Buzz Out Loud Podcast

So, Apple bought Lala, and Ars Technica thinks it has a source who knows what Apple's going to do with it-- it's going to make a Web site that sells music and stores it in the cloud. Kind of like what Lala already is, but it's going to be all iTunes-ified. And that has Rafe worrying about cloud failure again. We also kvetch about Facebook, a Mozilla employee complains about Google, and the "New Moon" videotaper is set free.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Now, Facebook lets users hide friends from people who are not logged in
http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/12/10/now-facebook-lets-users-hide-friends-from-people-who-are-not-logged-in/
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=197943902130
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10413835-36.html

Mozilla worker touts Bing over Google, citing privacy
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10413473-56.html
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=28387

FTC: Kids can find adult content in virtual worlds
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10413742-235.html

Charges dropped in ‘New Moon’ taping
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/12/twilight-saga-new-moon-videotape.html

Apple to fold Lala into iTunes, transform into Web service
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/12/apple-to-fold-lala-into-itunes-transform-into-web-service.ars

Video game sales drop, but still strong
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10413599-52.html

More drivers using mobile phones since penalty change
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8407142.stm

USPTO asking for ideas to enhance patent quality
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/12/10/2031211/USPTO-Asking-For-Ideas-To-Enhance-Patent-Quality

TechCrunch files suit over JooJoo
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10413762-92.html

Data nerds hack NASA (in a good way)
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/nasa-hackathon/

Best of 2009 clips show
This year’s Best of 2009 episode is going to be entirely listener-submitted. So be a part of this listener created experience: Clip out your favorite moments from any episode published in 2009. Export your clip as an MP3 of at least 128kbp. E-mail the clip to buzz@cnet.com. Subject: Best of 2009 – Episode ####. Deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 18, 2009. Please hurry! And with enough people pitching in 2-3 clips, we should end up with an awesome clips show.

Listener co-host show
Want to talk with us on this year’s listener co-host show? These interviews will be recorded Monday, December 21 from 3-4 p.m. PT. E-mail buzz@cnet.com, subject “Listener Co-host”, and include your name, contact number where you can be reached for the interview (landline preferred), and we will compile the list and select four people for the show.

VOICE MAIL
Dwight the key grip on Tom’s 3 DVDs

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz Crew, this is Jeremy the theater manager. I’m writing in to tell you about my chain’s monthly newsletter. One of the constant topics in the letter is recording–how to spot it, what to do about it, so on. Almost every month it’s followed with a picture of a manager and a bow-tie clad teenager holding a five hundred dollar check. I’m not sure how I could sleep at night sending someone to prison and ruining their life for five bills over some crappy camera screener. I really don’t think the punishment fits the crime. Personally I tell all my employees that if they see someone taping, they should sit next to them and ask for the camera. That way, nobody goes to jail, there’s one less unwatchable screener on the torrent sites, and, hey, free camera. Everybody wins!

Love the show.

P.S. The MPAA site given in the newsletter is fightfilmtheft.org .

************

Hi Buzz crew,

Your discussion of real-time writing on Google Wave got me thinking about a great new revenue possibility for established authors.

Imagine if someone like Stephen King were to announce he’s writing his next novel on Google Wave. How many fans and writers would pay $30 for a 1-year membership to access that wave anytime? They could access the wave and watch King write his novel in real time. It’s not only great for King’s fans, but could also be a graduate-level course in writing for serious students.

David in Missouri

A new service uses the power of 400 virtualized computers in the cloud to test the security of your WPA WiFi password. They only charge $34. But Donald is afraid of how this penetration testing might show up on his credit card bill. But forget WiFi. WiGig is coming promising 7Gbps transfer speeds. Take that Ethernet cable!

Listen now: Download today's podcast

WiGig alliance creates next-generation wireless networking standard
http://venturebeat.com/2009/12/10/wigig-alliance-creates-next-generation-wireless-networking-standard/
http://gigaom.com/2009/12/10/coming-soon-to-your-hd-home-theater-7gbps/

Microsoft finally open sources Windows 7 tool
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/12/microsoft-finally-open-sources-windows-7-tool.ars

Buy a DVD on Amazon; Start Watching the Movie in Minutes
http://newteevee.com/2009/12/09/buy-a-dvd-on-amazon-start-watching-the-movie-in-minutes/

Nokia to close some of its most visible stores
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091210-705904.html

Amazon says no plans to open brick and mortar stores
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/amazon/6750973/Amazon-denies-high-street-rumours.html

Hitwise: Google Near 72% Of All US Searches
http://searchengineland.com/hitwise-google-near-72-of-all-us-searches-31530

Bing ads over 75% more likely to be clicked than Google ads
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/12/bing-ads-over-75-more-likely-to-be-clicked-than-google-ads.ars

Court indicates ripping CDs to MP3 may be fair use
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/12/09/1835205/Court-Says-Fair-Use-May-Hold-In-Some-RIAA-Cases

Biometric Face Recognition At Your Local Mall
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/12/10/0224204/Biometric-Face-Recognition-At-Your-Local-Mall

Harnessing the Cloud for Hacking
http://www.technologyreview.com/web/24127/?a=f

Wireless Brain-to-Computer Connection Synthesizes Speech
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/wireless-brain/

Failure of Russia’s latest nuclear missile prompts UFO frenzy
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6951635.ece

Best of 2009 clips show
This year’s Best of 2009 episode is going to be entirely listener submitted. So be a part of this listener created experience: Clip out your favorite moments from any episode published in 2009. Export your clip as an MP3 of at least 128kbp. Email the clip to buzz@cnet.com. Subject: Best of 2009 – Episode ####. Deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 18, 2009. Please hurry! And with enough people pitching in 2-3 clips, we should end up with an awesome clips show.

Listener co-host show
Want to talk with us on this year’s listener co-host show? These interviews will be recorded Monday, December 21 from 3-4pm PT. Email buzz@cnet.com, subject “Listener Co-host”, and include your name, contact number where you can be reached for the interview (landline preferred), and we will compile the list and select four people for the show.

VOICEMAIL
Matt on trying to buy ebooks

Derrick from Chicago knows someone who worked at the theater that threw the girl in jail.

Tim on Facebook privacy

EMAIL
BOL crew,

Just thought I’d let you know that Barnes & Noble is actually shipping
the Nooks. I pre-ordered mine in the first couple of days they
started taking orders, and mine arrived yesterday. In the finest
tradition of “pictures or it didn’t happen” here are some pictures:

I like it over all. The reviews saying it’s a little sluggish are
pretty accurate when it comes to doing lots of navigation, but once
you settle in to reading, I find the experience very similar to the
Sony PRS-505 I had. One disappointment is that even with the wireless
connections, the Nook won’t sync your place in a book between devices.
I had started reading George R.R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” on my
iPhone. Having read the book for Sword and Laser, I’m sure Tom will
realize what a challenge it was to find the right chapter (Arya, Bran,
Tyrion, Jon, Daenerys, Eddard, etc.) by hand. I’m hoping that Amazon
didn’t get a patent for something as obvious as syncing locations
between reading devices and that this will get fixed in a Nook update
later.

Love the show.

Kyle Johnson
Durham, NC

**********

Hey guys, just wanted to add a comment about your discussion of EAs DLC in episode 1122. One problem with their DLC, at least in Dragon Age, is that once you use the DLC in-game and then save the game you will have to be connected to the internet for verification EACH time you want to play the game. Fine for people with always-on internet but not so great for those of us without or when you loose internet access and want to play. Love the show!
Glenn from NH

**********

In regards to the news of brazil being the world champion in spam I
would like to point a few things:
1- we are one of the largest online populations of the world

2- the vast majority of those computers are running a pirated version
of windows xp or 98, pirated office and programs for pirating music,
(there’s no iTunes or Amazon music store) and very few run antivirus.

3-the most popular way to access the Internet is not to own a
computer, but to access public terminals in LAN houses or government
sponsored Internet centers. All “favelas” have one.

If that doens’t ring a bell, let me put in another way: did you know
brazil is the only country to have an official, nationwide, public
holiday on November 20 called Zombie day (dia do zumbi). True, check
wikipedia.

Alexandre V

The mystical city of Argleton in the U.K. appears on Google Maps but presents a face of green empty fields to people in person. What is it hiding? Druids? Wizards? Copyright protection? We also discuss the hot new XPERIA X 10 and the less hot Droid Exchange data plan. Also we can tell you when to watch Cougar Town on Hulu. We never stop our attempts to serve your every need.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Microsoft chops price of its hosted software
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10388764-56.html

Want a Droid for work e-mail? It’ll cost you extra
http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/want-droid-work-e-mail-itll-cost-you-extra-575

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 announced
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/02/sony-ericsson-xperia-x10-announced-we-go-hands-on/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355137,00.asp
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10389463-94.html

Dutch hacker holds jailbroken iPhones “hostage” for ?5
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/11/dutch-hacker-holds-jailbroken-iphones-hostage-for-5.ars

Best Buy prepares for the post-DVD era
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/best-buy-prepares-for-the-post-dvd-era/
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/03/best-buy-partnering-with-cinemanow-to-stream-first-run-dvds-to-a/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-10389016-260.html

Spring Design files lawsuit against Barnes & Noble: Nook violates Alex intellectual property
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20091102006674&newsLang=en
http://www.tgdaily.com/consumer-electronics-features/44517-start-up-sues-over-nook

Hulu launches Coming Soon, their own TV Guide, sort of
http://blog.hulu.com/2009/11/02/coming-soon-your-resource-for-good-things-to-come/

Feds charge cable modem modder with 'aiding computer intrusion'
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/11/derengel/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/181267/alleged_cable_modem_hacker_indicted_in_us.html

Space hotel on track for 2012 – requires 8 weeks of training
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091102/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_space_hotel;_ylt=AppcrpbEAKVXEHRSsMudbLx0fNdF

Mystery of Argleton, the ‘Google’ town that only exists online
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/6474746/Mystery-of-Argleton-the-Google-town-that-only-exists-online.html

VOICE MAIL
Jerry from the fed thinks e-mail and letters are the same

Anonymous G-Man disagrees

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz Crew,

On Monday’s show, you guys took issue with Apple’s argument regarding Psystar’s unauthorized “copying” of OS X when the machines boot and make copies in the system’s RAM.

Although I’m not a lawyer, I am currently a law school student, and I can tell you that the idea that copying into RAM constitutes making a “copy” in the way Apple claims is well established law. See MAI Systems Corp. v. Peak Computer, Inc., 991 F.2d 511 (9th Cir. 1993).

As consumers, we’re given an exception for making RAM copies because we own authorized copies (or licenses) of our software. Apple’s argument (and it’s probably a valid one) is that Psystar is making unauthorized copies, and is thus not allowed to claim the same safe-harbour that allows regular consumers to make RAM copies.

As someone who hopes to build a hackintosh myself one day, I’m not particularly happy to say it, but it seems relatively clear that Apple has got established legal precedent on its side here. Love the show.

Nathan

***********

Someone must have commented that the “Nook” seems to come from Dr Seuss… In “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue fish” There is a part about “I took a look, I saw a Nook, and on his head there was a hook, and on his hook there was a book, and on the book was how to cook…” So when I heard the name Nook as a book reader, it just seemed too obvious. Of course the nook couldn’t read so the nook couldn’t cook so what good to a nook is a hook cook book?

Maybe I missed this discussion?

Love the show

Irie

***********

I have an alternative to the Twitter Peak. I had a “smart” pager back in 1998 and it had a full qwerty keyboard and could send/receive email or send text pages to other smart pagers.

I did a quick net search and these are still available, only now they support two way SMS as well for about $20/month and 2000+ texts/pages/emails. Pagers run $50-150. Who knew.

Probably better for a kid than a medium that by default broadcasts to the whole world. Plus no camera, unlike most cellphones, so no tween-sexting issues.

Love the show.

James

Today, the last Friday of July is SysAdmin day and we appreciate them even more because they came through during the live show and got us back online. We also talk about David Pogue's new movement to "take back the beep." And we need to watch out for pandas. Listen and you'll find out why. Special guests: The hosts of Hak5.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 1031

Apple to fix iPhone security flaw
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8177755.stm

The truth about the iPhone virus / vulnerability thing
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2009/07/the_truth_about.html

Elinor: Researchers attack my iPhone via SMS
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10299378-245.html

David Pogue wants to take back the beep
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/07/30/1955255/David-Pogue-Wants-to-Take-Back-the-Beep

Bootkit bypasses Truecrypt full-disk encryption
http://www.h-online.com/security/Bootkit-bypasses-hard-disk-encryption–/news/113884

Hackers: We can bypass San Francisco e-parking meters
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10300233-83.html

HP researchers reveal details of browser-based darknet
http://www.h-online.com/security/HP-researchers-reveal-details-of-browser-based-darknet–/news/113873

Shock threat to shut Skype
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/biz-tech/shock-threat-to-shut-skype-20090731-e3qe.html

CU prof’s iPhone app lets users snoop out surroundings
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jul/29/iphone-app-hoozat-cu-boulder-professor-richard-han

Cash for Clunkers cars get lethal injections
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cash-for-clunkers-trade-ins-must-be-crushed-shredded/
http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/31/autos/cash_for_clunkers_update/index.htm

Fewer than 10 ET civilizations in our galaxy?
http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/07/31/1244235/Fewer-Than-10-ET-Civilizations-In-Our-Galaxy

Police: Texting, talking NY trucker hits car, pool
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090731/ap_on_hi_te/us_tow_truck_in_pool

The Microsoft Yahoo hookup finally happened and now all their friends are glad the drama's over. But they're not getting hitched. Microsoft's shelling out some dough for Yahoo to use Bing and Yahoo's going to sell the crap out of it. In other news, we will all die from automatic drones programmed to make their own decisions about who to kill.

EPISODE 1029

Yahoo, Microsoft reach search, ad deal
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10298303-56.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10298334-2.html
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-yahoo-to-keep-almost-all-revenues-for-first-three-years-with-msft-deal/
http://www.choicevalueinnovation.com/thedeal/Default.aspx
http://calacanis.com/2009/07/29/yahoo-committed-seppuku-today/

How to hijack ‘every iPhone in the world’
http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/28/hackers-iphone-apple-technology-security-hackers.html

Samsung’s debut e-book reader arrives
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10296228-1.html

AT&T suffers massive mobile data outage in Northeast, Midwest
http://www.businessinsider.com/att-suffers-massive-mobile-data-outage-in-northeast-2009-7

AT&T social network
http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=26976

U.S. movie studios ask judge to board, scuttle Pirate Bay
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/us-movie-studios-ask-judge-to-board-scuttle-pirate-bay.ars

Pirate Bay co-founder denies MPAA allegations
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10298254-93.html

Pirate Bay sale dead in the water
http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-sale-dead-in-the-water-090728/

VoloMedia awarded the "Patent for Podcasting"
http://newteevee.com/2009/07/29/volomedia-awarded-the-patent-for-podcasting/

Barnes & Noble switches to free Wi-Fi, just the thing for your e-book reader
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/28/barnes-and-noble-switches-to-free-wifi-just-the-thing-for-your-e/

U.S. Air Force says decision-making attack drones will be here by 2047
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/28/us-air-force-says-decision-making-attack-drones-will-be-here-by/

Twilight MMO
http://www.inquisitr.com/31013/this-is-happening-twilight-mmo-announced/
http://www.twilightthevideogame.com/

On today's Buzz Out Loud, Natali and Molly form a new Amazonian society in advance of the development of artificial sperm. But in much more important news, Google is finally building the thin-client, Netbook-friendly operating system that Molly predicted back in 2005. And poor Yahoo is stuck in 2005: it just announced Search Pad. Aw. Poor Yahoo.

EPISODE 1014

Introducing the Google Chrome OS
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10281744-2.html

Which Molly predicted in 2005!
http://www.cnet.com/4520-6033_1-5759958-1.html

Yahoo Search Pad
http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=394383

Michael Jackson memorial pushes Internet traffic to its limits
http://gigaom.com/2009/07/07/michael-jacksons-memorial-online-traffic-pushes-internets-limits/
http://mashable.com/2009/07/07/cnn-live-stream-michael-jackson/
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-jackson-memorial-stats-roughly-6000-facebook-status-updates-per-minute-/

Federal sites hacked
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/07/AR2009070703250.html
http://government.zdnet.com/?p=5093

RIAA/music streaming sites agreement
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/technology/internet/08radio.html
http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/07/08/1339224/Pandora-Stabilizes-No-Longer-Completely-Free

LG Chocolate Phone: what is this aspect ratio??
http://gizmodo.com/5309204/new-lg-chocolates-secret-feature-is-an-800x345-resolution-219-cinema-widescreen-display

West Virginia sues Comcast over cable box tying
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/reviews/2009/07/west-virginia-sues-comcast-over-cable-box-tying.ars

Gaze-tracking software protects computer privacy
http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/07/07/1946217/Gaze-Tracking-Software-Protects-Computer-Privacy

British scientists can make sperm
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2009/07/08/3007405-british-scientists-claim-to-create-human-sperm

VOICE MAIL
President of the Internet

Dwight on Gmail

E-MAIL
Team Buzz

During your discussion of Google Chrome OS today, I am curious as to what impact, if any, GCOS might also have on older PCs. Since GCOS is already targeted at low-powered Netbooks, it stands to reason GCOS might also breathe some extra life into that 5-year-old laptop you were thinking of ditching. By moving a lot of the processing power from your lap to the cloud, could an unintended consequence be a reprieve on hardware's life cycle? Certainly Google wouldn't complain.

Mike in Dayton

************

Hello Buzz crew!
We are one month away from the coolest day/time, according to my friend, Saud:

On August 7, 2009
At 12hr 34 minutes and 56 seconds on the 7th of August this year, the time and date will be
12:34:56 07/08/09

Khaled from Saudi Arabia.

************

iTunes 5-star club
The Geek Master
zippyg
3thom
Norman from Novato
BryanBR
delmauriow
Vance M
ihatebillg
iFOREIGNi
jbpounders
Tommollijas
yoyojam55
legend2k
niatish
pmm217
johnnyg123
yokonative
ct06
shetbomb78
Club Debit
Nostra Thomas
Tiki Guy
vaso247
Sunder_r
poly915
mdr33
tav72
tecknodragon
greghutch
techgolf
cubanmike82
natePickard
Gildorluthien
Dingo42
pmm217
Kenwait
Big JT
BraveJHawk
mike e_p
drsid
HonestReviewer9000
Real_MrHappy
Polarfreeze
colintethys
michelleh45
mhanley
satguy (a little weird with the wal-mart tale there)
currently downloading
merrittgene
sandbox32
ewavemedia
Mareshalu
Jasc79
Mike798001
Gale the Third
macSK
BobMac
Matt1212

CrAzY Tom M.
Jesse Vazquez
KeatonTech
Dfaoj
Dr. Sanseveria
zypher.the.one
MiliaryLovesBOL
Ikcor
watchmesoar
slamshrk31
Jonathan55
njk828
SmittyRedcard
yourmomisanillegalimmigrant

But you can point north if you wear a belt of a dozen or so magnets all the time. We'll explain. Also Palm Pre is coming for $200 and we have some rumored next-generation specs. Oh and about 300 car stories, 'cause you know. Cooley is on the show.

EPISODE 977

Palm Pre to arrive June 6 for $200
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10244423-1.html

Next-gen iPhone specs, launch date revealed?
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/next-gen-iphone-specs-launch-date-revealed/

Biz Stone on Twitter: No ads
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10244449-36.html

Obama wants U.S. to chase controversial CA fuel economy standards
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/05/19/19climatewire-white-house-proposes-new-stricter-national-f-12208.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Economy#Calculation

GPS system ‘close to breakdown’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/19/gps-close-to-breakdown

Tesla gets nod, 10 percent investment from Daimler to do battery packs for the new Smart EV
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10244414-54.html

New version of Microsoft/Ford SYNC started being pushed out yesterday
http://www.twice.com/article/CA6658004.html?q=SYNC

Microsoft's My Phone Service beta open for public
http://www.slashphone.com/microsofts-my-phone-service-beta-open-for-public-195757
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=2818

ALI proposes implied warranty that all software be defect-free
http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/05/microsoft-linux-foundation-hate-on-ali-contract-guidelines.ars

Hacking our five senses and building new ones
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/18/163223

1000th episode coming Thursday June 18th. Want to be on the episode? Post a video of yourself. MUST be less than 30 seconds long. And send a link. Could be well-wishing, could be criticism, could be praise!!! Could be bribes, we don’t care. We’ll choose from all the messages we get and play a selection on the 1000th episode as well as post them in the Wiki.

VOICE MAIL
Anonymous
I pay for a podcast

Sean
Some examples of stuff that was free and is now paid

E-MAIL
Paul K. points out that the cameras stealing chip and pin was real! –
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/4980190.stm

Hey guys,
I was listening to Ep. 974 where you were talking about Google Street View having to reshoot in Japan to eliminate undesirable items in the top of the pictures.

Let me get this straight… Picasa can go through all my pictures and, with surprising accuracy, tell me who is in each of my photos, but Google can’t figure out how to go through and automatically crop out the tops of these images? Why would they spend all the money to take these pictures over again when a simple batch edit of the photos would give the same result? Do they really want an added 16 inches of sidewalk at the bottom of the image that bad?

LTS…

Karl the epithetless
Austin, TX

BuzzKrew-

I agree with your consensus that tab overload is at least 50% user behavior and no new design solution will ever be able to solve that half of the issue. However, there’s a Firefox add-on that, at least for me, has now enabled me to manage an ungodly number of tabs efficiently: Tree Style Tabs. This extension puts your tabs in a sidebar and also, more importantly, nests them based on the source of the link. If, for instance, you use CTL + click to open a bunch of stories from the CNET homepage, all of those new tabs are branched off of your original CNET homepage tab. Of course the downside is the loss of screen real estate from the side bar, but it’s worth it if you’re working with more than, say, eight tabs at once.

No doubt many others are weighing in with their solutions, but Tree Style Tabs has additional geek cred as Steve Gibson was the first person I heard recommend this add-on.

-Reid of the Catskills

Hi Buzz,

Just wanted to let you know how Murdoch’s mouthing off is affecting my part of the publishing industry.

I work for a large business to business publisher and the concept of us re-gating content and making it paid-for only is one being discussed in the board room heavily at the moment.

A lot of redundancies have been made recently in my company and it’s now apparent that all the original print-orientated former journalists have replaced the business-focus minds we had in the decision making positions. As such our innovation and forward momentum have been replaced with a strategy to reinforce what we have instead of finding new online revenue streams.

The phrase that keeps being used is ‘our value lies in our content’. Apparently this means the best idea is to start charging for it.

We used to only allow our content to be viewed by people who subscribed to our print product. A few years back we opened our sites up to everyone for free and started to move the old print hounds towards making our online offering it’s own entity. As such our traffic is 5 times what it was and is still growing.

We’re doing market research at the moment to see where our core loyal audience is and whether there’s enough that will pay for our content to justify going to a subscription or micropayments model.

The importance of innovation in a recession is something often spoken about. I guess they didn’t get the memo.

Old habits die hard. I hope I have a job in 6 months.

An anonymous web developer in London

Cooley needs a cigarette after a personal moment related to the wonder of band printers and the glory of dot-matrix. Who knew? We also have a good long talk about how soon physical papers will disappear and teach Rafe all about the Konami Code.

Episode 970

Murdoch: Web sites to charge for content
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/05/07/murdoch.web.content/

Analyst: AT&T likely to cut $69 iPhone service plan by $10
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10235782-94.html

AT&T, VZW are no longer immune to the recession – smartphone subs softening
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=17670

Virginia Won’t Pay Hacker Ransom Demand
http://www.dailytech.com/Virginia+Wont+Pay+Hacker+Ransom+Demand/article15069.htm

First battery-powered portable hotspot
http://www.twice.com/article/CA6657115.html

MPAA tutorial shows teachers how to snag video with a camcorder rather than ripping.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/05/mpaa-teachers-should-video-record-tv-screens-not-rip-dvds.ars

Konami Code triggers Easter egg on Facebook, too
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13515_3-10236321-26.html

Voice mail
Anonymous New York hacker

Bruce
dot matrix forever

Reed
Wireless douchebaggery

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz Crew,

Regarding episode 968, lots of people are trying to figure out why Amazon thinks they can sell a $589 Kindle. I have a theory. The Kindle DX is just a decoy.

According to Dan Ariely's book Predictably Irrational, people have a hard time determining the value of something unless they have something to compare it with. He cites the following example: Years ago, when bread makers first appeared on the scene, Willaims-Sonoma had a difficult time selling their $275 bread maker. In stead of lowering the price, they introduced a second model which was bigger and more expensive. Once they did, the original model started flying off the shelves. The bigger, more expensive model was just a decoy to drive sales.

Amazon wants to sell more Kindles, but eBook readers are still a novelty and the public doesn't really know yet what they are worth. Instead of lowering prices, Amazon has given us a second device, a decoy, to subliminally persuade us to think the original Kindle is a great buy.

Love the show!

Kyle

***********

Hello buzz crew,

I just have to laugh at how we are just never satisfied.

we have our quad cores desktop computer and after a while we feel tied
down to it. We feel the need for something portable but powerful
enough, to run all our apps, so we get a laptop. A few weeks go by and
we start to complain the desktop replacement laptop is too big and
heavy so we swap it for a lighter and more portable netbook. Then
comes the iPhone, the solution to our problems! but wait… it’s too
small for reading so we get a kindle with it’s fancy e-ink and longer
battery life. Now we complain that the kindle has no color, and its
not big enough to read our newspapers, so get a giant kindle! The Dx,
but wait, it’s too damn pricy! And doesn’t do everything I need so I we
go back to our desktop and begin the cycle again. I think I got the
answer. A portable yet lightweight “iMac” strapped to my back with 3D
glasses. When will we be satisfied? That is the true question. Oh
well, I love my tech. Keep working Microsoft, Amazon and Apple, as we
will continue to dish out our hard earned cash at the next great thing.

It’s a nerds world, love the show.

Ron
Bronx, NY

We get taken to task today for our segues, which, we admit, can be quite forced sometimes. So, we show some examples of the good and the bad. We also have a Cooley rant about the new Segway minicar from a few weeks ago. And I suggest we go clubbing with baby seals, and Cooley and Natali threaten to kill me.

EPISODE 960

Now closing: GeoCities, a relic of Web’s early days
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10226255-2.html
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2345857,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121

Obama getting a new high-security BlackBerry
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9132058

Apple apologizes for Baby Shaker
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/biztech/04/24/cnet.apple.baby.shaker.app/index.html

EU debates your right to get online
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10225875-94.html

Wikipedia lawsuit could put it on the wrong side of fair use
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/wikipedia-suit-could-put-it-on-the-wrong-side-of-fair-use.ars
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/24/1239232

T-Mobile will work with Echelon to monitor home power consumption
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2345849,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121

New Windows 7 hack purports to be “unfixable”
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/23/new-windows-7-hack-purports-to-be-unfixable/

Windows 7 RC (7100) out early on torrent trackers
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/24/windows-7-rc-7100-out-early-on-torrent-trackers/

Chinese hackers attacking NYC computers
http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/23/2025243
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/04/22/2009-04-22_international_hackers_lauching_attack_against_nypd_computers.html

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese Black Hats
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/24/1311216

Facebook users say yes to changes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8016532.stm
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=79146552130

Scientists mix in metal to make superstrength spider silk
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/04/metal-enhanced-spider-silk-tougher-than-the-original.ars

VOICEMAIL
Alex from Michigan
More on John Cage’s 4:33

Bingo the Chimp
I just want to get paid.

E-MAIL
Heya Buzz crew,

Some interesting news came from an otherwise disappointing T-Mobile subscriber report - they have sold one million G1s since launch just six months ago. While not necessarily record-breaking, that is a significant milestone for Android.

http://www.tmonews.com/2009/04/one-million-g1s-sold/

I have been away for a while so I must leave you with …

Miss the show!

Ryan from Castle Rock

**********

Hey Buzz crew,
I’ve been listening for years now and I have finally decided to write
you all an email. For almost a year now I’ve heard on BOL how many of
you have complained about AT&T and the 3G data service and coverage. I live in Tampa FL, and have been blessed with amazing fast and reliable 3G service but I recently went to Chicago on business and was affected by what I thought was a myth. I am not sure if it was the tall buildings or what, but downtown Chicago has the worst 3G service ever! The phone kept switching from 3G to EDGE to no data at all, even if I
was just standing still!!! The worst part about it was this constant searching for a data network absolutely killed my battery life and my iPhone never made it to the end of the day. So for all you BOL listeners like me who thought people were full of BS for complaining about the iPhone/AT&T 3G coverage I am hear to tell you some people are really hurting when it comes to data service. Oh, and to top it all off the silent on/off switch on the side of my iPhone above the volume rocker completely broke off!!! And all I was trying to do was switch it to silent mode before a meeting started.

Love the show guys,

German A. Gonzalez

**********

Hi Buzz Crew,

I hope you all enjoyed your two-minute rant-fest regarding “cracked” netbook keyboards on episode 959. Sorry to spoil your fun, but I was listening to the earnings call and Tim Cook did not say “cracked keyboards”, he said “cramped keyboards”, and that is what is written in the article linked off the show notes. Perhaps you’d like to go back and have re-rant on today’s show based on this new information.

Love, the show,
Doug

**********

Hey buzz crew, quick comment on how friendly penguins are. I grew up on Puerto Natales, Chile, where we have penguins just running around in the streets. Not really. The live in pingüineras, but I remember thinking they where adorable and trying to pet them as a kid and one almost took mi finger off. I sure it does not apply to all race of penguins, but I can see mean penguins armed with lasers taking over the world.