911

Car Prizefight: Porsche 911 Carrera S vs. Jaguar XKR-S

When they asked me to compare these two cars, I almost choked on my morning Castrol: the Porsche 911 is just about unassailable as a driver's car, while Jaguar has insulted us for ages with X-Types, S-Types, and a bunch of XJs whose resale value drops faster than the Dow in '08.

But as I went over my notes from driving each recently, I found an interesting story and a couple of cars you might actually cross-shop. Maybe.

Let's get them head-to-head and see if the 911's latest edition can unnerve Britain's best example of an … Read more

Facebook embraces stage names

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Facebook embraces celeb pseudonyms VoIP must report service outages FLA: Foxconn facilities are 'first class' Update to stop address data snatchers Google+ is a man's world Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HD

FCC requires VoIP providers to report service outages

The Federal Communications Commission has decided to require all interconnected VoIP service providers to report network outages in much the way landline and cell phone service providers must follow.

The goal of today's ruling is to build a more reliable 911 emergency call-in system and to make all of the U.S. communication infrastructure readily available in times of crisis.

"We are helping ensure that consumers will have access to reliable phone service, particularly when calling 911, whether they are using a traditional telephone or one that operates by interconnected VoIP service," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said … Read more

For Samsung Vibrant, no 911 means no Android mod

CyanogenMod has decided to drop support for the Samsung Vibrant after discovering that the phone can't dial 911 running the crew's own open-source Android build.

The CyanogenMod team relayed the bad news on its own forum earlier this week:

We are no longer supporting the Vibrant due to the inability to dial 911. We consider the issues related to this unresolvable without source code from Samsung related to the Radio interface layer and its interactions with the Audio layers and have taken the decision to no longer support this. We apologize for the inconvenience and strongly suggest that … Read more

2011 Frankfurt auto show: 2012 Porsche 911

The 2012 Porsche 911 will be bigger, but will that mean less of a good thing?

By lengthening the car, its wheelbase, and opening up its interior, Porsche is making a substantial--and perhaps controversial move--to make this car an everyday driver. Its most recent advertising for the 911 proclaims as much. Brian Cooley examines all the details that make up the next 911 and why it might be a brilliant package.

(CNET's full coverage of the 2011 Frankfurt auto show)

Bulletproof vest gets GPS, man-down alerts

If you already bought a bulletproof Mercedes and a bulletproof watch, then you might want to complete the look with a bulletproof vest.

The S-911 Vest from Laipac Technology is chest armor with brains. Just as phones have evolved to handle a gazillion different functions, this bulletproof vest has sprouted a GPS system.

Law enforcement, military, security personnel, and VIPs are the target market for the high-tech vest. Built-in GPS provides real-time tracking with location, heading, and speed.

The vest's most important function is to stop bullets, of course. Kevlar and optional armor plates handle that task. The basic Kevlar model has enough stopping power to protect against most handguns, including a shot from a .44 Magnum.

The vest works over a GSM/GPRS network and will record waypoints when out of GSM range. Set up a virtual geo-fence and get alerts when the vest moves in or out of a certain area.

You could do all that with a regular GPS tracking system, but the S-911 also has a built-in G sensor that sends alerts when it registers an impact or a man down. All this extra equipment means the vest comes with its own battery charger. You might want to pick up a car charger adapter for your bulletproof Mercedes.… Read more

The 404 901: Where the world ain't all sunshine and rainbows (podcast)

Remember the "Tourist Guy" meme that popped up on the Internet after the attack on September 11? After 10 years, we finally have a name of the guy who started the hoax--35-year-old Hungarian Peter Guzli visited the World Trade Center back in 1997 and Photoshopped himself in front of the oncoming plane, fooling a lot of people into believing his lie.

On today's 404 Podcast, we'll explain all of that and dig into some tech stories that surfaced this weekend, like the NBC Twitter page hack on Friday, video game manufacturers getting huge tax breaks, and a study that claims "Spongebob Squarepants" may be dangerous to your children's mental development.

The 404 Digest for Episode 901

NBC News Twitter hacked! Hungarian apologizes for 9/11 hoax. Rich tax breaks bolster makers of video games. Science says Spongebob is killing your kids' brains. Video Voice Mail: Alessandro and his wife brushing their teeth in bed! Video Voice Mail: Kokesh will do anything to get on the air! Justin's Daily Bathroom Entertainment: Tickling a camel.

Episode 901 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Names on WTC memorial arranged by algorithm

President Obama joined thousands today in marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center site in New York, laying his hands on a bronze memorial engraved with names of victims--a list arranged with the help of an algorithm.

The 2,983 names on 76 bronze panels surround two cascading pools of water where the towers stood, in architect Michael Arad's design "Reflecting Absence." In seemingly random fashion, the panels list those who died on September 11, 2001, as well as in the WTC bombing of February 26, 1993.

But the carefully thought-out memorial reflects the victims' complex web of relationships to one another--professional, social, and accidental. This was accomplished thanks to an algorithm created by data artist Jer Thorp working with New York design firm Local Projects.

Arad rejected arranging the names alphabetically or chronologically. The best way to set the names seemed to be one that wouldn't favor some people over others, so they're arranged according to groups and their relationships with one another. … Read more

A beginner's guide to telecom jargon, part 7

The mobile world moves at a breakneck pace, and it's difficult to keep up--even without the technical jargon most industry insiders throw around. And they do love to toss those terms around.

This week, I explain what the difference between a computer chip and chipset is, the difference between regular and Enhanced 911, and why for companies, breaking up is hard to do.

So for some light reading, here are a few terms (and definitions) commonly used by telecommunications experts who assume everyone understands them.

Breakup Fee: OK, so this isn't exactly a telecom term, but it's … Read more

Reporters' Roundtable: How 9/11 changed technology forever

Ten years ago, our world changed. Terrorists in hijacked jetliners brought down the World Trade Center towers in New York and crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth hijacked plane was forced down in Pennsylvania. A total of 2,819 people were killed. Since then, politicians and technologists have tried to create systems, products, and procedures to make sure we're never attacked this way again. Or if we are, that we can save lives affected by such an attack. There are positive results from this effort in how we react to all kinds disasters, but also downsides relating to privacy and money diverted from other programs.

To discuss the effects that 9/11 had on the development of technology, we're joined for this show by Jason Pontin, the editor and publisher of MIT Technology Review. Jason and I were both working at Red Herring on 9/11/01.

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