July 2, 2009 11:48 AM PDT

Buzz Out Loud 1010: Who loves the show? Metrologists

by Molly Wood
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On today's show, we discover that Microsoft is a fine American company that thinks nothing of shafting its highest-paying users or subjecting the entire Internet to multiple episodes of projectile vomiting. And Apple shouldn't be forced by some pissy little upstart to change its perfectly legitimate EULA. And don't even get Cooley STARTED on sending self-replicating nanobots to Mars. Good times all around. Plus: Metrologists!


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EPISODE 1010

Microsoft to offer Family Pack for Windows 7 Home Premium
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1145

Some Vista users say they’re getting the Ultimate shaft
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10277506-56.html

Psystar out of chapter 11 with new Xeon-based models
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/02/psystar-bounces-back-from-chapter-11-intros-new-high-end-hardwa/

Bing expands its piece of the search market pie in June
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/07/bing-grabs-a-larger-piece-of-the-search-market-pie-in-june.ars

Microsoft chucks vomit ad
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10278063-71.html

Traffic rockets to Twitter site
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_8129000/8129340.stm

Can Twitter trademark “tweet”?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/07/will-trademarkhungry-twitter-beat-tweet-to-genericide.html

Firefox 3.5 downloaded 5 million times in first 24 hours
http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/07/firefox-35-downloaded-5-million-times-in-first-24-hours.ars

And it’s the third-fastest browser in the world.
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/0,39029471,49302846,00.htm

But Chrome is getting extensions
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10277385-2.html

NASA Suggests Nano Robots To Explore Mars
http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/07/02/138237/NASA-Suggests-Nano-Robots-To-Explore-Mars

VOICEMAIL
Jason in Marietta on Natali’s tax idea.

Poor Anthony

EMAIL
Tom
Hi Buzz Crew,

I smiled as I listened to your discussion on measurements in episode
1008.

Being a metrologist [met-rol-o-gist] or measurement scientist (not
meteorologist, that is weather) it always amazes me that most people
take the measurements that support every facet of their lives for
granted.

Without all the metrologists that go about their jobs each day,
measuring and calibrating everything in the background, in mostly
unseen laboratories, you wouldn’t even be able to get out of bed in
the morning.

Who has the time standards used to set your alarm clock, metrologists.
Who calibrates the scales that were used to make and package your
food, metrologists.
Who calibrates the measurement systems used to generate and monitor
your electric power, metrologists.
Who calibrates the temperature systems for your weather reports,
metrologists.
Who calibrates the liquid flow systems used to measure the gas
(petrol), diesel etc. into your car, Cooley?, metrologists do.
Who calibrates the measurement systems used to make medicines,
metrologists.

I could go on but I think you will see what I am getting at.

While it may sound like a boring job and definitely not a high profile
glamourous job like a podcast host, it is one of those things that
goes on in the background helping to make your day go smoother.

I love my job and while metrologists are only a small group of people
in the scheme of things, I find it tremendously satisfying to know
that what my colleagues and I do, ensures that we all live better lives.

Love the show.

Mark (the metrologist)

PS: See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrology if you want to know
more about metrology.

As host of the Buzz Report video series, Molly provides a fresh and funny perspective on the latest consumer electronic products to hit the market, as well as commentary on the stories and development that she thinks are truly buzz-worthy. She is also co-host of Buzz Out Loud, CNET's "podcast of indeterminate length," which entertains listeners with a funny and skeptical take on the day's technology news. Her other podcast, Gadgettes, is proof that girls can be geeks too.
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by dumbspammers July 2, 2009 1:39 PM PDT
I just have to ask: Is Cooley *really* as big a technical ignoramus and anti-scientific Luddite as he seems to be, or is he really a very good actor who joined the show in order to draw in listeners who like loud-mouthed opinionated bigots? He's like the Rush Linbaugh of CNET!
Reply to this comment
by toosday July 2, 2009 3:34 PM PDT
Actually, I love Cooley! I'll yell that from the mountain-top! Like Molly, he's not afraid to step on toes. Cooley + Molly Rant was a brain-explosion.

I'm not going to turn this into an Apple or a Microsoft rant, but I loved the conversation that went on today. *Whew, I need a drink* :)
Reply to this comment
by lotek71 July 3, 2009 10:41 AM PDT
Yeah, have you felt my "unsubscribe" click? During this episode it became so clear to me that I have been painfully ignoring these things too long. Sorry Tom & Jason, I liked you, but this is not worth my time anymore. Not complaining, just saying bye bye.
Reply to this comment
by aristotle_dude July 5, 2009 9:47 PM PDT
I have to take issue with Cooley's suggestion that mac users are largely non-technical and the make assertion that what is colloquially called "tech savvy" are often anything but. People who like to describe themselves as "tech savvy" usually are just dangerous enough to being able to screw up their systems. I've worked in the technology sector for over a decade and I would never call myself "tech savvy" because of that very connotation.

There are clueless non-technical and so called "tech savvy" individuals on both windows and OS X. Cooley seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that a lot of technology professionals such as myself have been attracted to the mac platform since OS 10.2 came out. One only need to look at the large amount of OS X ports and OS X based open source projects on sourceforge and macforge.

Windows is my bread and butter as it is the platform I develop software on at work but I prefer OS X at home as do a growing number of IT professionals.
Reply to this comment
by aristotle_dude July 6, 2009 12:04 AM PDT
Apple killed the clones because they were cannibalizing the market from Apple macs rather than explanding the total market for mac OS. When Jobs killed the clones, Apple was losing money faster than Palm is doing right now. The license fees paid by the clone makers did not even come close to paying for the added support costs for Mac OS let alone bringing Apple any profit.
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by KanineLupus July 6, 2009 3:45 AM PDT
Sorry Molly.... won't be get me anywhere near Chrome. I'm sick of every time I turn around seeing yet another "sponsored link". It may be faster that FF, but I simply don't trust Google. When they stop spamming the net space, then maybe...
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Buzz Out Loud features Tom Merritt, producer Jason Howell, and a rotating roundtable of CNET's top tech experts reviewing the day's tech news. Each episode, five times a week, the crew analyzes, interprets, and argues about what all this technology means and what it's doing to us. Fans can join in the show by calling 1-800-616-2638, e-mailing at buzz@cnet.com, or commenting on the blog.


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