VERY,VERY HOT READS, I Would Read The News In This Thread This Thead Is To post Any Thing Ye Want About The News,,NEWS WAS MOVED,READ MY FIRST POST..CHEERS
Nero 7 - The Ultimate solution for Data, Video, Photo, Audio and BackUp! The redesign of the user interface improves the usability and makes Nero Burning ROM 7 the fastest to use ever. The access from Nero Burning ROM to the Nero Home database guarantees easy access to media files including advanced search options with Nero Scout.
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Now, with more features than ever before, this powerful software can transform your digital photos into professional animated slideshows, backup all of your valuable data, manage or search your media files, edit video or photos, create DVDs (including menus), and stream your files over a media server, and compress files to take on the go.
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p2p news / p2pnet: Bill HR 4861, the Audio Broadcast Flag Licensing Act Of 2006, boils down as another element in entertainment and software cartel plans to gain complete control over what you see, hear and do both online, and off.
It calls on the US FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to impose restrictions on in-home, private, personal, and recording from digital radio services.
Dressed up as a narrow bill giving the FCC 'limited authority' over new HD radios and satellite radios from XM and Sirius, in reality, it's a, "fundamental attack on traditional home taping practices that consumers have engaged in since the first analog cassette recorder reached the U.S. market in 1964, and the reel-to-reel recorder decades before," says Home Recording Rights Coalition chairman Gary Shapiro.
Like other proposals supported by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) the bill isn't just a "flag" proposal meant to preventing mass redistribution of music online, he says.
Rather, it gives the FCC remote control over consumers' right to engage in reasonable and customary "unauthorized" recording, even in the privacy of their homes for noncommercial purposes, he says. Virtually all home recording is "unauthorized" by copyright owners but as the Supreme Court held in the Betamax case, that doesn't translate into "unlawful".
"Exercising their 'fair use' rights under the law, consumers have lawfully been making unauthorized tapes of music off the radio for more than 50 years," Shapiro declares, adding:
"In recent Congressional testimony, the head of the RIAA said 'the one-way method of communication [enabled by HD radio] allows individuals to boldly engage in piracy with little fear of detection.' In other words, the RIAA believes that when Members of Congress, their staff, and their constituents tape a song off the radio they have engaged in piracy and ought to be criminally prosecuted."
Also See:
limited authority - RIAA to Sirius, XM -, March 7, 2006
p2p news / p2pnet: Pretty soon, if things go according to plan, Google will have access to everything on your computer because it will, in effect, be your computer.
Google Über Alles.
"The existence of the previously rumored GDrive online storage service surfaced after a blogger discovered apparent notes in a slide presentation by Google executives published on Google's site after its analysts presentation day last Thursday," says Reuters.
"With infinite storage, we can house all user files, including emails, web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc)," the notes in the original Google presentation state," according to the story.
"Google declined to comment on the reports but said the slide notes had now been deleted."
On SearchEngineWatch, Barry Schwartz describes GDrive as a, "virtual location to store your files without using a Gmail hack".
Google may have chopped the notes but, "Derrick posted a comment with the notes for those slides at Greg's [Greg Linden] blog, where GDrive is mentioned," Schwartz points out.
Here's part of it, from Geeking with Greg:
Theme 2: Store 100% of User Data
With infinite storage, we can house all user files, including: emails, web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc).
We already have efforts in this direction in terms of GDrive, GDS, Lighthouse, but all of them face bandwidth and storage constraints today. For example: FireFox team is working on server side stored state but they want to store only URLs rather than complete web pages for storage reasons. This theme will help us make the client less important (thin client, thick server model) which suits our strength vis-a-vis Microsoft and is also of great value to the user.
As we move toward the "Store 100%" reality, the online copy of your data will become your Golden Copy and your local-machine copy serves more like a cache. An important implication of this theme is that we can make your online copy more secure than it would be on your own machine.
Another important implication of this theme is that storing 100% of a user's data makes each piece of data more valuable because it can be access across applications. For example: a user's Orkut profile has more value when it's accessible from Gmail (as addressbook), Lighthouse (as access lis... [...TRUNCATED...]
Think about it.
And this would, of course, mesh very nicely with its apparent plans to found its own global internet. DRM to the nth degree.
Also See:
Reuters - Google lets slip talk of online storage service, March 7, 2006
SearchEngineWatch - GDrive: Google's Virtual Hard Drive, March 6, 2006
Geeking with Greg - In a world with infinite storage, bandwidth, and CPU power, March 2, 2006
nth degree - Google wants its very own Net, February 3, 2006
Online music service La la Media Inc to let users swap Cd's Posted by Dan Bell on 07 March 2006 - 19:09 - Source: Yahoo News
Hypnosis4U2NV used our news submit to tell us about this interesting development coming from a new company called La la Media. Here we have a proposed online CD swapping service that will let people trade their unwanted Cd's for ones they wish they had. The intriguing part about this, is that the company intends to give 20% of its trade revenue to artists. We have to wonder how negotiations will go when the RIAA isn't calling the shots. But, on the other hand, it seems that technically, they probably don't have to give the artists a thing. Maybe some of our legal minded visitors have an opinion on this! Or even those out there that try to make a living via music sales.
Backed with $9 million in funding by Bain Capital and Ignition Partners, La la works like an online music co-op by enabling members to trade physical CDs they own for physical CDs they want, Bill Nguyen, co-founder of La la, said ahead of the Tuesday announcement.
With 1.8 million album titles available, members trade the CDs in prepaid envelopes, much like the way popular mail-order DVD service Netflix Inc. operates.
La la founders argue that, unlike underground online file-sharing services, which have been sued for copyright infringement, La la is protected under an exception to the U.S. Copyright Act. They argue that the owner of a CD can transfer a legally-acquired copy without permission or payment of additional royalties.
Members will pay $1 to La la for facilitating the trade once they receive the disc from other members, plus a 49 cent shipping charge.
La la said it will set aside 20 percent of its trading revenue to recording artists.
La la said it is currently talking with the world's major music labels to obtain licenses for the sale of digital music.
Take a minute and visit over at Yahoo News if you want to check out the whole story. This is a very controversial business model and we can be sure that the music industry will vehemently oppose this paradigm. La la Media must be very new though, as there is not a trace of it on the web that we can find. Maybe one of our talented Googlers out there can dredge up a link for us to check out.
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13157
France debates whether to legalise Internet downloads
Tue Mar 7, 9:27 AM ET
PARIS (AFP) - The French government and MPs are preparing to do battle over a digital copyright bill that could clear the way for the legal downloading of music and movie files from the Internet.
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Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin's centre-right government is trying to block MPs from voting to give such permission to Internet users, who would pay a small extra monthly fee to their Internet service provider for the right.
Representatives from both the ruling UMP party and the opposition benches had already voted to adopt the download fee idea in December while debating an original version of the bill.
As a result, Villepin hastily withdrew the original bill and had it slightly modified for re-submission to parliament Tuesday.
Several days of debate are scheduled before a vote due on March 14.
If the downloading fee becomes law, France would join a small number of Western countries -- among them Canada and the Netherlands -- which allow consumers to legally make copies of copyrighted digital files for private use.
Many other countries, most notably the United States, take an opposing view and have passed legislation expressly outlawing the practice.
On Monday, in a sign of the government's determination to quash the fee idea, Villepin's administration withdrew the article in the bill to which was attached the two amendments that would have legalised downloads.
The parliamentary leader of the opposition Socialists, Jean-Marc Ayrault, said the government's strong-arm tactics reeked of "panic".
The French government -- which is trying to bring its copyright laws into line with a 2001 EU directive -- modified the fines stipulated in its bill after December's vote.
The fine for a first-time offender downloading tunes or a film was reduced to 38 euros, with higher penalties for those who broke copyright protection on a commercial DVD or who made public "hacks" to get around protections.
Other articles in the bill provide for the establishment of a government body that would decide how many private copies of a digital work an individual can make and what copyright exceptions should exist for libraries, journalists and handicapped people.
Big music companies and a few famous French singers, veteran rocker Johnny Hallyday among them, are hostile to a download licence for Internet users -- expected to amount to, say, eight or 12 euros -- saying it would not nearly compensate them for the royalties they earn from more traditional music sales.
But French consumer groups -- and quite a few MPs -- counter that the Internet age has changed consumer habits, and an estimated eight to 10 million French peopl, out of a population of 60 million, download files anyway.
A new economic model is needed, they argue, and a download fee would provide money to artists who lose out entirely under current practices.
"The government bill is wrong to attack the private exchanges between consumers and to aim to create by decree new fines," one consumer group, UFC-Que Choisir, said in a statement.
"It is also wrong to submit the private use of works bought by consumers to a unilateral control by companies that wipes out the notion and spirit of private-use copying" up to now enshrined in French law, it added.
Both sides of the debate have acknowledged that platforms such as Apple's Music Store do provide legal downloads on a pay-per-file basis.
But they also note that such files are not always playable on a variety of machines (for instance Apple music files will only play on iPods), limiting their appeal -- and possibly even breaching French anti-competition law.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/franceinternetcopyrightmusic;_ylt=A86...
Three years ago, when you bought it, your new super-system seemed to be the ultimate computer, the PC with which you could rise to power and rule the world! It chewed through the most demanding games like a shredder eating envelopes; it let you run a half-dozen office applications at a time with no pauses, even with anti-virus and scheduling apps running in the background. It was supreme.
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As the months flew by, software became more demanding. Minimum system requirements crawled up the CPU scale; what in one version required 500MHz in its latest revision wants 2GHz. Doom 3 came out, and your system would only spit out 14 frames per second with average detail levels. When you jump from one application on the taskbar to another, there's a noticeable pause while the hard drive churns and you wait. And wait.
In fact, you find yourself waiting more and more for everything you do. From loading apps to encoding home movies or changing a TIFF to a JPEG, you simply hate the fact that you can actually go and get a cup of coffee while the computer sits there and thinks.
It very well could be time to upgrade your system. That's not to say you have to toss the whole thing out and start with a brand-new computer; most PCs can at least accept minor upgrades, and desktop systems built with standard parts are almost completely interchangeable.
But how do you tell exactly which component needs to be upgraded? And how do you know if your particular system will accept an upgrade? Where do you buy the parts? What steps do you take to perform the upgrade itself? Read on.
What's Dogging Your System?
When your system seems sluggish, you first need to narrow down the symptoms to find the culprit. Could it be a lack of sufficient main memory? A pokey graphics card? An aging CPU? What about a stuffed-full hard drive? Deciding what needs to be upgraded requires a bit of detective work.
Let's look at some symptoms, and the part that most likely causes them:
SYMPTOM: You've installed a new, super-powerful GeForce 7800-based graphics card. Ever since then, when you play 3-D games, the computer sometimes crashes or reboots. You've checked the connection and it's fine, the card is powered, and its GPU fan is running.
SOLUTION: Check your power supply. Those new cards pull well over 75 watts alone. If your system's PSU was just getting by with its current components, the new load could be causing it to brown out other components when the graphics card demands its utmost power draw. Get a 500+ watt PSU with dual 12V rails.
SYMPTOM: Everything works great--except new games. You used to be able to run Quake 3 Arena at 125 frames per second. Quake 4 barely makes it over 15 fps. You meet the minimum requirements, so what gives?
SOLUTION: You should swap out your computer's graphics card. Newer cards not only have more raw processing power, but also more memory. Look for a modern GeForce series 6 or 7 series, or a Radeon X800 or higher, with at least 256MB of local memory.
SYMPTOM: Everything is slow. Loading programs takes forever, when it used to be speedy. Changing from one open program to another through the taskbar or Alt-Tab brings the system to a crawl. No matter what you do, it takes forever.
SOLUTION: Check your hard drive space. It sounds like it's so full that the paging file is fragmented, and therefore everything that swaps data to the hard drive in lieu of main memory is going to drag down system performance. You could either install a bunch more memory to stave off the computer's need to swap, uninstall anything you don't use on your current hard drive and run Disk Cleanup to clear up as much space as possible, or upgrade the hard drive itself to a much larger size.
SYMPTOM: You've discovered your artistic bent and begun editing movies and pictures and rendering 3-D objects and scenes. The problem is, when you do something like encode a video, render the 3-D stuff or save big picture files that you've altered, it takes eons to complete the process.
SOLUTION: Those are CPU-intensive activities. The processor crunches all of the operations necessary to transform and render the images. A faster CPU would make a world of difference.
SYMPTOM: The system boots up quickly and works great when you use one or two programs at once, but as you open more applications, it starts to slow down. This is especially noticeable when you have a program that loads lots of huge files, like PhotoShop Elements, with a bunch of massive TIFF images open.
SOLUTION: You need more memory to handle all that up-front computing. The data and program files of open programs are stored in main memory, but when that bank runs out of room, they're swapped to the much slower paging file. More memory will allow more programs and data to reside in the much faster main memory area.
Can You Upgrade?
Now that you have an idea of what needs to be upgraded, you have to determine whether your computer will handle the upgrade. This requires research on your part. You must first find out what your computer's motherboard is capable of, the form factor of your computer case, PSU and motherboard, and more. This may require you to research the motherboard manual, or even do research at the motherboard manufacturer's Web site. You also will have to open the case.
Before opening the computer case, power down the PC and unplug it. Be static safe; use an antistatic bracelet properly or plant your feet and ground yourself before you reach into the PC. Handle circuit boards by the edges and, whether removing or installing something, don't force it. You might break something.
? For a CPU upgrade, learn the fastest CPU your computer's motherboard will support (check the manual). If it won't support a CPU significantly faster than the one it's already rocking, you need to upgrade the motherboard.
? For memory, remember that
Windows XP only makes use of a maximum of 4GB of RAM. Find out your computer's current memory configuration, how many memory slots it has, what type of modules are installed and so on. Then, research the motherboard manual for acceptable configurations. Can you add memory, or must you replace the modules already installed? Note: don't mix memory types. If your computer has, for instance, PC3200 memory already installed, and you plan to add to it, add PC3200 memory.
? For the graphics card, make sure you get a replacement that fits the proper slot. Graphics cards come in both AGP and PCI Express X16 varieties, and they're not interchangeable.
? For the hard drive, make sure you get a drive with the same interface. Don't get a SATA (Serial ATA) drive if your motherboard doesn't support it unless you also purchase a SATA adapter. For a drop-in replacement, find out what interface your old hard drive supports (IDE or SATA) and get a drive of the same type with a larger capacity.
? For a motherboard replacement, you need to learn the form factor of the board and get a replacement that will fit your case. Anything not compatible with the new board (possibly the CPU, memory, power supply and graphics card) will have to be replaced.
? For the power supply, be sure to get the same type with all of the necessary connectors connectors.
The Basic Steps to Performing an Upgrade
? Get the right parts! Research, research, research. Check manuals, manufacturer Web sites, and every other resource to ensure compatibility with your system.
? For components with drivers: Uninstall the current drivers.
? Power down the machine. Unplug it.
? Remove the component to be upgraded if necessary. Be on the lookout for clips and brackets that secure the components in place. Expansion cards have a screw that secures them; memory modules have clips on either side of them.
o You can remove graphics cards, sound cards, CPUs and memory modules that are no longer needed.
o Don't remove memory modules that you're supplementing with more modules. If you're replacing an onboard graphics or audio solution, don't try to physically remove it from the board. Disable it in the BIOS.
o If you're removing the entire motherboard, first remove all the expansion cards, then unplug all of the cabling. Remove all of the screws holding it in place. Gently remove it from the case.
o If you're removing a hard drive, note that many hard drives reside in removable brackets. Remove the bracket itself, then remove the hard drive.
o If you're removing an optical drive, pay attention to whether the case uses drive rails to seat the 5-inch external drives. If it does, look at how the drive rails are attached to the drive, and replicate their configuration when you prepare to install the new drive.
? Install the new component.
o If you're installing a motherboard, it helps to first install its CPU, memory and any cables that will reach, before placing it in the case and screwing it down. Before seating it, install the riser bezel (the metal shield that fits in the rectangular area where the ports, like the USB and Ethernet ports, reside.)
o If you're installing memory, seat it gently into place and then press along its length evenly until it snaps into its sockets.
o Secure drives with all four screws to reduce vibration and extend the life of the drive. This is especially true for hard drives.
o Make sure you cool a new CPU with a compatible cooler, and use a thermal compound between the cooler and the top of the CPU.
o Make sure expansion cards are fully seated before you screw them down.
o For a hard drive replacement, install the new drive as a slave. You can then use Norton Ghost to replicate the old drive onto the new drive, remove the old drive and discard the old drive.
? Check all of the cables and connections before powering up the computer. You may wish to power it up before you close the case, on the chance that you have to troubleshoot a loose connection.
? Fire up Windows. Install the drivers for your new equipment if necessary (and it will be necessary for graphics cards, sound cards, motherboards, other expansion cards and some CPUs). You might have to cancel the Windows hardware detection wizard and install the drivers through their own installation routine; read the instructions that came with the new part to find out for sure.
? If you've replaced a motherboard, Windows XP might not be happy without reinstalling it over the top of your current installation. It doesn't take kindly to low-level hardware replacements.
Those, in a nutshell, are some techniques to upgrading your computer. More thorough write-ups of each component could easily fill articles this size on their own, so consult the instructions that came with your components for more details. Also, hit upgrade guides on Web sites like PCMag.com and ExtremeTech.com.
p2p news / p2pnet: The members of the Big Four Organized Music cartel are going after Yahoo China for alleged copyright violation.
The IFPI, owned by Sony BMG, EMI, Warner Music and Vivendi Universal, says Yahoo China's music pages link directly to unlicensed downloads and streams, according to a Reuters/Billboard story.
"Sony BMG China's Wong says the Asia Pacific regional office of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the music business' main lobbying arm, sent Yahoo China cease-and-desist warnings on behalf of the four major international labels in December," it says.
" 'Deep linking,' as the practice is known, differs from sending Web searchers to other pages that may host unlicensed music," says the item. "Instead, the links on Baidu and Yahoo directly trigger a download of music hosted by sites that appear to be unaffiliated with Yahoo."
Examples of Yahoo China's apparent copyright violation include deep links to Beatles music.
However, the band's catalogue has never been licensed to a digital service and when DJ Danger Mouse's Grey Album, a mix compiled from Jay-Z's Black Album and The Beatles' White Album, appeared, EMI, which controls all Beatles sound recordings, did everything it could to stomp it.
Meanwhile, Porter Erisman, international marketing VP of Beijing Net auction site Alibaba International, which manages Yahoo China, is quoted as saying if content is streaming or being downloaded from another site, such violations would be the responsibility of that site.
"Yahoo China doesn't actually post the works which (users) are downloading," Reuters/Billboard has him stating.
Yahoo paid $1 billion for a 40% stake in Alibaba last August, then turned over management and operation of its China portal to Alibaba, says the story, continuing, "Yahoo China is a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S.-based Internet portal Yahoo. The U.S. operation http://www.yahoo.com links directly to http://www.yahoo.com.cn, which makes yahoo.com users three clicks from downloading unlicensed music."
Baidu was found guilty of copyright infringement in September last, "in a case brought by Shanghai Bu-sheng Music Culture Media, the local distributor for EMI," says the article, going on:
"Billboard also found links on yahoo.cn for ringtone downloads at http://www.3721.com, a site bearing the Yahoo name and logo and registered to Alibaba.com Corp. of Hong Kong. Users of 3721 are asked to provide their name, cell phone number and handset model before a ringtone is sent to their phone for a charge of 2 renminbi (25 cents). A Chinese software and keyword engine, 3721 Network Software was acquired by Yahoo for $120 million in 2003.
"Billboard was unable to determine the licensing status of ringtones sold on 3721. But the Beatles' music, which has never been made available for ringtones, was for sale."
Also See:
Reuters/Billboard - Yahoo China offers direct link to music pirates, March 5, 2006
Grey Album - Grey Album goes Gold, February 25, 2004
=====================
If you're Chinese and you're looking for a way to access independent Internet news sources, try Freegate, the DIT program written to help Chinese citizens circumvent website blocking outside of China.
Download it here and feel free to copy the zip and host it yourself so others can download it.
By Fuad Abazovic in Wien: Wednesday 08 March 2006, 12:08
A CHAP who managed to sneak a peek at the Vole's internal beta version 2 of Windows 53xx informed us that, even while idling, Vista eats as much as 800Mb of system memory.
Yeah, we were shocked too, but you have to believe the screenshot below.
Memory manufacturers couldn't be happier about that, as it will make people to go out and buy more memory. Our source reported that Vista runs ok with 1024Mb of system memory but no-doubt 2048Mb would be much better.
Vista won't install on FAT32 partitions, it only likes NTFS partitions. We also know that the system performs quite well on an Athlon 4000+ and a Geforce 7800 GTX 512 works just fine in the mix. Aero glass looks good, we liked it when we first clapped eyes on Beta 1 version.
Vista occupies roughly three times more space than Windows XP. In fact, it'll require up to a whopping seven gigabytes of drive space.
p2p news / p2pnet: IBM has cancelled its contract with Microsoft as of October this year, says Andreas Pleschek, who runs IBM's open source and Linux technical sales efforts in north eastern Europe.
Pleschek was giving a talk at the LinuxForum 2006 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and his statement is quoted by elhaard in Groklaw.
Elhaard goes on, "That means that IBM will not use Windows Vista for their desktops. Beginning from July, IBM employees will begin using IBM Workplace on their new, Red Hat-based platform. Not all at once - some will keep using their present Windows versions for a while. But none will upgrade to Vista."
Earlier, "Overall, I had the impression that IBM has seen the writing on the wall that proprietary software eventually will be a thing of the past," elhaard says. "But on the other hand they have a huge investment in proprietary software, and that is still where they get their money. So of course, they cannot just open source it all at once. They have to do it gradually so that they can grow a new business to replace the income of the former.
"Personally, I do not like their closed source/free download idea, but I realize that it is the only way for them to keep the business for the full-blown versions. I think they would open source it if they could. But then again, a more cynical interpretation could be that the 'community editions' is just a way to get people dependant on them in the hope that they will upgrade to paid-for versions later on.
"At the end of the presentation, Andreas Pleschek revealed that the laptop he used for the presentation was running a pre-release of their new platform, the Open Client. It is actually a Red Hat work station with IBM's new Workplace Client, which is built in Java on top of Eclipse. Because of Eclipse, it runs on both Linux and Windows, and they have been able to reuse the C++ code in Lotus Notes for Windows to run it natively on Linux via Eclipse. Internally in IBM, for years, they have had a need to run Lotus Notes on Linux, and now they can. And they will offer it to their customers."
Also See:
Groklaw - More from LinuxForum 2006 - Day 2, March 6, 2006
Vonage has always been in a tough situation. The company was one of the first to offer VoIP services to consumers, but its business model brought it into conflict with cable and telephone companies from the start. The established players also wanted to get in on the VoIP game, and none of them were thrilled about letting another company use their network to deliver phone services. Predictably, several companies tried to cause problems for the new service. Last year, Madison River Communications, a local telecom provider based in North Carolina, paid a US$15,000 fine after the FCC brought an action against it for blocking Vonage traffic. Vonage also accused an unnamed cable provider of forcing Vonage customers to upgrade to a broadband account with a static IP address after claiming that such a move was necessary to comply with federal regulations. Indeed, Vonage customers have grown so suspicious that they have lately accused Comcast of purposely degrading their service, a charge that both Vonage and Comcast deny.
It turns out that such persecution is not limited to the US, though. Vonage Canada has just issued a press release detailing the actions of Shaw Communications, a Canadian provider of broadband and television services. Apparently, Shaw has been recommending that Vonage customers pay an additional fee of CA$10 per month in order to provide a "quality of service enhancement." It's not clear what this "enhancement" consists of, since regular Vonage usage is not bandwidth intensive in the way that, say, streaming high-quality video over the Web might be. Vonage Canada's requests for more details about the service have been refused, and the company is now turning to the Canadian Radio-Television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in an effort to find out what's going on.
If the "recommended" fee sounds a lot like "protection money," you're not the only one to think so. Shaw customers have already paid for the use of the network, and Vonage calls run just fine over US networks without any "enhancement" from the network provider. Oh, and did we mention the fact that Shaw provides its own VoIP service, which is more expensive than Vonage? Of course, Shaw's service doesn't require any "enhancement," and this does not sit well with Vonage Canada.
"In the absence of credible, complete information, there is good reason to believe (Shaw's) service offering is not an enhancement to Shaw's high-speed Internet service but rather is an anti-competitive measure aimed at either increasing the perceived cost, or damaging the perceived reliability, of the services of independent Internet telephone service providers when compared to Shaw's higher-priced phone service."
The fee may be less about collecting money, then, and more about spreading FUD to Shaw customers concerning the quality of Vonage service. This isn't a new issue, of course, but it does highlight once more the importance of network neutrality. As network providers around the world ponder plans to transition us to a "tiered Internet," cases like this show us what such a model looks like in practice?and it's not a pretty picture.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060308-6339.html
Latest Photo Kiosk and Gallery-Quality Printers Debut
HP and Canon announce new professional photo printers, and HP also introduces its photo kiosk.
Danny Allen
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
The big annual Photo Marketing Association (PMA) convention just wrapped up, and my colleague Eric Butterfield reported on new consumer digital cameras and photo printing accessories for our Today @ PC World blog. However, PMA also saw the introduction of some interesting photo printing solutions that cater to business markets. These include new high-end photo printers targeting professional photographers, graphics artists, and advanced amateurs.
I'll discuss those after I tell you about a new commercial product from HP.
HP's New Photo Kiosk
Click for enlarged view. If HP has its way, you won't be able to go into a supermarket or drugstore without bumping into its new Photosmart Express Station. This kiosk can deliver 4-by-6-inch photo prints from your own memory cards or from a Snapfish online photo-sharing account.
In these kiosks, HP will use its new six-ink inkjet technology, which is based on the company's scalable printing technology. Competing kiosks use either dye-sublimation or silver halide processes.
HP claims that this technology should help the Photosmart Express Station be up to 40 percent more profitable per square foot through greater efficiency, lower maintenance requirements, detailed remote monitoring tools, and up to 10 times the supply capacity of current competing kiosks. Consumers can expect an easy-to-use interface that will deliver waterfast 4-by-6-inch prints that, according to HP, should last for "long over 50 years"--and will produce each one in about 5 seconds.
Click for enlarged view. HP has looked to the retail market before: You might remember its Phogenix Imaging partnership with Kodak, which dissolved back in May 2003. It will be interesting to see how the new kiosk venture competes with existing competitors, including its old ally.
See this post at PC World's staff blog for further information on the Photosmart Express Station and HP's new Photosmart Studio, which will allow retail stores to create albums, calendars, posters, and greeting cards with customer's photos.
HP's Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer
Let's move on to printers. HP's B9180 is touted as producing true monochrome (black-and-white) reproductions and vibrant color/fine art prints thanks to its individual Vivera pigment-based inks: Matte black, photo black, light gray, light cyan, cyan, light magenta, magenta, and yellow. It can produce output on various media (including photo paper, stiff pre-matted paper or canvas) at sizes up to 13 by 19 inches.
HP Photosmart Pro B9180.Photos printed with the B9180 are rated to last for more than 200 years. The B9180 supports both PCs and Macs, and HP supplies an Adobe Photoshop plug-in for color management in addition to other utilities. HP should begin taking orders for the $699 Photosmart Pro B9180 sometime in late May or early June.
Canon PIXMA Pro9500 and PIXMA Pro9000
Canon Pixma Pro9500 or Pixma Pro9000? On the outside, the two printers look identical. For its part, Canon last month unveiled its own models capable of producing detailed, gallery-level color or black-and-white prints. The company's new Pixma Pro9500 and Pixma Pro9000 can print on a number of different media types (such as cotton fine-art paper) at sizes up to 13 by 19 inches; the two printers have a maximum resolution of 4800 by 2400 dots per inch and outwardly appear identical, but they use different printing technologies.
The Pixma Pro9500 is a ten-color Lucia pigment-based inkjet printer, while the Pixma Pro9000 uses eight dye-based inks. Both devices are PC- and Mac-compatible and ship with Easy-PhotoPrint Pro, a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop that simplifies configuration and color management. Pricing and availability weren't confirmed at press time.
Canon imagePrograf iPF5000 Wide Format Printer
Canon imagePrograf iPF5000.Late last month Canon also announced its new imagePrograf iPF5000, a large-format inkjet printer that uses dual print heads to create professional prints up to 17 inches wide. The device features a maximum resolution of 2400 by 1200 dpi, has a 4-picoliter droplet size, and uses 12 Lucia pigment-based inks--red, blue, green, gray, photo gray, cyan, photo cyan, magenta, photo magenta, yellow, regular black, and matte black--to produce striking images rated to last for over 100 years. The imagePrograf iPF5000 is scheduled to become available in April for $1945.
Got a Question for a Printer Vendor?
Got a bone to pick with a printer manufacturer? Have some functionality suggestions, or wonder what happened to your favorite feature, accessory, or model line? Here's your chance! I'm currently accepting questions to ask printer manufacturers on your behalf for a future column. You can e-mail me at Danny Allen.
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,124928,00.asp
The most highly evolved species of computer, the laptop (aka notebook) computer allows you to work without being tethered to an office. Portability and good performance make notebook PCs an essential part of the daily lives of millions, from college students to business travelers. Even the least-expensive of today's laptops are better equipped than they have ever been, and may be all you need for everyday work.
The Big Picture
There are more laptop choices than ever. We'll guide you through the available options--including screen size, weight, battery life, and communications ports. more
The Specs Explained
Do you need a superfast CPU? Or a huge hard drive? We'll guide you through the choices and tell you which features are most critical. more
Notebook Shopping Tips
Looking for a powerful, versatile notebook at a reasonable price? Our advice will help you find the right laptop. more
Next page: The Big Picture
The Big Picture
If you've ever shopped for a notebook, you know that the factors to consider go far beyond performance and connections. Notebook buyers also have to mull such variables as size, weight, screen dimensions, battery life, and keyboard quality--not to mention options such as built-in wireless.
Key Features
Processor: Intel's Pentium M processor has helped notebooks gain new ground in the power department. In our tests, notebooks using the Pentium M performed considerably faster than those using the Mobile Pentium 4. Pentium M processors also allow for long battery life. You can still opt for a Mobile Pentium 4 processor, such as one at 3.0 GHz, but most notebook vendors are moving to incorporate the Pentium M in all classes of notebooks.
Some notebooks use AMD's Athlon Turion 64 processor or Intel's ULV (ultra-low voltage) Pentium M CPU, which also allow for improved battery life and performance. A few notebooks use Intel Pentium 4 or AMD's Athlon 64 desktop processors, which can give them a performance advantage as long as they're built to withstand--and you can tolerate--the extra heat they generate.
Low-end notebooks offer Intel's cheaper Celeron M processor, which is generally not as speedy as the Pentium M processor, and which does not include Intel's Centrino Mobile technology.
System memory: Unless you're buying on the cheap, a new notebook generally includes 512MB of system memory. Don't settle for anything less than 256MB if you want to do more than word processing and e-mail, because Windows XP and newer applications need at least that much memory.
Many notebooks are now available with 1GB of RAM. Buying up to 1GB of RAM at the same time you purchase your notebook will help extend its useful lifetime.
Graphics memory: You'll want 64MB or 128MB of dedicated video RAM, or VRAM, if you plan to use your laptop to drive external monitors for presentations. Make sure the memory is dedicated for graphic use, rather than pulled from main memory; this is sometimes referred to as a universal (UMA) or shared (SMA) memory architecture, or as dynamic video memory technology. Gamers should look for advanced 3D graphics chips, such as nVidia's GeForce Go 6800 Ultra, and 256MB of dedicated graphics memory.
Screen: Notebook screens continue to get bigger--and most have gone wide, enabling you to view spreadsheets or movies with ease. Even budget shoppers can afford the luxury of high-resolution color: Portables with 14.1-inch and 15.4-inch wide-screens now cost as little as $1200. Most notebook manufacturers are also offer laptops with 17-inch wide-screens. Frequent business fliers can choose among the many laptops that have the more-compact screen sizes of 12.1 and 13.3 inches--some of which are wide-screen, as well.
Notebooks with standard aspect 14.1- and 15-inch screens can still be found, but they're not as plentiful as wide-screen models.
Battery: Notebook battery life took a step forward with the introduction of the Pentium M. In our tests, battery life in units equipped with that processor have averaged roughly 3.5 hours on one battery. Some notebooks can run for up to 7 hours. Many vendors also offer supplemental batteries to boost battery life.
Keyboard and pointing device: Though you can get accustomed to almost any notebook keyboard, it's best to try before you buy. Thin-and-light notebooks usually have smaller-than-average keys spaced more closely than on a desktop-replacement model, and their layouts may differ from a standard keyboard's. You probably won't be given a choice between an eraserhead or trackpad pointing device; if you have a preference, look for manufacturers that use your preferred pointing device on the majority of their products.
Optical and other drives: Most manufacturers offer notebooks with rewritable DVD drives, some of which are also dual-layer. It's still possible to get a notebook with a combination DVD-ROM and CD-RW drive. Few machines feature one or the other. If you really need a floppy drive, you can buy a USB add-on drive for less than $100.
Long predicted to go extinct, the floppy drive has outlasted its SuperDrive and Zip drive challengers and continues to appear in many full-size notebooks, though sometimes only as an option. You can buy a USB add-on floppy drive for less than $100 if you really need it.
Hard drive: You may not need the space, but notebook hard drives will continue to grow. Cheaper notebooks with 40GB hard drives are hard to find, but you can still save money by opting for a 60GB model. A top-of-the-line 120GB drive will set you back a few hundred dollars if you purchase it when you order your laptop. You can easily remove most laptop hard drives if you decide you want to upgrade or just keep your data safe.
Weight and bay design: Notebooks range from 17-pound behemoth desktop replacements to 8- or 10-pound all-in-one models, with the optical drive built in, to 3-pound ultraportables that rely on external drives. One-bay notebooks have become more prevalent because of their appealing balance of features and weight.
Many laptops offer the optical drive as a modular device, so you can swap it out for a second hard drive or a second battery.
When making a purchase, you should consider the weight not only of the notebook, but of the AC adapter, any external modules, and their cables. Ultraportable notebooks have lightweight adapters but can weigh almost as much as a full-size notebook if you have to carry their external optical and floppy drives.
When you return to your desk, you can snap most notebooks onto an extra-cost docking station or port replicator (prices range from $100 to $500). This saves you from repeatedly having to plug in and unplug an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, and other desktop peripherals.
Communications: Few notebooks come with a full set of legacy ports anymore. Serial ports are rare, and PS/2 ports (for a mouse or keyboard) and infrared ports are going the way of the dodo, as well. Most notebooks still have a parallel port and one PC Card slot, though many now also offer an ExpressCard slot. Quite a few full-size models now include a DVI port for connecting to an external digital display.
Most notebooks have at least two USB 2.0 ports; many now offer four, and some even offer up to six. A majority of notebooks include a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port for connecting an external drive, an MP3 player, or a digital-video camcorder.
Built-in ethernet now comes standard on all portables, with many models including gigabit ethernet. Notebooks using the Intel Centrino processor include Intel's 802.11b/g networking built in; those using AMD's processors have the option of 802.11b/g. Bluetooth is also catching on, but unless you have a specific need for it, don't splurge for built-in Bluetooth.
A smattering of notebooks now include built in wireless broadband wide-area networking, enabling them to access Verizon Wireless's EV-DO BroadbandAccess service, for example.
Most notebooks include one or more card slots for removable media such as CompactFlash, Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, or Smart Media.
Next page: The Specs Explained
The Specs Explained
Before shopping for a notebook, consider how you'll be using it. If your primary goal is to get some word processing or spreadsheet work done while staying on top of e-mail, a $1000 Pentium M model with a 14.1-inch screen and 40GB hard drive will be plenty fast and save you hundreds of dollars. Sexy lightweight notebooks and models with top-notch processing power and big screens cost much more.
However, keep in mind that most vendors let you custom build and price your own notebook by picking from a mind-boggling array of features, which gives you a lot of control over the final product. You may be able to afford a faster notebook by accepting a smaller, less expensive hard drive or a CD-RW drive instead of a combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive.
Unlike with desktop PCs, you can later upgrade only some of these components, such as memory and the hard drive; others, such as the graphics board, are permanent once they're installed at the factory. That's slowly changing, as some manufacturers are incorporating upgradable graphics. However, take your time and pick only what you need. Below is a rough breakout of some configuration options.
Feature Low End ($1300 and below) Recommended ($1300 to $2000) High End ($2000 to $3500 or more)
Installed memory 256MB 512MB 512MB to 1GB
An important consideration. The more installed memory your notebook has, the more applications you can run at once, and the better your notebook will perform. Ease of access aside, upgrading memory in a notebook is a bit trickier than with a desktop, so buy as much memory preinstalled as you can afford. (Compare prices for notebooks with 512MB or more RAM.)
Processor 1.4-GHz Celeron M 360 or 1.6-GHz Pentium M 725 1.73-GHz Pentium M 740 to 2-GHz Pentium M 760, or 1.8-GHz AMD Turion 64 ML-32 2.26-GHz Pentium M 780, 2.4-GHz AMD Turion 64 ML-44 1.6- to 1.7-GHz Pentium M, 3.0-GHz Mobile Pentium 4, or 2.0-GHz AMD Mobile Athlon 64
An important consideration. The CPU determines how quickly a notebook runs applications and performs on-screen tasks. (Check latest prices for recommended notebooks.)
Screen size 12.1 inches 14.1 inches 15 to 17 inches
An important consideration. The size of a notebook's LCD screen is quoted as a diagonal measurement. The larger the screen, the higher the maximum resolution and the more information you can view at once. At this point, most notebooks are wide-screens; if you want a notebook with a standard-aspect screen you'll have to search a bit, but those models are still available. (Compare notebooks with recommended screen sizes.)
Hard drive size 40GB 40GB to 60GB 80GB to 120GB
Somewhat important. The larger the hard drive, the more data you can keep on your notebook. Most people don't need more than 60GB. Those who work with databases, spreadsheets, or digital photo or video files should opt for a large drive.
Expansion bays 0 to 1 0 to 1 1 to 2
Somewhat important. The more expansion bays, the more options you have to switch in new optical drives or other storage drives, but switching drives takes time. Keep in mind that high-end ultraportables typically have no extra bays, but you can purchase external drives for them.
Optical drives DVD-ROM or CD-RW DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive or rewritable DVD drive Dual-layer rewritable DVD drive
Somewhat important. CD-RW drives are a cost-effective and flexible removable-storage option, while DVD-ROM drives allow you to watch DVDs on your laptop. A combination drive gives you the best of both worlds. Most manufacturers also offer laptops with rewritable DVD drives, which give you the most flexibility.
Next page: Notebook Shopping Tips
Notebook Shopping Tips
Are you ready to buy a notebook? Here are PC World's recommendations for specifications that will fit the needs of the average user.
* A 1.73-GHz Pentium M processor. For everyday work--word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail--you don't need the latest, greatest (read most expensive) Pentium processor, but thankfully, with the Pentium M, you get smooth performance and long battery life. (Check latest prices.)
* 512MB of memory or more. Anything less will slow your work. (Check latest prices for notebooks with 512MB of memory or more.)
* Supplemental battery. They usually last longer on one charge than nickel-metal hydride batteries and don't need to be replaced as often. If you want more time away from an outlet, buy a notebook with a modular bay capable of holding a supplementary power pack. Secondary batteries usually cost between $99 and $200.
* A 14.1-inch wide-screen. A screen larger than 12.1 inches eases eyestrain. Unless you're really pinching pennies, bigger is better. (Compare prices for notebooks with 14.1-inch screens.)
* A 60GB hard drive. Unless you generate multimegabyte music or database files, or install more than one office suite, 60GB is plenty big.
* Touchpad pointing device. Pointing devices are a matter of taste. However, most people find a touchpad easier to use than a pointing stick. For people who can't choose between a touchpad and an eraserhead pointing device, some notebooks include both. If you buy one of these, make sure it provides two sets of mouse buttons--one for the touchpad and the other for the eraserhead--so you don't have to stretch to reach.
* Multiple USB ports. Many notebooks now come with two or more USB 2.0 ports, useful for connecting more of the latest peripherals.
* All-in-one design. Unless you need a lightweight notebook, opt for one with an internal bay for both the optical drive. This design enables you to swap in other devices, such as an extra hard drive or second battery.
CRAP, in its original embodiment, was short for Content Restriction, Annulment, and Protection - DRM, in other words. And the man who came up with the tag was ZDNet's David Berlind.
But then Free Software Foundation founder Richard Stallman persuaded Berlind that, "Cancellation, Restriction, and Punishment," was more apt.
To get back to the intro, however, CRAP/DRM is definitely smelly. But can it threaten life?
The RIAA, MPAA, and others, apparently think so. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
RIAA Says Future DRM Might "Threaten Critical Infrastructure and Potentially Endanger Lives"
By Ed Felten ? Freedom to Tinker
We?re in the middle of the U.S. Copyright Office?s triennial DMCA exemption rulemaking. As you might expect, most of the filings are dry as dust, but buried in the latest submission by a coalition of big copyright owners (publishers, Authors? Guild, BSA, MPAA, RIAA, etc) is an utterly astonishing argument.
Some background: In light of the Sony-BMG CD incident, Alex and I asked the Copyright Office for an exemption allowing users to remove from their computers certain DRM software that causes security and privacy harm. The CCIA and Open Source and Industry Association made an even simpler request for an exemption for DRM systems that ?employ access control measures which threaten critical infrastructure and potentially endanger lives.? Who could oppose that?
The BSA, RIAA, MPAA, and friends - that?s who. Their objections to these two requests (and others) consist mostly of lawyerly parsing, but at the end of their argument about our request comes this (from pp 22-23 of the document, if you?re reading along at home):
Furthermore, the claimed beneficial impact of recognition of the exemption ? that it would 'provide an incentive for the creation of protection measures that respect the security of consumers' computers while protecting the interests of the record labels' ([citation to our request]) ? would be fundamentally undermined if copyright owners ? and everyone else ? were left in such serious doubt about which measures were or were not subject to circumvention under the exemption.
Hanging from the end of the above-quoted excerpt is a footnote:
This uncertainty would be even more severe under the formulations proposed in submissions 2 (in which the terms 'privacy or security' are left completely undefined) or 8 [ie, the CCIA request] (in which the boundaries of the proposed exemption would turn on whether access controls 'threaten critical infrastructure and potentially endanger lives').
You read that right. They?re worried that there might be ?serious doubt? about whether their future DRM access control systems are covered by these exemptions, and they think the doubt ?would be even more severe? if the ?exemption would turn on whether access controls ?threaten critical infrastructure and potentially endanger lives?.?
Yikes.
One would have thought they?d make awfully sure that a DRM measure didn?t threaten critical infrastructure or endanger lives, before they deployed that measure. But apparently they want to keep open the option of deploying DRM even when there are severe doubts about whether it threatens critical infrastructure and potentially endangers lives.
And here?s the really amazing part. In order to protect their ability to deploy this dangerous DRM, they want the Copyright Office to withhold from users permission to uninstall DRM software that actually does threaten critical infrastructure and endanger lives.
If past rulemakings are a good predictor, it?s more likely than not that the Copyright Office will rule in their favor.
Also See:
CRAP - Apple and its C.R.A.P., March 4, 2006
p2p news / p2pnet: Very cool graphic. So what is it?
Nothing less than a real-time image of a chat happening at 12:37 pm Pacific in the #etech IRC channel at O?Reilly?s Emerging Technology Conference.
Called backchannel, it was developed by Stamen Design for E-Tech 2006.
"Each participant in the backchannel is shown in a circle, with nicknames arranged alphabetically, counter-clockwise from right," says the backchannel site.
"Blue bars next to each nickname show how active each participant has been. Connections between nicknames show participants who?ve spoken around the same time. Events are marked in a narrow strip across the top, in blue. The most recent events are at right, stretching back in time about an hour to the left.
"The pointer graphic indicates 'now'. It can be dragged.
"You?ll see nicknames grow more or less opaque as you do this, which shows how close to the chosen time those participants have spoken. Clicking on an event or participant nickname will load a short excerpt of chatter from the IRC backchannel in this space."
Backchannel is represented in IRC by a bot named brodmann17bot (b.17bot), named after a part of the cerebral cortex responsible for primary visual perception, says a more detailed description here, going on:
"B.17bot is implemented in Twisted Python, and rebroadcasts all intercepted events over HTTP. PHP has a walk-on role proxying away XMLHttpRequest security concerns.
"The client software is a combination of Flash and dynamic HTML, in communication with b.17bot via XML and JSON. The initial load pulls the most recent 500 'events' (messages, action, people joining or leaving the channel) into the Backchannel Flash client, which displays all users in a circle, with a graphic indication of their participation by each name. Users who have spoken within a half-minute or so of one another are linked by threads, showing approximate conversational subgroups at any given time. A stream of events is also displayed across the top of the screen, with a slider that lets you check out the state of the conversation at any moment over the previous three hours.
"Clicking on a user or an event in the stream calls up a short, browseable transcript on the right-hand side of the screen."
warning Talk about diversifying your online portfolio. A "fetish porn" spammer who faces jail time is also the operator of a site for work at home moms (WAHMs).
Jennifer Clason, 33, of Raymond, New Hampshire, just pleaded guilty to violating CAN-SPAM and criminal conspiracy...
...If Clason goes to jail, it's going to cut into her time as operator of a site called MommyJobs.com -- a self-proclaimed "support site" for work-at-home moms looking to make some money. Sounds pretty wholesome, but MommyJobs.com isn't completely innocent. Spam Kings Blog: Porn spammer ran a support site for moms
March 07, 2006
Porn spammer ran a support site for moms
mommyjobs logoTalk about diversifying your online portfolio. A "fetish porn" spammer who faces jail time is also the operator of a site for work-at-home moms (WAHMs).
Jennifer Clason, 33, of Raymond, New Hampshire, just pleaded guilty to violating CAN-SPAM and criminal conspiracy. As part of the plea, entered in federal court in Phoenix, Arizona on Monday, she has agreed to forfeit the profits from her crimes. She also faces up to five years in prison for each of the offenses, which included "the transmission of numerous spam e-mails containing graphic pornographic images."
If Clason goes to jail, it's going to cut into her time as operator of a site called MommyJobs.com -- a self-proclaimed "support site" for work-at-home moms looking to make some money. Sounds pretty wholesome, but MommyJobs.com isn't completely innocent. Check out the site's message board, where there are rousing discussions of get-rich schemes, including "get paid to read email" (PTR) and "auto surf" programs and HYIP (high-yield investment program) scams.
No evidence on the boards that Clason attempted to convince the WAHMs to sign up for Phatbucks.com, her affiliate program for porn spammers, or to visit her porn" thumbnail" site, or her porno webmaster content site.
Clason, who sometimes did business as Coast to Coast Cash, landed on the ROKSO list (not to mention in the cross hairs of the Department of Justice) for using spam to promote her porn biz. Her partners in porn spam included Jeffrey A. Kilbride of California and James R. Schaffer of Arizona.
But Clason seemed to avoid that type of promotion for MommyJobs.com. In fact, she did an amazing job of getting how-to articles placed in publications, with the goal of gaining publicity for MommyJobs.com. Just last month, she had a piece about Google ads published at DailyIndia.com.
jennifer clasonClason is scheduled to be sentenced June 5. In the mean time, she continues to post messages at MommyJobs.com, where members appear to be oblivious about their moderator's legal issues. Last Friday, Clason announced she was heading to Phoenix "to tend to some business." A board member replied, "Jen's finally gonna have a vacation!!!"
There is disagreement over whether or not US$1.99 is the sweet spot for video sales online. Too high, too low, or just right, the marketplace Goldilocks is too young to draw too many firm conclusions about pricing strategies long-term. Despite this, sales are going well, and Apple suffers no notable shortage of fans willing to drop two clams on the latest episode of Lost. But almost everyone agrees that $1.99 isn't practical when it comes to pricing all TV. would you pay $1.99 for the Nightly News? SportsCenter? The Phantom Gourmet? It's clear that something had to change if more variety was to come down the pipe.
Enter the "Multi-Pass." (For bonus points, imagine Chris Tucker shrieking, m-m-m-multipass!).
The Multi-Pass is a new way of selling content on the iTunes Music Store, but it will be much bigger than that. Multi-Pass has been unveiled alongside the availability of two new offerings from Comedy Central: The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. While individual episodes are still priced at $1.99, users now have the option of buying a 16-episode pack for $9.99, which translates to roughly 62 cents per show.
"This Multi-Pass includes the most recent episode (if one is available) and the next 15 episodes of The Daily Show. The most recent episode (if available), will download immediately and future episodes will download as they become available," according to Apple's website.
There's your value proposition: three episodes for the price of one, if you're willing to sign up for the package deal and pay for episodes that haven't been released yet. It's an ideal sales format for the likes of The Daily Show, powered as it is by quotidian satire of the most laughable stories. The problem with monetizing post-broadcast versions of the show is that such content doesn't survive the passage of time well. This can already been seen in Comedy Central's decision to sell The Daily Show on DVD in a heavily edited format organized around highlights; they reworked the year's material into a collage to optimize its replayability.
A similar pricing structure could also work for other shows that are popular, if time-sensitive. $1.99 for an hour of Conan is too much to ask for, but at 50 to 75 cents per show, things start to look a little more interesting. Ditto with so many shows, including news programs, sports programs, and dare I say soap operas (I'm telling you, the first company to milk that cow...).
Pass the real ŕ la carte
The Multi-Pass is probably best described as a subscription. In the case of The Daily Show, they are selling what amounts to a month's worth of programming for $9.99. Even if this pricing option seems ideal for this kind of content, I wouldn't be surprised to see other shows taking the subscription route either. Big shows like Lost and The Office could also harness the power of the Multi-Pass, although I wouldn't expect to see a cost-per-show similar to what is being offered for the shows of Mr. Stewart and Mr. Colbert.
Future laptop batteries to get boost from nanotechnology
3/8/2006 1:21:50 PM, by Jeremy Reimer
Battery life is becoming an increasingly important issue for mobile computing users. With screens getting larger and brighter and laptop CPUs getting more powerful, the strains on batteries have continued to increase, and the technology just isn't keeping pace. Five years ago, my iBook routinely got five hours from a single charge, yet new laptops struggle to achieve the same results. Some alternatives, such as fuel cells, look promising, but size and weight issues continue to limit their potential.
However, help may be at hand. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been working on (PDF file) an interesting new way of extending battery life. Their technique uses a device called an "ultracapacitor," which, unlike the time-traveling flux capacitor, actually exists as a product:
"A number of electronic devices already use commercial ultracapacitors for specialized functions," said Joel Schindall, a professor in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
"For example, a clock radio may use an ultracapacitor as a keep-alive source in case of power failure, and even the old Palm III used an ultracapacitor to retain its memory while the AA batteries were changed."
A capacitor is, at its most basic level, a device for storing electrical charge. Two large, flat, metal plates are positioned a tiny distance apart from each other with a non-conducting material sandwiched in the middle. An electrical charge is applied to each end. The electrons accumulate on one plate, building up a large negative charge, while an equivalent positive charge appears on the other plate. The capacitor can later discharge this energy if needed. The amount of charge that can be stored varies with the surface area of the plates, which is why large capacitors roll up the plates into large tubes to pack more area in a smaller volume. Ultracapacitors are industrial-strength versions of capacitors, but physical constraints on electrode surface area and spacing have limited ultracapacitors to an energy storage capacity around 25 times less than a similarly sized Lithium-Ion battery.
The innovation at MIT is to use nanotechnology to increase the surface area of the plates much further. They attach millions of nanotubes, which are tiny synthesized "straws" comprised of a lattice of carbon atoms, to the capacitor plates. This increases the capacitance by a large amount, which offers huge potential increases in battery life:
"This configuration has the potential to maintain and even improve the high performance characteristics of ultracapacitors while providing energy storage densities comparable to batteries," Schindall said. "Nanotube-enhanced ultracapacitors would combine the long life and high power characteristics of a commercial ultracapacitor with the higher energy storage density normally available only from a chemical battery."
The nano-enhanced ultracapacitors are still three to five years from being ready for release in commercial products. Until these products get closer to release, there is no firm data about what kind of battery life increases can be expected, but Schindall hopes to achieve a power density of up to 100 kW/kg, which is three orders of magnitude greater than conventional Lithium-Ion batteries, with an energy density of 60 Wh/kg.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060308-6343.html
Our tale begins with the blog of one Jason Calacanis, CEO of Weblogs, Inc. A few days ago, Calacanis let drop a statement in which he was told that Mozilla's FireFox browser "made US$72 million last year and is on target to have 120 employees this year." He immediately followed that statement with a disclaimer pointing out that he didn't know if the figures were true or not.
On the Internet, good things may fall through the cracks, but an item of admittedly dubious reliability in which an open-source application made US$72 million over a one-year period isn't one of them. The story was copied and passed around, resulting in a response on the blog of Christopher Blizzard, a Mozilla Corporation board member, who pointed out that although the quoted numbers were incorrect, they weren't significantly removed.
I won't comment on the dollar amount except to say that it's not correct, though not off by an order of magnitude. I also won't comment on sources of that money, except to say that some of the assertions that I've seen in the comments are pretty far off, both in terms of numbers and sources.
The original blog credited Firefox's built-in Google search box as the source of all of the revenue. When a user activates Google from the search box, a code is generated allowing Google to track the user's later clicks on their site. Clicking on a paid advertisement from the Google's results page not only brings revenue to the web site, but also the source of the search box which brought the user there.
Unsurprisingly, it appears that Mozilla has other income sources as well, although Blizzard remains mum on what those are. We do know that CDs of the software are offered for sale, although with downloads and high-speed connections it seems unlikely that there is much money to be made from such activity. Likewise, sales of the inevitable FireFox and Thunderbird swag are unlikely to produce much more than a token portion of the US$72 million, if we are to accept figure as an "in the ballpark" guess.
Curiously, Blizzard's response to the issue of Mozilla revenue seems somewhat apologetic, almost to the point of defensive. Perhaps there has been some heat generated by open-source purists who believe that no money should be made by the project beyond covering basic overhead, or maybe accusations have arisen predicting the eventual recommercialization of the Mozilla codebase. Blizzard goes to great lengths to explain the difference and symbiosis between Mozilla Corporation, which is a for-profit subsidiary, and Mozilla Foundation, which is the not-for-profit parent.
I see people talking a lot about the huge profits here, but we don't think about the excess as profits. Some of that money does roll up to the Foundation proper, but we work with them to determine when and where that happens. There's no chance of an IPO and it's not being put into anyone's bank account.
He doesn't need to convince us: revenue for Mozilla is a good thing. While a fine open-source project can be produced by engineers working in their spare time, the fact remains that?all other things being equal?a dedicated staff can work far more efficiently and produce results in a much shorter period of time. Since even engineers have to eat on alternate Fridays, panhandling will only carry you so far.
If Mozilla really is capable of generating gross revenues anywhere near US$72 million, it shows that the model is working. Mozilla and its variants have a long way to go to match Internet Explorer's market share, but many users already consider it the equal or better of the Internet's most common browser. With the release of IE7 coming later this year, Mozilla will need that revenue to keep the heat turned up on Microsoft.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060308-6344.html
* 08 March 2006
* Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition
Could glowing, Wi-Fi wine glasses let people in long-distance relationships feel more in touch with their other half? Don't scoff: researchers in Boston at MIT's Media Lab - that citadel of outside-the-box thinking - believe so. When you and your partner both raise the high-tech glasses they will glow warmly, no matter how far apart you are. The idea is to give the feeling of a shared drinking experience.
Jackie Lee and Hyemin Chung, experts in human-computer interaction, say that communal drinking is an important social interaction that helps bind friendships and relationships, but this is of course denied to people separated by geography. To give such lovebirds a chance to recreate some of the intimacy of sharing a drink, Lee and Chung have incorporated a variety of coloured LEDs, liquid sensors and wireless (GPRS or Wi-Fi) links into a pair of glass tumblers.
When either person picks up a glass, red LEDs on their partner's glass glow gently. And when either puts the glass to their lips, sensors make white LEDs on the rim of the other glass glow brightly, so you can tell when your other half takes a sip. Following tests in separate labs, Lee says the wireless glasses really do "help people feel as if they are sharing a drinking experience together".
The technology could also be used to check that hospital patients or elderly people are drinking enough water, Lee says. The glasses, dubbed lover's cups, will be unveiled at the CHI 2006 conference on computer-human interaction in Montreal in April.
From issue 2542 of New Scientist magazine, 08 March 2006, page 25
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Microsoft fixes can cause Windows Media Player trouble
If you've noticed your Windows Media Player acting strange, Microsoft has an explanation.
A trio of updates for the media player software, including a recent security patch, can cause the software to malfunction, the software maker said in a technical support article published on its Web site earlier this week. Microsoft late Wednesday e-mailed notices alerting customers to the support page.
The updates can cause issues when trying to seek, fast rewind or fast forward in Windows Media Player 10, Microsoft said. Playback might freeze, even though the status bar shows it is still playing. Also, the playback position slider could jump back to the start of the media file for no apparent reason, the company said.
These situations can occur after installing one of three updates, Microsoft said. One is the latest security fix for Windows Media Player, a "critical" patch released last month. The flaw could allow an attacker to gain control over a vulnerable PC by tricking a user into opening a malicious file. Examples of code that exploits the flaw was available only days after Microsoft released the patch.
The other two updates that could cause Media Player trouble are: "Update Rollup 2" for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 and a fix intended to enable DirectX Video Acceleration of Windows Media Video content. Both were released last year.
Microsoft did not say how many users have reported media player trouble. A company representative was not immediately available for comment. To fix the player issues, Microsoft suggests changes on the system that's streaming the content.
In addition to the possible trouble with Windows Media Player, Microsoft on Wednesday said a patch it released February last year might cause trouble with a specific Web program known as an ActiveX control. A fix for that problem is available from Microsoft, the company said.
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+fixes+can+cause+Windows+Media+Playe...
Microsoft's Origami officially unfolds today, but it does so amongst a swath of ultra-mobile PC designs. The basics are what we expected: an ultra-mobile or ultra-compact form factor, Windows XP Tablet Edition, wireless (WiFi +Bluetooth), and a touchscreen. Mark your calendar folks, because today is the day that Microsoft is trying to reinvent the PDA. The general specifications are as follows:
* Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005, with Windows Touch Pack
* Intel Celeron M, Pentium M, or possibly VIA C7-M processor
* 128MB of RAM, or more
* 800x480 (minimum) resolution
* 7" (diagonal screen)
* 30GB hard drive, or more (50GB and 60GB to be common)
* US$600-1,000 price tag
* USB inputs
As we suspected, Origami is a "form factor" or a "guideline," and not a specific product. In Microsoft's own words, the Origami design "features small, lightweight, carry-everywhere hardware designs coupled with the full functionality of a Microsoft Windows-based PC and a choice of input options, including enhanced touch-screen capabilities." The latter capabilities come at the hands of the new Windows Touch Pack, which updates the Tablet Edition to include more finger-friendly usage, including a new on-screen split keyboard that is designed for two-hand operation (dubbed DialKeys, pictured right). The Touch Pack also offers an application launcher menu optimized for big fingers and smaller screens, effectively giving the device a different feel from the desktop.
At less than 2 inches deep and about 2 lbs, Origami-based designs are small, but not super small. Their capabilities are big: as Windows PCs, they can do just about anything you can do on a PC, although performance and battery-life considerations should be taken into account. Microsoft and its partners see this device as a consumer electronics product for PC enthusiasts. Rather than try and reinvent the laptop, Origami was designed to be light enough to use casually throughout the home or office, while big enough to outshine smaller products with less capable displays. The end result is a modestly-sized tablet that most consumers will view as a mobile web browsing platform.
Currently three manufacturers are producing devices based off of the Origami design: Asus, Founder and Samsung. Others are expected to join the fray after initial products hit shelves in April, but we expect that caution will be the word of the day as manufacturers attempt to discern whether the concept has legs, or if it will be relegated to the relative obscurity already enjoyed by the likes of other attempts to bring the "PC" to a smaller form factor (e.g., OQO).
Where does Origami improve on previous attempts? The interesting thing about Origami is how similar it is to Media Center Edition. While the two serve entirely different purposes, both are essentially built on top of Windows XP. Not only that, but they both attempt to address user interface limitations in Windows XP the same way: with an application that sits on top of the standard Windows desktop. For Media Center, that meant a UI add-on designed to look good from your couch. For Origami, this means a UI design meant to overcome the problems that the XP UI experiences when it's crammed in a small space. But both products are essentially Windows XP with added ingredients. This strategy fits in nicely with where Windows is headed with Vista, and it shows Microsoft's commitment to getting the underlying technology in place.
Will Origami be a hit? The size is going to be an issue for many users, because it's just not nearly as "ultra-mobile" as its name suggests. Unless you're Shaq, Origami won't fit in your pocket, and you'll never want to travel too far from your charger on account of the relatively short battery life. The screen resolution is also a bit shallow for my tastes, especially when compared to the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, which crammed 800x480 screen into a much smaller form factor. A good laptop will do a better job of playing video, showing pictures, and displaying documents... but it's not as convenient, I suppose. For sitting around the house or hunkering down for a long flight, the UMPC looks like a decent entertainment device, but it's not without competition. When its time to spend that "disposable income" everyone's talking about, what will it be: PSP, iPod, UMPC/Origami? The list is endless.
In closing, let me just say that it's unfortunate that Origami is going to be yet another decent codename tossed into the wind. It should be embraced and utilized. A year from now "Origami" will still sound elegant, while "PXT1200" or other equally unattractive names will adorn shelves. Perhaps this time around the marketers will figure this out, but I have my doubts.
The Children and Media Research Advancement Act is making its way through Congress again. The bill, introduced in an earlier form in 2003, directs the Centers for Disease Control to conduct a wide-ranging study on the effects of electronic media on children. How wide-ranging? The bill "would provide funding to investigate the cognitive, physical and socio-behavioral impact of electronic media on child and adolescent development--everything from physical coordination, diet and sleeping habits to attention span, peer relationships and aggression levels. Television, motion pictures, DVDs, interactive video games, the Internet and cell phones would all be fair game."
It's a good bet that the government will want to do more than simply warn parents about the risks of certain kinds of media use. Given that the bill is backed by Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), and Rick Santorum (R-PA), all foes of violent video games, we can expect to see more attempts at federal regulation of the gaming industry in the future. The new study is no doubt meant to provide ammunition to such efforts.
The current state of research has not been conclusive enough to convince the judges who have struck down local videogame laws. Several judges have pointed out that any restriction on free speech must be based on evidence that such speech causes harm to children and to society, and current research is not conclusive. Research certainly does indicate, however, that indiscriminate media consumption among children has real drawbacks.
Scientists have known for some time that children who watch more TV are fatter than those who watch less, since they get less exercise. Other studies have shown that playing violent video games "increases aggressive behavior and decreases helping behavior," while a recent meta-study found that "33 of the 35 studies concluded that playing video games encouraged aggressive behavior. 7 studies concluded that playing video games enhances arousal. This analysis concluded that playing violent video games is related to increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and physiological arousal as well as to decreased prosocial behavior." Another study found that violent video games can cause short-term aggression.
The subject is a controversial one, nowhere more so than among gamers, who point to studies that show no definitive link between fantasy violence and real world aggression. Even among those who believe that violent games have negative consequences, many are unwilling to see more regulation of the industry and would prefer a voluntary approach based on parental involvement and interaction with their children. The Center on Media and Child Health at Harvard Medical School offers three common-sense ideas for helping parents control their child's gaming?none of which require additional federal regulation.
* Be very particular about the types of games you bring into the home. Just because your child has seen ads for a game and wants it doesn't mean they should have it.
* Do not allow video game systems (or televisions) in your children's rooms. By keeping the game system in a common area, you can monitor its use much more easily and be aware of games that children acquire from friends or elsewhere. Remember that it's much easier to never put a game system in your child's room than it is to remove one that's already there.
* Encourage lots of social and extracurricular activities. The amount of time that children use media is often determined by the amount of down time that they have at their home. If you think your child is spending too much time playing video games, finding other fun activities for them will probably be more effective than simply setting time limits or restricting overall use.
The bottom line is this: if you're concerned about this issue, learn more about the games your kids are playing and steer them in an age-appropriate direction. Encourage social interactions and get them involved in physical activity. Simple decrees (either from government or a parent) are unlikely to be effective on their own.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060309-6349.html
security5 A password that uses images instead of numbers could give some people access to secure information on personal electronic devices or at ATMs within the next year.
The image authentication system uses a pair of digital images instead of a string of numbers to make logging in simple for the legitimate user, but difficult for impersonators. Discovery Channel :: News : Photos as Passwords Foil Hackers
Photos as Passwords Foil Hackers
By Tracy Staedter, Discovery News
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March 7, 2006? A password that uses images instead of numbers could give some people access to secure information on personal electronic devices or at ATMs within the next year.
The image authentication system uses a pair of digital images instead of a string of numbers to make logging in simple for the legitimate user, but difficult for impersonators.
"It is expected that many of the conventional user authentication systems would be able to be replaced with our scheme, since recognition of images is significantly easier for human beings than precise recall of passwords," said team leader Masakatsu Nishigaki, a professor of informatics at Shizuoka University in Japan, where the system is being developed.
According to Nishigaki, people often use four-digit number passwords or easy-to-remember passwords, such as a name or birthday, to access information on cell phones, PDAs, Web sites, and financial accounts at ATMs.
What's more, they often use the same password to gain access to several different location and rarely do they change the secret string of numbers.
That makes an otherwise secure system vulnerable to password cracking programs, which are designed to retrieve lost passwords but are also used by thieves to gain unauthorized access to accounts.
Nishigaki and his team propose a system that uses one clear and easily recognizable image and another that is a highly pixilated, unclear version of the original.
When creating a new password or changing an old one, the system provides the legitimate user with the clear image. But during the authentication phase, the system shows the user the unclear image, along with a number of decoy images.
To the user who holds the clear version, the unclear image is easy to pick out. But to an impersonator, finding the correct image becomes difficult.
Depending on the security level and to avoid an unauthorized person from clicking on the correct image by chance, the system can be designed to display a higher number of decoy images or to present the user with more than one round of image selection.
That security measure could also be a flaw in the unclear image system, said Tetsuji Takada, a researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tokyo whose team is also working on a photo-based authentication system.
"The solution significantly decreases the memorability of pass-images," said Takada. "There is a problem getting a better balance between security and usability in user authentication."
Takada's solution is to allow users to use their own photos, which would increase the chances that they would remember it. That photo is displayed among other decoy images in a group randomly selected by the computer.
For added security, the computer may display a group of photos that does not contain the pass-image. In that case, the user can answer "no pass-image."
An unauthorized person might continue to guess at the correct photo and give himself away.
Both groups are working toward an effective system. Takada's team will present new research findings at a conference this May.
By Stephen Shankland
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: March 9, 2006, 10:57 AM PST
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SAN FRANCISCO--A start-up called UltraCell is showing a 2.2-pound fuel cell prototype at the Intel Developer Forum that can power a laptop computer for 14 hours.
Production models will be available in 2007 and cost less than $500, William Hill, vice president of marketing at the 50-person Livermore, Calif.-based company, said in an interview Wednesday at the chipmaker's twice-annual show here.
Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into water and electrical power, but technology and expense have kept them away from most markets. However, many researchers are working to adapt the technology for cars, mobile phones and numerous other markets.
UltraCell's systems are fueled by methanol, and included technology called a reformer converts it into hydrogen the fuel cell itself can use, Hill said. But customers shouldn't expect to just be able to buy a few liters of methanol and fill up their fuel cells whenever they run low.
Instead, UltraCell will sell fuel cartridges for less than $4, Hill said. The cartridges can be recycled.
Intel is working to address power source issues for laptops and other mobile devices, but is cautious about fuel cells.
The chipmaker and its partners in the Mobile PC Extended Battery Life Working Group don't expect to see fuel cells in notebooks any time soon, said Kamal Shah, Intel's representative with the EBLWG. Numerous challenges, such as distribution and regulatory hurdles, will need to be cleared before fuel cells become a reality for most mainstream notebook users, and Intel isn't expecting that to happen this decade, he said.
