From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Dec 10 00:21:38 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.6) id iBA5Lb401348; Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:21:38 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:21:38 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200412100521.iBA5Lb401348@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 #589 TELECOM Digest Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:22:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 589 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Kazaa Talked to Record Firms About Music Swaps (Lisa Minter) Coming Soon to an Inbox Near You: 'Spiritual Spam' (Lisa Minter) EU Wants to Make Internet Safe for Children (Lisa Minter) Re: Calling Card Needed -- Short Interaction Sequence (DevilsPGD) Re: Vonage, VoicePulse Push Forward With Video (DevilsPGD) Re: Digital PhishNet Launched To Combat Phishing Scams (John Stahl) Re: Online Research Worries Many Educators (William Warren) Re: Online Research Worries Many Educators (Ron Chapman) Re: Radar Detectors (Ron Chapman) Great Long Distance Plan (vodkajoe) 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 Subject: Kazaa Talked to Record Firms About Music Swaps Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 22:12:28 EST SYDNEY (Reuters) - Kazaa, the world's most popular Internet file-swapping system, told a court on Thursday it was worried about users exchanging unauthorized files and held talks with record companies in the United States about the problem. Thirty record companies from around the world are suing Kazaa's Australian owners and developers, Sharman Networks and Altnet, claiming that file swapping through Kazaa has cost them millions of dollars in lost sales. Philip Morle, Sharman's director of technology, told the federal court in Sydney the Distributed Computing Industry Association had hosted and coordinated a number of discussions between Sharman Networks and various U.S. record companies about the issue of unauthorized file sharing. Sharman says it can count the number of members using its peer-to-peer network but has no control over what its 100 million network users do with its software or what files they swap. The record companies allege Kazaa is responsible for copyright infringement and conspired to harm the record industry by unlawful means. Final evidence in the case is expected to be given on Friday with closing arguments to be presented mid next week. Federal Court Justice Murray Wilcox, who is hearing the case, is not expected to hand down his verdict until early 2005, but has previously said Kazaa would not be ordered to shut down as part of the copyright lawsuit. The case echoes the 2001 shutdown of renegade song-swap service Napster and follows a 2003 court decision in the Netherlands that cleared Kazaa's software of liability for copyright infringement. The music companies taking the court case in Sydney include the local arms of Sony BMG Music Entertainment (BERT.UL), EMI Group Plc and several other Australian firms. Recorded music sales have tumbled in recent years, with global sales down 7.6 percent in 2003 to $32 billion, according to the industry group, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). The IFPI has blamed rampant piracy, along with poor economic conditions and competition from video games and DVDs, for the slump. Supporters of file swapping argue that it can encourage people to buy music by exposing them to a greater range of music. 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, Reuters News Service. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ From: Lisa Minter Subject: Coming Soon to an Inbox Near You: 'Spiritual Spam' Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 22:13:23 EST By Paul Majendie LONDON (Reuters) - Internet users praying for salvation from junk mail face a new torment -- "Spiritual Spam." Along with the flood of messages offering everything from mortgages to miracle cures, they are now being asked to repent and pray. "We are seeing more and more of it. It appears to be on the rise," said Martin Lee of e-mail security company MessageLabs. "The God-botherers are using the techniques of the 21st century. It's Spiritual Spam and almost all of it is Christian," he told Reuters. The prayers appear mostly to originate from native English speakers in the United States. "They are very good at hiding where they are. A lot of the stuff is relayed through China," Lee said. He said it is easier to act against the electronic evangelists in Europe than it is in the U.S. "The United States 'Can Spam' Act only applies to commercial e-mail. If you are trying to save their souls, then it is exempt from the U.S. Act. But it is illegal under European Union law because it is unsolicited," Lee said. The spiritual spammers are after souls rather than cash. "These are old-style evangelicals wanting to spread the message," Lee said. In one typical example, recipients are warned: "Eternity is a really long time. If you or someone close to you has not accepted God, please do so today." Then came the prayer: "Deliver me from all my sinful habits. Set me free!" Neil Hammerton, managing director of computer security company Email Systems, said: "This does not come from mass spam companies. It's people with requests they want to put out. He said they use a database of well known e-mail addresses and spam software they can buy for as little as 25 pounds ($48). "They sit at the end of a Broadband connection and send out thousands of e-mails overnight," he told Reuters. But he reckoned that spiritual spam still makes up less than one percent of the unwanted traffic that pours onto the Internet every day. The latest review by Email Systems showed that medical content made up 48 percent of all spam. Next came pornography with 15 percent followed by gambling with 11 percent and mortgages with nine percent. 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: EU Wants to Make Internet Safe for Children Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 22:13:24 EST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union has launched a 45 million euro ($60 million) plan to protect children from pornography and racist sites when they surf the Internet. "Children are using the Internet more and more and can come across dangerous content. It's essential to inform parents what tools they can use," Viviane Reding, the European Information Society and Media Commissioner, told a news conference. Around 60 percent of children regularly surf the Internet in Scandinavia and countries such as Britain, the Netherlands, Estonia and the Czech Republic, data issued by the European Commission on Thursday showed. But most parents are not aware of the potential risks or do not know who to contact when they come across harmful content, Reding said. The four-year EU program follows up a 38 million euro project that led to the creation of "hotlines" where parents could report illegal content found on the Internet. It will increase the number of hotlines, finance technology to filter out pornography and raise awareness among parents and children, though it was not clear if the funds will be distributed to member states or used at the European level. As an example of the project's value, Reding said existing hotlines, active in 18 EU states and Iceland, had helped the police to crack down on pedophile networks. "Last month a tip from the hotline in Spain led to the arrest of 90 people, the largest operation against a pedophile network in the country," she said. ($1=.7528 Euro) 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: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Calling Card Needed -- Short Interaction Sequence Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 18:13:32 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com In message Dr. Edward F Gehringer wrote: > And even worse, although the card states, "Payphone surcharge of 13 US > minutes" (which would be 39 cents) the recorded announcement says that > the charge will be 99 cents! How mad would you be if you were quoted 39 cents (on the card itself) and then billed 99 cents? I'm sorry sir, you can't park your van on the diving board. ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Vonage, VoicePulse Push Forward With Video Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 18:13:32 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com In message Lisa Minter wrote: > Within the space of a few hours, two separate New Jersey-based Voice > over Internet Protocol providers announced their intention to move > forcefully into relatively uncharted space: the video telephone. Does anybody care? Will anybody actually use it? I'm sorry sir, you can't park your van on the diving board. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I think it will be used for business conferences, etc, like Bell's Picturephone was used. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 20:44:27 -0500 From: John Stahl Subject: Digital PhishNet Launched To Combat Phishing Scams The following was reported today in Computerworld email news (see the whole article with the related link below): > Digital PhishNet Launched To Combat Phishing Scams > Several major industry players and law enforcement agencies are > collaborating in a new effort to respond to the rapidly growing > phishing problem Related story at: http://www.computerworld.com/newsletter/0,4902,98153,00.html?nlid=PM It is nice that the new web site for PhishNet (link in story) indicates that a person should report any phishing to their credit card company and also (through a link on the site) to file a complaint with the "Internet Crime Complaint Center". But I have read some real horror stories of what people have to go through to clear up their credit histories after their names, etc. have been "stolen" (phished) which makes me think that these corporations and law enforcement agencies should also make it easier for you to clear up the mess created as well as try to find the perpetrators of the crime! John Stahl Aljon Enterprises Telecom/Data Consultant ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Online Research Worries Many Educators From: William Warren Organization: Church of the Infinite Possibility Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 02:18:09 GMT On Thu, 9 Dec 2004 08:31:31 -0500, Monty Solomon wrote: > By ANICK JESDANUN AP Internet Writer [snip] > Young people may know that just because information is plentiful > online doesn't mean it's reliable, yet their perceptions of what's > trustworthy frequently differ from their elders' _ sparking a larger > debate about what constitutes truth in the Internet age. > Georgia Tech professor Amy Bruckman tried to force students to leave > their computers by requiring at least one book for a September class > project.[snip] > ...Bruckman and other educators grapple daily with the challenge of > ensuring their students have good skills for discerning the truth. > Professors and librarians say many come to college without any such > skills, and quite a few leave without having acquired them. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: [snip] > The computer and internet are simply tools to use in > your learning experience. The 'information explosion' did not begin > with computers; it started in the fifteenth century with the invention > by Guttenberg of a printing machine out of old wine skins. So what are > these people complaining about, that the tools for learning have been > improved? It is true that computers have hastened the 'information > explosion', but who is to be blamed for that, Bill Gates, or the > parents whose children use computers instead of *at the very least* > know the 'old fashioned' techniques for learning? PAT] Pat, I don't think Professor Bruckman and her peers are concerned about the "information explosion", but rather about the DISinformation explosion. From such trivial errors as confusing a painter and/or actor named Guttenberg with a goldsmith and inventor named Gutenberg, to corporate doublespeak and government misdirection on a global scale, the Internet is the ultimate example of how speed is the enemy of judgement, of accuracy, of perspective, and of critical thought. The process of manufacturing a book is complicated, expensive, and time-consuming. It costs real money to set type, to manufacture printing plates, to buy paper, to hire expertise, and to transpost the finished product - ALL of which leads, naturally, to very carefull verification of the facts in a manuscript and proofreading of the printer's galleys BEFORE the publication is allowed into the public eye. Not so with electronic media: we are all, after all, part of a distribution system that has "externalized" all but the most trivial costs of publication onto the recipient, and therefore has weakened the need for accuracy, and increased that for speed, to the point where "researchers" can claim successful cold-fusion on the basis of shoddy demonstrations, and a newspaper "reporter" can make up a sensational story out of whole cloth and have it distributed without any independent verification even being considered, let alone implemented. It all comes down to money: if it costs nothing to publish, then mistakes cost nothing too, and college students who assume that the Internet is (or should be) a primary source are making a fundamental mistake. Having said that, I'll add that I do not hold any illusions about the "golden days" of yore: book burnings, lawsuits, and pulp fiction of every variety have been with us as long as moveable type - but having deep pockets means having due regard for the risk of being wrong, and for that reason, books are more reliable sources of information than search engines. Freedom of the press may no longer belong only to the man who owns one, but the responsibilities that accompanied that freedom in Gutenberg's world - the obligation to verify facts, to question poorly thought out reasoning, to demand clarity and responsibility - have been given over to students who are ill-equipped to question, let alone correct, the memes and messages flitting across their screens. This message will self-destruct in Thirty Seconds. William Warren (Filter noise from my address for direct replies) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What you say is true, but with the sheer volume of information (dis- or otherwise) in the search engines you'd think a person searching through it would manage to land on the correct information after sifting through it all. That's not a very good explanation, is it ... :) PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 23:38:11 -0500 From: Ron Chapman Subject: Re: Online Research Worries Many Educators In article , Monty Solomon wrote: > By ANICK JESDANUN AP Internet Writer > NEW YORK (AP) -- Go to Google, search and scroll results, click and > copy. When students do research online these days, many educators > worry, those are often about the only steps they take. If they can > avoid a trip to the library at all, many students gladly will. > Young people may know that just because information is plentiful > online doesn't mean it's reliable, yet their perceptions of what's > trustworthy frequently differ from their elders' _ sparking a larger > debate about what constitutes truth in the Internet age. > Georgia Tech professor Amy Bruckman tried to force students to leave > their computers by requiring at least one book for a September class > project. > She wasn't prepared for the response: "Someone raised their hand and > asked, "Excuse me, where would I get a book?'" > While the answer might just have been a smart aleck's bid for laughs, > Bruckman and other educators grapple daily with the challenge of > ensuring their students have good skills for discerning the truth. > Professors and librarians say many come to college without any such > skills, and quite a few leave without having acquired them. > - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=45500939 > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The argument about 'computers versus > real books' seems to me to be just a re-hash of the argument a few > years ago about why 'computers are used for invasions of privacy, > instructions for building bombs, pornography, inappropriate inform- > ation for kids, etc' but libraries are where kids should be going. > I *thought* we had resolved that one by pointing out that there is > absolutely *nothing* you can learn from a computer that you could not > learn from a library as well; the entire difference being the speed > and ease of the learning process. We did NOT start suddenly aquiring > the wisdom of the world with the invention of the computer and later > the internet. The computer and internet are simply tools to use in > your learning experience. The 'information explosion' did not begin > with computers; it started in the fifteenth century with the invention > by Guttenberg of a printing machine out of old wine skins. So what are > these people complaining about, that the tools for learning have been > improved? It is true that computers have hastened the 'information > explosion', but who is to be blamed for that, Bill Gates, or the > parents whose children use computers instead of *at the very least* > know the 'old fashioned' techniques for learning? PAT] Pat, I don't think the point here was really that they're using computers instead of books. I think the point was that "on the net, no one knows you're a dog." Just because it's written online doesn't mean it's true or relevant. Books, by their very nature, are wrought from processes that distill the crap out and leave hard-considered facts and opinions. But on the net, all it takes is one crazy to set up a "the Holocaust was a fake" blog -- and how does a ten year old know how to interpret that? He doesn't. But he reads it on the net ... so does he just go ahead and use that as "fact" to back up his assignment? It's all about EDITING. Now, maybe if my kid's research was done online using only EDITED resources, resources that have been through the same excruciating processes that produce printed books, that would be fine. But we're too caught up in "gotta have it now, right or wrong" and people write and say ANYTHING just to get it out there. (Calling Mr. Rather, calling Mr. Dan Rather, white courtesy phone ...) Kids need direction -- and the naked net, by itself and without any parental or educational coaching, is NOT the place to send the limited mind of a ten or fifteen year old who doesn't have the tools to understand the nature or context of the information. (Think people who use the net to prey on kids.) Unedited information makes for dangerous waters. It requires at the least parental coaching to help the child become a well-rounded and educated netizen. One should NOT leave the child alone to use the naked net to finish an assignment. My parents could leave me in the library by myself to do that, and I could leave my kid in the library today, but not on the net. Not alone and without guidance. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 23:42:16 -0500 From: Ron Chapman Subject: Re: Radar Detectors In article , Tim@Backhome.org wrote: > The automatic devices for slight speed violations are revenue devices > for the most part. But, the devices that catch red light runners > serve a genuine safety purposes. Ah. So maybe you can explain to me why cities that employ these devices: (a) pay nothing for them, and receive commissions from the PRIVATE OPERATORS who place them; and (b) change the timing of the lights with such devices, in order to DRAMATICALLY shorten the time of the yellow light, a change which drastically increases the likelihood of your getting caught by the device? By the way, such a change in timing is: (a) NOT within national traffic guidelines, and (b) NOT implemented on traffic lights that DO NOT have such cameras in place. Hmmmmm. Tim, you're wrong. The sole reason for these devices is revenue enhancement. If the lawmakers want to make everything I do illegal, then I guess I'll be a criminal the rest of my life. ------------------------------ From: vodkajoe@yahoo.com Subject: Great Long Distance Date: 9 Dec 2004 20:43:19 -0800 Lightyear Alliance offers the cheapest long distance plan. It's simple. 3.9 cents a minute out-of-state and 9.9 cents a minute in-state. That's cheap than 10-10-220 and others like it. Even better, there's no sign up fee, no minumum usage, and you only pay for what you use. So if you never use it, you'll never get a bill. Interested? Got to / In the bottom right corner under customer, enter 294818 and then select that you want long distance and follow the instructions from there. All you have to do is make one long distance call, you don't even have to talk to anyone. As long as they pick up, it'll be activated. That's it. From there on out you'll have the best long distance available. Enjoy. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The rates you quote are *not* the best I have ever seen. Vonage or other VOIP phones have better rates many times. And with your plan, does Light Year Alliance default your one-plus carrier to them, or do they use some convoluted dialing string (ten or eleven digits, plus a PIN plus the number you wish to call, or ?? Do you get billed on your phone bill or through a credit card, or ?? Your message just seems like any generic long distance plan, which are a dime a dozen these days, all more or less the same price as yours. 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. 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