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Today's Topics:
1. OK, who REALLY wrote that song? (Williams, Gregory S.)
2. Verizon Changes Course, Supports Open-Access Plan (George Antunes)
3. Cellphone and E-Mail For the Technophobe (George Antunes)
4. Report: Astronauts flew while intoxicated (Williams, Gregory S.)
5. Sprint, Google in pact for WiMax mobile Web (George Antunes)
6. NASA investigates possible sabotage of recorder for lab
(Williams, Gregory S.)
7. Cable Without a Cable Box, and TV Shows Without a TV
(George Antunes)
8. ABC News Building Evacuated in D.C. (Rob)
9. US Senators back web censorship (Rob)
10. Senators worried about TV 'train wreck' (Rob)
11. U.S. Web video ads seen up to $4.3 bln in 2011: study (Rob)
12. NASA reports sabotage of space computer (Rob)
13. Government Warns Public on Fake E-Mails (George Antunes)
14. New X-Plane Flies at Calif. Air Base (George Antunes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:20:57 -0400
From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] OK, who REALLY wrote that song?
To: <[email protected]>
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/25/music.whosreallywriting.ap/index.html
NEW YORK (AP) -- Of all the names in music, Chantal Kreviazuk may be the least
likely to appear in a headline. Though she recently released her own album, the
songwriter usually stays behind the scenes to pen hits with artists such as
Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne.
But earlier this month, Kreviazuk rocked the pop music world by suggesting that
Lavigne was a collaborator in name only. Although she quickly retracted her
comments and others defended Lavigne, the flap illuminated a long-standing
fraud that has become more prevalent than ever: "singer-songwriters" who do
much less songwriting than their publicists would have you believe.
"It's crazy!" exclaimed Grammy-winning songwriter Diane Warren, who has written
for artists such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Mary J. Blige. "How can
someone look in the mirror and know they didn't do something and their name is
on it? For money? For credit? It's a lie."
This being the music industry, money is of course a factor, since the writers
of hit songs can earn more than the singer over the long term. But today's
singers also press for writing credit because it gives them more of a cachet,
presenting them as more of a "real artist" in comparison with a star who
doesn't write a note.
"It's a practice that's been going on but now it's really prevalent in every
situation," says songwriter Adonis Shropshire, who helped pen the hit "My Boo"
for Alicia Keys and Usher, and has worked with Chris Brown, Ciara and others.
Shropshire says that many artists will only allow songwriters to work on an
album in return for song credit, and "if they do write, they ask for more
publishing than they honestly contributed ... it is the way it is."
The practice has been prevalent for decades. Elvis Presley's manager, Colonel
Tom Parker, maneuvered to give the King songwriting credits on early hits like
"Love Me Tender" even though he never wrote a word. James Brown was sued by an
associate over song credits. Lauryn Hill settled a lawsuit by a group that
claimed she improperly took sole production and writing credit on her
Grammy-winning album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." And Diddy seemed to
acknowledge claims that he wasn't really writing his raps in the "Bad Boys for
Life" song with the brushoff line: "Don't worry if I write rhymes, I write
checks!"
The notion that serious artists have to write their own songs seems to have
grown over the past two decades. Today, even the fluffiest of pop acts is
credited as having written their own material.
"We as an industry ... don't look at someone who has an incredible voice as an
artist, whereas having an incredible voice is artistry," says Jody Gerson, an
executive vice president of EMI Music Publishing. "I think people place more of
a value on an artist if they write their own songs, it gives them credibility."
Indeed, Lavigne's songwriting abilities have been touted since she broke out as
a teen with the hit "Complicated." But how much she contributed to her music
has long been scrutinized.
On her first album, Lavigne worked with the writing trio The Matrix, but
ditched them on her second album when she felt they were taking too much credit
for the songs. "I am a writer, and I won't accept people trying to take that
away from me, and anyone who does is ignorant and doesn't know what they're
talking about," she defiantly told The Associated Press in 2004.
She connected with Kreviazuk for her sophomore album and the two became close
friends. Kreviazuk lauded her songwriting ability in an interview with The AP,
also in 2004 -- which made Kreviazuk's comments to Performing Songwriting
Magazine all the more curious.
"I mean, Avril, songwriter? Avril doesn't really sit and write songs by herself
or anything. Avril will also cross the ethical line, and no one says anything,"
Kreviazuk -- who was not included on Lavigne's latest album -- told the
magazine before retracting her statement. The Matrix later came out to defend
Lavigne's songwriting integrity.
Grammy-winning songwriter Dallas Austin says he's had a manager rave about a
song Austin wrote all by himself, and then tell him, "We wanna know if we can
get a piece of the pie on it because (the artist) wants to feel like she has a
part ownership on the song.
"And I'll say, 'In all fairness, no. ... If you want to work with me at least
sit here and put something into it, instead of coming after I've done
everything and try and claim percentages on it.' "
Gerson calls the practice unfair but says it's "pretty prevalent in pop and R&B
... I think the way people now divide publishing splits is who was in the room.
'OK ... I changed the word "the" to "a," and I deserve 10 percent of the
publishing.' "
Sean Garrett, who has created smashes for Beyonce, Kelis, Fergie and others,
says he gave up credit when he was just starting out, which is common for
newcomers. "It bothered me but I knew it was just a price that I had to pay to
continue my career and stay focused with the big prize," he says.
Ne-Yo, a true singer-songwriter who co-wrote Beyonce's "Irreplaceable," says
early in his career he had to deal with the same thing. He says some artists
feel they are doing a novice a favor by recording their song -- especially if
it becomes a hit -- so they deserve a piece of the royalties.
"If you're an unknown songwriter and you are lucky enough to get on a
superstar's album and you know that the song is going to be a single," Ne-Yo
says, "and it means if it becomes No. 1 everyone is going to know your name
because you wrote it, I think it's worth giving up a piece of publishing ...
you are going to make your money back."
Shropshire recalls working with an A-list singer, whom he did not want to name,
who wrote two words on a song and ended up getting a large piece of the
publishing rights. But he couldn't complain when the song became a hit.
"It didn't really bother me that much. The song came out and it did wonderfully
well," he says. "That's just the way the industry works."
That shouldn't be the case, says Warren. Although she had credit taken from her
early in her career, she quickly put a stop to it. Later, one major superstar
demanded some of Warren's royalties for the privilege of said superstar
recording her song. But Warren refused.
"It's like, 'OK, you want some publishing? OK then, give me a piece of the
money you're making touring for the next five years for the hit I just wrote
you.' "
But now that songwriters like Warren, Garrett and Ne-Yo are established, they
rarely find themselves taken advantage of any more.
"I give other people credit where credit is due, like Beyonce really did
vocally arrange ('Irreplaceable')," Ne-Yo says. "So for someone to come in and
take my credit because they are who they are? That doesn't work for me. I don't
care who you are. ... I'm not going to give you something you don't deserve."
Gregory S. Williams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
?
?
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:26:39 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Verizon Changes Course, Supports Open-Access Plan
To: [email protected]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Verizon Changes Course, Supports Open-Access Plan
By Kim Hart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 26, 2007; D08
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/25/AR2007072502554_pf.html
In a last-minute policy shift, Verizon Wireless said yesterday that it
would support a plan requiring a portion of airwaves to be available to any
wireless device. But the company that builds the network on those airwaves,
Verizon said, shouldn't have to guarantee that all applications, such as
games and videos, will work properly.
Verizon has firmly opposed a proposal put forth by Federal Communications
Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin that would require that a large swath
of airwaves, to be auctioned in January, be used to build a network open to
any wireless device or service.
Currently, wireless carriers control the handsets and features available to
consumers.
Google and other Internet companies have argued that opening the network to
all devices would benefit consumers and allow a new entrant into the
wireless market.
But Verizon has said such a requirement would hurt traditional wireless
carriers, which want to buy the spectrum to roll out services on their
networks.
A majority of FCC commissioners told a House telecommunications
subcommittee Tuesday that they supported the "open access" requirement.
With an FCC vote on the auction's rules scheduled for Tuesday, Verizon said
it will consider allowing any device to access its network. But, it said
yesterday in a statement, it would guarantee only services bought directly
from Verizon.
Last week, AT&T also said it supported Martin's open-access proposal.
Google said it would consider bidding at least $4.6 billion for the
airwaves but only if the FCC also mandates that the auction winner be
required to resell some of the bandwidth to other companies.
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:14:25 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Cellphone and E-Mail For the Technophobe
To: [email protected]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Frill-Free Gadgets
Cellphone and E-Mail For the Technophobe
By Rob Pegoraro
Washington Post
Thursday, July 26, 2007; D01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/25/AR2007072501994_pf.html
In a market that says more features are always better, a cellphone devoid
of data features and a printer that only receives e-mail should be
guaranteed losers.
But Samsung's Jitterbug phone and Hewlett-Packard's Printing Mailbox aren't
aimed at the more-is-better crowd. They're marketed at an often overlooked
segment of the population that's not so keen on learning how to use yet
another gadget.
Those people tend to be older -- a fact that leads many tech firms to write
off this entire demographic. That's a mistake. They have valid complaints
about confusing devices and programs designed to out-feature the competition.
The Jitterbug and the Printing Mailbox represent a 180-degree turn from
that mind-set. They dispense with most of the usual ingredients to make
wireless calling and e-mail as accessible as possible to baby boomers and
their parents (a market that Jitterbug estimates at 100 million people).
The $147 Jitterbug is the easier of the two to understand, as the white,
elliptical device could be the cellphone of 1996. It only makes calls; it
doesn't do text or picture messaging, browse the Web or take photos.
Its numeric buttons are big enough to mash while wearing gloves. You can
also fill its 10-entry address book when ordering the phone (
http://jitterbug.com) or by calling customer service. You can call contacts
by speaking their names or by flipping through an onscreen list with two up
and down buttons and large YES and NO keys.
(A second, even simpler Jitterbug swaps out the keypad for three buttons:
one for the operator, one for 911 and the third for the number of your choice.)
Phone service comes from GreatCall, a reseller of other carrier's signals.
Plans start at $10 a month (including no minutes) and go no higher than $80
(for 800 minutes and free operator-assisted calls).
Where Jitterbug provides on-the-go calling to people who hate cellphones,
the Presto service and HP's $100 A10 Printing Mailbox combine to get e-mail
to people who have no interest in computers.
The HP Mailbox looks much like a conventional inkjet printer, except it
plugs into a phone jack instead of a computer. Its setup is meant to be
done by somebody else -- whoever e-mails the recipient most often.
Outsourcing the hard work of technology can be pure laziness, but it makes
sense here. A person who has never used e-mail before is not about to buy a
strange printing gizmo. The friend or family member who performs that
intervention might as well set up the device, too.
There's not much to do, in any case. You choose a name for the user's
Presto account, then add people to his or her address book -- including
phone numbers, which print out on top of each e-mail. The Printing Mailbox
is a one-way street, only receiving mail; the user can reply only with such
last-century communications options as picking up the phone or writing a
letter.
The Mailbox accepts e-mail only from people in the device owner's address
book. Friends can add themselves to it by visiting the Presto site and
entering an access code, provided on a set of Friends Cards that the
Mailbox prints out.
This printer comes set up to dial up and download new messages once a day.
Forget instant messaging; this is more like the telegram.
This printer is amazingly quiet, but it sometimes took as long as a minute
to print a page. (Ink cartridges, needed every few hundred pages, run $25
or $35, depending on capacity. It should be clear how HP is going to its
money here.) The Presto service costs $9.95 a month or $99.99 a year.
Each e-mail is printed out in large type, with most of its formatting
intact. Senders can customize the appearance of their messages -- for
instance, by adding borders or generating a monthly calendar. Presto users
can also sign up for a variety of short newsletters on such topics as car
care and gardening.
In two test calls, Presto's tech support -- available toll-free for most of
the day--involved no hold music and no waiting.
Presto's service does, however, need some fine-tuning. Sometimes, the
Friends Card page on Presto's site yielded a "runtime error" message
instead of confirming a user's addition to the address book.
The service also rejects e-mails that bundle non-picture files. But the
error message it returns implies that the non-attachment part of the
message got through; in reality, a single Word attachment disqualifies the
entire e-mail.
My next phone or e-mail service probably won't look or work anything like
either of these two devices. But its designers ought to remember the ideas
that let the Jitterbug and Presto work for their intended users.
First, however many features you throw in, the important capabilities need
to be the most obvious, easiest things about the product. Second, just in
case you missed something, make it easy for people to ask for help.
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:15:10 -0400
From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Report: Astronauts flew while intoxicated
To: <[email protected]>
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/07/report-astronau.html
Aviation Week & Space Technology says it has obtained a draft report that says
NASA allowed astronauts to fly while intoxicated on two occasions.
The respected trade publication, which doesn't identify its sources, says
members of a government panel found evidence to suggest "heavy use of alcohol"
by astronauts during the 12-hour period before launches. Astronauts aren't
supposed to consume alcohol during that period.
The panel, established after astronaut Lisa Nowak was arrested in February,
doesn't identify any pilots or crewmembers by name in its report, the trade
publication says.
Aviation Week says NASA wouldn't comment on the report. The space agency is
scheduled to hold a news conference tomorrow afternoon. The report will be
available for download at noon tomorrow.
USA TODAY is trying to confirm this report.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/astronautreport.html - Location
of report when released (Noon ET Friday)
Gregory S. Williams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
?
?
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:32:23 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Sprint, Google in pact for WiMax mobile Web
To: [email protected]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Sprint, Google in pact for WiMax mobile Web
By Sinead Carew
Reuters
Thursday, July 26, 2007; 2:17 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/26/AR2007072600492_pf.html
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc plans to offer Internet search services in
a Web portal Sprint Nextel Corp is developing for its WiMax high-speed
wireless service, the companies said on Thursday.
The agreement, which is Google's closest alliance with a major U.S. mobile
service provider, is expected to boost Web access over Sprint's new network
and improve use of Google's search and communications services on mobile
devices.
While Google, the world's leading Web search company, has agreements with
overseas mobile providers, analysts say it lags Yahoo Inc in the U.S.
mobile Web market.
"This seems to be a bigger deal than what (Google's) done in the past, more
comprehensive," said Pacific Crest analyst Steve Weinstein, who expects
wireless services to be a "very material driver" for Google by late 2008
and early 2009.
Google has said wireless is key to its growth and its strategy of selling
Internet advertising.
Google is in the midst of a lobbying battle over rules governing an
upcoming U.S. government auction of airwaves. The company has told
regulators it would take part in the auction and meet the minimum required
bid of $4.6 billion if regulators added a sale condition that Google said
would promote an open wireless market.
LOCATION INTEGRATION
Sprint's Chief Technology Officer Barry West said the deal, which makes
Google Sprint's exclusive search provider for WiMax service, should help
raise Sprint's image as a provider of wireless Web services.
"If you think of the Internet you automatically think of Google," West
said. "Obviously having a powerful partner on the Internet helps us become
synonymous with the mobile Internet."
Sprint said it would combine technology for detecting user location with
Google tools including e-mail and chat on devices running on a high-speed
network Sprint is building based on WiMax technology.
WiMax offers Web access speeds five times faster than typical wireless
networks, though they are still slower than wired broadband.
For example, users could use Google to search for a pizzeria without having
to enter a ZIP code or have the phone automatically broadcast their
whereabouts to friends when they are setting up a meeting using Google Talk
instant chat service or e-mail on their phones.
West said Sprint would not charge users for Google services, which will be
supported by search related advertising. Google and Sprint will have a
revenue sharing agreement for the advertising.
Sprint, the No. 3 U.S. mobile service, has envisioned the WiMax network
serving a host of consumer electronic devices such as cameras or media
players. It expects the portal to work on a multiple devices.
Some analysts had questioned the wisdom of Sprint betting on an unproven
technology, but JPMorgan analyst Tom Lee said the Google deal should ease
any investor concerns about WiMax.
"It really strengthens the legitimacy" of WiMax, Lee said, adding it would
also help create interest among consumer electronic companies to make WiMax
compatible devices.
Sprint plans to connect its WiMax network with that of Clearwire Corp
(CLWR.O) to allow customers to roam between both networks. They expect to
cover an area reaching a potential 100 million people by the end of 2008.
The agreement with Google could potentially create a new business for
Sprint and Clearwire, according to Lee, who said Google could use their
WiMax networks to connect short-range wireless hotspots it is building in
San Francisco.
Sprint plans to test the WiMax service in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington
by the end of 2007, with a goal of attaining coverage for 100 million
people by the end of 2008.
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:35:28 -0400
From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] NASA investigates possible sabotage of recorder
for lab
To: <[email protected]>
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
By MARK CARREAU
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5002825.html?f=1
NASA said today it is investigating suspected sabotage of a recorder placed on
the shuttle Endeavour for delivery to the space station where it will track
physical stresses on the orbiting lab.
The recorder, which does not play a role in protecting astronauts or the space
station, was damaged by an unidentified person or persons and will be repaired.
NASA today cleared Endeavour for an Aug. 7 launch.
Gregory S. Williams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
?
?
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:41:39 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Cable Without a Cable Box, and TV Shows Without a
TV
To: [email protected]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed
July 26, 2007
Cable Without a Cable Box, and TV Shows Without a TV
By JOHN R. QUAIN
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/26/technology/circuits/26basics.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
HOW would you like to use your video-game console to tune in ?Big Love? on
your television? Or perhaps use your DVD player to download ?The Departed?
while you watch a ballgame? Those features are now possible, thanks to some
new devices and recent rule changes governing cable television service.
Just don?t throw out your old cable box quite yet.
The key to this new world of TV entertainment is a Federal Communications
Commission rule that went into effect July 1. Cable companies in the United
States now have to separate the security functions that prevent you from
watching channels you haven?t paid for from the TV tuner box most of us rent.
The practical result of the rule is that cable companies now have to supply
set-top boxes that come with a removable CableCARD. The cards, which look
like the PC Cards used in notebook computers, contain the information
necessary to unscramble digital cable channels like HBO.
But they could allow other equipment to become much more versatile. The
cards are designed to be inserted into a host of other devices, including
TVs, digital video recorders (DVRs) and computers. Companies like Toshiba,
Panasonic, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard have sought this breakthrough for
years because it opens an array of features for CableCARD-equipped devices.
Cable companies have resisted the idea, which should surprise no one.
?CableCARDs don?t add anything to your TV viewing experience,? said Alex
Dudley, a Time Warner Cable spokesman. He added that for several years the
company has offered CableCARDs to customers who requested them.
Cable companies also point out that CableCARDs cannot support all the
features offered by many cable TV services, such as two-way communication
for video on demand or voting on surveys like those done by New York City?s
NY1 channel.
?CableCARDs may not make a material difference to most consumers in the
near term,? said Ross Rubin, an industry analyst with NPD Group, ?but they
have the potential to offer a lot more choices in the future.? Rubin said
that CableCARDs have been difficult for consumers to obtain and that the
new regulation is likely to make them more available.
A CableCARD could reduce your monthly cable bill. Cablevision, for example,
charges its customers $6.25 a month for a set-top box but charges only
$1.25 a month for a CableCARD. Time Warner charges $9 a month, on average,
for the set-top box and $2 a month for the card. One thing doesn?t change;
the cable company will usually send a cable installer to your home to set
up a CableCARD.
Of course, you still have to have some sort of device to plug it into to
reap this benefit, and some of those machines are expensive.
Simplest of all are televisions that are equipped with the card slot. You
won?t find inexpensive smaller sets with the feature, but there are a few
widescreen, flat-panel sets with CableCARD slots. One example is LG
Electronics? 60PB4D, a 60-inch plasma display that also includes a built-in
DVR and an on-screen program guide. Such high-end sets are expensive; the
60-inch LG model is $4,700. So initially, CableCARDs will appeal mostly to
videophiles who want the best picture possible.
A CableCARD with a TiVo unit improves the picture for recorded programming
by using the digital signal from the cable company. Without a card, a TiVo
box has to use an analog signal from a cable box, which degrades the
picture quality, and then use a gadget called an IR Blaster to control the
cable company?s set-top box. A CableCARD removes both of these drawbacks.
TiVo and Amazon have announced that TiVo has upgraded its ?Amazon Unbox on
TiVo? service so that users can rent or purchase movies online and have
them downloaded directly to their living room TiVo boxes ? without the use
of a PC. The new service finally brings videos directly from the Internet
to the living room and effectively offers a video-on-demand option that can
compete with similar services offered by cable companies. (You can start to
see why cable companies oppose the card.)
However, TiVo customers must connect their set-top boxes to the Internet,
usually using a wireless Wi-Fi adapter. And although you can get a
standard-definition TiVo box for $99, a top-of-line, high-definition TiVo
Series 3 box costs $800, in addition to the usual monthly subscription fee,
which starts at $12.95. TiVo has just come out with a more affordable HD
DVR with two CableCARD slots and up to 20 hours of HD recording, for $300.
The TiVo-Amazon service offers cineastes thousands of movies to rent,
compared with the scant mainstream-only offerings of cable?s pay-per-view
services. TiVo boasts other features that keep it ahead of cable, including
the ability to schedule a recording at home over the Internet from, say,
your computer at work, or to record videos automatically from Web-based
channels. Services like this are encouraging others to begin selling
CableCARD-ready set-top boxes.
Digeo, which already supplies set-top boxes to cable companies that in turn
lease them to subscribers, says it plans to sell a new model in stores this
fall. Digeo?s machine, the Moxi Multi-Room HD DMR, not only will include a
TiVo-like DVR but also will let owners add more hard disk storage to expand
the number of shows owners can record and store. Moxi owners will also be
able to use the box to store music and pictures and watch recordings on TVs
in other rooms. Prices for the CableCARD-ready box have not yet been announced.
Another option for those who want to free themselves from the cable box is
to hook up a CableCARD-ready Media Center PC. Running Microsoft?s Windows
Vista Ultimate platform, which supports CableCARD, systems like Niveus
Media?s Rainer Edition not only include DVR functions but also play HD
DVDs, play and record CDs, and let you surf the Web from your TV. But if
you think leasing a cable box for $10 a month is expensive, the Niveus
system isn?t for you. Niveus charges no monthly fee, but the Rainer box and
accompanying digital tuner will set you back about $4,700.
Prices like that will keep most couch potatoes glued to their existing
cable boxes. But many companies have hinted that they may offer CableCARD
slots in other, less expensive devices soon. For example, Microsoft has
been an ardent proponent of CableCARDs, but it doesn?t have a card slot yet
in its Xbox 360, which already can be used to download movies. Adding one
would put the console in a position to replace both DVRs and set-top cable
boxes.
Even Scientific Atlanta, one of the largest makers of set-top cable boxes
in the United States, concedes that consumers are likely to see a variety
of CableCARD-ready devices appearing in the market. Indeed, Scientific
Atlanta, which along with Linksys is part of the networking giant Cisco
Systems, seems ideally positioned to offer a single box containing a
digital cable tuner, DVR, broadband Internet access and wireless home
networking. However, the company says it has no plans to offer such a product.
Combining games, video and Internet access on a home TV screen has long
been the dream of those who advocate convergence. But after two decades of
trying, no one has been able to deliver a successful convergence product.
CableCARDs may finally make that happen.
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:44:47 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] ABC News Building Evacuated in D.C.
To: Media-News <[email protected]>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, News-4-US <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
ABC News Building Evacuated in D.C.
Associated Press
Thursday, July 26, 2007
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2007/260707_b_evacuated.htm
WASHINGTON (AP) - A building housing the Washington bureau of ABC News
was evacuated Thursday because of a suspicious envelope containing a
white powdery substance, District of Columbia authorities said.
D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter said there was no note or address
on the small envelope. No one has reported any medical symptoms, he said.
Firefighters and police were on the scene trying to determine whether
the packet poses a threat, and the downtown building was evacuated as a
precaution, Etter said.
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:46:25 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] US Senators back web censorship
To: Media-News <[email protected]>, News-4-US
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Tom and Darryl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
US Senators back web censorship
Nick Farrell
The Inquirer
Thursday July 26, 2007
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=41234
US senators issued a bipartisan call for filtering and monitoring
technologies on the Internet.
In a meeting where civil liberties groups were not invited, Democrats
and Republicans said that the web needed to be censored to protect children.
Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye and Senate Commerce, Science,
and Transportation Committee Vice Chairman Ted 'The Internet is made out
of tubes" Stevens argued that Internet was a dangerous place where
parents alone could not protect their children.
While parents can buy filtering and monitoring technologies to screen
out offensive content and to monitor their child?s online activities,
the use of these technologies was far from universal and may not be
fool-proof, Inouye said.
Stevens, who has also been arguing for phone companies to charge
Internet customers twice for the same service, said that Congress has an
important role to play to ensure that the protection available in other
parts of society find their way onto the Interweb.
The committee wants the FCC to identify industry practices "that can
limit the transmission of child pornography".
The FCC would have to come up with a way to identify filtering
technologies and identify what could be done to improve the process and
better enable parents to "proactively protect" children online.
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:57:36 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Senators worried about TV 'train wreck'
To: Media-News <[email protected]>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, News-4-US <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
Senators worried about TV 'train wreck'
By JOHN DUNBAR, Associated Press Writer
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070726/ap_on_hi_te/digital_tv_4;_ylt=Am14j87acZAIwdi9z1OA4sAE1vAI
WASHINGTON - On Feb. 18, 2009, tens of millions of televisions that are
not equipped to receive digital signals will become useless pieces of
furniture. The government is spending $5 million to let owners know so
they can do something about it ? a sum critics say is too measly.
While the government has committed $1.5 billion for viewers to spend on
converter boxes that will translate digital signals for older
televisions, it is largely relying on the broadcast industry to spread
the word about the changeover.
John Kneuer, chief of the federal agency tasked with ensuring a smooth
digital transition, told the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday that
the government will be leaning heavily on broadcasters.
"It's not only their own responsibility, it's in their own interest,"
said Kneuer, assistant secretary in the Department of Commerce and chief
of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Some committee members were clearly worried about the transition. A poll
released in January by the Association for Public Television Stations
indicated 61 percent of respondents had "no idea" the digital transition
was going to take place.
There is a "high potential for a train wreck here," said Sen. Maria
Cantwell, D-Wash.
A 2005 report by the Government Accountability Office said 21 million
households ? roughly 19 percent of the nation ? rely on an antenna
rather than cable or satellite to receive television signals.
The digital transition, once complete, will provide better sound and
sharper signals to television watchers. It also will make better use of
the airwaves, freeing prime space in the electromagnetic spectrum that
will be auctioned early next year for other uses.
A number of organizations are concerned that many people, particularly
the elderly, the poor and minorities, will be caught off guard when the
change occurs.
"These consumers will be confused, frustrated and angry that this
important information and entertainment source in their home is no
longer operational, through no fault of their own," said Nelda Barnett,
a member of the board of the directors of the 39-million-member AARP.
After the first of the year, the government will be making available to
each household two coupons worth $40 each that can be used to buy two
converter boxes. Congress has set aside $1.5 billion to pay for the
coupon program.
Initially, $990 million will be used to pay for coupons and cover
administrative costs, which are capped at $110 million. An additional
$510 million may be allocated, but those coupons are reserved for
households that have only over-the-air television.
But only $5 million has been earmarked for public education.
The transition has already begun in some key areas. Cathy Seidel, chief
of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at the Federal
Communications Commission, said that as of March 1 all television
receivers shipped in the U.S. were required to have digital tuners.
In April, the agency required retailers to disclose to consumers that
televisions that can only receive analog signals are not equipped to
receive over-the-air signals beyond Feb. 17, 2009.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., is concerned that consumers who don't get
the word would take it out on their elected representatives. "They're
not going to call you," she told Kneuer. "They're going to call me. And
they're going to be mad."
Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of
Broadcasters, said television station owners are highly motivated to get
the word out. "Our very business is at stake here," he said.
Wharton said stations will begin airing public service announcements
worth "tens of millions of dollars" early next year.
"Broadcasters will do our dead-level best to educate Americans on this
transition," he said.
------------------------------
Message: 11
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:56:21 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] U.S. Web video ads seen up to $4.3 bln in 2011:
study
To: Media-News <[email protected]>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, News-4-US <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
U.S. Web video ads seen up to $4.3 bln in 2011: study
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070725/wr_nm/internet_advertising_dc_1;_ylt=AuyoFKckmQN4piFHiT7fu8cE1vAI
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. spending on Internet video advertising will
grow at a fast clip in the next four years to an estimated $4.3 billion
as users make Web video a regular habit, research firm eMarketer said on
Wednesday.
That compares with an expected $775 million in Web video advertising in
2007 and is based on a forecast of nearly 40 percent annual growth or
more, eMarketer said.
Internet executives have touted the promise of online video in recent
years as more U.S. consumers subscribe to high-speed Web services.
Major media companies, from television networks to movie studios, are
experimenting with ways to offer programming online. Google Inc's
YouTube video sharing site has enjoyed explosive viewer growth by
allowing users to upload a mix of professional and amateur entertainment.
EMarketer said 2008 will mark a watershed for Internet video, when it
estimates that more than 50 percent of the U.S. population will have
watched video online.
That percentage should reach more than 61 percent of the U.S. population
in 2011, with viewership defined as a person who has watched Web video
content at least once a month.
------------------------------
Message: 12
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:54:48 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] NASA reports sabotage of space computer
To: Media-News <[email protected]>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, News-4-US <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
NASA reports sabotage of space computer
By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070726/ap_on_re_us/space_sabotage_9;_ylt=Ap6n7Z1Esv1VSSb2ZhaIgJME1vAI
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A space program worker deliberately damaged a
computer that is supposed to fly aboard shuttle Endeavour in less than
two weeks, an act of sabotage that was caught before the equipment was
loaded onto the spaceship, NASA said Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The unidentified employee, who works for a NASA subcontractor, cut wires
inside the computer that is supposed to be delivered to the
international space station by Endeavour, officials said.
The space agency declined to speculate on a motive.
The computer is supposed to measure the strain on a space station beam
and relay the information to flight controllers on Earth.
The damage would have posed no danger to either shuttle or station
astronauts, said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's space operations chief.
The worker also damaged a similar computer that was not meant to fly in
space, Gerstenmaier said.
Gerstenmaier did not identify the subcontractor or where the damage took
place. The subcontractor notified NASA 1 1/2 weeks ago about the matter,
as soon as it discovered the damage to the non-flying computer.
NASA immediately checked the computer at the Kennedy Space Center and
discovered the additional damage. Officials would have caught the
problem through testing before flight, even if the subcontractor had not
alerted NASA beforehand, Gerstenmaier said.
"The damage is very obvious. It's easy to detect. It's not a mystery to
us," he said.
NASA hopes to fix the computer and launch it Aug. 7 as planned aboard
Endeavour.
NASA's inspector general office is investigating.
"I don't want to speculate on motivation," Gerstenmaier said.
Gerstenmaier declined to provide any information on the employee or
company, but stressed that the tampering had nothing to do with an
ongoing strike at the space center by a machinists union. He said the
damage occurred outside Florida.
"There's an active investigation going on and I'd rather let that get
handled that way," he said.
The subcontractor supplies computer equipment and strain gauges for the
international space station, as well as wing sensor systems for the
shuttle. NASA has surveyed all the parts that were provided by the
subcontractor, Gerstenmaier said.
"There's no concern about anything that's on orbit," he added.
------------------------------
Message: 13
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:42:04 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Government Warns Public on Fake E-Mails
To: [email protected]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Government Warns Public on Fake E-Mails
Jul 26, 2007 2:23 PM (ET)
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER
Associated Press
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20070726/D8QKEDR80.html
WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal agency charged with protecting consumers from
Internet scams now finds itself wrapped up in one.
Identity thieves have sent thousands of bogus e-mails purporting to be from
the Federal Trade Commission - as well as the Internal Revenue Service and
Justice Department - in an attempt to trick consumers into divulging
personal financial information.
The agencies are the latest institutions to be exploited in "phishing"
scams, long the bane of large banks and credit card issuers.
Analysts who track online crime say that while financial institutions are
still the most commonly hijacked brands, the use of federal agencies in the
hoaxes is increasing and reflects criminals' desire to take advantage of
the familiarity and authority of various government departments.
Phishing typically involves sending fraudulent e-mails that include links
that direct recipients to fake Web sites where they are asked to input
sensitive data. Phishers may also include attachments that, when clicked,
secretly install "spyware" that can capture personal information and send
it to third parties over the Internet.
Criminal gangs in the United States and overseas use the information to
steal thousands of dollars from consumers or to sell their identities in
what experts describe as a sophisticated underground economy surrounding
identity theft.
The FTC said in June that corporate and banking executives, among other
consumers, have received fake e-mails with spyware attachments purporting
to be from the agency.
The Treasury Department, meanwhile, said June 27 it has received over
23,000 complaints about IRS-related phishing scams since an investigative
arm of the department began tracking them in November 2005.
The scams have been "unprecedented both in terms of sophistication and the
volume of reports we have received," J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector
General for Tax Administration, said in a written statement.
Michelle Lamishaw, an IRS spokeswoman, said most of the hoax e-mails tell
recipients they are under investigation or that they have a tax refund
pending. Some are more sophisticated, including those targeted to small
businesses that mention obscure agencies known primarily to business men
and women such as the California Franchise Tax Board.
But government officials said recipients of such e-mails should be
suspicious of their origin for one simple reason: federal agencies rarely
communicate with citizens over e-mail.
Lois Greisman, associate director of the FTC's division of marketing
practices, said, "We are the agency that brought you the Do Not Call
Registry and CAN-SPAM," she said, referring to a 2003 law restricting
commercial spam. "We're not likely to send out unsolicited e-mails."
Peter Cassidy, a spokesman for the Anti-Phishing Working Group, said
phishing first surfaced early this decade and took off in 2003. The APWG is
a consortium of corporations, banks, software providers and law enforcement
agencies whose members include eBay Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc.
The scams are still growing rapidly: the number of phishing Web sites
jumped to 37,438 in May, the APWG said in a report released July 8, more
than triple the 11,976 reported in May 2006.
Phishing can carry significant economic costs for the victims and rewards
for the perpetrators. Jeff Fox, technology editor at Consumer Reports, said
that last September his group estimated consumers had lost $630 million to
phishing scams in the previous two years.
A recent report from the Government Accountability Office, Congress's
investigative arm, put the figure at $1 billion annually.
Despite efforts to educate the public about the dangers of clicking on
unknown links and attachments in spam e-mail, many computer users still do so.
Consumer Reports estimates that 8.2 percent of online households have
submitted personal information in response to fraudulent e-mails in the
past two years, Fox said. "It's astounding," he added.
An entire underground economy has developed around identity theft, Cassidy
said, with some groups specializing in sending fraudulent spam, while
others act as brokers for stolen personal information. Both may be hired by
organized crime groups that steal and launder money.
The rise of well-organized, financially motivated computer hackers is one
of the biggest changes in online crime in the past ten years, said Dave
Marcus, a research manager at security software maker McAfee Inc.
They have effectively replaced the stereotypical computer geek who seeks
notoriety by creating the latest, nastiest computer virus, he said.
__
On the Net:
http://onguardonline.gov/index.html
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 14
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:51:29 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] New X-Plane Flies at Calif. Air Base
To: [email protected]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
[Click through to the article to see a couple of photos of this strange craft.]
New X-Plane Flies at Calif. Air Base
Associated Press
July 27, 2007 12:23 AM (ET)
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20070727/D8QKN7FO0.html
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - An experimental jet that resembles a
flying wing successfully flew for the first time in a program that could
lead to more fuel-efficient, quieter and higher-capacity aircraft, NASA
said Thursday.
The remotely controlled, 500-pound, three-engine jet with a 21-foot
wingspan took off July 20, climbed to an altitude of 7,500 feet and landed
about a half-hour later, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center said.
The X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft was controlled by a pilot at a ground
station. NASA and Boeing said data from the flight are already being
compared with data from wind tunnel tests.
The aircraft and a duplicate were designed by Boeing Co.'s Phantom Works in
cooperation with NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright
Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Built by Cranfield Aerospace Ltd. in
Bedford, England, they are 8.5 percent-scale versions of a future full-size
design.
The X-48B resembles a flying wing, but the wing blends into a wide, flat
and tailless fuselage, NASA and Boeing said.
The design is intended to provide more lift with less drag compared with
the cylindrical fuselage of a traditional aircraft, reducing fuel
consumption while cruising.
The engines are located high on the back of the aircraft, which should mean
it is quieter inside and less noise reaches the ground during flights.
The planes are initially flying at low speeds to gather information about
the stability and flight-control characteristics of the design,
particularly during takeoff and landing.
Another X-48B used for wind tunnel testing is available as a backup for
flight tests.
---
On the Net:
http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
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End of Medianews Digest, Vol 336, Issue 1
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