From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Feb 10 20:28:27 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id i1B1SRl02974; Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:28:27 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:28:27 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200402110128.i1B1SRl02974@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 #67 TELECOM Digest Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:28:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 67 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson TiVo Wins Patent Infringement Suit (Monty Solomon) PalmSource Develops New Handheld Strategy (Monty Solomon) Verizon / Samsung SCH-a610 Digital Camera Phone (Monty Solomon) 'Mydoom' Creators Start Up 'Doomjuice' (Monty Solomon) Microsoft Warns of Widespread Windows Flaw (Monty Solomon) Satellite, Cable Operators Get Ready to Raise Rates (Monty Solomon) Disney to Speed Digital Content Delivery (Monty Solomon) Usage and Maintenance Usage in Nortel and Motorola Switches (Bush) Re: Plain Old Cell Phones Fading Away in U.S. (Justin Time) Computer Phone Conferencing, Give me a Dial Tone! (Chas) Nokia Cellphones Vulnerable to SNARF Attack via Bluetooth (John Bartley) Re: "Out of Area" Caller ID Law (J Kelly) Voicemail Notify Signal Has Disappeared? (+1 3 0 3 5 4 3 2 3 1 1) Re: "No Internet Voting" (Thomas A. Horsley) Mrs. Stevens Had to go to the Hospital (TELECOM Digest Editor) 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 is 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: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:57:22 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: TiVo Wins Patent Infringement Dispute SAN JOSE, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO), the pioneer in digital video recording (DVR) services, today announced it has obtained a favorable summary judgment ruling in the case filed against the Company in 2001 by Pause Technology LLC. United States District Judge Patti Saris of the District of Massachusetts has ruled that TiVo does not infringe Pause's patent, and accordingly has ordered that judgment be entered in favor of TiVo. TiVo plans to file a motion seeking an Order declaring this an "exceptional case," and requiring Pause to pay all of TiVo's attorneys' fees and costs. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 11:30:37 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: PalmSource Develops New Handheld Strategy By MAY WONG AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- PalmSource Inc., a maker of operating systems for handheld computers, is shifting gears as the market for so-called smartphones grows and the one for simpler personal digital assistants shrinks. The company's new strategy, to focus more on devices that handle both voice and data communications _ as rivals Nokia Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have already done _ was being unveiled at its developer conference here Tuesday. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40498348 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 11:41:19 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Verizon / Samsung SCH-a610 Digital Camera Phone The SCH-a610 From Samsung Offers Unique Design and Flash Photography BEDMINSTER, N.J. and DALLAS, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, operator of the nation's largest and most reliable wireless network, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung), a wireless leader known for its award-winning product designs and advanced technology, today introduced the SCH-a610, an innovative digital camera phone featuring Verizon Wireless' Get It Now(R) service and Samsung's patented rotating screen design. Available exclusively from Verizon Wireless, the SCH-a610 brings consumers a total digital solution for voice, data and advanced imaging with an emphasis on performance and design. Picture Messaging service through Get It Now from Verizon Wireless makes taking and sending photos with the SCH-a610 as easy as 1-2-3; simply shoot the photo, enter a Verizon Wireless number or e-mail address, and send. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40502630 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 17:11:04 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: 'Mydoom' Creators Start Up 'Doomjuice' By MATTI HUUHTANEN Associated Press Writer HELSINKI, Finland (AP) -- Finnish computer security experts warned Tuesday of a new worm, known as "Doomjuice," that is expected to attack computers infected by "Mydoom," despite the fact it's programmed to stop spreading later this week. The virus, first detected by F-Secure on Monday night, has so far infected at least 30,000 computers worldwide since it was activated Sunday, said the company's director of antivirus research, Mikko Hypponen. Like Mydoom.A and Mydoom.B, the new worm is designed to strike Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating systems and is programmed to launch a worldwide attack on the web site of SCO, one of the largest UNIX vendors in the world. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40507941 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 17:43:55 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Microsoft Warns of Widespread Windows Flaw By Robert Lemos Staff Writer, CNET News.com Microsoft has a message for Windows users: Patch your computers quickly. On Tuesday, the software giant released a fix for a networking flaw that affects every computer running Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. If left unpatched, the security hole could allow a worm to spread quickly throughout the Internet, causing an incident similar to the MSBlast attack last summer. http://news.com.com/2100-7355-5156647.html What You Should Know About the Windows Security Updates for February 2004 http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/20040210_windows.asp Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-007 ASN.1 Vulnerability Could Allow Code Execution (828028) http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-007.asp Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-006 Vulnerability in the Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) Could Allow Code Execution (830352) http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-006.asp Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-004 Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (832894) http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-004.asp [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Always take much caution when clicking on any email link you see discussing Microsoft bug fixes, even this one. Far better and safer to bring up a fresh browser window and enter the address for updates directly at Microsoft. But this upate is very important. Please go get it ASAP. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:02:15 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Satellite, Cable Operators Get Ready to Raise Rates By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY NEW YORK - So much for predictions Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. (NWS) would start a cable/satellite TV industry price war after taking over DirecTV, the top U.S. satellite service at 12 million subscribers. The service plans to boost average rates by more than 3% starting March 1 -- an increase "tied to the increasing escalation of programming costs," says Steve Cox, executive vice president of sales, distribution and customer acquisition. The new prices will range from $36.99 a month for basic service with 125 channels to $90.99 for the "premier" package with 210 channels and free TiVo service. The increase is the fourth in 10 years, but the last, 3.3%, came in March. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-02-09-directv_x.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:18:53 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Disney to Speed Digital Content Delivery By GARY GENTILE AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Walt Disney Co. and Microsoft Corp. agreed to work together to speed the availability of Disney movies, TV shows and other digital content on cell phones, personal digital assistants and a new generation of portable media players. The two companies said Monday they have signed a multiyear agreement for Disney to license Microsoft's Windows Media digital rights management technology, which protects digital content from being illegally copied or played. Financial terms were not disclosed. Disney already licenses its movies for Internet rentals over the third-party Movielink service, which uses technology from Microsoft and RealNetworks Inc., to protect movies and process payments. Disney uses a proprietary technology to protect movies sent to consumers in their homes over its MovieBeam service. The non-exclusive deal with Microsoft is part of Disney's wider effort to make movies, television shows and other content available to consumers in digital format, including on a home network and in the next generation of high-definition DVDs. Disney also wants its programs available for use on personal media players, a new generation of devices set to hit the market later this year and next. The players allow people to store movies, personal photos, music and other digital content on portable devices. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40488372 ------------------------------ From: dakshing64@yahoo.com (Bush will disarm all workers next) Subject: Usage and Maintenance Usage in Nortel and Motorola Switches Date: 10 Feb 2004 16:14:48 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I was assigned a project to figure out the actual usage of a circuit. I know that it is measured in CCS or erlangs. In Lucent 5E's log every 30 minutes several usage numbers are given ITUSG, OTUSG, etc. Could someone clarify what these are? Also I am looking for a relationship between maitenance usage and usage for Nortel and Motorola switches. Many thanks, Dakshin ------------------------------ From: a_user2000@yahoo.com (Justin Time) Subject: Re: Plain Old Cell Phones Fading Away in U.S. Date: 10 Feb 2004 08:04:19 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com BobGoudreau@not-your.biz ... > [Please obscure my email address. Thank you.] > Rodgers Platt wrote: >> We are beating a dead horse, but if the person having the PDA never >> performs a backup or transfer -- when was the last time you backed up >> the contents of your PC's hard disk -- the data is still lost. >> Every office I visit has at least a copier or fax machine that >> would allow a sheet of notes or sketches to be copied and shared if >> need be. > But I'm willing to bet that far more PDA users than Daytimer users > actually do back up their data. It's pretty easy for me to back up my > Palm Pilot (which is also my phone) by slipping it into its charging > cradle, pressing the "sync" button and waiting 30 seconds -- so easy > that I do it almost daily. In fact, anyone who wants to have a shared > appointment book (say, between their phone or PDA and MS Outlook on > their PC) will be happy to do this regularly. > In comparison, flipping through a daytimer to find all the pages that > have changed since the last backup and then photocopying them is quite > a chore. > Bob Goudreau > Cary, NC > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Dear Bob, I hope obscuring your address > by putting you in the '.biz' domain (?) was sufficient. PAT] I didn't say you didn't back up your PDA. I asked when was the last time you did a backup of the device that you sync your PDA with. Having a backup of the data on your PDA doesn't do any good if that source crashes -- the same as loosing a daytimer or at least the pages that haven't been filed. Rodgers ------------------------------ From: xarush@omelas.com (Chas) Subject: Computer Phone Conferencing, Give Me a Dial Tone! Date: 10 Feb 2004 09:26:53 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I want a simple system that will allow me to call into a "box" and out on another line. For example, I have a high speed link that allows me to put a Vonage like phone in a remote locale. I want to call into that phone which is hooked into the box and then hear a dial tone and dial out on a "local" phone. The way I envisage it is to have small computer, a dialogic card with a conference ability and some simple software. If you know of the type of software/hardware that would support this ability please respond. Maybe there is another solution I am open to any suggestions. Regards, xarush [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: A ready made out-of-the-box solution might be to use a 'WATS extender' or a a call-diverter type box. You plug the Vonage in one side of it, and your new telephone line into the other side of it, and of course program it for security with a password. Sort of like a 'patch' used by ham operators. Then when you dial into the one number and enter your password, bingo, you get a dial tone from the Vonage. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 09:37:59 PST From: John Bartley or K7AAY@ARRL.NET Subject: Nokia Cellphones Vulnerable to SNARF Attack via Bluetooth AL Digital http://www.aldigital.co.uk/ announced Nokia 6310, 8910 and 8910i mobiles were found to be at greatest risk to having their data copied without the owner's consent with a crack attack over Bluetooth. The security papers (links, below) suggest keeping some other models of Bluetooth-capable mobiles 'invisible' to other devices may prevent data within the phone from being copied with a 'SNARF attack.' At worst, ony the data within the phone itself could be abducted, so if you don't keep data in it, and instead keep data within a PDA or notebook, the risk to you is low. Yeah, welcome to the 21st century. However, the authors apparantly got the brush from Sony-Ericsson, Nokia and the Bluetooth standards body when they raised the issue, so further attention seems merited. http://www.commsdesign.com/showArticle.jhtml?artic leID=17601809 http://www.bluestumbler.org/ The latter URL has a number of references and leads to web pages for the cracking software cited, and it looks like AL Digital may have done their homework. John E. Bartley, III K7AAY telcom admin, PDX, USA - Views mine. celdata (dot) cjb (dot) net - Handheld Cellular Data FAQ *This post is quad-ROT13 encrypted. Reading it violates the DMCA.* One Ringtone to rule them all, one Carrier to find them, One Phone to bring them all and to the Service Contract bind them. ------------------------------ From: J Kelly Subject: Re: "Out of Area" Caller ID Law Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 15:15:19 -0600 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Reply-To: jkelly@newsguy-nospam-.com On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 02:08:41 GMT, Steve Michelson wrote: > I wonder whether you live in a state where they are having primary > elections. The Do Not Call list does not apply to political pollsters, > charities, and companies with whom you had an existing > relationship. Perhaps you are getting calls from political pollsters? Tell me about it, we were getting several a day right before the Iowa caucuses. I told each one I vote for the candidate that outlaws ALL junk calls, especially the most vile type, those being the politcial type. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 11:55:29 -0700 From: Paul Migliorelli (+1 3 0 3 5 4 3 2 3 1 1) Subject: Voicemail Notify Signal Has Disappeared? Hi all. I'm a Qwest Wireless user, currently with a Kyocera 2135. Voicemail is set to notify new messages. Normally you would get the beep, or vibrate, or whatever. Over the last long while, there hasn't been any notify. I'm curious if this could be a result of the physical phone being full of text messages? I'm a blind user, and thus have ***no access to the text functions of the phone. I gather that by some default setup of service, you are able to email messages to phone numbers?? Maybe it's fulla spam now and I never know this?? Is there some menu choice where you can set suppress text messages, or can you tell qwest to suppress them?? I remember when I originally got service, it was default setup for browsing which it took long time to convince them to take it off and not charge $14.95. I'd just never thought that text messages were thrown in. Some of us are thinking maybe if the phone is cleared out, the notify will return?? Thanks as always. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: "No Internet Voting" From: tom.horsley@att.net (Thomas A. Horsley) Organization: AT&T Worldnet Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 23:16:56 GMT > The scanner counts the votes as the ballots are inserted, and so > provides the "instant gratification" that so many people demand, but > the original paper ballot is preserved and can be examined if there > is a recount. Right! Exactly what I've been going on about. Here we have a paper record filled out by the voter. Scanners are just vastly superior to the stupid touch screen machines which operate entirely on the "trust me" principle. Probably even more important in practical terms -- even if the scanner breaks, people can continue to cast ballots, they just have to do without the instant feedback (a pencil is the only bit of technology that needs to be working for voters to cast ballots with scanners -- a finicky $4000 piece of equipment has to be working to cast a ballot with a touch screen). Now they want to add printers to the touch screen systems here in Palm Beach County, but no one has answered the question I'd like answered: "What the heck do you do if, on election day, the printers start telling everyone they voted differently than they actually did?". Now you are trying to run an election with machines that are obviously non-functional. I suppose that's marginally better than not knowing they are broken, but you still can't actuallly hold a valid election. You might as well just forget the printers and continue to operate on the "trust me" principle. By almost every practical measure, even the old punch card systems were better than the touch screens. >>==>> The *Best* political site >>==+ email: Tom.Horsley@worldnet.att.net icbm: Delray Beach, FL | Free Software and Politics <<==+ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:34:01 EST From: TELECOM Digest Editor Subject: Mrs. Stevens Had to go to Hospital My dear friend, a female cat whose name is Mrs. Stevens, or Missy for short, has had some trouble recently. Last Friday was 'open house' day at the Independence Animal Hospital and since they were giving greatly discounted health exams and ten percent off any other procedures done, I took Missy out there. Her health is generally pretty good, but her claws had to be trimmed. (She expresses her interest in me by jumping on my bed and latching into me with her claws otherwise.) I do *not* declaw my cats since it has the effect of leaving them defenseless when roaming around in my yard (dogs, other cats, squirrels, etc). But she had been scratching her ear quite a bit lately which is a sign of something. The doctor found an 'ear plug' (something like ear wax or similar) in her one ear. A big nasty black thing when doctor showed it to me on the scope they use for those exams, etc. Neither I nor Doctor know how she got it, but he said to bring her back today (Tuesday) to get it removed. Missy was not about to allow anyone to get inside her ear, so Doctor decided they (he and his staff) would anestisize her and do it that way. She stayed in the animal hospital all last night and had the surgery done this morning. She was crying when I left her off yesterday night (a pitiful wail is more like it) and started doing the same thing when I went back this afternoon to get her. Now, Tuesday evening she is back home, but sort of wobbly from the after affects of the anesthesia. She always sits where she can keep her eye on me except when she goes out in the yard. I moved her bed here into the computer room where she can sleep it off but keep her eye on me when she is awake. Normally she sleeps in a chair here in the computer area (when I am in here) but the poor thing is so wobbly she tried to get in her chair tonight and fell over. Doctor said to not give her any food tonight and only *take* her a small bowl of water when she wanted it. I hope she is feeling better by tomorrow. 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: 620-330-6774 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 second 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 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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. If you donate at least fifty dollars per year we will send you our two-CD set of the entire Telecom Archives; this is every word published in this Digest since our beginning in 1981. 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 V23 #67 *****************************