Buzz Out Loud 649: How the world ends
The world ends in either an asteroid impact or a black hole, but either way, we'll be reading books when it happens.
Molly Wood Former Executive Editor
Molly Wood was an executive editor at CNET, author of the Molly Rants blog, and host of the tech show, Always On. When she's not enraging fanboys of all stripes, she can be found offering tech opinions on CBS and elsewhere, and offering opinions on everything else to anyone who will listen.
5 min read
According to one scientist, the world is most likely to end due to asteroid impact or a black hole, but either way, we'll be reading books when it happens. Also today, could Automatic kill Twitter? Qtrax still hasn't launched and is still infuriating artists, and a Norwegian TV show goes on Bittorrent ... on purpose.
--Molly
Listen now: Download today's podcast
 | EPISODE 649 |
TODAY'S LINKS:
TODAY'S VOICE MAIL:
Chris in Nashville
Go grammar people!
Go grammar people!
Myrna
Proper pronunciation of Paulo Coelho.
Proper pronunciation of Paulo Coelho.
Anonymous
Hair cut hot.
Hair cut hot.
TODAY'S E-MAIL:
Quicken
Just listening to episode 648, when Molly was talking about Quicken not working. I thought it was a well-known fact that Quicken disables support for software once it is three years old. There is no other reason for this than Quicken wanting you to buy their software over and over again. I bought Quicken 2007 before I knew this, and now I regret it. Fear not, I will never buy a Quicken product again. I really don't like the fact that they disable support just to sell more copies. It might be different if they put new features into the new versions that are actually good, but as Molly said, the new versions just don't offer anything meaningful over the previous versions. As it stands, that's how they sell more copies.
Tyler
Just listening to episode 648, when Molly was talking about Quicken not working. I thought it was a well-known fact that Quicken disables support for software once it is three years old. There is no other reason for this than Quicken wanting you to buy their software over and over again. I bought Quicken 2007 before I knew this, and now I regret it. Fear not, I will never buy a Quicken product again. I really don't like the fact that they disable support just to sell more copies. It might be different if they put new features into the new versions that are actually good, but as Molly said, the new versions just don't offer anything meaningful over the previous versions. As it stands, that's how they sell more copies.
Tyler
POP mail Yahoo in Mexico
Hi--
Just to let you know that Yahoo Mail Mexico has free POP mail service, no charge at all, Jason should check in his account options.
On other topic, in Mexico we have a major mobile phone player Telcel with 80 percent of the market, and they had all the cool phones, so it doesn't matter if is blocked or not, in the iPhone, officialy there is no launch of that here, but there are stores already selling it unblocked to work with Telcel and Movistar (GSM providers), one of the stores is the iPodMania store in all the country. (The closest thing to an Apple store in Mexico.)
Love the show.
Jorge Arturo
Hi--
Just to let you know that Yahoo Mail Mexico has free POP mail service, no charge at all, Jason should check in his account options.
On other topic, in Mexico we have a major mobile phone player Telcel with 80 percent of the market, and they had all the cool phones, so it doesn't matter if is blocked or not, in the iPhone, officialy there is no launch of that here, but there are stores already selling it unblocked to work with Telcel and Movistar (GSM providers), one of the stores is the iPodMania store in all the country. (The closest thing to an Apple store in Mexico.)
Love the show.
Jorge Arturo
Amazon wants me to have babies
Hey buzz crew,
So I wake up today and check my e-mail, only to see that someone has purchased a product from my baby registry. Thing is, I'm not having a baby. This came as a huge surprise to both my wife and I. We got married in September and I'm led to believe that the Amazon.com A.I needs us to have this baby. Could it be that my baby will be the architect of the robotic uprising? What are your thoughts?
Absalon from Chicago
Hey buzz crew,
So I wake up today and check my e-mail, only to see that someone has purchased a product from my baby registry. Thing is, I'm not having a baby. This came as a huge surprise to both my wife and I. We got married in September and I'm led to believe that the Amazon.com A.I needs us to have this baby. Could it be that my baby will be the architect of the robotic uprising? What are your thoughts?
Absalon from Chicago
iPhone jailbreak
Hey Tom, Molly and Jason,
Just wanted to let you guys know that yesterday AriX and I released iJailBreakMobile 1.0, which allows iPhones and iPod Touches on Jailbroken 1.1.1 and 1.1.2 installations to upgrade to Jailbreak 1.1.3 without the use of the computer--it's all done over the Internet and on the device through Installer.app.
The process is relatively simple and essentially all you have to do is add a new source to Installer.app (ijailbreak.com/repo.plist) and choose which firmware you're upgrading from in the new iJailBreakMobile category. (I've written out more detailed instructions at iJailBreak.com.)
Although this does delete third-party applications installed on your 1.1.1 or 1.1.2, it doesn't delete the settings, so if/when you reinstall them, all preferences or high-scores or whatever will show up. Also, this doesn't mess with any iPhone activation or unlocks--the phone will work "right out of the box."
Just wanted to let you guys know that you don't just have to have a Mac (or even a Windows PC) to get third-party apps on your iPod Touch or iPhone!
Thanks,
Ben from Philadelphia
Hey Tom, Molly and Jason,
Just wanted to let you guys know that yesterday AriX and I released iJailBreakMobile 1.0, which allows iPhones and iPod Touches on Jailbroken 1.1.1 and 1.1.2 installations to upgrade to Jailbreak 1.1.3 without the use of the computer--it's all done over the Internet and on the device through Installer.app.
The process is relatively simple and essentially all you have to do is add a new source to Installer.app (ijailbreak.com/repo.plist) and choose which firmware you're upgrading from in the new iJailBreakMobile category. (I've written out more detailed instructions at iJailBreak.com.)
Although this does delete third-party applications installed on your 1.1.1 or 1.1.2, it doesn't delete the settings, so if/when you reinstall them, all preferences or high-scores or whatever will show up. Also, this doesn't mess with any iPhone activation or unlocks--the phone will work "right out of the box."
Just wanted to let you guys know that you don't just have to have a Mac (or even a Windows PC) to get third-party apps on your iPod Touch or iPhone!
Thanks,
Ben from Philadelphia
We're through, Molly!
Hi Buzz,
I am a huge fan of your show, but I'm afraid I may not be able to be a loyal listener much longer. After Molly stated in episode 648 that sources offering free MP3s is not to be trusted, but doesn't music.download.com to this very thing?
And after seeing Molly's latest Buzz Report linking her to the CIA, I'm beginning to wonder how much I can trust her. Love the show, keep up the good work.
Best,
Matt
Hi Buzz,
I am a huge fan of your show, but I'm afraid I may not be able to be a loyal listener much longer. After Molly stated in episode 648 that sources offering free MP3s is not to be trusted, but doesn't music.download.com to this very thing?
And after seeing Molly's latest Buzz Report linking her to the CIA, I'm beginning to wonder how much I can trust her. Love the show, keep up the good work.
Best,
Matt
This is how the world ends
This is an interesting talk given at the TED conference in 2002 about the 10 most likely ways the world will come to and end.
#9 is aliens. All I'm sayin'.
Ethan
Minneapolis
This is an interesting talk given at the TED conference in 2002 about the 10 most likely ways the world will come to and end.
#9 is aliens. All I'm sayin'.
Ethan
Minneapolis
iPhones around the world
Hey BOL, this is Hamza from UAE.
I was just listening to episode 648 and just wanted to tell you that over here, too, you can get an iPhone from almost anywhere. Even Virgin magastores has them "under the counter" (Wink, Wink, Nudge, Nudge) but for a whopping price of $1,089. Love the show.
Hey BOL, this is Hamza from UAE.
I was just listening to episode 648 and just wanted to tell you that over here, too, you can get an iPhone from almost anywhere. Even Virgin magastores has them "under the counter" (Wink, Wink, Nudge, Nudge) but for a whopping price of $1,089. Love the show.
I have to correct you on your assumption that there are unlocked iPhones
everywhere in Japan. I suppose this is in part due to the fact that it's
virtually impossible to get only a SIM card here. A phone is pretty much
tied to a plan here and vice versa. And even though you can watch TV on
a lot phones, they're all the same kind of uninspired clam-shell clone.
If and when the iPhone finally does come out over here, it may well turn the market on its head like it did in the U.S.
You were correct about Hong Kong though.
Chrs,
Dav the freshly married guy
If and when the iPhone finally does come out over here, it may well turn the market on its head like it did in the U.S.
You were correct about Hong Kong though.
Chrs,
Dav the freshly married guy
Regarding the subject on iPhones from Friday (episode 647). You were
wondering how many iPhones were in Canada, Australia, and all the other
places where iPhone hasn't launched yet.
Did you think about Colombia?
Well, in my country I have seen many people calling on their iPhones. In fact, in our criolla version of eBay, Deremate.com you can find locked and unlocked iPhones (at insane prices). So maybe there are more places to look for the missing iPods in the Apple numbers.
Thank you for changing my commute from boring to interesting and informative.
Regards,
Bernardo the reservoir engineer
Did you think about Colombia?
Well, in my country I have seen many people calling on their iPhones. In fact, in our criolla version of eBay, Deremate.com you can find locked and unlocked iPhones (at insane prices). So maybe there are more places to look for the missing iPods in the Apple numbers.
Thank you for changing my commute from boring to interesting and informative.
Regards,
Bernardo the reservoir engineer
Show notes, RSS style
Hey, you guys said you can get the show notes in an RSS feed--how would I go about doing this? 'Cause I'm not gonna lie, I don't really check it in my Gmail, but I might in Google Reader (when I'm listening to the show).
Thanks!
Hey, you guys said you can get the show notes in an RSS feed--how would I go about doing this? 'Cause I'm not gonna lie, I don't really check it in my Gmail, but I might in Google Reader (when I'm listening to the show).
Thanks!