Posts by Charles 9

Re: The naughty ones

Nulls? Explain how that would work...

Re: American internet users will win!!

"More time will pass, with more uncertainity and almost certainly more significant changes in how Americans get their Internet access."

Time plays against the Republicans. Trying to redo the FCC is in the exact same boat as trying to repeal Obamacare (which they've tried an umpteen number of times, including at least one this session, all without success). As long as they Republicans don't (a) hold 2/3 majorities in both houses to override the veto or (b) hold a majority in the House, 60 seats in the Senate (to force Cloture), and have the Presidency, any attempt to force the agenda is dead in the water.

"I'd prefer no net neutrality and regulations to encourage ISP's to provide minimum levels of service (within the limits of current technology) to prevent communities being left behind, provide caps for the cost of services (to prevent communities being priced out of faster services) AND (most importantly) remove any restrictions on regional competition between providers. The caps should be high enough to allow current ISP's to operate as they are but provide an incentive for new players to enter local markets."

Don't Common Carrier provisions include everything you describe, which is why telephone and railroads operate the way they do? Why wouldn't they be included here? As for the rural communities, as I recall, the main problem for them is that they're rural...and therefore so sparse that a rollout is an iffy proposition, thus why most carriers won't propose a rollout without a guarantee. Also, most of these communities lack the local capital to go it alone/ Furthermore, with Republicans in the House (which controls the budget), they can't expect any assistance from Washington, and even state capitals are typically out of reach due to their low populations (cities will tend to pull the strings).

Re: No Nothing...

Have they ever considered that this level of gouging could convince their customers to do the one thing always available to them...and walk away. If people have been using their connections and recorders to permanently download their favorite shows and then pass the tapes/discs/drives around, they could potentially engage in a prolonged "strike" against the big boys and not get bored. Even sports can be done without local TV; the sports bar industry may find such a walkout in their favor.

"Will the chinese gov't be giving free credit monitoring to the inevitable victims of identity theft?"

No, because odds are they'll be the thieves. The idea is that the ONLY encryption they'll allow is the type they can backdoor. They don't care too much if the proles get bit by hackers because they'll be part of that group, and any official Chinese business done within the government itself can use the strong stuff as they please.

Re: It just doesn't matter

But there's still the matter of Internet access. Trust me, I've been to parts of Asia other than Japan and South Korea. MMO gaming is still a hot topic to the point that Internet cafes are still hotspots and MMO game posters are still plastered all over the place. Many of them are as old as the PCs they run, so age is not necessarily an issue, but since most of them were made for keyboard & mouse use...

Re: Tandy UK etc went the same way. Maplin beware, you are next!

The things about online, especially if you need only one thing, are (1) the shipping costs more than the part, and (2) what if you need the part RIGHT NOW?

Re: Using this App called AdAway...

Have you tried using USB On the Go? I recall it's standard in Android now.

Re: Huh?

"54% control of America's high-speed internet service, in their utopian Metered Billing, Hugely Profitable dreams, will surpass every other line of business Comcast is in.'

Except without their own content (which NBC Universal represents), they can't discriminate since now every party is a third party, and any discrimination in favor of one will result in all the others crying foul. In fact, it would be in Comcast's fiduciary interest to fast lane NBC content and throttle Netflix (as the former is cheaper to send down their pipes). Like railroads owning their own timber plots and mines.

You mentioned Cox. Funny that. They haven't introduced metered billing, yet they've doubled all their Internet plans without raising prices (which incidentally have held steady for several years). The bill only went up about a dollar this year due to tax hikes (and remember, comm bills are itemized—by law).

Then there's the matter of Google, who none of the standing companies can bully.

"We should be writing rules that allow competitors to use existing, paid-for cable runs, and eliminating monopoly restrictions to allow new competitive infrastructure."

Two problems. One, nearly all cable in the US is privately owned. Forcing a company to allow competitors to use their bought-and-paid-for equipment would never fly in Congress, as it's a violation of the basic principle of ownership and property. Basically, it would be Un-American. Second, the reason those monopolies exist in the first place is because no one's willing to wire up as space a country as the United States out of the goodness of their hearts. They (and their investors) will demand RoI. As for muni broadband, most communities lack the capital to do it. Leaving them pretty much with a choice between an exclusive contract, an exclusive contract, or no broadband meaning you can't attract people into your community. Oh, you have exceptions like that country east of Seattle, but that's pretty much a matter of luck (being up north attracted data centers--less cooling costs--the same can't be said down in Arizona), which is why you don't see the same things happening elsewhere in the country.

"If you are a consumer, and not a shill for the cable and telephone industry, why would you disagree with free enterprise?"

Because free enterprise is willing to let the little man (or in this case, the Middle of Nowhere) rot. In the private sector, some customers are "Not Worth the Money," which to them means expendable.

Re: Funny...

But we're a picky society. Sure, water can get most stuff off, but we also want the rest off. That's why even back then, we knew to use soap to help dislodge more stubborn dirt. Put it this way. We use soap to try and avoid having to wash things twice.

But the malware would also have to recognize the target of each click, particularly if these targets shift and move. How would a pattern recognizer differentiate between one type of stroke-and-click action and another? Are you trying for the File menu, the Edit Menu, the close box or the minimize box? Are you highlighting or resizing?

It wasn't so much that video streaming was the only thing they bothered with as video was the only thing they could come to an agreement. When it comes to more interactive elements, there are such entrenched interests that consensus was impossible As it is now. What are you going to use to replace Flash that (a) isn't buggier then Flash (that removes JS and Java, both error-prone), (b) that everyone will agree to, and (c) won't get hijacked by some entrenched interest down the road?

Re: hmm

How do you get the money out of the tax haven when said haven has sovereign power of its own and would defend itself if anyone tried to intrude?

Re: It is this simple...

But to accept a limit is to accept that we could be next, which goes against our survival instinct.

Re: Weasel words

Until you learn that firm is the only provider of something you absolutely need. Ah, captive markets...

Re: Uh?

So what happens when the demand comes from someone over your head?

Re: Allow me to further this analogy.

In case you haven't noticed, all those alternatives have strings attached: they're costly, don't scale well, AND involve lots of toxics themselves. AFAIK, there's no free lunch unless you can point us somewhere we haven't looked.

Re: IBM and "The Man" do not need to be involved

Problem is, bureaus like DMV have been shown to either (1) leave your supposed-to-be-private info laying around for others to steal or (2) go well beyond their remit and (a) share their data with other bureaus who really shouldn't have it or (b) data mine it themselves to create profiles that leap to conclusions. You can claim it as a necessary evil, but there are those who are starting to think, "Is it?"

Re: Breathtaking

Unfortunately, under the legal definition, it can't be a public utility until the government owns it.

Re: and in the UK ?

It wasn't the speeds that were the issue but the hidden data caps, basically breaking the definition of "unlimited". I suspect people have started suing for false advertising, and the FCC would rather set a standard than have any allegations of collusion end up in the federal courts where they have less control.

Re: require a whole new system

So you absolutely need a new system but trust no one to get it right, not even yourself...

Re: Sometimes ...

Perhaps going even further back. Wasn't that at least one of Machiavelli's arguments in The Prince in favor of autocracy: that sometimes, you just have to take the direct approach?

Re: "with your permission and all of that"

He's saying blocking Google at all prevents the sites from running at all. And if there are no alternative sites that aren't beholden to Google, you're just SOL. Your only choices then are to bend over or to get kicked out.

Re: It would be quite annoying...

There's also the matter of having to use Wi-Fi Direct mode, which isn't the norm (AP mode is the norm).

Re: dot-inc

What about companies that match names AND are in the same country but are allowed by the USPTO because they're in different industries? For example, the name "Cracker Barrel" is trademarked TWICE in the US, but both are allowed, as one is a brand name of cheese and the other is a restaurant/novelty store chain; ergo, they don't overlap. It wouldn't apply in the strictest sense here, but I could envision two companies with the same name but in different industries claiming the same CompanyName.inc. What then?

Re: Long Live Win XP & Win 7!

Even if a big-time remote exploit appears for XP which, due to its EOL status, will never get fixed?