Category: General
March 16th, 2008
Russell Shaw, rest in peace
Editor’s note: Russell Shaw passed away on March 14. For more information, see Between the Lines. His family requested that we post this notice so people know that all scheduled meetings are canceled.
February 12th, 2008
Proposed mandatory ISP infringer disconnects makes me glad I don't live in the UK
From the U.K. Times of London come reports that new legislative proposals set to be introduced in the House of Commons next week will call for Internet disconnects for what we would call in the states, “three strikes and you’re out” infringing downloaders of copyrighted films and music.
The teeth of this proposal will be a requirement for ISPs to disconnect these violators.
For those doing such evil deeds, a warning e-mail will come first, followed by a suspension for the next infringement and Internet contract termination for the third violation.
Now here’s the heavy-handed element that I object to.
Broadband Internet providers who fall lax on this enforcement regimen could be prosecuted.
While I am in favor of prosecution for copyright infringers, I don’t think it is any damn business of any government about what type of content is being pushed through an ISP’s pipes.
And I wouldn’t want to live in a nation where the full force of government comes down on the passive distributors of any content. That would include newsstands, bookstores, postal services, libraries and most certainly, ISPs.
Do you?
February 7th, 2008
New VoIP-powered ooVoo 1.5 offers two hours of free calling, lots of other features
Laptop Magazine’s Joanna Stern writes me to enthuse about the newest version of VoIP-delivered ooVoo’s 6-way video calling service.
A freely downloadable new edition has just been released, which offers calling to landline and mobile phones as well. 
If you download this new ooVoo 1.5 between now and March 1, you will get two free outbound hours of calling to any landline or mobile phone in the U.S. and Canada from anywhere in the world. Who will you call?
I have been testing out the new version now for a few hours. The interface hasn’t changed much, though there is now a tab on the main client for making calls to regular phones. A scroll down menu lets you choose what country you would like to dial, very much like Skype, but only the United States and Canada are available for calling as of now.
Joanna has been testing ooVoo 1.5. Her verdict: on mobile, call quality is about the same as Skype but calls take a while to hook up.
Perhaps more useful is the ability to record any conversation.
“A record button has been built into the call window,” Joanna writes. “If you want to record a call with another ooVoo user it will prompt them with a permission window asking if they agree to be recorded. No permission feature is available yet for recording mobile or landline phone calls.
Speaking of, here’s the process of Joanna using ooVoo to participate in, and record, a video call:
You can also save your audio recording of your call to your hard drive as an .avi file.
February 1st, 2008
Poll: Should Microsoft acquisition of Yahoo be allowed?
Microsoft’s efforts to acquire Yahoo! will receive regulatory examination like few other deals in corporate history.
But let us say it was your call:
Loading ...January 17th, 2008
Yes, the MacBook Air is light. But so what-Dell XPS is a better deal on price
Review after review is underscoring how the new MacBook Air, debuted at Macworld this week, is so light and convenient at just three pounds.
That fact cannot be denied. And when you are a road warrior like I am, light is good.
But when it comes to choosing a notebook, I look at more than just the weight and portability. I look at the price.
The MacBook Air is slated to cost a minimum of $1,799.
Yet when I cross-spec the MacBook Air, with say, the Dell XPS M1330, I see that:
The M1330 starts at $1499. That’s $300 cheaper than the Air.
The M1330 has a 2 GHz Intel Core Duo Processor. The Air has a 1.8.
Hard drive size? M1330 has 160GB, Steve’s new dream (i.e. the Air) has 64GB. Sure I know the Air’s hard drive is a Serial-ATA and the M1330’s is a SATA HDD but so what. I am a digital pack rat and I need space and more space to store all my files.
Oh and did I mention that the MacBook Air has no user-removable battery?
And we haven’t even started to talk about the Dell XPS M1530. Yea, it is seven pounds including the adapter (six without) but it can be had for as little as $999. And a 160GB Hard Drive as well.
Here’s how these comparative numbers boil down to me. Maybe the Mac OS is a little better than Windows, but if I can save my business several hundred dollars at the cost of a pound or few- with more storage to boot- you know the way I’m goin.
I know many of you might think I am missing the point. Light is good, and any Mac notebook automatically beats a Windows notebook right out of the gate.
Or does it?
What if you could choose between a free MacBook Air and one of those newer Dell M series notebooks?
Loading ...January 11th, 2008
Tuesday at Macworld: clues point to Jobs announcing Xohm WiMax-capable iPods, mini MacBooks
Based on a number of clues I have been mashing up, I predict that during Monday’s
Tuesday’s keynote address at Macworld, Apple CEO Steve Jobs will announce:
A new, small size MacBook with built-in, icon-accessible, Sprint Xohm WiMax capability, and:
A new iPod device, also with Sprint Xohm WiMax capability.
Why do I believe this?
Apple recognizes the need for a MacBook smaller than today’s 13-inch versions, but larger than any of its current portable devices.
Then there’s there’s something in the air signs, which already have been popping up at Macworld and as Apple Insider shows us, can be seen from the exterior of Macworld-hosting Moscone Center in San Francisco:
“In the air,” at least to me, sounds like a reference to signals traveling in the air, which one or more Apple devices could pick up. And since Macworld is often the introduction place for these new devices, we are looking at new devices and new transmission and reception platforms.
And finally there’s this titillating passage from the Xohm website:
Other services make you buy their devices to get access — we want to leave you to your own devices. We’ll be offering our modems and PC cards to make it easy for you to get started — but soon, wherever there’s Xohm coverage, you’ll be able to connect with any WiMAX-enabled product — bought from anybody.
Our partners are preparing a huge and growing selection of top-brand Xohm-ready products:
- Laptop and Desktop Computers
- Ultra Mobile PCs
- Mobile Internet Tablets and devices
- Portable Media Players
Watch for these — plus new kinds of WiMAX-enabled electronics that will open new kinds of Internet experiences.
Hmm, portable media players?
No mention of phones or PDAs, though. I’d suppose that even if Apple wanted to release a WiMax-capable iPhone, the fact that Sprint’s Xohm is pretty much the only relatively market ready offering at that point would be too much a competitive bone of contention for AT&T, and their continuing iPhone exclusivity.
January 4th, 2008
Om, you know what you have to do
Om Malik, as much of a thought leader as any blogger I know, suffered a heart attack last week.
This is not the time and place for any lengthy lectures about 
Om’s need to stop the cigarettes, the Scotch, the fatty foods, and the considerable amounts of caffeine.
Om knows he has to.
And he will.
Get better as fast as your body will let you, my friend.
January 3rd, 2008
Vonage user: our dog had non-working Vonage number on collar and escaped today!
(via k911.biz)
Oh, the tales of woe you can pick up by lurking on some user forums.
As a great example, just now, I’m back from a post on the non-Vonage owned Vonage Forums.
Seems like a Vonage Forum Member named downsouth’s Vonage line has been down for incoming calls since last Thursday. “People that try to call my line get a fast busy or similar error,” downsouth writes.
He can make outgoing calls, but what if someone who has found downsouth’s missing dog tries to call in to let downsouth know the dog has been found?”
Our dog decided to escape today, and that is the number on his collar!,” downsouth posts, with more than just a slight degree of desperation.
Downsouth seems to be doing everything right. I mean, he has filed a trouble ticket. But what if something happens to his dog before this dog-owner’s incoming Vonage starts working again?
December 21st, 2007
IEEE survey cites AT&T, Microsoft and Cisco as top tech innovators
Although debates will never be completely settled about which technology companies research and introduce the most innovations, IEEE Spectrum has attempted to quantify this information.
The monthly publication of the IEEE (formerly known as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) uses a grading system based on granted patents to quantify innovative companies.
Before I present the results of three relevant fields, it would be useful to review the IEEE’s stated methodology in this endeavor.
December 12th, 2007
Oh, one more beef about CompUSA: the drug testing
Over the years, several of my friends have either applied for jobs at now soon-to-close CompUSA, or have known people who have wanted to work there.
I’m told, though, that CompUSA has had a strict drug testing policy in place for some 20 years or so. Pot use is included on that list.
Look, I don’t favor illegal drug use. I haven’t gone there in decades. But as much as I abhor even “recreational” drugs, I dislike invasion of privacy even more.
I’m not alone in that belief.
Bear with me, then, as I articulate a contrarian view about drug-testing policies such as CompUSA’s.
To stay away from applying to drug-testing organizations, you don’t have to be a drug user with something to hide. You need only to give a sheet about your rights. And if you do partake a doobie on a Saturday night after work, what business is it of CompUSA’s or any other retailer that you’ve done so? Especially if you show up to work alert and sober?
The harmful effects of such a policy, it seems to me, would be to discourage independent, out-of-the-box thinkers from applying to work in such places. Unfortunately, those are skill sets that some of the best tech and customer service problem solvers often have.
If you discourage people with these capabilities from applying to work in your store or your company, you are likely to find yourselves stuck with obedient, by-the-book types who are incapable of thinking outside the box, the policy manual, the rulebook.
You also short-changing yourself by barring the door to adventurous types whose creativity can be nurtured as a win-win for your organization.
Go to any software lab where significant work is being done, and tell me that at least some of these techs sometimes party a bit too hard. Others, who don’t party, do value their privacy in an era where privacy is at grave risk.
It’s a matter of trust. If I hire you, and your references check out, all I want is the best you can give when you are on the clock. Nothing more.
Unfortunately, the realizations I have just reviewed never seemed to have entered the rigid minds of a succession of CompUSA owners and managers. Instead of applying these truisms on a case-by-case basis, the thinking seems to have been:
If you use illegal drugs you are more likely to steal. And because pot is an illegal drug, we won’t hire you if we find pot in your system.
Such rigid thinking does not allow for the flexibility you need to exercise in order to work with creative, tech-savvy people.
I wonder how many of those creative, tech-savvy people would have worked for CompUSA if not for the moronic drug testing policies so many of my friends - and their friends- have encountered over the years?
December 11th, 2007
Ten tips to prepare for and do Internet videconferencing
For your online video session or conference, don’t ever use a webcam that produces results like you are seeing now.
That well, duh” piece of advice is my way of raising the subject that a ast night, a public relations representative for Internet videoconferencing and telephony service provider SightSpeed sent me something I would like to share with you now.
This is a 10-point tutorial on how to make your PC and surrounding work area video-ready for Webcam-based video conferencing.
To make sure you and your setup are, in fact ready for video conferencing, SightSpeed suggests that you:
- Place the webcam on the top, center, of your screen or monitor : By placing your webcam on the top-center of your computer, it will appear as if you are looking at the person you are conversing with. If you place your webcam on the side of your monitor, the other party will only get a side view. This is only a good thing if you love your profile. Having the camera in the center also allows you to watch the person you are conversing with while making it appear as if you are keeping eye contact with them.
- Make sure you have good lighting: It is crucial that you have good lighting. If there is a bright window or strong lighting behind you, it will make you look dark—but direct sunlight can make you look washed out. To achieve the perfect color, close your blinds or curtains and use indirect lighting to illuminate your face (no tanning required).
- Position yourself correctly: You should not be too close or too far from the camera. Your face should be the centerpiece. When properly composed, you should appear with your head and shoulders nicely framed in the picture.
- Use a good webcam: SightSpeed can transmit 30 frames per second, which is what televisions receive. Some webcams cannot keep up and detract from what otherwise would be a good image. In the case of webcams, price infers quality. As a rule of thumb, stay away from anything under $50 and look for CCD sensor cameras to get better picture quality.
- Headsets and sound quality: The best way to ensure good audio is by using a headset with an attached microphone. This will eliminate feedback problems, such as echoing, and background noises that might occur when using a computer with speakers and a microphone.
- Limit your movements while on camera: Movements like waving your hands or rocking in your chair will cause a lag in the video. It may also make the other participants to become dizzy and sick to their stomachs.
- Dress for TV: If you wear clothing with large patterns, shiny clothing or distracting jewelry, slight movements will cause the video software to spend a lot of time compressing and decompressing the images on your clothing. This will make your face and head movements unclear, and these are the most important.
- Internet connection: Broadband service is recommended over other Internet access services. Your connection speed, as well as the connection speed of the person with whom you are conversing, directly impact the quality of your video experience. Slower connection speeds result in fuzzy or paused video and choppy audio.
- Be yourself: Speak naturally and clearly. Imagine that the person you are conversing with is in the same room as you because…they are. Enjoy!
- Be Safe: Don’t give out information that you wouldn’t give to a stranger. Just because it’s the Internet doesn’t mean it’s safer! And hey…you can always “google” the person before you meet on SightSpeed! Know the person you’re talking to.
All of these pointers, along with an average one-minute video explaining each, can be accessed from this page.
December 5th, 2007
Comcast plugs DigitalVoice during my service call
Actually, I think that’s smart.
Backgrounder: if you have been keeping up with news about the Pacific Northwest storms that have hit my part of the world over the last several days, you may know there has been massive flooding, rain and high winds.
All that equals service disruptions you wouldn’t want to wish on anyone. Well, maybe someone what done you wrong in the heart or wallet, but mostly not anyone.
In my cliffside Portland Blogger cave, I fared better than most. No floods. Only lost power for a few hours.
Yes, I do have a surge protector. But when the power came back on, my Comcast modem failed to work. Powercycling (the modem, not the Lance kind) did no good.
So I call Comcast. After diagnosing the problem, and scheduling an in-person service call (which I am waiting on now, BTW), the phone tech pitches me on Comcast’s Internet phone product 
DigitalVoice.
The fact that he would take the time to try and sell me the service during an occasion such as the one I’ve described shows me a new level of eagerness on the part of Comcast to sell DigitalVoice. Maybe year-end quotas are at stake here, and a memo has gone out to the field to use every opportunity to make the numbers?
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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