---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <2428F1D5-C6F3-4617-98E7-14E4EEADB4FC@roscom.com> Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2017 23:42:22 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Justice Department Says Not So Fast to AT&T's Time Warner Bid Justice Department Says Not So Fast to AT&T's Time Warner Bid CNN, a network criticized by Trump, figures in a dispute between the government and AT&T, setting up a battle over the pending $85.4 billion deal. It seemed like a match made in media heaven. AT&T is a telecommuni- cations giant whose reach stretches to millions of people all over the country, and Time Warner, the owner of CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., has content galore. Together, the two companies would create a colossus straddling the worlds of internet access, news and entertainment. Until last week, AT&T's pending $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner seemed destined to close by the end of the year. On Wednesday, however, tensions between the Justice Department and executives at the two companies spilled out into the open. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/business/dealbook/att-time-warner.html ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20171109205637.4550.qmail@ary.lan> Date: 9 Nov 2017 20:56:37 -0000 From: "John Levine" <johnl@iecc.com> Subject: Re: What You Need to Know About the New ID Law and Travel In article <64FC8150-24A3-4BB2-8999-298A93B2E8F9@roscom.com> you write: >Several states have refused to comply with the "Real ID" law, although >it remains to be seen if they will bow to complaints from their >citizens when voters are denied boarding for a non-refundable airline >flight. Oh, but they're not denied boarding. If you don't have an acceptable ID, there is a very tedious alternative process to use various "inferior" IDs. (The TSA, of course, will not tell you this but will admit it if you ask. It's on their web site.) Imagine if everyone in line had to do that. If the TSA actually tries to do this, it will be a matter of hours until the screams from the people in endless lines reach their congressmen who call the TSA and tell them to stop it NOW! Somehow every time they're about to stop accepting licenses from state X, they find another exemption. >The question, of course, is who benefits from this law, and the >answers aren't as obvious as they should be. >A short list of guesses: Naah, just empire building bureaucrats. R's, John ------------------------------ Message-ID: <211AA181-6454-41CA-95B2-02973D66F103@roscom.com> Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2017 00:28:58 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Logitech will brick its Harmony Link hub for all owners in March Logitech will brick its Harmony Link hub for all owners in March The ugly side of gadgets that depend on the cloud Logitech has announced that it's shutting down all services for the Harmony Link hub, a plastic puck the company released in 2011 that gave smartphones and tablets the ability to act as universal remotes for thousands of devices. Owners of the product have received an email from the company warning that the Link will completely stop working in March. "On March 16th, 2018, Logitech will discontinue service and support for Harmony Link. Your Harmony Link will no longer function after this date," the email says. There's no explanation or reason given as to why service is ending in the email, but a Logitech employee provided more details on the company's forums. "There is a technology certificate license that will expire next March. The certificate will not be renewed as we are focusing resources on our current app-based remote, the Harmony Hub." The Verge has reached out to Logitech for further comment. https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/11/8/16623076/logitech-harmony-link-discontinued-bricked ***** Moderator's Note ***** This reminds me of the time that Amazon, due to a copyright dispute with the heirs of George Orwell, removed the novel "1984" from Kindle devices owned by users who had purchased the novel as an ebook. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html Bill Horne Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <ou7cv3$uqh$1@dont-email.me> Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2017 12:45:05 -0500 From: Steve Stone <n2ubp@remove-this.juno.com> Subject: Re: Logitech will brick its Harmony Link hub for all owners in March On 11/9/2017 12:28 AM, Monty Solomon wrote: > Logitech will brick its Harmony Link hub for all owners in March > Looks like consumer heat made a slight change on this path. "Logitech has been taking heat in recent days for announcing plans to permanently disable its Harmony Link device this coming March. But today the company is trying to make amends with affected customers by offering all owners of the 2011 product a free Harmony Hub. The Hub is basically the newer version of the Link that's been updated to control the smart home in addition to the many entertainment console gadgets that the Link supported." https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/11/9/16629906/logitech-free-harmony-hub-upgrade-link-owners Steve 73 de N2UBP ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Sun, 12 Nov 2017