Category: Technology

AT&T Plus T-Mobile Is Subtraction Not Addition

Without T-Mobile in the mix I expect prices will rise and cellular contracts will become more restrictive. Great.

Confession first: This will be a mostly emotional blog post. After it’s up on the web opposing views in the comments are encouraged. I’ve just looked at the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile combo platter. I am not pleased!

T-Mobile is ‘small’ by cellular carrier standards. However, it plays a huge roll in the American cellular universe. T-Mobile is the low cost nationwide carrier and others respect its pricing in much the same way the legacy airlines respect Southwest and JetBlue.

Without T-Mobile in the mix I expect prices will rise and cellular contracts will become more restrictive. Great.

T-Mobile allows cellular customers to freely tether their computers to cellphones for data. AT&T does not. What incentive is there for AT&T to adopt this T-mobile policy? None!

AT&T is getting the best of all worlds. While reducing downward pricing pressure they’re also swallowing this country’s only other nationwide GSM carrier. Nearly everything they acquire will be compatible with what they already have. That allows them to expand their infrastructure very quickly and at a reasonable price.

What do you think? Will AT&T’s prices fall to what T-Mobile’s were or will T-Mobile customers see their bills rise? I’m betting on the latter!

This is a federally regulated business and the purchase will be subject to government approval on a number of levels, but I suspect nothing can/will stop it. Comcast/NBC went through, didn’t it?

And then there’s the question of what will happen to Carly Foulkes? I’ll miss her.

Tonight I Was Chatty

I discovered livestream.com this afternoon. By this evening I was live streaming! It was a good opportunity to interact a little with my viewers.

I discovered livestream.com this afternoon. By this evening I was live streaming! It was a good opportunity to interact with my viewers.

I liked livestream’s control room type app a lot. It let me stream my webcam and switch back-and-forth between it and my computer’s screen. That allowed me to show webpages and photos to illustrate my points.

What I didn’t like was the app crashing halfway through my chat!

Because I’m new and haven’t yet been verified by livestream I was limited to 50 participants. My quota was quickly filled. Wow! Thanks.

I have jumped through livestream’s hoops and hope to have unlimited capacity soon.

The response on Facebook and Twitter was positive. I will be back.

Is There Really A Su Bransom? I Don’t Think So

I’m not sure how Twitter makes money off Twitter, but I think I know how Su does… or tries to!

I’m a people watcher on the Internet. That’s especially true with Facebook and Twitter. Often I’ll just gaze as my newsfeed/timeline scrolls by. That’s how I ran into Su Bransom.

Twitter says Su Bransom is the person behind SuBransom8028. Her profile says she’s from New Haven and an environmental engineer. I think it’s a bunch of bull and that there’s no Su!

I’m not sure how Twitter makes money off Twitter, but I think I know how Su does… or tries to!

Every few minutes Su’s twitter account lets loose with a tweet. They’re random incomplete thoughts cut short by Twitter’s 140 character limit.

A few minutes ago Su said,

“Leading scientists and thinkers writing on everything from robots to physics to behavioral economics”

I threw that phrase into Google and out came a citation from Steve Lohr’s page in the New York Times. Lohr uses those words and more to explain a link he’s included.

Su uses it because she needs words!

So far nothing Su’s done has made any money for her. That part of the game comes in other tweets she sends every fourth or fifth time.

@_SkyLineDrives Finally saw Just Go For It here http://bit.ly/xxxxx-kinect_online?=mzaz&#185

That’s Su responding to @_SkyLineDrives, but not because they’re Twitter friends!

@_SkyLineDrives sent a tweet which mentioned the movie Hall Pass a few minutes earlier. That’s what triggered Su’s response.

Her reply included a link to a site (I’ve never heard of) that streams (or claims to) movies that haven’t yet been released to home video. That’s where the money’s made!

The random text tweets are decoys. They make Su look real to Twitter which is probably on the lookout for anyone who exclusively replies to people they don’t follow! In reality this whole charade is just a sophisticated form of spam! Unlike email spam which goes out en mass this Twitter spam is targeted and goes to one user at a time.

Expect to see a lot more of this as we spend more time on networks that connect us exclusively to people we know and which therefore seem more secure. When there’s money to be made people will find a way!

&#185 – I’ve added some extra characters to keep from spreading the actual link. You can figure it out if you really want to.

I’m Rebuilding A Quieter PC

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was worried how it will all come out. I always am when it’s PC build time.

I’m writing tonight in case I can’t write this afternoon! I’m about to make modifications to my desktop PC, always a little chancy. That’s especially true this time. To install the new component I bought this computer’s motherboard must be removed!

I built the computer myself. It’s got a beefy quad core AMD Phenom II cpu. The cpu came with a heatsink and fan which I mounted directly onto the chip itself.

It works well, but it’s NOISY!

For most common applications the computer chip throttles back and the fan slows down. The noise is there, but not too bad.

When I’m transcoding video or working with large Photoshop files it’s the opposite. The cpu gets busy which makes it hotter (a little over 100&#176 Fahrenheit). The fan responds loudly.

My purchase was a Cooler Master Hyper N520. It’s a huge cooling structure with two fans that circulate air past copper tubes surrounded by aluminum fins. This massive heat sink and slower running fans should cut the noise to a whisper… at least that’s the claim.

In order to do this the computer itself will have to be dismantled. Though the N520 sits on top of the cpu it is screwed to a bracket underneath the motherboard–inaccessible without disassembly!

This is a little nuts. I know!

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was worried how it will all come out. I always am when it’s PC build time. Usually my fears are unwarranted. That doesn’t reduce the tension.

I will report back after the job is finished. It’s not the kind of task historically undertaken by “all thumbs” guys like me.

Where Is My Tablet?

Nothing against the iPad, but I chafe at the thought of owning another device which needs Steve Jobs’ approval for me to use as I wish.

I want a tablet computer. Please don’t ask why. I’m not sure I can explain why. Must I?

Think of it as an obsession. I’m talking to you shoe lovers!

The whole tablet genre has been around for awhile, but it wasn’t until Apple produced the iPad that anyone really cared.

Sorry Microsoft. Earlier Windows based tablets were pretty much non-starters. That’s gotta sting in Redmond!

As CNBC reported last fall:

Big news for Apple and Apple investors: The iPad is the highest-scoring product that a leading consumer satisfaction index has ever tracked.

It’s just I don’t want an iPad!

Nothing against the iPad, but I chafe at the thought of owning another device which needs Steve Jobs’ approval for me to use as I wish. That’s why I already have a love/hate relationship with my iPhone. It’s the geek in me pushing back.

After the Consumer Electronics Show I expected a boatload of new non-Apple tablets running Android, the Google produced operating system. Over 100 were introduced at the show. Few have appeared.

Motorola is unveiling it’s new Xoom tablet tomorrow. It’s too pricey.

There are tablets from Huawei and eLocity that look promising (though a friend from PCMag.com said of the Huawei, “Looks like another lousy low-end tablet to me.”).

Here’s what I’m looking for:

  • Capacitive touch screen
  • SDHC card slot
  • Front facing camera for video chatting
  • Android operating system
  • Wifi and Bluetooth. Cell connectivity not necessary
  • USB connectivity

I’d like to use a tablet computer with my camera, but at the moment there are no Android apps which recognize the RAW formats my Canon delivers. I expect that itch will soon be scratched. The same goes with apps to play poker online.

When a tablet that fills my needs comes out and costs less than $400 I’ll be ready to buy. It hasn’t happened yet. It will.

What’s taking so long?

Is Our Superiority Over Computers In Jeopardy?

At some point we’re going to need to reevaluate how society benefits from technology.

In what will surely be the most watched Jeopardy series in recent memory Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter take on IBM’s Watson starting Monday evening. Man, actually men, versus machine. It’s not as easy as it seems.

Watson, a supersized array of computer processors, memory and storage, will not have access to the Internet. No googling for answers!

It will also have to make sense of Jeopardy questions (really answers) which are often punny, obscure and related to equally punny and obscure categories! In other words Watson will have to reason to derive the correct response.

Last night Helaine and I watched NOVA on PBS which had a “Making Of” hour about this challenge. It’s online and worth watching.

“I think what’s making Watson successful is its internal architecture. It’s looking at so many different algorithms—thousands of different algorithms—some of them focused on understanding the question, weighting the various terms, looking at the grammar, the syntax, finding the phrases, the keywords, the entities, the dates, the times, trying to understand what it is being asked. And this, in itself, is a big challenge, where we use a variety of different technologies. But ultimately, what’s exciting about it is how it looks at many, many different possibilities and assesses them and builds confidence in a final answer to decide whether or not it’s correct and whether or not it wants to risk buzzing in on Jeopardy!” – David Ferrucci (Research Staff Member and leader of the Semantic Analysis and Integration Department at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center)

The computer is pretty good. It’s got more than a fair chance. It very well might win. I’m worried about the implications.

It is easy to become a Luddite&#185 in matters of advancing technology. So many jobs have been eliminated by labor saving advances. From the worker’s standpoint it’s easy to think the vast majority of benefit has gone to their bosses.

Much of what’s now done by machine used to be unskilled or semiskilled labor. Robots do the manufacturing, run the elevators and route your phone calls (which are very important us). All that used to be done by people. Robots could fly our airliners if it we’d let them!

Business benefits. Former workers sit on their hands.

Now with Watson’s leap forward into reasoned intelligence the scope of which jobs will be eliminated expands.

At some point we’re going to need to reevaluate how society benefits from technology. If there’s more productivity and less human performed work to be done maybe the concept of an eight hour day, forty hour week and two weeks of vacation should be reconsidered?

Will anyone benefit if business becomes so efficient it no longer needs or pays workers? To whom will business sell?

What Watson does on Jeopardy is only the beginning.

&#185 – The Luddites were a social movement of British textile artisans in the nineteenth century who protested – often by destroying mechanised looms – against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt were leaving them without work and changing their way of life – Wikipedia

Microsoft Versus The English Language

Far be it from me to be the grammar police, but Microsoft has presented me with their own belt and suspenders moment!

Far be it from me to be the grammar police, but Microsoft has presented me with their own belt and suspenders moment! It all came in a dialog box as I was installing some software.

If you haven’t heard yet Microsoft has a reasonably good anti-virus package which they supply for free! If you’ve got an expired version of Norton on your PC or are paying for some shoddy product you should consider Microsoft Security Essentials.

A few months ago they s-l-o-w-l-y began rolling out the free upgrade to Version 2. Tonight was my turn. A dialog box emerged. I clicked a few buttons. Electrons flew through the air. Bingo. Protection is mine!

As the last step in the process I was presented with the pop-up you see at the top of this entry. Read carefully.

You’ve successfully completed the Microsoft Security Essentials Upgrade Installation Wizard

Sweet. I’m finally complete! Except the next line says,

Click ‘Finish’ to complete the upgrade

Huh? I thought I was complete?

Every night I pray these guys are better at writing code than creating complementary sentences.

CES — We Should Be In Vegas!

CES comes at the same time as the Adult Entertainment Exposition, but it’s CES that provides my porn!

I just sent an email to my friend Mike.

“Why aren’t we in Vegas for CES?”

We should all be in Vegas right now! It’s the annual Consumer Electronics Show. This is the place where high tech manufacturers and marketers unveil much of their new technology. CES comes at the same time as the Adult Entertainment Exposition, but it’s CES that provides my porn!

The pre-show buzz says 3DTV and tablet computing will be the stars.

I’ve yet to be won over by 3D. It should be noted I felt the same way about HDTV. Surprise–I’ve changed my mind.

3D poses difficult challenges considering it’s been reported some viewers don’t enjoy the experience while others become disoriented! Here’s part of Samsung’s warning:

Viewing in 3D mode may also cause motion sickness, perceptual after effects, disorientation, eye strain, and decreased postural stability. It is recommended that users take frequent breaks to lessen the likelihood of these effects. If you have any of the above symptoms, immediately discontinue use of this device and do not resume until the symptoms have subsided

No oily discharge?

For me the big deal at CES is tablet computing. The iPad opened that category and has been very successful. It is simply an amazing product.

From CNBC 9/21/2010: Big news for Apple and Apple investors: The iPad is the highest-scoring product that a leading consumer satisfaction index has ever tracked.

To me iPad is a proof-of-concept, not a mature product.

I want a tablet computer that has a front facing camera (maybe a rear facing one too) and more open access to programs and the outside world. It would be nice if a tablet could allow some simple manipulation of my digital photos shot in RAW format. Cellular connectivity isn’t a must for me as it would be for someone who travels regularly. A tablet computer should also be able to substitute for a TV or a telephone.

Those pads are coming at CES and seemingly at lower cost than traditional computing platforms. There have been lots of numbers mentioned, but the consensus view is around 70 new tablets will be introduced this week. Most will run on Google’s Android operating system, probably the Honeycomb 3.0 version which is optimized for tablets.

For many companies a CES announcement is just a trial balloon. What they’ll show in Vegas are carefully crafted prototypes that may or may not make it into production. Others will show a product at CES that’s a go, but not offer it for sale for months.

I’m very excited by all this. I will look very carefully. I plan on being a buyer. Now dazzle me.

I’m About To Perform The Great Linux Experiment On Helaine’s Laptop

I can reload Windows XP and take the chance of it happening again or just maybe I can switch her to the virtually virus free Ubuntu Linux.

Helaine’s laptop is infected again! Though I’ve removed most of the infection her browser is still being hijacked. Google results bring spammy non-Google ‘search’ sites. There’s surely stuff I can’t find. Other functions like sound are no longer reliable.

This virus is so good it managed to shut off Microsoft’s own Windows Security Essentials program! Thanks Bill.

This is not Helaine’s fault! Considering where I found most of the infected files it looks like she was fed an infected Java jar. It probably came from an otherwise trustworthy website via an infected ad.

A day after the infection Java posted one of their ‘too damn often’ security updates. Come to think of it Microsoft was in the midst of rolling out Security Essentials 2 then too. Coincidence? I think not.

I have two choices. I can reload Windows XP and take the chance of it happening again or just maybe I can switch her to the virtually virus free Ubuntu Linux.

She was at first skeptical. OK, she was skeptical at second too. Linux sounds geeky.

Certainly there will be a different look and different programs to use. Her browser will remain the same. Her email program will change.

Helaine is primarily a web browser. She doesn’t run very many discrete programs. Those she does use have native Linux versions or claim to run through WINE the Windows emulator.

Linux comes with a ‘live’ version allowing a quick try without committing to an installation. I loaded the CD and it works.

Tonight I’ll back up Helaine’s files and install Ubuntu. Wish me luck.

Better still wish Helaine luck.

Another Piece Of The Internet’s Past To Disappear

When I read about AltaVista’s demise tonight my first thought was, “It’s still around?” I haven’t hit it in years.

Before there was Google there was AltaVista. At one point it was my “go to” search engine. Now with little money to be made and a lot more to be lost AltaVista will disappear.

In the early days of the Internet Yahoo! ruled, but it wasn’t a search engine. Yahoo! was a directory of sites. That wasn’t a scalable concept. As the net grew Yahoo! became cumbersome.

During the spring of 1995, scientists at Digital Equipment Corporation’s Research lab in Palo Alto, CA, devised a way to store every word of every HTML page on the Internet in a fast, searchable index. This led to AltaVista’s development of the first searchable, full-text database on the World Wide Web.

Though AltaVista’s website claims it “continues to advance Internet search with new technologies and features designed to improve the search experience for consumers,” its “Press Room” hasn’t issued a release since 2003, a year after it was acquired by Yahoo!.

When I read about AltaVista’s demise tonight my first thought was, “It’s still around?” I haven’t hit it in years.

It’s still sad.

AltaVista ruled when the Internet was young and mainly non-commercial. It was built for nerds by nerds. Now it’s a footnote.

It’s ironic you’ll only be able to find out about AltaVista by first searching Google or one of the other search engines that killed it.

Web Design: Satisfying Accomplishment

Most of you reading this are already lost, right?

I spent most of last night in my office working on a website. It’s a little thing I’m doing for myself, five or six pages with some video. It’s difficult to explain the feeling, but creating a website is really rewarding in a creative way.

The first step was installing WordPress on a webserver. It only takes a few minutes. WordPress is very mature. Ease is built in.

Most of you reading this are already lost, right? Here’s WordPresses own explanation.

WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

The core software is built by hundreds of community volunteers, and when you’re ready for more there are thousands of plugins and themes available to transform your site into almost anything you can imagine. Over 25 million people have chosen WordPress to power the place on the web they call “home” — we’d love you to join the family.

This site is built on WordPress too. The new site looks nothing like this!

WordPresses ‘themes’ creates the look. There are thousands of themes I could have used, but I modified the on that comes standard (it’s called Twenty Ten). That’s the most rewarding part!

Reskinning the theme requires a little programming skill in wrangling three languages: php, css and html. I know just enough to be dangerous. That means I’m writing with a few books at the ready because there will be questions! If I did this more I’d be a lot faster.

It’s all so elegant. Within a few minutes what began as an instantly familiar barebones WordPress site began to look like the site I wanted!

I spent five hours working on the site last night. It’s nearly done. Later tonight or tomorrow it will be done.

I have a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment.

It’s A Good Day To Be A Geek

The hackers cleverly bypassed battery monitor which means an overcharged Nook could very well explode! Good hack guys.

If you haven’t been watching closely you’ve missed a few geekily exciting days with new technology announcements. Some of these are pretty substantial and could be the proverbial game changers. It’s all happening… changing so rapidly.

Doesn’t anything happen at human speed anymore?

Google was the main player. First, they redefined their new unreleased operating system Chrome.

Chrome will be aimed at netbooks which should be less expensive and bothersome than current laptops. The whole paradigm of what you install, change or keep on your laptop will be shuffled.

Instant web: Chrome notebooks boot in about 10 seconds and resume from sleep instantly. Your favorite websites load quickly and run smoothly, with full support for the latest web standards and Adobe Flash.

Same experience everywhere: All your apps, documents, and settings are stored safely in the cloud. So even if you lose your computer, you can just log into another Chrome notebook and get right back to work.

Always connected: Integrated Wi-Fi for home and work, and 3G for all the places in between. 100MB of free 3G data every month* on the Verizon Wireless network. Affordable data plans with no commitment required.

Meanwhile while talking up Chrome Google also showed a new tablet computer built by Motorola and based on its Android operating system. There are tablet computers other than the iPod right now, but you’d be hard pressed to name any. I expect an explosion in tablets over the next six months and both Apple and Google will be responsible for most of it.

Speaking of explosions, someone published instructions to hack a Barnes and Noble Color Nook so it could operate as an Andriod tablet! One problem, the hack disturbed part of the battery monitoring circuitry. Every time the Nook would fire up this circuitry would shut it down.

The hackers cleverly bypassed battery monitor which means an overcharged Nook could very well explode! Good hack guys.

I’d REALLY like a tablet computer. What I want doesn’t yet exist. It’s got to be ‘friendly’ with my camera. I’ll wait. No choice.

More news from Google who pushed out a new version of their Chromium web browser. Sweet. This one comes with its own apps store. More importantly the javascript engine has been turbocharged again!

Don’t worry if you don’t know what javascript is. Take my word javascript is the thing that slows your web browser the most! Run Chrome/Chromium as your browser and you’ll immediately feel like you bought a faster computer.

If you are not using Chrome/Chromium as your browser you really should give it a try. It’s free and fast.

Finally yesterday Microsoft announced their soon-to-be released Internet Explorer 9 would have new privacy controls.

Tracking Protection in IE9 puts people in control of what data is being shared as they move around the Web. It does this by enabling consumers to indicate what websites they’d prefer to not exchange information with. Consumers do this by adding Tracking Protection Lists to Internet Explorer. Anyone, and any organization, on the Web can author and publish Tracking Protection Lists. Consumers can install more than one. By default, there are no lists included in IE9, which is consistent with our previous IE releases with respect to privacy.

This is a big deal. Everyone who knows anything about Internet security is demanding more privacy controls. Microsoft is the last player I’d expect to be stepping up for me versus advertisers and marketers.

See what you missed yesterday.

I Almost Forgot – AT&T The Biggest Vacation Disappointment

Often my phone would show full signal yet be unable to originate or receive calls. Data was pretty spotty too.

It was my intention to totally depend on my iPhone 3Gs’s cell service for voice and data while on vacation in Las Vegas. Like everyone I’ve heard horror stories, but my service here in Connecticut is mostly good. Unfortunately, I have also documented trips to New York, Los Angeles and Boston where service was frustrating. Add Las Vegas to the list.

Often my phone would show full signal yet be unable to originate or receive calls. Stef’s BlackBerry and Helaine’s Samsung suffered a similar fate.

Data was pretty spotty too. Sometimes my phone would display “3G.” At other times it was the slower “E” or mysterious “O.” Often there was no data indicator at all! Unfortunately even seeing a data indicator didn’t mean there was access!

I ran an online speed test a few times. Once it wouldn’t work because there was no data access. Other times it was so slow as to be unusable for any purpose other than establishing how slow it was!

This is just nuts. There’s no excuse for this. Cell service is supposed to be a mature product. How can AT&T be the only company that hasn’t mastered this?

A Few Digital Odds And Ends

I’ve had a few digital ball in-the-air over the past few days. Maybe you were wondering how things turned out?

I’ve had a few digital ball in-the-air over the past few days. Maybe you were wondering how things turned out?

Over the weekend I wrote for advice on a DVP. Don’t know what a DVP is? Join the club. This is ‘the next thing’ in video delivery.

Basically a DVP is a computer that delivers TV programs via the Internet. You can watch HD shows in HD without cable or even a (getting out the smelling salts) TV station.

There is little written about this new category of product. I took a chance and ordered a Roku HD.

Thanks to those who provided advice here and on Facebook. I’ll let you know how it worked out.

Another tech problem I had concerned Stef’s HP laptop. It was shutting down spontaneously!

She shipped it east where I stressed with it then monitored its health. Why was it shutting down? I began to suspect it was overheating then protecting itself. The CPU was showing a core temperature well over 100&#176 Celsius (over 212&#176 Fahrenheit).

Disassembling a laptop is way out of my comfort zone. I farmed that task out. My thought was something was impeding the internal fan.

The laptop is now fine. A small dog and cat’s worth of fur was removed from the fan. It was so clogged it couldn’t turn.

Keeping a laptop on the floor in a house with pets is bad idea! Are you listening Stef?

Finally I spoke to teachers for the Connecticut Association of Schools last night. I used two pieces of technology to make my job easier.

I listened to the anchors at the station with my iPhone and Bluetooth earpiece and our standard ‘dial-a-prayer’ phone line. It was the best sound from the field I’ve had ever! That’s a big deal. It’s tough to have a conversation when the person you’re speaking with is unintelligible. Problem solved!

Even better I brought along a laptop loaded with TeamViewer to run my weather computer. I am a big fan of this software. I was able to see my desktop at work including all the maps I showed on-the-air from our live shot in Southington. Without this addition I’d be flying blind. Amazing!

Need Your Advice On Roku/Boxee/Apple TV/Google TV

Do you have one of these Roku, Boxee, AppleTV, GoogleTV kind of devices? Do you like it? Do you recommend it? What else will I need?

It’s been a while since I had a TV in my office. Without it I’m usually driven to the family room where I play on my laptop, watch TV and snack incessantly.

That snacking’s got to stop!

With that in mind I went out and bought a new TV to bring me back upstairs at night. It’s a 32″ LCD HD model and it was under $300. From a historical perspective that’s a crazy price for what you get. Next year it will probably be less!

I don’t have a DVR or HD service for the set so I went online and checked Comcast’s prices. Then I checked with my friend Peter.

“What about Roku?” he asked.

I tried to sound savvy, but it was obvious I’m not. There’s a whole class of little computers like Roku that bring shows on the Internet directly to a TV. Though they claim to provide access to thousands of programs it’s obvious you’ll need to subscribe to a service to make the box worthwhile.

I don’t know what to do and so, again, I turn to you dear readers for some advice. Do you have one of these Roku, Boxee, AppleTV, GoogleTV kind of devices? Do you like it? Do you recommend it? What else will I need?

I am like a babe in the woods right now. Help set me straight.