Buzz Out Loud Podcast

Episode 827

WiMAX launch
http://cnettv.cnet.com/9742-1_53-50004011.html

Apple notebook launch!
https://twitter.com/natalidelconte/statuses/952901666

It’s official: Apple to talk laptops on October 14
http://www.cnet.com/8301-18603_1-10062305-73.html

$800 Apple notebooks?
http://www.inquisitr.com/4834/exclusive-apple-to-launch-800-laptop/

Touchpanel EEE PCs to debut at CES 2009
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20081008PD229.html

Asus ships Eee Box PCs with malware--Tanks Steve!
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2016&tag=nl.e589

Microsoft preps external Blu-ray disc optical drive for Xbox 360.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/multimedia/display/20081008073445_Microsoft_Preps_External_Blu_Ray_Disc_Optical_Drive_for_Xbox_360.html

Unbreakable’ encryption unveiled
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7661311.stm

SlingCatcher finally sees light of day–and may get a boost from Sling.com
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10060898-1.html

EMI to launch its own music portal
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b76fa624-94d1-11dd-953e-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

Google’s Super Satellite Captures First Image
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/geoeye-1-super.html

Clickjacking threat!
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10061358-83.html

Google engineer wants the world to name his baby
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10061920-71.html

Study: Reading online privacy policies could cost $365 billion a year
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081008-study-reading-online-privacy-policies-could-cost-365-billion-a-year.html

Voice Mail
Adam: Why all the Zune hate?

E-mail

Hey JaMoTo & (fill in guest host here),

I’m a little behind on the episodes thanks to silly law school homework, but in your discussions on entertainment offerings that have been victims of copyright licensing, I think there’s one glaring omission- The Wonder Years. For years, I’ve been reading that the reason that the show is not available on DVD is because the show’s producers never anticipated needing licenses for the music used on the show when the show was created in the late 80s. And since the music was such an essential element of the show, DVD of the show’s seasons have never been released because licenses would be too costly and the show wouldn’t be the same without the music.

Love the show,

-Will

**********

I pity da foo!!!! The voice mailer from BOL 826 is infringing on our business model for an airliner. As the spokesman of BA Airlines I can tell you our founder is more than a little upset. It was us that developed the drugging and flying the passengers to their destinations. We were first and I’m not going to let some ninja wannabe steal our idea. If he does not cease and desist in his operation, our founder BA Baracus will certainly want a word with the foo. Of course we’ll have to drug him and have Murdoch break out of the mental hospital to fly him. Just thought the Ninja should know who he was messing with.

Considered Ninja Airlines Warned,

The Dingo

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Hey Guys,

Just heard my e-mail on today's BOL, and was mortified to realise that I had in fact used the word 'bust' when in fact I meant to say busy. Its not some cool Irish jargon, just a regular old typo. Thats what I get for sending e-mail on my crippling iPhone keyboard.

Dave the publicly shamed software developer
Ireland

**********

Hi I am a patent examiner. It didn't take the office nine years to get to the application, it took nine years to issue. Which means the examiner probably thought it was not patentable as presented and was trying to protect the market from another overly restrictive patent, which kills competition. In the nine years, the claims were probably rewritten multiple times and the examiner's decision was probably appealed. If you want it to be streamlined, complain to the applicants who file overly broad applications who want to stifle competition. Regardless all the blame doesn't fall on the patent office. Love the show (even with all uspto hate).

-Tim from VA

**********

Greetings! In show you were quizzing over Cox phone technology and its
connection to the internet. Short story: Even though Cox phone service
does use VoIP technology, the actual phone packets are encrypted
between the residence and the headend, where it either interfaces with
incumbent phone service for non-Cox users, or goes on to other
locations through Cox’s backbone. Even on the last mile, the data
doesn’t really travel through the Internet, but actually alongside it.
Therefore, unlike other VoiP services like Vonage, Cox customers are
not subject to the various issues surrounding Internet carriage.

Mark — Florida

According to Google, there's no such thing as complete privacy. And while we tend to agree, we don't necessarily think that should mean Google can drive up into the driveway, take pictures of the inside of our houses, and put them on the Internet. Maybe we're just not all on the same page. Also, new Mac notebooks and iPods are likely coming soon, along with, but not related to, a new Internet.

EPISODE 778

Apple Warns of iPod, Mac drought
http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Apple_Warns_of_iPod_Mac_Drought/551-91696-615.html

GENI To Replace Internet, Gets $12M Funding
http://tech.slashdot.org/tech/08/07/31/1316257.shtml
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730/ap_on_hi_te/tec_techbit_rebuilding_the_internet

Yahoo offers up coupons and refunds to DRM server-shutdown victims
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/31/yahoo-offers-up-coupons-and-refunds-to-drm-server-shutdown-vict/

AT&T could cut off P2P users
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/07/31/131257

Google: No such thing as complete privacy
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10003036-93.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7534755.stm

LG Blu-ray box to stream video from Netflix
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10003525-1.html

Scrabulous returns with new name, new look
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10003366-36.html

Can’t get out of bed? Log on and buy a sick note
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25943423/

Life at Cuil: Strawberries, muffins, and porn
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2008/07/31/life-at-cuil-strawberries-muffins-and-porn/

‘Fat Princess’ game stirs up heavy debate
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25939266/

VOICE MAIL

Rick
More on Chinese Internet control.

Eric
Unique copyright issue.

E-MAIL

In episode 777, Molly stated that Silverlight only works with Vista. In fact versions (http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/resources/install.aspx?v=2.0#sysreq) are available for Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and even the Mac, so unless you happen to be working somewhere that's still using NT4 it's simply a question of whether you can install it.

There is also a compatible plug-in available from the Mono Project called Moonlight (http://www.mono-project.com/Moonlight) for Linux, though you currently need to build from source for media playback support and 2.0 support is only at the prealpha stage.

Love the show

James Hudson

Hey guys,

In episode 776, there was a voice mail about driving slower to save gas. There are a couple of points I would like to make. First, yes it does save gas. I don’t think there is any debate about that, but to have fun I created a special calculator. If you drive slower, you save gas but it also takes longer to get to work. Time that you could have spent working. So, you can’t drive 35 mph and get the best fuel efficiency. My calculator - http://www.dotphys.net/page1/page10/efficiency/calculator.html determines the optimal speed that would cost the least amount of money in gas and time lost at work. All the details of the calculation can be found somewhere on that page also. If you are driving a prius and you make $1,000 an hour, it might give you an optimal speed of 90 mph--DON’T really go that fast, it’s illegal.

Second point. I started driving slower than the speed limit, and I really like it. I never feel like I am competing with traffic and I never have to pass anyone. Rarely do I have someone zoom up behind me. Maybe this is completely different in LA (not Louisiana, which is where I am).

The show is great.

Rhett

JaMoTo,

My 4GB (yeah, I know - SUCKER!) iPhone just filled up its entire memory--which, apparently, causes problems such as when people call me the damn thing doesn’t ring anymore.

So, I decided that I would go ahead and upgrade to the 3G phone. I went to the Apple Web site and used their nifty “find a store” utility. Turns out that there isn’t an Apple Web store real close to me--but there is an AT&T store within a couple of miles.

So I called them (the local store--during operating hours) to see if they actually have the new iPhone in stock. The automated operator gave me three options--none of which really matched “Do you have the new iPhone in stock?”--so I tried them all.

EVERY single one of them told me to hang up and call a different number! I mean, seriously, really? Really? You’re AT&FreakingT! You can’t manage your network to the point where I could press 1 or maybe 3 or, better yet, 8 (but, clearly you don’t want to give me 8 options--slackers!) to talk to someone in the GD store that could answer my fairly simple question?

So now I am trying to decide if I should remove my "Dr. Horrible" videos so that my phone will actually ring--not cool.

Still anonymous,
Snit

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/38630/135/
It’ll be a while until FireWire dies, from 400MB now 800MB and 3.2GB is coming soon.

FireWire is a superior technology to USB but it’s only disadvantage is the price.

Best regards
Khaled

BOLers,

Checking my isp’s speed this morning (14.1Mbps down! 1.2Mbps up, Cox) and came across this: http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Wouldnt-Let-Doctor-Use-His-Real-Name-96592

Poor dude…

Love the show,
rt, San Diego, Calif.

Hey Tom Molly Jason,

I just wanted to stick up for my industry a bit and give a friendly “well actually”. In episode 773 or 774 (can’t quite remember) Molly mentioned California’s “Bluetooth headset law.” While I’m not a complainer/nitpicker by nature I felt I had to write in to clarify. The fact is that California has a hands-free law, not a Bluetooth headset law. While the difference may seem trivial, I work for a company that lives on, and is helping to define this distinction. Many people perceive Bluetooth headsets to be the only option for talking hands-free. However, the fact is that there are many options which are easier to use, more comfortable, and by-far more stylish than an uncomfortable little thing clamped onto your ear. Installed Bluetooth car kits and portable Bluetooth speakerphones are just two of the several options for people who want a premium option to Bluetooth headsets. Without asking for free-advertising by saying my company’s name, I would appreciate it if you could mention this difference. It is difficult enough for companies like mine to combat the perception that “Bluetooth means headset” and in the interest of marketplace competition please just realize that laws like California’s do not leave consumers with a single option.

Thanks and love the show.
~Chad from Michigan

P.S. *personal interest only* If you are interested in a review of one of my company’s products check out this CNET Review: http://reviews.cnet.com/car-audio/parrot-3200-ls-color/4505-3425_7-32138918.html

Episode 672

Judge: Wikileaks gets its domain name back
http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9883240-38.html

First spam felony conviction upheld: No free speech to spam
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/ 20080302-first-spam-felony-conviction-upheld-no-free-speech-to-spam.html

Vista prices fall even further
http://www.news.com/8301-13860_3-9883961-56.html

Pirates find proper way to crack Vista’s activation schema
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/03/0622230

More audiobook publishers drop DRM: Will Audible follow suit?
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/03/more-audiobook-publi.html

Nine Inch Nails uploads new album on Torrent sites
http://torrentfreak.com/nin-uploads-new-album-on-torrent-sites-080303/

Fan-funded music
http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13526_1-9882091-27.html

Woz strikes again: Disappointed by iPhone, wary about MacBook Air and Apple TV
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/ woz-strikes-again-disappointed-by-iphone-wary-about-macbook-ai/

MacBook Air aflutter: Demand stays strong, sold out often
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/ 20080302-macbook-air-aflutter-demand-stays-strong-sold-out-often.html

iPhone jailbreak tools updated to open firmware 1.1.4
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/02/29/iphone_114_hacks_released/

Source: Apple may not restrict free iPhone apps
http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/02/29/apple.and.free.iphone.apps/

Advocacy groups bash Comcast’s “technical-sounding nonsense”
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/ 20080303-advocacy-groups-bash-comcasts-technical-sounding-nonsense-fcc.html

Will RealNetworks buy Scrabulous?
http://gigaom.com/2008/03/02/will-realnetworks-buy-scrabulous/

Mark Shuttleworth reveals definitive list of Ubuntu code names
http://menpro.blogspot.com/2008/02/mark-shuttleworth-reveals-definitive.html

Voice mail

Anonymous Darwinist
Robot-Grandma love anecdote.

Brian
Tax the filing process.

Alex Romania
Warranty on unlocked iPhones.

E-mail

Comcastic!

Hey buzz crew,

I opened my current Comcast statement and on the last page after all the stupid fees there was “IMPORTANT ACCOUNT NOTICE” it said “Effective March 2008 - Standard cable service will no longer be sold. Current standard Cable-Only customers may continue their subscription at the new monthly rate (see enclosed) but new customers will no longer be able to purchase, upgrade or downgrade to the standard package.”

Now this is where it is stupid.
Standard cable's new rate is $54.40.
Digital started package is $55.40.

Just a dollar more?

Patrick

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The Tilde

The tilde in URLs came from many of the original Web servers running on Unix. If my account on a server is chris on a Unix server, then my personal home directory is probably something like /users/chris2x but can also be referred to by “~chris2x”. URLs often had ~ because that was shorthand for where this particular user’s home page was stored. Since the users on the Web in those days were nerds, it probably did not occur to people at first that this was obscure. The death of the tilde in the URL was caused by people trying to tell their less nerdy friends how to type the darn thing.

Here is a good reference:
http://diveintomark.org/archives/2002/10/04/history_of_the_tilde

Chris the podcaster

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

The Archivist!!

Hey Buzz Town,

I’ve been listening to TWiT for about a year now, and finally decided to try BOL a couple weeks ago. Now, of course, I am kicking myself for not having come over sooner. However, I am now on a mission: archiving ALL of BOL.

When I noticed that iTunes did not have all of your backcasts (I wonder if I just created a new word…), I started listening to the earliest episodes available, starting with episode 483. Then, even though I knew it was coming, I was distraught at episode 521, when Veronica left. I decided that I needed more Veronica, so I wanted to find even older eps. I heard alpha.cnet.com from the older eps, and was able to find all of the backcasts. I am still working on downloading all of them, since I could not find a single link for all of them.

As I have been downloading, I have imported them all into iTunes and am working on making all of the titles uniform to comply with the format of the recent episodes. I am still deciding on whether or not I want to put the show notes in. The problem that I am running into is that there are some episodes that are just interviews, and I don’t know whether they count as separate for the episode count. For example, by my count, Episode 089 is “What the heck is Google Base?” dated October 26, 2005.

Also dated October 26, 2005, is an interview with Cory Doctorow. Neither of these intros actually list episode numbers yet, so I don’t know if the interview should be Episode 090, or 089i, or what. I would hate to get back to 483 and find that I have been counting wrong all along!

Also, I was fortunate enough to have heard your request to make a list of all of the things that Molly has said she wanted to buy, and once I start listening from episode 1-482, I will do so.

Thank you all for a wonderful podcast. Veronica, even though I see you on Mahalo, and BOL is still great, I miss you.

Thanks,
Joshua the Archivist
Wichita, KS

P.S. I also work for the post office, and was wondering what position Remmy (sp?) is in. My guess is he’s a DCO like me, and thus has 8 hours a day to podcast.

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

HD-DVD disc best-selling HD movie last week.

American Gangster HD DVD Tops VideoScan’s weekly high-def disc sales chart | High-Def Digest
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Disc_Sales/ Universal/American_Gangster_HD_DVD_Tops_VideoScans_Weekly_High-Def_Disc_Sales_Chart/1526

Ha!

-Nav

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Buzz Town motto - Vote!

Jacob here to let you and the rest of Buzz Town that you can now vote for the Buzz Town wiki motto at: http://buzzoutloud.wikia.com/wiki/Buzz_Town_Motto

Thanks for the podcast,

Jacob the student from Australia