If a robot has a firm handshake, does that mean its creator is a stand-up guy, or just that he programmed his robot to have a firm handshake? That and other serious technology topics are examined today, and we also give our official Buzz Out Loud reviews of the new Microsoft commercial with Jerry Seinfeld. Brian Cooley joins us for Friday goodness.
Listen now:
Download today's podcast
 |
EPISODE 803 |
LHC will not destroy the universe in 5 days
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/09/04/lhc-will-not-destroy.html
Microsoft begins big ad push
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10033375-56.html
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/9/seinfeld-s-first-microsoft-commercial-awkward-not-funny
Comcast appeals FCC traffic-blocking ruling
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10033376-38.html
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080904-martin-responds-to-comcast-lawsuit-we-still-want-answers.html
Blu-ray gone in five years, Samsung claims
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/04/1656212
Redesigned, bulkier Honda Insight to challenge Prius
http://tech.slashdot.org/tech/08/09/05/0141244.shtml
Michael Moore plans Net-only film premiere
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10033561-93.html
Album leak welcomed by Metallica (Thanks Bernardo!)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7598617.stm
Robots Are Net’s future, says Vint Cerf
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/04/1751209
Adobe and NBC to provide live streaming of NFL games
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Stewart/?p=924
Columbia set to resurrect Ghostbusters
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/05/ghostbusters_3/
VOICE MAIL
Anonymous
Cybercommand update.
Dave
My friend's bad bandwidth.
FORUMS
Comcast bandwidth meter
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6035_102-0.html?forumID=97&threadID=307301
Preview of Seth McFarlane’s Google ad cartoons
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6035_102-0.html?forumID=97&threadID=307304
Hey Crew! Long time listener, first time e-mailer!
I was bugged by the whole Comcast putting a cap on my end of the tube. I would consider myself a moderate bandwidth user, and was curious as to how much I actually use. So I called Comcast on Saturday, got to the person I who would answer my question, and the lady said she’d have no problem telling me how much. After a minute or two, she said she’d have to talk to her manager who knew exatcally where to look, was gone for a few minutes, came back, typed a bunch, left again, came back, thanked me for being patient, kept looking…. She asked me why i was inquiring about how much I use, and I explained to her that I had no idea where I was compared with the 1%… she told me that it was only 1 percent who would get cut off, and I explained to her again that I didn’t know where I was to know how close I come to the 250GB, to which she said ‘well, you get 350GB not 250GB. I told her what the news said, and she said it was wrong. I was going to ask her for name and her extension for future reference, but my store got busy, so I had to go. It took about 20 minutes for her to find the bandwidth I used in the last 30 days, which was about 75GB.
I would think that the average customer would ask “where do I stand compared with the cap?”… The only answer I was getting was “well, only 1 percent will hit the cap”, which isn’t an answer. The average customer is not going to have any point of reference to gauge how much they use.
Thanks keep up the good work!
Todd,
Lynden, Wash.
Hay buzz crew,
Just writing in to say "Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!" Thanks to BOL my wife is now interested in tech stuff and I have a new outlet for my tech talk.
It all started as I slipped a copy of Buzz out loud on to her iPod and renamed it NY Times. Idea stolen from Microsoft Mohave Experiment.
Can you give her a shout out!
Now I only have to get her to play COD 4 & Gears of War Don't know how I am going to do that but wish me luck!
Thank You
Matthew
Hey Jamoto, Tobias from Sweden again.
As I hope you remember, I e-mailed you yesterday about SPORE DRM-
license-server-thing that refuses to work. I’ve been trying for three days now, still no luck!
Sad to say I’m not the only one, just check out this thread (one of many):
So you remember us Mac-users can’t get into the game. Well worse, PC-users that bought Galactic Edition can’t seem to log in either, because for them, the game says that their serial code is invalid.
I’ve paid almost 90 bucks for the game, is it to much too ask for it only to work?
Worse yet, EA Support doesn’t know what to do. One I talk to didn’t even understand that I was on the Mac (he was trying to get me to run the EAReg.exe or whatever it is called on the PC). Another guy told me to register online. And everyone else told me to wait. Nothing helps!
I never actually cared about the whole DRM debate, but now I’m so pissed about it because it only hurts the honest average customer who just wants to play his or hers friggin’ game!
I appreciate you mentioned my e-mail on episode 802, and with this e-mail I’m hoping that you will take this further and discuss it. Maybe we can get a Molly rant on DRM?
Love the show, and have a great weekend
Tobias
Hello Buzz Crew,
Netbooks and laptops are already bundled by carriers outside U.S.
In Romania you can get when you subscribe to the mobile Internet services cheaper laptops and Netbooks.
Orange has Eee PC 901, Macbook Air, and other Dell and Asus bundle offers.
Allex from Romania
Dear Buzz Out Loud,
You can put an OEM copy of Windows on any machine you want. The catch is, once it is on one, that is the only computer you can put it on. Some places also require you to also buy some sort of hardware in order to buy an OEM copy. This doesn’t usually mean a complete system, unless you’re buying from places like HP or Dell; often you can buy one component such as RAM. It can be something else you might need (DVD-ROM, hard drive, etc.), but RAM is usually a good way to go seems how you’ll probably need more anyways. OEM software is always a good way to go if you’re building your own machine and want to keep costs down.
Brian, Ill.
Microsoft and Yahoo are dead, over, done, in the ground, and Yahoo has moved on to Google, and that's the end of it. Or is it!? Also today, spitting crosses the line, cell phones cause serious (like, for real) addiction in some Spanish teens, Metallica retracts its redaction of some blogger reviews, and MySpace is getting a new design. Phew. Finally.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
|
EPISODE 745 |
Analysts don’t rule out a Microsoft-Yahoo deal just yet
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9967862-7.html
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080612-microsoft-yahoo-deal-really-seriously-dead-this-time.html
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/our-agreement-to-provide-ad-technology.html
http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?&ReleaseID=316450
Potential MySpace redesign leak hints at new features
http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/06/potential-myspa.html
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9967731-2.html
comScore: Facebook matches MySpace
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/06/13/comscore-facebook-matches-myspace
Metallica retracts retraction
http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=600942
Spit will be worse than spam
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/12/136232
Mod chips legal in the U.K.
http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/08/06/12/2037223.shtml
Universal to appeal promo CD ruling
http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/06/universal-to-ap.html
Spain treats child phone addicts
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7452463.stm
Real racing in the virtual world
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7440658.stm
Final Skynet satellite launched
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7451867.stm
‘I’m NOT the 'Wii Fit' girl!’
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9967527-1.html
Screen grab: Woz hacks Kathy Griffin’s iPhone… on TV
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/video-woz-hacks-kathy-griffins-iphone/
VOICE MAIL
Alex
Molly cursed me!
Paul Verizon
Here's our data plan?
Eric Michigan
About the paperclip.
FORUMS
IMPORTANT Q: …are we electing a Mayor yet?
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6035_102-0.html?forumID=97&threadID=297787
My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nothing.
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/science/orderingplanets.htm
--Brian
Damn, seems our government wants to be just like yours…
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/12/tech-copyright.html
--Dave
hi Buzz Crew,
Tom, the theory of your “cycles” you’ve been talking about on past 2
or 3 episodes it’s one of the basic theries in economics and it’s
called “business/economic cycles” 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_cycle - here you can red more
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Cyclee.jpg - and a
nice graph
Greetings
--Thomas the programmer from Poland
http://www.subbrilliant.com/blog/?p=104
Hello BOL crew,
I just viewed the "poster" for the BOL meetup tonight at http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/780695...And I just gotta say, I am a little frightened because it reminds me too much of this...
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/5509/bolzombiesew6.jpg
Maybe it's just me. Anyways, thanks for the great podcast!
--Alfred Hom
Listen now: Download today's podcast
|
EPISODE 743 |
Buzz Out Loud San Francisco Meetup! June 12, 2008.
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/780695
Metallica to bloggers: don’t review our music
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080610-metallica-to-bloggers-dont-review-our-music.html
Pearl Jam goes mobile with authorized bootlegs
http://news.cnet.com/Pearl-Jam-goes-mobile-with-authorized-bootlegs/2100-1039_3-6241343.html
Steve Jobs: it’s time we design our own iPhone and iPod chips
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/06/11/steve_jobs_its_time_we_design_our_own_iphone_and_ipod_chips.html
The truth about last year’s Xbox 360 recall
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208403010
Disney.com breaks new ground streaming full-length movies online for the first time ever
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080610005595&newsLang=en
Music industry woes not felt by Disney Records
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9965217-7.html
At Glassdoor, find out how much people really make at Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and everywhere else.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/10/at-glassdoor-find-out-how-much-people-really-make-at-google-microsoft-yahoo-and-everywhere-else/
HBO invests in Will Ferrell’s FunnyorDie.com
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9965649-7.html
Virtually waterless washing machine edges closer to production
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/10/virtually-waterless-washing-machine-edges-closer-to-production/
VOICE MAIL
Rafa
Has a prediction about unlocked iPhone
Jenar
More cost considerations for cars.
Molly, Tom, and Jason,
You are right. That’s what media does and that’s what people like. It was just way too much coverage and too many rumors. It’s just as you said at the beginning of the show, when you compared the hype with alcohol.
I was also disappointed because everybody said it was launching on Monday and it didn’t.
Love the show,
Bernardo the Reservoir Engineer
________________________________________
Yes it's not illegal to unlock your phone, but is it legal to fine people who don't register it either? I wonder if there is a legal precedent out there that allows for this— Buzz Town Attorneys at Law, LLC?
I get why they want to do this; I mean, if I was going to take a huge loss on a phone, I'd want to be sure I'd make it back up in monthly fees, but to actually have the ability (and not to mention, the testicular fortitude) to fine someone seems dubious to me at best.
Actually, after further introspection, I think what's really jarring me is the word "fine"; maybe if they said "breach of contract" I'd be more OK with it. "Fine" makes it sound like I committed some petty crime like littering or indecent exposure, and believe me, I'm neither a trasher nor a flasher, so don't lump me into the likes of those delinquents if I'm lethargic in my decision to hock my soul to the evil blue and white Death Star.
I also think that the general population has become accustomed to the previous business model, in which they'd pay though the nose for an unsubsidized iPhone and then be sort of (but not really) free to do with their new toy as they pleased. Now with mandated subsidy, our hands are more tied than ever. In the end, AT&T and Apple are private companies, so they can make whatever rules they want about their products within some frame of reason, but that doesn't mean they have to be [insert mad-lib expletives here] either.
LTSKUTGW,
Dr. Karl J
________________________________________
Regarding your discussion (in episode 742) of AT&T’s requirement of an Enterprise Data Plan for the iPhone …
… we encountered a similar problem back in March. Those of us in the company that use GoodLink on our mobile devices to connect to our Exchange e-mail received letters from AT&T indicating that we were using the wrong data plan. We had been using the $39.99 PDA Personal Unlimited plan which also included 1500 text/MMS messages per month. According to the letter, we would automatically be switched (back on April 1) to the Enterprise Data Plan for $44.95.
We spoke with our AT&T business rep and were told that yes, we did need to switch everyone to the Enterprise Data Plan for $5 more/month, and we complied.
Fast-forward to last week when I was having problems sending an MMS message from my Treo 680. I called AT&T and after a few minutes with a rep was told my plan looked okay because I had “pay-per-use” messaging turned on. I stopped him and said my data plan should have 1,500 text/MMS messages a month. He said my OLD data plan had that, but when I was switched to the Enterprise plan, text messaging was no longer included so I was switched to pay-per-use messaging instead. Of course, there was no mention of this in the letter I received indicating I would be switching plans, so now I’ve had a bunch of corporate users with pay-per-use text messaging.
So, on the Enterprise plan, you need to add an additional text messaging plan ($5 for 200, $15 for 1500, or $20 for unlimited). I presume the same will go for the iPhone.
I am now in the process of going through everyone’s text messaging use to determine which (if any) plan is needed for their accounts. Fun!
Jeremy
St. Pete, FL
________________________________________
I just wanted to shed a light on AT&T’s 3G coverage. If you do not live in a large metropolitan area (which I do not), At&t’s 3G service is unavailable to you. After looking for upgrade plans, I found that by the end of 2008, At&t will still only be available in large metropolitan areas. Any iPhone user in a rural area will basically pay more money for a phone and more expensive 3G plan (which they cannot use) for the same speeds and functionality of iphone 2G. The iPhone 2G will essentially be the same phone when the software is upgraded minus GPS integration and a new form factor. I think people need to research their coverage before buying something they might not be able to use entirely.
Jordan
________________________________________
We don’t care if the internet is down, we don’t need it, we have
Pigeon Net. Transfer 64GB in minutes….
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0815_NGTpigeon.html
Mutch
- prev
- 1
- next
Tom Merritt appears on
CNET TV, specializing in help and how-to and the ever popular Top 5
lists. He also co-hosts CNET's The Real Deal podcast. 
Jason Howell can
often be found producing Buzz Out Loud from the audio studios at CNET,
updating XML feeds from the comfort of his cubicle, and saying "uh-oh"
from time to time. 
