From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Dec 9 01:34:42 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.6) id iB96YgY18518; Thu, 9 Dec 2004 01:34:42 -0500 (EST) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 01:34:42 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200412090634.iB96YgY18518@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #587 TELECOM Digest Thu, 9 Dec 2004 01:35:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 587 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson VoicePulse Plans Video Phone Service (Lisa Minter) Invitation to MIT and Belgrade 2005, c/ba (IPSI-2005 MIT and Belgrade) Apple in Cybersquatting Fight Over ITunes Website (Lisa Minter) 2004 Was Year of Netsky Worm, Web Firm Sophos Says (Lisa Minter) Re: Lingo Voip Isn't Really Cheap (DevilsPGD) Re: Lingo Voip Isn't Really Cheap (Tony P.) Re: For $999, a Lifetime of Internet Phone Calls (DevilsPGD) Re: Connecting VoIP Device to Home Wiring (Tony P.) Re: Lycos Pulls Anti-Spam 'Vigilante' Campaign (DevilsPGD) Re: Western Electric and Al Capone (Peter Brooks) 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: Lisa Minter Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2004 22:28:53 -0500 Subject: VoicePulse Plans Video Phone Service http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/12-08-2004/0002590652&EDATE= http://www.voicepulse.com Company to offer video service using award-winning network JAMESBURG, N.J., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- VoicePulse Inc. today announced plans to enhance the consumer's telephone experience by incorporating videophone service into their existing Voice-over-IP service in the second half of 2005. With the recent widespread use of camera and video-enhanced mobile phones, company executives believe videophones in the home are the next logical step. Videophone service allows callers to both see and hear the other parties while carrying on a conversation. Until recently, the prohibitive cost of videophone equipment has prevented increased use in the residential market. "We've always built our service with the intention of providing a huge array of new features, including video", said Ravi Sakaria, President & CEO of VoicePulse, "Our plans to support videophones are in line with our efforts to lead the industry in innovation." The VoicePulse Broadband Phone Service has earned the PC World Best Buy award and PC Magazine's VoIP Provider of the Year compared to services including Vonage's DigitalVoice and AT&T's CallVantage. VoicePulse allows consumers to use their existing cable or DSL Internet connection for phone service. The service includes traditional features such as Caller ID, Call Waiting, Call Forward and Voicemail as well as a host of advanced features such as Distinctive Ring, Call Filters, Telemarketer Block and Anonymous Call Block. Consumers need only a high-speed Internet connection and an ordinary touch-tone telephone to use the service. VoicePulse uses Voice-over-IP technology to deliver broadband phone service. VoicePulse's services include: * Unlimited local, regional and US long distance calling for $24.99 per month; * Unlimited local, regional and 200 US long distance minutes for $14.99 per month * Advanced features including Voicemail, Telemarketer Blocking, Do Not Disturb, Anonymous Call Rejection, Distinctive Ring * Voicemail with optional e-mail delivery of messages as sound attachments * Choose your own area code * Low international calling rates About VoicePulse VoicePulse is a New Jersey based communications company that uses its VoIP network to deliver advanced features and high-quality phone service to residential and small-business consumers. The company leads the industry in delivering innovative features and excellent customer service. For more information about VoicePulse, please visit http://www.voicepulse.com. VoicePulse is a trademark of VoicePulse Inc. For more information, please contact: Rima Vaghasiya 732-339-5100 rima@voicepulse.com SOURCE VoicePulse Web Site: http://www.voicepulse.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 02:26:53 +0100 From: IPSI-2005 MIT and Belgrade Subject: Invitation to MIT and Belgrade 2005, c/ba Dear potential Speaker: On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to extend a cordial invitation for you to attend one or both of the upcoming IPSI BgD multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary conferences. The first one will be in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro: IPSI-2005 BELGRADE University of Belgrade (arrival: 2 June 05 / departure: 5 June 05) Deadlines: 1 March 05 (abstract) & 15 April 05 (full paper) The second one will be in Massachusetts, USA : IPSI-2005 USA Hotel@MIT, Cambridge (arrival: 7 July 05 / departure: 10 July 05) Deadlines: 20 February 05 (abstract) / 20 March 05 (full paper) All IPSI BgD conferences are non-profit. They bring together the elite of the world of science; so far, we have had seven Nobel Laureates speaking at the opening ceremonies. The conferences always take place in some of the most attractive places of the world. All those who come to IPSI conferences once, always love to come back (because of the unique professional quality and the extremely creative atmosphere); lists of past participants are on the web, as well as details of future conferences. These conferences are in line with the newest recommendations of the US National Science Foundation and of the EU research sponsoring agencies, to stress multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research (M.I.T. research). The speakers and activities at the conferences truly support this type of scientific interaction. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: * Internet * Computer Science and Engineering * Mobile Communications/Computing for Science and Business * Management and Business Administration * Education * e-Medicine * e-Oriented Bio Engineering/Science and Molecular Engineering/Science * Environmental Protection * e-Economy * e-Law * Technology Based Art and Art to Inspire Technology Developments * Internet Psychology If you would like more information on either conference, please reply to this e-mail message. If you plan to submit an abstract and paper, please let us know immediately for planning purposes. Sincerely Yours, Prof. V. Milutinovic, Chairman IPSI BgD Conferences ------------------------------ From: Lisa Minter Subject: Apple in Cybersquatting Fight Over ITunes Website Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2004 16:04:35 EST LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. computer giant Apple is locked in a cybersquatting battle with a 22-year-old British Internet whiz kid over the itunes.co.uk Web Site, a domain the company wants for its chain of iTunes online music stores. Benjamin Cohen, who joined the Internet's millionaires club after founding the Web Site Sojewish when he was just 17, said on Wednesday he registered itunes.co.uk during the dotcom boom in November, 2000, and wouldn't give it up without a fight. He said Apple applied to trademark "iTunes" in October 2000, but that the application wasn't made public until December. "In the course of discussions with Apple they offered to buy the domain, but it was a very low offer, and we couldn't accept it," Cohen told Reuters. "They have issued legal proceedings to gain control of it, but we registered it fairly and squarely, and we don't feel we've done anything wrong. We're not going to back down," he added. A spokeswoman for Apple said the company was not commenting on the case. Surfers logging on to itunes.co.uk arrive at Cohen's company QuickQuid.com, an online loyalty site that rewards surfers for shopping. He runs the company from his home. Apples iTunes store, paired with its popular iPod music player, is the market-leading online music store in the United States, but its entry into Europe was delayed by red tape. Apple launched iTunes in Britain, France and Germany in June. 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 . 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 News Service. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ From: Lisa Minter Subject: 2004 Was Year of Netsky Worm, Web Firm Sophos Says Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2004 16:09:52 EST From Tech Tuesday (Reuters) The worm accounted for almost a quarter of all virus incidents reported, Sophos said in a report on Wednesday, with four other Netsky variants also making it into the top 10, and the Sasser worm by the same writer taking third place. "2004 was the year of the Netsky," Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley said in a report covering the period December 2003 to November 2004, adding that Netsky-P was still the world's most widely reported virus, 8 months after its discovery. Sasser, a worm which spreads not via email but via the Internet, attacking Windows computers not protected with a security patch from Microsoft, was first seen just two weeks after the patch was made available. "The time period between patch availability and worm exploit is getting shorter than ever," Cluley said. Overall, Sophos protected against more than 97,000 viruses, worms and Trojan Horses -- which lurk inside a device without the user knowing it -- during the year. More than 10,000 were new viruses. All of the top 10 attacked Windows computers. "Motivated by the thought of spreading their malicious code as far and wide as possible, virus writers are likely to continue targeting the ubiquitous Microsoft and its users in 2005 and beyond." Sophos said it had also discovered a new type of "phishing" attack in 2004 -- in which fraudsters send out emails allegedly from real companies asking recipients for personal and financial information. Instead of luring computer users to a fake Website to steal their banking and credit-card details, the new wave of phishers use Trojan Horses to lie in wait for users to visit real banking Websites and then secretly record login processes. The year's top hoax was a chain letter sent via Microsoft Hotmail, it said. Although hoaxes are not viral they clog up mail servers and confuse users. During the year, a number of high-profile arrests were made including that of the 18-year-old German, who has confessed to the Sasser worm and is accused of creating Netsky. An Australian email scammer who stole more than 2 million pounds ($3.9 million) was jailed, while Brazilian authorities made more than 50 arrests for Trojan phishing and the UK's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit made several arrests related to phishing, Sophos said. But Sophos called for a formal framework to make it easier to report virus infections or unsolicited spam mail. "Despite an increased number of arrests and convictions of spammers, the spam problem shows no sign of disappearing," it said. "Those responsible for writing malware are more active than ever before." ($1=.5174 Pound) 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 . 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 Tech Tuesday/Reuters News Service. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Lingo Voip Isn't Really Cheap Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2004 16:00:26 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com In message Gordon S. Hlavenka wrote: > Here's a tangentially related question: The Vonage/Linksys hardware has > two phone jacks on the back. Are these separate jacks? Can I register > two numbers on a single adapter and have one ring to the "Phone1" jack > and the other to the "Phone2" jack? I realize two numbers require twice > the bandwidth for simultaneous use (Duh, but many people seem to be > surprised by this). Yes, you can have different numbers, but they need to be attached to the same Vonage account. Use the "Add additional line" option in the Vonage website. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have said this myself on a few > occassions. If you otherwise have broadband connectivity you use for > other reasons, it is unfair to dump the entire cost of same onto your > VOIP phone bill. PAT] Not only that, but even if I get a dedicated cable modem for my Vonage lines, I can get broadband for $29.95/month. Add to that my three Vonage lines ($19.95+2x$14.95) and we're only talking $79.80/month INCLUDING the broadband connection. Compared to a phone line which is just over $35/month (For the line+Voicemail+Call Display+Call Waiting). It would cost $105/month for those three POTS lines. So, in this situation VoIP comes out cheaper even if you put 100% of the broadband connection on the VoIP side of the game. ================ A well-dressed man walks into a bar and asks a woman to sleep with him for $1M. The woman is excited and she gives immediate consent: "Of course I'll sleep with you!". Then the man asks, "will you sleep with me for $5?". The woman indignantly replies, "Of course not! What do you think I am?". The man replies, "We've already established what you are; now we're merely haggling over the price." ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: Lingo Voip Isn't Really Cheap Organization: ATCC Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2004 18:23:07 -0500 In article , johnl@iecc.com says... >> LINGO may suck but in my opinion, VERIZON SUCKS WORSE. Any idea why >> Verizon would charge me $68/mth (including taxes) for local service >> when I can get more features from Lingo. > Probably because Lingo only works if you already have a $40/mo > broadband connection. I don't understand why people think that > something they pay for every month is "free". In my case, Vonage + Broadband = $64 a month. For the same voice features I was paying Verizon $87 a month. So a nominal savings of $23 dollars is there but you have to remember that I use the broadband connection for more than just my phone service. Vonage uses 90Kbits of my 4Mbps down and 384Kbps up. So in reality it's actually a much greater savings. ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: For $999, a Lifetime of Internet Phone Calls Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2004 16:00:25 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com In message kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote: > No, you're betting that the startup will still be a viable company in > as long as it takes for you to break even. If you're currently > spending a hundred bucks a month on LD service, the company can > collapse in a year and you will still be ahead. > My question is how long it will be before the VoIP stuff transitions > over to an "internet phone" model, where your phone talks directly to > the other phone over the net when you make a call, with no > intermediary needed? As long as both phones are on the net and you > don't need a gateway to the POTS service, why should you spend > anything over the cost of your connectivity? This already happens between VoIP customers (in most cases it goes through the VoIP company's servers first, but it doesn't need to touch the POTS network) The main issue with direct user to user VoIP calls is maintaining a phone number <--> IP database. FWD is one option, but unfortunately it's not supported widely enough to be useful yet. ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: Connecting VoIP Device to Home Wiring Organization: ATCC Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2004 18:28:28 -0500 In article , rlangly@gmail.com says: > Hi all, > I'm a subscriber of Packet8, and on their VoIP box it says not to > connect it to the home wiring in my home. I'm assuming they get folks > who connect it without unplugging the Ma Bell line and this blows the > box. If I disconnect the outside lines (no voltage on phonelines) is > there any reason not to connect the VoIP box to make all my phones > hot? I only have three phones throughout the house, and I've been > told such a box like this should put out enough voltage to carry such > a load. Just curious -- Thanks, > Ringo > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As long as you *disconnect everything* > pertaining to Bell first, you should be okay. PAT] Just disconnect and clip the little RJ11 plug at the NID. Tag it as private circuit, do not touch under penalty of law. ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Lycos Pulls Anti-Spam 'Vigilante' Campaign Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2004 16:00:26 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com In message Rick Merrill wrote: >> "I find the anti-spam downloadable DDoS tool to be without a doubt >> irresponsible, possibly illegal, > Illegal? Right, and enforced by the international "internet police"? Most countries have laws that can be stretched to cover denial of service attacks, especially against a business' website. There are a number of potential issues, a big one being that you might take down a website on the same server as the spammer. That business has likely done nothing wrong (legally), and would have a cause of action against anyone supporting the DDoS. ------------------------------ From: Peter Brooks Subject: Re: Western Electric and Al Capone Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2004 23:19:41 -0500 Small correction: the folks portrayed in "The Eudaemonic Pie", Doyne Farmer, Norm Packard, et. al. were not successful ultimately in beating roulette for purely technological reasons (some devices didn't work properly). On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 17:36:33 GMT, haynes@alumni.uark.edu (Jim Haynes) wrote: > (Compare with the much later activities of some college students > documented in the book, "Eudaemonic Pie". They used computers in > briefcases and radios in their shoes in a successful scheme to predict > the behavior of a roulette wheel.) > jhhaynes at earthlink dot net ------------------------------ 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. 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