Medianews Digest, Vol 13, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Unlock work internet or risk losing staff: Microsoft (Greg Williams) 2. Help! I See Somebody Help! Not Just Anybody (George Antunes) 3. Solid rocket booster tests could be ordered (Greg Williams) 4. Researcher throws in towel after animal rights groups harrass him and his family (Greg Williams) 5. Fugitive exec nabbed after Skype call (Monty Solomon) 6. Launch Delayed Until Tuesday (Duane Whittingham) 7. College Texts Free On-Line, With Ads (George Antunes) 8. Some DVD fans live for the binge (George Antunes) 9. Ship lines get on board with cellphone and Wi-Fi (George Antunes) 10. 'Gilligan's Island' boat up for sale (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 00:56:43 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Unlock work internet or risk losing staff: Microsoft To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed http://bink.nu/Article8176.bink Jobseekers will think twice about employers who lock down work internet access, a senior Microsoft executive said today. ?These kids are saying: forget it! I don?t want to work with you. I don?t want to work at a place where I can?t be freely online during the day,? said Anne Kirah, Microsoft Senior Design Anthropologist. ?People that I meet are saying this to me every day, all over the world.? Kirah made the comments during the keynote at the opening of Microsoft?s annual developer love-in, Tech.Ed, in Sydney. ?Companies all over the world are saying, oh, you can?t be on the internet while you?re at work. You can?t be on instant messaging at work?? she said. ?These are digital immigrant ideas.? Kirah defines ?digital immigrants? as people who were not born into the digital lifestyle and view it as a distraction rather than an integral part of life. The younger generation of workers have been using computers and mobile phones since birth and she calls them ?digital natives?. Kirah cited a Norwegian psychologist who claimed that young people were now so reliant on digital communication that ?taking a mobile phone away from a teenage girl is the same as child abuse.? ?Digital communication is part of people?s lives now. Their friends online are the people they identify with.? Microsoft Australia Group Manager of Technical Communities Frank Arrigo said people were so frustrated with limited internet access at work that they were finding their own workarounds anyway. People were increasingly making use of anonymous proxies that couldn?t be easily blocked by corporate firewalls, bringing in their own wireless broadband services for use with a personal laptop or with a work PC or accessing instant messaging via mobile phones and PDAs. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 00:31:12 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Help! I See Somebody Help! Not Just Anybody To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-4FD6542C http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fg-briefs26.1aug26,1,5924706.story?coll=la-headlines-technology Help! I See Somebody Help! Not Just Anybody From LA Times Wire Reports August 26, 2006 An American helped foil a burglary in northern Britain while watching a Beatles-related webcam over the Internet, police said. The Dallas man was using a live camera link to look at Mathew Street, an area of Liverpool synonymous with the Beatles and home to the Cavern Club, where the band regularly played. He saw intruders apparently breaking into a sporting goods store and called Merseyside police. Officers were dispatched and arrested three suspects. 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: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 04:16:04 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Solid rocket booster tests could be ordered To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Solid rocket booster t
Medianews Digest, Vol 19, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. European satellite set to crash into moon (George Antunes) 2. APPLE COMPUTER INC FILES (8-K) (AAPL) (Monty Solomon) 3. Nellie Connally Dies; Rode with JFK on Fateful Day - Last survivor (Greg Williams) 4. Pipe bomb look-alike blown up at Pier 14 in Myrtle Beach (Greg Williams) 5. Skype phones sans the PC (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2006 00:00:58 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] European satellite set to crash into moon To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-4FD6542C European satellite set to crash into moon Friday, September 1, 2006 | 5:25 PM ET CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2006/09/01/smart-moon.html The European Space Agency orbiter SMART-1 is expected to crash on the surface of the moon Sunday ? on purpose. The 285-kilogram spacecraft, which was launched in September 2003 and has been orbiting the moon since November 2004, will end its mission by crashing into the moon. The dust and rock from the impact could rise up to 20 kilometres from the lunar surface and may be visible to amateur astronomers using home telescopes. SMART-1 is expected to hit the moon in a volcanic "lake" called Lacus Excellentiae in the southern hemisphere. The rocks and dust released in the impact are expected to give astronomers a better idea of the moon's composition and origin. The craft was launched, along with two other satellites, from French Guiana on Sept. 27, 2003. Its mission is to test new technology, including new solar powered ion thrusters and miniaturized infrared and X-ray cameras. The ion engine converts solar power into electricity to convert atoms of xenon gas into plasma, which is shot out of the engine at high speed. Ion propulsion is less powerful than conventional chemical rockets but it can run for longer using the same mass of propellant. During its orbit of the moon, the satellite took up to 1,000 images per week of the lunar surface. It took images of the same lunar features at different angles to create a three-dimensional map of the surface. It also used its X-ray camera to determine the chemical composition of the moon. In June 2005, the ESA announced that SMART-1 had found calcium on the moon, the first time the element had been found there. SMART-1 is small (about the size of a dishwasher, but with 14-metre solar wings), light and cheap as satellites go. The total cost was 110 million euros or about $156 million, about a fifth of most major science missions. The satellite is the first mission in the ESA's Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology program. The missions are designed to test new technologies on small, inexpensive missions before using them on larger projects. It was built by the Swedish Space Corporation on behalf of the ESA. 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: 2 Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 16:54:14 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] APPLE COMPUTER INC FILES (8-K) (AAPL) To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" APPLE COMPUTER INC FILES (8-K) (AAPL) - Sep 1, 2006 06:05 AM (EDGAR Online) - http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=60915910 -- Message: 3 Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2006 20:56:31 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Nellie Connally Dies; Rode with JFK on Fateful Day - Last survivor To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Nellie Connally Dies; Rode with JFK on Fateful Day http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5756903&ft=1&f=1003 NPR.org, September 2, 2006 ? AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Nellie Connally, the widow of former Texas Gov. John Connally, has died. She was the last survivor among those who were in President John F. Kennedy's limousine when he was assassinated in November 1963. Connally died in her sleep late Friday or early Saturday at Westminster Manor in Austin, ;o
Medianews Digest, Vol 21, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. CBS pleads censorship over 9/11 show (George Antunes) 2. iTunes FairPlay DRM is cracked (Monty Solomon) 3. Public Expresses Frustration Over Broadcast Media (George Antunes) 4. Senator Snowe Puts Brakes on Toll Lanes on Internet (George Antunes) 5. 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin dead (Greg Williams) 6. Weather favorable for Wednesday shuttle launch (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 03 Sep 2006 23:39:06 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] CBS pleads censorship over 9/11 show To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-4FD6542C September 3, 2006 ? Last updated 1:35 p.m. PT CBS pleads censorship over 9/11 show By LARRY NEUMEISTER ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_CBS_9_11_Film.html NEW YORK -- Broadcasters say the hesitancy of some CBS affiliates to air a powerful Sept. 11 documentary next week proves there's been a chilling effect on the First Amendment since federal regulators boosted penalties for television obscenities after Janet Jackson's breast was exposed at a Super Bowl halftime show. "This is example No. 1," said Martin Franks, executive vice president of CBS Corp., of the decision by two dozen CBS affiliates to replace or delay "9/11" - which has already aired twice without controversy - over concerns about some of the language used by the firefighters in it. "We don't think it's appropriate to sanitize the reality of the hell of Sept. 11th," Franks said. "It shows the incredible stress that these heroes were under. To sanitize it in some way robs it of the horror they faced." Actor Robert De Niro hosts the award-winning documentary, which began as a quest to follow a rookie firefighter on an ordinary day but resulted in the only known video of the first plane striking the World Trade Center and horrific and inspiring scenes of rescue, escape and death. CBS will show it on Sept. 10 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT, profanity intact. Carter G. Phillips, a lawyer for Fox Television Stations Inc., cited the decision by several CBS affiliates to replace the documentary or show it after 10 p.m., the time at which the Federal Communications Commission loosens restrictions, when he spoke last week to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. Phillips addressed the court as part of a hearing on whether the FCC rushed to judgment in concluding that "NYPD Blue" and three other programs violated decency rules. Saying the FCC was chilling free speech rights, Phillips mentioned the documentary to show the court how timid broadcast companies had become since the FCC toughened its position toward profanities after the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show on CBS, in which Jackson's breast was briefly bared. Congress recently boosted the maximum fines the FCC can impose for indecency from $32,500 to $325,000. So far, about a dozen CBS affiliates have indicated they won't show the documentary, another dozen say they will delay it until later at night and two dozen others are considering what to do. On Friday, Sinclair Broadcasting became the latest company to say it was delaying the broadcast until after 10 p.m. on its stations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Portland, Maine, saying it was concerned it could face fines. The announcement came as the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association readied its 3 million members to flood the FCC and CBS with complaints after the documentary airs. "This isn't an issue of censorship. It's an issue of responsibility to the public," said Randy Sharp, director of special projects for the group, which describes itself as a 29-year-old organization that promotes the biblical ethic of decency. The documentary first aired on the six-month and one-year anniversaries of the Sept. 11 attacks on the trade center and the Pentagon. This latest showing, on the eve of the five-year anniversary, includes new interviews with many of the firefighters featured in the original, describing how their lives have changed. Franks said it was an easy decision not to edit the language in the documentary, especially since it has won a George Foster Peabody Award, among others. "It was a much more difficult decision five years ago when the emotions were much m
Medianews Digest, Vol 26, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Howard Stern's 9-11 Shows on InDemand (Greg Williams) 2. Boston Globe podcasts (Monty Solomon) 3. Liftoff! Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches on ISS Construction Mission (Greg Williams) 4. New Orleans Radio Host Accused of Murder (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 01:45:42 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Howard Stern's 9-11 Shows on InDemand To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Howard Stern's 9-11 Shows on InDemand http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6369783.html?title=Article&spacedesc=news By P.J Bednarski -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/7/2006 8:05:00 PM InDemand is offering video from Howard Stern's radio shows on Sept. 11, 2001 and the day after on its Howard TV pay-video on-demand channel. It's already on the channel, which is available by subscription on Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Cablevision, Adelphia, Patriot, Charter and Rogers cable systems. The tapes, made for Stern's old E! television show, but never aired, are an eerie snapshot of what happened on Stern's show just prior to news of the attack--Stern was talking about Pamela Anderson's breasts--and then shows the somber aftermath. Tom Chiusano, the general manager of WXRK-FM, the New York station where Stern worked, walked into the studio to tell the Stern crew about the crash.Not knowing much and supposing it was a small private plane, Stern and others first made light. But after realizing the enormity of the situation, Stern said, "This is another Pearl Harbor" and shortly thereafter, guessed that Al Qaeda was behind the attacks. The cut-down videos from both days--both about 90 minutes--include time coding so viewers know what Stern and his regulars were saying when. It also includes phone calls from shocked New Yorkers reacting to the news. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2006 02:02:30 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Boston Globe podcasts To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" http://www.boston.com/news/podcasts/ -- Message: 3 Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 13:28:43 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Liftoff! Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches on ISS Construction Mission To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Liftoff! Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches on ISS Construction Mission By Tariq Malik Staff Writer posted: 09 September 2006 11:24 am ET http://space.com/missionlaunches/060909_sts115_launchday.html This story was updated at 12:05 a.m. EDT. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ? Despite a beginning beleaguered by lightning, storms and a last minute glitches, NASA?s shuttle Atlantis rocketed spaceward Saturday with six astronauts and the future of the International Space Station (ISS) aboard. Atlantis launched at 11:14:55 a.m. EDT (1514:55 GMT) from Pad 39B here at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on the last day of its launch window, which was stretched to the tilt. ?Well, Brent, it looks like you?re long wait is over,? NASA launch director Michael Leinbach told Atlantis commander Brent Jett just before liftoff. ?We wish you all the best luck in the world, Godspeed and we?ll see you in about two weeks.? ?Thanks Mike, we appreciate those words and the effort to make this launch window,? Jett said, adding that his crew has waited for four years and through two test missions for their chance to resume ISS construction. ?We?re ready to get to work.? Shuttle pilot Chris Ferguson and mission specialists Joseph Tanner, Daniel Burbank, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steven MacLean ? of the Canadian Space Agency ? rode Atlantis into orbit with Jett. Atlantis? astronaut crew are hauling a 17.5-ton load of trusses and wing-like solar arrays to the ISS to mark NASA?s first ISS construction flight since the 2003 Columbia accident. "We're confident that over the next few weeks, and few years for that matter, NASA is going to prove to our nation, our partners and our friends around the worth that it was worth the wait and the sacrifice," Jett said of resuming ISS construction.
Medianews Digest, Vol 27, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. FCC asking AT&T about Hewlett leak (Monty Solomon) 2. FCC's First Ownership Meeting Slated for L.A. (George Antunes) 3. Term Papers: At $9.95 a Page, You Expected Poetry? (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 02:09:37 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] FCC asking AT&T about Hewlett leak To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" FCC asking AT&T about Hewlett leak - Sep 8, 2006 06:55 PM (AP Online) WASHINGTON, Sep 08, 2006 (AP Worldstream via COMTEX News Network) -- The Federal Communications Commission has asked AT&T Inc. how private investigators for the Hewlett-Packard Co. managed to obtain private phone records of board members and journalists, a government official familiar with the case said Friday. The so-called letter of inquiry, the first step in an FCC investigation, was sent Thursday, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe is still under way. Hewlett-Packard Chairwoman Patricia Dunn is under scrutiny in a California state criminal investigation regarding her efforts to plug a media leak. Investigators hired by the company obtained the personal phone records of company directors and at least nine reporters in an attempt to find out who was leaking company information to the press. Investigators reportedly used Social Security numbers of the people involved to trick phone companies into turning over telephone records. The practice is known as "pretexting." In February, the FCC opened a proceeding to examine the practice, particularly as it pertained to data brokers who obtain private telephone information and sell it. Commissioners were especially interested in what type of security measures companies have in place to protect personal data. ... - http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=61043741 -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 15:25:04 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] FCC's First Ownership Meeting Slated for L.A. To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-7D3F4C0E FCC's First Ownership Meeting Slated for L.A. By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 9/8/2006 4:19:00 PM http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6370266.html The FCC says it will hold the first public hearing on its rewrite of media ownership rules in Los Angeles Tuesday, Oct. 3. The commission majority said it would hold six such hearings in different geographic locations as it collects comments on how to rewrite and/or better justify the rules that didn't pass muster with a federal court. Among the topics of discussion will be the impact of the rules on localism, minorities, independent and religious programming, and family-friendly fare. All the FCC commissioners are expected to attend the public hearing, which is also expected to be streamed over the Internet. Separately, the two Democratic commissioners have already attended three town meetings on media ownership, including one this week in Milwaukee, organized by anti-big media activists. 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: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 15:27:44 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Term Papers: At $9.95 a Page, You Expected Poetry? To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-7D3F4C0E September 10, 2006 Outsourcing Homework At $9.95 a Page, You Expected Poetry? By CHARLES McGRATH NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/weekinreview/10mcgrath.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=technology&pagewanted=print THE Web site for an outfit called Term Paper Relief features a picture of a young college student chewing her lip. ?Damn!? a little comic-strip balloon says. ?I?ll have to cancel my Saturday night date to finish my term paper before the Monday deadline.? Well, n
Medianews Digest, Vol 28, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Cell phones won't keep your secrets (Monty Solomon) 2. An Industry Based on a Simple Masquerad (George Antunes) 3. Bidding War Starts for Chip Maker Freescale Semi (George Antunes) 4. How Will Apple?s Marketing Maestro Marry the Computer and the Home TV? (George Antunes) 5. Revived 'Nightline' May Get Last Laugh (George Antunes) 6. Florida County to Vaporize Trash - Poof! (George Antunes) 7. Study: Promising future for power-line broadband (George Antunes) 8. AT&T Enters Muni Wi-Fi Game (George Antunes) 9. La. Utility Continues Broadband Fight (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 02:36:44 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Cell phones won't keep your secrets To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Cell phones won't keep your secrets WASHINGTON (AP) -- The married man's girlfriend sent a text message to his cell phone: His wife was getting suspicious. Perhaps they should cool it for a few days. "So," she wrote, "I'll talk to u next week." "You want a break from me? Then fine," he wrote back. Later, the married man bought a new phone. He sold his old one on eBay, at Internet auction, for $290. The guys who bought it now know his secret. The married man had followed the directions in his phone's manual to erase all his information, including lurid exchanges with his lover. But it wasn't enough. Selling your old phone once you upgrade to a fancier model can be like handing over your diaries. All sorts of sensitive information pile up inside our cell phones, and deleting it may be more difficult than you think. A popular practice among sellers, resetting the phone, often means sensitive information appears to have been erased. But it can be resurrected using specialized yet inexpensive software found on the Internet. A company, Trust Digital of McLean, Virginia, bought 10 different phones on eBay this summer to test phone-security tools it sells for businesses. The phones all were fairly sophisticated models capable of working with corporate e-mail systems. Curious software experts at Trust Digital resurrected information on nearly all the used phones, including the racy exchanges between guarded lovers. ... http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/08/30/betrayed.byacellphone.ap/ -- Message: 2 Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 16:11:09 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] An Industry Based on a Simple Masquerad To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1 September 11, 2006 An Industry Is Based on a Simple Masquerade By MATT RICHTEL and MIGUEL HELFT NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/11/technology/11hewlett.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=business&pagewanted=print When Patrick Baird, a private detective in Granbury, Tex., was hunting a runaway or helping a husband find out if his wife was cheating, he would often look for clues in telephone records. He bought them from firms that specialized in obtaining them, and says he did not ask about their methods. But late last year, as scrutiny of such firms and their often deceptive practices heated up, Mr. Baird stopped giving them business. ?If my own mother came to me and said ?I need this done,? I couldn?t do it,? he said in an interview last week. ?We?re abiding by public opinion here.? People who obtain calling records often use a technique known as pretexting ? using a pretext, like masquerading as a customer, to get a company to disclose information. Their shady subculture has been getting renewed attention since the revelation last week that a subcontractor for an investigative firm working for Hewlett-Packard used pretexting to obtain the call records of company board members and reporters. It is hard to quantify the size of the telephone pretexting economy. But in recent years it has turned into a small industry, with dozens of Web sites offering calling records to anyone with a credit card, for a modest fee. Their main customers appear to be private investigators, although some in that field criticize the practice. ?Web sites came out of the woodwork like locusts in the last five to seven years,? said Eddy L. McClain, past president of the National Council o
Medianews Digest, Vol 30, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter settles in around Mars (Greg Williams) 2. BGP??? (Greg Williams) 3. Astronauts Lose Another Bolt to Space (Williams, Gregory S.) 4. Apple Computer Aims to Take Over Your Living-Room TV (George Antunes) 5. CW Network Will Try A New Ad Idea: 'Content Wraps' (George Antunes) 6. Smartphones emerge as future of wireless (George Antunes) 7. Skype Introduces Video Calling for Macintosh Users; Cross Platform Support Lets Mac and Windows Users See Each Other with Free Video Calls (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 01:46:03 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter settles in around Mars To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed MARS SPACECRAFT ORBITS PLANET 13.9.2006. 11:33:13 http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=131265®ion=4 The most powerful spacecraft ever sent to the red planet has settled into a nearly circular orbit, a move which will now allow scientists to begin studying Mars in unprecedented detail, according to NASA officials. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter fired its thrusters for 12 minutes to adjust to its final position six months after it arrived at its destination. Its altitude ranges between 249km to 315km above the surface of the planet. "Getting to this point is a great achievement," said Dan Johnston, deputy mission manager at the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the US$720 million (A$960.58 million) mission. Over the next several months, the Orbiter will deploy its 10 metre antenna and remove a lens cap from one of its instruments before starting to collect data in November. Several weeks after entering orbit, the spacecraft's high-resolution camera beamed back a test image showing the planet's southern highlands and cratered surface. After a seven month journey, the unmanned orbiter safely slipped into orbit around Mars, ending its 498.79 million kilometre journey. The orbiter spent the last half year repeatedly dipping in to the upper atmosphere to shrink its orbit in a tricky process known as aerobraking. It's in good company, joining three other spacecraft currently flying around the planet and two rovers rolling across the red surface. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 01:57:32 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] BGP??? To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed http://www.t3.co.uk/news/247/general/general/broadband_via_your_gas_pipes Broadband via your gas pipes? No, it's not a very late April Fool's joke - natural gas pipelines may soon provide lightning-quick internet access! Download movies to your iMac in a matter of minutes - THROUGH YOUR GAS PIPES! You probably know about broadband via power lines - but how about broadband via gas pipes? The crazy-sounding concept is still just that - a concept - but a company called Nethercomm claims it will be able to deliver a Terabit wireless link over the last mile of current broadband networks by "beaming" signals down gas pipes. It calls the service "broadband in gas" or "BIG" for short. Because the gas pipelines are isolated, there won't be any trouble with interference from other wireless sources - and the only piece of equipment required is a $200 receiver box on your gas meter. Amazingly, Nethercomm claims that its service would deliver speeds of up to 6Gbps to the home - meaning you could download huge files in the time it takes somebody to say, "can anyone else smell broadband?" The company also reveals that trials are in the pipeline (ho ho) for three US cities: San Diego, Chicago and Atlanta. Even if these are a success, it's likely to be a few years before BIG becomes mainstream - but we'll keep an eye out for more info in the meantime. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 3 Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 07:19:18 -0700 From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Astronauts Lose Another Bolt to Space To: "'medianews@twiar.org'" Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTE
Medianews Digest, Vol 31, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Former governor Ann Richards dies (Greg Williams) 2. Proposed Treaty on TV Signals Spurs Criticism (George Antunes) 3. Unable to Repeat the Past (George Antunes) 4. NASA's new ORION vehicle hits first snag (Williams, Gregory S.) 5. Rage over MySpace photo leads to arrest (Williams, Gregory S.) 6. Air Ameerica denies bankruptcy rumors (Williams, Gregory S.) 7. Air America Acknowledges Some Layoffs (Williams, Gregory S.) 8. Air America Stiffs Al Franken (Williams, Gregory S.) 9. Analyst predicts plunge in gas prices (Williams, Gregory S.) 10. Microsoft Introduces the Zune (Williams, Gregory S.) 11. Space station gets new set of solar energy panels (Williams, Gregory S.) 12. iTunes 7 DRM Already Cracked (Williams, Gregory S.) -- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 00:57:07 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Former governor Ann Richards dies To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Former governor Ann Richards dies http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/091406dntexrichardsobit.2d70e4f.html 11:30 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 Associated Press AUSTIN ? Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, the witty and flamboyant Democrat who went from homemaker to national political celebrity, died Wednesday night at her home surrounded by her family after a battle with cancer, a family spokeswoman said. She was 73. Richards was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in March and underwent chemotherapy treatments. Her four adult children spent the day with her, said Cathy Bonner, a longtime family friend and family spokeswoman. "They're a strong group of people but they're broken-hearted, of course," Bonner said. Political leaders remembered Richards Wednesday night for her leadership. "We've lost a little bit of that mystique and that wonderfulness that so captivates the rest of this country about Texas," former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk said. "She was a wonderful spirit, a great fighter and humanitarian, and a political leader of enormous courage and compassion and a wonderful inspiration to so many Texans for so many reasons." Gov. Rick Perry described Richards as "the epitome of Texas politics: a figure larger than life who had a gift for captivating the public with her great wit." The silver-haired, silver-tongued Richards had said she entered politics to help others ? especially women and minorities who were often ignored by Texas' male-dominated establishment. "So much of what I know about things ... are driven by the passion she had," former Laredo Mayor Betty Flores said. "I did not want my tombstone to read, 'She kept a really clean house.' I think I'd like them to remember me by saying, 'She opened government to everyone,' " Richards told an interviewer shortly before leaving office in January 1995. "She had a political instinct. I wrote her a note when I heard about her cancer and she wrote me back a wonderful letter. She was upbeat and positive and I think she was going to go out with guns blazing," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. "She's a person that never stopped enjoying whatever there was in life that she could enjoy." Richards served as Texas governor for one term before losing an re-election bid to Republican George W. Bush. Her family said as governor she was most proud of two actions that probably cost her re-election. She vetoed legislation that would allow people to carry concealed handguns, automatic weapons and "cop-killer bullets." She also vetoed a bill that critics said would have allowed the destruction of the Edwards Aquifer, a major underground water system that now serves 1.7 million in people in south central Texas, including the city of San Antonio. She grabbed the national spotlight with her keynote address to the 1988 Democratic National Convention when she was the Texas state treasurer. Richards won cheers from delegates when she reminded them that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, "only backwards and in high heels." Richards sealed her partisan reputation with a blast at a fellow Texan, Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, then-vice president: "Poor George, he can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth." Four years later, she chaired the Democratic convention that nominated Bill Clinton for president
Medianews Digest, Vol 33, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. UK: BT threatens Goonhilly satellite dishes (George Antunes) 2. iPod fans shun iTunes says report (George Antunes) 3. UK: The legendary satellite dishes of Goonhilly (George Antunes) 4. [CA] Gov. to Sign Hang-Up-and-Drive Bill (Monty Solomon) 5. GW Micro contributes to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Duane Whittingham) 6. Pimping Your Ride for IPod (George Antunes) 7. Hurricane Victims Can Evacuate in Style (George Antunes) 8. High-Tech Shopping Carts Face Hurdles (George Antunes) 9. Nuclear Renaissance Prompts Uranium Boom (George Antunes) 10. Uranium Boom Challenges Older Companies (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 01:00:45 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] UK: BT threatens Goonhilly satellite dishes To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-1B56351A [These are REALLY BIG dishes. The largest is 105ft in diameter.] Goonhilly satellite dishes threat Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/5338622.stm Published: 2006/09/12 15:49:58 GMT Three-quarters of staff at the largest satellite communications station in the world could lose their jobs after BT said it planned to scale down the site. Ninety of the 120 workers at Goonhilly, in Cornwall, could lose their jobs or be redeployed, as satellite operations are moved to Madley, in Herefordshire. An internal BT report says the move would help the firm centralise and remain competitive, the BBC can reveal. Only one of the station's 61 dishes, Arthur, would remain under the plan. Sub-sea cable operations will continue at the site, which covers 65 hectares (160 acres) of The Lizard peninsula in south Cornwall and is the largest station in the world in terms of land area and the number of antennas. Goonhilly's first dish, Arthur, was built to receive the first live transatlantic television broadcasts from the United States via the satellite Telstar in 1962. It is now a Grade II listed structure and is therefore protected. Goonhilly currently handles about 10 million telephone calls a week as well as computer data from the Atlantic and Indian Ocean areas, but its TV operations have been wound down over the years. The move out of Goonhilly was recommended following a three-month review by BT. A decision is expected to be confirmed by BT executives later this year, with satellite communications ending by 2008. Kelvin Ball, head of radio, subsea and satellite communications for BT, said: "The view of the BT committee which considered this matter is that it is no longer commercially viable for satellite communications to continue at both Goonhilly and Madley. "These recommendations have not been taken lightly. We need to reduce our running costs if we are to remain competitive in this fiercely competitive marketplace. "Having considered all aspects, it was clear that the Madley site, in Herefordshire, was best suited to continue, primarily because of its more central location in BT's UK network. "Other activities carried out at Goonhilly, such as the sub-sea cable operations, project management and health and safety, will continue." Staff were told the news at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Mr Ball said they were "completely shocked" at the move, but BT wanted to avoid any compulsory redundancies through redeployment and retraining. The future of the visitors centre, which attracts 80,000 people a year, was being reviewed "with a view to it hopefully continuing". 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: 2 Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 01:10:55 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] iPod fans shun iTunes says report To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-1B56351A iPod fans shun iTunes says report Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/5350258.stm Publish
Medianews Digest, Vol 34, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Space to Earth: the sun is flaring up (Greg Williams) 2. Space to Earth: the sun is flaring up - Full article (Greg Williams) 3. Severe storms kill one, damage hundreds of homes in Minnesota (Rob) 4. Personalized service may be key to success of Internet-TV links (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 03:08:54 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Space to Earth: the sun is flaring up To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Space to Earth: the sun is flaring up Jonathan Leake, Science Editor http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2361439,00.html Satellites to give early warning of solar explosions that cause electrical chaos HUMANITY is about to get its first early-warning system against solar flares, the massive explosions that periodically erupt from the sun, with the launch of three satellites to study the phenomenon. Such flares ? also known as coronal mass ejections ? can release as much energy as a billion megatons of TNT or 300,000 power stations. They are so powerful that they can wipe out communication satellites, disrupt aviation, bring down power grids and, potentially, kill astronauts. However, despite the disruption they can cause, scientists have until now found them impossible to predict. This week a consortium of the world?s space research agencies is due to launch Solar B, the first of three satellites designed to study such flares ? and create the first early-warning system against them. Next month two more probes, the so-called Stereo mission, should follow Solar B into space. ?Currently, solar flares can cause huge damage with very little warning,? said Chris Davis of Britain?s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, which is involved with both projects. ?With these satellites we might predict them days beforehand and be prepared.? Solar B, built by teams from Britain, America and Japan, is due to be launched on September 22 from the Uchinoura space centre in southern Japan. Its three instruments will try to find out what happens on the sun?s surface just before solar flares erupt. One of them, a telescope built by a team from University College London (UCL), will watch the sun?s atmosphere for signs suggesting the surface is building up to an explosion. ?Solar flares are fast and furious and can cause communication blackouts on Earth within 30 minutes of erupting from the sun?s surface,? said Professor Louise Harra, the UK Solar B project scientist based at UCL?s Mullard Space Science Laboratory. ?It is imperative that we understand what triggers these events.? The two Stereo probes, built and launched by Nasa, the American space agency, but also carrying British instruments, will have the complementary task of observing what happens to solar flares once they erupt into space. If a flare appears to be heading for Earth, the probes will trigger alerts so satellites can be prepared for the blast. The Stereo satellites will be launched together in a single rocket, but once in space they will move apart. Chris Eyles of Birmingham University, said: ?One spacecraft will move ahead of the Earth, the other lag behind. The resulting offset will allow the two spacecraft to have stereo vision such as humans have.? It also means the spacecraft will be able to generate high-quality three-dimensional ?movies? of solar flares. If these are good enough they could be turned into Imax-style films and put on general release. Solar flares are generated by the bizarre way in which the sun rotates, with its equator spinning every 25 days ? while the poles take five days longer. This difference in speed slowly twists the sun?s powerful magnetic fields into giant knots. As these distortions build up, the magnetic forces become concentrated in certain parts of the sun?s surface, bottling up its red-hot plasma and radiation and so creating cooler areas known as sun spots. Eventually, the repressed energy bursts out, resulting in an explosion of radiation, high-energy particles and associated magnetic fields that hurtle into space at millions of miles an hour. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 03:11:11 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTE
Medianews Digest, Vol 40, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Japan launches Sun 'microscope' (Greg Williams) 2. Chairwoman Leaves Hewlett in Spying Furor (George Antunes) 3. Click Fraud Is Growing on the Web (George Antunes) 4. Google Defies Order That It Publish Adverse Belgian Ruling (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 01:46:09 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Japan launches Sun 'microscope' To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5371162.stm Japan launches Sun 'microscope' By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News Solar-B's orbit gives it a near-continuous view of the Sun Scientists have high hopes for Japan's Solar-B mission which has been launched from the Uchinoura spaceport. The spacecraft will investigate the colossal explosions in the Sun's atmosphere known as solar flares. These dramatic events release energy equivalent to tens of millions of hydrogen bombs in just a few minutes. The probe will attempt to find out more about the magnetic fields thought to power solar flares, and try to identify the trigger that sets them off. The ultimate goal for scientists is to use the new insights to make better forecasts of the Sun's behaviour. Flares can hurl radiation and super-fast particles in the direction of the Earth, disrupting radio signals, frying satellite electronics, and damaging the health of astronauts. Solar-B lifted off from Uchinoura, at the southern tip of Japan, at 0636 local time on Saturday (2136 GMT Friday). "It will take two to three weeks to transfer the spacecraft into its so-called Sun-synchronous polar orbit. From this position, Solar-B will be able to observe the Sun without having any nights for eight months of the year," said Professor Tetsuya Watanabe, of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). As is customary on Japanese missions, the satellite will get a new name once it is ready to begin its work. The spacecraft, developed by the Japanese space agency (Jaxa) and the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, has scientific and engineering contributions from, principally, the US and the UK. 'Fine detail' The Sun behaves like a giant twisting magnet; and when contorted field lines that have lifted up off the surface of the star clash, they release a colossal maelstrom of energy. A blast of intense radiation is emitted, and charged particles are accelerated out into the Solar System. Some of these particles are moving so fast they can cover the 149 million km to Earth in just tens of minutes. Whilst scientists understand the flaring process reasonably well, they cannot predict when one of these enormous explosions will occur. Solar-B is expected to transform our understanding. It carries three instruments: a Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), an X-ray Telescope and an Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer. They will make continuous, simultaneous observations of specific solar features, to observe how changes in the magnetic field at the Sun's surface can spread through the layers of the solar atmosphere to produce, ultimately, a flare. "Solar-B acts essentially like a microscope, probing the fine details of what the magnetic field is doing as it builds up to a flare," said mission scientist Professor Louise Harra, from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL, UK. "What we don't know is what triggers a flare; we don't understand the physics of that phase at all. Solar-B will show us how tangled the field is, and how the field lines collide to produce all that energy." Space dependence Solar-B is but one of a fleet of spacecraft now dedicated to understanding the relationship between the Sun and the Earth; and more are set to follow. Next month, the US space agency (Nasa) plans to launch its Stereo mission - twin spacecraft that will make 3D observations of our star. As we become more reliant on space-based systems - to provide us with everything from timing and positioning services to the relay of telecoms data - the need to understand the tempestuous Sun-Earth interaction just gets more urgent. Losing a satellite because of solar flare effects could prove costly, not just in economic terms but in human lives. Spacecraft like Solar B should give scientists the data they need to make better "space weather" forecasts. "The inform
Medianews Digest, Vol 41, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Fire damages 'Blues Brothers' church (Greg Williams) 2. "Tequila" songwriter dies (Greg Williams) 3. Pirate Radio Challenges Feds (Duane Whittingham) 4. The truth about the E. coli outbreak (George Antunes) 5. Delta 2 / GPS-2R-15 Upcoming Launch Coverage Mon (9-25) 2:30PM EDT. AMC-1 Trans 17C (4040 H) (Dishnut) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 00:46:30 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Fire damages 'Blues Brothers' church To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Fire damages 'Blues Brothers' church http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-blueschurch23.html September 23, 2006 BY DAVE NEWBART Staff Reporter The Southeast Side church made famous by its appearance in the movie "The Blues Brothers" -- Pilgrim Baptist Church of South Chicago -- had planned a big celebration for its 89th birthday Sunday. The church -- where James Brown sings a spirited rendition of "The Old Landmark" in the 1980 movie -- had undergone major renovations over the last few years. But last week, an electrical fire at the church so badly damaged the sanctuary that it can't be used for at least six months. Two rooms in the church were badly damaged by smoke, flames and water. Firefighters had to break out eight new stained-glass windows to fight the fire. The pulpit and pews were taken away for repair from smoke and water damage. "All the work we had done is gone," said pastor Hilliard Hudson. The church has spent about $165,000 on the renovations, raised solely from member donations. This Sunday's service will be held at a nearby Baptist church -- and the congregation will spend more time figuring out what to do next rather than eating birthday cake. "It was going to be a great, festive celebration," Hudson said, noting that last Sunday's service featured many tears over the damage to their home, but jubilation that no one was hurt and that the church escaped major structural damage on the outside. Total damage unknown Two people were in the church preparing for a Bible study when they heard a crackling noise Sept. 13. Someone outside saw smoke and called the Fire Department. On Friday, crews began ripping out the recently replaced carpet. They took down some large curtains at the front of the church. Brightly colored broken glass was still on the ground, as was a soot-covered Bible, ceiling tiles, plaster and other debris. An old Hammond organ -- a model that's no longer made -- was taken away; church leaders don't know if it can be repaired. Church leaders can't say the total amount of damage yet. Although the church is insured, board of trustees Chairman Maurice Carpenter worries they don't have enough to cover everything. And parts of the church that need repair might also have to be brought up to city code, costing even more. No tie to other Pilgrim Baptist In the movie, it was referred to as the "Triple Rock Church." Filmmakers took exterior shots and then re-created the interior on a set in Hollywood. Church leaders said the building is more than 100 years old. Pilgrim Baptist has made its home there since the mid-1940s, although it has been in existence since 1917 at other locations. About 250 people attend services each Sunday, Hudson said. Services will be held indefinitely at Praise Tabernacle Baptist Church, 9511 S. Commercial, although they will start at 9 a.m. and end by 10:30 a.m. so the other congregation can meet. Although it shares the same name, the church at 3235 E. 91st is not affiliated with the Pilgrim Baptist Church at 3301 S. Indiana where gospel music was born. That church was destroyed in a fire in early January. "In less than a year, two landmarks, two Pilgrim Baptists, both founded in 1917, in the same city, caught fire. How ironic is that?" Hudson said. At the time of the first fire, he recalled, "People were calling us, asking us where do they send money." Then, the church sent them to the other congregation. But now, they need the help. Donations can be made to the Pilgrim Baptist Church of South Chicago Fire Relief Fund, c/o Charter One Bank, 9200 S. Commercial, Chicago 60617. Or call (773) 374-3888. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 00:54:44 -040
Medianews Digest, Vol 45, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Scoping Sirius' Curious Car Count (Greg Williams) 2. Hubble's key camera shuts down again (Williams, Gregory S.) 3. Beijing secretly fires lasers to disable US satellites (Williams, Gregory S.) 4. Attackers targeting new PowerPoint bug (Williams, Gregory S.) 5. CBS Newsman Jim Stewart To Retire (Williams, Gregory S.) 6. Virgin Galactic Unveils SpaceShipTwo Interior Concept (Williams, Gregory S.) 7. LA: FCC Announces Details For Public Hearing On Media Ownership (Williams, Gregory S.) 8. Lenovo, IBM recall 526,000 notebook batteries (Rob) 9. Microsoft sets price for Zune, songs (Rob) 10. U.S. homework outsourced as "e-tutoring" grows (Rob) 11. U.S. judge rules against Morpheus file-sharing (Rob) 12. ESPN pulls plug on cell phone operation (Rob) 13. HP used phishing-style e-mail,tracing software to track down leaks (Rob) 14. Big cuts at NASA threaten aviation (Rob) 15. Frequent-flyer cashes in miles for space trip (Williams, Gregory S.) -- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 01:07:23 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Scoping Sirius' Curious Car Count To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Scoping Sirius' Curious Car Count By Scott Moritz Senior Writer 10/7/2005 7:01 AM EDT http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/tech/scottmoritz/10246148.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA Sirius Satellite Radio's big numbers have a funny new car smell. Sirius added 359,000 new users in the third quarter, nearly doubling its year-ago increase. At first blush that looks far more impressive than the 48% subscriber growth at rival XM Satellite But it turns out that not all those new Sirius subscribers are actual people. XM and Sirius both count on arrangements with big automakers like Ford (F:NYSE - commentary - research - Cramer's Take) and GM (GM:NYSE - commentary - research - Cramer's Take) to power subscriber gains. But where XM waits until a car buyer activates the service to add to its new-user tally, Sirius sometimes starts counting as soon as a car with a factory-installed radio arrives at the dealership. So a number of those freshly minted Sirius subscribers could actually be Chrysler Concordes sitting on a dealer's lot somewhere. Observers say that kind of liberal math could be bolstering Sirius' growth -- especially now, as dealers are receiving a new crop of 2006 models. Sirius' practice means the company can "call it a sub, even if it is sitting under water on a dealer's lot in New Orleans," says one investor who sold Sirius and holds XM. Satellite radio has gone from a mere cult fascination a few years ago to a hotly contested two-player industry. XM and Sirius are battling head-to-head to capture the largest share of a potentially massive new consumer market. Delivering growth is paramount. The faster the growth, the wider the doors are open to capital markets for future financing, factory installation deals with big automakers and technology partnerships with leading device makers. Perhaps most important, routinely raising subscriber growth targets encourages satellite radio investors to tune out the heavy costs and massive losses associated with the business. So it is a bit disconcerting to some industry observers that XM and Sirius differ in their definitions of subscribers. Sirius CFO Dave Frear says he recognizes that the two companies have different policies when it comes to counting subscribers, but he downplays the significance. Frear says Sirius' lot-counting practice doesn't apply to all cars with factory-installed radios. He adds that overall it represents less than 10% of total subscribers. "There's a distinction without a difference," says Frear. But an XM representative disagrees. "It's important for people to understand that we have a different way of counting subscribers," says the XM rep. "We count people who have made an active effort to try the service, not by counting cars on the lots." Of course, there are no federal guidelines governing how companies count subscribers. And it is not surprising to see companies put the best spin they can on the numbers they tally. Counting cars, or even nonpaying users on promotional plans as XM does, doesn't just pump up subscriber growth numbers. It can also help spread the cost of acquirin
Medianews Digest, Vol 48, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. UP Aerospace to Retrieve Rocket After Failed Launch (Greg Williams) 2. Dispute on CB airwaves leads to fatal shooting (Greg Williams) 3. Schools punishing kids for what they say online (Indiana) (Greg Williams) 4. Hackers claim zero-day flaw in Firefox (Greg Williams) 5. 2051 space oddity: TV station aims at an alien audience (Greg Williams) 6. Software revises Armstrong's moon quote (Greg Williams) 7. Meet Songbird, the Mozilla-made music mashup (Greg Williams) 8. FCC LAUNCHES NEW PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU (Duane Whittingham) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 01 Oct 2006 14:18:45 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] UP Aerospace to Retrieve Rocket After Failed Launch To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed UP Aerospace to Retrieve Rocket After Failed Launch By Alicia A. Caldwell Associated Press Writer posted: 26 September 2006 5:51 p.m. ET http://space.com/missionlaunches/060926_upaerospace_update.html UPHAM, New Mexico (AP) ? Officials at the company that funded the failed launch of the 20-foot SpaceLoft XL rocket said Tuesday that they had located the rocket in remote terrain, but that recovering it could be time-consuming. The 20-foot (six-meter) rocket, among the first to be launched from any commercial U.S. spaceport, reached about 40,000 feet (12,000 meters) before falling back to Earth on Monday afternoon. Bill Heiden, Connecticut-based UP Aerospace's chief financial officer, said that UP crews could not get within six miles (10 kilometers) of the rocket by vehicle, and will have to walk into the area and figure out how to get the rocket out. ?I would be surprised if we get word today'' that the rocket was recovered, he said. Heiden said the effort will continue until the experiment payload it was carrying is removed from the desert. Heiden said the company will start removing the payload once it is found and return it to the customers. UP Aerospace officials said Monday they would make every effort to put the payload on the next flight if the backers of the experiments are interested. Officials said that until they examine the rocket and review its two flight recorders, they could not say why the SpaceLoft XL missed its mark. The rocket took off at 2:14 p.m. (1814 GMT) and was due back about 13 minutes later at White Sands Missile Range, just north of the launch site. It was carrying various experiments and other payloads. Witnesses initially cheered as they saw the rocket hurdle toward space, before it appeared to wobble as it vanished into the sky. The craft appeared to go into a corkscrew motion that was not part of the plan. ?It should not have wobbled,'' said launch logistical coordinator Tracey Larson said. While the rocket failed to reach its final destination, Heiden said the company still considers Monday's event successful. ?We gave young people ... a real look at what is involved,'' he said. ?We're thrilled with what we accomplished today.'' Larson said the company would try again with another launch on Oct. 21 from the same site, and said that the act of getting the rocket airborne was a sort of victory. ?We will launch again in three weeks. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. We still feel it was a success,'' she said. Among the experiments on board was one from Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota, which sent two students to watch the launch. Their experiment included two digital and two analog watches to analyze how the pressure of space launch affects timepieces. Several other UP Aerospace flights are set later this year, including the Oct. 21 flight expected to carry the ashes of James Doohan, who gained fame as chief engineer Montgomery ?Scotty'' Scott on the original ``Star Trek'' TV series, and Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper. The Upham site also is the planned home of a state-built $225 million (euro177.2 million) spaceport. UP Aerospace's rocket was launching from a temporary pad. Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, announced plans last year to base his space tourism company, Virgin Galactic, in New Mexico and to launch manned flights from the spaceport by the end of the decade. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net
Medianews Digest, Vol 54, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Apple's Special Committee Reports Findings of Stock Option Investigation (Monty Solomon) 2. T-Mobile to launch mixed-signal phone (Monty Solomon) 3. Starbucks Hear Music Now on the iTunes Store (Monty Solomon) 4. New crew vehicle to use 787-style 'smart cockpit' (Greg Williams) 5. Castro believed to have "terminal cancer" (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2006 00:27:43 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Apple's Special Committee Reports Findings of Stock Option Investigation To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Apple's Special Committee Reports Findings of Stock Option Investigation - Oct 4, 2006 04:45 PM (PR Newswire) CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct 04, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Apple(R) today announced that the special committee of its board of directors has reported its findings after a three month investigation into Apple's stock option practices. The special committee of outside directors, together with independent counsel and accountants, examined more than 650,000 emails and documents, and conducted interviews with more than 40 current and former employees, directors and advisors. Apple initiated this voluntary independent investigation after a management review discovered irregularities in past stock option grants. The independent investigation's key findings are: *The investigation found no misconduct by any member of Apple's current management team. *The most recent evidence of irregularities relates to a January 2002 grant. *Stock option grants made on 15 dates between 1997 and 2002 appear to have grant dates that precede the approval of those grants. *In a few instances, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was aware that favorable grant dates had been selected, but he did not receive or otherwise benefit from these grants and was unaware of the accounting implications. *The investigation raised serious concerns regarding the actions of two former officers in connection with the accounting, recording and reporting of stock option grants. The company will provide all details regarding their actions to the SEC. ... - http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=61507332 -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2006 00:30:08 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] T-Mobile to launch mixed-signal phone To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" T-Mobile to launch mixed-signal phone - Oct 6, 2006 07:08 PM (AP Online) NEW YORK, Oct 07, 2006 (XFN-ASIA via COMTEX News Network) -- T-Mobile USA is set to launch by year's end a new breed of mobile phones that can pass live phone calls between cellular and Wi-Fi networks, a top executive told The Associated Press on Friday. Robert Dotson, chief executive of the U.S. subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG, declined to disclose the specific market where T-Mobile planned to introduce the technology, known as UMA or Unlicensed Mobile Access. But he did say it would likely be "a city near and dear to our hearts," a likely reference to the company's home city of Seattle. UMA is designed to hand off calls without interruption from a cell network to a Wi-Fi router, or vice versa. So if a user arrives home while talking on a cell phone and the handset detects a Wi-Fi broadband connection in the house, the call is automatically switched to the wireless Internet signal. The only difference is that the call is then transmitted using VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, the technology used by Internet phone companies such as Vonage Holdings Corp. ... - http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=61560496 -- Message: 3 Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2006 00:33:25 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Starbucks Hear Music Now on the iTunes Store To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Starbucks Hear Music Now on the iTunes Store Starbucks Entertainment Area on iTunes to Feature New & Exclusive Hear Music Releases in Addition to Critically Acclaimed
Medianews Digest, Vol 55, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Measure Makes Amateur Radio Part of Emergency Communications Community (Duane Whittingham) 2. Cat Lovers Lining Up for No-Sneeze Kitties (George Antunes) 3. Genre Bookstores Hold Off Big Chains (George Antunes) 4. Singing the Praises of the Non-Nano (George Antunes) 5. Google Is Said to Set Sights on YouTube (George Antunes) 6. Gerry May (Dishnuts-G) 1938 - 2006 (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2006 03:48:35 -0500 From: Duane Whittingham <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Measure Makes Amateur Radio Part of Emergency Communications Community To: Medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Measure Makes Amateur Radio Part of Emergency Communications Community NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 4, 2006 -- A section of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 2007 Appropriations Act, HR 5441, formally includes Amateur Radio operators as a part of the emergency communications community. Congress approved the measure before adjourning for its pre-election break. President George W. Bush signed the bill into law today. Amateur Radio is included within the legislation's Subtitle D, Section 671, known as the "21st Century Emergency Communications Act." Radio amateurs are among the entities with which a Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group (RECC Working Group) must coordinate its activities. Included within the DHS's Office of Emergency Communications -- which the measure also creates -- RECC Working Groups attached to each regional DHS office will advise federal and state homeland security officials. House Subcommittee on Homeland Security Chairman Rep Harold Rogers (R-KY) sponsored HR 5441. The final version of the legislation incorporates language from both House and Senate bills and was hammered out in a conference committee. An earlier version of the 21st Century Emergency Communications Act, HR 5852, sponsored by Rep David G. Reichert (R-WA), included Amateur Radio operators among the members of the RECC Working Groups. In addition to Amateur Radio operators, RECC Working Groups also will coordinate with communications equipment manufacturers and vendors -- including broadband data service providers, local exchange carriers, local broadcast media, wireless carriers, satellite communications services, cable operators, hospitals, public utility services, emergency evacuation transit services, ambulance services, and representatives from other private sector entities and nongovernmental organizations. According to the bill, the RECC Working Groups will assess the survivability, sustainability and interoperability of local emergency communication systems to meet the goals of the National Emergency Communications Report. That report would recommend how the US could "accelerate the deployment of interoperable emergency communications nationwide." RECC Working Groups also will be tasked with ensuring a process to coordinate the establishment of "effective multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency emergency communications networks" that could be brought into play following acts of terrorism, natural disasters and other emergencies. At the state and local level, RECC Working Groups will include state officials; local government officials; law enforcement; local fire departments; 911 centers; state emergency managers, homeland security directors or representatives of state administrative agencies; local emergency managers or homeland security directors, and other emergency response providers. At the federal level, RECC Working Group members will include representatives of the DHS, the FCC and other federal departments and agencies responsible for coordinating interoperable emergency communication with or providing emergency support services to state, local and tribal governments. In the wake of the bill's passage, the ARRL plans to follow up to determine how it can interact with the DHS and its Office of Emergency Communications. --- Amateur Radio Operator Duane Whittingham - N9SSN Skywarn, ARES, RACES, EMA & ESDA Red Cross Volunteer and SATERN Member -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:31:17 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Cat Lovers Lining Up for No-Sneeze Kitties To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [
Medianews Digest, Vol 61, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. CBGB's, epicenter of live punk, closing its doors (Greg Williams) 2. Cambridge [MA] Public Internet (CPI) Initiative (Monty Solomon) 3. Cult of Backyard Rocketeers Keeps the Solid Fuel Burning (George Antunes) 4. Nickelodeon Sees Mouse Ears Over Its Shoulder (George Antunes) 5. Top NPR News Executive Is Reassigned (George Antunes) 6. FCC Delays Vote on AT&T-BellSouth Deal a Second Time (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2006 01:29:08 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] CBGB's, epicenter of live punk, closing its doors To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed CBGB's, epicenter of live punk, closing its doors POSTED: 4:47 p.m. EDT, October 13, 2006 http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/13/cbgb.closure.ap/index.html NEW YORK (AP) -- Legs McNeil remembers the night back in 1975 when he walked into the dingy storefront club perched in the even dingier Bowery neighborhood. The band onstage, four guys in leather jackets and torn jeans, was the Ramones. McNeil sat at a nearby table, watching their set with Lou Reed. It was unforgettable. But as McNeil would soon discover, it was just a typical night at CBGB's, the club that spawned punk rock while launching the careers of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Blondie, the Talking Heads and the Ramones. "Every night was memorable, except I don't remember 'em," said a laughing McNeil, co-author of the punk rock history "Please Kill Me." After Sunday, memories are all that will remain when the cramped club with its capacity of barely 300 people goes out of business after 33 years. Although its boom years are long gone, CBGB's remained a Manhattan music scene fixture: part museum, part barroom, home to more than a few rock and roll ghosts. The club didn't exit without a fight. An assortment of high-profile backers, including E Street Band guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt, battled to keep the legendary club open. But in the end, it was a simple landlord-tenant dispute -- and owner Hilly Kristal saw the handwriting on the club's dank walls. "I knew the closing was inevitable, because my lawyers said, `You can't win this case. The law is that your lease is up, and they don't even need a reason to put you out,"' said Kristal. Kristal sits beneath a platinum record from Joan Jett, a CBGB's clock and a few of the endless band stickers that blanket the interior. Kristal, who is battling lung cancer, wears a black and white CBGB's T-shirt with a matching baseball cap. He once managed the Village Vanguard, the renowned jazz club where he booked acts like Miles Davis. Things were a bit different at his new club: "In rock, the bands were creative -- but at first, they didn't play so well." The first punk-scene band at Kristal's nightspot was Television, soon followed by Patti Smith. Punk poet Smith will play the closing night as well, a booking that Kristal described as effortless. Smith isn't the only veteran playing one last gig. The '80s hardcore band Bad Brains and the '70s punks the Dictators are both scheduled for the final week. Blondie's Debbie Harry and Chris Stein are also stopping by. When Kristal opened his doors in December 1973, CBGB's stood for country, bluegrass and blues -- three musical styles that wound up in short supply. Tommy Ramone, drummer for the Ramones, recalled how a new breed of bands gravitated to the space. "At that time, there were no places to play in New York," Ramone said last year. "It was a very dead time in New York City, doldrums all around. But CBGB's allowed bands -- original bands, no less -- the freedom to go and play and do whatever they pleased." Kristal plans to move the club far from its roots with a new CBGB's in Las Vegas. The owner plans to strip the current club down to the bare walls, bringing as much of it to Nevada as possible. "We're going to take the urinals," he said. "I'll take whatever I can. The movers said, `You ought to take everything, and auction off what you don't want on eBay.' Why not? Somebody will." Even a longtime CBGB's devotee like McNeil thinks the best advice for the 74-year-Kristal is go west, old man. "I always said Hilly should go to Vegas," said McNeil. "Girls with augmented breasts playing Joey Ramone slot machines. It would become an institution." -- G
Medianews Digest, Vol 68, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. NPP Satellite Sensor Damaged in Testing (Dishnut) 2. Congress must keep broadband competition alive (George Antunes) 3. Emulating Hizballah, Hamas Launches Satellite TV Station (George Antunes) 4. Fee talk creates some turbulence (Greg Williams) 5. Chicago's Daley: By 2016, cameras on 'almost every block' (Greg Williams) 6. Tiny shooting stars to brighten the sky tonight (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2006 02:48:17 -0700 From: Dishnut <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] NPP Satellite Sensor Damaged in Testing To: Medianews ,Tom & Darryl Mail List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed NPP Satellite Sensor Damaged in Testing By Brian Berger Space News Staff Writer posted: 20 October 2006 2:36 p.m. ET WASHINGTON -- A flight-demonstration sensor for the next-generation of U.S. polar-orbiting weather satellites sustained damage during testing Oct. 11, but program officials said the mission?s launch schedule should not be affected. The sensor, dubbed the Cross-track Infrared Sounder, was damaged during acceptance testing at the Ft. Wayne, Ind., facilities of its builder, ITT Corp. The sensor is part of the payload package aboard a precursor satellite to the U.S. civil-military National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System, or NPOESS. The precursor mission, a multi-agency effort known as the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP), is scheduled to launch in September 2009. Government and industry program officials said the mishap, which occurred during a vibration test meant to prove the instrument is tough enough to survive launch, appeared unlikely to delay NPP?s liftoff. U.S. Air Force Col. Dan Stockton, the NPOESS program director, acknowledged Oct. 19 in a brief written statement that the Cross-track Infrared Sounder had been damaged and vowed that it would be fixed. ?Any problem of this nature is serious. We have deployed resources of the [Departments of Commerce and Defense] and NASA to work with the contractor team to evaluate and fix the problem,? Stockton said. NPOESS is a joint effort of the Air Force and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with NASA as the junior partner. NASA has the lead in the NPP mission. Andrew Carson, the NASA program executive for the NPP and NPOESS programs, told Space News in an Oct. 19 e-mail that if the NPP mission does fall behind schedule, the setback with the Cross-track Infrared Sounder probably would not be to blame. He said the NPP?s current launch date, a full three years later than originally planned, is driven primarily by how long it takes to complete one of the spacecraft?s other instruments, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. ?Delivery of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite is on the critical path for the launch of NPP in September 2009,? Carson said in his e-mail. The Cross-track Infrared Sounder ?vibration failure review team is taking a cautious, methodical approach to determine the root cause of the failure. It is too early in the investigation to say how much redesign or rework will be necessary, however it is not expected that the delivery of the? flight unit will slip beyond the delivery of? the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. That instrument, being built by El Segundo, Calif.-based Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, has been widely labeled the driving factor behind the NPOESS cost and schedule problems leading up to the decision to restructure the program. Sally Koris, a spokeswoman for NPOESS prime contractor Northrop Grumman Space Technology of Redondo Beach, Calif., said in an Oct. 19 e-mail that the test setback is expected to have minimal impact on completion of the NPP spacecraft. ?Based on the information we have at this time, we believe there is sufficient margin in the program?s schedule to accommodate analysis and repair of the sensor prior to its required delivery date to NPP,? Koris wrote. ?Meanwhile, a flight-like? engineering development unit will be used to test and verify mechanical and electrical interfaces between the sensor and the spacecraft.? The NPP spacecraft is being built by Boulder, Colo.-based Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. under contract to NASA. Northrop Grumman is overseeing development of NPP?s instruments since su
Medianews Digest, Vol 75, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Pakistan gets its first satellite broadband IP hub (George Antunes) 2. New York Bets on High-Tech to Aid Upstate (George Antunes) 3. WHERE the devil is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? (George Antunes) 4. Web site automates fake boarding passes (George Antunes) 5. Firefox 2.0 (Monty Solomon) 6. FCC commissioners speak out against media consolidation (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 10:52:47 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Pakistan gets its first satellite broadband IP hub To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-56ED659A Pakistan gets its first satellite broadband IP hub Indo-Asian News Service 2006/10/27 3:21:45 http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=19108 Islamabad, Oct 27 (IANS) Pakistan is now on the satellite broadband hub with the commissioning of the Infosat 51F. Comstar ISA Ltd, a leading satellite service provider, Thursday announced the completion of the installation, testing and commissioning phase of the hub in Karachi. The hub is now commercially available to users throughout the country, Pakistan Times newspaper quoted company officials as saying. The Infosat I-Direct Hub has been installed in the country in collaboration with Infosat Communications. Infosat is a Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) subsidiary and the largest broadband satellite operator in Canada. With the commissioning of the hub, Infosat completed the first phase of its investment in Comstar and formally took control of 22 percent shareholding in Comstar ISA Ltd. This is first of its kind investment by a satellite services company in Pakistan. Sami Bajwa, CEO and president of Comstar, said Infosat Connect services were being launched in Pakistan would aim to offer the same level of service that customers in North America have been accustomed to. John Robertson, president and CEO of Infosat Communication, said Infosat's substantial investment in Pakistan both in terms of equipment and human resources proves his organisations commitment to Pakistan. "We are here to stay for the long term," Robertson was quoted as saying. 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: 2 Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 10:56:36 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] New York Bets on High-Tech to Aid Upstate To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-56ED659A October 28, 2006 New York Bets on High-Tech to Aid Upstate By STEVE LOHR NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/28/technology/28chips.html?ref=business&pagewanted=print EAST FISHKILL, N.Y. ? New video game consoles from Sony and Nintendo will soon join Microsoft?s year-old Xbox 360 on store shelves. Most of the microprocessor chips that animate the three machines are being made not in Asia but in a factory here, surrounded by woods, 70 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. Inside, the factory is filled with hundreds of chip-making tools that are fed by plastic pods, riding on overhead tracks and carrying pristine silicon wafers, in an elaborate symphony of production. Engineers and operators, wearing head-to-toe nylon suits and surgical gloves, monitor the machines from laptop computers, constantly tweaking the system to generate faster output with fewer defects. This sprawling I.B.M. factory offers a glimpse of the kind of manufacturing in which the United States still excels: the automated production of advanced technology, requiring highly skilled workers ? but not a lot of them. The modern factory is also an important part of an ambitious business-and-government effort to create a thriving industrial cluster in upstate New York, based on microelectronics and nanotechnology, the science of manipulating materials at the molecular and atomic level. The other pillar of the plan is the Albany NanoTech complex, a research and development center at the State University of New York at Alba
Medianews Digest, Vol 76, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Researchers See Privacy Pitfalls in No-Swipe Credit Cards (Monty Solomon) 2. Service Restored To PAS-6B Satellite (Dishnut) 3. Los Alamos Lab Lost 3 Computer Drives (George Antunes) 4. UK: Copying own CDs 'should be legal' (George Antunes) 5. Used phones drive Third World wireless boom (George Antunes) 6. IBM Still Profits From Giant Mainframes (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2006 00:39:04 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Researchers See Privacy Pitfalls in No-Swipe Credit Cards To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Researchers See Privacy Pitfalls in No-Swipe Credit Cards By JOHN SCHWARTZ The New York Times October 23, 2006 AMHERST, Mass. - They call it the "Johnny Carson attack," for his comic pose as a psychic divining the contents of an envelope. Tom Heydt-Benjamin tapped an envelope against a black plastic box connected to his computer. Within moments, the screen showed a garbled string of characters that included this: fu/kevine, along with some numbers. Mr. Heydt-Benjamin then ripped open the envelope. Inside was a credit card, fresh from the issuing bank. The card bore the name of Kevin E. Fu, a computer science professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who was standing nearby. The card number and expiration date matched those numbers on the screen. The demonstration revealed potential security and privacy holes in a new generation of credit cards - cards whose data is relayed by radio waves without need of a signature or physical swiping through a machine. Tens of millions of the cards have been issued, and equipment for their use is showing up at a growing number of locations, including CVS pharmacies, McDonald's restaurants and many movie theaters. The card companies have implied through their marketing that the data is encrypted to make sure that a digital eavesdropper cannot get any intelligible information. American Express has said its cards incorporate "128-bit encryption," and J. P. Morgan Chase has said that its cards, which it calls Blink, use "the highest level of encryption allowed by the U.S. government." But in tests on 20 cards from Visa, MasterCard and American Express, the researchers here found that the cardholder's name and other data was being transmitted without encryption and in plain text. They could skim and store the information from a card with a device the size of a couple of paperback books, which they cobbled together from readily available computer and radio components for $150. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/business/23card.html?ex=1319256000&en=76401b1601fc06e3&ei=5090 -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 23:39:42 -0700 From: Dishnut <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Service Restored To PAS-6B Satellite To: Medianews ,Tom & Darryl Mail List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,TVRO Newsgroup Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Service Restored To PAS-6B Satellite PEMBROKE, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intelsat announced today that its PAS-6B satellite experienced an anomaly early this morning during a routine, scheduled maneuver. The satellite is used primarily by a Brazilian direct-to-home television service. Services were completely restored this afternoon with all transponders operating normally. The PAS-6B is a Boeing 601 HP satellite. Final conclusions regarding the cause of the anomaly are pending a formal technical review to be conducted by a group of Intelsat technical employees and representatives of Boeing. About Intelsat Intelsat is the largest provider of fixed satellite services worldwide and is the leading provider of these services to each of the media, network services/telecom and government customer sectors, enabling people and businesses everywhere constant access to information and entertainment. Intelsat offers customers a greater business potential by providing them unrivaled resources with ease of business and peace of mind. Our services are utilized by an extensive customer base, including some of the world?s leading media and communications companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and government/military organizations. Real-time, constant communication with people anywhe
Medianews Digest, Vol 82, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. WTA Names 2006 Top Op Rankings (Dishnut) 2. Cow Pies Power Ethanol Future (George Antunes) 3. Boeing Delta IV Launches Critical Military WeatherSatellite (Dishnut) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 04 Nov 2006 01:58:46 -0800 From: Dishnut <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] WTA Names 2006 Top Op Rankings To: Medianews ,Tom & Darryl Mail List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,TVRO Newsgroup Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed from skyreport.com WTA Names 2006 Top Op Rankings The satellite communications trade group World Teleport Association (WTA) unveiled its rankings of the top teleport operators of 2006 this week. In three different categories, the group ranked the planet's top companies by total revenues (Global Top 20), satellite-related revenues (Independent Top 20) and year-over-year growth (Fast 20). The Global Top 20 ranks companies based on revenues from all satellite-related sources and includes independents, satellite carriers, fiber carriers, and technology providers with total revenues exceeding $7.8 billion. In order from largest to smallest - with individual companies ranging from $100 million to $2 billion, the top five of the 2006 Global Top 20 are: 1. Intelsat (Bermuda); 2. SES Global (Luxembourg); 3. Eutelsat (France); 4. GlobeCast (France); and 5. Telesat Canada (Canada). The Independent Top 20 ranks companies based on revenue from all satellite-related sources, but excludes companies whose primary business is satellite fleet operations. According to WTA these 20 companies have focused on innovation and value delivery with total revenues exceeding $1.6 billion. In order from largest to smallest - with individual companies ranging from nearly a half billion dollars to under $20 million - the top five the 2006 Independent Top 20 are: 1. GlobeCast (France); 2. Stratos Global (USA); 3. Arqiva Satellite Media Solutions (UK); 4. Globecomm Systems (USA); and 5. Caprock Communications (USA). The Fast 20 ranks all teleport-operating companies based on year-over-year revenue growth in their most recent fiscal years. Revenues of the Fast 20 are nearly $4.8 billion and average growth rates of 70 percent. The top five of the 2006 Fast 20 are: 1. Skyport International (USA); 2. NewCom International (USA); 3. Arqiva Satellite Media Solutions (UK); 4. ProTEL NEWS (USA); and 5. Intelsat (Bermuda). For a complete list of all the rankings, visit the World Teleport Association http://www.worldteleport.org. -- Dishnut-P Operator of RadioFree Dishnuts - Producer of The Dishnut News heard Saturdays at 10pm EST. on RFD, W0KIE Satellite Radio Network IA-6 (T6) Transponder 1 / 6.2 & 6.8Mhz (4DTV T6-999) WTND-LP 106.3, and many micro LPFM stations. http://dishnuts.net RFD Listen Links: http://dishnuts.net/#Listen Show Archives: (Partly Up) http://dishnuts.net/archive/ **In Loving Memory of Mom (Dishnut Gerry)** -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 04 Nov 2006 10:13:34 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Cow Pies Power Ethanol Future To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-56ED659A Cow Pies Power Ethanol Future Two companies look to bovine ?biowaste? as the solution to biofuel challenges. Red Herring November 2, 2006 http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=19537&hed=Cow%20Pies%20Power%20Ethanol%20Future Cows? farts have long been a contributor to global warming; now their manure could be part of the solution. Two biofuel companies this week announced they are building ethanol plants powered by cow manure. Panda Ethanol on Wednesday said its plant, near Muleshoe, Texas, will produce 100 million gallons per year once it?s completed in about 18 months. E3 Biofuels said Monday it is building a 25-million-gallon ethanol refinery in Mead, Nebraska that will begin production in December. How to extract energy from poop? The facility will gasify more than 1 billion pounds of the stuff each year, generating steam used to fuel the ethanol-manufacturing process. The Muleshoe plant will be Panda?s fourth cow-pie-powered ethanol project, a
Medianews Digest, Vol 83, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Apple Announces New 8GB Model of iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition (Monty Solomon) 2. American, others look to add WiFi at airport (Monty Solomon) 3. An urban fiber-optic challenge / Verizon to use Dorchester as a test site for bringing high-speed Net into cities (Monty Solomon) 4. Starbucks loses laptops with worker data (Monty Solomon) 5. Miles away, 'I'll have a burger' / Fast food drive-throughs go long distance (Monty Solomon) 6. New museum showcases phones, switchboards & tools from 1876-1980 (George Antunes) 7. Starbucks Loses Laptops With Worker Data (George Antunes) 8. Tidal Energy Companies Staking Claims (George Antunes) 9. Professor's Bigfoot Research Criticized (George Antunes) 10. Nielsen Shelves Rating System for Ads (George Antunes) 11. The People's Commissary (Wal-Mart) announces price cuts on electronics (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 02:15:19 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Apple Announces New 8GB Model of iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Apple Announces New 8GB Model of iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition CUPERTINO, California-November 3, 2006-Apple today announced a new 8GB model of the iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition in response to outstanding customer demand. The new 8GB iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition holds up to 2,000 songs and is available for $249, joining the 4GB model priced at $199. Both models come in a beautiful red aluminum enclosure and feature 24 hours of battery life, Apple's innovative Click Wheel and an incredibly thin and light design. Apple will contribute $10 from the sale of each iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED to the Global Fund to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. ... http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/nov/03nano.html -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 14:44:33 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] American, others look to add WiFi at airport To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" American, others look to add WiFi at airport By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff | November 4, 2006 Wireless Internet access appears poised to take off at Logan International Airport after federal regulators this week thwarted a two-year effort by airport officials to shut off private alternatives to airport-controlled $8-a-day WiFi service. American Airlines , the biggest carrier at Logan by passenger volume, will "move as fast as we can" to resume offering WiFi at its Admirals Club lounge in Terminal B, an American spokesman, Ned Raynolds, said yesterday . Service was being offered there by T-Mobile USA before the Massachusetts Port Authority , which runs Logan, ordered it shut off. T-Mobile, which American would most likely use, charges $6 for an hour, or $30 for a monthly subscription that offers access at thousands of sites nationwide. JetBlue Airways said it will look into offering free WiFi to passengers in Terminal C. JetBlue currently offers free WiFi at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and the Long Beach, Calif., airport. ... http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2006/11/04/american_others_look_to_add_wifi_at_airport/ -- Message: 3 Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 14:44:33 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] An urban fiber-optic challenge / Verizon to use Dorchester as a test site for bringing high-speed Net into cities To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" An urban fiber-optic challenge Verizon to use Dorchester as a test site for bringing high-speed Net into cities By Keith Reed, Globe Staff | November 2, 2006 Verizon Communications Inc. is installing fiber-optic Internet service in Dorchester, using Boston's biggest, and one of its most diverse neighborhoods, as a test site for the challenges the company will face in bringing "FiOS" to urban areas nationwide. But relatively few Dorchester residents will be able to get the high-speed service, which promises download speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon's popular digital subscriber line service, any
Medianews Digest, Vol 90, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. A second life for your first PlayStation (Greg Williams) 2. British Princess planning space trip (Greg Williams) 3. Older Toys Seek New Fans With Makeovers (George Antunes) 4. Deutsche Telekom CEO Resigns (George Antunes) 5. Billionaires Set to Fight Over L.A Times (George Antunes) 6. Scientists to Study Hurricane Forecasts (George Antunes) 7. Surf 'n' ride: Access the Web from the road (George Antunes) 8. Men take CB radio feud outside, wind up injured (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 02:31:15 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] A second life for your first PlayStation To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed A second life for your first PlayStation Ancient game machine doubles as amazing-sounding hi-fi component http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15484873/ Is there an original Sony PlayStation game console still in use in your home? Or do you have your PS1 buried at the bottom of a closet? It turns out your video game console may be worth a lot more than you think. You might actually own one of the best sounding, high-fidelity CD players out there. Audiophiles have been abuzz about PlayStation 1 audio for some time now. There has been a lot of experimenting with these game consoles with some very interesting results. Story continues below ? advertisement One of my guides in this journey has been Michael Lavorgna ? an audio guru who writes for 6moons.com. Michael has been listening to his PlayStation for a while now and helped me find the best-sounding machines. Sony?s first PlayStation was released in the United States in September, 1995. It had a custom MIPS R3000 processor and it used CD-ROMs for playing games. Sony sold more than 100 million units. That means there are a lot of used ones out there. There were a number of different PlayStation models made over the PlayStation 1's five-year life span. Michael told me to look for a PlayStation with the model number SCPH-1001, which is the unit with separate audio and video RCA output jacks. That particular model allows audiophiles to use their own (expensive) audio cables to get ?perfect? sound. I also tried one of the other PlayStation consoles that didn?t have separate RCA output jacks. Other models had a single output cord with audio and video jacks at the end. I found one in good condition on eBay. Before I started my listening tests, Michael had a warning for me: "Plug in the units ? turn ?em on ? and don?t turn them off." It seems the PlayStations sound best when left on all the time. Michael was right. You shouldn?t even listen for the first three days. Both units need every second of the break-in period. Overall, both of these PlayStation game consoles make really terrific CD component decks. Compared to a Pioneer DVD/CD/SACD player, the Sonys sounded clearer and cleaner. They also held their own against my top-of-the-line, Class A+ rated Sony SACD machine. But in the end, the more expensive player was just plain better. As for the PlayStations, I preferred, slightly, the sound of my 009 model to the 1001 ? but the differences were few. I preferred the 1001?s original Sony game controller to the bright red ?aftermarket? controller which came with the 009. PlayStation controllers are wired units. They are not as flexible as more modern wireless remote controls units which come with most devices. Plus, since the controllers weren?t designed for home audio use, you?re on your own to figure out what to press to get your music to play. If you already own a PlayStation you should dust it off and give it a listen. And, if you want to buy one you should be able to find a console good shape for $25 or less on eBay. My 009 cost me all of $20 ? including shipping. And, there were a bunch of neat video games thrown in as well. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 12:51:47 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] British Princess planning space trip To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed BRIT'S BEA PLANNING STAR TREK http://www.nypost.com/seven/11122006/news/worldnews/brits_bea_planning_star_trek_worldnews_todd_venezia
Medianews Digest, Vol 96, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Apple Teams Up With Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM & United to Deliver iPod Integration (Monty Solomon) 2. Broadband: Not Always Full Speed Ahead (George Antunes) 3. Universal Music Sues MySpace for Copyright Infringement (George Antunes) 4. Iran: Ted Koppel 2 Hour Discovery Channel Documentary Airs Sunday (George Antunes) 5. 1 Shot in Conn. Amid PlayStation Mayhem (George Antunes) 6. Miller's AOL Innovation Speeded His Demise (George Antunes) 7. New Brain Trust Plans Microsoft's Future (George Antunes) 8. Target, Disney in DVD truce (George Antunes) 9. Delta rocket launches GPS satellite into space from Cape Canaveral (George Antunes) 10. Leonids to peak tonight (Greg Williams) 11. Target backs off in online movies feud (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2006 00:33:17 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Apple Teams Up With Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM & United to Deliver iPod Integration To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Apple Teams Up With Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM & United to Deliver iPod Integration - Nov 14, 2006 08:30 AM (PR Newswire) CUPERTINO, Calif., Nov 14, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Apple(R) today announced it is teaming up with Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United to deliver the first seamless integration between iPod(R) and in-flight entertainment systems. These six airlines will begin offering their passengers iPod seat connections which power and charge their iPods during flight and allow the video content on their iPods to be viewed on the their seat back displays. ... - http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=62402949 -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2006 11:41:00 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Broadband: Not Always Full Speed Ahead To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-4F6C56B November 18, 2006 Not Always Full Speed Ahead By MATT RICHTEL and KEN BELSON NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/18/technology/18broadband.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=business&pagewanted=print What is a megabit worth? And what the heck is a megabit anyway? These questions are hard to avoid for consumers trying to make sense of the fast-growing menu of options for high-speed Internet access. More than ever, the nation?s phone and cable companies are trumpeting the speed of their Internet connections with ads that pitch ?blazing broadband? at ?up to 100 times faster than dial-up.? But as with so many consumer services, the devil is in the fine print. In more densely populated areas, many Americans now have not only a choice of broadband providers but also a range of different speeds to pick from. As the options proliferate, consumer advocates say it is getting tougher for people to tell what service is best for them ? and which packages promise more than they deliver. Confusing matters, broadband lines are increasingly being bundled with television and phone services, making it difficult to determine how much the high-speed connection actually costs. The offers, consumer advocates say, are not always straightforward. With few exceptions, they include language that says consumers will get ?up to? a certain speed, typically expressed in megabits per second. (An MP3 song file that takes 12 minutes to download over a dial-up line would take 27 seconds on a 1.5-megabits-per-second broadband line, and 8 seconds on a 5-megabit connection.) In many cases, consumer advocates and industry analysts said, customers do not get the maximum promised speed, or anywhere near it, from their cable and digital subscriber line connections. Instead, the phrase ?up to? refers to speeds attainable under ideal conditions, like when a D.S.L. user is near the phone company?s central switching office. ?They don?t deliver what?s advertised, and it?s inherently deceptive,? said Dave Burstein, editor of DSL Prime, a newsletter that tracks the broadband industry. ? ?Up to? is a weasel term that
Medianews Digest, Vol 100, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Arab news channel looks to Internet TV (George Antunes) 2. Confusion over high-def TV dampens enthusiasm (George Antunes) 3. Free software bypasses attachment limits (George Antunes) 4. Hawthorne, we have a problem... (Williams, Gregory S.) 5. Microsoft: No Shutdown Switch for Office 2007 (Rob) 6. Parents Still Freaked Out About Health Effects Of WiFi (Rob) 7. Opinion Thanksgiving thoughts (Rob) 8. Microsoft: No Shutdown Switch for Office 2007 (Rob) 9. Commercial Break In a risky experiment, Chevrolet asked Web users to make their own video spots for the Tahoe. A case study in customer generated advertising. (Rob) 10. Confusion over high-def TV dampens enthusiasm (Rob) 11. OnStar will be disconnected from some cars (Williams, Gregory S.) 12. Re: Microsoft: No Shutdown Switch for Office 2007 (Rob) -- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 23:18:33 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Arab news channel looks to Internet TV To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-4F6C56B Al Jazeera?s New ?Net?-work? Jilted by U.S. broadcasters, Arab news channel looks to Internet TV. Red Herring November 20, 2006 http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=19847&hed=Al%20Jazeera%E2%80%99s%20New%20%E2%80%9CNet%E2%80%9D-work? It has been shunned by virtually all U.S. cable and satellite operators, but that hasn?t stopped Al Jazeera English, the international edition of the Qatar-based Arab news network, from taking aim at Internet TV. Al Jazeera, which claims it reaches 80 million households around the world, launched its English language network in the U.S. last week, but French-owned satellite service GlobeCast has been the only broadcaster to distribute it so far. Other cable operators have declined to carry the network, claiming it would have little interest to subscribers. The U.S. government has vociferously criticized the Arab language network for being a mouthpiece for Al-Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden. In response, Al Jazeera English has signed agreements that will enable it to stream broadcasts over the Internet in hopes the network can steal a chunk of the so-called ethic Internet TV market. Al Jazeera said it has agreements with Fision, an IPTV service that will soon be available in Houston, Texas, as well as VDC, which offers Internet TV to 10,000 subscribers in the United States. Al-Jazeera also signed a contract with Jump TV, provider of ethnic TV content over the Web. Danny O?Brien, activist coordinator at the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, said Al Jazeera?s U.S. Internet strategy could help them target niche audiences as well as advertisers. ?The question is, does it benefit them to package [information] out to certain demographics?? he asked. Dave Gardy, chief executive of TV Worldwide, a corporate web TV specialist, thinks the strategy could work. ?The expatriate community is one of the hottest sectors in streaming media,? he said. Al Jazeera is taking its Internet presence seriously. Lindsey Oliver, commercial director for Al Jazeera English, said the network "turned down several cable deals around the world" because cable companies tried to restrict streaming on the Web. ?This is a democratic model for a democratic international news source and, to my knowledge, a first to offer a live feed online,? said Mr. Oliver. So-called ethnic Internet TV?referring to content from around the world viewed by expatriates living in the U.S.?is expected to reach 1.2 million native Africans this year. Some 10,000 Chinese viewers in the U.S. already subscribe to KyLin TV for about $25 a month. ?Advertising has not yet started in earnest [but after 10,000 subscribers] the advertising and sponsorship revenues will kick in,? said Chris Wagner, executive vice president of marketplace strategy for NeuLion, which owns KyLin. ?You have very specific demographics?and that becomes pretty interesting for targeted advertising.? However, online marketing is still a pittance compared to advertising overall. It will grow to $26 billion by 2010 from $15.7 billion in 2006, according to Forrester Research?but that will represent just 8 percent of all ad spend. Mr. O?Brien pointed warned against expecting t
Medianews Digest, Vol 101, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Protest the Microsoft-Novell Patent Agreement (Ken Kopp) -- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2006 07:08:55 -0600 From: "Ken Kopp" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Protest the Microsoft-Novell Patent Agreement To: Medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Novell and Microsoft's software patent agreement betrays the rest of the Free Software community, including the very people who wrote Novell's own system, for Novell's sole financial benefit. Join Bruce Perens (K6BP) in signing an open letter to Novell's CEO Ron Hovsepian. http://techp.org/petition/show/1 -- Ken Kopp - KK?HF http://732u.net -- ___ Medianews mailing list Medianews@twiar.org http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org End of Medianews Digest, Vol 101, Issue 1 *
Medianews Digest, Vol 102, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Astronauts Whack Golf Ball and Outfit Station in Spacewalk (Dishnut) 2. Cosmonaut's shanked space shot gives NASA yips (Greg Williams) 3. UK Ban on iTrip transmitters lifted - also deregulates Citizens Band (Ken Kopp) 4. Microsoft to face challenge over Linux licenses (George Antunes) 5. Wal-Mart's Web site stalls on Black Friday (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2006 21:08:34 -0800 From: Dishnut <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Astronauts Whack Golf Ball and Outfit Station in Spacewalk To: Medianews ,Tom & Darryl Mail List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/061123_eva17.html Astronauts Whack Golf Ball and Outfit Station in Spacewalk By Ker Than Staff Writer posted: 23 November 2006 01:18 am ET A Russian cosmonaut set a new record for the longest golf drive in history today after hitting a lightweight ball while tethered to the outside of the International Space Station (ISS). The golf shot was the first of several tasks performed by Expedition 14 commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin as part of a busy spacewalk that got off to a late start. Fellow crewmate, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, provided support from inside the ISS. Tyurin hit the 3 gram golf ball about 40 minutes into the spacewalk, using a gold-plated six-iron golf club. "There it goes!" Tyurin said after making the one-handed shot [image]. "It went pretty far. It was an excellent shot. I can still see it as a little dot that's moving away from us." The cosmic golf drive was part of a commercial agreement between the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Canadian golf firm, Element 21. Cosmic golf shot For the stunt, a makeshift tee box was set up outside space station's Pirs docking compartment. During the shot, Lopez-Alegria held Tyurin's feet, which were affixed to a ladder. Tyurin carried three golf balls, but only had time to hit one of them before ground flight controllers instructed the spacewalkers to proceed to their other tasks. The golf ball did not travel in the full retrograde direction, away from the space station, as intended. Instead, Tyurin shanked the ball, causing it to fly past the starboard side of the Zvezda service module. NASA officials estimate the ball will travel about a million miles round the Earth before deorbiting and burning up in the planet's atmosphere in 2 to 3 days, thus posing no risk to the station or to a scheduled December shuttle mission. The previous record for an in-space golf shot was set by Al Shepard in 1971, when he hit a golf ball while on the surface of the Moon during Apollo 14. Shepard estimated that ball traveled 200 to 400 yards (183 to 366 meters). The longest recorded terrestrial golf drive is 515 yards (471 meters), and was set by golf pro Mike Austin in 1974. A late start The spacewalk began more than hour late after Tyurin discovered that a kink in a hose on his Russian Orlan spacesuit was causing its cooling system to work only intermittently. The problem was eventually resolved and the spacewalk officially began at 7:17 p.m. EST (23:17 GMT), when the Pirs hatch was finally opened after some initial resistance. After the golf shot, the spacewalkers moved to the aft end of the Zvezda service module to examine a docking antenna that failed to retract during the docking of the Progress 23 service module with the space station in late October. After a visual inspection revealed the antenna was jammed against a handrail on the Zvezda module, the astronauts depressed a latch that should have enabled the antenna to be retracted. However, repeated attempts by the astronauts to manually retract the antenna failed, as did computer commands beamed up by Russian mission controllers. Time constraints forced the spacewalkers to move on to other tasks, but not before they took about 35 digital photographs of the balky antenna for engineers on Earth to analyze. "There isn't much else we can do with it," a Russian ground controller said. Two other tasks Next up for the spacewalkers was the unbolting and repositioning of a navigation antenna blocking the cover of a station reboost engine, a task that went off without a hitch. The antenna will be important for guiding unman
Medianews Digest, Vol 110, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. FCC chairman seeks to add fifth voice to AT&T vote (George Antunes) 2. SatCon (Ken Kopp) 3. Movie bootleg whiz gets 7 years (George Antunes) 4. The antigay obsession (Monty Solomon) 5. Hatred of Rachael Ray can be a powerful uniting force (Monty Solomon) 6. Health Hazard: Computers Spilling Your History (Monty Solomon) 7. The Truth About Digital Cameras (Monty Solomon) 8. Airplane Technology Takes Flight (Monty Solomon) 9. Here's My Number (for Today) (Monty Solomon) 10. The Executive Producer of 'The Daily Show' and 'The Colbert Report' Is Leaving (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 02 Dec 2006 10:13:25 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] FCC chairman seeks to add fifth voice to AT&T vote To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-67A318 Dec. 1, 2006, 11:49PM FCC chairman seeks to add fifth voice to AT&T vote Commissioner had recused self but may be needed to break deadlock By BRUCE MEYERSON Associated Press http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4374024.html NEW YORK ? FCC Chairman Kevin Martin on Friday initiated a process that may break the deadlock in the agency's vote on San Antonio-based AT&T's proposed acquisition of Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp. by allowing a fifth commissioner who had recused himself to participate. Martin asked the general counsel for the Federal Communications Commission to consider whether Robert McDowell ought to be authorized to participate in the deliberations on the $81.6 billion deal, FCC officials said Friday. The chairman sent letters to the relevant committees in Congress advising them of the request. McDowell, one of three Republicans on the five-person commission, had recused himself because he is a former lobbyist for a trade group that opposes the merger. Without McDowell, the vote has been deadlocked at 2-2, with Martin and another Republican appointee favoring approval of the deal, and the two Democrats demanding the companies offer additional concessions to ensure it doesn't harm consumers. The Antitrust Division of the Justice Department cleared the deal on Oct. 11, declaring that there were no competitive concerns and opting not to require the combined company to divest any assets or make any other concessions. The takeover, the biggest in U.S. telecommunications history, also has been approved by regulators in 18 states, leaving the FCC as the final hurdle. The FCC's press office did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment. A copy of Martin's letter to congressional leaders viewed by the Associated Press expressed frustration with the holdup. "Despite working for months to reach consensus with my colleagues, three attempts over the past six weeks to have this item considered at an open meeting, and countless hours of internal deliberations, the Commission has reached an impasse," the letter said. "Given the Commission's inability to reach consensus on this matter, I have asked the General Counsel to consider whether the Government's interest would be served by permitting Commissioner McDowell ? who has not participated in this proceeding so far ? to participate." McDowell issued a short statement saying he looks forward to the general counsel's analysis "regarding my potential participation." McDowell once worked for the trade association COMPTEL, which represents companies that compete with AT&T and the other regional Bell companies. Federal ethics regulations permit the FCC's general counsel to clear McDowell to vote if the "interest of the government in the employee's participation" outweighs concerns about how the vote may affect the agency's integrity. Although Martin is calling in a Republican ally in McDowell, the chairman still faces a difficult situation in seeking to get the deal approved without irking the new Democratic majorities in the Senate and House. 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: 2 Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2006 12:29:23 -0600 From: "Ken Kopp" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] SatCon To: Me
Medianews Digest, Vol 116, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Shuttle launch attempt set for Saturday (Greg Williams) 2. LuxuriaMusic Says "Yeah, Yeah,Yeah!" to the Beatles on Dec. 8, 2006 (Greg Williams) 3. 2 geo sats going up tonight (Greg Williams) 4. Dual Missile Test Fails Off Hawaii (Williams, Gregory S.) 5. Faulty online mapping linked to wrong turn disaster (Williams, Gregory S.) 6. NASA crushes lunar real estate industry (Williams, Gregory S.) 7. Top phone carriers say keeping satellite ties (George Antunes) 8. Cable's Hot December (George Antunes) 9. Microsoft FrontPage falls victim to blogging culture (George Antunes) 10. FTC Gets Involved in Net Neutrality (George Antunes) 11. No End in Malone?s Game (George Antunes) 12. Specter Vows to Lift NFL TV Exemption (George Antunes) 13. Talk Show Host Indicted in Wife's Death (Williams, Gregory S.) 14. Popular 105.1 DJ Blaze Shot At Least 13 Times (Williams, Gregory S.) 15. BitTorrent's Move From PCs to TVs (George Antunes) 16. Sirius Sees Benefits in Potential Merger With XM (Williams, Gregory S.) 17. Google begins limited test of radio advertising (Williams, Gregory S.) 18. Re: [Wildfeeds] 2 geo sats going up tonight (Dishnut) 19. Time Warner Sues DirecTV Over NFL Network Ads (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2006 06:00:33 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Shuttle launch attempt set for Saturday To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Shuttle launch attempt set for Saturday http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061208/ap_on_sc/space_shuttle By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer 1 hour, 41 minutes ago CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Stymied once this week because of clouds, NASA is skipping a Friday launch attempt for space shuttle Discovery because of a dismal forecast and is looking toward the weekend. Though the weather this weekend is predicted to be only slightly better, NASA is aiming for an 8:47 p.m. EST Saturday launch attempt. Discovery couldn't lift off Thursday night because of thick, low clouds above the launch pad, which would have violated a NASA rule that requires clouds be high enough so engineers can track the shuttle's ascent. Each launch scrub costs NASA $500,000. With only a 30 percent chance of acceptable weather Saturday, NASA managers late Thursday discussed the possibility of waiting until Sunday to try to launch, but opted to stay with Saturday, spokeswoman Jessica Rye said. Officials wanted "a little more flexibility in their options," she said. The odds for good weather improve to 40 percent on Sunday and Monday. NASA gets the best opportunity for launching over the next several days on Tuesday, with a 60 percent chance of decent weather. The space agency can make two launch attempts in a row before standing down a third day because of the need to refresh the fuel supply, Rye said. While Thursday night's last-minute decision not to launch was a nail-biting tease, Friday's forecast proved anything but a close call with winds, rain and only a 10 percent chance of clear skies. "It didn't look (like) it's a wise decision to even try it" on Friday, NASA chief spokesman David Mould told The Associated Press. But the agency was hopeful about Thursday's planned launch. NASA managers waited until the end of the countdown before deciding to call off the launch scheduled for 9:35 p.m. It would have been the first nighttime launch in four years. Less than an hour earlier, the skies had appeared to clear enough before the clouds built back up. "We gave it the best shot and didn't get clear and convincing evidence that the cloud ceiling had cleared for us," launch director Mike Leinbach told Discovery's seven astronauts. After more than four hours on the launch pad, the astronauts remained fairly upbeat. Sunita "Sunny" Williams, who mugged for the cameras on the way into Discovery, waved hello at the cameras on the way out of the shuttle. During the 12-day mission, Discovery's astronauts will rewire the space station, bring up a new 2-ton addition to the space lab and move Williams into the station. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said he felt no pressure to stick to the launch schedule, despite NASA's desire to go up before Dec. 17 so that Discovery is back on the ground for the new year. Shuttle computers are not designed
Medianews Digest, Vol 118, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Unlocking cell phones does not violate DMCA (Monty Solomon) 2. Town explores offering WiFi (Monty Solomon) 3. How much for a moon base? Don?t ask (George Antunes) 4. Comcast confident in cable-phone war (George Antunes) 5. Congress Passes Law Against 'Pretexting' (George Antunes) 6. Media Titans Again Discuss Site to Rival YouTube (George Antunes) 7. Vast African Lake Levels Dropping Fast (George Antunes) 8. Scientist Marvel at Sea Life Miles Deep (George Antunes) 9. Geothermal test halted after quake (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2006 01:02:58 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Unlocking cell phones does not violate DMCA To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Excerpt from [Federal Register: November 27, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 227)] [Rules and Regulations] [Page 68472-68480] LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Copyright Office 37 CFR Part 201 Docket No. RM 2005-11 Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2006/71fr68472.html 5. Computer programs in the form of firmware that enable wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telephone communication network, when circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network. The Wireless Alliance and Robert Pinkerton proposed an exemption for "Computer programs that operate wireless communications handsets." The proponents of this exemption stated that providers of mobile telecommunications (cellphone) networks are using various types of software locks in order to control customer access to the "bootloader" programs on cellphones and the operating system programs embedded inside mobile handsets (cellphones). These software locks prevent customers from using their handsets on a competitor's network (even after all contractual obligations to the original wireless carrier have been satisfied) by controlling access to the software that operates the mobile phones (e.g., the mobile firmware). Many reply comments were submitted in support of this exemption and only one reply comment provided any opposition to the proposal. Only two witnesses testified at the hearing on this issue: a representative of the principal proponent of the exemption and a representative of some copyright owners (none of whom operate wireless telecommunication services, manufacture wireless handsets or make bootloader or operating system programs for cellphones). It was undisputed that mobile handset consumers who desire to use their handsets on a different telecommunications network are often precluded from doing so unless they can obtain access to the bootloader or operating system within the handset in order to direct the phone to a different carrier's network. The evidence demonstrated that most wireless telecommunications network providers do not allow a consumer to obtain such access in order to switch a cell phone from one network to another, and that the consumer could not use the cell phone with another carrier, even after fulfilling his or her contractual obligations with the carrier that sold the phone. In order to switch carriers, the consumer would have to purchase a new phone from a competing mobile telecommunications carrier. The obstacle that prevents customers from using lawfully acquired handsets on different carriers is the software lock. At least one wireless telecommunications service has filed lawsuits alleging that circumvention of the software lock is a violation of section 1201(a)(1)(A) and has obtained a permanent injunction (albeit by stipulation). The Register has concluded that the software locks are access controls that adversely affect the ability of consumers to make noninfringing use of the software on their cellular phones. Moreover, a review of the four factors enumerated in ? 1201(a)(1)(C)(i)-(iv) supports the conclusion that an exemption is warranted. There is nothing in the record that suggests that the availability for use of copyrighted works would be adversely affected by permitting an exemption for software locks. Nor is there any reason to conclude that there would be any impact - positive or negative - on the availability for use of works for nonprofit archi
Medianews Digest, Vol 124, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Futuristic Taxis Go High-Tech (Greg Williams) 2. Comets hold life chemistry clues (Greg Williams) 3. Gates: Digital locks too complex (Greg Williams) 4. NASA Turning to Exercise to 'Wiggle' Out of Space Station Solar Power Problem (Greg Williams) 5. A Toxic Leak Haunts the Shuttle Crew (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 23:43:30 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Futuristic Taxis Go High-Tech To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed http://www.wgal.com/news/10545824/detail.html It's the cab of the future. New York's next generation of taxi cabs is coming. There's still no guarantee the driver will speak fluent English or know where he's going. But New York City taxi passengers should soon be able to enjoy other things about the trip. Click here to find out more! In the coming weeks, new taxis will take to the street. They're not your father's Checker cab. These have a digital television monitors with touch-screen device that lets riders catch up on the news, check the weather, read a restaurant review or see where they are on an electronic map. There's also a credit card reader for those who want to charge it. And it'll calculate the tip for you. Then again, if all you want to do is read the paper, look out the window or catch a nap, you can shut the TV system off. The city Taxi and Limousine Commission showed off the new cabs Thursday and said they could start showing up next week. The taxi commission ordered the new features after a fare increase in 2004, but the upgrades are just beginning to appear. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 23:45:08 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Comets hold life chemistry clues To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5173992.stm Comets hold life chemistry clues By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News, San Francisco The idea that comets delivered the chemical "seeds" for life to the early Earth has been given a big boost. Scientists studying the tiny grains of material recovered from Comet Wild-2 by Nasa's Stardust mission have found large, complex carbon-rich molecules. They are of the type that could have been important precursor components of the initial reactions that gave rise to the planet's biochemistry. The first full analysis of the Wild-2 grains is reported in Science magazine. "Whatever it took to get life started, the more variety of molecules you had in the mix and the more they looked like the kinds of molecules that life uses now then the easier it should have been," Dr Scott Sandford from Nasa's Ames Research Center told BBC News. The Stardust spacecraft flew past the 5km-wide icy "mud-ball" known as Comet 81P/Wild-2 in January 2004. The probe swept up particles fizzing off the object's surface as it passed some 240km (149 miles) from the comet's core, or nucleus. These tiny grains, just a few thousandths or a millimetre in size, were then returned to Earth in a sealed capsule. Lab clues Distributed among the world's leading astro-labs, the specimens are giving researchers a remarkable insight into the conditions that must have existed in the earliest phases of the Solar System when planets and comets were forming. Dr Sandford led the organics investigation; some 55 researchers in more than 30 institutions. His team sees many delicate, volatile compounds that are quite unlike those familiar in meteorites that have fallen to Earth. These Wild-2 compounds lack the aromaticity, or carbon ring structures, frequently found in meteorite organics. They are very rich in oxygen and nitrogen, and they probably pre-date the existence of our Solar System. "It's quite possible that what we're seeing is an organic population of molecules that were made when ices in the dense cloud from which our Solar System formed were irradiated by ultraviolet photons and cosmic rays," Dr Sandford explained. "That's of interest because we know that in laboratory simulations where we irradiate ice analogues of types we know are out there, these same experiments produce a lot of organic
Medianews Digest, Vol 127, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Times Sq. Ads Spread Via Tourists' Cameras (Monty Solomon) 2. Do u txt ur kdz? / Fastest growing group of messagers is adults (Monty Solomon) 3. Logan joins the age of the Internet (Monty Solomon) 4. Skype team turns its attention to televisio (George Antunes) 5. FCC official won't vote on AT&T-BellSouth merger (George Antunes) 6. Zune doesn't shake iPod's market lead (Williams, Gregory S.) 7. Sony Settles Privacy Suits regrding rootkit on CD (Williams, Gregory S.) 8. UK report says robots will have rights (Williams, Gregory S.) 9. Discovery departs space station (Williams, Gregory S.) 10. Feds: NJ Worker Put 'Bomb' in Computers (Monty Solomon) 11. Live From Your Cingular Phone, It's Saturday Night! (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 23:56:00 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Times Sq. Ads Spread Via Tourists' Cameras To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Times Sq. Ads Spread Via Tourists' Cameras By LOUISE STORY The New York Times December 11, 2006 Advertisers have long been drawn to Times Square as a valuable place to reach consumers, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for space on billboards and blazing video screens. But recently they have discovered that down on the ground, new technology has given low cost, face-to-face marketing campaigns something of a cutting edge as consumers spread their messages on the Internet. Take the recent display of public toilets set up by Charmin bathroom tissue: Used by thousands in Times Square and viewed by 7,400 Web users on one site alone. Or Nascar's recent display of racecars; videos of the event have been viewed on YouTube more than 1,800 times. More than 60 people wrote about the event on their blogs and 60 more spread the word - and pictures - on the Flickr Web site. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/11/technology/11square.html -- Message: 2 Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:17:12 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Do u txt ur kdz? / Fastest growing group of messagers is adults To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Do u txt ur kdz? Fastest growing group of messagers is adults By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff | December 17, 2006 Lynne O'Connell and her teenage daughter have discovered a new way to bridge the generation gap: a cellphone screen. She and Annie, 15, send text messages to each other throughout the day, scheduling rides, sending reminders, and sometimes just talking. "OMG!" popped up onto O'Connell's cellphone one recent afternoon. "R U OK?" the 36-year-old mom typed back. "I got an 83 on my Spanish quiz," Annie replied. "OMG is right! great!" her mom pinged back. "You know if I had asked her at dinner, 'How was school today?' she'd say, 'Fine,' " O'Connell said. "This gives her a way to talk to me without having to talk to me." "Texting" -- sending brief messages by cellphone -- has grown dramatically beyond the teenage and 20-something "thumb generation" over the past year, in part because parents are beginning to use the cellphone screen as another channel to communicate with children who otherwise might not have much to say. M:Metrics , a mobile market research company, found that nationwide, the fastest growing group of text messagers is adults. Between September 2005 and September 2006, the number of text-message users from age 45 to 64 grew about seven times as fast as among teenagers under 18, according to their data. Telephia , a consumer research firm, found that among Cingular users, women in their 40s are the fastest growing text message demographic and fourth largest group. The overall growth in text messaging is driven by multiple factors. There are adults who use texting to "talk" while they're in meetings and 40-somethings who text their peers. But a survey commissioned by Cingular this summer found that among 1,175 parents, nearly half said their children introduced them to text messaging, and 63 percent said it had improved communication with their child. ... http://www.boston.com/business/personaltech/articles/2006/12/17/do_u_txt_ur_kdz/ -- Message: 3 Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:29:49 -0
Medianews Digest, Vol 130, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Student experiences world of low power FM radio (Ken Kopp) 2. Mike Evans, original Lionel Jefferson, dead (Williams, Gregory S.) 3. How Apple could rock wireless (Monty Solomon) 4. An Apple phone is no slam-dunk (Monty Solomon) 5. Will it Blend? - iPod (Monty Solomon) 6. A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection (Monty Solomon) 7. To catch rule-breakers, schools look online (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 06:47:40 -0600 From: "Ken Kopp" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Student experiences world of low power FM radio To: Medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed By Meghan Dusek, Staff correspondent, River Falls Journal Published Friday, December 22, 2006 http://www.riverfallsjournal.com/articles/index.cfm?id=80998§ion=collections&forumcomm_check_return&freebie_check&CFID=11651281&CFTOKEN=97439687&jsessionid=88309bc8defe5d4c7b79 A foray into northern Wisconsin involving vintage radio equipment and a base of a few hundred listeners gave one UW-River Falls student a little insight to a relatively new radio sub-culture. Thanks to a gift from UW-RF alumnus Donovan Rasmussen, a mechanical engineer who retired to his hometown of Dresser, Nick Hassel, a junior journalism major from St. Paul, completed a paid internship with the low power FM (LPFM) station WPCA FM 95.7 in Amery. Lower power FM radio service was created by the FCC in 2000. Stations are allowed for noncommercial or nonprofit educational broadcast, or public safety, transportation or government agencies. Current broadcast licensees with other media interests cannot apply for a permit, and permit holders can only broadcast at 100 watts in a radius of 3.5 miles, according to the FCC. As a LPFM, WPCA reaches the immediate Amery area, and that's about it. "Once you hit I-94 it turns into a country station," Hassel says. As current promotions director for the UW-RF Wisconsin Public Radio affiliate WRFW FM 88.7 and with two years' experience working with the campus station, Hassel had a substantial background but the internship ? as news director ? called on different skills. A typical day began with the newscast at 7 a.m. followed by gathering and writing stories for a later cast and then an afternoon of interviews or press conferences, depending on the current events. Hassel said news in a town Amery's size might equate to a new stoplight, but he recognizes the value of his time in the small town and having to wear many hats. "I gained a lot of first-hand experience," Hassel says. "With most internships, you follow people around and don't really do anything. I just kind of got thrown into it there." Despite being one wave of the future, the LPFM station WPCA is working to recapture the "golden age of radio." Recordings of musical presentations from the 1940s play on weekends, and Frank Sinatra and other Rat Packers are staples on the playlist. Hassel says station owner Bob Zank relies on "Mom and Pop" underwriters versus commercials for funding. All the equipment at the station is from the 1950s and visitors are invited to view a newscast as it might have looked back in the day when radio shows "Life of Riley" and "The Shadow" and personality Jack Benny were the equivalent to today's "King of Queens" and "CSI" television shows and media maven Dane Cook. Described as a largely rural phenomena as FCC requirements do not allow LPFM to exist in larger cities with more crowded spectrums, such community stations are credited with bringing back localism and diversity to airwaves. With more than 260 currently in existence in the United States, the stations' platforms range from religious groups, local neighborhoods, and high schools to "regular" news and music programming like WPCA's. "They're a good idea for a smaller town," Hassel says. "Older people get involved, and it's really about the community and what's going on there." -- Ken Kopp - KK?HF ARRL DEC Kansas ARES District 1 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (785) 380-4603 Web Site: http://732u.net Ham Radio: More than just a hobby! -- Message: 2 Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 09:48:01 -0800 From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Mike Evans, original Lionel Jefferson, dead To: "'medianews@twiar.org'" Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: t
Medianews Digest, Vol 132, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Merry Christmas (Duane Whittingham) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 01:03:02 -0600 From: Duane Whittingham <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Merry Christmas To: TND Mail List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: medianews Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Hi, from all of us at Tom and Darryl shows and WTND-LP Merry Christmas. --- Duane Whittingham (N9SSN) - Producer Tom and Darryl Radio Shows & Saturday Morning Confusion Heard on C-Band Analog Satellite (W0KIE) - Telstar 6 Ch 1 - 6.2/6.8 WTND-LP Macomb 106.3, WQNA FM, WBCQ 7415 kHz & the Internet. Heard Fridays 9pm ET, Sundays 12am ET and Tuesdays 1am ET (Folk) An Independent Freeform Eclectic Radio Show. http://www.tomanddarryl.org http://www.wtnd.us -- ___ Medianews mailing list Medianews@twiar.org http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org End of Medianews Digest, Vol 132, Issue 1 *
Medianews Digest, Vol 134, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Longtime President of CBS Dies at 98 (Williams, Gregory S.) 2. Russia-China space pact won't include key technology (George Antunes) 3. Russia Won't Transfer Space Technology to China (Williams, Gregory S.) 4. James Brown owned Knoxville station (Williams, Gregory S.) 5. Internet 'fast lane'? Not so fast (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2006 10:36:40 -0800 From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Longtime President of CBS Dies at 98 To: "'medianews@twiar.org'" Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/12/25/D8M82V680.html Frank Stanton, a broadcasting pioneer and CBS president for 26 years who helped build its TV operation into the "Tiffany network," has died at the age of 98. Stanton died in his sleep at his Boston home on Sunday, said longtime friend Elisabeth Allison. "He took an afternoon nap and never woke up," Allison said, her voice chocking with grief. Stanton helped CBS evolve from a modest chain of radio affiliates to a media powerhouse that includes a music label. He also helped craft the network's television news operation into a respected and influential information source. He endured a long and sometimes tense association with CBS founder William S. Paley. Stanton got his first taste of marketing while working after school at a men's clothing store in Dayton, Ohio. Later, his studies at the Ohio State University led him to devise a scientific method for measuring radio audiences _ and he invented the forerunner of what A.C. Nielsen would one day use to gather ratings. In 1934 CBS invited Stanton to New York City to explain his technique. He stayed on, building a three-person research office into a 100- strong department. Stanton rose swiftly through the ranks at CBS, becoming president in at the age of 38, when Paley resigned to become chairman. Stanton, whose wife died more than a decade ago, has no immediate survivors, Allison said. "His explicit instructions were there should be no memorial service of any sort and that no contribution in his name should be suggested," Allison told The Associated Press. Gregory S. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Message: 2 Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2006 14:05:24 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Russia-China space pact won't include key technology To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Russia Won't Transfer Space Technology Dec 26, 2006 1:24 PM (ET) By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press http://apnews.myway.com//article/20061226/D8M8MI6G0.html MOSCOW (AP) - Russia will cooperate with China on space projects, but will not transfer sensitive technologies that could enable Beijing to become a rival in a future space race, the head of Russia's space agency said Tuesday. Anatoly Perminov, chief of Russia's Federal Space Agency, said Moscow and Beijing would cooperate in robotic missions to the moon. He added, however, that Russia would maintain restrictions on sharing technology. Russia sold China the technology that formed the basis of its manned space program, which launched its first astronaut in 2003 and two others in 2005. The Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft closely resembles the Russian Soyuz. "The Chinese are still some 30 years behind us, but their space program has been developing very fast," Perminov said at a news conference. "They are quickly catching up with us." The next Chinese manned space flight is due next year. China also wants to send up a space station and land a robot probe on the moon by 2010. Perminov said that Russia would cooperate with China in space exploration strictly within the framework of a bilateral agreement that doesn't envisage exporting Russian space technologies. "We aren't transferring any technologies to China now," Perminov said. "This issue has been under special control of the government." He said some Russian scientists who violated the ban have been punished - an apparent reference to Valentin Danilov, a physicist who was convicted of spying for China in 2004. Danilov pleaded innocent in the case, saying the information on satellites he provided was not classified and th
Medianews Digest, Vol 137, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to
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Today's Topics:
1. Apple Files 10-Q and 10-K (Monty Solomon)
2. Steve Jobs' Best Year Ever (Monty Solomon)
3. Companies probe possible high-def DVD hack (George Antunes)
4. AT&T Offers Concessions on BellSouth Buyout (George Antunes)
5. Straight Dope on the IPod's Birth (Monty Solomon)
6. AT&T Compromise May Get Merger Approved (George Antunes)
7. Asia Scrambles to Repair Quake Damage to Data Cables
(George Antunes)
8. Laying a new path to your TV (George Antunes)
9. Congressional aide fired after trying to hire hackers
(George Antunes)
10. Capra classic Christmas film 'commie propaganda' (George Antunes)
11. FCC Approves BellSouth Deal After Concessions (George Antunes)
12. FCC approves AT&T-BellSouth merger (George Antunes)
--
Message: 1
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 11:13:16 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Apple Files 10-Q and 10-K
To: undisclosed-recipient:;
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Apple Files 10-Q and 10-K
- Dec 29, 2006 06:18 AM (PR Newswire)
CUPERTINO, Calif., Dec 29, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News
Network/ --
Apple(R) today filed
its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 1, 2006 and its Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2006 with the Securities and Exchange
Commission ("SEC"). Both filings had been delayed pending the conclusion of an
independent investigation by the special committee of the board of directors
into past stock option practices and the resulting restatement of the
Company's financial results. Apple undertook this investigation on its own
initiative and has informed the SEC and the U.S. Attorney's Office of the
results.
Based on an analysis of the findings of the independent investigation, the
Company has recognized total additional non-cash stock-based compensation
expense of $84 million after tax, including $4 million and $7 million in
fiscal years 2006 and 2005, respectively. The restatement arises solely from
certain stock option grants made between 1997 and 2002; the investigation
found no grants after December 31, 2002 that required accounting adjustments.
...
- http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=63062579
--
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 11:16:27 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Steve Jobs' Best Year Ever
To: undisclosed-recipient:;
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Steve Jobs' Best Year Ever
By Leander Kahney
02:00 AM Dec, 26, 2006
What a blockbuster year Steve Jobs had.
Not only did he manage Apple's seamless switch to Intel, he probably
made the company the most money in its 30-year history. (I say
probably, because the only dark spot -- a stock options backdating
scandal -- may yet prompt a restatement of earnings.)
Financial scandal or no, Apple's comeback is a solid validation of
Jobs' business chops. Jobs is too much of a liberal iconoclast to be
taken seriously by the corporate world, but 2006 showed he's up there
with the greats.
Here are the highlights:
...
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,72344-0.html
--
Message: 3
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 11:03:01 -0600
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Companies probe possible high-def DVD hack
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Companies probe possible high-def DVD hack
By Reuters
http://news.com.com/Companies+probe+possible+high-def+DVD+hack/2100-1029_3-6146267.html
Story last modified Thu Dec 28 19:55:40 PST 2006
The companies behind an encryption system for high-definition DVDs are
looking into a hacker's claim that he has cracked the code protecting the
new discs from piracy, a spokesman for one of the companies said Thursday.
A hacker known as Muslix64 posted on the Internet details of how he
unlocked the encryption, known as the Advanced Access Content System, which
prevents high-definition discs from illegal copying by restricting which
devices can play them.
The AACS system was developed by companies including Walt Disney, Intel,
Microsoft, Toshiba and Sony to protect high-definition formats, including
Toshiba's HD DVD and Sony's
Medianews Digest, Vol 138, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Mac Mini Subaru Carputer (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 23:04:54 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Mac Mini Subaru Carputer To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" http://gthing.net/carputer-5-final/ -- ___ Medianews mailing list Medianews@twiar.org http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org End of Medianews Digest, Vol 138, Issue 1 *
Medianews Digest, Vol 145, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. FCC: Six Steps To Avoid Captioning Lapses (George Antunes) 2. Mediacom: Sinclair Says Pull Plug (George Antunes) 3. Sinclair Could Pull 30 Stations Off Comcast (George Antunes) 4. Gauging The Demand For Alternative-Fuel Vehicles (George Antunes) 5. 'Embryo Bank' Stirs Ethics Fears (George Antunes) 6. Fewer Excuses for Not Doing a PC Backup (Monty Solomon) 7. Attack of the Zombie Computers Is a Growing Threat, Experts Say (Monty Solomon) 8. Attack of the Zombie Computers Is a Growing Threat, Experts Say (Monty Solomon) 9. Tips for Protecting the Home Computer (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 06 Jan 2007 14:58:53 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] FCC: Six Steps To Avoid Captioning Lapses To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed FCC: Six Steps To Avoid Captioning Lapses By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 1/3/2007 2:34:00 PM http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6403895.html The FCC says it is trying to give TV station news departments some guidance on what constitutes compliance with the FCC's emergency-information closed-captioning rules. In a public notice released Wednesday, the commission reminded broadcasters that, as of January of 2006, they had been required to close-caption all non-exempt programming, which includes breaking news and emergency alerts. Conceding that emergency information is, essentially by definition, not available in advance and must be posted on short notice, the commission says that it recognizes that it can be difficult to meet the 100% compliance mark. As a result, it will consider those conditions as mitigating circumstances so long as the captioning lapse is minimal and "reasonable" under the circumstances, though it cannot make that determination until presented with a specific set of facts. But it also listed a number of steps video distributors "may take" to prevent such lapses. They include 1) finding outside services that can turn around the captions quickly; 2) making contacting those services "immediately" a priority; 3) posting the contact information on TV sets in the newsroom; 4) program a speed dial button on a newsroom phone with the number of the captioning service; 5) create and circulate a "visual presentation policy," which could include open captioning, crawls, on-screen scrolls, prepared signs, charts, or even writing on a whiteboard; and traing employees about those presentation policies. At least two TV stations settled with the FCC last year over commission findings that their news departments had failed to provide sufficient on-screen information to hearing-impaired viewers . 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: 2 Date: Sat, 06 Jan 2007 15:00:59 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Mediacom: Sinclair Says Pull Plug To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Mediacom: Sinclair Says Pull Plug By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 1/5/2007 7:50:00 PM http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6404769.html Cable company Mediacom said Friday that Sinclair Broadcast Group had instructed it to pull its stations--22 of them--from its channel lineup. The FCC had denied a Mediacom complaint that Sinclair had not bargained in good faith, and Sinclair had told the company it would have to pull the signals Jan. 5. The FCC also had asked the companies to submit to binding arbitration and for Sinclair to keep the stations on the cable system during that process. Sinclair had said it would consider the advice. The two have been unable to come to terms for cash payments to Sinclair for carriage of its mix of network affiliated and independent stations. Sinclair says it should be paid a carriage fee comparable to that for cable networks that are similarly rated to its stations. "We are certainly dismayed with Sinclair's inability to commit to our offer of binding arbitration made yesterday,
Medianews Digest, Vol 151, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Expensive new U.S. spy satellite not working: sources (Greg Williams) 2. What's in a Name?: That which we call an iPhone by any other name would sound as sweet. (Monty Solomon) 3. 'Idol' fatigue? Think again (Monty Solomon) 4. Why Hollywood Snubbed Jobs at Macworld (Monty Solomon) 5. Taming Mac OS X File Systems (Monty Solomon) 6. How Apple kept its iPhone secrets (Monty Solomon) 7. The Future of Apple (Monty Solomon) 8. BlackJack Beats Out Palm 750, but iPhone May Well Top Both (Monty Solomon) 9. Some Hands-On Time With the iPhone (Monty Solomon) 10. Using Your DVR From Afar (Monty Solomon) 11. Making Voice Mail More Like Email (Monty Solomon) 12. The Ultimate iPhone Frequently Asked Questions (Monty Solomon) 13. Apple's much-anticipated iPhone is 'business as usual'in Japan (Williams, Gregory S.) 14. Mac flaw puts Safari surfers at risk (Williams, Gregory S.) 15. British agency tells schools to avoid Vista (Williams, Gregory S.) 16. Radio Station Goes Off the Air After Copper Thieves Strike (Ken Kopp) 17. U.S. Daylight Time changes for 2007 (Monty Solomon) 18. CES: Multimedia Cell Phones Take Center Stage (Rob) 19. NBCU Launches Horror Channel (George Antunes) 20. Nine ways Apple, Inc. just changed the landscape of consumer electronics (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:48:09 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Expensive new U.S. spy satellite not working: sources To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-01-11T213943Z_01_N11478762_RTRUKOC_0_US-SATELLITE-MILITARY.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C1-topNews-2 Expensive new U.S. spy satellite not working: sources By Andrea Shalal-Esa - Exclusive WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials are unable to communicate with an expensive experimental U.S. spy satellite launched last year by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), a defense official and another source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. Efforts are continuing to reestablish communication with the classified satellite, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but "the prognosis is not great at this point," said the defense official, who asked not to be identified. "They have not yet declared it a total loss. There are still some additional steps that can be taken to restore communication," the official added, noting some satellites had been recovered in similar situations in the past. The official said the problems were substantial and involved multiple systems, adding that U.S. officials were working to reestablish contact with the satellite because of the importance of the new technology it was meant to test and demonstrate. The other source said the satellite had been described to him as "a comprehensive failure." There was no suggestion by either of the sources that the satellite had been purposely damaged as part of a terrorist attack. Another government official said he had no information about any attacks on U.S. satellites. The National Reconnaissance Office, which designs, builds and operates reconnaissance satellites for the U.S. military and intelligence communities, had no comment. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer with the Harvard- Smithsonian Center For Astrophysics, said the satellite in question could be a classified NRO satellite launched into space on December 14 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, which did not appear to be part of any "existing pattern." The NRO satellite identified only as L-21 was the first ever launched by the newly merged rocket launch units of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp.. The new joint venture announced the successful launch of the satellite, but neither the company nor the NRO gave any details about the satellite's mission. McDowell said the satellite was mysterious to satellite watchers because it was in a low orbit of about 220 miles, or 350 kilometers, above the Earth and had not made any move to change its orbital position. "This is definitely a setback for the NRO, which has had an aggressive technology development program over the past few years," McDowell said. "It adds to the problems that the NRO is having transitioning to its next genera
Medianews Digest, Vol 153, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Want an iPhone? Beware the iHandcuffs (Monty Solomon) 2. Apple Waves Its Wand at the Phone (Monty Solomon) 3. Recording Industry Wins Judgment in Piracy Case (Dishnut) 4. Apple TV: What's new, what's known (Monty Solomon) 5. Woman in Radio Station Water Drinking Contest Dies (Greg Williams) 6. PBS, Filmmaker Burns Ink 15-Year Deal (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 23:40:01 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Want an iPhone? Beware the iHandcuffs To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" DIGITAL DOMAIN Want an iPhone? Beware the iHandcuffs By RANDALL STROSS January 14, 2007 STEVE JOBS, Apple's showman nonpareil, provided the first public glimpse of the iPhone last week - gorgeous, feature-laden and pricey. While following the master magician's gestures, it was easy to overlook a most disappointing aspect: like its slimmer iPod siblings, the iPhone's music-playing function will be limited by factory-installed "crippleware." If "crippleware" seems an unduly harsh description, it balances the euphemistic names that the industry uses for copy protection. Apple officially calls its own standard "FairPlay," but fair it is not. The term "crippleware" comes from the plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit, Melanie Tucker v. Apple Computer Inc., that is making its way through Federal District Court in Northern California. The suit contends that Apple unfairly restricts consumer choice because it does not load onto the iPod the software needed to play music that uses Microsoft's copy-protection standard, in addition to Apple's own. Ms. Tucker's core argument is that the absence of another company's software on the iPod constitutes "crippleware." I disagree. It is Apple's own copy-protection software itself that cripples the device. Here is how FairPlay works: When you buy songs at the iTunes Music Store, you can play them on one - and only one - line of portable player, the iPod. And when you buy an iPod, you can play copy-protected songs bought from one - and only one - online music store, the iTunes Music Store. The only legal way around this built-in limitation is to strip out the copy protection by burning a CD with the tracks, then uploading the music back to the computer. If you're willing to go to that trouble, you can play the music where and how you choose - the equivalent to rights that would have been granted automatically at the cash register if you had bought the same music on a CD in the first place. Even if you are ready to pledge a lifetime commitment to the iPod as your only brand of portable music player or to the iPhone as your only cellphone once it is released, you may find that FairPlay copy protection will, sooner or later, cause you grief. You are always going to have to buy Apple stuff. Forever and ever. Because your iTunes will not play on anyone else's hardware. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/business/yourmoney/14digi.html?ex=1326430800&en=2c5efe51f9d74dd8&ei=5090 -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2007 00:08:20 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Apple Waves Its Wand at the Phone To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" STATE OF THE ART Apple Waves Its Wand at the Phone By DAVID POGUE SAN FRANCISCO January 11, 2007 Remember the fairy godmother in "Cinderella"? She'd wave her wand and turn some homely and utilitarian object, like a pumpkin or a mouse, into something glamorous and amazing, like a carriage or fully accessorized coachman. Evidently, she lives in some back room at Apple. Every time Steve Jobs spies some hopelessly ugly, complex machine that cries out for the Apple touch - computers, say, or music players - he lets her out. At the annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Mr. Jobs demonstrated the latest result of godmother wand-waving. He granted the wishes of millions of Apple followers and rumormongers by turning the ordinary cellphone into ... the iPhone. At the moment, the iPhone is in an advanced prototype stage, which I was allowed to play with for only an hour; the finished product won't be available in the United States until June, or in Europe until the fourth quarter. So this column is a preview, not a review.
Medianews Digest, Vol 158, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. NASA might launch Atlantis a day early (Greg Williams) 2. Fox News offers audio feed on cell phones (Rob) 3. U.S. official: Chinese test missile obliterates satellite (Rob) 4. AT&T Unity plan (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:10:48 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] NASA might launch Atlantis a day early To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed NASA might launch Atlantis a day early http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070118/NEWS02/701180362/1007 BY TODD HALVORSON FLORIDA TODAY ADVERTISEMENT CAPE CANAVERAL - NASA might move up the March 16 launch of shuttle Atlantis to put more time between the International Space Station construction mission and the arrival of a Russian capsule carrying new crew members. Delaying the shuttle flight until late April, after the crew rotation mission, would make it more difficult to complete station assembly before a 2010 deadline. Senior NASA managers are expected to decide on Jan. 25. A March 15 launch would come at 6:42 a.m. "It is being evaluated," said NASA spokesman Rob Navias. "If all the (shuttle program managers) say they can support an earlier launch attempt, we certainly would take advantage of it." Russian cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov are set to launch to the station April 9. Flying up with them: former Microsoft executive Charles Simonyi, a tourist who will return to Earth after about a week's stay. NASA must launch Atlantis by March 29 to complete a station construction mission and depart the station three days before the Soyuz launch. Managers prefer a 72-hour gap between a shuttle's departure and the arrival of a Russian Soyuz. NASA officials say pre-launch work at Kennedy Space Center can be completed in time for a launch March 15. A 15-story external tank is set to be connected to twin solid rocket boosters on Friday. Atlantis is scheduled to move Feb. 7 from its hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be mounted atop a launch platform and connected to the external tank. The fully assembled shuttle would roll to the launch pad Feb. 14. Veteran astronaut Rick Sturckow will command Atlantis. Flying with him: pilot Lee Archambault and four mission specialists: James Reilly, Steven Swanson, Patrick Forrester and John Olivas. The flight will be the first of five station assembly missions NASA hopes to launch in 2007. A total of 13 to 15 shuttle missions are needed to finish the assembly and outfitting of the station. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 23:18:29 -0600 From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Fox News offers audio feed on cell phones To: medianews@twiar.org,Tom and Darryl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Fox News offers audio feed on cell phones By Paul J. Gough http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070119/tc_nm/foxnews_dc_2 NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Fox News has rolled out a new service that will let anyone with a cell phone access an audio feed of the cable channel. The live feed will be available 24/7 by dialing "#FOXN" on a mobile phone. The service, which will start with Cingular, costs $2.99 a month plus applicable per-minute airtime charges. Fox News has partnered with Single Touch Interactive, an Encinitas, Calif., company that has existing deals with BET and Univision. But Fox News will be the first news channel to have a Single Touch audio stream, said Jeremy Steinberg, vp digital media sales and business development. It's far from the first mobile deal for Fox News. There is a special mobile Internet site that allows cell and BlackBerry users to access a quick-loading site. The channel has been available for more than a year as a live video stream on Sprint, with almost a million subscribers. Cingular also offers video clips. But with the Single Touch Interactive technology, the audio stream -- news and its daily primetime lineup including "The O'Reilly Factor" -- will be available to people without the expensive video cell phones. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter -- Message: 3 Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:29:44 -0
Medianews Digest, Vol 160, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. The Turntables That Transform Vinyl (Monty Solomon) 2. Don't Call. Don't Write. Let Me Be. (Monty Solomon) 3. Once Given Up for Dead, Comcast Defies Its Obits (Monty Solomon) 4. The iPhone: Second thoughts (Monty Solomon) 5. Once Given Up for Dead, Comcast Defies Its Obits (George Antunes) 6. Could this be the final chapter in the life of the book (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2007 23:55:20 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] The Turntables That Transform Vinyl To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" NOVELTIES The Turntables That Transform Vinyl By ANNE EISENBERG January 21, 2007 LONG-PLAYING records are gathering dust in the homes of many music lovers, who hope to hear their contents one day on a CD player or iPod. Now, an updated version of another audio relic, the phonographic turntable, may provide a fairly inexpensive way to do that. Two new consumer turntables on the market at $200 or less connect directly to computers to transfer cherished vinyl to MP3 files and CDs. The machines aren't for audiophiles who have the skill to rig their own systems with special cables and preamplifiers. But they may offer a doable way for nontechies to thrill again to their favorite bit of analog Beethoven or Dylan. Learning how to use these systems takes time - up to three or even four hours. The turntable has to be assembled, and the LPs cleaned carefully to remove the dust of ages - two jobs that those over 30 might remember well. Then the recording software, which comes on a CD, takes about a half-hour to set up properly - or three times that if you skip the "frequently asked questions," as I did, and then sheepishly return to them when you get stuck. The software requires some attention even after you learn its ways. For example, it can't automatically detect the end of each track between two songs or movements of a symphony. You have to mark these spots yourself in the program before burning a CD or making an MP3 file. Still, once the learning curve is vanquished and the sounds of much-loved old recordings fill the air, you may wonder why you waited so long. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/21/business/yourmoney/21novel.html?ex=1327035600&en=51ecbd5f051d2da3&ei=5090 -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2007 00:34:22 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Don't Call. Don't Write. Let Me Be. To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" YOUR MONEY Don't Call. Don't Write. Let Me Be. By DAMON DARLIN January 20, 2007 The fears of the direct marketing industry came true. Once a do-not-call list was created, people did register, in droves. The list was created in 2003, not as a way to protect privacy, but to remove a powerful irritant from the lives of Americans. The Federal Trade Commission, which administers the list, says that more than 137 million phone numbers have been placed on the list by people tired of interruptions during dinner or their favorite TV show. The popularity of the do-not-call list unleashed a demand for other opt-out lists. A consumer can now opt out of the standard practice of their banks or loan companies selling their information to others. Other opt-outs stop credit card companies from soliciting consumers or end the flow of junk mail and catalogs. While most of the opt-outs are intended to make life less annoying, they can also have the side effect of protecting personal information that can be misused by identity thieves or unscrupulous merchants. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/20/business/20money.html?ex=1326949200&en=3efc9e8515a9ea4a&ei=5090 -- Message: 3 Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2007 01:12:19 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Once Given Up for Dead, Comcast Defies Its Obits To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Once Given Up for Dead, Comcast Defies Its Obits By GERALDINE FABRIKANT January 21, 2007 THREE years ago, with the cable television industry in the doldrums, the Comcast Corporation's chairman, Brian L. Roberts, approached Mel Karmazin, then the president of Viacom, with a modest proposal: give Co
Medianews Digest, Vol 166, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Mars' Missing Atmosphere May Just Be Hiding (Greg Williams) 2. Legendary astronaut still finds herself star-struck (Greg Williams) 3. [Fwd: Re: AMC 18 on the move ,looks like METEOSAT 6 been retired] (Greg Williams) 4. Europe Eyes Old Birds for Satellite Radio (George Antunes) 5. Iran ready to launch satellite (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 01:34:40 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Mars' Missing Atmosphere May Just Be Hiding To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,247159,00.html Rather than having had its air knocked out into space, Mars might just be holding its breath. New findings suggests the missing atmosphere of Mars might be locked up in hidden reservoirs on the planet, rather than having been chafed away by billions of years' worth of solar winds as previously thought. Combining two years of observations by the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft, researchers determined that Mars is currently losing only about 20 grams of air per second into space. Extrapolating this measurement back over 3.5 billion years, they estimate that only a small fraction, 0.2 to 4 millibars, of carbon dioxide and a few centimeters of water could have been lost to solar winds during that timeframe. (A bar is a unit for measuring pressure; Earth's atmospheric pressure is about 1 bar.) Missing greenhouse According to the "warm and wet early Mars" model, liquid water once flowed on the Red Planet's surface. Evidence from channels and gullies recently spotted on Mars suggest the water layer might have been more than half a mile deep in places. For Mars to keep that much water in liquid form, the planet must have had a much higher atmospheric temperature, which scientists think was made possible by a strong greenhouse effect in the planet's past. Mars' atmosphere must have been between 1 to 5 bars to maintain that kind of greenhouse effect, scientists think. But Mars' atmospheric pressure today is only a small fraction of that ? about 0.008 bars, or about 0.7 percent of the average surface pressure at sea level on Earth. What happened to Mars' atmosphere ? and by association, its water ? is one of the central mysteries surrounding the Red Planet today. One idea was that the atmosphere was eroded over the course of several billion years by the Sun's solar winds. The new findings, detailed in the Jan. 26 issue of the journal Science, suggest this might not be the case. Hidden reservoir? Where the atmosphere went is still unclear, but the authors speculate that it might still be contained somewhere beneath the Martian surface. "There are different alternatives," said study leader Stas Barabash of the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Kiruna, Sweden. "One is that it is still stored somewhere on Mars in some hidden reservoir we cannot find." Another, more controversial, idea is that Mars' atmosphere was blown away in a catastrophic impact with a giant asteroid or comet sometime in the planet's ancient past. Barabash estimates that Mars would have had to have been struck by a space rock at least 6 miles (10 km) wide to obliterate its atmosphere. Uncovering what happened to Mars' atmosphere is key to understanding the overall evolution of the planet, Barabash told SPACE.com. It could also help answer the question of whether life might have once existed there. "If we can show that conditions on early Mars were really moderate ? that the temperature was sufficiently high and there was plenty of water," Barabash said, "then all our suggestions and ideas that life might have existed on Mars become more solid." -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 01:41:04 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Legendary astronaut still finds herself star-struck To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/01/26/shannon.lucid.profile/index.html Legendary astronaut still finds herself star-struck POSTED: 12:20 p.m. EST, January 26, 2007 (CNN) -- During the last space shuttle mission to the internat
Medianews Digest, Vol 173, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Endangered cranes killed in Fla. storms (Greg Williams) 2. Test message (Greg Williams) 3. TiVo sees if you skip those ads (Monty Solomon) 4. Viewers Must Chip In For DTV Converters (George Antunes) 5. Preparing for daylight saving time changes in 2007 (Monty Solomon) 6. Portable, trash-powered generator ready for deployment (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 04 Feb 2007 01:31:44 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Endangered cranes killed in Fla. storms To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Endangered cranes killed in Fla. storms http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070203/ap_on_sc/whooping_cranes By JAMES A. CARLSON, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 3, 3:50 PM ET MILWAUKEE - All 18 endangered young whooping cranes that were led south from Wisconsin last fall as part of a project to create a second migratory flock of the birds were killed in storms in Florida, a spokesman said. The cranes were being kept in an enclosure at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge near Crystal River, Fla., when violent storms moved in Thursday night, said Joe Duff, co-founder of Operation Migration, the organization coordinating the project. The area of the enclosure was unreachable by workers at night, and all the birds were found dead, Duff said. "It's very traumatic to the whole team who put so much time and effort into these birds," he said Saturday. He speculated that a strong storm surge drew the tide in and overwhelmed the birds, or they were electrocuted from lightning strikes reported in the area. The official cause of the deaths was not immediately known. The thunderstorms and at least one tornado that hit central Florida caused widespread damage and killed at least 20 people. For the past six years, whooping cranes hatched in captivity have been raised at the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin by workers who wear crane-like costumes to keep the birds wary of humans. Ultralight aircraft are used to teach new groups of young cranes the migration route to Florida. Then the birds migrate north in the spring and south in the fall on their own. Duff described the loss as an "unavoidable disaster" for the whooping cranes project. Ironically, for the first time in six years, an entire group of young birds reared at the Necedah refuge had made it to the Florida refuge without the loss of a single crane. The various groups and agencies working on the project had seen the size of the flock grow to 81 birds with the latest arrivals, but the loss of the young cranes drops the total back to 63, and there may have been additional losses. Operation Migration is part of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership. Partnership officials and Duff said the work would continue. Chicks are expected to hatch in two months, he said. The whooping crane, the tallest bird in North America, was near extinction in 1941, with only about 20 left. The other wild whooping crane flock in North America has about 200 birds and migrates from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast. A non-migratory flock in Florida has about 60 birds. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:22:03 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Test message To: wildfeeds@twiar.org, Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Please ignore. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 3 Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2007 21:45:05 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] TiVo sees if you skip those ads To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" TiVo sees if you skip those ads - David Lazarus Sunday, February 4, 2007 TiVo revealed the other day that it's offering TV networks and ad agencies a chance to receive second-by- second data about which programs the company's 4.5 million subscribers are watching and, more importantly, which commercials people are skipping. This raises a pair of troubling questions: Is TiVo, which revolutionized TV viewing with its digital video recording techn
Medianews Digest, Vol 178, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. In a Search Refinement, a Chance to Rival Google (George Antunes) 2. Cartoon Network chief quits over Boston scare (Williams, Gregory S.) 3. Circuit City to Close 70 Stores (George Antunes) 4. EMI May Sell Recordings Online With No DRM (George Antunes) 5. Shrinking Pains at Kodak (George Antunes) 6. Ken Kennedy, 61, a Pioneer of Supercomputer Software, Dies (George Antunes) 7. Cartoon Network chief resigns over Boston scare (George Antunes) 8. Appeals Court Examines FCC Effort To Charge USF Fees For VoIP (George Antunes) 9. Playboy Archives Go Digital (George Antunes) 10. Nielsen's New College Numbers (George Antunes) 11. EPIC Alert 14.03 (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:31:01 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] In a Search Refinement, a Chance to Rival Google To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed February 9, 2007 In a Search Refinement, a Chance to Rival Google By MIGUEL HELFT NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/09/technology/09license.html?ref=business&pagewanted=print SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8 ? Early in the decade, a struggling Xerox Corporation was trying to sell off a stake in its Palo Alto Research Center, which it could no longer afford to support. But with the technology bubble bursting, the price that investors were willing to pay for a piece of PARC, as the center is known, kept going down. So in 2002, Xerox switched to Plan B: it spun off the center into an independent subsidiary and sought to prove that it could sustain itself by licensing technology and forming partnerships with outside companies. On Friday, PARC is announcing a deal that underscores that strategy. It is licensing a broad portfolio of patents and technology to a well-financed start-up with an ambitious and potentially lucrative goal: to build a search engine that could some day rival Google. The start-up, Powerset, is licensing PARC?s ?natural language? technology ? the art of making computers understand and process languages like English or French. Powerset hopes the technology will be the basis of a new search engine that allows users to type queries in plain English, rather than using keywords. In the fall, Powerset raised $12.5 million in its first round of financing from venture-capital firms and individual investors. The challenges facing it are immense, and the odds of success are long. But the PARC technology, which is a result of 30 years of research, is certain to lend it an aura of credibility. PARC?s natural-language technology is among the ?most comprehensive in existence,? said Fernando Pereira, an expert in natural language and the chairman of the department of computer and information science at the University of Pennsylvania. But by itself, it will not guarantee Powerset?s success, Mr. Pereira said. ?The question of whether this technology is adequate to any application, whether search or anything else, is an empirical question that has to be tested,? Mr. Pereira added. As part of the deal, a leading natural-language researcher at PARC, Ronald M. Kaplan, will join Powerset?s staff of about 40 as chief technology and scientific officer. PARC will also receive an equity stake in Powerset and earn royalties from the company. Additionally, Powerset will sponsor a handful of researchers at PARC. The specific financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed. But Mark Bernstein, president and center director of PARC, said: ?It?s one of the biggest deals that we have done, and we hope that it grows into the biggest in terms of the length of the relationship and the amount of value we can create together. It represents a commitment of some of the intellectual crown jewels that PARC has created.? As part of the business model forged when it was spun off, PARC has struck various business relationships with outside firms and organizations. About half of its research is still sponsored by Xerox, Mr. Bernstein said. But the lab is also conducting paid research for Fujitsu, Dai Nippon Printing and others. Some of its researchers work on federally financed projects, and the lab is working with ipValue, a intellectual-property licensing f
Medianews Digest, Vol 179, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. 'House of Cards' actor Ian Richardson dead (Greg Williams) 2. New Senate Bills 'Protect The Children' At Plenty Of Others' Expense, from the talking-heads dept (Rob) 3. Court TV Returns to Dish Network (George Antunes) 4. DirecTV May Delay Satellite Launch (George Antunes) 5. Google Encounters Hurdles in Selling Radio Advertising (George Antunes) 6. Forgive Me, Viewer, for I Have Confessed in a Banner Ad (George Antunes) 7. MIT Team Details Optics-On-A-Chip Device (George Antunes) 8. Manure: You May Be Walking on It Soon (George Antunes) 9. Militant Islamic Groups Turn to YouTube (George Antunes) 10. Wife: Husband said 'he will die' before going to prison (Mason Vye) 11. Batman wants to sell the Batmobile (Greg Williams) 12. Windows Vista Flunks At MIT (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 00:49:58 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] 'House of Cards' actor Ian Richardson dead To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed 'House of Cards' actor Ian Richardson dead POSTED: 11:53 a.m. EST, February 9, 2007 http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/09/obit.richardson.ap/index.html?rss/ LONDON, England (AP) -- Ian Richardson, who brought Shakespearean depth to his portrayal of a thoroughly immoral politician in the hugely popular satirical TV drama "House of Cards," died Friday at age 72, his agent said. In addition to his many stage, screen and TV roles, Richardson also appeared in one of the mustard commercials as the man in the Rolls-Royce who asked, "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" He died in his sleep at his London home, said the agent, Jean Diamond. Richardson played the silkily evil Francis Urquhart in three miniseries, "House of Cards" in 1990, "To Play the King" in 1993 and "The Final Cut" in 1995. Urquhart's smooth riposte to any slur against another character -- "You may think that; I couldn't possibly comment" -- was picked up by British politicians and heard again and again in the House of Commons. His other television roles included Bill Haydon in John Le Carre's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"; Sir Godber Evans in "Porterhouse Blue" and Sherlock Holmes in "The Hound of the Baskervilles." In 2001, he starred in "Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes," playing Dr. Joseph Bell, the mentor of Arthur Conan Doyle, in a miniseries that was broadcast in the United States on PBS' "Mystery." He also portrayed the British spy Anthony Blunt in the BBC-TV play "Blunt." On Broadway, he played Jean-Paul Marat in "Marat/Sade" in 1965, reprising the role in the United Artists film the following year, and Henry Higgins in a 1976 revival of "My Fair Lady," for which he was nominated for a Tony Award as best actor in a musical. Other movie credits included "Brazil" in 1985, "The Fourth Protocol" in 1987, "B*A*P*S" in 1997, and "102 Dalmatians" in 2000. But it was his role in "House of Cards" that turned him "from a jobbing actor that the cognoscenti were aware of into a star that the country's entire viewing population knew," Richardson said in an interview last year with the Daily Mail newspaper. "House of Cards" was brilliantly, if accidentally, timed. It appeared in Britain in the same year that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was brought down by feuding in her Conservative Party. The miniseries was shown in the United States as part of PBS' "Masterpiece Theatre." "Urquhart was a wicked character but Richardson portrayed him in such a way that everybody loved it. In anybody else's hands, that role could have fallen flat on his face," said Michael Dobbs, who wrote the book on which it was based. In the feverish atmosphere of Thatcher's downfall, "even John Major's leadership campaign in 1990 came to a halt at 9 p.m. on a Sunday night so that the whole campaign team could sit down and see what was happening," Dobbs said. Richardson, born in Edinburgh in 1934, joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1960. In 1989, Queen Elizabeth II honored him with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his many roles. He is survived by his wife, Maroussia, and two sons. Funeral arrangements were not announced. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Mes
Medianews Digest, Vol 180, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Virtualization Vendor Warns Mac Users With Vista Dreams (Monty Solomon) 2. Steve Jobs Wants To End DRM, But Apple Develops New Access Control Technology (Monty Solomon) 3. First Impression: Switching From A PC To The Mac (Monty Solomon) 4. Windows To Mac: A Frustrating Transition So Far (Monty Solomon) 5. Jobs Calls for End to Music Copy Protection (Monty Solomon) 6. iTunes and Windows Vista (Monty Solomon) 7. Breaking the Myth of Megapixels (Monty Solomon) 8. Bledsoe: True love means never resorting to these tunes (Greg Williams) 9. Wireless Industry Heads to Spain Meeting (George Antunes) 10. Students Charged in Online Snow-Day Hoax (George Antunes) 11. Review: Adium 1.0 (Monty Solomon) 12. Hands On: Running Vista Home on a Mac (Monty Solomon) 13. Fatal drug mix killed US R&B star (Greg Williams) 14. 'Old' music's digital comeback (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 23:02:37 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Virtualization Vendor Warns Mac Users With Vista Dreams To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Virtualization Vendor Warns Mac Users With Vista Dreams Parallels says the licensing agreement makes it uncertain whether its customers will hear from Microsoft's legal department in the future. By Antone Gonsalves InformationWeek Feb 8, 2007 06:56 PM Parallels, a maker of virtualization software, on Thursday warned that people who run Vista on the Mac cannot be certain that they won't violate Microsoft's end user license agreement. Parallels is concerned with wording in the EULA that makes it impossible, according to the company, for people to know what they can, or can't, do with Vista running on a Mac. "We don't know what the hell it means, and no one else knows what it means," Benjamin Rudolph, a spokesman for the company, says of the licensing agreement. The portion of the EULA bothering Parallels has to do with the use of Vista with virtualization technologies. It's already known that Microsoft only wants the higher-priced editions of the operating system -- Business and Ultimate -- to run on virtual machine software. But what the EULA doesn't make clear is what you can do with Vista once it's running on a Mac, Linux, or some other OS. ... http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197004648 -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 23:05:34 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Steve Jobs Wants To End DRM, But Apple Develops New Access Control Technology To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Steve Jobs Wants To End DRM, But Apple Develops New Access Control Technology The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has published a new Apple patent application for securing and controlling access to digital data. By Thomas Claburn InformationWeek Feb 8, 2007 01:00 PM Apple CEO Steve Jobs may be calling for an end to digital-rights management (DRM), but engineers at his company continue to develop data security technology. On Thursday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a new Apple patent application titled "Securing and controlling access to digital data," which describes how motion tracked by an input device other than a keyboard -- say, an iPhone touch pad -- can be used to emulate a combination lock to secure digital data. While this isn't DRM, strictly speaking, the patent application nonetheless contemplates the technology's use as a means of access control, which is, after all, the primary function of DRM. ... http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197004497 -- Message: 3 Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 23:15:38 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] First Impression: Switching From A PC To The Mac To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" First Impression: Switching From A Pc To The Mac By Mitch Wagner, 08:34 PM ET, Feb 5, 2007 Do I look different to you? More genteel? More elegant? Maybe even taller? I just made the switch from using a PC as my primary machine to using a Mac. As a matter of fact, I've spent more time on the Mac in the la
Medianews Digest, Vol 183, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. FCC to examine CBS newsroom consolidation (Greg Williams) 2. RIAA Admits ISPs Have Misidentified "John Does" (Rob) 3. EarthLink is selected as Houston's WiFi provider (George Antunes) 4. Houston: With EarthLink selected, plan zooms to council (George Antunes) 5. NY, Calif more likely identity theft targets: study (Rob) 6. IBM says new technology can triple data storage: report (Rob) 7. Microsoft warns of six "critical" security flaws (Rob) 8. Is that really what your email meant to say? (Rob) 9. New fronts in Microsoft security battle (Rob) 10. New plugged-in toys follow kids online (Rob) 11. Microsoft Launches New DRM, Bloggers Up In Arms (Rob) 12. Music Exec Rebuts Apple's Critique of DRM (Rob) 13. New Hack Simplifies HD Video Copying (Rob) 14. Microsoft settles Iowa antitrust case (Rob) 15. Vista Will Have Little Impact on Mac Sales: Analyst (Rob) -- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 23:56:43 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] FCC to examine CBS newsroom consolidation To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed FCC to examine CBS newsroom consolidation http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Entertainment/20070213-100329-3233r/ WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will investigate allegations that CBS Television is seeking to consolidate newsrooms, a congressman says. U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., said the FCC has requested reports from the CBS network and the Writers Guild of America East and West on the situation, Radio&Records.com reported. The agency said it would report to the congressman "once we have heard from the parties." CBS and the Writers Guild of America are currently in contract negotiations that would extend their 50-year working relationship in New York, Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles. CBS allegedly began talks with the union on consolidating newsrooms by methods such as firing staff after mergers and removing news producers from bargaining units, the congressman's office said. Saying he was pleased that the FCC agreed to investigate, Hinchey said, "I hope that the FCC will ensure that corporate interests stay out of newsrooms so that the American public can be on the receiving end of journalism, not direct or indirect corporate promotion ... Any further consolidation of newsrooms and attacks on journalists would be contrary to the best interests of the public." -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2007 01:08:52 -0600 From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] RIAA Admits ISPs Have Misidentified "John Does" To: Media-News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed RIAA Admits ISPs Have Misidentified "John Does" http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/13/1833245 Posted by kdawson on Tuesday February 13, @02:45PM from the record-keeping dept. The Courts Music NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "The RIAA has sent out a letter to the ISPs telling them to stop making mistakes in identifying subscribers, and offering a 'Pre-Doe settlement option' ? with a discount of '$1000 or more' ? to their subscribers, if and only if the ISP agrees to preserve its logs for 180 days. Other interesting points in the letter (PDF): the RIAA will be launching a web site for 'early settlements,' www.p2plawsuits.com; the letter asks the ISPs to notify the RIAA if they have previously 'misidentified a subscriber account in response to a subpoena' or become aware of 'technical information... that causes you to question the information that you provided in response to our clients' subpoena'; it notes that ISPs have identified 'John Does' who were not even subscribers of the ISP at the time of the infringement; and it requests that ISPs furnish their underlying log files, not just names and addresses, when responding to RIAA subpoenas." -- Message: 3 Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:16:08 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] EarthLink is selected as Houston's WiFi provider To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="is
Medianews Digest, Vol 186, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. On this day (Feb 16) (Greg Williams) 2. Digital music sales may be playing a swan song (George Antunes) 3. Update: Delta 2 / THEMIS Upcoming Launch Coverage TONIGHT (02-17) @3:45pm ET. NASA DVB (Dishnut) 4. AACS: A Tale of Three Keys (Monty Solomon) 5. Inventor of the TV Remote Dies (George Antunes) 6. Driver's License Emerges as Crime-Fighting Tool, but Privacy Advocates Worry (Monty Solomon) 7. Drive-by Web attack aimed at home routers (Monty Solomon) 8. First look: Apple offers 802.11n, and a wireless wow (Monty Solomon) 9. Cuba Embraces Open-Source Software (George Antunes) 10. Why is US always last in line for new cell phones? (George Antunes) 11. Tire Reef Off Florida Proves a Disaster (George Antunes) 12. Will AT&T make acquisitions to rescue its bumpy video effort? (George Antunes) 13. DirecTV or DISH? Both could be buyout targets for AT&T (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2007 01:30:52 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] On this day (Feb 16) To: Media News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/dictionary/detail.asp?guid=&searchtype=1&DicID=19535&RefType=Encyclopedia Although it might seem hard to believe because of the way the Web has grown in popularity, computer users used to rely on dial-up systems, called BBSes (bulletin board systems), for their online work. And, stranger yet, they enjoyed it. Ward Christensen and Randy Suess? invention of the BBS sparked a major change in the way people used their computers. Through a BBS, a computer user could dial in and connect with other computer users from almost anywhere. BBSes contained software, games, and message boards. Many computer-related companies ran BBSes, using them to post company news or software patches. The first BBS, which Christensen and Suess called CBBS, began operating Feb. 16, 1978, in Chicago. The two men had been contemplating the idea for a while, but a timely snowstorm early in 1978 that made travel difficult in Chicago gave them the impetus to start the project. CBBS ran on a CP/M-8080 computer with a 300-baud modem. CBBS became open to the public in 1979. CBBS was short for Computerized BBS (not Christensen?s BBS, as some people theorized). It didn?t take long for those using CBBS and other BBSes to drop the ?C? from the name. Christensen had spent some time programming mainframe computers for IBM when he and Suess began working on the CBBS, which they envisioned as an electronic version of the traditional paper bulletin board where people could use a modem, dial into the BBS, and leave messages for other dial-up users. Suess handled the hardware setup, while Christensen wrote the software?many components of which remained in use throughout the lifespan of BBSes?and became the system operator. The entire setup process took only one month. After Christensen and Suess wrote a story about their BBS in the November 1978 issue of Byte magazine, others began creating BBSes, too. Within a couple of years, CBBS had more than 11,000 users from all over the world. By 1992, 45,000 BBSes were operational in the United States, up from 9,000 just five years earlier. Christensen?s original BBS remained in operation into the mid-1990s, long after many BBS operators had closed shop or moved their data exclusively onto the Internet. Although Christensen probably is best known for his work with BBSes, he also wrote the software behind the Xmodem protocol (sometimes called the Christensen protocol), which was the first file transfer protocol in widespread use. The Xmodem protocol, developed in 1977, was key in allowing easy file transfers over a phone line, especially in the early days of modems. It?s considered slow and impractical compared to today?s standard protocols for modems, but it was perfect for the modems of the time. Christensen, who describes himself as ?somewhat of a loner,? became interested in computers during his senior year of high school when he built a simple computer. After attending college for a few semesters, he dropped out and worked with IBM, where he became more interested in computers. IBM suggested he return to school, and he received a degree in physics and chemistry at Milton College (now defunct) in Milton
Medianews Digest, Vol 187, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Apple, Cisco extend negotiations on iPhone name (Rob) 2. NASA'S THEMIS Mission Launches to Study Geomagnetic Substorms (Dishnut) 3. WWII vet helped launch 1st civilian satellite (Dishnut) 4. Driver?s License Emerges as Crime-Fighting Tool (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:37:46 -0600 From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Apple, Cisco extend negotiations on iPhone name To: Media-News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Apple, Cisco extend negotiations on iPhone name http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070216/tc_nm/apple_cisco_iphone_dc_3 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc. said it agreed to give Apple Inc. more time to respond to the lawsuit it filed over the "iPhone" trademark, extending negotiations until February 21. Cisco, who made the announcement late on Thursday, sued Apple for trademark infringement in January after Apple unveiled its long-awaited multimedia phone called the iPhone, a name claimed by the network equipment maker. "Cisco has agreed to give Apple an extension until Wednesday, February 21," Cisco said in a statement. "Cisco is fully committed to using the extra time to reach a mutually beneficial resolution." Cisco obtained the iPhone trademark in 2000 after acquiring a company called Infogear, which had previously owned the trademark and had sold devices called iPhones for several years. Linksys, a division of Cisco, has been selling wireless products with the iPhone name since early last year, with new products added to the line in December. It was the second agreement to an extension after a similar move on January 31. While Cisco has said it wants to keep Apple from "infringing upon and deliberately copying and using" the trademark, it has also called for "interoperability," suggesting it was seeking more than a one-off payment for use of the name. Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris confirmed the extension, saying the discussions were aimed at reaching an agreement on trademark rights and interoperability. -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2007 04:15:34 -0800 From: Dishnut <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] NASA'S THEMIS Mission Launches to Study Geomagnetic Substorms To: Medianews Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's THEMIS mission successfully launched Saturday, Feb. 17, at 6:01 p.m. EST from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. THEMIS stands for the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms. It is NASA's first five-satellite mission launched aboard a single rocket. The spacecraft separated from the launch vehicle approximately 73 minutes after liftoff. By 8:07 p.m. EST, mission operators at the University of California, Berkeley, commanded and received signals from all five spacecraft, confirming nominal separation status. The mission will help resolve the mystery of what triggers geomagnetic substorms. Substorms are atmospheric events visible in the Northern Hemisphere as a sudden brightening of the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis. The findings from the mission may help protect commercial satellites and humans in space from the adverse effects of particle radiation. THEMIS' satellite constellation will line up along the sun-Earth line, collect coordinated measurements, and observe substorms during the two-year mission. Data collected from the five identical probes will help pinpoint where and when substorms begin, a feat impossible with any previous single- satellite mission. "The THEMIS mission will make a breakthrough in our understanding of how Earth's magnetosphere stores and releases energy from the sun and also will demonstrate the tremendous potential that constellation missions have for space exploration," said Vassilis Angelopoulos, THEMIS principal investigator at the University of California, Berkeley. "THEMIS' unique alignments also will answer how the sun-Earth interaction is affected by Earth's bow shock, and how 'killer electrons' at Earth's radiation belts are accelerated." The Mission Operations Center at the University of California, Berkeley, will monitor the health and status of the five satellites. Instrument sc
Medianews Digest, Vol 193, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. [Fwd: [Wildfeeds] NASCAR Practice Hi Def] (Greg Williams) 2. [Fwd: FCC Rules That Rural Carriers Must Connect VoIP Calls] (Greg Williams) 3. Test - back on twiar.org (Greg Williams) 4. Judge rules for Microsoft in Alcatel-Lucent suit (Rob) 5. Robot serves tea just the way Japanese like it (Rob) 6. Motorola CEO Got $13.2M as Profits Fell (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:55:08 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] [Fwd: [Wildfeeds] NASCAR Practice Hi Def] To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" SATMEX 6 - C 15 4000 V SR 29270 308/256,257/8190 ESPN on ESPN2 -- next part -- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: file:///C|/DOCUME%7E1/GREG%7E1.BAT/LOCALS%7E1/TEMP/nsmail.txt Url: http://twiar.org/pipermail/medianews_twiar.org/attachments/20070302/dd13d23d/attachment.txt -- next part -- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: file:///C|/DOCUME%7E1/GREG%7E1.BAT/LOCALS%7E1/TEMP/nsmail-1.txt Url: http://twiar.org/pipermail/medianews_twiar.org/attachments/20070302/dd13d23d/attachment-0001.txt -- Message: 2 Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:56:10 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] [Fwd: FCC Rules That Rural Carriers Must Connect VoIP Calls] To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed March 2, 2007 F.C.C. Rules That Rural Carriers Must Connect Internet Calls By DOW JONES http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/technology/02fcc.html?pagewanted=print WASHINGTON, March 1 (Dow Jones) ? Rural telephone carriers must connect calls made by voice-over-Internet Protocol customers, the Federal Communications Commission ruled Thursday in a decision that marks the breaking down of one of the last barriers to allowing VoIP to fully compete with traditional phone carriers. The F.C.C. said that rural service providers in two states, Nebraska and South Carolina, must connect telephone calls made by customers of Time Warner?s VoIP service. Regulators in the two states argued that because the FCC had not deemed VoIP providers as telecom services, the local telephone companies did not have to honor their phone calls. ?This decision will enable Time Warner Cable to deploy its digital phone service in areas that until now have been denied the benefits of competition because of state decisions,? said Mark Harrad, a spokesman for the company. ?By increasing competition in the telephone sector, this action encourages the deployment of broadband facilities and ensures that consumers in all areas of the country reap the benefits of competition in the form of lower prices, innovative services and more choice,? the F.C.C. chairman, Kevin J. Martin, said in a statement. The move by Mr. Martin to rule in favor of the cable industry in a dispute with telecom providers is a rare one. In a recent series of high-profile decisions, Mr. Martin sided with the telecom industry, provoking the ire of the cable industry. The decision is limited in its scope because in most parts of the country, incumbent telephone companies already voluntarily connect VoIP customers? calls. As a result of the decision, VoIP providers such as Time Warner will be able to offer truly national service. Some VoIP companies, like Time Warner, contract their phone service to a third party provider. In Time Warner?s case, Sprint Nextel is the actual phone provider. Others, like Vonage, offer phone service without the assistance of a traditional phone carrier. George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 3 Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2007 23:02:58 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Test - back on twiar.org To: medianews@twiar.org, wildfeeds@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Testing #1 -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net --
Medianews Digest, Vol 199, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. NASA to Announce Winner of Space Station Student Naming Contest (Greg Williams) 2. Satellite repair robot faces orbital field test (George Antunes) 3. Satellite repair robot launches from Florida (George Antunes) 4. Atlas 5 Rocket Launches Six Military Research Satellites into Orbit (Dishnut) 5. DIRECTV's Baseball Deal: The HDTV Impact (George Antunes) 6. As Power Shifts, AT&T May Alter Yahoo Pact (George Antunes) 7. Music's New Gatekeeper (George Antunes) 8. Using RSS Feeds Is Much Simpler Than You Think (George Antunes) 9. APPLE-SA-2007-03-08 AirPort Extreme Update 2007-002 (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2007 23:47:55 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] NASA to Announce Winner of Space Station Student Naming Contest To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed NASA to Announce Winner of Space Station Student Naming Contest From PR News-wire: NASA's newest module for the International Space Station is about to be given a new name. NASA's Kennedy Space Center hosts a media event on Thursday, March 15, at noon EDT to unveil the Node 2 module's new name. The name was chosen from an academic competition involving thousands of students in kindergarten through high school. The Node 2 Challenge required students to learn about the International Space Station, build a scale model of the module, and write an essay explaining their proposed name. This will be the first U.S. piece of the space station named by someone other than a NASA official. Media planning to attend the event should arrive at Kennedy's Press Site by 11 a.m. for transportation to the Space Station Processing Facility. Node 2 is being prepared there for its space shuttle Atlantis flight, designated STS- 120, which is targeted for launch later this year. Media without permanent Kennedy credentials should submit their request online at: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv Node 2 is a pressurized module that will act as a connecting port and passageway to additional international science labs and supply spacecraft. It also will be a work platform for the station's robotic arm. For more information on the station and Node 2, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station Contact: Allard Beutel, Headquarters, Washington, +1-202-358-4769, or Tracy Young, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, +1-321-867-2468, both of NASA -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:04:13 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Satellite repair robot faces orbital field test To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Satellite repair robot faces orbital field test By Irene Klotz Reuters Last updated: 08-Mar-07 21:06 GMT http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=375242007 CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A prototype satellite repair robot that can refuel, upgrade and repair satellites is slated to begin a three-month orbital field test after its launch from Florida on Thursday. The two-satellite system, called Orbital Express, was developed by the U.S. military in cooperation with NASA to extend the lives of spy satellites and lay the groundwork for servicing and repair of government-owned spacecraft and telescopes after the space shuttle fleet is retired. Launch is scheduled between 9:37 and 11:42 p.m. EST (2:37 a.m. and 4:42 a.m. British time) from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. "What we're really trying to do with Orbital Express is to change the paradigm of how we operate in space," said programme manager Fred Kennedy, with the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. With few exceptions, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, which was designed for in-flight servicing by space shuttle crews, spacecraft need to have everything aboard at the time they are launched. Once a key component breaks down, or when manoeuvring fuel runs out, the satellites are dead. Officials hope the repair robot will be able to refuel a satellite, replace faulty components and install equipment upgrades. The two satellites which comprise Orbital Express are
Medianews Digest, Vol 200, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Lead singer of the band Boston dies (Greg Williams) 2. FCC Commissioners Attend Media-Ownership Meeting in Ohio (George Antunes) 3. AMD Finds Itself in Financial Peril (George Antunes) 4. Ariane 5 / Skynet 5A & INSAT 4B Launch Coverage TODAY (3-10) @ 5:05pm ET. WEBCAST ONLY (Dishnut) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 00:30:28 -0500 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Lead singer of the band Boston dies To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Lead singer of the band Boston dies http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2007/03/09/boston_lead_singer_brad_delp_dies_at_55/?p1=MEWell_Pos3 March 9, 2007 ATKINSON, N.H. --Brad Delp, the lead singer for the band Boston, was found dead Friday in his home in southern New Hampshire. He was 55. Atkinson police responded to a call for help at 1:20 p.m. and found Delp dead. Lt. William Baldwin said in a news release that there was no indication of foul play. "There was nothing disrupted in the house. He was a fairly healthy person from what we're able to ascertain," Police Chief Philip Consentino told WMUR-TV. Delp apparently was alone at the time, Baldwin said. The cause of death remained under investigation. Police said an incident report would not be available until Monday. Delp sang on Boston's 1976 hits "More than a Feeling" and "Long Time." He also sang on Boston's most recent album, "Corporate America," released in 2002. He joined the band in the early 1970s after meeting Tom Scholz, an MIT student interested in experimental methods of recording music, according to the group's official Web site. The band enjoyed its greatest success and influence during its first decade. The band's last appearance was in November 2006 at Boston's Symphony Hall. On Friday night, the Web site was taken down and replaced with the statement: "We just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll." A call to the Swampscott, Mass., home of Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau was not immediately returned Friday night. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 12:15:48 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] FCC Commissioners Attend Media-Ownership Meeting in Ohio To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed FCC Commissioners Attend Media-Ownership Meeting in Ohio By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 3/8/2007 9:50:00 AM http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6422700.html?display=Breaking+News Free Press estimates that about 400 people filled the Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio for a town meeting on media ownership that featured the first FCC majority--three out of the five commissioners-- to attend one of the unofficial gatherings. The FCC is reviewing its media ownership rules with an eye toward loosening some of them. Three of five commissioners were in attendance, Democrats Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps and Republican Robert McDowell. Adelstein and Copps are regular attendants of the meetings, but it was McDowell's first appearance. McDowell was the first Republican to attend any the Free Press hearings--of which there has been over a dozen. McDowell has shown himself to be an independent voice who has not promised his vote to the Republican majority. He earned plaudits from the anti-consolidation crowd for his decision not to vote on the Bell South/AT&T merger. According to a Free Press account, McDowell said the media ownership debate concerns "the vitality of American Democracy." He added that he was "eager to hear from the public on the impact of media policy decisions." The commissioners heard testimony from more than 100 people. The informal forum followed an official FCC public meeting in Harrisburg, Pa., where well over a hundred people voiced their opinions causing the meeting y to exceed the official scheduled time 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: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 12:18:14 -06
Medianews Digest, Vol 206, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. China Sees Red Over HDTV Ads (George Antunes) 2. Schools Discover Automated Calling And Go Wild (George Antunes) 3. Gravity-Wave Study Points to Risks Of Doing Big Science (George Antunes) 4. Counting Engineers (George Antunes) 5. Competition, Technology Enhance the DVR (George Antunes) 6. China Takes Lead In Skype Users (George Antunes) 7. How the Internet Shrinks The Distance Between Us (George Antunes) 8. Nintendo's Wii Outsold Other Consoles in February (George Antunes) 9. Ensnared on the wireless Web (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:06:06 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] China Sees Red Over HDTV Ads To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed [The candela (cd) is the new standard unit for measuring luminance. Roughly equivalent to the "candle power" unit of days gone by. I mention this only because I had to look it up. Chalk up another one for Google!] China Sees Red Over HDTV Ads The Chinese government says TV makers are exaggerating the HD picture quality. By Phillip Swann TVPredictions.com http://www.tvpredictions.com/chinahd031607.htm Washington, D.C. (March 16, 2007) -- High-def owners are claiming that companies are making false claims about their HD picture quality. And the government has issued a report saying the companies should stop it immediately. Has the Federal Communications Commission finally acted on consumer complaints that cable and satellite operators may sometime dilute their high-def transmissions to make room for more channels? No, actually, the debate over HDTV picture quality has spread to the People's Republic of China. According to CCTV.com, a Chinese news site, the government's Ministry of Information Industry has issued a report saying that some high-def TV makers in China are exaggerating their picture resolution. Officials say the ads are confusing and hurt the consumer's ability to decide which set to buy. High-Definition was introduced to China just a few years ago but it's expected to grow rapidly. There are 110 million households in the country with HD-capable cable service and China plans to switch to an all-digital format in 2015. The Ministry of Information Industry says some HDTV ads are claiming the average luminance of their sets is between 800 and 1000cd per square meter. However, the luminance is actually between 350cd and 600cd. CCTV.com reports that government officials say consumers should check whether the high-def set has received the official "quality certificate of international standard." 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: 2 Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007 15:29:06 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Schools Discover Automated Calling And Go Wild To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Schools Discover Automated Calling And Go Wild Meant for Emergencies, Systems Are Now Used For Lunch-Money Updates By ELLEN GAMERMAN Wall Street Journal March 16, 2007; Page A1 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117399035245738476.html?mod=hps_us_pageone It isn't just telemarketers and credit-card companies interrupting your family dinner with phone calls. Lately, it's your kid's school. In January, the Raleigh School in North Carolina sent out 1,400 automated phone messages informing elementary-school parents of a delayed school opening because of bad weather -- then another 1,400 calls to apologize for giving the wrong time in the previous message. Maureen Sawchak says she got the calls on her home phone and two different cellphones that morning. They "were ringing off the hook," she says. All over the country, schools are putting in automated phone systems that can quickly place thousands of recorded calls. Originally intended to notify parents of emergencies, more and more automated messages are about routine matters, ranging from stern warnings about talking in class to how to dress for tomorrow's pep rally. One automated calling company,
Medianews Digest, Vol 210, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Amazon Seeks to Fill Classical Recording Niche (George Antunes) 2. From PC to TV -- via Apple (Monty Solomon) 3. Why Apple TV Will Bomb (Monty Solomon) 4. Space shuttle launch likely delayed until May (Williams, Gregory S.) 5. A Radio Host Tries His Voice on Television (George Antunes) 6. Judges Reconsider Royalty Fees (TeckStuff Steve) 7. Copyright Board Agrees to Reconsider Web Music Fees (Update2) (Rob) 8. Microsoft says probing fraud on Xbox Live service (Rob) 9. Apple makes biggest move yet into living rooms (Rob) 10. Elton John to put entire music catalog online (Rob) 11. Sirius: Lower price plan with XM buy (Rob) 12. MySpace Seeks Impact With New Presidential Candidate Channel (Rob) 13. Microsoft to release VOIP server beta on Monday (Rob) 14. VA review: Hospitals beset with problems (Rob) 15. Doctor pleads guilty in Internet steroid ring (Rob) 16. Letterman regular Calvert DeForest, aka Larry 'Bud' Melman, dies (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:09:54 -0600 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Amazon Seeks to Fill Classical Recording Niche To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed March 19, 2007 Amazon Seeks to Fill Classical Recording Niche By BOB TEDESCHI NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/19/technology/19ecom.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=business&pagewanted=print CLASSICAL music fans, the refugees of the retail world, can be forgiven for feeling unwanted. Specialty chains like Tower Records and other independent music stores have been chased into oblivion by big-box retailers, which offer classical fans little other than Andrea Bocelli?s latest pop release or ?Baby Einstein?s Lullaby Classics.? According to Paco Underhill, chief executive of Envirosell, a New York-based retail consultancy, Tower?s closing has been ?absolutely devastating for the classical music community. And the transition to online isn?t as natural as it might be for products with a younger customer base.? So what store wants customers who can differentiate among Beethoven?s symphonies (other than the Fifth)? Perhaps not surprisingly, Amazon does. The Internet?s catch-all merchant last week opened a classical music discount store ? a move, analysts said, that could benefit the company handsomely, since classical fans actually buy, rather than steal, their music. ?Somebody?s got to serve this market, and this could be a great opportunity for Amazon,? said Russ Crupnick, an analyst with NPD Group, a research and consulting firm. Amazon?s new classical music Blowout store complements its core classical music offering, which has been in place since 1998 and features about 100,000 titles. With 2,000 deeply discounted CDs and a small but growing number of audio tutorials, the Blowout store is meant to be an introductory service of sorts for those who wish to build classical music collections but are not willing to spend large sums on a genre they know little about. ?It?s an enticing way to try out something you might not otherwise want to take the risk to discover,? said Thomas May, Amazon?s senior music editor. Mr. May said Amazon?s classical music sales last year grew by more than 22 percent, making it one of the fastest-growing music genres on the site (Amazon does not break out separate revenue figures). The Blowout store will seek to feed that trend by offering most titles at 30 percent of regular prices. The Blowout store?s tutorials are audio profiles of various artists, with examples from different CDs, of 5 to 10 minutes. The site currently lists five profiles ? studies of Handel, Vivaldi, lute music, the Nashville Symphony and the violinist Julia Fischer ? and Mr. May said more would appear each month. Amazon?s initiative comes at a time when classical music sales are either advancing nicely or in a free fall, depending on whom you believe and what you consider classical music. According to Nielsen SoundScan, which uses industry data to track album sales, classical music sales jumped by 22.5 percent last year, after dropping by 15 percent in 2005. But SoundScan last year counted albums like Josh Groban?s ?Awake,? Andrea Bocelli?s ?Amore? and Il Divo?s ?Ancora? as cla
Medianews Digest, Vol 212, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. FCC may drop plan allowing cell calls in-flight (Greg Williams) 2. HP to hack its customers (Greg Williams) 3. Raytheon Develops World's First Polymorphic Computer (Greg Williams) 4. Cablevision loses network DVR court case (George Antunes) 5. New firm makes Blu-ray DVDs for indie filmmakers (George Antunes) 6. LA area Time Warner cable unit could face fine (George Antunes) 7. Hollywood's big online rival: the little guy (George Antunes) 8. Mossberg: Congress Must Make Clear Copyright Laws To Protect Consumers (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 23:11:59 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] FCC may drop plan allowing cell calls in-flight To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed FCC may drop plan allowing cell calls in-flight http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17739316 Cites recent wireless industry comments it might disrupt ground networks WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday that the agency is considering dropping a proposal that would have lifted the ban on in-flight cell phone use. The commission began considering removal of the ban in late 2004. FCC Chair Kevin Martin told reporters after a board meeting Thursday that the wireless telecommunications industry indicated in recent comments to the FCC that mobile phone calls in flying planes would interfere with their networks on the ground. Two agencies claim regulatory jurisdiction over the issue. The FCC is focused on whether in-flight calling interferes with ground-based networks, while the Federal Aviation Administration considers safety issues. Both agencies would have to approve lifting the ban for passengers to be able legally to make calls while in-flight, an FCC spokeswoman said. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:31:29 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] HP to hack its customers To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39160104,00.htm HP to hack its customers By Tom Espiner Published: Wednesday 5 July 2006 HP is to launch a penetration-testing service for businesses in October but has denied reports it will unleash worms on its customers. The company said on Tuesday it would use the same techniques as hackers to gain access to its customers' machines. However, the exploit code it will use will be controlled and will not propagate itself, HP said. Richard Brown, threat management department manager at HP Labs, said: "We use hacking techniques to gain access to the system but once we have control we make the system safe. We don't unleash a worm - we don't use worm-propagation techniques." The penetration-testing service, HP Active Countermeasures (HPAC), will use a single server and eight to 10 scanning clients per 250,000 connected devices. Each of the clients will be given a range of IP addresses to scan, and will move through the range scanning for particular vulnerabilities. Brown said: "We try to exploit vulnerabilities by sending malformed protocol messages to open ports. For example, Code Red exploited a vulnerability in MS IIS web service software - we would exploit the same vulnerability." The HPAC team will use hacking techniques such as the use of malformed code to create buffer overflows, heap overflows, and stack overflows to gain control of clients' systems. They will use exploit code for known vulnerabilities found on the internet, or write their own exploit code. Brown said: "If the code is unavailable we will generate our own exploit code." The HPAC team won't fix problems themselves but will alert customers and work with them if necessary until the issue is resolved. Brown said: "If we do manage to get control of a machine, we will do mitigating actions - supply a temporary fix until a patch can be applied in a proper manner. We could do as little as pop up a window saying 'this machine is vulnerable to Sasser' but we can escalate the mitigation if necessary to take the system completely offline. "In the worst case we can shut the machine down, so it's no longer a
Medianews Digest, Vol 220, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. TJX breach shows that encryption can be foiled (Monty Solomon) 2. iTunes Introduces Complete My Album (Monty Solomon) 3. Apple TV Now Shipping (Monty Solomon) 4. Apple to Offer Major League Baseball Video Highlights on the iTunes Store (Monty Solomon) 5. Google "Aibrushing History" with Pre-Katrina Images (George Antunes) 6. Suspected Movie "Pirates" Arrested (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 09:38:56 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] TJX breach shows that encryption can be foiled To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" TJX breach shows that encryption can be foiled By Ross Kerber, Globe Staff | March 31, 2007 The Boston Globe Encryption alone is no panacea for threats to consumer data, according to specialists who say the technology's limit can be seen in the problems reported by TJX Cos. of Framingham. The notion of using complex math formulas to scramble electronic information is gaining steam as a way to protect individuals' privacy, an area of growing concern for retailers and banks as data thefts become more brazen. But recent details to emerge on how hackers accessed the parent of stores including T.J. Maxx and Marshalls show how encryption can be defeated by clever thieves -- and suggest the breach may have been an inside job. A securities filing by TJX on Wednesday disclosed that the incident may have compromised more than 45 million credit and debit card numbers, the most in any single incident. In the filing, TJX also stated that "we believe that the intruder had access to the decryption tool for the encryption software utilized by TJX." TJX spokeswoman Sherry Lang declined to elaborate on the document, but outside security consultants say the language hints that a company employee or contractor, or someone known by an employee or contractor, was able to gain access to TJX's computers and obtain the formula needed to unscramble data. ... http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/03/31/tjx_breach_shows_that_encryption_can_be_foiled/ -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 09:41:53 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] iTunes Introduces Complete My Album To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" iTunes Introduces Complete My Album Turns Individual Songs Into Complete Albums at Reduced Prices CUPERTINO, California-March 29, 2007-Apple today announced Complete My Album, a groundbreaking new iTunes service that allows customers to turn their individual tracks into a complete album at a reduced price by giving them a full 99 cent credit for every track they have previously purchased from that album. ... http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/03/29itunes.html -- Message: 3 Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 09:44:34 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Apple TV Now Shipping To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Apple TV Now Shipping Watch Internet-Delivered Movies, Movie Trailers, TV Shows, Music, Podcasts & Photos on Your Widescreen TV CUPERTINO, California-March 21, 2007-Apple? is now shipping Apple TV?, an easy to use and fun way to wirelessly play all your favorite iTunes? content from your PC or Mac? on your widescreen TV, including movies, TV shows, music, photos and podcasts. With Apple TV's stunning new interface, anyone can quickly browse and view their entire collection of digital media from across the room using the simple and intuitive Apple Remote. Apple TV easily connects to almost all modern widescreen televisions. ... http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/03/21appletv.html http://www.apple.com/appletv/ -- Message: 4 Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 09:45:28 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Apple to Offer Major League Baseball Video Highlights on the iTunes Store To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Apple to Offer Major League Baseball Video Highlights on the iTunes Store CUPERTINO, California-March 30, 2007-Apple today announced it will be offering Major League Base
Medianews Digest, Vol 227, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Why Apple's 'consumer' Macs are enterprise-worthy (Monty Solomon) 2. Apple unveils octa-core Mac Pro (Monty Solomon) 3. Google Desktop for Mac released (Monty Solomon) 4. Windows expert to Redmond: Buh-bye (Monty Solomon) 5. The A-List of Mac Software (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2007 19:46:31 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Why Apple's 'consumer' Macs are enterprise-worthy To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Why Apple's 'consumer' Macs are enterprise-worthy Not everyone needs a Mac Pro; sometimes a mini might do Seth Weintraub March 09, 2007 Computerworld Not too long ago, ad agencies, design firms and other creative companies were about the only businesses that widely deployed Macintosh computers to their employees. But for a number of reasons, word of the benefits of Apple Inc. hardware -- and software -- on enterprise desktops is now spreading. That list of reasons includes: ... http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9012644 -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2007 19:56:43 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Apple unveils octa-core Mac Pro To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Apple unveils octa-core Mac Pro It's the only desktop offering dual 3-GHz Xeon quad-core chips Gregg Keizer April 04, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Apple Inc. today added an option to its Mac Pro desktop line that lets customers build out systems equipped with two of Intel's fastest quad-core Xeon processors, marking the first time users have been able to buy a Mac powered by eight -- yes, eight -- processor cores. The Mac Pro, which starts at $2,499 for a standard-configuration desktop machine with dual 2.66-GHz dual-core processors, jumps $1,498 when the option for two 3-GHz quad-core Xeon chips is selected. That makes the cheapest eight-core Mac $3,997. Buyers at the other end of the scale can also order a Mac Pro with two 2-GHz processors; that model sells for $2,200. Intel introduced the quad-core Xeon 5300 series processors last November and aimed them at the server and high-end gaming PC market. Other computer makers, including Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., have been selling Xeon 5300-equipped servers and workstations since then. A Dell Precision 690 system configured close to the lowest-priced eight-core Mac Pro -- two 2.66GHz quad-core Xeon chips, 1GB RAM, a 250GB drive, and no monitor -- checks out at $5,432. Intel's Xeon line officially tops out with the 2.66GHz 5355 processor, which is the fastest chip that can be dropped into Dell's Precision workstations. According to Intel, however, the brand-new 3.0GHz chip offered by Apple is now in "limited production" with a low volume turnout. ... http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9015583 -- Message: 3 Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2007 19:58:44 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Google Desktop for Mac released To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Google Desktop for Mac released It's designed to work with Apple's built-in Spotlight search tool Jim Dalrymple April 04, 2007 (Macworld) -- Google today released Google Desktop for Mac, marking the first time the search giant has made its desktop tool available to Mac users. While Mac users already have a built-in search tool with Apple's Spotlight, Google said its utility will work alongside the Mac OS X 10.4 feature perfectly. ... http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9015521 -- Message: 4 Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2007 20:29:46 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Windows expert to Redmond: Buh-bye To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Windows expert to Redmond: Buh-bye Scot Finnie says "sayonara" to Windows, but his search for Mac software continues Scot Finnie February 07, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Editor's Note: This is the third installment of a series in which longtime Windows expert Scot Finnie gives
Medianews Digest, Vol 234, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Mars-probe failure 'human error' (Greg Williams) 2. 'Tiny Bubbles' singer Don Ho dies at 76 (Greg Williams) 3. U.S. TV viewers miss end of Canucks game (Greg Williams) 4. Coming to Chicago in 2016: The Olympics (Greg Williams) 5. Astronaut Suni Williams to start her marathon on time (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2007 00:36:17 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Mars-probe failure 'human error' To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Mars-probe failure 'human error' The US space agency, Nasa, has said that human error was to blame for the failure of the $154m (?77.5m) Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. Engineers lost contact with the probe in early November and later admitted it was lost and irrecoverable. Nasa said that faulty changes made to the spacecraft's computer memory caused the battery to overheat. The 10-year-old craft had sent thousands of images of Mars back to Earth, suggesting water once flowed. "The loss of the spacecraft was the result of a series of events linked to a computer error made five months before the likely battery failure," said Dolly Perkins, of Nasa. Mapping mineralogy During its last communication with Global Surveyor on 2 November, engineers ordered the craft to adjust the position of its solar panels. But during the craft's shift of one of its panels, it exposed one of two batteries to the heat of the sun. The spacecraft was lost within 12 hours, Nasa says. Mars Global Surveyor was launched in November 1996, operating longer than any other Martian craft. Carrying a powerful camera, it returned some 240,000 images, mapping the mineralogy of Mars and surveying potential landing sites for future surface missions. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6554525.stm -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2007 21:58:29 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] 'Tiny Bubbles' singer Don Ho dies at 76 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed 'Tiny Bubbles' singer Don Ho dies at 76 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070415/ap_on_en_mu/obit_ho_9 By JAYMES SONG, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 41 minutes ago HONOLULU - Legendary crooner Don Ho, known for his raspberry-tinted sunglasses and catchy signature tune "Tiny Bubbles," has died, his publicist said Saturday. He was 76. ADVERTISEMENT Publicist Donna Jung confirmed the singer's death, but had no details. He had suffered with heart problems for the past several years. Ho had a pacemaker installed last fall and also underwent an experimental stem cell procedure on his ailing heart in Thailand in 2005. -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 3 Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2007 22:01:25 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] U.S. TV viewers miss end of Canucks game To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed U.S. TV viewers miss end of Canucks game By CP http://torontosun.com/Sports/Hockey/2007/04/13/4002463-sun.html NEW YORK -- Some U.S. hockey fans found themselves watching an infomercial instead of the finale of the marathon NHL playoff game in Vancouver that ran into yesterday morning. Versus, which carries the bulk of NHL games in the U.S., said it was looking into what happened to the Dallas-Vancouver game in some regions. "Versus has received reports that last night's Dallas/Vancouver game was switched to an infomercial in the fourth overtime," the network said in a statement. "We are obviously very disappointed to hear that some fans in a few select markets have reported that they did not see the end of this great game. "The game did run in its entirety on the Versus network feed, but based on the information we have received we are currently working with our affiliates in the affected markets to find out what caused the problem and to make sure that this doesn't happen again during the playoffs." The game, a 10 p.m. ET start, ended at 18:06 of the fourth overtime wh
Medianews Digest, Vol 235, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Pop-Culture Evolution (Monty Solomon) 2. Is Justin Timberlake a Product of Cumulative Advantage? (Monty Solomon) 3. Gay by Design, or a Lifestyle Choice? (Monty Solomon) 4. The World Since 9/11, in Detail and Sorrow (Monty Solomon) 5. Are mobile phones wiping out our bees? (Greg Williams) 6. Barry Nelson, the first onscreen James Bond, dies aged 89 (Greg Williams) 7. New art, serialized plot startle fans of Archie Comics (Greg Williams) 8. For some, vinyl still scratches the surface (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:23:15 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Pop-Culture Evolution To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" CONSUMED Pop-Culture Evolution By ROB WALKER April 15, 2007 The Geico Cavemen The recent news that ABC was willing to entertain the possibility of a sitcom starring the Geico cavemen seemed a sort of watershed. Here were characters dreamed up as part of an advertising campaign, potentially crossing over into a venerable form of mainstream, pop-culture entertainment. While that sounds momentous, it misses a larger point. As characters in a successful advertising campaign, the cavemen are already part of mainstream pop culture. More so, in fact, than the characters in most current sitcoms. If you've somehow managed to avoid them, here's a primer. Since 2004, Geico, the car-insurance company, has been running spots that involve cavemen. In the first, a Geico spokesman brightly tells the camera that the company's Web site is so easy to use, "a caveman could do it." At which point the camera pulls back and we realize that the boom-microphone handler is, in fact, a caveman. He stalks off the set, offended. Since then, Geico cavemen have returned in various commercials - and a Web site and carefully strategized public appearances - invariably expressing frustration and disgust at the ignorance and bigotry they face. The campaign is strange. And this probably is largely responsible for the pop-culture status it has achieved. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/magazine/15wwlnconsumed.t.html -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:25:38 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Is Justin Timberlake a Product of Cumulative Advantage? To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" IDEA LAB Is Justin Timberlake a Product of Cumulative Advantage? By DUNCAN J. WATTS April 15, 2007 As anyone who follows the business of culture is aware, the profits of cultural industries depend disproportionately on the occasional outsize success - a blockbuster movie, a best-selling book or a superstar artist - to offset the many investments that fail dismally. What may be less clear to casual observers is why professional editors, studio executives and talent managers, many of whom have a lifetime of experience in their businesses, are so bad at predicting which of their many potential projects will make it big. How could it be that industry executives rejected, passed over or even disparaged smash hits like "Star Wars," "Harry Potter" and the Beatles, even as many of their most confident bets turned out to be flops? It may be true, in other words, that "nobody knows anything," as the screenwriter William Goldman once said about Hollywood. But why? Of course, the experts may simply not be as smart as they would like us to believe. Recent research, however, suggests that reliable hit prediction is impossible no matter how much you know - a result that has implications not only for our understanding of best-seller lists but for business and politics as well. Conventional marketing wisdom holds that predicting success in cultural markets is mostly a matter of anticipating the preferences of the millions of individual people who participate in them. From this common-sense observation, it follows that if the experts could only figure out what it was about, say, the music, songwriting and packaging of Norah Jones that appealed to so many fans, they ought to be able to replicate it at will. And indeed that's pretty much what they try to do. That they fail so frequently implies either that they aren't studying their own successes carefully eno
Medianews Digest, Vol 240, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Google Web History (Monty Solomon) 2. NBC bashed for airing Virginia Tech killer's rants (George Antunes) 3. PC to TV: The hunt for convergence products (George Antunes) 4. Teens, Privacy and Online Social Networks (Monty Solomon) 5. FCC chairman: A la carte cable requires a law (George Antunes) 6. FCC bows to criticism,updates broadband data collection policy (George Antunes) 7. RIM defends handling of BlackBerry outage (Greg Williams) 8. Blue Angels jet crashes during air show (Greg Williams) 9. Imus' sidekick-producer fired (Greg Williams) 10. Billionaire space tourist back on Earth (Greg Williams) 11. Nugent: Gun-free zones are recipe for disaster (Greg Williams) 12. Japan gets serious about space (Greg Williams) 13. Skype's founders' next target: TV (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:26:47 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Google Web History To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Your slice of the web Thursday, April 19, 2007 at 4:23:00 PM Posted by Payam Shodjai, Product Manager for Personalization http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/your-slice-of-web.html I'll probably visit more than 100 web pages today, and so will hundreds of millions of people. Printed and bound together, the web pages you'll visit in just one day are probably bigger than the book sitting on your night table. Over the next month alone, that's an entire bookcase full! The idea of having access to this virtual library of information has always fascinated me. Imagine being able to search over the full text of pages you've visited online and finding that one particular quote you remember reading somewhere months ago. Imagine always knowing exactly where you saw something online, like that priceless YouTube video of your friend attempting to perform dance moves from a bygone age. Better yet, imagine having this wealth of information work for you to make searching for new information easier and faster. Today, we're pleased to announce the launch of Web History, a new feature for Google Account users that makes it easy to view and search across the pages you've visited. If you remember seeing something online, you'll be able to find it faster and from any computer with Web History. Web History lets you look back in time, revisit the sites you've browsed, and search over the full text of pages you've seen. It's your slice of the web, at your fingertips. How does Web History work? All you need is a Google Account and the Google Toolbar with PageRank enabled. The Toolbar, as part of your browser, helps us associate the pages you visit with your Google Account. If you're currently a Search History user, you'll notice that we've renamed Search History to Web History to reflect this new functionality. To sign up for Web History, visit http://www.google.com/history . -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 13:41:09 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] NBC bashed for airing Virginia Tech killer's rants To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-et-tapes20apr20,1,300099.story?coll=la-headlines-technology NBC bashed for airing Virginia Tech killer's rants By Matea Gold LA Times Staff Writer April 20, 2007 NEW YORK ? NBC's decision to broadcast portions of Seung-hui Cho's angry rants triggered a storm of condemnation Thursday from viewers and victims' relatives, illuminating the treacherous middle ground between exposure and exploitation in a fast-moving news cycle. A day after receiving a package containing the Virginia Tech gunman's profanity-laced writings and videos, mailed shortly before his second round of shootings, NBC drastically curtailed its use of the images, as did most of its television brethren. But the rapid dissemination of the materials and subsequent backlash triggered a debate about where the line gets drawn ? what constitutes news, and what goes too far. Though media ethicists generally approved of NBC's handling of the tapes, Tony Burman, editor in chief of Canada's CBC News, called NBC's airing of the footage a "mistake," warning it c
Medianews Digest, Vol 244, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Pegasus / AIM Upcoming Launch Coverage Wednesday (4-25) @ 3 pm ET. NASA DVB (Dishnut) 2. The marketers have your ear (Monty Solomon) 3. Options troubles at Apple remain (Monty Solomon) 4. You can imitate the singer, but you can't copy the song (Kevin) 5. Report: One Third of XM Repeaters Violate FCC Rules (Williams, Gregory S.) 6. Answers Sought for U.S. Broadband Decline (George Antunes) 7. Pandora Founder Wants You to Save Internet Radio (George Antunes) 8. Apple Reports Second Quarter Results (Monty Solomon) 9. Apple FY 07 Second Quarter Results Conference Call (Monty Solomon) 10. Apple Board Members statement (Monty Solomon) 11. No Charges for Apple Over Options (Monty Solomon) 12. Don't Blame Hip-Hop (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2007 21:31:52 -0700 From: Dishnut <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Pegasus / AIM Upcoming Launch Coverage Wednesday (4-25) @ 3 pm ET. NASA DVB To: Medianews , [EMAIL PROTECTED], Satellite TV Wild Feeds List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Tom & Darryl Mail List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, TVRO Newsgroup <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,TVRO Talk Newsgroup <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,WildFeeds List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Wednesday Afternoon (04-25), a Orbital Sciences air-launched Pegasus XL rocket is scheduled to launch the AIM (Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere) research Satellite for NASA stagged from Vandenberg Air Force Base off the California coast. Drop from the L-1011 aircraft and Pegasus launch window is 4:23 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT. The target drop time and ignition scheduled for 4:26 p.m. EDT. Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite is scheduled for a two-year mission to document for the first time the entire complex life cycle of clouds over both poles of the earth. Broadcast coverage: NASA TV MPEG2 available on AMC-6 at 72? W, transponder 17C (4040 V) SR: 26665 VPID: 273 APID: 276 PCR: 273 NASA TV MPEG2 available on AMC-7 at 137? W, transponder 18 (4060 V) SR: 26665 VPID: 273 APID: 276 PCR: 273 Broadcast starts at 3 p.m. EDT. with launch launch commentary Don't have a dish? Webcast is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/ Additional coverage at: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/pegasus/aim/status.html http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/launches/next_launch.html http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/aim/index.html -- Dishnut-P Operator of RadioFree Dishnuts - Producer of The Dishnut News heard Saturdays at 10pm ET. on: RFD, W0KIE Satellite Radio Network Galaxy-26 (Telstar 6) @93? W - Transponder 1 / 6.2 & 6.8Mhz (4DTV T6-999) also via Digicipher on AMC 3 @87? W - Transponder 7 4DTV (DSR-922) W3 958 (Stereo) - WTND-LP 106.3, and many micro LPFM stations. http://dishnuts.net RFD Listen Links: http://dishnuts.net/#Listen Show Archives: (Partly Up) http://dishnuts.net/archive/ **In Loving Memory of Mom (Dishnut Gerry)** -- Message: 2 Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:53:57 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] The marketers have your ear To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The marketers have your ear Beam of sound aims its messages By Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | April 24, 2007 Advertisers have a new way to get into your head. Marketers around the world are using innovative audio technology that sends sound in a narrow beam, just like light, making it possible to direct messages right into consumers' ears while they shop or sit in waiting rooms. The audio spotlight device, created by Watertown firm Holosonic Research Labs Inc., has been used to hawk everything from cereals in supermarket aisles to glasses at doctor's offices. The messages are often quick and targeted -- and a little creepy to the uninitiated. Court TV recently installed the audio spotlight in ceilings of bookstores to promote the network's new murder-mystery show. A voice, whispering, "Hey, you, can you hear me? Do you ever think about murder?" was beamed toward customers as they browsed the mystery section in several independent bookstores in New York. For advertisers, the audio spotlight is a way of marketing
Medianews Digest, Vol 247, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. A former cable company call center rep says: "We lie" (Greg Williams) 2. Rabbit Ears' Find New Life in HDTV Age (George Antunes) 3. Schools Banning IPods to Beat Cheaters (George Antunes) 4. Chile Asks Google to Fix Map Gaffe (George Antunes) 5. Ashes of ?Star Trek? engineer and NASA astronaut go into space & back (George Antunes) 6. Officials: Climate Change Harms Security (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2007 01:13:55 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] A former cable company call center rep says: "We lie" To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed A former cable company call center rep says: "We lie" to customers who ask when installer will arrive By Michael D. Sorkin ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Friday, Apr. 27 2007 http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/emaf.nsf/Popup?ReadForm&db=stltoday%5Cnews%5Ccolumnists.nsf&docid=BEAA311F148D4AC1862572CA001113E6 Chris Gates says she knows exactly why so many of Charter Communications' customers are complaining of poor service. Gates was a call center representative in Cape Girardeau handling 100 to 125 calls a day from Charter customers. Executives at Charter talk about how service is improving, but Gates was on the front lines dealing with unhappy customers. "The No. 1 complaint," she says, "was why didn't the technician show up for my appointment?" A simple question, you'd think. But one Gates says call center employees can't answer. She says call center reps have no idea when installers are supposed to show up, where they are at the time, or when ? or if ? they might arrive. "We had nothing in our system that told us anything about where Charter's technicians were," Gates says. So what do call center reps tell callers? "We lie to them," Gates says. "We tell them, 'Absolutely, the technician will be there.' " Customers who persist are given another Charter phone number to call, Gates says. Many of those customers call back to say that second number didn't work. Gates says reps at the call center know that might happen. "The number doesn't work half the time," she says. If the call center can't answer these questions, why not just transfer customers to someone who can? "We were not allowed to transfer calls," Gates says. "Even though we had no training in technical support, we were supposed to answer the customers' questions and sell them new services." Selling new services was the highest priority, she says. Call center reps were allowed to transfer only 7 percent of their calls. More than that and they were written up and disciplined, Gates says. Reps also could be disciplined for reporting to work 30 seconds late or returning from lunch or a break 30 seconds late. Those counted as an "absence" and 12 "absences" got a rep fired. Gates earned about $720 every two weeks, before taxes and deductions. She has three children and says she quit after four months. Through a spokeswoman, Stephen Trippe, the Charter vice president and general manager for the St. Louis area, said he was "not in a position to comment directly on the claims of a former (call center) employee." Trippe repeated a statement he gave for last week's column: Over the past few months Charter has added technicians, dispatchers and call center agents to its local workforce and has enhanced the training for those employees. The company says it now offers "two-hour service windows for appointments." So many Charter customers complain of poor service that officials at the Better Business Bureau issued a consumer warning last week. Sue Schellin, a legal secretary from south St. Louis, said Thursday that she waited two weeks for an appointment for Charter to install a high-definition receiver for her new hi-def TV. The next day, the box didn't work. She complained to a call center in the Philippines and was told she had to wait another two weeks for an appointment. She called again, posing as a new customer, and waited only two days. Charter came and installed a new box, but it didn't work either. Schellin called, got the Philippines again, and was told she must wait another two weeks. She asked for a supervisor, who said she had a service technician on the other line, but was unable to transfer the call. The technician will call right away, the supervisor promis
Medianews Digest, Vol 248, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Retailers Whose Slips Show Too Much Attract Lawsuits (Monty Solomon) 2. For a fee, inmates can upgrade cells (George Antunes) 3. P2P STB: Vudu Casts Its Spell on Hollywood (George Antunes) 4. New US Passport: RFID, Flags & Bison (George Antunes) 5. Cardinals mourn loss of pitcher Josh Hancock (Greg Williams) 6. Officials: Three dead at Kansas City shopping center (Rob) 7. Latest, greatest in TV: Do you need it? (George Antunes) 8. The Internet sure loves its outlaws (George Antunes) 9. Simple Flickr starts to see its flame burn brighter (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 11:55:29 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Retailers Whose Slips Show Too Much Attract Lawsuits To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Retailers Whose Slips Show Too Much Attract Lawsuits Credit Receipts From Rite Aid, Wendy's, Fedex Draw Fire for Containing Certain Consumer Data By ROBIN SIDEL April 28, 2007; Page B1 Consumers are pulling out their plastic for everyday purchases more than ever, and now the nation's retailers are coming under legal assault for printing too much payment-card information on customer receipts. So far this year, plaintiffs' lawyers have filed more than 100 federal lawsuits seeking class-action status against big merchants such as Rite Aid Corp., Wendy's International Inc., FedEx Corp., TJX Cos. and Inter Ikea Systems BV. Also in the line of fire are lesser-known regional restaurant chains such as In-N-Out Burger and Melting Pot fondue restaurants. A slew of suits brought on behalf of consumers have been filed in recent weeks in U.S. district courts in California, Pennsylvania, and Kansas. Merchants are under pressure to help ensure the security of electronic transactions. Still, most of the nation's retailers don't comply with the card industry's myriad rules that prohibit the storage of certain customer data and require the installation of sophisticated firewalls to protect their computer systems. Earlier this year, TJX, parent of discount clothing chains T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, disclosed that its computers had been hacked in a security breach that left at least 47.5 million of its customers vulnerable to fraud. The requirement that retailers cut off card data is part of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, which sought to protect consumers from fraud and identity theft amid the growing use of electronic payments. Although it was enacted more than three years ago, the law gave retailers some breathing room to make the change. In addition to the receipt requirements, the law also gives consumers the right to obtain a credit report, without charge, every 12 months. As of Dec. 4, retailers are prohibited from printing more than the last five digits of a credit-card or debit-card account number on receipts that are handed to customers. The receipts also can't include the account's expiration date. The law applies only to electronically printed receipts, rather than those that are written by hand or imprinted on old-fashioned manual machines. ... http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117771144745785336-S1YwB4VdRuerW3MvcvSJBNlHLUg_20080428.html -- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 11:33:13 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] For a fee, inmates can upgrade cells To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed [Some news of the weird. My thanks to Bard-Allen Finlan for calling this item to my attention.] April 29, 2007 For $82 a Day, Booking a Cell in a 5-Star Jail By JENNIFER STEINHAUER NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/us/29jail.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print SANTA ANA, Calif., April 25 ? Anyone convicted of a crime knows a debt to society often must be paid in jail. But a slice of Californians willing to supplement that debt with cash (no personal checks, please) are finding that the time can be almost bearable. For offenders whose crimes are usually relatively minor (carjackers should not bother) and whose bank accounts remain lofty, a dozen or so city jails across the state offer pay-to-stay upgrades. Theirs are a clean, quiet, if not
Medianews Digest, Vol 254, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Tornado in Kansas (Greg Williams) 2. Mission Accomplished for Arianespace Astra 1L and Galaxy 17 in orbit (Dishnut) 3. Yahoo Asks Users to Switch Photo Sites (George Antunes) 4. FCC warns carriers to stop blocking free conference calls (George Antunes) 5. Station WAGE Staff Surprised In Restructuring (Virginia) (Greg Williams) 6. FCC seeks comments on Frontline spectrum plan (George Antunes) 7. WORLDSPACE Develops 'Blueprint' for European Satellite Radio Receivers (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 05 May 2007 01:51:48 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Tornado in Kansas To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed http://www.ksn.com/news/local/7166856.html Live coveage of tornado. Reports coming in: "Downtown Greensburg is gone" None of the news channels are covering this. Weather channel is showing a "Top 100 weather events" documentary. -- Gregory S. Williams gregwilliams(at)knology.net k4hsm(at)knology.net http://www.etskywarn.net http://www.twiar.org http://www.icebearnation.com -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 05 May 2007 07:32:44 -0700 From: Dishnut <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Mission Accomplished for Arianespace Astra 1L and Galaxy 17 in orbit To: Medianews , [EMAIL PROTECTED], Tom & Darryl Mail List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, TVRO Newsgroup <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Arianespace release Mission Accomplished for Arianespace Astra 1L and Galaxy 17 in orbit On Friday evening, May 4, Arianespace placed two communications satellites into geostationary transfer orbit: Astra 1L for the European operator SES Astra, and Galaxy 17 for the international operator Intelsat. 32nd Ariane 5 launch, 18th success in a row The latest successful launch of an Ariane 5, the second in 2007, confirms that Arianespace's launch Services & Solutions continue to set the standard for all major telecom operators worldwide. Today, Ariane 5 is the only commercial launcher in service capable of simultaneously launching two payloads. A launch for two prestigious, loyal customers Astra 1L is the ninth SES Astra satellite to be launched by Arianespace. SES Astra is the leading direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast system in Europe, serving more than 109 million households via DTH and cable networks. Satellites in the SES Astra fleet transmit 1,864 TV and radio stations. Galaxy 17 is the 45th Intelsat satellite to use an Ariane launcher since 1983. More than 60% of the Intelsat satellites in service today were orbited by the European launch vehicle. Intelsat is currently the world's largest supplier of fixed satellite services (FSS). Its services are used by an extensive customer base including some of the world's leading media and communications companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and government/military organizations. Record backlog of orders Arianespace has signed six new launch Service & Solutions contracts since the beginning of the year, bringing its backlog to 39 satellites to be launched after this evening's mission. Four more Ariane 5 launches are scheduled by the end of 2007. Astra 1L/Galaxy 17 mission at a glance The mission was carried out by an Ariane 5 ECA launcher from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on Friday, May 4, at 7:29 pm local time in Kourou (6:29 pm in Washington, DC, 22:29 UT, and on Saturday May 5 at 12:29 am in Paris). Provisional parameters at injection of the cryogenic upper stage (ESC-A) were: Perigee: 248.2 km for a target of 248.2 km (?3) Apogee: 35,958 km for a target of 35,947 km (?160) Inclination: 5.9 degrees for a target of 6.0 degrees (?0.06?) Astra 1L, built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) using an A2100 AX platform, will weigh about 4,500 kg at launch. Equipped with 29 Ku-band active transponders and 2 Ka-band active transponders, Astra 1L will be positioned at 19.2 degrees East, and provide high-power satellite services across Europe. Its design life is approximately 15 years. Galaxy 17, built by Thales Alenia Space using a Spacebus 3000 B3 platform, is designed to provide television and telephony services for North America. W
Medianews Digest, Vol 256, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. More Than A Dozen Earthquakes Shake Yellowstone (Greg Williams) 2. Survey Defines Split in Technology Use (George Antunes) 3. Digeo to Cut Pricing on Moxi HD DVR (George Antunes) 4. AT&T Raises Price Tag on TV Rollout (George Antunes) 5. Now Everybody Can Be a Cellphone Company (George Antunes) 6. NCTA: Explosion at Luxor Hotel Kills Employee (George Antunes) 7. Russia: School Principal Guilty Found in Software Piracy Case (George Antunes) 8. NARM Coverage: New Laws Threaten Used CD Market (Renee) 9. Huge star explodes in brightest supernova yet seen (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 00:11:51 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] More Than A Dozen Earthquakes Shake Yellowstone To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed More Than A Dozen Earthquakes Shake Yellowstone http://kutv.com/national/local_story_126175405.html YELLOWSTONE NAT'L PARK - Sixteen small earthquakes -- with magnitudes up to 2.7 -- shook Yellowstone National Park last week, around the edge of a volcano that has not erupted in more than 70,000 years. The tremors shook the park's Pitchstone Plateau, and were detected by seismographs operated by the University of Utah. The earthquakes began on April 30, just before midnight. The largest occurred at 3:09 a.m. Tuesday and the quakes continued until Wednesday, according to Bob Smith, a University of Utah professor. "I was up working and watching these, saying 'Whoa, what does this all mean?"' he said. "It kept my interest quite high." The quakes occurred on the southern edge of a volcano caldera at the center of Yellowstone. The volcano last erupted 70,000 years ago and some experts believe it has the potential to erupt again. If that happened, a large portion of the western United States could be affected. Smith said earthquake swarms are common in Yellowstone. As many as 70 swarms of small earthquakes have occurred in the region between 1983 and 2006. Probably no one felt the most recent quakes, Smith said. -- Gregory S. Williams gregwilliams(at)knology.net k4hsm(at)knology.net http://www.etskywarn.net http://www.twiar.org http://www.icebearnation.com -- Message: 2 Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 10:38:23 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Survey Defines Split in Technology Use To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed [It's a given that you are a geek or you wouldn't be reading this. But what kind of geek are you? Omnivore? Lackluster veteran? Those who want to see how they would have been assessed by the survey can take if for fun using the link at the end of the article. FWIW I was classified as a Connector, which seems a bit strange for someone who keeps his cell phone in the glove box of the car & uses it only one or two times per month. I kind of expected to be in the Lackluster veteran category. Oh well] Survey Defines Split in Technology Use May 6, 2007 9:39 PM (ET) By ANICK JESDANUN Associated Press http://apnews.myway.com//article/20070507/D8OV87DG0.html NEW YORK (AP) - A broad survey about the technology people have, how they use it, and what they think about it shatters assumptions and reveals where companies might be able to expand their audiences. The Pew Internet and American Life Project found that adult Americans are broadly divided into three groups: 31 percent are elite technology users, 20 percent are moderate users and the remainder have little or no usage of the Internet or cell phones. But Americans are divided within each group, according to a Pew analysis of 2006 data released Sunday. The high-tech elites, for instance, are almost evenly split into: - "Omnivores," who fully embrace technology and express themselves creatively through blogs and personal Web pages. - "Connectors," who see the Internet and cell phones as communications tools. - "Productivity enhancers," who consider technology as largely ways to better keep up with their jobs and daily lives. - "Lackluster veterans," those who use technology frequently but aren't thrilled by it. John Horrigan, Pew's associate director, said he
Medianews Digest, Vol 261, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Boston: Police decide to investigate Pops brawl (George Antunes) 2. Thousands of Nuclear Arms Workers See Cancer Claims Denied or Delayed (George Antunes) 3. Putting the Future Of TV Into Focus (George Antunes) 4. From Intel and A.M.D., Rival Boasts of Technology (George Antunes) 5. $45 Million Invested in Internet TV Venture Joost (George Antunes) 6. Out of Chaos, Order. Or So Google Says (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 10:20:38 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Boston: Police decide to investigate Pops brawl To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Police decide to investigate Pops brawl By Suzanne Smalley Boston Globe Staff May 12, 2007 http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/05/12/police_decide_to_investigate_pops_brawl?mode=PF Boston police said yesterday they have assigned a detective to investigate a brawl that erupted at Symphony Hall Wednesday night, a reversal of the department's earlier decision not to pursue charges. Police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said yesterday that the original decision to let the two men leave without facing charges was made by officers at the scene. By Thursday, however, police Captain William Evans decided to begin an investigation after reviewing the officers' report on the incident, Driscoll said. Driscoll said detectives plan to interview witnesses and summon both men to court, where a clerk magistrate will determine who bears responsibility for the fight. The spectacle of two men brawling in the refined environs of Symphony Hall, on opening night of the Boston Pops, has catapulted Boston and the Pops onto the international stage, garnering jokes in headlines around the world. According to a police report obtained by the Globe, one of the men involved in the fight, Matthew Ellinger, 27, a Brighton man, told police that the incident started when he told another concert goer, Bourne resident Michael Hallam, to be quiet during the performance. Ellinger told police that he repeat edly asked Hallam, 44, to stop talking and tapped him with his program in the minutes before Hallam punched him, according to the police report obtained by the Globe. Hallam, who owns a boat construction business and convenience store in Bourne, could not be located for comment yesterday. Hallam's lawyer, Augustus Wagner, said Ellinger struck Hallam before Hallam reacted. "There's always two sides to a story," Wagner said. "There's a whole other side which is prior to any video or anyone's attention being drawn to it that precipitated a very unfortunate incident." A neighbor at his home on the Cape Cod Canal in the affluent Gray Gables section of Bourne, said Hallam told him Ellinger cuffed him on the back of the head before announcing he had reported Hallam to an usher. The neighbor declined to be identified. The neighbor said Hallam does not plan to return home in the near future because he is avoiding the media. Last night an acquaintance arrived at Hallam's home, which he shares with his wife and children, to walk the family's bulldogs. Ellinger said yesterday that he went to Roxbury District Court to ask for charges to be brought against Hallam, but court officials told him police were already pursuing the matter. He said he spoke with a detective who told him to be available for further discussion tomorrow or Monday. Peter Fiedler, whose father, Arthur Fiedler, was a longtime Pops conductor, was in attendance when the fight broke out. He said he did not see the brawl because he was on the floor, and the fight happened in the balcony. Fiedler said that he thinks his father might have handled things differently from conductor Keith Lockhart, who stopped the orchestra midsong as shrieks came from the balcony. "He probably would have told him to shut up and kept playing," Fiedler said. "Sometimes you're almost better off ignoring things and keeping going. But that woman's scream was sort of blood curdling." 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: 2 Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 10:25:42 -0500 From: Geo
Medianews Digest, Vol 268, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Microsoft's Xbox 360 now able to sniff out illegitimate copies of games (Greg Williams) 2. Donald Trump to NBC: "You can't fire me, I quit" (Greg Williams) 3. More Nations Crave Independent Satellite Navigation Systems (Greg Williams) 4. O&A Sponsors, Fans React To XM Suspension (Greg Williams) 5. Venezuelans protest opposition TV channel closure (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 02:59:38 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Microsoft's Xbox 360 now able to sniff out illegitimate copies of games To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Microsoft's Xbox 360 now able to sniff out illegitimate copies of games http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7339 More than a year has passed since the release of the Xbox 360 DVD-ROM firmware hack to allow the play of backup games and bootleg copies. Those with hacked firmware had the ability to play copied games, mostly burned onto dual-layer DVD recordable discs, even online Xbox Live. For a while, it seemed that such firmware modifications were undetectable by Microsoft ? but that appears to have all changed with the latest Xbox 360 system software released last week. Word came from the Xbox 360 hacking community that the Spring Update may have the ability to detect those who were playing copied games. More specifically, the system software would be able to determine the legitimacy of the disc in the DVD drive, not necessarily targeting any specific method of modification. As a pre-emptive measure, hackers released updated disc drive firmware introducing various features, such as disc jitter, in an effort to further the exploit. Such efforts, however, appear to be all for naught, as report on Xbox-Scene indicates that Microsoft is now banning from Xbox Live users with modified DVD-ROM drives, regardless of firmware version. The banning measures appear to have started alongside the release of the Halo 3 beta, perhaps in what is best described as a crackdown on Crackdown bootlegged copies that contained Halo 3 beta access. Just as it did during the original Xbox days, Microsoft is permanently banning modified consoles from connecting to Xbox Live, but not the user account. Microsoft acknowledges its new initiative with an entry in its Gamerscore Blog: ?As part of our commitment to our members, we do not allow people that we have detected to have modified their console to connect to Live. This is an important part of our efforts to try and maintain a fair gaming environment for the large majority of gamers that play by the rules. This topic is more important than ever given the recent release of the Halo 3 beta.? The blog continues, ?As a result, some consumers that try to login to Live who we detect have illegally modified their console will get an error code (Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D) when trying to connect to the service. These users will not have their account automatically banned from LIVE, but they will no longer be able to access the service from the console they modified. We have stated in the past that customers can only enjoy access to the Xbox LIVE community through the use of a genuine, unmodified, Xbox console and we will continue to enforce this rule to ensure the integrity of our service, the protection of our partners and the benefits of our users.? -- Gregory S. Williams gregwilliams(at)knology.net k4hsm(at)knology.net http://www.etskywarn.net http://www.twiar.org http://www.icebearnation.com -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 03:29:38 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Donald Trump to NBC: "You can't fire me, I quit" To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Donald Trump to NBC: "You can't fire me, I quit" Fri May 18, 2007 8:19PM EDT http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1824687220070519?feedType=RSS&rpc=22 By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Donald Trump, whose low-rated reality show "The Apprentice" was left off the new prime-time schedule unveiled this week by NBC, says the network can't fire him -- he quits. The real estate mogul issued a statement on Friday saying he has informed the U.S. television network he is "moving on from '
Medianews Digest, Vol 269, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. SES AMERICOM Announces AMC-5R Spacecraft Procurement and Initiates Fleet Replacement Plan (Dishnut) 2. NBC's choice to abandon OT clincher embarrasses NHL (Greg Williams) 3. Lawyer-Scientists Cash in on Patent Law (George Antunes) 4. It's the Boss Fooling You -- for Safety's Sake (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 21:19:09 -0700 From: Dishnut <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] SES AMERICOM Announces AMC-5R Spacecraft Procurement and Initiates Fleet Replacement Plan To: Medianews ,Tom & Darryl Mail List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,TVRO Newsgroup <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, TVRO Talk Newsgroup <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed SES AMERICOM Announces AMC-5R Spacecraft Procurement and Initiates Fleet Replacement Plan First hybrid C/Ku-band satellite to be delivered in 2009 PRINCETON, NJ ? May 8, 2007 ? SES company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges: SESG), announced today that it has ordered a replacement satellite, AMC-5R, plus a ground spare with an option to add up to three more spacecraft per its contract with Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB). Through this agreement, SES AMERICOM takes advantage of new advances in satellite development and incorporates some progressive design characteristics that will result in significant mission flexibility. ?Our agreement is the fruition of a significant teaming effort by SES AMERICOM?s and Orbital?s space systems? teams to develop a new approach to satellite design and its subsequent manufacturing,? said Jim Ducay, SES AMERICOM?s Chief Operating Officer. ?Their collaboration resulted in an optimum design against a defined schedule that capitalizes on savings to be realized by both parties. AMC-5R will be the first of these advanced spacecraft to be manufactured based on close-to-standardized requirements that will position SES AMERICOM to efficiently accommodate the fleet replacement cycle.? ?Orbital is very proud to have been selected by SES AMERICOM for this significant order,? said Carl Marchetto, Orbital?s Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Space Systems Group. ?The Star 2 platform accommodates SES AMERICOM?s rigorous technical expectations and our recent expansion of the Dulles, VA satellite manufacturing facility will allow us to meet their mission and delivery requirements.? Orbital Sciences (Orbital) will serve as the prime contractor for the new spacecraft based on the most powerful version of their STAR 2 satellite platform. AMC-5R and the identical ground spare will be hybrid satellites, each carrying 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders of 36 MHz each. A portion of each frequency payload will be cross-strapped, allowing signals to be transmitted to the satellite in one frequency and received in the other, giving customers added flexibility while enabling new service developments and enhancements. The spacecraft will generate approximately five kilowatts of payload power and will have two deployable reflectors. Deliveries of the two satellites are scheduled for mid- and late-2009, respectively. About SES AMERICOM The largest supplier of satellite services in the U.S., SES AMERICOM is recognized as a leading innovator of global satellite communications services. The company today operates a fleet of 15 spacecraft in orbital positions predominantly providing service throughout the Americas. As a member of the SES family, SES AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end telecommunications solutions to any region of the world via a fleet of more than 36 satellites. In addition, AMERICOM Government Services, a wholly owned subsidiary, is dedicated to providing satellite-based communications solutions to both civilian and defense agencies of the U.S. government. With its combined operations, SES AMERICOM serves broadcasters, cable programmers, aeronautical and maritime communications integrators, Internet service providers, mobile communications networks, government agencies, educational institutions, carriers and secure global data networks with efficient communication and content distribution solutions. # # # -- Dishnut-P Operator of RadioFree Dishnuts - Producer of The Dishnut News heard Saturdays at
Medianews Digest, Vol 274, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Chairman Inouye Introduces Broadband Data Bill (George Antunes) 2. No Texas-Sized Rate Declines in Texas (George Antunes) 3. Bilking the Elderly, With a Corporate Assist (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 25 May 2007 11:54:54 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Chairman Inouye Introduces Broadband Data Bill To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Inouye Introduces Broadband Data Bill By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 5/24/2007 11:06:00 AM http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6446448.html?rssid=193 A Senate bill has been introduced that would require the FCC to collect better data on the rollout of broadband. Introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, the Broadband Data Improvement Act (S. 1492, though there were no Columbus analogies invoked) would take several steps. Among other things, the bill would require the FCC to reconsider its current 200 kilobit broadband standard (many argue that is too slow a speed to be counted), create a new "second generation broadband figure for speeds capable of delivering HD video, require the FCC to report broadband availability by nine-digit zip codes so that it could more precisely pinpoint who was and wasn't getting the service, and require an annual, rather than periodic, inquiry into deployment. The bill would also provide $40 million in yearly grants to match state investment in identifying barriers to broadband adoption. "It is imperative that we get our broadband house in order and our communications policy right," said Inouye in announcing the bill. "But we cannot manage what we do not measure." The House last week held a hearing on a draft of a similar bill. 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: 2 Date: Fri, 25 May 2007 12:03:37 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] No Texas-Sized Rate Declines in Texas To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed No Texas-Sized Rate Declines in Texas NATOA's Texas Chapter Finds that Video-Subscription Rates Have Actually Risen By Linda Haugsted Multichannel News 5/24/2007 5:11:00 PM http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6446439 Basic-cable rates have not declined in any of the Texas communities where there are competitive providers, according to a survey done by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. Rates for the tier including off-air signals and public, educational and government channels have actually increased over the past two years, according to the study posted May 22 on the group's Web site. The greatest hike, according to the group, was in Denton. There, Charter Communications raised basic rates from $12.78 per month in 2005 to $19.05 today despite competition from Grande Communications and Verizon Communications. However, the arrival of Verizon as a video competitor provided a lower-cost alternative for consumers of basic and expanded-basic services. According to the survey, the disparity in rates was greatest in Southlake, where Verizon charges $34.95 for what it terms standard service, compared with $48.99 charged for the same type of service level from Charter, a 27% difference. (Municipal officials used the tier terms utilized by the providers, noting that the number and type of video channels in that level may be different provider to provider.) NATOA members were prompted to begin tracking rates after a Federal Communications Commission meeting that was held in Keller, Texas, in February 2006, explained Margaret Somereve, assistant to the director of public works for Farmers Branch, Texas, and the NATOA chapter president. Testimony at the hearing tossed out figures of rates 25%-45% lower in Texas due to the passage of the nation's first franchise reform bill, SB5, in September 2005, Somereve said, adding that NATOA members "knew there was n
Medianews Digest, Vol 275, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Some time spent with Apple TV -- an in-depth review (Monty Solomon) 2. An in-depth review of Apple's 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (Monty Solomon) 3. How to Make Your Cellphone Act Like a BlackBerry (Monty Solomon) 4. Nissan warns U.S. cellphones can disable car keys (George Antunes) 5. Florida tries to wipe out cat-sized African rats (George Antunes) 6. Malaysia: Cinemas use night goggles to nab pirates (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 26 May 2007 09:31:37 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Some time spent with Apple TV -- an in-depth review To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Thursday, May 24, 2007 Some time spent with Apple TV -- an in-depth review By x3nc0re 548 Published: 10:00 AM EST Apple TV offers a way for consumers to unlock the videos, music, and photos on their computer for use in the living room on TV. The new device competes against a series of other products, including the least expensive option of simply running a long video cable from the computer to the television. Whether Apple TV is worth the price will depend a lot upon on how much users like iTunes already, and how they plan to make use of the Apple TV. There are few secrets left about Apple TV's hardware features and its simple software interface; most of those details were originally revealed by Steve Jobs at "Showtime," the Apple event which previewed the new box under the code name iTV, months ahead of its official launch at Macworld Expo in January. Rather than demonstrate how to run through its simple menus and set it up, this review compares Apple TV against competing devices and the experience of Front Row Macs, examines the future potential of its hardware, outlines its software flaws and missing features, and highlights how well Apple TV fits the needs of its target users. ... http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/05/24/some_time_spent_with_apple_tvan_in_depth_review.html -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 26 May 2007 09:31:37 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] An in-depth review of Apple's 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Monday, May 21, 2007 An in-depth review of Apple's 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station By Daniel Eran Dilger Published: 09:00 AM EST Apple's revised AirPort Extreme, introduced at Macworld Expo in January, offers several new features and significant improvements in wireless networking speed and reliability. Whether it is worth the upgrade price to move on up to the new 802.11n wireless technology depends upon the specific needs of potential buyers. Read all about it in our 4-page in-depth review. The most obvious advantage of the new AirPort Extreme over Apple's previous models is support for the new 802.11n wireless networking standard. Apple says the new standard offers five times the data transfer speed and more than twice the range of devices using the former standard. The last time a new AirPort wireless standard appeared was 802.11g, back in 2003. Apple assigned it the marketing name "AirPort Extreme" to distinguish the faster new second generation wireless networking standard from the earlier 802.11b technology that the company had been simply calling "AirPort" since its introduction in 1999. ... http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/05/21/an_in_depth_review_of_apples_802_11n_airport_extreme_base_station.html -- Message: 3 Date: Sat, 26 May 2007 10:21:00 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] How to Make Your Cellphone Act Like a BlackBerry To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" State of the Art How to Make Your Cellphone Act Like a BlackBerry By DAVID POGUE The New York Times May 24, 2007 When you whip out a BlackBerry or a Treo in public, what does it say about you? You might think that it says: "I'm an important person who can't afford to be out of touch. I can do e-mail all day long, and I'll never miss that critical deal." But people around you might be thinking, "Look at that huge, clunky phone," or "Man, I'd hate to see your mon
Medianews Digest, Vol 282, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Blogger unmasked, court case upended (Monty Solomon) 2. Where's the Other Half of Your Music File? (Monty Solomon) 3. Comedy Business Turns to the Web (Monty Solomon) 4. Life Online (Monty Solomon) 5. For Pornographers, Internet's Virtues Turn to Vices (Monty Solomon) 6. Feds arrest 3 in alleged JFK airport terror plot (Rob) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2007 00:17:19 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Blogger unmasked, court case upended To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/05/31/blogger_unmasked_court_case_upended/ Blogger unmasked, court case upended By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff | May 31, 2007 It was a Perry Mason moment updated for the Internet age. As Ivy League-educated pediatrician Robert P. Lindeman sat on the stand in Suffolk Superior Court this month, defending himself in a malpractice suit involving the death of a 12-year-old patient, the opposing counsel startled him with a question. Was Lindeman Flea? Flea, jurors in the case didn't know, was the screen name for a blogger who had written often and at length about a trial remarkably similar to the one that was going on in the courtroom that day. In his blog, Flea had ridiculed the plaintiff's case and the plaintiff's lawyer. He had revealed the defense strategy. He had accused members of the jury of dozing. With the jury looking on in puzzlement, Lindeman admitted that he was, in fact, Flea. The next morning, on May 15, he agreed to pay what members of Boston's tight-knit legal community describe as a substantial settlement -- case closed. The case is a startling illustration of how blogging, already implicated in destroying friendships and ruining job prospects, could interfere in other important arenas. Lawyers in Massachusetts and elsewhere, some of whom downloaded Flea's observations and posted them on their websites, said the case has also prompted them to warn clients that blogs can come back to haunt them. Still, Andrew C. Meyer Jr., a well known Boston personal injury lawyer who followed the case, said he had never heard of a defendant blogging during a trial. "Most of us investigate whatever prior writings our clients might have had, so they are not exposed to their inconsistencies in their testimony," said Meyer, who has begun warning clients against the practice. "But it's impossible to do if you don't know that your client is blogging under an assumed name." Neither Lindeman nor his lawyer, Paul R. Greenberg, would comment. Vinroy Binns, the father of Jaymes Binns, of Dorchester, who died of complications from diabetes in 2002, also declined to comment. Elizabeth N. Mulvey, the lawyer who represented Vinroy and Deborah Binns and unmasked Lindeman as Flea, said she laughed when she read a posting at the start of the trial in which Lindeman nicknamed her Carissa Lunt, noticed that she bit her fingernails and mused, "Wonder if she's a pillow biter, too?" But she was appalled that readers in the blogosphere who knew little or nothing about the case rallied to his defense. The wrongful death suit alleged that Lindeman, who works at Natick Pediatrics, failed to diagnose that Jaymes Binns had diabetes on March 11, 2002, Mulvey said in a court document. Less than six weeks later, the boy died of diabetic ketoacidosis, said Mulvey, who described the condition as "diabetes gone haywire." Lindeman, a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, is board-certified in general pediatrics and pediatric pulmonary medicine, according to the Natick Pediatrics website. In recent years, he has shared his medical views on local television news programs, on the "Manic Mommies" podcast produced by two Ashland mothers, and in magazines. He is also the author of drfleablog, in which he calls himself Flea and identifies himself only as a pediatrician in the Northeast. A flea, he told the Globe this year, is what surgeons called pediatricians in training. The Globe's medical blog, White Coat Notes, has occasionally included links to Lindeman's blog, which he has recently taken down. Mulvey, who said she only learned of the blog a couple weeks before the trial, said after reading scores of back postings that it was controversial yet i
Medianews Digest, Vol 283, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. New CEO takes helm of AT&T (George Antunes) 2. Shuttle Program Workers Vote to Strike (George Antunes) 3. Man Charged for Putting TV Show on Web (George Antunes) 4. Researchers find 2,100-year-old melon (George Antunes) 5. 40 years ago, Sgt. Pepper taught a band to play (George Antunes) 6. Despite NASA's weird year, Atlantis crew has focused on mission; launch set for June (Greg Williams) 7. Google Keeps Tweaking Its Search Engine (Monty Solomon) 8. LA to challenge FCC on cable TV proposal (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 03 Jun 2007 11:33:38 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] New CEO takes helm of AT&T To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed New CEO takes helm of AT&T Stephenson takes over with iPhone hype, expectations running high The Associated Press Updated: 11:30 p.m. CT June 2, 2007 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19003404/ SAN ANTONIO - After an acquisition binge that transformed the smallest Baby Bell into a telecommunications heavyweight, AT&T Inc. is undergoing another change Sunday: a new chief executive. Randall Stephenson, 47, rose through the ranks of AT&T and previously served as its chief financial officer and chief operating officer. He is credited with helping position the company so it could afford the buying spree that turned it into the nation?s largest provider of traditional phone, wireless and broadband services. Stephenson takes over for Edward Whitacre Jr. in time for what might be the most hyped telecommunications device launch in a generation, Apple Inc.?s iPhone. AT&T ? whose wireless division was formerly known as Cingular ? will be the exclusive carrier for the combination cell phone, portable music player and Web device when it launches in the U.S. later this month. ?Whatever your expectations are from this device, they are probably too low,? Stephenson said in a recent interview. ?It changes how we think about the PDA (personal digital assistant), the iPod and the cell phone interacting.? More than 1 million people have signed up through AT&T?s Web site for a call when the iPhone becomes available, Stephenson said. It will be available in two models, priced at $499 or $599. Banking on an iWinner It?s not clear how many of the devices will be available at launch, but Stephenson said, ?I?ll be really disappointed if there?s not a shortage.? AT&T plans to grow through wireless, using that business segment to drive sales of its traditional phone, high-speed Internet and other services. ?The company is going to be positioned as a wireless-centered company,? Stephenson said. ?Once you have mom and dad and the kids on wireless, then you get them on broadband and television.? He said he doesn?t plan major departures from the path San Antonio-based AT&T is following, after takeovers of BellSouth Corp., the Cingular Wireless business and the AT&T long-distance business. The BellSouth acquisition gave it full control of Cingular. Full speed ahead after consolidation Most of the major consolidation in the telecommunications business is done, he said. ?No hard left or right turns. We?ve set the direction of this business over the last two to three years,? he said. AT&T?s stock has been trading at five-year highs, but despite the excitement around the iPhone, Stephenson still faces significant challenges. He?ll have to finish the integration of BellSouth, an $86 billion purchase, and the AT&T long-distance business, bought for $16 billion in 2005, while trying to grow revenue in a wireless business that?s facing heavy competition. More competition will continue to come from cable, which is selling phone service along with TV and Internet. AT&T has responded with its U-verse television service, though the rollout has been slow and it won?t be available in any of the old BellSouth territory until later this year. Not your grandfather's Ma Bell Analysts say the rapid, wide-scale changes in the telecommunications business give Stephenson the reins of a company vastly different from the one run by Whitacre. ?It?s not the same marketplace,? said industry analyst Jeff Kagan, noting the 1984 breakup of the old AT&T Corp. ? Ma Bell ? was followed by an avalanche of new competitors
Medianews Digest, Vol 285, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Apple Updates MacBook Pro (Monty Solomon) 2. EchoStar Rolls Out New HDTV Receiver (George Antunes) 3. Messenger doing flyby of Venus today (Greg Williams) 4. Motion Sensors Find Lots of Applications (George Antunes) 5. Listen to Music Free, but Pay to Carry (George Antunes) 6. Union Leader Says FEMA Is Trying to Oust Him (George Antunes) 7. U.S. Cuts Back Climate Checks From Space (George Antunes) 8. Satellite Radio Firms Hire Lobbyists (George Antunes) 9. Search Engine Takes Personal Approach (George Antunes) 10. Breakthrough brings 'Star Trek' teleport a step closer (George Antunes) 11. Toshiba to enlist laptops to push HD DVD (George Antunes) 12. Broadband: For the Next Big Bout, Tune In to Channel 41/2 (George Antunes) 13. Court Strikes Down FCC Indecency Ruling (Duane Whittingham) -- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2007 08:58:00 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Apple Updates MacBook Pro To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Apple Updates MacBook Pro Latest Intel Core 2 Duo Processors, Memory Up to 4GB and Higher Performance Graphics Across the Line CUPERTINO, California-June 5, 2007-Apple today updated its MacBook Pro line of notebooks with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, memory up to 4GB, and high-speed graphics in a stunning, lightweight, aluminum enclosure that is just one-inch thin. The new MacBook Pro is available in 15-inch models with a new mercury-free, power-efficient LED-backlit display and a 17-inch model with an optional high-resolution display. All models include a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go, Apple's MagSafe Power Adapter that safely disconnects when under strain, and built-in 802.11n wireless networking for up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g.* ... http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/06/05mbp.html -- Message: 2 Date: Tue, 05 Jun 2007 09:01:59 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] EchoStar Rolls Out New HDTV Receiver To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed EchoStar Rolls Out New HDTV Receiver ViP222 Powers One Room in HD, Second in All-Digital Standard-Definition By Linda Moss Multichannel News 6/4/2007 2:57:00 PM http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6448926 EchoStar Communications and its Dish Network are launching a new HDTV receiver to complement their premier line of ViP set-top boxes. The ViP222 is an advanced MPEG-4 dual-tuner receiver that powers two rooms, one in HD and the second in all-digital standard-definition, and offers the visual clarity and surround sound of HD. Sales of flat-panel HDTV sets are on the rise as prices fall below $1,000, and the Consumer Electronics Association expects an estimated 16 million HDTVs to be shipped to U.S. stores this year. Much like the award-winning ViP622 digital-video recorder from Dish Network, the ViP222 is for TV viewers who want HD programming, as well as a multiroom receiver. Dish began a trial test of the ViP222 earlier this year. The DBS provider continues to offer the most national HD channels in the industry with 32, including 15 HDTV channels from Voom HD Networks. Additionally, Dish offers local HD channels in 30 markets -- serving nearly 50% of U.S. TV households -- along with nine regional sports networks in HD. The ViP222 also features on-screen caller ID, a host of interactive services through DishHOME interactive TV, picture-in-picture, parental locks and more. The ViP222 is a step up from the already popular ViP211 released last year -- the ViP211 powers one TV while the ViP222 offers the multiroom solution. The ViP222 is available for lease to new and existing customers through Dish's Digital Home Advantage plan. 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: 5 Jun 2007 16:08:17 - From: "Greg Williams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Messenger doing flyby of Venus today To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL
Medianews Digest, Vol 289, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Comcast?s Digital Move Irks Some in Chicago (Rob) 2. Shot Clock Starts on XM-Sirius Merger (George Antunes) 3. Church of England Calls Sony Game 'Sick' (George Antunes) 4. ITC Announces Remedy In Broadcom/Qualcomm Investigation (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 09 Jun 2007 00:24:15 -0500 From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Comcast?s Digital Move Irks Some in Chicago To: Media-News , Tom and Darryl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Comcast?s Digital Move Irks Some in Chicago Department of Consumer Services Reports 121 Complaints in Past Two Months By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6450122.html At least 121 cable subscribers in Chicago are unhappy about Comcast?s forcing them to move to a digital-video tier in order to receive about 38 channels they used to get without set-tops. That?s the number of Comcast subscribers who have filed complaints in the past two months with the City of Chicago?s Department of Consumer Services about the operator?s analog-reclamation initiative, representing about one-third of all Comcast-related complaints. ?Naturally, any time you effect this sort of change, a certain set of those customers are going to be a little reluctant or resistant to change,? said Rich Ruggiero, Comcast?s vice president of communications and public affairs for the Greater Chicago region. ?Our experience overall has been that as customers adopt digital services, they?re more satisfied over time.? Comcast has 1.8 million subscribers in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. The company hasn?t disclosed how many customers would be affected by the switch, but Ruggiero said it was a ?distinct minority.? He added that two of Chicago?s five operating regions have been all-digital except for the most basic tier for two years. In April, where it still offered an expanded-basic analog tier, Comcast began eliminating more than one-half the channels in a project it expects to have completed across Chicago by July 1. That gives Windy City subscribers the choice of receiving either a stripped-down analog service of about 34 channels or installing a Motorola DCT700 set-top to get an 80-plus-channel lineup. Comcast tried to appease subscribers by not raising rates for current analog customers and waiving lease fees for new set-tops. It also promoted the superior signal quality of digital video, as well as the service?s access to video-on-demand and on-screen program guides. Not everyone was mollified: In April, there were 78 complaints about the digital-conversion project to the city?s Department of Consumer Services, about 39% of 198 total Comcast-related complaints. In May, there were 43 about the digital conversion (36% of 121 total). By contrast, in April 2006, there were 57 complaints about Comcast services, and in May 2006, there were 82. Bill McCaffrey, director of public affairs for Chicago?s Department of Consumer Services, said the volume of complaints about the digital-cable transition was not an ?unusual number, given the circumstances.? Most of the complaints were related to subscribers? general unhappiness about having to switch, McCaffrey said, adding, ?These were people saying, ?I don?t want digital-cable service. I?m fine with what I have.?? The rest -- 33 in April and eight in May -- were related to technical problems installing or using the digital set-tops. By zapping 38 channels from the analog tier, Comcast will free up a whopping 228 megahertz of spectrum. That?s enough for more than 100 new HD channels or 380 standard-definition channels. Comcast may also choose to add VOD capacity or expand Internet bandwidth. The MSO is also eliminating handfuls of analog channels in other systems, including those in Alabama and Colorado. But Chicago, from all appearances, still represents the operator?s largest-scale analog-reclamation effort. -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 09 Jun 2007 11:37:09 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Shot Clock Starts on XM-Sirius Merger To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed Shot Clock Starts on XM-Sirius Merger Associated Press
Medianews Digest, Vol 295, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Space station computers continue to fail (Williams, Gregory S.) 2. 1957 Plymouth Unearthed in Tulsa (George Antunes) 3. Credit Cards Cut Off Gas Purchases (George Antunes) 4. Data stolen from 64,000 Ohio gov. workers (George Antunes) 5. Space Station Computers Back Up (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:38:03 -0400 From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Space station computers continue to fail To: Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/06/15/space.shuttle.ap/index.html HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- Cosmonauts aboard the international space station struggled for a second day Friday to try to reboot failed computers that control the orbiting outpost's orientation. The Russians worked on the system through the night but only succeeded in getting one of three power channels to the station's computers operating before flight controllers told them to get some sleep, NASA flight director Holly Ridings said. Valery Lyndin, spokesman for Russia's Mission Control outside Moscow, said Friday that support staff on the ground had so far been unable to pinpoint the source of the computer failure. "The lives of the crew are not in danger," Lyndin stressed. (Watch what's being done to fix the computers Video) He said there were no plans to evacuate the space station, and a NASA administrator said the chance of abandoning the space station was remote. The station's oxygen-regeneration and all basic life-support systems are functioning properly, but the orientation system was affected by the computer problems, Lyndin said. The computers, in the Russian segment, control thrusters that are fired to orient the station and its solar panels toward the sun for maximum energy production. Gyroscopes on the station's American segments are functioning, and the station is in a more-or-less proper position, Lyndin said. NASA said the engineers tried turning off and on the power between the U.S. and Russian sections before rebooting the computers to test if perhaps a bad connection between the Russian side and a pair of new solar arrays might be the problem. They were still testing that theory Friday morning. "A power line has a certain magnetic field around it, and that can affect systems near it," said Mike Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager. "This is the leading theory today." The new solar arrays were connected by the space shuttle Atlantis crew Monday. If the power feed from those arrays turns out to be the problem, the Russian section can still get power from other solar arrays. NASA has said that in a worst-case scenario, the space station's three crew members might have to return to Earth early if the computers can't be fixed. The space station has a more than 50-day supply of oxygen without the Russian oxygen-machine running. Cameras, computer laptops and some lights on Atlantis were turned off Thursday to save energy in case it needs to stay an extra day at the station to help maintain the outpost's orientation while the problem with the Russian computers is addressed. The mission had already been extended from 11 to 13 days to repair the thermal blanket. The computer problems also created a small inconvenience for the shuttle astronauts: Because the routine dumping of the astronauts' waste from the space shuttle requires a change in orientation, the Atlantis crew was told to use the toilet in the Russian section of the space station so that the shuttle's doesn't overflow. While Atlantis is still docked, its thrusters can help, if needed, to maintain the station's position. Gyroscopes on the U.S. side of the space station also were helping maintain orientation, but they can't do the job full time. Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for space operations, called the chances of abandoning the space station because of the computer problem "remote." Seven visiting shuttle astronauts and three crew members are currently living at the orbiting outpost. "We're still a long way from where we would have to de-man the space station," Gerstenmaier said. This type of massive computer failure had never been seen before on the space station, although individual computers do fail periodically. "These sorts of things happen," said astronaut Ed Lu, who lived at the
Medianews Digest, Vol 296, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Rocket fails to put craft in right orbit (Dishnut) 2. Safari for Windows Public Beta Downloads Top 1 Million in First 48 Hours (Monty Solomon) 3. APPLE-SA-2007-06-14 Safari Beta 3.0.1 for Windows (Monty Solomon) 4. Blind man leads Skywarn (Connecticut) (Greg Williams) 5. Ronco files for bankruptcy (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 05:51:24 -0700 From: Dishnut <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Rocket fails to put craft in right orbit To: Medianews , [EMAIL PROTECTED], Tom & Darryl Mail List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070616/NEWS02/706160326 Rocket fails to put craft in right orbit Satellites required to boost selves BY JOHN KELLY FLORIDA TODAY A pair of top-secret ocean surveillance spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral on Friday morning, but the Atlas 5 rocket's upper stage failed to deliver them to the targeted orbit. The Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office, the clandestine agency in charge of the United States' spy satellites, confirmed a performance problem with the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas 5 rocket. However, the NRO said it is "confident in the performance of its mission." The trade publication Aviation Week & Space Technology offered details. The magazine said the two spacecraft, which it identified as ocean surveillance satellites, separated from the Centaur upper stage. However, the Centaur's second engine firing did not last long enough, leaving the spacecraft short of the intended target. The magazine reported the two satellites had enough propellant of their own to maneuver into the appropriate higher orbit. If the spacecraft have to use their own propellant to boost their orbits, it will reduce the satellites' useful on-orbit lifetime. The Atlas 5 blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Pad 41 at 11:12 a.m., arcing out across the Atlantic Ocean bound for a secret orbit. Details about the spacecraft, flight path and target destination were kept secret by the government. Early in the day, the government and Atlas 5 team reported the spacecraft successfully separated from the launch vehicle. However, by late evening, a statement was issued, indicating that the rocket's upper stage did not perform as designed. The Air Force said the Centaur "had a technical anomaly which resulted in minor performance degradation." The Air Force and NRO would not elaborate. United Launch Alliance would not comment. The Air Force, which manages the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program under which the Atlas flies, launched an investigation. Friday's countdown was relatively smooth. Late in the countdown, the launch team studied an issue related to a liquid hydrogen valve and pushed the launch back eight minutes while engineers made sure that the problem would not hamper the flight. The Atlas family of launch vehicles had tallied 80 consecutive successes prior to the launch of the super-secret NRO payload on Friday. The Atlas string of successes date back to 1993, when an Atlas first-stage engine failure left a Navy communications satellite in the wrong orbit. Back-to-back Atlas missions went awry in April 1991 and August 1992 when Centaur upper-stage engines suffered nearly identical failures. Commercial communications satellites were lost on both missions. A Centaur upper-stage failure during an April 1999 Titan 4 rocket mission left a $1 billion Milstar military communications satellite useless. -- Dishnut-P Operator of RadioFree Dishnuts - Producer of The Dishnut News heard Saturdays at 10pm ET. on: RFD, W0KIE Satellite Radio Network Galaxy-26 (Telstar 6) @93? W - Transponder 1 / 6.2 & 6.8Mhz (4DTV T6-999) also via Digicipher on AMC 3 @87? W - Transponder 7 4DTV (DSR-922) W3 958 (Stereo) - WTND-LP 106.3, and many micro LPFM stations. http://dishnuts.net RFD Listen Links: http://dishnuts.net/#Listen Show Archives: (Partly Up) http://dishnuts.net/archive/ **In Loving Memory of Mom (Dishnut Gerry)** -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 16:02:22 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Safari for Windows Public Beta Downloads Top 1 M
Medianews Digest, Vol 297, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. SES to Unveil Long-Term Launch Deal (George Antunes) 2. Air Force Wants Advisory Group To Oversee Satellite Programs (George Antunes) 3. Weird: Bread-Toting Pennsylvania Tourists Feed Multitudes of Carp (George Antunes) 4. Loral Submits Bid in Intelsat Auction (George Antunes) 5. Sony TV Stages a Heavy Online Push (George Antunes) 6. Free Podcasts: For bedtime stories, just press play (George Antunes) 7. Latest cable measure could finally bring competition to Illinois (George Antunes) 8. Candid storm chief gets a lashing (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 12:48:54 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] SES to Unveil Long-Term Launch Deal To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed SES to Unveil Long-Term Launch Deal By ANDY PASZTOR Wall Street Journal June 17, 2007 9:21 a.m. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118207940420138153.html?mod=home_whats_news_us PARIS -- In the latest sign of a resurgent commercial-satellite sector, European industry leader SES Global S.A. has negotiated a novel, roughly $700-million deal to launch 10 of its satellites on a combination of French and Russian rockets. Slated to be announced Monday at the international air show here, the five-year agreement not only covers an unusually large number of flights but is intended to provide unmatched reliability by ensuring firm backup rockets and even alternate launch sites for each satellite. By pressing ahead with such aggressive expansion plans and seeking long-term launch arrangements stretching to at least 2013, the Luxembourg satellite operator was able to get substantial price breaks from French rocket operator Arianespace as well as its Russian rival, International Launch Services. The deal also sets a new benchmark for flexibility in matching different-size payloads and rockets, at a time when the industry is rebounding and launch manifests increasingly are filled. Arianespace, among other things, committed to use European-built Ariane V and Russian-built Soyuz rockets from its Equatorial spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. As part of the package, Japan's rocket industry also has committed to earmark additional backup capacity, in case there is a problem with one of the other two launch providers. Romain Bausch, president of SES, said the agreement provides for "on-schedule access to space" covering the company's plans to replace or expand its global satellite fleet. After the Internet financial "bubble" burst around 2000, launch providers struggled with weak manifests, and U.S. rocket makers Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. largely ceded commercial markets to French and Russian providers. But orders to build and launch commercial satellites have increased steadily since late 2005, permitting Ariane to boost its prices about 50% over the period. With financial support from European governments, Arianespace is building a new launch pad at its Kourou launch facility to handle several Soyuz launches a year. The Soyuz is about a third as powerful as the largest Ariane V, but is considered a cost-effective option for smaller and midsize satellites. "We are the only space services company to offer such a wide variety of launchers," Arianespace chairman and chief executive Jean-Yves Le Gall said last month, but "we need to have a stabilized production rate" to maximize returns. The industry's revival is further underscored by Arianespace's anticipated announcement at the show of stepped-up production of rockets for its use. Arianespace expects to gradually increase to eight from five the annual launches of its heavy-lift Ariane V version. "That's an important signal," said Douglas Heydon, a former Arianespace executive who now works for Aerospace Corp. "Their cost efficiency will improve" and launches will generate more profit, he said. Satellite operators historically have contracted for some backup capacity, in the event technical problems or an accident temporarily put a specific rocket out of operation. But those were usually shorter-term arrangements focused on specific satellite. By contrast, the latest agreement covers the bulk of all the satellites SES units plan to launch until the middle of the next decade
Medianews Digest, Vol 302, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Verizon can limit access to services, Penn. PUC says (George Antunes) 2. Despite pressure, TV networks boost ad rates (George Antunes) 3. Talks on Global Broadcast Treaty Fail (George Antunes) 4. Robots to Help Explore Undersea Arctic Ridge (George Antunes) 5. Ruptured cable disrupts Internet service in 5 Latin American countries (George Antunes) 6. Publisher halts plans to sell 'Manhunt 2' (George Antunes) 7. Two-headed snake's long odd life ends (George Antunes) 8. ABC News Cutting 35, Moving Assets To Digital (George Antunes) 9. AT&T girds for iPhone launch on June 29 (Monty Solomon) 10. iPhone mania nears fever pitch (Monty Solomon) 11. ATSC Receives Bevy Of Mobile DTV Proposals (George Antunes) 12. Noncoms Get Bucks To Digitize Programming Library (George Antunes) 13. ABC News Cutting 35, Moving Assets To Digital (Rob) 14. Survey: Customers not ready for RFID (Rob) 15. iPhone. A guided tour. (Monty Solomon) 16. The Cashless Society Has Arrived (Rob) 17. 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' Singer Hank Medress Passes Away (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:59:39 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Verizon can limit access to services, Penn. PUC says To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Verizon can limit access to services, PUC says Friday, June 22, 2007 BY DAVID DeKOK Harrisburg Patriot-News http://www.pennlive.com/business/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/business/118247372756150.xml&coll=1 The state Public Utility Commission voted 3-1 yesterday not to stop Verizon Communications from blocking access by low-income people on the Lifeline program to bundled telephone service packages, even if it could save customers money. Lifeline is funded by a fee paid by telephone users to the federal Universal Service Fund. It gives qualifying low-income people $8 off their monthly phone bills. "It's incomprehensible to me why they would not want their customers to get the discount," state Consumer Advocate Irwin Popowsky said. "It doesn't cost Verizon a dime. Pennsylvania consistently gets less than it's fair share." Sharon Shaffer, a spokeswoman for Verizon-Pennsylvania, said the company "is not in favor" of making bundled service packages available to Lifeline customers. The law that created Lifeline in Pennsylvania limited it to "the most basic, limited local phone service," she said. But Popowsky said the original law Shaffer quoted was superseded by a law in 2004 that specified Lifeline customers could subscribe to "any number of eligible telecommunications services." The Legislature adopted the law after complaints that Verizon had blocked Lifeline customers from getting Caller ID or Call Waiting, but the law did not apply to just those services. Shaffer said it costs Verizon about $20 to hook up a Lifeline customer, and allowing Lifeline customers access to service packages would strain the Universal Service Fund. Verizon had asked the PUC to end a requirement imposed in 1990 that forced it to offer customers a basic telephone service package before trying to sell them a more expensive service. Most customers, Verizon argued last year, now want bundled services, in which local, regional toll and long-distance services are grouped at a single price that is less than if each component was purchased separately. After Verizon filed its request to end the basic-first requirement, Popowsky sought to attach a condition allowing Lifeline customers to buy packages. The PUC ruled yesterday, in a motion introduced by Commissioner Terrance Fitzpatrick, that access to a bundled service package would have to be litigated separately. "We've been in negotiations on this for a year," Popowsky said. PUC member Kim Pizzingrilli and Chairman Wendell Holland joined Fitzpatrick in voting for the motion. Vice Chairman James Cawley dissented. He suggested that the majority motion would be a burden on the poor and called it "a waste of resources" to make Popowsky start over again. 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: 2 Date:
Medianews Digest, Vol 303, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Do It Yourself Anti-satellite System? (George Antunes) 2. FCC Upholds LPFM License in N.C. (Greg Williams) 3. Qwest plan to offer cable TV stalled (George Antunes) 4. MEMO TO FCC FROM THE BOONIES (George Antunes) 5. US spy chief scraps stealth satellite program (George Antunes) 6. APPLE-SA-2007-06-22 Safari 3 Beta Update 3.0.2 (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:42:12 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Do It Yourself Anti-satellite System? To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed Web address: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070622090716.htm Source: Inderscience Publishers Date: June 22, 2007 Do It Yourself Anti-satellite System? Military And Civilian Satellites Need Protection SCIENCE DAILY Science Daily ? Satellite tracking software freely available on the Internet and some textbook physics could be used by any organization that can get hold of an intermediate range rocket to mount an unsophisticated attack on military or civilian satellites. Such an attack would require modest engineering capability and only a limited budget. That is according to researchers writing in Inderscience Publishers' International Journal of Critical Infrastructures. A terrorist organization or rogue state could threaten essential satellite systems, according to Adrian Gheorghe of Old Dominion University Norfolk, in Virginia, USA and Dan Vamanu of "Horia Hulubei" National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, in Bucharest, Romania. Military satellites, global positioning systems, weather satellites and even satellite TV systems could all become victims of such an attack. Gheorghe and Vamanu have carried out an analysis of just how easy it could be to knock out strategic satellites, their findings suggest that dozens of systems on which military and civilian activities depend make near-space a vulnerable environment. The team used a so-called "mathematical game" and textbook physics equations for ballistics to help them build a computer model to demonstrate that anti-satellite weaponry is a real possibility. Accuracy and elegance are not issues in carrying out a satellite attack, the researchers say, as long as the projectile hits the satellite. In fact, all it would take to succeed with an amateurish, yet effective anti-satellite attack would be the control of an intermediate range missile, which is well within the reach of many nations and organizations with sufficient funds, and a college-level team dedicated to the cause. "Any country in possession of intermediate range rockets may mount a grotesquely unsophisticated attack on another's satellites given the political short-sightedness that would be blind to a potentially devastating retaliation," the researchers say. On January 11, 2007, China deliberately destroyed one of its own weather satellites in a test, which some analysts suggested as having the potential to revive a techno-political race believed to be defunct since the 1980s. According to Gheorghe and Vamanu that was the cool analytical view, but some hot diplomats are quoted as saying this demonstration is "inconsistent with international efforts to avert an arms race in outer space and undermining the security in outer space". "While it may be true that, when it comes to nuts and bolts, things may not be quite as simple as they sound here, the bare fact remains - it can be done." Their conclusions suggest that the risk of deliberate satellite sabotage should be placed higher on the security agenda. - Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Inderscience Publishers. 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: 2 Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2007 12:26:52 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] FCC Upholds LPFM License in N.C. To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed FCC Upholds LPFM License in N.C. http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0102/t.6834.html 6.22.2007 The FCC has upheld a
Medianews Digest, Vol 304, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. In Pursuit of Perfect TV Color, With L.E.D. ?s & Lasers (George Antunes) 2. China: NY Times Reporter Held Hostage by Toy Factory (George Antunes) 3. Internet Video: A Stream Becomes a Virtual Deluge (George Antunes) 4. Bit Wars: When Computers Attack (George Antunes) 5. Lawrence Lessig: Tech Missionary Shifts Focus (George Antunes) 6. Scientists Now Know: We're Not From Here! (Greg Williams) 7. Paleontologists adopt a technical term from The Far Side. (Greg Williams) 8. Isolated unit watches over U.S. from above (Greg Williams) 9. Volunteers needed for practice mission to Mars (Greg Williams) 10. Lower prices ahead for Wi-Fi access? (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2007 16:12:15 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] In Pursuit of Perfect TV Color, With L.E.D. ?s & Lasers To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed June 24, 2007 In Pursuit of Perfect TV Color, With L.E.D.?s and Lasers By ANNE EISENBERG NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/24/business/yourmoney/24novel.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=business&pagewanted=print HIGH-DEFINITION television sets grow ever more sophisticated, but the colors on many of the screens are still created the old-time way: with tubes or bulbs that give off white light that is filtered into primary colors and remixed. Now, several manufacturers are replacing these bulbs with lasers and light-emitting diodes, or L.E.D.?s. These lasers and L.E.D.?s do not beam white light, but rather its three basic building blocks: red, green and blue. Beams are emitted in a narrow band of wavelengths very close to those of single, pure colors, giving off the brilliant, saturated red of a blazing sunset or the shimmering, luminous blue of a rainbow. Beam these three primary colors in varying intensities at the same spot on a television screen, and a palette of hues can be created in a wider range than in TVs without this technology. The new lighting is already built into a handful of commercial TV sets. Last year, Samsung Electronics America, of Ridgefield Park, N.J., introduced its first TV with L.E.D.?s. This year, the company has added six more, all large-screen, high-definition models. The L.E.D.?s within the sets, which are all rear-projection models, are made by Luminus Devices, of Woburn, Mass. They emit beams of red, green or blue light when current is passed through the semiconductor chips that house them. The L.E.D.?s are expected to last the lifetime of the TV, unlike the bulbs typically used in these rear-projection TVs, which must typically be replaced every few years at a cost of about $200 to $350. Laser TVs, unlike L.E.D. models, are not yet on the commercial market, but several manufacturers have demonstrated them at trade shows. Frank DeMartin, vice president for marketing and product development at Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America in Irvine, Calif., said the company would show a large-screen laser TV at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next January. ?It will spawn a new category for the premium end of the market,? he said. The distinctive range of colors produced by lasers and L.E.D.?s may provide a competitive edge for rear-projection TVs, which have steadily lost market share to plasma and liquid crystal display models, said Paul Semenza, vice president for display research at iSuppli, a market research firm based in El Segundo, Calif. ISuppli expects that 5.3 million rear-projection sets will be sold worldwide this year, making them the smallest segment of the TV market. In contrast, 74 million L.C.D. sets and 11 million plasma sets are projected to be sold, Mr. Semenza said. Large-screen rear-projection TVs traditionally cost less than L.C.D. or plasma models with similar sizes of screens, but the rear-projection TVs are as much as 10 inches deeper. ?Consumers like thin,? Mr. Semenza said. ?But innovation in color could stave off the competition.? Consumers may also appreciate the longevity of L.E.D.?s and lasers in rear-projection TVs, compared with the bulbs they are replacing. Rear-projection sets are typically lit by high-pressure white-light mercury lamps. ?After a year or two, the lamp goes out,? Mr. Semenza
Medianews Digest, Vol 310, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Boomerang to Run Flintstones Marathon (Greg Williams) 2. Is ?Made in China' avoidable? (Greg Williams) 3. Houston: Comcast service fails briefly after Time Warner line cut (George Antunes) 4. Not only cool, but very likely groundbreaking (Monty Solomon) 5. Is ?Made in China' avoidable? (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:38:46 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Boomerang to Run Flintstones Marathon To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6456538.html The Boomerang channel is looking to write a new page right into history. The Cartoon Network's retro channel filled with the animation the Boomer generation grew up with will air all 166 episodes of The Flintstones in chronological order and without commercials. It is the first time the network has run a marathon of all episodes in a series. The holiday stunt will begin on July 4 at 6 a.m and will run until July 7 at 5 p.m. A bit of trivia: The pilot episode was called The Flagstones. There will also be a best of the Flintstones VOD offering. The Flintstones was the first animated prime time sitcom when it debuted in 1960 on ABC and was essentially an homage to the Honeymooners team of Jackie Gleason and Art Carney. -- Gregory S. Williams gregwilliams(at)knology.net k4hsm(at)knology.net http://www.etskywarn.net http://www.twiar.org http://www.icebearnation.com -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:37:13 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Is ?Made in China' avoidable? To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Is ?Made in China' avoidable? A one-week attempt to avoid products from there meets with little success By Dirk Lammers The Associated Press Updated: 6:26 p.m. ET June 29, 2007 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Poisoned pet food. Seafood laced with potentially dangerous antibiotics. Toothpaste tainted with an ingredient in antifreeze. Tires missing a key safety component. U.S. shoppers may be forgiven if they are becoming leery of Chinese-made goods and are trying to fill their shopping carts with products free of ingredients from that country. The trouble is, that may be almost impossible. Chinese exports have been in the spotlight since the deaths of dogs and cats in North America attributed to tainted Chinese wheat gluten, followed by this week?s recall of Chinese-made radial tires and an alert Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration, warning about contaminated Chinese seafood. My family hit some stores to see how hard it would it be for the average consumer to avoid the ?Made in China? label ? even for just a week. My sons? well-worn sneakers were starting to resemble sandals, so our family headed to the Empire Mall in Sioux Falls in search of a couple of cheap pairs to get the boys, ages 10 and 12, through the summer. The quest began in the J.C. Penney shoe department. We soon found out this was going to be no easy task: Adidas, made in China; Sketchers, made in China; Reebok, made in China or Indonesia. We finally found some New Balance shoes and I recalled reading that the company still makes some running shoes in the United States. The first few said ?Made in China,? but we then spotted three adult styles marked ?Made in the USA of imported materials.? That sounded as close as we could get, so I asked my 12-year-old which of the three he liked. ?This one,? he said, pointing to the $75 shoe he?ll likely outgrow in months. ?Let?s keep looking,? I said. We headed to a couple of other shoe stores ? Famous Footwear and Payless ? and found several other styles of sneakers mostly made in China and Indonesia. Famous Footwear had one U.S.-made New Balance sneaker on sale for $40, but my oldest didn?t like the color combination so we moved on. I guess those well-worn sneakers can last another week until this little experiment ends. Shopping for non China-made groceries at our local Hy-Vee grocery store seemed to be presenting few challenges, but it turned out to be more of a case of blissful ignorance than well-informed consumerism. Products in nonfood aisles communicated their origins better than their edible counterparts. Labels
Medianews Digest, Vol 311, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Ohio's Laptops Often Stolen or Missing (George Antunes) 2. Canada: BCE sale has company insiders poised to reap millions (George Antunes) 3. Cyber Attacks Engulf Kremlin's Critics (George Antunes) 4. Review: iPhone combines slick features, with some big compromises (George Antunes) 5. Canada's BCE Agrees To $48.5 Billion Buyou (George Antunes) 6. AMD's Details on Chip Delivery, Speed Suggest Softer Attack on Intel (George Antunes) 7. Western Digital Purchase Shows Disk-Drive Dilemma (George Antunes) 8. Most iPhone owners gush but some have glitches (Greg Williams) 9. Google adjusts mapping directions,allowing for changes on the fly (Greg Williams) 10. iPhone comics (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:59:23 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Ohio's Laptops Often Stolen or Missing To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Ohio's Laptops Often Stolen or Missing June 30, 2007 8:50 AM (ET) By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS Associated Press http://apnews.myway.com//article/20070630/D8Q353P80.html COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - In Dayton, a state employee returns to work to find a $2,000 computer stolen. In Cleveland, someone walks into an unlocked office and takes a $2,200 laptop belonging to the state auditor's office. In Ohio, these scenarios not unusual, with state-issued computers frequently stolen or missing, according to a recent review of reports of stolen equipment by The Associated Press. "State-owned and issued equipment is being misplaced or lost and stolen, and fundamentally that's not good," said Keith Dailey, a spokesman for Gov. Ted Strickland. Strickland has ordered the State Highway Patrol to review reports of stolen computer equipment following the theft of a computer backup tape earlier this month. The tape contained personal information on state employees and the names and Social Security numbers of 225,000 taxpayers. The patrol is investigating 11 reports of missing or stolen equipment this year, 26 last year and 32 in 2005, said Lt. Tony Bradshaw, an Ohio State Highway Patrol spokesman. In Columbus, for example, someone stole 12 laptops from the state highway department in a theft discovered in April, including a $4,500 computer used to record pavement conditions taken from a locked office, records show. There have been frequent reports of employees taking laptops home and having them stolen from their cars. On Sept. 18, 2006, a human services employee who lives in Westerville in suburban Columbus reported a $2,087 state-issued laptop was stolen from his car parked at his home. Two months later, on Nov. 16, a Health Department employee in Columbus reported that a state-issued laptop was in her car in downtown Columbus when the $3,500 Dell computer went missing. Twice in 2006, Ohio Turnpike Commission employees reported laptops stolen from their cars after stopping at different turnpike service plazas, patrol records show. "If there's a lesson here, it's, 'Don't leave these types of equipment in your car,' said Jay Carey, a Health Department spokesman. "If they're not going to be in the office, have them locked up." The department's laptops did not contain sensitive data, he said. State agencies are not the only ones suffering thefts. In April, the Ohio House of Representatives reported three laptops stolen from House chambers. Each was valued at $1,100. The laptops contain no sensitive information and are used by lawmakers to look up bill information during legislative sessions, said House GOP spokeswoman Karen Tabor. On July 25, 2006, the state's Court of Claims reported a $1,723 laptop stolen from a court office. The laptop was discovered missing during an annual inventory and Miles Durfey, the court's clerk, said court employees do not know when it was taken. The biggest mass theft of computers involved the 12 that were taken from a Department of Transportation office near the agency's state headquarters on the west side of Columbus. One of the computers was a $4,500 Panasonic laptop designed to be mounted in a car and built to withstand bouncing or bumping in a moving vehicle. A security camera observed the theft and helped the state patrol determi
Medianews Digest, Vol 316, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Fake MPAA Video Download Site Goes Offline (Rob) 2. Space travel dreams get a reality check (Williams, Gregory S.) 3. L.A. anchor on leave over relationship with mayor (Williams, Gregory S.) 4. Macintouch iPhone Review (Monty Solomon) 5. Optimizing Web Applications and Content for iPhone (Monty Solomon) 6. "iPhone Magic" (Monty Solomon) 7. IPhone-Free Cellphone News (Monty Solomon) 8. Apple's Partner Paradox (Monty Solomon) 9. Even After Apple, Designers Dig Jobs (Monty Solomon) 10. Telephony Armageddon? (Monty Solomon) 11. True or False: US Broadband Penetration Is Lower Than Estonia ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) 12. Proposal by Qwest would help spread of high-speed Internet ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) 13. Feds snub open source for 'smart' radios ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) 14. ESPN shut out of All-Star Game (Williams, Gregory S.) 15. Accessories for iPhone Are Hitting Market;Some Are Worthwhile (Monty Solomon) 16. Questions About Apple's iPhone (Monty Solomon) 17. iPhone Offers a Mixed Experience (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2007 01:38:06 -0500 From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Fake MPAA Video Download Site Goes Offline To: Media-News , Tom and Darryl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Fake MPAA Video Download Site Goes Offline http://www.zeropaid.com/news/8880/Fake+MPAA+Video+Download+Site+Goes+Offline Thanks to all the publicity, MediaDefender tries to lay low and decides to parks "Miivi" for now. A few days ago I reported on how one of the MPAA's henchmen, MediaDefender, the self-professed "leading provider of anti-piracy solutions in the emerging Internet-Piracy-Prevention (IPP) industry," had quietly set up a video download site called "MiiVi" that was dedicated to busting those who both like to download copyrighted content as well as those who already have. The site was one of the MPAA"s latest tactics in its ongoing struggle against illegal file-sharing. It offered whole downloads of movies as well as the ability to download and install an additional client that promised even faster download speeds. Well, thanks to all of the the publicity generated by this article and elsewhere, and a slashdot that seemingly proved to be the final nail in the coffin, MiiVi.com has been taken offline and visitors to the site are now greeted by one of GoDaddy's parked domain pages. It's always nice to know that sometimes good things do happen, and more importantly, that MiiVi won't be trapping any more unsuspecting users. Now I'm sure it won't be the MPAA and MediaDefender's last tricky scheme to fight piracy but, at least it's one less that people will have to watch out for and the bad publicity that it generated surely couldn't have been good for either them. Yet, then again, the MPAA seems to be reading from the RIAA's playbook and doesn't seem to care about its reputation as well. -- Message: 2 Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 10:06:30 -0400 From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Space travel dreams get a reality check To: Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Workshop takes a businesslike look at spaceflight ventures By Leonard David Space.com Updated: 9:48 p.m. ET July 5, 2007 ASPEN, Colo. - Public space travel is a going and growing industry, but with a number of hurdles to overcome before becoming a sustainable and profitable marketplace. There is already more than $1.5 billion invested in new air transportation ventures and an estimated $1 billion in new commercial space ventures. But in the blossoming market for tourist-class space passengers, much needs to happen - from harnessing the technology and dealing with regulations to dealing with finances and satisfying customer needs and desires. Public space travel experts gathered here at "Flight School 2007 - Flying: Beyond A to B," a workshop for commercial space and private aviation ventures, held June 20-22 at the Aspen Institute. The unique gathering was hosted by Esther Dyson, an imaginer specializing in the computer industry and entrepreneurial investment. Trial and error "On the one hand," Dyson told the Flight School audience, "there is the optimization of air travel. Then there's pr
Medianews Digest, Vol 317, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. House committee members ask FCC to reject Frontline wireless ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) 2. FCC to Rescind Interim Procedures for Electronic Filing ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) 3. China launches satellite despite restrictions ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) 4. ILS Proton Successfully Launches DIRECTV 10 (Dishnut) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2007 14:19:34 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Medianews] House committee members ask FCC to reject Frontline wireless To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 House committee members ask FCC to reject Frontline Jul 6, 2007 2:19 PM By Donny Jackson Mobile Radio Technology http://mrtmag.com/news/house_fcc_frontline_070607/ A Republican-dominated group of House Commerce Committee members this week released a letter sent to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin asking that the Frontline Wireless proposal be dismissed and let the 700 MHz commercial auction proceed with no public-safety, wholesale or open-access obligations. Frontline has proposed that the FCC establish a 10 MHz ?E block? in the auction, with the winner of the spectrum being obligated to negotiate with a national public-safety licensee to build a nationwide wireless broadband network using the E block airwaves and 12 MHz of adjacent public-safety frequencies. The Frontline plan also calls for the E block licensee to provide only wholesale service to customers other than public safety and agree to open-access requirements. Signed by 12 Republicans?most notably, ranking committee member Joe Barton (R-Texas)?and four junior Democrats, the letter states that including the latter obligations in commercial spectrum rules would be ?inappropriate.? ?Suggestions to impose wholesale and so-called open access requirements ? are blatant poison pills to discourage competing bids and to lower the price of spectrum,? the letter states. ?Business models should be left to the market, not hard-wired into auctions.? While supporting the notion of a public-private partnership on public safety?s 12 MHz of spectrum, the letter cites several potential risks involved with putting public-safety obligations on the E block, because the public-safety requirements would not be solidified for some time. ?The odds of crafting precisely the right auction conditions, that create precisely the right model and that result in precisely the right winner, who will then agree to public safety?s requirements, are minimal at best,? the letter states. ?We are likely to be left with no bidder, or a winner who will neither meet the needs of public safety nor relinquish the license without a fight.? Frontline Wireless Vice Chairman Reed Hundt this week said Frontline?s proposal would not preclude existing wireless carriers like Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility?formerly know as Cingular Wireless?from bidding on the E block spectrum. However, Frontline?s updated proposed rules would require the E block licensee to ?be limited to providing service to public safety users, entities that provide retail service and products to end users, and providers and operators of critical infrastructure??a stipulation that carriers with millions of retail consumer customers almost certainly would be willing to follow. With this in mind, the letter asks Martin to reject the Frontline plan. ?Let us not mistake this proposal for what it is: yet another attempt to get valuable spectrum on the cheap,? the letter states. -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2007 14:20:46 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Medianews] FCC to Rescind Interim Procedures for Electronic Filing To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 FCC to Rescind Interim Procedures for Electronic Filing RADIO WORLD 7.06.2007 http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0102/t.7035.html Come September, there will be no filing at the FCC by fax or e-mail. The FCC is doing away with interim procedures it adopted in 2001 to allow electronic filing of certain pleadings. It did so after an anthrax scare on Capitol Hill and some U.S. Postal Service processing facilities disrupted mail delivery. The interim procedures required certain documents to be filed via fax or e-mail, by an overnight delivery service other than the U.S. Postal Service, or by hand-delivery to the commi
Medianews Digest, Vol 318, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to
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Today's Topics:
1. NASA Buys $19 Million Toilet System ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
2. Time to break up Microsoft, which has too many balls in the
air ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
3. Skimpy Outfits Over at Texas TV Station ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
4. Verizon Copper Cutoff Traps Customers ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
5. Digital S.L.R.'s That Let You Shoot Like a Pro (Monty Solomon)
6. iPhone: The Musical (Monty Solomon)
7. All Shook Up, Right Down to the Musical Core (Monty Solomon)
8. NASA Mission to Asteroid Belt Rescheduled for September
Launch (Greg Williams)
9. Gillmor: Waiting for iPhone 2.0 (Monty Solomon)
--
Message: 1
Date: Sun, 08 Jul 2007 11:33:32 -0500
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Medianews] NASA Buys $19 Million Toilet System
To: medianews@twiar.org
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
NASA Buys $19 Million Toilet System
Associated Press
Jul 5, 2007 10:06 PM (ET)
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20070706/D8Q6Q86G1.html
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - In space, a loo costs a lot.
NASA has agreed to pay $19 million for a Russian-built toilet system for
the international space station. The figure may sound astronomical for a
toilet in space, but NASA officials said it was cheaper than building
their own.
"It's akin to building a municipal treatment center on Earth," NASA
spokeswoman Lynnette Madison said Thursday, explaining the cost of the
new toilet system.
Also, astronauts are familiar with how it works since it's similar to
one already in use at the space station. The new system will be able to
transfer urine to a device that can produce drinking water.
The new system is scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. side of the
space station in 2008. It will offer more privacy than the old toilet
system, which will definitely be needed: The space station crew is
expected to grow from three to six people by 2009.
The system will be installed on the American side, and the current
toilet system on the Russian side will remain in place.
The space station toilet physically resembles those used on Earth,
except it has leg restraints and thigh bars to keep astronauts and
cosmonauts in place. Fans suck waste into the commode. Crew members also
have individual urine funnels which are attached to hoses, and the urine
is deposited into a wastewater tank.
Crew members using the current toilet system on the Russian side must
transfer tanks of their urine to a cargo ship, which burns up in Earth's
atmosphere once undocked from the station.
The $19 million toilet system was part of a larger contract valued at
$46 million that NASA signed this week with RSC Energia, a Russian
aerospace company. The extra equipment includes software updates for the
station's inventory management system, a spare air pump and engineering
support for a mechanism which allows space shuttles to dock with the
space station.
--
Message: 2
Date: Sun, 08 Jul 2007 11:41:24 -0500
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Medianews] Time to break up Microsoft,which has too many
balls in the air
To: medianews@twiar.org
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Time to break up Microsoft, which has too many balls in the air
Commentary: Time to break up a company with too many balls in the air
By John C. Dvorak
MarketWatch
Last Update: 12:01 AM ET Jul 7, 2007
http://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/myway-com/news-story.asp?guid={AE94D3EC-D464-4F1B-8AC2-0B8FE9C7E5B0}
BERKELEY, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- There's a worldwide initiative to push
out the de facto standard for the storage of word-processing documents,
Microsoft Corp.'s ".doc" file format, and replace it with Open Document
Format, a supposedly universal and open format.
This kind of sniping will never end as long as Microsoft is Microsoft.
Maybe it's time to seriously think of breaking up the company into
smaller companies. The individual parts would flourish and benefit the
stockholders to an extreme.
In the meantime, the attacks on Microsoft are set to continue the world
over.
Some of the rationale is the fear outside the United States that
Microsoft already has too much power. There's also the fear, which is
discussed less, that Microsoft has been compromised by American spy
agencies, and for all anyone knows secret documents saved in Word could
be sent to the NSA with the push of a button.
This would be kind of
Medianews Digest, Vol 322, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Telecom giants criticized for blocking competing services (George Antunes) 2. Watchdog wants tough message sent to Sprint (George Antunes) 3. Web DJs silenced by royalty fees (George Antunes) 4. Pirated Music Helps Radio Develop Playlists (George Antunes) 5. Gloves are off in Chicago TV news fight (George Antunes) 6. As image spam declines, PDF spam ready to take its place (Williams, Gregory S.) 7. In Satellite vs. Cable, The Battle Over HD Is Baffling Consumers (George Antunes) 8. Mainlander's Radio Show Stirs Up US Virgin Islands Political Scene (George Antunes) 9. Senate panel quizzes NOAA on satellite programs (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:00:58 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Telecom giants criticized for blocking competing services To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Telecom giants criticized for blocking competing services Associated Press Article Launched: 07/11/2007 03:17:26 PM PDT http://www.siliconvalley.com/latestheadlines/ci_6350524?nclick_check=1 WASHINGTON - AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless and other major telecom carriers are coming under fire for blocking tech companies' services from their networks. Some technology companies accuse the telecom carriers of dictating what can and can't be offered on their wireless networks, stifling innovation and competition. Research in Motion Ltd., which wants to offer new video, music and mapping services over its popular Blackberry devices, is tangling with AT&T, which denied RIM from offering a free mapping service because the carrier plans to offer its own subscription-based version. The tech companies, as well as consumer groups, say customers will lose out if telecom carriers can block rival services on their networks because consumers will have fewer choices of services and providers. They're asking the federal government to intervene and open up the wireless networks. The telecom carriers and their supporters say new regulations would not increase innovation or competition. "The wireless industry is indisputably, workably competitive, said Philip Verveer, a former attorney in the Justice Department's antitrust division and at the Federal Communications Commission. However, last month, 15 tech company executives signed a letter sent to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, requesting that a small percentage of wireless spectrum, which is scheduled to be auctioned to the highest bidder before year-end, be designated as open access. Essentially, the spectrum would be available to all wireless devices. The FCC is considering rules that will dictate how the spectrum will be used. Jason Devitt, chief executive of San Mateo, Calif.-based Skydeck, signed the letter to Martin. Opening up the wireless spectrum is necessary "as long as no harm comes to it," said Devitt at a House Commerce and Energy subcommittee hearing Wednesday. Steven Zipperstein, vice president and general counsel of Verizon Wireless - a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group Plc. - argued that open access is unwarranted because no one has identified that the current system is failing consumers. He said the fact that consumers are being offered hundreds of applications and services reflects sufficient competition exists in the industry. For example, when Cingular Wireless first offered Motorola Inc.'s Razr phone, the product cost about $500 and could only operate on one network. It has since come down in price to about $50 and the service is available on other networks, he said. "The market really addressed the problem in a quick and efficient way," he said. Some lawmakers at Wednesday's hearing criticized the recently launched Apple Inc. iPhone - a hybrid mobile phone, media player and wireless Internet device - because it can only be used on AT&T's wireless network. Of the first 1 million iPhones purchased after launch, up to 40 percent of the buyers had to switch carriers, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., said at the hearing. Even having to pay costly early termination fees didn't seem to impede consumers' desire for the gizmo. Verveer added that there will be iPhone rivals soon enough and that at some point,
Medianews Digest, Vol 324, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Golden age of radio to be showcased by Lawrence enthusiast (Greg Williams) 2. July 18 ISS Spacewalk (Greg Williams) 3. Los Alamos: Classified files, computer storage devices found in trailer-park drug raid (George Antunes) 4. A Battle Between the Bottle and the Faucet (George Antunes) 5. The Boat Is About to Rock (Again) in Internet Video (George Antunes) 6. Investors sue Israeli spy satellite company (George Antunes) 7. Deficit: Sat-nav rival could crash and burn (George Antunes) 8. Hogwarts Square (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 12:57:02 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Golden age of radio to be showcased by Lawrence enthusiast To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/jul/13/golden_age_radio_be_showcased_lawrence_enthusiast/ By Jon Niccum July 13, 2007 ?Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!? Advertisement Upcoming Event "Return with Us Now: An Interactive Walk Through the History of Radio's Golden Age, 1929-1962" * When: Sunday, July 15, 2007, 2:30 p.m. * Where: Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., Lawrence * Cost: Free More on this event Radio shows * The Shadow in "Death House Rescue," originally broadcast on Sept. 26, 1937 In 2000, Ryan Ellett was searching for an Internet radio station and stumbled upon a Web site with downloadable episodes of the vintage radio serial ?The Shadow.? A show featuring the mysterious costumed crime-fighter ran from 1931-1954 and was best remembered for introducing the world to a then-unknown Orson Welles. ?I had no knowledge of old-time radio at that point, but I recognized the name from old movie serials and comic books, so I downloaded one to pass the time. I?ve been hooked ever since,? Ellett says. Seven years later, the Lawrence resident is editor of ?The Old Radio Times? (www.otrr.org), the official publication of old-time radio researchers. In addition to his collection of antique radio sets, he has amassed approximately 45,000 programs from all over the world. Ellett will play some of these classic selections during a free presentation titled ?Return with Us Now: An Interactive Walk Through the History of Radio?s Golden Age, 1929-1962.? The event takes place at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt. ?If you were born in the ?70s or later, you likely have no idea radio drama ever existed. In our lifetime, radio has never been more than news, music, sports and talk,? Ellett says. Ellett says that the number of radio enthusiasts ? which he defines as those who ?actively collect vintage broadcasts and enjoy reading and doing research about the medium? ? probably numbers around 3,000 or 4,000. He describes it as a fairly obscure area of interest, and he hasn?t met anyone else in Lawrence who fits the description. ?I know a few individuals who restore antique radios, and there?s a local ham radio club, but all these areas of radio interest really are distinct groups of hobbyists. There is not necessarily much overlap in interest between them,? he says. From among his many recordings, Ellett reveals he is most partial to comedies. ?There are a surprising number that have aged very well,? he says. ??Fibber McGee and Molly? is a favorite of mine and many collectors. ?The Great Gildersleeve? was a spin-off of that show and my personal favorite. It?s arguably the first sitcom in radio and television. Jack Benny?s program is wonderful as well. ?Nightbeat? is another favorite, about a Chicago newspaper writer who dug up stories while working the graveyard shift. ?Gunsmoke? is fantastic, though overshadowed by its television run,? he says. ?Many fans would agree it was the best all-around radio drama produced in the U.S.? Ellett says he and other radio enthusiasts work hard to raise public awareness about the bygone art form through presentations such as his library appearance this weekend. ?Radio drama seems to be the overlooked stepchild of the entertainment/mass communications mediums,? Ellett says. ?Television and motion pictures get all the attention.? -- Greg Williams K4HSM [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.twiar.org http://www.etskywarn.net -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 14 Jul
Medianews Digest, Vol 327, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. The Voice of Harry Potter Can Keep a Secret (Monty Solomon) 2. German police excuse angry computer user for outburst (Williams, Gregory S.) 3. RIAA spends thousands to obtain $300 judgment (Williams, Gregory S.) 4. Webcasters' Fates Still Uncertain ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) 5. VoIP Provider SunRocket Suddenly Closes (George Antunes) 6. FCC asks for comments on network neutrality, gets 27, 000 of them (Rob) 7. Hackers Crack Microsoft's DRM Technology...Again (Williams, Gregory S.) 8. A Patent Is Worth Having, Right? Well, Maybe Not (Monty Solomon) 9. 'The challenge of imperialism' (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:52:13 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] The Voice of Harry Potter Can Keep a Secret To: undisclosed-recipient:; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The Voice of Harry Potter Can Keep a Secret By MOTOKO RICH The New York Times July 17, 2007 Jim Dale is either one of the luckiest men in America or one of the most tortured. A little less than two months ago, Mr. Dale, the veteran Broadway actor turned voice of Harry Potter, finished recording the audio version of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final installment in the colossally successful series by J. K. Rowling. So that means that he knows how it ends. His grandchildren, who visited from England after he completed the recording, literally twisted his arms trying to get him to divulge a clue. His wife is still in the dark. Everywhere he goes, people want to know What He Knows. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/books/17dale.html?ex=1342324800&en=eb5a95476da0185c&ei=5090 -- Message: 2 Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:31:13 -0400 From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] German police excuse angry computer user for outburst To: Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1114812007 BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man who startled his neighbours when he hurled his computer out of the window in the middle of the night, was let off for disturbing the peace by police who sympathised with his technical frustrations. Police in the northern city of Hanover said they would not press charges after responding to calls made by residents in an apartment block who were woken by a loud crash in the early hours of Saturday. Officers found the street and pavement covered in electronic parts and discovered who the culprit was. Asked what had driven him to the night-time outburst, the 51-year-old man said he had simply got annoyed with his computer. "Who hasn't felt like doing that?" said a police spokesman. While escaping any official sanction the man was made to clear up the debris. Gregory S. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] ? ? -- Message: 3 Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:00:01 -0400 From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] RIAA spends thousands to obtain $300 judgment To: Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070716-riaa-spends-thousands-to-obtain-300-judgment.html By Eric Bangeman | Published: July 16, 2007 - 12:48PM CT What's the cost of file-sharing? For Terri Frye of Hickory, NC, it was $300. That's the amount she'll have to pay the RIAA after agreeing to a judgment in a file-sharing case. Frye is a single mother living in state-supported housing who received one of the RIAA's settlement letters in November 2005. Wanting to defend her innocence, she immediately contacted a lawyer. "She did a good thing, finding a lawyer as soon as she found out [the RIAA] was pursuing her," Joey Long, one of her attorneys, told Ars Technica. "It's what every person should do when they receive a settlement letter." Despite contacting Frye in late 2005, the RIAA did not actually file suit until March of this year. In the intervening period, Frye repeatedly informed the RIAA that they had the wrong person. Even if she was guilty of infringement, another of Frye's attorneys, Matthew K. Rodgers, told the labels that she couldn't afford to pay damages of up to $750 per song due to her financial situation. The corre
Medianews Digest, Vol 328, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. It's official, AT&T to offer Code Factory products. (Ray T. Mahorney) 2. Mac, meet Israel (Monty Solomon) 3. Israelis work to crack the iPhone (Monty Solomon) 4. iPhone has a built-in spyware module? (Rob) 5. Big Brother cameras to track millions of innocent drivers (Rob) 6. Police 'to access road cameras' (Rob) -- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 07:20:42 - From: "Ray T. Mahorney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] It's official, AT&T to offer Code Factory products. To: Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" (from the blind phones reflector) Hi, all. In confirmation of what Rick heard a few days ago, AT&T has just posted the press release below stating that they will be offering Code Factory products for several platforms and for both speech and magnification. I'm very pleased to see that they're offering two platforms of phone rather than one. They're the only company I know of to do it, and it's a great step forward that people will no longer be locked in to one phone on one platform if they want to buy at subsidized pricing and if they don't want the headache of installing the screen reader. This is a great move by both AT&T and CF. Aman Taken from http://tinyurl.com/yu3o9n ATT Expands Wireless Offerings for Customers With Disabilities ATT Launching New Services to Support Customers With Special Needs SAN ANTONIO, July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ATT Inc. (NYSE: T ) has announced plans to launch new wireless software products this year to increase usability for customers who are blind or visually impaired. ATT will partner with Code Factory to offer two new products: Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier, both for Windows Mobile and Symbian Series 60 operating system devices. ATT consults with leaders from the disability community to develop product and service offerings designed to meet the needs of customers with vision loss. "By working closely with organizations that are committed to serving seniors or people with disabilities, ATT is able to better understand the unique needs of its customers," said Carlton Hill, vice president of Product Management for ATT's wireless unit. "These new software options will help make it easier for all individuals to enjoy a digital lifestyle wherever they go." "Code Factory's mission is to make it possible for visually impaired consumers to use the most advanced mobile technology," said Eduard Sanches, CEO of Code Factory. "ATT has a long track record of enabling communications for all of its customers, and we are very pleased to partner with them to make even more mobile devices accessible to the visually impaired." Mobile Speak is a powerful, full-fledged screen reader with an easy-to-learn command structure, intuitive speech feedback in several languages and Braille support that can be used with or without speech. Unlike other screen readers for mobile phones, Mobile Speak automatically detects information that the blind user should know, just as a sighted user would easily find highlighted items or key areas of the screen at a glance. Supported applications and functions include: -- Speed dial, call lists and contacts -- Text messaging -- Calendar, tasks, notes and calculator -- Internet browser -- Word, Excel and PowerPoint -- Voice Recorder, Media Player, voice speed dial and voice command -- Phone/device settings, profiles, alarms and ringtones Mobile Magnifier is a flexible, full-screen magnification application that supports low- and high-resolution screens and can be used with or without speech feedback. Magnification software is compatible with a wide range of mobile devices. Unique features include: -- Magnification levels from 1.25x to 16x -- Font-smoothing for easier readability -- Three different layouts: a full-screen, split and distributed view -- Different color schemes, including inverted color -- Automatic panning and cursor-tracking -- Automatic zoom function that detects areas of interest on the screen "We have found that individuals who have vision loss want to be able to choose from a range of wireless handsets," said Paul Schroeder, vice president of Programs and Policy, American Foundation for the Blind. "Just like people who can see, customers with disabilities want options. We applaud ATT for its leadership in investing
Medianews Digest, Vol 331, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. NASA Fears Dust Storm Could Doom Mars Rovers (Greg Williams) 2. Charting the $480 billion US spectrum giveaway (George Antunes) 3. What if Murdoch Doesn't Get Dow Jones? (George Antunes) 4. Card Sharks to Battle Computer at Poker (George Antunes) 5. Microchip Implants Raise Privacy Concern (George Antunes) 6. IPhone Didn't Cause Duke Power Outages (George Antunes) 7. Launch of Japan Moon Probe Postponed (George Antunes) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 04:25:54 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] NASA Fears Dust Storm Could Doom Mars Rovers To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed NASA Fears Dust Storm Could Doom Mars Rovers By Dave Mosher Staff Writer posted: 20 July 2007 12:14 pm ET http://www.space.com/news/070720_rover_dust.html Updated 2:05 p.m. ET. A raging dust storm on Mars has cut power to NASA's twin rovers to dangerously low levels, threatening an end to the mission. The rovers were slated to operate for only 3 months but have been on Mars more than 3 years, so mission officials have had ample time to ponder their eventual silencing. The storm presents perhaps the rover team's biggest challenge, NASA said in a statement today. Scientists said the storm, which has been brewing for nearly a month, is blocking around 85 to 90 percent of all sunlight to the surface. The rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, rely on sunlight to charge their solar panels, and one or both rovers could be damaged permanently or even disabled by the limited solar power, officials said. SPACE.com reported the storm's fresh severity earlier today. The forecast Scientists fear the storms might continue for several days or weeks. If the sunlight is further slashed for an extended period, the rovers will not be able to generate enough power to keep warm and operate at all, even in a near-dormant state, the statement said. The rovers use electric heaters to keep vital core electronics from becoming too cold. "We're rooting for our rovers to survive these storms, but they were never designed for conditions this intense," said Alan Stern, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Steve Squyres of Cornell University, who is the lead scientist of the Mars Exploration Rover Project, said the direct sunlight to the rovers is at an all-time low. "To give you a sense of the 'thickness' of the dust, the brightness of the sun as viewed from the surface is now down to less than 1 percent of what it would be with a perfectly transparent atmosphere," Squyres said. "Of course, Mars never has a perfectly transparent atmosphere, but the sun is still very faint." The rovers' scientific operations were stopped Wednesday. "This is, I think, one of the most significant challenges we've faced over this entire mission," Squyres told SPACE.com today. "The nature of the risk is well understood, but the magnitude of the risk is not. We simply don't know what's going to happen next." Martian weather is unpredictable, in part because there are few monitoring instruments and no formal weather forecasting agency as on Earth. "Whatever we do, though, the problem is not going to get much better rapidly," Squyres said. "I think that we have a good chance. If Mars really wants to kill these vehicles it can, but we have a lot of things working in our favor." The cold facts If the rovers expend too much energy, they may be unable to warm their electronics and prevent circuit-snapping temperatures. Before the dust storms began blocking sunlight last month, Opportunity's solar panels had been producing about 700 watt hours of electricity per day, enough to light a 100-watt bulb for seven hours. When dust reduced the panels' daily output to less than 400 watt hours, the rover team suspended driving and most observations, including use of the robotic arm, cameras and other site-inspection instruments. On Tuesday, July 17, the output from Opportunity's solar panels dropped to 148 watt hours, the lowest point for either rover. On Wednesday, the output dropped even lower, to 128 watt hours. Mark Lemmon, a planetary scientist at Texas A&M University and member of the rover team, said Opportunity is consuming 130 watt hours per martian day in its "sleep mode." If the negative balance continues without a break, Lemmon expl
Medianews Digest, Vol 336, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." 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: 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
Medianews Digest, Vol 337, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. 2 dead in blast at private-sector rocket site (George Antunes) 2. InfoSpace Find It! Available for the Apple iPhone (Monty Solomon) 3. Report warns against too many 'Net rules (Williams, Gregory S.) 4. Two TV news helicopters collide while covering chase (Williams, Gregory S.) 5. Two Helicopters Collide Over Phoenix (Williams, Gregory S.) 6. Aquafina labels to tell water?s source ? the tap (George Antunes) 7. EU Charges Intel With Monopoly Abuse (George Antunes) 8. Dell to offer more Linux PCs (George Antunes) 9. Texas Battles Invasion of Crickets (George Antunes) 10. Lawmakers fret over digital TV transition (George Antunes) 11. Yellowstone microbe converts light to energy (George Antunes) 12. Is Verizon's flip-flop on the 700MHz auction rules forreal? (George Antunes) 13. Internet: Clueless in Congress? (George Antunes) 14. The popularity of the Harry Potter series has opened doors for other writer of young-adult fiction (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:05:30 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] 2 dead in blast at private-sector rocket site To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed July 27, 2007, 1:25AM Blast kills 2 at private-sector rocket site Four critically hurt in explosion apparently ignited by nitrous oxide By ALICIA CHANG Associated Press http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5004316.html MOJAVE, CALIF. ? An explosion on Thursday killed two workers and critically injured four others at a Mojave Desert airport site used by the pioneering aerospace company that sent the first private manned rocket into space, authorities said. The blast at a Mojave Air and Space Port facility belonging to Scaled Composites LLC released nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, into the air. Haz-Mat teams were on the scene as a precaution and fire authorities said the scene was safe. All the victims worked for Scaled, the Mojave-based builder of SpaceShipOne, the first private manned rocket to reach space. Aerospace designer Burt Rutan, who heads Scaled but was away, rushed back to Mojave. He appeared emotional, hugging the airport manager and fire chief. His voice trailed off at times as he spoke to reporters. No information about the victims was released because families were being notified. Rutan said the blast did not involve a rocket firing but happened during a test of the flow of nitrous oxide through an injector in the course of testing components for a new rocket motor for the upcoming SpaceShipTwo. The nitrous oxide was at room temperature and under pressure, Rutan said. Rutan gave little additional information about the test, but said it had been done safely many times during the SpaceShipOne program and had been done once before for the SpaceShipTwo program. "We were doing a test we believe was safe. We don't know why it exploded. We just don't know," he said. SpaceShipTwo is to be used for the new space tourism business Virgin Galactic belonging to Richard Branson. The company plans to offer $200,000 rides into space for tourists. Scaled's offices and aircraft construction facilities were closed late Thursday. Authorities did not allow access to the blast site in a remote unpaved area about a quarter-mile beyond an airplane storage area. Video news helicopters showed wrecked equipment and vehicles at the airport in the high desert north of Los Angeles near Edwards Air Force Base. Scaled uses nitrous oxide as an oxidizer in its rockets, which are tested at the airport. An oxidizer provides the oxygen that rocket fuel needs to burn. Scaled's Web site notes that "temperatures and pressures must be carefully controlled" during oxidizer transfers. Paramedics reported two people were killed, four were critically injured and one suffered minor injuries, said Mark Corum, a spokesman for Hall Ambulance Service. The injured were airlifted to Kern Medical Center about 45 miles from the airport, he said. The Mojave airport is where the Rutan-designed Voyager aircraft was built. It made history in 1986 when it achieved the first nonstop flight around the world without refueling. In 2004, Rutan's SpaceShipOne, funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, made the first privately fina
Medianews Digest, Vol 339, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Certain Degrees Now Cost More at Public Universities (George Antunes) 2. Innovation From the Top Down (George Antunes) 3. Love Him or (He Prefers) Hate Him (Monty Solomon) 4. When KAOS Threatens, Talk to the Shoe (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 12:27:39 -0500 From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Certain Degrees Now Cost More at Public Universities To: medianews@twiar.org Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed July 29, 2007 Certain Degrees Now Cost More at Public Universities By JONATHAN D. GLATER NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/education/29tuition.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=todayspaper&pagewanted=print Should an undergraduate studying business pay more than one studying psychology? Should a journalism degree cost more than one in literature? More and more public universities, confronting rising costs and lagging state support, have decided that the answers may be yes and yes. Starting this fall, juniors and seniors pursuing an undergraduate major in the business school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, will pay $500 more each semester than classmates. The University of Nebraska last year began charging engineering students a $40 premium for each hour of class credit. And Arizona State University this fall will phase in for upperclassmen in the journalism school a $250 per semester charge above the basic $2,411 tuition for in-state students. Such moves are being driven by the high salaries commanded by professors in certain fields, the expense of specialized equipment and the difficulties of getting state legislatures to approve general tuition increases, university officials say. ?It is something of a trend,? said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Even as they embrace such pricing, many officials acknowledge they are queasy about a practice that appears to value one discipline over another or that could result in lower-income students clustering in less expensive fields. ?This is not the preferred way to do this,? said Patrick V. Farrell, provost at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. ?If we were able to raise resources uniformly across the campus, that would be a preferred move. But with our current situation, it doesn?t seem to us that that?s possible.? At the University of Kansas, which started charging different prices in the early 1990s, there are signs that the higher cost of majoring in certain subjects is affecting the choices of poorer students. ?We are seeing at this point purely anecdotal evidence,? said Richard W. Lariviere, provost and executive vice chancellor at the university. ?The price sensitivity of poor students is causing them to forgo majoring, for example, in business or engineering, and rather sticking with something like history.? Private universities do not face the same tuition constraints and for the most part are avoiding the practice, educators say, holding to the traditional idea that college students should be encouraged to get a well-rounded education. Richard Fass, vice president for planning at Pomona, a private liberal arts college in California, said educators there considered it fundamental for students to feel part of the larger college, not segmented by differential costs. ?The entire curriculum is by design available to all students,? he said. Some public university officials say they worry that students who are charged more for their major will stick to the courses in their field to feel that they are getting their money?s worth. ?I want students in the College of Engineering at Iowa State to take courses in the humanities and to take courses in the social sciences,? said Mark J. Kushner, the dean of that college. To address problems like climate change, Mr. Kushner said, graduates will need to understand much more than technology. ?That?s sociology, that?s economics, that?s politics, that?s public policy.? Undergraduate juniors and seniors in the engineering school at Iowa State last year began paying about $500 more annually, he said, and the size of that additional payment is scheduled to rise by $500 a year for at least the next two years. Mr. Kushner said he thou
Medianews Digest, Vol 341, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Italian filmmaker Antonioni dies (Williams, Gregory S.) 2. ABC's Robin Roberts: 'I Have Breast Cancer' (Williams, Gregory S.) 3. Sirius Posts Narrower Loss, As Subscribers Top 7 Million (George Antunes) 4. How a Patent Ruling Is Changing Court Cases (George Antunes) 5. FCC Auction Rules Could Redraw Map Of Wireless Sector (George Antunes) 6. Wi-Fi, Sponsored By... (George Antunes) 7. Searching for Clients From Above (George Antunes) 8. Cable Without a Cable Box, and TV Shows Without a TV (Monty Solomon) 9. California City to Transform Red Light Cameras Into Spy Cameras (Rob) -- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:10:52 -0400 From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Italian filmmaker Antonioni dies To: Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Cinematic father of modern angst and alienation was 94 Luca Bruno / AP FILE http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20048479/?from=ET ROME - Michelangelo Antonioni, one of Italy?s most famous and influential filmmakers, has died at the age of 94, city officials in Rome said on Tuesday. Considered the cinematic father of modern angst and alienation, Antonioni had a career spanning six decades which included the Oscar-nominated ?Blowup? and the internationally acclaimed ?L?Avventura? (The Adventure). His death on Monday night followed that of Swedish film legend Ingmar Bergman, who died on Monday aged 89. Story continues below ?advertisement ?With Antonioni, not only has one of the greatest living directors been lost, but also a master of the modern screen,? said Rome mayor Walter Veltroni. His office said it was making plans for Antonioni?s body to lie in state on Wednesday. Poet with a camera Antonioni?s deliberately slow-moving and oblique movies were not always crowd pleasers but films such as ?L?Avventura? turned him into an icon for directors like Martin Scorsese, who has described him as a poet with a camera. Antonioni was born in 1912 in the northern Italian city of Ferrara. He directed his first feature, ?Cronaca di un amore? (?Story of a Love Affair?), in 1950 at the age of 38. Over the next two decades Antonioni worked with some of the greatest names in post-war Italian cinema like Marcello Mastroianni but it was not until the 1960s that he emerged on the international stage. Despite winning favorable reviews at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival with ?Il Grido? (?The Outcry?) he scored his first real international success in 1960 with ?L?Avventura,? an exploration of the emotional sterility of modern society. 'Blowup' turned him into cult figure His second breakthrough picture came in 1966 with the English-language ?Blowup,? set in ?swinging 60s? London, which turned him into a cult figure for moviegoers and moviemakers. Many audiences found his pictures, with their long lingering shots, plodding and pretentious. Others hailed him as one of the founding fathers of European avant-garde cinema. Next came the disappointing ?Zabriskie Point? in 1970 and ?The Passenger,? starring Jack Nicholson, in 1975. He continued working after suffering a paralyzing stroke in 1983. He was awarded Venice?s Golden Lion in 1983 and a U.S. Academy Award in 1995 for his lifetime achievements. Gregory S. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] ? ? -- Message: 2 Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:07:06 -0400 From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] ABC's Robin Roberts: 'I Have Breast Cancer' To: Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" I never thought I'd be writing this. ... I have breast cancer. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3430554 It all started a few weeks ago. We had gotten the news that our dear colleague and friend Joel Siegel had passed away and we began preparing for our special tribute show for him. I did a piece about Joel's courageous battle with cancer, reporting on the way my friend had lived his life and been such a successful advocate for the importance of early cancer screenings. That very night when I went to bed, I did a self breast exam and found something that women everywhere fear: I found a lump. At first I thought, "This can't be. I am a young, healthy woman." Nevertheless, I faced my fear head on and made an appointment to see the doctor. Much
Medianews Digest, Vol 343, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Bridge Collapse, Radio Feedback... (TeckStuff Steve) 2. Speeding drivers face DNA swabs under new Big Brother powers (Rob) 3. Microchips in humans: High-tech helpers or Big Brother surveillance? (Rob) 4. Music Piracy At All Time High (Rob) 5. Comcast: Human Contact Costs Extra (Rob) 6. Do Not Call Registry gets wake-up call (Williams, Gregory S.) 7. The Chicago Spire is officially under construction (Williams, Gregory S.) 8. Hit man's bullet finds newspaper editor (Williams, Gregory S.) 9. Legendary Irish singer Tommy Makem dies (Williams, Gregory S.) 10. Massachusetts Sales Tax Holiday August 11-12 (Monty Solomon) 11. YES network for sale (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 09:35:14 -0800 From: "TeckStuff Steve" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Bridge Collapse, Radio Feedback... To: medianews@twiar.org, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" *From: The Morning Mouth* ** *Minneapolis Bridge Collapse - Radio Feedback:* Following yesterday's horrific bridge collapse in Minneapolis, The Mouth quickly put calls out to various personalities there in the city. *Cindy Barton*, morning host at Lite 105.9/Minneapolis told us: "Just a total catastrophic collapse. The bridge is less than a mile from the station, so I cross it 2-4 times a day coming and going to work. I was just on it at 2pm and it caved at 6pm, so I'm shook up and everyone in the Twin Cities are in a state of shock. I didn't do any of our normal programming today, we just wanted to talk about what happened, share thoughts and info etc 4 people dead, but there will be more because they are counting over 50 cars in the water that they can see. They fell over 64 feet. A lot of heroic efforts from people that were walking by. Part of the bridge fell on a train below carrying toxic material, so they had to evacute some people from their homes. It's just horrific.* --- " *I first heard about the bridge collapse via text message and hoped it was something minor. Bit by bit, I found out it was anything but minor. Everyone's first reaction was to call their friends and family to make sure they weren't on the bridge. We had a big promotion last night with strippers and booze but everything was a little more somber than usual as word spread of what had happened. This morning, we dropped all music and contesting and dedicated the entire show to talking to people who saw the bridge collapse, had loved ones injured or had just driven over the bridge seconds before. It was a very powerful and moving morning and something no iPod or syndicated program could have provided. *Dave Ryan, *KDWB. More feedback to come. -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://twiar.org/pipermail/medianews_twiar.org/attachments/20070802/6d7d3b11/attachment-0001.html -- Message: 2 Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:51:43 -0500 From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Speeding drivers face DNA swabs under new Big Brother powers To: Tom and Darryl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Media-News Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Speeding drivers face DNA swabs under new Big Brother powers JAMES SLACK UK Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=472515&in_page_id=1770&ct=5 Drivers stopped for speeding - or even for failing to wear a seatbelt - could soon be placed on the 'Big Brother' DNA database for life. The most trivial offences, such as dropping litter, would also lead to samples being taken under sweeping new powers which police are demanding. The samples would stay on the database, alongside those of murderers and rapists, even if the people involved were later cleared of any wrongdoing. Campaigners condemned the plan as a step too far which could affect someone's job prospects for many years. Under current rules, a person can have his or her DNA and fingerprints taken only if stopped for a 'recordable' offence - a crime serious enough to carry a jail term. Minor offences such as allowing a dog to foul the footpath are excluded. But police - backed by the Crown Prosecution Service - want to take DNA samples, fingerprints and even imprints of footwear for all offences. They argue that, jus
Medianews Digest, Vol 344, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. LA Newscaster suspended over affair (Williams, Gregory S.) 2. NASA delays shuttle launch one day (Williams, Gregory S.) 3. For Bob Hoskins there is no 'curse of the actor' (Williams, Gregory S.) 4. AT&T Reports 2Q07 Earnings 10-Q (Monty Solomon) 5. U.S. spy satellite declared loss, to drop from orbit (Dishnut) 6. Lead Paint Prompts Mattel to Recall 967,000 Toys (Dishnut) 7. Delta 2 / Phoenix Lander Upcoming Launch Coverage Saturday (08-04) @3:15am ET. NASA DVB (Dishnut) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2007 16:07:15 -0400 From: "Williams, Gregory S." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] LA Newscaster suspended over affair To: Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" By Duke Helfand and Meg James, Times Staff Writers August 3, 2007 http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-salinas3aug03,0,857901,full.story?coll=la-home-local Los Angeles television newscaster Mirthala Salinas was suspended without pay for two months - but not dismissed - Thursday from KVEA-TV Channel 52 for covering Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa while they were romantically involved, a relationship that journalism experts said damaged the station's credibility. Three of Salinas' superiors with the Telemundo network also were disciplined, including the top two station officials. KVEA General Manager Manuel Abud was reassigned to another position, and News Director Al Corral was suspended for two months without pay. The highest-ranking executive, Ibra Morales, who oversees the network's 16 Spanish-language stations, was reprimanded in the unfolding scandal that Telemundo President Don Browne said flagrantly violated Telemundo's journalistic standards. In an internal memo to Telemundo staff members, Browne said that "while the content and accuracy of KVEA's newscasts were not compromised, our news policy standards with respect to conflict of interest were clearly violated." Salinas, 35, could not be reached for comment. She had been suspended with pay since the scandal erupted three weeks ago. Villaraigosa, 54, did not comment on the merit of Telemundo's decision, saying only that he wanted to concentrate on his job in its aftermath. "I regret that decisions I have made in my personal life have been a distraction for the city, and I am deeply sorry that I have let so many people down, especially my family," he said in a statement. It is unclear when Villaraigosa and Salinas became romantically involved, but The Times traced their relationship to at least November of 2005. Salinas covered the mayor for an extended period while she was dating him. Media watchdogs assailed not only Salinas for her conflict of interest but her superiors for allowing her to continue reporting on the mayor after they knew of the relationship. One analyst predicted that the scandal would tarnish Salinas' career. "People will always remember her as the reporter who had an affair with the mayor, and that she got in trouble for that," said Judy Muller, a former ABC network news correspondent and current NPR commentator who now teaches journalism at USC. "That damages her credibility, and I don't know where she goes from Telemundo," Muller added. "A reporter only has her credibility, and once that's sullied you have lost your value to your news organization." Telemundo is owned by NBC Universal, and that connection raised another thorny issue for the company and the mayor. Villaraigosa has been supporting a $3-billion development that NBC Universal is planning near its Universal Studios, and opponents have questioned whether that would color Telemundo's decision on Salinas. In his memo, Browne said that KVEA management and Salinas agreed at the end of 2006 to reassign her from the political beat so that her job would not involve stories about the mayor because of "a friendship that had developed between the reporter and the mayor." Browne said that in April, Salinas was given the role of temporary news anchor, reading lead-ins and other material involving stories about the mayor and politics. Seated in the anchor's chair, Salinas reported on the 6 p.m. news June 8 that Villaraigosa and his wife, Corina, were separating after 20 years of marriage. Three days later, Salinas was again in the anchor's spot when the newscast reported on a Villaraigosa news conference in which he said he felt a "
Medianews Digest, Vol 345, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. 7 Arrested in Death of Oakland Newspaper Editor (Greg Williams) 2. NASA Spacecraft Heads for Polar Region of Mars (Dishnut) 3. Legislation aims to end identity theft (Monty Solomon) 4. This Week in Amateur Radio delay (Greg Williams) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 04 Aug 2007 02:51:36 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] 7 Arrested in Death of Oakland Newspaper Editor To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed 7 Arrested in Death of Oakland Newspaper Editor By JESSE McKINLEY http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/04/us/04oakland.html?ei=5065&en=0324fe3463e9ed12&ex=1186804800&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 3 ? A day after a prominent newspaper editor was shot to death downtown, the police here on Friday arrested seven men and seized several weapons that they suspected were used in his killing and those of two other men. Oakland police officials said they suspected that the men were part of a group operating ?a very violent criminal enterprise? out of a neighborhood bakery. The arrests came after a predawn raid by SWAT teams at the bakery, the Your Black Muslim Bakery, and three bakery-owned properties, where the police found several firearms, including the gun they believe was used to kill the editor, Chauncey Bailey, of the weekly Oakland Post. Mr. Bailey, 57, was shot several times at close range on Thursday morning at a busy intersection near the Alameda County courthouse here. He had been working on an article for the newspaper about possible links between the bakery and several killings in the area, said Walter Riley, a lawyer for the newspaper?s publisher, Paul Cobb. Efforts to reach a lawyer for the bakery were unsuccessful. The phone at the bakery was disconnected. One of seven men arrested on Friday was Yusef Bey IV, the son of the bakery?s founder, Yusef Bey, a well-known local black Muslim leader who died in 2003. The six other men arrested on Friday were not identified by the police, nor were two suspects who were still being sought. The police said the raid came after a lengthy investigation of other crimes, including two kidnappings on a single day in May, and two killings in July that occurred in the same north Oakland neighborhood where the bakery is located. The police had connected those crimes and put the bakery under surveillance before Mr. Bailey was killed. ?During our investigation, Chauncey Bailey was murdered, and it turns out that the evidence in that case also linked the same individuals we were looking at in the other two prior murders to that case,? said Lt. Ersie Joyner of the Oakland Police Department. Asked whether there were any regrets about not moving faster to arrest the suspects before Mr. Bailey was killed, Assistant Chief Howard Jordan said that the Oakland Police Department?s resources were ?very thin? and that the long-term investigation involved the cooperation of neighboring departments. ?Today was the best day we had, that we could have done this with the coordination of our allied agencies,? Mr. Jordan said. ?We weren?t just kind of waiting around.? Mr. Jordan said it was ?very disheartening? to hear about Mr. Bailey?s killing, ?and it was particularly disheartening to know it was connected to our investigation.? The bakery?s operators had been investigated by the police in the past. In 2002, the founder, Mr. Bey, was charged with rape, sodomy and lewd acts with a child under 14, stemming from accusations that he had fathered a child with a 13-year-old girl in 1982. Mr. Bey died of cancer in 2003 before his trial began. In late 2005, several members of the group that operates the bakery, including the younger Mr. Bey, were charged in an attack at a small neighborhood grocery store, in which liquor bottles were smashed and other merchandise was destroyed. The attack was treated as a felony hate crime, the police said, because the store, which is owned by Muslims, had sold goods forbidden by Islamic law. Lieutenant Joyner said that many residents of the neighborhood surrounding the bakery had been afraid of the Muslim group, whose members sometimes shot automatic rifles in the air in a show of intimidation. Other members of the group, the police said, flaunted their defiance of outstanding warrants on assault and gun charges. The inciden
Medianews Digest, Vol 346, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Cassini Finds Possible Origin Of One Of Saturn's Rings (Greg Williams) 2. In Silicon Valley, Millionaires Who Don't Feel Rich (Monty Solomon) 3. Hacking The iPhone (Monty Solomon) 4. DISH Network Releases HDTV DVR with Unlimited Storage (Monty Solomon) 5. iPhone Hacker Slams Apple Security (Monty Solomon) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2007 13:14:55 -0400 From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Cassini Finds Possible Origin Of One Of Saturn's Rings To: medianews@twiar.org Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Cassini Finds Possible Origin Of One Of Saturn's Rings http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070803113335.htm Science Daily ? Cassini scientists may have identified the source of one of Saturn's more mysterious rings. Saturn's G ring likely is produced by relatively large, icy particles that reside within a bright arc on the ring's inner edge. The particles are confined within the arc by gravitational effects from Saturn's moon Mimas. Micrometeoroids collide with the particles, releasing smaller, dust-sized particles that brighten the arc. The plasma in the giant planet's magnetic field sweeps through this arc continually, dragging out the fine particles, which create the G ring. The finding is evidence of the complex interaction between Saturn's moons, rings and magnetosphere. Studying this interaction is one of Cassini's objectives. The study is in the Aug. 2 issue of the journal Science and was based on observations made by multiple Cassini instruments in 2004 and 2005. "Distant pictures from the cameras tell us where the arc is and how it moves, while plasma and dust measurements taken near the G ring tell us how much material is there," said Matthew Hedman, a Cassini imaging team associate at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and lead author on the Science paper. Saturn's rings are an enormous, complex structure, and their origin is a mystery. The rings are labeled in the order they were discovered. From the planet outward, they are D, C, B, A, F, G and E. The main rings -- A, B and C from edge-to-edge, would fit neatly in the distance between Earth and the moon. The most transparent rings are D -- interior to C -- and F, E and G, outside the main rings. Unlike Saturn's other dusty rings, such as the E and F rings, the G ring is not associated closely with moons that either could supply material directly to it -- as Enceladus does for the E ring -- or sculpt and perturb its ring particles -- as Prometheus and Pandora do for the F ring. The location of the G ring continued to defy explanation, until now. Cassini images show that the bright arc within the G ring extends one-sixth of the way around Saturn and is about 250 kilometers (155 miles) wide, much narrower than the full 5,955-kilometer width (3,700 miles) of the G ring. The arc has been observed several times since Cassini's 2004 arrival at the ringed planet and thus appears to be a long-lived feature. A gravitational disturbance caused by the moon Mimas exists near the arc. As part of their study, Hedman and colleagues conducted computer simulations that showed the gravitational disturbance of Mimas could indeed produce such a structure in Saturn's G ring. The only other places in the solar system where such disturbances are known to exist are in the ring arcs of Neptune. Cassini's magnetospheric imaging instrument detected depletions in charged particles near the arc in 2005. According to the scientists, unseen mass in the arc must be absorbing the particles. "The small dust grains that the Cassini camera sees are not enough to absorb energetic electrons," said Elias Roussos of the Max-Planck-Institute for Solar System Research, Germany, and member of the magnetospheric imaging team. "This tells us that a lot more mass is distributed within the arc." The researchers concluded that there is a population of larger, as-yet-unseen bodies hiding in the arc, ranging in size from that of peas to small boulders. The total mass of all these bodies is equivalent to that of an ice-rich, small moon that's about 100 meters wide (328 feet wide). Joe Burns, a co-author of the paper from Cornell University and a member of the imaging team, said, "We'll have a super opportunity to spot the G ring's source bodies when Cassini fl
Medianews Digest, Vol 347, Issue 1
Send Medianews mailing list submissions to medianews@twiar.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can reach the person managing the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Ron Paul Champions Internet Freedom (Rob) 2. Google And The Personalized Search -- All's Well.. Or Orwell (Rob) 3. Bush Signs Law to Widen Legal Reach for Wiretapping (Rob) 4. Internet filtering law approved by Senate Committee (Rob) -- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:09:21 -0500 From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Medianews] Ron Paul Champions Internet Freedom To: Media-News , Tom and Darryl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Ron Paul Champions Internet Freedom Speaks out against federal regulation in wake of more liberty stripping net rules http://infowars.net/articles/august2007/060807_b_Paul.htm Steve Watson Infowars.net Monday, August 6, 2007 Presidential candidate Ron Paul has stated in no uncertain terms that he is thoroughly against internet regulation and has spoken out against federal rubric of the web in the week after a bill was passed by the Senate Commerce Committee as a pretext towards implementation of universal filtering on the Internet. Speaking after another victorious Republican nominee debate, Dr Paul told Gambling911.com's Kira Wissman: ?I believe strongly that the internet should not be regulated by the federal government and believes even more strongly that people should be free to engage in the activities they wish, as long as they are willing to take responsibility for their actions.? The Texas Congressman is co-sponsoring a bill to legalize online gambling along with Democrat Barney Frank. ?The majority of people in Washington were afraid to support the internet for fear it would label them ?pro-porn? or ?pro-gambling?.? Paul continued. Paul's comments come in the wake of the passing of another bill that represents a greater step towards federal regulation of the internet. The United States Senate Commerce Committee passed a bill last Friday that would require a review, within one year of enactment, technology that can help parents manage the vast volume of video and other content on television or the Internet, just a week after Senators made a bipartisan call to implement universal filtering on the net. Free speech groups including the Center for Democracy and Technology have expressed concern that the Child Safe Viewing Act of 2007 (S. 602) may represent a step toward expanding the FCC's censorship authority to include Internet content. Other recent bipartisan proposals in the Congress have taken huge swipes at internet freedom by aiming to impose multiple different forms of crippling taxation and restriction on its users. Both Republican and Democrat representatives have joined a chorus of others in demonizing the Internet in attempts to further lead it down a path of strict control. In previous debates Ron Paul has come out in strong support of internet freedom while all other candidates are in favour of regulation. During the first Republican presidential debate, MSNBC's debate back in May, the Congressman stated that he trusted the internet "a lot more" than the mainstream media. Paul went on to state: And I trust the freedom of expression, and that?s why we should never interfere with the Internet, that?s why I?ve never voted to regulate the Internet, even when there?s the temptation to put bad things on the Internet. Regulation of bad and good on the Internet should be done differently. When compared with other leading candidates on the issue of internet freedom, Ron Paul stands alone. For example, John McCain, on the Republican side, has previously tabled legislation that would fine blogs up to $300,000 for offensive statements, photos and videos posted by visitors on comment boards. It is well known that McCain has a severe distaste for his blogosphere critics, causing a definite conflict of interest where any proposal to restrict blogs on his part is concerned. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, for the Democrats, has voiced her support for the so called "Fairness Doctrine" which would effectively suffocate the independent media. The Congressman has once again proven that where the upholding of liberty and the defence of free speech in the 21st century are concerned, he is the only candidate who can seriously be considered. Ron Paul emphatically won the post debate polls once again for the fourth time running, yet this sti
