TELECOM Digest     Wed, 25 May 2005 19:40:00 EDT    Volume 24 : Issue 233

Inside This Issue:                             Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Police Raid Bit Torrent Site; Shut it Down; Take Away Computers (Minter)
    Heir Apparent at Microsoft (Lisa Minter)
    Calling Card Call Blocked by Caller-ID ?!? (trevor_a47@hotmail.com)
    More on Verizon Fiber/FiOS (Lee Sweet)
    Re: Tangled up Over DSL - Some Cell Phone Users Demand (William Warren)
    Re: First Place, Web Promotion, Unsolicited Calls? (Steve Sobol)
    Re: Very Early Modems (Julian Thomas)

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Lisa Minter <lisa_minter2001@yahoo.com>
Subject: Police Raid Bit Torrent Site; Shut it Down; Take Away Computers 
Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 17:43:14 -0500



Government shuts down Web site used to steal "Star Wars: Revenge of
the Sith." Federal agents and movers busy all day Wednesday hauling
away computer equipment, servers, other files.

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Federal agents launched a crackdown Wednesday
on users of a popular new technology used to steal the latest "Star
Wars" movie and other large data files, according to immigration
officials. 

The campaign was described by government officials as the first-ever
criminal action against operators of the file-sharing program known as
BitTorrent.

BitTorrent, described as Hollywood's version of the Napster scourge
that rocked the music industry several years ago, has been used by
Internet users to download massive files, such as movies and video
games, quickly and far more easily than they could in the past.

BitTorrent captured headlines last week when it was revealed that
"Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" was available for free
online.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced in a statement a
crackdown against top members of a file-sharing network that is based
on BitTorrent and calls itself Elite Torrents.

Government agents said the onslaught included 10 search warrants and
the shut down of a central Web site used to coordinate all
file-sharing activity on the Elite Torrents network.

That Web site, Elitetorrents.org, had a selection of copyrighted works
that government officials described as "virtually unlimited."

The sixth and final installment of the "Star Wars" franchise was
available for downloading on Elitetorrents.org more than six hours
before it was released on theaters Thursday after midnight, according
to the government statement.

Within 24 hours, more than 10,000 copies of the "Star Wars" film had
been swiped.

Find this article at:
http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/25/technology/piracy/index.htm

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

*** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the
use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without
profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the
understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic
issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I
believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the U.S.  Copyright Law. If you wish
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beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner, in this instance, CNN/Money. 

For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

------------------------------

From: Lisa Minter <lisa_minter2001@yahoo.com>
Subject: An Heir Apparent at Microsoft? 
Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 17:46:19 -0500


Report: Server unit boss Eric Rudder, 38, seen as early leader in race
to one day lead company.

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - A published report said that the head of
Microsoft's server business could be an early front-runner to
eventually run the world's No. 1 software company, although current
leadership has given no indication they are anywhere close to leaving
the company.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Eric Rudder, 38, a senior
vice president at the software company, is being seen as a leading
candidate among Microsoft executives. Microsoft Chairman and
co-founder Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer are both only 49 and not
likely to leave the company any time soon, the newspaper said.

Rudder's group has grown at 15 to 20 percent annually for the last few
years, reaching $10 billion a year in sales. He's also seen as a
leader in making an outreach effort to Microsoft customers, moving
away from the company's corporate headquarters near Seattle to its
office in Paris to be closer to its full range of global customers.

Before he took over the server business two years ago, Rudder served
as Gates' technical assistant for four years, which the newspaper
reports was seen as a sign he was being groomed. That tenure is the
longest that anyone has served in that position.

The newspaper lists some other top executives who could also be
candidates to eventually succeed Gates and Ballmer. They include
Steven Sinofsky, a senior vice president leading the Office business;
Chris Jones, a vice president guiding Windows development; Yusuf
Mehdi, a senior vice president in charge of MSN; and J Allard, a vice
president who heads the Xbox team.

Find this article at:
http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/25/technology/microsoft_successor/index.htm

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

*** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the
use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without
profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the
understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic
issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I
believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the U.S.  Copyright Law. If you wish
to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go
beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner, in this instance, CNN/Money.

For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

------------------------------

From: trevor_a47@hotmail.com
Subject: Calling Card Call Blocked by Caller-IS ?!?
Date: 25 May 2005 14:05:21 -0700


I tried to use a calling card today (IDT is the provider, off the
shelf, no activation required), I entered the pin and then dialed the
number as prompted, and then I got a message that blocked calls are
blocked, and to press *(whatever) to unblock my number before dialing.
(This wasn't a calling card message, it was the standard one you get.)

This has never happened before.  I thought the calling card company's
outgoing number was shown. I call this person fairly often, and he's
does have blocked calls blocked. Now I have to go buy a different
card.

Anyone ever heard of this?  Calls from calling cards being blocked?

------------------------------

From: Lee Sweet <lee@datatel.com>
Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 17:45:01 -0400
Subject: More on Verizon Fiber/FiOS


(PAT, I think the Digest is burping again.. got several of 230 and
several more of 231, and some of the 231 content was the same as
230...)

Catching up on back reading, and here is some more info on Verizon
network/telco fiber, something I know a bit about, since my
development is being *100%* converted to FiOS this summer!

I've had several back and forth conversations with our Telecom
committee folks, who are talking with Verizon about several points I
and others have raised including these:

1.  We don't have a choice.  The copper is being disconnected, and
fiber installed.  If you have DSL, you will be replaced with the
lowest FiOS tier. It's not been said if this will cost more than the
current special pricing for DSL in the future or not.  We have been
told that people that signed up for the special '1 year commitment of
DSL' will *not* be penalized for that term, anyway.

But, we will be all fiber by the end of the summer.

2. The internal copper telco wiring in your home will be connected to
the new OND (Optical Network Device?  I forget) demarc, and your
telephone lines will be converted at that time.  Network connectivity
is via a Cat5e or better cable to be connected to the OND and then to
a new router that you 'have' to use since it has some special
troubleshooting 'stuff' in it.  I intend to put my Vonage box behind
that, and then my other router and switches behind that, as is the
case now.  (Good thing I know networking... :-) )

The network connection can be an issue in many cases, since most
people don't have their current router near the demarc (but in some
convenient room where telco copper lines went), and it's unclear how
much inside network cabling Verizon will do as part of this
installation.  :-)

3.  With 15 down/2 up, there's no reason VoIP shouldn't work very
well. I currently use Vonage over a cable modem (4 down/768k up,
theoretically, and it's fine).  I've read the terms of service for
FiOS (see http://www.verizon.com/fios ) and as far as I can see,
all/most of the DSL terms of service still apply).

4. And, as was stated, all the future features/issues of video-on-
demand, satellite-equivalent channels (what they *really* want the
fiber in place for) is up in the air.  Note that the current Verizon
DirecTV arrangement is for new customers only, and is merely a billing
discount; there's no delivery of DirecTV signals over Verizon lines at
this time, either copper or fiber, that I'm aware of!

Hope that's useful!

Lee Sweet
lee@datatel.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 18:17:44 -0400
From: William Warren <william_warren_nonoise@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Tangled up Over DSL - Some Cell Phone Users Demand to Stand


Jack Decker wrote:

> http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3195270

> Some Cell Phone Users Demand to Stand Alone

> By JOHN C. ROPER
> Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

> A growing number of U.S. consumers are cutting the cord on traditional
> home telephone service, choosing instead to exclusively use cell
> phones.

> But many of these consumers have found ditching their land-line phone
> service, and its accompanying cost, isn't possible if they want speedy
> DSL, or digital subscriber line, Internet service in their homes.

> Providers such as SBC Communications require customers to buy
> residential phone service to have access to their broadband lines, a
> tactic consumer advocacy groups say is unfair.

The independents, such as Covad, have had to order and use separate
loops since they started in business.

Cross-subsidy and competition issues aside, the Bells are certainly
_able_ to offer the service on a technical level.

William

------------------------------

From: Steve Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net>
Subject: Re: First Place, Web Promotion, Unsolicited Calls?
Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 15:22:00 -0700
Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com


usenet@outshine.com wrote:

> Has anyone recently received an unsolicited call from someone
> representing "First Place?"  They apparently make a Web promotion
> product.  Any information at all would be helpful.

Yeah, feh ... can't remember which product First Place Software
publishes ... WebPosition Gold, maybe?

 ... No, it looks like WPG was bought by WebTrends.

Heh, but when I do a search on First Place Software, a sponsored link
to WPG comes up, so I guess I was right!

> Today I received an unsolicited call from them.  The agent asked if I
> owned outshine.com and then told me he had a product that would help
> my site to make a lot of money.  He asked me to open up a Web browser.
> Unfortunately, I didn't give him a chance to give me a URL.

> I told him to put me on his do not call list.  He REFUSED.  I asked
> for his name.  He refused.  I told him he was violating at least US
> law, and he needed to respond.  He simply repeated, "don't you want to
> make money with your site?"

Idiots. Yup, WebTrends was the company that had a buggy log analysis 
product and couldn't help me fix the many bugs I had over a period of 
about eighteen months, and started sending me nastygrams about trademark 
infringement when I registered WebTrendsSucks.com even though I had just 
registered it, and never used it for email or a web site.

WebTrends is at 851 SW 6th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97204. If you were
on the federal DNC list, the FTC can fine them for the violation. If
not, you may be able to sue them yourself under the 1991 Telephone
Consumer Protection Act. I would not advise doing anything, however,
unless you call a lawyer (except if you're going to file the DNC
violation with the FTC).


JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
     --New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

------------------------------

From: Julian Thomas <jt@withheld_on_request>
Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 19:02:25 -0400
Subject: Re: Very Early Modems


<as usual pse obscure my email address - tnx>

In <20050525215416.33CD91505B@massis.lcs.mit.edu>, on 05/25/05 
was typed:

>> However, in the 1950s, IBM developed card-to-card directly without
>> paper tape and "over AT&T lines".  Modems were developed to take good
>> advtg of the available bandwidth (about 1200 baud).  Undoubtedly the
>> equipment and implementation was developed in close cooperation with
>> AT&T.

> This was the IBM "Card-to-card" transceiver.  I don't know when they
> first came out, but the Army started implementing them in a nationwide
> network in September of 1956.

I saw one in operation between the GE Lynn Mass facility and somewhere
else in 1960 or 61, in the same room as the 704.

<snip>

> I believe they used 4-wire leased lines, with data access arrangement
> boxes provided by Ma Bell.  So the signals going into the big grey box
> next to the reader/punch were analogue.  I don't recall what the
> transmission rate was, but they sent EBCDIC directly without any
> translation to a 5-channel code and no added headers.

No, it would NOT have been EBCDIC, which didn't emerge until System/360
around 1965.  Try BCD or maybe some 2 out of 12 code.

 Julian Thomas:    ID=jt  domain=jt-mj period net    http://jt-mj.net
 In the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State!
 Warpstock 2005: Hershey, Pa. October 6-9, 2005 - http://www.warpstock.org

 There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved by a suitable 
 application of high explosives.

------------------------------


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End of TELECOM Digest V24 #233
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