Buzz Out Loud Podcast

Turns out when we blew up the moon a few weeks ago, we found water! Yay! The bottled water companies are presumably planning their trips now. THIS is how we motivate us to get back to the moon! We also hear more from old man Murdoch on blocking Google from indexing his newspapers, and Dell launches a smartphone. Does anybody want it?

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Rupert Murdoch to remove News Corp’s content from Google ‘in months’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/6559694/Rupert-Murdoch-to-remove-News-Corps-content-from-Google-in-months.html

Google Chrome OS to launch within a week
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/13/google-chrome-os-to-launch-within-a-week/

Google confirms purchase of VOIP provider Gizmo5
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-google-confirms-purchase-of-gizmo5/

Dell smartphone to debut in China, Brazil
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/us_tec_dell_smart_phone
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10397177-94.html

Cheap to good home: Used 360, pirated games, slightly banned
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/11/cheap-to-good-home-used-360-pirated-games-slightly-banned.ars

Modders release update to free the 1 million Xboxes banned by Microsoft
http://www.dailytech.com/Fix+for+1+Million+Banned+Xbox+360s+is+Incoming/article16823.htm

YouTube to get high-def 1080p player
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10396826-2.html?

SPDY: Google wants to speed up the Web by ditching HTTP
http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/11/spdy-google-wants-to-speed-up-the-web-by-ditching-http.ars
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10396574-265.html

Comcast TV Everywhere launch details: December, free for existing subs, really goes anywhere
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/12/comcast-tv-everywhere-launch-details-december-free-for-existin/

Synthetic Stone DVD claimed to last 1,000 years
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/11/13/019202/Synthetic-Stone-DVD-Claimed-To-Last-1000-Years

Using photosynthesis to power hydrogen production
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/11/photosynthesis-proves-to-be-a-powerful-source-for-hydrogen.ars

Water. On the moon.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/prelim_water_results.html

VOICE MAIL
Ken in DC has a solution for the town in Ohio that lost it’s WiFi

Richard in Santa Monica has a theory

Anonymous Verizon user’s question about cancellation.

E-MAIL
Hey guys,

I’m sobered up now, and the bet about Project Natal is most definitely
on. Um… the thing is, I only intended to make a bet against any
buzz host, not every host. It’s possible that I wasn’t exactly clear
about that (I can’t imagine why) but I’m not sure I can justify
shelling out for 3 or 4 of them, and if I win, then the hassle of ebay
or craigslisting the extras ones doesn’t exactly smell of victory.

So since Natali was the first one to accept, then this is my digital
handshake. If Project Natal is available at retail on or before
November 30th, 2010, I will buy one for her. If it’s not, then she
will have to buy one for me. I only ask that you all autograph the
box for me (I promise not to sell it!). If Natali decides to back
out, then the offer is still on the table for anyone else.

/casey

**********

Hi Buzz crew, Matt from MN.
So whats the difference between what the MPAA is doing to a town and what Microsoft is doing to XBox Live users. There was no judicial oversight in either case.
Does this mean that Apple could claim an user violated the EULA on a jailbroken iPhone and then take away their right to use Apple's OS on their phone?

Love the show!

**********

Hey buzz crew

Just a thought.. If you can use facebook status updates to get yourself out of jail, maybe the next thing will be using your google latitude history to show you weren’t at the scene of a crime.

Just sayin..

Love the show
-beth

**********

Hey Buzz Crew -
I am an Apple stock holder (albeit a fairly small investor - but an investor nonetheless) and I am starting to give a second thought to the whole Psystar lawsuit with Apple. Since they are going about legally purchasing licenses and using them to install on other machines, does Apple really have a case against them or not? I'm concerned that if Apple does not win this suit, this will open the floodgates HUGE to making all types of Hackintosh-style computers, thus taking a potentially huge portion of the market away from them and would begin the decline of Apple stock. I know that Apple is more than just an operating system but still…Thoughts? Should I be afraid that Apple might not be able to defend against this?

Thanks guys!
Rob

A Google Android mod received a cease and desist for including Google apps in the mod. Seriously? Google may not be a walled garden with a high wall but it's a walled garden nonetheless. And it's pretty sad when your open-source project gets protested for not being open. We also discuss whether the Dell Latitude Z series is for posers. Or us. Or both. Which makes us posers. Own it, people.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Dell Latitude is like Adamo with wireless charger – fancy and expensive
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE58S0L320090929
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/29/dells-latitude-z-600-is-a-16-inch-thin-and-light-makes-overcom/

Garmin-Asus Nuvifone G60 finally ready for AT&T: $300 on October 4?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/28/garmin-asus-nuvifone-g60-finally-ready-for-atandt-300-on-october/

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ATT-and-Garmin-Announce-a-New-prnews-2551171109.html?x=0

Open Android Alliance formed http://www.h-online.com/open/Open-Android-Alliance-formed–/news/114347

http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/09/android-community-aims-to-replace-googles-proprietary-bits.ars

Apple hires Newton dev, restarting tablet rumors
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353455,00.asp

Microsoft Security Essentials available free starting today
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9138633/Microsoft_confirms_free_security_software_ships_Tuesday

Take that, Twitter: Google Hot Trends integrated into Google Search
http://searchengineland.com/google-hot-trends-integrated-into-google-search-26717
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/keep-up-with-latest-trends-using-google.html

Kindle DX gets bad grade at Princeton
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/28/kindle-dx-called-poor-excuse-of-an-academic-tool-in-princeton/

Google Docs for students
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/back-to-school-with-google-docs.html

“Time Telescope” could boost fiber-optic communications
http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/09/28/1849231/Time-Telescope-Could-Boost-Fibre-Optic-Communications

Robot can read your thoughts
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2009/09/25/20090925p2a00m0na015000c.html

VOICEMAIL
Anonymous question about RIAA legal winnings

EMAIL
Hi Buzz Folk –

Episode 1072 included some speculation as to why AM broadcast band
reception is seldom included with portable media devices. I think the
problem comes no so much from the receiver technology as from the
antenna requirements.

FM broadcast uses a wavelength on the order of three meters, so a
relatively short whip antenna can efficiently capture the signal. a
three or four foot long headphone cord typically doubles as the
antenna on these devices.

In contrast, the wavelength used by AM broadcast ranges up to 600
meters, so a very short antenna is quite ineffective. If you dig
around the bottom of your closet, find your old AM/FM transistor radio
and take it apart, you will notice something called a ferrite
loopstick antenna. This device makes use of a high permeability
ferrite core inside a relatively small coil of wire to provide
sufficient antenna capture area for these low frequency signals. As
far as I know, there is no way to provide for AM broadcast reception
that does not require a relatively bulky antenna such as the ferrite
loopstick, and this is probably why you seldom find this feature in
portable media players.

You will find a very brief discussion of this type of antenna at:

http://www.electronics-tutorials.com/antennas/antenna-basics.htm

Great show, looking forward to many more episodes.

William, Metropolis, IL (Hometown of Superman — Really!)

**********

This article talks about a new book “Three Felonies a Day” that makes the premise that the lag between the legal system and technology causes you to commit an average of three felonies per day just by using the Internet.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574438900830760842.html?mod=rss_opinion_main

btw, what is BOL’s e-mail address?

LTS

Maurice in New Orleans

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Apple lead barely shrinks in customer-satisfaction survey
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2009/08/apple_lead_barely_shrinks_in_c.html?hpid=sec-tech

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10311373-92.html

Microsoft to adopt dual-platform strategy to compete with Android and iPhone, say handset makers
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20090819PD210.html

Shocker: Windows 7 to sell in UK for half the US price!
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/0,39029471,49303374,00.htm

New Dell-ARM combo poised to take on Wintel Netbooks?
http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/08/new-dell-arm-combo-poised-to-take-on-wintel-netbooks.ars
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10251841-64.html

New alliance aims to unite malware fight
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10313027-83.html

Study touts Internet Explorer 8 as world's most secure browser
http://www.pcworld.com/article/170316/study_touts_internet_explorer_8_as_worlds_most_secure_browser.html
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/08/microsoft-sponsors-two-nss-reports-ie8-is-the-most-secure.ars

I4i says OpenOffice does not infringe like MS Word
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/18/190227/i4i-Says-OpenOffice-Does-Not-Infringe-Like-MS-Word

Microsoft asks for stay of Word injunction
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10311065-56.html

URL Shortener tr.im To Go Community-Owned, Open Source
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19/120206/URL-Shortener-trim-To-Go-Community-Owned-Open-Source

How the short URL game is rigged
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-10311749-250.html

Vote for Buzz Out Loud at SXSW 2010
http://www.cnet.com/8301-19709_1-10311505-10.html

E-MAIL
The Southeastern Conference has revised and cleared up its fan policy.
http://mashable.com/2009/08/18/sec-social-media-policy/

In this interview, Charles Bloom, the SEC Associate Commissioner of Media Relations clears up what the new policy means. Basically, they dont want anyone live streaming the games from their phones, but almost everything else is ok.

http://buzzmanagerblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/official-interview-sec-hears-fans.html

GEAUX TIGERS!

John in Louisiana

**********

Hey BuzzCrew-

Rare and elusive as it is for BOL to breach my field, I do love it. In Episode 1044 you discussed fake DNA for crime scenes etc. Now you were worried that this could be 1) Easily done 2) not discovered.

Well worry not, it was slightly explained in the NY Times article and a little was scene in the original paper’s abstract. The simplistic explanation is that natural DNA is methylated, a chemical process done by the cell to prevent certain genes from activated when not needed. But any DNA created by scientists isn’t methylated. There are quick and easy tests that can be done to prove whether DNA is methylated or not. As for how “simple” this process is to replicate DNA and fake it, well--in my world, relatively, I could probably do this in a few tries and be a pro by next month. As for your common murderer/thief– not likely to have the equipment or more importantly the MONEY to do so.

This would have to be a grand conspiracy and well thought-out.

Sadly we as tax payers will now have to fork over even more for our justice system/labs to add this extra experiment onto the forensics process.

And let me also say, most genetics folks always knew this was possible- just it has now been peer reviewed & published.

Cheers from Oxford
Tom Merritt the Doppelganger, PhD (Okay I never add this, but figured it works this time)

**********

Hey BOL, it’s Oliver in Portland, Oregon.

In yesterday’s episode 1044 an emailer said he was surprised you hadn’t tested the voicemail-bypass tip. I’m writing to say I’m even more baffled that you never hit up Google for a solution. Here’s a link to a Lifehacker article from a few weeks ago. By pressing one-star-pound you guarantee instant access to the beep, regardless of the carrier. Points to you though for the conclusion that Verizon only sometimes works when pressing “one” – the article confirms this!

Sorry to drag this story into a third show, but I think your listeners would appreciate a more solid conclusion. Love listening to you guy!

Cheers.

Oliver
http://lifehacker.com/5326511/bypass-cellphone-voicemail-instructions-with-one-star-pound
**********

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let you know that in Louisiana Tyson Foods is building a bio-diesel Plant that
turns chicken fat into high quality bio-diesel and jet fuel. So Molly is right when she said “we grow a lot of chickens, maybe we should start shoving them into gas tanks”.

http://domesticfuel.com/2009/05/04/louisiana-chicken-fat-biodiesel-plant-nears-completion/

Also, on the topic of the SECs ban on the use of Twitter and other social media during games. Les Miles, the head coach of LSU, which is an SEC school, said he will
be twittering before, during and after games. I guess the rule passed by the SEC was meant to discourage coaches and players as well as fans.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2009-04-28-twitter-cover_N.htm

Thanks for the time.
LOVE THE SHOW

Paul from Baton Rogue, LA

A caller wonders what happens to the Chevy Volt if you have the gas in there too long. Does the gas go bad? Well, it could get gummy. And nobody wants gummy gas. or gummi gas either. Not tasty. We also take the SEC conference to task for trying to ban Twitter and photos during their football games. Seriously? Also China got a Dell phone. But will they want it?

Listen now: Download today's podcast

For SEC, tech-savvy fans might be biggest threats to media exclusivity
http://www.tampabay.com/news/article1027680.ece

Dell Mini 3i smartphone gets official outing in China
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/17/dell-mini-3i-smartphone-gets-official-outing-in-china/

Verizon completes initial 4G wireless test
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10310232-94.html

TomTom navigation for iPhone 3G and 3GS arrives
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10310838-1.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/170299/TomTom_For_iPhone_Spells_An_End_To_Standalone_GPS.html

Gmail passes AOL mail to become number 3 email provider
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/14/gmail-nudges-past-aol-email-in-the-us-to-take-no-3-spot/

Domain tasting scam ended by ICANN
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/08/15/domain-tasting-scam.html

88% of Electronics Exports Reused, Not Dumped
http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/16/2151223/88-of-Electronics-Exports-Reused-Not-Dumped

Open Source GSM Network At Dutch Hacker Convention
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/09/08/17/0014235/Open-Source-GSM-Network-At-Dutch-Hacker-Convention?from=rss

VOICEMAIL
Photo Detroit on an unforeseen problem with Chevy Volt

Anonymous about leaking false info

EMAIL
Hey guys –

Just in case it’s been a slow news weekend, this press release from Purdue discusses the development of the world’s smallest laser called a “spaser”. This spaser, unlike current lasers, is small enough to be embedded in an electronic chip. In terms of future gadgetry spawning from this development, scientists hinted at consumer electronics using light, instead of electrons, to pass on information as well as “hyperlenses” capable of seeing DNA. On the other side of the spectrum, I imagine we could expect more powerful sensors in digital cameras to take better pictures of Aunt Myrtle too.

Mike in Dayton

***********

Hey Guys,

I know it’s been a while since you last talked about this, but today gizmodo posted a British anti-texting while driving ad to be shown around the country, especially in schools. Though gruesome and horrifying, I think it’s the only effective way to show the prevalence of this phenomena and the ease with which people can lose their lives and threaten the lives of others. What do you think about it ?

Here is the link to the full story :

http://gizmodo.com/5338475/texting-while-driving-psa-delivers-bloody-bone+crunching-message

Love the show and keep up the great work.

Paul

***********

Hi Buzz Crew,

On yesterday's show (BOL 1041) you were talking about the total flex fuel and I can guarantee that this is an excellent option. Here in Brazil the sugarcane biofuel cars exits since the 80's and my father had one whem I was a kid. Now I have a 2007 Volkswagen Gol that is total flex (using gasoline and biofuel) and I only used gas two times since it's buying. The car works great, the biofuel price is lower than gas and great car companies like Ford, Renault, GM and Honda sell total flex cars here. I don't understand why it is so difficult for this technology to get in the US.

Just sharing the way things are going here. Love the show

Dmitry Rocha
Salvador - Bahia – Brazil

p.s: The Zune HD looks great. I want one even if it is brown

We learn that not only is a botnet using Twitter to store some of its data but that botnet follow Veronica. Who is a bot herself. We also ponder why leaked pictures of the Dell smartphone are so blurry. And bad news folks. Looks like no tablet for the Apple announcement, but it sounds like it will be in September.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Dell’s first phone spied on web
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/08/14/dell_smartphone_pictures/

Apple planning September event?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10309110-37.html

Sources confirm no Apple tablet at Sept. event, coming in 2010
http://www.loopinsight.com/2009/08/13/sources-confirm-no-apple-tablet-at-sept-event-coming-in-2010/

http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090813/here-it-comes-but-what-is-it-exactly-apple-plans-keynote-event-for-september/

Apple and AT&T targeted by iPhone MMS lawsuit
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10309783-233.html

New games at used prices: Best Buy’s Utah plan starts a feud
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/08/best-buys-new-games-at-used-prices-promotion-starts-feud.ars
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/08/nintendo-hardware-slips-software-dominates-in-july-sales.ars

Google Books partners with Creative Commons
http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2009/08/bringing-power-of-creative-commons-to.html

Open Textbooks Win Over Publishers In CA
http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/13/1450220/Open-Textbooks-Win-Over-Publishers-In-CA?from=rss

Twitter-based Botnet Command Channel
http://asert.arbornetworks.com/2009/08/twitter-based-botnet-command-channel/

AP to create landing pages to aggregate news like Wikipedia
http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/08/how-the-associated-press-will-try-to-rival-wikipedia-in-search-results/

US Tests System To Evade Foreign Web Censorship
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/14/0426247/US-Tests-System-To-Evade-Foreign-Web-Censorship?from=rss

Take Back the Beep: AT&T promises to make some changes, T-Mobile and Verizon slow on the uptake
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/14/take-back-the-beep-atandt-promises-to-make-some-changes-t-mobile/

YouTube to show Sony’s “Ghostbusters” this week for film’s 25th anniversary
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/08/youtube-to-show-ghostbusters-tonight-for-films-25th-anniversary.html

VOICEMAIL

Bill from Ohio about Linux netbooks

EMAIL
Hey BuzzCrew,
This story popped up on Thursday, and I was really surprised you didn’t talk about it, but given the hatred for Entourage, I think it’s a decent story that Mac users are finally getting a native version of Outlook.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/08/next-office-for-mac-coming-in-late-2010-with-outlook-for-mac.ars

Love the show!

Dave,
Melbourne, Australia
aka DaveBinM

**********

Hi Guys,
I just wanted to show you guys my Buzz Out Loud OS X Dashboard Widget. It’s simple, but it’s great for listening to BOL streaming without opening [another] tab or iTunes. It’s called BOL Dash (Buzz Out Loud For OS X Dashboard… obvious). It comes in two versions, BOL Dash and my personal favorite, BOL Dash Mini which is the same as BOL Dash but it takes up less space on your dashboard. You can find them here: http://dashbol.weebly.com/ I know it’s not a great site but I made it fast to host the widgets. They are completely free so I’d love it if you would mention them on your show or better yet, put it on the BOL blog page.
Thanks,
Alex aka alexthekid from the chat, although I’m not in it as often anymore:-(

**********

Hey JaMoTo and company,

You’re probably (and hopefully) getting multiple emails with this link, but I figured I’d do my part to help make sure this makes it onto tomorrow’s show:

http://lifehacker.com/5336382/digsby-joins-the-dark-side-uses-your-pc-to-make-money

Now I know exactly why Trend Micro has been freaking out every time I’ve started Digsby in the past several weeks. I’m glad I gave the beta of Trillian Astra a try — I’ll be staying with it.

Mike

**********

Dear Buzz crew:
This is Siavash from Iran, remember my updates from Iran? Here is a new one and a very hot one.
Yesterday, my cousins phone rang and there was a private number, she picked it up and a man said, you have been updating your Facebook and sending emails about what was going on inside Iran, mentioning her name, her husband and her children, he said if you don't stop sending emails and Facebook updates and pictures about Iran's political and election issues we will arrest you and your husband and your child.

So I searched so much to find out what is going one, and it seems they have been able to access passwords of those using Gmail, hotmail and Yahoo mail, so they could check their mails and ... , but they could not find any Facebook passwords and any other personal host and domain names like the mail address I use.

So, my question is, why? Why Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail are giving out passwords to Iran's government and department of security? They are not supposed to, passwords are very confidential information and they should not betray people who trust these services. There is nothing mentioned in terms of agreement when you want to open an email account on any of these site and they promise you to keep it safe and protected? Ouh REALLY?

PS: I'm a security geek and I'm sure they can not track my emails , so be sure, I'm safe.

Best Regards

Siavash

The Zune HD is coming in colors. But none of them are brown. And do you really care? We also talk about the ePub format. Will it change the landscape of eBook publications? And also, while we're at it, how the heck should we express fuel efficiency in electric cars? So many questions. At least Kernels are now bug-proof.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

China backs off Green Dam
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125013563611828325.html

Now we know what colors the Zune HD will be available in
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/13/zune-hd-color-options-revealed-in-pre-order-email/

Sony adopts common ePub format
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/technology/internet/13reader.html?_r=1

The Chevy Volt mpg claim was nutty, but Nissan can top that
http://blog.caranddriver.com/nissan-leaf-bests-the-volt-with-367-mpg-fuel-economy-estimate-or-does-it/

DoE will have 100 Gbps Ethernet
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39712622,00.htm

NICTA kernel-proof can make software safer and more reliable
http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/312631/Safer+software.htm

Dell: Linux versus Windows Netbook returns a ‘non-issue’
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/12/dell_reality_linux_windows_netbooks/

NASA asteroid-tracking program stalled due to lack of funds
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/08/nasa-asteroid-tracking-program-stalled-due-to-lack-of-funds.ars

Les Paul, inventor of modern electric guitar, dead at 94
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/13/les-paul-guitar-legend-dead-at-94/

Voice mail
Kevin calls back about his check-writing

Tommy in Kingston

Dan has good idea for robot development

E-mail
I ran across this site http://www.listenerdrivenradio.com/ and
thought I'd pass it on to you guys. The concept is that listeners
interact directly with the radio stations automation system to play
the songs people want to hear. It brings crowdsourcing to radio. Being
a radio engineer this was of interest to me. The system covers the big
name social media outlets and adds a website widget that can be posted
on any website, even text messaging when your favorite songs come on
the air. They even boast an iphone app that lets people vote on the
next song to be played and listen to an audio stream on the iphone.
Anyway keep up the good work.

Jonathan Bowen

**********

Hey buzz crew,

I have an opinion on why some companies might not want to show off their prototypes and early demo models. In projects that I have worked on in the past we have used additional debug tools and command line execution in test releases. It seems possible that marketing would get a hold of a product with similar implementations.

If this is the case they wouldn’t want the slower response time to be documented. It is also possible they wouldn’t want reviewers to accidentally tap a debug button, or a button they know darn well that either doesn’t work or will crash the device.

Keep up the great work,

Brad the Minneapolis programmer

**********

Hey buzz crew, now this may not seem relevant to the podcast but I’ve been noticing recently since I’ve started experimenting with garage band how common it is for podcasts to use garage band song samples (if that’s even what you call them). I started listening to a few of them and was like “oh that’s the buzz out loud theme” and then “oh that’s the hotspot theme”. So why is this; is it because these samples are cheaper or better?

Thanks for presumably answering my stupid question
Ben Parker
Alameda

Who has the most perfect balls in the world? Metrologists. No, seriously. They do. You should see the pictures. This is serious science, people, so quit your childish snickering. In actual news for the day, Apple misses its chance to make iTunes the world's music software (again) by blocking Pre syncing with its latest iTunes update, and Apple actually called Microsoft to demand that it take down its Laptop Hunters ads. Wow. Talk about balls.

EPISODE 1020

New Pre owners can get the old version of iTunes if they want
http://www.oldapps.com/itunes.php

A better solution for Pre users might be DoubleTwist
http://www.doubletwist.com/dt/Home/Index.dt

First Microsoft retail stores to open this fall
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10287499-56.html
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=3358

Apple demands Microsoft stop its Laptop Hunters ads
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/07/apple-demanded-microsoft-to-stop-its-laptop-hunters-ads.ars
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10288022-37.html

Apple drops to fifth in U.S. computer sales
http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/07/15/idc.prelim.q2.2009/

Debbie Downer BBC reports "Dip in global computer shipments"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8153651.stm

While perky CNET says "PC market improvement on the horizon"
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10287728-92.html
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2009/07/intels-gain-dells-pain-as-pc-market-coasts-along-bottom.ars

Dell Consumer Products VP hints at a smartphone
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/15/dell-consumer-products-vp-hints-at-a-smartphone/

Google's chiller-less data center
http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2009/07/15/googles-chiller-less-data-center/

Sony's new development strategy for PSP
http://www.develop-online.net/news/32374/Exclusive-Sonys-new-development-strategy-for-PSP

Hybrid drivers are a lousy insurance risk
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090715-713631.html

Navy spends $33 million on hybrid for the high sea
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/07/16/035245/Navy-Spends-33-Million-For-Hybrid-of-the-High-Sea

Houston, we erased the Apollo 11 tapes
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106637066

VOICEMAIL
Paul from Verizon on the Verizon app store

E-MAIL
I thought I would follow up with you guys on this. Not only did Comcast refuse to take a firm "No" for an answer, their Twitter rep decided to access my account without permission anyways and post about it on Twitter... I'm flabbergasted.

Love the Show,
The Rocco

On Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 8:18 PM, Rocco Augusto wrote:
Hey Gang,

So I was complaining about how my Comcast service blows on Twitter today, like I always do, and I received a tweet from someone from their public relations team wanting to know if they could help in fixing my problem. I would describe the conversation but I figured it would be better to just let you read the transcript:

therocco: I love how without fail my Internet dies for 5 minutes everyday at 6:15PM. I hate you #comcast.

ComcastBonnie: @therocco can i help?

therocco: Unless you have a magic switch you can flip to not make my service blow, I highly doubt there is anything you can do @ComcastBonnie

ComcastBonnie: @therocco you'd be surprised

therocco: @ComcastBonnie I would be surprised as my neighbors and I have been filling complaints for over a year and service STILL drops constantly

ComcastBonnie: @therocco DM the phone# we have on file for you so i can check the node you're on. prepare to be amazed

therocco: While I appreciate your good intentions @ComcastBonnie... there is no way I'm DMing my phone or any information to anyone over the Internet.

ComcastBonnie: @therocco google me :) bonnie smalley check nytimes article

therocco: I shouldn't have to Google you, @ComcastBonnie. If the problem is so easy to fix I shouldn't have to turn to a public forum to get help.

therocco: @ComcastBonnie If #comcast cared about fixing the problem it would have been fixed a year ago, not when I complain on Twitter.

therocco: @ComcastBonnie and if Twitter is the key to getting help with a #comcast problem, why the heck do you have a support line?

ComcastBonnie: @therocco if you don't want the help, you can just say no :) i'm here to fix the weird issues, which sounds like your node's problem

therocco: @ComcastBonnie If getting help from #comcast means sending my personal information over Twitter's insecure network, I'll pass. Thanks anyway

-----

Am I the only one that is annoyed by these big name companies trying to offer support for customers problems over Twitter instead of taking care of the problems in-house? Can you imagine how many people are out there daily sending their personal information over Twitter, most likely not over SSL, to Comcast's crackerjack "support staff" because they can't get help over the phones? Is this Comcast's first *INSERT BAD WORD HERE* day on the Internet?! Have they never even read their own support disclaimers on their site and every other site out there that states to never send your personal information to ANYONE over the net?! I mean, really?!

I 100% acknowledge that I am most likely overreacting but you would think that when you spend over $100 a month for their unreliable service that they would at least humor you and pretend to fix problems instead of passing the buck off to a select group of "problem solvers" that spend their days trolling Twitter trying to mitigate annoyed tweets from dissatisfied. I officially declare shenanigans on Comcast.

INSERT MOLLY RANT THEME HERE

Love the Show,
The Rocco

**********

Dear Tom,

After witnessing Molly and Cooley selflessly sit down with fan, after
fan, after fan at B Bar, getting their pictures taken in a veritable
sweatshop of memories, I felt I should probably do something nice for
them. I don't know what I am going to do for Molly, but it seemed the
least I could do for Cooley would be to send his name on a vacation.
I'm sure you'll want to pass this along to him.

Your bon ami,

-Aaron

Brian Cooley... your name will be carried to Mars on a microchip carried by NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover.

**********

Who made perfect balls out of silicone? Metrologist!!!
http://gizmodo.com/5315383/worlds-most-perfect-pair-of-ballsyes

Muahahahaha!

Javier Ardila

**********

Is Woodford Reserve better than Nob Creek?

Lee in Boston

We all get in a big arguments over whether all-in-one devices are more convenient than discrete devices. Cooley thinks discrete devices are un-American. I think the opposite. And Molly has the logical arguments for discrete devices. We also find out a judge has ruled IP addresses can only prove a computer existed and not a person. Good on ya, Judge!

EPISODE 1,015

Google names Chrome OS compatriots, Dell noticeably absent
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/08/google-names-chrome-os-compatriots-dell-noticeably-absent/

OEMs mum on actual partnerships
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2349895,00.asp

Intel thinks Chrome is peachy
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/09/intel-doesnt-view-chrome-os-as-a-threat-to-moblin-just-wants-w/
http://chrome.blogspot.com/2009/07/google-chrome-os-faq.html

Meanwhile LiveAndroid lets you try Android OS on any computer
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10282885-94.html

Judge rules IP addresses not “personally identifiable”
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/07/08/1522247/Judge-Rules-IP-Addresses-Not-Personally-Identifiable

Netflix streaming coming to Sony TVs, not yet the PS3
http://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-streaming-coming-to-sony-tvs-not-yet-the-ps3-2009-7

Kindle’s $9.99 books may shrink publishers’ profits
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aWhjmdVFcC2Q

Amazon opens AmazonWireless, for no-hassle cell phone buying
http://richdemuro.com/amazon-opens-a-real-wireless-website-no-rebat

Standalone GPS receivers going the way of the dodo
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/09/07/09/1339225/Standalone-GPS-Receivers-Going-the-Way-of-the-Dodo

Hyundai hybrid launched with li-Polymer batteries
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5670CF20090708

Designers conjure up wacky ‘car of the future’
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/07/09/atnmbl/

E-MAIL
This is Chip the Mech. Engineer and on episode 1013 you were talking about Sprint offering a netbook with broadband. I am looking at getting one because not everyone can get wireless everywhere they go. I live in a small town in Virginia that has 2 maybe 3 places that offer wireless (coffee shop type places). I have it at my house but the wireless at work is locked down so not everyone can get on it. Also my family has a cabin on the Blueridge Parkway and there is cell service there, Sprint and Verizon are the only ones that can get service though (don’t even turn on your phone if it’s AT&T). No DSL offered there, only dial-up so this would be great for weekend trips to the cabin and moving about around the town I live in.

PS
I have a PRE and LOVE IT. I am listening to your podcast, texting my brother and typing this email.

Love the show, keep up the great work.

Chip

**********

Something that might help the residents of buzztown … I purchased a
kindle on tuesday and of course the price drops the next day. I
didn’t hear about the price drop until I listened to your show in the
evening – but at that point I opened my kindle, loaded it with a bunch
of stuff and started reading.

Of course after hearing about the price drop the day after my purchase
I contact Amazon about getting some kind of a price adjustment. Their
first response from the initial support person was they don’t do that
and if I want I can either return the item and repurchase it or keep
it and take a $20 gift card to make up for the $60 price difference.

I calmly explained to the support person that this was idiotic – for
me to have to do repackage it, get a refund, repurchase and reload the
new kindle – and stupid for amazon to pay for shipping it back, and
basically replace a brand new (but now used) kindle for another one -
when the end result is the same. I had to demand to speak to a
supervisor, but he relented and gave me the refund.

Normally I have found Amazon’s service to be very good – I have only
had to call a handful of times (and this is the first time I have had
to ask for a supervisor) – but you think amazon would have had a
solution for this already in place – I am sure I am not the only one
that purchased a kindle recently who is still in the return window.

Anyway – just thought that there might be people in buzztown who are
in a similar situation.

Love … The … Show

Matt Brown
Louisville, CO (hopefully soon San Francisco, CA)

**********

Dear Buzz Gang,

After the chat room today, I just COULDN’T stop myself from making a campaign ad for Molly to be President of the Internets.

Here is the download –
http://kelvington.com/MollyWoodPresident.avi

Here it is on YouTube –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD9HziisdSM

And Yes that is my voice… Love the show, I’m still working on my Buck Rogers Parody, Rafe “Rubbings” Needleman – In The 19th Century!

Take Care,
Rick Kelvington

**********

Kevin Chen made one too – http://tr.im/ruOC

**********

hi buzz generals!

for a few weeks i had my exams at the end of high school here in
switzerland. The oral exam was about a newspaper article, and guess
what… it was about something you have brought up several times in
the show: the grand dam youth protection software!
i almost didn’t have to read the article at all, i already knew
everything thank’s to you. a just talked and talked and talked… even
gave updates about the story, the teachers were very impressed. now
i’ve recieved my results: i got the highest grade possible.
i really can’t thank you enough for the great show you do, i’ve been
listening to it since a couple of years now and it has really helped
me to improve my english. when i started i often had to rewind, listen
again, but now everything goes just fine.

right now i’m on holiday in sweden, i’m on a train between Stockholm
and Göteborg, traveling at 200km/h, i’ve got free wireless internet
with 3mb/s download 1mb/s upload! nice! all that thank’s to a
combination of satellite and 3G.
another funny thing is that on the train there is a Sony Ericsson
salesman that you can borrow a phone (W995) from, for free, and it’s
packed with movies! really nice!

have a great week

Pierre from Switzerland

Vic the Texas Rancher pilot wrote in, but somehow in the twisted mind of Molly Wood his name became Texas Ranger Panda. And now she can't stop laughing at the cute ranger panda writing in about HD makeup. Which Natali thinks is a conspiracy. We also review the DTV transition and help you get a contract-free iPhone.

EPISODE 997

The day after the U.S. DTV transition
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10264369-94.html

When’s your country switching?
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/us-declares-victory-as-dtv-transition-goes-rather-smoothly.ars

Bug in Apple store helps you get iPhone at subsidized price
http://www.hitb.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=31783

Google Voice number portability
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/14/google-voices-secret-weapon-number-portability/

Antipiracy music deal for Virgin
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8100394.stm

Bing filters porn now
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19518_3-10264128-238.html

Microsoft donates meals for IE 8
http://gizmodo.com/5290118/microsoft-donates-eight-meals-for-each-internet-explorer-8-download

Microsoft wants to rate your outfits
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/06/14/0118200/Microsoft-Seeking-Hot-Or-Not-Patent
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=“20090150203″.PGNR.&OS=DN/20090150203&RS=DN/20090150203

Dell has now made $3 million on Twitter
http://www.crn.com/hardware/217800984;jsessionid=L40ST4KXQDKDOQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN

Open source car--20 year lease, free fuel for life
http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/06/13/0315221/Open-Source-Car-mdash-20-Year-Lease-Free-Fuel-For-Life

Twitter from a Commodore 64
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/06/14/0218212/A-Twitter-Client-For-the-Commodore-64

VOICEMAIL
Randy in Colorado on Microsoft bundling

E-MAIL
hi there,

i’ve been a long time user of the cnet website and i practically live
off cnet tv. anyway so i decided to build myself a cnet toolbar
because i use cnet so much. basically its a series of shortcuts to the
different parts of the cnet website such as the different topics
(apple news, business news etc) and of course cnet tv. it also has a
google search added in. basically i used the google toolbar ever since
it was launched but this now allows me to remove that toolbar and
incorporate my searches and cnet together into a more… personal
toolbar.

anyway i thought why be greedy! haha… so if you guys are interested
you should check it out. its completely spyware free etc (there are
some other major networks that use the same company (espn toolbars etc)

this is the cnet one i made.

http://cnetcommunity.ourtoolbar.com/

it works on internet explorer (windows) and on firefox (windows & mac)

if you like it would you mind posting it to the blog or mentioning it
on cnet tv to promote it. maybe others would like it…

although if what i have made is illegal please let me know and i’ll
delete it asap or just use it for myself.

thanks for your time, hope you like it!

regards

ross canpolat
ireland

**********

Hi Natali,

Just thought you would get a kick out of this… Turns out they really were cooking wooly mammoths!

http://www.discoveryon.info/2009/06/worlds-oldest-barbecue.html

Love. The. Show.

- Enderpanda

**********

Buzzards,
Wait,wait…what? Did Tom say Blueray makeup? Is there a Blueray vs.
HD makeup war going on? Is Blueray makeup technically better but way
more expensive than HD makeup? To win this battle are these makeup
manufacturers going to have to buy out the studios? Maybe they will
have to go straight to the actors with an ad campaign. I heard that
Jason already has a Blueray makeup only clause in his contract.
Could you guys do a comparison episode where you all have Blueray
makeup on one side and HD makeup on the other? You could call it the
“Let that be your last battle” episode. (Star Trek reference. See
wikipedia. )
Love the show.

Vic the Texas Rancher Pilot

**********

Hey Buzz Crew again,

Can you help me here regarding the facebook username. I really wanted to get http://www.facebook.com/kaiser but someone also named Kaiser got it before I did, so I got http://www.facebook.com/kaiserf . after signing up my username I immediately went to http://www.facebook.com/kaiser to see who beat me to getting the username. Realizing that he was from the other side of the world, there’s really nothing I can do about it, besides facebook doesn’t allow username change. I just noticed something strange. After a few minutes, I went back to the guys profile and instead of getting the guys page, i got this

The page you requested was not found.
You may have clicked an expired link or mistyped the address. Some web addresses are case sensitive.
Return home
Go back to the previous page

What happened here? Did Facebook remove him the rights of getting that name? Can I still get it?

Just sharing…

Kaiser

**********

1000th episode is next week, thanks for all your submissions. Don’t miss the big show Thursday June 18th at the normal time and in the normal feeds live at 10:30 AM Pacific http://www.cnet.com/live

1000th episode meetup in San Francisco: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113374732587

Send us buzz at buzz@cnet.com or call us at 1-800-616-CNET (2638)