Symantec Kills Sygate Firewall Line

Brian Krebs at the Washington Post alerts us to an unfortunate development at Symantec: Just three months after buying Sygate, Symantec is killing off the company's entire product line and its support forums. Sygate Personal Firewall is an excellent firewall product, and as a former SPF user I'm a little irked, (though I have recently moved most of my desktop clients to ZoneAlarm) and I doubt the users who paid for their Pro products are much happier. Krebs points out that just a few weeks ago Kerio announced the elimination of its free firewall product, and the field is growing ever smaller,

Darknets: The invitation-only Internet

When the music-recording industry took a hard-line legal stance against file sharers, it alienated its customer base and hurt its own sales. A similar battle is brewing in the movie industry, as faster Internet speeds and video compression are making it easier to download entire movies over the Net for free. Rapid-fire advances in technology have transformed home entertainment. Not only can we store hours of television programming and music on hard drives, software has made it easy to create our own movies and songs, splicing and sampling professional-grade material into amateur productions. Entertainment conglomerates are understandably concerned. But, Hollywood studios, which are treating ordinary users like thieves, placing such shackles on digital media that we can't legally make a backup copy of a DVD we own and soon restricting the copying and sharing of high-definition TV. Contrast this with the freedoms that computers give us to remix, copy, and paste video and to author DVDs, and you have a scenario where ordinary producers of creative art become felons. as companies continue to try and take down peer to peer networks, so called 'darknets' will emerge to take their place. A darknet generally refers to a system running on the Internet which cannot be accessed or even easilly detected by most users. They work on an invitation only basis and unless you have access you won't get in. This is more how the Internet operated way back in the days of BBS. One would connect to a server but wouldn't be able to see its contents without registering, and registering wasn't simply a case of filling in a form - many bulletin boards would require their owner to personally permit your access. The general idea of networks operating 'below the radar' isn't at all far-fetched. The Internet carries a lot more traffic than people seem to assume. A good example of a network with access control is an instant messenger: while a system like MSN messenger is public access, only those who you allow may see and communicate with you. Those record distributers desperately trying (and failing) to stop file sharing fail to take into account the reality that there is almost nothing they can do to stop someone sharing music and movies among their friends. This kind of transaction is done in a completely closed environment. A more sophisticated way to distribute files, and one which was once quite popular, is FTP. Here a person might set up an FTP server on their computer and put music, videos and illegal software on there. Then they would only let their friends access the server, or people who they have met online and have decided to trust. The nature of the Internet is such that it cannot be controlled. An old saying says that: "the Internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it". This is true of attempts to control what can and cannot be distributed. And even if companies tried to impose limits by making deals with major software vendors like Microsoft to control what people can do with their files, they will not be able to control the Linux world. It is possible to go further than FTP. It is possible to create a network of machines behind firewalls which are configured to only respond to a pre-set list of other trusted IPs. In this scenario you would not be able to even ping an IP which belonged to such a network unless you also belonged to it. Of course ISPs might be able to detect the traffic and cut people off, but encryption goes a long way to solving that problem. However the problem is that big companies don't care if a few thousand geeks have the know-how to build an impenetrable network for sharing files, as this won't impact their profits anywhere near as much as if the majority of people are doing it. I implied in the title that I'd be prophesizing their failure, and I am in a way, but the way things look it seems that major peer to peer networks will be driven out of existence soon enough and replaced with much smaller underground networks. The so called 'darknets' are on their way...

Accton WI-FI Phone Bundled with Skype to Make Internet Free Calling Even More Accessible

From the Pree release: HSINCHU, TAIWAN and LUXEMBORG – NOVEMBER 5, 2005 – HSINCHU, TAIWAN andLUXEMBORG – NOVEMBER 5, 2005 – Accton Technology Corporation of Taiwan (TAIEX: 2345, www.accton.com), the company that makes partnership work, and Skype, the pioneering Global Internet Communications Company which makes it possible for anyone with an Internet connection to make free high-quality phones, today announced that the two are teaming to develop a range of Skype-enabled devices to be offered to Accton’s global OEM customers. One of the first global vendors to do so, Accton will begin embedding Skype technology into an array of standalone devices to enable consumers and business users to take advantage of the free and low-cost calling options offered by Skype - without a PC. “We’re excited to be working with Accton to help develop new products for Skype consumers ,” said David Johnson, Director, Business Development, Skype.“Accton’s worldwide network of ODM vendors means that these Skype-enabled devices will be more widely available, and thus greatly increase the demand in the consumer market for Internet telephony.” “Skype offers huge benefit to businesses like ours, doing business around the world, by offering an alternative to expensive long-distance and International phone calling,” said Ken Lu, Accton’s Executive Vice President of Research and Development.“We’re pleased to team with them to offer products that will extend those benefits beyond the PC. “ Both orgainziations will continue to work together in the future to deliver Skype embedded products that enhance the user experience in broadbandcommunications About Accton Technology Corporation Accton Technology Corporation (TAIEX: 2345) is a global premier provider of networking and communications solutions for top tier networking, computer, and telecommunications vendors.Leveraging its advanced software applications and state-of-the-art ASIC, Accton collaborates with its strategic partners to design, develop and manufacture innovative, leading-edge technologies.The company’s constantly-evolving core technology, highly-qualified employees and aggressive cost engineering make it possible for Accton to deliver superior products that are as affordable as they are robust.For more information about Accton and its subsidiaries, visit www.accton.com. About Skype Technologies SA Skype, the Global Internet Communications Company™, allows people everywhere to make free, unlimited, superior quality voice calls via its award-winning innovative peer-to-peer software for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Pocket PC platforms. Skype is available in 27 languages and is the fastest growing voice communications offering worldwide. Since its launch in August 2003, Skype has been downloaded more than 186 million times in 225 countries and territories. 61 million people are registered to use Skype's free services, with more than 3 million people using Skype simultaneously at any one time. Skype earns revenue through its premium service offerings, and has a growing network of global affiliates, and a community of developers working with the Skype APIs. Skype Technologies SA is headquartered in Luxembourg and has offices in London and Estonia. www.skype.com

Microsoft roars into VoIP market

Microsoft is accelerating its business IP telephony plans with the acquisition of software firm media-streams.com Industry observers say the catalyst for this is Skype, purchased by eBay for nearly US$4 billion (NZ$5.8 billion) last month. Skype has quadrupled in size over the past year to 54 million users and adds 150,000 users per day, according to the company. Microsoft’s acquisition of Teleo in August was designed to add Skype-like services — such as the ability to phone land-lines from a PC — to MSN Messenger, Microsoft said. Yahoo has made a similar move in buying Dialpad, while Google recently launched Google Talk and AOL has announced its own VoIP service. I must say, this may be the missing piece that I noticed in the new Beta of Office 12 that I've been playing with. Personally, I don't think Microsoft can swing around fast enough to catch Skype's tail yet. Especially with the latest Skyp add-ons I am now testing…. • SoonR • Orb Networks’s V4S web-based Voice Messaging • Verosee • WiSPA a Skype Personal Assista • AirSet

What's Google got in the basement they are not showing anyone ?

Cringely Knows ! http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20051117.html

Critical Flaw Targets IE. and How To Fix it

Exploit code for a critical flaw in fully patched versions of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer browser has been released on the Internet, putting millions of Web surfers at risk of computer hijack attacks. The zero-day exploit, posted by a U.K.-based group called "Computer Terrorism," could allow a remote hacker to take complete control of a Windows system if the victim simply browses to a malicious Web site. A Microsoft spokeswoman acknowledged that customers running Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP2 were at risk. The Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 SP1 in their default configurations, with the Enhanced Security Configuration turned on, are not affected. "We have also been made aware of proof of concept code that could seek to exploit the reported vulnerability but are not aware of any customer impact at this time but Microsoft will continue to investigating these public reports," the spokeswoman added. The proof-of-concept exploit, which is available from the FrSirt site, currently launched the Windows Calculator (calc.exe) but can be easily modified by malicious hackers. HOW TO FIX IT: Until Microsoft issues an official patch (check windows update) IE USERS:Immediately disable "Active Scripting via the Tools > Internet Options > Security tab > Custom Level feature.

Groupware for Skype: The beginning of a whole new level

There's a new calendar+groupware in town for Skypers and it brings some slick new features with it. AirSet software allows users to manage all their groups - family, work, social - in one place using a free Web-based service that includes calendars, address books, to-do lists and blogs. Airset was described to me as a "Lifeware" product for the small companies, and individuals that want control of their life but don't have access to MS Exchange servers and the complex systems that groupware traditionally requires. The more I've played with it the more it makes sense to me. I'm not part of a large company and yet I do need to coordinate calendars, and updates with others. Similarly, many social networking services for me are simply 'broken" as they don't integrate effectively with the events in my life. It's also responds quickly as a result of being "Ajax-enabled". I'll leave that to the real techies. I'm pleased to see Airset incorporate Skype. By using Skype presence information and adding easy calling it provides a whole new dimension to managing events. It's also yet another illustration of where communications is going. Thinking about setting an appointment for the group; Skype makes it easy to check online; potentially reducing time and adding productivity. By adding Skype, now voice services are integrated so instant conference calls or mulit-chats can help with what were once logistical nightmares. Airset is also demonstrating what "mashups" are all about. If you look deeper they are also hooking into Google Maps and tying mapping information to contact details. Thus uploading your contacts means you now have a map at a click for everyone. A point worth remembering is you can manage your groups, (eg a groups calendar) and never ever have any of your contacts join up and be Airset members. AirSet will still send them messages and reminders. For those wanting to augment email reminders with mobile updates then Arena has a premium service which I'm sure is going to evolve to add a lot more. Updates are sent by email and SMS is ready to integrate with your mobile phone. Overall it synched quickly and easily with my Outlook contacts and calendar system. I even feel happier that I now have a backup for that part of my life! There are other Skype related groupware products in the works. However, this is a strong signal (even late!) that companies providing other core services (eg an accounting package) should be racing to add VoIP functionality to their solutions. Another thing to keep in mind. Airena like others should be complemented for testing and moving forward with Skype and Google Maps API integrations. However, soon we are going to see IM agnostic solutions. Airset could just as easily cross connect different IM systems or turn their learnings to Google Talk or Gizmo. So whats your Calendar solution? Does it integrate with Skype? Can you access it anywhere? Check it out, it's cool and it's free :-) AirSet software

For U.S. Consumers, Broadband is Slow and Expensive

In France, $36 per month can buy you 20 Mbps download speeds, 100 channels of TV, and unlimited domestic Internet telephony. In S Korea and Japan over 90% of the population had Broadband. The US is like, number 20 in connectivity per capita. Drucker states—in what is sure to provoke an Opinion Page response—that strict rules to allow carriers to open up their lines to competitors is the reason. Incumbent telcos and cable firms operate 93 percent of the U.S. broadband, which the FCC defines as 200 Kbps or higher in one direction. Ha! There’s no mention of George Gilder, massive telco fraud, and horrible investments in this column, but that might take entire books. The failure of broadband can be tied to the obsession in overbuilding fiber under the assumption that it would carry only slightly more data over time, and the telephone and cable companies terrible, sometimes allegedly illegal decisionmaking processes in the late 90s and early 2000s. They got distracted from their core businesses. Drucker gives a zinger near the end of this column to anyone who wants to complain about the municipal networks being funded by taxpayer dollars, although few have any taxpayer money going towards buildout or operation: “Phone companies, for example, get billions of dollars in federal and state subsidies for rural service; they also have teams of lobbyists and attorneys to influence policy. As cities try to introduce competing wireless networks, traditional telecom providers lobby to restrict such plans.” Let’s not forget those billions which extend far beyond rural service—that’s just one piece of it. Folks who believe in not having competition from municipalities with incumbents forget that municipalities are directly and indirectly funding (through subsidies and tax breaks) those very entities. The removal of tax revenue from entities is the same as spending taxpayer money—it goes to the entities’ shareholders instead of into the pockets of local residents. Read the Wall Street Journal article here

Open Microsoft Office files without Office

The Quick Online Tips blog points us to three free Microsoft Viewer programs for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. The point here is that if you're at a computer that doesn't have Office installed, you can still open, view, and print your files. These viewers could come in handy for someone who doesn't do much word processing, but still needs to open an Office document from time to time. On the other hand, if money is the issue, you should consider giving the free, open source Open Office suite a try. Microsoft Office Word Viewer, Powerpoint Viewer and Excel Viewer

How To Reset Your Windows XP Password

Can't remeber your Windows XP admin password? TechTrax has a neat little trick that will get you back in. This method is easy enough for newbies to follow – it doesn’t require using the Recovery Console or any complicated commands. And it’s free - I mention that because you can pay two hundred dollars for an emergency download of Winternals ERD with Locksmith which is a utility for unlocking lost Windows passwords. Good to know and the technique does look relatively easy. I Forgot My Administrator Password! [TechTrax]

ZyXEL has released their AG225H USB Wi-Fi all-in-one to satisfy the wardriver in all of us. Best of all, this small USB device is capable of doing three different functions. Three! First it can act as a wireless network detector. Then once you have found that ideal unencrypted network this can act is a wireless adapter for your notebook. Lastly it is capable of acting as a wireless access point. So here are the goods: it has excellent range, will display the type of encryption, has a rechargeable battery, has a hard on/off switch, and is multifunctional. Never has stealing borrowing wireless Internet felt so good or looked so sexy. Unfortunately this is going to run you about $80, but think of all the Starbucks wireless fees you’re saving.

Microsoft and CableLabs Announce Agreement to Enable High-Definition Digital Cable Programming on Windows-Based PCs

Microsoft Corp. and Cable Television Laboratories Inc. (CableLabs®) today announced they have reached an agreement that will allow Microsoft and PC manufacturers to bring to market digital-cable-ready Windows® Media Center-based PCs in the holiday 2006 time frame. These Media Center PCs, capable of supporting a CableCARD™ module, will allow consumers to enjoy one-way cable programming, including premium high-definition cable content, on their personal computer and throughout the home on compliant network-connected devices, such as Xbox 360™, while protecting cable operators’ investments in high-value content in a digital environment. Microsoft is working closely with CableLabs to document final approval of Windows Media® Digital Rights Management (DRM) as a content protection technology for OpenCable™ products that receive one-way cable content under the terms of this agreement. “This agreement is an important milestone for our customers who want access to high-definition digital cable content on their PCs and a major step toward enabling a solution for the delivery of that content,” said Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of the Windows eHome Division at Microsoft. “The cable industry is very interested in having the PC serve as another means to allow consumers to enjoy cable programming,” said Richard R. Green, president and CEO of CableLabs. “By working with Microsoft and the IT industry, we have come up with a solution to enable consumers to enjoy the wide range of entertainment options they want.” “This agreement carefully balances the need to preserve the flexibility of the personal computer for consumers with the need for cable operators to be confident that the hardware and software shipped with compliant Media Center PCs will function like a CableCARD-enabled digital television,” said Glenn Britt, chairman of CableLabs and chairman and CEO of Time Warner Cable. The agreement is the culmination of more than two years of extensive evaluation and technical reviews performed by the two entities under the CableLabs OpenCable process to develop specifications and test suites for the new solution. The specified OpenCable architecture allows for multiple DRM systems to be used in the device and ensures content providers of protected delivery of content to the PC. Microsoft® Windows Media Digital Rights Management is the first major DRM system to complete the due diligence necessary for approval by CableLabs. The OpenCable project will continue to play an important role as the new agreement moves forward, allowing the cable industry to work closely with the consumer electronics and IT industries to innovate rapidly on the new specifications developed by Microsoft and CableLabs. CableLabs will host interoperability events to enable vendors working on products based on these specifications to test products in CableLabs facilities and conduct more formalized certification testing. More information about the OpenCable project is available at http://www.opencable.com. Media Center PCs deliver advanced computing and easy-to-use integrated digital entertainment experiences. To date, Microsoft has sold more than 4 million Windows XP Media Center Edition licenses, and more than 130 PC manufacturers are offering Media Center PCs around the world. The cable industry supports more than 370 models of digital televisions manufactured by 22 companies that display one-way cable content via CableCARDs.

The VirtuSphere: full body immersion Virtual reality

"The VirtuSphere is a new platform that is a breakthrough in the science of Virtual Reality and one we are convinced will take VR into the broader community. It is that significant and more because it is the solution for a million problems offering more compelling, convincing and relevant VR experiences than any device yet conceived, and with VR advancing rapidly in its other constituent areas (graphics, sound, touch, and to a lesser extent, smell and taste), we believe the VirtuSphere will be the device to make VR relevant to the world – this is a killer app. Inside the VirtuSphere, the virtual explorer can physically navigate the virtual world with genuine human movement, - the headset is wireless, and senses 360 degree movement, but unlike any existing virtual reality or gaming peripheral, the floor moves and each virtual step is accompanied by a real one of the same dimensions. It promises to be the ultimate computer games peripheral, the ultimate treadmill at the gymnasium, the ultimate educational resource with remarkable flexibility and offer the most realistic virtual experience of almost any kind - enabling you to walk through the house you’re hiring across the world for your holidays or explore the Daintree Rainforest. It also has major occupational training implications as it offers experiential learning for everyone from athletes to fire fighters and is already being developed by the military for training crack troops and saving lives on the battlefield. Like we said, this is significant!" More: Here virtusphere website: http://www.virtusphere.net/

Local 'Geeky-and-Sexy' Girlz put out a calendar for a good cause

Lilac Mohr, 26, of Denver, produced and modeled for the newly launched "Geek Gorgeous" 2006 wall calendar, which features women who work in the high-tech industry. All proceeds will go to a college scholarship fund she's starting for young women interested in computer science careers. Sooo...head on over to 'GeekGorgeous' and buy one !

Are You Cracked ?

DShield is a non-profit organization intended to track IP addresses that are hosting potential attacker programs. There are several reasons why your IP address might appear as an attacker in the DShield database. The most worrisome is if your computer has been compromised and you are unknowingly running a Trojan program which is accessing other machines, possibly in preparation for conducting a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. Even with all the firewall, antivirus, and antispyware programs available, sometimes a trojan can sneak by. Check out if your IP address has been listed as an attacker at DShield. DShield

Tuesday Matrox announced a peripheral that can take a single VGA input and split it out to two monitors. With all of the latest and greatest PC video cards already having dual-monitor supports, this product is probably aimed more towards the laptop user. The DualHead2Go actually is pretty cool. Instead of just cloning the image twice, the splitter tricks your computer into thinking an extremely widescreen monitor is plugged in. This could be really useful in multi-projector presentations via laptop or dual-screen pR0N/FPS marathons. The DualHead2Go will run around $170 and should be shipping soon.

New Skype Phones

Accton launches Skype-enabled Wi-Fi phone Latest news Irene Chen, Tokyo; Steve Shen, DigiTimes.com [Tuesday 8 November 2005]

Taiwan-based Accton Technology unveiled in Tokyo on November 7 its Skype-enabled Wi-Fi phone, the SkyFone WM1185-T (top left), that can be used to make free peer-to-peer (P2P) via VoIP without the aide of a personal computer.

Accton plans to ship 5,000 of the new wireless phones to Skype’s business partners and wireless broadband service providers worldwide for testing in December, with volume shipments slated for the first quarter of next year, according to company sources.

The WM1185 Skype phone, which enables a talk time of up to four hours and a SBT (stand-by-time) of up to 20 hours, is likely to be initially priced at over US$150 in the retail market, according to market sources.

In addition to supporting Skype-embedded technology, Accton will also introduce dual mode mobile phones that support both GSM and Wi-Fi technology in early 2006, the sources noted.

Accton is now developing ASICs (application specialized ICs) for the Skype phone, aiming to lower the phone’s overall production costs by 20% and bring the retail price to below US$100, said Ken Lu, Accton’s executive vice president.

miniVox MV100 :: Powerful and portableThe miniVox MV100 (above right)is a high quality and portable USB speakerphone with DSP voice processing technologies. It is designed for Internet telephony applications such as Instant Messenger or Voice over IP Softphone (e.g. Skype, Vonage, or Webex). It is much like the miniVox communication solution for any mobile worker or IM chatter to engage in hands-free conversation or conference calls.

Media company Sony being sued by consumers in Class Action over DRM

The first, filed in state court in California, alleges:1. Violations of the Consumer Legal Remedies Act (Cal Civil Code Section 1750 et seq.); 2. Violations of the Consumer Protection against Computer Spyware Act (Business and Professions Code Section 22947-22947.6); and 3. Violations of the California Unfair Competition law (Business and Professions Code section 17200 et seq.)The second, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleges:1. Computer fraud under 18 USC 1030;2. Deceptive Business Practices under New York Law (Sections 349/350 of the GBL); and3. Common law fraud.

For information on how to join in these Class Action lawsuits:
Consumerlaw1@earthlink.net

Peer-to-Peer Goes Legit

The old-school peer-to-peer network iMesh has left the murky world of illegal file swapping behind with the launch of a new service that enables users to share up to 2 million tracks from the four major record labels.
The New York-based company is charging its 5 million users an a la carte fee of 99 cents to purchase a track, or $6.95 per month to gain unlimited access to the catalog.
More here

Digital Rights, Social Wrongs, Economic Corrections and Clueless Lawmakers

11\07
The "M" In DRM Stands For Madness

"Sooner or later, it was bound to happen — a Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) management technology that, by design, often keeps you from consuming that content on devices that use other DRM technologies actually ends up keeping you from consuming content that's protected by it as well. Talk about a trainwreck. Actually, in this case, we have two trainwrecks in one — trainwrecks that perfectly demonstrate how proprietary DRM technologies are going to turn the frictionless utopia we should be after into a friction-laden migraine headache."Microsoft released an update for their Media Center platform that can wreak havoc with your content if you do something stupid, like change the processor, hard drive or something insanely foolhardy like alter a BIOS setting. (image placeholder)Micro$oft has rreleased a simple 5 step process to fix this issue. Well, they used 5 numbers in counting the steps. It looks more like 20+ steps when you include the notes and the fact that step 4 (or step eleventeen, depending on how you count) takes you to a friendly "Upgrading your Windows Media DRM Component" wizard that will no doubt take you through the "Windows Genuine Advantage" screens too. So, call it 50 steps. Can you imagine going through this hassle? The more DRM I see, the better my DRM hacking kung fu is getting. (image placeholder)

11\06
Last week, clueless lawmakers held hearings on Hollywood's myriad proposals for crippling technology to preserve their antiquated business models: Broadcast Flags, the A. Hole proposal, and intentionally breaking all digital radio devices.
Here's a torrent of the video of the hearings. Watch closely and note which lawmakers are commiting career-suicide by volunteering to break the American public's televisions. Torrent Link (Thanks, Tom!)
11/06
Web sites instruct fans on how to beat copy-protected CDs
In one of the most bizarre turn yet in the record industry's piracy struggles, stars Dave Matthews Band, Foo Fighters and Switchfoot -- and even Sony BMG, when the label gets complaints -- are telling fans how they can beat the system. Sony BMG Music Entertainment now regularly releases its new U.S. titles on CDs protected with digital rights management (DRM) that dictates which file formats consumers can use to digitally copy the music. MP3 is not one of those formats. The DRM also limits how many copies of the files consumers can make. more here.
10\07
I’ll splurge this down, rather than worry about actually having a coherent and fluid argument.
1. DRM makes devices less flexible, and less able to adapt to future uses.2. This shortens the lifespan of consumer electronics goods.3. Consumer electronics poses significant environmental externalities in its production and disposal not borne by the producer or consumer. (Although there are efforts to remedy this.)4. DRM is environmentally unfriendly.5. DRM prevents the use of material in ways tha has wider social benefits (e.g. remixing by school children as part of a project).6. Devices containing DRM should be taxed to reflect their social and environmental externalities.
Note the twist at the end. We don’t outlaw DRM, or repeal laws that make its use enforceable.
If you wanted to get the political establishment on your side, just find some vocal interest group to hypothecate your iPod tax towards (e.g. starving millionaire rock stars), et voila the lawmaking machinery jumps into action. Don’t campaign against DRM. Use the price mechanism, Luke - it pervades all things and binds all things together. Find your own body of vested interest, and harness it.
Perhaps we should simply generalise this? Laws like DMCA and EUCD are little more than state-sponsored protection rackets for established business models, so why not claw back some of the benefit? Sure, you can have DMCA protection! Just as long as you register your product with the Bit Reproducion and Transmission Device Commission and pay the usual 5% of sales to the government ;)
Quite how the anti-tax free-marketer inside me manages to struggle out of this intellectual straight-jacket, I’m not so sure…
I’ve been slowly making my way into Oz Shy’s Economics of Network Industries (about 18 months after Bruce Williamson first recommended it to me at WTF, so it’s taking a while). I’ll comment about the book in more detail another day, but if there’s one take-away it is this: there are many different kinds of network industry resulting from different forms of “interface” between the network components. It is by no means obvious which (if any) flavours of network industry a DMCA-like law is economically efficient for, or whether indeed any such in-depth analysis was ever done prior to copyright maximalism taking hold. It might behoove some of the campaigners for DRM reform to look beyond their own intellectual circle and engage the economists who have already trodden this turf. Make the lawmakers see you’ve done your homework.
Hmm, how about this for a really wild thought, well outside telecom. Capitalism is the economic technology that replaced feudalism. It found a superior way of harnessing self-interest to promote the wider good. This was achieved through increased decentralisation of economic power — you didn’t need to ask permission to start a business. We’re still hunting for the social technology to replace v1.0 mass democracy, whatever it may be. Once we crack the problem issues like DMCA will probably go away, since capture of the lawmaking process will become too expensive. To subvert Hayek’s economic message, the pricing information of new laws will more readily become apparent to those affected. This undermines the “information advantage” that the lobbyists have: a few people know they stand to gain much, whilst the masses don’t realise they’ve each lost a little bit of their cultural and economic opportunity.
(Then again, if Americans haven’t yet discovered the superiority of Bramley apples for making apple pie, I don’t hold out too much hope for a world without distance eliminating all social and economic barriers to opportunity…)
Until you either reach your techno-regulated anarchist nirvana (or opt out of trying), there’s only way of dealing with polluting digital technologies: old-fashioned political slog.
10\04
20 congressjerks who want the Broadcast Flag -- give 'em a call and give 'em what for
Twenty suicidal congresscritters are calling for the speedy adoption of a broadcast flag, trying to unmake the work that the courts did this past May when they killed the initiative. The broadcast flag says that all digital TV technology has to be approved by Hollywood's bought-and-paid-for regulators, and the rubric for it is that if we don't give Hollywood this unprecedented veto, they'll stop making stuff available for digital TV. Note that no one in Hollywood has ever promised that they will produce DTV high-def content if they get this dumb rule -- this isn't even very convincing blackmail.
Is your congressjerk on the list below? Give her or him a call, and let it be known that elected lawmakers who break their constituents' televisions don't get re-elected (assholes).
Find out if your rep is on the list here.
John Shadegg, R-AZ, (202) 225-3361 Mary Bono, R-CA, (202) 225-5330 George Radanovich, R-CA, (202) 225-4540 John Shimkus, R-IL (202) 225-5271 Bobby Rush, D-IL, (202) 225-4372 Ed Whitfield, R-KY, (202) 225-3115 Albert Wynn, D-MD, (202) 225-8699 Charles Pickering, R-MS, (202) 225-5031 Lee Terry, R-NE, (202) 225-4155 Charles Bass, R-NH, (202) 225-5206 Mike Ferguson, R-NJ, (202) 225-5361 Frank Pallone, D-NJ, (202) 225-4671 Eliot Engel, D-NY, (202) 225-2464 Vito Fossella, R-NY, (202) 225-3371 Edolphus Towns, D-NY, (202) 225-5936 John Sullivan, R-OK, (202) 225-2211 Michael Doyle, D-PA, (202) 225-2135 Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, (202) 225-2811 Bart Gordon, D-TN, (202) 225-4231 Charles Gonzalez, D-TX, (202) 225-3236
I know, I know. We keep killing this thing, and it keeps on coming back. But the important thing is that we keep killing it. Us. They put tens of millions of bucks into this bid to make technology subservient to the superstitious fantasies of venal film execs, and we killed it by sending thousands and thousands and thousands of letters, calls, and faxes to DC. We made it happen. We'll make it happen again. They're not going to win this one, EVER. Link (via Copyfight)
9/06

1. Online guide to understanding Digital Rights Management(image placeholder)The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) online guide to understanding Digital Rights Management (DRM) and End User License Agreements (EULAs) more and more often tacitly imposed by record labels and online music services (iTunes) on the music you buy. The EFF Guide includes information about four alternative online music services which do sell unrestricted, DRM-free music files.http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/guide/

1. The Future of Music(image placeholder)This is a book about music and the music business in the twenty-first century. If you can visualize a world where music flows all around you, like water, or like electricity, and where access to music becomes a kind of "utility" then you can understand what is in this book. In this world, we share, contribute, collaborate, and trade music amid a constant flow of new songs that suit our tastes and preferences, without any palpable constraints or limitations. Music is ubiquitous and served up in easy, friendly formats. Like water, it is simply present just about everywhere, anytime. If you want to learn how fans, artists, and all kinds of music communities will drive the new music business, rather than being driven by corporate powers, this may be the right book to read.http://www.futureofmusicbook.com/

Unsecured Wi-Fi would be outlawed by N.Y. county

According to a new proposal being considered by a suburb of New York City, any business or home office with an open wireless connection but no separate server to fend off Internet attacks would be violating the law.
Politicians in Westchester County are urging adoption of the law--which appears to be the first such legislation in the U.S.--because without it, "somebody parked in the street or sitting in a neighboring building could hack into the network and steal your most confidential data," County Executive Andy Spano said in a statement.
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The Microsoft Office 12 Pre Beta 1 Review

The Microsoft Office 12.0 pre-Beta 1 offers many ease-of-use interface tweaks, such as a slider bar in the bottom of each window for zooming in and out of page views. We hope that tabbed toolbar browsing, a welcome feature within Web browsers such as Firefox, will make navigating tasks and documents easier. Each task-oriented toolbar will have only the tools you need, with visual galleries of attributes and suggested layout to eliminate guesswork. You'll be able to make changes to attributes such as font style and watch your document transform in real time.

And rejoice if you've raged for eight years against Clippy. The dorky paper-clip cartoon is really dead; Office Assistant suggestions will no longer glibly interrupt your tasks. Unlike the late Clippy, a ghostly text-formatting toolbar hovers near your cursor; it fades or darkens in response to your mouse movements. Right-clicking a mouse will reveal the same task-specific menu choices as offered in the masthead banner.

Those wanting to put photos in documents will enjoy Word's new image-editing skills, allowing you to crop, alter brightness and even convert images into sepia tones. We're glad that Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access will finally share similar interface features. Developers will get the freedom to add their own tabs, items to tabs and gallery items to Office 12.0; and companies can build their own toolbars from scratch, if needed. Old, familiar add-ins will also work in the new Office. Users of previous versions of Office will like that Office 12.0 files are backward compatible through Office 97.

Downside: If you've spent the past two years mastering Office 2003, prepare for Microsoft Office 12.0's potentially steep learning curve. You may moan to hear that the Alt keyboard shortcuts will change; luckily, shortcuts using the Ctrl button will stay the same.

While the more visual and tabbed layout may reduce mouse clicks, it eats up more screen real estate than Office 2003 does. Visually, Office 12.0 will look dramatically different, though just marginally more attractive than its predecessor. Icons and charts appear less flat, but our jaws didn't drop at first sight.

In the past, Microsoft has sabotaged itself by unrolling too many new features to Office too fast. We're keeping a look out for problems; after all, Office 12.0 was in its storyboard stages just a few months ago.

Outlook: Unlike prior updates to this productivity package, Microsoft Office 12.0 looks dramatically different from Office 2003. Although Vista and Office 12.0 are separate releases, Microsoft is working to impose a task-oriented paradigm across both that'll be new to everyone.

The tabbed layout of Word, Excel and PowerPoint may be a welcome change if your wrists ache from mouse-clicking through the myriad drop-down menus of aged versions of Office. Microsoft hopes that the new layout helps you discover previously hard-to-find features and will be more intuitive for newbies. But even well-intended software changes that seem graceful at first glance might reveal quirks or hassles during extended use. We'll withhold judgment on Office 12.0 until we start some real-world testing with the Beta 1 release, expected by the end of the year.

Cable Companies Sign Deal With Sprint/Nextel On Mobile Services

"Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communcations and Advance/Newhouse Communications plan to bundle wireless phone service from the new alliance with their existing high-speed data, voice and video packages. Cable companies have used bundles of services effectively to compete against telephone companies like Verizon Communications and SBC Communications, which are each starting to enter the video market. The deal with the cable companies will likely differ from other reseller deals that Sprint Nextel has struck with companies like Virgin Mobile, ESPN, and soon-to-launch SK-EarthLink. The cable companies will work with Sprint Nextel to develop new devices and services for customers. For example, they might allow people to use their cell phone to program video recorders." This kind of thing is really going to allow the use of your mobile device to pull together aspects of your life previously unimaginable. Well, if the execution is right. Chances are, too many players will try to pull this off with proprietary solutions severely constraining what you will be able to do unless you use their particular devices and services. This will probably be their latest attempt to shield themselves just becoming the pipe.
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Email kills concentration more than pot

Discover Magazine cites a study where two groups of people took IQ tests: one that was under the influence of marijuana and the other that was interrupted by email messages - and the potheads performed better.

Certainly, the (BING!) interruption cost of a new email message (BING!) arriving every 10 minutes throughout the day (BING!) while you work is a high one. The solution? Pull the plug. Shut down your email client while you work and open it up only when you need to send a message. Or simply set it to check for new messages only once an hour. It doesn’t matter that right this moment you’ve got mail. You’ve also got something else more important to do than buy Cialis online.

E-Mail Making You Crazy?