Episode33

The Death of Net Neutrality

Article by Daniel Berninger on GigaOM website.
Argues that net neutrality refers to "the uses of the Internet not the quality of access".
Already a large number of classes of service available from the telcos, you pay for the performance and capacity of your Internet access.
The telcos have in mind creating another kind of customer, charging for the right of transit.
Technology already exists to examine packets at the routers.
Kills innovation as the ability to charge per application allows telcos to block technologies such as VOIP from ever getting a foothold.
Allowing telcos this kind of control allows them to make more money while providing nothing new.
Link [1]

Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006 will expand the copyright restrictions of the DMCA.
Will also expand federal police wiretapping and enforcement powers.
Attempted copyright infringement would become a federal crime punishable by up to ten years in prison.
This is more time in prison for those who download child pornography.
Will make it a crime to “make, import, export, obtain control of, or possess” software that can bypass DRM systems.
Amazingly it will allow copyright holders to impound “records documenting the manufacture, sale or receipt of items involved in” infringements.
According to the EFF this is a Godsend for the RIAA as they can demand server records.
EFF's "Unintended Consequences" report exposes further issues with the basic DMCA which obviously will only become worse.
One issue is that Sony's DRM rootkit software may not have been publicized because it exposed the people who discovered it to litigation by Sony.
Links
- [2]
- [3]

Vista was first unveiled on in October 2003 it still isn't here.
Worse many features have come and gone, promises made and broken time and time again.
Writer points the finger of blame at a mindset of establishing market dominance at any cost as the root of the problem.
Bill Gates is seen as the epitomy of this philosophy and all that is wrong with Microsoft.
Some of the wonderful things we have to look forward to in Vista are.
User Account Protection
- Meant to prevent even administrators from carrying out dangerous actions that could harm the system.
- Actually annoys the user with continuous popup warnings regarding simple actions.
Glass Windows
- Vista's touted transparent windows.
- You can't tell which Window currently is at the top (i.e. has focus)
Media Center
- Tv and multimedia interface software that's not integrated into Vista and not a standalone product.
- Simply it doesn't follow the same UI structure of previous versions, is ugly and confusing.
Interesting point made by John C. Dvorak, IE is also a disaster and chews up a lot of Microsoft's attentions.
IE is linked to the OS and is the source of many of the security problems.
Dvorak urges MS to drop IE and concentrate on making a working OS.
Might not be a bad idea considering how slow Vista is taking to get to market.
Links
Paul Thurott's Supersite for Windows
The Great Microsoft Blunder

New downloadable program from Google that allows the creation of 3D objects.
Integrates into Google Earth, so you can see what your 3D object would look like in the world.
Buildings such as the Whitehouse are available and can be edited.
SketchUp comes in 2 versions, Pro and Free.
This is the first time that Google has offered software in this form.

Apple application for a patent for dual monitor/image capture device.
Image capture devices placed in between each pixel.
Overall image produced as amalgum of images from each device.
Acts as both a monitor and camera.
Aim is to make videoconferencing etc. easier
- Camera is always present.
- User looks directly at the camera.
Eerie similarity to the viewing screens in 1984.
Also raises serious security issues, zombie machine can be used to spy on others.
Link [4]

Gareth
- Top 20 Fake [5]
Francis
- Jeff Bridges Blog [6]
- The Soul Exchange [7]
- I used to believe [8]