From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Dec 1 11:00:49 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 053A32252; Fri, 1 Dec 2006 11:00:48 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #401 Message-Id: <20061201160048.053A32252@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 11:00:48 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 1 Dec 2006 11:03:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 401 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Financial Firms Cyber Attack to Start Today (Kristin Roberts) New Federal Laws Require Email Tracking (Associated Press News Wire) Body X-Ray Scans Starting in Phoenix (Associated Press News Wire) DISH Network SaveMyChannels Distant Network Channels (Monty Solomon) Address Needed (Henry Cabot Henhouse III) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - November 30, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Tech Companies Try Show-and-Tell Concept For Stores (USTelecom dailyLead) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:13:03 -0600 From: Kristin Roberts Subject: Financial Firms Cyber Attack to Start Today Financial firms warned of Qaeda cyber attack By Kristin Roberts The U.S. government warned American private financial services on Thursday of an al Qaeda call for a cyber attack against online stock trading and banking Web sites beginning on Friday, a source said. The source, a person familiar with the warning, said the Islamic militant group aimed to penetrate and destroy the databases of the U.S. financial sites. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed an alert had been distributed but said there was no reason to believe the threat was credible. The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team issued a "situational awareness report to industry stakeholders," said Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke. The warning said the threat called for attacks to begin Friday and run through the month of December in retaliation for the United States keeping terrorism suspects at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. "Denial of service is what it called for," said a Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity. A person familiar with the warning said the threat came from a group calling itself "ANHIAR al-Dollar." The effort was related to al Qaeda and intended to avenge "Muslim brothers in the crusaders' Guantanamo prison camp," the source said. Reaction in the financial community was muted, with markets showing little or no reaction. New York Republican Rep. Peter King (news, bio, voting record), chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, said the report was "nothing to panic over, but it will be looked at very carefully." Robert Albertson, chief investment strategist at Sandler O'Neill & Partners in New York, said it was unlikely al Qaeda members could do serious harm to financial Web sites. "I'm not saying there aren't precautions to be taken, but I just can't fathom how there would be serious havoc," he added. Brian Jenkins, a terrorism expert with the RAND Corp., said that such threats were not unusual. "There is a regular stream of Jihadist exhortations to attack various targets," he said. "Financial organizations stay at a fairly high level of readiness anyway because of regular assaults." A government source said regulators were being briefed on the warning. (Additional reporting by David Morgan, Paul Eckert and Jim Christie in San Francisco) Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:00:27 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: New Federal Laws Require Email Tracking U.S. companies will need to keep track of all the e-mails, instant messages and other electronic documents generated by their employees thanks to new federal rules that go into effect Friday, legal experts say. The rules, approved by the Supreme Court in April, require companies and other entities involved in federal litigation to produce "electronically stored information" as part of the discovery process, when evidence is shared by both sides before a trial. The change makes it more important for companies to know what electronic information they have and where. Under the new rules, an information technology employee who routinely copies over a backup computer tape could be committing the equivalent of "virtual shredding," said Alvin F. Lindsay, a partner at Hogan & Hartson LLP and expert on technology and litigation. James Wright, director of electronic discovery at Halliburton Co., said that large companies are likely to face higher costs from organizing their data to comply with the rules. In addition to e-mail, companies will need to know about things more difficult to track, like digital photos of work sites on employee cell phones and information on removable memory cards, he said. Both federal and state courts have increasingly been requiring the production of relevant electronic documents during discovery, but the new rules codify the practice, legal experts said. The rules also require that lawyers provide information about where their clients' electronic data is stored and how accessible it is much earlier in a lawsuit than was previously the case. There are hundreds of "e-discovery vendors" and these businesses raked in approximately $1.6 billion in 2006, Wright said. That figure could double in 2007, he added. Another expense will likely stem from the additional time lawyers will have to spend reviewing electronic documents before turning them over to the other side. While the amount of data will be narrowed by electronic searches, some high-paid lawyers will still have to sift through casual e-mails about subjects like "office birthday parties in the pantry" in order to find information relevant to a particular case. Martha Dawson, a partner at the Seattle-based law firm of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP who specializes in electronic discovery, said the burden of the new rules won't be that great. Companies will not have to alter how they retain their electronic documents, she said, but will have to do an "inventory of their IT system" in order to know better where the documents are. The new rules also provide better guidance on how electronic evidence is to be handled in federal litigation, including guidelines on how companies can seek exemptions from providing data that isn't "reasonably accessible," she said. This could actually reduce the burden of electronic discovery, she said. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:43:23 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Body X-Ray Scans Starting in Phoenix Phoenix airport to test X-ray screening. They'll be part of 'Secondary Inspections' at all airports soon. Sky Harbor International Airport here will test a new federal screening system that takes X-rays of passenger's bodies to detect concealed explosives and other weapons. The technology, called backscatter, has been around for several years but has not been widely used in the U.S. as an anti-terrorism tool because of privacy concerns. Privacy is no longer a concern of the government. The Transportation Security Administration said it has found a way to refine the machine's images so that the normally graphic pictures can be blurred in certain areas while still being effective in detecting bombs and other threats. The agency is expected to provide more information about the technology later this month but said one machine will be up and running at Sky Harbor's Terminal 4 by Christmas. The security agency's Web site indicates that the technology will be used initially as a secondary screening measure, meaning that only those passengers who first fail the standard screening process will be escorted to the X-ray area. Even then, passengers will have the option of choosing the backscatter or a traditional patt-down search. A handful of other U.S. airports will have the X-rays machines in place by early 2007 as part of a nationwide pilot program, TSA officials said. The technology already is being used in prisons and by drug enforcement agents, and has been tested at London's Heathrow Airport. The security agency says the machines will be effective in helping detect plastic or liquid explosives and other non-metallic weapons that can be missed by standard metal detectors. Some say the high-resolution images -- which clearly depict the outline of the passenger's body, plus anything attached to it, such as jewelry -- are too invasive. But the TSA said the X-rays will be set up so that the image can be viewed only by a security officer in a remote location. Other passengers, and even the agent at the checkpoint, will not have access to the picture. In addition, the system will be configured so that the X-ray will be deleted as soon as the individual steps away from the machine. It will not be stored or available for printing or transmitting, agency spokesman Nico Melendez said. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 03:56:40 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: DISH Network SaveMyChannels Distant Network Channels Help Save Your Distant Network Channels By Supporting Pending Federal Legislation Today! This website is a resource to help explain the impact of a recent judicial action on DISH Network customers and other TV consumers. It also provides details on how affected customers and interested parties can help efforts to preserve distant network channels for as many DISH Network customers as possible, but only if they act right away. To learn more click the take action links below and then click What's At Stake. http://www.savemychannels.com/ ------------------------------ From: Henry Cabot Henhouse III Subject: Address Needed Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:05:37 -0800 Does anyone have any info about an outfit calling itself "Phone Revolution" ? The CLID shows 605-299-4105 ... calls to that number so far get voice mail. Need the real address and name of the idiot that runs it. I did a lookup of the domain, says it's in Aliso Viejo, Calif. but seeing as 605- is South Dakota, I wouldn't trust that this is their correct address. They keep calling me, on my cell, even tho the number is on the Do Not Call list AND I have demanded at least 3 times that they never call me again. I never can get a manager and they don't return phone calls... ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - November 30, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:32:39 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For November 30, 2006 ******************************** Nokia Lowers Operating-Profit-Margin Guidance on Pressures in Infrastructure Business http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21384?11228 Finnish telecoms equipment vendor Nokia has cut targets for its operating profit margin to 15% in the next two years, down from its previous guidance of 17%, on the back of slowing network infrastructure business. The company has also warned about the continuing price pressures in the global mobile handset marketplace, which could also ... AT&T-BellSouth Merger Hits Hurdles http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21381?11228 WITH THE FCC'S APPROVAL of the AT&T Inc.-BellSouth Corp. merger in mid-October fraught by last-minute deal-brokering and controversy, agency Chairman Kevin J. Martin canceled consideration of the transaction altogether until November. He said he was responding to concerns voiced by Democratic Commissioners Michael J. Copps ... Yahoo!, Nokia Extend Wireless Pact http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21375?11228 Yahoo! is once again delving deeper into the wireless space. In its latest deal with Nokia, the company will make additional Yahoo! services, such as e-mail and messaging, available on select Nokia handsets. The service offers the ability to synchronize Yahoo! contacts, tasks and calendars on the PC and wireless phone. At ... Verizon Wireless's YouTube Moment http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21372?11228 Surprising no one, Verizon Wireless announced that YouTube clips will appear on its VCast multimedia service. According to TelecomWeb news break sister e-letter Wireless Business Forecast, there are two arguments to be made about the viability of a mobilized YouTube, pro and con, but there's only one argument to be made about the ... New Tools for New Rules http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21369?11228 With revisions to the U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) set to go into effect Friday, it's no surprise we're seeing products aimed at facilitating e-discovery and compliance this week. Today, CommVault released a potentially useful addition to its archiving product, and newcomer InBoxer rolled out a more off-beat ... Farewell, Lucent http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21367?11228 As Lucent Technologies Inc. finalizes its merger with Alcatel and its power center shifts to Paris, Lucent Technologies Inc. will, from today, cease to exist. Lucent executives will likely argue that with Lucent CEO Patricia Russo taking the helm of the new company, Lucent isn't going away at all. But semantics aside, it ... Nokia's Slim Pickings for 2007 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21365?11228 Nokia Corp. is getting closer to launching new thin cellphones that it hopes will improve its profitability and market share in North America, home of its major rival, Motorola Inc. The Finnish vendor, however, is unlikely to see a major turnaround stateside before 2008, analysts predict. Nokia has been showing off some of its ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 12:35:13 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Tech Companies Try Show-and-Tell Concept for Stores USTelecom dailyLead November 30, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eViYfDtusXgNzNCibuddePKz TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Tech companies try show-and-tell concept for stores BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AT&T rolls out U-verse in Houston * NFL Network adds broadband to deal with Verizon * Study: More U.K. consumers subscribe to bundled services * Sprint expands EV-DO Rev A rollout USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Take a Stephen Shepard Crash Course in WiMAX, IMS, VoIP and Telecom TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Report: FTTH Q3 shipments down 1% * Analysis: Verizon Wireless' mobile video strategy * Samsung plans Mobile WiMAX push REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Republicans ask FCC to delay set-top ban Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eViYfDtusXgNzNCibuddePKz ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #401 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Dec 1 17:07:18 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 02BBE2258; Fri, 1 Dec 2006 17:07:17 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #402 Message-Id: <20061201220717.02BBE2258@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 17:07:17 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 1 Dec 2006 17:10:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 402 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Romanian Hacked US Computers, Now Indicted (Associated Press NewsWire) Police Dislike Informant's Web Site (Matt Apuzzo, AP) Yahoo Will Start Running BBC News Videos (Reuters News Wire) FCC Chief Proposal Seeks to Streamline Video-Franchising (USTelecomdaily) Telecom Update #557, December 1, 2006 (John Riddell) Toronto Home Telephone Providers (pstock) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 01, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:35:01 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Romanian Hacked US Computers, Now Indicted A Romanian national was indicted on charges of hacking into more than 150 U.S. government computers, causing disruptions that cost NASA, the Energy Department and the Navy nearly $1.5 million. The federal indictment charges Victor Faur, 26, of Arad, Romania with nine counts of computer intrusion and one count of conspiracy. He faces up to 54 years in prison if convicted of all counts, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office. Faur was being prosecuted by authorities in Romania on separate computer hacking charges, Mrozek said Thursday, and will be brought to Los Angeles upon resolution of that case. It was not known whether Faur had retained a lawyer in the United States. The U.S. government alleges Faur was the leader of a hacking group called "WhiteHat Team," whose main goal was to break into U.S. government computers because they are some of the securest in the world. After hacking into and taking control of the computers, Faur programmed them to operate as chat rooms so he could communicate with other WhiteHat members, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Hoffstadt said. During the break-ins, Faur searched for passwords that WhiteHat members could use to gain unauthorized access to other computers, Hoffstadt said. The compromised computers were used to collect, store and analyze scientific data -- including data from spacecraft in orbit and deep space -- and to evaluate new technologies. The machines were located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.; Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M.; and the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:02:08 -0600 From: Matt Apuzzo, AP Subject: Police Dislike Informant's Web Site Police decry Web site on informants By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer Police and prosecutors are worried that a Web site claiming to identify more than 4,000 informants and undercover agents will cripple investigations and hang targets on witnesses. The Web site, WhosaRat.com, first caught the attention of authorities after a Massachusetts man put it online and named a few dozen people as turncoats in 2004. Since then, it has grown into a clearinghouse for mug shots, court papers and rumors. Federal prosecutors say the site was set up to encourage violence, and federal judges around the country were recently warned that witnesses in their courtrooms may be profiled online. "My concern is making sure cooperators are adequately protected from retaliation," said Chief Judge Thomas Hogan, who alerted other judges in Washington's federal courthouse. He said he learned about the site from a federal judge in Maine. The Web site is the latest unabashedly public effort to identify witnesses or discourage helping police. "Stop Snitching" T-shirts have been sold in cities around the country and popular hip-hop lyrics disparage or threaten people who help police. In 2004, NBA star Carmelo Anthony appeared in an underground Baltimore DVD that warned people they could be killed for cooperating with police. Anthony has said he was not aware of the DVD's message. Such threats hinder criminal investigations, said Ronald Teachman, police chief in New Bedford, Mass., where murder cases have been stymied by witness silence and "Stop Snitching" T-shirts were recently for sale. "Every shooting we have to treat like homicide. The victim's alive but he's not cooperative," Teachman said. "These kids have the idea that the worst offense they can commit is to cooperate with the police." Sean Bucci, a former Boston-area disc jockey, set up WhosaRat.com after federal prosecutors charged him with selling marijuana in bulk from his house. Bucci is under house arrest awaiting trial and could not be reached, but a WhosaRat spokesman identifying himself as Anthony Capone said the site is a resource for criminal defendants and does not condone violence. "If people got hurt or killed, it's kind of on them. They knew the dangers of becoming an informant," Capone said. "We'd feel bad, don't get me wrong, but things happen to people. If they decide to become an informant, with or without the Web site, that's a possibility." The site offers biographical information about people whom users identify as witnesses or undercover agents. Users can post court documents, comments and pictures. Some of those listed are well known, such as former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland, who served 10 months in prison before testifying in a public corruption case. But many never made headlines and were identified as having helped investigators in drug cases. For two years, anyone with an Internet connection could search the site. On Thursday, a day after it was discussed at a courthouse conference in Washington, the site became a subscription-only service. The site has also disabled the ability to post photos of undercover agents, Capone said, because administrators of the Web site do not want officers to be hurt. Authorities disagree. In documents filed in Bucci's court case last month, federal prosecutors said they have information that Bucci set up the Web site to help intimidate and harm witnesses. "Such information not only compromises pending or future government investigations, but places informants and undercover agents in potentially grave danger," Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter K. Levitt wrote. While prosecutors haven't pointed to a case where a witness or officer was harmed because of the Web site, it has been used to shatter an undercover agent's anonymity. After Hawaiian doctor Kachun Yeung was charged with distributing narcotic painkillers this spring, a surveillance picture of an undercover Drug Enforcement Agent was posted on the site. Federal prosecutors said they traced the posting to the University of Hawaii newspaper's photo department, where the doctor's son was a photo editor. The posting identified the names of three agents and described one as "a known liar and a dirty agent. He is an absolute disgrace to the American justice system." Prosecutors in Boston have discussed whether WhosaRat is protected as free speech but have not moved to shut it down. In 2004, an Alabama federal judge ruled that a defendant had the right to run a Web site that included witness information in the form of "wanted" posters. Earlier this month, federal judges from Minnesota and Utah urged their colleagues to be careful about how much information about witnesses is released in public files, noting that they could end up on WhosaRat. Steve Bunnell, chief of the criminal division at the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, said the rules of evidence already require authorities to identity witnesses to the people most likely to harm them: the defendants. Most of the documents labeled "top secret" on the site are really public court records or information copied from other Web sites, he said. His concern is that the site disparages the reputation of people who come forward to help solve crimes. "We don't make those high-level gang and drug organization cases without somebody on the inside telling us what's going on," Bunnell said. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:05:56 -0600 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Yahoo Will Start Running BBC News Videos Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO) said on Friday that it will offer BBC News video on its news site through an agreement with ABC News. People who visit the Yahoo News Web site will get access to about 30 video clips of BBC News video each day. Yahoo made the agreement with ABC News, which maintains exclusive representation for BBC news on-demand broadband and wireless content in North America. Financial terms were not disclosed. ABC is a unit of Walt Disney Co. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 12:00:26 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: FCC Chief's Proposal Seeks to Streamline Video-Franchising Process USTelecom dailyLead December 1, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eVsIfDtusXgQeXCibuddjXKz TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * FCC chief's proposal seeks to streamline video-franchising process BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Verizon to acquire West Virginia Wireless * Sprint, Cingular push into consumer e-mail * Belgacom passes 100,000 IPTV subscribers * Comcast's deal with Disney marks end of a long road USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * CALEA Webinars available on demand TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Cavalier Telephone deploys MPEG-4 * Juniper updates SDX platform * Report: Wibree market could surpass $500 million by 2011 VOIP DOWNLOAD * Report: Market for VoIP, IMS equipment robust * U.K. lags in VoIP, IPTV adoption, report says REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Markey to head telecom subcommittee ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Update #557, December 1, 2006 Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 14:10:17 -0500 From: John Riddell ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 557: December 1, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca/home/Home_Business.page ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.ca/communications/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** SHAW BUSINESS SOLUTIONS: www.shawbusinesssolutions.ca ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Wireless Profits Surpass Wireline ** CRTC Chair -- Belisle vs Addy? ** Telus Drops Income Trust Plan ** GPS Tracking May Violate Privacy Rights ** Aliant Lets Parents Monitor Cell Use ** Deferral Account Proposals to Be Reviewed ** Alcatel, Lucent Complete Merger ** Skype Takes 4% of World Calling ** Telecom Magazine Folds ** Layoffs Follow Sitel Expansion Plan ** Vonage Expands Montreal-Area Coverage ** Montreal Messaging Developer Wins Financing ** Milne Leaves White Radio ** Celestica Names New CEO WIRELESS PROFITS SURPASS WIRELINE: Statistics Canada reports that in the qarter ending June 30, 2006, Canadian wireless carriers had profits of $996 million, a 36% increase from 2005. This is the first time that wireless profits have exceeded the incumbent telcos' wireline profits, which were $822 million, down from $1.2 billion a year earlier. ** Wireless subscribers at the end of June were 17.2 million, up 10.9% from a year earlier. Wireless revenues were $3.1 billion, about 35% of the industry's total revenues of $8.9 billion. ** The incumbent wireline telcos lost 706,000 residential lines in the preceding 12 months, and a total of 1.2 million residential lines in the past five years. Their business line counts grew by 36,000 in the past year, partially reversing a three-year decline (2002-2005). ** Cablecos had 750,000 telephone subscribers at the end of June 2006, six times more than a year earlier. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/061127/d061127c.htm CRTC CHAIR -- BELISLE VS ADDY? The Globe and Mail says that there are two leading contenders to replace Charles Dalfen as CRTC Chair. Fernand Belisle (former Vice-Chair Broadcasting at the Commission) is said to be favoured by Heritage Minister Bev Oda and leading broadcasters, while George Addy (former head of the Competition Bureau) is preferred by Industry Minister Maxime Bernier and the large telcos. TELUS DROPS INCOME TRUST PLAN: As expected, Telus has decided not to convert to an income trust. The company says its Board of Directors unanimously decided that Ottawa's plan to increase tax on trusts means that "it is no longer in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to proceed." (See Telecom Update #553, 554) ** We expect a similar announcement from Bell, at or before the company's annual Business Review Conference on December 12. GPS TRACKING MAY VIOLATE PRIVACY RIGHTS: The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) says that GPS tracking may violate employees' privacy rights. Responding to a complaint by drivers working for an unnamed telecom company, the Commission said that employers may use tracking devices to monitor vehicles, but they should not be used to evaluate employee performance. ** A summary of the OPC's investigation and conclusions is available online at http://www.privcom.gc.ca/cf-dc/2006/351_20061109_e.asp. ALIANT LETS PARENTS MONITOR CELL USE: For $4.95/month, subscribers to Aliant Mobility Family Plans can now monitor and control their children's cellphone use. Cellular Manager lets parents control when a child's cellphone can be used, and limit which phone numbers can call the phone or be called from it. DEFERRAL ACCOUNT PROPOSALS TO BE REVIEWED: Further in the apparently never-ending process to determine how the incumbent telcos' deferral accounts will be spent, CRTC Telecom Public Notice 2006-15 opens a review of the telcos' proposals. (See Telecom Update #545) To participate, notify the Commission by December 15. ** Alternative broadband providers that are, or will soon be, serving any of the communities proposed for broadband funding from the deferral accounts must notify the CRTC by January 19, 2007. ** The Commission is still considering Barrett Xplore's application to review and vary the original deferral account order (see Telecom Update #533), as well as other proceedings that could affect the amounts in the deferral accounts. ** The deferral account issue won't be decided anytime soon. The Commission will still be receiving comments in June 2007, and the Federal Court will hear appeals of the original decision next year as well. (See Telecom Update #548) http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2006/pt2006-15.htm ALCATEL, LUCENT COMPLETE MERGER: Alcatel and Lucent begin operations today as a merged company. Alcatel-Lucent has 89,000 employees and annual revenues of about $28 billion. Lucent CEO Pat Russo assumes that post for the merged company; Alcatel CEO Serge Tchuruk becomes Chairman. (See Telecom Update #524) SKYPE TAKES 4% OF WORLD CALLING: TeleGeography says that Skype computer-to-computer calls is equivalent to 4.4% of international carrier traffic this year, compared to 2.9% in 2005. The number of Skype users online "now regularly exceeds eight million." TELECOM MAGAZINE FOLDS: Communications & Networking magazine will cease publishing this month. Publisher Transcontinental Media says its ITBusiness Group will continue to offer information on networking and telecom in Computing Canada magazine. LAYOFFS FOLLOW SITEL EXPANSION PLAN: On October 24, Sitel said it plans to hire 500 people for its Kanata call centre. This week the company announced that in April it will close its 550-person call centre in nearby Bell's Corners. VONAGE EXPANDS MONTREAL-AREA COVERAGE: Vonage Canada now offers local numbers in 19 additional communities in the Greater Montreal area, including Lachine, Laval, and Longueuil. MONTREAL MESSAGING DEVELOPER WINS FINANCING: Montreal-based Oz Communications, a maker of software for email and Instant Messaging on cellphones, has raised US$34 million in financing. Oz has 230 employees, up from 60 two years ago. MILNE LEAVES WHITE RADIO: John Milne, President and General Manager of telecom distributor White Radio, has resigned "to pursue other interests." White is a subsidiary of Cygnal Technologies. CELESTICA NAMES NEW CEO: Celestica, the Toronto-based electronics manufacturer, has given president Craig Muhlhauser the additional position of CEO. Former CEO Stephen Delaney has resigned "to pursue other business interests." How to submit items: E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web late Friday afternoon each week at http://www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2006 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ From: pstock Subject: Toronto Home Telephone Providers Date: 1 Dec 2006 09:59:18 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I am researching a simple consumer article listing and comparing home telephone service provider options for Ontario and specifically toronto residents. (Not VOIP or LD add-ons like Vonage or Escarpment Telecom but the real deal, the company you pay for the basic copper line service into your home.) Can anyone tell me who they know of as options for home telephone serivce hosting? I can think of: Bell, Telus, Rogers, Primus, Wintel, (but there might be (must be?) others As an aside I recently switched from Bell to Primus, but that is another story.) Can anyone point me to any others, and does anyone have any performance comments on any services they have used (I have discovered since switching, for instance, that YAK LD service is mysteriously incompatible with Primus, as are many calling cards.) Many thanks, Peter ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 01, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 10:53:28 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 01, 2006 ******************************** Nokia, Ericsson, Sun Create Telecoms Network Equipment Alliance http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21419?11228 The world's top telecoms equipment vendors, Finland's Nokia and Sweden's Ericsson, have teamed up with the United States' Sun Microsystems to create an alliance for network equipment providers. The aim of the new organisation, named Telecommunications Platform Initiative (TPI), would be to assist telecoms operators and ... VoIP Provider Looks for Quality Assurance http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21412?11228 deltathree Inc., a service provider specializing in integrated VoIP, hosted solutions and infrastructure, had a problem: To expand and retain its customer base, it needed a way to achieve toll-quality IP voice on its network, even in remote regions of the globe. deltathree's private-label platform lets other service providers ... Review: 3 Smart Phones Target Consumers http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21410?11228 NEW YORK -- In a blink of mere months, the mobile 'smart' phone has been transformed from pricey corporate gadget to an affordable alternative for ordinary folk. In the last month alone, Cingular Wireless has unveiled three devices priced as low as $200 (after jumping through the assorted contractual hoops and ... Bell Labs' History of Inventions http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21403?11228 TRENTON, N.J. -- It's the birthplace of the transistor, the laser, the solar cell and the fax machine. Its researchers were the first to hear the echoes of the Big Bang. And now this American legend is part of a French company. Bell Labs was founded in 1925 as the research arm of AT&T' national telephone business ... Cingular Polishes up the Pearl http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21396?11228 Cingular Wireless is the latest U.S. carrier to introduce the new BlackBerry Pearl from Research In Motion. The carrier has wrapped up a few holiday surprises for Pearl shoppers, including push-to-talk (PTT) and GPS navigation capabilities. The quadband Pearl offers a digital camera, multimedia capabilities and an expandable memory ... Nortel Partnership Targets Southeast Europe http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21394?11228 Nortel, in a move to beef up its marketing in southeastern Europe, plans to set up a joint venture with consulting house Southeast European Communications and Investments Inc. (SECI). The new unit, to be called Nortel SE, reportedly will open offices in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia, and it will hire a sales and marketing staff of ... Freed From Lockdown http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21391?11228 The new exemption allowing cellphone users to 'unlock' their handsets, for use on a different carrier's network, has been in effect now for four days, and the world hasn't ended for the Big 4 carriers. Yet. In general, the carriers have reacted cautiously, if predictably, to the ruling by the Librarian of ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #402 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Dec 3 20:28:30 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 661872210; Sun, 3 Dec 2006 20:28:30 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #403 Message-Id: <20061204012830.661872210@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2006 20:28:30 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 3 Dec 2006 20:30:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 403 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson U.N. Agency Discusses Risks to Privacy, Security Online (Reuters NewsWire) My Space.com Continues to Offend (Tom McGhee) MF Trunks and Caller ID (merton) Airplane Technology Takes Flight (Monty Solomon) Here's My Number (for Today) (Monty Solomon) FBI Taps Cell Phone Mic as Eavesdropping Tool (Monty Solomon) DS3 Bandwidth Pricing Is Getting Cheaper - How To Take (FreedomFireCom) Re: Police Dislike Informant's Web Site (William Warren) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 03 Dec 2006 18:25:43 -0600 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: U.N. Agency Discusses Risks to Privacy and Security Online Computer users who type in the same username and password for multiple sites -- such as online banks, travel agencies and booksellers -- are at serious risk from identity thieves, a United Nations agency said on Sunday. The International Telecommunication Union, a Geneva-based U.N. branch, said businesses and regulators need to find a solution to the spread of personal information on the Internet, possibly by developing more streamlined identification methods. At the moment, the ITU said the sheer number of identifiers and passwords required from computer users made it nearly inevitable that they repeat codes. "This may cause security breaches, and leave them vulnerable to the machinations of identity thieves ever increasing in number and inventiveness," it said in its 2006 Internet report, released ahead of a major meeting of governments and industry officials in Hong Kong. "The lack of coordination in identification systems is a source of growing inconvenience to users and needs to be addressed rapidly," it said. The agency also highlighted risks to privacy from widespread Internet use, especially from marketers tracking the preferences and traffic of browsers across a variety of sites. If people have confidence in the way such information is stored and used, the ITU said there might be no problem from the proliferation of "cookies" and other data-capturing tools, often used for targeted online advertising. But it warned that a breakdown in consumer trust could impede the future expansion of Internet-based commerce. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 02 Dec 2006 00:48:40 -0600 From: Tom McGhee Subject: My Space.com Continues to Offend By Tom McGhee Denver Post Staff Writer Photos that Melissa Lease, above, sent to her husband appeared on MySpace.com. Parker resident Melissa Lease discovered one downside of the Internet age when a friend told her that revealing photos she sent to her husband were appearing on social networking site MySpace.com. While her husband was at home from a tour of duty in Iraq, Lease said, someone in his unit rifled through his belongings, found the pictures, which showed her posing in a bra and panties, and posted them. "These pictures were made for my husband and no one else. Someone typed my name on MySpace and they popped up, and (my friend) came up to me and said there are inappropriate pictures of me and she asked me if I (posted) them," said Lease, a cosmetology student at Aveda Institute in Denver. "It was just a really uncomfortable situation." MySpace has removed the pictures. Unwelcome attention via websites is becoming more common as social interaction migrates to cyberspace, said Leslie Flint, legal research associate with the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego. "In the past, it would be gossip or note-passing. This sort of thing happened, but it wasn't on the same scale." No definitive numbers are available on how frequently privacy invasions or smear campaigns occur on the Internet. But Eric P. Robinson of the Media Law Resource Center in New York said about 60 lawsuits and criminal complaints have been filed nationwide against bloggers, most of them in the past two years. This year, courts have rendered judgments against individuals for making defamatory comments on the Internet in cases in Florida, Georgia and North Dakota. Lawsuits are pending in Colorado, California, Texas and Utah. Earlier this month, Tony Perri,head of Boulder's public-access TV station, Channel 54, filed a criminal complaint alleging a former producer at the station, Jann Scott, put up a MySpace page that defamed him. Scott denied the charge in a telephone interview last week. "Perri accused me of it, but I don't know anything about it," said Scott, who added that he had seen the Perri page before MySpace took it down. "I understand it as parody, protected free speech, so I am not worried about it or him." The text on the page was vile, Perri said, accusing him of being a "suck up," and suggesting he engaged in a sexual act with members of the Boulder City Council. The page went up after Perri suspended Scott for launching a campaign of harrassment after some of his shows didn't appear in the time slots he wanted. MySpace, which is owned by media and entertainment giant News Corp., says it looked into the postings involving Perri and Lease and had them removed. "We take our customer service and safety procedures seriously and will continue to investigate ways to make them as efficient as possible," said Hemanshu Nigam, MySpace chief of security. Blogs, interactive websites such as MySpace and even sites that offer book reviews such as Amazon.com can be used to publish libelous material. But federal law meant to protect free speech on the Web makes it difficult for victims of unwelcome or even defamatory attention to take successful legal action against owners of a website where it appears, said Phil Weiser, a professor of law and telecommunications at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Federal lawmakers wanted to maximize the amount of free speech on the Internet when they passed the 1996 Telecommunications Act, he said. So the act protects Internet service providers and websites from libel and other laws that govern what can appear. "In general, the Internet is not subject to rules that encourage a closer editing of content; it is a wide-open environment," Weiser said. "This is an enormous challenge in the information age that we haven't been able to confront." Anyone who wants to file a civil suit will have to pay a lawyer, and even if they win, there is a good chance the judgment will be more than they can collect, experts said. Susan Scheff, of Weston, Fla., recently won $11.3 million in a defamation suit against a Louisiana woman who posted messages on the Internet accusing her of being a "crook," a "con artist" and a "fraud." "I never expect to collect $11.3 million," said Scheff, who took a second mortgage on her home to pay the legal tab. "She went out there and discredited me and destroyed me and my family on the Internet. ... Whenever you Googled me, you saw these things." Scheff has a business called Parents Universal Resource Experts that helps parents of troubled children find services such as schools. Since her case became public, Scheff has received numerous phone calls and e-mails from others who have been maligned on the Web. "I am amazed at the number of people who contacted me," she said. "I didn't realize it was such an epidemic." ------------------------------ From: merton Subject: MF Trunks and Caller ID Date: 2 Dec 2006 19:21:06 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I have run into a subject that I need some clarification on. I have always been advised that Caller ID info, such as calling number, cannot be transmitted through an MF Trunk. Someone has now stated that LRNs have to be sent through MF trunks ... and depending on how those trunks are set up as to whether the calling party number will display on the receiving end. Does anyone have a deep knowledge of how the MF trunks function and if the calling party number can actually be broadcast to the receiving phone? Your assistance will be deeply appreciated!!! ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2006 22:51:20 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Airplane Technology Takes Flight http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/airplane-technology-takes-flight/ Airplane Technology Takes Flight David Pogue Greetings from 39,000 feet! I'm writing to you on my laptop on a flight across Canada, courtesy of something I've never encountered before: full-blown, three-prong, U.S.-style power outlets on every seat back. Not some wacky jack that requires a $70 adapter -- we're talking regular three-prong outlets. Not in first class; in coach. Free, by the way. Why is it, I wonder, that Air Canada is the pioneer here? Isn't it a sort of obvious idea -- way more obvious than putting TV screens in everyone's seat back? I mean, if you have power, you can supply your own entertainment: a laptop, game, portable DVD player, whatever. Each seat back on this plane also has a touch-screen entertainment unit with a choice of TV, radio, movies, games, and so on. Now, I've seen TV screens on planes before (they have them on JetBlue, on international flights and in first class) - but not like this. On this plane, there's no set schedule for movies beginning; every single seat has its own little TiVo. You can start, stop, pause, rewind or fast-forward any movie at any time, completely independently of the other passengers' showings. It makes a huge difference. (Ever try to watch a movie on a plane while you're traveling with young children? I rest my case.) Oh, and Air Canada doesn't charge for any of this, either. (On the other hand, I don't much care for the way this airline throws away 200 pairs of complimentary headphones after each flight.) Dear U.S. Carriers: If you're really looking for a competitive advantage, find out who's supplying Air Canada with these goodies. You know what's weird, though? No wireless networking. We all thought that was coming, right? We'd hear about how Lufthansa flights already have on-board Wi-Fi high-speed wireless, and that it was only a matter of time before it came to North American carriers. But even as entertainment screens are developing nicely, wireless Internet is taking a big step backward-maybe even off a cliff. Boeing is shutting down its Connexion Wi-Fi service, which is what Lufthansa and other airline experiments were using. Its Web site says, "The company has decided to exit the high-speed broadband communications connectivity market." The service is free until the end of 2006, but at that point, it's being turned off altogether. And why is Boeing pulling the plug? Because "the global market for the service has not developed satisfactorily." Translation: It was losing money hand over fist. Evidently not enough airlines outfitted their planes with the transmitters (at $500,000 apiece). Surely some other company could step in and rescue the on-board Wi-Fi industry? But no. "There are currently no plans to transition the service to another provider." That's a bummer. (I may be typing this at 39,000 feet, but I'll be sending it at sea level.) Then there's the little matter of cellphones. Turns out that there's really not much evidence that cellphones cause cockpit interference; no study has ever been able to establish proof. In fact, there's now a discussion about perhaps relaxing the restrictions on cellphones on planes. I just hope they know what they're doing. Removing the ban means you might be the unlucky slob who has the loudmouth yakking away next to you for four hours. At this point, planes are the last refuge of people who want to hear themselves think or watch movies. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2006 22:54:24 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Here's My Number (for Today) By ANNA JANE GROSSMAN The New York Times THERE is no shortage of ways to reach Airin McClain, a singer who lives in Philadelphia. She has a Web site, an instant messenger account, a MySpace page, four e-mail addresses and two mobile phones. Good luck getting one of those phone numbers, though. She would sooner tell you her weight. "Why would I give out my cell?" said Ms. McClain, 23. "I don't need a guy I met at a bar one night calling me every day for the next two weeks begging me to go out. I want to filter out the people I don't need to have contact with." In an age of information oversharing, the mobile-phone number is one of the few pieces of personal information that people still choose to guard. Unwanted incoming calls are intrusive and time-consuming and can suck precious daytime cell-plan minutes. And the decision to give out a cell number can haunt you for years, as people now hold on to the numbers longer than their land-line numbers. Some people have found a way to avoid compromising the sanctity of their cellphone without committing the modern sin of being unreachable. Instead of giving out her cell number, Ms. McClain has recently been dispersing what has become known as a "social phone number." This is a free number that is as disposable as a Hotmail address. A handful of Web sites are creating these mask numbers, which can be obtained in nearly every area code (users can either have a number in their own region, or make it look as if they have an office in New York City when they are actually operating out of rural Maine). These sites buy numbers in bulk at a discount, then generate profit by displaying ads and getting users of the free service to upgrade to billable plans with features like call forwarding, call blocking and outbound calling. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/30/fashion/30numbers.html?ex=1322542800&en=509006b423704d01&ei=5090 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2006 03:24:48 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: FBI Taps Cell Phone Mic as Eavesdropping Tool By Declan McCullagh Story last modified Fri Dec 01 18:46:27 PST 2006 The FBI appears to have begun using a novel form of electronic surveillance in criminal investigations: remotely activating a mobile phone's microphone and using it to eavesdrop on nearby conversations. The technique is called a "roving bug," and was approved by top U.S. Department of Justice officials for use against members of a New York organized crime family who were wary of conventional surveillance techniques such as tailing a suspect or wiretapping him. Nextel cell phones owned by two alleged mobsters, John Ardito and his attorney Peter Peluso, were used by the FBI to listen in on nearby conversations. The FBI views Ardito as one of the most powerful men in the Genovese family, a major part of the national Mafia. The surveillance technique came to light in an opinion published this week by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan. He ruled that the "roving bug" was legal because federal wiretapping law is broad enough to permit eavesdropping even of conversations that take place near a suspect's cell phone. Kaplan's opinion said that the eavesdropping technique "functioned whether the phone was powered on or off." Some handsets can't be fully powered down without removing the battery; for instance, some Nokia models will wake up when turned off if an alarm is set. While the Genovese crime family prosecution appears to be the first time a remote-eavesdropping mechanism has been used in a criminal case, the technique has been discussed in security circles for years. The U.S. Commerce Department's security office warns that "a cellular telephone can be turned into a microphone and transmitter for the purpose of listening to conversations in the vicinity of the phone." An article in the Financial Times last year said mobile providers can "remotely install a piece of software on to any handset, without the owner's knowledge, which will activate the microphone even when its owner is not making a call." Nextel and Samsung handsets and the Motorola Razr are especially vulnerable to software downloads that activate their microphones, said James Atkinson, a counter-surveillance consultant who has worked closely with government agencies. "They can be remotely accessed and made to transmit room audio all the time," he said. "You can do that without having physical access to the phone." Because modern handsets are miniature computers, downloaded software could modify the usual interface that always displays when a call is in progress. The spyware could then place a call to the FBI and activate the microphone -- all without the owner knowing it happened. (The FBI declined to comment on Friday.) http://news.com.com/2100-1029-6140191.html ------------------------------ From: FreedomFireCom Subject: DS3 Bandwidth Pricing Is Getting Cheaper - How To Best Take Advantage Date: 2 Dec 2006 15:22:03 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com The predicted end to dropping DS3 bandwidth pricing is premature as the downward pricing trend continues. If DS3 will be part of your network solution you need to know how to position yourself to take advantage. This article explains how: http://ds3-bandwidth.com/archive/DS3_Bandwidth_Pricing_Cheaper.html God Bless, Michael Lemm FreedomFire Communications "Helping YOUR Business ... DO Business" http://www.linkedin.com/in/freedomfirecom ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:46:28 -0500 From: William Warren Subject: Re: Police Dislike Informant's Web Site Matt Apuzzo wrote: > Police decry Web site on informants > By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer > Police and prosecutors are worried that a Web site claiming to identify > more than 4,000 informants and undercover agents will cripple > investigations and hang targets on witnesses. > The Web site, WhosaRat.com, first caught the attention of authorities > after a Massachusetts man put it online and named a few dozen people as > turncoats in 2004. Since then, it has grown into a clearinghouse for mug > shots, court papers and rumors. [snip] The URL goes to a "Suspended Site" page as of 23:46Z 01 Dec. William ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #403 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Dec 4 14:53:06 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id A64EE2271; Mon, 4 Dec 2006 14:53:05 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #404 Message-Id: <20061204195305.A64EE2271@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 14:53:05 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 4 Dec 2006 14:55:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 404 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Chat Rooms Enable Mental Illness (Michelle Nichols, Reuters) Yahoo Partners With Reuters on EyeWitness Pictures (Eric Auchard,Reuters) Ruling Leaves Dish Viewers Without Networks (Monty Solomon) Open-Source Spying (Monty Solomon) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 04, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Alcatel-Lucent Begins Next Phase (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: My Space.com Continues to Offend (Danny Burstein) Re: Police Dislike Informant's Web Site (Linc Madison) Re: Police Dislike Informant's Web Site (ellis@no.spam) Re: FBI Taps Cell Phone Mic as Eavesdropping Tool (ellis@no.spam) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 12:57:00 -0600 From: Michelle Nichols Reuters Subject: Chat Rooms Enable Mental Illness Anorexics, bulimics learn methods online By Michelle Nichols Young sufferers of anorexia and bulimia who try to hide their eating problems from their parents and doctors are turning to a growing number of Internet chat rooms dedicated to enabling their illness. A pilot study released on Monday of U.S. eating disorder patients aged between 10 and 22 showed that up to a third learn new weight loss or purging methods from Web sites that promote eating disorders by enabling users to share tips, such as what drugs induce vomiting and what Internet sites sell them. But the study -- published in the American Academy of Pediatrics' journal Pediatrics -- found that eating disorder sufferers were also learning new high-risk ways to lose weight from each other on Web sites aimed at helping them recover. The survey by researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford showed a third of patients also visited pro-recovery sites and half of them learned new weight loss and purging methods. "Parents and physicians need to realize that the Internet is essentially an unmonitored media forum," said Rebecka Peebles, Packard Children's adolescent medicine and eating disorder specialist and an author of the study. "It's just not possible to completely control the content of an interactive site," she said in a telephone interview. A wave of pro-eating disorder sites showed up on the Internet between 2001 and 2003, prompting operators of several Internet hosts to try to remove such sites. But the study showed many pro-anorexia and bulimia sites remain accessible, with most patients finding them and pro-recovery sites through chance searches. "I feel so sick eating as much as 800 calories," a teen-age girl, who called herself "berlinium," wrote in a pro-anorexia chat room on Monday. "And then for some reason now when I try to purge, I can't get anything up. I mean I am literally shoving my fingers past my tonsils, but nothing," she said, adding that she had just bought a drug off the Internet to induce vomiting. Eating disorders returned to the global spotlight recently when two models suffering anorexia died in Brazil and Uruguay. The fashion industry has long been blamed for encouraging anorexia and bulimia among teen-agers with its use of excessively thin catwalk models. In September, the city of Madrid banned models below a certain weight from its fashion week shows. The U.S. study was based on an anonymous survey of 76 patients who were diagnosed with an eating disorder at Packard Children's Hospital between 1997 and 2004, as well as 106 parents of patients. While half of the parents surveyed said they were aware of Web sites promoting eating disorders, only 28 percent had ever discussed these sites with their child and only 20 percent said they placed limits on their child's Internet use. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:00:57 -0600 From: Eric Auchard, Reuters Subject: Yahoo Partners With Reuters on EyeWitness Pictures By Eric Auchard Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news), in partnership with Reuters, is inviting the public to contribute eyewitness photos and videos of news events, in the latest move to turn spectators into on-the-spot journalists. The Internet media company said it has created a news contribution system called "You Witness" and is working with news and information company Reuters Group Plc, which will edit and distribute selected photos to other news outlets. Yahoo plans to run selected images contributed by users as part of topical packages on Yahoo News, which currently offers news from dozens of professional news organizations including Associated Press, CNN and Reuters. With hundreds of millions of camera phones in circulation, consumers are able to take high-quality photos and videos. The South Asian tsunami, the London Underground bombings and the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans have showcased the power of people who happen to be in the wrong place at the right time to capture history as it happens. "There is already a lot of quality amateur journalism being created by our users," said Scott Moore, head of news and information at Yahoo Media Group. "Yahoo needed a more efficient process for soliciting and publishing user- contributed photos and video." While focused initially on news, Yahoo aims to expand the You Witness system to solicit user contributions for sports, entertainment and other sections of its site, a spokesman for the Sunnyvale, California-based company said. Yahoo and London-based Reuters are working out a plan to compensate contributors when their images are selected for commercial syndication, the two companies said. "We are looking at the possibility of creating photo wires and archives to allow people to be compensated for their work and for the images they are able to capture," said Chris Ahearn, president of Reuters Media. Starting on Tuesday, contributors can submit photos to You Witness via a link off of the main page of Yahoo News (http://news.yahoo.com) or to Reuters at http://www.reuters.com/youwitness. Yahoo is weighing when and whether to expand the program to international sites. Many local and national news organizations invite their readers or viewers to contribute eyewitness news reports. But media outlets have been wary about how to maintain quality control, avert hoaxes and compensate contributors without fueling a mercenary atmosphere around news events. http://CNN.com , another top-ranked news site, invites users to volunteer what it calls "I-Reports" -- "stories seen through your eyes and your lens." But it does not pay contributors. The new undertaking by Yahoo News, the No. 1 online news site with 34 million U.S. readers in October according to comScore Networks data, is more extensive. Yahoo also owns the photo-sharing site Flickr, where amateur photographers often post photos of breaking news events online. Video news contributions will eventually be distributed under the current deal, Yahoo and Reuters officials said. "We want to expand the initiative to include text stories, but photos and video were the most obvious way to begin," said Moore, who previously was publisher of online magazine Slate. Reuters already pays the public for hot images and that will continue, Ahearn said. For example, in 2000, the famous photo of a Concorde plane in flames just ahead of its crash in Paris was purchased by Reuters from a Hungarian plane spotter. "We have been seeking to increase the number and range of voices that can be active in our service," Ahearn said. "This is another step in that direction." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 00:04:04 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Ruling Leaves Some Dish Viewers Without Networks By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff | December 2, 2006 When Gardner resident James Bargnesi woke up yesterday, NBC, Fox, and CBS channels from across the country had disappeared from his satellite dish, disrupting his normal routine. At Satellite Video, a satellite television installation company in White River Junction, Vt., calls began to trickle in from customers upset that they had lost the Manchester, N.H., ABC affiliate that provided their local news. Yesterday, satellite TV provider Dish Network was ordered to shut off so-called "distant network channels" to an estimated 900,000 of its 12.8 million customers, ending a nine-year legal battle with networks over copyright violations. Distant network channels are stations beyond the ones offered by a local affiliate. A Florida judge found in October that Dish's practice of offering such service where local stations are available violated the Satellite Home Viewer Act and issued an order to stop Dish from offering them to customers, beginning yesterday . http://www.boston.com/business/personaltech/articles/2006/12/02/ruling_leaves_some_dish_viewers_without_networks/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 00:51:56 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Open-Source Spying By CLIVE THOMPSON The New York Times December 3, 2006 When Matthew Burton arrived at the Defense Intelligence Agency in January 2003, he was excited about getting to his computer. Burton, who was then 22, had long been interested in international relations: he had studied Russian politics and interned at the U.S. consulate in Ukraine, helping to speed refugee applications of politically persecuted Ukrainians. But he was also a big high-tech geek fluent in Web-page engineering, and he spent hours every day chatting online with friends and updating his own blog. When he was hired by the D.I.A., he told me recently, his mind boggled at the futuristic, secret spy technology he would get to play with: search engines that can read minds, he figured. Desktop video conferencing with colleagues around the world. If the everyday Internet was so awesome, just imagine how much better the spy tools would be. But when he got to his cubicle, his high-tech dreams collapsed. "The reality," he later wrote ruefully, "was a colossal letdown." The spy agencies were saddled with technology that might have seemed cutting edge in 1995. When he went onto Intelink -- the spy agencies' secure internal computer network -- the search engines were a pale shadow of Google, flooding him with thousands of useless results. If Burton wanted to find an expert to answer a question, the personnel directories were of no help. Worse, instant messaging with colleagues, his favorite way to hack out a problem, was impossible: every three-letter agency -- from the Central Intelligence Agency to the National Security Agency to army commands -- used different discussion groups and chat applications that couldn't connect to one another. In a community of secret agents supposedly devoted to quickly amassing information, nobody had even a simple blog -- that ubiquitous tool for broadly distributing your thoughts. Something had gone horribly awry, Burton realized. Theoretically, the intelligence world ought to revolve around information sharing. If F.B.I. agents discover that Al Qaeda fund-raising is going on in Brooklyn, C.I.A. agents in Europe ought to be able to know that instantly. The Internet flourished under the credo that information wants to be free; the agencies, however, had created their online networks specifically to keep secrets safe, locked away so only a few could see them. This control over the flow of information, as the 9/11 Commission noted in its final report, was a crucial reason American intelligence agencies failed to prevent those attacks. All the clues were there -- Al Qaeda associates studying aviation in Arizona, the flight student Zacarias Moussaoui arrested in Minnesota, surveillance of a Qaeda plotting session in Malaysia -- but none of the agents knew about the existence of the other evidence. The report concluded that the agencies failed to "connect the dots." By way of contrast, every night when Burton went home, he was reminded of how good the everyday Internet had become at connecting dots. "Web 2.0" technologies that encourage people to share information -- blogs, photo-posting sites like Flickr or the reader-generated encyclopedia Wikipedia -- often made it easier to collaborate with others. When the Orange Revolution erupted in Ukraine in late 2004, Burton went to Technorati, a search engine that scours the "blogosphere," to find the most authoritative blog postings on the subject. Within minutes, he had found sites with insightful commentary from American expatriates who were talking to locals in Kiev and on-the-fly debates among political analysts over what it meant. Because he and his fellow spies were stuck with outdated technology, they had no comparable way to cooperate -- to find colleagues with common interests and brainstorm online. Burton, who has since left the D.I.A., is not alone in his concern. Indeed, throughout the intelligence community, spies are beginning to wonder why their technology has fallen so far behind -- and talk among themselves about how to catch up. Some of the country's most senior intelligence thinkers have joined the discussion, and surprisingly, many of them believe the answer may lie in the interactive tools the world's teenagers are using to pass around YouTube videos and bicker online about their favorite bands. Billions of dollars' worth of ultrasecret data networks couldn't help spies piece together the clues to the worst terrorist plot ever. So perhaps, they argue, it' s time to try something radically different. Could blogs and wikis prevent the next 9/11? http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/magazine/03intelligence.html?ex=1322802000&en=46027e63d79046ce&ei=5090 ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 04, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 11:32:54 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 04, 2006 ******************************** Parliament in Germany Approves Controversial Telecoms Legislation http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21447?11228 The German parliament has approved a controversial amendment to the telecoms law, which gives the green light for the country's incumbent, Deutsche Telekom, to close its new high-speed VDSL network to rivals. The move is a success for Deutsche Telekom, Europe's largest telecoms group, which has been lobbying the government to ... Qualcomm Builds up Bluetooth and WLAN with Two Acquisitions http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21445?11228 U.S.-based chipmaker and CDMA specialist Qualcomm has announced that is has made two acquisitions to enhance its presence in wireless networking technologies. Qualcomm is to pay US$39 million for the majority of Bluetooth-related assets of RF Micro Devices Inc, which is based in San Diego. Qualcomm will also pay an undisclosed amount for ... Alcatel-Lucent Says Its Space Unit Won 661 Million Order With Globalstar http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21439?11228 PARIS -- Alcatel-Lucent said today that its space unit won a euro 661 million contract (US$882 million) with Globalstar Inc. to design, manufacture and deliver 48 low-earth-orbit satellites. The contract also includes the provision of support services before and during the launches and mission operations support ... Unblocking Laser Signals http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21437?11228 Laser signals can be blocked by many different types of objects, including trees, buildings and mountains. But it's the little things, like fog, rain, dirt and dust, that unpredictably interfere with laser communications and tend to vex users the most. Penn State University researchers are now working on a solution to this problem. ... FCC Grants License, Some Winners Talk Plans http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21436?11228 The FCC officially awarded half of the 1,087 licenses that were up for sale in its August-September Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) auction to winning bidders late yesterday. The agency says it granted 550 of the 1,087 licenses won in this past summer's Auction 66 of advanced wireless spectrum. The licenses granted ... TeliaSonera Goes 3G In Spain, Meets Swedish Goal http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21433?11228 TeliaSonera's 76.6-percent majority-owned Spanish mobile operation Xfera launched commercial services today under the brand name 'Yoigo' promising the cheapest 3G service in that country. The operator's initial commercial tariffs see it offering the same prices for both contract and prepaid customers, an unusual ... More About Meraki http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21429?11228 Wireless mesh startup Meraki Networks Inc. has confirmed it's gotten money from Google, among others, and that it's helping the search giant with its WiFi plans while preparing its own commercial release for next year. Recently, Unstrung revealed that Mountain View, Calif.-based Meraki is working to improve indoor coverage ... LSI to Buy Agere for $4B http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21427?11228 LSI Logic Corp. is buying Agere Systems Inc. in an all-stock deal valued at $4 billion, the two chip companies announced today. The transaction will create a storage, networking and 'consumer powerhouse' that will supply chips, systems, and software to equipment vendors, the firms say. LSI Logic is a major ... Alcatel-Lucent Stays Tight-Lipped http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21424?11228 Alcatel-Lucent is alive and kicking, and has been showing off its new purple corporate logo. But today's introductory press conference in Paris provided little else in the way of visibility on staff cuts, product rationalization, or expectations for 2007. Non-executive chairman Serge Tchuruk and CEO ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 12:20:20 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Alcatel-Lucent Begins Next Phase USTelecom dailyLead December 4, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eWcYfDtusXgTdfCibuddzxmC TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Alcatel-Lucent begins next phase BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Verizon to offer FiOS near Philly * BT launches IPTV service * Cisco releases delivery system for digital video * Huawei picks Sylantro for global IMS solution * Report: Developing markets to drive telecom growth, innovation * Analysis: Challenges remain after Sprint-Nextel merger USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * The Irwin Handbook of Telecommunications, Fifth Edition HOT TOPICS * AT&T to sell DSL through Wal-Mart * Surge in VoIP patents signals market for innovation and possible litigation * Phone and cable companies battle for customers * FCC chief's proposal seeks to streamline video-franchising process * High court case on patent "obviousness" has broad implications: TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * MySpace eyes mobile space * Motorola, Nokia "unlock" handsets * Line blurs between TV, Web REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Associated Press: FCC's Martin seeks to avert stalemate on AT&T-BellSouth vote Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eWcYfDtusXgTdfCibuddzxmC ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Re: My Space.com Continues to Offend Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 02:50:18 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In Tom McGhee writes: > By Tom McGhee > Denver Post Staff Writer [ snip ] > This year, courts have rendered judgments against individuals for > making defamatory comments on the Internet in cases in Florida, > Georgia and North Dakota. Lawsuits are pending in Colorado, > California, Texas and Utah. And I'd betcha tat the vast majority of these "judgments" came about because the defendant never appeared and thus lost by default, and I'd also betcha tat most of the rest (not quite all ...) would be overturned on appeal. Oh, and that the defendants don't have much in the way of attachable resources, either. > Earlier this month, Tony Perri,head of Boulder's public-access TV > station, Channel 54, filed a criminal complaint alleging a former > producer at the station, Jann Scott, put up a MySpace page that > defamed him. Criminal complaint about defamation? That's, umm, interesting. _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Police Dislike Informant's Web Site Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 08:30:53 -0800 From: Linc Madison In article , William Warren wrote: > Matt Apuzzo wrote: >> The Web site, WhosaRat.com, ... has grown into a clearinghouse for >> mug shots, court papers and rumors. > The URL goes to a "Suspended Site" page as of 23:46Z 01 Dec. It loads as of 2006-12-04 16:28 UTC, with this news blurb: "On 12/01/06 we were down for part of the day due to an overwhelming number of hits, we apologize for the inconvenience and hopefully this does not happen again. New Informant Profiles Are Added Daily!!! You must be a member to view the site or submit profiles." ------------------------------ From: ellis@no.spam Subject: Re: Police Dislike Informant's Web Site Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 05:30:33 -0000 Organization: S.P.C.A.A. In article , William Warren wrote: > The URL goes to a "Suspended Site" page as of 23:46Z 01 Dec. Are you saying WhosaRat.com is suspended? It's working just fine for me. http://yosemitecampsites.com/ ------------------------------ From: ellis@no.spam Subject: Re: FBI Taps Cell Phone Mic as Eavesdropping Tool Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 04:48:38 -0000 Organization: S.P.C.A.A. In article , Monty Solomon wrote: > The FBI appears to have begun using a novel form of electronic > surveillance in criminal investigations: remotely activating a mobile > phone's microphone and using it to eavesdrop on nearby conversations. I wondered how long it'd take for that to start happening. Will the criminals catch on and start taking the batteries out of their phones? http://yosemitephotos.net/ ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #404 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Dec 4 17:53:11 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 9A0E0224C; Mon, 4 Dec 2006 17:53:10 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #405 Message-Id: <20061204225310.9A0E0224C@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 17:53:10 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 4 Dec 2006 17:55:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 405 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Cell Phone Signal Narrows Search for Missing CNET Editor (Katz & Meyers) FCC Chairman Wants to Break AT&T-Bell South Lock (Roy Mark, Reuters) United States Leads World in Child Abuse Web Sites (Roy Mark, Reuters) Charities Eager for Ackermann Cash Jam Phone Lines (Reuters News Wire) Washington State vs. Spyware Company. $1 Million (Danny Burstein) Who/What is 773-874-8589 (TELECOM Digest Editor) Phone Review: Two New Nokia Phone Models (Patrick Townson) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 14:15:29 -0600 From: Leslie Katz & Michelle Meyers Subject: Cell Phone Signal Narrows Search for Missing CNET Editor and Family By Leslie Katz, and Michelle Meyers, CNET News.com After searches in Oregon's Curry and Douglas counties, new information on missing CNET senior editor James Kim and his family is narrowing the search back to the Bear Camp area in Josephine County, according to reports Monday. A cell phone tower received a signal from one of the family's cell phones last Saturday near Glendale, but officials say the signal is only an indicator the family could have been within 26 miles of Glendale late Saturday night, local news reports say. Glendale is located off Interstate 5, south of Roseburg, where the Kims were confirmed to have stopped at a Denny's restaurant on the night of Saturday, November 25. A news conference will be held Monday at 3 p.m. PST to provide an update on search efforts. It will be held at Josephine County Search & Rescue Headquarters in Merlin, Ore. The search for the Kims continued through the weekend, with search-and- rescue teams from the ground and air checking secondary rural routes in southwest Oregon, state police said. Helicopter support was to be discontinued at darkness Sunday, but ground search crews were prepared to continue searching into the evening, according to a police statement. The 35-year-old Kim, his 30-year-old wife, Kati, and daughters Penelope (4 years) and Sabine (7 months) left their home in San Francisco last week on a Thanksgiving road trip to the Pacific Northwest. Before the sighting at the Denny's in Roseburg, they had last been seen earlier that day in Portland, Ore., according to the San Francisco Police Department's missing persons' report. Approximately 40 state and federal personnel were searching remote area roads on Sunday, according to Oregon police. Some of those roads are difficult to travel, described by authorities as narrow and curvy with steep bordering embankments. Sno-Cats are assisting with the search in sections covered with up to 6 inches of frozen snow. Private resources secured by family members, including helicopters, have been assisting in the hunt, and friends and family have traveled to Oregon to join the search. Loved ones have also set up a Web site where the public can receive updates on the Kims and share their thoughts. Meanwhile, hundreds of CNET readers have sent e-mails and posted notes of concern and support on the site's message boards. Some have mapped out possible routes using navigation devices, and others in the Oregon area have joined the search effort. Following confirmed sightings last Saturday night of Kim and his family at the Denny's in Roseburg, search efforts shifted north to Douglas County, Oregon police said Saturday morning. Search efforts had been busy in Curry County, the location of Gold Beach, the family's reported destination for last Saturday evening. But after a multiagency search involving snowmobiles, a Sno-Cat and a UH-60 Blackhawk, among other helicopters, there was still no sign of the Kims' 2005 silver Saab 9-2X station wagon with California personalized plates of "DOESF." Those fruitless efforts, combined with news of the Denny's sighting in Roseberg at about 8 p.m. on November 25, gave Lt. Dennis Dinsmore of the Curry County Sheriffs' Department "no indication in any way that they ever reached" his county. "We're going to start backing away from the investigation," he said, adding that the search will shift to roads off state Highway 42 instead of Highway 38. Both are common routes taken to get from Interstate 5 to the Oregon coast. Officials from the sheriff's office in Douglas County, where Roseburg is located, could not be reached for comment. But the Denny's sighting was confirmed in a press statement, and Dinsmore said the family's stop at Denny's had been corroborated by employees and a credit card receipt. The National Guard, California Highway Patrol, Oregon State Police and Coast Guard are all participating in the search. In addition to patrolling highways running from Interstate 5 to the Oregon coast and along Highway 101, Oregon State Police troopers say they are checking hotels and resorts on the south coast. Douglas County sheriffs have already done an extensive search of area roads, including Highway 42 from the Winston area to Myrtle Point in neighboring Coos County, according to the statement. Further search options are being explored. According to Oregon State Police, about 100 tips had come in to a Pacific Northwest call center in Salem, Ore., as of Sunday afternoon. The number for the line is 1-800-452-7888. Ryan Lee, a longtime friend of the Kims, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he had brunch with the Kims in Portland on Saturday. The Kims told their friend they planned to stop by a clothing boutique in Portland before driving to Gold Beach, where they said they had a hotel reservation at the Tu Tu Tun Lodge for Saturday night. The hotel reportedly received an early-evening phone call from the Kims, saying they would be arriving at the hotel later than expected. They never showed up. Inspector Kim Lewis of the SFPD's Missing Persons Unit said the last call recorded from James Kim's cell phone was made to a friend in San Francisco at 3 p.m. and suggested that the call to the hotel may have been made from a landline. While some Saab models come equipped with the OnStar vehicle security and communications system, the model the Kims were driving did not offer OnStar as an option, said Mike Weinstein, a detective with the Portland Police Bureau's Missing Persons Unit, who said he also confirmed that information with OnStar using the Kims' vehicle identification number. The car did not have a LoJack car security system, either, Weinstein said. Information provided by family members indicates that the car may have visible recent damage extending forward from the driver's door along the left quarter panel and wheel area, according to Oregon State Police. This damage was the result of a previous traffic-related incident in which the driver's door was reportedly repaired, but the other noted damage may still be visible. On Saturday, the day the Kims were last seen, weather conditions in Southern Oregon were very hazardous, according to a spokesman for the Curry County Sheriff's Department. At CNET, James Kim is a senior editor covering digital audio who also co-hosts a weekly video podcast for the Crave gadgets blog. He has been writing a book on Microsoft's Zune MP3 player. Formerly, he was an on-air personality on the now-defunct cable television network TechTV. He and his wife own two stores in San Francisco -- Doe, a clothing store in the city's Lower Haight area, and the Church Street Apothecary in the Noe Valley neighborhood, where they live. Kati Kim also worked at CNET from 1998 to 1999. The family was expected to return to San Francisco on Monday, November 27. When both James and Kati failed to show up for appointments on Tuesday, November 28, co-workers began to worry for their safety. The Kims are known for keeping in touch daily with their friends and co-workers, either by phone or e-mail. Those with information about the Kim family's whereabouts are asked to contact the SFPD immediately -- at 415-558-5508 during normal business hours and at 415-553-1071 after-hours. CNET News.com's Greg Sandoval and Jennifer Guevin contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 CNET. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more tech news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 14:18:35 -0600 From: Roy Mark Subject: FCC Chairman Wants to Break AT&T-Bell South Lock By Roy Mark Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin Martin has ordered agency lawyers to determine if FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell can "unrecuse" himself from the AT&T-BellSouth merger vote. If cleared to vote, McDowell, who holds one of the three Republican seats on the five-person panel, could possibly cast the tie-breaking vote to approve the merger that would create the world's largest telecommunications company. McDowell recused himself from the merger vote to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. Prior to joining the FCC in June, McDowell was a lobbyist for CompTel, which opposes the merger. Without McDowell's vote, Martin and fellow Republican Deborah Taylor Tate, who support the merger, are deadlocked with Democrats Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, who want, among other things, network neutrality provisions attached to the deal. Because of the deadlock, Martin has delayed the vote three times over the last six weeks. The FCC is next scheduled to meet on Dec. 20. The merger has been pending at the FCC for eight months. "The Commission has reached an impasse," Martin wrote in a Friday letter to Congressional leaders. According to Martin, FCC regulations allow a recused commissioner to vote if the government's interest outweighs the appearance of a conflict of interest. "The general counsel has, in the past, used this authority to authorize commissioners to participate in matters in which they would otherwise be recused," Martin wrote. It is not immediately clear when the FCC general counsel will make a determination on McDowell. Even if allowed to vote, McDowell could abstain. Martin's legal maneuvering to get the merger approved, drew the immediate ire of Public Knowledge, a Washington-based advocacy group. "Members of Congress should make clear that having Commissioner McDowell participate in the AT&T-BellSouth merger at this point would deeply compromise the integrity of the Commission," Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn said in a statement. Sohn wrote that it would be "unseemly" to force McDowell to violate his ethical constraints. "A better solution would be for Chairman Martin to reconsider his opposition to the pro-competitive and pro-consumer merger conditions being advocated by Commissioners Copps and Adelstein," Sohn said. The Department of Justice approved the merger with no strings attached on Oct. 11. Martin also favors unconditional approval of the merger. However, with Martin hamstrung by McDowell's recusal, Copps and Adelstein have pushed for concessions. Just a day after Martin first delayed the vote, AT&T said it is willing to adhere to the FCC's network neutrality principles for 30 months after the official closing of its proposed merger with BellSouth. In August 2005, the FCC declared that consumers are entitled to access the lawful Internet content of their choice, run applications and services of their choice and plug in and run legal devices of their choice. The FCC also said consumers have a right to competition among network providers, application and service providers and content providers. What the FCC network neutrality principles do not address is the ability of broadband providers to charge content providers such as Google extra fees based on bandwidth consumption. Both AT&T and Verizon have announced broadband business models based on charging the extra fees to content providers. Copps and Adelstein want an additional FCC network neutrality principle that would ban the practice. In addition to meeting the FCC's network neutrality principles, AT&T also pledged to offer standalone DSL for 30 months after the merger approval. AT&T also said it would it offer broadband to 100 percent of the living units in the AT&T-BellSouth market by January 2008. In order to promote adoption of broadband, AT&T will offer free modems throughout next year to residential customers who upgrade from dial-up service. For new Internet customers, AT&T proposes to offer broadband service at $10 a month for an unspecified time period. The merger would make AT&T the world's largest telecommunications company with 70 million landline customers across 22 states. Currently a co-owner of Cingular Wireless with BellSouth, the deal would give AT&T full control of the nation's largest cellular company. Combining the two companies' DSL broadband customers would give AT&T 9.1 million high-speed Internet customers, barely behind market leader Comcast's 9.3 subscribers. Copyright 2006 Reuters 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 14:22:23 -0600 From: Roy Mark Subject: United States Leads World in Child Abuse Web Sites By Roy Mark The United States overwhelmingly leads the world in hosting child abuse Web sites, according to a new survey by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The U.K.-based IWF claims over the last decade the U.S. is the source of 51 percent of sites featuring examples of child abuse, followed by Russia (20 percent), Spain (7 percent) and Japan (5 percent). Only 1.6 percent of the reported sites over the same period were traced to the U.K., a reflection of the different policies between the United States and the U.K. In the U.S., law enforcement officials tend to let child-abuse sites exist while conducting an investigation in hopes of not tipping off the site operators that an investigation is under way. The U.K., on the other hand, almost immediately issues a takedown notice when a site is discovered. Investigations are conducted after the sites are closed. In addition, a U.K. law passed in 2003 presumes a person downloading child-abuse pictures is guilty until proven innocent. The IWF also operates the U.K.'s only authorized hotline for the public and IT professionals to report potentially illegal online content. In the 10 years of the IWF, U.K.-based child-abuse sites have fallen from 18 percent to less than 1 percent. "The government is determined to do everything it can to protect children from the insidious use of the Internet by pedophiles," Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said in a statement. "This campaign underlines the importance of the work by the IWF and the [Internet service providers] to block UK residents from accessing potentially illegal websites, wherever they are hosted, by the end of 2007." Peter Robbins, the IWF's chief executive, said his organization "has almost eradicated online child-abuse images hosted in the U.K." Founded in 1996, the IWF said it has handled an average of 1,000 reports a month involving more than 31,000 sites found to contain illegal child abuse content. Copyright 2006 Reuters. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/TDNewsradio.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 14:06:57 -0600 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Charities Eager for Ackermann Cash Jam Phone Lines Dusseldorf (dpa) - A promise by a top banker in Germany to donate a huge sum to charity to ward off conviction has led to a jammed switchboard at the courthouse as non-profit groups vie for largesse. A courts spokesman in the western city of Dusseldorf said Monday the court server had also crashed as willing takers bombarded it with e-mails or hunted online for information on where to claim the money. Deutsche Bank chief executive Josef Ackermann and five other defendants promised last week to pay 5.8 million euros into court, with 40 per cent reserved for charity and the rest to go to public funds. Charges that they misappropriated funds in 2000 were dropped. The spokesman said hundreds of applications for the 2.3 million euros reserved for good causes had already been received. "We're not counting them any more now," he said, appealing to charities to send in application by post along with proof of non-profit status. He said private individuals, no matter how deserving they claimed to be, would not qualify. Ackermann, one of Germany's best-paid employees, personally promised 3.2 million euros (4.2 million dollars) to the settlement. He and prosecutors are allowed to nominate charities, with judges then to decide on the recipients. Prosecutors alleged that Ackermann, as a board member of phone company Mannesmann, had no power to approve huge bonuses to retiring staff when the wireless operator was taken over by Vodafone. Copyright 2006 Reuters. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org.td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Washington State vs. Spyware Company. $1 Million Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 14:43:04 -0500 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC " Attorney General McKenna Announces $1 Million Settlement in Washington's First Spyware Suit " Secure Computer to reimburse Washington purchasers of Spyware Cleaner and Popup Padlock " SEATTLE - Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced a $1 million settlement with New York-based Secure Computer that resolves Washington's first lawsuit under the state's computer spyware law. An estimated 1,145 Washington residents who purchased the company's SpywareCleaner software and, in some cases, Popup Padlock, are eligible for refunds under the agreement filed in federal court. rest: http://www.atg.wa.gov/releases/2006/rel_Secure_Computer_Restitution_2006.html ____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ Subject: Who/What is 773-874-8589? Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 16:39:20 EST From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Can anyone detirmine who this is? They have called one of my voicemail numbers (773-828-4212 [go ahead,anyone is free to call it anytime]) for the past week, leaving a one second hang-up message. That's all anyone will ever get there (voicemail) but it is a nuisance to keep erasing all the hangup calls from 773-874-8589. PAT ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 14:11:13 -0600 From: Patrick Townson Subject: Phone Review: Two New Nokia Phone Models New "talk and text" phones from Nokia Posted: 04-Dec-2006 [Source: Nokia] [Nokia intros two basic handsets for the "talk and text" crowd - the Nokia 1265 and Nokia 1325 featuring hands free speakers and voice recorders.] Hong Kong -- The latest entries into the CDMA handset market from Nokia were unveiled today at the 3G World Congress in Hong Kong. Targeted at consumers who use their mobile phone primarily for basic features like making phone calls voice and text messaging, the Nokia 1265 and Nokia 1325 feature a number of desirable features such as handsfree speakers and voice recorders. "With the new features of the Nokia 1265 and Nokia 1325, consumers are getting functionality along with ease of use," said Larry Paulson, Vice President, CDMA, Nokia. "The features most of us take for granted on our phones are front-and-center on these new products for first-time mobile phone users. These two new products expand the range of Nokia models consumers can choose from at an entry level." Nokia 1325 - Intuitive design, easy-to-use functions The new Nokia 1325 offers great functionality in a slim package, ideal for first-time phone users in Asia-Pacific, China, Latin America, the Middle-East and Africa. A 64k colour display brings the Nokia 1325 to life. Consumers can personalize their mobile phones with ringtones and wallpapers. The integrated handsfree speaker available in the Nokia 1325 means others can get involved in one call, ideal for family and friends. The Nokia 1325 can store up to 400 contacts and 150 messages, ensuring important messages are not deleted. With the 90-second voice recorder as a standard feature on the new Nokia 1325, consumers can now use their phone to record those important notes anywhere. Weighing in at less than 71 g, the Nokia 1325 is competitively priced and has a talk time of up to 3.5 hours, while standby time is up to 6.5 days. It is expected that the Nokia 1325 will begin shipping in select markets within China, Asia-Pacific, Middle-East Africa and Latin America during the 1st quarter of 2007. Nokia 1265 - Lighter by design, heavy on features The Nokia 1265 combines mobile features such as easy text messaging with predictive text and 32-Polyphonic MIDI capabilities with an integrated handsfree speaker, plus a 60-second voice recorder. Essentials such as a large contact phonebook, calendar, calculator and alarm clock are also included in this new device. The affordably-priced Nokia 1265 offers a black-and-white display, talk time of up to 3.5 hours and up to 6.5 days of stand-by capability. It is expected that the Nokia 1325 will begin shipping in select markets within China, Asia-Pacific, Middle-East Africa and Latin America during the 1st quarter of 2007. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #405 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Dec 5 15:25:07 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 9963D223F; Tue, 5 Dec 2006 15:25:07 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #406 Message-Id: <20061205202507.9963D223F@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2006 15:25:07 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 5 Dec 2006 15:25:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 406 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson AT&T Says Won't Need Fiber to the Home (Reuters News Wire) US Phone Data Privacy Bill Gets Final Push From Congress (Peter Kaplan) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 05, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Alcatel-Lucent Finalizes Wireless, Satellite (USTelecom dailyLead) VOIP: Internet Telephone Question (Korey) Info Request: 877-229-9776 (William Warren) Re: Cell Phone Signal Narrows Search for Missing CNET Editor (Rick Merrill) Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? (Chris Farrar) Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? (GlowingBlueMist) Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? (MB) Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com) Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? (Robert Bonomi) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2006 11:52:47 -0600 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: AT&T Says Won't Need Fiber to the Home Top phone company AT&T Inc. shrugged off concerns on Tuesday that it would need to build a more expensive, all-fiber network to handle an expected surge in high-speed Internet and video traffic. AT&T is currently upgrading its networks to deliver an Internet-based video service called U-Verse to compete with cable companies. But unlike No. 2 player Verizon Communications, which is launching a similar service by building a "fiber to the home" network, it is making use of existing copper lines to save costs. "Our view at this point is that we're not going to have go 'fiber to the home.' We're pleased with the bandwidth that we're seeing over copper," Chief Financial Officer Richard Lindner told a Credit Suisse conference. "On average, at this point, we're producing about 25 megabits (per second). But in many many locations, we're producing substantially more than that." Some analysts have said AT&T's method is more efficient, while others have said it would need to upgrade its network again when more consumers start to watch high-definition channels and download movies, requiring increased bandwidth. AT&T is also preparing to merge with BellSouth Corp., a move that would consolidate its ownership of wireless venture Cingular and reinforce its position as the biggest U.S. telecoms service provider. Lindner said he hoped the BellSouth merger would be approved at a U.S. Federal Communications Commission meeting on December 20. "Certainly, from our standpoint, it would be our hope that the merger would get approved and we can close and move on at that point," he said. "That's certainly our goal ... to have an approval on the 20th. If it does not happen on the 20th, potentially it could slip into January." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 17:07:33 -0600 From: Peter Kaplan, Reuters Subject: US Phone Data Privacy Bill Gets Final Push From Congress By Peter Kaplan WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Monday mounted a final effort to pass legislation this year to ban the use of deceptive methods to obtain consumers telephone records. Democrats and Republicans sought a deal that would clear the way for the Senate to approve the measure before the Republican-led 109th Congress draws to a close, likely at the end of this week, Senate leadership aides said. The legislation was approved earlier this year by the House of Representatives. Both chambers need to pass it so it can be sent to President George W. Bush to sign into law. If the 109th Congress expires before a final agreement is reach on the legislation, lawmakers would have to begin anew on the effort after the 110th Congress convenes on Jan. 4 under the control of Democrats. "This is just one of those (bills) that we can see pass," one GOP aide said. The legislation is aimed at stopping the practice of impersonating people to obtain their telephone records, also known as pretexting. There currently is no law against the practice which was spotlighted when Hewlett-Packard Co. admitted that its investigators obtained telephone records of board members, employees and journalists without their permission as the company tried to find who was leaking sensitive information. The latest efforts to pass the legislation came as the Republican-led Congress began a final, week-long session. The phone records measure is one of several that would be passed under unanimous consent, a process by which leaders from both parties agree to bring a bill to a vote on the Senate floor, aides said. It was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously in March but subsequently stalled in the full Senate. Some Senate lawmakers had been pushing for a broader bill, which also would have given consumers and telephone companies the right to sue for damages. But aides said they did not anticipate any objections to passing the House version of the bill. "I think people have gotten to the point where it's basically this limited one or nothing," one Republican aide said. "People have realized that we're almost at the end." The measure also prohibits buying records from a data broker and sets criminal penalties of up to 10 years in prison and fines. The bill would not interfere with investigations by federal, state or local law enforcement agencies. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 05, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2006 11:57:52 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 05, 2006 ******************************** Versatel Selects Ericsson for IP Network Upgrade http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21474?11228 Germany's third-largest telecoms operator, Versatel, has selected Sweden's telecoms equipment vendor, Ericsson, for the nationwide deployment and integration of its all-IP next-generation access network. According to the terms of the two-year contract, Ericsson will provide a full-service broadband solution, beginning with all-IP ... Nokia, Wind in 3G Radio Network Deal http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21471?11228 The Italian telecoms operator, Wind, has selected Nokia for a three-year frame agreement for the turnkey supply of the WCDMA 3G radio network solution. In a statement, Nokia said it will supply its latest Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station-Nokia NetAct. The deal also covers a range of other services and includes a managed services model for ... Worries About Wireless http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21467?11228 Despite a parade of studies, potential health risks hardly register as a concern. Although wireless phones continue to raise health worries among scientists, those concerns don't seem to have much impact on consumers buying phones -- and have been replaced by a more prosaic set of concerns, even at some health agencies. ... Innovating Through Design http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21464?11228 In 1985 the architect Michael Graves designed his first consumer product -- a now famous teakettle -- for Alessi, the northern Italian home-furnishings manufacturer. Although Graves later designed a knockoff for Target that goes for one-fifth the price, Alessi has sold more than 1.5 million of the original version, which grew out of a ... Samsung, Microsoft Launch HSDPA Smartphone http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21463?11228 Samsung Electronics and Microsoft have joined forces to bring, what the companies say, is the first smartphone supporting high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) technology to the Asian and European markets. The Samsung Ultra Messaging i600, which is powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, supports Web applications such as ... Alcatel-Lucent's First Acquisition: Nortel Finalizes UMTS Exit Plan http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21456?11228 Nortel yesterday said it has now inked a definitive agreement to sell its selling its money-losing UMTS access business to the newly merged Alcatel-Lucent combine, creating what suddenly becomes a major number three player in the market, ready to challenge Ericsson and Nokia/Siemens. The acquisition will most likely be the first ... Colubris's Vertical Takeoff http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21454?11228 Colubris Networks Inc. looks for more enterprise action, the BlackBerry Pearl gets pushy, and one-touch assistance comes to phones in this week's tech-roundup. Colubris's niche itch: Colubris Networks Inc. has unveiled a bundle of new products that it says will help it break further into niche enterprise markets such as ... Cisco Catches Integration Fever http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21450?11228 Repeating the mantra of 'more stuff in routers', Cisco Systems Inc. is packing more features into the 7600 router (giving it more of a broadband-services flavor) and into its integrated services routers (ISRs) for the enterprise. Specifically, Cisco is adding a session border controller and B-RAS to the 7600, giving ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2006 11:43:48 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Alcatel-Lucent Finalizes Wireless, Satellite USTelecom dailyLead December 5, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eWlYfDtusXgXiyCibuddAhdP TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Alcatel-Lucent finalizes wireless, satellite agreements BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AT&T enhances encryption for MPLS networks * DT chief expected to urge shake-up at board meeting * Nortel expects to make profit targets by '08 * Ericsson wins broadband contracts in Germany, Colombia USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Service Fulfillment Strategies That Balance Risk and Reward Thursday, Dec . 7, 1 p.m. (ET) TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Nokia, Motorola eye services, software * China telecom hints at 3G rollout * Q-and-A: Telecom executives answer readers' questions * Taipei begins citywide VoIP service * Nortel, Toshiba testing WiMAX in Japan REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * EU telecom regulator says consumers should choose standards Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eWlYfDtusXgXiyCibuddAhdP ------------------------------ From: Korey Subject: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question Date: 4 Dec 2006 22:11:31 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I just recently signed up for telephone service through my cable company (It is supposed to be installed Tuesday, December 5.) Other than my cable company, I had considered services such as Vonage and Sunrocket. After I signed up with my cable company, I was thinking and had the following question: Is it possible to subscribe to two different VOIP telephone services at the same time and be able to use either of them whenever you want? In other words, after I port my current telephone number to my cable company and start with their service, what if I decide I need another line later and want to try another company for the new line, say Vonage, Sunrocket, or another one of my choice, for example? What would be involved with doing this, especially if I don't have an active landline? Would I need to go through my local telephone company and have them install a new telephone line and then once it is working, transfer the telephone service for the new line to Vonage, Sunrocket, or some other provider of my choice? Would it be possible to have two VOIP lines with two separate VOIP providers utilizing the same high speed cable modem connection? Just curious if this would be possible. Thanks, Korey ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 18:23:14 -0500 From: William Warren Subject: Info request: 877-229-9776 Anywho.com lists 877-229-9776 for Budget Truck Rental. When I dial the number, there's a (clipped) recording saying something about password, and then it disconnects. If anyone knows who/what this number belongs to, please tell me. William Warren (filter noise from my address for direct replies) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2006 10:31:13 -0500 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: Cell Phone Signal Narrows Search for Missing CNET Editor http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/12/05/state/n064320S67.DTL wife and kids rescued, he is being tracked ... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 18:08:19 -0500 From: Chris Farrar Subject: Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? Pat This is what I get from http://click411.ca reverse directory. Results: 1 listing matching "(773) 874-8589" T Bernard 7832 S May St Chicago, IL 60620-2939 (773) 874-8589 Chris ------------------------------ From: GlowingBlueMist Subject: Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 19:30:22 -0600 Organization: Octanews TELECOM Digest Editor wrote in message news:telecom25.405.6@telecom-digest.org: > Can anyone detirmine who this is? They have called one of my > voicemail numbers (773-828-4212 [go ahead,anyone is free to call it > anytime]) for the past week, leaving a one second hang-up > message. That's all anyone will ever get there (voicemail) but it is > a nuisance to keep erasing all the hangup calls from 773-874-8589. > PAT A Google search it came up with the following: "T Bernard (773) 874-8589 7832 S May St,Chicago, IL 60620" A call to the Chicago Police Department reporting phone harassment might be worth a try unless someone is spoofing the Caller ID. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: When I called that number -- 874-8589, the first time of idle curiosity, and the second time just now, it rang (each instance) for five or six times, then was pulled away by 'call forwarding on no answer' and transferred to someone's voice mail where I was informed "the mailbox for (uninteligible; the recording allowed for human intervention with a name) is full. To enter another number, please do so now". Oh well ... PAT] ------------------------------ From: MB Subject: Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 19:47:34 -0800 Horace Bernard 7832 S May St Chicago, IL 60620 (773) 783-3558 T Bernard 7832 S May St Chicago, IL 60620 (773) 874-8589 > TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > Can anyone detirmine who this is? They have called one of my voicemail > numbers (773-828-4212 [go ahead,anyone is free to call it anytime]) for the > past week, leaving a one second hang-up message. That's all anyone > will ever get there (voicemail) but it is a nuisance to keep erasing > all the hangup calls from 773-874-8589. > PAT [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This second number, 783-3558, being at the same address and same last name seemed a bit suspicious, so I tried it also. An elderly black lady put her husband on the phone; he said that 874-8589 was his daughter's phone, but he did not know when she would be around, and he offered to take a message. I suggested he could give her a messsage 'to call again later' and he said he would do so. I left no other details (i.e. name, address or number) and he said 'okay he would', and disconnected. The STEwart-3 and the TRIangle-4 phone exchanges both are wired out of Chicago-Englewood, a central office in a majority black neighborhood (West 79th and South May Streets) on the south side of Chicago. Oh well, just curious. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? Date: 5 Dec 2006 07:33:22 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > Can anyone detirmine who this is? They have called one of my > voicemail numbers for the past week, leaving a one second hang-up > message. That's all anyone will ever get there (voicemail) but it is > a nuisance to keep erasing all the hangup calls from 773-874-8589. I got a spate of them recently but then they stopped. I'm usually at work during the day but when I'm home a lot of crap comes in over the phone. Sometimes hangup calls like that are from a fax machine on repeat-try. When I've had them, I put on a fax machine on the line and gotten a legitimate fax sent to my number in error. (Since it's cumbersome for me to rearrange the wiring I don't do it often.) Other people who have had them complained to the phone company, and the phone company reported back it was an errant fax machine. I think the volume of such calls is so high today the phone company won't bother anymore. However, I suspect many of these are "spam" faxes going through all numbers searching for a fax machine to tell you about stock or land opportunities. Of course it could be an automatic dialer gone bad, just dialing up everyone over and over again. Just because someone owns such a unit and has an outward WATS line is no guarantee they know what they're doing. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have a fax machine on one of my internal extensions; the computer modems (which by default do not auto-answer) and the fax machine (which can be set to auto-answer) share extension 105. If someone wants to send a fax they ask me (or whomever) to be transferred to extension 105, or if I answer the phone and hear the familiar beep sounds, I just flash and dial 105 then disconnect myself. My problem here is that 773-828-4212 is somewhere (only god knows) in Chicago; the voicemail picks it up before any human (even if I knew where it was and had a human assigned to pick up on it) can get to it. Your suggestion would work for me if "Ms. T. Bernard" (see another message in this issue) was calling direct into my Kansas number. Maybe I should praise God she has not yet gotten around to calling into the 630 area. PAT] ------------------------------ From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) Subject: Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2006 04:25:15 -0000 Organization: Widgets, Inc. In article , TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > Can anyone detirmine who this is? Yup. trivially. > They have called one of my voicemail numbers (773-828-4212 [go > ahead,anyone is free to call it anytime]) for the past week, leaving > a one second hang-up message. That's all anyone will ever get there > (voicemail) but it is a nuisance to keep erasing all the hangup > calls from 773-874-8589. Did you try plugging that phone number into Google? Or didn't you know that Google can do that? I wonder what happens when you call (773) 796-9600 from a COCOTS. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well I did not try it, but I do know about it. I tried it just now and got the 'T Bernard, 7832 S. May' listing. Two-Oh-Eight-Oh now has a one dollar (is it?) charge per call, unlike years ago when it amounted to a card file index box on the chief operator's desk and it was free; I suppose the charge from a COCOT would go to the COCOT owner unless the COCOT owner was sophisticated enough to have it blocked out as a non-dialable number, sort of like the 900 and 976 variety of numbers. I wonder if the Chicago area had much snow this past weekend? 'They' say our seventeen-inch blast was the second worst on record here in Independence. *Everything* was shut down here all day Friday and the rest of the weekend. Yesterday and today (Tuesday) it is starting to become old, ugly news. No one came around here Friday, Saturday or Sunday; yesterday (Monday) my housekeeper made it through to me; with some pleading I convinced her to drive Raymond my helper, and myself over to Marvins IGA to stock up on some groceries. On Monday (our garbage pickup day in this part of town) the garbage trucks all had been converted to snow plow duty; the main streets have all been plowed, with HUGE mounds of snow piled everywhere and the requisite HUGE lakes of water resulting running off to the sewers as icy slush. Meals-on-Wheels said they were going to 'attempt' to resume service tomorrrow (Wednesday). If this latest storm was the 'second-worst' in the history of our town, I would hate to think of the worst one. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #406 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Dec 6 22:56:17 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id A2EAB2284; Wed, 6 Dec 2006 22:56:16 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #407 Message-Id: <20061207035616.A2EAB2284@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 22:56:16 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 6 Dec 2006 23:00:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 407 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson James Kim Found Dead in Oregon Mountains (Jeff Barnard, AP) ICANN Plans to Revoke Outdated Suffixes (Anick Jesdanun, AP) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 06, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Top Executives Out in Yahoo! Reorganization (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question (Rick Merrill) Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question (Bruce L. Bergman) Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? (John Hines) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2006 21:04:31 -0600 From: Jeff Barnard, AP Subject: James Kim Found Dead in Oregon Mountains By JEFF BARNARD, Associated Press Writer A San Francisco man was found dead in a mountain creek Wednesday, four days after he set out through the snowy wilderness to seek help for his wife and young daughters, stranded in a car. A search helicopter spotted James Kim's body about a mile from where he set out in Oregon's snowy Klamath Mountains, two days after his wife and two daughters were rescued from the vehicle, stuck on a remote road. Investigators believe he traveled about eight miles in total, and said there was no way he could have reached the car directly from where he was found. Kim's body was found at the foot of the Big Windy Creek drainage, a half-mile from the Rogue River, where ground crews and helicopters had been searching for days. A tearful Undersheriff Brian Anderson announced the discovery of the body, his voice breaking at one point. "He was very motivated," Anderson said. "We were having trouble in there. He traveled a long distance." He said he had few details about Kim's condition or the immediate area where he was found. The body was taken to Central Point for an autopsy, the results of which are expected to be released Thursday. Earlier in the day, searchers said they had uncovered clues that suggested Kim had shed clothing and arranged it to give searchers clues to his whereabouts. They had planned to drop rescue packages with clothing, emergency gear and provisions. Kim, 35, was a senior editor for the technology media company CNET Networks Inc. He and his qfamily had been missing since Nov. 25. They were heading home to San Francisco after a family vacation in the Pacific Northwest. Kim's wife, Kati, 30, and their daughters Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months, were rescued Monday at their car. She told officers that the couple made a wrong turn and became stuck in the snow nearly two weeks before. They used their car heater until they ran out of gas, then burned tires to stay warm and attract attention. With only a few jars of baby food and limited supplies, Kati Kim nursed her children. The key to finding them, police said, was a "ping" from one of the family's cell phones that helped narrow down their location. Roads in the area are often not plowed in the winter and can become impassable. On the Net: http://jamesandkati.com Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2006 21:09:04 -0600 From: Anick Jesdanun, AP Subject: ICANN Plans to Revoke Outdated Suffixes By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer Over the past few years, the Internet has seen new domain names such as ".eu" for Europe and ".travel" for the travel industry. Now, the key oversight agency is looking to get rid of some. Meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers began accepting public comments this week on how best to revoke outdated suffixes, primarily assigned to countries that no longer exist. The Soviet Union's ".su" is the leading candidate for deletion, although the former Yugoslav republics of Serbia and Montenegro are transitioning from ".yu" to their own country codes. A Google search generated millions of ".su" and ".yu" sites. East Timor now uses ".tl," though about 150,000 sites remain under its older code, ".tp." Also obsolete is Great Britain's ".gb," which produced no sites on Google. Britons typically use ".uk" for the United Kingdom. ICANN assigns country codes based on standards set by the International Organization for Standardization, which in turn takes information from the United Nations. Conflicts can potentially occur when codes are reassigned. Czechoslovakia didn't need ".cs" after it split into the Czech Republic (".cz") and Slovakia (".sk"). Serbia and Montenegro got ".cs" following the breakup of Yugoslavia, before further splitting into Serbia (".rs") and Montenegro (".me"). (In this case, a crisis was averted because Czechoslovakia let go of ".cs" long before it was reassigned, and Serbia and Montenegro never used it before splitting up.) A few other domains have already disappeared, including East Germany's ".dd" and Zaire's ".zr" after the country became the Democratic Republic of the Congo (".cd"). ICANN wants to establish a formal policy and is accepting comments online until Jan. 31. Further deletions will likely take a year or longer to give users time to change. Reductions in the number of domains -- now 265 -- are likely to be temporary. ICANN is crafting rules on how to roll out additional domains, including ones in non-English characters. ICANN also is launching a review of eligibility rules for ".int," a domain reserved for international organizations. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 06, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 11:42:55 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 06, 2006 ******************************** Deutsche Telekom Reshuffles Top Management http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21507?11228 As Deutsche Telekom's new CEO (chief executive officer), René Obermann has started his reign as the boss of Europe's largest telecoms group with a top management reshuffle, which was approved on 5 December during the telco's supervisory board meeting. Obermann appointed the former head of European sales and service ... Rogers Indicates National Ambitions Using VoIP http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21504?11228 Speaking during an investor conference held by UBS, Ted Rogers, CEO of Rogers Communications, the largest cable TV and wireless carrier in Canada, has indicated that VoIP will form part of a plan to expand both voice and broadband services beyond the company's existing footprint for cable infrastructure. Significance: Rogers ... EU Calls for Consumer-Driven Telecoms Standards http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21501?11228 The European Union telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding, has called for telecoms regulators to allow room for consumers to decide on successful telecoms standards by choosing the platform that offers the services they want. Speaking at the ITU Telecoms World conference in Hong Kong, Reding said that regulators should no longer be the ... Cable Company NTL Says It Won't Make a Formal Bid for ITV http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21498?11228 LONDON -- Cable and telephone company NTL Inc. said Wednesday it has abandoned plans for a 4.7 billion pound (E 7 billion; US$9.3 billion) takeover bid for British broadcaster ITV PLC and will concentrate on integrating recently acquired businesses. NTL's interest in Britain's largest independent TV broadcaster ... Samsung Blackjack: Playing the 3G Card http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21493?11228 Thinking of stepping up to 3G: Cingular is ready to deal you in with the Samsung Blackjack. The new UMTS/HSPDA-capable smart phone is targeted at busy professionals who need constant voice and data connectivity. Featuring a sleek, black case, the Blackjack sets a new size and weight standard. Measuring an ultra-trim 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.6 ... McDowell May Vote on AT&T-BellSouth Merger http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21492?11228 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas for AT&T Inc., as Washington sources say the FCC may approve the telco's merger with BellSouth Corp. with fewer concessions than even the carrier itself expected. (See Critics Consider AT&T Merger Conditions.) This new turn centers on a decision by Republican Federal ... Nortel Pushes WiMAX http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21490?11228 Nortel announced WiMAX trials with Toshiba in Japan, which will be conducted in the northern Tohoku region. Separately, Nortel is working with Chunghwa Telecom to build Taiwan's first integrated local government WiMAX network, according to the company. In its partnership with Toshiba, Nortel will deliver base stations and ... Report From Hong Kong: Convergence The Top Topic http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21487?11228 The hot word reaching TelecomWeb news break from the massive International Telecommunication Union (ITU) show being held in Hong Kong this week is 'convergence' of fixed a mobile, at least as far as voice and data go -- but the cold shoulder is apparently being given to mobile TV. There's a lot of discussion about ... Device Lockdown http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21483?11228 Network Chemistry Inc. has extended its security system so that administrators can now protect Microsoft Corp. -- and Symbian Ltd. -- based smartphones against data loss and network infections. According to Brian De Haaff, vice president of product management and marketing at Network Chemistry, adding Symbian and Microsoft support to ... Cellular Base Station Silicon Makers Face WiMAX, Other Challenges http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21481?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Just as 3G is deployed after years of delays, there is now a new potential fly-in-the-ointment, WiMAX, reports In-Stat. However, WiMAX is not the only threat to cellular base station semiconductor manufacturers. Not only has cellular subscriber growth started to slow, but also cheaper semiconductors from Asia ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 11:57:32 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Top Executives Out in Yahoo! Reorganization USTelecom dailyLead December 6, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eWxAfDtusXhjgFCibuddzaJo TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Top executives out in Yahoo! reorganization BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AT&T doesn't see need for FTTH network * Sprint CFO predicts lower churn for '07 * Deutsche Telekom replaces three executives * Vodafone: Turkish business will improve sooner than expected * Telefonica delays launch of mobile TV USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Service Fulfillment Strategies That Balance Risk and RewardTomorrow, Dec. 7, 1 p.m. (ET) TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Nortel signs first Mobile WiMAX deal with Taiwan telecom * Study finds handsets safe * Motorola, PCCW study mobile-TV service * Belgacom launches IPTV channel * Analysis: What's next for next-generation handsets REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Senators: FCC should review effect before changing rules Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eWxAfDtusXhjgFCibuddzaJo ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:11:10 -0500 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question Korey wrote: > I just recently signed up for telephone service through my cable > company (It is supposed to be installed Tuesday, December 5.) Other > than my cable company, I had considered services such as Vonage and > Sunrocket. > After I signed up with my cable company, I was thinking and had the > following question: Is it possible to subscribe to two different VOIP > telephone services at the same time and be able to use either of them > whenever you want? In other words, after I port my current telephone > number to my cable company and start with their service, what if I > decide I need another line later and want to try another company for > the new line, say Vonage, Sunrocket, or another one of my choice, for > example? > What would be involved with doing this, especially if I don't have an > active landline? Would I need to go through my local telephone > company and have them install a new telephone line and then once it is > working, transfer the telephone service for the new line to Vonage, > Sunrocket, or some other provider of my choice? Would it be possible > to have two VOIP lines with two separate VOIP providers utilizing the > same high speed cable modem connection? > Just curious if this would be possible. > Thanks, > Korey It's thinkable, but you don't want to do that. Both would still be dependent on your ISP/HSI provider. (Better to have a land line as backup.) Second, your VoIP provider can give y0u a single ATA (analog telephone adapter) with two lines! Much simpler and it can handle the QoS issues better (Quality of Service: which line gets priority ...) ------------------------------ From: Bruce L. Bergman Subject: Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question Organization: What - I have to be organized? Why start now... Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2006 06:11:29 GMT On 4 Dec 2006 22:11:31 -0800, Korey wrote: > I just recently signed up for telephone service through my cable > company (It is supposed to be installed Tuesday, December 5.) Other > than my cable company, I had considered services such as Vonage and > Sunrocket. > After I signed up with my cable company, I was thinking and had the > following question: Is it possible to subscribe to two different VOIP > telephone services at the same time and be able to use either of them > whenever you want? In other words, after I port my current telephone > number to my cable company and start with their service, what if I > decide I need another line later and want to try another company for > the new line, say Vonage, Sunrocket, or another one of my choice, for > example? > What would be involved with doing this, especially if I don't have an > active landline? Would I need to go through my local telephone > company and have them install a new telephone line and then once it is > working, transfer the telephone service for the new line to Vonage, > Sunrocket, or some other provider of my choice? Would it be possible > to have two VOIP lines with two separate VOIP providers utilizing the > same high speed cable modem connection? > Just curious if this would be possible. Possible, yes -- but don't try making two calls at once unless you have really good service. Most home net connections are asymmetric and your 'outbound' connection probably isn't fast enough to handle two calls at once. And even if you can pull it off in the slow times at 4 AM, try it at 6 PM when everyone is home surfing the web and it won't go -- if you are really unlucky, you won't be able to get even one decent VOIP phone call through during the busy hours. Cable modem speed is /very/ dependent on how heavily they have your cable segment loaded with Internet users, and how much of the shared segment bandwidth they are using. That's the one saving grace of DSL -- it's slower, but it's all YOUR bandwidth, no sharing. Unless they overload the backhaul connection at the switchroom to Earthlink (or whomever), it's fairly reliable. --<< Bruce >>-- ------------------------------ From: John Hines Subject: Re: Who/What is 773-874-8589? Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2006 15:04:02 -0600 Organization: www.jhines.org Reply-To: john@jhines.org > I wonder if the Chicago area had much snow this past weekend? 'They' > say our seventeen-inch blast was the second worst on record here in > Independence. About a foot or so. Icy rain at first, then snow, very heavy wet snow. We (Chicago) didn't get it nearly as bad as southern Illinois, where the power in some areas is still off, 5 days later. From the news pictures I saw, it looked like long runs of power poles in rural areas being replaced, but now the story is the need to hook individuals up. The Bears played at home Sunday, other than cold and windy it was fine. Silly sig to prevent isp ad [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As of today, Wednesday, our temperature got up to about fifty degrees, which is about normal for this time of year. The snow began to melt in ernest, which left a small lake in Poplar Street near Second Street. Oh well, it made up for last winter when it did not snow even _once_ here. (Cold and grey; windy and damp; but no snow). We made up for it this year, to say the least. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #407 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Dec 7 23:53:13 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 9C8182247; Thu, 7 Dec 2006 23:53:12 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #408 Message-Id: <20061208045312.9C8182247@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 23:53:12 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 7 Dec 2006 23:55:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 408 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson More Internet Journalists Put in Jail (Rukmini Callimachi, AP) Google Begins Experiment With Radio Advertising (Associated Press NewsWire) Yahoo Shakeup Highlights Web Video Shift (Gary Gentile, AP) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 07, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Cable Plans Smaller Rate Increases Amid Competition (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question (Korey Smith) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2006 21:55:41 -0600 From: Rukmini Callimachi, AP Subject: More Internet Journalists Put in Jail By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK - When Iranian journalist Mojtaba Saminejad was sentenced to two years in prison for insulting the country's Supreme Leader, it was not for an article that appeared in a newspaper. His offending story was posted on his personal Web blog. Nearly one-third of journalists now serving time in prisons around the world published their work on the Internet, the second-largest category behind print journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in an analysis released Thursday. The bulk of Internet journalists in jail -- 49 in total -- shows that "authoritarian states are becoming more determined to control the Internet," said Joel Simon, the New York-based group's executive director. "It wasn't so long ago that people were talking about the Internet as a new medium that could never be controlled," he said. "The reality is that governments are now recognizing they need to control the Internet to control information." Other noteworthy imprisoned Internet journalists include U.S. video blogger Joshua Wolf, who refused to give a grand jury his footage of a 2005 protest against a G-8 economic summit, and China's Shi Tao, who is serving a 10-year sentence for posting online instructions by the government on how to cover the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. For the second year in a row, CPJ's annual survey found the total number of journalists in jail worldwide has increased. There were 134 reporters, editors and photographers incarcerated as of Dec. 1, nine more than a year ago. In addition to the Internet writers, the total includes 67 print journalists, eight TV reporters, eight radio reporters and two documentary filmmakers. Among the 24 nations that have imprisoned reporters, China topped the list for the eighth consecutive year with 31 journalists behind bars -- 19 of them Internet journalists. Cuba was second with 24 reporters in prison. Nearly all of them had filed their reports to overseas-based Web sites. The U.S. government and military has detained three journalists, including Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein, who was taken into custody in Iraq nine months ago and has yet to be charged with a crime. CPJ recorded the first jailing of an Internet reporter in its 1997 census. Since then, the number has steadily grown and now includes reporters, editors and photographers whose work appeared primarily on the Internet, in e-mails or in other electronic forms. The increase is a testament to the increasing attention of government censors to the Internet, media experts say. "I refer to the freedom of the press as the canary in the coal mine," said Joshua Friedman, director of international programs at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. "It's a barometer of the insecurity of the people running these governments. One of the things that makes them insecure these days is the power of the Internet." The rise in jailings of Internet journalists is also an indication that reporters in authoritarian countries are increasingly using the Web to circumvent state controls. Shi, the jailed Chinese journalist, could have published his notes on state propaganda in the Chinese magazine in Hunan province where he worked as an editorial director. He chose instead to send an e-mail from his Yahoo account to the U.S.-based editor of a Chinese language Web forum. Cuban journalist Manuel Vasquez-Portal said he posted his articles on a Miami-based Web site for a similar reason. "Without a doubt, the Internet provided me an avenue. It was the only way to get the truth out of Cuba," he said through an interpreter. Vasquez-Portal, who was jailed for 15 months in 2003, said he had to call his stories in to the operator of the Web site, though, because Cubans are not allowed access to the Internet. On the Net: Committee to Protect Journalists: http://www.cpj.org/ Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2006 21:59:34 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Google Begins Experiment With Radio Advertising By The Associated Press Google Inc. has started testing a long-awaited radio advertising service that represents the Internet search leader's most elaborate attempt yet at expanding its financial clout beyond the Web. The test announced Thursday will help sell advertising on more than 700 radio stations in more than 200 U.S. metropolitan markets. Google hopes to eventually sign up more than 5,000 stations, according to documents shown potential advertisers. For now, at least, Google will lag well behind other radio advertising placement services like Softwave Media Exchange, which says it has enlisted more than 1,500 stations with a combined daily audience of more than 9 million listeners. Thursday's announcement didn't specify how many advertisers are involved in the early radio tests nor set a timetable for opening the service to all comers. Google is betting its technology can do for radio what it has already done for the Internet by automating the process for selling and distributing ads to an audience where the messages are most likely to pique consumer interest. As it does on the Web, Google plans to charge a commission for helping radio stations sell ads. The Mountain View-based company signaled its intention to expand into radio advertising in January with a $102 million acquisition of dMarc Broadcasting Inc. Since then, Google has been working to make the service compatible with a system that already serves millions of Internet advertisers. The Internet ad platform has turned into a gold mine, with Google's profit this year expected to approach $3 billion — nearly a 30-fold increase since 2002. The company makes virtually all its money from short, written ads posted on the Web, raising worries among some analysts about Google's lack of other moneymaking channels. As part of its expansion efforts, Google also is trying to help newspaper and magazine publishers fill some of their unsold advertising space. Google's early efforts in magazines have had little impact. The company just started working with 50 of the nation's largest newspapers. Google appears intent on pouring far more resources into the radio service, with management openly discussing plans to employ about 1,000 workers in the division. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/TDNewsradio.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2006 22:01:11 -0600 From: Gary Gentile, AP Subject: Yahoo Shakeup Highlights Web Video Shift By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer The departure of television veteran Lloyd Braun from Yahoo Inc. underscores a shift, or at least a major hiccup, by Internet companies away from creating costly original content. Braun, who once ran primetime programming for the Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network, left Yahoo this week after his role was greatly diminished in a companywide reorganization that placed his group into a newly created division. Yahoo's hiring of Braun to run the new Yahoo Media Group two years ago sparked speculation that the online company was itching to become, in effect, a TV network on the Web, producing its own shows to attract eyeballs to its lucrative Internet advertising. After all, Braun was responsible for ABC's nascent turnaround and the genius behind its hit show "Lost." Analysts saw great symbolism in the consolidation of Yahoo's far-flung media sites -- music, video, finance and news -- into a new Santa Monica office that was once home of fabled movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. But two years ago, no one foresaw the rise of sites such as YouTube and MySpace, which became huge companies by aggregating user-generated videos and creating communities where people could network. YouTube was eventually bought by search giant Google Inc. for $1.76 billion, while MySpace was snatched by News Corp. for $580 million. Few people also foresaw that major media companies such as Disney, CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc. would begin selling TV episodes or full-length films over Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes store. As YouTube and similar sites grew in popularity, Braun struggled to get competing Yahoo divisions to think in terms of content rather than technology, Braun recounted in an interview at his Santa Monica office several weeks before his departure. One major glitch that consumed more than a year, for instance, was the lack of common software for producing and publishing content at the various product units inside Yahoo. Incompatible technology made it nearly impossible to design a template that could be easily shared by the various sites. Before redesigns of such services as Yahoo Music or Yahoo Games could be launched, Braun's unit had to develop a common software platform, a task now completed. Yahoo recently started to rollout redesigned sites and introduced a new offering, Yahoo Food. Braun also had to curtail ambitions to produce original shows for the Web. Replicating the TV network model would be prohibitively expensive, especially if such shows could only be viewed on a small computer screen. Yahoo did create several new video and other programs, including news dispatches from war journalist Kevin Sites. The company also recently launched a series of live music performances similar to those featured on rival AOL's site. But in a twist, one of its most popular shows, called "The Nine," features host Maria Sansone counting down nine notable user-generated video clips found on other sites such as YouTube. Yahoo isn't alone. When Time Warner Inc.'s AOL started breaking down its walls of exclusivity two years ago, the company cited its own video productions of concerts and other events as reasons people would want to visit its free, ad-supported sites. AOL even won a broadband Emmy for last year's "Live 8" concert special. Although AOL isn't abandoning those productions, its focus lately has been on search. It wants to be the starting point for online video, whether it's hosted at AOL or at a rival like YouTube. AOL also started its own video-sharing service, UnCut Video, where users can share clips they produce with camera phones and camcorders. The rapidly changing Web landscape has left Yahoo playing catch up, a situation this week's reorganization is designed to address. "Frankly I'm surprised it took Yahoo so long to make this decision," said Dmitry Shapiro, chief executive of video startup Veoh Networks Inc. "I think it's been known for at least a year, with the success of YouTube and hundreds of media aggregator players like Veoh that are jumping into the game, that this is the way it should be done. But large companies move slowly." Veoh wants to distribute user-generated and Hollywood content, but has no plans to create its own shows. Nonetheless, original content created for distribution over high-speed Internet connections shouldn't be dismissed just yet, said former Disney chief executive Michael Eisner, who now invests in media-related startup companies such as Veoh. "The production of original content for broadband is coming and will be significant and important just like it was significant and important for cable," Eisner said. Eisner said traditional media and online companies are in a transitional period where Hollywood-generated programs, TV shows and films are competing for attention with user-generated material. Makers of original Web content aren't wrong, he said, but may be hurt by pushing it before consumers are ready. "To take a position that it's all going to move to user-generated and be this anarchy and democracy is wrong," Eisner said. "To take the point of view that it's all going to be distribution of ancillary product from the studios and others is wrong. And to take the position that it's all going to be original product is wrong. "It's all three and it's all a matter of being too early or too late." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 07, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 11:16:58 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 07, 2006 ******************************** The Cloud, Truphone in VoIP Deal http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21531?11228 Wi-fi hotspot provider, The Cloud, has signed an agreement with the software provider, Truphone, to allow customers with a Truphone-enabled handset to make VoIP calls over The Cloud's wi-fi hotspots. Truphone is a free software tool for making VoIP calls that can be loaded onto Nokia's series of wi-fi-equipped handsets. ... Tele-Visionaries http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21525?11228 I just finished reading 'Tele-Visionaries, The People Behind the Invention of Television', by Richard C. Webb, IEEE Press. This is a relatively new book, published last year. I highly recommend it for a number of reasons discussed below. But I would caution that this is not the whole story and it has a well-defined ... Fight Heats Up Over Tie-Breaking AT&T/BellSouth Vote http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21519?11228 The flap over whether Federal Communications Commission (FCC)member Robert McDowell can be allowed to vote in favor of the AT&T/BellSouth merger has begun to ratchet up as the Republican commissioner indicated his willingness to participate in the regulator's approval process. Congressional Democrats openly expressed their ... Verizon to Boost Storage Service http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21513?11228 Verizon Communications Inc. is about to get more serious about storage for the sake of its broadband customers -- whether they're flying on FiOS or dawdling along with DSL. The company first offered its file backup and sharing service in late September from its Verizon Surround portal. Today, it provides 5 Gbytes of storage ... Increasing Telco TV Deployments a Boon for Headend Vendors http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21511?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A large number of headends have been built in 2005 and 2006 to support increasing telco TV deployments, and the wide availability of H.264 compression equipment in 2006 has prompted telcos that were waiting, to move forward with deployment plans, reports In-Stat. Growth in telco TV deployments and subscribers ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 11:58:35 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Cable Plans Smaller Rate Increases Amid More Competition USTelecom dailyLead December 7, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eXiAfDtusXhrxHCibuddsqNR TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Cable plans smaller rate increases amid more competition BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AT&T seeks to launch 13 FTTN markets by year's end * Verizon: Dilutive effect of FiOS to fall after Q1 * News Corp. near deal to regain Liberty's stake * Motorola seeks growth beyond RAZR's edge * RIM expects sales in Asia to double within a year * Buyout firms eye Hutchison's Indian wireless assets USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Steven Shepard's IMS Crash Course TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Cisco to make Net-based phones in India * Vodafone mulls 3G launch in Egypt * China Unicom says CDMA, GSM networks can go 3G REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC's Martin discusses time limit on franchise reviews * Ruling unlocks handsets Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eXiAfDtusXhrxHCibuddsqNR ------------------------------ From: Korey Smith Subject: Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question Reply-To: newsemail@cox.net Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2006 05:39:17 -0600 Organization: Cox On Wed, 06 Dec 2006 06:11:29 GMT, Bruce L. Bergman wrote: > On 4 Dec 2006 22:11:31 -0800, Korey wrote: >> I just recently signed up for telephone service through my cable >> company (It is supposed to be installed Tuesday, December 5.) Other >> than my cable company, I had considered services such as Vonage and >> Sunrocket. >> After I signed up with my cable company, I was thinking and had the >> following question: Is it possible to subscribe to two different VOIP >> telephone services at the same time and be able to use either of them >> whenever you want? In other words, after I port my current telephone >> number to my cable company and start with their service, what if I >> decide I need another line later and want to try another company for >> the new line, say Vonage, Sunrocket, or another one of my choice, for >> example? >> What would be involved with doing this, especially if I don't have an >> active landline? Would I need to go through my local telephone >> company and have them install a new telephone line and then once it is >> working, transfer the telephone service for the new line to Vonage, >> Sunrocket, or some other provider of my choice? Would it be possible >> to have two VOIP lines with two separate VOIP providers utilizing the >> same high speed cable modem connection? >> Just curious if this would be possible. > Possible, yes -- but don't try making two calls at once unless you > have really good service. Most home net connections are asymmetric > and your 'outbound' connection probably isn't fast enough to handle > two calls at once. > And even if you can pull it off in the slow times at 4 AM, try it at > 6 PM when everyone is home surfing the web and it won't go -- if you > are really unlucky, you won't be able to get even one decent VOIP > phone call through during the busy hours. > Cable modem speed is /very/ dependent on how heavily they have your > cable segment loaded with Internet users, and how much of the shared > segment bandwidth they are using. > That's the one saving grace of DSL -- it's slower, but it's all YOUR > bandwidth, no sharing. Unless they overload the backhaul connection > at the switchroom to Earthlink (or whomever), it's fairly reliable. > --<< Bruce >>-- I had tried DSL, but having been on cable before, I thought it was too slow. I was then looking for ways to save money on all of my home communications needs, and so I looked into my cable company for telephone service. I have a single line through them right now and so far the service is pretty good. I have even been able to fax both ways without any problems. I thought the faxing would be an issue since I had read somewhere else that faxing over this type of connection isn't always reliable, but I haven't had any problems send or receive. I remember reading somewhere else that AT&T is now offering VOIP Service (Internet Telephone Service) with their AT&T CallVantage® Service Plan. How are they going to be able to offer this and be competitive with cable? I'm no expert, but it would seem that with the CallVantage, you would need the DSL, which would also require a landline phone # or can you have DSL only? If you are required to have a landline phone, then what would be the purpose of subscribing to their CallVantage® Service? In other words, with this new AT&T CallVantage service, can you subscribe to DSL only and have the CallVantage service for your voice without having to pay extra for another line? Korey ------------------------------ 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html *** 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, For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml End of TELECOM Digest V25 #408 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Dec 7 23:53:13 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 9C8182247; Thu, 7 Dec 2006 23:53:12 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #408 Message-Id: <20061208045312.9C8182247@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 23:53:12 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 7 Dec 2006 23:55:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 408 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson More Internet Journalists Put in Jail (Rukmini Callimachi, AP) Google Begins Experiment With Radio Advertising (Associated Press NewsWire) Yahoo Shakeup Highlights Web Video Shift (Gary Gentile, AP) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 07, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Cable Plans Smaller Rate Increases Amid Competition (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question (Korey Smith) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2006 21:55:41 -0600 From: Rukmini Callimachi, AP Subject: More Internet Journalists Put in Jail By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK - When Iranian journalist Mojtaba Saminejad was sentenced to two years in prison for insulting the country's Supreme Leader, it was not for an article that appeared in a newspaper. His offending story was posted on his personal Web blog. Nearly one-third of journalists now serving time in prisons around the world published their work on the Internet, the second-largest category behind print journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in an analysis released Thursday. The bulk of Internet journalists in jail -- 49 in total -- shows that "authoritarian states are becoming more determined to control the Internet," said Joel Simon, the New York-based group's executive director. "It wasn't so long ago that people were talking about the Internet as a new medium that could never be controlled," he said. "The reality is that governments are now recognizing they need to control the Internet to control information." Other noteworthy imprisoned Internet journalists include U.S. video blogger Joshua Wolf, who refused to give a grand jury his footage of a 2005 protest against a G-8 economic summit, and China's Shi Tao, who is serving a 10-year sentence for posting online instructions by the government on how to cover the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. For the second year in a row, CPJ's annual survey found the total number of journalists in jail worldwide has increased. There were 134 reporters, editors and photographers incarcerated as of Dec. 1, nine more than a year ago. In addition to the Internet writers, the total includes 67 print journalists, eight TV reporters, eight radio reporters and two documentary filmmakers. Among the 24 nations that have imprisoned reporters, China topped the list for the eighth consecutive year with 31 journalists behind bars -- 19 of them Internet journalists. Cuba was second with 24 reporters in prison. Nearly all of them had filed their reports to overseas-based Web sites. The U.S. government and military has detained three journalists, including Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein, who was taken into custody in Iraq nine months ago and has yet to be charged with a crime. CPJ recorded the first jailing of an Internet reporter in its 1997 census. Since then, the number has steadily grown and now includes reporters, editors and photographers whose work appeared primarily on the Internet, in e-mails or in other electronic forms. The increase is a testament to the increasing attention of government censors to the Internet, media experts say. "I refer to the freedom of the press as the canary in the coal mine," said Joshua Friedman, director of international programs at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. "It's a barometer of the insecurity of the people running these governments. One of the things that makes them insecure these days is the power of the Internet." The rise in jailings of Internet journalists is also an indication that reporters in authoritarian countries are increasingly using the Web to circumvent state controls. Shi, the jailed Chinese journalist, could have published his notes on state propaganda in the Chinese magazine in Hunan province where he worked as an editorial director. He chose instead to send an e-mail from his Yahoo account to the U.S.-based editor of a Chinese language Web forum. Cuban journalist Manuel Vasquez-Portal said he posted his articles on a Miami-based Web site for a similar reason. "Without a doubt, the Internet provided me an avenue. It was the only way to get the truth out of Cuba," he said through an interpreter. Vasquez-Portal, who was jailed for 15 months in 2003, said he had to call his stories in to the operator of the Web site, though, because Cubans are not allowed access to the Internet. On the Net: Committee to Protect Journalists: http://www.cpj.org/ Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2006 21:59:34 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Google Begins Experiment With Radio Advertising By The Associated Press Google Inc. has started testing a long-awaited radio advertising service that represents the Internet search leader's most elaborate attempt yet at expanding its financial clout beyond the Web. The test announced Thursday will help sell advertising on more than 700 radio stations in more than 200 U.S. metropolitan markets. Google hopes to eventually sign up more than 5,000 stations, according to documents shown potential advertisers. For now, at least, Google will lag well behind other radio advertising placement services like Softwave Media Exchange, which says it has enlisted more than 1,500 stations with a combined daily audience of more than 9 million listeners. Thursday's announcement didn't specify how many advertisers are involved in the early radio tests nor set a timetable for opening the service to all comers. Google is betting its technology can do for radio what it has already done for the Internet by automating the process for selling and distributing ads to an audience where the messages are most likely to pique consumer interest. As it does on the Web, Google plans to charge a commission for helping radio stations sell ads. The Mountain View-based company signaled its intention to expand into radio advertising in January with a $102 million acquisition of dMarc Broadcasting Inc. Since then, Google has been working to make the service compatible with a system that already serves millions of Internet advertisers. The Internet ad platform has turned into a gold mine, with Google's profit this year expected to approach $3 billion — nearly a 30-fold increase since 2002. The company makes virtually all its money from short, written ads posted on the Web, raising worries among some analysts about Google's lack of other moneymaking channels. As part of its expansion efforts, Google also is trying to help newspaper and magazine publishers fill some of their unsold advertising space. Google's early efforts in magazines have had little impact. The company just started working with 50 of the nation's largest newspapers. Google appears intent on pouring far more resources into the radio service, with management openly discussing plans to employ about 1,000 workers in the division. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/TDNewsradio.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2006 22:01:11 -0600 From: Gary Gentile, AP Subject: Yahoo Shakeup Highlights Web Video Shift By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer The departure of television veteran Lloyd Braun from Yahoo Inc. underscores a shift, or at least a major hiccup, by Internet companies away from creating costly original content. Braun, who once ran primetime programming for the Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network, left Yahoo this week after his role was greatly diminished in a companywide reorganization that placed his group into a newly created division. Yahoo's hiring of Braun to run the new Yahoo Media Group two years ago sparked speculation that the online company was itching to become, in effect, a TV network on the Web, producing its own shows to attract eyeballs to its lucrative Internet advertising. After all, Braun was responsible for ABC's nascent turnaround and the genius behind its hit show "Lost." Analysts saw great symbolism in the consolidation of Yahoo's far-flung media sites -- music, video, finance and news -- into a new Santa Monica office that was once home of fabled movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. But two years ago, no one foresaw the rise of sites such as YouTube and MySpace, which became huge companies by aggregating user-generated videos and creating communities where people could network. YouTube was eventually bought by search giant Google Inc. for $1.76 billion, while MySpace was snatched by News Corp. for $580 million. Few people also foresaw that major media companies such as Disney, CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc. would begin selling TV episodes or full-length films over Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes store. As YouTube and similar sites grew in popularity, Braun struggled to get competing Yahoo divisions to think in terms of content rather than technology, Braun recounted in an interview at his Santa Monica office several weeks before his departure. One major glitch that consumed more than a year, for instance, was the lack of common software for producing and publishing content at the various product units inside Yahoo. Incompatible technology made it nearly impossible to design a template that could be easily shared by the various sites. Before redesigns of such services as Yahoo Music or Yahoo Games could be launched, Braun's unit had to develop a common software platform, a task now completed. Yahoo recently started to rollout redesigned sites and introduced a new offering, Yahoo Food. Braun also had to curtail ambitions to produce original shows for the Web. Replicating the TV network model would be prohibitively expensive, especially if such shows could only be viewed on a small computer screen. Yahoo did create several new video and other programs, including news dispatches from war journalist Kevin Sites. The company also recently launched a series of live music performances similar to those featured on rival AOL's site. But in a twist, one of its most popular shows, called "The Nine," features host Maria Sansone counting down nine notable user-generated video clips found on other sites such as YouTube. Yahoo isn't alone. When Time Warner Inc.'s AOL started breaking down its walls of exclusivity two years ago, the company cited its own video productions of concerts and other events as reasons people would want to visit its free, ad-supported sites. AOL even won a broadband Emmy for last year's "Live 8" concert special. Although AOL isn't abandoning those productions, its focus lately has been on search. It wants to be the starting point for online video, whether it's hosted at AOL or at a rival like YouTube. AOL also started its own video-sharing service, UnCut Video, where users can share clips they produce with camera phones and camcorders. The rapidly changing Web landscape has left Yahoo playing catch up, a situation this week's reorganization is designed to address. "Frankly I'm surprised it took Yahoo so long to make this decision," said Dmitry Shapiro, chief executive of video startup Veoh Networks Inc. "I think it's been known for at least a year, with the success of YouTube and hundreds of media aggregator players like Veoh that are jumping into the game, that this is the way it should be done. But large companies move slowly." Veoh wants to distribute user-generated and Hollywood content, but has no plans to create its own shows. Nonetheless, original content created for distribution over high-speed Internet connections shouldn't be dismissed just yet, said former Disney chief executive Michael Eisner, who now invests in media-related startup companies such as Veoh. "The production of original content for broadband is coming and will be significant and important just like it was significant and important for cable," Eisner said. Eisner said traditional media and online companies are in a transitional period where Hollywood-generated programs, TV shows and films are competing for attention with user-generated material. Makers of original Web content aren't wrong, he said, but may be hurt by pushing it before consumers are ready. "To take a position that it's all going to move to user-generated and be this anarchy and democracy is wrong," Eisner said. "To take the point of view that it's all going to be distribution of ancillary product from the studios and others is wrong. And to take the position that it's all going to be original product is wrong. "It's all three and it's all a matter of being too early or too late." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 07, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 11:16:58 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 07, 2006 ******************************** The Cloud, Truphone in VoIP Deal http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21531?11228 Wi-fi hotspot provider, The Cloud, has signed an agreement with the software provider, Truphone, to allow customers with a Truphone-enabled handset to make VoIP calls over The Cloud's wi-fi hotspots. Truphone is a free software tool for making VoIP calls that can be loaded onto Nokia's series of wi-fi-equipped handsets. ... Tele-Visionaries http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21525?11228 I just finished reading 'Tele-Visionaries, The People Behind the Invention of Television', by Richard C. Webb, IEEE Press. This is a relatively new book, published last year. I highly recommend it for a number of reasons discussed below. But I would caution that this is not the whole story and it has a well-defined ... Fight Heats Up Over Tie-Breaking AT&T/BellSouth Vote http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21519?11228 The flap over whether Federal Communications Commission (FCC)member Robert McDowell can be allowed to vote in favor of the AT&T/BellSouth merger has begun to ratchet up as the Republican commissioner indicated his willingness to participate in the regulator's approval process. Congressional Democrats openly expressed their ... Verizon to Boost Storage Service http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21513?11228 Verizon Communications Inc. is about to get more serious about storage for the sake of its broadband customers -- whether they're flying on FiOS or dawdling along with DSL. The company first offered its file backup and sharing service in late September from its Verizon Surround portal. Today, it provides 5 Gbytes of storage ... Increasing Telco TV Deployments a Boon for Headend Vendors http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21511?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A large number of headends have been built in 2005 and 2006 to support increasing telco TV deployments, and the wide availability of H.264 compression equipment in 2006 has prompted telcos that were waiting, to move forward with deployment plans, reports In-Stat. Growth in telco TV deployments and subscribers ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 11:58:35 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Cable Plans Smaller Rate Increases Amid More Competition USTelecom dailyLead December 7, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eXiAfDtusXhrxHCibuddsqNR TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Cable plans smaller rate increases amid more competition BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AT&T seeks to launch 13 FTTN markets by year's end * Verizon: Dilutive effect of FiOS to fall after Q1 * News Corp. near deal to regain Liberty's stake * Motorola seeks growth beyond RAZR's edge * RIM expects sales in Asia to double within a year * Buyout firms eye Hutchison's Indian wireless assets USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Steven Shepard's IMS Crash Course TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Cisco to make Net-based phones in India * Vodafone mulls 3G launch in Egypt * China Unicom says CDMA, GSM networks can go 3G REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC's Martin discusses time limit on franchise reviews * Ruling unlocks handsets Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eXiAfDtusXhrxHCibuddsqNR ------------------------------ From: Korey Smith Subject: Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question Reply-To: newsemail@cox.net Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2006 05:39:17 -0600 Organization: Cox On Wed, 06 Dec 2006 06:11:29 GMT, Bruce L. Bergman wrote: > On 4 Dec 2006 22:11:31 -0800, Korey wrote: >> I just recently signed up for telephone service through my cable >> company (It is supposed to be installed Tuesday, December 5.) Other >> than my cable company, I had considered services such as Vonage and >> Sunrocket. >> After I signed up with my cable company, I was thinking and had the >> following question: Is it possible to subscribe to two different VOIP >> telephone services at the same time and be able to use either of them >> whenever you want? In other words, after I port my current telephone >> number to my cable company and start with their service, what if I >> decide I need another line later and want to try another company for >> the new line, say Vonage, Sunrocket, or another one of my choice, for >> example? >> What would be involved with doing this, especially if I don't have an >> active landline? Would I need to go through my local telephone >> company and have them install a new telephone line and then once it is >> working, transfer the telephone service for the new line to Vonage, >> Sunrocket, or some other provider of my choice? Would it be possible >> to have two VOIP lines with two separate VOIP providers utilizing the >> same high speed cable modem connection? >> Just curious if this would be possible. > Possible, yes -- but don't try making two calls at once unless you > have really good service. Most home net connections are asymmetric > and your 'outbound' connection probably isn't fast enough to handle > two calls at once. > And even if you can pull it off in the slow times at 4 AM, try it at > 6 PM when everyone is home surfing the web and it won't go -- if you > are really unlucky, you won't be able to get even one decent VOIP > phone call through during the busy hours. > Cable modem speed is /very/ dependent on how heavily they have your > cable segment loaded with Internet users, and how much of the shared > segment bandwidth they are using. > That's the one saving grace of DSL -- it's slower, but it's all YOUR > bandwidth, no sharing. Unless they overload the backhaul connection > at the switchroom to Earthlink (or whomever), it's fairly reliable. > --<< Bruce >>-- I had tried DSL, but having been on cable before, I thought it was too slow. I was then looking for ways to save money on all of my home communications needs, and so I looked into my cable company for telephone service. I have a single line through them right now and so far the service is pretty good. I have even been able to fax both ways without any problems. I thought the faxing would be an issue since I had read somewhere else that faxing over this type of connection isn't always reliable, but I haven't had any problems send or receive. I remember reading somewhere else that AT&T is now offering VOIP Service (Internet Telephone Service) with their AT&T CallVantage® Service Plan. How are they going to be able to offer this and be competitive with cable? I'm no expert, but it would seem that with the CallVantage, you would need the DSL, which would also require a landline phone # or can you have DSL only? If you are required to have a landline phone, then what would be the purpose of subscribing to their CallVantage® Service? In other words, with this new AT&T CallVantage service, can you subscribe to DSL only and have the CallVantage service for your voice without having to pay extra for another line? Korey ------------------------------ 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html *** 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, For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml End of TELECOM Digest V25 #408 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Dec 8 16:42:07 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id A75712270; Fri, 8 Dec 2006 16:42:07 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #409 Message-Id: <20061208214207.A75712270@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 16:42:07 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: R TELECOM Digest Fri, 8 Dec 2006 16:45:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 409 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Internet Gangs Recruit on Line; Hire Students to Write Viruses (Griffiths) Identity Theft Gang Found Guilty in E-Bay Scam (Elsa McLaren, Reuters) Article on Mobile/Cell Phone History (Lisa Hancock) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 08, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Telecom Executives See Improvement (USTelecom dailyLead) Telecom Update #558, December 8, 2006 (John Riddell) Re: VOIP Internet Telephone Question (Rick Merrill) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:26:15 -0600 From: Peter Griffiths, Reuters Subject: Internet Gangs Recruit on Line; Hire Students to Write Viruses By Peter Griffiths Organized gangs have adopted "KGB-style" tactics to hire high-flying computer students to commit Internet crime, a report said on Friday. Criminals are targeting universities, computer clubs and online forums to find undergraduates, according to Internet security firm McAfee. Some gangs have sponsored promising students from other disciplines to attend computer courses before planting them in businesses as "sleepers." McAfee said the students write computer viruses, commit identity theft and launder money in a multi-billion dollar industry that is more lucrative than the drugs trade. The gangs' tactics echo the way Russian agents sought out experts at trade conferences or universities during the Cold War, the company said in an annual report. "Although organized criminals may have less of the expertise and access needed to commit cybercrimes, they have the funds to buy the necessary people to do it for them," the report says. McAfee said its study was based partly on FBI and European intelligence. In Eastern Europe, some people are lured into "cybercrime" because of high unemployment and low wages. "Many of these cybercriminals see the Internet as a job opportunity," McAfee quoted FBI Internet security expert Dave Thomas as saying. "With low employment, they can use their technical skills to feed their family." Hackers are paid to write computer viruses that can infect millions of machines to discover confidential information or send unwanted "spam" emails. This "spyware" can detect credit card numbers or other personal information which is then used by fraudsters. Criminals trawl through social networking Web sites which allow people to leave their pictures and personal details. Their research helps them to target "phishing" attacks, where people are sent fraudulent emails to trick them into revealing credit card numbers. Hackers are increasingly hired to spy on businesses, McAfee said. "Corporate espionage is big business," it added. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:28:27 -0600 From: Elsa McLaren, Reuters Subject: Identity Theft Gang Found Guilty in E-Bay Scam by Elsa McLaren and agencies One of the world's most successful identity theft gangs who defrauded bank account holders in Britain, America and several European countries out of millions of pounds are behind bars today. The gang created hundreds of false identities and used huge numbers of cloned credit cards to buy electrical goods, which were later sold on the website eBay. Police believe the lucrative international operation could have been running for 10 years and generated millions of pounds for the members. Anton Dolgov, a former boss of the Moscow City Bank, was at the heart of the operation and ran offices in north Kensington and Spain. He was known under a number of aliases including Anton Gelonkin, the name he appeared under at London's Harrow Crown Court. A police investigation was prompted after Spanish authorities arrested gang member Andreas Fuhrmann, who is currently awaiting trial in Spain. An international arrest warrant was issued for Anthony Peyton, one of Gelonkin's aliases. Gelonkin was tracked down by police after he reported a break-in at his headquarters at BusPace Studios. After a police check the Interpol warrant issued for his arrest was flagged up. Officers from the Serious and Organised Crime unit raided the gang's premises where they discovered a huge amount of evidence. However, much of it was lost when gang member Aleksei Kostap, while handcuffed, managed to leap off a sofa to flick a power switch on the ceiling which wiped the computer databases and triggered layers of encryption. Despite efforts of police IT experts, the system has proved impregnable and its secrets will probably remain beyond reach for ever. Kostap, 31, an Estonian national, denied his involvement in the scam and instead said that he had been framed by Gelonkin. But, today he was found guilty of conspiracies to defraud, obtain services by deception, acquire, use and possess criminal property, and conceal, disguise, convert, transfer or remove criminal property. He was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice by shutting down the power to the PCs. He is due to be sentenced on December 13, along with Gelonkin, 42, who admitted four charges of conspiracy and Romanos Vasilauskas, 24, who pleaded guilty to possessing three false passports. David Hewett, for the prosecution, told the court that, while the fraud was thought to have lasted up to a decade, the charges covered just an 18-month period between June 2003 and January last year when the gang was arrested. During that time the gang managed to pocket at least 750,000 pounds. "However, it is quite clear the total amount of money defrauded will probably never be known," he explained. The operation's ultimate mastermind is thought to have been a shady underworld figure called Kaljusaar, who has never been caught. Police discovered bogus passports, council tax documents, electoral registration applications, and bank statements as well as employment references from both an unsuspecting firm of solicitors and a fake one that were used to create false identities. Cloned credit cards were used to buy cameras, computers, iPods, computer games, Royal Mint coin collection sets and other goods such as Liverpool FC strips from a variety of website traders. These items were then auctioned on eBay. The gang also used stolen credit card details to set up online gambling accounts and directed the winnings into bank accounts they had created in false names. They also used the compromised credit cards to make thousands of small payments to WorldPay and PayPal accounts which they later banked. Copyright 2006 Reuters. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Article on Mobile/Cell Phone History Date: 8 Dec 2006 10:37:22 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com The magazine, American Heritage of Invention & Technology, Winter 2007, has two feature articles on cell phone history. The first article deals with the history of developing cells. The second article deals with hand held telephone development by Motorola. It also discusses the relationship between Motorola, who developed and manufactured the components, and AT&T that provided the service. There is a supplemental article on Picturephone. This issue also contains articles on making snow, the U-2 spy plane, and metal fatigue prevention. The magazine is found at better newstands under INVENTION & TECHNOLOGY. http://www.inventionandtechnology.com ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 08, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 11:58:39 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 08, 2006 ******************************** Palm Gets Its OS Back http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21561?11228 Paving over a gaping hole in its strategic roadmap, Palm Inc. said today that it has re-licensed the source code for its operating system, known as the Palm Garnet OS, from Access Systems Americas Inc., a unit of Japanese company Access Co. Ltd. The contract, under which Palm will pay $44 million for a perpetual, non-exclusive ... Alfa Seeking Dialogue with TeliaSonera and Telenor http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21559?11228 Altimo, the telecoms arm of Russian holding group Alfa, is keen to enter into dialogue with Sweden's TeliaSonera and Norway's Telenor, with a view to establishing some form of alliance with either, according to press reports. Altimo CEO Alexey Reznikovich has pointed out that representatives of Altimo and TeliaSonera are already. Moto Q on MTS and Palm Treo on Rogers Increase Smartphone Options http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21556?11228 Smartphone options available to Canadians have been expanded this week as MTS Allstream launches the Motorola's Moto Q, available for free on a three-year contract or C$149 on a two-year contract. Rogers Wireless has also taken on the quad-band EDGE-capable Palm Treo 680, available for C$299.99 on a three-year contract. ... Session Border Controllers in Converged Fixed-Mobile IMS/TISPAN Architecture http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21550?11228 Acme Packet has defined the role of session border controllers within the next-generation, converged fixed-mobile IMS architecture defined by 3GPP and extended by ETSI TISPAN. Within this architecture, session border controllers provide service providers with critical support for real-time interactive IP-based voice, video and ... Poll: 'IM-ing' Divides Teens, Adults http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21547?11228 WASHINGTON -- Teenager Michelle Rome can't imagine life without instant messaging. Baby boomer Steve Wilson doesn't care that it even exists. They're part of an 'instant messaging gap' between teens and adults. And the division is wide, says an AP-AOL survey on how Americans use or snub those Internet ... Take a Picture http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21544?11228 It's no news that camera phones are hot. Tech research giant Gartner recently predicted that nearly 50 percent of mobile phones sold worldwide in 2006 will incorporate a camera; the number rises to 81 percent by 2010. One is tempted that observe that cameras will be increasingly added to mobile phones whether or not buyers ... U.K. Wireless/Broadband Retail Battle Twists & Shouts http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21542?11228 In the latest twist in the turbulent British retail cellular and broadband markets, U.K. cellphone retailer Phones 4U today leaked -- and it appears on purpose -- word it's negotiating to become a broadband reseller. Its target is rival Carphone Warehouse, from which it stole the Vodafone cellular resale contract two months ago, ... BSkyB Gets Googly http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21539?11228 British Sky Broadcasting Group plc (BSkyB) says it plans to offer its U.K. broadband customers a set of Sky-branded services from Google including video, communications, search, and advertising. The two companies say they've signed a set of 'wide-ranging multi-year agreements' to develop, tailor, and re-brand ... Battery Recall Hits Cell Phones http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21536?11228 On the heels of the notebook computer industry being hit with a slew of battery recall announcements, NTT DoCoMo is calling back 1.3 million battery packs used on one of its phones sold in Japan. The Japanese operator says it is pulling the batteries made by Sanyo Electric Company back because deformed parts were discovered in the ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 12:31:07 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Telecom Executives See Improvement in Access Line Loss Trend USTelecom dailyLead December 8, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eXuMfDtusXhwrGCibuddGIXH TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Telecom executives see improvement in access-line loss trend BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Net ads to reach $16.4 billion this year, eMarketer says * Verizon promotes DirectTV to small businesses * EU clears Alcatel purchase of Nortel radio access business * Cincinnati Bell plays ball * Sprint Nextel offers Hispanic customers mobile chats * Nokia, France Telecom sign deal for remote-content service USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Secure Your Carrier Class Network Tuesday, Dec. 12, 1 p.m. (ET) TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Report: Developing countries show demand for high-end mobile products * As Web videos grow longer, so too does competitive risk * Customized ads for mobile phones to be tested VOIP DOWNLOAD * Mass migration to VoIP has begun, says report * Hinkley Q-and-A: Progress of massive VoIP conversion * Survey: Small businesses tout VoIP conveniences as well as cost Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eXuMfDtusXhwrGCibuddGIXH ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Update #558, December 8, 2006 Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 13:46:03 -0500 From: John Riddell ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 558: December 8, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca/home/Home_Business.page ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.ca/communications/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** SHAW BUSINESS SOLUTIONS: www.shawbusinesssolutions.ca ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca IN THIS ISSUE: ** Study Finds No Cellphone Cancer Link ** Bernier Proposes Fines for Telecom Market Abuse ** Rogers Considers National Rollout of Phone, Internet ** MTS Seeks 50-Cent Payphone Charge ** CRTC Reintroduces Internal Decision Standards ** Telus Expands EVDO Roaming ** Northwestel Rate Increases Approved ** Cogeco Founder Leaves Board ** SR Telecom Takes $29M Hit, Gets New Backing ** Wi-LAN Wins Nokia Licence Deal ** Nortel Changes Its Auditor ** Nortel Completes Sale of UMTS Unit ** Call-Back LD Comes to Cellular ** New Handsets Announce Holiday Season ** Globalstar Shrinks the Satellite Phone ** Nordiq Board Approve Aliant Buyout ** Telecom Hall of Fame Gala on Rogers TV STUDY FINDS NO CELLPHONE CANCER LINK: A major study has found that cellphone users are no more likely to develop cancer than the population at large. A report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute documents the largest study on the subject ever conducted: it examined the health records of 420,000 people in Denmark who were cellphone users for an average of 8.5 years and for over 20 years in some cases. It found no increased incidence of tumours among mobile users. (See Telecom Update #270, 352, 495, 514) BERNIER PROPOSES FINES FOR TELECOM MARKET ABUSE: Industry Minister Maxime Bernier has tabled amendments to the Competition Act that would allow the Competition Tribunal to levy fines of up to $15 million against telecommunications service providers that abuse their dominant position. http://xrl.us/BillC41 ** The Martin government proposed to give both the Competition Tribunal and the CRTC the power to impose similar fines, but the bills died when Parliament was dissolved in November 2005. ** Last month, the Competition Bureau outlined its proposed approach to dealing with complaints of anti-competitive behaviour in telecom markets, and invited comments by December 29. (see Telecom Update #554). ROGERS CONSIDERS NATIONAL ROLLOUT OF PHONE, INTERNET: Speaking at a UBS-sponsored conference in New York this week, Ted Rogers said that his company is "developing technology to offer high-speed Internet and phone across the country." He may have been referring to an enhanced version of the Inukshuk network, the wireless Internet venture that Rogers and Bell own jointly. ** Rogers, who was due to retire at the end of 2008, recently signed a new contract that extends his term in office until either he or the company terminates the contract on six months' notice. MTS SEEKS 50-CENT PAYPHONE CHARGE: MTS Allstream has asked the CRTC to approve an increase in payphone charges to 50 cents, to be effective in April 2007. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/public/8740/2006/m59/697249.zip CRTC REINTRODUCES INTERNAL DECISION STANDARDS: The CRTC has set internal deadlines for issuing decisions on a variety of telecommunications applications. The Commission will begin measuring its internal service standards in April 2007, and will report annually beginning in 2008. ** The Commission previously set performance standards for itself in 2002, but failed to meet them and subsequently stopped reporting results. (See Telecom Update #346). http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Circulars/2006/ct2006-11.htm TELUS EXPANDS EVDO ROAMING: Telus says that its customers can now use their high-speed (EVDO) mobile phones in more than 230 U.S. cities. Telus charges for roaming in the U.S. are 95 cents/minute for airtime, and an additional 50 cents/minute for long distance calls within Canada and the U.S. ** A full list of U.S. cities where Telus EVDO roaming is available is posted at http://xrl.us/EVDOroam NORTHWESTEL RATE INCREASES APPROVED: The CRTC has approved Northwestel interim rate increases of $2/month for residential lines and $5/month for business lines, effective January 1, 2007. ** All of Northwestel's tariffs are made interim, to allow any price changes in the Commission's final ruling on the telco's regulatory framework, due in 2007, to be made retroactive to January 1. (See Telecom Update #513) http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2006/o2006-332.htm COGECO FOUNDER LEAVES BOARD: Louis Audet, who founded Cogeco in 1956 and led it until 1993, is resigning from the Board of Cogeco Cable and Cogeco Inc. Audet, 88, owns 72% of Cogeco Inc. and remains its Chairman Emeritus. SR TELECOM TAKES $29M HIT, GETS NEW BACKING: SR Telecom has raised $20 million in new financing and taken a $29 million restructuring charge. (See Telecom Update #555) SR says it has been burdened by restructuring efforts that were "disruptive to operations" and has responded by focusing all efforts on WiMAX products. ** SR reports a 35% decline in third quarter revenue, compared to a year ago, due to "outsourcing issues." WI-LAN WINS NOKIA LICENCE DEAL: Nokia has agreed to pay Ottawa-based Wi-LAN Inc. $15 million, and to transfer 93 patents worth $34 million to Wi-LAN, in exchange for a licence to use Wi-LAN's ADSL patents. ** Earlier this year, Wi-LAN stopped making equipment in order to concentrate on licensing its technology. It is offering reduced fees to companies that sign licences before April 12, 2007. (See Telecom Update #515) NORTEL CHANGES ITS AUDITOR: Deloitte & Touche, which has been Nortel's auditor since 1914, has been replaced by KPMG. (See Telecom Update #472) NORTEL COMPLETES SALE OF UMTS UNIT: Nortel Networks this week concluded a definitive agreement to sell its UMTS mobile products division to Alcatel-Lucent for US$320 million in cash -- "less significant deductions and transaction-related costs." About 1,700 Nortel employees will move to Alcatel-Lucent by year-end. (See Telecom Update #544) CALL-BACK LD COMES TO CELLULAR: Call-back long distance, which was used to cut overseas LD charges in the 1980s, has been reborn as an option for cost-conscious cellular users. Customers of Toronto-based Mobilmiser dial a Toronto number and get a busy signal -- Mobilmiser calls them back and connects them to long distance dialtone. The company says that Canada and U.S. LD calls are 4.9 cents/minute. http://www.mobilemiser.com NEW HANDSETS ANNOUNCE HOLIDAY SEASON: Cellcos are preparing for Santa's midnight ride by introducing a new crop of wireless gadgets: ** Bell Canada's LG Fusic phone offers an MP3 player and Canada's first in-phone FM transmitter. ** MTS Motorola Q smartphone has an MP3 player, a camera, Windows Mobile software, and an "ultra-thin design." ** Telus's Nokia 6165i push-to-talk phone includes "advanced mobile IP" and Bluetooth technology, and a "vibrantly coloured matte metallic finish." GLOBALSTAR SHRINKS THE SATELLITE PHONE: Globalstar's 7.1-ounce satellite handset, the Qualcomm GSP-1700, is half the size and weight of its previous models. NORDIQ BOARD APPROVE ALIANT BUYOUT: The directors of Bell Nordiq Group have decided to recommend approval of Bell Aliant's bid to buy the 37% of Nordiq that it does not already own. (See Telecom Update #556) TELECOM HALL OF FAME GALA ON ROGERS TV: A film of the 2006 Awards Ceremony for Canada's Telecom Hall of Fame will be broadcast on Rogers cable on Saturday December 9 at 6pm in Owen Sound and York Region, and at 8pm in the rest of Rogers' territory. HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web late Friday afternoon each week at http://www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2006 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2006 15:57:59 -0500 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question Korey Smith wrote: > On Wed, 06 Dec 2006 06:11:29 GMT, Bruce L. Bergman > wrote: >> On 4 Dec 2006 22:11:31 -0800, Korey wrote: >>> I just recently signed up for telephone service through my cable >>> company (It is supposed to be installed Tuesday, December 5.) Other >>> than my cable company, I had considered services such as Vonage and >>> Sunrocket. >>> After I signed up with my cable company, I was thinking and had the >>> following question: Is it possible to subscribe to two different VOIP >>> telephone services at the same time and be able to use either of them >>> whenever you want? In other words, after I port my current telephone >>> number to my cable company and start with their service, what if I >>> decide I need another line later and want to try another company for >>> the new line, say Vonage, Sunrocket, or another one of my choice, for >>> example? >>> What would be involved with doing this, especially if I don't have an >>> active landline? Would I need to go through my local telephone >>> company and have them install a new telephone line and then once it is >>> working, transfer the telephone service for the new line to Vonage, >>> Sunrocket, or some other provider of my choice? Would it be possible >>> to have two VOIP lines with two separate VOIP providers utilizing the >>> same high speed cable modem connection? >>> Just curious if this would be possible. >> Possible, yes -- but don't try making two calls at once unless you >> have really good service. Most home net connections are asymmetric >> and your 'outbound' connection probably isn't fast enough to handle >> two calls at once. >> And even if you can pull it off in the slow times at 4 AM, try it at >> 6 PM when everyone is home surfing the web and it won't go -- if you >> are really unlucky, you won't be able to get even one decent VOIP >> phone call through during the busy hours. >> Cable modem speed is /very/ dependent on how heavily they have your >> cable segment loaded with Internet users, and how much of the shared >> segment bandwidth they are using. >> That's the one saving grace of DSL -- it's slower, but it's all YOUR >> bandwidth, no sharing. Unless they overload the backhaul connection >> at the switchroom to Earthlink (or whomever), it's fairly reliable. >> --<< Bruce >>-- > I had tried DSL, but having been on cable before, I thought it was too > slow. I was then looking for ways to save money on all of my home > communications needs, and so I looked into my cable company for > telephone service. I have a single line through them right now and so > far the service is pretty good. I have even been able to fax both > ways without any problems. I thought the faxing would be an issue > since I had read somewhere else that faxing over this type of > connection isn't always reliable, but I haven't had any problems send > or receive. > I remember reading somewhere else that AT&T is now offering VOIP > Service (Internet Telephone Service) with their AT&T CallVantage=AE > Service Plan. How are they going to be able to offer this and be > competitive with cable? I'm no expert, but it would seem that with > the CallVantage, you would need the DSL, which would also require a > landline phone # or can you have DSL only? If you are required to > have a landline phone, then what would be the purpose of subscribing > to their CallVantage service? > In other words, with this new AT&T CallVantage service, can you > subscribe to DSL only and have the CallVantage service for your voice > without having to pay extra for another line? You are very, very confused - it may not be your fault. "ATT CallVantage" IS a VoIP service over whatever broadband (cable) provider you may have. [VoIP is totally different from DSL which is not too different from "landline".] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=455 ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #409 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Dec 9 22:49:11 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 192E9223D; Sat, 9 Dec 2006 22:49:10 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #410 Message-Id: <20061210034910.192E9223D@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2006 22:49:10 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sat, 9 Dec 2006 22:50:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 410 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Your Email Address Known by Police? (David Farrett, Newsfactor) Step Taken Toward Global Internet Names (Anick Jesdanun) High-Tech Firms Push Data-Privacy Law (Christopher S. Rugaber) Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question (Korey Smith) From Our Archives: History of Teletype (TELECOM Digest Editor) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 09 Dec 2006 20:25:05 -0600 From: David Garrett, Newsfactor Subject: Your Email Address Known by Police? An E-Mail Registry for Sex Offenders? by David Garrett, newsfactor.com Two of the Senate's biggest names, Charles E. Schumer (D.-NY) and John McCain (R.-AZ) plan to push for legislation that will compel sex offenders to register their active e-mail addresses with authorities in an effort to save kids from online predators. Schumer and McCain will introduce the bill at the start of 110th Congress in 2007. If passed, it would send convicted sex offenders to prison for providing false e-mail accounts. The news follows on the heels of a MySpace announcement to vet its user base against the sex offender registries of 46 states, the nation's first attempt to combine database systems across state lines into a single, unified system. Technology or Talking? MySpace is the star of the social networking universe, and a fixture in most teens' after-school time. While popular, MySpace has been dogged by reports of known sex offenders using it to solicit teens and tweens with abusive and often nightmarish proposals. It's a problem that's well known to John Shehan, program manager of the CyberTipline, a project by the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to Shehan, parents need to rely on talking, and not merely technology, to keep their kids safe. "It's old fashioned communication," said Shehan. "You put every type of technological advantage online, but there are ways around all of them." Yet talking -- and above all, talking with teens -- is sometimes the hardest part of parenting. Shehan and colleagues performed a set of focus groups in which parents quickly admitted that not knowing as much as their kids did about was a roadblock to even the simplest dialogue. LOL No More Teens' language, including the dozens of acronyms they use for on-screen chats, was among the most confounding facets of their online lives. Yet some of those very acronyms reveal the danger that unpoliced computer use can pose: IPN: I'm posting naked LDR: Long distance relationship LULAB: Love you like a brother LULAS: Love you like a sister OLL: Online love RPG: Role playing games WIBNI: Wouldn't it be nice if WTGP: Want to go private? A/S/L: age, sex, location To help parents talk with teens, CyberTipline offers a list of acronyms, tips, and talking points on its Web site at www.cybertipline.com, as well as a way to report the actions of suspected predators. "Even little tips like getting the computer out of kids' bedrooms and putting it into a central location" can make a difference, said Shehan. He added that sex predators' attempts to contact kids seem to know no limits of deception. "We've even seen cases where individuals have gone online posing as atheists," said Shehan, "then go into chatrooms and look for kids who are devout in a particular religion." The adult -- often posing as a teen -- claims to find religion in an attempt to groom the victim into sending photos, meeting offline, or worse. Copyright 2006 NewsFactor Network, Inc. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: There are so many holes in this proposal! For on, what prevents a sex offender (or anyone else) from using two or more different email addresses? You use one address, when it gets to be 'too hot' to use further, then ditch it and start again. After all, its not like getting a driver's license or State ID card where a lot of people can get involved. Email addresses are like 'throw-away' things. The second problem I see is what happens to the user -- sex offender or not -- who gets a 'joe job' done on him? In other words, someone impersonates him, for the main reason of covering up his tracks. So does the former sex offender get punished again for 'not registering' his email address, or how will that work? And with the huge amount of porn and spam on the net these days, which of you can say with assurance your email name/address has never been forged? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Dec 2006 20:27:03 -0600 From: Anick Jesdsanun, AP Subject: Step Taken Toward Global Internet Names By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer The Internet's key oversight agency sought Friday to identify policy disputes that might arise from the introduction of addresses that end in non-Latin scripts, marking one more step toward making the Internet truly global. Histrically, domain names have been limited to the 26 characters of the English alphabet, the 10 numerals and the hyphen. Constraining non-English speakers to those characters is akin to forcing all English speakers to type domains in Chinese. Operators of some domain name suffixes, such as ".com" and Thailand's ".th," already have adopted technical tricks to understand other scripts. However, the suffix -- the ".com" part -- remains in English, and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers so far has barred addresses entirely in non-Latin scripts. That could start to change in the next year or two. In anticipation of non-English suffixes, the ICANN board asked representatives from governments and operators of country-code domains such as ".fr" for France to come up with a list of policy questions that must be resolved. That could include who should decide what countries get what suffixes and how to make sure a domain in one language isn't inadvertently offensive in another, said Vint Cerf, ICANN's chairman. A preliminary report could come by March. "What we're trying to do is get as much of the issues documented and publicly visible," Cerf said Friday after the board wrapped up this week's meetings in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Separately, engineers have been considering technical issues surrounding such names. One concern is that characters in two scripts sometimes look alike, raising the possibility that criminals might sub one for the other as part of scams. Earlier in the week, ICANN released technical details for application developers and others to test whether non-English domains could wreck a global addressing system that millions of Internet users rely upon every day. On Friday, ICANN's board also approved contract renewals for ".biz," ".info" and ".org." Added clauses include one designed to ensure that operators of those domains won't try to charge more to register the simpler, more valuable names. Critics had worried that without such a provision, an operator could potentially raise prices when a company tries to renew an easy-to-remember or trademarked name. Friday's decision clarifies that the board opposes variable pricing and indicates that similar clauses are likely for other domains as contracts get renewed. Cerf, one of the Internet's founding fathers as co-developer of the key communications protocols, also was named ICANN chairman for a seventh and final year. He said ICANN's bylaws require him to leave the board when his term expires next December. Cerf joined the board in 1999 and became ICANN's second chair a year later. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Dec 2006 20:28:40 -0600 From: Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Subject: High-Tech Firms Push Data-Privacy Law By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Business Writer Microsoft Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and other high-tech companies are preparing to push for data-privacy legislation next year to replace what they consider an outdated patchwork of state and federal laws that are inconsistent and burdensome. "We think the time has come for a comprehensive privacy bill that would protect consumers' personal information while still allowing the flow of information needed for commerce online," Ira Rubinstein, a Microsoft lawyer, said this week. Several recent high-profile breaches of consumers' personal information have made consideration of privacy proposals more likely, Rubinstein said. The Social Security numbers and medical data of approximately 930,000 people were compromised this June, for example, when computer equipment belonging to insurance provider American International Group Inc. was stolen. Microsoft, HP and eBay Inc. earlier this year formed the Consumer Privacy Legislative Forum to lobby for privacy legislation. Google Inc., Intel Corp., Oracle Corp. and other companies later joined. The forum supports legislation that would set standards for what notice must be given to consumers about personal information collected on them and how it will be used, Rubinstein said. The companies are aiming for a law that would override any existing state laws and standardize privacy rules across industries. The group's efforts will likely face some opposition, however. Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a consumer advocacy group, said the proposals, if adopted, would amount to an industry drafting its own regulations. Rotenberg also argued that the notices to consumers preferred by Microsoft and other companies are insufficient to protect online privacy. Instead, consumers should have access to the data that companies have on them and have more control over how they are used, he said, similar to the way consumers can currently access their credit reports. Rotenberg also opposes the pre-emption of state laws, which he said in many cases have better protections than federal rules. Many anti-spam experts complained when Congress in 2003 approved a measure that did not let individuals sue spammers and that pre-empted most state laws that did. Meanwhile, Stuart Ingis, a partner at the law firm Venable LLP, said that a broad privacy measure is unnecessary. "Comprehensive privacy legislation already exists in this country," he said, citing existing laws and regulations governing financial and health-care privacy. Those rules took decades to develop and provide strong protections for consumers, said Ingis, whose firm represents several companies and trade groups that track privacy issues. Although high-tech companies have been seeking comprehensive federal privacy legislation, Congress has focused on the steps companies should take to protect data and when companies should notify consumers of data security breaches. But several data security bills failed to pass during the soon-to-end congressional session, largely because of jurisdictional struggles between different congressional committees, said Steve Adamske, spokesman for Rep. Barney Frank (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass. Frank, incoming chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said Wednesday that he plans to consider the issue of data security next year. To avoid a repeat of the jurisdictional struggle, Frank says he plans to propose to incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she appoint a task force of members from committees with oversight on privacy matters to work on the issue. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: Korey Smith Subject: Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question Reply-To: newsemail@cox.net Date: Sat, 09 Dec 2006 16:14:08 -0600 Organization: Cox On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 15:57:59 -0500, Rick Merrill wrote: > Korey Smith wrote: >> On Wed, 06 Dec 2006 06:11:29 GMT, Bruce L. Bergman >> wrote: >>> On 4 Dec 2006 22:11:31 -0800, Korey wrote: >>>> I just recently signed up for telephone service through my cable >>>> company (It is supposed to be installed Tuesday, December 5.) Other >>>> than my cable company, I had considered services such as Vonage and >>>> Sunrocket. >>>> After I signed up with my cable company, I was thinking and had the >>>> following question: Is it possible to subscribe to two different VOIP >>>> telephone services at the same time and be able to use either of them >>>> whenever you want? In other words, after I port my current telephone >>>> number to my cable company and start with their service, what if I >>>> decide I need another line later and want to try another company for >>>> the new line, say Vonage, Sunrocket, or another one of my choice, for >>>> example? >>>> What would be involved with doing this, especially if I don't have an >>>> active landline? Would I need to go through my local telephone >>>> company and have them install a new telephone line and then once it is >>>> working, transfer the telephone service for the new line to Vonage, >>>> Sunrocket, or some other provider of my choice? Would it be possible >>>> to have two VOIP lines with two separate VOIP providers utilizing the >>>> same high speed cable modem connection? >>>> Just curious if this would be possible. >>> Possible, yes -- but don't try making two calls at once unless you >>> have really good service. Most home net connections are asymmetric >>> and your 'outbound' connection probably isn't fast enough to handle >>> two calls at once. >>> And even if you can pull it off in the slow times at 4 AM, try it at >>> 6 PM when everyone is home surfing the web and it won't go -- if you >>> are really unlucky, you won't be able to get even one decent VOIP >>> phone call through during the busy hours. >>> Cable modem speed is /very/ dependent on how heavily they have your >>> cable segment loaded with Internet users, and how much of the shared >>> segment bandwidth they are using. >>> That's the one saving grace of DSL -- it's slower, but it's all YOUR >>> bandwidth, no sharing. Unless they overload the backhaul connection >>> at the switchroom to Earthlink (or whomever), it's fairly reliable. >>> --<< Bruce >>-- >> I had tried DSL, but having been on cable before, I thought it was too >> slow. I was then looking for ways to save money on all of my home >> communications needs, and so I looked into my cable company for >> telephone service. I have a single line through them right now and so >> far the service is pretty good. I have even been able to fax both >> ways without any problems. I thought the faxing would be an issue >> since I had read somewhere else that faxing over this type of >> connection isn't always reliable, but I haven't had any problems send >> or receive. >> I remember reading somewhere else that AT&T is now offering VOIP >> Service (Internet Telephone Service) with their AT&T CallVantage=AE >> Service Plan. How are they going to be able to offer this and be >> competitive with cable? I'm no expert, but it would seem that with >> the CallVantage, you would need the DSL, which would also require a >> landline phone # or can you have DSL only? If you are required to >> have a landline phone, then what would be the purpose of subscribing >> to their CallVantage service? >> In other words, with this new AT&T CallVantage service, can you >> subscribe to DSL only and have the CallVantage service for your voice >> without having to pay extra for another line? > You are very, very confused - it may not be your fault. "ATT > CallVantage" IS a VoIP service over whatever broadband (cable) > provider you may have. [VoIP is totally different from DSL which is not > too different from "landline".] I'm new at learning all of this stuff as it relates to VoIP, etc. So, the "ATT CallVantage" service can be utilized over a DSL or Cable connection, right? I guess what seemed confusing to me is if it can be used over a DSL connection, then in order to have a DSL connection, you usually have to have a regular landline, correct? Well, what seemed odd to me is why anyone would pay for a landline in order to have DSL service just so they could have the "ATT CallVantage" service, unless a person could subscribe only to DSL service without landline service. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: There are at least two forms of 'broadband' internet (or considered 'fast enough' for applications such as VOIP service). There is DSL, which is a telco service, and there is 'cable internet'. Cable is quite independent of your phone service. They are a lot the same, but many of us feel that cable is generally a bit faster. I used to have DSL when I was a customer of Southwestern Bell Telco; I have been with Cable One now for a few years, for both television and internet. I do not know if AT&T will sell their 'CallVantage' service to people who do not have DSL service. A few of us can easily have both DSL and cable internet, but there are many people eligible for one (because of their location) but not the other. Many of the cable companies are now doing phone service as well. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2006 21:47:49 EST From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Sunbject: From our Archives: History of Teletype Fifteen years ago in this Digest, I published a book review which had been submitted by Jim Haynes; I thought it might be interesting to look at it again. Date: Sat, 16 Nov 1991 20:33:50 -0600 From: TELECOM Moderator To: telecom Subject: History of Morkrum Company - Ancestor of Teletype Corporation [Moderator's Note: Attached is a very interesting piece I received which is too large for a regular issue of the Digest. I thought it was fascinating and hope you feel the same way. PAT] From: Jim Haynes Subject: History of Morkrum Company - Ancestor of Teletype Corporation Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MORKRUM COMPANY Howard L. Krum circa 1925 ABSTRACT This is a first-hand report of Teletype's early years. Although the original manuscript was found unsigned and undated, it has been positively identified as the work of Mr. Howard L. Krum, son of Mr. Charles L. Krum, a co-founder of the original Morkrum Company. The date of writing seems to have been somewhere between 1925 and 1928. The fame of Howard Krum does not depend on his illustrious parentage. His own contributions to the printing telegraph art, among them the invention of _stop-start synchronization_, were of lasting importance. ----- In the year 1902, Mr. Joy Morton, nationally known as the founder and head of the Morton Salt Company, became interested in the possibility of developing a printing telegraph system. He called Mr. Charles L. Krum, who was at that time Mechanical Engineer of the Western Cold Storage Company, into consultation on the matter. While cold storage seems rather a far cry from printing telegraph development, Mr. Krum had had considerable experience on the design of intricate mechanisms, including adding machines. Inventors had been working on the development of printing telegraph for forty years prior to this time but had not succeeded in producing apparatus which was simple and practical enough to find any market or any considerable use by the communication systems in the United States. As is the case with most others who started work on printing telegraph, Mr. Krum was fascinated with the possibilities of this development, and Mr. Morton agreed to go ahead with the proposition and finance it. How important this decision was did not become apparent for many years, as certainly no one realized the vast sums of money and the years of hard work which would have to be expended before satisfactory printing telegraph apparatus would be produced and widespread use made of it. In 1906, Mr. Howard Krum received his degree in electrical engineering and immediately started work with his father on this problem. The combination of the electrical engineer and the mechanical engineer proved to be a happy one and experiments were diligently prosecuted for a couple of years, until in 1908 a system was developed which looked good enough to try on an actual telegraph line. The first trial of this system was made on the lines of the Chicago & Alton Railroad. While operation was secured and the results were sufficiently satisfactory to cause the inventors to feel quite jubilant, still they were hard-headed enough to see the weak points of this system in the state of development in which it was at that time. The experience acquired in this actual line test of the apparatus was made the basis for further research, and after two more years of work, the start-stop printing telegraph system which has become the basis for all successful single channel printer systems of the present day, was born. The apparatus which embodied the start-stop system at that time bore little resemblance to the present apparatus but the principles of operation were there and the working out of them was sufficiently satisfactory to justify a commercial installation. In their pursuit of a satisfactory system of transmission, the mechanism for recording the signals was not neglected. Several different kinds of commercial typewriters were modified to perform the duty of recording the received signals, but strange as it may seem, it was found that commercial typewriters were not satisfactory for the rigorous job of recording telegraph signals. It was therefore found necessary to design a typewriter especially for this work. These first tests also pointed out the advantages and superiority of mechanical over electrical operation, with a result that all functions outside of the bare selection are now performed mechanically by the Teletype in its present form. Having finally produced a system and apparatus which they felt certain was commercially practical, the inventors were then faced with the necessity for finding a communication company who would permit the installation of this apparatus in regular commercial operation. The Postal Telegraph Company proved to be the most receptive and a commit- tee headed by Mr. Minor M. Davis, at that time Electrical Engineer for the Postal Telegraph Company, visited Chicago to investigate this new Morkrum system. It is interesting to note that Mr. Davis, who had years of experience in the telegraph business and who had seen many attempts at the development of a successful printing telegraph system, was not so much concerned in the actual functioning of the recording apparatus but was more concerned in learning if the basis of the system, that is, the line signal, was of a type which would function on ordinary telegraph lines in good weather and bad. After a thorough investigation of the system, he became convinced that the start-stop line signal devised by the Krums would meet the rigorous service requirements, and the committee decided to permit an actual commercial installation on the Postal lines between New York and Boston. This installation was made in the summer of 1910. After years of work, the inventors felt that they had finally reached their goal. The apparatus was packed and shipped and Mr. Howard Krum went to Boston to supervise the installation at that end of the circuit and Mr. Charles Krum went to New York to take care of the operations at that end. However, the difficulties were not yet over, for when the apparatus arrived at its destination it was found that due to rough handling the delicate instruments were so badly damaged that instead of proceeding with the installation they had to spend months of work to get the machines back in shape for operation. Finally the day came when everything was in readiness and the two sets, one at New York and one at Boston, were hooked together by a telegraph wire and the first commercial message was transmitted by the Morkrum system. From the start good results were obtained, but as operation continued the inventors realized more and more that the operating requirements for commercial telegraph service were terribly exacting. The percentage of accuracy required was much higher than with any other form of mechanism; it must work twenty-four hours a day; it must operate on good telegraph wires and on telegraph wires whose quality was impaired by rain and other adverse weather conditions. The apparatus was too delicate to function over long periods of time without the necessity of close supervision. However, as in the case of the earlier installation, the inventors profited by their experience and went steadily along perfecting their apparatus, making changes here and there to improve its accuracy [and] to make it sturdier and simpler. Further Postal Telegraph lines were equipped and an installation was made on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad between Chicago and Galesburg, Illinois. However, in spite of the fact that these circuits gave good service, the growth of the business was very slow. Telegraph companies and the railroads seemed loath to adopt the new system. Possibly this slow growth in the early days of the Morkrum system was due to the fact that the telegraph companies and the railroads could easily secure good Morse operators at low wages. Therefore, they were loath to abandon Morse operation, concerning which they were thoroughly familiar, and to replace it with machine telegraphy which would force them to go to school all over again. However, the telegraph business continued to grow and good Morse operators became harder to secure, wages increased, and above all, the Morkrum system steadily improved and finally installations of the system were made by the Western Union Telegraph Company, and the Canadian Pacific and Great Northwestern Telegraph companies in Canada. Due to increased business, Morkrum Company were able to enlarge their plant facilities, to engage expert assistants and to steadily improve their product. In 1917, Mr. Sterling Morton, son of Mr. Joy Morton, who had had wide experience with the Morton Salt Company, became president of the Morkrum Company. Mr. Morton brought to the Morkrum Company not only his great organizing and executive ability, but also an unusual talent for machine design work. The page printer and the Simplex tape printer, which are the most widely used units at the present time, are the joint work of Mr. Morton and Mr. Howard Krum. Up to this time, the laboratory and manufacturing work had been carried on in an old building near the business district. A careful survey of the employees showed that the majority of them lived on the north side of Chicago and this study determined the location of the present factory. In 1918, the factory was moved to the first unit of the present building, which is entirely fireproof and is considered one of the finest factory buildings in Chicago. Since that time, a total of six units have been built and a seventh is just being started. [1] As the demand for printing telegraph apparatus grew, the standards were steadily raised and apparatus which was thought quite wonderful a few years previous became obsolete and was replaced with newer types having greater margins of operation, higher speeds, and which were much simpler to maintain. Installations were made in new fields and each new field offered new and more difficult problems. In 1914, Mr. Kent Cooper, who was then head of the Traffic Department of the Associated Press, became convinced that the method of delivering copy to the New York newspapers by messenger boy was decidedly unsatisfactory and asked the Morkrum Company if they could make an installation of their apparatus by which one operator in the Associated Press could transmit the press matter simultaneously to all of the newspapers in New York City. A simple problem in the light of our present-day knowledge, but at that time it was an undertaking which offered many problems as yet unsolved. However, it was undertaken; the problem was studied, suitable apparatus was designed and within a year all of the newspapers in New York City and nearby towns, as well as in Philadelphia, were receiving their press matter simultaneously from a transmitting set controlled by a single operator in the Associated Press office in New York City. From this small beginning in the service of the Associated Press, the use of printing telegraphs has spread until over 800 newspapers belonging to the Associated Press receive their news dispatches by these machines, and some of the wire circuits of which this matter is transmitted involve as much as 4,000 miles of wire. The other press associations are using the apparatus to much the same extent. Up to 1917, the Morkrum Company had devoted all their efforts to the design of single channel printing telegraph systems and had developed both direct keyboard and tape transmission, but at this time the Postal Telegraph Company asked the Morkrum Company to develop a Multiplex system to meet the requirements on their heavy trunk lines. This development was undertaken and in less than a year a satisfactory Multiplex system had been designed, manufactured and installed on the Postal Company's line and proved so valuable that its use was extended to all their main trunk lines. As the use of printing telegraph became more general, needs developed for different types of apparatus to meet different classes of service, and the Morkrum Company attacked these problems and devel- oped different types of apparatus until at present there are available both direct keyboard and perforated tape transmission systems, printing either on tape printers or page printers, operated either single channel or Multiplex, using either five-unit or six-unit code, the latter being especially valuable for stock quotation work. The use of the apparatus in the telegraph companies continued to grow until at the present time fully 80% of all commercial telegrams are handled by printing telegraph. As the use of the machines grew, the requirements became more and more rigid and these were met by intensive research and development work which has never ceased. Printers are operating today under service conditions which would not have been considered possible even two or three years back. The latest development, the so-called "Typebar Tape Teletype" has proven so simple and reliable that it bids fair to drive Morse operation even from the way wires. Always on the alert for new fields for its equipment, the Morkrum Company several years ago became convinced that its apparatus could render valuable service for the communication needs of business houses, factories, hotels, etc. To sell this idea required a lot of time and much hard work, and the first few installations proved that this service was much more exacting that the use of the machines in regular telegraph offices where expert maintenance was instantly available, The experience gained in these early commercial install- ations paid big dividends, in that it resulted in such marked improvement in the apparatus that the use has grown so that today there is scarcely a city or town in the United States where this apparatus is not used for some communication need outside of its primary field -- that of telegraphic message traffic. The development of an organization that could satisfactorily handle the complex problems of developing and manufacturing a printing telegraph system has been quite as remarkable as the development of the apparatus itself; in fact, the successful culmination of the work would not have been possible had it not been for the splendid loyalty and intelligent work of the whole organization. This is particularly true in the case of the many men who had courage enough to stick to the proposition through the many years that it took before practical commercial results were obtained. The Morkrum Company is particularly proud of the fact that the outstanding men in the organization have developed in their own organization. It is a fixed policy of the company to develop its own men for important positions wherever possible. Mr. Howard Krum met Mr. J. O. Carr, who is now head of the Sales Engineering Department, in Boston in 1910 and engaged him for testing and engineering work. About the same time, Mr. G. Heding, who is now Factory Manager, came to the company as a tool maker. During their long years of service these two men have filled practically every position of importance in the organization and much credit is due them for their part in the final success of the work. We believe there are few companies where such a large proportion of the men in supervisory positions have grown up with the company and developed as the company has developed and there are certainly few companies where there is a greater spirit of loyalty and co-operation. Just a word about the manufacture of this apparatus. The requirements which printing telegraph apparatus must meet are extremely severe. This is readily understood when it seen that when a printer is opera- ting at the rate of 60 words per minute it is printing six characters per second. The printing of a character requires at least four successive operations of the various portions of the machine; in other words, many of these mechanisms have less than a twenty-fourth of a second in which to do their job. Coupled with this is the fact that the control of this rapidly moving mechanism is by means of a current of electricity so weak that it would hardly cause the smallest electric light globe to even glow. Knowing this, it is easy to understand that continuous work and research must be carried on to secure proper alloys and devise the proper methods of heat treating and hardening to permit all of the parts of the machine to function properly. Another requirement which is successfully met by Morkrum apparatus is absolute interchangeability of parts. This has been secured by the work of a force of highly trained designers and engineers and by the policy of the company of unhesitatingly securing the finest machine tool equipment available to permit parts to be made with the highest degree of accuracy. The present plant of the Morkrum-Kleinschmidt Corporation [2] at Chicago contains about 135,000 square feet of floor space devoted solely to the manufacture of this type of apparatus, filled wit the best machine tool equipment that can be purchased and manned by a force of highly trained employees, many of whom have been in the service of the company for a great many years. ----- [1] This would be the building at 1400 Wrightwood Ave., in Chicago which was occupied by Teletype until early in the 1960s, when the R&D portion of the complex at 5555 Touhy Ave., Skokie, was completed. I hear it has now been remodeled into luxury apartments. [2] E. E. Kleinschmidt had a competing printing telegraph company in the 1905-1920 time frame. His company eventually merged with the Morkrum company because of the dominance of the Krum patent on start-stop operation. In the 1950s Mr. Kleinschmidt got back into the business with his own company, located in Deerfield, IL. haynes@cats.ucsc.edu haynes@ucsccats.bitnet ------------------ From: Jim Haynes Subject: History of Teletypewriter Development Date: 17 Nov 91 08:34:46 GMT Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz Here's another one (and that exhausts my supply). These two came into my hands as Monographs when I was working for Teletype in 1963-1966. The main reason I typed them in is to get them into the telecom archive since they contain information that isn't readily available so far as I know. HISTORY OF TELETYPEWRITER DEVELOPMENT R. A. Nelson K. M. Lovitt, Editor October 1963 Teletype Corporation 5555 West Touhy Avenue Skokie, Illinois ------ ABSTRACT The success of the modern teletypewriter began with Howard L. Krum's conception of the start-stop method of synchronization for permutation code telegraph systems. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief historical account of events which led to that achievement and of those which ensued. Four areas of development will be covered: (1) The contributions of Sterling Morton, Charles L. Krum and Howard L. Krum. (2) The contributions of E. E. Kleinschmidt. (3) The contributions of AT&T and Western Electric. (4) The contributions of L. M. Potts ----- _HISTORY OF TELETYPEWRITER DEVELOPMENT_ Area I. In 1902 a young electrical engineer named Frank Pearne solicited financial support from Joy Morton, head of the Morton Salt interests. Pearne had been experimenting with a printing telegraph system and needed sponsorship to continue his work. Morton discussed the matter with his friend, Charles L. Krum, a distinguished mechanical engineer and vice president of the Western Cold Storage Company (which was operated by Joy's brother, Mark Morton). The verdict for Pearne was favorable, and he was given laboratory space in the attic of the Western Cold Storage Company. After about a year of unsuccessful experimenting, Pearne lost interest and decided to enter the teaching field. Charles Krum continued the work and by 1906 had developed a promising model. In that year his son, Howard, a newly graduated electrical engineer, plunged into the work alongside his father. The fruit of these early efforts was a typebar page printer (Patent No. 888,335; filed August 22, 1903; issued May 19, 1908) and a typewheel printing telegraph machine (Patent No. 862,402; filed August 6, 1904; issued August 6, 1907). Neither of these machines used a permutation code. They experimented with transmitters as well, applications filed in 1904 and 1906 maturing into Patents No. 929,602 and No. 929,603. These patents covered modes of transmission which depended both on alternation of polarity and change in current level. By 1908 the Krums were able to test an experimental printer on an actual telegraph line. The typing portion of this machine was a modified Oliver typewriter mounted on a desk with the necessary relays, contacts, magnets, and interconnecting wires (Patent No. 1,137,146; filed February 4, 1909; issued April 27, 1915). As a result of the successful test of this printer, Charles and Howard Krum continued their experiments with a view to developing a direct keyboard typewheel printer. They sought most of all to discover a way of synchronizing transmitting and receiving units so that they would stay "in step." It was Howard Krum who worked out the start-stop method of synchronization (Patent No. 1,286,351; filed May 31, 1910; issued December 3, 1918). This achievement, which more than anything else put printing telegraphy on a practical basis, was first embodied (for commercial purposes) in the "Green Code" Printer, a typewheel page printer (Patent No. 1,232,045; filed November 28, 1909;issued July 3, 1917). The transmitters first used by the Krums were of the continuously- moving-tape variety. (A stepped tape feed, they maintained, would have reduced transmission speed.) In order to permit sequential sensing, the rows of code holes were arranged in a slightly oblique pattern (with respect to tape edges). This method of transmission is more fully elaborated in Krum Patents No. 1,326,456, No. 1,360,231, and No. 1,366,812. Keyboard-controlled cam-type start-stop permutation code transmitters were developed by Charles and Howard Krum in about 1919. Such a device is the transmitter component of the Morkrum 11-Type tape printer (Krum Patent No. 1,635,486). This kind of transmitter employs a single contact to open or close the signal line. In about 1924 the Morkrum Company introduced the No. 12-Type tape printer (H. L. Krum Patent No. 1,665,594). On December 23, 1924, Howard Krum and Sterling Morton (son of Joy Morton) filed an application on the 14-Type type-bar tape printer which matured into Patent No. 1,745,633. [1] Area II. It appears that the early efforts of E. E. Kleinschmidt were directed toward development of facsimile printing apparatus and automatic Morse code equipment. He patented first a Morse keyboard transmitter (Patent No. 964,372; filed February 7, 1095; issued January 11, 1910) and later a Morse keyboard perforator (Patents No. 1,045,855, No. 1,085,984, and No. 1,085,985). (The latter became known as the Wheatstone Perforator.) In 1916 Kleinschmidt filed an application for a type-bar page printer (Patent No. 1,448,750 issued March 20, 1923). This printer utilized Baudot code but was not start-stop. It was intended for use on multiplex circuits, and its printing was controlled from a local segment on a receiving distributor of the sunflower type. Later, around 1919, Kleinschmidt appeared to be concerned chiefly with development of multiplex transmitters for use with this printer (Kleinschmidt Patent No. 1,460,357). It seems that Kleinschmidt first became interested in modern start-stop permutation code telegraph systems when H. L. Krum's basic start-stop patent was issued in December 1918. Shortly after that Kleinschmidt filed an application entitled "Method of and Apparatus for Operating Printing Telegraphs" (Patent No. 1,463,136; filed May 1, 1919; issued July 24, 1923). The system described therein employed the start-stop principle with a modified version of his earlier multiplex distributor. That patent, accordingly, was dominated by the Krum start-stop patent. The conflict of patent rights between the Morkrum Company and the Kleinschmidt Electric Company eventually led to a merger of the two interests. Shortly after the new Morkrum-Kleinschmidt Corporation (later called the Teletype Corporation) had been established, Sterling Morton, Howard Krum, and E. E. Kleinschmidt filed an application covering the commercial form of the well-known 15-Type page printer (Patent No. 1,9904,164). [2] Area III. Teletype entered the Bell System in 1930. From this point on, advances in the Teletype product can be considered the result of the pooled efforts of the AT&T Company, the Western Electric Company, and the Teletype Corporation. Teletype Corporation, of course, holder of the basic patents and expert in the art, was the chief contributor. Although it appears from the report of R. E. Pierce, dated December 24, 1934, that the Bell System was active in the development of telegraph printers and transmitters as early as the year 1909, a review of the patents issued to Bell reveals no significant contribution to modern teletypewriter development (using start-stop permutation code) until the introduction in 1920 of the 10-A teletypewriter (Pfannenstiehl Patents No. 1,374,606, No. 1,399,933, No. 1,426,768, No. 1,623,809, and No. 1,661,012). The 10-A teletypewriter was the first embodiment of such basic design features of the 15-Type printer as stationary platen, moving type basket, and selector vane assembly, but the majority of improvements incorporated in the 15-Type were proprietary to the Teletype Corporation. Area IV. The earliest contribution of Dr. L. M. Potts to the start-stop method of synchronization appears to have been set forth in a patent application filed November 18, 1911, covering a reed-type start-stop selector (Patent No. 1,151,216). In 1914, Dr. Potts filed an application for a single magnet page printer which used an eight-unit code (Patent No. 1,229,202; issued June 5, 1917). In 1915, Dr. Potts filed an application covering another single magnet page printer, this one using the start-stop permutation code (Patent No. 1,370,669; assigned to AT&T March 8, 1921). Potts Patents No. 1,517,381 and No. 1,570,923 were also assigned to AT&T. ---------- [1] For anyone who is old enough to have seen a Western Union Telegram where the typing is on narrow gum-backed tape that is moistened and stuck to a telegram blank, this is the machine that produces that kind of printing. The same mechanism is the basis of a typing reperforator, a machine which punches received signals into a tape for retransmission and also types on the tape so an operator can read it. [2] This is the machine used until the 1960s or so by the news wire services. Some radio stations still use a recording of the sound of one of these machines as background during news broadcasts. haynes@cats.ucsc.edu haynes@cats.bitnet [Moderator's Note: Thank you for two very excellent articles this weekend on the history of Teletype and its predecessor companies. Jim's earlier article on the history of the Morkrum Company was distributed as a special mailing sent out between issues 936-937 on Saturday evening. Watch for your copy to arrive if it hasn't yet. But I am curious about something not mentioned in either article. Did the Bell System buy out Morkrum and change the name to Teletype in 1930 or did Teletype start and later buy out Morkrum? How did that transition occur? I love these history articles because so much telecom history happened right here in Chicago -- the Chicago I like to remember from years ago. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=455 ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #410 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Dec 11 03:37:22 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id CE4462226; Mon, 11 Dec 2006 03:37:21 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #411 Message-Id: <20061211083721.CE4462226@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 03:37:21 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 11 Dec 2006 03:35:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 411 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson How Much Will Windows Security Matter? (Brian Bergstein, AP) Unlocking Cell Phones Does Not Violate DMCA (Monty Solomon) Town Explores Offering WiFi (Monty Solomon) Re: Phonelabs Dock N Talk vs. Cidco Communications Merge (support@sellcom) Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question (Dave Garland) Re: Your Email Address Known by Police? (mc) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 01:48:37 -0600 From: Brian Bergstein, AP Subject: How Much Will Windows Security Matter? By BRIAN BERGSTEIN, AP Technology Writer Microsoft Corp. took great pains to improve security in its newly released computer operating system, Windows Vista, redesigning it to reduce users' exposure to destructive programs from the Internet. Outside researchers commend the retooled approach -- yet they also say the changes won't make online life much safer than it is now. Why not? Partly because of security progress that Microsoft already had made in its last operating system, Windows XP. Also because a complex product like Vista is bound to have holes yet to be discovered. And mainly because of the rapidly changing nature of online threats. Sure, Microsoft appears to have fixed the glitches that used to make it easy for viruses, worms and other problems to wreck PCs. But other avenues for attack are always evolving. "Microsoft has made the core of the operating system more secure, but they've really solved, by and large, yesterday's problems," said Oliver Friedrichs, director of emerging technologies at antivirus vendor Symantec Corp. That claim would not please Microsoft, which touts Vista's improved security as a big reason why companies and consumers will want to upgrade to the new operating system. In fact, Microsoft's effort to tighten security in Vista was one reason the software was delayed past the crucial holiday shopping season. It's now available for businesses and will be available to consumers Jan. 30. "It is an incremental improvement -- it is a reasonably large increment," said Jon Callas, chief technology officer at PGP Corp., a maker of encryption software. "I don't think it's a game-changer." Some of Vista's security enhancements require computers with the latest microprocessors -- which are known as 64-bit chips, in reference to how much data they process at once. That won't improve things on today's standard 32-bit computers, which will stick around for a long time. However, most of the improvements are available in all editions of Vista, including a stronger firewall and a built-in program known as Defender that alerts users if Vista believes spyware is being installed. "Windows is going to talk to you a lot more and make sure you're a lot more aware of what you're doing," said Adrien Robinson, a director in Windows' security technology unit. "It's going to help consumers be more savvy." One of Vista's biggest changes is more control over computer management. With previous versions of Windows, users were given by default great control over the computer's settings -- a situation that opened the door to nefarious manipulation by outsiders. In Vista, users are prompted to supply a password when they make significant changes -- a security feature long available on Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh and computers running the Linux operating system. At the same time, the software gives corporate PC administrators new security powers, such as the ability to turn off the USB ports that employees might use to remove data or bring in troublesome programs on flash drives. (Some network administrators had told Microsoft they were so desperate to stop that practice that they were filling the PC ports with glue.) Even with all the changes, Vista does not promise a total cure for security headaches. Microsoft, after all, is also selling security add-ons, competing more directly with antivirus companies than in the past. "Rather than having all the doors unlocked, you now have locks on the doors. It doesn't mean it's a silver bullet," Robinson said. "If they really wanted to get in, they could get through. They could throw a rock through the window. But it's harder. Our goal is to make it harder, to raise the bar." Still, when Vista for businesses was launched in New York on Nov. 30, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer promised a "dramatic" drop in "the number of vulnerabilities that ever present themselves." If so, that would spare Microsoft from a repeat of the embarrassing series of "critical" security patches it had to release for the previous operating system. But it might not mean much against many threats Web surfers face today. For one thing, the kinds of large-scale, automated worms that Vista purportedly will hinder have been waning anyway, according to security analysts. Symantec's Friedrichs said 2006 hasn't seen any worms as prevalent as the kinds that caused widely publicized PC outages several years ago, with names like Slammer and Blaster. That's partly because of enhancements Microsoft already made in Service Pack 2, a huge set of patches for Windows XP that were released in 2004. "If you're looking at two versions, XP Service Pack 2 versus Vista, I'm going to say to the average user they're both going to offer them good security," said Michael Cherry, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft. "Is Vista better? I don't know if it's that substantially better." Security experts say malicious hackers have largely moved away from outage-causing attacks, motivated by publicity or pride, in favor of more targeted and lucrative thefts of users' data. Those attacks tend to exploit flaws in Web applications or employ "social engineering" -- such as tricking people with phony e-mails into giving up passwords. "From that perspective, Vista is a non-event," said John McCormack, a senior vice president at security vendor Websense Inc. To its credit, Microsoft is fighting such "phishing" attacks by configuring its new Internet Explorer 7 Web browser to alert users if they're visiting a dicey-seeming Web site. Internet Explorer 7 is already available for free download. But IE7's phish-catching method alone is limited: It is based on a "black list" of sites known to be up to no good. Outside security experts say that will not stop the increasingly savvy attackers who constantly morph their tactics, sometimes every few hours. For example, Websense recently tracked a phishing attack that mimicked a customer service message from Amazon.com. It passed through most spam filters, and the phony Web site to which it directed victims changed throughout the day. For at least the first few days, IE7 hadn't caught up to block it, McCormack said. Perhaps one indication that security in the Vista era will be better but far from perfect came in recent research by Sophos PLC. The security software company determined that three of the 10 most prevalent malicious worms circulating on the Internet in November were able to run on Vista. Impressively, the e-mail program that comes with Vista -- Windows Mail, formerly called Outlook Express -- successfully found and blocked the malware. But Web-based e-mail services let it through, said Sophos security analyst Ron O'Brien. For O'Brien, that finding showed that while Microsoft's efforts to upgrade computer security are praiseworthy, there's only so much the company can do. Not only are Microsoft's hands tied when it comes to the security of third-party applications, but the company also is limited in what it can do with its own software. For example, McCormack said Microsoft might have done more to prevent criminals from surreptitiously placing keystroke-monitoring programs on computers to steal data. But the fix likely would have shut out legitimate programs as well, such as those that let people operate their PCs remotely. "You have to find this happy medium between usability and security," McCormack said. Of course, with Vista on a tiny fraction of desktops today, it's way too early to assess how much hackers can mess with it. "I don't know how long Microsoft is going to be able to claim the streets are safe before a criminal decides to challenge that opinion," O'Brien said. "That's going to just be a matter of time." On the Net: Microsoft's page on Vista security: http://www.microsoft.com/security/windowsvista/default.mspx Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2006 01:02:58 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Unlocking Cell Phones Does Not Violate DMCA Excerpt from: [Federal Register: November 27, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 227)] [Rules and Regulations] [Page 68472-68480] LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Copyright Office 37 CFR Part 201 Docket No. RM 2005-11 Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2006/71fr68472.html 5. Computer programs in the form of firmware that enable wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telephone communication network, when circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network. The Wireless Alliance and Robert Pinkerton proposed an exemption for "Computer programs that operate wireless communications handsets." The proponents of this exemption stated that providers of mobile telecommunications (cellphone) networks are using various types of software locks in order to control customer access to the "bootloader" programs on cellphones and the operating system programs embedded inside mobile handsets (cellphones). These software locks prevent customers from using their handsets on a competitor's network (even after all contractual obligations to the original wireless carrier have been satisfied) by controlling access to the software that operates the mobile phones (e.g., the mobile firmware). Many reply comments were submitted in support of this exemption and only one reply comment provided any opposition to the proposal. Only two witnesses testified at the hearing on this issue: a representative of the principal proponent of the exemption and a representative of some copyright owners (none of whom operate wireless telecommunication services, manufacture wireless handsets or make bootloader or operating system programs for cellphones). It was undisputed that mobile handset consumers who desire to use their handsets on a different telecommunications network are often precluded from doing so unless they can obtain access to the bootloader or operating system within the handset in order to direct the phone to a different carrier's network. The evidence demonstrated that most wireless telecommunications network providers do not allow a consumer to obtain such access in order to switch a cell phone from one network to another, and that the consumer could not use the cell phone with another carrier, even after fulfilling his or her contractual obligations with the carrier that sold the phone. In order to switch carriers, the consumer would have to purchase a new phone from a competing mobile telecommunications carrier. The obstacle that prevents customers from using lawfully acquired handsets on different carriers is the software lock. At least one wireless telecommunications service has filed lawsuits alleging that circumvention of the software lock is a violation of section 1201(a)(1)(A) and has obtained a permanent injunction (albeit by stipulation). The Register has concluded that the software locks are access controls that adversely affect the ability of consumers to make noninfringing use of the software on their cellular phones. Moreover, a review of the four factors enumerated in 1201(a)(1)(C)(i)-(iv) supports the conclusion that an exemption is warranted. There is nothing in the record that suggests that the availability for use of copyrighted works would be adversely affected by permitting an exemption for software locks. Nor is there any reason to conclude that there would be any impact -- positive or negative -- on the availability for use of works for nonprofit archival, preservation, and educational purposes or on the ability to engage in criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. Nor would circumvention of software locks to connect to alternative mobile telecommunications networks be likely to have any effect on the market for or value of copyrighted works. The reason that these four factors appears to be neutral is that in this case, the access controls do not appear to actually be deployed in order to protect the interests of the copyright owner or the value or integrity of the copyrighted work; rather, they are used by wireless carriers to limit the ability of subscribers to switch to other carriers, a business decision that has nothing whatsoever to do with the interests protected by copyright. And that, in turn, invokes the additional factor set forth in 1201(a)(1)(C)(v): "such other factors as the Librarian considers appropriate." When application of the prohibition on circumvention of access controls would offer no apparent benefit to the author or copyright owner in relation to the work to which access is controlled, but simply offers a benefit to a third party who may use 1201 to control the use of hardware which, as is increasingly the case, may be operated in part through the use of computer software or firmware, an exemption may well be warranted. Such appears to be the case with respect to the software locks involved in the current proposal. The copyright owners who did express concern about the proposed exemption are owners of copyrights in music, sound recordings and audiovisual works whose works are offered for downloading onto cellular phones. They expressed concern that the proposed exemption might permit circumvention of access controls that protect their works when those works have been downloaded onto cellular phones. The record on this issue was fairly inconclusive, but in any event the proponents of the exemption provided assurances that there was no intention that the exemption be used to permit unauthorized access to those works. Rather, the exemption is sought for the sole purpose of permitting owners of cellular phone handsets to switch their handsets to a different network. Because the Register has concluded that, in appropriate circumstances, a class of works may be refined by reference to uses made of the works, this issue can best be resolved by modifying the proposed class of works to extend only to "Computer programs in the form of firmware that enable wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telephone communication network, when circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network." On September 18, 2006, long after the comments had been submitted and the hearings had been conducted in this rulemaking, the Register received unsolicited submissions from CTIA - The Wireless Association (a nonprofit trade association that promotes the interests of the wireless industry, representing both wireless carriers and manufacturers) and TracFone Wireless, Inc. (which describes itself as "America's largest prepaid wireless company"). The submissions included the submitters' responses to written questions that the Copyright Office had submitted to the two witnesses who had testified at the March 23, 2006, hearing on the proposed exemption -- witnesses who had no relationship with Tracfone or CTIA. The submissions also contained arguments opposing the proposed exemption. In the course of his consultation with the Register of Copyrights on this rulemaking, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information shared his concern that the record on this proposal appeared to be incomplete and stated that he was pleased that the Register had sought additional information (in the form of the written questions to the witnesses) to supplement the record. Subsequently, he expressed to the Register his view that the CTIA and TracFone comments "afford you a complete record in which the views of both users and creators of content are currently represented," and urged the Register to consider those submissions in making her recommendation. The Assistant Secretary's concerns are understandable, and the Register shares his desire that the views of both users and creators of content be represented in the rulemaking. However, complying with the Assistant Secretary's request and accepting the last-minute submissions of CTIA and TracFone would undermine the procedural requirements of this proceeding and of the rulemaking process in general. While it is preferable that all interested parties make their views known in the rulemaking process, they must do so in compliance with the process that is provided for public comment, or offer a compelling justification for their failure to do so. In this case, they have failed to offer such justification. CTIA (which counts TracFone among its members) was aware of this rulemaking proceeding and this request for an exemption as early as January or February, 2006. Yet it remained silent until September 18, long after the opportunities provided for comment and testimony had expired. Nor did it offer any explanation for its silence. If these extremely untimely submissions were accepted, it would be difficult to imagine when it ever would be justified to reject an untimely comment. Such a precedent would be an invitation to chaos in future rulemakings. Therefore, the late submissions of CTIA and TracFone have not been considered. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2006 01:50:59 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Town Explores Offering WiFi FRAMINGHAM Town explores offering WiFi By John C. Drake, Globe Staff | December 7, 2006 Framingham officials say they are ready to push forward with a plan to blanket the town with wireless Internet service, a proposal seen as a potential boon to law enforcement and a source of revenue. But they are undecided on whether to build the network themselves or leave the work to private companies. That decision is significant, said Bill Ennen , program director for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Innovation Institute. The choice of business model can determine whether the town's effort to provide Internet access to town employees in the field and residents in their homes can be sustained or will be just a passing fad. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/07/town_explores_offering_wifi/ ------------------------------ From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Re: Phonelabs Dock N Talk vs. Cidco Communications Merge Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 01:04:24 -0500 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com support@sellcom.com spake thusly and wrote: > Richard Davies spake thusly and wrote: >> I can find several reviews about the Phonlabs Dock N Talk product on CNet, >> but nothing on the Cidco Communications Merge product. Both provide >> solutions for using your cell phone through household wiring. >> Has anyone used either product, and if so, what is your opinion? > We picked up the Dock N Talk ( www.dock-n-talk.biz ) recently and > so far it is a -0- complaint item. I have not heard about the > other product but will try to get a look at it. I did a bit of research. The Phonelabs product has a vastly larger list of supported cell phone brands and models, over 1000 now. The other one just works with a handful of Motorolas many of which, like mine, are about obsolete. With the Dock-n-talk if you switch cell phones you would just need a new cable (unless you went with Bluetooth). I believe we picked the way better product to sell by choosing Phonelabs. I am ordering one in here to test with the TMC phone systems that we sell. I plan to put it on line 2 and see if I can drop one land line. Regards, Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more http://www.phonelabs.biz cellphone docking now here! ------------------------------ From: Dave Garland Subject: Re: VOIP: Internet Telephone Question Date: Sat, 09 Dec 2006 22:40:40 -0600 Organization: Wizard Information It was a dark and stormy night when Korey Smith wrote: >>> you would need the DSL, which would also require a >>> landline phone # or can you have DSL only? Some companies (e.g. Qwest) will sell you DSL without phone service. Dave ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Your Email Address Known by Police? Organization: BellSouth Internet Service Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2006 23:40:45 -0500 > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: There are so many holes in this > proposal! ... > And with the huge amount of porn and spam on the net these days, > which of you can say with assurance your email name/address has > never been forged? PAT] I think, in fact, that the way spammers operate, everyone's e-mail address *has* been forged many times, and will continue to be, unless it's a very rarely used address. Legislators don't know how the Internet works. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=455 ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #411 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Dec 11 14:56:36 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id BF9862227; Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:56:35 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #412 Message-Id: <20061211195635.BF9862227@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:56:35 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:00:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 412 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Internet Criminals Stepping Up Cyberwar (Peter Griffiths, Reuters) School Shuns Tech, Teaches Fountain Pen (Ben McConville, AP) FCC Commissioner Can Break Tie in AT&T-Bell South Merger Vote ( TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 11, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Verizon Extends Efforts to Offer Video (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Unlocking Cell Phones Does Not Violate DMCA (Mr Joseph Singer) Re: Your Email Address Known by Police? (mc) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 13:07:18 -0600 From: Peter Griffiths Subject: Internet Criminals Stepping Up Cyberwar By Peter Griffiths Computer hackers will open a new front in the multi-billion pound "cyberwar" in 2007, targeting mobile phones, instant messaging and community Web sites such as MySpace, security experts predict. As people grow wise to email scams, criminal gangs will find new ways to commit online fraud, sell fake goods or steal corporate secrets. "The attacks are becoming more sophisticated," said Dave Rand of Internet security firm Trend Micro. "It's all about making money. And they're making a lot of it," he told Reuters. In 2007, hackers will be scouring social networking sites such as MySpace to gather information for more focused attacks on people's computers. "It is definitely an area that is ripe for more exploitation by malware (malicious software)," said Ed English, Trend Micro's Chief Technology Officer for anti-spyware. People could find their computers infected with viruses that secretly record all their keystrokes or send out millions of spam email messages. Identity theft fraudsters will trawl through sites which allow people to leave their pictures and personal details, finding target s for "phishing" attacks -- fraudulent emails aimed at tricking people into revealing credit card numbers. "It is way too easy for the spyware guys to assemble a puzzle of who you are," English said. Hackers will also target people using instant messaging services or making telephone calls over the Internet in 2007, Trend Micro said. MOBILE PHONES ARE TARGETS Powerful new mobile phones and portable computers will also be targets as thieves try to bypass tight security to steal emails, documents or contacts, security firm McAfee said. "Modern mobile phones are in essence miniature portable computers," the company said in its annual crime report. "Mobile devices present a serious challenge." A new version of the popular Web browser Internet Explorer released in November and Microsoft's new Vista operating system will also attract hackers, Trend Micro said. McAfee warns that spying on businesses will become more sophisticated. Criminals are hiring students to plant as sleepers in companies and huge amounts of data can be removed on small, portable memory sticks. "Corporate espionage is big business," its report says. "Data is often priceless property. Stealing trade secrets, information or contacts is a lucrative money-spinner for cybercriminals." Security firms say Internet crime can be hard to combat because it embraces different continents and time zones. Criminals are attracted by the relative ease of making money, the speed and anonymity the Internet offers. "It beats taking a gun and walking into a 7-Eleven store," English said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 13:09:54 -0600 From: Ben McConville, AP Subject: School Shuns Tech, Teaches Fountain Pen By BEN McCONVILLE, Associated Press Writer In this age of cell phones, text messages and computer keyboards, one Scottish school has returned to basics. It's teaching youngsters the neglected art of writing with a fountain pen. There is no clacking of keyboards in most classrooms at the Mary Erskine and Stewart's Melville Junior School, although there is a full range of facilities for computer lessons and technology isn't being ignored. But the private school's principal believes the old-fashioned pens have helped boost the academic performance and self-esteem of his 1,200 pupils. "The pens improve the quality of work because they force the children to take care, and better work improves self-esteem," principal Bryan Lewis said. "Proper handwriting is as relevant today as it ever has been." Students as young as 7 have been instructed to forgo their ball point pens and get to grips with its more artful predecessor. By the time they reach grade five, at age 9, they are expected to write mainly with fountain pens. At an English class recently, students worked at perfecting a skill that is under threat from the onset of e-mail -- the art of writing a letter by hand. Each child's work was meticulous and clearly presented in the upright, graceful strokes of a fountain pen. Ten-year-old Cailean Gall has been using fountain pens in class for two years. It took the keen soccer player one month to master the pen and, like all pupils at the school, still has regular handwriting lessons. "At the start it was hard because I kept smudging, but you get used to it," he said. "I still have to use a pencil for maths, and now I find it strange using the pencils. I like it because it makes me concentrate much more on my work." Cailean now uses his fountain pen even for non-school work, but classmate Katie Walker, 11, prefers to use ball point and pencil when not in class. "I use it for schoolwork and homework only," she said. "It is quite easy using a fountain pen once you're used to it. My parents say it's improved my work enormously." The children learn a handwriting style developed by teachers at the school, which charges $12,500 a year. New teachers are also put through a course on how to write with pens -- as well as refresher courses on literacy and numeracy -- before they are let loose in classes. Lewis said the school's 7- and 8-year-olds use fountain pens for 80 percent to 90 percent of their work, reverting to pencils for such subjects as math. "I don't see fountain pens as old-fashioned or outmoded. Modern fountain pens are beautiful to use; it's not like in the old days of broken nibs and smudging," Lewis said. "We have a particular writing style and we have developed it very carefully and found a way that allows left- and right-handed people to write without smudging." Parent Susan Garlick supports the school and believes the use of fountain pens has improved the work of her daughter Elisabeth, an 11-year-old in grade 7. "Her handwriting is beautiful," Garlick said. Some people in wealthy nations argue that handwriting is becoming less important because of the growing use of cell phone text messaging and typing on computers, but the school disagrees. In August, for example, examiners at the Scottish Qualifications Agency complained they had difficulty deciphering the scrawl of many students on exam papers used to determine admission to universities. "We talk of the paperless office and the paperless world, but this is not true," Lewis said. "You still need to have proper handwriting skills." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 02:53:19 -0600 From: HighTech Magazine Subject: FCC Commissioner Can Break Tie in AT&T-Bell South Merger Vote Find this article at: http://www.HighTechMagazine.com/ManageArticle.asp?c=210&a=9559 FCC Commissioner Can Break Tie In AT&T-BellSouth Merger The head lawyer for the Federal Communications Commission has paved the way for Commissioner Robert McDowell to break the deadlock on the mega-merger between AT&T and BellSouth, despite his recent affiliation with an organization strongly opposed to the deal. Samuel Feder, general counsel for the FCC, issued a memorandum on Friday evening clearing the path for McDowell to participate in the vote. Feder said he based his decision on a similar situation the FCC dealt with under then-chairman William Kennard. The commission has been split between Democrats and Republicans on what, if any, conditions should be imposed on the merger, which is currently valued at around $83.7 billion. The two Democratic commissioners would like to see more restrictions, including a provision to protect Net neutrality, which would bar companies from prioritizing Web traffic or charge extra fees for providing enhanced services over a network. The deadlock has resulted in the final vote on the merger being postponed three times. McDowell, a Republican, would cast the tiebreaking vote. McDowell recused himself from the process, however, because just prior to joining the FCC earlier this year, he had been a lobbyist for seven years for a trade organization called CompTel, which represents companies competing against the incumbent phone companies. CompTel has been one of the strongest opponents to the merger. While Feder has authorized McDowell to vote on the deal, he emphasized several times in the memorandum he sent to McDowell that it was ultimately McDowell's decision whether to participate in the proceedings or not. "Balancing competing concerns here was difficult," he said. "And reasonable people looking at these facts could disagree about the appropriate result. However, on balance, I find that you should not be barred from participating in the proceeding if you so choose to do so." McDowell said in a statement that he is reviewing Feder's opinion. He also said he plans to review Feder's responses to a letter sent to the general counsel's office earlier this week by Congressman John Dingell, D-Mich., the incoming chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Ed Markey, D-Mass., who is likely to become chairman of a telecommunications panel. In their letter, the Congressmen posed 15 questions aimed at gathering information on the laws that Feder plans to consult in reaching his decision and the history of actions in situations when commissioners have recused themselves. "I look forward to receiving a copy of Mr. Feder's response to Congressman John Dingell's letter of December 5," McDowell said. "In the meantime, I strongly urge the participating parties and my four colleagues to resolve their differences in the same amicable and unified manner they did in the similar merger between SBC and AT&T just last year." Earlier on Friday, AT&T and BellSouth said they had no objection to McDowell voting on the merger. In a letter to the FCC's general counsel, they said they trusted McDowell to live up to his pledge at his Senate confirmation hearing -- to be impartial and fair. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, who sent a letter to Feder last week urging him to clear McDowell to vote, applauded the general counsel's decision. After sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers, Martin explained his concern that the merger has been before the commission for more than eight months already. The agency usually tries to complete actions within 180 days. Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge, a consumer group opposed to the merger, was heartened by the fact that the general counsel emphasized that the decision was ultimately McDowell's. But she criticized the agency for being more concerned about pleasing the companies involved than about responding to the public. "The concept of the public interest was nowhere to be found in this General Counsel's opinion," she said in a statement. "The chief concern is the effect on the companies involved, and not the effect on the public interest. Government's role should be broader than meeting arbitrary deadlines or acting for the convenience of large companies." 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 11, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 11:45:06 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 11, 2006 ******************************** Vodafone Italia Gets Go Ahead for Fixed-Mobile Convergence Service http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21583?11228 Vodafone's Italian unit finally got the go-ahead order to trial its new mobile service temporarily for two months. The Italian communications ministry came up with the compromise after a court in Rome blocked the service late in November, claiming that it encourages customers to transfer their fixed-line number to their mobile ... BenQ Mobile May Be Sold to Financial Investor http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21580?11228 BenQ Mobile, the former mobile handset joint venture of the German electronics maker, Siemens, and the Taiwanese vendor, BenQ, is in advanced negotiations with a private equity fund. The potential investor has already completed the due diligence. At the same time, Siemens has refused to pay the outstanding 100 million euro (US$131.9 ... The DIY Dream, Deferred http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21578?11228 MAYBE IT'S PART OF THE RUGGED individual, American Dream ethos, but very few of us can resist the opportunity to do things ourselves. Whether it's putting in a new kitchen or learning how to knit, DIY is hot. Resellers and master agents are on top of the trend, implementing self-provisioning and self-management for their own ... Dutch Pull Plug on Free Analog TV http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21575?11228 AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- The Netherlands ended transmission of 'free to air&' analog television Monday, becoming the first nation to switch completely to digital signals. Few Dutch consumers noticed, because the overwhelming majority get TV via cable. Only around 74,000 households relied primarily on the ... Third VoIP Era Uses Software to Challenge Telcos http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21573?11228 VoIP is quickly maturing, gaining new power and capabilities. As the technology gains added strength, it promises to pose its most serious challenge yet to traditional voice service providers. When VoIP first arrived, the technology was little more than a nuisance to traditional telcos. Focused on a narrow bandwidth, PC-to-PC ... McDowell to Vote on AT&T-Bellsouth Merger http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21570?11228 As predicted by Light Reading sources last week, Commissioner Robert McDowell was cleared by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) general counsel to vote on the merger of AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp. McDowell had recused himself earlier due to his recent employment by the CLEC group Competitive ... Nokia Scores A Hat Trick http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21568?11228 During this past week, Nokia disclosed a deal with France Telecom covering mobile content while landing a 3G contract from carrier Wind in Italy and a network-modernization pact with Philippine telecom operator Eastern Telecom. The French deal calls for Nokia to integrate a customized remote-content service and related platforms ... Alltel Adds TeleNav Navigation Service http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21565?11228 Alltel Wireless wants to make sure its customers are always pointing in the right direction. With this hope in mind, the carrier is launching the TeleNav GPS Navigator service on select devices. The TeleNav GPS Navigator is a mapping service designed to give users a 3-D bird's eye view of moving maps, voice and on-screen ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 12:12:46 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Verizon Extends Efforts to Offer Video USTelecom dailyLead December 11, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eYcYfDtusXhziJCibuddXRvt TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Verizon extends efforts to offer video, broadband services BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AT&T boosts business in China, but regulatory barriers remain * Media companies in talks to build online network * Cingular rolls out big fourth-quarter ad campaign * Samsung, Chinese telecom close to deal for wireless networks * SK Telecom, Hanaro in position to make deal, reports say * Vodacom seeks African expansion * Google 2.0 offers best of media, software USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Secure Your Carrier Class Network Tomorrow, Dec. 12, 1 p.m. (ET) HOT TOPICS * AT&T doesn't see need for FTTH network * Alcatel-Lucent begins next phase * Top executives out in Yahoo! reorganization * AT&T seeks to launch 13 FTTN markets by year's end * Motorola, Nokia "unlock" handsets TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Cisco shifts focus to media * For mobile carriers, data driving growth * M-commerce expected to take off in S. Korea REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Senate passes bill making pretexting a crime * U.K.'s Ofcom readies spectrum auction Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eYcYfDtusXhziJCibuddXRvt ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 10:52:09 PST From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Unlocking Cell Phones Does Not Violate DMCA Sun, 10 Dec 2006 01:02:58 -0500 Monty Solomon quoted a snippet from an article: > Excerpt from: > [Federal Register: November 27, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 227)] > [Rules and Regulations] > [Page 68472-68480] > LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Copyright Office 37 CFR Part 201 Docket No. RM > 2005-11 Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright > Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies > http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2006/71fr68472.html > 5. Computer programs in the form of firmware that enable wireless > telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telephone communication > network, when circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of > lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network. What this article fails to point out is several things among them th1at "unlocking" has been available for GSM phones for as long as there has been GSM. The carriers locked the handsets they sell to their subscribers so that their subscriber will not take the handset that the carrier has subsidized (either giving you the phone outright or giving the subscriber a siezeable discount towards the price of the handset. It fails to mention among other things that even unlocking a handset does not make it work with a technology for which is was not designed e.g. you cannot use a handset from T-Mobile on VeriZon or vice versa if only because VeriZon uses CDMA technology for an air interface and T-Mobile uses the GSM air interface. Other arguments from parties such as TracFone that it will cause pricing to increase is a red herring since the handsets can only be used in the US or North America even with the firmware modified. And as far as modifying firmware unless you are in a business that does that sort of thing it's not the kind of thing you're going to easily find. Without a firmware revision TracFone and Net10 handsets will not work with anything other than TracFone or Net10. ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Your Email Address Known by Police? Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 10:24:28 -0500 mc wrote in message news:telecom25.411.6@telecom-digest.org: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: There are so many holes in this >> proposal! >> And with the huge amount of porn and spam on the net these days, >> which of you can say with assurance your email name/address has >> never been forged? PAT] > I think, in fact, that the way spammers operate, everyone's e-mail address > *has* been forged many times, and will continue to be, unless it's a very > rarely used address. > Legislators don't know how the Internet works. Come to think of it, this may be what it takes to dissuade spammers from forging e-mail addresses. "How do you know you're not impersonating a sex offender?" [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Seriously, I doubt that it matters all that much to your average, garden-variety spammer. They are all such hit-and-run users anyway. They just send out their garbage and rush along to some other database to rip off. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=455 ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #412 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Dec 12 20:51:58 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 0FBB9225F; Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:51:57 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #413 Message-Id: <20061213015157.0FBB9225F@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:51:57 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:55:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 413 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Microsoft Starts Test of New VoIP Server (Reuters News Wire) Oracle Tackles Identity Governance (Paul Roberts - Oracle Press Release) Hackers Attack Naval War College Network, Shut it Down (Michelle Smith) Mobile Phone Security Attacks on Rise (Will Head, Vnunet) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 12, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Verizon Communications Vice Chairman to Retire (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: School Shuns Tech, Teaches Fountain Pen (Rick Merrill) Re: School Shuns Tech, Teaches Fountain Pen (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 17:50:01 -0600 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Microsoft Starts Test of New VoIP Server Microsoft Corp. started testing on Monday a new computer server software that allows corporate customers to make Web-based phone calls through its Office suite of business software. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, due for release in the April-June quarter of 2007, will push the software giant into the business telephone market at a time when many large companies shift to cheaper telecommunications powered by Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Ahead of the official release, Microsoft said it will make the technology available to 2,500 companies for testing. The new voice server will allow users to instantly call anyone from within Office applications by clicking on a person's name and initiating a call. For example, a worker who receives an e-mail in Office Outlook from various colleagues can simply click on each colleague's name to check their availability and place a person-to-person phone call or arrange a conference call. The company's push into the business telephone market pits Microsoft against Cisco Systems Inc., International Business Machines Corp. and other technology companies seeking to cash in on growing demand for VoIP. Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has predicted that within 10 years all business communications will be Web-based, meaning hundreds of millions of people will change how they communicate. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 17:52:39 -0600 From: Paul Roberts Subject: Oracle Tackles Identity Governance by Paul F. Roberts There's a common nightmare haunting CISOs (computer information security officers) that features a glance at the morning paper, and 72-point banner headlines with the name of their employer and the words 'LOST' and 'CUSTOMER DATA.' There's no question about it: protecting customer and employee data is one of the thorniest problems facing enterprises today. Last week, Oracle took a swing at solving that problem, announcing the Identity Governance Framework, an initiative to develop specifications for sharing identity data across heterogeneous applications. The project has the support of identity and access management (IAM) vendors Ping Identity, Sun Microsystems, and Securent, as well as CA and Novell, according to Amit Jasuja, vice president of product development for Oracle's security and identity management products. Problems such as lost data on laptops and identity theft point to the need for overarching standards that govern all the sensitive data squirreled away in data repositories across an enterprise, such as human resources, customer relationship management and custom-built internal applications, he said. IGF addresses that problem by establishing a governance model that allows organizations to create 'contracts' between applications and repositories of identity data. The model would cover how data flows within an enterprise and outside the enterprise to supply chain or business partners, he said. Because the framework came together quickly, the real value of IGG will be determined in the coming weeks and months, as Oracle and its partners work to develop the specifications and transfer them to a standards group such as OASIS or the Liberty Alliance to manage, Bowen said. "It's a good first step. It will get us closer to the goal line," said Don Bowen, director of identity integration at Sun. "Will it get us into the end zone? I don't know." Copyright 2006 Yahoo! Inc. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more tech news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 17:54:49 -0600 From: Michelle R. Smith, AP Subject: Hackers Attack Naval War College Network, Shut it Down By MICHELLE R. SMITH, Associated Press Writer Hackers attacked the computer network at the Naval War College in Newport, taking down the school's network for more than two weeks, including some e-mail services and the college's Web site. The Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command in Norfolk, Va., detected the intrusion around Nov. 16 and took the system offline, spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Doug Gabos said. He said the unclassified network was used by students. Military spokesmen would not give an estimate on when the school's Web site, http://www.nwc.navy.mil, will be back up. The Naval War College bills itself as the Navy's leading center of strategic thought and national security policy. Investigators were trying to determine the extent of the intrusion, Gabos said. They planned to upgrade firewalls and make other unspecified improvements. "Once that is complete, the network will be restored," Gabos said. Gabos would not comment on who is suspected of attacking the network. School spokeswoman Karen Sellers said e-mail worked on campus, but people could not send or receive messages from off-campus. "It's certainly inconvenient," she said. "But we all understand the importance of network security and we're patiently waiting." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:18:54 -0600 From: Will Head Subject: Mobile Phone Security Attacks on Rise Mobile security products to be worth $5bn by 2011 Will Head, vnunet.com 11 Dec 2006 The number of security attacks against mobile phones is increasingly dramatically, according to new data from Juniper Research. The analyst firm has identified a raft of risks that can affect mobile users, including viruses and malware. These dangers, combined with ever-tightening corporate governance rules and the increasing use of mobiles to store critical data, will prompt mobile users to install security products on 247 million mobile phones, nearly eight per cent of the total, by 2011. Juniper's latest report also forecasts that mobile phone theft will continue to rise, despite initiatives by mobile operators and police forces. The analyst firm expects that nearly four per cent of mobile phones will be stolen annually by 2011. Revenues from mobile security products, including antivirus, virtual private networks, data and file encryption and mobile identity management applications, are expected to generate almost $5bn worth of revenue by 2011. The biggest mobile security market will be in the secure mobile content sector, where antivirus, anti-spam, anti-spyware and content filtering will make up 40 per cent of the total market, according to the report. Revenue from mobile data and file encryption products is expected to outstrip the PC market by 2011. "Initially driven by the data-hungry mobile business user who has seen the benefits of data services such as email, predominantly on BlackBerry devices, we will see mobile security products go mainstream by late 2008 or early 2009 resulting in a doubling of revenues from 2008 to 2010," said Juniper analyst Alan Goode, author of the report. ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 12, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 11:39:14 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 12, 2006 ******************************** European Industry Body Calls for Greater Power to National Regulators http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21614?11228 The European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), the industry body representing Europe's alternative telcos, has released a report, calling on European countries to give greater powers to their national regulators in order to make the region more globally competitive by 2010. In the study, conducted with Brussels law ... Consolidation in Cable Market as UPC Belgium and Telenet Merge http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21611?11228 The Belgian cable market is set for a major consolidation as the two leading players-Telenet and UPC Belgium-confirmed plans to merge. Telenet, which has 2.6 million customers, is buying UPC Belgium from Liberty Global for 187 million euro (US$246 million) in cash. UPC Belgium has 125,000 customers. Significance: The merger deal is ... Ofcom Unveils Proposal for Wireless Broadband Spectrum Auction http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21608?11228 The United Kingdom's telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has unveiled proposals for the auction of its 2.6 GHz radio spectrum, in what has been dubbed Ofcom's largest sell-off of wireless spectrum. The 2.6 GHz spectrum band can be used for mobile services, mobile TV and WiMAX. Ofcom said that depending on the length of the consultation ... HP, Cingular Unveil Global Mobile Broadband Laptop http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21602?11228 Hewlett-Packard and Cingular Wireless have teamed to integrate Cingular's 3G UMTS/HSDPA network capabilities into the new HP Compaq nc6400 Notebook PC. The laptop, according to the companies, is the first to feature built-in support for global high-speed connections. The HP Compaq nc6400 features a tri-band UMTS modem, which ... Survey Sez: Despite Risks, Securities Firms Love IM http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21599?11228 A new poll confirms that instant messaging (IMing) is an increasingly common communication tool within securities firms, despite the fact risk management remains the top barrier to institutional adoption of IM in many companies and that the days are likely numbered for unsanctioned consumer IM applications on securities-industry ... New Memory Device Could Trash Flash http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21596?11228 Leap-frogging Moore's Law, scientists from IBM Corp. will announce on Wednesday a prototype of a new type of memory device that has the potential to replace flash memory in mobile devices such as music players, cell phones, and digital cameras. Called 'phase-change memory', the new technology runs more than 500 ... Mobile Carriers Tackle Backhaul Bottleneck http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21594?11228 Three leading European mobile operators will take to the podium at a one-day conference in London this week to tackle one of the biggest issues currently facing wireless carriers: the backhaul bottleneck. Emin Gurdenli, technical director at T-Mobile (UK) , will provide the keynote address at Light Reading's 'Backhaul ... Mirapoint to Bundle SAN/Email Solution http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21592?11228 The worlds of storage and email are becoming entwined as users attempt to tackle the double-whammy of email growth and compliance pressures. Today, for instance, messaging specialist Mirapoint announced a partnership with NetApp to sell the storage vendor's SAN technology with its own Message Server device. ... Complexity Will Hasten Managed Services Adoption Among US Firms http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21589?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Most US firms-especially leading IT-using firms-choose to perform business network functions in-house, reports In-Stat. But even these do-it-yourselfers (DIYers) admit that future complexity could spur managed service adoption within two years, the high-tech market research firm says. To best capitalize on this ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:21:31 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Verizon Communications Vice Chairman to Retire USTelecom dailyLead December 12, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eYqQfDtusXhCqMCibuddgyyC TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Verizon Communications vice chairman to retire BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Canadian telecom Telus offers TV service * Alcatel-Lucent prepares for next-generation mobile * Spain's Telefonica increases stake in China Netcom * BT could re-enter U.K. mobile market * Cisco, Citrix extend click-to-call feature * Texas Instruments trims fourth-quarter outlook USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * New: The USTelecom IP Multimedia Subsystem Implementation Guide TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Analysis: IPTV market heats up * Report: Most U.S. mobile users don't use data services * Operators ready for German WiMAX auction * Nokia to open flagship in Mexico REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * AT&T suit accuses Time Warner of damaging network wiring Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eYqQfDtusXhCqMCibuddgyyC ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:30:52 -0500 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: School Shuns Tech, Teaches Fountain Pen Ben McConville wrote: > By BEN McCONVILLE, Associated Press Writer > In this age of cell phones, text messages and computer keyboards, one > Scottish school has returned to basics. It's teaching youngsters the > neglected art of writing with a fountain pen. > There is no clacking of keyboards in most classrooms at the Mary > Erskine and Stewart's Melville Junior School, although there is a full > range of facilities for computer lessons and technology isn't being > ignored. > But the private school's principal believes the old-fashioned pens > have helped boost the academic performance and self-esteem of his > 1,200 pupils. > "The pens improve the quality of work because they force the children > to take care, and better work improves self-esteem," principal Bryan > Lewis said. "Proper handwriting is as relevant today as it ever has > been." > Students as young as 7 have been instructed to forgo their ball point > pens and get to grips with its more artful predecessor. By the time > they reach grade five, at age 9, they are expected to write mainly > with fountain pens. > At an English class recently, students worked at perfecting a skill > that is under threat from the onset of e-mail -- the art of writing a > letter by hand. Each child's work was meticulous and clearly presented > in the upright, graceful strokes of a fountain pen. > Ten-year-old Cailean Gall has been using fountain pens in class for > two years. It took the keen soccer player one month to master the pen > and, like all pupils at the school, still has regular handwriting > lessons. > "At the start it was hard because I kept smudging, but you get used to > it," he said. "I still have to use a pencil for maths, and now I find > it strange using the pencils. I like it because it makes me > concentrate much more on my work." > Cailean now uses his fountain pen even for non-school work, but > classmate Katie Walker, 11, prefers to use ball point and pencil when > not in class. > "I use it for schoolwork and homework only," she said. "It is quite > easy using a fountain pen once you're used to it. My parents say it's > improved my work enormously." > The children learn a handwriting style developed by teachers at the > school, which charges $12,500 a year. New teachers are also put through > a course on how to write with pens -- as well as refresher courses on > literacy and numeracy -- before they are let loose in classes. > Lewis said the school's 7- and 8-year-olds use fountain pens for 80 > percent to 90 percent of their work, reverting to pencils for such > subjects as math. > "I don't see fountain pens as old-fashioned or outmoded. Modern > fountain pens are beautiful to use; it's not like in the old days of > broken nibs and smudging," Lewis said. "We have a particular writing > style and we have developed it very carefully and found a way that > allows left- and right-handed people to write without smudging." > Parent Susan Garlick supports the school and believes the use of > fountain pens has improved the work of her daughter Elisabeth, an > 11-year-old in grade 7. > "Her handwriting is beautiful," Garlick said. And I betcha they FORCE all lefthanded kids to write with their right hand! [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I don't think they go _that_ far ... I can understand the rationale, however ... when I was in high school (far too long ago, IMO, to remember much about it) our Algebra and other general mathematics teacher was a guy named Paul Wilkinson. We did not have computers of any kind in 'those days' (late 1950's). Then in the middle 1970's as 'home computers' became a bit more common, I learned Microsoft DOS _very well_ if I do say so myself -- so well that as a 'sideline' I taught it to a few other folks, not the least of whom was one (by this time) old man, retired school teacher, Paul Wilkinson. So I taught Microsoft BASIC to the fellow who had twenty years earlier taught _me_ algebra and mathematics. Some of you long time readers will recall in the late 1970's I had an OSI (Ohio Scientific Instruments) Model C-1-P home computer, with all of 4 K memory (and DOS, loaded from a tape recorder took a bit of that as well). You'll also recall that OSI had a reputation as a 'number cruncher'. We used to play these parlor games such as 'search for and print out on the screen all prime numbers from one up to infinity' and 'print out all square roots', etc. Paul watched me set up the OSI to do these things and other stuff, then he remarked, 'oh my, that sure is fast'. I told him, "yes Paul, it is quite fast, but I would not be able to program it all in had _you_ not first taught me the general principles. To find a prime number at infinity I do not have to test all numbers up to one less than infinity, I need only test numbers up to the square root of infinity _plus one more_, and if I fail at that point, then the number (infinity) is NOT a prime number." Paul thought about that and said, "yes, you are correct, and I did teach that at some point or another." So anytime a computer is used for anything more than just a convenient shortcut, it is being abused, IMO. If I don't know telephones, then no matter now fancy my typing or intricate my language, I cannot do TELECOM Digest. Ant that is/was the problem at the school in question. Students were using the computer alone, rather than their brains plus computer. Instead of using the ten or twelve percent of their brains most of us use, the computer had allowed them to get by with only one or two percent of their brain power. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: School Shuns Tech, Teaches Fountain Pen Date: 12 Dec 2006 07:43:26 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Ben McConville, AP wrote: > But the private school's principal believes the old-fashioned pens > have helped boost the academic performance and self-esteem of his > 1,200 pupils. > "The pens improve the quality of work because they force the children > to take care, and better work improves self-esteem," principal Bryan > Lewis said. "Proper handwriting is as relevant today as it ever has > been." That is quite true. Using low speed devices forces people to think about their task. qThinking first improves quality. I use the word processor now but when I used a typewriter I was forced to first think through what I wanted to write to save the trouble of endless draft retyping. (The often parodied IBM "THINK" sign was created for a resaon.) If I were a secondary or college level teacher I would require _one_ homework assignment to be done neatly in longhand. This is to demonstrate the benefit of thinking ahead and reinforce the skill of writing. Computers have replaced many things, but we still have a need for handwritten notes that are legible. Power tools are great, but we should know how to use hand tools as well. Fountain pens also reproduce much better than ball point on copying and fascimile machines. I once told somebody my fountain pen was actually a digital device that read the computer screen. They believed me. But the flip side is that fountain pens can be a nuisance. Most pens today use pre-filled cartridges. They go through them quickly and cartridges are expensive. If you use a bladder and an ink bottle the ink is cheap, but filling is messy. (Even changing cartridges can be messy). If you flick or jar a fountain pen it will splatter staining clothing. I'm not sure it's a good idea for such young kids to be using them given their rambuctiousness. I must admit I have some fountain pens out of service since they need to be cleaned and filled and it's just easier using my inexpensive "Bic round stick". [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I do feel that forcing a _fountain pen_ on students -- as opposed, let's say to a 'ballpoint pen' or something similar -- is perhaps a bit extreme, for the reasons you suggested, but I definitly would require students to work out at least one problem in 'long-hand' and _circle their answer_ and explain how they arrived at that answer. The rest of the test could be done on computer for all I care as long as they knew what they were doing. For a test once in high school, Paul said take a couple pieces of paper, compute (in your head, not on computer!) some mathematical formula of (number). That's your test, pass your papers forward. Either you know how to do it or you don't know. Count on your fingers and toes if you wish, but I want a detailed explanation of how you arrived at your answer. Well, try that approach in most high schools these days, and see how many children can pass the test. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://feeds.feedburner.com/telecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #413 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Dec 13 20:24:33 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 71A252238; Wed, 13 Dec 2006 20:24:33 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #414 Message-Id: <20061214012433.71A252238@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 20:24:33 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 13 Dec 2006 20:25:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 414 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Man Gets 8 Years in Prison for Computer Sabotage (Associated Press News) Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies (Associated Press News Wire) Windows Development Chief Says 'Buy a Mac Instead' (Eric Lai, IDG) Skype Begins Charging For Calls (Reuters News Wire) Search Engines Sometimes Return Risky Results (Anick Jesdanun, AP) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 13, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Sprint Names CEO Forsee as Chairman (USTelecom dailyLead) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:07:02 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Man Gets 8 Years in Prison for Computer Sabotage A former UBS PaineWebber systems administrator was sentenced Wednesday to eight years and one month in prison for attempting to profit by detonating a "logic bomb" program that prosecutors said caused millions of dollars in damage to the brokerage's computer network in 2002. Roger Duronio also was ordered to pay $3.1 million in restitution to his former employer, now known as UBS Financial Services Inc., part of the Swiss banking company UBS AG. Duronio, 64, of Bogota was put under house arrest by U.S. District Judge Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. until he is assigned to a prison. He had been free on $1 million bond. The term was the maximum under sentencing guidelines, which pleased U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie. "This was a fitting, appropriately long sentence," Christie said. "Duronio acted out of misplaced vengeance and greed. He sought to do financial harm to a company and to profit from that, but he failed on both counts." A message left for Duronio's lawyer, Christopher D. Adams, was not immediately returned. A federal jury in July convicted Duronio on one count of securities fraud and one count of computer fraud, and acquitted him on two counts of mail fraud. Prosecutors presented evidence that Duronio was angry with the company, where he had worked for nearly two years in Weehawken, because he expected an annual bonus of $50,000 but got $32,500. Evidence showed Duronio ultimately lost $23,000 he invested in a stock market bet against UBS because the ploy failed to reduce the company's share price. Duronio planted the logic bomb in some 1,000 of PaineWebber's approximately 1,500 networked computers in branch offices around the country and resigned from the company Feb. 22, 2002, prosecutors said. That day, Duronio went to a broker and bought what are called "put options" for UBS stock, prosecutors said. Those give the purchaser the right to sell shares for a fixed per-share price, so the lower a stock falls the more valuable the option becomes. Duronio placed his last trade on March 1, 2002, and the logic bomb attack took place three days later, deleting files on 1,000 computers, prosecutors said. On the Net: U.S. Attorney's Office: http://www.njusao.org/break.html Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:08:54 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies Alan Shugart, the co-founder of hard drive maker Seagate Technology LLC, has died, the company said Wednesday. He was 76. Shugart helped pioneer the multibillion dollar hard drive industry, in which Seagate now holds the leading market position. He founded the company in 1979 and left in 1998. Described by some as a maverick, Shugart was well known for his colorful personality that included an effort to get his dog to run for Congress. The unsuccessful ploy became the topic of one of his three books, "Ernest Goes to Washington (Well, Not Exactly)." Shugart died Tuesday at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, said Seagate spokeswoman Julie Stills. He was admitted last week and died of complications from heart surgery he underwent six weeks ago. He was still working until the day of his death, checking e-mails for his company, Al Shugart International, a startup incubator based in Santa Cruz, Stills said. He is survived by his wife, Rita, four daughters, a son, and seven grandchildren. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:11:14 -0600 From: Eric Lai, IDG Subject: Windows Development Chief Says 'Buy a Mac Instead' by Eric Lai, Computerworld - IDG News Service Editor's note: This story was reprinted from Computerworld. For more of Computerworld's coverage of the Mac, visit its Mac Knowledge Center. Longtime Windows development chief James Allchin wrote in a January 2004 e-mail to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and company co-founder Bill Gates that the software vendor had 'lost sight' of customers' needs and said he would buy a Mac if he wasn't working for Microsoft. "In my view, we lost our way," Allchin, the co-president of Microsoft's platform and services division, wrote in an e-mail dated Jan. 7, 2004. The e-mail was presented as evidence late last week in the Iowa antitrust trial, Comes v. Microsoft. "I think our teams lost sight of what bug-free means, what resilience means, what full scenarios mean, what security means, what performance means, how important current applications are, and really understanding what the most important problems our customers face are. I see lots of random features and some great vision, but that does not translate into great products." Allchin, who has headed various aspects of Windows development since the mid-1990s but plans to retire at the end of this year with the shipping of Windows Vista, later wrote in the same e-mail that he would buy a Mac if he was not a Microsoft employee, according to transcripts from proceedings Thursday and Friday in the class-action case obtained and posted by Groklaw.net, an open-source legal Web site. Jim Hibbs, a spokesman for Wixted Pope Nora Thompson & Associates, a Des Moines public relations firm employed by the law firm prosecuting the case, confirmed that Allchin's quotes were read directly from his e-mails by the plaintiff's lawyers. The case, filed in February 2000, charges that Microsoft used its monopoly position to overcharge Iowans for its software. Held in the Polk County District Court in Des Moines, it is one of two remaining antitrust cases; the state of Mississippi's case is the other brought by the U.S. government and multiple states against Microsoft starting in the late 1990s. In 2004, Microsoft settled a class-action lawsuit accusing it of overcharging customers in California for $1.1 billion. That same year, it was also hit by a $613 million fine by the European Commission for monopolistic behavior for its free bundling of Windows Media Player with Windows. Microsoft, which has appealed the ruling, was hit by a further $356 million fine in October for failing to comply with the ruling. Microsoft, through its public relations firm, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, was unable to comment on the Allchin e-mail immediately. Allchin has said in the past that Vista's delayed arrival -- it shipped five years after Windows XP was released -- was the result of a desire to improve its security and make it perform bug-free from the get-go. As in past antitrust trials against Microsoft, much of the evidence came in the form of e-mails from Allchin and other Microsoft executives. Ironically, Allchin himself is quoted in two internal memos directing employees to get rid of all e-mails after 30 days. "This is not something you get to decide," he wrote on Jan. 23, 2000. "This is company policy. Do not think this is something that only applies to a few people. Do not think it will be okay if I do this, it hasn't caused any problems so far. Do not archive your mail. Do not be foolish. 30 days." Iowa's counsel also presented evidence designed to show that an ostensibly charitable program from Microsoft for developing countries and schools was actually designed to ensure that Windows remained preinstalled on PCs to discourage competition from the open-source Linux operating system. The so-called Education Government Incentive (or Edgi) program, appears 'to be based on Microsoft generosity, but in fact the program is intended only for use where Linux is a threat,' according to Roxanne Conlin, co-counsel for Iowa. Conlin also presented evidence of a job description for Bill Gates' technical assistant, whose primary duty was to make sure no permanent record of Gates' e-mail existed, Conlin said, according to transcripts. Copyright 2006 Mac Publishing LLC 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 13:42:19 -0600 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Skype Begins Charging For Calls Internet telephone service Skype said on Wednesday that it would charge customers $29.95 a year for unlimited calling in the United States and Canada, a service it had offered free since May. eBay Inc.'s Skype, which competes with traditional phone companies and Web operators like Vonage Holdings Corp. for customers, said subscribers who sign up for the plan before January 31 will get the service for half price. The service covers calls to mobile phones or traditional wire line phones from computers or from a new category of Internet-connected phones that run Skype software. Skype had been offering the computer-to-phone call service free since May as a promotion aimed at winning new customers. Customers who do not want to pay a subscription could also opt to pay for calls at the rate of 2.1 cents a minute which it charged before the promotion. Skype calls from computer to computer would still be free for its customers. The company said it would consider extending the service for international calls. "We'll be taking a close look at how this plan does and keep our options open to see what our customers want on a more International scale," said Skype spokeswoman Jennifer Caukin. Skype said it had more than 136 million registered users globally at the end of September. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 13:44:31 -0600 From: Anick Jesdanun, AP Subject: Search Engines Sometimes Return Risky Results Study: 4 pct of search results risky By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer It's slightly safer to use search engines, but about 4 percent of search results still lead to sites deemed risky, a new study finds. Ben Edelman, a security expert who serves as an adviser to security software vendor McAfee Inc., said that although the overall riskiness of search engines declined 12 percent since May, some 4.4 percent of results still lead to sites flagged with a "red" warning or a cautionary "yellow" by McAfee's SiteAdvisor service. SiteAdvisor rates sites based on whether they result in spyware, viruses, excessive pop-up ads, junk e-mail or other threats. The study was conducted by running about 2,500 popular keywords through the top five search engines -- Google Inc., Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp.'s MSN, Time Warner Inc.'s AOL ad IAC/InterActive Corp.'s Ask. Risks are about three times greater when clicking on keyword ads that make up much of these companies' revenues, and adult-related search terms are twice as risky as non-adult terms, the study found. Queries containing the word "free" are also more likely to produce risky sites. Getting malicious software isn't the only threat from search engines. Security experts say that some hackers have used search engines to find sites with security vulnerabilities to exploit. Others have used cleverly crafted keywords to locate confidential documents and passwords inadvertently left on public Web sites. Search companies, meanwhile, have taken steps to mitigate the risks. Google, for instance, sometimes flags links to sites it deems risky. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 13, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 11:24:17 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 13, 2006 ******************************** Eepad Partners With Neuf Cegetel To Offer Algeria-France Calls http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21636?11228 Eepad, the Algerian ISP, has entered into a partnership with the French operator, Neuf Cegetel, to offer international VoIP calls between France and Algeria. The agreement means that those of Eepad's ADSL subscribers who also have a Neuf Cegetel subscription will be able to make and receive international VoIP calls. This means that ... Wireless Enters the Political Arena http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21633?11228 Wireless technology may be the next big thing for election campaigning and even voting, but its use could initially be troubling, according to media experts. Wireless phones have been increasingly used internationally in the past few years, to great political and strategic affect among political groups. The 'Orange ... Waiting for WiMAX http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21630?11228 In the high-speed networking arena, plenty of people and businesses are waiting for WiMAX. That includes today's 3G wireless data service providers, who have the most to lose from a widespread WiMAX deployment. But 3G carriers can breathe easy, since WiMAX probably won't be a major technology--at least in North America and... BT Confirms WiMax Ambitions http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21625?11228 Domestic reports out of the U.K. confirm what Unstrung readers already knew. BT Group plc looks set to re-enter the mobile market using WiMax or similar wireless broadband technology. Back in October, we reported that BT was plotting to bid on a wireless broadband spectrum auction in the in the 2.5GHz to 2.69GHz band in order ... T-Mobile's Backhaul Bugbear http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21622?11228 LONDON -- Backhaul Strategies for Mobile Operators: Europe -- Mobile operators are being forced towards alternative backhaul strategies by prohibitively expensive leased-line pricing structures, according to Emin Gurdenli, Technical Director at T-Mobile (UK) . Giving the keynote address at today's Light Reading Live conference in ... ITC Rules in Broadcom/Qualcomm Spat http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21620?11228 The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled that Qualcomm is infringing on a patent held by rival Broadcom Corporation. The ITC accepted an administrative law judge (ALJ) recommendation that found Qualcomm did infringe on some of Broadcom's patents. However, the recommendation, which was issued in October, ... Chinese PMP Market Becomes Established in 2006 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21617?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- New entrants, declining prices, and improvements in product features are making Portable Media Player (PMP) shipments gain traction in 2006 in China, reports In-Stat. Early adopters will remain the primary market for PMPs in China in 2007, the high-tech market research firm says. PMP shipments in China will ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 12:12:08 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Sprint Names CEO Forsee as Chairman USTelecom dailyLead December 13, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eZakfDtusXhGAKCibuddQMAo TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Sprint names CEO Forsee as chairman BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Microsoft begins VoIP beta * Skype to charge for phone service that is now free * Sprint finishes Revision A rollout for 2006 * The Net challenges for big media in 2007 * Vodafone Italia, Sky Italia sign mobile TV deal USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Integrate WiMAX into your 3G network TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * More than 75% of Web users are on broadband * Q-and-A: Ad executive discusses mobile advertising * SMS wildly successful, but successor being sought * Report: Global handset users top 2.6 billion REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Michigan moves to expand video competition Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eZakfDtusXhGAKCibuddQMAo ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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End of TELECOM Digest V25 #414 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Dec 15 00:05:19 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 63AC9222E; Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:05:19 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #415 Message-Id: <20061215050519.63AC9222E@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:05:19 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:07:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 415 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (Douane D. James) Virtually Addicted (Catherine Holahan, Business Week) Still Too Hot to Touch! Bell South/ATT Merger Put Off Again (Blooomberg) Are There Any Portable Quasi Cell-Base Stations Yet? (Danny Burstein) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 14, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Cisco in $50 Million Deal With China's CCS (USTelecom dailyLead) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:37:07 -0600 From: Douane D. James Subject: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Class president at Cooper City High charged with changing grades of 19 students By Douane D. James South Florida Sun-Sentinel Cooper City High School's senior class president was arrested Tuesday and charged in a grade-tampering scandal that has rocked the campus. Ryan C. Shrouder, 18, of Cooper City, was taken to jail from school and charged with two counts of computer crime with intent to defraud, a second-degree felony, according to a Broward Sheriff's Office report. He was released from jail on bail, has been suspended from school and will be recommended for expulsion, said Joe Melita, head of the Broward County School District's investigative unit. Shrouder serves as the alternate student advisor to the Broward School Board. He often sits in on board meetings and was issued a school district laptop computer. Sheriff's Office investigators say Shrouder took advantage of that access and used an employee password to access the district's network and change the grades of 19 students. It's unclear whether authorities think he changed his own grades. Shrouder was considered the main suspect, but other students could be punished for being involved, Melita said. Shrouder's attorney said his client will plead not guilty and that he is being unfairly singled out. "To charge a kid with a computer crime is absurd," said Fort Lauderdale attorney Fred Haddad. "There's plenty of ways to handle this besides charging a felony." Shrouder had been elected leader of his sophomore, junior and senior classes at Cooper City High and recently was voted "most likely to be president" of the United States. Rumors of the arrest spread quickly at the school Tuesday. Administrators delayed the second-period bell so students would remain in class while deputies took Shrouder from the school. Kara Olesky, student government president at Cooper City High, said Shrouder was well liked and appeared to be "headed in a positive direction." "We were shocked," she said. "We would never have thought anyone would attempt something like that." The report filed by the Sheriff's Office detailed the alleged grade-tampering as follows: On Nov. 2, an assistant principal told authorities that the school had begun investigating unauthorized grade changes. Course grades from previous years for 19 students, mostly seniors, had been altered. Cooper City High's bookkeeper told investigators that in the week before the grades were changed she witnessed Shrouder in the office of the computer technology specialist looking for a "sign-on" password to the district network. The technology specialist had left his passwords on a notepad in his desk, according to the report. Investigators later determined that the employee's sign-on account was the same one used to access the grades program and modify the marks. A Cooper City High student witness told authorities that on Oct. 30 he saw Shrouder use his laptop to access the computer application that manages pupil grades. Another student said Shrouder approached her at a party the next day and said he altered her grades, along with those of other students. Sheriff's Office investigators reviewed video surveillance and forensic computer examinations to back up the witnesses' statements, according to the report. Advisors to the School Board are given laptops that have access to the district network for e-mail purposes, but they don't have the security clearance to log into the application that manages grades, officials said. Last year, a West Boca Raton High student used employee passwords to hack into the Palm Beach County district network and change transcripts for students at four high schools. He was ordered to pay restitution and complete a yearlong program to avoid being prosecuted for felony computer fraud. Staff Writer Jean-Paul Renaud contributed to this report. Douane D. James can be reached at ddjames@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7930. Copyright 2006 Sun-Sentinal. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/news-today.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I suspect the poor guy is absolutely mortified today. I am reminded of the teenage kid in the 1950's who had a very cushy job working at University of Chicago in the telephone switchboard room. After graduation from high school he worked one summer on the overnight shift in the phone room -- alone -- and on those terribly hot summer nights between the hours of 3 and 5 in the morning with _nothing_ to do, he devised a scheme to defraud telco of its money on international long distance calls. It all worked quite well -- or so he thought -- until one Sunday morning. 6:45 AM on a Sunday morning in August, he was quite anxious to get off work. The two day shift operators started at 7, he would be free to leave, walk over to the Hyde Park Coffee Shop for breakfast, then go home to shower, change clothes and meet Mother for services at Rockefeller Chapel, where the very smart young man and his Mother were in charge of the after-service tea and little cakes served to the congregation as refreshments. Then, his intention was to spend the afternoon on the Promentory Beach at 55th Street exhibiting himself to others of his persuasion and nap for a few hours before going back to work that night. Two day shift operators show up a couple minutes before 7 AM; he bids them adieu, walks to the elevator and rides down to the first floor. When he steps out of the elevator, two men approach him, both of whom were impeccably dressed. Calling him by name, the one man shows identification which identifies him as a telephone security representative for Illinois Bell; "and this gentleman with me is Officer (name), a Chicago Police Detective." Oh my ... so that day, instead of breakfast at the hotel coffee shop followed by Chapel services and an afternoon on the beach, much of the day was spent at the Wentworth District police lockup, with his Mother there with money in hand to bail him out of jail. Later that afternoon, back at home, a registered letter arrived for the kid from the telephone chief operator at University of Chicago telling him he was officially dismissed and was NOT to return to work nor be on the premises again. Then the next day, Monday, his picture appeared in the Maroon -- UC daily newspaper -- with a story headlined "Overnight Campus Phone Operator Arrested on Fraud Charges." Yes, I imagine Master Schrouder is quite mortified today by his circumstances. A teenager 45 years ago was likewise severely mortified in his attempt to defraud. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:41:14 -0600 From: Catherine Holahan Subject: Virtually Addicted A lawsuit against IBM is reviving debate over whether Web overuse may be classified as an addiction. The answer will have big implications for business. by Catherine Holahan By his own admission, James Pacenza was spending too much time in Internet chat rooms, in some of them discussing sex. He goes so far as to call his interest in inappropriate Web sites a form of addiction that stems from the posttraumatic stress disorder he's suffered since returning from Vietnam. Whatever it's called, Pacenza's chat-room habit cost him his job. After 19 years at IBM's East Fishkill plant, Pacenza was fired in May, 2003, after a fellow employee noticed discussion of a sex act on a chat room open on Pacenza's computer. IBM maintains that logging onto the Web site was a violation of its business conduct guidelines and a misuse of company property -- and that it was well within its rights to terminate Pacenza's employment. Pacenza and his attorney beg to differ. They filed suit in a New York U.S. District Court in July, 2004, seeking $5 million for wrongful termination. Earlier in the year, Pacenza had admitted to a superior that he had a problem with the Internet at home. Pacenza's attorney, Michael Diederich Jr., alleges that the perception that Pacenza was addicted to the Internet caused IBM to fire first without asking questions or "even attempting to examine the situation." Diederich says there are several steps IBM could have taken, including limiting his Internet use or blocking certain sites. "It's not productive or useful for the employer to unfairly terminate employees," says Diederich. The case was held up for two years due to Pacenza's medical problems and his attorney's service as a military lawyer in Iraq. But it has come back to the fore recently, and IBM on Dec. 8 sought a dismissal of the case, saying it's without merit. On the surface, Pacenza's may appear to be an open-and-shut case. He doesn't deny logging onto the chat room at work, and company policy provides for the termination of employees who access inappropriate Web sites. Certifying Addiction. But cases like Pacenza's, which involve Internet misuse, may no longer be quite so simple, thanks to a growing debate over whether Internet abuse is a legitimate addiction, akin to alcoholism. Attorneys say recognition by a court -- whether in this or some future litigation -- that Internet abuse is an uncontrollable addiction, and not just a bad habit, could redefine the condition as a psychological impairment worthy of protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). That in turn would have far-reaching ramifications for how companies deal with workplace Internet use and abuse. For starters, businesses could be compelled to allow medical leave, provide counseling to, or make other accommodations for employees who can't control Internet use, says Brian East, co-chair of the disability rights committee of the National Employment Lawyers' Assn. East says recognizing Internet abuse as an addiction would make it more difficult for employers to fire employees who have a problem. "Assuming it is recognized as an impairment -- it is analyzed the same way as alcoholism," says East. That's a big assumption, and there's intense debate over whether compulsive Internet use should be recognized as an addiction. The American Psychiatric Assn. (APA) doesn't include Internet addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, which serves as the basis for many ADA claims related to mental disabilities. Substance abuse, on the other hand, is listed in a special category under substance-use disorders. Internet addiction would not be eligible for inclusion in the manual until nearly 2012, when the next edition is scheduled to be released, according to the APA. Compulsive Behavior. Whatever the APA stance, several psychiatrists and psychologists already say compulsive Internet overuse can legitimately be called an addiction. Among them is Dr. David Greenfield, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and author of the 1999 book Virtual Addiction. He compares compulsive Internet use to alcoholism, drug abuse, or pathological gambling. Like alcoholics or those who abuse drugs, people who are addicted to the Internet use it to change their mood and feel better, says Greenfield. There are also many who can't stop using it, despite reprimands from work, disputes with family and friends, and other negative effects such as debt due to compulsive Internet shopping or gambling. "It's not surprising that it is not defined yet, because these things change very slowly," says Greenfield. "But when you are in clinical practice and you are dealing with people's lives, you can't wait for those issues to be addressed. There is a huge problem with Internet abuse in the workplace, and you can't pretend that they don't exist because there isn't a label." In October, researchers at Stanford University's medical school released a study showing that a significant number of Americans show addiction symptoms with regard to the Internet. Some 14% reported that it was hard to stay away from the Internet for a several-day stretch. More than 12% said they stayed online longer than intended and nearly 9% said they hid their Internet use from loved ones or employers. Roughly 6% said relationships had suffered due to excessive Internet use. Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, director of Stanford's Impulse Control Disorders Clinic, which conducted the study, says there are clear similarities between excessive Internet use and other addictions. "People are very secretive, people will tell me that they feel restless when they go for a whole afternoon without checking e-mail, there is mounting anxiety when they try to cut back on their online use," says Aboujaoude. However, he stops short of calling it an addiction. The clinic is designing a more rigorous study aimed at determining whether Internet abuse is an addiction and not just a bad habit, or a manifestation of another addiction or psychological problem. "Based on our studies there are definitely red flags and there are things that should be followed up on. But until that is done, you are not going to find a serious researcher calling this Internet addiction," says Aboujaoude. "It's too early to coin a new term 'Internet addiction.'" Treatment Options. Not according to psychologist Kimberly Young, founder of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pa. She says that the U.S. lags behind other countries in its recognition of compulsive Internet use as a legitimate addiction worthy of specialized treatment. Korea, for example, has launched the Centre for Internet Addiction Prevention & Counseling in response to what the government sees as the growing problem of Internet addicts in its highly wired society. In October, a 24-year-old died after playing an online game nonstop for 86 hours (see http://BusinessWeek.com 9/11/06, "Online Gaming: Korea's Gotta Have It"). "They have been able to move faster than we have in America," says Young of the Korean government. "They have a lot of government funding to put together these clinics." China also recognizes Internet addiction as a legitimate problem. Chinese employers can send workers to a two-week rehabilitation clinic for Internet issues. Besides counseling, the clinic provides regimented exercise and medical treatment to help people become healthy and redirect their energy. U.S. companies ought to wake up to the problem in order to avoid lost productivity from workers and liability for unjust termination or disciplinary action regarding the Internet. "If you have something like the Americans with Disabilities Act, which recognizes many addictions as a disability, it is not a stretch to see that people who are getting in trouble with the Internet are going to see it as a legitimate addiction and sue," says Greenfield. "It is only a matter of time before one of these suits is successful." Just how many suits are coming down the pike isn't clear, and Pacenza's is among the earliest to weave Internet addiction into a wrongful termination suit. There have been several other legal battles relating to presumed Internet addiction, though often those involve online games or chat rooms that parents say contribute to a child's problems. Workplace Prevention. Even as the debate rages on within the medical community and increasingly in the courts, some businesses are taking steps to combat Internet addiction beyond implementing Internet-use policies. Young, author of Caught in the Net, says she regularly speaks to companies about Internet addiction. "They want to deal with the problem of abuse and minimize that as much as they can," she says. Young says she sees everyone from IT professionals obsessed with Web surfing, to administrative assistants glued to eBay (EBAY), to self-employed lawyers who are missing deadlines because of a fixation with Internet porn. Still, most companies are leery of treating Internet abuse as an addiction. "Overall companies are still a little hesitant to look at it as an addiction," says Young. "But if they look at the costs, it makes more sense than just firing people." Employers try to alert employees to the potential of the problem, by paying for talks or literature, in order to avoid problems such as lost productivity, too much demand on company bandwidth, and sexual-harassment claims from employees who see objectionable material on a colleague's computer. However, some businesses are concerned enough about the cost of replacing otherwise good employees that they send employees to rehabilitation clinics. When it comes to Internet overuse, some companies are finding the best cure isn't firing, but preventive medicine. Some limit Internet access to only those employees who need it to do their jobs. And they are spending money on filtering and blocking software to keep employees from surfing the Web for personal use. Sensible Limits. Continental Airlines (CAL) acknowledges it's impossible to ban all personal use of the Web at work. Louis Obdyke, Continental's managing attorney for labor and employment issues, says the company lets employees occasionally surf the Web, shop, bank, or do other activities online -- providing it doesn't interfere with productivity. "It's pretty much under a rule of reason," says Obdyke. "If you get your work done and you go on the Internet during the workday, we wouldn't see that as a problem." When Internet use causes work to suffer, stiffer measures are taken. And an employee who can't improve or who visits adult or pornographic sites while at work is susceptible to firing. As for whether Internet abuse is comparable to other disorders such as alcoholism, Obdyke is clear: "We don't recognize this Internet addiction idea." Depending on the outcome of Pacenza's case and others likely to follow, companies like Continental may have to. Holahan is a writer for BusinessWeek.com in New York. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:58:24 -0600 From: Molly Peterson Subject: Still Too Hot to Touch! Bell South/ATT Merger Put Off Another Month Vote on BellSouth Deal Omitted From Next FCC Meeting By Molly Peterson Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Federal Communications Commission decided not to vote on AT&T Inc.'s $86 billion purchase of BellSouth Corp. at its Dec. 20 meeting, lessening the prospects for approval this month. The agenda for the meeting, released late today, does include a vote on rules making it easier for telephone companies to sell television service. The FCC hasn't indicated when it will vote on the BellSouth sale. Two Republican commissioners and two Democrats have been deadlocked for months on what, if any, conditions to impose on the deal. They are waiting for the fifth member, Republican Robert McDowell, to decide whether to vote to break the tie. McDowell sat out of the commission's negotiations because of his past work as a lobbyist for rivals of AT&T and BellSouth. FCC General Counsel Samuel Feder ruled on Dec. 8 that a vote by McDowell would serve the government's interest. McDowell, who has been reviewing Feder's opinion and related materials this week, hasn't decided whether he will vote. Before today's announcement, AT&T Chief Financial Officer Richard Lindner said the company is still holding out for regulatory approval of the transaction this month. "The merger's going to be approved," Lindner said in a telephone interview today. "I don't think it will be an extended approval process from this point." Federal rules don't require the FCC to vote in public, so the commission could approve the deal later this month, in a secet session, if at least three members agree to support it. Conditions Sought The panel's Democrats, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, are demanding conditions such as price controls and airwave license sales, moves resisted by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, both Republicans. Next week, the commission plans to vote on rules that would make it easier for companies including AT&T and Verizon Communications Inc. to sell television service. Martin said last week he circulated a proposal to the other four commissioners to require local franchise authorities to decide within 90 days on some phone-company applications to offer TV in competition with cable providers. FCC action may speed the companies' efforts to offer TV service and counter cable companies such as Comcast Corp. that have lured phone customers by packaging calling services with TV and high-speed Internet access. The phone companies say lengthy negotiations with hundreds of local agencies have hindered their attempts to offer TV service and raised costs. Martin's plan would require local authorities to rule within 90 days on video-franchise applications from companies that already have a community's rights-of-way, such as a phone carrier with existing lines in the region, the chairman told reporters after giving a speech Dec. 6. The proposal would also limit the fees local agencies can require new TV providers to pay as part of franchise deals, Martin said. The FCC also may curb local regulators' ability to impose ``build-out'' rules, which typically require a company to eventually offer service to all households in that region. To contact the reporter on this story: Molly Peterson in Washington at mpeterson9@bloomberg.net 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Are There Any Portable Quasi Cell-Base Stations Yet? Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 11:21:18 -0500 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC The recent death of James Kim, who had gotten lost with his family in the snow covered and cold middle_of_nowhere Oregon reminded me of a proposal from years ago. In the debriefings after 11-Sept, a bunch of cellular techies announced plans to come up with portable quasi-base stations which could be rolled out and used to "ping" cellphones. In a situation like the World Trade Center, this would have been used for close-in searching -- that is, to let the emergency folk know there was an active cellphone thirty or so feet under the rubble to the right, helping them in the rescue and/or recovery. In Mr. Kim's case, where his family was beyond range of any cellular tower, the portable stations would have been running around in rescue vehicles or aircraft, looking (initially) at a wider area. I didn't see any mention of these in use, and haven't found any indication that they've been built. Anyone have any updates? Thanks. _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 14, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 11:23:40 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 14, 2006 ******************************** Incumbent European Telcos Take Swipe at New EU Rules http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21664?11228 Europe's incumbent telcos have warned that new European Union (EU) rules on telecoms, slated for finalisation in 2008, would harm the industry. Speaking under the auspices of ETNO (European Telecommunications Network Operators Association), they said the rules are outdated, will scare off investment in the sector and will cripple ... Skype to Charge for Unlimited Domestic Calls http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21659?11228 Following the provision of free Skype calling within the United States and Canada for the last six months, the VoIP market leader, Skype, has announced that it will be moving to convert this loss leader into paying customers, launching an unlimited calling package for Skype-Out calls to PSTN landlines within the United States and Canada ... New Congress Unlikely to Push Telecom Agenda Forward http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21657?11228 With the Democrats in control of Congress after 12 years of Republican rule, lawmakers are tackling all manner of issues anew. But a rewrite of the Telecom Act, which Republicans took a stab at in 2006, is far down the list. This leads industry watchers to surmise that while some small-scale action could come out of the House or Senate, ... Identity Management and Protection: A Key Differentiator? http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21655?11228 Convergence in an IP world means that carriers will compete and partner with entertainment companies, financial institutions, ISPs and a host of other players to monetize digital content.  Although carriers currently leverage the trust and branding they have established with customers through billing and customer care relationships, ... Swedish Government to Sell Off Stakes in TeliaSonera, Nordea, OMX http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21654?11228 STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Sweden's center-right government said Thursday it will sell off stakes in six companies including telecom TeliaSonera AB, Nordic banking group Nordea AB and stock market operator OMX AB. It did not offer a timeline of when and in which order the assets would be sold. The other companies were real estate ... Apple as Mobile Operator? http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21652?11228 If Apple Computer Inc. actually does launch an iPhone next year, as many expect, is a move to become a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) the next step? At least one financial analyst firm thinks so; UBS Research has issued a report suggesting that Apple could start an MVNO venture early next year. "We believe Apple ... FCC Details Second 2007 'Modest' Spectrum Auction http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/100/21648?11228 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unveiled the particulars of its 2007 auction of some 94 RF licenses in the 220 MHz-222 MHz band range, its second very- modest-dollar-volume bidding contest. Auction 72, targeted to start June 20, 2007, will permit a variety of fixed, mobile and paging services to be offered in 52 ... Cisco Kills Initial IMS Platform http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21647?11228 Cisco Systems Inc. is killing off its first real products aimed at mobile and wireline operators that wanted to support IP-based services via IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem). The networking giant issued an 'End of Life' notice for its Call Session Control Platform (CSCP) product family on November 30. It will stop taking ... Cingular Extends TruePosition Deal http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21644?11228 In an effort to expand its location technology capabilities, Cingular Wireless has decided to extend its partnership with TruePosition to make the company's wireless location system available across its network nationwide. As part of the newly signed deal, Cingular will extend the coverage of the TruePosition Finder wireless ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 11:43:10 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Cisco in $50 Million Deal With China's CCS USTelecom dailyLead December 14, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eZoofDtusXhJyoCibuddJNKu TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Cisco in $50 million deal with China's CCS BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AT&T tests free directory assistance * BT touts growth in retail unit * Qualcomm promotes Jha to COO, hires Lauer * Build a YouTube killer? Not likely USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Take a Steven Shepard Crash Course in WiMAX, IMS, VoIP and Telecom TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * T-Mobile's cellular-Wi-Fi service reviewed * Analysis: FMC services * Report: 2007 outlook for Sprint is positive * Skype releases software for Windows Mobile smartphones REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC to vote on 90-day franchise proposal Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eZoofDtusXhJyoCibuddJNKu ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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End of TELECOM Digest V25 #415 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Dec 15 16:05:10 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 1640E2234; Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:05:09 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #416 Message-Id: <20061215210509.1640E2234@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:05:09 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:07:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 416 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Senior AOL Executives Leaving the Company (Anick Jesdanun, AP) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 15, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Telecom Update #559, December 15, 2006 (John Riddell) Nokia, Siemens Delay Merger of Equipment Units to First Quarter (USTelecom) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (Rick Merrill) Re: School Shuns Tech, Teaches Fountain Pen (kludge@panix.com) Re: Virtually Addicted (mc) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:03:10 -0600 From: Anick Jesdanun, AP Subject: Senior AOL Executives Leaving the Company By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer Three senior executives are leaving AOL following a recent shake-up that brought in a veteran NBC executive as the online company's new chief executive, two people familiar with the matter said Friday. The executives are Joe Redling, who is chairman and chief executive of AOL International, Jim Bankoff, executive vice president for consumer and publisher services, and John Buckley, executive vice president for corporate communications. The company had no official comment. The people who confirmed the changes spoke on condition of anonymity because they involved personnel matters not yet announced. Over the past two years, the company has been giving away more of its services to drive traffic to its Web sites and boost online advertising dollars. In August, AOL accelerated the transition by deciding to give away AOL.com e-mail addresses and software once reserved for paying customers. AOL parent Time Warner Inc. later lured Randy Falco, NBC Universal Television Group's president and chief operating officer, to run AOL LLC, pushing out Jonathan Miller. Time Warner executives had been supportive of Miller's efforts to set AOL on a new course, but wanted someone with operational experience to execute the plan. Several AOL executives have contractual clauses allowing them to leave when senior management changes, triggering the departures of Redling, Bankoff and Buckley, according to the people familiar with the decisions. Earlier in the week, Carlo d'Asaro Biondo, the chief executive of AOL's European operations, announced plans to leave after less than two months at the helm to take another job. John McKinley, acting chief technology officer, has previously said he would leave. The people said the changes were voluntary and unrelated to the layoffs of about 450 workers at AOL's Dulles, Va., headquarters on Wednesday. PaidContent reported the departures on its Web site Friday. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 15, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 11:53:41 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 15, 2006 ******************************** MTS Lays Out Strategy: Cut Costs, Expand and Buyback http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21690?11228 Following a year-long review of strategic options throughout 2006 by incoming CEO (chief executive officer) Pierre Blouin, Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.-through its subsidiary MTS Allstream, (which comprises local incumbent wireline and wireless carrier Manitoba Telecom Services and the national business services operator Allstream) ... Iliad Selects Cisco for FTTx http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21687?11228 France's leading alternative broadband provider, Iliad, has selected Cisco's Ethernet fibre-to-the-home (E-FTTH) technology for its forthcoming roll-out of FTTx. The new network will be based on Cisco's Internet Protocol Next Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture. The first phase of the network will connect 2 million ... Strategies to Fight Low-Cost Rivals http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21680?11228 Companies find it challenging and yet strangely reassuring to take on opponents whose strategies, strengths, and weaknesses resemble their own. Their obsession with familiar rivals, however, has blinded them to threats from disruptive, low-cost competitors. Successful price warriors, such as the German retailer Aldi, are changing the ... EC Sets Common Spectrum For Short Range Unlicensed Wireless http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21679?11228 Yesterday, the European Commission (EC) said it will implement a series of spectrum set-aside allocations across European Union (EU) member states for a variety of unlicensed, short-range wireless devices, including radio frequency identification (RFID), medical implants, garage door openers, wireless alarms, baby monitors, ... Nokia Siemens JV in Jeopardy http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21677?11228 A corruption scandal that includes charges of money-laundering via Greece and Lichtenstein has thrown a spanner into the works of the merger that would create the world's second-largest vendor of wireless infrastructure. In a terse, 219-word statement, Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG, whose combined networks divisions were ... Email Gets More Outsourced Options http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21672?11228 A slew of newcomers are using promises of compliance to push email management services, in a trend that could mean growth in outsourced options. Recent announcements include MX Logic, a four-year-old firm based in Colo., which today unveiled MX Logic Message Archiving, a nationwide Web-based email service based on technology from ... Visa Invests in Mobile Payment Facilitator http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21668?11228 Mobile payments continue to intrigue Visa International. In its latest move, the company is making a strategic investment in mFormation and has forged a strategic alliance with the mobile device management (MDM) solutions provider. The companies plan to work together to advance over-the-air (OTA) solutions for mobile payments ... Public Hotspot Deployments Show No Sign of Abating http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21666?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. The popularity of public Wi-Fi hotspots continues to grow quickly, and the number of worldwide deployments will double over the next five years, reports In-Stat. This includes both stand alone sites and muni-wireless deployments. From 2005 to 2006, there has been significant public hotspot usage uptake within ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Update #559, December 15, 2006 Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 13:38:55 -0500 From: John Riddell ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 559: December 15, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca/home/Home_Business.page ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.ca/communications/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** SHAW BUSINESS SOLUTIONS: www.shawbusinesssolutions.ca ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Our Next Issue ** Ottawa to Overturn CRTC on Local Deregulation ** Cableos Split on Bernier Action ** BCE Drops Plan for Trust ** MTS Decides Against Shakeup ** CRTC Expands Ottawa Free-Calling Area ** Persona to Provide IP Telephony ** Primus Expands Wireless Coverage ** MTS Cellphones Offer Radio, TV ** Parkes to Head Selectcore Board ** Unlimited LD for $17.50 a Year ** Ottawa Offers Cellphone Buying Guide ** Wireless Innovation Contest Open Now ** ITU to Showcase 'Fully Networked Car' ** Com Dev Sales, Profits Rise ** Correction OUR NEXT ISSUE: For the convenience of readers leaving early for a holiday break, next week's Telecom Update will be published on Thursday, December 21. OTTAWA TO OVERTURN CRTC ON LOCAL DEREGULATION: In a sweeping rejection of the CRTC's approach to deregulating local phone service, the federal government plans to rewrite key sections of CRTC Telecom Decision 2006-15 (see Telecom Update #524). Changes proposed by Industry Minister Maxime Bernier include: ** The geographic market for deregulation will be either a local interconnection region (roughly, a local calling area) or a local exchange -- not the larger Local Forbearance Regions defined by the CRTC. ** Instead of requiring a 25% market share loss, business service deregulation can take place if there are two independent, facilities-based wireline providers. Residential deregulation will require three providers, but the additional one can be wireless. ** The telcos will still have to show that they are meeting QoS standards on services they provide to competitors, but on a smaller number of standards and showing only "average" compliance, not a six-month consistent record. ** Restrictions on the telcos' local promotions and winbacks will be removed as soon as the new rules take effect. ** Telcos will be invited to file forbearance applications for Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton, London, Toronto, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, and Quebec City. In each case the CRTC will have 120 days to issue a decision. The government's proposal will be published in the Canada Gazette on December 16, with a 30-day public comment period. http://xrl.us/BernierAnnouncement CABLEOS SPLIT ON BERNIER ACTION: Not surprisingly, the incumbent telcos were very pleased by the Industry Minister's announcement -- but the cable industry was divided. ** Shaw Communications said that it "supported the Minister's decision" and urged the government to make similar changes to cable and satellite regulation. Quebecor, owner of Videotron, issued a similar statement. ** In contrast, Cogeco Cable said Bernier's announcement is "contrary to sound public interest policy and practice for deregulating the telecommunications sector, and it ignores the relevant recommendations of the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel issued earlier this year." BCE DROPS PLAN FOR TRUST: At its December 12 business conference, BCE confirmed that it will not become an income trust but will eliminate its holding company structure. BCE, to be renamed Bell Canada, will have two operating companies: Bell Inc. (the former Bell Canada) and Bell Aliant Regional Communications. (See Telecom Update #550, 557) ** Bell Globemedia, now 15% owned by BCE, is changing its name to CTVglobemedia, effective January 1. MTS DECIDES AGAINST SHAKEUP: After an 11-month-long "comprehensive review" of its business, MTS Allstream has decided against selling off assets or other major changes. The telco plans to cut costs by another $40 million to $50 million in 2007 while focusing on "growth services." (See Telecom Update #515) CRTC EXPANDS OTTAWA FREE-CALLING AREA: CRTC Telecom Order 2006-340 gives interim approval to Bell Canada's application to eliminate long-distance charges within the City of Ottawa, and between Ottawa and surrounding communities including Arnprior, Kemptville, Merrickville, and Smiths Falls. The change, to be effective June 18, will be financed by three-year bill surcharges of 50 cents (residential lines) and 39 cents (business lines). ** The City of Ottawa has been lobbying for this change for more than five years. (see Telecom Update #287) http://www.crtc.gc.ca/public/8740/2006/b2/697562.zip PERSONA TO PROVIDE IP TELEPHONY: Persona Communications, which has about 200,000 cable subscribers, plans to offer Digital Phone service in a number of Canadian cities in 2007. The underlying provider will be MTS Allstream. PRIMUS EXPANDS WIRELESS COVERAGE: Primus Canada now offers wireless service using Rogers' GSM/GPRS network, which covers 93% of Canadian residents. Until November 18, Primus cellphones used the more limited Fido network. MTS CELLPHONES OFFER RADIO, TV: MTS Mobility subscribers can now access TV clips and 24-hour commercial-free radio. Streaming Radio and Streaming TV cost $7/month each plus usage charges. PARKES TO HEAD SELECTCORE BOARD: David Parkes, former President and CEO of Sprint Canada, has been named Chairman of Selectcore, a Tecumseh, Ontario-based company that offers prepaid telecom services to "the ever-growing credit-challenged/sub-prime consumer market." UNLIMITED LD FOR $17.50 A YEAR: Skype's Unlimited Calling Plan, announced this week, offers unlimited VoIP-based long distance calls to any phone within Canada and the U.S. for C$35/year. Customers who sign up by January 31, 2007, will pay half-price ($17.50/year) and receive 100 minutes of free worldwide calls. OTTAWA OFFERS CELLPHONE BUYING GUIDE: "Get a Grip on Your Cellphone Costs," a 28-page pamphlet published by Industry Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs, is available online at http://xrl.us/CellGuide. It can be downloaded in PDF format at http://xrl.us/Cellphone . WIRELESS INNOVATION CONTEST OPEN NOW: The Wireless Innovation Network of B.C. is now accepting entries for its fourth annual Wireless Innovation Contest. The entry deadline is January 29; winners will be announced at CTIA Wireless Orlando, March 27-29. See http://www.winbc.org/WIC/Overview.aspx for details. ITU TO SHOWCASE 'FULLY NETWORKED CAR': The International Telecommunications Union will hold a workshop and showcase exhibit on "The Fully Networked Car: Information and Communication Technologies in Motor Vehicles," at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, March 2-12, 2007. http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/worksem/ict-auto/200703/index.html COM DEV SALES, PROFITS RISE: Com Dev International, which makes satellite components, had revenue of $154 million for the year ended October 31, 24% more than the previous year. Net income was $21.2 million, compared to $5.2 million the previous year. CORRECTION: Contrary to Telecom Update #558, the founder and Chairman Emeritus of Cogeco is Henri Audet, not Louis, his son and Cogeco's CEO. We apologize for the error. HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web late Friday afternoon each week at http://www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@blast.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@blast.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2006 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 12:58:19 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Nokia, Siemens Delay Merger of Equipment Units to First Quarter USTelecom dailyLead December 15, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/faaUfDtusXhMuwCibuddtLof TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Nokia, Siemens delay merger of equipment units to first quarter BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Verizon looks to stem Internet "domain tasting" * France Telecom to limit spending on ultra-high-speed Internet services * BT unveils Wi-Fi FMC service for small businesses * Online video sales to reach $1.5 billion next year USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * USTelecom chief outlines the path to a wonderful life TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * More than 75% of Web users are on broadband * Samsung: Up to 10% growth for U.S. wireless handsets in 2007 * Staccato and SK Telecom offer ultrawideband product VOIP DOWNLOAD * Jaxtr tests calling service for social networks * New Skype version adds social features Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/faaUfDtusXhMuwCibuddtLof ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 09:28:58 -0500 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme It seems so easy that it did not feel like a crime at the time. In a corporation some of the blame would be placed on the IT executive that permitted such sloppy security. ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 09:40:53 -0500 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Subject: Re: School Shuns Tech, Teaches Fountain Pen May I recommend the Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pen? It uses a gas-sealed chamber rather than a bladder or replaceable cartridge, and as a result it is pretty much completely immune to clogs. Although it can dry out if the cap is left off long enough, it is almost impossible to clog up. It has the convenience of a ballpoint, but it feels and writes like a fountain pen. Absolutely wonderful. --scott ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Virtually Addicted Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 09:46:12 -0500 Must all misconduct be classified as a medical disorder? Any moralist up to, say, 1950 could have told you that practically all wrongdoing is addictive. (If it weren't, people wouldn't do it.) After B. F. Skinner and the notion that morality has no place in a scientific view of the world, all faults of character are being medicalized. I am not denying that (1) there are real mental illnesses of biological origin, some of the manifesting as lack of self-control, or that (2) addiction is a real biological phenomenon (especially addiction to drugs that alter brain chemistry). But what's next? "Bank-robbing disorder"? ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://feeds.feedburner.com/telecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #416 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Dec 17 02:34:44 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id E6FDD224E; Sun, 17 Dec 2006 02:34:43 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #417 Message-Id: <20061217073443.E6FDD224E@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 02:34:43 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 17 Dec 2006 02:35:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 417 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Showdown Looms Over Telecom Spying (David Kravets, AP) Former CEO Gets 15 Months Prison for Computer Child Porn (Reuters NewsWire) New Computer Worm Attacks Business PCs (Associated Press News Wire) A Note From Pay Pal: Internet Security Tips (customercare@paypal.com) Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? (Chris Farrar) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (Barry Margolin) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (mc) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 00:42:32 -0600 From: David Kravets, AP Subject: Showdown Looms Over Telecom Spying By DAVID KRAVETS, Associated Press Writer Federal agents continue to eavesdrop on Americans' electronic communications without warrants a year after President Bush confirmed the practice, and experts say a new Congress' efforts to limit the program could trigger a constitutional showdown. High-ranking Democrats set to take control of both chambers are mulling ways to curb the program Bush secretly authorized a month after the Sept. 11 attacks. The White House argues the Constitution gives the president wartime powers to eavesdrop that he wouldn't have during times of peace. "As a practical matter, the president can do whatever he wants as long as he has the capacity and executive branch officials to do it," said Carl Tobias, a legal scholar at the University of Richmond in Virginia. Lawmakers could impeach or withhold funding, or quash judicial nominations, among other measures. The president, however, can veto legislation, including a law demanding the National Security Agency obtain warrants before monitoring communications. Such a veto would force Congress to muster a two-thirds vote to override. "He could take the position he doesn't have to comply with whatever a new Congress says," said Vikram Amar, a law professor at the University of California, Hastings, and a former Supreme Court clerk. Douglas Kmiec, a former Justice Department official under former presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, speculated the younger Bush would assert executive authority to continue eavesdropping in the face of new legislation -- perhaps leaving the Supreme Court as the final arbiter. "He has as much a constitutional obligation to assert himself, just as much as Congress does," Kmiec said. "We do need an arbitrator, an interpreter. That's what the courts, the third branch of government, was intended to be." On Dec. 17, 2005, Bush publicly acknowledged for the first time he had authorized the NSA to monitor, without approval from a judge, phone calls and e-mails that come into or originate in the U.S. and involve people the government suspects of having terrorist links. Bush said he had no intention of halting what he called a "vital tool" in the war on terror. When the Republican-controlled Congress adjourned last week, it left the spying program unchecked. The next move falls to the Democrats who take control in January and are considering a proposal to demands Bush get warrants and others lengthening the time between surveillance and when a warrant must be obtained. A spokesman for Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), the incoming Senate majority leader from Nevada, said the eavesdropping issue "is something he expects to tackle early next year." "He doesn't believe in giving the president a blank check to listen to the phone conversations of millions of Americans," spokesman Jim Manley said. Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for Nancy Pelosi, the San Francisco Democrat who will become House speaker, said eavesdropping legislation was under consideration and hearings on the topic were likely early next year. Decisions are pending in dozens of lawsuits challenging the program. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the highest court squarely confronted with the issue so far, is to hear the American Civil Liberties Union's challenge Jan. 31. One stop short of the Supreme Court, the appeals court will review a Detroit judge's ruling that the program was unconstitutional. The case is American Civil Liberties Union v. National Security Agency, 06-2095. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 00:46:03 -0600 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Former CEO Gets 15 Months Prison for Computer Child Porn A former chief executive of a financial printing firm was sentenced on Friday to 15 months in prison for possessing child porn and erasing thousands of seedy computer files when he learned he was under investigation. Robert Johnson, 61, downloaded the pornography onto a company computer while chief executive officer of Bowne & Co. Inc. He pleaded guilty to possessing at least two child porn images in August. Johnson, who had been publisher of Long Island's Newsday from 1986 to 1994, resigned from Bowne & Co. and gave up his seat on New York state's education board in July 2004 when learning of the investigation. Johnson, who also admitted using a computer program called "Evidence Eliminator" to destroy the hard drives on the company computer, made a tearful plea to U.S. District Judge Richard Howell, saying the pressure of being Bowne's CEO caused him to become severely depressed. "I decided to escape," said Johnson, whose lawyer said he logged onto child pornography Web sites late at night from his office computer and was alleged by federal authorities to have downloaded a movie called "Real Child Rape." "I decided to go to fantasy because reality was too much to bear," he said. Howell, who said Johnson took part in a "detestable subculture," also noted his history of community service as a reason for the sentence of 15 months prison that was less than what federal prosecutors wanted. The judge also fined Johnson $50,000. Johnson will also have to undergo a sex-offender treatment program. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 00:48:43 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: New Computer Worm Attacks Business PCs A computer worm is attacking some business PCs through a flaw in antivirus software by Symantec Corp., a security company warned Friday. EEye Digital Security, based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., said the worm, dubbed "Big Yellow," began attacking some computer systems on Thursday -- seven months after eEye first discovered the flaw. Symantec released a patch to address the flaw in May, but it's up to its corporate customers to install it. Officials at the Cupertino, Calif.-based security software company said Friday it had so far received three reports of systems affected by the worm. "It is definitely a new worm, and it is looking for vulnerable systems, but we're not seeing any evidence of a significant outbreak or infection," said Vincent Weafer, a senior director at Symantec's security response unit. Big Yellow enters machines through a security hole in the corporate version of Symantec's antivirus software. Once infected with the worm's "bot" program, a hacker can use it as a way to connect with other computers for malicious attacks. EEye urged corporate information-technology departments to fix the flaw. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:19:30 -0600 Subject: A Note From Pay Pal: Internet Security Tips From: Reply-To: At PayPal we continually strive to exceed our customers' expectations to provide a safe, secure method to send and receive money online. PayPal has agents that work 24/7 monitoring accounts and transactions, enabling you to buy and pay safely. PayPal periodically contacts our customers by phone to verify activity on the PayPal account is authorized. During these phone calls, we will never ask you for your full credit card, or bank account information. By speaking to our customers, we ensure you are in control of your account and this further secures our system. The terms "spoofing" and "phishing" are industry phrases used to describe the act of collecting personal information by using a fake email, website, or phone calls to entice victims into entering personal information such as your birthday, credit card numbers, bank accounts, passwords, etc. This sensitive information allows perpetrators to commit identity theft, credit card, and Internet fraud. These emails and sites appear identical to real ones, however, they are not. Unfortunately, some people fall prey to such scams and unknowingly surrender their password, credit card number, and a wide array of other personal information. At PayPal, we care about the security of your account and financial information, therefore, we offer Security Tips that allow us to work together to protect against fraud. Please remember these steps to help protect your PayPal account from Unauthorized Account Access. Emails - Make sure they are sent from PayPal 1. If you receive an email and are unsure whether it is from PayPal, open a new web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the following: https://www.paypal.com/ Do not click on any link in an email which seems suspicious to you. 2. Some spoof websites will send emails that pretend to come from PayPal to entice you to log in at the spoof URL. Be extremely cautious of emails that direct you to a website that asks for sensitive information. 3. Stay safe; don't respond to emails asking for any of the following: Your password and email address combination Credit card numbers Bank account numbers Social security number Drivers license number First and Last Names If you have surrendered financial or password information to a suspicious email or website, promptly report this to the issuing institution as well as change your password and security answers on your PayPal account. This can be completed in the Profile section of your account. Email Greeting - PayPal will never send you an email with the greeting "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member." Emails initiated by PayPal will address you by your first and last name, or the business name associated with your PayPal account. Please note that the automatic response you get from us may not address you by name. Always log into the PayPal site PayPal will only ask for information after you have securely logged in. For your security, PayPal will never ask you to re-enter your full bank account, credit, or debit card number without providing you at least the last two digits of the number. These digits let you know that we already know the full number and are asking you for the rest of it. Beware of any website or email asking for these numbers for "verification" that does not prove that it knows the number by providing at least the last two digits. Use Account Guard on the eBay toolbar. If you use Internet Explorer, download the eBay toolbar. Account Guard helps ensure you are on PayPal or eBay. Website pages - make sure that they are hosted by PayPal 1. When using the PayPal service, always ensure that the URL address listed at the top of the browser is https://www.paypal.com/. This ensures that the website is secure. Even if the URL contains the word 'PayPal', it may not be a PayPal webpage. 2. Look for the "lock" symbol that appears in the lower right hand corner of the browser. This symbol indicates that it is a secure site. Do not download attachments, software updates, or any application to your computer via a link you received in an email. PayPal will never send you an attachment or software update to install on your computer. Passwords - keep it on PayPal. 1. Use a unique password for the PayPal account and change it every 30-60 days. 2. The password should be one that is not used on any other site, service, or login. If you think you have received a fraudulent email, forward the entire email, including the header information to spoof@paypal.com and then delete the email from your mailbox. Never click any links or attachments in a suspicious email. Go to the Security Center at the bottom of any PayPal webpage to learn additional tips for staying safe online and to find tools that you can use to increase your security. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us again. Sincerely, Linda PayPal Resolution Services PayPal, an eBay Company ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 21:46:39 -0500 From: Chris Farrar Reply-To: cfarrar1307@rogers.com Subject: Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? Recently I've noticed a change when someone calls me using a Bell Canada Calling Card. Previously when they would call, from whatever number they were calling from and using a Bell Canada Calling Card the number would show on my Caller ID of my cell phone (on the Bell Canada Mobility network) as "Private Number." Today I received a call, from someone I know was using a calling card as they definitely are not at the location the number is physically terminated at, but my caller id showed it as originating as from there even though I know it originated from South Carolina. Clearly Bell is now putting the "billing number" for the calling card through as Caller ID. Are any other phone companies doing this? Chris ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Organization: Symantec Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 22:04:36 -0500 In article , Rick Merrill wrote: > It seems so easy that it did not feel like a crime at the time. In a > corporation some of the blame would be placed on the IT executive that > permitted such sloppy security. Come on. Even if you don't think that it's a "crime", do you really think he thought it was permissible to change grades? And while the IT person certainly was negligent to leave passwords sitting around, that does not excuse the student's behavior. Just because you *can* do something doesn't mean it's OK to do it. Does such a thing as ethics exist any more? If I don't lock my front door, does that mean I can't press charges if my house is robbed? Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** *** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group *** ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:19:09 -0500 Rick Merrill wrote in message news:telecom25.416.5@telecom-digest.org: > It seems so easy that it did not feel like a crime at the time. In a > corporation some of the blame would be placed on the IT executive that > permitted such sloppy security. I disagree. Altering grades is CLEARLY AND OBVIOUSLY wrong no matter how easy it is. If you are not trustworthy when there are no safeguards, you are not trustworthy, period. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://feeds.feedburner.com/telecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #417 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Dec 18 16:06:38 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 33E142271; Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:06:38 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #418 Message-Id: <20061218210638.33E142271@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:06:38 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:07:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 418 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Cingular to Offer MySpace on Cellphones (Reuters News Wire) Opera Browser Now Has Phishing Filter (Associated Press News Wire) Book Review: Don't Get Burned on E-Bay (Ron Slade) So This Manatee Walks Into the Internet (Monty Solomon) Cell Phones and Cancer (Charles Gray) Verizon to Link U.S. and China (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (Korey Smith) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (K vandenHout) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (nonoise) Re: Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? (Ken Abrams) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 13:55:38 -0600 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Cingular to Offer MySpace on Cellphones Cingular, the largest U.S. wireless phone carrier, will offer a version of popular Internet social network MySpace on its phones in an expansion of their partnership, the companies plan to announce on Monday. For an additional $2.99 per month, customers will be able to upload photos taken on cellphones, read and respond to MySpace e-mails, update blog entries and view and search for friends from their handsets. Media and other entertainment services are expected to be a major areas of growth for the wireless and media industries, analysts have said. MySpace, one of the fastest-growing Internet services with more than 130 million user profiles, is also offered on cellphone service carrier Helios. But Cingular's version will be more expansive, MySpace said. Users will need to download a Java software application to their cellphones. Initially, about 30 cellphone models will be supported, with another 20 models supported in the coming weeks, which will then account for about 90 percent of Cingular's cellphone user base, a MySpace spokeswoman said. Although online videos from MySpace will not be viewable on cellphones at launch, it is likely to be a service offered some time in 2007, she said. Media conglomerate News Corp. bought MySpace for about $580 million in 2005. Cingular is a joint venture of phone companies AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp.. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 13:58:10 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Opera Browser Now Has Phishing Filter The latest version of the Opera Web browser incorporates a technology that warns users when they visit a fraudulent site. Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox both included such a feature -- called a phishing filter -- in their new releases in October. Like the others, Opera Software ASA's free Opera 9.1 browser displays a warning when visitors go to a site that may trick them into revealing passwords and other sensitive information. Opera's update was released Monday. For the lists of bad sites, Opera is tapping into the PhishTank project from OpenDNS LLC. Users submit to PhishTank.com the messages they believe are scams, and others in the PhishTank community examine the message and the site to which it links and vote on whether it is or isn't a scam. Opera has a sliver of the Web browsing market. According to WebSideStory, Internet Explorer leads with 88 percent of the U.S. share on computers running Microsoft's Windows operating system. Firefox is second at nearly 11 percent. The Norwegian browser maker has made greater inroads on mobile phones. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:26:45 -0800 From: Rob Slade Subject: Book Review: Don't Get Burned on eBay, Shauna Wright Organization: Vancouver Institute for Research into User BKDGBOEB.RVW 20061108 "Don't Get Burned on eBay", Shauna Wright, 2006, 0-596-10178-3, U$16.99/C$23.99 %A Shauna Wright www.whowouldbuythat.com media@whowouldbuythat.com %C 103 Morris Street, Suite A, Sebastopol, CA 95472 %D 2006 %G 0-596-10178-3 %I O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. %O U$16.99/C$23.99 800-998-9938 fax: 707-829-0104 info@ora.com %O http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596101783/robsladesinterne http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596101783/robsladesinte-21 %O http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596101783/robsladesin03-20 %O Audience i+ Tech 1 Writing 2 (see revfaq.htm for explanation) %P 160 p. %T "Don't Get Burned on eBay" The preface states that this book was conceived as a series of personal stories about (and experiences on) eBay, plus lessons about what *not* to do. It isn't intended as a primer for using eBay, and, in fact, assumes that the reader has a working knowledge of eBay. Chapter one outlines some of the complexities and rules about bidding. It also includes information about "shilling" (activities to artificially drive up the price of an auction) and a story about poor communications. The dangers involved in various types of payment (including PayPal) are outlined in chapter two. Packing items for shipment, in chapter three, is predominately aimed at sellers, but buyers are advised of steps to take in case of a problem. Again, vendors might be seen as those primarily interested in the advice on different issues related to shipping, in chapter four, but purchasers should note a number of them as well. (I was interested in, and can personally and fully attest to, the tales of United Parcel Service's inability to properly handle shipments to Canada, and the random and unreasonable nature of charges that can be involved in the process.) Chapter five's stories about other people on eBay generally refer to non-malicious errors or misunderstandings, whereas chapter six closes off with intentionally fraudulent scams such as phishing. The book does use a number of eBay specific acronyms. These are listed in the glossary, but under the full expansion, so they are not easy to find. If you use eBay, this work will likely help you to use it much more effectively, and to prevent any number of disasters. (If you don't use eBay, this text will probably keep you from ever getting started.) copyright Robert M. Slade, 2006 BKDGBOEB.RVW 20061108 ====================== (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer) rslade@vcn.bc.ca slade@victoria.tc.ca rslade@computercrime.org I have to share the credit. I invented it, but Bill made it famous. - IBM engineer Dave Bradley describing the control-alt-delete reboot sequence Dictionary of Information Security www.syngress.com/catalog/?pid=4150 http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev/rms.htm [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The main thing I do not like about e-Bay is their lack of a 'spoof' address to use in the same way as many other sites. I've tried sending the more outragous spoofs to the company, but unlike PayPal where they immediatly send on your submission to the 'police' for handling and send you back a receipt, e-Bay does not put any sort of address to be used in a conspicuous place on their site, and email to 'spoof@ebay.com' comes back to me with a complaint letter from e-Bay saying that address is reserved for something or another. If they made their 'spoof' address easy for the public to use, then I would like to use it also. Lord only knows how many 'complaints from a user' or 'account suspension, please re-enter your personal data' emails I get each day from the 'e-Bay fraud team' whidh are themselves simple frauds. I am frankly sort of scared to use e-Bay anyway, and given their (it would seem to me) lack of any real concern for users, I tend to stay away. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:58:06 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: So This Manatee Walks Into the Internet By JACQUES STEINBERG December 12, 2006 The skit, as scripted for the Dec. 4 installment of "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," was about absurdist college sports mascots that the host and his writers would like to see someday. Among them were "the Boise State Conjoined Vikings," who had been born locked at the horns, as well as something Mr. O'Brien called "the Webcam manatee" - said to be the mascot of "F.S.U." -- which was basically someone in a manatee costume rubbing himself or herself provocatively in front of a camera (to the tune of the 1991 hit "I Touch Myself"). Meanwhile a voyeur with a lascivious expression watched via computer. Who knew that life would soon imitate art. At the end of the skit, in a line Mr. O'Brien insists was ad-libbed, he mentioned that the voyeur (actually Mark Pender, a member of the show's band) was watching http://www.hornymanatee.com. There was only one problem: as of the taping of that show, which concluded at 6:30 p.m., no such site existed. Which presented an immediate quandary for NBC: If a viewer were somehow to acquire the license to use that Internet domain name, then put something inappropriate on the site, the network could potentially be held liable for appearing to promote it. In a pre-emptive strike inspired as much by the regulations of the Federal Communications Commission as by the laws of comedy, NBC bought the license to http://hornymanatee.com, for $159, after the taping of the Dec. 4 show but before it was broadcast. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/arts/television/12mana.html?ex=1323579600&en=876ea90d803ef2da&ei=5090 ------------------------------ Subject: Cell Phones and Cancer Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:33:19 -0600 From: Charles Gray I don't have the original article from the Washington Post on this, but it has been replicated numerous times. Here is one link http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=3D2702500 Best regards, Charles G. Gray Senior Lecturer, Telecommunications Oklahoma State University - Tulsa [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for sending this in. The 'cell phones and cancer' story is a very popular one, and I get these occassionally for use here in the Digest. Apparently, there is no real association between the two, although some people continue to persist that 'research is not yet complete'. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:22:24 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Verizon to Link U.S. and China The dailyLead team wishes you and yours the best this holiday season. We'd like to take a moment to thank our partners, our advertisers and most significantly, you and the thousands of your colleagues who read the USTelecom dailyLead for making this a good year. Your comments and suggestions make us smarter every day. We look forward to delivering you the industry intelligence you need in 2007! USTelecom dailyLead December 18, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/falofDtusXiraFCibuddrOJL TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Verizon to link U.S. and China with trans-Pacific cable system BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Qwest targets six metro areas in marketing push * Cingular to offer MySpace access via cell phone * Analysis: Future of Hutchinson Essar joint venture draws attention * Google Internet phone seen on the horizon, report says * Will media giants team for YouTube rival? * MTV expands mobile content efforts USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Are you ready for the CALEA deadline? HOT TOPICS * Verizon extends efforts to offer video, broadband services * AT&T suit accuses Time Warner of damaging network wiring * Skype to charge for phone service that is now free * Sprint names CEO Forsee as chairman * Microsoft begins VoIP beta TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Time magazine names you "Person of the Year" * Skype founders plan to debut Web-based TV service in 2007 * Report: Devices for wireless multimedia networks to hit 52 million units * Comcast sells on-demand movies on same day as DVD * Top 10 online trends of the year Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/falofDtusXiraFCibuddrOJL ------------------------------ From: Korey Smith Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Reply-To: newsemail@cox.net Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 02:44:15 -0600 Organization: Cox On Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:19:09 -0500, mc wrote: > Rick Merrill wrote in message > news:telecom25.416.5@telecom-digest.org: >> It seems so easy that it did not feel like a crime at the time. In a >> corporation some of the blame would be placed on the IT executive that >> permitted such sloppy security. > I disagree. Altering grades is CLEARLY AND OBVIOUSLY wrong no matter how > easy it is. > If you are not trustworthy when there are no safeguards, you are not > trustworthy, period. True, it's a crime, but whoever is in charge of security should have to answer for the sloppy security that he/she had in place that allowed someon to make such changes. The same would be true for the corporate world and a school should be no different. If the IT department isn't doing their job in protecting the information about student's grades, then they need to held accountable. ------------------------------ From: Koos van den Hout Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Date: 17 Dec 2006 18:03:33 GMT Organization: http://idefix.net/~koos/ Douane D. James wrote in : > Cooper City High School's senior class president was arrested Tuesday > and charged in a grade-tampering scandal that has rocked the campus. > Ryan C. Shrouder, 18, of Cooper City, was taken to jail from school > and charged with two counts of computer crime with intent to defraud, > He was released from jail on bail, has been suspended from > school and will be recommended for expulsion, said Joe Melita, head of > the Broward County School District's investigative unit. "Interesting" how he is charged with (i.e. suspected to have done certain crimes, if I understand US terminology correctly) but the school directly passes judgment and punishes him dearly by suspension and probably expulsion. Koos van den Hout The Virtual Bookcase, the site about books, book | Koos van den Hout news and reviews http://www.virtualbookcase.com/ | http://idefix.net/~koos/ PGP keyid DSS/1024 0xF0D7C263 or RSA/1024 0xCA845CB5| Fax +31-30-2817051 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 13:38:07 -0500 From: nonoise Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Douane D. James wrote: > Class president at Cooper City High charged with changing grades of 19 > students > By Douane D. James > South Florida Sun-Sentinel > Cooper City High School's senior class president was arrested Tuesday > and charged in a grade-tampering scandal that has rocked the campus. [snip] > Cooper City High's bookkeeper told investigators that in the week > before the grades were changed she witnessed Shrouder in the office of > the computer technology specialist looking for a "sign-on" password to > the district network. The technology specialist had left his passwords > on a notepad in his desk, according to the report. > Investigators later determined that the employee's sign-on account was > the same one used to access the grades program and modify the marks. Leaving aside the moral question, I feel compelled to ask "Why was anyone surprised?". Hollywood has glorified computer thievery and hacking for years, with films such as "War Games" showing EXACTLY this offense, and "Swordfish" portraying a computer expert receiving sexual favors while breaking into a government site. As if that weren't bad enough, other movies have shown computer invasions and misuse by all manner of "good guy" characters, inferring that the end justifies the means, even if the "good guys" were doing so without proper supervision, without accountability, and without penalty. Small wonder, then, that children feel it's OK to break the rules of civilized behavior so long as a computer is involved. To compound the felony -- pun intended -- school departments and government agencies at many levels treat computers as electronic typewriters that are "safe" so long as they're located in municipal buildings, without regard to the larger question of how such systems came to be used for grading without any serious effort to conduct a security audit, or to educate their users, or even to question whether the computer system involved should have been connected to the net at all. The criminal charges being thrown at this young man are, of course, an over-reaction, attributable to the embarrassment he has caused those in charge of the system, and especially to those in charge of those in charge. IMNSHO, this was an incident waiting to happen: an attractive nuisance no different than a stepladder left leaning against the side of a building where children could use it and thereby be injured. We don't blame children for climbing ladders: it's what children do. William (Filter noise from my address for private replies) A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring; There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. -- Alexander Pope, Essay on Criticism ------------------------------ From: Ken Abrams Subject: Re: Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? Organization: AT&T http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 16:08:25 -0600 Chris Farrar wrote > Clearly Bell is now putting the "billing number" for the calling > card through as Caller ID. > Are any other phone companies doing this? I doubt it is a "billing number" and probably isn't directly related to the originator of the call at all. I've used prepaid cards from AT&T for about 5 years now. The CID that shows for calls I make comes from various places around the country: Denver, Dallas, San Francisco, etc. I assume that the 800 number I call to start the process actually routes to whatever AT&T center is the least busy at the moment and the CID number comes from there. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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End of TELECOM Digest V25 #418 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Dec 19 15:21:27 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 44DB32289; Tue, 19 Dec 2006 15:21:27 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #419 Message-Id: <20061219202127.44DB32289@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 15:21:27 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 19 Dec 2006 15:22:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 419 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Times Square Ads Spread Via Tourists' Cameras (Monty Solomon) Do u txt ur kdz? / Fastest Growing Group of Messagers is Adults (M Solomon) Logan Joins the Age of the Internet (Monty Solomon) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 19, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) CenturyTel to Buy Madison River (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Cell Phones and Cancer (Michael D. Sullivan) Re: Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? (ellis@no.spam) Re: Caller ID showing which Calling Card Used??? (Chris Farrar) Re: Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? (Danny Burstein) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (Lisa Hancock) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (ellis@no.spam) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 23:56:00 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Times Sq. Ads Spread Via Tourists' Cameras By LOUISE STORY The New York Times December 11, 2006 Advertisers have long been drawn to Times Square as a valuable place to reach consumers, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for space on billboards and blazing video screens. But recently they have discovered that down on the ground, new technology has given low cost, face-to-face marketing campaigns something of a cutting edge as consumers spread their messages on the Internet. Take the recent display of public toilets set up by Charmin bathroom tissue: Used by thousands in Times Square and viewed by 7,400 Web users on one site alone. Or Nascar's recent display of racecars; videos of the event have been viewed on YouTube more than 1,800 times. More than 60 people wrote about the event on their blogs and 60 more spread the word -- and pictures -- on the Flickr Web site. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/11/technology/11square.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:17:12 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Do u txt ur kdz? / Fastest growing group of messagers is adults Do u txt ur kdz? Fastest growing group of messagers is adults By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff | December 17, 2006 Lynne O'Connell and her teenage daughter have discovered a new way to bridge the generation gap: a cellphone screen. She and Annie, 15, send text messages to each other throughout the day, scheduling rides, sending reminders, and sometimes just talking. "OMG!" popped up onto O'Connell's cellphone one recent afternoon. "R U OK?" the 36-year-old mom typed back. "I got an 83 on my Spanish quiz," Annie replied. "OMG is right! Great!" her mom pinged back. "You know if I had asked her at dinner, 'How was school today?' she'd say, 'Fine,' " O'Connell said. "This gives her a way to talk to me without having to talk to me." "Texting" -- sending brief messages by cellphone -- has grown dramatically beyond the teenage and 20-something "thumb generation" over the past year, in part because parents are beginning to use the cellphone screen as another channel to communicate with children who otherwise might not have much to say. M:Metrics , a mobile market research company, found that nationwide, the fastest growing group of text messagers is adults. Between September 2005 and September 2006, the number of text-message users from age 45 to 64 grew about seven times as fast as among teenagers under 18, according to their data. Telephia , a consumer research firm, found that among Cingular users, women in their 40s are the fastest growing text message demographic and fourth largest group. The overall growth in text messaging is driven by multiple factors. There are adults who use texting to "talk" while they're in meetings and 40-somethings who text their peers. But a survey commissioned by Cingular this summer found that among 1,175 parents, nearly half said their children introduced them to text messaging, and 63 percent said it had improved communication with their child. http://www.boston.com/business/personaltech/articles/2006/12/17/do_u_txt_ur_kdz ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:29:49 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Logan Joins the Age of the Internet By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff | December 18, 2006 It's been 47 years since Logan International Airport joined the jet age. Now a key part of the airport's operations is finally joining the Internet age, too. This month, officials at the Massachusetts Port Authority , which runs Logan, started a new system that gives airlines, air-traffic controllers, and airport officials a password-protected website to review runway closings, weather conditions, and a trove of other Logan data. It's updated every 30 seconds. As recently as this fall, much of that information was being relayed through the equivalent of teletype machines and conference calls -- which isn't unusual. Boston's is one of only a handful of big US airports to install the new "airfield reporting system." The two New York City airports and Dulles International Airport, outside Washington, D.C., are among the few others that are putting the information on websites. If it lives up to expectations, Logan's new automated airfield reporting system could help reduce flight delays for passengers, particularly during snowstorms that shut down runways and force airlines to cancel and reschedule flights. With better, timelier data about runway and weather conditions, airlines may have a better chance to use available takeoff slots during snowstorms and to time aircraft de-icing operations to make sure planes are ready to go at available takeoff times. (Because ice buildup on wings can make planes crash, airlines typically have a window of only several minutes after wings are sprayed with de-icing fluid before the plane has to be pulled out of the takeoff queue and treated again.) Alternatively, airlines can use the system to learn when they should hold Boston-bound flights in other cities to reduce arrival delays and avoid having planes circling over Massachusetts Bay. http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2006/12/18/logan_joins_the_age_of_the_internet/ ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 19, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 11:24:10 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 19, 2006 ******************************** BREAKING NEWS: McDowell 'Disqualifies' Himself From AT&T/BellSouth Merger P= roceedings http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21747?11228 In a surprising move, FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell -- bucking pressure from the agency's chairman -- cited the ethics agreement that got him vetted by the Senate last May along with his own personal convictions as the reasons for continuing to recuse himself from the proposed AT&T/BellSouth merger now deadlocked between two ... First China-U.S. Undersea Optical Cable to Boost Trans-Pacific Capacity http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21744?11228 The new system, to be named Trans-Pacific Express (TPE), will use the latest optical technology to provide greater capacity and higher speeds to meet the significant increase in demand for IP, data and voice communications with the Asia-Pacific region. The new fibre-optic cable can support the equivalent of 62 million simultaneous phone ... Verizon Launches 50 Mbps FiOS http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21741?11228 Verizon has upped the broadband speeds available for business and residential customers of its FiOS service in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to 50 Mbps downstream, or 5 Mbps upstream for consumers and 10 Mbps upstream for business users. For consumers, this increases the maximum speed available by 20 Mbps, and Verizon has also lowered ... Hutchison Whampoa Launches HSDPA in Ireland http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21737?11228 Hutchison Whampoa's 3G Ireland has launched an HSDPA network upgrade in Dublin, with plans to commence offering high-speed mobile broadband services across the country by January 2007. Commenting on the launch, Robert Finnegan, 3 Ireland's managing director said: "Because of the slow roll-out of fixed-line broadband ... The Comeback Kid: Unified Communications Comes Around http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21734?11228 Four years after find me/follow me failed to take off, unified communications is back, spearheaded by big initiatives from Microsoft Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. The companies say the market trajectory will be different this time, thanks to the rise of IP telephony and advanced networking. The new idea for UC goes beyond the ... BellSouth Triples Up on $99 Bundle http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21731?11228 BellSouth has launched an introductory $99 'Triple Choice' bundle that ties together the telco's phone and DSL services, and the choice of digital video from DirecTV or a mobile phone offering from Cingular. BellSouth launched the new bundle in South Florida, and expects to fuel it with a TV, radio and print ... Vodafone Sells Swiss Stake http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21728?11228 Vodafone Group plc has slimmed down its investment portfolio again by selling its 25 percent stake in Swisscom Mobile AG to partner Swisscom AG for 4.25 billion Swiss francs (US$3.5 billion). The move was not unexpected. Vodafone has been divesting minority stakes, and buying into new territories, during the past ... Google in Phone Search? http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21726?11228 On a day when the long-awaited iPhone was finally announced -- only not that iPhone, the one expected from Apple Computer Inc. -- another big tech brand is reportedly in talks to produce its own branded mobile handset. Citing a source close to the talks, U.K. broadsheet the Observer reported over the weekend that ... SEC Takes Formal Look at Broadcom http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21723?11228 Broadcom revealed that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has stepped up its inquiry to a formal investigation. The chipmaker also announced that its own internal review of its stock option practices revealed improper dating. The company said it has finished the internal review of its stock option practices. According ... Finally, Wireless Data Adoption Accelerates - 75% of US Businesses Have at Least One Data App http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21721?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Organizations, primarily large ones, focus on more sophisticated and valuable applications of wireless data networks, reports In-Stat. In addition, the number of users in 2006 having at least one wireless data application in the field has increased significantly, the high-tech market research firm says. Most ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 12:07:35 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: CenturyTel to Buy Madison River USTelecom dailyLead December 19, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fauYfDtusXitmXCibuddMXZi TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * CenturyTel to buy Madison River BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AT&T adds HD channels to U-verse lineup * BellSouth reduces price of fastest DSL service * Swisscom buys 25% stake in mobile unit from Vodafone * NFL Network preview coming to Time Warner Cable * Analysis: Nokia's successful Nseries launch in India * China's ZTE wins U.S. mobile contract with Clear Talk USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * USTelecom membership elects 2007 board, officers TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Using SMS to send cash * Reuters launches free mobile news service * Startup lets handset users create own video channel * Forbes shows off trendiest handsets of '06 REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC official won't vote on AT&T-BellSouth merger * USTelecom's McCormick discusses expanding consumer choice Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fauYfDtusXitmXCibuddMXZi ------------------------------ From: Michael D. Sullivan Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 06:35:02 GMT On 12/18/2006 1:33 PM, Charles Gray wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for sending this in. The 'cell > phones and cancer' story is a very popular one, and I get these > occassionally for use here in the Digest. Apparently, there is no > real association between the two, although some people continue to > persist that 'research is not yet complete'. PAT] No research is ever complete. Unfortunately, the article cited is no longer available on abcnews.go.com. Michael D. Sullivan Bethesda, MD (USA) (To reply, change example.invalid to com in the address.) ------------------------------ From: ellis@no.spam Subject: Re: Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:17:36 -0000 Organization: S.P.C.A.A. In article , Chris Farrar wrote: > Clearly Bell is now putting the "billing number" for the calling > card through as Caller ID. > Are any other phone companies doing this? They most certainly are. I had a problem with a pest that led me to add call block and later caller-id to my phone plan. The pest continued to call by using calling cards to get around the blocks and ID. http://yosemitephotos.net/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 12:05:04 -0500 From: Chris Farrar Reply-To: cfarrar1307@rogers.com Subject: Re:Caller ID Showing Which Card ... > From: Ken Abrams > Subject: Re: Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? > Organization: AT&T http://yahoo.sbc.com > Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 16:08:25 -0600 > Chris Farrar wrote >> Clearly Bell is now putting the "billing number" for the calling >> card through as Caller ID. >> Are any other phone companies doing this? > I doubt it is a "billing number" and probably isn't directly related > to the originator of the call at all. I've used prepaid cards from > AT&T for about 5 years now. The CID that shows for calls I make comes > from various places around the country: Denver, Dallas, San Francisco, > etc. I assume that the 800 number I call to start the process > actually routes to whatever AT&T center is the least busy at the > moment and the CID number comes from there. These aren't calls using a prepaid card, but the LEC issued post paid calling card (shows on your local home phone bill). The calls are originating in South Carolina but are arriving with Caller ID of the Calling Card, which has a Toronto Ontario (416) phone number. Perviously these arrived as "Private Number" or occasionally "Out Of Area/Unknown". Now the phone number to which the call is billed is arriving as Called ID! Chris Chris Farrar cfarrar1307@rogers.com ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Re: Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 21:59:14 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In Ken Abrams writes: > Chris Farrar wrote >> Clearly Bell is now putting the "billing number" for the calling >> card through as Caller ID. >> Are any other phone companies doing this? > I doubt it is a "billing number" and probably isn't directly related > to the originator of the call at all. I've used prepaid cards from > AT&T for about 5 years now. The CID that shows for calls I make comes > from various places around the country: Denver, Dallas, San Francisco, > etc. I assume that the 800 number I call to start the process > actually routes to whatever AT&T center is the least busy at the > moment and the CID number comes from there. The original poster's writing was a bit vague, but I got the impression he was talking about a calling card that was actually part of his main landline phone service. I know that some of the Bells, some of the time ... did, indeed, send over the CNID of the home telephone/account number in the Bad Old Days. But it's been a decade, or longer, since I've used or had any friends using them, so have no idea how long this lasted. (We looked into this option about five years ago for corporate use - we wanted people to be able to call out from home or offsite or at lunch.. and have the CNID show their work number. Think, oh, a teacher or doctor calling from home. We weren't able to find anyone set up for this.) There are some folk _today_ who'll reset the CNID for you to whatever you wish when you make the call. Check out, for example, http://spoofcard.com. (no connection with them aside from having tested their service). _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Date: 19 Dec 2006 10:08:00 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com nonoise wrote: > Douane D. James wrote: > Leaving aside the moral question, I feel compelled to ask "Why was > anyone surprised?". Hollywood has glorified computer thievery and > hacking for years, with films such as "War Games" showing EXACTLY this > offense, and "Swordfish" portraying a computer expert receiving sexual > favors while breaking into a government site. Hollywood has glorified crime and gangsters since film was invented. People blame Hollywood movies and TV as being a bad influence, but I don't think a correlation has ever been proven. Kids' shows in my generation were leftover old cartoons and Three Stooges; both had plenty of extreme violence. Today's kids have cute and lovable PBS offerings and sitcoms that avoid violence and other vices; yet kids are just as or even more violent than in the past. In any event, long before Hollywood even knew what a computer was and put it on film, kids in my high school did exactly the same thing -- peering over someone's shoulder or rifling a desk to find a password. In our day it was merely slow Teletype access with very limited capability, the point is that kids still did it without being influenced. > The criminal charges being thrown at this young man are, of course, an > over-reaction, attributable to the embarrassment he has caused those > in charge of the system, and especially to those in charge of those in > charge. > IMNSHO, this was an incident waiting to happen: an attractive nuisance > no different than a stepladder left leaning against the side of a > building where children could use it and thereby be injured. We don't > blame children for climbing ladders: it's what children do. I couldn't disagree more. When I was a kid in public school, our parents and school taught us about privacy. Just because something was unlocked or even open did not mean it was ok to go through it, be it a closet, a teacher's desk, another student's belongings, etc. If a student offered the excuse "well, it was open", he/she got an even worse punishment. We were taught as kids that we were only allowed to go where we were specifically authorized, if we weren't authorized, we could not go there or touch it, etc. The excuse "nobody told us we couldn't" didn't fly. We were expected, even at a young age, to use common sense. We are taught over and over again to respect other people's proeprty and good manenrs*. Stealing the teacher's rollbook--easy to do if anyone wanted to -- and making unathorized changes was wrong. Doing it via computer is just as wrong and inexcusable. If someone leaves a $20 bill or a nickel on top of their desk it does not mean anyone walking by may take it. A computer log-on is no different. It may be prudent to keep money and log-ons under lock, but if we fail to the blame is still 100% the thief, not us. Criminal charges are appropriate in this particular case. It would be one thing if the kid just merely looked around (read only) but didn't change anything (though still wrong.) But by changing grades he crossed the line. There probably is some long-existing criminal statute about unauthorized changes to official records; again, be it by pen or computer doesn't matter. That access was easy or not doesn't matter. Indeed, even if a teacher left his/her computer logged on and a kid snuck in that way doesn't excuse the illegal act. I disagree strongly with this rationalization of criminal activity and blaming the victim (saying the administrators were sloppy). As an aside, I also think the legal principle of "attractive nusiance" has gone too far. (That's where an owner is liable even if someone is trespassing on their property to say swim in their pool.) I don't mind requiring swimming pool owners to have a fence around the pool. But when an older kid (age 17) goes to the trouble of trespassing across a large field and scaling the fence to get into a pool, I think he is responsible for his injuries, not the school (a real case in which the school was found guilty of negligence). Back in the 1970s the Bell System prosecuted "blue box" users. Back then it was in vogue, cool, to "put one over Ma Bell". But Bell was correct in doing so because it was stealing and disruption, even if the amounts were neglible. I couldn't believe the idiots who blamed Bell saying it was their fault because of their technology. Again, regardless of the quality of the lock (or lack thereof) on my front door doesn't given anyone the right to come in uninvited. *In elementary school we were not allowed to roam anywhere within the school outside the classroom. In junior high we could roam the whole school but under strict controls. In high school we had more options. Finally in college we were freed of hall passes, hall monitors, noisy vice principals, etc. I remember feeling some sense of freedom going up each level of school until college when I finally felt free, no more asking permission to go to pee. But even in college and in life I didn't automatically get license to walk into someone's private office and make myself at home. ------------------------------ From: ellis@no.spam Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:14:48 -0000 Organization: S.P.C.A.A. In article , Korey Smith wrote: > The same would be true for the corporate world and a school should be > no different. If the IT department isn't doing their job in > protecting the information about student's grades, then they need to > held accountable. If it were medical records instead of school records, the IT department would be facing heavy fines for violation of federal law. They were just plain sloppy. http://yosemitephotos.net/ ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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End of TELECOM Digest V25 #419 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Dec 20 19:48:22 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id F1E522254; Wed, 20 Dec 2006 19:48:21 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #420 Message-Id: <20061221004821.F1E522254@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 19:48:21 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 20 Dec 2006 19:50:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 420 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Facial Recognition Makes Finding Web Photos Easier (Eric Auchard, Reuters) Piracy Lawsuit Being Dropped Against NY Mother (Jim Fitzgerald, AP) YouTube Gives a New Challenge to Copyright Law (Daniel B. Wood, CS Monitor) Seasons Greetings: Spam Worse Than Ever This Month (Ellen Wulfhorst) Feds: NJ Worker Put 'Bomb' in Computers (Monty Solomon) Live From Your Cingular Phone, It's Saturday Night! (Monty Solomon) Linksys Announces iPhone Family of Voice Over IP Solutions (Monty Solomon) NASA To Make Data Available Through Google (Neal McLain) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 20, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Ericsson to Acquire Redback Networks (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Cell Phones and Cancer (Rick Merrill) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (Barry Margolin) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (Lisa Hancock) Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies (Lisa Hancock) Re: Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? (Lisa Hancock) Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? (Howard Pierpont) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 01:49:36 -0600 From: Eric Auchard, Reuters Subject: Facial Recognition Makes Finding Web Photos Easier By Eric Auchard Swedish start-up Polar Rose AB aims to make it easy to find photos of familiar faces online, the company said on Tuesday, solving difficult Web search issues while potentially raising new privacy concerns. Polar Rose said it plans to offer free software to make photos searchable on both personal computers and across the Web by analyzing the contents of pictures with pattern recognition technology to locate specific faces within them. The company said it will allow users to annotate photos with descriptive details, harnessing the collective intelligence of the Web to improve what can be done with computational searching alone on sites like Google or Yahoo. Polar Rose, which takes its name from a flower-shaped mathematical curve used to plot two-dimensional coordinates, will help consumers to label any photo and in turn to search for related photos of the same or similar-looking people. "Now we are in the visual era of the Web," Mikkel Thagaard, Polar Rose's vice president of business development. "That will have implications for the kind of information we find." In its simplest incarnation, Polar Rose promises to help a computer user sort through and group personal photos face by face. More broadly, the software can ferret out similar-looking photos across the Web, company officials said. Its software analyzes digital photos to locate faces, then converts the data from two-dimensional (2D) images into 3D models. These skeletal models can be rendered into what scientists call "faceprints." Polar Rose does not store actual photos, only the faceprint summaries, which can then be compared with other faceprints. This promises to allow the company to create a massive searchable index for comparing and cataloging digital images. FUN AND OPEN "You can label photos by name, or find them by their faceprint signature," said Jan Erik Solem, Polar Rose's founder and chief technology officer, said in an interview. Solem said Polar Rose will only search through and catalog publicly available photographs on the Web, not private databases. It also has ruled out selling its technology for use in surveillance or by intelligence agencies, he added. "We just want to build a fun, open and transparent service," Solem said. "I can guarantee you that we will not touch those areas." But in one dramatic example of the search system's power, Thagaard showed a photo of a woman on an online dating site and said Polar Rose technology could potentially be used to identify photos of similar looking women from across the Web. "Marriages are going to fail because of this technology," Gartner Inc. analyst Mike McGuire said. In March, Polar Rose plans to offer a public test version of its software. In the second quarter, it aims to introduce a mobile phone photo search version and, by third quarter, to complete an index of publicly available photos on the Web. The privately held company from Malm, Sweden plans to extend its pattern-recognition capabilities beyond just faces to recognize objects like landmarks, or dogs and cats. Eventually, it also plans to search videos as well. Still, McGuire questions whether the technology is simply a cool feature to enhance other Web sites or something more. "Right now it is probably a pretty powerful ingredient rather than a business of its own," he said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 01:55:22 -0600 From: Jim Fitzgerald, AP Subject: Piracy Lawsuit Being Dropped Against NY Mother By JIM FITZGERALD, Associated Press Writer The recording industry is giving up its lawsuit against Patti Santangelo, a mother of five who became the best-known defendant in the industry's battle against music piracy. However, two of her children are still being sued. The five companies suing Santangelo, of Wappingers Falls, filed a motion Tuesday in federal court in White Plains asking Judge Colleen McMahon to dismiss the case. Their lead counsel, Richard Gabriel, wrote in court papers that the record companies still believe they could win damages against Santangelo but their preference was to "pursue defendant's children." The five companies are: Elektra Entertainment Group Inc., Virgin Records America Inc., UMG Recordings Inc., BMG Music and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Santangelo's lawyer, Jordan Glass, said the dismissal bid "shows defendants can stand up to powerful plaintiffs." He noted, however, that the companies were seeking a dismissal "without prejudice," meaning they could bring the action again, "so I'm not sure what that's worth." The companies, coordinated by the Recording Industry Association of America, have sued more than 18,000 people, including many minors, accusing them of pirating music through file-sharing computer networks, most of which have been forced out of business. Typically, the industry tracked downloads to a computer address and learned the name of the computer owner from the Internet service provider. When Santangelo, 42, was sued last year, she said she had never downloaded music and was unaware of her children doing it. If children download, she said, file-sharing programs like Kazaa should be blamed, not the parents. The judge called her an "Internet-illiterate parent, who does not know Kazaa from kazoo." Santangelo refused to settle with the record companies, pleaded her case in newspapers and on national TV and became a heroine to defenders of Internet freedom, who helped raise money for her defense. Last month, the record companies filed lawsuits against Santangelo's 20-year-old daughter, Michelle, and 16-year-old son, Robert, saying they had downloaded and distributed more than 1,000 recordings. The companies said that the daughter had acknowledged downloading songs on the family computer -- which Glass denied -- and that the son had been implicated in statements from his best friend. The suit against the children seeks unspecified damages. On the Net: Recording Industry Association of America: http://www.riaa.com Defense lawyers' blog on RIAA cases: http://www.recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 01:58:27 -0600 From: Daniel B. Wood, Christian Science Monitor Subject: YouTube Gives a New Challenge to Copyright Law from the December 18, 2006 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1218/p01s03-usju.html The YouTube world opens an untamed frontier for copyright law By Daniel B. Wood | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor LOS ANGELES Larry Richard is one of the millions to have discovered the world of YouTube, the free website that allows people to post, watch, and share video clips. When he receives a link to the site, usually via e-mail, he spends a few moments to click and watch a clip on his computer screen -- sometimes a video of a friend's singing recital, other times a snippet of a foreign commercial or a monologue from late-night TV. "It's entertaining, it's information, it's a community of people sharing things," says Mr. Richard, a marketing consultant in Santa Monica, Calif. But is it legal, given that at least some of what he's watching is copyrighted material being disseminated by individuals who clearly do not hold the copyright? The law on this matter is murky, and likely to get murkier before it gets clearer, say experts in intellectual property law. Several companies such as Time Warner have been threatening YouTube with copyright infringement lawsuits. Now that Internet giant Google has purchased YouTube, experts expect that the rampant disregard of copyright law shown by early YouTube users, at least, is likely to get resolved -- but they caution that each successive new technology can put early users, in particular, on nebulous legal ground, especially if financial profit is involved. "As more and more technology comes along, the legal underpinnings governing them are not becoming clearer," says Mark McCreary, a partner in the Technology and Venture Finance Group of Fox Rothschild, which handles intellectual property cases. Increasing ability to download video clips from YouTube and to watch videos on iPods and cellphones will present users with more opportunities to violate copyright -- wittingly or unwittingly, he says. Still, those who watch videos at YouTube - whether or not such content is copyrighted -- are unlikely to be pursued with the same fervor with which the music industry prosecuted those who downloaded music free of charge via the file-sharing website Napster, say Mr. McCreary and other experts. "The very big difference between today's YouTube and the music-sharing of MP3 files of several years ago is that you have to watch and you can't -- absent the knowledge of advanced hackers -- copy it for your own use," says David Axtell, an intellectual property specialist at the law firm Leonard, Street and Deinard in Minneapolis. "During Napster's heyday, people were making their own digital copies and using them on their own." But concerns should be higher for those who actually submit videos for posting and watching, say Mr. Axtell and others. Because copying and distributing copyrighted material is illegal, people who post that material on YouTube without permission are more likely to be held liable. "There certainly will be more litigation, and Google has set aside hundreds of millions in a war chest in recognition of this," says Kevin Parks, a copyright specialist with the law firm Leydig, Voit and Mayer in Chicago. On the side of the YouTubites are those who argue that use of such copyrighted material falls into "fair use" provisions of the law. "It's up to the courts to continually balance the rights of those who own copyrighted material with the need for society to adapt to emerging technology," says Perry Binder, assistant professor of legal studies at Georgia State University. Copyright laws, which give exclusive legal right to a writer, editor, composer, publisher or distributor to publish, produce, sell, or distribute an artistic work are unambiguous, experts say. But how many copies of something a person may make for personal use is far more open to interpretation by judges and courts. Mr. Binder says movie and TV industries are figuring out how to handle the more serious abuses, such as excessive downloading by casual users, profiting from the sale of a downloaded video, and having a website that links to copyrighted videos, particularly if the Web page profits from drawing traffic to the pages. "These people should expect 'cease and desist' letters from attornies and face the threat of a lawsuit if copyrighted material is not taken down immediately," says Binder. For its part, YouTube directs users to common-sense "Dos and Don'ts" at its online help center. Users are asked not to send pornography, videos of dangerous or illegal acts (such as animal abuse or bombmaking), violence, and to avoid the malicious use of stereotypes. "We ask our users to respect copyrighted material and to only upload videos they have made or obtained the rights to use," says Jenny Nielsen, marketing manager at YouTube. "Our policy prohibits inappropriate content ... users can flag content they feel is inappropriate and once it is flagged, YouTube reviews the material and reserves the right to remove videos from the system." Meanwhile, YouTube's power has prompted content creators to see how they can make money from the site's content that is copyrighted. Companies such as CBS and three major recording companies -- Universal Music Group, Warner Music, and Sony BMG Music Entertainment -- have inked deals with Google/YouTube to share revenues generated by copyrighted content on the site. As part of an experimental "brand channel" at the site, CBS in October agreed to offer free video clips for downloading. By Thanksgiving, 300 such clips had drawn 30 million viewers. More than 35,000 have subscribed to the free channel and CBS claims its "Late Show with David Letterman" now boasts 200,000 more viewers and its "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" has 7 percent more viewers. "YouTube has not only held the threats at bay, but also shown it can be a revenue boon for old media," says Chris Taylor, senior editor of Business 2.0 Magazine. http://www.csmonitor.com Copyright 2006 The Christian Science Publishing Society. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day from NY Times, Christian Science Monitor and National Public Radio, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/nytimes.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 17:07:38 -0600 From: Ellen Wulfhorst Subject: Seasons Greetings: Spam Worse Than Ever This Month By Ellen Wulfhorst The holiday season brings festive parties, family gatherings -- and a deluge of spam. Unsolicited messages, or spam, which account for nine out of 10 e-mails, fill up the inboxes of computer users more than ever at this time of year, experts say. "Every year we see a seasonal increase around the holiday season. It's just worse than it's ever been before this year," said Daniel Druker, executive vice president of marketing at Postini, a company that provides message security services. Spammers spew out millions of e-mails. Some hawk pharmaceuticals and sexual aids, others offer hot stock tips. The unscrupulous commit identity theft by luring unsuspecting recipients into disclosing personal information, while others commit fraud with the lure of phony offers. The glut of spam can clog business communications systems to the extent that e-mails at the workplace can be held up for hours, if not days, experts say. "The threat of this is that e-mail becomes no longer productive as a tool, and that is scary because e-mail is ubiquitous. Most businesses could no longer run without it," Druker said. Spam cost an estimated $17 billion in the United States last year in lost productivity and the expense of measures to fight it, according to San Francisco-based Ferris Research. Worldwide, the cost was estimated at $50 billion. Around the holidays, spammers take advantage as people use computers for online shopping, experts say. "You see a big increase around the holidays of messages where they are trying to fool you into buying things or trick you into providing your ID," said Jerry Upton, executive director of the San Francisco-based Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group. "People are busy and I think the abusers take advantage of that," he said. NEW TRICKS The amount of spam has exploded in recent months, experts say, as spammers have adopted new tricks. Research by Postini found a record 93 percent of e-mail was spam from September through November. "The spammers are definitely winning at this point. It's gotten much worse," said Gerald Thain, a professor of consumer law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in e-mail issues. Some long-time netters insist that filtering is working well, but it obviously is failing. One of the newest dodges is sending spam in the form of an image rather than text, allowing it to get past filters that trap spam by hunting down specific words. So-called image e-mails account for some 30 percent of junk e-mails, compared with just 2 percent in 2005, Postini said. Another ploy is called phishing, in which an official-looking e-mail asks recipients for passwords or personal information. "Pump and dump" e-mails urge recipients to buy certain stocks, driving up the price, while in other schemes spammers hijack other computers -- turning them into what pros call zombies -- to deliver their messages. "We recently saw 400,000 new zombies coming online every day," said Atri Chatterjee, senior vice president of marketing at Secure Computing Corp. in Alpharetta, Georgia. "What you have is a very aggressive use of innocent computers," he said. The battle between spammers and antispammers is like a game of "cops and robbers," said J.J. Schoch, a security expert at Panda Software, a developer of computer anti-virus systems. "The cops try and outsmart the robbers, the robbers try and outsmart the cops," he said. Not only has the amount of spam ballooned, but its nature has changed, said Druker. "First it was hackers trying to show off how smart they were. Then it shifted to annoying marketers," he said. "Now a large percentage of this stuff is coming from criminal networks who are out to steal your money." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:20:39 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Feds: NJ Worker Put 'Bomb' in Computers NEWARK, N.J., Dec 19, 2006 (AP Online via COMTEX News Network) -- A computer administrator upset over the possibility of losing his job planted an electronic "bomb" in the systems of one of the nation's largest prescription drug management companies, prosecutors said Tuesday. If the so-called "logic bomb" had gone off at Medco Health Solutions Inc., it would have wiped out critical patient information, authorities said. Even after surviving a round of layoffs, Yung-Hsun Lin, 50, kept the code in the system and tinkered with it in an attempt to set it off, prosecutors said. The bug eventually was discovered and neutralized by the company. U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said the bomb could have caused widespread financial damage to the company, and possibly harmed a large number of patients. Among the targeted databases was one that tracked patient-specific drug interaction conflicts, prosecutors said. Before dispensing medication, pharmacists routinely examine that information to determine whether conflicts exist among a patient's prescribed medicines. - http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=62988236 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:24:27 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Live From Your Cingular Phone, It's Saturday Night! NEW YORK and ATLANTA, Dec 19, 2006 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- Cingular customers no longer have to wait until Saturday night to enjoy what is undoubtedly the most influential sketch comedy show of all time. NBC Universal, Broadway Video Entertainment, and Cingular Wireless today announced the launch of Saturday Night Live (SNL) Mobile on Cingular handsets, marking the first time SNL content has been made available on the mobile phone. Cingular Video subscribers can enjoy exclusive mobile access to Saturday Night Live content, including video clips from classic and current episodes, as well as original material produced especially for the mobile screen. Cingular customers can also purchase and download a diverse collection of SNL- themed ringtones and graphics -- both from current and classic seasons. - http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=62984073 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:27:54 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Linksys Announces iPhone Family of Voice Over IP Solutions IRVINE, Calif., Dec 18, 2006 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- Linksys(R), a Division of Cisco Systems, Inc., and the recognized leading global manufacturer of voice, wireless, and networking hardware for home, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) and small business user, today unveiled its iPhone(R) family of Voice over IP (VoIP) solutions. The iPhone family of handheld devices harnesses the power of the Internet to enhance voice communications, integrate compelling information services, and deliver access to multimedia. In short, Linksys iPhones voice solutions and products give consumers the ability to do more with their phone than talk. - http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=62958994 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 06:43:50 -0600 From: Neal McLain Subject: NASA To Make Data Available Through Google From Satellite Today, December 20, 2006: NASA has signed an agreement to make its archive of images and other information available through Internet giant Google, NASA announced Dec. 18. Under a Space Act Agreement, NASA's Ames Research Center and Google will make NASA's information, including weather visualization and forecasting, 3-D maps of the moon and Mars, and tracking of the International Space Station and the space shuttle, available on the Internet, The program is part of a NASA initiative to foster private-public partnerships and future collaborations between NASA and Google could include joint research, products, facilities, education and missions, the agency said. http://www.satellitetoday.com/st/headlines/15002.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 20, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 11:34:27 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 20, 2006 ******************************** Verizon Picks Nortel for Five-Year US$2-bil. CDMA Contract http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21776?11228 Nortel has announced that it has won a contract from Verizon Wireless for equipment and services valued at US$2 billion, upgrading and expanding the Verizon Wireless network. The contract runs for a five-year period and covers installation of CDMA 2000 base stations, switching, IP platforms, optical networking, related equipment, and ... Exploring Connected Navigation http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21767?11228 Today's mobile navigation devices generally operate in a world of their own, but not for much longer. As navigation products grow increasingly powerful and sophisticated, and as device vendors strive to differentiate their gadgets from the competition, real-time connectivity is destined to become a standard feature on most mobile ... Linksys Unveils 'iPhone' But Apple is Rumored to Be Working on a Cell Phone- iPod Combination http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21765?11228 SAN FRANCISCO -- The iPhone has arrived, but it is not made by Apple Computer Inc., which was widely rumored to be working a cell phone-iPod combination of the same name. Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems Inc. that makes networking equipment for the home and small businesses, unveiled the new line of Internet-enabled phones ... Will McDowell Fallout Cause An AT&T/BellSouth Waterloo? http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21762?11228 Reactions to Federal Communications Commissioner Robert M. McDowell disqualifying himself from breaking the tie on the deadlocked AT&T/BellSouth merger vote are just starting to filter in but the surprise decision, like mountainous winter snow, has the potential of slowing things down. Without a Republican- Democratic ... Ericsson Offers $2.1B for Redback http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21758?11228 Ericsson AB has agreed to a $2.1 billion cash deal worth $25 per share to buy IP router vendor Redback Networks Inc. The Swedish firm, which bought British vendor Marconi about a year ago and has only just completed that integration process, says the deal gives it the edge IP router technology it needs to go with its IP-based ... Treo Delay Hits Palm Earnings http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21756?11228 As expected, Palm Inc. said today that its quarterly earnings were dragged down by the delay in shipping in the U.S. of its new Treo 750 device. Reporting shortly after the markets closed, Palm said its earnings hit $17.6 million, or 17 cents per share, on revenue of $392.9 million, down 12 percent from the same period last year. The ... Vodafone Sells Swisscom Stake http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21753?11228 After nearly six years, Vodafone has decided to relinquish its stake in Swisscom Mobile. Swisscom is paying $3.5 billion for ownership of the 25% stake. Vodafone first purchased its 25% stake in March 2001. Even though Swisscom will now be the sole owner of Swisscom Mobile, the companies signed a 5-year partner network agreement ... Consumer Education Key to Next Phase of Home Networking http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21750?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The emerging phase in home networks is a multimedia network that blends in consumer electronics (CE) devices, and although early adopters have been testing first-generation networked media devices, these devices are still far away from the average mainstream digital home, according to In-Stat. In fact, the ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 12:03:22 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Ericsson to Acquire Redback Networks USTelecom dailyLead December 20, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fbfcfDtusXiwaCCibuddzbIq TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Ericsson to acquire Redback Networks BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Verizon appoints wireless head as new operating chief * AT&T offers lower-cost voice packages * Nortel, Verizon Wireless sign $2 billion network deal * Clearwire seeks $400 million in IPO * Cingular goes live with "SNL" mobile service * Motorola's holiday sales start slow, analysts say TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Analysis: Apple's phone could shake up wireless industry * Making moves in mobile video REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC scheduled to vote on video franchising Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fbfcfDtusXiwaCCibuddzbIq ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:08:22 -0500 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer Charles Gray wrote: > I don't have the original article from the Washington Post on this, > but it has been replicated numerous times. Here is one link > http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=3D2702500 > Best regards, > Charles G. Gray > Senior Lecturer, Telecommunications > Oklahoma State University - Tulsa > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for sending this in. The 'cell > phones and cancer' story is a very popular one, and I get these > occassionally for use here in the Digest. Apparently, there is no > real association between the two, although some people continue to > persist that 'research is not yet complete'. PAT] One tool that lets cell phones work is that the base (cell tower) tells the cell phone how much power to use. In other words if you don't pull up the antenna you brain will be subject to the max power output. ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Organization: Symantec Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:40:29 -0500 In article , ellis@no.spam wrote: > In article , Korey Smith > wrote: >> The same would be true for the corporate world and a school should be >> no different. If the IT department isn't doing their job in >> protecting the information about student's grades, then they need to >> held accountable. > If it were medical records instead of school records, the IT > department would be facing heavy fines for violation of federal > law. They were just plain sloppy. Yes, they were sloppy, but the kid was still BAD. You reprimand the IT Department, maybe even fire the administrator, but that doesn't negate the illegal nature of what the kid did. Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** *** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group *** ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Date: 20 Dec 2006 08:05:32 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Korey Smith wrote: > The same would be true for the corporate world and a school should be > no different. If the IT department isn't doing their job in > protecting the information about student's grades, then they need to > held accountable. The system had passwords so the IT department had done its job. From the original article, it appears someone left their password written out on a piece of paper and the student was able to find it. Perhaps that particular worker shouldn't have written the password down. It still appears the student had to rifle the desk; it wasn't as if the password was prominently posted on a bulletin board. Some organizations change their passwords regularly. This makes it hard for people to keep remembering them and IMHO actually makes things worse by encouraging written passwords. As an aside, speaking of passwords and schools ... Back in junior high we had two lockers, a hall locker and a gym locker, with two combination locks. (Even with high tech it appears the very same locks are in use today). For our hall locker it was easy to write down the combination until it was memorized. But the gym locker on the first time at gym presented a problem. We had to take showers and there was no way or place to write down the number (humans aren't equipped with pockets). I understand schools have done away with showers after gym these days and that's fine by me. It was embarassing for both boys and girls. (I think that was the point -- to "toughen" us up.) ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies Date: 20 Dec 2006 09:39:54 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Associated Press News Wire wrote: > Shugart helped pioneer the multibillion dollar hard drive industry, in > which Seagate now holds the leading market position. He founded the > company in 1979 and left in 1998. Just a tiny clarification -- the hard disk drive was invented and marketed by IBM 50 years ago, announced in their product line in Sept 1956. IBM also invented the floppy disk as well. I understand IBM sold off its hard disk drive line recently; I don't know why. Peripherals used to be quite profitable. [public replies, please] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Caller ID Showing Which Calling Card Used??? Date: 20 Dec 2006 11:09:03 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com ellis@no.spam wrote: > They most certainly are. I had a problem with a pest that led me to > add call block and later caller-id to my phone plan. The pest > continued to call by using calling cards to get around the blocks and > ID. If he was using calling cards and presumably pay phones he was paying dearly to be a pest. Sounds strange. But most places have "Call Trace" (*57) in which the special unit of the telephone company gets a record of the call and has means of dealing with them. They charge about $1.50 per use, but if there is a repeat problem it's worth using. They can see more info than callerID, including blocked calls. I understand the special unit only gets involved if there is a repeat problem, not isolated incidents. IMHO, the major carriers should bar calls from entering their system with faked caller IDs, such as VOIP systems that offer "111-111-1111". [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: $1.50 per use? How about eight to ten dollars per use, which is more like it, at least in the case of SBC. I suggested to the chairman of SBC (or to the flunky who takes his phone calls and responds in his name) that telco should outlaw that all ones combination or all zeros, etc and when 'dipping in their database' to fetch the name, etc of the caller totally change all those entries to the essence of 'information denied by caller' (in other words, a *67 type call) and treat it accordingly. If I block *67 type calls -- which I do -- then I do not want all ones or all zeros either. Chairman's office told me that was quite impossible to do, and that if they delivered all zeros or all ones they had 'done their job and delivered caller ID' to me, so shut up and pay your bill. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 15:24:38 PST From: HOWARD PIERPONT Subject: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? Dear Mr. Professor, the Exalted One, Pat Townson: In the mid 90s I was an active reader of the Digest and my association still shows in many Google searches [I worked for Digital Equipment at the time]. VAXclusters with food nodes SNAX etc. On of the Portland radio folk today mentioned the early 90s and 900 numbers in his show today. His claim was some television advertisers would encourage you to hold the handset to the phone and the broadcast the tones and actually dial the 900 number. Do I just not remember this or was it never real? I check SNOPES and didn't see a reference. Telcomm has so many references, thankfully. I figured I'd go to the Master! Howard Pierpont Retired DEC/Intel Hillsboro OR [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, dialing a phone number *accoustically* is certainly sometimes possible; consider the man with his whistle who blew certain tones into the phone to confuse the central office circuitry, or the man who could whistle those tones into the phone. How reliable that method of 'dialing' is I do not know, but if your question is was this a way to defraud telco (at least where 900 numbers and blocks against them was concerned) the answer is no, it was not. If a phone was otherwise equipped to 'dial' a 900 number (many phones have blocks on them against dialing a premium charge number; I know my phones are fixed that way), then whether the tone was 'heard' by the central office via the dial pad on the phone itself or from input via the receiver, central would either accept the request or not. Central does not care if you are a damn fool with a sex hotline or whatever, just that you pay the bill. This was not the case for the supervisory tones however; they had to be blown into the phone or sent from some external device since telco does not equip your phone with those 'special tones' they use internally. To answer your question, yes I think I heard of that method of dialing also, many, many years ago. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #420 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Dec 21 13:02:00 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id B893C226C; Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:59:09 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #421 Message-Id: <20061221175909.B893C226C@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:59:09 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 21 Dec 2006 13:00:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 421 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Siemens Sets New Network Speed Record (Reuters News Wire) Bill Would Rein in Cellphone Firms / More Rights For Users (Monty Solomon) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 21, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies (Herb Oxley) Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies (Julian Thomas) Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? (panoptes@iquest.net) Re: Cell Phones and Cancer (Scott Dorsey) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:50:58 -0600 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Siemens Sets New Network Speed Record Germany's Siemens AG has set a new speed record for electrical processing of data through a fiber-optic cable, it said on Wednesday, opening the possibility of cheaper Internet and data networks. Siemens said in a statement it had processed data using exclusively electrical means at 107 gigabits per second -- roughly two full DVDs per second -- and sent it over a single optical fiber channel in a 100 mile-long (161-kilometre) U.S. network, the first time outside of a laboratory. Online games, music and video downloads are generating increasing amounts of Internet traffic, creating a need for ever faster and affordable transmission. The test, 2.5 times faster than a previous maximum transmission performance per channel, was done in cooperation with Germany's Micram Microelectronic, the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications and Eindhoven Technical University of the Netherlands. Siemens said the advantage of its method of using electrical processing only was that it removed the need to split signals into multiple, lower data-rate signals to avoid bottlenecks -- which makes transmission slower and more expensive. "Such a system would be particularly interesting for the future 100-gigabit Ethernet on which the telecommunication providers are currently working," Siemens said. Ethernet networking technology powers the vast majority of local computer networks, such as corporate networks, but is increasingly important for larger networks, due to its flexibility, as the technology becomes cheaper. Siemens said it expected the first products based on the prototype could be on the market within a few years. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:00:15 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Bill Would Rein in Cellphone Firms / More Rights Sought For Users By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff | December 20, 2006 The Boston Globe Calls fade out or break up. Calls are dropped altogether in mid-conversation. These are the afflictions of cellphone users. And as dependence on the devices grows, so does the annoyance level. Now Michael W. Morrissey, the Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy, is putting forth legislation to impose new regulations on cellular phone companies to make them more responsive to consumers. The bill, drafted by Morrissey, would force the companies to issue semiannual public reports detailing their signal strength, their dead zones, and gaps in coverage, along with the number of dropped calls. In addition, the legislation would allow customers with poor service to terminate their contract with their cellphone company without having to pay hefty penalties. Consumers would pay only a pro-rated share of the early termination fee, based on how long they have had their service; currently, customers who wish to get out of a service contract are usually required to pay the full termination fee. There are no similar laws in effect anywhere in the country, according to industry officials. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/20/bill_would_rein_in_cellphone_firms/ ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - December 21, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 08:31:33 EST ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For December 21, 2006 ******************************** Starting tomorrow, 22 December, TelecommDirect will be on an editorial holiday.We will resume publishing on 2 January. In the new year we will relaunch our website under a new name, Communications Direct. We hope you will enjoy the refreshed design of the new site and we look for ward to bringing you additional communications news and resources in 2007. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Golden Telecom Closing In on Corbina, Acquires Digital TV Operator http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21810?11228 Moscow's burgeoning broadband market looks set for its first major piece of consolidation, as Golden Telecom prepares to acquire ... Market Watchdog Clears France Telecom, Sonaecom of Collusion in Portugal Telecom Bid http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21807?11228 The Portuguese market regulator, CMVM, yesterday said that it has cleared Sonaecom and France Telecom of collusion in the ongoing takeover bid for Portugal Telecom. In a statement, the CMNM said that after a review of the documents filed by both companies, it has sufficient proof that France Telecom did not collude with Sonaecom in the ... Telekom Austria Acquires eTel for US$118.7 million http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21803?11228 Telekom Austria yesterday said that it has agreed to buy 100% of the European integrated telephony operator, eTel, for 90 million euro (US$118.7 million). In a statement, Telekom Austria said it would fund the acquisition of eTel-which made 100 million euro in revenue in 2005-entirely from its cash-flow without taking on debt. eTel is ... Not Your Father's Voice Mail http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21800?11228 Every day, workers are bombarded with a constant stream of instant messages, email, phone calls, faxes, scheduled and unscheduled conferences, and online input like blogs and video clips. Juggling all those communications can take up a large chunk of the working day. Gone are the days of message pads, departmental voice mail and ... Telecom's Need for Speed http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21796?11228 In the telecommunications market, speed has two distinct but equally important meanings -- speed of service and speed in deployment. Triple-play services require some of the highest speeds the telecommunications industry has experienced. Many providers are moving from POTS services for voice and Internet access that average 1.5mbps to ... Did You Leave the Light On? Check Online http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21792?11228 RICHFIELD, Minn. (AP) - Imagine coming home and, with the push of a single button, turning on the lights, turning up the thermostat and flipping on the TV. Another button might shut off all the lights and turn down the thermostat when you leave. Starting next month, Best Buy Co. will sell a ... Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom Signs Agreement with Google on Mobile Internet Search Services http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21789?11228 TAIPEI, Taiwan - Chunghwa Telecom Co. signed an agreement with Google Inc. Thursday on mobile Internet search services, said the chairman of Taiwan's largest phone company by revenue. Under the agreement, search-engine giant Google will provide a Web search service on Chunghwa Telecom's mobile phones from January. ... FCC Approves Telco-Friendly Video Rules http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21784?11228 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved new rules earlier today that will let phone companies gain local video franchise rights as soon as three months after they file an application. The new rules set a 90-day cap for local authorities to approve or deny video franchise applications made by incumbent telcos who already ... China's IPTV Market Developing Slowly But Surely http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21780?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., December 20, 2006 - China's IPTV market will go through a gradual but solid increase from 2006 to 2010, reports In-Stat http://www.in-stat.com . The industry environment for IPTV has gotten better, but the outlook is still not completely positive, the high-tech market research firm says. Two more IPTV ... Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to: TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: nospam4me@mytrashmail.com (Herb Oxley) Subject: Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 01:16:41 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Associated Press News Wire wrote: >> Shugart helped pioneer the multibillion dollar hard drive industry, in >> which Seagate now holds the leading market position. He founded the >> company in 1979 and left in 1998. > Just a tiny clarification -- the hard disk drive was invented and > marketed by IBM 50 years ago, announced in their product line in Sept > 1956. IBM also invented the floppy disk as well. Typical mainstream media oversimplification; they left out "personal computer" before "hard drive". Herb Oxley From: address IS Valid. ------------------------------ From: Julian Thomas Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 20:46:29 -0500 Subject: Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies In <20061221004821.F1E522254@massis.lcs.mit.edu>, on 12/20/06 at 07:48 PM, editor@telecom-digest.org typed: >> Shugart helped pioneer the multibillion dollar hard drive industry, in >> which Seagate now holds the leading market position. He founded the >> company in 1979 and left in 1998. > Just a tiny clarification -- the hard disk drive was invented and > marketed by IBM 50 years ago, announced in their product line in Sept > 1956. IBM also invented the floppy disk as well. At that time (floppy disk invention) Al Shugart was still with IBM. Julian Thomas: jt at jt-mj dot net http://jt-mj.net In the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State! -- -- Error #33: (A)bort this mess (R)etry last mistake (S)kip to new mess-up. ------------------------------ From: panoptes@iquest.net Subject: Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? Date: 20 Dec 2006 20:09:21 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com HOWARD PIERPONT wrote: > On of the Portland radio folk today mentioned the early 90s and 900 > numbers in his show today. His claim was some television advertisers > would encourage you to hold the handset to the phone and the broadcast > the tones and actually dial the 900 number. > Do I just not remember this or was it never real? I check SNOPES and > didn't see a reference. Telcomm has so many references, thankfully. I > figured I'd go to the Master! This seems odd, but it would have the advantage that there is no chance of a mis-dial. I wouldn't know whether any such advertiser actually bothered. I'm pretty sure TV audio would have been able to produce those dialing tones accurately enough. Once tone dial was introduced, there certainly was never a requirement that the tone generator be connected to the wall by a wire all the way. The Apple Newton had that capability over ten years ago, and I remember reports of other portable devices that could dial that way: http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.09/09.11/Nov93Editorial/index.html ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer Date: 21 Dec 2006 11:00:04 -0500 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Rick Merrill wrote: > One tool that lets cell phones work is that the base (cell tower) > tells the cell phone how much power to use. In other words if you don't > pull up the antenna you brain will be subject to the max power output. Umm ... no ... if you don't pull up the antenna, the phone won't be able to radiate much even on maximum power output because the antenna is inefficient. I think it's pretty clear, though that the RF is not much of an issue when it's below the levels where tissue heating is a problem. Not that there are not plenty of secondary behavioural issues. I know a lot of people who can't talk on the phone without a cigarette. Now that they have cell phones, they find themselves smoking a lot more. The phone has indeed increased their cancer risk, though not directly. --scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://feeds.feedburner.com/telecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #421 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Dec 22 00:11:53 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id A35EB2270; Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:11:52 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #422 Message-Id: <20061222051152.A35EB2270@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:11:52 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:12:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 422 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson FCC Votes to Change Video-Franchising Rules (USTelecom dailyLead) Telecom Update #560, December 21, 2006 (John Riddell) Re: Cell Phones and Cancer (John Stahl) Cell Phones, Cancer and Secret Words (John Stahl & TELECOM Editor) Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies (Geoffrey Welsh) Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? (AES) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (Tom Horsley) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:07:10 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: FCC Votes to Change Video-Franchising Rules USTelecom dailyLead December 21, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fbwEfDtusXizefCibuddbkAB TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * FCC votes to change video-franchising rules BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Telecoms submit final bids for federal Networx program * Level 3 sees traffic, stock surge on Web video * Investors see risks for Juniper as rivals beef up * India's Reliance readies bid for Hutchison Essar * Samsung's wireless head's road to the top * Freston among investors in resort TV venture * Content moving between TV, Web USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * USTelecom applauds FCC action to streamline video-franchising process TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Motorola sees momentum for WiMAX * Report: Mobile-TV revenue to surge by 2011 * Europe's 3G users near 39 million REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC proposes national wireless safety network Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fbwEfDtusXizefCibuddbkAB ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Update #560, December 21, 2006 Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:30:27 -0500 From: John Riddell ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 560: December 21, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca/home/Home_Business.page ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.ca/communications/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** SHAW BUSINESS SOLUTIONS: www.shawbusinesssolutions.ca ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** We're Taking a Holiday ** Cabinet Tells CRTC to Rely on Market Forces Order Ignores Industry Committee Majority ** Telesat Sold to Loral, Pension Fund ** Ericsson Buys Edge-Router Maker ** CRTC Okays Withdrawal of Phone Service ** Police Raid Phone Fraud Boiler Rooms ** Consumers Appeal Deferral Account Ruling ** RIM Still Mired in Options Review ** Primus Expands Partner Program ** SaskTel Cuts LD Package Rates ** Gatineau Free-Calling Area to Expand in June ** CRTC Suspends Local Competition Proceedings ** Rogers Provides Wireless Call Restriction ** Siemens Sets Optical Speed Record ** Phonetime Takes Call Select Private ** Telus to Buy Back 7% of Shares ** Nortel Inks $2 Billion Deal With Verizon WE'RE TAKING A HOLIDAY: Telecom Update is taking a winter break; our next issue will be published Friday, January 5. We wish all readers a joyous holiday season and a successful and rewarding New Year. CABINET TELLS CRTC TO RELY ON MARKET FORCES: The federal Cabinet has issued the policy direction to the CRTC that was first tabled in Parliament last June by Industry Minister Bernier (see Telecom Update #534), requiring the Commission to "rely on market forces to the maximum extent feasible." ** Cabinet made one change to the order, a concession to telecom competitors. In the CRTC's review of essential and wholesale services (see Telecom Update #554), the Commission is to take into account "technological and competitive neutrality, the potential for incumbents to exercise market power ... and the impediments faced by new and existing carriers seeking to develop competing network facilities." http://xrl.us/PolicyDirection ORDER IGNORES INDUSTRY COMMITTEE MAJORITY: On October 31, Parliament's standing committee on Industry, Science and Technology, after hearing submissions from telcos, cablecos, and other competitors, recommended to Parliament that the policy direction to the CRTC not be issued until the Committee had a chance to review the matter in more detail. The four Conservative Party members on the committee dissented. ** The preamble to the Policy Direction mentions the committee's recommendation, but notes that the vote "was not unanimous" and says "the Government has decided to move forward with issuing the Policy Direction at this time." http://xrl.us/IndustryCommittee TELESAT SOLD TO LORAL, PENSION FUND: BCE has sold Telesat Canada for $3.42 billion to a new company formed by PSP Investments, which manages Canada's public service pension fund, and New York-based Loral Space and Communications. Loral will have a 64% ownership and 33% voting stake. Loral is contributing its own satellite business to the new company, making Telesat the world's fourth-largest satellite operator. ** The new Telesat will be headquartered in Ottawa and will conduct all its research in Canada. Daniel Goldberg, recently named Telesat CEO, remains in that post. (See Telecom Update #546) ERICSSON BUYS EDGE-ROUTER MAKER: Ericsson has agreed to buy California-based Redback Networks for US$25 a share, a total of about $1.9 billion. Redback designs and manufactures IP equipment for carriers, including a line of multi-service edge routers that support broadband, telephone, TV, and mobility services. CRTC OKAYS WITHDRAWAL OF PHONE SERVICE: CRTC Telecom Order 2006-342 approves an application by Northwestel to stop providing telephone service to Nanisivik, Nunavut. The telco said that demolition activity associated with the shutdown of the Nanisivik mine and the nearby community has repeatedly disrupted service, making it expensive and dangerous to maintain service to the remaining nine customers in the town. ** 23 residents of Nanisivik submitted a petition to the CRTC saying that Northwestel's action would cut them off from the outside world. ** Three commissioners dissented, saying that the ruling sets a precedent by exempting an incumbent telco from its obligation to provide service. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2006/o2006-342.htm POLICE RAID PHONE FRAUD BOILER ROOMS: Police and RCMP say they have broken up a telemarketing fraud ring in Montreal, following a series of raids on December 19. The organization, which allegedly targeted seniors, is said to have grossed between $8 million and $13 million a year since 2003. ** Also this week, Simon Grouin of Centre d'expedition direct pleaded guilty to telemarketing fraud charges related to the sale of supplies for banking machines. He was fined $75,000; he and the company were placed under a 10-year prohibition order under the Competition Act. CONSUMERS APPEAL DEFERRAL ACCOUNT RULING: The Consumers Association of Canada and the National Anti-Poverty Organization have now filed their appeal to the Federal Court, asking it to rule that all of the money in the telcos' deferral accounts should be returned to customers, not spent on broadband deployment or improving telephone service to the disabled, as ordered in CRTC Telecom Decision 2006-9. (See Telecom Update #548) http://xrl.us/ConsumerAppeal RIM STILL MIRED IN OPTIONS REVIEW: Research In Motion says its review of stock option grants is taking longer than expected and will involve a charge significantly higher than the previous estimate of $25 million to $45 million. RIM says it will file restated results by March 3. (See Telecom Update #554) PRIMUS EXPANDS PARTNER PROGRAM: Primus Telecom Canada is offering "enhanced solution sets" to its resellers, including managed Internet access, Web development, website hosting, and server colocation. SASKTEL CUTS LD PACKAGE RATES: Users of some SaskTel long distance calling plans will pay lower rates effective January 25. The Anytime North America plan will drop from $35 to $28 a month, and the Evenings and Weekends Canada plan goes from $25 to $23. Both rates will be lower for customers with several SaskTel services. ** Rates for the Business One Rate and Managed LD Solutions plans will also be reduced -- actual rates will depend on the customer's total usage. GATINEAU FREE-CALLING AREA TO EXPAND IN JUNE: CRTC Telecom Order 2006-348 gives interim approval to Bell Canada's application to eliminate long-distance charges within the amalgamated City of Gatineau, Quebec. The change, to be effective June 18, will be financed by three-year bill surcharges of 20 cents (residential lines) and 18 cents (business lines). http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2006/o2006-348.htm http://www.crtc.gc.ca/public/8740/2006/b2/701985.zip CRTC SUSPENDS LOCAL COMPETITION PROCEEDINGS: In light of Cabinet's proposed revision of the rules for local phone deregulation, which would eliminate the CRTC's 25% market share loss test, modify competitor Quality of Service requirements, and eliminate winback restrictions (see Telecom Update #559), the Commission has suspended its own reconsideration of these matters until the Cabinet order is finalized. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Circulars/2006/ct2006-12.htm ROGERS PROVIDES WIRELESS CALL RESTRICTION: Rogers' new Call Manager plan enables parents to set usage rules restricting the times, dates, area codes, and phone numbers available for calling on their children's cellphones. ** Aliant introduced a similar plan last month. (See Telecom Update #557) SIEMENS SETS OPTICAL SPEED RECORD: Siemens says it has achieved data rates of 107 gigabits per second over a single channel in a 100 mile long fibre-optic route in the U.S. -- about two-and-a-half times faster than previous transmission performance. That's equivalent to sending two fully loaded DVDs every second. PHONETIME TAKES CALL SELECT PRIVATE: Mississauga-based Phonetime International has acquired the 20% of Vancouver-based Call Select it did not already own. Phonetime is a wholesaler of prepaid phone cards. Call Select, founded two years ago, takes in $900,000 a month selling 1+ long distance services to ethnic communities. TELUS TO BUY BACK 7% OF SHARES: Telus plans to buy back up to 12 million common shares (6.7%) and 12 million non-voting shares (7.5%) over the next 12 months. NORTEL INKS $2 BILLION DEAL WITH VERIZON: Nortel has won a contract to provide up to US$2 billion worth of broadband wireless to Verizon Wireless over five years. HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web late Friday afternoon each week at http://www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@blast.sparklist.com To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@blast.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2006 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 21:36:46 -0500 From: John Stahl Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer > Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:08:22 -0500 > From: Rick Merrill > Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer > Charles Gray wrote: >> I don't have the original article from the Washington Post on this, >> but it has been replicated numerous times. Here is one link >> http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=3D2702500 >> Best regards, > > One tool that lets cell phones work is that the base (cell tower) > tells the cell phone how much power to use. In other words if you don't > pull up the antenna you brain will be subject to the max power output. The American Cancer Society seems to have the latest information regarding the findings of many tests which have been made to find if there is any relationship between cell phone (and other wireless RF generating personal devices) and Cancer. A detailed summary can be found at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_3X_Cellular_Phones.asp?sitearea=PED Additionally the FCC web site has info about the RF measurement process and related results along with the specs to be targeted for the whole cellular system including hand held phones and the radiation limits for the human body . This URL is: http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/cellpcs.html At the FCC site you will note that they set limits for cell site transmitters, car mounted cellular antenna output and the hand held phones with relation to power/radiation measurements depending on the system/device. Since the majority of consumer RF "exposure" is related (today) to the hand held devices, the FCC has taken it a step further to set a maximum SAR or Specific Absorption Rate of 1.6 watts/kg (of body weight) based upon a tissue (human) sample size of 1 gram. Each phone manufacturer must test their individual phone models and supply the SAR to the FCC before the phone is type accepted for use. As I recall the maximum transmitting power (by spec and by design due to battery capacity) for a hand held phone is something like 0.7 watts, so there is very little (or no) chance that the phone could generate 1.6 watts/kg. Perhaps the old car-mounted or bag-phones could generate that kind of power because their power was variable (as is the hand held, as you indicated) from around 7 watts down to the hand held limit controlled by the cell site through the "business" or control frequency. Also some of the major cell service companies have on-line info available about cell phones and Cancer. One web site I found by Verizon Wireless seems to summarize what is known: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/aboutUs/wirelessissues/radioEmissions.jsp As you might have read there have been some court cases litigated by person(s) who have determined that their Cancer was caused by cell phone usage. To date none of these cases have been won by the litigant as all the scientific tests so far have not shown any causal effect. However, there is much on going scientific study which might (or might not) find some probable cause, someday. But, hey, what about those people who hang a BlueTooth device (it emits RF energy, too) on their ear and wear it all day long? A cell phone is only used occasionally, brought to the ear then put back on the belt or into the purse, or where ever it is stored. What about the effects of prolonged RF energy from the BT ear piece in direct contact with the ear/head? That will be another "story", won't it? Hope the above helps to answer your query. However, if you are looking for some more practical info as to how the cell sites "talk" with the cell phones to vary power, etc. and how the whole system works, I found a web site (can't vouch for its total accuracy though) which contains a wealth of info regarding the "inner-workings" of the cell system. It is located at: http://members.tripod.com/~peacecraft/infomining/cellphon.htm John Stahl Telecom/Data Consultant Aljon Enterprises ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 21:21:24 -0500 From: John Stahl Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer and Secret Words Pat, What the heck is the Secret Word? I can't find one in the last issue of Telecom Digest! John Stahl At 12/21/2006 09:03 PM, you wrote: > Your recent submission to TELECOM Digest was rejected. If you feel it > should be printed, please resubmit it with the Secret Word as part of > the subject line. > Editor, TELECOM Digest [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: First of all, thanks very much for your excellent item on Cell phone power radiation and cancer. Maybe your explanation along with Charles Gray's referral to the magazine article will suffice for _a long time_. Now regards the 'secret word'. I announced it here a long time ago, and the reason for not repeating it every day is that the spammers would pick up on it and use it as part of the headers in their spam. I will assure you, however, that your use of the Secret Word in the subject line of your message moves your message out of the queue and directly to the top of the list of messages to be printed. I trust in Spam Assassin, but I suspect it is a misplaced trust, since although about 300 items each day arrive and are deliberatly tossed into the spam bucket by the mail program here, an additional 200 or so fall into my 'legitimate' mail queue by virtue of the creative ways they have of spelling the word starting with /V/ having to do with sexual enhancement and the multitude of ways one can spell sex acts and male or female sex organs. No matter how many adjustments are made to Spam Assassin, there is always some way to get around it, and beat Spam Assassin at its own game. With my spam vrs. legit mail here running most days in excess of 95 percent, my decision was it will be easier to default it all to the spam bucket. And of course, a demand is made of me a hundred times of day to please re-open my (closed due to fraud) e-Bay, PayPal, or you name the bank credit card; just type in your social and credit card numbers via the imposter's cgi-bin and we will all be on the straight and narrow once again. So my response was simply to replace my autoack message with one saying 'your submission refused, etc' (see the example above you sent me). I do peek into the 'legitimate' mailbox however as time permits and pick out the known and familiar names and run their stuff anyway. But those folks who _do_ include the Secret Word get their (truly) legit mail forwarded yet another time to a place of honor here. About fifty years ago, on CBS Radio, there was a very humorous man named Groucho Marx with a program called 'You Bet Your Life'. Every day, Groucho had a guest; he and the guest would banter on various topics. At the start of each show however, the announcer would whisper to the studio and radio audience, "today, the Secret Word is 'telecom' (or whatever it happened to be)" and then in the course of the broadcast, if the special guest happened to use the Secret Word (for example in a sentence) all hell would break loose. A cuckoo bird flew up on the stage and flitted around, fireworks went off, the audience would yell and hoot, and Groucho, would stand there with a deadpan look on his face would say "you said the Secret Word" and give the guest a couple hundred dollars in prize money, taking it out of his own pocket. Many days, the guest did NOT say the secret word, that was fine if he did or did not say it. As often as not however, the guest did NOT say the secret word, a lot like most of my email these days. Groucho -- indeed all the Marx brothers -- were quite funny in their movies and on the radio; some of you must feel likewise about Spam, thinking that it is quite humorous. I see nothing funny about it at all. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Geoffrey Welsh Subject: Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 13:06:28 -0500 Organization: UseNetServer.com hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Associated Press News Wire wrote: >> Shugart helped pioneer the multibillion dollar hard drive industry, >> in which Seagate now holds the leading market position. He founded >> the company in 1979 and left in 1998. > Just a tiny clarification -- the hard disk drive was invented and > marketed by IBM 50 years ago, announced in their product line in Sept > 1956. IBM also invented the floppy disk as well. Shugart worked for IBM's storage division for some time before he started Shugart Associates. I presume the news article referred to his work at that time. > I understand IBM sold off its hard disk drive line recently; I don't > know why. Peripherals used to be quite profitable. IBM sold their hard drive manufacturing operations to Hitachi in 2003. The hard drive industry had become increasingly commoditized and highly competetive. Given the rapidly increasing demand for capacity and performance, I suspect that product life cycles were shrinking and R&D costs were skyrocketing. Some manufacturers (e.g. Micropolis) folded, some (e.g. Conner Peripherals) were absorbed, and some (e.g. Quantum) exited the hard drive business to focus on more profitable product lines. Geoffrey Welsh I'm a cynic. Optimists say the glass is half full, pessimists say the glass is half empty, and cynics observe that our education system can no longer produce purchasing managers who can order the correct size of glass. ------------------------------ From: AES Subject: Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:31:43 -0800 Organization: Stanford University In article , panoptes@iquest.net wrote: > Once tone dial was introduced, there certainly was never a requirement > that the tone generator be connected to the wall by a wire all the > way. The Apple Newton had that capability over ten years ago, and I > remember reports of other portable devices that could dial that way: Do I have a vague memory that a very early version of Now Contact -- or some other Mac application? -- could tone dial to a handset through the computer's built-in speaker? ------------------------------ From: Tom Horsley Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Organization: AT&T Worldnet Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:26:21 GMT On 20 Dec 2006 08:05:32 -0800 hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Some organizations change their passwords regularly. This makes it > hard for people to keep remembering them and IMHO actually makes > things worse by encouraging written passwords. In fact, the folks who do the Sarbanes-Oxley auditing seem to interpret the rules to mean that everyone absolutely must change passwords with fanatical frequency, thus insuring that every workstation in every corporate environment in the United States will have the password stuck to it with an easy to spot yellow sticky note :-). ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V25 #422 ******************************* From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Dec 22 21:50:04 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 701B222D2; Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:50:04 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #423 Message-Id: <20061223025004.701B222D2@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:50:04 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:50:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 423 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson No Typing not a Problem for 'The Hammer' Blogger (Donna Smith, Reuters) Boston Cardinal Launching Podcasts (Jim Finkle, Reuters) Vodafone Eyes Bid For India's Hutchison Essar (USTelecom dailyLead) How Apple Could Rock Wireless (Monty Solomon) An Apple Phone is no Slam-Dunk (Monty Solomon) A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection (Monty Solomon) To Catch Rule-Breakers, Schools Look Online (Monty Solomon) Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme (Tom Horsley) Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? (panoptes@iquest.net) Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? (DevilsPGD) Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? (davidesan@gmail.com) Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? (Ron Kritzman) Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies (Dave Garland) Re: Cell Phones and Cancer (Linc Madison) Re: Cell Phones and Cancer (Howard Eisenhauer) Re: Bill Would Rein in Cellphone Firms / More Rights (Lisa Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 13:01:02 -0600 From: Donna Smith, Reuters Subject: No Typing not a Problem for 'The Hammer' Blogger By Donna Smith Former U.S. Republican leader Tom DeLay, known as "The Hammer" for his tough tactics on Capitol Hill, hasn't nailed the art of typing but that's not keeping him from a new career as a blogger. The former U.S. House of Representatives leader's entry into the blogosphere brought an onslaught of nasty responses during a trial run on Sunday, December 10. "I guess liberals are the only ones around on Sunday afternoons and they inundated us with vile, nasty comments. We pulled it down and cleaned it up," DeLay told Reuters. In an interview, he said he writes out his submissions for http://www.tomdelay.com in long hand and leaves it to aides to do the online work. "I can't type, which is a disadvantage," DeLay said. "I come up with ideas." The blog was formally launched on Monday, December 11, with a call to action for conservatives in which he said his blog could serve a role. "Our liberal opponents would have Americans believe that they are becoming more conservative; that they are moderating their radical agenda so that they can claim to be the final arbiters of 'mainstream' political thought," DeLay wrote. "The time has come for a call to action for all conservatives to rededicate ourselves to our principles, to taking direct, grassroots, political action and work together to reclaim America," DeLay added. Once one of the most powerful politicians in Washington, DeLay was indicted on campaign finance-related charges and resigned from Congress this year. Delay's seat in the House of Representatives was one of those lost in November, when control of Congress slipped away to the Democrats. DeLay, who denies any wrongdoing, blamed Republican losses on a failure to communicate and said his blog will provide a forum for conservative commentary with links to other blogs on the Internet. DeLay also started the Grassroots Action and Information Network, which promises to be a force for the conservative movement "and a staunch opponent of secular progressive pressure groups and radical leftist agendas." The former owner of a pest-control company, Delay was first elected in 1984 in the "Republican revolution" that took control of the House in 1994 for the first time in 40 years. Closely allied with Christian conservatives, DeLay was a prodigious fund raiser and helped push Bush's agenda through Congress. Stephen Hess, a media expert at Brookings Institution, said blogging was a logical choice for the former congressman as he tries to reclaim power broker status. "Tom DeLay plans to be active and have a voice and when you make that decision, blogs are an opportunity, and when you think about it a very cheap one at that," Hess said. According to Technorati, a Web site that tracks blogs, there are currently about 63.2 million blogs on the Internet. Of those about 850,000 are tagged "politics." Technorati says some 175,000 new blogs are created every day. Experts say good bloggers can rise above the crowd to attract a devoted audience. Roger Simon, a novelist and screen writer who co-founded Pajamasmedia.com, said the blogosphere was a "brutal meritocracy" and offered this advice: "The blogs that are successful are written by people who can write." Micah Silfry, executive editor of Personal Democracy Forum, which examines the impact of technology on politics, said it is hard for politicians to become bloggers. They are used to talking at people, not to people, and to be successful they have to have real conversations, he said. "Politicians have figured out mostly defensive tactics to deal with the blogosphere, but not how to join it," Silfry added. DeLay said he was happy with the response to his blog. "It's pretty amazing," he said. "I am just knocked away by the number of people involved. ... People have a lot to say." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 13:10:33 -0600 From: Jim Finkle, Reuters Subject: Boston Cardinal Launching Podcasts By Jim Finkle Boston's Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the Internet-savvy leader of the fourth-largest U.S. Roman Catholic diocese, is bringing the church's 2,000-year-old message to the world's millions of iPod owners. O'Malley will become the first of the Catholic Church's 186 cardinals worldwide to launch a podcast and use the technology to reach followers, said Father Robert Reed, who runs a Web site that will distribute the podcasts, on Thursday. The cardinal, who already maintains his own blog, plans to deliver his first video message over the Web on Christmas Eve, issuing holiday greetings in English, Spanish and Portuguese that can be played on demand. That will be followed up next month with downloadable video podcasts. Podcasts are audio and video programs that can be downloaded from the Internet and played on iPods and other digital media players. The Archdiocese of Boston has turned to the Web to unify its followers and help repair its damaged image after a pedophile priest scandal that erupted in 2002 in Boston and spread to other U.S. dioceses, sparking hundreds of lawsuits. Last month, it launched a password-protected Intranet computer network that links the cardinal with about 800 priests in Massachusetts. He's also issued them e-mail accounts. "He embraces technology," said Reed, who is director of Catholic TV, a cable TV station in Massachusetts. The station recently launched http://www.iCatholic.com, which will feature podcasts, video-on-demand programming and a live stream of Catholic TV. O'Malley, 62, was named to run Boston's troubled Catholic church in 2003. He wears the plain brown habit and rope belt of his Capuchin order, founded in the 16th century as an offshoot of the Franciscan Order. In September, he became the first U.S. cardinal to launch a blog, http://www.cardinalseansblog.org , where he posts photos and messages describing his activities each week. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 11:04:50 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Vodafone Eyes Bid For India's Hutchison Essar USTelecom dailyLead December 22, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fGbsfDtusXiEptCibuddELAj TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Vodafone eyes bid for India's Hutchison Essar BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * BT awards $1 billion outsourcing contract to Indian firm * Top telecom, cable firms add 2.5 million broadband subs * AT&T brings U-verse to Bay Area * Motorola enhances ability to deliver video with Tut buy * RIM's third-quarter profit rises 47% * EarthLink launches Wi-Fi in two more cities TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Growth surge seen for mobile social networks * What was big for mobile in 2006 VOIP DOWNLOAD * Google teams with VoIP for click-to-talk EDITOR'S NOTE * The dailyLead will not be published Monday Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fGbsfDtusXiEptCibuddELAj ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 14:50:49 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: How Apple Could Rock Wireless How Apple could rock wireless: Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and LG might be secretly rooting for the Apple phone to be a (minor) hit. By Stephanie Mehta, Fortune senior writer NEW YORK (Fortune) -- If Steve Jobs' Apple decides to build a wireless phone, as widely rumored, the company has the chance to shake up not just the wireless device business -- an industry dominated by the likes of Motorola and Nokia -- it also could upend the entire wireless distribution model in the United States. We know very little about the Apple's plans for a cell phone. Apple (Charts) isn't talking ("We don't comment on rumor and speculation," a spokesman told me) but we do know that wireless represents a huge opportunity -- and threat -- for Apple, and every other consumer electronics and computer maker. Wireless phone makers increasingly are adding MP3 players to their devices, with the capability to download songs over the air. It certainly makes sense for Apple to want a piece of this action. How Apple makes this happen is a topic of great swirl in tech and telecom circles. UBS telecom analyst John Hodulik recently published a report positing that Apple would seek to become a virtual phone company, buying airtime wholesale from Cingular and reselling wireless service, along with its new phone, sometime in the first quarter of 2007. Other rumors have Apple building a phone with built-in Wi-Fi service that would allow customers to make calls and download data and music from the free or cheap Wi-Fi networks proliferating in urban and suburban settings, bypassing traditional cellular networks. Both scenarios underscore Jobs' aversion to ceding control to telcos such as Cingular, Verizon (Charts), T-Mobile and Sprint (Charts), which exercise huge control over the entire wireless food chain in the U.S. http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/15/technology/pluggedin_mehta_iphone.fortune/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 15:09:01 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: An Apple Phone is No Slam-Dunk An Apple phone is no slam-dunk The wireless world can be a harsh place. Just ask Sony, says Fortune's Stephanie Mehta. By Stephanie N. Mehta, Fortune senior writer December 22 2006: 11:31 AM EST NEW YORK (Fortune) -- A well-regarded computer and consumer-electronics maker plunges into the competitive wireless market with a combination music player/cell phone. The company's loyal users can barely wait to try the new gadget, and analysts predict the device will deliver on the long-promised marriage of music and mobility. We're describing, of course, a phone Sony made for Japan's NTT DoCoMo, circa 2000. But you'd be forgiven for thinking we were talking about Apple's rumored wireless phone, which could be launched as early as next month. It turns out that Sony's wireless experience is a cautionary tale for any consumer electronics maker - including Apple - trying to make the move into the cell phone business. Sony stumbled badly with its music player/phone, and in May 2001 DoCoMo recalled 40,000 of the handsets due to software glitches. (One phone reportedly shut down if the user was listening to music when the phone rang.) Then, another Japanese operator recalled more than 500,000 Sony Internet-capable handsets. A few months later, Sony entered a joint venture with established telecom player Ericsson, in part, executives of the venture say, to gain much-needed wireless expertise. The alliance, Sony Ericsson, today is the No. 4 maker of wireless phones, after Nokia, Motorola and Samsung. http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/22/technology/pluggedin_mehta_apple_phone.fortune/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 19:42:36 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection =================================================== Peter Gutmann, pgut001@cs.auckland.ac.nz http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.txt Last updated 22 December 2006 Executive Summary ----------------- Windows Vista includes an extensive reworking of core OS elements in order to provide content protection for so-called "premium content", typically HD data from Blu-Ray and HD-DVD sources. Providing this protection incurs considerable costs in terms of system performance, system stability, technical support overhead, and hardware and software cost. These issues affect not only users of Vista but the entire PC industry, since the effects of the protection measures extend to cover all hardware and software that will ever come into contact with Vista, even if it's not used directly with Vista (for example hardware in a Macintosh computer or on a Linux server). This document analyses the cost involved in Vista's content protection, and the collateral damage that this incurs throughout the computer industry. http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.txt ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 19:45:30 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: To Catch Rule-Breakers, Schools Look Online Photos show athletes using alcohol, drugs By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff | December 22, 2006 High schools across Massachusetts are threatening to punish athletes if they are spotted drinking alcohol or using drugs in photos or videos posted on MySpace , YouTube , or other online sites. School officials say they are enforcing existing bans on smoking or drinking, and turning to online sites to catch the rule-breakers. In at least 20 high schools across the state, principals are warning athletes that they will punish them for behavior caught online , according to the state's secondary school principals group and athletic association. The two groups estimate that dozens of schools are using this tactic. Several schools have suspended students from games. Woburn High School suspended a handful of athletes from two practices and one game last spring after police recognized the athletes holding cans of beer in photographs posted on MySpace. This year, Newton South High School notified athletes they could be suspended if captured breaking the rules in photographs or video online. Schools generally do not punish nonathletes for behavior outside school, but the 175,000 student athletes in Massachusetts must follow a code of conduct that bans drug and alcohol use during the season. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association , which governs school sports, requires schools to, at a minimum, suspend first offenders for 25 percent of the games and subsequent offenders for 60 percent. Individual schools can set tougher rules, including removing students from teams or enforcing the rules year-round. Schools already have been warning students to be careful about what they post online, but punishing athletes for misdeeds online is a more aggressive approach. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/22/to_catch_rule_breakers_schools_look_online/ ------------------------------ From: Tom Horsley Subject: Re: High School Student Charged in Computer Hacking Scheme Organization: AT&T Worldnet Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:26:21 GMT On 20 Dec 2006 08:05:32 -0800 hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Some organizations change their passwords regularly. This makes it > hard for people to keep remembering them and IMHO actually makes > things worse by encouraging written passwords. In fact, the folks who do the Sarbanes-Oxley auditing seem to interpret the rules to mean that everyone absolutely must change passwords with fanatical frequency, thus insuring that every workstation in every corporate environment in the United States will have the password stuck to it with an easy to spot yellow sticky note :-). ------------------------------ From: panoptes@iquest.net Subject: Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? Date: 22 Dec 2006 07:44:18 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com AES wrote: > Do I have a vague memory that a very early version of Now Contact -- or > some other Mac application? -- could tone dial to a handset through the > computer's built-in speaker? Could you be thinking of Claris Organizer (which definitely has that capability)? ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? Organization: Disorganized Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 06:16:39 GMT In message panoptes@iquest.net wrote: > This seems odd, but it would have the advantage that there is no chance > of a mis-dial. I wouldn't know whether any such advertiser actually > bothered. I'm pretty sure TV audio would have been able to produce > those dialing tones accurately enough. TVs certainly could transmit the frequency accurately enough. However, whether it would travel across the room and into your handset is debatable, unless you have your TV cranked way up, or you place the microphone extremely close. > Once tone dial was introduced, there certainly was never a requirement > that the tone generator be connected to the wall by a wire all the > way. The Apple Newton had that capability over ten years ago, and I > remember reports of other portable devices that could dial that way: > http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.09/09.11/Nov93Editorial/index.html And on the more modern side, most Palm devices have sufficient audio capability to dial a phone held near the PDA ... A whole new dimension to blueboxing, were the billing loopholes not closed years ago ... http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&prodID=47441 Boom. Boom boom boom. Boom boom. BOOM. Have a nice day. -- Susan Ivanova, B5 ------------------------------ From: davidesan@gmail.com Subject: Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? Date: 22 Dec 2006 07:47:07 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com HOWARD PIERPONT wrote: > Dear Mr. Professor, the Exalted One, Pat Townson: > In the mid 90s I was an active reader of the Digest and my association > still shows in many Google searches [I worked for Digital Equipment at > the time]. VAXclusters with food nodes SNAX etc. > On of the Portland radio folk today mentioned the early 90s and 900 > numbers in his show today. His claim was some television advertisers > would encourage you to hold the handset to the phone and the broadcast > the tones and actually dial the 900 number. > Do I just not remember this or was it never real? I check SNOPES and > didn't see a reference. Telcomm has so many references, thankfully. I > figured I'd go to the Master! > Howard Pierpont > Retired DEC/Intel > Hillsboro OR I remember that the ad would come on TV, and at the end of the ad it would tell the audience to hold their phones up to the TV and the DTMF tones would be played and the call would be completed. But darned if I can remember what it was for. At some point I think it was for a children's product and it got rapidly banned since it was a long distance (or maybe a 900 call) and how were children supposed to understand that. I also vaguely remember it for one of those adult chat lines ads that came on during the late, late movie. I would suspect that this is somewhere in the archives, but the search could be fairly daunting. Happy Solstice. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 12:58:33 -0600 From: Ron Kritzman Subject: Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? HOWARD PIERPONT wrote: > .... His claim was some television advertisers > would encourage you to hold the handset to the phone and the broadcast > the tones and actually dial the 900 number ... In my many years in the answering service and paging business and even more years in ham radio I've seen it all. Dialing by sound is possible but not terribly reliable. When there were still a lot of dial phones around there were hand held boxes that played tones into the phone mouthpiece to allow you to check your voicemail or send digits to a pager. The ones that worked the best had nice sized speakers and a rubber seal. Most of the time the problem was twist. The combination of the speaker, the mouthpiece and the crummy phone line would make the two tones arrive at the destination at unequal amplitude. Today's DSP doesn't care much, but the toroid cores and finicky AGC of those days couldn't handle much more than a few DB difference between the tones. - Ron Emoveray ethay Igpay Atinlay otay eplyray ------------------------------ From: Dave Garland Subject: Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 03:19:30 -0600 Organization: Wizard Information It was a dark and stormy night when hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > I understand IBM sold off its hard disk drive line recently; I don't > know why. Peripherals used to be quite profitable. Whether there's a connection or not, I don't know. But they sold the line to Hitachi shortly after what appeared to be defects in their 60GXP and 75GXP models of drives. These "DeskStar" drives had become widely known as "DeathStar" drives, due to drive failures. Dave ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 11:48:35 -0800 From: Linc Madison Organization: Linc Mad dot com In article , John Stahl wrote: > But, hey, what about those people who hang a BlueTooth device (it > emits RF energy, too) on their ear and wear it all day long? A cell > phone is only used occasionally, brought to the ear then put back on > the belt or into the purse, or where ever it is stored. What about > the effects of prolonged RF energy from the BT ear piece in direct > contact with the ear/head? That will be another "story", won't it? Actually, no. The cellphone itself has to talk to the cell tower, which might be several kilometers away; the BlueTooth device only has to communicate over a range of a couple of meters. Even with 24/7 exposure, you'd need aeons to have detectable effects. The risk is somewhere up there with being eaten by Martians. Of course, the real answer to people who worry about the radiation from their cellphones is to use a wired hands-free kit. If you have the cellphone at arm's length instead of right next to your skull, the radiation risk goes from negligible to super-duper-extra-negligible. Seriously, it's trivial to reduce the cellphone radiation strength reaching your brain a millionfold or more -- not that the risk at full strength is anything to worry about to begin with. Linc Madison * San Francisco, California * Telecom at Linc Mad d0t c0m URL: < http://www.lincmad.com > * North American Area Codes & Splits Read my political blog, "The Third Path" US, California, and Washington State laws apply to LINCMAD.COM e-mail. ------------------------------ From: Howard Eisenhauer Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 00:48:53 GMT For a rather complete, if not quite up to date, list of studies, what they reported and if anyone was able to replicate the results have a look here: http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/cell-phone-health-faq/toc.html H. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Bill Would Rein in Cellphone Firms / More Rights Sought For Users Date: 22 Dec 2006 12:03:08 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Monty Solomon wrote: > By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff | December 20, 2006 > Now Michael W. Morrissey, the Senate chairman of the Joint Committee > on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy, is putting forth > legislation to impose new regulations on cellular phone companies to > make them more responsive to consumers. > In addition, the legislation would allow customers with poor service > to terminate their contract with their cellphone company without > having to pay hefty penalties. Definitely needed. I suspect the companies have a pretty good idea of how well their networks actually perform in service. However, according to the cell phone articles in I&T magazine (previously posted), a part of the problem is the ever higher consumer demand for cell phone service and the finite space of radio frequencies. The more 'tricks' they do to compress signals and squeeze in more conversations the more risk there is of trouble. With the coded digital transmission on a common frequency, if there happens to be no available space, the call becomes hung. (I&T said calls are interspersed between silent periods of conversations.) I don't think they anticpated the massive demand for cell phone service. It was one thing for business people to get and individuals to get it "for emergencies". But now families give a phone to all their kids, even young ones, and the texting and voice consume channels. (Apparently the data (all non-voice) transmissions can be sent on a delayed basis which makes them easier to accomodate.) ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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End of TELECOM Digest V25 #423 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Dec 24 00:47:37 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 9A48F22E6; Sun, 24 Dec 2006 00:47:36 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #424 Message-Id: <20061224054736.9A48F22E6@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 00:47:36 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 24 Dec 2006 00:50:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 424 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Do You Know Your 'Terror Score'? Think You Don't Have One? (Alex Marks) OnLine Sites Offer Help for Holiday Grief (Lisa Baertlein, Reuters) Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans (Sharon Gaudin, CMP) AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (AES) Re: Cell Phones and Cancer (T) Re: Cell Phones and Cancer (DevilsPGD) Re: Cell Phones and Cancer (mc) Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? (www.Queensbridge.us) Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies (T) Re: Bill Would Rein in Cellphone Firms / More Rights (DevilsPGD) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:54:44 -0600 From: Alexandra Marks - Christian Science Monitor Subject: Do You Know Your 'Terror Score'? Think You Don't Have One? Dispute over 'terror scores' for airline travelers Supporters of the federal system say it's necessary in the terror war. Privacy advocates aren't persuaded. By Alexandra Marks | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor NEW YORK -- Do you know your terror score? Think you don't have one? You may, if you've traveled internationally during the past four years. And that is generating a growing controversy both in the United States and abroad. The Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been quietly assigning travelers, both American and foreign, on international flights a score that's designed to identify high-risk travelers. It's derived from a set of criteria, such as where you're from and whether you have a habit of buying one-way tickets and paying with cash. CBP officials call the program, which was implemented with little public notice and no congressional approval, a crucial tool to protect the nation. They describe it as a kind of extra electronic border that has the potential to catch terrorists and criminals before they get to an actual border crossing. "Without a system like this, we would in many ways be blind to potential threats before they arrive," says Jarrod Agen, a DHS spokesman. But some congressional leaders, privacy advocates, and travel executives believe it's an unparalleled use of data-mining to invade individuals' privacy. Some European leaders also object, claiming the program - called the Automated Targeting System (ATS) - violates a privacy agreement worked out between the US and the European Union. Opponents are calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to suspend the program until privacy concerns can be addressed. They say the key problem with ATS is that there's no way for individual to determine that he or she has been flagged. CBP can also share the information it's collected with other government agencies, other governments, and even private contractors. And CBP can keep the data up to 40 years. "For the first time, a dossier is being built on me and every other innocent citizen that tracks information on them," says Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition in Radnor, Pa. "To add insult to injury ... they say they're keeping the data for 40 years -- just in case Kevin Mitchell -- whose profile is not threatening at the moment -- has some kind of ties to a terrorist organization in the future." The controversy over ATS erupted after privacy advocates at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) found an obscure notice about it in the Federal Register last month. In the notice, which is required under the 1974 Privacy Act, DHS says that its data collection system "does not identify or create any new collection of information, rather DHS is providing additional notice and transparency of the functionality of these systems." In fact, the data collection system has been in place since the mid-1990s, says CBP spokesman Pat Jones. It was started as a way to help interdict drug shipments and smugglers and was carried out by the Treasury Department. After 9/11, it was enhanced to include potential terrorists, and it was eventually moved to CBP, according to Mr. Jones. "The information that we've got is not invasive. How someone pays for their plane ticket I don't think is an invasion of anyone's privacy," he says. "These issues always involve some kind of a balance." But privacy advocates contend the issue is far more complex. EFF's lead counsel, David Sobel, notes that prior to the publication of the November notice, the only public mention of ATS said that it was used to target and assess cargo shipments, not people. "Congress didn't know they were doing this. Even DHS's own inspector general in a report issued this summer didn't realize they were using this to target passengers," he says. The Transportation Security Administration has been trying to put together a similar data collection system to check air passengers for years, Mr. Sobel and other privacy advocates note. That system, called Secure Flight, has been tabled by DHS until privacy concerns raised by Congress can be addressed. Mr. Mitchell of the Business Travel Coalition says that while he and others were testifying before Congress about problems with Secure Flight, DHS was quietly collecting almost the same kind of information. And unlike Secure Flight, which is designed to "ping data" and then expunge it, the ATS data is saved in a data bank. "None of us knew this was going on behind our backs," says Mitchell. "This looks like it was done because [other data-mining systems failed] and Secure Flight's in trouble." Some congressional leaders, including Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) of Vermont, have pledged to hold hearings on ATS. "Databanks like this are overdue for oversight, and that is going to change in the new Congress," Senator Leahy said in a statement. For now, DHS is standing by its program and says it has no plans to suspend it for further public scrutiny. "You tell [privacy advocates] when they're able to persuade the bad guys to announce when they're coming into the country, we won't need a system like this," says Jones of CBP. Copyright 2006 Christian Science Publishing Society. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Christian Science Monitor, the New York Times and National Public Radio, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/nytimes.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 23:03:09 -0600 From: Lisa Baertlein, Reuters Subject: OnLine Sites Offer Help for Holiday Grief By Lisa Baertlein As excitement over the holidays builds so does the dread for millions of people grieving loved ones, sparking a rush to Web sites offering advice on how to cope with what can be a blizzard of emotions. David Kessler, who co-wrote the book "On Grief and Grieving" with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of the groundbreaking end-of-life book "On Death and Dying," gets more e-mails this time of the year and said it's normal to feel a little extra pain and sorrow if someone you love has died. "The holidays, since we were children were about togetherness and loss is the opposite of togetherness," said Kessler, who lists grief resources and tips on coping with holidays on Web site http://www.davidkessler.org/html/holidays.html. For those in the grip of loss, anticipating holidays can be the fraught with pain and anxiety. Kessler advises people to accept invitations, to light a candle for loved ones, to share memories and to talk to friends who listen without passing judgment or offering advice. Above all, he encouraged people to remember that there is no right way to grieve. "Grief doesn't take a holiday," Noreen Carrington, director of the Center for Grief Care and Education at San Diego Hospice, said in a statement. Still, she and others said you can take a break from the holidays -- if that's what feels right: "Don't be afraid to make changes this year. Sometimes it can be very stressful to keep up with holiday traditions when a loved one has died. Whatever you choose to do this year may be different next year, and that's okay." Cendra Lynn founded the online community http://GriefNet.org, which operates 24 hours a day and has various support groups. There are groups for people who have lost a spouse or partner, a child, a parent, a sibling or a friend, as well as those dealing with health-related losses or supporting the bereaved. Its site for children is at http://www.kidsaid.com. "When we are bereaved we are comforted most by those who have suffered a similar loss. With them we know we are understood, that we are safe to experience the multiple aspects of our grief," Lynn said in a note to users. In the United States, two to three million people died last year. About 200,000 people have loved ones who will die during this holiday season. "While we are celebrating, they're sitting by a bedside," said Kessler. For those who will be spending time with people who are dealing with loss, Kessler says: "Allow them to grieve. Don't try to cheer them up. Know it's a situation that can't be fixed. The greatest gift you can give them is your presence." In its holiday section, http://Bereavement.net reminds people not to feel guilty if they find themselves enjoying the holiday. "Having a good time does not mean that you have forgotten your loved one," the site said. Copyright - 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 23:05:43 -0600 From: Sharon Gaudin Subject: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans By Sharon Gaudin, InformationWeek A report out of the U.K. contends that in about 50 years, robots will be given the same rights as humans and even will be expected to vote and pay taxes. The report was a team effort of analysts at Outsights, a U.K.-based management consultancy, and Ipsos Mori, a U.K.-based opinion research organization. The study was sponsored by the British government. What will push governments to give rights to inanimate objects or what are now considered to be pieces of property? The achievement of artificial intelligence will be critical, according to the report. "If artificial intelligence is achieved and widely deployed (or if they can reproduce and improve themselves), calls may be made for human rights to be extended to robots," the report notes. "If so, this may be balanced with citizen responsibilities, like voting and paying taxes." The report argues that there will be a "monumental shift" in coming years when robots get to the point where they can reproduce, improve themselves or gain artificial intelligence. The granting of human-like rights would then call for robots to be given human-like responsibilities, as well. The report says they might even have compulsory military service. "Humankind could engage in spirited debates as to how humans, animals and robots rank with respect to rights and responsibilities in our world," the report states. "Robots with advanced artificial intelligence could promote the development of schools of thought that see the human brain as nothing more than a special type of computer." Copyright - 2006 CMP Media LLC. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines of interest, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ From: AES Subject: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 16:31:22 -0800 Organization: Stanford University Just got several mailings re our AT&T residential service in Palo Alto/Stanford CA area announcing *big* rate increases on POTS service: 5% to 10% increases on package plans, up to 30% each on a long list of individual features (Caller ID, Call Waiting, etc. etc). What's going on here? Response to more and more people shifting to VOIP is to _raise_ their POTS rates? (especially on automated features) What's the agenda behind this? ------------------------------ From: T Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 00:00:47 -0500 In article , lincmad@suespammers.org says ... > In article , John Stahl > wrote: >> But, hey, what about those people who hang a BlueTooth device (it >> emits RF energy, too) on their ear and wear it all day long? A cell >> phone is only used occasionally, brought to the ear then put back on >> the belt or into the purse, or where ever it is stored. What about >> the effects of prolonged RF energy from the BT ear piece in direct >> contact with the ear/head? That will be another "story", won't it? > Actually, no. The cellphone itself has to talk to the cell tower, > which might be several kilometers away; the BlueTooth device only has > to communicate over a range of a couple of meters. Even with 24/7 > exposure, you'd need aeons to have detectable effects. The risk is > somewhere up there with being eaten by Martians. > Of course, the real answer to people who worry about the radiation > from their cellphones is to use a wired hands-free kit. If you have > the cellphone at arm's length instead of right next to your skull, the > radiation risk goes from negligible to super-duper-extra-negligible. > Seriously, it's trivial to reduce the cellphone radiation strength > reaching your brain a millionfold or more -- not that the risk at full > strength is anything to worry about to begin with. Power drops at the square of the distance if I'm correct. ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer Organization: Disorganized Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 16:11:23 GMT In message Linc Madison wrote: > Of course, the real answer to people who worry about the radiation > from their cellphones is to use a wired hands-free kit. If you have > the cellphone at arm's length instead of right next to your skull, the > radiation risk goes from negligible to super-duper-extra-negligible. > Seriously, it's trivial to reduce the cellphone radiation strength > reaching your brain a millionfold or more -- not that the risk at full > strength is anything to worry about to begin with. Of course you'll get some radiation-kooks who say that a wired headset amplifies rather then reduces the risk as it not only carries the radiation up to your ear, but it acts like an antenna and picks up additional radiation and channels it to your ear too. Personally, I'm waiting for Penn and Teller to take on the cell phone radiation kooks (And if anyone misses the reference, see http://www.tv.com/search.php?qs=penn+and+teller&type=11&stype=all ) When you're arguing with a fool, make sure he isn't doing the same thing. ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 22:28:42 -0500 Howard Eisenhauer wrote in message news:telecom25.423.15@telecom-digest.org: > For a rather complete, if not quite up to date, list of studies, what > they reported and if anyone was able to replicate the results have a > look here: > http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/cell-phone-health-faq/toc.html Thanks. One important factor is that exposure varies tremendously from person to person. I use my cell phone an average of maybe 2 minutes per day. But an increasing number of young people seem to go around with "cell phone glued to ear" -- in the virtual presence of a distant friend continuously, not necessarily even talking! Has anyone else noticed this? Even with handheld phones, not just earphones. ------------------------------ From: www.Queensbridge.us Subject: Re: Urban Legend or Never Before Heard of Truth? Date: 22 Dec 2006 20:12:18 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Ron Kritzman wrote: > HOWARD PIERPONT wrote: > In my many years in the answering service and paging business and even > more years in ham radio I've seen it all. Dialing by sound is possible > but not terribly reliable. When there were still a lot of dial phones > around there were hand held boxes that played tones into the phone > mouthpiece to allow you to check your voicemail or send digits to a > pager. When staying with relatives out of town, I carry a dialer with pre-programmed number for my home TADs, important numbers I may want to call back home, OneSuite access and pin code etc. I have also programmed my OneSuite account with relatives home number, so if I call from there, OneSuite will not ask for PIN when I call access numner. I don't usually use my cell phone to call back home as I am on a pre-pay by-the-minute plan and keep my chats down to five dollars a month. ------------------------------ From: T Subject: Re: Disk Drive Pioneer Al Sugart Dies Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 23:59:20 -0500 In article , dave.garland@wizinfo.com says: > It was a dark and stormy night when hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: >> I understand IBM sold off its hard disk drive line recently; I don't >> know why. Peripherals used to be quite profitable. > Whether there's a connection or not, I don't know. But they sold the > line to Hitachi shortly after what appeared to be defects in their > 60GXP and 75GXP models of drives. These "DeskStar" drives had become > widely known as "DeathStar" drives, due to drive failures. > Dave Oh yes, I remember the DeathStar disks. Lost a number of them on critical machines. ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Bill Would Rein in Cellphone Firms / More Rights Sought For Users Organization: Disorganized Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 16:11:24 GMT In message hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > I don't think they anticpated the massive demand for cell phone > service. It was one thing for business people to get and individuals > to get it "for emergencies". But now families give a phone to all > their kids, even young ones, and the texting and voice consume > channels. (Apparently the data (all non-voice) transmissions can be > sent on a delayed basis which makes them easier to accomodate.) The big bonus here is that jitter isn't a factor -- Having an additional 400ms delay on a voice call is extremely disruptive, having the same on a data transmission is barely noticeable. This allows a wireless network to accommodate data traffic much easier then voice, at least until someone starts running VoIP over a cell phone's data ... When you're arguing with a fool, make sure he isn't doing the same thing. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. 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End of TELECOM Digest V25 #424 ****************************** No Digest published on Christmas, December 25. From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Dec 26 21:02:36 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 0AE0E22A3; Tue, 26 Dec 2006 21:02:35 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #425 Message-Id: <20061227020235.0AE0E22A3@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2006 21:02:35 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 26 Dec 2006 21:05:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 425 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Dash and Treo 680 Have Bargain Prices If You Can Compromise (Monty Solomon) Emailing to a Computer-Free Zone (Monty Solomon) New Earphone Devices Let You Go Cordless On iPod, Cellphone (Monty Solomon) But They Never Say 'Can You Hear Me Now?' (Monty Solomon) 2006: A Year For M&As (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Cell Phones and Cancer (Dave Garland) Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (T) Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (Steven J. Sobol) Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (Sam Spade) Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (Rick Blaine) Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans (T) Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans (mc) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2006 20:15:12 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Dash and Treo 680 Have Bargain Prices, If You Can Compromise By Walter S. Mossberg For years, Palm's Treo smart phones have set the standard for combining a good phone and a great data device into one relatively small package that also sports a full keyboard for typing email. But the Treo is being strongly challenged by a bunch of new rivals that are thinner, lighter and less expensive. The slender Motorola Q, despite software that is markedly inferior to that of the Treo 700p, is wooing some users because it is much slimmer and now can be had for just $99, versus $299 for the Treo. The Nokia E62 is about the size of the Q and also costs just $99 these days. The tiny BlackBerry Pearl is just $199. And Samsung has introduced the skinny BlackJack for $199, too. So, this month, Palm is striking back with a lighter, thinner, cheaper model of its own, the Treo 680, which is being offered by Cingular Wireless at $199. Meanwhile, T-Mobile has introduced a new slim, light competitor called the Dash. It has built-in Wi-Fi wireless networking to supplement the slower cellphone data network. And it costs just $149. I've been testing the new Treo and the Dash. Both are OK, but neither is as good as it could be. The new Treo still has great software, but it makes some compromises and still fails to match the new competitors in slimness, lightness or price. The Dash has very nice hardware, but is hampered by lousy software. http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20061130.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2006 20:02:58 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Emailing to a Computer-Free Zone By Walter S. Mossberg and Katherine Boehret To many of us, the Internet is an essential part of our daily lives, whether we're communicating by email, chatting via instant messaging or surfing the Web for research or entertainment. But to some friends and family who don't own computers or aren't comfortable going online, the Internet can come off as a club that pulls its users closer together while causing others to feel left out. For the analog grandfather who wishes he could see the digital vacation photos that everyone else in the family emails to one another, or the beloved aunt who just can't or won't get an email address, one company thinks it has a solution: turn emails and digital photos into paper documents, automatically, without a computer. Presto! This week, we tested a new service called Presto that works with a special Hewlett-Packard printer called the Printing Mailbox. After setup, the user is assigned a Presto.com email address to which friends and family send text emails or photos. But the owner of this gadget doesn't need a computer, and never has to go online to retrieve emails. The Printing Mailbox automatically and periodically dials into the Internet using a regular phone line, retrieves all messages sent to it -- including photos -- and prints them out. Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Printing Mailbox costs $150. The accompanying Presto service http://www.presto.com from Presto Services Inc. costs about $10 monthly or $100 annually. The printer doesn't work without Presto, making it useless if you stop the service. The Presto plan includes optional free subscriptions to various articles and puzzles, which print out in addition to any emails that you receive. You set up and manage the account via a Web site accessed from a computer, a task intended to be performed on the owner's behalf by a friend or relative. http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20061220.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2006 19:59:44 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: New Earphone Devices Let You Go Cordless On iPods, Cellphones By Walter S. Mossberg Wireless earphones are becoming quite common. You often see cellphone users walking down the street with the alien-like appendages protruding from an ear. And even in the world of iPods, where the famous white earbud cord still rules, a half-dozen or more wireless headphones have been introduced. But there are problems with going cord-free. In the case of cellphone wireless headsets, loud street and crowd noises make it hard to hear. And the wireless iPod headphones have been big, bulky units of unremarkable audio quality. Now, some wireless earphones address those problems. For cellphones, a new wireless headset called Jawbone promises to filter out all that background noise. For iPods, new wireless earphones called Ety8 promise to bring small size and great sound quality to the wireless category. Both products use Bluetooth wireless technology to transmit audio from the device to the ear. I've been testing these two new products and have found that each lives up to its claims. Both are advances that have real advantages over the more standard cord-free competitors. But each also has some drawbacks that might deter some folks from using them. http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20061221.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2006 13:18:28 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: But They Never Say 'Can You Hear Me Now?' But they never say 'Can you hear me now?' Cellphone firms say tests ensure quality, data remain private By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff | December 25, 2006 WESTBOROUGH -- In real life, the "Can you hear me now?" guy never actually utters the catchphrase. Instead, Verizon Wireless engineer Marc Lefevre logs 3,000 miles a month on New England highways while an arsenal of phones in the backseat makes calls, playing recordings of phrases like, "These days a chicken leg is a rare dish," while the computer on the other end of the line analyzes audio quality. All of the major cellphone carriers use drive tests to find dead zones, map signal strength, and count dropped calls. And all claim to offer superior service. Verizon Wireless boasts "the most reliable wireless network," Cingular Wireless claims "the fewest dropped calls," and the Sprint Nextel network calls itself "the nation's most powerful network." But the copious data gathered by the companies is not available to consumers, and advertising claims based on studies by third parties have led to contentious legal battles. Last week, state Senator Michael W. Morrissey, a Boston Democrat, began a push for more transparency. http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2006/12/25/but_they_never_say_can_you_hear_me_now/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2006 10:26:35 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: 2006: A Year For M&As USTelecom dailyLead December 26, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fQngfDtusXiVcOCibuddsUvM TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * 2006: A year for M&As BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * 2007 to bring heightened competition between telecoms and cable * Ads to appear on Verizon mobile phones * Analysis: The rise and rise of Leap Wireless * SK Telecom to cut mobile Internet rate * Verizon plans BlackJack-like device * Net growth poses '07 challenge for media HOT TOPICS * CenturyTel to buy Madison River * Ericsson to acquire Redback Networks * AT&T offers lower-cost voice packages * BellSouth reduces price of fastest DSL service * FCC official won't vote on AT&T-BellSouth merger TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Mobile momentum set to continue REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC ruling may help Verizon's FiOS rollout Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fQngfDtusXiVcOCibuddsUvM ------------------------------ From: Dave Garland Subject: Re: Cell Phones and Cancer Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 00:41:13 -0600 Organization: Wizard Information It was a dark and stormy night when T wrote: > Power drops at the square of the distance if I'm correct. For a point source, it does. For a line source, it drops as the distance. E.g. the emissions from a power line. For a plane source, it doesn't drop at all. E.g. a source that fills your field of vision. I'd expect a cell phone antenna to approximate a point source when it's at a foot or so distance. An inch from your head, it probably drops less rapidly (in the nearby area). Dave ------------------------------ From: T Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 08:46:57 -0500 In article , siegman@stanford.edu says: > Just got several mailings re our AT&T residential service in Palo > Alto/Stanford CA area announcing *big* rate increases on POTS service: > 5% to 10% increases on package plans, up to 30% each on a long list of > individual features (Caller ID, Call Waiting, etc. etc). > What's going on here? Response to more and more people shifting to > VOIP is to _raise_ their POTS rates? (especially on automated > features) > What's the agenda behind this? It sure looks that way. I've heard through the grapevine that Verizon has lost approximately one third of it's business since 1996. Verizon is also seeking rate increases and sending out 'come back' offers that are just short of ridiculous considering what they're offering. Right now my Vonage unlimited account costs me a total of $33 a month once all the damned fees are added in. Yes, we pay taxes, E-911, etc. because the incumbents bitched about it and so now we get to share in the joy. But the same service from Verizon would cost me $90 a month so I'll swallow the pill without too much complaint. ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 19:31:03 UTC Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com In article , AES wrote: > What's going on here? Response to more and more people shifting to > VOIP is to _raise_ their POTS rates? (especially on automated > features) > What's the agenda behind this? My guess: the company screwing over people just as they always have. AT&T has a VoIP service, but they can't just ignore it like they do POTS. How much do you think they actually invest in their copper plant? Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows Victorville, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room. ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 01:19:41 -0800 Organization: Cox AES wrote: > Just got several mailings re our AT&T residential service in Palo > Alto/Stanford CA area announcing *big* rate increases on POTS service: > 5% to 10% increases on package plans, up to 30% each on a long list of > individual features (Caller ID, Call Waiting, etc. etc). > What's going on here? Response to more and more people shifting to > VOIP is to _raise_ their POTS rates? (especially on automated > features) > What's the agenda behind this? Those folks run on the same mentality as the Post Office (aka United States Postal "Service"). The Postal Service has seen its first class mail revenues fail significantly. So, they raise rates to force revenues to remain relatively stable. Caller ID, for example, is terribly overpriced by the wireline carriers. It is part of standard service with wireless and VOIP service providers. In the case of California those funny folks called the PUC have hated Caller ID since its inception (remember, they were the nut cases that sued the FCC to stop the implementation of Caller ID). So, if Pacific Telephone, a unit of AT&T, nay Pacific Bell, nay SBC, nay AT&T wanted to charge $40 a month for Caller ID, the PUC would approve it. It is like a cigerette tax to those folks. ------------------------------ From: Rick Blaine Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 07:19:48 -0700 Organization: Rick's Place Reply-To: dont@bother.com AES wrote: > What's going on here? Response to more and more people shifting to > VOIP is to _raise_ their POTS rates? (especially on automated > features) > What's the agenda behind this? Business 101. In a declining market, you raise prices to preserve profitability (think cigarettes). It's not just VOIP -- that's more a future threat. It started with big minute cell phone plans. While the rate of decline has lessened, all the wireline carriers are continuing to lose physical lines. ------------------------------ From: T Subject: Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 08:48:07 -0500 In article , infoweek@telecom- digest.org says: > By Sharon Gaudin, InformationWeek > A report out of the U.K. contends that in about 50 years, robots will > be given the same rights as humans and even will be expected to vote > and pay taxes. I have no problem with this so long as there is a large red power switch clearly visible on the back of the robot. That way you can shut them the hell up when they babble about their so called rights. Seriously though, what happens when a robot is unemployed? Who pays its electric bills? ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 10:24:09 -0500 Harumph. As an artificial intelligence researcher, I don't think robots are any closer to humanlike consciousness than they were 50 years ago. Note that the study was done by management and public opinion consultants, not AI scientists. What fundamental breakthrough do these people think is on the horizon? "The achievement of artificial intelligence"? That's newspaperspeak, not anything you ever actually hear in the AI research community. And it seems to be based on 1950s science(-fiction), the notion that there is a single, one-dimensional quality called "intelligence" and if you achieve it, you have something that can think like a human. There's been tremendous progress in robotics and AI, but it hasn't been aimed at achieving humanlike consciousness. Why should it be? We're building tools, not dolls. An example of an AI success is Mapquest automated directions. Another is computer translation of human languages. Not to mention hundreds of machines of all types that are subtly smarter and safer than they used to be. Forklifts that won't run into you, electrocardiographs that issue a tentative diagnosis ... Rather than robots, I am much more concerned about ensuring full human rights for human beings who are conceived by cloning. Although I don't approve of it, there are going to be human clones. They will be perfectly normal human beings just like the rest of us. Unfortunately, science fiction and popular culture have set people up to think of clones as some kind of slaves or sub-human entities with no rights. Merry Christmas! ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://feeds.feedburner.com/telecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #425 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Dec 27 16:08:26 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id EF6E32283; Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:08:25 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #426 Message-Id: <20061227210825.EF6E32283@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:08:25 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:10:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 426 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Asia Earthquake Damages Cables; Internet, Banks Affected (Reuters NewsWire) Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree (Mark Ward, BBC) Analysis: Sprint's Big Bet on WiMAX (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Emailing to a Computer-Free Zone (mc) Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans (T) Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans (Lisa Hancock) Re: But They Never Say 'Can You Hear Me Now?' (Steve Stone) Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (T) Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (harold@hallikainen.com) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:12:41 -0600 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Asia Earthquake Damages Cables; Internet and Banks Among Affected Telecommunications around Asia were severely disrupted on Wednesday after earthquakes off Taiwan damaged undersea cables, slowing Internet services and hindering financial transactions, particularly in the currency market. International telephone traffic was restricted from some countries and Internet access slowed to a crawl. Sources working with Asian telecoms providers said it could take several weeks before all the cables were repaired. South Korea's top fixed-line and broadband service provider, KT Corp, said six submarine cables were knocked out by Tuesday night's earthquakes. "Twenty-seven of our customers were hit, including banks and churches," a KT spokesman said. "It is not known yet when we can fully restore the services." The foreign exchange market suffered in Seoul, with trade in the won extremely slow during the morning. Some disruption was also reported in the important Tokyo currency market but the EBS system that handles much dollar/yen trading appeared to be working. Global information company Reuters Group Plc said users of its services in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan had been affected, although dealing services were restored in Tokyo during the afternoon. In India, back offices and call centers experienced some difficulty, but industry officials said the full extent of the problem would not be known until later in the day when data and voice traffic peaked during European and U.S. business hours. The main quake, measured by Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau at magnitude 6.7 and at magnitude 7.1 by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck off Taiwan's southern coast at 1226 GMT on Tuesday. Two people were killed. STATE SECRET In China, financial markets worked normally but China Telecommunications Group, the country's biggest fixed-line telephone operator and parent of China Telecom Corp., said the Internet had been badly disrupted. Phone links and dedicated business lines had also been affected to some degree, it said. Officials declined to give further details. "Undersea communications cables fall in the area of state secrets," said a ministry of communications official in Beijing. Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. said its Internet service was intermittent and international phone calls had been affected. Rival Globe Telecom said "the entire country's telecom services to the United States were disrupted." Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan's biggest telecoms carrier, said two of four major undersea cables out of Taiwan had been affected, initially cutting more than half its international telecommunications capacity. Calls to Southeast Asia were the worst affected, with less than 10 percent getting through at 0500 GMT -- an improvement from the morning, when less than 2 percent succeeded. KDDI Corp., Japan's second-largest telecoms company, said communications along submarine cables out of Japan went through Taiwan before reaching Southeast Asian countries, which was leading to disruption, but there were alternative lines. PCCW, Hong Kong's main fixed-line telecoms provider, said several undersea cables it part-owned had been damaged. "Data transfer is down by half," a spokeswoman said. Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), Southeast Asia's top phone company, said traffic was being diverted and repair work was in progress, adding: "Our submarine cables linking to Europe and the U.S. are not affected." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:18:18 -0600 From: Mark Ward, BBC Subject: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree By Mark Ward, Technology Correspondent, BBC News website The tussle between computer security companies trying to protect your PC and the bad guys that try to compromise it is often characterised as an arms race. Sometimes the security companies have the upper hand as they develop and deploy novel techniques to spot and stop malicious software of all stripes. And sometimes, such as in 2006, the bad guys are on top. And nowhere has this been more apparent than in the realm of that old favourite -- spam. In the closing months of 2006 spam volumes jumped enormously. According to e-mail filtering firm Postini, spam volumes increased by 73% in the three months to December. "92.6% of all e-mail messages are spam," said Dan Druker, spokesman for Postini. "That's the highest it's ever been." Other e-mail security specialists have not reported such big leaps in junk mail volumes, but all say that they are seeing more spam than ever before. Jump in junk The type of spam being sent has also changed, said Mr Druker. In 2004 only a small percentage of junk mail messages had images in them. Now, said Mr Druker, the figure is 25%. "A lot of spam is in the form of images and HTML documents that are designed to get beyond the filters," he said. Filters are good at analysing plain text to spot the tell-tale signs of spam but they struggle if the text is in an image. Techniques are being developed to help them read images but none are widely deployed yet. Spammers are also turning out more variants of their messages than ever before. This is because tweaking the text in small ways can help to fool the anti-spam filters and get the messages through. Dave Marcus, security research and communications manager for McAfee's Avert Labs, said some of the other reasons behind the rising tide of junk mail provided a good summary of how the digital underworld had developed in 2006. To begin with, he said, the software tools that hi-tech criminals use to put together spam runs and craft their messages have in the last 12 months got much easier to find and use. The bad guys have also got a lot better at managing the platform they use to send junk mail, he said. Increasingly, said Mr. Marcus, junk mail is routed through home PCs that have been hijacked by viruses or booby-trapped webpages. Networks of these remotely-controlled computers, or bots, are called botnets. "80% of spam is shot out through botnets of some form," said Mr Marcus. Home help. Attackers are also getting better at recruiting PCs to botnets and stopping their owners finding out that their machine has been compromised and is being used to send out junk mail or malware. The most popular way of recruiting a PC to a botnet is by getting its owner to click on the booby-trapped attachment on an e-mail. In a bid to catch more people out, virus writers are turning out more variants of their creations. No longer do they just send out millions of copies of the same virus or malicious program. This has led to an explosion in the number of viruses and variants in circulation. "We are seeing 150-200 new pieces of malware every day," said Mr Marcus. The creators of the malicious software were pumping out variants, said Mr Marcus, to defeat anti-virus companies by overwhelming them with novelties they have to investigate, analyse and warn their customers about. Paul King, a senior security advisor for Cisco, said it also showed said how malicious software was becoming more targeted. Gone, he said, were the days when millions of e-mail addresses got the same virus. Now the viruses and trojans are being customised to catch out as many people in a target organisation as possible. "There's less focus on what is the top virus," said Mr King, "to be quite honest it does not really matter because the criminals just do what works." The problem for many organisations was spotting threats that only they are being hit with. "Those types of threats are not going to be on anyone's radar," he said. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/6198113.stm Copyright 2006 BBC. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more tech news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/tech-news.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 12:04:08 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Analysis: Sprint's Big Bet on WiMAX USTelecom dailyLead December 27, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fRccfDtusXjavpCibuddmUDC TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Analysis: Sprint's big bet on WiMAX BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Verizon offers FiOS "Experience" at mall * Level 3 snaps up Savvis' content-delivery network assets * Essar bids to buy out Hutchison's stake in wireless carrier * BigBand sets IPO plans in motion * Sony Ericsson to enter S. Korea handset market in 2007 * Google testing AdSense-like system for Web video TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Wireless technology trends for 2006 * Online sales of handsets rise * CNET reviews Moto's Rizr Z3 Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fRccfDtusXjavpCibuddmUDC ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Emailing to a Computer-Free Zone Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 01:45:10 -0500 Monty Solomon wrote in message news:telecom25.425.2@telecom-digest.org: ... > For the analog grandfather who wishes he could see the digital > vacation photos that everyone else in the family emails to one > another, or the beloved aunt who just can't or won't get an email > address, one company thinks it has a solution: turn emails and digital > photos into paper documents, automatically, without a computer. > Presto! > This week, we tested a new service called Presto that works with a > special Hewlett-Packard printer called the Printing Mailbox. After > setup, the user is assigned a Presto.com email address to which > friends and family send text emails or photos. But the owner of this > gadget doesn't need a computer, and never has to go online to retrieve > emails. The Printing Mailbox automatically and periodically dials into > the Internet using a regular phone line, retrieves all messages sent > to it -- including photos -- and prints them out. Won't spam kill this thing immediately? My legitimate e-mail is outnumbered by spam 10 to 1. And much of it is obnoxious. Maybe we finally have a corporation with a vested interest in stopping spammers. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I was thinking the same thing; and the folks who use this little printer (instead of a computer) will have to pay for the paper and the ink it uses. Like yourself, spam here outnumbers legitimate email, but for me, about 15-20 to 1. My mother has a device like that; it is called 'Mail Station' but instead of printing out the mail FIRST, it displays it on a small screen, and allows you to print it as desired. For the most part, it is immune to the viri which infects 'regular computers'. The 'mail station' is a very simple display terminal, but, does it ever get spammed. Over Christmas, my mother complained that the 'mail station' seemed to be quite sluggish in receiving her email, and then when it did come out it was a couple hundred pages of someone's core dump. She said she guessed she would 'just give up on it'; when I told her that here at my site, spams in the form of HMTL pages and other gibberish were the norm rather than the exception. Even on Christmas Day itself, Spam Assassin here caught several hundred items, another 300-400 items managed to get through the filters. The BBC writer earlier in this issue is correct; spam is well into the ninetieth percentile range. I certainly would not want one of those printers around here, mainly because who can afford to keep the paper stocked for it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: T Subject: Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 08:39:24 -0500 In article , look@www.ai.uga.edu.for.address says: > Harumph. As an artificial intelligence researcher, I don't think > robots are any closer to humanlike consciousness than they were 50 > years ago. > Note that the study was done by management and public opinion > consultants, not AI scientists. > What fundamental breakthrough do these people think is on the horizon? > "The achievement of artificial intelligence"? That's newspaperspeak, > not anything you ever actually hear in the AI research community. And > it seems to be based on 1950s science(-fiction), the notion that there > is a single, one-dimensional quality called "intelligence" and if you > achieve it, you have something that can think like a human. > There's been tremendous progress in robotics and AI, but it hasn't > been aimed at achieving humanlike consciousness. Why should it be? > We're building tools, not dolls. An example of an AI success is > Mapquest automated directions. Another is computer translation of > human languages. Not to mention hundreds of machines of all types > that are subtly smarter and safer than they used to be. Forklifts > that won't run into you, electrocardiographs that issue a tentative > diagnosis ... I think what you're classifying as robots are more expert systems. You're right though, an expert system for example couldn't know about the missing chain and sign that led to the death of James Kim. Elsewise it could have warned him about it. > Rather than robots, I am much more concerned about ensuring full human > rights for human beings who are conceived by cloning. Although I > don't approve of it, there are going to be human clones. They will be > perfectly normal human beings just like the rest of us. > Unfortunately, science fiction and popular culture have set people up > to think of clones as some kind of slaves or sub-human entities with > no rights. I agree, and what most people don't realize is that nature already creates its own clones. They've been among us forever. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans Date: 27 Dec 2006 07:39:10 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Sharon Gaudin wrote: > A report out of the U.K. contends that in about 50 years, robots will > be given the same rights as humans and even will be expected to vote > and pay taxes. Go back 50 years and look at some of the absurb stuff predicted about computers (then known as "electronic brains") then never came to pass nor ever will. We have learned that while it is easy for computers to automate repetitive mundane tasks (like doing the payroll), it is far, far harder to automate subtle human thinking processes. For example, companies that use voice recognition to drive automated response systems are flooded with consumer complaints. Computers can assist but cannot replace human abstract analytical observation, thinking, and decision making. Computers are ALWAYS locked into the pre-programmed selection; if an observation or decision is not on the pre-existing list, the computer simply can not and will not deal with it. A human is required to handle them. When a business automates any process, it will be ok as long as it has a qualified human on standby for those unexpected unusual situations. The problem is today companies are so intent on cost-cutting they leave out the people. Thus, when I had to call an out of state Blue Cross agency I had trouble getting through since I was neither their subscriber or provider; the only two choices on the menu. It didn't occur to the programmer to accomodate reciprocal agreements with out of state agencies. (And people wonder why I'm a Luddite). What's funny about predicting future technology is that predictions not only mess up on what technology can do, they also miss technologies that do occur. I doubt in 1967 anyone would've predicted consumers would use Star Trek's computer diskettes or telephones only 25 years later, for example, and definitely not dirt cheap. They did predict widespread computer use, but via simple terminals (a la Touch Tone phone) to big central computers, not powerful individual computers. I don't think anyone predicted telephone long distance "too cheap to meter" like we have today. They expected a drop in cost but not so radical. The most important issue to remember is that technologies do not occur in a vacuum. They require consumer acceptance and a workable business model. How many unused Bell Picturephones are sitting in a warehouse? Public replies please [2] ------------------------------ Reply-To: Steve Stone From: Steve Stone Subject: Re: But They Never Say 'Can You Hear Me Now?' Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 02:21:24 GMT Monty Solomon quoted the writer saying: > But the copious data gathered by the companies is not available to > consumers, and advertising claims based on studies by third parties > have led to contentious legal battles. Last week, state Senator > Michael W. Morrissey, a Boston Democrat, began a push for more > transparency. The data is available to large business customers who just may sign multimillion dollar contracts with them if the numbers are right. ------------------------------ From: T Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 08:36:54 -0500 In article , dont@bother.com says: > AES wrote: >> What's going on here? Response to more and more people shifting to >> VOIP is to _raise_ their POTS rates? (especially on automated >> features) >> What's the agenda behind this? > Business 101. In a declining market, you raise prices to preserve > profitability (think cigarettes). > It's not just VOIP -- that's more a future threat. It started with big > minute cell phone plans. While the rate of decline has lessened, all > the wireline carriers are continuing to lose physical lines. But in both AT&T and Verizon's cases they also have significant cellular holdings. I guess they can't comingle the funds between the operating units. In article , Sam@coldmail.com says: > AES wrote: >> Just got several mailings re our AT&T residential service in Palo >> Alto/Stanford CA area announcing *big* rate increases on POTS service: >> 5% to 10% increases on package plans, up to 30% each on a long list of >> individual features (Caller ID, Call Waiting, etc. etc). >> What's going on here? Response to more and more people shifting to >> VOIP is to _raise_ their POTS rates? (especially on automated >> features) >> What's the agenda behind this? > Those folks run on the same mentality as the Post Office (aka United > States Postal "Service"). The Postal Service has seen its first class > mail revenues fail significantly. So, they raise rates to force > revenues to remain relatively stable. > Caller ID, for example, is terribly overpriced by the wireline > carriers. It is part of standard service with wireless and VOIP > service providers. > In the case of California those funny folks called the PUC have hated > Caller ID since its inception (remember, they were the nut cases that > sued the FCC to stop the implementation of Caller ID). So, if Pacific > Telephone, a unit of AT&T, nay Pacific Bell, nay SBC, nay AT&T wanted > to charge $40 a month for Caller ID, the PUC would approve it. It is > like a cigerette tax to those folks. The only issue is that caller-ID is mostly useless these days because there are so many ways to obfuscate ones number. What I find more amusing is that Bell knew how to do CLID back in 1972. Just took some time to roll it out. ------------------------------ From: harold@hallikainen.com Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Date: 27 Dec 2006 05:47:06 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com > It sure looks that way. I've heard through the grapevine that Verizon > has lost approximately one third of it's business since 1996. I wonder how the move to DSL and Cable Modem has decreased the demand for lines for modems and fax machines, and the demand for lines for modem lines (or T-1s) at ISPs? For a while there, there was a tremendous peak in demand for POTS lines (and POTS minutes). A fair amount of this was served by CLECs, but I think ILECs handled a fair amount of it. Between that peak, competing wired services (VoIP over DSL and Cable Modem), and substitution of cellular for wired, I can see a drop in demand for POTS. I think the FCC publishes figures on POTS usage, but have not really looked at them. Harold ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. 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End of TELECOM Digest V25 #426 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Dec 28 16:46:41 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 946F922A0; Thu, 28 Dec 2006 16:46:40 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #427 Message-Id: <20061228214640.946F922A0@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 16:46:40 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 28 Dec 2006 16:50:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 427 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Old Phones Cannot be Activated Anymore (support@sellcom.com) Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB (Emily) Ad Costs on the Web Are Rising, Perhaps a Bit Irrationally (Monty Solomon) Cybercrooks Deliver Trouble / Spam Filters Working Overtime (Monty Solomon) Cellphones Know Where Buddies Roam (Monty Solomon) Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans (mc) Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans (Rick Merrill) Re: AT&T REsidential Rate Increases? (Lisa Hancock) Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (Sam Spade) Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (John Levine) New Twist in Hutchison Essar Takeover Tussle (USTelecom dailyLead) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Old Phones Can't be Activated Anymore Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 22:59:00 -0500 Organization: www.sellcom.com We were told by Alltel that they could not re-activate any of our old phones because they did not have GPS for the E911. The ones we have are Motorola V.60 phones not antiques. They said it is a new Federal law. So don't plan on using older phones for much of anything. (I believed 'em so we have a rack of new Razors on the way.) Older phones that are already activated are grandfathered in but you can't change the number or anything. Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more http://www.phonelabs.biz cellphone docking now here! ------------------------------ From: Emily Subject: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 20:41:00 GMT Is it true that one MUST use ONLY the EXACT USB charger that comes with their cell phone? Are USB chargers really not interchangable? The T-Mobile store told me I could only use their T-Mobile charger for my new USB based cellphone. After showing me the charger for the Motorola V195 which is 5.9 volts 375ma, they then opened a desk drawer and handed me three melted USB chargers, one at 5.0 volts, 750ma; another at 5.0 volts, 550 ma, and yet another at 5.2 volts 450 ma. Can we swap these supposedly USB chargers or not? - Blackberry TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA - Motorola PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA - Motorola DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA - Motorola FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA Why is Blackberry USB different than Motorola USB which is different in and of itself? Can we swap these USB chargers or must we stick to the charger that came with the device? Emily ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 20:20:30 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Ad Costs on the Web Are Rising, but Perhaps a Bit Irrationally E-COMMERCE REPORT Ad Costs on the Web Are Rising, but Perhaps a Bit Irrationally By BOB TEDESCHI December 25, 2006 MEDIA executives and investors get a pleasant neck ache from watching the skyward path of online advertising revenues. But for those who have to pay for advertising, the trend is bringing some anxiety. Prices for some online advertising are going up, and some retailers and brand marketers say the big question mark hanging over 2007 is whether publishers will be so emboldened by a strong advertising market that they will raise the prices of ads sharply. "Everybody's excited about online advertising," said Mark Vadon, chief executive of the online jeweler Blue Nile. "But the rates keep going up and up and up." Joanne Bradford, MSN's corporate vice president and chief media officer, would not specify the extent to which her site will raise prices next year, but she said that during the last two years "there's been unbelievable price pressure." For instance, Ms. Bradford said that for the front pages of some popular MSN sections, prices rose tenfold. "That settled down quite a bit, and now we're starting to see price pressure more evenly spread across the network," she said. According to Greg Stuart, chief executive of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, an industry group that represents online media companies, there are no reliable statistics on average advertising rates, in part because advertising agencies often negotiate special rates with publishers and keep those deals close to the vest. "Rates are going up, but effectiveness is going up too," he said, suggesting consumers were now more likely to make a purchase or request additional information than in previous years. Online advertising revenues are expected to grow by 31 percent to $16.4 billion this year, according to a report by eMarketer, an Internet consultancy. That spending represents 6 percent of the overall advertising market. Revenues for 2007, eMarketer said, would most likely rise 19 percent, to $19.5 billion. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/25/technology/25ecom.html?ex=1324702800&en=c4cec944363d8c98&ei=5090 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 20:53:15 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Cybercrooks Deliver Trouble / With Spam Filters Working Overtime, Cybercrooks Deliver Trouble With Spam Filters Working Overtime, Security Experts See No Letup in '07 By Brian Krebs washingtonpost.com staff writer Wednesday, December 27, 2006; D01 It was the year of computing dangerously, and next year could be worse. That is the assessment of computer security experts, who said 2006 was marked by an unprecedented spike in junk e-mail and more sophisticated Internet attacks by cybercrooks. Few believe 2007 will be any brighter for consumers, who already are struggling to avoid the clever scams they encounter while banking, shopping or just surfing online. Experts say online criminals are growing smarter about hiding personal data they have stolen on the Internet and are using new methods for attacking computers that are harder to detect. "Criminals have gone from trying to hit as many machines as possible to focusing on techniques that allow them to remain undetected on infected machines longer," said Vincent Weafer, director of security response at Symantec, an Internet security firm in Cuptertino, Calif. One of the best measures of the rise in cybercrime is junk e-mail, or spam, because much of it is relayed by computers controlled by Internet criminals, experts said. More than 90 percent of all e-mail sent online in October was unsolicited junk mail, according to Postini, an e-mail security firm in San Carlos, Calif. Spam volumes monitored by Postini rose 73 percent in the past two months as spammers began embedding their messages in images to evade junk e-mail filters that search for particular words and phrases. In November, Postini's spam filters, used by many large companies, blocked 22 billion junk-mail messages, up from about 12 billion in September. The result is putting pressure on network administrators and corporate technology departments, because junk mail laden with images typically requires three times as much storage space and Internet bandwidth as a text message, said Daniel Druker, Postini's vice president for marketing. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/26/AR2006122600922.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 23:51:42 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Cellphones Know Where Buddies Roam / GPS Technology Aiding Social Cellphones know where buddies roam GPS technology aiding social lives By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff | December 3, 2006 When Shannon Bullard wants to hang out, she doesn't call her friends. She uses her phone as a beacon to broadcast a quick text message about her location: "@ MFA," she reports, when she's not dancing on Lansdowne Street or relaxing at home in Brookline. Some people show up, others ping back with their locations, and -- if a friend of a friend is close by -- Bullard's phone will receive a message with their photo, name, and a suggestion that they meet. Within a few minutes, Bullard can instantly pinpoint 25 of her friends through a form of mobile socializing that is evolving rapidly as GPS technology becomes standard in more cellphones. A slew of new programs gives people the option of knowing where their friends are at all times, helping connections that form in the online world blossom into new social networks in the real world. "We're getting more and more invested in these objects we put in our pockets," said Ted Selker , associate professor in the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who works on developing social technologies. "The idea of figuring out how to make the cellphone enhance social engagements is, in some sense, what the phone is about." Last week, Boost Mobile, a division of Sprint Nextel Corp. , made its friend-tracking service Boost loopt available to 4 million customers, and about 40,000 people nationwide have already signed up, according to the company. Last month, Helio, a joint venture of SK Telecom and EarthLink , began offering its competing Buddy Beacon function that also allows users across the country to track the movement of their friends on cellphone screens. "Kids these days and their cellphones -- it's crazy," said Jason Uechi , 38, who cofounded Mologogo , a year-old software program that can be downloaded onto a GPS-enabled phone. "It's a part of who you are; it's part of your personality. It's that kind of leap. The cellphone is usurping the computer." Mobile phones are beginning to play an expanded role because the technology is finally in place. To comply with federal 911 requirements, emergency personnel must be able to locate callers. Many cellphone companies have met this requirement by building GPS technology, which pinpoints a user's location by using signals from satellites, directly into the phone. http://www.boston.com/business/personaltech/articles/2006/12/03/cellphones_know_where_buddies_roam/ ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 00:26:58 -0500 T wrote in message news:telecom25.426.5@telecom-digest.org: > In article , > look@www.ai.uga.edu.for.address says: >> Harumph. As an artificial intelligence researcher, I don't think >> robots are any closer to humanlike consciousness than they were 50 >> years ago. > I think what you're classifying as robots are more expert systems. Yes, real robots are even farther from humanlike mental activity than the examples I gave. wrote in message news:telecom25.426.6@telecom-digest.org: > Sharon Gaudin wrote: >> A report out of the U.K. contends that in about 50 years, robots will >> be given the same rights as humans and even will be expected to vote >> and pay taxes. > Go back 50 years and look at some of the absurb stuff predicted about > computers (then known as "electronic brains") then never came to pass > nor ever will. And the things that *weren't* predicted, such as word processing, or CPUs in wristwatches! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 17:18:18 -0500 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans mc wrote: > Harumph. As an artificial intelligence researcher, I don't think > robots are any closer to humanlike consciousness than they were 50 > years ago. > Note that the study was done by management and public opinion > consultants, not AI scientists. > What fundamental breakthrough do these people think is on the horizon? > "The achievement of artificial intelligence"? That's newspaperspeak, > not anything you ever actually hear in the AI research community. And > it seems to be based on 1950s science(-fiction), the notion that there > is a single, one-dimensional quality called "intelligence" and if you > achieve it, you have something that can think like a human. > There's been tremendous progress in robotics and AI, but it hasn't > been aimed at achieving humanlike consciousness. Why should it be? > We're building tools, not dolls. An example of an AI success is > Mapquest automated directions. Another is computer translation of > human languages. Not to mention hundreds of machines of all types > that are subtly smarter and safer than they used to be. Forklifts > that won't run into you, electrocardiographs that issue a tentative > diagnosis ... Networked intelligence >> AI? ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Date: 28 Dec 2006 11:48:41 -0800 T wrote: > But in both AT&T and Verizon's cases they also have significant cellular > holdings. I guess they can't comingle the funds between the operating > units. On a low level, traditional regulated lines of business must be kept separate from unregulated lines of business. Basic plain old telephone service is still regulated; though many optional features are no longer. Wireless is not regulated. I can't help but suspect that wireless service is quite profitable for them. > The only issue is that caller-ID is mostly useless these days because > there are so many ways to obfuscate ones number. What I find more > amusing is that Bell knew how to do CLID back in 1972. Just took some > time to roll it out. Other than the call block (*67) feature, what other ways are there to do blur it? I'm not sure what you mean by "1972". Automatic Number Identification was developed far earlier than that (IIRC 1940s). It was gradually implemented system wide over the years, though in 1973 I made calls that still had ONI. The No. 4 ESS for toll had provisions for TSPS entry of ONI when necessary. In any event, having ANI for internal purposes is completely different than delivering to the subscriber. ANI in electro-mechanical exchanges required considerable expensive add-on electronic gear, which is why ONI survived so long despite the labor costs and fraud risk. Having a deliverable CID required not only ESS (impractical otherwise), but also data trunks between COs so the number would be transmitted from distant offices. The data trunking was a completely new arrangement between offices and took time to implement (as did ESS). Lastly, CID required an affordable readout device at the subscriber. We take cheap electronics for granted these days, but in your year, 1972, such a readout box would've cost easily $150 (mass produced) in 1972 dollars. Don't forget the microprocessor wasn't widely available cheaply (wasn't it invented in 1974?) As a reminder, the cost of providing telephone service--of any type -- is a big beneficiary of the enormous bang-for-buck change in electronics. The telephone network uses massive amounts of electronics; and in 1972 that stuff was still quite, quite expensive. To put it another way, how much do you think you'd have to pay for a 1972 computer that could do everything your little Pentium does for you now? You'd need a decent sized mini, strong enough to drive fancy screen graphics. We're talking $10-20,000 or more in 1972 dollars, more than a modest house cost in those days. ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 07:15:14 -0800 Organization: Cox T wrote: >> In the case of California those funny folks called the PUC have hated >> Caller ID since its inception (remember, they were the nut cases that >> sued the FCC to stop the implementation of Caller ID). So, if Pacific >> Telephone, a unit of AT&T, nay Pacific Bell, nay SBC, nay AT&T wanted >> to charge $40 a month for Caller ID, the PUC would approve it. It is >> like a cigerette tax to those folks. > The only issue is that caller-ID is mostly useless these days because > there are so many ways to obfuscate ones number. What I find more > amusing is that Bell knew how to do CLID back in 1972. Just took some > time to roll it out. Thought that is certainly technically possible, my personal experience has been zero bogus number deliveries. I suspect that would be true in the vast majority of residential cases. And, if we don't recognize the number we don't answer the phone; rather let it go to the answering machine. On balance Caller ID has been very useful to the vast majority of those who subscribe to it. As to CLID in 1972, how would have have been accomplished throughout the network without CCIS or SS7? And, if it had been done when CCIS was in use, it seems it would have tied up a lot of resources. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: In order to let it go to the answering machine or voice mail, one first needs to know *WHO IS CALLING*, and while my caller ID display is several yards away from where I am sitting, a cordless phone is right at hand. So, should I get myself up (brain aneurysms cause some slow downs, you know) or should I just reach over and pick up the phone? I guess I could invest in a few more caller ID devices, and have one near at hand and in view of every phone. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: 27 Dec 2006 21:41:20 -0000 From: John Levine Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? > But in both AT&T and Verizon's cases they also have significant > cellular holdings. I guess they can't comingle the funds between the > operating units. Verizon Wireless is owned 55% by Verizon and 45% by Vodafone, so it really is a separate company even though it is co-marketed with a lot of Verizon's own products. I hear Verizon would like to buy the other 45% but Vodafone doesn't want to sell. Cingular is an LLC that is owned about 2/3 by what is now AT&T and 1/3 by Bellsouth. If the merger happens, then I presume they will integrate it in, and I have heard reports that they plan to rename Cingular to AT&T Wireless. (Presumably this will let them use up all the old stationery they have lying around from the last great renaming.) Nonetheless, both are well placed to weather the shift from landline to wireless although you wouldn't know it from the way they whine. R's, John ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 11:10:54 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: New Twist in Hutchison Essar Takeover Tussle USTelecom dailyLead December 28, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fRksfDtusXjczWCibuddpJrE TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * New twist in Hutchison Essar takeover tussle BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Verizon to expand FiOS to apartment market * AT&T embraces three-screen concept * Vodafone to launch mobile-TV service in Spain * Fox to offer downloads of college bowl games TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * India's market for telecom equipment set to triple * Colombia awards WiMAX licenses * UpSnap, Sporting News Radio to launch mobile service * Xchange's top technology trends for 2007 REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Commentary: Wireline competition for cable is overdue Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fRksfDtusXjczWCibuddpJrE ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V25 #427 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Dec 28 23:14:08 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 86D1D227B; Thu, 28 Dec 2006 23:14:07 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #428 Message-Id: <20061229041407.86D1D227B@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 23:14:07 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: R TELECOM Digest Thu, 28 Dec 2006 23:15:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 428 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Asia Mostly Back on Line After Earthquake, Access Still Spotty (M Shanley) Taiwan Earthquake Shakes Confidence in Underseas Cables (Jon Herskovitz) Anti-Spam Tool Going Out of Business (Anick Jesdanun, AP) Search Engine Frustration - Automatic Assumptions (Lisa Hancock) Re: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree (Dan Lanciani) Re: Old Phones Can't be Activated Anymore (Steven J. Sobol) Re: Old Phones Can't be Activated Anymore (nonoise) Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (Sam Spade) Re: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? (DevilsPGD) Re: FBI Taps Cell Phone Mic as Eavesdropping Tool (Emily) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 21:15:02 -0600 From: Mia Shanley, Reuters Subject: Asia Mostly Back on Line After Earthquake, But Access Still Spotty By Mia Shanley Asia's telecommunications services were partly restored on Thursday after earthquakes off Taiwan cut undersea cables and knocked millions of users offline, but with few alternative routes, access was slow and patchy. Many callers received 'fast busies' or 'no circuits available now' recordings. Telephone traffic was back to normal in some parts of Asia but many operators in North Asia struggled to get up to full speed a day after business and home users from Seoul to Sydney were hit by one of the worst tech disruptions in Asia. Internet access in many countries had also improved by Thursday although many customers complained of slow connections. A newspaper cartoon describing the incident showed a man sitting at his computer, with whiskers growing on his chin, spider webs and the message, 'World Wide Wait'. Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan's top phone company, said it could take up to three weeks to repair six submarine cables owned by a consortium of telecoms firms. Two powerful quakes off Taiwan on Tuesday, one of magnitude 7.1 according to the U.S. Geological Survey, severed the cables. At least five maintenance ships based in the region are heading for the waters near southern Taiwan to repair the undersea cables, Hong Kong's telecoms regulator said. "In general, it requires about five to seven days to repair the cables," the regulator said in a statement. "However, due to the earthquake, the seabed may have been damaged and there may be further earthquakes that will affect the maintenance work." The main quake struck off Taiwan's southern coast at 1226 GMT on Tuesday, killing two people and leading to aftershocks that sparked chaos on Wednesday. Businesses across the region ground to a halt, although many said it was fortunate that the breakdown happened in the middle of the quiet holiday period. "Voice services to the United States, Japan, Canada, China and Singapore have been restored as of 1 pm (0500 GMT)," an official at Chunghwa said. However, services to Hong Kong remain seriously disrupted, with only 27.6 percent functioning, while those to Southeast Asia were about 50 percent. TRAFFIC DIVERTED Regional operators scrambled to divert traffic through other lines or via satellite. But the switch to alternative cables put additional pressure on Asia's networks, causing slow Internet access and problems dialing abroad. KDDI Corp., Japan's second-largest telecoms firm, said that while its international phone services had switched to alternative routes, about 177 of its corporate network lines remained affected, compared with 290 lines on Wednesday. NTT Communications, a unit of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., said in a statement that 87 percent of its 243 corporate data transmission lines had recovered by mid-morning while some of its Internet services continued to be slow. KT Corp., South Korea's top fixed-line and broadband operator, had restored most of the telephone services but broadband services for some clients, including banks and the country's foreign ministry, remained unavailable. Local media reported that 36 foreign bank branches in South Korea had been affected. Sofyan Djalil, Indonesia's information and communications minister, told a press conference the government would ease its restrictions on the use of foreign satellite links after serious disruption to the nation's Internet service. "A lot of fiber-optic cables are still broken. This affects the entire area including Indonesia. The effects are mainly seen in the banking sector, by users of international ATMs and the internet," he said. Hong Kong's dominant fixed-line and broadband provider PCCW Ltd. said it would take days to recover lost capacity but did not provide further details. SHAKY, BUT BETTER By Thursday afternoon, business across the tech-savvy region appeared to be suffering from fewer disruptions. Regional stock markets continued their strong year-end run after a record close on Wall Street. Several Fortune 500 firms in Singapore, Southeast Asia's financial center, had been hit by the disruption on Wednesday, with Internet access completely down or slowing to a crawl. "It's getting better because more traffic is being diverted to other cables right now," said a spokesman at StarHub, Singapore's second-largest telecoms firm. Singapore Telecommunications, Southeast Asia's top phone company, also said services were progressively being restored, and that it was working closely with the submarine cable consortium members. CAT Telecom, Thailand's Internet regulator and sole controller of the international gateway, said four of its eight optical networks had been affected, causing its speed to drop by 70 percent. The problem was expected to continue for seven to 10 days, a spokeswoman said. Telekom Malaysia said international call services to countries including Taiwan, Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea and the United States had been affected but that it was working closely with other Asian telecoms firms on the repairs. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 21:21:14 -0600 From: Jon Herskovitz & Rhee So-eui Subject: Taiwan Earthquake Shakes Confidence in Underseas Cables By Jon Herskovitz and Rhee So-eui The earthquakes that hit Taiwan on Tuesday rocked communications in Asia and underscored the vulnerabilities of a system where huge amounts of data speed through the region in cables laid deep beneath the sea. Banks and brokerages from Seoul to Sydney were affected by the outage, with analysts saying that even though a single glitch can trigger global problems, there is little choice but to rely on this underwater network. "Right now, there's no other network that can compete with submarine fiber-optic cables in terms of reliability," said Jin Chang-whan, an analyst at CJ Investment & Securities in Seoul. The cables, which for the most part lie unprotected on the ocean floor, can be damaged by ship anchors, fish nets that scrape the sea bottom and even in one case, sharks that gnawed on a line apparently due to its electromagnetic pulse, said policy think tank Rand Corporation (www.rand.org) in a recent report. The report predicted troubles in Taiwan could lead to major disruptions because it would be difficult to reroute data overland on the island. Experts said there should be few problems in the cable systems as long as there are backup routes and carriers can cooperate in times of crisis. Analysts said the disruption showed that most of the region's cable networks run along earthquake-prone geographic zones. "People will start to say we can't let this happen again," said Frank Dzubeck, president of Washington D.C.-based telecoms consultancy Communications Networks Architects. "The issue here is parallelism. You've really got to have multiple paths. You can't lay all the cables in the same place." Dzubeck added that the Internet bust in 2001 had hit expensive plans by various companies to lay undersea cables along new paths that were less likely to be affected by earthquakes. Earthquakes occur frequently around Taiwan and Japan, which lie on a seismically active stretch of the Pacific basin. Undersea fiber-optic cables account for more than 95 percent of international telecommunications thanks to their strength, capacity and connection quality, according to South Korean provider KT Submarine Corp. One alternative would be satellites, which are costlier and do not provide as much capacity or quality of transmission as fiber-optic cables, analysts said. Just last week, Verizon Communications Inc. and five Asian companies agreed to invest $500 million to build a new cable network to directly link China and the United States. BETTER THAN PIGEONS Submarine cables have been around for about 150 years, with the some of the first lines being a well-insulated copper wire running under the English Channel. One alternative used at the time to transmit data was the carrier pigeon. Now the cables hold a mass of tightly packed, flexible glass lines that can handle millions of telephone calls, which means that any damage can lead to major disruptions. A country such as South Korea, the world's 11th largest economy, has 10 main undersea cables connecting it to the world, said KT Corp., the country's top fixed-line and broadband service provider. Seven of them were damaged by the quake. India was highly vulnerable from damage to undersea cable links because it receives 80 percent to 90 percent of its bandwidth from the undersea network, industry officials said. And neighboring Pakistan's sole undersea fiber-optic cable link with the outside world developed a serious fault in June 2005, virtually crippling data feeds, including the Internet, for 11 days. "Internet service providers should think like bus companies," said Mohamed Shahril Tarmizi, executive director at Malaysian technology consulting company BinaFikir. "Instead of using just one route to get to a destination, it's more useful to have many routes." (With additional reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee in Bangalore, Niluksi Koswanage in Kuala Lumpor, Baker Li in Taipei, Sachi Izumi in Tokyo and Yinka Adegoke in New York) Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 21:25:11 -0600 From: Anick Jesdanun, AP Subject: Anti-Spam Tool Going Out of Business Anti-spam tool ceases as spammers evolve By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer The Open Relay Database, a tool e-mail service providers used for years to help curb the spread of spam, is ceasing operations, a death partly attributable to its own success. It was 5. For years, spammers exploited e-mail servers with open relays -- those that accept mail from anywhere for relaying to anywhere else -- to pass along their junk pitches. Service providers responded by using lists like the ORDB to block all mail -- including legitimate messages -- passing through open-relay servers, in turn pressuring operators of such relays to accept outbound mail only from their own customers. Mail-server software also has been shipping with the relays closed by default, such that open relays aren't as big of a threat today. These days, spammers instead use zombie computers, generally home computers taken over by viruses and other malicious software to relay spam such that messages appear to come from legitimate customers. "ORDB was a holdover from the past era when open relays were a major vector for spam," said John Levine, co-author of "Fighting Spam for Dummies." "Now the vast majority of spam is sent by virus-controlled zombie computers. There's way more of them (than) there ever were open relays." Lists that target zombies as well, such as one from the Spamhaus Project, have in recent times been more effective, Levine said. The number of open relays listed at ORDB dropped in late 2004 and has largely leveled off at about 225,000 servers since then. The Danish volunteers who ran ORDB ultimately decided to shut down the project rather than expand it to include zombies -- something that would have taken a lot more work without adding much to resources already available from Spamhaus and elsewhere, said Andreas Plesner Jacobsen, one of the database's operators. The decision was made a year ago, "but nobody got around to executing it," he said Wednesday. Jacobsen added that so few rely solely on ORDB to fight spam these days that people shouldn't suddenly see more junk in their inboxes. In a Dec. 18 farewell note, the database's operators said open-relay lists "are no longer the most effective way of preventing spam from entering your network as spammers have changed tactics in recent years, as have the anti-spam community." Operators plan to shut down the Web site on Sunday. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Search Engine Frustration - Automatic Assumptions Date: 28 Dec 2006 08:09:59 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I had two experiences of frustration with search engines, in which they wouldn't do what I wanted. The first was a Proquest (a newspaper archive) search on the word "supporter". Proquest searched for that word, but also included a synonym word "booster". The use of "booster" generated a great many hits, too many to wade through and not what I was looking for. The second was Google Usenet in seeking the reference "90%". It dropped the "%" character and gave me all references to "90" which also gave a great many hits, too many to wade through. In both examples I couldn't find any way to override. As computers have become more advanced and used by untrained individuals, software intentionally has assists such as this built in. For example, MS Word will automatically convert as you type 1/2 to (the one-half character, ascii 171). But as illustrated above, sometimes we don't want substitutions, we want exactly what we're looking for. As a technical writer I often use technical acronyms. It is frustrating and irritating when typing to have software automatically "correct" things to something I don't want. I eventually figured out how to turn off the auto correct, but it was annoying. When I got a new release of the software, I had to learn new options and figure it out all over again. This is not productivity, but a hinderance. Before I resolve this, I was so frustrated I turned off the PC and used a plain typewriter for my writeup. (I am worried about Vista which is supposed to be very different). The lesson for those who design such software is to be real careful when you start assuming what your users really are seeking. Some auto fixes are ok, but there should always be an EASY option to use a literal as a literal. Back in the 1960s auto makers built cars with lots of chrome, wraparound glass, and little gadgets. They were desperate to add glitz and glamour to sell more cars. The curve glass actually made visibility worse, the chrome would fall off or cause sun glare, and the gadgets would soon break and be worthless. The industry ended up under nasty attack (Ralph Nader's book). This is a lesson for today's software and hardware industry. You sure don't want an articulate critic writing a popular book "Unsafe at any speed" about computers. The youngers who develop this stuff are too young to remember the attacks on autos. Further, as computerization increased in the 1960s, many people resented being reduced to a punch card "do not fold staple or mutilate"; popular writers criticized computers. [public replies, please] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 15:54:57 EST From: Dan Lanciani Subject: Re: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree bbc@telecom-digest.org (Mark Ward, BBC) wrote: > The type of spam being sent has also changed, said Mr Druker. In 2004 > only a small percentage of junk mail messages had images in them. Now, > said Mr Druker, the figure is 25%. > "A lot of spam is in the form of images and HTML documents that are > designed to get beyond the filters," he said. > Filters are good at analysing plain text to spot the tell-tale signs > of spam but they struggle if the text is in an image. Techniques are > being developed to help them read images but none are widely deployed > yet. Interesting. I assume that a message with an image from someone I don't know is likely spam and bounce it with an appropriate error. Is the use of images with text in anything _but_ spam common enough that learning to read them is important? Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What about when someone emails a screen-scraping to you of an html page (that you may have requested)? Chances are likely there will be .jpg or .gif files on that page with some text in them. You cannot really risk throwing it all away unseen. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: Old Phones Can't be Activated Anymore Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 22:47:55 UTC Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com In article , support@sellcom.com wrote: > We were told by Alltel that they could not re-activate any of our old > phones because they did not have GPS for the E911. The ones we have > are Motorola V.60 phones not antiques. > They said it is a new Federal law. That's correct. It's been a federal requirement for a while now. Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows Victorville, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 19:26:41 -0500 From: nonoise Subject: Re: Old Phones Can't be Activated Anymore support@sellcom.com wrote: > We were told by Alltel that they could not re-activate any of our old > phones because they did not have GPS for the E911. The ones we have > are Motorola V.60 phones not antiques. > They said it is a new Federal law. > So don't plan on using older phones for much of anything. > (I believed 'em so we have a rack of new Razors on the way.) > Older phones that are already activated are grandfathered in but > you can't change the number or anything. The law they mentioned required cellular providers to update to the "E911" system, i.e., it requires that your cell company deliver location information to the E911 center when you call 911. Some Cellular providers, such as Verizon, chose to externalize the costs of providing location service for mobile phones by making their customers buy GPS-equipped products, while others used a tower-based technology which doesn't require any changes to the phones. The question of what that says about certain providers and their attitudes toward their customers is left as an exercise for the reader. You may either switch to another provider that doesn't use the GPS-based tech, or donate the phones for use by charitable organizations. William A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring; There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. -- Alexander Pope, Essay on Criticism ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 16:29:58 -0800 Organization: Cox Sam Spade wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: In order to let it go to the answering > machine or voice mail, one first needs to know *WHO IS CALLING*, and > while my caller ID display is several yards away from where I am > sitting, a cordless phone is right at hand. So, should I get myself > up (brain aneurysms cause some slow downs, you know) or should I just > reach over and pick up the phone? I guess I could invest in a few > more caller ID devices, and have one near at hand and in view of > every phone. PAT] The area where we spend most of our time has NORTEL 9516s; i.e., talking and visual CID. ;-) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That's not a bad idea. I should look into getting one or two of those devices. As I think about it now, it seems to me Radio Shack has a Caller ID product like that. PAT] ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? Organization: Disorganized Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 01:46:56 GMT In message Emily wrote: > Is it true that one MUST use ONLY the EXACT USB charger that comes > with their cell phone? Are USB chargers really not interchangable? > The T-Mobile store told me I could only use their T-Mobile charger for > my new USB based cellphone. After showing me the charger for the > Motorola V195 which is 5.9 volts 375ma, they then opened a desk drawer > and handed me three melted USB chargers, one at 5.0 volts, 750ma; > another at 5.0 volts, 550 ma, and yet another at 5.2 volts 450 ma. > Can we swap these supposedly USB chargers or not? > - Blackberry TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA > - Motorola PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA > - Motorola DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA > - Motorola FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA > Why is Blackberry USB different than Motorola USB which is different in and > of itself? Can we swap these USB chargers or must we stick to the charger > that came with the device? The problem is that many devices draw more current then the USB spec permits, so unless the device can communicate with the PC to get permission to use more power, the device won't charge. In order for this to work the device needs to identify it's charger separately from a PC. Depending on the device design, the chargers may or may not be interchangeable. I'm currently charging my girlfriend's Blackberry on a Motorola USB charger I purchased for my Razr. One can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, but it's amazing how many eggs one can break without making a decent omelette. ------------------------------ From: Emily Subject: Re: FBI Taps Cell Phone Mic as Eavesdropping Tool Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 02:53:32 GMT On Mon, 04 Dec 2006 04:48:38 -0000, ellis@no.spam wrote: > I wondered how long it'd take for that to start happening. Will the > criminals catch on and start taking the batteries out of their phones? Can the FBI remotely power the phone even without the batteries being in? ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://feeds.feedburner.com/telecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #428 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Dec 29 17:24:40 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 02AAE2283; Fri, 29 Dec 2006 17:24:39 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #429 Message-Id: <20061229222439.02AAE2283@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 17:24:39 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 29 Dec 2006 17:25:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 429 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Asia Mends Data Cables, Plans Aternative Routings (Jon Herskovitz) It May Happen This Year; AT&T Offers New Concessions to Prompt Merger (AP) AT&T Makes New Offer on BellSouth Deal (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans (mc) Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans(Scott Dorsey) Re: Emailing to a Computer-Free Zone (Henry) Re: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? (Emily) Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? (gb) Re: FBI Taps Cell Phone Mic as Eavesdropping Tool (mc) Re: Anti-Spam Tool Going Out of Business (Gordon S. Hlavenka) Re: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree (Herb Oxley) Re: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree (Danny Burstein) Re: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree (Tom Horsley) Re: Old Phones Can't be Activated Anymore (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 14:35:08 -0600 From: Jon Herskovitz, Reuters Subject: Asia Mends Data Cables, Plans Aternative Routings By Jon Herskovitz Ships set sail on Friday to mend cables damaged by earthquakes off Taiwan that cut communication in Asia, while companies found new routes for their data to flow to prevent another disruption. Service was back to normal on the last business day of the year with telecoms companies securing new routes via land and satellite to restore communication -- ending outages that affected banks and brokerages from Seoul to Sydney. In the wake of the crisis, many were wondering how to keep communication flowing in a world where submarine cables are the lifeblood of telecommunications and where one glitch can cause global problems. Communications companies said it might be time to bolster an undersea network that was built during the telecoms boom of the late 1990s but where construction has since mostly been dormant. Financial service companies said they would start the new year by tweaking their contingency plans with the lessons learned from the outage. An official at KT Corp., South Korea's top fixed line and broadband provider, said construction of submarine cable lines had mostly stalled since about 2000 when the air starting leaking out of the telecoms bubble. "Since then there had been little need to build more, until recently," the official said, adding that a new line would be built to connect a booming China with the United States, and this could pave the way for renewed construction. While some telecoms firms are considering laying more of the cables that bunch masses of thin, flexible glass fibers, the process is costly and requires international cooperation. Standard Chartered said in a research note the quake had revealed the increased fragility of financial markets in Asia, where economies rely heavily on technology and Internet firms to spur growth. "Losses in telecoms revenue are estimated at hundreds of million of dollars, depending on how quickly the cables are repaired and normal traffic restored," it said. "All in all, the impact should be low, but the risks nevertheless warrant attention." Analysts said the disruption had brought increased attention to the dangers in the region where cable networks run in the same direction, along earthquake-prone geographic lines. Telecom operators dispatched or will soon send ships to repair the cables, with estimates saying they could be fixed in two to three weeks. A banking source in Asia saw no major financial firms dumping their current providers because of the troubles offshore from Taiwan or any other drastic changes. "All the banks have contingency plans. You can't help it if a cable snaps," the source said. "But we are all going to be reviewing our plans." (With additional reporting by Rhee So-eui in Seoul) Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 14:55:31 -0600 From: John Dunbar, AP Subject: It May Happen This Year; AT&T Offers New Concessions to Prompt Merger By JOHN DUNBAR, Associated Press Writer While much of Washington enjoyed a holiday break, lawyers for AT&T Inc. and the government worked marathon hours to forge an agreement that would allow the company to complete its $85 billion purchase of BellSouth Corp. The proposed deal could lead to the largest telecommunications merger in U.S. history. AT&T on Thursday night put forth what is expected to be its last and best offer, and it appeared it was good enough to lead to a vote on the merger by the Federal Communications Commission as early as Friday. AT&T has offered concessions beyond what it had promised in October, including a significant pledge to observe standards regarding network neutrality -- basically, equal treatment for all Internet traffic. This issue appeared to be the biggest roadblock to a deal. Among the other concessions were an offer of affordable stand-alone digital subscriber line service and a pledge to "repatriate" 3,000 jobs that had been outsourced by BellSouth. Final approval requires a vote of the commissioners. An open meeting is not required; rules allow them to vote via computer. AT&T offered the concessions after a little more than a week of marathon negotiations with lawyers who work for the commission's two Democrats, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, documents show. Consumer advocates praised the compromise. Gene Kimmelman, vice president of federal and international affairs for Consumers Union, who has worked closely with the Democrats, said AT&T's new concessions are "an enormous improvement from where we were a month ago." Ben Scott, legislative director for Free Press, a reform group that has fought the merger, said the network neutrality provision was a "big step forward for the supporters of an open Internet." The agreement came together 10 days after Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell announced he would not vote on the deal, despite being authorized to do so by the FCC's general counsel. McDowell had decided to recuse himself because of his former position as a lobbyist for Comptel, a trade organization that opposes the merger. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican, who supported approval of the merger without conditions, had bet that McDowell would vote for the deal following the legal opinion and break a 2-2 partisan deadlock. But with McDowell's firm declaration that he would not vote, the pressure shifted to AT&T, which had hoped to close the transaction by the end of the year. The development put the two Democrats in a much stronger position. In an effort to get the merger approved, AT&T submitted a set of concessions on Oct. 13, but the Democrats rejected them as insufficient. AT&T's letter of commitment, written by Robert W. Quinn Jr., the company's senior vice president for regulatory affairs, noted that the new concessions were "significantly more extensive than those submitted on Oct. 13." Among the promises made by the company: _An offer of stand-alone, high-speed Internet service to customers in its service area for $19.95 per month for a total of 30 months. The "naked DSL (digital subscriber line)" offer would allow those who live in AT&T and BellSouth's service areas to sign up for fast Internet access without being required to buy a package of other services. _A greater commitment to network neutrality, or nondiscrimination involving Internet traffic. AT&T said it would "maintain a neutral network and neutral routing in its wireline broadband Internet access service" for two years. _To freeze rates for "special access" customers, usually competitors and large businesses that pay to connect directly to a regional phone company's central office via a dedicated fiber optic line, for 48 months. _To "assign and/or transfer to an unaffiliated third party" all of its 2.5 GHZ spectrum currently licensed to BellSouth within one year of the merger closing date. _To "repatriate" 3,000 jobs that were outsourced by BellSouth outside the U.S. by Dec. 31, 2008, with at least 200 of them to be located in New Orleans. The Justice Department on Oct. 11 approved creation of the new telecommunications giant without conditions. The combination of San Antonio-based AT&T and Atlanta-based BellSouth would have operations in 22 states. AT&T estimates that about 10,000 jobs would be phased out over three years. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 10:37:27 CST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: AT&T Makes New Offer on BellSouth Deal USTelecom dailyLead December 29, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fScofDtusXjfkDCibuddDkRi TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * AT&T makes new offer on BellSouth deal BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Buyout firms have Alltel's number * Sprint may pick Nokia as WiMAX gear supplier * Cingular forecasts 500 billion minutes of use * Sprint not only distributes, but also creates, TV content TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Analysis: Carriers must focus on quality amid new technologies * China's phone users reach 830 million * Short message codes aren't just for youth anymore VOIP DOWNLOAD * Enterprises turn to VoIP EDITOR'S NOTE * The dailyLead will not be published Monday Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fScofDtusXjfkDCibuddDkRi ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans Date: 29 Dec 2006 16:56:17 -0500 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) If a system passes the Turing test, does it deserve the same rights as a human being? If so, what about people who do not pass the Turing test? Do they deserve the rights they currently have? As Eliza always said, "Tell me more about the Turing test." --scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 00:23:22 -0500 "Rick Merrill" wrote in message news:telecom25.427.7@telecom-digest.org: > mc wrote: >> There's been tremendous progress in robotics and AI, but it hasn't >> been aimed at achieving humanlike consciousness. Why should it be? >> We're building tools, not dolls. > Networked intelligence >> AI? No closer to "unlocking the secret of consciousness," and anyhow, we're building tools, not dolls. The human brian is not a Von Neumann CPU, but it is also not an Ethernet. As Weizenbaum pointed out with ELIZA in 1966, it's easy to build machines that fool people into thinking the machines are conscious. But that's just fooling around. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Emailing to a Computer-Free Zone From: henry999@eircom.net (Henry) Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 07:47:58 +0200 Organization: Saunalahti Customer mc wrote: > Won't spam kill this thing immediately? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I was thinking the same thing; .... > I certainly would not want one of those printers around here, mainly > because who can afford to keep the paper stocked for it. PAT] Erm ... no. In the original article (follow the link), it explained that this device "... will receive messages only from those whose names and emails are added to a list so as to prevent spam or unwanted email." cheers, Henry ------------------------------ From: Emily Subject: Re: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 08:01:08 GMT On Fri, 29 Dec 2006 01:46:56 GMT, DevilsPGD wrote: > Depending on the device design, the chargers may or may not be > interchangeable. I'm currently charging my girlfriend's Blackberry on > a Motorola USB charger I purchased for my Razr. Hi DevilsPGD, The part of your statement that gets me is the part that says U S B. If it's USB, then it should be USB. Right? For example, like you, I also have a Blackberry and a Motorola Razr. Here is a pairing of USB DEVICE requirements with the USB POWER SUPPLY capabilities: DEVICE = Blackberry 8700 SUPPLY = TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA DEVICE = Motorola V195 SUPPLY = PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA DEVICE = Motorola RAZR SUPPLY = DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA DEVICE = Motorola Earbud SUPPLY = FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA Can I "assume" if I hook the Motorola V195's USB power supply (5.9vdc 375mA) to the Blackberry 8700 device, that the Blackberry will be getting more voltage than it 'expected' and that the current it will try to suck out of the charger will be more than expected (due to the higher voltage), yet the current the power supply can supply will be half of what it expected (due to the 375 mA limitation of the power supply). If this is true, this implies that USB chargers are NOT interchangable! (The T-Mobile store clerks just might have been right.) But, what irks me is they all have the SAME CONNECTIONS! They all "LOOK" the same to me! Does EVERYONE label all their USB chargers so they don't mix them up? Or am I missing something fundamental here. If it says it's a USB charger, but that we can't use them interchangably, then are they REALLY USB power supplies? I'm still confused on the fact that the charger advertises it is USB but it's not USB if it doesn't fit all USB devices. Can someone clear up the USB part of the confusion here? Emily [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Actually, Emily, they do _not_ all 'look the same' or 'have the same connections'. If you look closely at the pin from the power supply unit to the unit, you will see that many of them _do_ look a lot alike, but the tip will have a different colored ring on the bottom; and usually the sleeve is a bit too large or a bit too small to fit into the entrance of the unit being powered. I think the street parlance for those little differences is to make the units 'idiot-proof' against people who would otherwise pick up the incorrect power supply to use with one external device or another. I have three cellular phones here; and three external power supplies to use with them. Not one of the three power supplies will work with the other two phones. Or maybe they would if I was able to trim down the sleeve a wee bit, or expand the hole (being plugged into) a wee bit, but I am unwilling to be patient enough to work with those microscopic little things. Regards the varying degrees of power supplied, I do not think there is any 'standard' for USB. PAT] ------------------------------ From: gb Subject: Re: AT&T Residential Rate Increases? Date: 29 Dec 2006 04:38:04 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Strangely enough, on ATT CallVantage (their VOIP service), they have lowered their rates for the unlimited plan. What used to be $29.95 is now $24.95. The funny thing is that they didn't make the announcement to existing customers, so an existing customer has to change the plan to get the lower price, otherwise it stays at the higher price. New customers are only offered the lower price. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Be grateful all you have to do is close one plan and open a new one to get the reduced price. In my instance here, CableOne talks all day long on television about 'the new reduced rates' for cable television subscribers, about ten dollars per month less than what I pay. I asked at the local office here on Penn Street and the lady told me I would have to disconnect my cable and _stay disconnected for ninety days_ then reapply as a 'new' customer to get the 'new customer' special deals. PAT] ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: FBI Taps Cell Phone Mic as Eavesdropping Tool Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 00:20:14 -0500 Emily wrote in message news:telecom25.428.10@telecom-digest.org: > On Mon, 04 Dec 2006 04:48:38 -0000, ellis@no.spam wrote: >> I wondered how long it'd take for that to start happening. Will the >> criminals catch on and start taking the batteries out of their phones? > Can the FBI remotely power the phone even without the batteries being in? Not without *some* kind of batteries. They might hide something inside so the externally visible battery could be removed, I suppose. This reminds me of an old Sun Workstation eavesdropping trick, back when soundcards were new. Every Sun had a soundcard and a microphone. But every Sun ran multi-user UNIX. So you log on remotely, record a sound file, download it, and play it. (Or, if more clever, stream it to yourself in real time.) And so you hear whatever is going on in the room where the computer is. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 23:52:06 -0600 From: Gordon S. Hlavenka Reply-To: nospam@crashelex.com Organization: Crash Electronics Subject: Re: Anti-Spam Tool Going Out of Business Anick Jesdanun wrote: > The Open Relay Database, a tool e-mail service providers used for > years to help curb the spread of spam, is ceasing operations ... And good riddance too. ORDB and various blackhole databases have been the bane of my email existence since they were invented. Much as I hate spam (and I do) I hate having strangers filter my email even more. Many times I have had emails I sent bounced, just because someone else at my ISP had an open relay or was infected with something, or perhaps was actually evil. But why is that _my_ problem? Yet these lists make it my problem; I get my emails bounced back, through no fault of my own. I don't choose my IP address, nor do I choose my IP neighbors. And it breaks in the other direction, too -- emails sent to me may simply never arrive, just because some sanctimonious so-and-so decided to "fix" spam. Bleah. A pox on them all. Before various ISPs decided to help me with my spam problem, I used to get around 300 to 400 emails daily, about 50 of them legit. Today, thanks to the efforts of misguided do-gooders worldwide I get about 50 emails daily, with maybe 6 or 10 of them spam. At first blush this seems to be an improvement, but in fact I'm losing a handful of emails _every_ _day_ which did not happen when I was getting all the spam. Spam? Sucks, no question about it. But let ME decide what is spam for myself; the rest of you keep your paws out of my mailbox. Gordon S. Hlavenka http://www.crashelectronics.com What if there were no hypothetical situations? ------------------------------ From: nospam4me@mytrashmail.com (Herb Oxley) Subject: Re: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 20:50:03 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What about when someone emails a > screen-scraping to you of an html page (that you may have requested)? > Chances are likely there will be .jpg or .gif files on that page with > some text in them. You cannot really risk throwing it all away unseen. > PAT] Watch for the next releases of mail clients such as Outlook Express etc. to give mail users more control over emails containing in-line images, such as mail rules to filter any such emails where the sender is unknown. Of course at the rate things are going pretty soon no one is going to be accepting emails from "strangers". -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Herb Oxley From: address IS Valid. ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Re: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 04:52:12 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In Dan Lanciani writes: [ snip ] > Interesting. I assume that a message with an image from someone I > don't know is likely spam and bounce it with an appropriate error. Unless you're doing this at the initial SMTP server contact, please stop. If you're making the bounces based on the reply-to or return or "from" addresses, those are quite likely forged, and all a bounce to them is doing is making things worse. _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, a little bit of guerilla (or do you say 'gorilla') warfare always feels good. As many of you may know, my bane in life is a dozen or more spams/scams each day from PayPal imposters. Some of them are simple requests to 'confirm my identity' least my PayPal account be closed, but lately they are trying a new routine where I am advised that 'I have sent payment in the amount of several hundred dollars' to some innocent bystander company, and 'if this is in dispute, please contact the 'PayPal Team' by sending all my identification to them, etc. What I have been doing is emailing the innocent bystander company with a demand letter for 'full refund' of the 'money sent to them in error' by PayPal. And as 'proof' that they did get the money I enclose a copy of the shyster/huckster's letter in which _he_ purports to be the 'PayPal Team'. I just use a template letter I keep on file for it. Naturally, I also send the original charlatan's letter to me (telling me [a] how my account is closed pending correct ID or [b] advising me that some outrageous sum of momey was paid on my behalf) to 'spoof@paypal.com' for their handling as well. Last I noticed, PayPal and the innocent bystanders were banging on each other pretty well. I suggest we all do what we can to make internet commerce as difficult and discouraging as possible; hopefully it will go away entirely sometime in the future. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Tom Horsley Subject: Re: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree Organization: AT&T Worldnet Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 12:42:11 GMT On Thu, 28 Dec 2006 15:54:57 EST Dan Lanciani wrote: > I assume that a message with an image from someone I > don't know is likely spam and bounce it with an appropriate error. People who "bounce" messages only make the volume of traffic higher and contribute to the spam problem by sending their "helpful" bounces back to the forged sender address where the bounce is just more spam for the person who never actually sent the message. The universe would be a much nicer place if all bounces stopped happening :-). It is particularly irresponsible that there are commercial products which are configured out of the box to send bounces (especially the anti-spam tools which recognize particular viruses known to forge mail headers and bounce them back to the "sender" anyway). ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Old Phones Can't be Activated Anymore Date: 29 Dec 2006 08:01:51 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com nonoise wrote: > donate the phones for use by charitable organizations. I often hear pitches to donate old cell phones to charity, such as shelters. If the carriers won't activate old phones, how can a charitable organization use them? [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Many of those older phones can dial 911 in any event, so the users who are able to speak for themselves can converse with police dispatchers, etc. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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End of TELECOM Digest V25 #429 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Dec 29 20:10:29 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 8EF7522D7; Fri, 29 Dec 2006 20:09:38 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #430 Message-Id: <20061230010938.8EF7522D7@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 20:09:38 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 29 Dec 2006 20:10:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 430 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved (TELECOM Digest Editor) Consumer Effects of AT&T-Bell South Combination (Peter Svensson) Asian Telecoms Say Will Not Invest More in Backup Lines (AP News Wire) Re: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? (DevilsPGD) Re: Anti-Spam Tool Going Out of Business (Steven J. Sobol) Last Laugh! Man Arrested in California for Phone Threats (Henry K. Lee) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 19:25:59 EST From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) AT&T _mostly_ got its way very late Friday afternoon when the Federal Communications voted to agree to the merger between AT&T and BellSouth. Democrats on the Commission held out for concessions, including among others, 'Network Neutrality' and a continued discounting in rates for wholesalers; i.e. the former Prairie Stream Communications and the existing Sage Telecom. More in the next message today from Associated Press wires. PAT ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 18:16:53 -0600 From: Peter Svensson, AP Technology Subject: Consumer Effects of AT&T-Bell South Combination By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer The concessions AT&T Inc. made to win regulatory approval of its mammoth merger with BellSouth Corp. has many implications for consumers. With Friday's approval of the plan by the Federal Communications Commission, here's what consumers can expect in the combined company's service areas in 22 states: * DSL to new customers for $10 a month, for 30 months. This looks like a good deal for high-speed Internet, as the Digital Subscriber Line is even cheaper than the cheapest plan AT&T now has, at $15 a month. It's even better in BellSouth's territory, where the company has kept prices higher than other phone companies -- BellSouth's cheapest plan is now $25 a month. AT&T is likely to lose money on this because current DSL plans are no cash cows. However, to be eligible, you must never have had AT&T or BellSouth DSL, and you need local phone service. * Free broadband modem to those who replace AT&T or BellSouth dial-up services with DSL. This is not a major benefit, and there's nothing to prevent AT&T from recouping the cost by raising general prices (except on the mandated $10 plan). AT&T is currently offering a mail-in rebate that covers the cost of a DSL modem. * A pledge to offer broadband wherever the new AT&T is the local phone company. This sounds good, but AT&T is allowed to use satellite broadband, which is comparatively slow and expensive, to cover the last 15 percent of homes. This means rural homes that are too far from phone-switching stations may still not get DSL. AT&T already sells satellite broadband in partnership with WildBlue Communications Inc. Service starts at $50 a month for downloads at up to 512 kilobits per second, slower than AT&T's $15 DSL plan. The equipment costs $300. One emerging alternative: fixed wireless broadband, which is cheaper than satellite, but is only available in a few areas so far. * DSL service without local phone service. This is something consumer advocates have fought for because many broadband users make phone calls over that connection and feel no need for a traditional landline. But so-called "naked" DSL is something that appeals mostly to the technically sophisticated, and they're unlikely to be thrilled by the relatively slow plan that AT&T has offered to sell, with a download speed of 768 kilobits per second. At $20 a month or less, it'll cost a bit more than the cheapest DSL plans but you can drop charges for phone services. This pledge will be good for 30 months. After that, there's a good chance AT&T won't make any new demands of current customers, but there's no promise. * A pledge to sell wireless broadband licenses held by BellSouth. This is intended to open up competition in providing broadband to the home, a market that now has only two main competitors in each area: the phone company and the cable company. BellSouth already uses this spectrum to provide broadband service in parts of 15 cities in eight states. The technology is similar to that used in Wi-Fi hotspots, but allows for longer range. Cell-phone carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. has announced plans to build a competing wireless network and would probably love to get its hands on the frequencies to be surrendered by BellSouth. But there's nothing in AT&T's offer that says it has to sell the frequencies in an open process, so it may well chose a less-threatening buyer. * A pledge to uphold "net neutrality" principles. This is the most abstract promise, but some consumer groups say it's the most important. The major phone companies -- most prominently AT&T -- have suggested they would like to be able to charge large Web companies like Google Inc. and Amazon Inc. for preferential treatment of their traffic, ensuring that, for instance, online movies they sell don't stutter or break up because of Internet traffic jams. In a sometimes vehement debate over the past year, the Web companies and consumer advocates have fought this idea, saying it runs counter to the egalitarian and public nature of the Internet and will stifle innovation when smaller companies can't afford the extra Internet tolls. When SBC bought AT&T Corp. to become AT&T Inc. and when Verizon Communications Inc. bought MCI, they both promised to uphold certain loose principles of "net neutrality," but that promise expires next year. AT&T is now offering the FCC to go even further and to refrain from offering any service that prioritizes or degrades any Internet data based on its source, ownership or destination. This would apply for two years after merger. AT&T's IPTV service, a competitor to cable TV, would be exempt, as would the Internet backbone. But "network neutrality" proponents were largely pleased with the offer on Friday. "This is a major step forward for supporters of an open Internet and a great improvement on the conditions applied to the earlier mergers," said Ben Scott at Free Press, a nonprofit that promotes freedom of speech. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:51:25 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Asian Telecoms Say Will Not Invest More in Backup Lines TAIPEI, Dec 29 (AP): Asian telecom companies said Friday they will not invest more in backup lines to protect against disasters like the recent earthquake that snarled telephone and Internet service across Asia, and as far as the United States (US). The quake, which damaged undersea cables off Taiwan Tuesday, was so rare that there is no need to spend money on extra lines, said Wu Chih-ming, a senior official at Chunghwa Telecom Company, Taiwan's biggest telecommunications company. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau measured the quake at magnitude 6.7 while the US Geological Survey put it at 7.1. "We won't consider laying more backup cables for now because such an incident might not happen in another 100 years", Wu said. Companies from Japan to Singapore Friday were still scrambling to fully restore service. Since it will take weeks to repair the cables off Taiwan, companies were rerouting traffic through satellites and cables that were not damaged. ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? Organization: Disorganized Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 23:01:57 GMT In message Emily wrote: > On Fri, 29 Dec 2006 01:46:56 GMT, DevilsPGD wrote: >> Depending on the device design, the chargers may or may not be >> interchangeable. I'm currently charging my girlfriend's Blackberry on >> a Motorola USB charger I purchased for my Razr. > Hi DevilsPGD, > The part of your statement that gets me is the part that says U S B. > If it's USB, then it should be USB. Right? Well -- There are a few factors. First off, I'm going to assume we're only talking the same USB connector, there are both 4-pin and 5-pin versions of the typical mini-B connector. USB male-A http://www.computercablesource.com/images/usb-am-am-cable-white.jpg USB male-B http://www.computercablesource.com/images/usb-am-bm-cable-black.jpg USB mini-B, 4pin http://www.computercablesource.com/images/usb2-am-mb4-06.jpg USB mini-B, 5pin http://www.computercablesource.com/images/usb2-am-mb5-06.jpg Most small portable devices these days use a mini-B 5pin, most removable drives seem to use a male-B. I have a few devices that accept a male-A as well, typically cheap (non-manufacturer) cradles. > For example, like you, I also have a Blackberry and a Motorola Razr. > Here is a pairing of USB DEVICE requirements with the USB POWER > SUPPLY capabilities: > DEVICE = Blackberry 8700 SUPPLY = TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA > DEVICE = Motorola V195 SUPPLY = PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA > DEVICE = Motorola RAZR SUPPLY = DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA > DEVICE = Motorola Earbud SUPPLY = FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA > Can I "assume" if I hook the Motorola V195's USB power supply (5.9vdc > 375mA) to the Blackberry 8700 device, that the Blackberry will be getting > more voltage than it 'expected' and that the current it will try to suck > out of the charger will be more than expected (due to the higher voltage), > yet the current the power supply can supply will be half of what it > expected (due to the 375 mA limitation of the power supply). The USB spec requires 5.0vdc +/-0.25v (or +/-5%) -- So your Motorola V195 charger isn't within spec. The USB spec puts out a maximum of 500mA power. However, there is no harm in providing more mA then required as long as the voltage is regulated to stay within spec under higher load. In other words, the other power supplies are within spec. Also note that many devices can accept a wide range of voltages. I definitely wouldn't recommend experimenting, you may fry equipment if you go too high, or batteries if you charge a LiON too low, but it's not uncommon for equipment to be able to accept a much wider range then is printed on the device (largely to enable them to charge from a PC) > If this is true, this implies that USB chargers are NOT interchangable! > (The T-Mobile store clerks just might have been right.) > But, what irks me is they all have the SAME CONNECTIONS! > They all "LOOK" the same to me! Sure ... Read on though, I'll explain why :) > Does EVERYONE label all their USB chargers so they don't mix them up? > Or am I missing something fundamental here. If it says it's a USB > charger, but that we can't use them interchangably, then are they > REALLY USB power supplies? Yes -- They're supplying power via USB, therefore they are power supplies with a USB end. > I'm still confused on the fact that the charger advertises it is USB but > it's not USB if it doesn't fit all USB devices. I think the problem, ultimately, is that there isn't a clearly defined spec for USB as a power supply independent of USB as a data cable that happens to provide a bit of power. > Can someone clear up the USB part of the confusion here? Besides a data link, USB provides 5 +/- 0.25 volts to power an otherwise unpowered device or charge a battery in a self powered device. A USB controller or hub is required to power one unit load (100 mA, a low power load). It can optionally power up to 5 unit loads (500 mA, a high power load). The spec is silent about intermediate loads, so I assume that the sources deal with just the two cases. Either a load is low power (like a keyboard or a mouse) or high power (like an iPod or PDA). A device cannot assume that 500 mA is available until it gets permission, when you're talking to a computer this is done over the data connection. In general, the way devices will handle this is to only draw 100 mA (which is typically enough to run, but not to charge a battery), link up, and once the driver is installed, ask the driver for permission, then switch up to the 500 mA (or higher in many cases) mode. In practice, with modern USB ports in desktops, and powered hubs, you can pretty safely draw well over 100 mA without asking, and over 500 mA with permission. However, this will actually overload some computers (especially older laptops that were built to spec and not a penny over, meaning that there was no current overload protection) So what do you do when you hit a USB charger? Well, per the spec, only 100mA can be drawn safely, which means no charging batteries. One option would be to provide a second charger port, using the USB port only for data and for charging when a PC was attached and using the separate power connector as a safe charging port. However, this would incur additional costs, and is an additional component to get damaged. Another option, the one most well designed hardware uses, is to have some way for the charger to identify itself to the device, giving the device permission to safely draw more current. The third option, the one many cheap "use your USB ports to charge your device" works is to simply assume higher power capabilities are present and charge. So, in the real world, what does this mean? Well, take my Treo 650. It went with solution #1, it has separate data and charge connectors (well, it's all one custom adapter, but you can connect a data and power cable at the same time) -- As a result, it cannot USB charge directly. So now some aftermarket company comes out with a cable that uses technique #3, it just hot-wires the Palm's 5V in to my USB power and chargers. Works great, although it potentially draws too much current. The Motorola Razr is a case of #2, it will only charge if it has permission (drivers installed, or it detects a dedicated charger) Another example is my MP3 player, a Zen Micro ... This is the ultimate choice, as far as I'm concerned -- It uses solution #2, which means it won't overload a PC with an underpowered USB port. However, if you switch the controls to "Lock", it will charge if there is power but no driver connection -- This means I can charge off of any USB power adapter if I want to force the issue, but when communicating with a PC, it will only charge if authorized. Now, with all that being said, I've yet to see a device capable of charging off of USB that my Motorola Razr chargers won't power, so as a result I've bought several of these on eBay (You can get genuine Motorola ones for ~$10 on eBay on a good day), and haven't ever had an issue. Whew, hope that post wasn't too long :) Going to war over religion is fighting to see who's got the better imaginary friend. ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: Anti-Spam Tool Going Out of Business Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 23:18:22 UTC Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com In article , Gordon S Hlavenka wrote: > ORDB and various blackhole databases have been the bane of my email > existence since they were invented. Much as I hate spam (and I do) I > hate having strangers filter my email even more. Then your complaint is with the people using ORDB or any other blacklist ... not the blacklist operators, at least not at first. You're always welcome to choose an email service where the filtering can be turned off. Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows Victorville, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:45:50 -0600 From: Henry Lee, SF Chronicle Subject: Last Laugh! Crazy Man Arrested in California for Phone Threats Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer (12-29) 13:29 PST SACRAMENTO -- A Butte County man has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly making a series of threatening phone calls to hotels, a rabbi, a Jewish history museum and a church, saying he planned to kill people or destroy buildings. Scott Roberts Hudson, 52, of Paradise has a previous federal conviction from 1999 for threatening to kill Randy Johnson, a pitcher at the time for the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, and to cut off his genitals, court records show. Hudson served 34 months in prison or in a halfway house in that case. The new charges, handed down Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, accuse Hudson of calling people between August and November. The indictment includes seven counts of threats to use fire or explosives and two counts of making threatening communications. Hudson was arrested on Dec. 20. Earlier this year, his mother told investigators that her son suffered from mental illness and "does not take his medication," FBI Special Agent Kristy Martinez wrote in an affidavit. In August, the defendant allegedly called St. Mary's University in Rochester, Minn., five times. In one call that was taped, Hudson said a religious group in Germany was going to "burn to the ground" St. Mary's buildings "in a shocking penetration of God's peace," the affidavit said. In August and September, the defendant threatened to kill Greg Laurie, the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside who is known for his public evangelical events called Harvest Crusades, authorities said. In several phone calls, Hudson said he believed Laurie should be "6 feet under" and that "I'm the one that can put him there," the affidavit said. On Sept. 3, when former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was visiting Philadelphia, the city's National Museum of Jewish History received a phone call in which Hudson threatened to shoot a museum official in the head and set fire to the building, authorities said. On Oct. 13, Hudson threatened to set fire to the Ben David Messianic Jewish Congregation in Orange (Orange County), the indictment said. On Oct. 29, Hudson called a Hilton hotel in New York City and said, "Sunday I will bomb the Hilton New York and the new World Trade Center will also come down. All Jews will also burn," the affidavit said. He allegedly called the hotel two more times over the next week, making similar threats, authorities said. On Nov. 3, Hudson, claiming to be calling from Hamburg, Germany, called the Westin Hotel in New York and said a bomb would go off on Nov. 11, the affidavit said. E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com. URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/29/BAGC5NA29835.DTL Copyright 2006 San Francisco Chronicle 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines of interest, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://feeds.feedburner.com/telecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25_#430 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Dec 30 21:13:07 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 0443822E8; Sat, 30 Dec 2006 21:13:06 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #431 Message-Id: <20061231021306.0443822E8@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 21:13:06 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sat, 30 Dec 2006 21:15:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 431 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson NYC Taxicabs to Test Cell Signal Strength (David B. Caruso, AP) Re: Asia Mends Data Cables, Plans Aternative Routings (T) Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved (T) Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved (Sam Spade) Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com) Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans (David Wolff) Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans (mc) Re: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree (Dan Lanciani) Re: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? (Robin Colleen Moore) Re: FBI Taps Cell Phone Mic as Eavesdropping Tool (Scott Dorsey) Re: Anti-Spam Tool Going Out of Business (Scott Dorsey) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 18:40:02 -0600 From: David B. Caruso, AP Subject: NYC Taxicabs to Test Cell Signal Strength By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press Writer Ever wanted to stuff that "Can you hear me now?" guy into the trunk of your car and take him on a tour of those maddening spots where your cell phone won't work? One telecommunications company has a plan to do the mechanical equivalent. The Stockholm-based firm Ericsson recently got approval from New York's taxi commission to place mobile sensors in the trunks of at least 50 cabs in an attempt to better map dead zones in mobile phone networks. The small devices, about the size of a computer modem, will automatically feed information about signal strength and clarity to engineers. Because taxis in New York are on the road all day and all night, and ostensibly travel into every corner of the city, company executives said they are a cheap way of covering vast amounts of territory with limited effort. Similar programs have been launched in several other cities since the 1990s using a variety of vehicles, but this is the first time it will be done in New York, the company said. "Our favorite vehicle is the taxicab because of the randomness in its circulation," said Niklas Kylvag, Ericsson's manager of fleet services. But, he added, "We have used trains, trucks, buses, delivery vehicles, limousines, pretty much anything that is moving and has electricity in it. I have myself done testing in the Swiss Alps with this on my back at a ski resort." The research program is being conducted on behalf of an undisclosed wireless provider. Cab companies will be paid for participating. At least one fleet has signed up to participate and others have expressed interest, Kylvag said. The system, which will not be visible to passengers, is scheduled to be in place sometime this winter. New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman Matthew Daus said the city has also opened cabs to other companies that wish to deploy a similar system. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ From: T Subject: Re: Asia Mends Data Cables, Plans Aternative Routings Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 19:25:17 -0500 In article , reuters@telecom- digest.org says: > By Jon Herskovitz > Ships set sail on Friday to mend cables damaged by earthquakes off > Taiwan that cut communication in Asia, while companies found new > routes for their data to flow to prevent another disruption. > Service was back to normal on the last business day of the year with > telecoms companies securing new routes via land and satellite to > restore communication -- ending outages that affected banks and > brokerages from Seoul to Sydney. That's why there was a brief hiatus of spam in my inbox. I kept wondering why it dropped from a volume of over 100 per day to less than 3 per day. ------------------------------ From: T Subject: Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 23:59:08 -0500 In article , ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu says: > AT&T _mostly_ got its way very late Friday afternoon when the Federal > Communications voted to agree to the merger between AT&T and > BellSouth. Democrats on the Commission held out for concessions, > including among others, 'Network Neutrality' and a continued > discounting in rates for wholesalers; i.e. the former Prairie Stream > Communications and the existing Sage Telecom. Oh nice, so now it's AT&T and Verizon on the playing field. Like that'll matter for Net Neutrality. ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 02:45:56 -0800 Organization: Cox TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > AT&T _mostly_ got its way very late Friday afternoon when the Federal > Communications voted to agree to the merger between AT&T and > BellSouth. Democrats on the Commission held out for concessions, > including among others, 'Network Neutrality' and a continued > discounting in rates for wholesalers; i.e. the former Prairie Stream > Communications and the existing Sage Telecom. I read somewhere that this "Network Neutrality" promise is only for two years. Is that your understanding? [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That's how I understand it also. And AT&T whined about having to do that little for us. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved Date: 30 Dec 2006 12:08:44 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > AT&T _mostly_ got its way very late Friday afternoon when the Federal > Communications voted to agree to the merger between AT&T and > BellSouth. Democrats on the Commission held out for concessions, > including among others, 'Network Neutrality' and a continued > discounting in rates for wholesalers; i.e. the former Prairie Stream > Communications and the existing Sage Telecom. I'm not sure I understand why the FCC should be dictating policy in this situation. AT&T is not the old monolithic and powerful Bell System. It is a shadow of its former self, keeping the name for marketing purposes. It's last power base, Long Distance, isn't worth much anymore with all the cheap fibre and satellite circuits lots of others have installed. As others have noted, even the traditional landline business is falling off for companies like Verizon. Consequently, I don't know why it should be forced to discount its rates for wholesalers. It should be free to do what every other business does -- if it feels it's in its interest to discount, it will do so, otherwise not. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: AT&T wanted to be very pragmatic about the whole thing and have the merger approved _sometime_ during the lifetimes of its present executives. The Democrats (or do you know them as 'Demopublicans' or 'Republicrats'?) suggested "here is a way to grease the American public's back orifice, and make it easier for everyone to take your offering: Maintain the status quo so we can tell everyone what good guys we are." AT&T apparently agreed that was a prudent way of handling things, by not offending more politicians. PAT] ------------------------------ From: dwolffxx@panix.com (David Wolff) Subject: Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 22:54:22 UTC Organization: Public Access Networks Corp. In article , Scott Dorsey wrote: > If a system passes the Turing test, does it deserve the same rights as > a human being? > If so, what about people who do not pass the Turing test? Do they > deserve the rights they currently have? > As Eliza always said, "Tell me more about the Turing test." > --scott I think _Analog_ (analogsf.com) had a story like this a year or two ago. If you couldn't pass the Turing test, you weren't allowed to vote. Think about it. If you can't convince a human being that *you're* a human being ... Thanks -- David (Remove "xx" to reply.) ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Robots Will Get Same Rights as Humans Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 23:17:33 -0500 Scott Dorsey wrote in message news:telecom25.429.4@telecom-digest.org: > If a system passes the Turing test, does it deserve the same rights > as a human being? No, because the Turing test is arbitrary and rather silly. It is not based on any real theory of what consciousness is. ELIZA passed a Turing test of sorts. Turing meant it only as a minimum threshold. > If so, what about people who do not pass the Turing test? Do they > deserve the rights they currently have? > As Eliza always said, "Tell me more about the Turing test." ELIZA is a better conversationalist than some people at parties! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 20:08:37 -0500 (EST) From: Dan Lanciani Subject: Re: Spam Surge Drives Net Crime Spree tom.horsley@att.net (Tom Horsley) wrote: > On Thu, 28 Dec 2006 15:54:57 EST Dan Lanciani wrote: >> I assume that a message with an image from someone I >> don't know is likely spam and bounce it with an appropriate error. > People who "bounce" messages only make the volume of traffic higher > and contribute to the spam problem by sending their "helpful" > bounces back to the forged sender address where the bounce is just > more spam for the person who never actually sent the message. No, a delivery error message is not spam. And it is not sent "to the forged sender address" or for that matter sent "to" any address at all. > The universe would be a much nicer place if all bounces stopped > happening :-). No, it would not. Lack of an indication that mail has failed to be delivered makes the system far less useful for anything other than spam. > dannyb@panix.com (Danny Burstein) wrote: > In Dan Lanciani > writes: >> Interesting. I assume that a message with an image from someone I >> don't know is likely spam and bounce it with an appropriate error. > Unless you're doing this at the initial SMTP server contact, please > stop. Of course I'm doing it at the initial SMTP server contact. I'm lucky enough to be able to do that because I have my own server. Many are not so fortunate, though, and I would not quickly deny them their bounces. > If you're making the bounces based on the reply-to or return or > "from" addresses, those are quite likely forged, and all a bounce to > them is doing is making things worse. Oh, good, then SPF is the solution. (ducks) Dan Lanciani ------------------------------ From: Robin Colleen Moore Subject: Re: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 07:51:16 GMT On Fri, 29 Dec 2006 23:01:57 GMT, DevilsPGD wrote: > In general, the way devices will handle this is to only draw 100 mA > (which is typically enough to run, but not to charge a battery), > link up, and once the driver is installed, ask the driver for > permission, then switch up to the 500 mA (or higher in many cases) > mode. Aha! This seems to explain why the Motorola RAZR V3 can ONLY charge its battery on a PC USB cable if the cell phone is turned on with enough power to run the cell phone. If the battery is so low that the cell phone can't "ask for permission", then the usb cable to the PC won't charge the phone. There must be enough energy left in the battery to power up the phone so that the phone can ask for permission. ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: FBI Taps Cell Phone Mic as Eavesdropping Tool Date: 30 Dec 2006 12:08:46 -0500 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) mc wrote: > This reminds me of an old Sun Workstation eavesdropping trick, back > when soundcards were new. Every Sun had a soundcard and a > microphone. But every Sun ran multi-user UNIX. So you log on > remotely, record a sound file, download it, and play it. (Or, if > more clever, stream it to yourself in real time.) And so you hear > whatever is going on in the room where the computer is. It goes both ways. The admin in another department once logged into a machine in a public lab and catted a file to /dev/audio of himself crying out, "Help me, I am trapped inside this computer." Of course, I noticed the /etc/motd on _his_ server was world-writable. Hilarity ensued. Telecom content? Nil. scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Anti-Spam Tool Going Out of Business Date: 30 Dec 2006 12:14:00 -0500 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Gordon S. Hlavenka wrote: > ORDB and various blackhole databases have been the bane of my email > existence since they were invented. Much as I hate spam (and I do) I > hate having strangers filter my email even more. The problem is that people DO filter their email. They either do it manually, or they do it automatically. Sometimes the automatic systems have false positives. Sometimes the manual systems have false positives too ... when I was getting a couple thousand spam messages a day and only a dozen or so legitimate messages, I was routinely missing the legitimate traffic in the flood. Now I use blocking lists that keep it down to a couple dozen spam messages a day, which I can deal with. > Many times I have had emails I sent bounced, just because someone > else at my ISP had an open relay or was infected with something, or > perhaps was actually evil. But why is that _my_ problem? Yet these > lists make it my problem; I get my emails bounced back, through no > fault of my own. I don't choose my IP address, nor do I choose my > IP neighbors. You _do_ choose your IP address and you _do_ choose your IP neighbors, when you choose your ISP. If you get service from an ISP with a bad reputation, people will refuse to accept your traffic. Twenty years ago, if a site had a problem, it would just get disconnected from the upstream, and the problem would either be fixed or the site would stay offline. These days the large backbone providers are not willing to do this, so the disconnection is being done in a more crude fashion. > And it breaks in the other direction, too -- emails sent to me may > simply never arrive, just because some sanctimonious so-and-so decided > to "fix" spam. Bleah. A pox on them all. It's not a fix, it is a desperate measure employed because the problem is so far out of hand. I do not have a better one. > Before various ISPs decided to help me with my spam problem, I used > to get around 300 to 400 emails daily, about 50 of them legit. > Today, thanks to the efforts of misguided do-gooders worldwide I get > about 50 emails daily, with maybe 6 or 10 of them spam. At first > blush this seems to be an improvement, but in fact I'm losing a > handful of emails _every_ _day_ which did not happen when I was > getting all the spam. So, if you don't LIKE the blocking lists, don't use them. > Spam? Sucks, no question about it. But let ME decide what is spam for > myself; the rest of you keep your paws out of my mailbox. If your ISP doesn't allow you to select how your mail is filtered, why are you using it? --scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://feeds.feedburner.com/telecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #431 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Dec 31 18:03:59 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 02BED22D6; Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:03:58 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #432 Message-Id: <20061231230358.02BED22D6@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:03:58 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:05:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 432 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson China's Internet Out of Order Until January 15 (Associated Press Wire) As Deadline Nears, Banks Toughen Net Protections (Monty Solomon) Getting Howard Stern Off NPR (Monty Solomon) Simplifying the Cellphone Experience (Monty Solomon) Easy411 (Fred Atkinson) Re: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? (DevilsPGD) Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved (Steven Lichter) Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved (Ron Kritzman) Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved (Fred Goldstein) Re: Anti-Spam Tool Going Out of Business (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 15:23:21 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: China's Internet Out of Order Until January 15 China's Internet expected to be back to normal by Jan. 15 BEIJING (AP) Internet services in China will not be back to normal until mid-January after being disrupted by a powerful earthquake off Taiwan, a news report Sunday quoted the country's biggest telephone company as saying. Internet and telephone services in China and many parts of Asia were cut by Tuesday's quake, leaving telecommunications companies scrambling to repair damaged undersea cables and switch voice and data communications to satellites and undamaged cables. The official Xinhua News Agency quoted an unidentified China Telecom Corp. official as saying Internet service would be back to normal on Jan. 15. "Five vessels have been dispatched to repair the damaged lines, " the official was quoted as saying. "But heavy seas have made the repair work very difficult." China Telecom said that by rerouting traffic through satellite transmissions and landline cables connecting China and Europe, about 70% of overseas Internet connections had been reconnected. But the official was quoted as saying the link to North America would not be significantly improved until the undersea cables were repaired. The magnitude 6.7 quake hit just off the Taiwanese town of Hengchun on Dec. 26 -- the second anniversary of the devastating, earthquake- triggered tsunami that took more than 230,000 lives in a dozen countries. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html (or) http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra.internet-news.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Does this mean spam from China will be taking a two week holiday (albiet a forced one)? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 01:45:08 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: As Deadline Nears, Banks Toughen Net Protections By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff | December 29, 2006 People who do their online banking with Cambridge Savings Bank will find it a little harder to log on in the New Year. But bank executives don't think the customers will mind. It's for their own good -- and besides, it's the law. A federal regulation mandating tougher online financial security measures will take effect Monday. Banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions must begin using enhanced technologies to protect customer data against identity theft. Many of the nation's biggest banks, including Bank of America, have already introduced "multi factor" authentication systems that go well beyond the traditional user name and password approach to prevent Internet fraud. Other smaller banks, which buy their online banking services from independent contractors, are scrambling to meet the coming deadline. Mark Tracy, senior vice president of back technology and operations at Cambridge Savings, said his company has been testing its new authentication system for the past two months, with help from customers who've agreed to try it. "It's been pretty successful so far," said Tracy. "In January, we'll be making it mandatory." Cambridge Savings customers will receive a user name and password when they sign up for the service. In addition, the first time a customer uses his home or work computer to do some banking, the machine is given a unique digital "fingerprint" associated with the customer's password. Whenever he banks with that computer, the bank software checks his user name, password, and computer fingerprint before processing the transaction. If someone tries to log in from a machine that isn't fingerprinted, the bank will send a confirmation message to the customer's e-mail address. A crook who's stolen somebody's user name and password probably won't have access to the victim's e-mail account, so he can't reply to the message, and won't be allowed to log in. http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/12/29/as_deadline_nears_banks_toughen_net_protections/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 01:48:09 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Getting Howard Stern off NPR Getting Howard Stern off NPR; Regulators, device makers try to fix other signals 'bleeding' into FM By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff | December 21, 2006 After last Christmas, public radio stations across the country were inundated with complaints from listeners who were shocked to hear Howard Stern interrupt "Morning Edition" or their classical music lineup. The portable satellite radios, iPods, and DVD players that people had received as gifts were playing on FM frequencies that interrupted broadcasts at the left end of the radio dial, in violation of federal regulations. After a year of wrangling among broadcasters, regulators, and device manufacturers, public radio listeners and officials are in a holding pattern, waiting to see whether the problems the new media created for old radio have been corrected before deciding whether to take further action. http://www.boston.com/business/personaltech/articles/2006/12/21/getting_howard_stern_off_npr/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 11:44:34 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Simplifying the Cellphone Experience By Walter S. Mossberg and Katherine Boehret You own a cellphone, but someone else added the names and numbers stored in it. You don't keep your phone turned on, nor do you think to charge it regularly. Your voicemail was set up by one of your kids or grandchildren, and you don't know how to check it. You begged the cellphone salesperson to sell you the most basic phone. If you're nodding as you read this, either personally relating to the challenges of using a cellphone or on behalf of someone you know, you're not alone. Many people -- especially baby boomers and their parents -- feel anxious about using these increasingly complicated gadgets. These people are usually smart and capable, but just don't know their way around a cellphone. This week, we tested two new cellphones and a new cellphone service designed to address this problem, by placing simplicity and ease-of-use first. These $150 phones are called Jitterbugs, and they come from a Del Mar, Calif., company called GreatCall Inc. Its phones are physically and functionally different, emphasizing easy navigation with large buttons and simple menus. And its service includes an operator who acts as a concierge, optionally placing calls for you and even remotely adding numbers to your phone's contact list. http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20061101.html ------------------------------ From: Fred Atkinson Subject: Easy411 Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 14:18:24 -0500 Pat, What is with Easy411? I can't use my service. I get as far as, "Please hold for your number" but it never gives me the number. Finally, I get a recording that says, "We are unable to complete your call" despite the fact that my account is optioned not to complete calls. I've called their customer service numbers today. The ones I have tried are giving disconnect recordings. Are you still using them? Do they work for you? Regards, Fred Atkinson [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The service does not work for me, either. I have been able to track them down to this limited extent on New Year's Eve: Try http://www.smoothstone.com/contact.php for some information. That company, Smoothstone, deals in IP telephony, and is located in Louisville, KY. I do not know the dispostion of Easy 411 however. I doubt we will get anywhere on this at least until Tuesday but if some of you want to work on it, please go ahead and try. PAT] ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Why is Motorola USB not Blackberry USB? Organization: Disorganized Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 03:53:36 GMT In message Robin Colleen Moore wrote: > On Fri, 29 Dec 2006 23:01:57 GMT, DevilsPGD wrote: >> In general, the way devices will handle this is to only draw 100 mA >> (which is typically enough to run, but not to charge a battery), >> link up, and once the driver is installed, ask the driver for >> permission, then switch up to the 500 mA (or higher in many cases) >> mode. > Aha! > This seems to explain why the Motorola RAZR V3 can ONLY charge its > battery on a PC USB cable if the cell phone is turned on with enough > power to run the cell phone. > If the battery is so low that the cell phone can't "ask for > permission", then the usb cable to the PC won't charge the phone. > There must be enough energy left in the battery to power up the phone > so that the phone can ask for permission. Yup, also true, although in many cases 100mA is enough for the phone to power up and ask for permission before starting to charge. Still a pain though. "The only British idiom I know is that fag means cigarette." "Well then tell this cigarette to shut up" -- Family Guy ------------------------------ From: Steven Lichter Organization: I Kill Spammers, Inc. Subject: Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 05:41:30 GMT T wrote: > In article , > ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu says: >> AT&T _mostly_ got its way very late Friday afternoon when the Federal >> Communications voted to agree to the merger between AT&T and >> BellSouth. Democrats on the Commission held out for concessions, >> including among others, 'Network Neutrality' and a continued >> discounting in rates for wholesalers; i.e. the former Prairie Stream >> Communications and the existing Sage Telecom. > Oh nice, so now it's AT&T and Verizon on the playing field. Like that'll > matter for Net Neutrality. You still have Quest, that is unless Verizon buys them up, or maybe Embarq (the former wire line of Sprint). Sprint bought their cellular. The Only Good Spammer is a Dead one!! Have you hunted one down today? (c) 2006 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot In Hell Co. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 20:12:35 -0600 From: Ron Kritzman Subject: Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > Democrats on the Commission held out for concessions, > including among others, 'Network Neutrality' and a continued > discounting in rates for wholesalers; i.e. the former Prairie Stream > Communications and the existing Sage Telecom. I read somewhere that unbundled DSL was supposed to be part of the deal, but I'm willing to bet it won't cost any less that it did with the dial tone. Emoveray ethay Igpay Atinlay otay eplyray [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It probably won't be any different than a one-way, incoming calls only style line. I had a bunch of those in a hunt group back in the 1970's with my recorded message service. Those lines all had telephones on them of course, to answer the incoming calls. If you picked up those phones other times, there was no dial tone, but you did hear 'battery' on the line. If the phone was off hook when an incoming call received, the caller was given a busy signal. Bell did not sell it cheaper than had they given you a dial tone to go with it; in fact I think it may have been more expensive since they knew they would not make any money from it otherwise. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 13:08:27 -0500 From: Fred Goldstein Subject: Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved In V25I431, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote, > I'm not sure I understand why the FCC should be dictating policy in > this situation. > AT&T is not the old monolithic and powerful Bell System. It is a > shadow of its former self, keeping the name for marketing purposes. > It's last power base, Long Distance, isn't worth much anymore with all > the cheap fibre and satellite circuits lots of others have installed. > As others have noted, even the traditional landline business is > falling off for companies like Verizon. This is truly a bizarro apologetic. Has Lisa been sleeping under a rock this past year? The company in question is not "AT&T Corp.", the long distance company that was a shadow of its former self, the failing residuary of the old Bell parent company. That company failed in 2005. The company in question is "AT&T Inc.", formerly SBC Communications, formerly Southwestern Bell. It purchased the assets of AT&T and the brand name. It is the monopoly ILEC in 13 states (pre-BellSouth) and majority owner of Cingular Wireless. It faces a little bit of competition, to be sure, but not a whole heck of a lot, having bought out AT&T, and with Verizon owning the ex-MCI assets. Those two do not compete very hard with each other, in case nobody's noticed -- the Bells prefer to stick to their own turfs. And the standalone LD business, where they overlapped, is almost dead. > Consequently, I don't know why it should be forced to discount its > rates for wholesalers. It should be free to do what every other > business does -- if it feels it's in its interest to discount, it will > do so, otherwise not. Its network was built as a regulated utility, granted monopoly status. Nowadays there is a legal right to compete but that doesn't overcome the "natural monopoly" advantage of owning the ratepayer-funded physical plant. The Telecom Act of 1996 was a compromise, allowing the Bells into LD and other ventures in exchange for allowing competition, which explicitly included "wholesale" obligations. Now they want out of that part of the deal? Also note the "best" part of the merger concessions: In their statement, Martin and Tate said that they did not like the conditions and WOULD NOT ENFORCE THEM, and indeed might PREVENT them from taking effect! So the two Democrats on the FCC voted for conditions that the Republican chairman then DISCLAIMED! Since the Order has not yet been formally drafted, the Democrats do have time to back out. There are also other legal ramifications; I wonder what the new Congress will think. Martin's statement referred to the "Democrat Commissioners", using the word "Democrat" as an adjective in lieu of "Democratic", the proper form. Such usage is a common insult among southern Republicans, reminiscent of Martin's mentor, Jesse Helms. Rumor has it he is aiming for a Senate seat from NC and is thus sucking up to Jesse's base. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Anti-Spam Tool Going Out of Business Date: 31 Dec 2006 11:38:22 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Gordon S. Hlavenka wrote: > Many times I have had emails I sent bounced, just because someone else > at my ISP had an open relay or was infected with something, or perhaps > was actually evil. But why is that _my_ problem? Yet these lists > make it my problem; I get my emails bounced back, through no fault of > my own. I don't choose my IP address, nor do I choose my IP > neighbors. I hate to sound cold and heartless, but you did choose your ISP, and your ISP has to do more to control open relays or infections on sub-systems it serves. I don't understand how a home computer could be used as an "open relay". Why isn't protective software included when the home computer was sold? In any event, it seems to me that the ISP, as the front line in providing service, has the responsibility that its customers are clean. I understand some large ISPs do provide protective software for their customers. Further, a home customer receiving or sending a large amount of traffic indicates an error condition that requires investigation. If that results in an addtional expense to the ISP and customers, so be it. That might be more than made up by all the wasted bandwidth and server storage accomodating SPAM and viruses. I can't help but wonder that ISPs are hiding their heads in the sand on this problem and could be doing more, but don't want to spend the money. Some work would involve a intelligent human going through error reports and contacting subscribers; and they seem to have aversion to hiring people. If it can't be automated they're not interested. > ... I'm losing a handful of emails _every_ _day_ which did not > happen when I was getting all the spam. My employer has spam filtering but gives the recipient the option of rejection. Interestingly, some messages it flags are what I call "semi-SPAM"--messages that were indeed "legitimate" and sent from someone I know, but broadcast to a great many people and unsolicited. I really don't care for such messags. Some individuals feel compelled to use their PC to broadcast their religious and/or political beliefs, but I don't want to hear them. Some businesses I have dealt with feel the need to send me near daily ads. (I bought a bathing suit on-line. How many freakin' bathing suits does one person need, yet the vendor emails me sales info all the time!) [public replies, please] [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I do understand what Gordon is complaining about. I feel almost positive that some mail for this Digest is lost each day midst the mountains of spam which are received, and I am at a loss as to what more I can do about it. The problem is _so many_ different hands are processing 'my' spam. In addition to lcs.mit.edu looking at it and disgarding what they feel is spam, of course the telecom-digest.org server looks through the mail as well. Then my own anti-spam tool (my local copy of spam assassin) picks through the remains, and even with all that picking over it, quite a bit of spam still gets through each day and no doubt some valid mail gets lost, probably because one of the intermediate points along the way takes a disliking to the sending ISP or host or whatever. There has to be a better way, somehow. PAT] Well, Happy New Year 2007 to all of you! Tomorrow we will start Volume 26 of the Digest if I am still around. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://feeds.feedburner.com/telecomDigest ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #432 ******************************* From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Dec 31 22:42:05 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 3749A22D0; Sun, 31 Dec 2006 22:42:05 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #433 Message-Id: <20070101034205.3749A22D0@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 22:42:05 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 31 Dec 2006 22:44:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 433 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson The Largest Telecom Merger in History (Associated Press News Wire) Edward E. Whitacre, AT&T Chairman - 21st Century Ted Vail? (Dennis Kneale) Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved (Steven Lichter) Re: As Deadline Nears, Banks Toughen Net Protections (Steven Lichter) Last Laugh! A Quaint Old Song We Used to Sing (TELECOM Digest Editor) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 17:33:01 -0600 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: The Largest Telecom Merger in History Regulators OK AT&T-BellSouth merger FCC OKs largest telecommunications merger in U.S. history The Associated Press WASHINGTON - AT&T Inc. extended its dominance as the nation's largest provider of phone, wireless and broadband Internet services by acquiring BellSouth Corp. in the largest telecommunications takeover in U.S. history. It takes place officially on January 1, 2007. The Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved the $86 billion buyout on Friday, a day after the company offered new concessions for consumers and competitors. Lawyers for AT&T and the two Democratic commissioners who had opposed the merger hammered out a compromise, the details of which were released Thursday night. AT&T promised to observe 'network neutrality' -- not to favor Internet content providers who pay the company more money -- and to offer $19.95 per month stand-alone digital subscriber line service. AT&T will also divest some wireless spectrum. AT&T offered the concessions after a little more than a week of marathon negotiations with lawyers for the two Democrats on the commission, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein. The lawyers hammered on AT&T all of last week. The combination of San Antonio-based AT&T and Atlanta-based BellSouth will have operations in 22 states. AT&T estimates that about 10,000 jobs will be phased out over three years. Combined, the companies generate about $117 billion in revenue and operate 68.7 million local phone lines stretching coast to coast across the southern United States and up through the Midwest. The buyout will also give AT&T complete control over Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless telecommunications provider, which it had jointly owned with BellSouth. AT&T is also trying to roll out television service to compete with cable operators. Adelstein said Friday he was pleased with the agreement. "We got substantial concessions that are going to mitigate a lot of the harms that would otherwise have resulted from this merger," he said. Copps said he was not fully satisfied with the deal that he and Adelstein struck with AT&T, but he called the outcome 'a modest victory for American consumers.' But FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican who supported the merger with no strings attachjed from early on, and fellow Republican Deborah Taylor Tate complained that AT&T was forced to accept 'unnecessary' conditions to win approval for the deal. He said that "AT&T was bullied into going along with this." Martin and Taylor Tate said the conditions "impose burdens that have nothing to do with the transaction, are discriminatory, and run contrary to commission policy and precedent." Consumer advocates had opposed the merger from the start, but they put the best face on the compromise, pointing to AT&T's promise of network neutrality. Mark Cooper, research director for the Consumer Federation of America, said neutrality would protect a 'free and open Internet.' The intense negotiations between AT&T and the FCC came after one of the panel's three Republican members, Robert McDowell, removed himself because he had been a lobbyist for Comptel, a trade group that opposed the deal. That gave the two FCC Democrats more leverage. McDowell said Friday he was delighted that a deal had been reached. Under terms of the buyout, BellSouth shareholders will receive 1.325 shares of AT&T stock for every share of BellSouth. In March, when the deal was announced, it was valued at $67 billion, but a runup in AT&T's stock price has raised the value to about $86 billion. The FCC vote on Friday was the last regulatory hurdle. The Justice Department approved the merger on Oct. 11 without conditions, a move that angered many Democrats. In an effort to win over Copps and Adelstein, AT&T offered some concessions in October, but they were rejected. AT&T's senior vice president for regulatory affairs, Robert W. Quinn Jr., called the conditions that were finally accepted Friday 'significantly more extensive' than those first offered by the company. The new offer extends the lifespan of many conditions from 30 months to 42 months or longer. Among the promises that AT&T made: 1) An offer of stand-alone, DSL Internet service to customers in its service area for $19.95 per month for 30 months. The offer lets customers in AT&T and BellSouth service areas to sign up for high-speed Internet access without being forced to buy other services. 2) To cap rates for four years on 'special access' customers, usually competitors and large businesses that pay to connect directly to a regional phone company's central office via a dedicated fiber optic line. 3) To divest all of the 2.5 GHZ spectrum currently licensed to BellSouth within one year of the merger closing date. 4) To bring back to the United States by the end of 2008 some 3,000 jobs that were sent overseas by BellSouth, with at least 200 of the jobs to be in New Orleans. The most difficult item in the negotiators was network neutrality. 1) AT&T promised to not to give an advantage to any content provider's traffic over its high-speed Internet network. Consumer activists and some Web sites had feared the company could have sold better-quality transmission service to Internet companies that would pay it the highest rates. Martin was unconvinced the network neutrality provisions are necessary. "The conditions regarding net neutrality have very little to do with the merger at hand and very well may cause greater problems than the speculative problems they seek to address," he wrote. "These conditions are simply not warranted by current market conditions and may deter facilities investment." Meanwhile, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, indicated his displeasure in a statement that said the process followed by the FCC may be "suitable for committee review." Earl Comstock, president and CEO of Comptel, a group that represents competitors of AT&T, said he would have preferred to see more even conditions placed on AT&T, and questioned why the compromise came so quickly. He feels Democrats 'gave it away' to AT&T. "Compared to where it was in the fall, there was definite progress," he said of the deal. But given the negotiating position (of the Democrats) it could be better. Democrats should have demanded even more," he said. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at 1 Subject: Edward E. Whitacre, AT&T Chairman - 21st Century Version of Ted Vail? 'Whitacres way' put AT&T at top of list He helps turn the Telcom into Forbes' Company of the Year for 2006 By Dennis Kneale, Forbes On 4,000 sun-baked acres of mesquite, blackbrush and cactus 60 miles south of San Antonio, Tex., AT&T Chairman Edward E. Whitacre Jr. keeps a Texas-size ranch house, five man-made ponds stocked with hungry bass, and a beaten-up bulldozer built in 1955. He pilots the Caterpillar, ancient, ugly and creaky, to clear acres of thorny thicket and scrub brush. "It still gets the job done," he says protectively. Whitacre takes a similar skinflint's approach as the new AT&T embarks on a digital video revolution. In an audacious bid for new business AT&T aims to sell a panoply of video programming to customers of its phone services. It is building an all-Internet network, encompassing 40,000 miles of newly laid fiber-optic lines on the cheap. AT&T's U.S. archrival, Verizon, is spending $18 billion in six years to cover 18 million homes by 2010, digging up trees and tulips to lay fiber to each and every house. AT&T will expend just $4.6 billion to reach 19 million homes by year-end 2008, lacing fiber into neighborhoods and using copper phone lines, already laid, to carry video the last few thousand feet to homes. This means the AT&T network won't be quite as fast or quite as fancy --but it will do. It will get the job done. A telco gone Hollywood, AT&T has signed distribution deals with more than 300 cable channels. It has won approval to offer video in six states plus ten other markets. It rolled out its new video service in hometown San Antonio in June and, in some neighborhoods, snagged a surprising 30 percent of homes; it just lit it up in Houston. It hopes to be available to 1.9 million homes in 15 markets as the new year unfolds. Video revenue, now a trickle at AT&T, could in a few years hit $4 billion, including $2 billion in ad sales. "There's not much growth in our business without a new product," Whitacre says. "Video probably is that product." AT&T's video ambitions will intensify as Whitacre closed the latest in a string of big takeovers: the $86 billion buyout of BellSouth, the last Bell standing. On Friday, he received the blessing of one last holdout, the FCC. "It's a big, big milestone," he says, vowing to push broadband services and digital video "much deeper into the American public." Since becoming chief executive in 1990, Whitacre has pulled off 13 deals with a combined price tag of about $290 billion, including assumed debt (including the BellSouth deal). He started this buying spree as chief executive of the former Southwestern Bell, the unaccountably proud runt of the seven Baby Bells spun off from the old AT&T monopoly that the government busted up in 1984. He has built the regional utility into the renewed and renamed AT&T Inc., the largest telecom company in the world, 28 percent bigger (in revenue) than second-place Nippon Telegraph & Telephone. Suddenly Wall Street -- harshly negative on telecom stocks since the markets crashed in 2000 -- is impressed. AT&T's stock is up 44 percent in the past year. Whitacre says it should be up even more. "Shoot, even now it's way behind. It oughta be up 200 percent!" he says. "This is a stock that sells way higher at some point." That surge and other strong metrics -- its sales grew 46 percent and per-share earnings 61 percent in 12 months; its shares more than doubled the return of Verizon's -- combine to make AT&T the Forbes' Company of the Year for 2006. It is a bit of sweet vindication for Whitacre, who was pilloried in the press for raking in $135 million in a six-year period in which the company's stock price fell 48 percent. "You beat up on me a lot. Everyone did," Whitacre says. Forbes gave his board a grade of "D" in 2003, and in mid-2005 we put him on a "hit list": "Why well-paid, underperforming execs should be worried." (Five of the seven chief executives on that list no longer hold their jobs.) He still smarts from a piece in the New York Times Magazine that ran five years ago. The writer said Whitacre exemplified a stock-options system "shot through with hypocrisy" and "gradual corruption." "You know him?" Whitacre asks. "You tell him he's a sorry bastard." He grins. The new AT&T, with BellSouth in hand, will possess a sweep and scale that few imagined when Whitacre began. It will serve 90 million accounts. It will have 68 million phone lines in 22 states, 12 million high-speed Internet access users and 59 million customers nationwide for Cingular (soon to be renamed AT&T). It will employ 300,000 people and have 1.8 million shareholders. It will be one of the nation's largest property owners, with 2,300 stores and a fleet of 35,000 trucks, each one a moving billboard. This rebuilt juggernaut will have annual revenue in 2007 near $110 billion and net income of $10 billion. Wall Street worries that ever more copper-wire customers will quit and switch to cellular, with its expensive transmission towers and subsidized handsets. That may be overblown. This year the new AT&T will generate enough cash flow from operations (net income plus depreciation) to spend $16 billion on gear and capital projects, pay $5 billion in dividends and buy back $7 billion of its own stock. Whitacre vows that earnings per share will grow 10 percent or better for three years straight. That will require Whitacre to mine new growth from all he has assembled -- even as he mulls pursuing one last big deal. He is 65 and has 16 months left on his contract before driving his half-ton pickup truck off into the sunset on his arid, scrubby ranch in southern Texas. His likely heir, Chief Operating Officer Randall Stephenson, 46, is in place . AT&T, Verizon and the cable giants thus finally are delivering on a vision first conjured up in the early 1990s, when cable and telecom were bent on breaking into each other's markets and consumers were wooed with promises of 500 channels. "It was an idea before its time then," says Whitacre. Now its time has come, aided by the rise of the Internet and wireless tech and the plunging costs of transmission and storage. "We're in transport," Whitacre says simply, "and if you're good enough at it, and ubiquitous enough, you can excel at it." Maybe, but his path is rutted with a passel of imposing obstacles. In six years AT&T's access lines are down 23 percent to 47 million (though revenues grow because it owns the largest wireless carrier and the largest broadband-access business). Cable rivals have raided 8.5 million homes for new phone service. And AT&T is in distribution, a commodity business under unrelenting cost pressure; it owns scant content, a higher-margin product that retains value even amidst digital upheaval. Moreover, a fight over network regulation -- known by the tag "net neutrality" -- has broken out. Google and other tech darlings want federal law to guarantee them a free ride on AT&T's new network. With the comeback of the Democrats, AT&T could face new rules intruding on how it prices newfangled services and who gets the bill. Similar hurdles have hampered this telco in the past. For years Wall Street had been downright hostile to the acquisitive ambitions of Chairman Whitacre. Its shareholders endured six years of disinterest and disdain in the markets, which disliked the industry for myriad maladies -- overcapacity, crashing prices, onerous regulation, takeover turmoil, imperiled monopolies and a decline in local phone lines for the first time since phone service began a century ago. Says he: "I've always felt my back is against the wall." When he began this journey, Whitacre had no idea he would end up where he has. Once BellSouth is in place -- he had coveted it for years -- he will have reassembled six big pieces of what the feds broke up 23 years ago: four of the seven regional Bells, and the old AT&T's long-distance business and cellular service. But even this reanimation came more by happenstance. "Never thought about it," the laconic cowboy says. He was born and bred in Ennis, Tex., 40 miles south of Dallas. Whitacre joined the old AT&T's Texas subsidiary in 1963, graduating from Texas Tech in Lubbock a year later. Southwestern Bell split off from the old American Telephone & Telegraph Co. on Jan. 1, 1984; of the seven Baby Bells it had the fewest phone lines (10.3 million) and ranked sixth in sales ($7.75 billion). The Bell relied on Texas for 60 percent of business, but the oil patch had gone bust, banks were going under and real estate values were crashing. Six years later, on Jan. 1, 1990, Whitacre, who started in hard labor and rose through 20 jobs, became chief executive. The digital crowd used to mock telephone company executives as Bellheads. But this Bellhead grabbed first-mover advantage, plotted strategy by gut and acted when the data confirmed his hunch. In late 1990 Southwestern Bell became the first Bell to invest outside the U.S., paying $962 million for a 10 percent stake in Telmex, the biggest telco in Mexico, controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim Hel. That investment has grown to $10 billion, in the form of an 8.2 percent stake in Telmex, a 7.9 percent stake in its wireless spinoff and $2 billion in equity sales -- plus 15 years of dividends. In 1992 Whitacre relocated the Bell from St. Louis, where it had been for most of a century, to San Antonio, infusing it with cowboy swagger and Texas-size ambitions. "The company needed shaking up; it had been there for 100 years," Whitacre says. "You wanna say it's a new day, but if you don't move, there isn't much stimulus to change your ways." For their first decade, the seven Bells held state-granted monopolies on local phone service and were banned, by federal consent decree, from offering data services or long-distance calls. But in 1994 Southwestern Bell joined three siblings to begin a legal effort to vacate the decree. In 1995 the cowboy Bell rechristened itself SBC Communications to underscore its broader ambitions. Following the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC began to force open the Bells' local monopolies. On Mar. 1, 1996 Whitacre brought together nine senior execs for a now fabled gathering in Ojai, Calif., telling them the telecom world had changed forever. Brace for consolidation, he advised, for at the end a handful of giants will reign over hundreds of small, narrow players. Focus on service, compliance and costs. To some his intent was clear: It was buy or get bought, and SBC would be a buyer. "There's no doubt in my mind that, from the very beginning, Ed wanted to create the strongest, deepest entity in all of telecom," says his chief dealmaker, James S. Kahan, 59, who was at the Ojai meeting that day and has worked closely with Whitacre for 16 years. Whitacre "is a survivor," Kahan says. "It's out of the question for him to lose, to sell, to fail." BellSouth, for one, said it would go it alone; it started out with 32 percent more phone lines than SBC had. "They were big; we weren't," Whitacre says . If SBC hadn't started a buyout binge, he goes on, "we would've been gone, very quickly." He set out knowing he should buy more access lines, invest in wireless and prepare for video. His first deal came a few months after the Ojai pep talk: a $16.2 billion bid for Pacific Telesis in California. Whitacre also flirted with the old AT&T, a dalliance that died instantly when then FCC Chairman Reed Hundt labeled an SBC - AT&T merger "unthinkable." Then came Southern New England Telephone in 1998; Ameritech, the midwestern Bell, in 1999, for $73 billion in stock; and the cellular merger with BellSouth in 2001 to form Cingular. SBC was the bigger company back then, and it held 60 percent of the equity. But Whitacre -- against the advice of his cabinet -- gave BellSouth 50-50 control. One unstated motive: He saw, even then, that one day he might want to buy BellSouth; SBC veterans are sure of this. "If I did know, I wouldn't tell ya," Whitacre says. BellSouth's chief then was (and still is) Duane Ackerman, and Whitacre took a shine to his Sunbelt counterpart: "He's a good friend and a great operator." Their relationship would be critical to pulling off not one but two later deals for Whitacre's company. As Cingular formed, SBC was snakebit. Tech stocks lost grace, and telecom imploded. From early 2000, when the slump began, to year-end 2005, SBC stock fell 48 percent to $25. In this same six-year period Whitacre earned $44 million in salary and bonuses, reaped $26 million exercising options on 1.6 million shares and landed $65 million on other items. Thus the towering Texan stuck out as an easy target for critics of lavish executive pay. The carping and his moribund stock gnawed at the white-maned Whitacre, thick-skinned though he is. "I suffered every day. You bet I took it personally," he says. "And I blamed the regulators; I blamed the magazines; I blamed Selim [Bingol, his press spokesman]; I blamed my wife. I kicked every dog in town." He didn't scream at his staff but then, as one adviser says, "you're in more trouble when he kind of lowers his voice." The tech slump seemed unending, and onerous regulation made it worse. The Telecom Act and the FCC forced the Bells to lease out phone lines to rivals at prices far below cost. At one point SBC was losing 15,000 lines a day to resellers. In Chicago it was forced to sell a line for $5 a month when the real cost (so it figures) was $30; in Michigan it had to hand over lines at $14 a month, half the real cost. In 2002 Whitacre directed his chief financial officer, Stephenson, to chop the company's $11 billion in capital spending set for the coming year. Cut it to $5 billion, he instructed, and use the savings to shore up the balance sheet because cheap assets will come up for sale. Then they went on a PowerPoint road show, warning state regulators about what the FCC had wrought -- and how that would hurt jobs and capital spending in their states. SBC lawyers had filed a lawsuit challenging some portions of the Telecom Act soon after it became law, and the FCC pricing rules were found to be illegal or flawed four times in three federal courts. The FCC backed down in 2005. By then SBC had lost 7 million phone lines to resellers, but Whitacre's takeover spree had started up again. "He had a conviction that we will work through this," says James Ellis, 63, general counsel and a Whitacre ally for 20 years. In February 2004 SBC and Cingular partner BellSouth agreed to pay $41 billion for AT&T Wireless, in the largest all-cash deal in history. SBC had socked away so much cash from budget cuts that it borrowed only $8.75 billion of its share. The AT&T net, recently rebuilt, would mesh smoothly with Cingular's. Whitacre consulted frequently with BellSouth's Duane Ackerman, bonding them for the deal to come. "I trusted him; he trusted me," Whitacre says. He knew he also wanted to buy AT&T Corp. (the old long-distance business, which had spun off wireless in mid-2001) and BellSouth. "There was never a question" of whether to do the deals; "It was in what order," says Stephenson. Do it in the wrong sequence, and regulators, politicians and consumer activists might shout down AT&T's empire building. Some of Whitacre's advisers wanted to take on the biggest deal first -- the buyout of BellSouth. Whitacre demurred, deciding to begin with AT&T and AT&T Wireless; their smaller scale wouldn't set off as many alarms. SBC and BellSouth closed the AT&T Wireless purchase in October 2004, getting it done in just eight months, and Cingular set plans to absorb it and kill the AT&T brand. In late 2004 and early 2005 bankers for SBC and BellSouth discussed merging, but they got nowhere. On Jan. 30, 2005 SBC agreed to pay $16 billion in stock for AT&T Corp. What an FCC chairman had once dismissed as "unthinkable" now looked more like a rescue: The old AT&T had just abandoned the consumer market, and its revenue was declining 10 percent or more a year. Had Whitacre succeeded in buying it back in 1996, the price would have been far higher. But AT&T Corp. had $24 billion a year in sales, a stronghold in corporate accounts and outposts in 127 countries. It will let the old SBC avoid more than $400 million a year in fees it now pays rivals for long-distance calls it can't complete on its own. And then there was the AT&T brand name. "It was a little battered, but it's a powerful worldwide brand. It still had status overseas," Whitacre says. SBC, by contrast, had been marketing its brand for a decade, but many people didn't know the name, and some thought it was short for Southern Baptist Conference or Seattle's Best Coffee. And so on Nov. 18, 2005 SBC closed the buyout of AT&T Corp., getting it approved in less than ten months, and changed its name to AT&T Inc. On Dec. 1 it revived the renowned "T" stock ticker symbol, 20 months after it had been dropped from the Dow Jones industrial average. A month later Ed Whitacre began wooing Duane Ackerman and BellSouth. Through an intermediary he offered 15 percent over BellSouth's recent price; Ackerman said that wouldn't be enough. A day later Whitacre and Ackerman met directly, and Whitacre suggested a premium of 15 percent to 20 percent. It would have to be at least 20 percent, Ackerman told him. By March they had a deal at the 20 percent premium. The BellSouth chief has sought no role at the combined company and instead will leave with $9.2 million in cash and $37 million in stock. The BellSouth deal has been cleared by regulators in 18 states and by the U.S. Department of Justice. On Friday, Whitacre received word on the final milestone, approval from the FCC. He already is eyeing one last big takeover, some of his associates believe. Blunt and plainspoken to a fault, he equivocates uncharacteristically when asked about it. "For me, I think I've assembled what we need going forward," he says. Yet instantly he invokes the "never say never" cant. "Things happen." On Wall Street 18 brokerage firms now have a "buy" on AT&T -- New! Improved! -- and that is up from 10 a year ago. AT&T's stock price is up 39 percent in two years (Verizon's is down 6.5 percent), and that makes up for some, but not all, of the ground that Whitacre lost earlier in his tenure. Whitacre insists, quite volubly, that his share price is far short of what it ought to be. AT&T is the only Bell to raise its dividend every year since 1984; since 2000 it has paid out $23 billion. In a lethal market it is surviving and then some. By God, we have faith in this company, and we ought to let shareholders know," Whitacre says. "We're in this for the long haul; we're in the right, but it's hard." This comeback is not yet complete, not for himself or for his shareholders, Whitacre allows. "No, but it's damn good. It's a lot better. Copyright 2006 Forbes.com 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://msnbc.com or http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ From: Steven Lichter Organization: I Kill Spammers, Inc. Subject: Re: AT&T 'Family' Reunion: Merger Approved Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:11:30 GMT Fred Goldstein wrote: > In V25I431, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote, >> I'm not sure I understand why the FCC should be dictating policy in >> this situation. >> AT&T is not the old monolithic and powerful Bell System. It is a >> shadow of its former self, keeping the name for marketing purposes. >> It's last power base, Long Distance, isn't worth much anymore with all >> the cheap fibre and satellite circuits lots of others have installed. >> As others have noted, even the traditional landline business is >> falling off for companies like Verizon. > This is truly a bizarro apologetic. Has Lisa been sleeping under a > rock this past year? The company in question is not "AT&T Corp.", the > long distance company that was a shadow of its former self, the > failing residuary of the old Bell parent company. That company failed > in 2005. The company in question is "AT&T Inc.", formerly SBC > Communications, formerly Southwestern Bell. It purchased the assets > of AT&T and the brand name. It is the monopoly ILEC in 13 states > (pre-BellSouth) and majority owner of Cingular Wireless. It faces a > little bit of competition, to be sure, but not a whole heck of a lot, > having bought out AT&T, and with Verizon owning the ex-MCI assets. > Those two do not compete very hard with each other, in case nobody's > noticed -- the Bells prefer to stick to their own turfs. And the > standalone LD business, where they overlapped, is almost dead. >> Consequently, I don't know why it should be forced to discount its >> rates for wholesalers. It should be free to do what every other >> business does -- if it feels it's in its interest to discount, it will >> do so, otherwise not. > Its network was built as a regulated utility, granted monopoly > status. Nowadays there is a legal right to compete but that doesn't > overcome the "natural monopoly" advantage of owning the > ratepayer-funded physical plant. The Telecom Act of 1996 was a > compromise, allowing the Bells into LD and other ventures in exchange > for allowing competition, which explicitly included "wholesale" > obligations. Now they want out of that part of the deal? > Also note the "best" part of the merger concessions: In their > statement, Martin and Tate said that they did not like the conditions > and WOULD NOT ENFORCE THEM, and indeed might PREVENT them from taking > effect! So the two Democrats on the FCC voted for conditions that the > Republican chairman then DISCLAIMED! Since the Order has not yet been > formally drafted, the Democrats do have time to back out. There are > also other legal ramifications; I wonder what the new Congress will > think. > Martin's statement referred to the "Democrat Commissioners", using the > word "Democrat" as an adjective in lieu of "Democratic", the proper > form. Such usage is a common insult among southern Republicans, > reminiscent of Martin's mentor, Jesse Helms. Rumor has it he is > aiming for a Senate seat from NC and is thus sucking up to Jesse's > base. Verizon competes a lot with AT&T, they have their payphone outside of most supermarkets and Drug stores all over the country and offer LD service outside of their service areas; in in some cases full phone services out side of the service area. Verizon used the old GTel unit as part of Verizon Business and they are in a lot of big business as government systems, the DOD for one. The Only Good Spammer is a Dead one!! Have you hunted one down today? (c) 2007 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot In Hell Co. ------------------------------ From: Steven Lichter Organization: I Kill Spammers, Inc. Subject: Re: As Deadline Nears, Banks Toughen Net Protections Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:05:08 GMT Monty Solomon wrote: > By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff | December 29, 2006 > People who do their online banking with Cambridge Savings Bank will > find it a little harder to log on in the New Year. But bank > executives don't think the customers will mind. It's for their own > good -- and besides, it's the law. > A federal regulation mandating tougher online financial security > measures will take effect Monday. Banks, credit unions, and other > financial institutions must begin using enhanced technologies to > protect customer data against identity theft. Many of the nation's > biggest banks, including Bank of America, have already introduced > "multi factor" authentication systems that go well beyond the > traditional user name and password approach to prevent Internet > fraud. Other smaller banks, which buy their online banking services > from independent contractors, are scrambling to meet the coming > deadline. > Mark Tracy, senior vice president of back technology and operations > at Cambridge Savings, said his company has been testing its new > authentication system for the past two months, with help from > customers who've agreed to try it. "It's been pretty successful so > far," said Tracy. "In January, we'll be making it mandatory." > Cambridge Savings customers will receive a user name and password when > they sign up for the service. In addition, the first time a customer > uses his home or work computer to do some banking, the machine is > given a unique digital "fingerprint" associated with the customer's > password. Whenever he banks with that computer, the bank software > checks his user name, password, and computer fingerprint before > processing the transaction. > If someone tries to log in from a machine that isn't fingerprinted, > the bank will send a confirmation message to the customer's e-mail > address. A crook who's stolen somebody's user name and password > probably won't have access to the victim's e-mail account, so he can't > reply to the message, and won't be allowed to log in. > http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/12/29/as_deadline_nears_banks_toughen_net_protections/ Our credit union several months ago set up a requirement that will ask you different questions when you log on, that you set up earlier, plus now when you log on you will know it is th real site, since you can setup a banner that will appear in your log on with the computer you set it up with, I that is the fingerprint. I use two computers with my credit union and they each ID with the banner I set up, plus my Palm Pilot Cell phone also has its own banner. A while back I got an e-mail that was supposed to be from my credit union, I don't link from e-mails, I use my browsers links. Just for the heck of it, I used the link and the site almost looked real, with the exception of the (c) being the wrong year and a lot of misspelled words, like the 'hte' and to 'ot'. The credit union was aware of it and shortly the site went away. I get e-mail telling me by BofA account has problems, I don't even use them. The Only Good Spammer is a Dead one!! Have you hunted one down today? (c) 2007 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot In Hell Co. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:50:00 EST From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Subject: Last Laugh! A Quaint Old Song We Used to Sing [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Would you believe almost a quarter- century has passed since Lauren Weinstein wrote this masterpiece of satire? To make a short story long, as of 1983, telco had been in our lives for slightly over a century; deeply engrained and embedded. Telco was where things were at for many of us. Beginning about 1975, the federal government started on one of its periodic campaigns to bust up the Bell, which they finally succeeded in doing in 1983. To celebrate (or commiserate, depending on your viewpoint) this historic occassion, Lauren Weinstein wrote the nice item below. Now, I guess it belongs in a museum, like a lot of Handel's operatic works, but back in 1983, when this Digest was _only_ a couple years old, who would have suspected that like Freddie Krueger or Jason and the 'Nightmare on Elm Street', after just a few years, AT&T as we knew it, would come back to life once again. Yes, AT&T is back again. Maybe Lauren or someone else will write us a revised version of what follows. PAT] 12-Jul-83 09:14:32-PDT,4930;000000000001 Return-path: <@LBL-CSAM:vortex!lauren@LBL-CSAM> Received: from LBL-CSAM by USC-ECLB; Tue 12 Jul 83 09:12:46-PDT Date: Tuesday, 12-Jul-83 01:18:19-PDT From: Lauren Weinstein Subject: "The Day Bell System Died" Return-Path: Message-Id: <8307121614.AA17341@LBL-CSAM.ARPA> Received: by LBL-CSAM.ARPA (3.327/3.21) id AA17341; 12 Jul 83 09:14:35 PDT (Tue) To: TELECOM@ECLB Greetings. With the massive changes now taking place in the telecommunications industry, we're all being inundated with seemingly endless news items and points of information regarding the various effects now beginning to take place. However, one important element has been missing: a song! Since the great Tom Lehrer has retired from the composing world, I will now attempt to fill this void with my own light-hearted, non-serious look at a possible future of telecommunications. This work is entirely satirical, and none of its lyrics are meant to be interpreted in a non-satirical manner. The song should be sung to the tune of Don Mclean's classic "American Pie". I call my version "The Day Bell System Died"... --Lauren-- ************************************************************************** *==================================* * Notice: This is a satirical work * *==================================* "The Day Bell System Died" Lyrics Copyright (C) 1983 by Lauren Weinstein (To the tune of "American Pie") (With apologies to Don McLean) ARPA: vortex!lauren@LBL-CSAM UUCP: {decvax, ihnp4, harpo, ucbvax!lbl-csam, randvax}!vortex!lauren ************************************************************************** Long, long, time ago, I can still remember, When the local calls were "free". And I knew if I paid my bill, And never wished them any ill, That the phone company would let me be... But Uncle Sam said he knew better, Split 'em up, for all and ever! We'll foster competition: It's good capital-ism! I can't remember if I cried, When my phone bill first tripled in size. But something touched me deep inside, The day... Bell System... died. And we were singing... Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die? We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI, "Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry. Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die? Ma Bell why did you have to die? Is your office Step by Step, Or have you gotten some Crossbar yet? Everybody used to ask... Oh, is TSPS coming soon? IDDD will be a boon! And, I hope to get a Touch-Tone phone, real soon... The color phones are really neat, And direct dialing can't be beat! My area code is "low": The prestige way to go! Oh, they just raised phone booths to a dime! Well, I suppose it's about time. I remember how the payphones chimed, The day... Bell System... died. And we were singing... Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die? We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI, "Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry. Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die? Ma Bell why did you have to die? Back then we were all at one rate, Phone installs didn't cause debate, About who'd put which wire where... Installers came right out to you, No "phone stores" with their ballyhoo, And 411 was free, seemed very fair! But FCC wanted it seems, To let others skim long-distance creams, No matter 'bout the locals, They're mostly all just yokels! And so one day it came to pass, That the great Bell System did collapse, In rubble now, we all do mass, The day... Bell System... died. So bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die? We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI, "Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry. Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die? Ma Bell why did you have to die? I drove on out to Murray Hill, To see Bell Labs, some time to kill, But the sign there said the Labs were gone. I went back to my old CO, Where I'd had my phone lines, years ago, But it was empty, dark, and ever so forlorn... No relays pulsed, No data crooned, No MF tones did play their tunes, There wasn't a word spoken, All carrier paths were broken... And so that's how it all occurred, Microwave horns just nests for birds, Everything became so absurd, The day... Bell System... died. So bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die? We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI, "Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry. Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die? Ma Bell why did you have to die? We were singing: Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die? We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI, "Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry. Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die? [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And Ma Bell said, "I didn't die, I was just asleep, a lot like Freddie Krueger or Jason. Well now, Freddie is back, and I suspect madder than hell. PAT ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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End of TELECOM Digest V25 #433 *******************************