When DARPA and NSF put together what became the Internet (merger of NSF-net and ARPA-net) in the National Research and Education Network (NREN) Act -- a.k.a. the "Gore Bill" -- Bob Kahn and Anita Jones (DARPA) and Bill Wolfe (NSF) had the bright idea of setting down some rules (really, "standards") that if other, existing commercial and educational networks (i.e., CompuServe, AOL, MERIT, etc.) played by, they could be part of the NREN as well. Even though the "big networks" at the time used slow, dialup networks, they joined. An the Internet spread with a rapidity that no one involved in the process ever anticipated. Fortunately, the TELCOs were not paying attention at the time and the genie was out of the bottle. This time, the fears that the big, rich guys will try to "divide and conquer" and control is a real threat that I for one hope is resisted. I hope the merger between these two "academic leaders" is followed quickly by appropriate legislation that guarantees open access to bigger, better pipes (bandwidth). The reluctance of the Telcos to give up their highly subsidized analog switches and twisted copper is why the U.S. is 16th in the world (per capita) in terms of broadband connections and is falling behind in networking technology.
As to what this greater bandwidth will be used for? Does it really matter? It is impossible to forecast -- but you can bet it will be interesting if it isn't taken over by the advertising/marketing industry in search of more "face time."
Bell South a couple of weeks ago began examining the contents of emails being sent to and from mail servers using their RESIDENTIAL DSL lines and BellSouth-assigned IP addresses. They basically began bouncing back emails from or to mail servers using "their" DSL lines. It took us about a week and a half to figure out that it was a "problem" on the Bell South portion of the network. We called and then found out..."oh yeah there was a 'policy change'." "We'll connect your mail server if you 'upgrade' to BellSouth BUSINESS DSL and have local BELLSOUTH phone service." Did they mention that this would multiply the cost of identical service by 2.5 x??? No. I thought it took a Court order to slap on a wiretap and that it had to be requested by a government agency? So the government is simply trying to catch up with the private sector in violating civil liberties, privacy, and the law. Karl Marx had some good points about banks and (regional) monopolies!
We had to move our mail server (used only by family members) to Florida, at great expense. No Bell South!!! (we've got VoIP and another ISP and IP address).
Agree fully with Frennzy. I would only add that if anyone wants to know who supports the Public Service Commission, simply get hold of the list of Campaign Contributions for elected PSC members. Look at who funds the campaigns of Governors and who handles "transition teams" for new Governors? It is ALL about squeezing the most out of the "last mile" monopolies. The rate structures controlled by State PSCs for telcos have a hefty "investment recovery" charge to compensate telcos for their Universal Service requirement. In most states the telcos recover 20% of ALL PAST INVESTMENTS built in to current rates....that means those investments made 30 years ago (and never improved) get recovered over and over and over....... One more thing. I bet you didn't know that more than 60% or the operating costs for telcos are for BILLING! Yeah, the PSCs substitute for the telcos "customer service" department. But the PSCs are really about protecting that "last mile" monopoly. Ask the small towns and rural areas in this country without broadband/Internet access about the actual capital investments the telcos make from their Universal Service investment recovery allowances. For the most part the Telcos are incompetent, blood-sucking, corrupt Neanderthals who will do everything possible to keep rural and poor America using 30-50 year old telco equipment with no direct access to digital services or communication. Frennzy got it right!...phone companies "are typically lying, cheating, slamming scumbags!"
It's like the master criminal (Microsoft) paying the cops to lock up the poor, petty thief who did the purse-snatching....it is amazing that Microsoft, with its crappy OS code, which creates a massive opportunity for crime, avoids prosecution for the crime once it occurs, by having a penny-ante reward program to trap 18-year olds who rise to the "challenge." Unfortunately, Microsoft has neither the talent nor the will to re-architect the house of cards called Windows.....
GPS w/GBA
on
GPS for GBA
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
With wireless connectivity for GameBoys, I can imagine some pretty nifty peer-to-peer, realtime combat games....or some sort of detective-like game as a function of location (the mapping programs tell you where restaurants, motels, churches, schools, and other "points of interest" are and will give you directions for getting there, etc.)...location-specific games, based on a generic game, informed by localized information. At minimum GPS+maps is a neat addon for a GBA, just like it is for a PDA.
How do I contact the BBB to complain about the assinine Microsoft Office Ads (that cause me real harm whenever I try to watch a TV show!) which equate MSFT OFFICE users with moronic a-holes.....they make the obnoxious Stevie and clueless intern from Dell look intelligent!? The only remotely appropriate ad in the Office ad series is when the Msft Office celebretants poor water (?) on the clueless staffers head and on the adjacent HP printer (they avoid dousing the computer). Is it true that Howard Dean, Steve Balmer (of the "I LOVE this Company!!!" fame), and Msft Office share the same ad agency???
Apple, mercifully, produces rock-solid products, has a sense of design, and produces (mostly) cool ads too.
If the BBB is in the business of asking companies to withdraw ads, it seems as if they should include "supremely annoying" and "totally irrelevant" in their withdrawal criteria!
Slashdot Mirror
When DARPA and NSF put together what became the Internet (merger of NSF-net and ARPA-net) in the National Research and Education Network (NREN) Act -- a.k.a. the "Gore Bill" -- Bob Kahn and Anita Jones (DARPA) and Bill Wolfe (NSF) had the bright idea of setting down some rules (really, "standards") that if other, existing commercial and educational networks (i.e., CompuServe, AOL, MERIT, etc.) played by, they could be part of the NREN as well. Even though the "big networks" at the time used slow, dialup networks, they joined. An the Internet spread with a rapidity that no one involved in the process ever anticipated. Fortunately, the TELCOs were not paying attention at the time and the genie was out of the bottle. This time, the fears that the big, rich guys will try to "divide and conquer" and control is a real threat that I for one hope is resisted. I hope the merger between these two "academic leaders" is followed quickly by appropriate legislation that guarantees open access to bigger, better pipes (bandwidth). The reluctance of the Telcos to give up their highly subsidized analog switches and twisted copper is why the U.S. is 16th in the world (per capita) in terms of broadband connections and is falling behind in networking technology. As to what this greater bandwidth will be used for? Does it really matter? It is impossible to forecast -- but you can bet it will be interesting if it isn't taken over by the advertising/marketing industry in search of more "face time."
Bell South a couple of weeks ago began examining the contents of emails being sent to and from mail servers using their RESIDENTIAL DSL lines and BellSouth-assigned IP addresses. They basically began bouncing back emails from or to mail servers using "their" DSL lines. It took us about a week and a half to figure out that it was a "problem" on the Bell South portion of the network. We called and then found out..."oh yeah there was a 'policy change'." "We'll connect your mail server if you 'upgrade' to BellSouth BUSINESS DSL and have local BELLSOUTH phone service." Did they mention that this would multiply the cost of identical service by 2.5 x??? No. I thought it took a Court order to slap on a wiretap and that it had to be requested by a government agency? So the government is simply trying to catch up with the private sector in violating civil liberties, privacy, and the law. Karl Marx had some good points about banks and (regional) monopolies!
We had to move our mail server (used only by family members) to Florida, at great expense. No Bell South!!! (we've got VoIP and another ISP and IP address).
Agree fully with Frennzy. I would only add that if anyone wants to know who supports the Public Service Commission, simply get hold of the list of Campaign Contributions for elected PSC members. Look at who funds the campaigns of Governors and who handles "transition teams" for new Governors? It is ALL about squeezing the most out of the "last mile" monopolies. The rate structures controlled by State PSCs for telcos have a hefty "investment recovery" charge to compensate telcos for their Universal Service requirement. In most states the telcos recover 20% of ALL PAST INVESTMENTS built in to current rates ....that means those investments made 30 years ago (and never improved) get recovered over and over and over....... One more thing. I bet you didn't know that more than 60% or the operating costs for telcos are for BILLING! Yeah, the PSCs substitute for the telcos "customer service" department. But the PSCs are really about protecting that "last mile" monopoly. Ask the small towns and rural areas in this country without broadband/Internet access about the actual capital investments the telcos make from their Universal Service investment recovery allowances. For the most part the Telcos are incompetent, blood-sucking, corrupt Neanderthals who will do everything possible to keep rural and poor America using 30-50 year old telco equipment with no direct access to digital services or communication. Frennzy got it right!...phone companies "are typically lying, cheating, slamming scumbags!"
It's like the master criminal (Microsoft) paying the cops to lock up the poor, petty thief who did the purse-snatching....it is amazing that Microsoft, with its crappy OS code, which creates a massive opportunity for crime, avoids prosecution for the crime once it occurs, by having a penny-ante reward program to trap 18-year olds who rise to the "challenge." Unfortunately, Microsoft has neither the talent nor the will to re-architect the house of cards called Windows.....
With wireless connectivity for GameBoys, I can imagine some pretty nifty peer-to-peer, realtime combat games....or some sort of detective-like game as a function of location (the mapping programs tell you where restaurants, motels, churches, schools, and other "points of interest" are and will give you directions for getting there, etc.) ...location-specific games, based on a generic game, informed by localized information. At minimum GPS+maps is a neat addon for a GBA, just like it is for a PDA.
How do I contact the BBB to complain about the assinine Microsoft Office Ads (that cause me real harm whenever I try to watch a TV show!) which equate MSFT OFFICE users with moronic a-holes.....they make the obnoxious Stevie and clueless intern from Dell look intelligent!? The only remotely appropriate ad in the Office ad series is when the Msft Office celebretants poor water (?) on the clueless staffers head and on the adjacent HP printer (they avoid dousing the computer). Is it true that Howard Dean, Steve Balmer (of the "I LOVE this Company!!!" fame), and Msft Office share the same ad agency??? Apple, mercifully, produces rock-solid products, has a sense of design, and produces (mostly) cool ads too. If the BBB is in the business of asking companies to withdraw ads, it seems as if they should include "supremely annoying" and "totally irrelevant" in their withdrawal criteria!