Buzz Out Loud Podcast

A new law in Europe protects all citizens from the evils of cookies. Instead of relying on people to operate their own browsers, Europe now requires all Web sites to notify users that they will set cookies. That certainly sounds annoying. Come on over to our freedom-loving U.S. sites, y'all! We also check in on Motorola Droid sales and find out that the Milestone kicks the Droid in the butt. And Google has a holiday present for you. And it's free!

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Motorola probably sold 100,000 Droids in first days
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a4IZD2kI6dh8

Smartphones beat recession, Nokia still on top
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2009/11/smartphones-beat-recession-nokia-still-on-top.ars

Microsoft pulls Windows 7 download tool
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10394191-56.html

Google to acquire Gizmo5, swing at Skype with VoIP-enabled Google Voice?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/09/google-to-acquire-gizmo5-swing-at-skype-with-voip-enabled-googl/

Google to offer free Wi-fi in approximately 50 airports for holiday season only
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20091110_free_airport_wifi_holiday.html

Yahoo to put Wi-Fi in Times Square
http://www.appscout.com/2009/11/yahoo_brings_free_wi-fi_to_tim.php

Intel introduces a digital book reader that reads aloud to the blind
http://venturebeat.com/2009/11/09/intel-introduces-a-digital-book-reader-for-the-blind/

Hundreds of Facebook groups hacked
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10394058-2.html

Consent will be required for cookies in Europe
http://www.out-law.com/default.aspx?page=10510

Mac OS X 10.6.2 delivers more than three dozen fixes, but crashes Atom-based Netbooks
http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221601027

Blockbuster to rent movies on SD cards, but why?
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/chris-dannen/techwatch/blockbuster-rent-movies-sd-cards-why

VOICE MAIL
Rafa from Brazil on blackouts in Brazil
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/11/brazil_blackout/

Thomas in Ohio about selling free software

E-MAIL
Long time first time. I started listening when Molly was out having her baby, and I haven’t missed one episode since.

I moved back to China three months ago, and at least in Beijing, the podcast is not blocked right now. When I visited home in 2008, all cnet podcasts were blocked, but it’s no longer the case this year.

I try to get around the great firewall very sparingly, only when it’s absolutely necessary, so I know pretty well among the podcasts I subscribe to, which are blocked and which are not. As mentioned on the show, Radio Lab is blocked. So is This American Life. So is Savage Lovecast by Dan Savage. But sorry guys, BOL is not, not even after the WOW incidence.

LOVE THE SHOW

alex
(no, my name is not alex)

**********

Hey BOLers..

This is Vijay from India.. Long time BOL listener.. you guys rock..

We have been talking about Motorola DROID for long now.. but not much about its GSM/UMTS brother the MILESTONE. Now that MILESTONE has been announced in some European countries, I was waiting for it to launch in India too. I guess it will be coming soon. Initially, I was thinking that only the Radio is different from the DROID. But apparently not… Here are some of the differences

The following features are available in Milestone and not in Droid

MultiTouch in Gallery and Browser (Droid only has double tap)
Geotaging in the Gallery photos.
MotoNav (Offline turn by turn navigation maps) This does not require internet connection (say if you are in some rural areas or in San Fransisco if you are on AT&T 3G ) where as Google Navigation requires connection to internet. Google Nav is also available on the Milestone.. best of both worlds !!
Phone Portal – Very cool thing where a webserver runs on the phone !!! The phone can be accessed just like a website from any desktop browser for the gallery, bookmarks etc just like accessing any cloud service.. pretty cool
MTP Sync Media Transport Protocol sync for easy syncing of media along with meta data etc.
Mysign – Gesture based short cuts where certain functions (say calling a specific contact, or turning on wifi etc) can be made into shortcuts based on certain gestures..

I did not get a link with these differences but basically got this information from the motodev podcast.. at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/motodev/2009/11/04/Developing-Android-Applications-for-DROID-and-Mile

LOVE THE SHOW..

Vijay

**********

Hi Buzz Crew,

It’s not a given that Murdoch has to loose against Google, because it’s
not a given everybody would use Google to search for news. Imagine most of
the news coporations would opt out of Googles Index and would be searchable
on Bing, because Bing would share their revenue. People would move to Bing
- at least for search for news. Newspapers would get more revenues.
Everybody would be happy, except for Google, which would at some point be
forced to pay newspapers to add them to its index.

Otherwise, love the show!

Regards,
Matthias from Germany

**********

Tom Richmond, the star caricaturist of MAD Magazine’s new generation had a project he worked on rejected by Apple. It was an app that had caricatures of all the members of Congress with their contact information. It was rejected because in ” in Apple's reasonable judgement may be found objectionable, for example, materials that may be considered obscene, pornographic, or defamatory."
I got the information from Mark Evanier’s site http://www.newsfromme.com (http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2009_11_09.html#018025)

Here’s the direct link to the story: http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/2009/11/09/apple-rejects-my-caricature-app/

Love the show!
PS to Molly ~ Go Cats on 11/21!

Jay Huber
Bozeman, MT

Apparently the Large Hadron Collider is doomed. It can't even survive a bread bombing by birds. The Droid arrived on the scene though, and people actually lined up. However tethering is gonna cost you on the thing. Are you still in love? And Gwen Stefani doesn't like you making her sing Honky Tonk Women.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Episode

Midnight Droid madness in Manhattan
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10392128-266.html

Verizon Droid Tethering Will Cost You
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/181590/verizon_droid_tethering_will_cost_you.html
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/06/psa-sears-charging-50-less-for-new-droid-activations-than-veri/

Windows 7 sales exceed Vista sales by 234%, new PC sales not as strong
http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_091105a.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10391484-75.html

Confirmed: Skype Founders Settle With eBay And Others, Get 14% Stake In Skype, Not 10%
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/06/confirmed-skype-founders-settle-with-ebay-and-others-get-14-stake-in-skype-not-10/

Twitter Cleaning Up Trending Topics Spam
http://mashable.com/2009/11/05/twitter-trending-topics-spam/

No Doubt sues Activision over Band Hero [Updated]
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/11/no-doubt-sues-activision-over-band-hero.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10391715-17.html

Judge Halts Online Sale of Beatles Songs
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/11/bluebeat-claims-to-own-new-copyrights-to-old-beatles-songs/
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/11/about-those-beatles-songs-its-weirder-than-you-thought.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

Betting on a Metal-Air Battery Breakthrough
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/23877/?a=f

LHC Shut Down Again -- By Baguette-Dropping Bird
http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/11/06/0824213/LHC-Shut-Down-Again-mdash-By-Baguette-Dropping-Bird?from=rss

Sony to bring Risk to the big screen
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/06/risk_movie/

VOICEMAIL

Brian in Virginia on the PS3 Netflix

Anonymous Tony about 3G maps

EMAIL

Hey Buzz crew,

I am sure you will have this in today’s lineup..but just in case:

Comcast’s new throttling policies.

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/11/04/2026206/Comcasts-New-Throttling-Plan-Uses-Trigger-Conditions-Not-Silent-Blocking

“Its network throttling implements a two-tier packet queueing system at the routers, driven by two trigger conditions. Comcast’s first traffic throttling trigger is tripped by using more than 70 per cent of your maximum downstream or upstream bandwidth for more than 15 minutes. Its second traffic throttling trigger is tripped when the Cable Modem Termination System you’re hooked-up to - along with up to 15,000 other Comcast subscribers - gets congested, and your traffic is somehow identified as being responsible. Tripping either of Comcast’s high bandwidth usage rate triggers results in throttling for at least 15 minutes, or until your average bandwidth utilisation rate drops below 50 per cent for 15 minutes.”

So…by analogy, will cops start giving out speeding tickets if you travel >=70% of the posted speed limit for more than 15 minutes as well?

Wasn’t there a recent story about the FTC/FCC rules about “Truth in advertising” about ISP speeds? Now Comcast pretty much says, that whatever the ADVERTISED bandwidth, you will be punished for using more than 70% of your ACTUAL bandwidth.

Lima Tango Sierra!

Bob in NJ…

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Hey,

First off, Love the Show

My brother just alerted me to the Darpa Network Challenge, http://networkchallenge.darpa.mil/, which is to mark the 40th anniversary of the Internet.

The goal of the Challenge is to be the first to submit the locations of 10 large red weather balloons scattered throughout the continental united states. One person can’t do it alone, so the winner will be the best one to use Social Networking to solve the challenge, and what better then getting the word out on BOL?

I’ve seen others on Facebook with the same idea, but I’m also shamelessly running a contest website at http://www.mgatelabs.com/wiki/Darpa_Network_Challenge

Thanks,
Michael Fuller
Graduate Student of Software Engineering @ Auburn University
Developer of Port Defender on the AppStore

**********

Greetings buzztown,

Tom, you were concerned about the lack of competition in the chip market.
Well actually there was more in the early days of Windows NT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windo
NT was initially available on these platforms: Intel X86, MIPS R3000/R4000 DEC Alpha, IBM PowerPC, Itanium and AMD64.

I was in software development back then. With four Unix platforms, we had 10 platforms to develop and support. Expensive!
With the market consolidation, It is so much easier now. We support Windows X86, OS X, Solaris and HP-UX.
Any new chip maker is going to have to emulate the X86 instruction set.

AMD, in 1982 licensed the X86 architecture. That, I believe, is why they still exist today.
I can’t imagine Intel would do that again, Unless the Government ordered it.
It is nice to have a standard PC that can boot Windows, OS X and Linux as needed.

There is more competition in electrical outlets around the world.
There are 12 different connectors and about 6 different voltages.
It’s tough charging you laptop around the world.

Love the Show,

Henry C.
Livonia MI

Leaks from the secret negotiations of the ACTA treaty allege that ISPs worldwide would be required to lose safe-harbor protections, implement three-strike antipiracy policies, and worse. We think this is outrageous. AT&T thinks Verizon is outrageous because of its commercials and so is taking Verizon to court. Also, EMI finally got around to suing BlueBeat.com for selling Beatles tracks online. But you can buy a Beatles USB stick for $280. So, you've got that going for you.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

AT&T vs. Verizon: There’s a lawyer for that
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10389960-266.html

AT&T sues Verizon over ‘there’s a map for that’ ads
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/03/atandt-sues-verizon-over-theres-a-map-for-that-ads/

T-Mobile USA says it has fixed voice, data outages
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091104-710151.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10390097-56.html

Leaked ACTA Internet provisions: Three strikes and a global DMCA
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/leaked-acta-internet-provisions-three-strikes-and-
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/03/secret-copyright-tre.html

EMI sues Beatles-download Web site
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8342277.stm

The Beatles catalog being released on limited-edition USB stick
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/03/the-beatles-catalog-being-released-on-limited-edition-usb-stick/

Nvidia confirms Intel chipsets won’t support USB 3.0 until 2011
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/04/nvidia-confirms-intel-chipsets-wont-support-usb-3-0-until-2011/

…So, will Nvidia go rogue with its own x86 chipset?
http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2009/11/nvidia-x86-cpu-rumors-resurfaceis-it-a-plausible-scenario.ars

UPDATE: Personal Droid data will cost $30
http://www.gearlog.com/2009/11/personal_droid_data_will_cost.php

Verizon looking to bump early termination fee to $350 on ‘advanced’ devices
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/04/verizon-looking-to-bump-early-termination-fee-to-350-on-advanc/

Another Verizon Droid commercial, Stealth, and it's awesome
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/11/03/another-verizon-droid-commercial-stealth-and-its-awesome/

PayPal unveils plans to open payment service
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221600183

In test, Windows 7 vulnerable to 8 out of 10 viruses
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/11/03/2123258/In-Test-Windows-7-Vulnerable-To-8-Out-of-10-Viruses

E-MAIL
Hi BOL crew!
I love the show but it can be hard to sit and listen to somebody for 5 minutes going on about a software licensing system that should be put into place, when it’s been around for 15 years or so.
It’s called Microsoft Open Licensing with Software Assurance. http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/software-assurance/default.aspx
Small and large corporations can purchase from this programme to license their applications and OS from Microsoft. They can opt in for Software Assurance which means they get any and all paid upgrades at no extra charge during the license period (Usually 3 years)
They also get support and other benefits. Media is sent out when required.
Some versions of the MS OLP allow companies to pay annually over the 3 years rather than up front if that helps their books. It does give you predictable IT expenditures.

When it comes to home users, most IT experts will agree that it’s usually best to use the OS that came with your computer and ignore major OS updates. Wait until you buy a new computer that comes with the new OS. Small updates like Snow Leopard on new computers like my March 2009 iMac make sense, especially at $30!
However, I like Tom, do not want to pay monthly or annually for my software. If it was an option it might be ok, but not the only one I hope.

I repeat, LTS!
Cheers,

Jay Rymal
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

**********

Re: Nook v. Alex. I am not sure what trade secrets were taken from
Spring Design. Judging from the documents filed, Spring Design didn’t
even have a working prototype in the Feb 09 meeting, so the only thing
they exchanged were probably concepts. If B&N did not have a dual
screen e-book reader in the final development phase already, i.e., they
came up with it only after seeing the drawings in Feb 2009, B&N must
have one crack hardware engineering team (or ODM)/Android programmers to
get to a final product in 9 months.

Also, what’s the big deal about dual screens–Nintendo DS (hence the
name) has been around for a long time with split screen functionality.
Expanding it to a tablet size seems like an obvious expansion. Nintendo
lawyers: start your engines.

Dickson

**********

Hey Buzz crew! Bryan the Insurance IT guy here in Springfield, Missouri. I've been listening to the show for several years without writing or calling in, but I was listening to the Verizon/Exchange discussion in episode 1098 on the way to work this morning and thought I'd finally chime in with a couple of tidbits!

First, I administer Exchange and mobile devices for my office, and I can tell you there's no simple way for Verizon or any other carrier to detect and block Exchange ActiveSync traffic. ActiveSync encapsulates all device-server communications in HTTPS packets for security, so the only port that needs to be allowed for ActiveSync to work is port 443 - and you can bet all hell would break loose if any carrier tried to block port 443, as that's the port used for ALL SECURE WEBSITES! One thing they might try is to profile traffic patterns for ActiveSync and block based on that, but I'm guessing that's harder than it sounds and would get very messy, very quickly. Good luck to any carrier trying to pull THAT one off.

Second, I've now been involved in setting up half a dozen users with iPhones in my office, some on personal plans, and some on our recently-established corporate account. NONE OF US is paying the 45 bucks for "Enterprise" data service on the iPhone. For the users who set it up on their personal accounts, that didn't surprise me. I DID expect to get some pushback on the iPhone data plans for the corporate accounts, but in every case, we looked the AT&T rep in the eye and said, "Yes, it's a corporate account, but I'm only going to check personal email", and in every case, they didn't even blink. Maybe this attitude varies by region, but here in Southwest Missouri, at least, I've never heard of a case of AT&T forcing the $15 premium on iPhone users, even on business accounts. Incidentally, there's only one time we've been required to pony up the $45 for the enterprise data plan - AND IT WAS TO SUPPORT OUR LONE BLACKBERRY USER.

Maybe next time I'll call in, but I like to take serious relationships slowly. For now I'm still listening to other shows, but BOL holds a special place in my heart, and maybe one day I'll be able to commit.

Bill Keller from the New York Times let slip he's been working on a version of the New York Times for the Apple Slate. Great! What the hell is the Apple Slate? well obviously it's a much-rumored Apple Tablet. We also discuss T-Mobile's unlimited plans and hope against all hopes that they are truly unlimited.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Bill Keller: Apple Tablet ‘Impending’
http://gawker.com/5389636/bill-keller-apple-tablet-impending

T-Mobile Adds ‘Even More Plus’ Plans
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2354721,00.asp

Netflix Movies Stream to Sony's PlayStation 3
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/netflix-movies-stream-to-sonys-playstation-3/

Hollywood wants share of Netflix’s windfall
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10382717-261.html

Microsoft Offers Windows 7 on USB Drives for Netbooks
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Windows/Microsoft-Offers-Windows-7-on-USB-Drives-for-Netbooks-225258/

$180 BlackBerry Storm2 hits the shelves on Wednesday
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139892/_180_BlackBerry_Storm2_hits_the_shelves_on_Wednesday

Sprint Announces Nov. Launch Date for Palm Pixi
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2354726,00.asp

Mobile net ‘heading for data jam’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8325634.stm

Verizon profit dips, but wireless stays strong
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10382841-266.html
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-earnings-verizon-profit-down-wireless-unit-revenues-jump/

Has AT&T Wireless data congestion been self-inflicted?
http://blogs.broughturner.com/2009/10/is-att-wireless-data-congestion-selfinflicted.html

Surgeon Performs World’s First 4X HD Surgery
http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/10/25/2010236/Surgeon-Performs-Worlds-First-4X-HD-Surgery

VOICEMAIL
Ted from Berkeley on hacking the Pre

Ralph on Windows 7 problems

EMAIL
Hey Buzz Out-louders,

Was on my way to class this morning when I saw this article in the Chicago Sun-Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1846104,CST-FIN-apple26.article

Apparently Apple may pay to upgrade a station at the North and Clybourn red line L stop. They are set to open a new retail location close to the stop. I live near it and I can say with full confidence that that stop is pretty nasty and run down (like most of the CTA's L stations.) I guess Apple thinks it's not very becoming to have your flashy products available via a not so flashy station stop and is willing to fork over the cash to fix that.

Thoughts?

I've been listening to your podcast for about three years now. Love the show!

-Casey the performing arts management student in Chicago

**********

Hey buzz crew, I don’t if you saw this BBC news item about twitter and other social networking sites costing UK companies 1.4 billion pounds a year. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8325865.stm. The assumption is that because their survey of 1460 office workers indicated that people spent an average of 40 minutes a week on these sites that “such online behaviour clearly had a “productivity strain” on firms.” I call shenanigans, and I wish I could get my hands on the actually study so that I could fully debunk the it, but no such luck. My worry is that I read this at 8 am ET and I am sure by this afternoon mainstream media is just going to run with it with no thought or insight.

Love the show.
Marlon “the guyfromtrinidad”

**********

“Net Neutrality,” not allowing ISP to charge extra for special serves,
will kill the internet. If we don’t allow ISP to make profit from
investing in infrastructure, they will not invest money in
infrastructure. Unlike broadcast television, the internet does not
travel through a common good. Every inch of the internet in America is
built, owned, and maintained by private actors. In order to continue to
have good internet service, we have to allow those actors to make profits.

If you want better service, kill the government interference that
currently exists. Primarily this interference is cable monopolies that
are granted by localities. Since most broadband access comes in via
cable connections this directly hurts the quality of internet access in
America.

Kevin

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

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yellowgold album
http://www.yellowgoldmusic.com

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

VOICE MAIL
Mike reports on a new scam

Thomas has some advice for fanboys

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

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

Time to run, Professor is looking at me.

-Adam in Seattle

**********

Dear Buzz Crew,

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

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

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

**********

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

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

Love the show… s

Roger
Palm Beach County, Florida

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

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Voice mail
Heather has an idea for ebook sellers.

CJ on BlackBerry love

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

**********

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

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

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

Just thought I would share,

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

**********

hey buzz crew!!!

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

Chris Decker in newnan, georgia

Molly and I go off on the Net neutrality debate, not so much about what the meaning of it is, but more on why you shouldn't use lies to defend your position. We also discuss the attractiveness of the Nook from Barnes and Noble, and Molly and Rafe have a BlackBerry fight. About the phones. Not the fruit.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Retail distribution may tip e-reader race; Barnes & Noble rolls out Nook
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=26305

Barnes & Noble’s Nook: A virtual e-reader tour
http://www.pcworld.com/article/173999/barnes_and_nobles_nook_a_virtual_ereader_tour.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/21/barnes.noble.nook/

BlackBerry Bold 9700 (Onyx) now official
http://www.intomobile.com/2009/10/21/blackberry-bold-9700-onyx-now-official.html
http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-10379329-85.html

Google to blend search, music in One Box
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10379922-261.html

Exclusive: Guess who else is coming to dinner? Twitter-Microsoft Bing deal confirmed, but so is Facebook-Bing
http://kara.allthingsd.com/20091021/exclusive-guess-who-else-is-coming-to-dinner-twitter-microsoft-bing-deal-confirmed-but-so-is-facebook-bing/

Time Warner testing fix to hole in home router
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10379477-245.html
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/10/time-warner-cable/

Amazon: Windows 7 is ‘the biggest preorder product of all time’
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/44377/140/

AT&T enlists employees to oppose Net neutrality
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10379360-266.html

Verizon CEO slams Net neutrality at conference
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10379932-266.html

Nvidia targeting real-time Cloud rendering
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/10/21/1354224/NVIDIA-Targeting-Real-Time-Cloud-Rendering

LHC reaches operational temps, collisions start in 5 weeks
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/10/final-lhc-segment-reaches-operational-temperature-at-19k.ars

GE shows off pocket-size ultrasound scanner
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10379692-2.html

VOICE MAIL
Frank L has a crafty Windows upgrade plan

E-MAIL
Hey BOL
U2 is live streaming their Sunday concert form the Rose Bowl! How cool is that?! http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10379610-52.html. I went to the Vertigo Tour in LA in 2005, so I know this will utterly fail in comparison, but still, a free, online concert from one of my favorite bands? Sign me up, cuz now I’ll definitely be waiting for the DVD (maybe Blu-Ray?) to come out. Hope this becomes a new trend with music in the very near future. Plus, I also think this lines up with someone’s New Years prediction if I’m not mistaken.

LTS,
Ben the Industrial Engineering Grad Student from Arkansas

Mozilla is upset about the browser ballot screen because it's alphabetical, left to right, by manufacturer. That means Apple gets the prime spot. We think that's parsing the screen too closely. So we decide to parse it even more! And we also reinvent battery technology and solve America's Internet problems. And can you believe it? We even do more. It's true.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

False Alarm: New iPhone 3GS Not Jailbreak-Proof
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/10/jailbreak-iphone

Wal-Mart Strafes Amazon in Book War
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125565024634288895.html
http://blogs.siliconvalley.com/gmsv/2009/10/wal-mart-wades-into-amazon-with-machete.html

Apple gets best spot in EU browser ‘ballot screen,’ Mozilla says
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139428/Apple_gets_best_spot_in_EU_browser_ballot_screen_Mozilla_says

Windows 7? Don’t Upgrade, Buy A New PC
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/173792/windows_7_dont_upgrade_buy_a_new_pc.html

Schmidt: "Android Adoption Is About To Explode"
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/15/schmidt-android-adoption-is-about-to-explode/

Line sharing best solution for slow, expensive US broadband
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/us-internet-is-slow-expensiveand-the-fcc-has-proof.ars

Internet Traffic Shifting Away From Tier-1 Carriers
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/10/16/1555228/Internet-Traffic-Shifting-Away-From-Tier-1-Carriers

Judge: ringtones aren’t performances, so no royalties
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/judge-ringtones-arent-performances-so-no-royalties.ars

Intelligent speed bumps collapse to reward slow-pokes, cut down on emissions
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/16/intelligent-speed-bumps-collapse-to-reward-slow-pokes-cut-down/

Boffins ‘write directly to memory’ of living brains
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/16/boffins_program_fly_brains/

VOICEMAIL
Matt in Orlando on Light Peak

Patrick in NH explains problem with Viper car start

E-MAIL
Hey guys (and girls)!

I have an iPhone 3gs an an apple headset but when I’m on a call and
start my car it will ALWAYS disconnect any Bluetooth devices from my
phone and hijack the connection…

It’s kinda nice though Bering into the car and having everything
change over, the problem is when you get out you have to manually try
to reconnect a Bluetooth device before it will work – thus is not
always easy…

Oh and a bog shout out to all the Irish geeks listening in! LOVE THE
SHOW

Sent from my iPhone

Brian Murphy

**********

I was catching up on my podcasts and heard you discussing a penny-sized nuclear battery that had 6 times more charge than a conventional battery.
Turns out that story originates from the University of Missouri, my place of employment!

Un-cited quote:
"To provide enough power, we need certain methods with high energy density," said Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU. "The radioisotope battery can provide power density that is six orders of magnitude higher than chemical batteries." And it’s perfectly safe.

Notice that’s not 6 times more charge, its 6 ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE more charge (sorry for yelling, I’m excited). Now my Furby can chatter on forever!

Buzz on RafMoNatToJaCooTong.
Tony in Missouri

Calculator hackers have figured out how to run independent OSes on TI calculators. Unfortunately TI wants to stop them. Why? We have no idea. Also we play fast and loose with physics when discussing black holes and Higgs Bosons. We also totally redefined the word mint. In a bad way, unfortunately.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Sidekick data restored?
http://twitter.com/wcpreston/status/4848175078
http://twitter.com/ruv/status/4845969713

Wi-Fi is about to get a whole lot easier
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2009/tc20091013_683659.htm
http://www.wi-fi.org/news_articles.php?f=media_news&news_id=909

Apple shipping iPhone 3GS' resistant to jailbreaking?
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/10/13/apple-shipping-iphone-3gs-resistant-to-jailbreaking/

EFF warns Texas Instruments to stop harassing calculator hobbyists
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2009/10/13
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/bloggers-fight-tis-dmca-takedown-over-calculator-hack.ars
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10374284-264.html

Family Guy to shill for Windows 7
http://www.pcworld.com/article/173646/family_guy_to_shill_for_windows_7.html

B&N e-reader pics leaked; event confirmed for October 20
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/10/barnes-and-nobl.php

Finland becomes first country to make broadband access a legal right
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/14/applause-for-finland-first-country-to-make-broadband-access-a-legal-right/

Twitter cracks down on spam
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-twitter-cracks-down-on-spam/

Artificial black hole created in Chinese lab
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24234/

The collider, the particle and a theory about fate
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/science/space/13lhc.html

VOICE MAIL
Stefan on gas masks

Rafe on the pressure-sensitive keyboard

E-MAIL
On BOL1083 when discussing the Berners-Lee comment, my head nearly exploded
as my pet peeve was repeatedly forced into my ears.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FORWARD SLASH!

There is slash; there is backslash… no forward slash, no backward slash.

I know this isn’t show-worthy, but I feel better now.

Thank you,

J.R. the GWAIN (guy without an interesting nickname)

**********

While listening to episode 1078, where you were discussing the purchasing of specific genes, I was reminded of a story about some grad students reported by NPR’s RadioLab from more than a year and a half ago. The students were doing some experiments with E. Coli. Not liking the poop smell associated with the bacteria, they got a gene for mintyness from some other researchers and inserted it. I remembered that the students also inserted a gene to make it smell like banana once the E. Coli was ready for them to do their experiment. That was not included in this short article, but is in the audio show if I remembered correctly. Here is a link to an article about it, but the audio podcast is much better (RadioLab is awesome).

http://www.npr.org/templates/text/s.php?sId=90014997&m=1

By the way, if you are mailing a link from the browser on your iPhone and get a call just before you hit send, you get the opportunity to write your entire e-mail again! Sigh. I’ve got to send this quick before another call comes in. Please insert the “love the show” recording here.

Darren Lacey
Telecommunucations infrastructure electronics technician from South Bend, IN

**********

Hey buzz crew,
I don't know if you guys know but Sprint is selling data only plans on their smart phones for $29. No voice (incoming calls blocked, outgoing $0.40 per min) but you can use data and tether (other than Pre and BB 8350i). Here is detail: http://sprintrelaystore.com/data_only_plan.htm

Love the show.

Sam in Houston, TX