The Telecom Digest for February 24, 2011
Volume 30 : Issue 47 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
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Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 01:38:11 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Cellphones cause temporary brain changes
Message-ID: <p06240874c98a5a15fc40@[10.0.1.2]>
HEALTH NEWS, PREVENTIVE CARE
Cellphones cause temporary brain changes
Posted by Deborah Kotz
February 22, 2011
Using a cellphone while driving can be a distracting hazard, but it
turns out that simply pressing a cellphone to your ear can cause
temporary changes in the brain, according to new research published
today by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study suggests that cellphones have a subtle effect on brain
cells, but does not shed further light on whether cellphones increase
the risk of brain cancer, a subject of fierce debate among
researchers. Nor does it link cellphone use to any other brain
abnormality.
What it does show, however, is that cellphones lead to a temporary
increase in brain cells' metabolism of sugar, or glucose, in whatever
part of the brain that's closest to the cellphone antenna. The
research is the first of its kind to look at that particular area of
brain function with regard to cellphone use.
...
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/blog/dailydose/2011/02/safety_of_cellp.html
Effects of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Signal Exposure on Brain Glucose
Metabolism
Nora D. Volkow, Dardo Tomasi, Gene-Jack Wang, Paul Vaska, Joanna S.
Fowler, Frank Telang, Dave Alexoff, Jean Logan, Christopher Wong
JAMA. 2011;305(8):808-813.
doi:10.1001/jama.2011.186
http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/8/808.abstract
Cell Phone Radiofrequency Radiation Exposure and Brain Glucose Metabolism
Henry Lai, Lennart Hardell
JAMA. 2011;305(8):828-829.
doi:10.1001/jama.2011.201
http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/8/828.extract
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:31:08 -0800 (PST)
From: Lisa or Jeff <hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Verizon screwed me, again
Message-ID: <adaab6a7-ab10-495c-8577-635eecb0f15b@w9g2000prg.googlegroups.com>
On Feb 21, 3:53 pm, fatkinson.remove-t...@and-this-too.mishmash.com
wrote:
> It was my understanding that almost all Verizon people are unionized.
Actually, due to the many changes since Divesture, it's my
understanding that most Verizon (or any other telephone company)
employees are NOT unionized these days.
Likewise, due to changes most services are not regulated.
As someone mentioned, many of them are contractors, so they're not
even real employees.
I suspect people you may reach at any 'telephone company' these days
are on commission and under pressure to sell you additional
services.
I was surprised to learn that bank front end people--tellers, service
desk--are on commission and under pressure to sell banking products.
That shattered my impression of 'staid bankers'. They're hustling
like everyone else.
Regarding Bill's original problem, I've heard of stuff like that
happening with cable companies and other telephone companies.
Competition has not improved service, rather, it has lowered it.
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:42:20 +0000 (UTC)
From: "Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Panasonic CNID troubles
Message-ID: <ik39ss$iis$1@news.albasani.net>
David Lesher <wb8foz@panix.com> wrote:
>A friend has two Panasonic phone {systems}; a KX-TSC14B and a
>KXTG6700. My issue is CNID and their display/trapping of same.
>It appears that even when the carrier delivers straight 10D
>CNID, Panasonic displays it as 11D. As a result, when he hits
>Call Return, it dials 11D. And the carrier rejects it with a
>"you don't need a 1 to dial a local call.." message.
>Now, under MD PUC rules, 10D is correct for local; 11D for
>toll. The Order [72274; case 8705] has wording that said:
> A subscriber who mistakenly dialed 'one' plus
> the ten digit number would not be charged...
>and other carriers do just eat the unneed one.
>This one does not, alas.
>So there are 2 ways to solve this issue: fix the phones & fix
>the carrier. I am pursuing both.
>The Fine Manuals for the phone seem to say they you can manually
>edit the CNID before you return a call. Boy, that's nice...
>But they also say it will remember the NPA, and do the same
>thing the next time. Well, some of 301, 443, 240 and 410 are 10D
>local, not to mention 703..but not all. Only 202 is sure to be local.
KX-TG2631 has Caller ID number auto edit feature. The feature code is
[0][4]. Press [MENU] then the code then [1] to turn on <default> or [0]
to turn off, then [SAVE] then [OFF]. The method is probably still the
same on the new model. The phone does not store Home NPA.
In the built-in phone book, phone numbers are stored with up to 32 digits
as the dialing method is stored, such as 1 dialing prefix, 9 dialing
prefix if the phone is behind a PBX, area code, pauses of 3.5 seconds
each (alas a wait cannot be stored), extension or menu option, etc. If
an international call outside NANPA, the prefix for the international
access code can be stored with country code and number.
If a call on the incoming caller list or Caller ID matches a phone book
entry, then name from the phone book is displayed instead of Caller ID
With Name and the number is displayed according to the way it was stored.
The phone displays Caller ID or numbers on the incoming caller list with
a proposed dialing method for calls to that area code. When I turn the
feature off, it proposed to dial calls made from the caller list as 10
digits with 1 dialing prefix. This area has an overlay, so 10 digit dialing
is required. With this cable company VoIP service, 1 dialing prefix is
optional and isn't stored with numbers in the phone book.
The caller list stores numbers from up to 50 different callers, and the
date and time of the most recent call from that number and the number of
times calls were receivd from that number, with a check mark if the call
was answered from the handset associated with the phone base. If
answered from another phone extension, the phone base treats it as a
missed call.
To dial from the from the caller list, press [TALK] or [SPEAKERPHONE] to
dial the number as given, or [EDIT] to toggle among dialing as 7 digits,
10 digits, and 1 plus 10 digits. With the auto edit feature turned on,
the dialing method chosen for calls made from the caller list into four
most recent area codes dialed into is stored. Thereafter, calls received
from those four area codes are presented for dialing with the same method.
The phone has no way to remember how to dial calls where toll restrictions
are enforced by the PBX or where the state public utility commission mandates
toll alerts that impose a different dialing method to numbers in some
parts of the area code.
>Is there any way to get the phones to stop editing and just store
>what it got, be it 10 or 11?
Caller ID is received as 10 digits only. The phone displays 7D, 10D, or
1+10D because the phone handset has edited the string internally.
Sorry, but if the feature is turned off, then all calls are proposed
for dialing as 1+10D. With the feature turned on, then it remembers the
dialing method for just 4 area codes, although the newer phone in question
may remember more.
>As for the other approach; my contact says the 5E will need
>every line edited. I'm highly dubious but lack direect
>knowledge of 5E innards to say "Just go to VARIABLE nnn and
>change A5Y to X3F..."
>Any suggestions?
It's not a flaw but a feature! Sorry, but this drives every Panasonic
user nuts, even though we generally like their products because they
were well made.
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:17:38 -0800 (PST)
From: Lisa or Jeff <hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Verizon screwed me, again
Message-ID: <3a8286a8-bc1e-46aa-9cbe-c9bff3f15e2d@k15g2000prk.googlegroups.com>
On Feb 20, 11:11 am, Telecom Digest Moderator
<redac...@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu> wrote:
> Two hours later, at 4:30 PM on a Friday before a long weekend, the
> toll restrictions were still there. I called Verizon's number
> again. The man I spoke to said, again and again and again, that he
> wouldn't "yes me to death" at the same time he was trying to "maybe"
> me to death. He said the order to remove the toll restictions had been
> created after the DSl order, and that meant it had been due-dated
> 2/21, but that he would talk to the order bureau to try to get it
> changed back to the date I had been guaranteed. The order bureau, he
> told me, closes at Six PM: I suspect that was also the time when his
> shift ended. The toll restrictions are still in place.
Follow up...
. Was your request ever processed?
. Did you speak to any managers or supervisors about the foul up, and
if so, what did they tell you? Sometimes they'll give you a big
discount for future service as an apology.
***** Moderator's Note *****
Nothing has changed. The restrictions were never removed. I just
hanged up the phone after talking to yet another minion, who told me
that his supervisors were all "in meetings" and that it would be
finished by midnight tonight.
I'm going to write a snail-mail letter to the Massachusetts Office of
Consumer Affairs & Business Regulation's Department of
Telecommunications and Cable: what used to be called the PUC when
utilities made a pretense of actually serving the public. I've done it
before, and it produces quick results: it's sad how Verizon only pays
attention to people with real, demonstrable power.
Bill Horne
Moderator
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End of The Telecom Digest (4 messages)
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