when the daily calls are made. They know your entire demographic, and I'm sure it's not a huge stretch to go through those logs and calculate how many 18-24-year-olds reviewed the commercial 7:30 into ESPN's Sportscenter.
TiVo might not do this now and they might not in the future, but I sure as hell am going to remain vigilant to make sure it never happens. It's pretty scary as it is. If you want them to have that information, great, but don't expect me to want to volunteer it.
IMJHBT (I May Have Just Been Trolled), but do this:
Enable backdoors. Then use the keystroke sequence that allows you to view log file (it might be Select, Clear, Select, Instant Replay, Select or something like that--check out tivocommunity.com and search for "backdoors". Then look at the file containing a log of all your remote control presses. Now don't tell me not to get in a tizzy because it isn't "warranted".
If they did that to you at work on your computer, I'd bet you'd be in a tizzy. I'll bet if the version of XP you're using at home did that, you'd be in a tizzy. The fact that it's TiVo and that it's an undoubtedly cool product does not in any way make this right. I support TiVo--I subscribe to their monthly service, I use my TiVo faithfully, but it does not make this sinister tactic right, especially when they send me e-mails and messages to the TiVo about how much they value my privacy.
Maybe you're not so bothered by it, but there's no way you can justify what they're doing simply because it's new technology and they need to get a foothold. They need to get a clue.
This was incredibly disturbing.
I recently found online a set of backdoors that can be enabled on the TiVo through the 'Select A Program To Record' mode. Check out tivocommunity.com and search for backdoors.
By enabling backdoors, one of the options allows you to display TiVo's logs on the TV screen. While this is pretty benign information, including things like the status of the scheduler and the daily PPP outcall status, one of the log files appears to be every remote control action you perform with the TiVo controller. I shit you not. From what I remember, the first field is the timestamp, and other field indicate TiVo mode, channel, and various sundry associated with the IR event. Even more scary is that things like volume up and volume down are logged, along with a very precise timestamp. Correlate that to a music show on MTV, and bam--TiVo instantly knows you like the new *NSync or Britney song.
If this were solely used for diagnostic purposes, it would not be so bad, except that TiVo acknowledges that they zip the log files and upload to TiVo as part of the daily call it makes to update its program information.
I urge everyone with a TiVo to contact Philips about this matter and tell them that you don't agree to this or abide by the sending of these longs. Furthermore, if you can hack your TiVo to get the Bash prompt (again, see the link above), I'd set something up to wipe that log before the daily call. This is an absolutely scary invasion of my privacy, and though I love my TiVo, I love my privacy much, much more.
WARNING: The Surgeon General (in conjunction with Jocelyn Elders) has determined that masturbation, while an enjoying, normal and healthy activity, can cause carpal tunnel syndrome in practiced too frequently with the arm and wrist in a non-ergonomic position.
Mark my words; I'll bet we see that someday...
Old Lady #1: When my ex-husband passed away, the insurance company said his policy didn't cover him.
Old Lady #2: They didn't have enough money for the funeral.
Old Lady #3: It's so hard nowadays, with all the gangs and rap music..
Old Lady #1: What about the robots?
Old Lady #4: Oh, they're everywhere!
Old Lady #1: I don't even know why the scientists make them.
Old Lady #2: Darren and I have a policy with Old Glory Insurance, in case we're attacked by robots.
Old Lady #1: An insurance policy with a robot plan? Certainly, I'm too old.
Old Lady #2: Old Glory covers anyone over the age of 50 against robot attack, regardless of current health.
[ cut to Sam Waterston, Compensated Endorser ]
Sam Waterson: I'm Sam Waterston, of the popular TV series "Law & Order". As a senior citizen, you're probably aware of the threat robots pose. Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel. Well, now there's a company that offers coverage against the unfortunate event of robot attack, with Old Glory Insurance. Old Glory will cover you with no health check-up or age consideration.
[ SUPER: Limitied Benefits First Two Years ]
You need to feel safe. And that's harder and harder to do nowadays, because robots may strike at any time.
[ show pie chart reading "Cause of Death in Persons Over 50 Years of Age": Heart Disease, 42% - Robots, 58% ]
And when they grab you with those metal claws, you can't break free.. because they're made of metal, and robots are strong. Now, for only $4 a month, you can achieve peace of mind in a world full of grime and robots, with Old Glory Insurance. So, don't cower under your afghan any longer. Make a choice.
[ SUPER: "WARNING: Persons denying the existence of Robots may be Robots themselves. ]
Old Glory Insurance. For when the metal ones decide to come for you - and they will.
This is something that all big corporations have difficulty doing: stopping all new work, which tends to be what interests the developers involved, and making them go back to old work to fix the bugs that they (maybe reluctantly) acknolwedge that exist in the codebase.
Those who use Windows should find this a major boon, as it does mean more stability. I am forced to use W2K at work (I run Linux at home) and I for one am quite pleased to see this happen--there are a couple of nasty bugs that cause almost inexplicable bluescreens when writing our video drivers.
So can we lay off for a little bit and recognize that this is really a good thing? Sure, we scoff and say, 'About time!', but they're actually doing it.
This product is doomed to failure, much like the wonderful VIIx (which I purchased when Palm was unloading them to developers at just over US$100), and doesn't deserve to be.
/. page view, and that's it. I think Palm could completely dominate mobile handheld e-everything, except that they are asking way too much for the service. Halve the cost and I'll sign up tomorrow, and I'll bet that I'm not the only one who would do so. But $40/mo is preying on executives' big expense budgets, not the average consumer who would snap stuff up like this in an instant. All Palm needs to do is retarget their .Net, especially in light of the changing business economy, reduce the price for the service, and I think you'll see Palm finally succeed.
The problem is that Palm.Net is asking $40/month for unlimited wireless access. The non-unlimited rate and data transfer allotment basically get you one
...and include a new quick-opening hatch
;-)
Am I the only one thinking of the Simpsons episode where Homer jimmies the latch with a carbon rod which gets the fame rather than him?
Ah yes, this is Slashdot. I thought not.
--- Some say Netware is just like a wheel/ When you abend it, you can't mend it
Sorry, Yahoo. It's already been established that people won't pay for information, even when it's stuff they can't get anywhere else. Look at Salon, for example, whose subscription-based service has been a momumental disaster.
I suspect a lot of people will say that Google is the better search engine anyway, and though I agree, don't count out the sway of Yahoo's excellent categorization. However, I'm pretty sure that something will come along (maybe Vivissimo (check my spelling on that)) that will supplant's Yahoo's tried-and-true categories.
This just doesn't bode well for Yahoo. I hope they are able to stay afloat. They're still among the top ten sites for hits on the Web for sure.
Yup, that's the ICON. The trackballs were always in such bad shape, partially because my 'Hat Trick' clone was very trackball-intensive. :-)
Anyway, the last year I remember them was about 1991--they were replaced with 'modern' 386s around that time.