31 Years of the Digest ... founded August 21, 1981
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The Telecom Digest for March 28, 2013
Volume 32 : Issue 73 : "text" Format
====== 31 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
|
Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Bill Horne 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 that person, or email address
owner.
Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be
sold or given away without the explicit written consent of the owner of
that address. 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, and other stuff of interest.
|
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:23:58 -0500
From: Doug McIntyre <merlyn@dork.geeks.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Service Migration Advice
Message-ID: <TvedndYNOPZTaMzMnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@giganews.com>
Frank Stearns <franks.pacifier.com@pacifier.net> writes:
>Doug McIntyre <merlyn@dork.geeks.org> writes:
....
>>Another choice may be cell-phone related, but several of them provide
>>a "home-phone" cell option. Much like a VoIP box, but communicates via
>>cell network, plug your standard phones into it. Mine came with a
>>battery backup in it, no idea how long it would last. You can pick up the
>>box and transport it anywhere and have the same phone #, much like
>>cell-phone roaming. If you are staying there, you probably want to get
>>your E911 location registered properly.
>Which hardware and carrier did you select for the home-phone cell option?
I have AT&T wireless service in a family plan, so porting in my
landline got added in as a $10/month family plan member.
I did a 2-year contract to get the equipment for free + activiation,
but they also threw in a new DECT phone x 3 system.
I don't remember what the part # is on it, but the description page is here
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/att/wireless-home-phone-silver.html
Came with its own SIM (locked to the box), and is otherwise standalone.
Plug it in and go. It was very painless.
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:34:18 -0400
From: Ron <ron@see.below>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Verizon, Cablevision emerge as unlikely allies
Message-ID: <6bf4l8hhdqknl5ha27relqn3qi3mkl43av@4ax.com>
Neal McLain <nmclain@annsgarden.com> wrote:
>Gee, I wonder if The New York Times would be willing to sell its
>newspaper on an a-la-carte basis so subscribers could subscribe to only
>the sections they like? I'm sure is must cost a lot to produce a sports
>section, so it seems reasonable that the a-la-carte price without the
>sports section would be substantially lower than the price for the whole
>package.
Good idea! I hadn't realized that NYT had no sports department
of its own and simply passed along, untouched, the material that
they acquired from other media companies.
--
Ron
user rrcnom.de.plume
in domain antichef.com
Date: 26 Mar 2013 11:21:36 -0400
From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: More Extensions and Lightning Protection
Message-ID: <kisee0$pf7$1@panix2.panix.com>
GlowingBlueMist <addresss-withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> wrote:
>
>If you go to the index of the catalog and scroll down to item #7 "Long
>Loop Adapters" and then scroll down to "Ring Voltage Booster ||" You
>will find an adapter that will convert a single line's output to a REN
>of 7.5. True it's not cheap at $124.95 bit the Sandman's catalog does
>have what you asked for.
AND, if you wanted to have say fifty 500-sets all ringing at the same time
in your college dorm room, you can parallel something like twenty of those
devices on one phone line, with 7 or 8 phones downstream of each one.
For what they are, they are worth every penny.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:01:57 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Luring Young Web Warriors Is Priority. It's Also a Game.
Message-ID: <p06240821cd78dcea0209@[10.0.1.5]>
Luring Young Web Warriors Is Priority. It's Also a Game.
By NICOLE PERLROTH
March 24, 2013
WASHINGTON - In the eighth grade, Arlan Jaska figured out how to
write a simple script that could switch his keyboard's Caps Lock key
on and off 6,000 times a minute. When friends weren't looking, he
slipped his program onto their computers. It was all fun and games
until the program spread to his middle school.
"They called my parents and told my dad I was hacking their
computers," Mr. Jaska, 17 years old, recalled. He was grounded and
got detention. And he is just the type the Department of Homeland
Security is looking for.
The secretary of that agency, Janet Napolitano, knows she has a
problem that will only worsen. Foreign hackers have been attacking
her agency's computer systems. They have also been busy trying to
siphon the nation's wealth and steal valuable trade secrets. And they
have begun probing the nation's infrastructure - the power grid, and
water and transportation systems.
So she needs her own hackers - 600, the agency estimates. But
potential recruits with the right skills have too often been heading
for business, and those who do choose government work often go to the
National Security Agency, where they work on offensive digital
strategies. At Homeland Security, the emphasis is on keeping hackers
out, or playing defense.
"We have to show them how cool and exciting this is," said Ed
Skoudis, one of the nation's top computer security trainers. "And we
have to show them that applying these skills to the public sector is
important."
One answer? Start young, and make it a game, even a contest.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/technology/united-states-wants-to-attract-hackers-to-public-sector.html
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:01:57 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Online Dispute Becomes Internet-Snarling Attack
Message-ID: <p0624081dcd78db469f83@[10.0.1.5]>
Firm Is Accused of Sending Spam, and Fight Jams Internet
By JOHN MARKOFF and NICOLE PERLROTH
March 26, 2013
A squabble between a group fighting spam and a Dutch company that
hosts Web sites said to be sending spam has escalated into one of the
largest computer attacks on the Internet, causing widespread
congestion and jamming crucial infrastructure around the world.
Millions of ordinary Internet users have experienced delays in
services like Netflix or could not reach a particular Web site for a
short time.
However, for the Internet engineers who run the global network the
problem is more worrisome. The attacks are becoming increasingly
powerful, and computer security experts worry that if they continue
to escalate people may not be able to reach basic Internet services,
like e-mail and online banking.
The dispute started when the spam-fighting group, called Spamhaus,
added the Dutch company Cyberbunker to its blacklist, which is used
by e-mail providers to weed out spam. Cyberbunker, named for its
headquarters, a five-story former NATO bunker, offers hosting
services to any Web site "except child porn and anything related to
terrorism," according to its Web site.
A spokesman for Spamhaus, which is based in Europe, said the attacks
began on March 19, but had not stopped the group from distributing
its blacklist.
Patrick Gilmore, chief architect at Akamai Networks, a digital
content provider, said Spamhaus's role was to generate a list of
Internet spammers.
Of Cyberbunker, he added: "These guys are just mad. To be frank, they
got caught. They think they should be allowed to spam."
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/technology/internet/online-dispute-becomes-internet-snarling-attack.html
***** Moderator's Note *****
Drastic attacks deserve drastic responses: if the major gateways
simply redline all IP addresses assigned to the Netherlands, then
their government will be forced to act.
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:01:57 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: T-Mobile Unveils Aggressive Phone Pricing With No Contracts
Message-ID: <p0624081bcd78dabe7fc0@[10.0.1.5]>
T-Mobile Shakes Up Its Service
By BRIAN X. CHEN
March 26, 2013
T-Mobile USA, long trailing its rivals in the cellphone industry, is
trying to catch up by changing the conversation: it is selling the
iPhone cheaper than the competition, and most important, customers
would not have to sign a contract.
But it may not be enough to persuade smartphone users to abandon the
competition.
Analysts said the new marketing strategy, which spreads the cost of a
new phone over two years as a separate line item on the monthly bill,
will still feel like a commitment to many customers, even if they can
choose to pay it off early and walk away. And T-Mobile, which has a
slower network than its competitors, is only just beginning to
introduce major upgrades.
The company on Tuesday said the Apple iPhone 5 would be available
starting April 12 for $100 up front, with customers paying an
additional $20 a month for two years. Other new smartphones, like the
Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the BlackBerry Z10, will be available with
similar payment plans.
Although T-Mobile's new phone plans require no long-term contract,
customers would have to pay off the balance owed in order to end
service prematurely.
For several years, T-Mobile, the No. 4 American mobile carrier by
market share, has been bleeding subscribers to Verizon Wireless, AT&T
and Sprint. In earnings calls, the company has said its main problems
were consumers' negative perception of its network and its inability
to offer customers the iPhone.
Now that T-Mobile has landed a deal with Apple and turned on its new
fourth-generation network, LTE, in seven cities, the company is
hoping to mount a comeback. If T-Mobile does not find a way to bounce
back, it risks losing even more market share to Verizon and AT&T and
becoming a small niche player like Leap or U.S. Cellular.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/technology/t-mobile-unveils-aggressive-phone-pricing-with-no-contracts.html
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:01:57 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: The Internet 'Narcissism Epidemic's
Message-ID: <p06240807cd77a88abad9@[10.0.1.5]>
The Internet 'Narcissism Epidemic'
Don't let popularity set your standard.
By Bill Davidow
The Atlantic
MAR 26 2013
We are in the midst of a "narcissism epidemic," concluded
psychologists Jean M. Twnege and W. Keith Campbell in their 2009
book. One study they describe showed that among a group of 37,000
college students, narcissistic personality traits rose just as
quickly as obesity from the 1980s to the present. Fortunately for
narcissists, the continued explosion of social networking has
provided them with productivity tools to continually expand their
reach -- the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Foursquare, and
occasionally Google Plus.
Evidence for the rise in narcissism continues to come up in research
and news. A study by psychologist Dr. Nathan DeWall and his team
found "a statistically significant trend toward narcissism and
hostility in popular music" since the 1980s. Shawn Bergman, an
assistant professor of organizational psychology at Appalachian State
University in Boone, North Carolina notes that "narcissism levels
among millennials are higher than previous generations."
Researchers at Western Illinois University measured two socially
disruptive aspects of narcissistic personalities -- grandiose
exhibitionism and entitlement/exploitativeness. Those who had high
scores on grandiose exhibitionism tended to amass more friends on
Facebook. Buffardi and Campbell found a high correlation between
Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) scores and Facebook
activity. Researchers were able to identify those with high NPI
scores by studying their Facebook pages.
...
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/03/the-internet-narcissism-epidemic/274336/
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:25:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: Wes Leatherock <wleathus@yahoo.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Verizon, Cablevision emerge as unlikely allies
Message-ID: <1364397942.81149.YahooMailClassic@web125201.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
--- On Mon, 3/25/13, Neal McLain <nmclain@annsgarden.com> wrote:
> Gee, I wonder if The New York Times would be willing to sell its
> newspaper on an a-la-carte basis so subscribers could subscribe to
> only the sections they like? I'm sure is must cost a lot to produce
> a sports section, so it seems reasonable that the a-la-carte price
> without the sports section would be substantially lower than the
> price for the whole package.
The big cost in producing a printed publication is in producting the
first copy. The margional cost of producing additional copies is only
a small fraction.
So the savings in not sending the sports section (or any other
section) to some subscribers (but not all) would be somewhat limited,
and would be offset by the additional costs of sorting out the papers
going to customers who do not take that section. This sorting process
already produces problems to distribution of regional sections and
advertising sections going to only a certain area, but these are
sortations by individual subscriber.
Wes Leatherock
wleathus@yahoo.com
wesrock@aol.com
Date: 28 Mar 2013 00:18:49 -0000
From: "John Levine" <johnl@iecc.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Verizon, Cablevision emerge as unlikely allies
Message-ID: <20130328001849.92768.qmail@joyce.lan>
>The big cost in producing a printed publication is in producting the
>first copy. The margional cost of producing additional copies is only
>a small fraction.
The big cost in running a cable system is in running a wire to every
customer and provisioning the head end, power, and so forth to send
signals down that wire.
I've seen analyses that say that if cablecos went to a la carte
pricing, they'd adjust the per channel prices and people would end up
paying about the same overall, because the cablecos need to generate
about the same revenue to be viable.
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:03:43 +0000 (UTC)
From: wollman@bimajority.org (Garrett Wollman)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Verizon, Cablevision emerge as unlikely allies
Message-ID: <kj0fev$24jv$1@grapevine.csail.mit.edu>
In article <20130328001849.92768.qmail@joyce.lan>,
John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> wrote:
>I've seen analyses that say that if cablecos went to a la carte
>pricing, they'd adjust the per channel prices and people would end up
>paying about the same overall, because the cablecos need to generate
>about the same revenue to be viable.
This raises a question I'm actually curious: what's the margin on
higher-tier and premium channel upsells for a cableco -- say, one of
the big MSOs? There's obviously some incremental cost in equipment,
but it can't be very much given their economies of scale.
-GAWollman
--
Garrett A. Wollman | What intellectual phenomenon can be older, or more oft
wollman@bimajority.org| repeated, than the story of a large research program
Opinions not shared by| that impaled itself upon a false central assumption
my employers. | accepted by all practitioners? - S.J. Gould, 1993
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:05:53 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: How One Man Turned Himself Into a Publicly Owned Company
Message-ID: <p06240822cd78e52ef20c@[10.0.1.5]>
How One Man Turned Himself Into a Publicly Owned Company
Mike Merrill puts the "I" in IPO.
By Rob Walker
The Atlantic
MAR 20 2013
Mike Merrill was thinking of pumping up his workout regimen with
mixed-martial-arts classes and boxing lessons. The scheme would
involve seven and a half hours a week at various gyms-a big
commitment. So he put the matter before his 160 shareholders. They,
after all, had previously determined that he would not get a
vasectomy, that he would register as a Republican, and that he and
the woman he'd been dating could enter into a three-month
"Relationship Agreement."
>From microfinance to crowd-funding, tools that rely on the support of
large groups have grown familiar, bordering on overexposed. Merrill's
approach to harvesting the power of the marketplace, however, is
singular: he has essentially sold shares in his own life. Which
raises two questions: Why on Earth would somebody offer others the
right to vote on his basic life decisions? And, even more
inexplicably, why would anybody pay for that right?
...
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/04/putting-the-i-in-ipo/309255/
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:20:11 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: The Touch-Screen Generation
Message-ID: <p06240829cd78e8a2c11f@[10.0.1.5]>
The Touch-Screen Generation
Young children-even toddlers-are spending more and more time with
digital technology. What will it mean for their development?
By Hanna Rosin
The Atlantic
MAR 20 2013
On a chilly day last spring, a few dozen developers of children's
apps for phones and tablets gathered at an old beach resort in
Monterey, California, to show off their games. One developer, a
self-described "visionary for puzzles" who looked like a
skateboarder-recently-turned-dad, displayed a jacked-up, interactive
game called Puzzingo, intended for toddlers and inspired by his own
son's desire to build and smash. Two 30-something women were eagerly
seeking feedback for an app called Knock Knock Family, aimed at
1-to-4-year-olds. "We want to make sure it's easy enough for babies
to understand," one explained.
The gathering was organized by Warren Buckleitner, a longtime
reviewer of interactive children's media who likes to bring together
developers, researchers, and interest groups - and often plenty of
kids, some still in diapers. It went by the Harry Potter-ish name
Dust or Magic, and was held in a drafty old stone-and-wood hall
barely a mile from the sea, the kind of place where Bathilda Bagshot
might retire after packing up her wand. Buckleitner spent the breaks
testing whether his own remote-control helicopter could reach the
hall's second story, while various children who had come with their
parents looked up in awe and delight. But mostly they looked down, at
the iPads and other tablets displayed around the hall like so many
open boxes of candy. I walked around and talked with developers, and
several paraphrased a famous saying of Maria Montessori's, a quote
imported to ennoble a touch-screen age when very young kids, who once
could be counted on only to chew on a square of aluminum, are now
engaging with it in increasingly sophisticated ways: "The hands are
the instruments of man's intelligence."
...
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/04/the-touch-screen-generation/309250/
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:30:14 -0400
From: T <kd1s.nospam@cox.nospam.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Service Migration Advice
Message-ID: <MPG.2bbd591c28a312a4989dc9@news.eternal-september.org>
In article <1364222574.92078.YahooMailNeo@web122305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>,
marklsmith@yahoo.com says...
>
> I successfully transferred my land line to a cell phone. I cut the
> cord and like having my home phone in my pocket. The transferring
> company usually will handle the switch so you won't have to deal with
> the liers.
>
> Mark L. Smith
> marklsmith@yahoo.com
>
> http://smith.freehosting.net
>
>
> Http://marksfolkmusicphotos.shutterfly.com
>
>
>
>
> ***** Moderator's Note *****
>
> They are not liars, they are just probity-challenged.
>
> Bill Horne
> Moderator
After eight years I finally shut my Vonage service off. The Cable
company around here, Cox, is finally feeling the pressure of having a
competitor in Verizon's FIOS product.
To the point where my bill went down by $20 a month, I now get the phone
service from the cable company, and my net speed increases.
Interestingly the phone and net come from one device now. It's a Cisco
device - even has a 2500mAh battery in it to keep the phone service up
for eight hours.
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2013 01:54:01 +0000 (UTC)
From: danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Service Migration Advice
Message-ID: <kj07rp$hj6$1@reader2.panix.com>
In <MPG.2bbd591c28a312a4989dc9@news.eternal-september.org> T <kd1s.nospam@cox.nospam.net> writes:
>After eight years I finally shut my Vonage service off. The Cable
>company around here, Cox, is finally feeling the pressure of having a
>competitor in Verizon's FIOS product.
>To the point where my bill went down by $20 a month, I now get the phone
>service from the cable company, and my net speed increases.
>Interestingly the phone and net come from one device now. It's a Cisco
>device - even has a 2500mAh battery in it to keep the phone service up
>for eight hours.
You might want to double check as to whether that Cisco unit's
battery power mode gives you both phone and internet or just
the phone mode. The standard FIOS units only provide phone.
Oh, and as we all know quite too well, there's plenty of
electrical magic boxes between the cableco's (equivalent
of the) central office and most subscribers. When utility
power goes out in an area wide hiccup, having a battery
at your box might not do much for you.
--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecom-
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