Buzz Out Loud Podcast

So the French have passed a three strikes law that will disconnect your Internet if accused three times of piracy. At least there's some judicial review. Also, John McCain moves against Net Neutrality and Windows 7 seems to truly be good news for Microsoft.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Microsoft: Strong Windows demand helps earnings
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10381774-56.html
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200910230938dowjonesdjonline000584

Windows 7 student upgrade installer not working for many
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/23/windows-7-student-upgrade-installer-not-working-for-many/

Win 7 users shout: Where’s my bloody ballot screen?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/23/windows_seven_ballot_browser/

Motorola Droid makes appearance on Motorola's Web site
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/10/22/motorola-droid-makes-appearance-on-motorolas-site/
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/motorola-droids-website-published-a-bit-early-with-specs-galor/

Prepare for disconnection! French “3 strikes” law now legal
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/french-3-strikes-law-returns-now-with-judicial-oversight.ars

McCain moves to block FCC Net neutrality
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/174221/mccain_moves_to_block_fcc_net_neutrality.html

Chase Carey: Hulu to charge in 2010
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/ADverse_Atkinson_on_Advertising/23941-Chase_Carey_Hulu_to_Charge_in_2010.php

We have no plans for Blu-ray on Xbox 360
http://majornelson.com/archive/2009/10/22/we-have-no-plans-for-blu-ray-on-xbox-360.aspx

Psystar releases Mac clone software
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10381419-37.html

Nigeria actually arrests, shuts down online scammers
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/nigeria-actually-arrests-shuts-down-online-scammers.ars

Pay what you want for World of Goo
http://hellforge.gameriot.com/blogs/GameRiot-The-Blog/You-cheap-bastards-Pay-what-you-want-for-World-of-Goo-a-success-1

Yellowgold album
http://www.yellowgoldmusic.com

Geocities closes Monday
http://www.webuser.co.uk/news/top-stories/427768/yahoo-geocities-to-close-down
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/3596/

VOICE MAIL
Mike reports on a new scam

Thomas has some advice for fanboys

E-MAIL
Quick note…actually found myself on the Wolfram Alpha site on my Pre. That might be the first and last time anyone uses that combination…that said, it was easy enough to use and pretty helpful (some integrals for an E&M physics class).

Side note: got an email from my 62 year old Mom saying she is interested in the Nook…I don’t think she’s ever heard of the Kindle. Draw your own conclusions.

Time to run, Professor is looking at me.

-Adam in Seattle

**********

Dear Buzz Crew,

Barnes and Noble has now posted their FAQ, which is actually a bulletin board where they respond.

They say that you will be able to connect to any b and g wireless network. If you are in the store, you will get special offers and reading recommendations, and be able to read any ebook in full-text that they have stocked. If they could enable this for libraries, that would be perfect.

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/eBooks-Help-Board/nook-Wi-Fi-access/m-p/401505#U401505
–Sam

**********

My concern is that the government’s definition of “Net Neutrality” and
ours/yours is different. I think they’ve hijacked the term. It is my
belief that they will apply FCC like content and access controls (they
have stated as much) to the internet such as the “fairness doctrine” and
“hate speech” rules, turning it into a Government “information”/
propaganda outlet. The devil is in the details and government is very
adept at saying one thing and doing something else when the laws and
regulation are actually written.
I also object to the telcos/cables/satellites being content providers
unless they are completely separate from the pipes and the pipes are
open at the same price to everyone. At least on principle. But that’s
just a money issue.
I object more to the government managing and controlling access to the
pipes. That's a freedom issue.

Sigh… any ideas for another internet like system? Maybe using quantum
networks over dark matter?

Love the show… s

Roger
Palm Beach County, Florida

OK yeah, we talk about Windows 7 and it's lovefest but it's so over. Time to get into the rumor mill again for the Windows 8 release. Why is Microsoft being so quiet about it?! We also cover the unnatural marriage of Verizon and Google over Net Neutrality. And Craigslist is not a pimp according to the law.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

500 people line up for Windows 7 in London
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8319083.stm

Burger King selling a Windows 7 Whopper in Japan
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/burger-king-selling-a-windows-7-whopper-in-japan/

Businesses love Windows 7, survey says
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/174130/businesses_love_windows_7_survey_says.html

Microsoft adds PC’s and third-party software to its online store
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10381031-56.html

Eight things you need to know about Windows 8
http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-windows-8-643699

Blu-Ray coming for Xbox, sort of?
http://gizmodo.com/5387238/ballmer-talks-natal-says-blu+ray-add+on-for-xbox-coming

FCC moves forward on Net neutrality rule-making in unanimous vote
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2009/10/fcc_moves_forward_on_net_neutr.html
http://www.fcc.gov/

New BFFs Verizon, Google agree on Net neutrality, except for wireless
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2009/10/new_bffs_verizon_google_talk_o.html

Google strikes a Twitter search deal, too
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10380615-36.html

Coming to Google Labs: Social search results
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10380739-36.html
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/21/web-2-0-summit-marrisa-mayer-shows-off-social-search-results-from-your-social-netowrk/

Nokia sues Apple, says iPhone infringes 10 patents
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/nokia-sues-apple-says-iphone-infringes-ten-patents/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8321058.stm

The iPhone is still a good thing for AT&T
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=26417

Judge: Craigslist not liable for prostitution ads
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10380799-261.html

Standard charging connector for cars about to be ratified
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17912_3-10380010-72.html

Voice mail
Heather has an idea for ebook sellers.

CJ on BlackBerry love

E-mail
Just want mention that most of Sony laptops are not going to be supported by Sony to upgrade to Windows 7. They suggest you by a new one and to shop on their web page to get one. I check many models and was told the same thing. You can upgrade, but Sony will not provide support for there drivers.
I bought my SR series laptop in Feb this year, P8400 dual core 3 gig mem w/Vista Home Prem – no Sony support. But, I could update an IBM C100 (old and slow) – IBM wil provide support. – rgolab

**********

I just received a Kindle as a gift last week from my wife and we went
with the $259 U.S. version for the “new low price” of.. well.. $259. I
considered the International version as we often vacation outside of
the U.S., especially during the holidays but opted out of the $20
premium.

Well, while perusing the Amazon site tonight I noticed that there is
already a thread on the Kindle board discussing the fact that the
“U.S.” (only) version of the Kindle is now gone and the $259 version
is the U.S./International version.

Is it just me or isn’t this a bit weird as the price decrease FOR the
U.S. version was only a week or so ago? New hardware just post-Holiday
season? Hmmmm.

Just thought I would share,

Tracy in Newport Beach, CA (SOOOO much better than Atlanta!)

**********

hey buzz crew!!!

I am a walmart employee and work in their connection center. The prepaid service you have talked about is called Straight Talk, and is owned by the same people who brought you TracFone. The service uses Verizon’s network as well as their data network. The 45 dollar a month plan includes unlimited data, voice and text. We have even gotten new phones, one of which has a slide out qwerty keypad! Our store was a market test store and we have had it for a few months and people are going crazy over it. Very good deal if you ask me. Keep up the good work guys… love the show

Chris Decker in newnan, georgia

Ok, but just to be clear, when I say it's time for me to get a pimp, what I MEAN is that it's time to get a PMP -- a portable media player. That is, perhaps, an iPod Touch. Anyway, you'll understand. In other news, the MPAA is trying to clamp down on your analog hole and break your DVR all at the same time and Apple's Snow Leopard is having a rough landing ... apparently because of the picture on the box.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

MPAA still pushing for output control
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/09/movie-studios-again-demand-hdtv-disabling-powers-from-fcc.ars

YouTube talking to studios about streaming majors like Netflix
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10337004-93.html

Vudu coming to Mitsubishi TVs
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10335687-1.html

Toshiba grits its teeth, releases Blu-ray player
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10344487-1.html

Apple ships a known vulnerable version of Flash with Snow Leopard
http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2009/09/02/apple-ships-vulnerable-version-flash-snow-leopard/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10344478-37.html

And reports of “spinning wheel of death” are growing
http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/mac/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=219501236&subSection=Macintosh+Platform

Amazon slams Google’s book scanning
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10335976-265.html

Walkman outselling iPod in Japan
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=ansrP2IonbRA

Samsung netbook to have 11 hour battery life
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10344384-1.html

Sprint announces Android HTC Hero
http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-10338820-251.html

Microsoft calling on thousands to host their own Windows 7 parties
http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2009/09/microsoft_plans_thousands_of_neighborhood_parties_for_windows_7.html

VOICEMAIL
Ben: My Palm Pre has it all

EMAIL
Hello Hot Buzz,

Maybe I’m an optimist, but the failure rate of the XBOX 360 has me hoping that the next generation XBOX console will be the most reliable console ever created. Playing it will be like eating at Jack in the Box after the E. coli outbreak.

I only hope that the ad campaign includes Bill Gates wearing a giant round mask and talking smack against the competition.

With Love,
Aaron in Vancouver/Portland

**********

Buzz crew,
I believe everything you mentioned on Wednesday’s show about what you need to make a phone into a decent in-car GPS is already available, at least for some phones. I have been using TomTom software on a Windows Mobile phone for a couple of years. It does not require live data, you can use the phone AND still navigate (with a bluetooth headset). It sounded like in your discussion you were thinking of only how the Iphone does it. Perhaps a broader look is in order. ( I sound like such a Windows Mobile fanboy, don’t I?)
Bryan
Jonesboro, Arkansas

**********

It appears that Rafe’s statement is true in general, but check out the
wording in the Vehicle Code:
http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc26708.htm

This part says “Don’t put stuff on your windshield”:

“26708. (a) (1) ( )1 A person shall not drive any motor vehicle with
any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied
upon the windshield or side or rear windows.”

This part says “Okay, MAYBE put it on your windshield, but only if it’s
a GPS thing and only in a certain area”:

“(12) A portable Global Positioning System (GPS), which may be mounted
in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest
removed from the driver or in a 5-inch square in the lower corner of the
windshield nearest to the driver, if the system is used only for
door-to-door navigation while the motor vehicle is being operated and
outside of an airbag deployment zone.”

So yeah, you can use it on your windshield if you follow those
guidelines.

Nicole (Lee)

So at one time before February 2008, you could get a domain name for life if you signed up for Microsoft's Office Live. Today Microsoft says it's no longer free. Even though they said it was free for life. But they did acknowledge that "It's a change." You think? Also you can now deposit your checks via iPhone. Wow.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Microsoft backtracks on free Office Live domains
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10305510-56.html

GM, eBay to team up for online car sales
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2351367,00.asp

URL shortener Trim gets cut off
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10306202-36.html

Bit.ly Swoops in to Save Tr.im
http://mashable.com/2009/08/10/shorturl-savior/

USAA bank will let customers deposit checks via iPhone
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/technology/10check.html

Google Voice to be retooled as Web app for iPhone
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10305716-37.html

AT&T Makes Its Terms of Service Even Worse, To Discourage Lawsuits
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/09/2232233
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/08/10/get-angry-att-changes-contract-to-prevent-class-action-lawsuits/
http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/08/10/att.bans.class.action/

Toshiba signs up for Blu-ray
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10306235-93.html

Blu-ray support coming with iTunes 9?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/08/blu-ray-support-coming-with-itunes-9/

Printable Batteries Should Arrive Next Year
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/08/09/0049214/Printable-Batteries-Should-Arrive-Next-Year

VOICEMAIL
Remy followup

EMAIL
Buzz crew,

Amongst all the haters, I just wanted to let you know that I love the
story choices you guys make. I realize that you have been getting some
haters recently, so I just wanted to chime in with the other side of
the story.
The number, amount, and kinds of stories you choose are thoughtful and
interesting. There’s a great balance between the stories everyone else
covers and stories you don’t really see anywhere else.
My only request is that others who think that the story choices are
excellent chime in as well. I’m sure we’re not the minority, and I
hate to see you all discouraged.

Meggie Gallina
Evanston, IL

**********

Now your time spent talking about whether or not you should be talking about Twitter, Apple and Google is taking up more time than you spent on those companies before. Now I propose a meta-topic where you talk about whether or not you should be talking about whether or not you should be talking about Twitter, Apple and Google. If you recurse enough times you should be able to fill the entire time that was formerly indeterminate.

Coyote Teacher

**********

Here’s the thing, (as far as covering the iPhone too much) I own a Nokia N810, and love it, but you don’t cover the apps for it, but covering a story about an iPhone app is going beyond the coverage needed (for general tech podcasts, if BOL were an iPhone podcast, that’d be different). Then… you mention in the VERY next story about having a GSM eBook reader? I have one (and will have one very soon, even better)! The Nokia N900 has been sent to the FCC for review. It will be GSM/UTMS and running Maemo, which supports FBReader (a fine open source ebook reader ) which I’m using on my Nokia N810 right now to listen to the BOL podcast, along with sending this email. I have it currently tethered to my NON-smart phone from AT&T (Yes you can) and am using an Apple bluetooth keyboard (which The iPhone cannot use) to write this fracking email!
Yes I’m biased but as far as tech goes, the iPhone sucks and the Nokia maemo platform kicks it’s butt! You’ll never see Nokia kick out an app from their “store” (APT-GET sources list), where ALL the apps are free, take that Apple fanboys! HA!
Skyler
Currently: Bakersfield,CA

On the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, we sadly report on the state of the broken toilet in the International Space Station. It means astronauts have to split up which toilets they use in order to load balance. No. Seriously. Plus we touch on the Amazon 1984 ironic mistake of the year.

EPISODE 1022

Amazon remotely deletes all copies of George Orwell books

Amazon says it won't repeat Kindle book recall

Kazaa to return as subscription service

Meanwhile RIAA notices DRM is dead

Toshiba will sell Blu-ray player this year

Digg redirects short URLs to Digg

Could Apple really dictate iPhone terms to Verizon Wireless?

Apple's iPhone "wrecking" the cell industry

Kingston unveils 256GB thumb drive for well-heeled memory fiends

Parajet SkyCar flying vehicle evolves, now ready for pre-orders

New space station toilet "out of order"

Alaskan blob is an algae bloom

French Spin

VOICEMAIL
Eric from Maryland about 1000 year DVDs

Chris from Portland with Prius response.

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz Crew,

Interesting article on today's New York Times talking about why Japanese smartphones haven't gone global:

Despite their great technological advance (the article cites e-mail capabilities in 1999, camera phones in 2000, third-generation networks in 2001, full music downloads in 2002, electronic payments in 2004 and digital TV in 2005), Japanese phones suffer from "Galapagos syndrome", meaning that they "are like the endemic species that Darwin encountered on the Galápagos Islands -- fantastically evolved and divergent from their mainland cousins" (citing a professor from Tokyo's Keio University).

The article also makes an interesting point about how much Japanese manufacturers are focused on developing hardware and gave little or no attention to software, unlike western manufacturers (like Apple, with iTunes and the App Store)...which could be one of the reasons why Japanese manufacturers aren't successful internationally.

Thought you would like to read it.

Love the show.

Henrique from Brazil

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to let you hear from someone who appreciates
ComcastBonnie. When I had my Comcast service installed, the tech
didn't bring cablecards like requested. I twittered my frustration and
within five minutes Bonnie replied asking if she could help. By the
time we finished, she had the tech's supervisor call about the problem
and offered to have someone drive the 20 miles to my house with
cablecards on a Friday evening. She even called a few hours later to
check up on the situation.

So unless you are a total d-bag, she seems to do everything that she
can to help.

LTS,

Tom the Sign Guy

I just received a phone call from Comcast's Executive PR Department this morning regarding my blog and Twitter posts. After a year of calling and begging for a technician I will now have a special "PR Repair Technician" come out first thing tomorrow morning and fix the lines. I now also have my own personal PR Liaison to call if I ever have any trouble again.

Yes milking the situation was totally a douchey thing to do, but sometimes its the only way to get a giant company to actually listen to you. Cindy Wood, my liaison, did not even ask me to take my blog post down. Instead she wanted my input on to how they can make their Twitter support my effective since social media is a brave new world for them and they're learning as they go along. Even though I still hate Comcast, I like to give credit where its due and give them a shoutout for handling the situation in a classy manner.

I'm writing this from my phone since they managed to accidentally cut off my Internet access completely until tomorrow, so please excuse any typos :)

Best,
The Rocco

While Yahoo and Microsoft are flirting again and video game sales are plummeting, it doesn't matter. We are all going to be eaten soon by the blob of organic material floating by Alaska. It ate a bird, people! Get with it! Seattle is next. Oh and we can film our demise with the first 3-D webcam. So that will comfort us during our demise.

EPISODE 1021

Yahoo, Microsoft finally near deal
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10289209-56.html

Video game sales revenue plummets 31 percent
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10289207-235.html

Games Industry Suffers From Recession, Finally
http://technologizer.com/2009/07/16/games-industry-suffers-from-recession-finally/

Blu-ray celebrates 91 percent sales increase for first half of 2009
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/16/blu-ray-celebrates-91-percent-sales-increase-for-first-half-of-2/

Possible Twitter lawsuit would dive into murky blog waters
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135606/Possible_Twitter_lawsuit_would_dive_into_murky_blog_waters

Cosmetic surgery co. gets slapped for fake online reviews
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/cosmetic-surgery-co-gets-slapped-for-fake-online-reviews.ars

World’s First 3D Webcam Tested
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/07/16/2213224/Worlds-First-3D-Webcam-Tested

New Air Force BACN system ends incompatibilities between comm systems
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/07/air-forces-universal-translator-has-everybody-talking/

New DVDs For 1,000-Year Digital Storage
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/07/17/1213203/New-DVDs-For-1000-Year-Digital-Storage

Huge Unidentified Organic Blob Floating Around Alaska
http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/07/16/1421255/Huge-Unidentified-Organic-Blob-Floating-Around-Alaska

Without Rafe and Brian Cooley on the show, we felt it was safe to have French tech podcaster Patrick Beja on the show to talk tech. Don't worry, he speaks in English for this show. We talk about the iPhone phenomena, the poor penetration of broadband in the US, and how HD-DVD is still beating Blu-ray.

EPISODE 1,002

T-Mobile announces second Google phone
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10269459-94.html

Google to cut China porn results
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8112971.stm

Steve Jobs had liver transplant
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10269685-37.html

Apple’s Biggest iPhone launch ever: More than 1 million sold
http://www.businessinsider.com/apples-biggest-iphone-launch-ever-more-than-1-million-sold-2009-6
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10269991-37.html

Apple’s $30 apology for iPhone activation delays?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10269855-37.html

Pwnage Tool for iPhone OS 3.0 now live, ultrasn0w still on standby
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/20/pwnage-tool-for-iphone-os-3-0-now-live-ultrasn0w-still-on-stand/

US 20th in broadband penetration, trails S. Korea, Estonia
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/us-20th-in-broadband-penetration-trails-s-korea-estonia.ars

LG Electronics adopts ARM processors in TVs--to help with Web 2.0 features
http://digital.venturebeat.com/2009/06/22/lg-electronics-adopts-arm-processors-as-digital-tvs-move-toward-web-20-features/

Blu-ray Adoption Soft, More Still Own HD DVD
http://slashdot.org/story/09/06/22/1339213/Blu-ray-Adoption-Soft-More-Still-Own-HD-DVD

Report: FTC to go after blogger freebies
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10269962-38.html

Patrick Beja’s projects
http://frenchspin.com/en/

VOICEMAIL
Randy in Hawaii about Sprint

EMAIL
Heya BuzzCrew- (I have to go back to this default since I no longer know which day folks are on…)

So just reading thru twitter and found a very interesting blog post:

http://is.gd/18Y3w

The first post seemed a VERY bad thing, major unknown DRM on the Kindle. “Luckily” there is a 2nd post--that seems to try and clear up the original DRM problem, but has found that Amazon is just as confused and may not be ready for the forthcoming storm of download problems…

Cheers from Oxford (where we still aren’t allowed to buy even the first Kindle yet)!
Tom Merritt the Doppelganger

**********

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8109267.stm

This is a very interesting news story about the British top 40
singles, which has for many years only been based on record sales but
now they're thinking about including last.fm streams in their stats.
This is very good as it all those sites are really popular here.

What is more interesting is the stats halfway through the story about
single sales, that have gone up in the UK from 30 million in 2003 to
over 115 million in 2008. That is a fivefold increase. How dare the music
labels say they are losing money when this is the case. If anything
it shows that people are more interested than ever in music.

Well done on 1,000 shows.
Love the show

Jon the computer network manangement and design student from Portsmouth

**********

Hey Buzz Crew,

I was driving around town today, doing errands and listening to Buzz Out Loud. When I heard about Bozeman job services requesting applicants to provide username and passwords for social networking sites, I was totally in denial. Molly, Tom and Jason talking about Bozeman, MT? How could this be? Afterall, Bozeman is no Silicon Valley.

As a current resident of Bozeman, I am glad to hear about my town on BOL, but the story does not put Bozeman in the best possible light. Good thing that they rescinded this policy. Please make sure the Buzz town is aware of this and this can somehow clear Bozeman’s name a bit. Bozeman is a great little town (hmm, the smallest city I’ve ever lived in, but the fifth largest city in MT) with great nature resources all around it and hope you all have a chance to come and visit this area. It is beautiful out here!

Any other BOL listeners in Bozeman?

Sandra

**********

When is episode 2000? Approximately Thursday, June 13th, 2013. [It's the second Thursday of June - gonna have to bump it back a bit]

So how’d I get that? First, I wrote a little script that would go through the months and count the number of weekdays for me. This gave me a nice estimate of how many BOLs there’d be. But it didn’t take into consideration the holidays. So I Googled a holiday list and came up with http://www.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2009.asp and added those to the spreadsheet, too. I had the spreadsheet do the math for me to remove them and then run a count for me.

I did the last bit by hand, knowing that the last episode of May 2013 would be #1991, I counted into 2000 by hand.

A few other notable or neat episode numbers:
1194 – Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 – BOL’s 10th Anniversary.
1234 – Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
1250 – Thursday, June 17th, 2010 [A third Thursday!]
1337 – Thursday, October 21st, 2010 [A third Thursday!]
1500 – Thursday, June 16th, ts on 1[A third Thursday!]
1750 – Thursday, June 14th, 2012 [A second Thursday - booo]

All of these dates are obviously approximate – Days off for things like CES travel and such aren’t included, nor are double-episode days.

You can see the spreadsheet at http://bit.ly/bol2000math.

Love the show, and ‘grats on 1k!

Tommy in Kingston

On today's show, we have a lot to apologize for, but don't hold your breath because it ain't happening. (It's all just a desperate plea for more voicemail.) The short version is this: Kindle DX is ludicrously expensive, Blu-Ray is catching on but totally shouldn't be, and Craigslist is officially a pimp.

EPISODE 968

Kindle DX unveiled: 9.7-inch screen (2x area), $489, summer ‘09 delivery, integrated PDF, textbook emphasis, Times, Globe, and Post all “testing” it
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10234355-93.html
http://bit.ly/iyLfo

What to expect in Windows 7 Release Candidate
http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10234111-12.html

Some PC’s won’t be able to run Windows 7 in “XP Mode” — bad news for some legacy apps
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10234073-64.html

Windows 7 is backward compatible — with one of Explorer’s oldest flaws!
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10234336-92.html

“Nothing but filth” - AG’s demand that Craigslist remove sex ads, period
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10234276-93.html

Apple adding 3G to Macbooks?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10233734-37.html

Wolfram Alpha shows data in a way Google can’t
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10233763-2.html

Blu-ray starting to catch on, says NPD
http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_090506.html

Nearly 800 commercial planes will have Wi-Fi by end of ‘09, reports In-Stat
http://www.in-stat.com/press.asp?ID=2519&sku=IN0904520WBB

Researchers build a plug-in Prius that's part of the grid--not just leeching off it
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/05/a-prius-that-gives-back-to-the-grid/

E-MAIL
I think this is an interesting conversation about kindle in college.
First, the resale value of text books is ONLY pennies on the dollar when you trade it into the bookstore. By selling them on amazon, you can drastically increase the resale value.

The real question is, do we need text books at all?
Most of the time, teachers put notes on line that are meant to supplement the text book, but usually they replace the textbook, because no one reads the book anyway. Also, because I am a compsci major, text books are usually out of date anyway. It would be really cool if teachers would create learning materials that replace a big expensive textbook, and send them right to your kindle. If you did this, wikipedia style, with information that you get from all over the internet, we wouldn’t even need textbooks at all..
- Mighty Matt

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OK, the idea of the new KindleDX is somewhat tempting. But $500? Seriously? Does that mean that I’ll have to shell out $1000 (plus whatever 2 subscriptions cost) so that my wife and I can share the Sunday paper? Until the price comes down to $99 - maybe $150, this will be a niche product for most consumers. I might be willing to sacrifice the 3G connectivity and live with WiFi if that would bring down the cost. That might also keep me from spending too much on impulse purchases.

Derik (in Columbus, Ohio)

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Regarding episode 966:

Microsoft has offered downgrades for every version of Windows since
(at least) Windows 98 - it’s right there in the license. With Vista,
computer manufacturers started advertising this option, but they put
it forward as something they were doing, not an option Microsoft had
always offered. The perception that the downgrade option from Vista to
XP is a new thing invented by Microsoft in response to the backlash
against Vista is wholly mistaken.

(insert robotic Love-The-Show voice here)

-Rabbi the Linguist, downloading the 7 RC as I type…

We're not sure that Barney Frank gambles in his pajamas, but he's fighting for your right to do so in the United States. Also, Verizon gets a little slutty, looking for an iPhone...and an Android phone...and pretty much anything else. And Blu-ray is on the rise, but so are digital downloads.

EPISODE 963

Pre release date: June 7?
http://www.precentral.net/pre-release-date-june-7th
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/29/palm-pre-138-to-build-according-to-isuppli/

Report: Verizon thinks Pink--as in Microsoft iPhone rival
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/04/verizon-courting-microsoft-for-iphone-competitor-pink.ars

Motorola’s first Android phone Calgary looks impressive enough that I actually care
http://gizmodo.com/5232562/motorolas-first-android-phone-calgary-looks-impressive-enough-i-actually-care

Sales of Blu-Ray, digital downloads up big in first quarter
http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-blu-ray-sales-digital-movie-sales-up-big-in-first-quarter-2009/

Cablevision power play: 101Mbps Internet, no caps, $99
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/cablevision-power-play-101mbps-internet-no-caps-99.ars

Barney Frank to reintroduce legalization of online gambling
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2346112,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121

Warner Music claims Lessig is a pirate, has his presentation taken off YouTube
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/29/warner-music-claims.html

Is RealDVD dispute really about a DVD jukebox?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10229768-93.html

Zimbra 1.0 desktop client
http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10229060-12.html

Google Search graphs public data
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Google-Search-Graphs-Public-Data-849892/
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/adding-search-power-to-public-data.html

"Swine Flu Hemagglutinin": Amino acid sequence as ambient music
http://stephan-zielinski.com/dwa/2009/04/28/swine-flu-ha-as-ambient-music/

Spanish Flu of 1918: How bad was it?
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/29/spanish-flu-of-1918.html

Webby’s voting closes on Thursday! HELP US WIN!! CNET TV - under Online Film & Video: Technology
http://pv.webbyawards.com

Webware 100 voting also closes on Thursday! Vote!
http://www.webware.com/100

VOICE MAIL
Dwight Key Grip
Time Warner digital TV shenanigans

E-MAIL
I think you guys should back just a tad off of AT&T (did I really say
that) anyway I use both a nokia and an iphone on AT&T. Although I
have not seen the types of missed calls you are describing I have
seen some on my iPhone especially in this one corner of my house where
the bars will literally go down to nothing. On my nokia however I
don’t have such a problem, but in the section of my house where the
iphone goes down to nothing the nokia goes down to 2 bars. Just wanted
to remind you there are two veriables to this reception situation;
carrier and phone.

Mark

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I support a server environment with Windows, Linux, Solaris and AIX systems, and I use Linux and Windows desktop systems every day. My experience tells me that stability is a factor of what applications and features you run, rather that the OS.

Windows will run for years without rebooting if you run a specific set of “uncomplicated” applications. E.g., no legacy apps, no beta apps, etc.

Linux (and other UNIXish systems) will run solidly as well. Especialy if configured to run one specific app with no other overhead. When you add a GUI, 3D acceleration, beta applications, and other fun stuff, you’ll find that those application crash as often on Linux as on Windows.

Linux is configured to be stable more often than Windows, but the increasing popularity of Linux desktops is slowly changing that ratio.

Any modern OS can be solid. Any can be flakey. None are bulletproof.

-Ben,
the OS agnostic sysadmin in Minneapolis

P.S.: Do not answer Security Questions. Pick a Question, and answer it with a secure password, preferably random. Record it in a pasword vault, or in another secure location. It should be nothing more than a backup password.