April 24, 2008 11:10 AM PDT

Buzz Out Loud 710: Operation MAHEM

by Molly Wood
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OK, the Internet, that was pretty cool. But molten jets of metal hurled through space to destructive effect? I mean, is someone keeping an eye on these DARPA guys or what? In other news today, a DirecTV-DISH conspiracy of awesome proportion, Android coming to T-Mobile this year, and Samsung fanboys prove they are the fanboyest of them all.

--Molly
Listen now: Download today's podcast

Episode 710

Hacker testifies News Corp unit hired him
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080424/tc_nm/echostar_newscorp_dc_1

T-Mobile confirms Android phone by year’s end http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200804231045DOWJONES
DJONLINE000770_FORTUNE5.htm

FBI wants widespread monitoring of ‘illegal’ Internet activity http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9926899-7.html
http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9927552-38.html?tag=ne.fd.mnbc

Ballmer: You want XP, we’ll keep XP
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9927721-7.html?tag=newsmap

Microsoft starts pushing out Vista SP1
http://www.news.com/8301-13860_3-9927155-56.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Nintendo to produce 30 percent more Wiis
http://gizmodo.com/383504/nintendo-to-produce-30-more-wiis
http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/04/nintendo-averag.html

Growing a Wii bit bored
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/entertainment/story.html?id=e35a2e4a-39e2-4daf
-99a9-f0ac7e2d9667

Samsung resignations spark rioting, photo burning
http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/23/samsung-resignations-spark-rioting-photo-burning/

Science fiction inspires DARPA weapon
http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2008/04/science-fiction-inspires-darpa-weapon.html

Time runs out on Microsoft’s SPOT watches http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9927213-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Drunk Darth Vader’s Jedi assault
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/north_west/7360871.stm

VOICE MAIL

Fordo Part 1
I have a question about Web sites.

Max Oakmass
Zune thoughts.

Larry
Just checking in. And I have an announcement!

Greg, London
About those captchas.

E-MAIL

Hey Buzz Crew!

I think I have the solution to the CAPTCHA problem for those with impaired vision.

Instead of a voice speaking out which letters and numbers need to be typed, the voice should read out a short story. At the end of the short story, there will be a question that asks the user about the story, such as the setting of the story or to describe the characters in the story.

Love the show,

--Kevin (the Software Engineering Student from Toronto) [totosquirt on the Forums]


Hey Buzz crew,

Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that HD DVD is not completely dead to the world; it’s going the way of the dodo (or Beta?) is a good thing for companies trying to save some dough.

I work for a company that designs and manufacturers DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and (until recently) HD DVDs for the major studios, but we have continued a small niche of a business creating HD DVD discs for big box retailers, cable television companies, and the like so they can show off high definition content to prospective customers.

Since the players are so cheap (or they had already invested heavily in a large stock prior to the fall) HD DVD has become a specialty item.

Here’s hoping this could spark a Molly rant

[insert Love the Show recording]

--Cody, Los Angeles


Aloha from Hawaii, buzz crew. This is in response to BOL708 where Molly said she thought sending signals into space might not be such a good idea, because we may just as likely attract bad aliens as good ones.

As luck would have it, I just heard a report by NPR science reporter Robert Krulwich that asserted that humans are much less likely to be “heard” out there in space than we think. First of all, space is still echoing with the sound of the Big Bang, which is noisy enough to drown out stray radio signals before it gets out of our solar system.
Secondly, thanks to advancing technology, from digital signals to focused satellite relays to cable and fiber, Earth is actually making less noise today than it was in the 1970s.

So rest a little easier, Molly. We may very well be living on a speck on a clover in the jungle with no giant elephant to hear us.

--Ryan


Hello Buzztown,

On episode 709 You talked about Microsoft shutting down their old DRM servers.

The recent exemptions added to the DMCA should allow you to remove the DRM from your old music.
See item two here:

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2006/11/new-dmca-exemptions-granted

Please keep my favorite podcast going.

--Henry C.
Troy Mich.


Regarding Michael from HK’s Fibre

Our slow Internet is no laughing matter, Michael. I am a student at UC Irvine and I live in an apartment where the Internet is slower than Microsoft’s realization that there’s something wrong with Vista.
Imagine trying to do any type of research at a reasonable rate. I takes me hours, I kid you not, HOURS to download this podcast sometimes. That’s why I stay on campus just an extra 10 minutes to download it there. Your 100MB fiber hurts my feelings too. I feel as if I’ve been slapped across the face with a fist full of fiber optic cable. Anyway, love the show and bring on the Verizon Fios.

--Lewis from UCI.

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.
Recent posts from Buzz Out Loud Podcast
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Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1123: Honey, what's this charge for penetration testing?
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by jag0 April 24, 2008 12:16 PM PDT
Umm...News Corp sold off their stake in DirecTV:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/23178-murdoch-sells-directv-does-he-know-something-liberty-media-doesn-t
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by mrsteveman1 April 24, 2008 3:29 PM PDT
When Molly read the quote from Epic games ".... I have not yet found a reason to play with my Wii since then."

I really lol'd
Reply to this comment
by Scottman April 24, 2008 10:03 PM PDT
When I first got the Wii, I didn't use it much. Then, I started collecting Gamecube games, since they were cheap, and there weren't that many Wii games that were catching my eye. Now, I have about 8 Wii games, about 40 Gamecube games, and I play quite a few games. I don't normally have much time in my life for gaming (or TV for that matter). Podcasts fit in nicely since I can listen to them while driving.

The point is, my usage pattern for the Wii has been and upward trend since I got it. Previously I was not a hard-core gamer by any stretch of the imagination.
Reply to this comment
by owen983 April 25, 2008 4:31 AM PDT
Love you guys when you're talking about technology (although you do go a little overboard about DMA); you should remember though that this is a technology podcast, not a political podcast, and keep the political comments out.
Seems to me that Robert Mueller going to Congress to ask for greater leeway in tracking / listening to stuff on the internet is a sign that the Constitution is alive and well, Molly; you may also want to remind yourself that we are faced with an enemy who is (a) sworn to our destruction and (b) extremely adept at the use of multiple technologies on the internet.
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by JazGalaxy April 25, 2008 11:35 AM PDT
Well, I would remind you, Owen, that being willing to die for America doesn't mean going down with guns blazing and shooing at whomever you think is a threat.

If you ACTUALLY believe in America, then you believe in Freedom. Selling any bit of it for some percieved bit of security is treasonous.

Martyrs are people who die for a cause they believe in. If you really believed in America you would be resolute to never sacrifice anyones freedoms, even onto death.
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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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