34 Years of the Digest ... founded August 21, 1981Copyright © 2015 E. William Horne. All Rights Reserved.The Telecom Digest for Oct 26, 2015
| ||||||||||
| We must recognize that it is a cardinal sin against democracy to support a man for public office because he belongs to a given creed or to oppose him because he belongs to a given creed. It is just as evil as to draw the line between class and class, between occupation and occupation in political life. No man who tries to draw either line is a good American. True Americanism demands that we judge each man on his conduct, that we so judge him in private life and that we so judge him in public life. |
| Theodore Roosevelt |
See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details.
| Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2015 19:37:32 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Lease a Smartphone or Buy It? The Pros and Cons Message-ID: <D0FF8920-D0EC-47A8-AF02-BAEF48800C8E@roscom.com> It's cheaper to own your smartphone outright, but early-upgrade plans from Apple and wireless carriers offer some other advantages. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/technology/personaltech/lease-a-smartphone-or-buy-it-the-pros-and-cons.html |
| Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2015 20:02:26 +0000 (UTC) From: danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: New federal rate caps on telephone calls by prison inmates Message-ID: <n0go4i$rkm$1@reader1.panix.com> In <20151024192628.GC23141@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> writes: [snip] >2. Telephone instruments used in secure locations have to be specially > made, due to the abuse inmates sometimes visit on the phones over > which they receive information-that-they-did-not-want-to-hear. They > cost a LOT more than ordinary phones. Just addressing this one point and putting aside all the other issues: It seems to me that... with telephone sets costing, perhaps, five dollars apiece for basic units, it would be better to treat them as disposable throways and simply budget for a replacement each month. Or even each week. - I'd suggest the same analysis in many other situations where the Conventional Tradition has been to make something that's super duper sturdy... (Which, natch, makes their destruction a big challenge and temptation) -- _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] |
| Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2015 13:01:04 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: New federal rate caps on telephone calls by prison inmates Message-ID: <20151025170104.GA26326@telecom.csail.mit.edu> On Sat, Oct 24, 2015 at 08:02:26PM +0000, danny burstein wrote: > In <20151024192628.GC23141@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> writes: > [snip] > > >2. Telephone instruments used in secure locations have to be specially > > made, due to the abuse inmates sometimes visit on the phones over > > which they receive information-that-they-did-not-want-to-hear. They > > cost a LOT more than ordinary phones. > > Just addressing this one point and putting aside all the other issues: > > It seems to me that... with telephone sets costing, perhaps, five > dollars apiece for basic units, it would be better to treat them as > disposable throways and simply budget for a replacement each month. Or > even each week. I'm sorry, but that's not a viable solution. It does, however, illustrate the added costs and burdens that vendors must undergo when providing phone services in secure locations. Discount phones can't be used in secure environments because: 1. The cords can be easily detached, since they're usually connected with RJ-22 plugs, and they pose a choking and hanging hazard whether or not they're attached to the phone. 2. Discount phones are both heavy enough to be used as weapons, and flimsy enough to be easily ripped out of the wall or other mount. The handsets, of course, serve well as clubs and hiding places for contraband. 3. The internal wiring can be stripped out and used for a garrote. 4. The microphones are not secured to prevent unauthorized removal. 5. The hookswitch assemblies and handsets are subject to damage by cleaning solvents, and are easily sabotaged. 6. Low-end instruments might not be compatible with hearing aids, and seldom come equipped with the hearing amplifiers required on phones in government facilities. Moreover, even if such phones were acceptable for use, the high costs of dispatching a specially vetted, trained, and equipped technician - from as much as 400 miles away - would offset any savings. Bill -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my address to write to me directly) |
| Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2015 09:06:34 -0700 From: "Harold Hallikainen" <harold@hallikainen.org> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Judge John Hodgman on a Wife's Casual Texts Message-ID: <591d8024b986495320458422d5c2d9c3.squirrel@www.hallikainen.org> Typing text messages on a tiny keyboard is a pain. If someone has not already done it, I hope to some day write an application to allow Morse text entry to text messaging. I could go a LOT faster. Harold WA6FDN -- FCC Rules Updated Daily at http://www.hallikainen.com Not sent from an iPhone. |
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecom- munications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to Usenet, where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.
TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit educational service offered to the Internet by Bill Horne.
The Telecom Digest is moderated by Bill Horne.
| Contact information: |
Bill Horne Telecom Digest 43 Deerfield Road Sharon MA 02067-2301 339-364-8487 bill at horne dot net |
| Subscribe: | telecom-request@telecom-digest.org?body=subscribe telecom |
| Unsubscribe: | telecom-request@telecom-digest.org?body=unsubscribe telecom |
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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Copyright © 2015 E. William Horne. All rights reserved.
Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself. Thank you!
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.