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::: Friday, April 26 ::: |
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::: Thursday, April 25 ::: |
Hmm: The Covers Project
This is certainly an interesting experiment. It's similar to the interconnected.org Dirk project, but with a bit more purpose. The database seems to be a reasonable size, but I found a few items of my own to add.
9:58 AM CST ::
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Uhm, no: Using tax dollars to combat piracy
This is ridiculous. It's preposterous to allow the RIAA to retain the profits from selling music while using tax dollars to protect their interests. Using that logic I could claim that, since it is illegal to break into my house, that the goverment should give me a grant to buy a security system.
8:55 AM CST ::
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::: Wednesday, April 24 ::: |
Interesting: The brains behind Kazaa
First off, calling the CEO of any tech company the "brains behind" their technology is high comedy. I have yet to meet a CEO who even had a baseline understanding of the technology s/he was selling. They all have a keen mind for business and marketing, but that's a far cry from being the "brains" of the organization.
That's beside the point, however. My main concern here is that after grilling the CEO of Brilliant (while Ms. Hemming steadfastly refused interview after interview) that they gave her such softball questions. Why should she not be held just as accountable for the AltNet fiasco as Brilliant? After all, if Sharman Networks hadn't agreed to secretly distribute Brilliant's stealthware then we wouldn't even be talking about it right now.
Perhaps the author of this Wired article would have conducted a more statisfying interview.
9:34 AM CST ::
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Hmm: Virus writers outpace traditional AV
I don't think this is news to anyone. Attempting to block unknown viruses is akin to predicting the weather. The law of averages dictates that you're likely to hit the mark a few times, but for the most part it's just a crap shoot.
Beyond that I don't see how moving the scanning one step up the ladder will help things. In fact, I would expect that false positives would often cause legitimate e-mail to be discarded and we all know how well that will go over with business users.
9:22 AM CST ::
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::: Tuesday, April 23 ::: |
Whoa: Gateway is painting PCs platinum
"The Gateway 600, the company's new flagship notebook, includes a feature that will let owners listen to MP3 and other audio files on headphones without turning on the machine; listeners control the playback through external buttons."
That's pretty cool.
9:06 AM CST ::
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Uhm: Gates says Leave My Windows Alone
And I quote:
"The loss of a reliable set of interfaces, Gates argued, would fragment Windows into different editions that wouldn't interoperate -- effectively creating incompatible versions and multiple markets for applications."
Like, say, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP have done already? Just about every one of Gates arguments against the settlement falls flat because Microsoft has already done the things that Gates is scared others will do. I was particularly amused by the "over fished pond" theory since Microsoft is perhaps the biggest overfisher in history as it wants a piece of everyone's pie.
In the end it comes down to this: we either need one common platform which is maintained by a community, completely interoperable, and easily customizable for vertical markets; or we need many OS alternatives from multiple sources to suit the unique needs of individual tasks. Microsoft is completely opposed to both of these possiblities, and thus, is never going to appease the dissenting states. Any decress passed down from the courts are going to be so watered down that Microsoft will easily leap through the loopholes.
8:51 AM CST ::
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Sweet: Teaching Your iPod Some New Tricks
There's some good stuff here, including advice for introducing your iPod into a Windows environment. I think I'm going to wait just a little longer to see if Apple is going to release a "supported" solution for PC users. I'm assuming that Apple is waiting to see if USB2 takes off at all before comitting to the platform. If so, then the delay could be long enough for a competitor to steal their thunder.
8:38 AM CST ::
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::: Friday, April 19 ::: |
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::: Thursday, April 18 ::: |
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::: Wednesday, April 17 ::: |
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Cool: MessageLabs ThreatList
Want to know where your favorite virus is charting this month? Look no further than this page. They even keep archives so you can reminisce about that kooky PrettyPark infestation of '00.
10:26 AM CST ::
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::: Tuesday, April 16 ::: |
Thppt: In defense of copyright
This interviewer might as well shredded his questions and farted them into the wind. It's obvious that Mr. Goldberg has far more important matters on his mind than actually answering the questions posed of him. That said, it is somewhat educational observing how he is able to twist his response around to half answer the question while simultaneously stating his opinions about other subjects.
9:25 AM CST ::
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Hmm: AMD chief raps proposed Microsoft remedy
The court has hinted that the the testimony of Sun and AOL representatives will be taken with a grain of salt, because they ostensibly will gain marketshare from a Microsoft defeat. If that is indeed the case, then I would have to argue that AMD's statements should be viewed in the same light. Not because AMD stands to benefit from Microsoft's defeat, but that they will likely gain favor with the software maker should their testimony prove harmful to the state's case.
AMD is slowly becoming Microsoft's darling due to moves such as this one. Does anyone think Intel could have gotten away with branding their new processor the "Pentium XP"? Get real, MS would have nailed Intel to the wall. Athlon XP though? No problem.
I'm just saying that all testimony should be viewed equally regardless of it's source. Barring that, if detractors are given less clout than supporters then the whole process is fatally flawed.
9:04 AM CST ::
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::: Monday, April 15 ::: |
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Bravo: Microsoft's mythical man-years
This is the best and most level-headed look at Microsoft's "Trustworthy Computing" initiative I've seen so far. Mr. Rosenberg tends to disect things from a historical perspective which I find quite refreshing.
10:17 AM CST ::
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::: Friday, April 12 ::: |
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Uhm: Napster lays off 30 employees
No offense to anyone at Napster, but I'm curious what those 70 remaining employees could possibly be doing with their time. I'm left to assume that most of the employees must be lawyers and paralegals. I can't imagine that much programming is going on.
8:51 AM CST ::
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::: Thursday, April 11 ::: |
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Uhm: Memory card shortage irks PS2 buyers
As much as I am loath to admit it, Microsoft definitely made the right choice by allowing game saves to the internal hard drive. Memory cards, even the best quality ones, are flaky and way too expensive.
10:25 AM CST ::
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Gasp: Europe rejects Internet content 'blocking'
It's odd that there were zero votes in favor of the blocking measure. I'm not fully up to speed on European parliamentary procedure, but it seems as though at least one person would have had to been in favor of blocking for the issue to be brought to a vote in the first place. Regardless, this is certainly a win for the good guys.
10:17 AM CST ::
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::: Wednesday, April 10 ::: |
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::: Tuesday, April 9 ::: |
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Uhm: MP3 player could change your tune
I'm still completely baffled that anyone would consider this a step forward. A $370 player with $12 discs that store less on two sides than a CDR can store on a single side. Add to that the fact that anything copied onto a DataPlay disc cannot ever be copied back off of it and you have the perfect recipe for a DOA product.
9:12 AM CST ::
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Hmm: Brilliant responds
Brilliant CEO, Kevin Bermeister, answers questions posed by ZDNet's David Coursey. Referring to his responses as "answers" is a bit generous, however. Most of his rejoinders amount to little more than legal double-speak and finger pointing. Just because other companies are using similar distribution methods and EULA trickery does not make it an acceptable business practice. Companies like Brilliant and DoubleClick need to be put so far out of business that their great-grandchildren need food stamps.
8:58 AM CST ::
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::: Monday, April 8 ::: |
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Hmm: IE patch bugs readers
There are some good points on both sides of the fence in this article, but I think this quote says it all:
"Stupid people should always be given every opportunity to harm themselves."
8:58 AM CST ::
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::: Thursday, April 4 ::: |
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Heh: Terrorized by file swappers
I know exactly what he means. Did you see the Ocsars this year? The stars were forced to arrive in *domestic* limos instead of Rolls Royces. That's gotta be tough.
8:54 AM CST ::
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Baa: Belluzzo out at Microsoft in reorganization
Big companies always need a sacrificial lamb for big reorgs, but they generally pick someone who the public dislikes. I can't say I've ever even heard of Mr. Belluzzo, much less reviled him. That said, if he actually is to blame for the "software as a service" concept, then good riddance to him.
8:51 AM CST ::
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::: Tuesday, April 2 ::: |
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w00t: Nintendo may cut GameCube's price
It's about time Sony dropped price for the PS2. I'm really surprised they didn't do it last Christmas... or at least offer a rebate coupon or something. I wonder how low Nintendo will be willing to go? $149? $99?
In the end it really doesn't matter because Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are all losing money on every box they sell. They'd probably give the damn things away free if it wouldn't cause a problem with value perception in the minds of consumers.
One thing that would probably work well would be to start a Columbia House style club. They could offer a 100% rebate to club members who agreed to buy 10 games over the next two years. Talk about a built-in and loyal fan base.
8:32 AM CST ::
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Sad: HP board blackballs Walter
"It is unfortunate that the HP board has seemingly missed what the company's stockholders have clearly recognised: that dissent is not disloyalty, that healthy boards need not agree on every issue," [Hewlett] said.
Well said. If you can get that many people to agree then you've got the wrong people on your board. Look at Enron... I'll bet they all agreed to shaft their employees and exempt themselves from the lock down.
8:25 AM CST ::
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Cool: Windows on a database
The Reg takes a moment to talk with the guys who developed the file system for BeOS. It's mostly nuts and bolts talk about low level stuff, but it's cool to think that Be was able to accomplish so much with so few programmers.
8:21 AM CST ::
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dinoneil[at]newdream[dot]net
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