Episode 581: The final EULA!
Rest easy, friends. You'll never have to agree to another EULA again. This one covers everything.
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
Rest easy, friends. You'll never have to agree to another EULA again. We've uncovered one that, with enough wiggle room, could potentially apply to everything you ever download. Yay? Meanwhile, Tom and Molly debate the merit of the Internet tax ban and WiMax, but it's a happy Friday, and everybody wins.
--Molly
Listen now: Download today's podcast
--Molly
Listen now: Download today's podcast
 | EPISODE 581 |
TODAY'S LINKS:
TODAY'S VOICE MAIL:
Sam from Missoula
A solution for a bricked iPhone.
A solution for a bricked iPhone.
Allan from Pennsylvania
Some Facebook tips for Rich--and Tom.
Some Facebook tips for Rich--and Tom.
Clayton from Oklahoma
A good use for Facebook.
A good use for Facebook.
TODAY'S E-MAIL:
XP plus Vista equals Pista
I'm no marketing genius, but I got to thinking about the underwhelming awesomeness of a backward Vista meld to XP. Combine XP and Vista and what do you get?
Pista
Hey, it's even a Spanish word--"track"--as in AutoPista (freeway)!
It also embodies everything I feel about XP and Vista in one visceral utterance. In fact, I think we can all start to use the term Pista (and/or ex-Pista) going forward, unless I trademark the term and copyright it--then I'll charge 1 cent (Canadian) to use it.
Ernest W. Lehmann
I'm no marketing genius, but I got to thinking about the underwhelming awesomeness of a backward Vista meld to XP. Combine XP and Vista and what do you get?
Pista
Hey, it's even a Spanish word--"track"--as in AutoPista (freeway)!
It also embodies everything I feel about XP and Vista in one visceral utterance. In fact, I think we can all start to use the term Pista (and/or ex-Pista) going forward, unless I trademark the term and copyright it--then I'll charge 1 cent (Canadian) to use it.
Ernest W. Lehmann
iPod output limits
First of all, thanks for some very good shows!
I listen to your show on my iPod and recently upgraded? to a 5.5 gen Classic 80GB. I am an old guy and my eyes are not what they used to be, so I sometimes used a Phillips DVD/iPod player to view my BSG videos on a 7-inch screen. I was p*ss*d to find that the hosers at Apple put something in the firmware so that the Classic will not output to any device which does not have an Apple certified chip or something like that. Is this something they have taken from Bill Gates and his gang? It really sucks, especially as my wife, who inherited my 60GB iPod, won't give it back!
(Consider it a tommyrant.)
Thanks,
Thomas V. Baker
First of all, thanks for some very good shows!
I listen to your show on my iPod and recently upgraded? to a 5.5 gen Classic 80GB. I am an old guy and my eyes are not what they used to be, so I sometimes used a Phillips DVD/iPod player to view my BSG videos on a 7-inch screen. I was p*ss*d to find that the hosers at Apple put something in the firmware so that the Classic will not output to any device which does not have an Apple certified chip or something like that. Is this something they have taken from Bill Gates and his gang? It really sucks, especially as my wife, who inherited my 60GB iPod, won't give it back!
(Consider it a tommyrant.)
Thanks,
Thomas V. Baker
Millenium music
Hey Buzz crew,
I've been in Charleston, SC for a while, and Millenium Music has had a lot of success doing this for a while as they are near two universities. So they have a good supply of used music to sell and buy, being so close to all these college students. If I remember correctly, they started doing this with the third-gen iPods and have kept expanding as new iPods come out.
Just thought I'd let you know a little more about it from someone who has used it.
Phillip
Hey Buzz crew,
I've been in Charleston, SC for a while, and Millenium Music has had a lot of success doing this for a while as they are near two universities. So they have a good supply of used music to sell and buy, being so close to all these college students. If I remember correctly, they started doing this with the third-gen iPods and have kept expanding as new iPods come out.
Just thought I'd let you know a little more about it from someone who has used it.
Phillip
Facebook mishap
It sounds like Rich DeMuro's Facebook adventure was a big deal around the office. But all this could be avoided. If you go to your own profile page, you can hide events from your feed. Just click on the "x" on the top-right corner of the post, and you can hide it from your main feed.
Works great if you join a group, then leave it right away and don't want to post that to all of your friends.
And keep up the good work on the podcast--it makes by drive to work enjoyable!
Dan
It sounds like Rich DeMuro's Facebook adventure was a big deal around the office. But all this could be avoided. If you go to your own profile page, you can hide events from your feed. Just click on the "x" on the top-right corner of the post, and you can hide it from your main feed.
Works great if you join a group, then leave it right away and don't want to post that to all of your friends.
And keep up the good work on the podcast--it makes by drive to work enjoyable!
Dan
Is that Tom?
Hello there,
I was checking out the new blog (nice work), and I noticed that Molly Wood's cohost was Tate Donovan.
What happened to Tom Merritt? Then I realized it was Tom. Yes, I realize this is a crazy e-mail. But I was hoping the funny would overpower the crazy.
Thanks for the fantastic shows,
Ryan Holowaty
Hello there,
I was checking out the new blog (nice work), and I noticed that Molly Wood's cohost was Tate Donovan.
What happened to Tom Merritt? Then I realized it was Tom. Yes, I realize this is a crazy e-mail. But I was hoping the funny would overpower the crazy.
Thanks for the fantastic shows,
Ryan Holowaty
Radiohead moral dilemma
I was mildly curious about the new Radiohead album, but not interested enough to actually want to pay anything for it. And I wouldn't have felt right downloading it for nothing, so I decided to pass.
Well, the other day I got a receipt thanking me for paying zero pounds and zero pence for the album, followed by another note with the download link.
You see, I have a constant problem with idiots who don't know their own e-mail addresses. They sign up for various services and subscriptions, providing my easy-to-remember Gmail address instead of their own, then I have to deal with the unwanted mail. Apparently one of these idiots (who is also a cheapskate) decided to pay nothing for the album, and I got the link instead.
So now I'm troubled. Do I download the album for nothing, letting the unknown idiot bear the moral burden of his cheapness? Or would it be wrong for me to take advantage both of Radiohead's idealism *and* this unknown user's stupidity?
Bob from Pittsboro, North Carolina
I was mildly curious about the new Radiohead album, but not interested enough to actually want to pay anything for it. And I wouldn't have felt right downloading it for nothing, so I decided to pass.
Well, the other day I got a receipt thanking me for paying zero pounds and zero pence for the album, followed by another note with the download link.
You see, I have a constant problem with idiots who don't know their own e-mail addresses. They sign up for various services and subscriptions, providing my easy-to-remember Gmail address instead of their own, then I have to deal with the unwanted mail. Apparently one of these idiots (who is also a cheapskate) decided to pay nothing for the album, and I got the link instead.
So now I'm troubled. Do I download the album for nothing, letting the unknown idiot bear the moral burden of his cheapness? Or would it be wrong for me to take advantage both of Radiohead's idealism *and* this unknown user's stupidity?
Bob from Pittsboro, North Carolina
AT&T returns
I called four stores in my area to confirm this, and each rep said the same thing.
They ask for your phone number when making a purchase in case you lose your receipt and still want to make a return within the 30 days. All four reps confirmed that non-AT&T customers can return things, as long as it's within 30 days and they have the receipt and packaging. What's more, they also let me know that you can return it to any corporate-owned Cingular stores, so you don't have to go back to the one that gave you trouble. But please, my first advice still stands: call the store before making the trip. I had to call stores in my time zone to confirm this, but I'll try to get hold of the stores in St. Louis, Missouri in the morning.
Miles
I called four stores in my area to confirm this, and each rep said the same thing.
They ask for your phone number when making a purchase in case you lose your receipt and still want to make a return within the 30 days. All four reps confirmed that non-AT&T customers can return things, as long as it's within 30 days and they have the receipt and packaging. What's more, they also let me know that you can return it to any corporate-owned Cingular stores, so you don't have to go back to the one that gave you trouble. But please, my first advice still stands: call the store before making the trip. I had to call stores in my time zone to confirm this, but I'll try to get hold of the stores in St. Louis, Missouri in the morning.
Miles
BOL reunites old friends...
So I get this message on Facebook today from, well, let's call him Todd the theatre professor:
"So, here's an off-the-wall question, but do you listen to a podast from CNET, called 'Buzz Out Loud'? I do, and I'm listening to it one day when they get an e-mail from 'Dave The Psychologist' who, it turns out, works at a Canadian University and is into video games. Seemed like way too much of a coincidence."
Todd and I worked together (albeit in different departments) at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College of the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Corner Brook, Newfoundland for about five years, he was also my across- the-street neighbour.
Probably not interesting to read on the show, but cool nonetheless.
Oh, the Royal Canadian Mint is what is called a Crown Corporation BTW...
Dave the psychologist
So I get this message on Facebook today from, well, let's call him Todd the theatre professor:
"So, here's an off-the-wall question, but do you listen to a podast from CNET, called 'Buzz Out Loud'? I do, and I'm listening to it one day when they get an e-mail from 'Dave The Psychologist' who, it turns out, works at a Canadian University and is into video games. Seemed like way too much of a coincidence."
Todd and I worked together (albeit in different departments) at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College of the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Corner Brook, Newfoundland for about five years, he was also my across- the-street neighbour.
Probably not interesting to read on the show, but cool nonetheless.
Oh, the Royal Canadian Mint is what is called a Crown Corporation BTW...
Dave the psychologist