TELECOM Digest     Fri, 9 Dec 2005 21:40:00 EST    Volume 24 : Issue 556

Inside This Issue:                            Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Two NYC Workers Accused of Stealing 9-11 Funds (Associate Press NewsWire)
    One in Four Netters Recieve Phony E-Mail (Jennifer C. Kerr)
    Verizon Wireless to Deliver CBS Clips to Phones (Reuters News Wire)
    US Air Force to Guard Cyberspace (Grant Gross, IDG News)
    Businesses Rush for '.eu' Domains (Associated Press News Wire)
    'Always On' Internet (AFP News Wire)
    Re: Hypothetical SxS Question (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com)
    Re: Hypothetical SxS Question (Joe Morris)
    Re: Hanging up on the New Ma Bell (Arthur Kamlet)
    Re: Using Two ADSL Internet Connections Simultaneously (James Carlson)
    Re: FTC Do Not Call List (Lena)

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.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Associated Press News Wire <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Two NYC Workers Accused of Stealing 9-11 Funds
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 16:31:21 -0600


Two former employees in the city medical examiner's office were
charged with embezzling millions of dollars intended to help identify
victims of the World Trade Center attack.

Natarajan R. Venkataram, 41, and Rosa Abreu, 38, were arrested
Wednesday.

"These defendants breached their positions of trust and responsibility
and took advantage of a national tragedy," said Rose Gill Hearn, city
commissioner of investigation.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
forwarded millions of dollars to help the medical examiner buy
computer hardware, software and support services to identify the dead.

Prosecutors said Friday that the defendants, both administrators in
the medical examiner's office, steered an $11.4 million contract to a
company controlled by an associate of Venkataram's. The company did
some work, but most of the money went to companies that did little or
nothing and were sometimes controlled by the defendants, prosecutors
said.

About $5.5 million was allegedly transferred at Venkataram's direction to
bank accounts in India.

A lawyer for Venkataram declined to comment. Abreu's attorney did not
immediately return a call.


Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

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.

For more Associated Press headlines, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html

Discuss this event in our forum: http://telecom-digest.org/forum.html


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I do not know if this is a new record
for thievery where municipal employees are concerned or not. I do know
that in 1996-97 several employees of the Chicago Transit Authority
absconded with several million dollars -- a couple hundred dollars at
a time -- from CTA on an almost daily basis. Although you might think
the biggest heists each day would be at the money counting room, 77th
and Vincennes bus barn where several routes terminated each day -- and
workers there were commonly walking away with a fist full of dollar
bills routinely -- and not to take them to the bank! -- the subway
fare collecting agents had a good racket going also: Sitting in their
cage, they'd collect fares from passers by but then fail to register
the fare. They were supposed to (older style) pull an overhead strap
which caused a bell to ring, flashed a light and unlocked the turnstile.
The newer sytem had them punch a button on a keyboard which in turn
rang the bell, turned a red light (stop!) to green to allow passengers
to walk through the temporarily opened gate, etc. Then each day at the
end of their shift they would 'read the meter' in the presence of the
employee who was relieving them, take all the money away to be audited
elsewhere (probably 77th and Vincennes). That was supposed to be the
CTA audit trail on fares collected. Trouble is, the employees learned
they could (instead of ringing the 'fare paid' button they could
instead ring the 'monthly pass presented' key, or the 'employee pass'
key or a couple others which would unlock the turnstile and flash a
light but _not_ show up on the fare collected register. That money was
of course, their take. The night shift agents at State Street and
Jackson/Van Buren downtown between them pulled about a million dollars
over two years before they got caught.

For about a year in the time period 1988-90 I was employed as a 
'rider' -- in CTA parlance, a 'rider' is an 'ignorant' old man or
an old 'shopping bag' woman, also allegedly too old and mentally
feeble to know what was happening. Objective: _always_ pay with cash,
_always_ rush through the gates, _never_ pay attention to anything,
(or so the collection agents were to think) but really, out of the
corner of your beady eyes notice if the _right_ lights flashed on the
gates, the register incremented your trip, etc. Other 'riders' were
to deliberatly find a reason to pick a fight with the collection agent
or bus driver, or train conductor, etc and see how they responded. It
helped a lot if the 'rider' was unshaven, had body odor, and, just in
general, acted ignorant. The CTA employees were not to think that a 
'rider' was anyone of any consequence, obviously. 

Jackson/Van Buren subway _did_ have a lot of strange people boarding
the train there anyway, so I did not look out of place, and I did
work downtown on the late shift for that department store (where I 
took care of their PBX/centrex) so several nights per week I was an
ideal person (in CTA's view) to 'ride' through that station. You were
_never_ to reveal anything about yourself to the fare collector, etc,
just toss your money in at her and shove your way along. If you had 
anything to talk or snitch about, you were to do that by calling a 
certain private, non-published direct phone line in someone's office
at CTA, the same as Walmart does it now with their 'mystery shoppers'.

But I had this one situation; the fare collector acted _so ignorant_;
was _so brazen_ in her thievery (she hit me three times in one week
for my fare during the late night hours); I just could not resist
telling her off good. A middle-age black lady; she impresed me that
she was into drugs as a spare time thing. Monday and Tuesday she
grabbed at my money as I stuck it in the cage at her and did 'monthly
pass' to open the gate. I said nothing, just catalogued it away, and
continued on my trip home. I did not go to work Wednesday, but went in
Thursday night, and I do not remember why, exactly, but she did or
said something to another passenger which really annoyed me, so when
she hit me on my fare again (used the employee free ride) to open the
gates that night, I decided to call her on it. I had seen her do the
same thing for two riders ahead of me in line that night, so I decided
to have fun with her. She rang 'employee free' on my fare, the light
turned green, instead of walking through I just stood there and said
to her 'why did you ring me like that? do it correctly'.   All real 
nasty and authoritarian she ordered me 'keep moving, do not hold up
the line'. I told her when you _ring my fare correctly_ I will move
along, not before. She came up with a lame excuse about how she had
'earlier double rang a fare and wanted to make up for the resulting
shortage.' I told her 'you have a pad of Form (whatever) in there to
be used in that case. On the Form, you write down the money amount
(usually 90 cents for one fare), you initial it and ask the passenger
to also scribble his initials there, _then_ you open the gate with
the mis-ring key and you turn in that scrap of paper with your work
for the night, that is how you do it.' 

Now she was furious! "You hurry up and get through the gate or I will
call the police and have you arrested!"  I told her "you just do that
 ... go ahead and call police, do you want to use the phone there in
the cage or would you prefer I call them from the payphone over there
on the wall? But if _I_ call, then I will also call the fare collector
supervisor over at State/Lake Street and tell her about it also." Now
she knew I had to know _something_ about the 'system' and she thought
about that for a minute and decided it would probably be best to not
get police or her supervisors involved. She ripped off one of the
'fare adjustment' forms from the pad of same, filled in the amount of
the fare shoved it out the window at me and said 'put your name on
here', with a very angry look on her face (at being caught). I just
was _not_ going to let that one go through, so the next morning I
called the private, unlisted phone number at the Merchandise Mart
(CTA headquarters) and told the man all about it. I told the gentleman
about it, he said that he had heard 'other hearsay reports about that
same lady' so he figured it was about time to hit her with a bunch
of 'riders'; several 'riders' each night for a week or two, so I can
'catch her in the act and she won't be able to deny it.' I guess the
collection fare person had never had so many old bag-ladies and
smelly, unshaven old men come past her booth in one night before. 

About a month later, I got a call from someone at CTA who identified
himself as 'the agent supervisor'. It was a very short phone call and
got right to the point: "you remember about a month ago when you
called here and made a complaint about Agent (number)?" I said I did,
and his reply was "you were right. I fired her yesterday, she went to 
the Union to file grievance. The Union told her, 'we would help you,
but CTA has been on our case lately for defending so many people who
have been alleged to steal from them.'  So, I think the Bitch is out
of here, and chances are the Authority will have an indictment for her
sometime real soon."  NOTE: The CTA is itself a quasi government in
the Chicago area. Not a government _agency_ but a _government_, with
the power to fine, indict, prosecute, etc. Her, and 'her kind' took
CTA for several million dollars as best as anyone was ever able to
figure out.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Jennifer C. Kerr <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: One in Four Netters Get Phony E-Mails 
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 16:40:29 -0600


About one in four Internet users is hit with e-mail scams every month
that try to lure sensitive personal information from unsuspecting
consumers, a study says.

Of those receiving the phony e-mails, most thought they might be from
legitimate companies -- seven in 10, or 70 percent, were fooled by the
e-mails, said the report.

The study released Wednesday by America Online and the National Cyber
Security Alliance looked at Internet security and "phishing scams."

Phishing refers to e-mails that appear to come from banks or other
trusted businesses and are used to induce recipients to verify their
accounts by typing personal details, such as credit card information,
into a Web site disguised to appear legitimate.

"What's happening is that more and more people are actually engaging
in transactions online that would generate e-mail traffic that the
scammers are copycatting," said Tatiana Platt, senior vice president
at AOL.

The study found nearly three-quarters of those surveyed, 74 percent,
use their computers for sensitive transactions such as banking, stock
trading or reviewing medical information. That leaves phishers with a
good chunk of Internet users to target, Platt said.

Platt said too many people still don't have adequate computer security
to guard against viruses, hackers and other threats. The study found
81 percent of home PCs lacked at least one of three critical
protections -- updated antivirus software, spyware protection and a
secure firewall.

The researchers conducted in-home interviews with more than 350
Internet users nationwide. The researchers also reviewed the e-mails
received by those households.

The Federal Trade Commission has several tips to keep from getting
hooked by phishers:

_If you get an e-mail asking for personal information, call the
company directly or type in the company's correct Web address. Do not
click on the link provided in the e-mail.

_Use antivirus software and a firewall. This can protect a user from
accepting unwanted files that could harm a computer or track a
consumer's Internet activities.

_Don't e-mail personal or financial information.

___

On the Net:

National Cyber Security Alliance: http://www.staysafeonline.info

Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. 

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.

For more news from Associated Press, please go to: 
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html

To discuss phishing on the net, go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

------------------------------

From: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Verizon Wireless to Deliver CBS Clips to Phones
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 16:47:28 -0600


Verizon Wireless plans to start sending clips of popular CBS shows
"CSI," "Survivor" and "Late Show with David Letterman" to mobile
phones, marking CBS's first foray into wireless video, the companies
said on Wednesday.

The clips will be available to customers of Verizon Wireless's V Cast
video service and are aimed at luring more consumers to use a
high-speed wireless network it is building.

Mobile providers are moving beyond traditional phone calls in the hope
of boosting revenue with features like video.

TV networks like CBS see this trend as a way to win new viewers and
give new options to existing ones. Some, like NBC, are also making
agreements with Apple Computer Inc. to have whole shows or clips run
on its video iPod device.

While the iPod needs to be connected to a computer for video
downloads, clips are delivered to cellphones wirelessly.

Rather than airing full shows, V Cast will carry shorter clips,
including part of Letterman's monologue from "Late Show" and
highlights from other shows. It will run preview clips of CBS series
"CSI" and "Survivor."

Customers will also start receiving video news segments from CBS News
and Paramount TV's "Entertainment Tonight," the companies said. The
news clips will include breaking news as well as features from "CBS
Evening News" and "The Early Show."

CBS, now a unit of Viacom Inc., will become a publicly traded company
next year; Paramount TV is also a Viacom unit. Verizon Wireless is a
venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group Plc.

Reuters/VNU

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.

------------------------------

From: Grant Gross <idg@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: US Air Force to Guard Cyberspace
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 16:49:17 -0600


by Grant Gross, IDG News Service

WASHINGTON-- The U.S. Air Force's goals now include "fighting" in
cyberspace, according to a new mission statement released this week.

A cyberspace security responsibility was newly included in the mission
statement, released Wednesday. The new mission statement, intended to
set the current and future direction of the Air Force, reads: "The
mission of the United States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options
for the defense of the United States of America and its global
interests -- to fly and fight in Air, Space, and Cyberspace."

A story on the Air Force Web site quotes a letter to airmen from
Michael Wynne, secretary of the Air Force, and Gen. T. Michael
Moseley, the Air Force chief of staff, saying U.S. enemies will use
any means to strike at the country and it is the Air Force's calling
to "dominate" air, space and cyberspace.

Details Promised

The Air Force is the first of the five branches of the U.S. military
to include fighting in cyberspace as part of its core mission.

However, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has advocated training
the military to also defend cyberspace. The government has also warned
of potential virtual attacks in response to conventional military
action.

"We have quite a few of our Airmen dedicated to cyberspace ... from
security awareness, making sure the networks can't be penetrated, as
well as figuring out countermeasures," the Air Force-written story
quotes Wynne as saying.  "The Air Force is a natural leader in the
cyber world and we thought it would be best to recognize that talent."

An Air Force spokesperson declined to further elaborate, saying Wynne
was tentatively scheduled to talk about the new mission statement in a
press conference next week.

The term, "sovereign options," was also new to the mission statement,
according to the Air Force Web site.

Copyright 2005 PC World Communications, Inc.

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.

To read stories in USA Today, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I wonder if this means that someday,
Air Force guys will investigate hackers, etc.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: Associated Press NewsWire <ap@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Businesses Rush For '.eu' Domain Names
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 16:51:07 -0600


European businesses rushed to sign up for the new ".eu" Internet
domain name, putting in 100,000 Web site applications by the end of
its first day available, the group in charge of registering the
requests said Thursday.

Businesses and public bodies were able to sign up for the new European
Union Internet address starting Wednesday morning, and they did so
with haste.

They filed 40,503 applications within the first 15 minutes of
availability -- hitting a top speed of 60 requests per second --
according to the European Registry of Internet Domain Names, or EURid,
the nonprofit organization in charge of handling requests.

That number had nearly doubled by the end of the first hour, when
80,000 applications had been received. By the end of the day, "sex.eu"
was the most requested name, with 213 applicants bidding for it,
followed by "hotel.eu" and "travel.eu." Other popular site names
included jobs, casino, poker, golf, music and porn, followed by the
new ".eu" domain.

The Web site names were handed out on a first-come, first-served
basis, with German enterprises filing the most requests, EURid
said. France and the Netherlands rounded off the top three countries
most eager to sign up for the new domain.

Until now, Europeans had to choose between a national domain such as
".fr" for France or a global one like ".com," often seen as American.

Richard More O'Ferrall, spokesman for the EU small business lobby
UEAPME, said the ".eu" name could be useful for European companies.

"It broadens your appeal and the appeal of your product across
Europe," he said. "You have something that identifies you with the
EU."

Though many are not yet up and running, new domain names can be used
immediately but not everyone is allowed to register names during this
sunrise period.

Only registered trademark owners, government agencies and companies
may sign up during the registration round that began Wednesday. On
Feb. 2, ".eu" opens up to family names.

General registration begins April 7, but only to people who live in
the European Union and to companies with headquarters or branches
inside the 25-nation bloc.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. 

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.

For more headlines from Associated Press, listen to Telecom Digest
News Radio: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/TDNewsradio.html (and also)
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/Fednews.html

------------------------------

From: AFP News Wire <afp@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: 'Always on' Internet Changing American Life
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 16:52:42 -0600


"Always on" broadband Internet hook-ups are transforming American
life, empowering grass roots politics, moulding new work and shopping
habits and bringing far flung families closer.

A major new survey published Wednesday also found that the most
explosive growth in online time was among low income web surfers, who
had previously been excluded from the Internet revolution.

"The Internet has clearly matured across all segments of American
society," said Jeffrey Cole, director of the University of South
California Annenberg School Center for the Digital future, which
conducted the survey.

The project, the fifth annual release of the study, yielded
"extraordinary findings about how the Internet continues to change
America," Cole said.

In 2005, more Americans than ever before were on the Internet -- 78
percent of the population -- and their use of the medium rose to an
average of 13.3 hours a week.

For the first time, a broadband connection is the most popular way for
US users to access the web -- 48 percent compared to the 45 percent of
users still drumming their fingers as their computer labors through a
dial up process.

"It is really the always on (factor) which changes our relationship
with the Internet long term," Cole said, at an advance briefing on the
report for congressional staffers last week.

Whereas dial-up consumers typically get online two to three times per
day for around 30 minutes, those with broadband links frequently log
on to check news, shop or to chase down information, Cole said.

E-mail remains the most popular online activity, followed by general
web surfing, reading news, shopping and entertainment -- and only 27
percent of users said they would give up the Internet over their cell
phone or television.

Internet use is also becoming more available across the economic
digital divide. In 2005, Internet use among those with incomes of less
than 30,000 dollars rose to 61 percent, after hovering around 50
percent for four years.

"The fastest growing use of the Internet is among those with the
lowest income," said Cole.

The survey also found online campaigning is transforming US politics
and empowering individual voters dwarfed by the might of the print and
broadcast media.

The online revolution could even allow a third-party candidate to
break the two-party Republican/Democrat monopoly of US politics, said
Cole.

"The Internet will forever change the course and nature of American
politics.

"The Internet is no longer a marginal force in American politics -- it
is quickly becoming the central force in empowering voters," Cole
said.

Cole said at the congressional briefing that 40 percent of Internet
users now believe going online can give people more political power.

A majority of Internet users told the survey that the Internet was
having no influence on the time they were spending with family and
friends. But 40 percent said it had increased contact with close
relatives and friends.

The web is also playing an important role in keeping members of the US
military, many fighting far flung conflicts, in touch with their
families back home, the survey said.

Copyright 2005 Agence France Presse. 

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.

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------------------------------

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Re: Hypothetical SxS Question
Date: 9 Dec 2005 13:11:48 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Thanks to all who responded.  Interesting observations.

Neal McLain wrote:

> The most "efficient" numbering plan (least amount of equipment) would be
> to assign extension numbers in three 3-digit ranges:

That's what I thought.

> This arrangement provides a total of 300 lines, enough to accommodate
> 250 apartments with spares for other uses (office, maintenance room,
> loading dock, etc.).

In my hypothetical example, I envision a copious amount of "house
phones" throughout the community, such as in front of each building,
at the pool, etc.

> Disadvantage: It's not possible to match subscriber numbers to apartment
> numbers (although, as PAT notes, this might not be a good idea anyway).

I agree for security and privacy reasons it is better NOT to have
matching intercom and apt numbers.  If you want to call a specific
person, you should know their number.

> [1] Kempster B. Miller.  "Telephone Theory and Practice" vol. 3
> "Automatic Switching and Auxiliary Equipment."  New York: McGraw Hill,
> 1933, p. 129.

Thanks for the above book reference.  Is it hard to find?  Seems
worthwhile to check it out.

Regarding other comments, I envisioned this to be a private system
only without any outside connection.  This would keep it simple and
for internal use only.

One friend suggested having a manual switchboard instead.  I realized
there are two neighbors who would love to do that.  They'd be good at
it because, how can I say this, they know everyone's whereabouts and
business at all times.  So if you want to call Mr. Smith but he's
away, these neighbors will already know where Mr. Smith is, what he is
doing, whether or not Mrs. Smith is aware of it, etc., as well as the
status of each and every other neighbor in the complex.  Not that they
would gossip or listen in on calls, they would NEVER EVER do that.

I happened to meet a retired Bell Telephone craftsmen and mentioned my
idea.  He thought I was crazy.  He pointed out the immense wiring and
maintenance needs of an SxS plant.

That made me realize and appreciate how far we've come with
electronics, and how complex the old Bell System was to build and run.
It's relatively easy for us today to pop in an electronic box and have
fancy phone service.  It's totally another to bring together expensive
and complex SxS gear to provide service reliably.  My application is
pretty basic as phone applications go, but we can see it would still
take some serious engineering and planning.  Switches, wiring, and
footprint are all expensive and we don't want a 2,000 sqft room when a
500 sq ft one will do.

Modern technology has made the need for such a system obsolete.  Years
ago fine apartment buildings had separate house phone systems -- more
than a plain intercom -- so the office or doormen could check in with
an apt or vice versa.  Many people had message rate service* and a PBX
was a free call to call neighbors.  Some buildings had answering
service switchboards which I believe Pat worked with.  Anyway, today
call waiting or multiple individual phone lines eliminated the need
for a separate system.  Cell phones and portable cordless phones
eliminate the need for outside and house phones -- people have their
cordless or cell phones with them and won't miss an incoming call.
Ironically the switching cost of such a system would be cheap today
but we don't even need it.

Years ago I stayed in a Miami hotel.  A big function of the PBX
operators was paging guests who weren't in their room.  The hotel PA
system covered all public areas.  House phones were liberally placed
all over the hotel; I remember the pool area having numerous outdoor
telephone boxes (and thinking that kind of coverage was pretty neat).
The hotel PBX was a high 3 position manual board with two multiples of
the extension bank.  Very small motels would have a small cord
switchboard handled by the desk clerk, but anything larger had at
least one full time operator, maybe several.

Actually in hindsight the constant paging on the PA system was a bit
tiring to other guests.  I wonder if resort hotels still bother to do
that, or simply route to the room's voice mail.  Today hotels have a
tiny little console the desk clerk handles in his spare time.  Some
are centrex with the room numbers matching the telephone extension.

However, I was surprised recently when visiting a friend in the
hospital how often the PA system was used to page doctors.  Way back
when I worked in a hospital they were converting to pagers; I presume
all doctors and key staff would carry them now.  Bell had a "meet me
page" in the 1970s where the paged person would dial a special
extension and be automatically connected with the incoming call
instead of the operator manipulating cords.

*Message rate service is still offered today.  But the price of a
message unit has remained stable -- 7c in my area -- for years, 7c in
1965 was more like 70c.  Further today they give off peak discounts so
a weekend call might only be 3c.

------------------------------

From: Joe Morris <jcmorris@mitre.org>
Subject: Re: Hypothetical SxS Question
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 22:29:52 UTC
Organization: The MITRE Organization


TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Wesrock@aol.com:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I used to know someone who worked his
> away around the 'incoming calls only' rule on a telephone at the place
> where he lived. Although the phone did have dial tone, it also had a
> blank face plate, to avoid being able to dial outgoing calls,
> supposedly. His response was to learn how to tap on the hook in the
> proper sequence and timing. Inconvenient to be sure, but it worked. PAT]

And I'm sure you remember the little "dial lock" gizmos that were
clamped into the "1" fingerhole and were supposed to keep people from
making outbound calls on an unattended office telephone?  It seems
that nobody ever thought about dialing with the switchhook -- or just
banging away with ten or more pulses and asking the operator for
assistance.

Joe Morris

------------------------------

From: kamlet@panix.com (Arthur Kamlet)
Subject: Re: Hanging up on the New Ma Bell
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 21:25:17 UTC
Organization: Public Access Networks Corp.
Reply-To: ArtKamlet@aol.REMOVE.com


In article <telecom24.555.9@telecom-digest.org>,
 <hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:

> "Ma Bell" referred to the old AT&T Bell System pre-divesture.  It
> referred to the old system, somewhat negatively, of when Bell owned
> all equipment and long distance, and supplied 100% of customers needs.
> Once AT&T divested the local companies, it ceased being the old Ma
> Bell.  It quickly evolved into other types of business.  It even lost
> the "Bell" name.

Except that AT&T fought for and succeeded in keeping the name:
Bell Laboratories.

Not until AT&T spun off Western Electric and Bell Labs, soon renamed
Lucent Technologies, did Lucent's managers manage to screw up Bell
Labs.

Art Kamlet     ArtKamlet @ AOL.com   Columbus OH    K2PZH

------------------------------

From: James Carlson <james.d.carlson@sun.com>
Subject: Re: Using Two ADSL Internet Connections Simultaneously
Date: 09 Dec 2005 17:35:20 -0500
Organization:  Sun Microsystems


bonomi@host122.r-bonomni.com (Robert Bonomi) writes:

> "Incoming" traffic is an entirely different problem.  And
> load-balancing _that_ traffic cannot be done in anything approaching a
> satisfactory manner without 'help' from the 'upstream' end.

Indeed.

> And it requires that both DSL circuits terminate at the same
> 'upstream' provider.

Not necessarily.  There are at least two other possibilities here,
both of which allow for connections to multiple providers:

  - NAT in use, and load balancing on a per-connection basis.  This
    automatically balances the return traffic as well, as everyone on
    the net thinks you're actually two separate independent IP nodes.

  - You're a big company and you can afford to arrange BGP peering
    with the ISPs and inject routes into the backbone.

There are others as well that involve just living with the fact that
you'll appear to be separate nodes on the net, and remaining
multihomed -- this is what you'd probably do if you were doing this
for (say) a web server with multiple A records.

> *BUT* the 'standard' routing code _in_the_kernel_ of most operating
> systems does =not= support multiple equal-priority routes to the same
> destination, *with* rotating use of those routes on a per-packet
> basis.

Doing it on a per-packet basis ("round robin") is a mistake.  It
causes poor performance by reordering packets and often causes trouble
with various middleboxes.  Instead, you want to hash based on flow
identification, which some systems can do.


James Carlson, KISS Network                    <james.d.carlson@sun.com>
Sun Microsystems / 1 Network Drive         71.232W   Vox +1 781 442 2084
MS UBUR02-212 / Burlington MA 01803-2757   42.496N   Fax +1 781 442 1677

------------------------------

From: Lena <lenagainster@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: FTC Do Not Call List
Date: 9 Dec 2005 14:53:06 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Mark Crispin wrote:

> There's a very nice way to shut out all telemarketers.

> See if your LOC offers Do Not Disturb service.

> Do Not Disturb service, which is often *cheaper* than No Solicitation,
> can be set with a 24 hour/day "no-disturb" period.  To ring your
> phone, the caller has to know a 4-digit password set by you.

It's a great idea, but wouldn't work for us who have so many lame-
brained friends who would never remember any code.  We can't even get
our friends to remember to change their email addressbook when we
change our email provider.

There is also an item called "Caller ID Manager" from Privacy Corps.
It looks like a separate Caller ID box, but can be set to block
whatever numbers you program into it, including all 800 numbers, all
888 numbers, unidentified numbers, etc.  Costs about $100.  From the
description, it looks like it works on one phone and one would have to
add "remotes" for other phones.  (Google it).

I think an amendment to the Telemarketing Laws is in order, to
prohibit any telemarketer, calling on behalf of any charity or
political organization, from calling any number more than once a year.

Lena

------------------------------


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