For your convenience in reading: Subject lines are printed in RED and
Moderator replies when issued appear in BROWN.
Previous Issue (just one)
TD Extra News
TELECOM Digest Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:06:00 EDT Volume 24 : Issue 155 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Homespun 'Podcasts' Explore a Universe of Topics (Lisa Minter) H-P Seen Pressuring Kodak's Lead in Online Photos (Lisa Minter) Clearing the Paper Trail to College (Monty Solomon) Airlines Try to Stem the Flow of 'Frequent Flyer' Loot Online (Solomon) Deal May Let Comcast Grow in State (Monty Solomon) Re: Wierd Telephone Problems (Al Dykes) Re: Wierd Telephone Problems (Michael Muderick) Re: Prison Cell Phone Scandal (John Levine) Re: Warning! A Virus Attacked my System! (Steve Sobol) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10 Apr 2005 20:01:01 -0700 From: Lisa Minter <lisa_minter2001@yahoo.com> Subject: Homespun 'Podcasts' Explore a Universe of Topics By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As millions of pilgrims streamed into Rome this past week, a Dutch priest led Internet listeners on an intimate audio tour that allowed them to pay one last visit to Pope John Paul II before he was laid to rest. Father Roderick Vonhogen brought the Catholic Church's ancient rites to life through a cutting-edge format: the podcast, a radio-style show that is distributed over the Internet. Podcasts have caught on like wildfire since they first emerged only nine months ago. Listeners can pick from roughly 10,000 shows on topics ranging from religion to wine to technology, and media companies and advertisers are taking note. For now, it's a cottage industry dominated by the likes of Father Roderick, a parish priest from the Netherlands whose low-key charm and you-are-there narratives bring the church's pomp and circumstance down to a human scale. On "Catholic Insider," listeners hear Father Roderick banter with students camped out in St. Peter's Square and describe the pope lying in state in the basilica. "It's beautiful, it really looks like he's sleeping," he whispers as a choir sings in the background. Thousands of podcasts can be found through directories like Podcast Alley http://podcastalley.com , while listeners can automatically download new shows as they become available using free software like iPodder http://www.ipodder.org . Listeners can transfer their podcasts to an Apple iPod or other portable MP3 player, and listen to them when and where they wish. A recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that one in three U.S. adults who own an MP3 player have listened to a podcast, though the survey's small sample size means that figure could be substantially lower. Analysts say podcasting could challenge the broadcast industry by giving consumers more control over what they hear, and when they hear it. "To radio it's a big threat, because people are fed up with radio," said digital-media analyst Phil Leigh. HOMESPUN CHARM Like the World Wide Web 10 years ago, many podcasts rely on homespun charm rather than slick presentation. Anybody with a computer and a microphone can set up their own show. "The Daily Download" is little more than a man describing his bowel movements as they happen. One of the most popular podcasts, "The Dawn and Drew Show," features the ramblings of a married couple on a Wisconsin farm. "Do we have anything to talk about? No? I guess that's the appeal, right?" Dawn said on a recent show. Several radio stations have developed podcasts of their own, typically condensed versions of their morning shows. Businesses from Newsweek to General Motors have set up podcasts, as has Democratic politician John Edwards, who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. vice president last year. Some amateur podcasters hope to quit their day jobs. Todd Cochrane hopes to attract more advertising dollars for his twice-weekly technology show "Geek News Central" by setting up a network of podcasts that meet professional standards for sound quality and family-friendly language. "We're trying to build a brand out of many individual brands," Cochrane said of his fledgling Techpodcasts.com network. Music remains a hurdle. Because no licensing rules exist, podcasters must secure permission from individual artists and songwriters before playing their songs. Most stick to independent artists, rather than those signed to major record labels. For now, the greatest opportunity lies in spoken-word podcasts which can develop faithful if narrow audiences interested in a particular subject, said analyst Leigh. As big companies have jumped into podcasting, some pioneers have worried that they could be crowded out. That doesn't bother Ryan Ozawa, whose HawaiiUP podcast explores daily life on the Hawaiian Islands. "The easier it is to put yourself out there, and the more people that do it, the more likely we are to find the next Ed Murrow ... or the next Howard Stern," he wrote in an e-mail interview. Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance, Reuters Limited. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ Date: 10 Apr 2005 20:05:12 -0700 From: Lisa Minter <lisa_minter2001@yahoo.com> Subject: H-P Seen Pressuring Kodak's Lead in Online Photos NEW YORK (Reuters) - Web sites that let consumers e-mail and print digital pictures have become a new battleground for companies like Kodak and Hewlett-Packard, which hope to use the growth of these sites as a conduit for selling highly profitable products like paper and printers. Eastman Kodak Co. may see its lead in the burgeoning market for online picture development -- which lets travelers, for example, share vacation pictures before they've even returned home -- pinched by recent moves at Hewlett-Packard Co. The threat comes even from retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. More than 1.3 billion pictures were transmitted, or "uploaded," to online systems from personal computers in 2004, as digital cameras and camera phones went mainstream. The lion's share of those images went to Kodak's Ofoto service, which was recently renamed Kodak EasyShare Gallery. But last month H-P, the leading maker of computer printers, purchased Snapfish, which was ranked third behind Ofoto and privately held Shutterfly in a market that includes sites like Photango, dotPhoto and Google Inc. Snapfish gives H-P a heartier online component, says Infotrends analyst Jill Aldort. H-P may woo photo enthusiasts, particularly those with H-P printers, to store their pictures, she said. It's possible that H-P may offer discounts on replacement ink cartridges. "H-P is certainly going to put more marketing muscle behind Snapfish, which already had a strong brand name," she said. "I think Kodak should be concerned, but I don't think they need to stay awake at night. It makes the market more competitive." KODAK SEES BIG GROWTH POTENTIAL Kodak, which is almost 18 months into a tough transition away from its flagging traditional film business, says it is not losing sleep over the consolidation, such as H-P's move and Yahoo Inc.'s recent purchase of online site Flikr. "There is a huge upside in the market, as evidenced by the deals," said David Rich, vice president of marketing at Ofoto, now known as Kodak EasyShare Gallery. "We have over 1 billion images under management and we will double that over the next year." That big number belies the online photofinishing market's relatively small size, which reached only $160 million in revenue in 2004 and is seen growing to $630 million in 2008, according to Infotrends. That's a drop in the bucket for H-P and Kodak. CATERING TO 'ONE-HOUR PHOTO' FANS Still, analysts say it is essential that these companies solidify an online strategy, since consumers adore taking pictures, even as methods change. Digital cameras will outsell film cameras this year. And young people are more apt to e-mail pictures than print and store them in albums. But it is printing where the money is made: high-quality paper and high margin ink and toner are profit drivers for Kodak, H-P, Canon Inc. and others. What's more, users and friends make repeat trips to the sites, giving each company another chance to showcase its brand, and sell other products. "They are set to face off against each other, whereas before this, H-P was undiversified. They had these home (systems) and that was about it," IDC analyst Chris Chute said. "Kodak has been pushing into H-P's space, so now H-P is saying 'We need to get into this."' In all, about 25.9 billion total prints are expected to be made in the United States in 2005, with digital prints growing 50 percent to about 7.7 billion from 2004, industry group Photo Marketing Association projects. But some habits die hard. More and more, consumers are coming back to retail stores for digital prints. PMA says the number of pictures printed at retail will nearly double to 3.1 billion in 2005. IDC's Chute said that the so-called Internet-to-retail market is going to double to about $1 billion in 2008 revenue. In Internet-to-retail, users upload pictures to, for example, Wal-Mart's or Ritz Cameras' Web sites, which are both powered by Kodak rival Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd. They then go to local stores and pick up the pictures, days faster than a Web-only store could deliver. "The problem online is that I have to wait for my pictures, and this constituency is used to 'One-Hour-Photo.' This combines the best of both worlds," Chute said. Copyright 2005 Reuters, Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance, Reuters Limited. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Apr 2005 22:57:21 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Clearing the Paper Trail to College By Alison O'Leary Murray, Globe Correspondent | April 10, 2005 When Natick resident Sean True looks at the college admissions process, he sees a problem -- too many envelopes being mailed to too many colleges. Too much paper. "For 35 years, we've heard this huge promise of a paperless future, but I just see us creating more," said True, who helped his son, Sam, a Natick High School senior, with his applications last fall. True, chief technical officer at an Internet company, is trying to cut the clutter. He has offered his expertise to the Transcript Project, the brainchild of Natick High guidance counselor Ron Miller, which seeks to transmit electronically students' grades and class standings to colleges. Sounds simple? It turns out it's not so easy. Transcripts, which document a student's academic career and can make or break an application, require special handling. Only certain members of the high school staff have access to them, and the documents must arrive at college admissions offices with assurance that they have not been tampered with or handled by any unauthorized individual. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/04/10/clearing_the_paper_trail_to_college/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Apr 2005 23:25:31 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Airlines Try to Stem the Trade of Frequent-Fliers' Loot Online By Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | April 4, 2005 Airlines are stepping up scrutiny of Internet auction sites where savvy consumers and frequent business travelers are selling and bartering free vouchers, miles, and other airline awards. In recent months, hundreds of deals for airline vouchers have appeared on eBay and on Craigslist sites across the country, including Boston. Now, these tickets are being offered at even lower prices as some of the bigger promotions with American Airlines and United Airlines that promised free flights across the country or around the world are set to expire. "I travel a lot for work, have zillions of miles and vouchers, and I could never use them in my lifetime," said Tony Lito, a Worcester marketer who received two World Series tickets last fall from a couple who wanted the airline vouchers to honeymoon in Bali. "This is a perk you've earned. Why should you not benefit somehow?" The airlines don't agree. American Airlines and other carriers say they are increasingly monitoring Internet sites and handing out punishments for the sales of rewards that are explicitly prohibited. Facing stiff competition and high oil prices, financially struggling airlines say they cannot afford to have their own customers undermine award programs and profits. Although airlines often allow awards to be transferred for free to family members and friends, selling the tickets for cash or bartering them for other products, such as tickets to a U2 concert, is strictly forbidden. http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2005/04/04/airlines_try_to_stem_the_trade_of_frequent_fliers_loot_online/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Apr 2005 23:29:59 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Deal May Let Comcast Grow in State Deal may let Comcast grow in state Firm expected to try to join its franchises with those of Adelphia By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff | April 9, 2005 An $18 billion bid for bankrupt Adelphia Communications Corp. by the nation's two biggest cable companies will likely lead to Comcast Corp. adding at least 26 more local cable franchises to the 212 it now owns in Massachusetts, industry analysts said yesterday. If they succeed in their bid for the nation's fifth-largest cable company, which serves 5 million subscribers, Comcast and Time Warner Inc. are likely to immediately execute a deal that trades Comcast's 21 percent stake in Time Warner -- a legacy of 1990s cable dealmaking -- back to Time Warner. In exchange, Comcast would get about 2 million current Adelphia or Time Warner customers to add to its current 21 million. As a way to maximize operating efficiencies and advertising reach, Comcast is likely to focus heavily on expanding existing clusters of cable franchises. Adelphia's local operations -- including Cape Ann, the South Shore, and Martha's Vineyard -- would fit hand-in-glove with Comcast's existing megacluster in Greater Boston and southern New England, making their 124,000 customers almost certain candidates for a swap. http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2005/04/09/deal_may_let_comcast_grow_in_state/ ------------------------------ From: adykes@panix.com (Al Dykes) Subject: Re: Wierd Telephone Problems Date: 10 Apr 2005 17:36:01 -0400 Organization: PANIX -- Public Access Networks Corp. In article <telecom24.154.2@telecom-digest.org>, Gladiator <glad1ator@hotmail.com> wrote: > Hello: I have this problem with my telephone at home. For incoming > calls, sometimes, it would ring once then disconnect the caller. I > thought it was my phone, but I bought a new one, and it was the same > thing. > I called my telephone company, and the technician came and said that > this could be due to wiring inside the building. So, the telephone > company thinks it's not their responsibility. > The strangest thing is, outgoing calls seem to be fine. I can dial > outside w/o problems. > Anyone seen this before? > Will > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I've seen it lots of times. And as > often as not, it is in the wiring somewhere (either 'your' wiring or > possibly telco's.) Chances are there is some _tiny_ bare spot where > the two wires touch, or nearly so. The amount of current in the line > when the phone rings is sufficient to 'bridge the gap' and complete > the connection for a half second or so. What does the calling party > receive under those circumstances? Usually they will hear one or two > ringing signals, then it will change to busy, or maybe it will sound > like the line went dead. When you place a call -- as opposed to > receive a call -- there is much less voltage on the line because the > phone is not ringing. Its the increase in voltage which causes this > to occur. That is why you experience no problems when _you_ place a > call; the 'current bridge' is not present. > How do you prove it is telco's problem and not yours, or vice-versa? > Take your telephone out to the demarc, or place where the telco says > your wiring begins. Disconnect where they say yours starts. Use a > cell phone (or some other third-party line) to dial into _your_ > number. If you have your phone plugged directly into the demarc, and > the problem is present, you should hear your phone ring once (a half > ring, maybe) and then go dead. Note on the phone you are using to > call in what happens, i.e. busy signal, fast busy, the line goes dead, > or whatever. If this happens *and you have 'your' wires pulled or > disconnected at the demarc, then the problem is telco's. If it rings > through normally, and you can talk to yourself (or any confederate who > is assisting you), then it is NOT telco's problem. > Then, reattach the wires you took down at the demarc and try the test > again. Does it occur this time? If the problem occurs when your wires > are connected, but _not_ when you are connected direct to the demarc, > then it is indeed your problem. Try this much first, then get back to > us with the results. If it is indeed in your length of wire and not > telco's, then we will discuss how you go about correcting it. You'll > basically have two choices in that case: fix it yourself or with your > own electrician hired, _or_ pay telco (or bribe the technician) and > they will fix it for you. Typically it costs less to fix it yourself, > but depending on the complexity of the wiring (and distance involved > and the size of your complex) it may be faster and less grief to let > telco handle it. We will discuss both approaches when you get back to > us with your findings. Hoping to hear again from you soon. PAT] When I was a kid we had this problem for a while. After days of troubleshooting it was discovered that the inside wire running in the rafters had sagged and come in contact with a hot water pipe. The insulation carbonized enough to short out the ring voltage put not affect calls. sh*t happens. a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m Don't blame me. I voted for Gore. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Apr 2005 19:49:14 -0400 From: Michael Muderick <michael.muderick@verizon.net> Subject: Re: Wierd Telephone Problem I've seen the problem also occur with moisture in the line, or at a jack that at one point had moisture and now has oxidation- green_ across the pins. The ring voltage just jumps across that lower than air resistance. Michael Muderick> ****************************** ------------------------------ Date: 11 Apr 2005 02:34:37 -0000 From: John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> Subject: Re: Prison Cell Phone Scandal Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA >> They should still be using public safety radio services/systems. > Hmm ... a few years ago I know many of the local police departments > back here used them. Dunno if that is still true. Our county is doing a rather expensive public safety radio upgrade system that's supposed to tie into an upgrade NY state is doing. Beyond the issue of competing with normal users in cell bands, public safety radios do some specialized tricks like having a button to put a bunch of firemen* something that acts like a party line or conference call. R's, John * - many of whom are female ------------------------------ From: Steve Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net> Subject: Re: Warning! A Virus Attacked my System! Date: Sun, 10 Apr 2005 19:42:53 -0700 Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com Fred Atkinson wrote: > Hello, everyone, > A worm came through my PC. If you get any attachments that appear to > be from me, don't open them. From my research, it appears to be a > work called Netsky. I haven't found a way to get it off yet, but I'm > working on it. http://www.grisoft.com/ wonderful, wonderful AV package for windows http://www.clamav.net/ ditto, but for Linux and other POSIX-ish OS's (There is a port for Windows, too, though) And don't forget to update your virus defs every day ... JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638) Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED "The wisdom of a fool won't set you free" --New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle" [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have all the computers on my network using Grisoft AVG 7.0 all the time. And they all go to look for updates between 5-7 AM, then proceed to use those new definition files to examine each computer. Its the only way to run things these days. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2004 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V24 #155 ****************************** | |