By JOHN SCHWARTZ nytimes.com 12/30/us/30privacy
Published: December 29, 2009
The technology exists to reveal objects hidden under clothes at airport checkpoints, and many experts say it would have detected the explosive packet carried aboard the Detroit-bound flight last week. But it has been fought by privacy advocates who say it is too intrusive, leading to a newly intensified debate over the limits of security.
Screening technologies with names like millimeter-wave and backscatter X-ray can show the contours of the body and reveal foreign objects. Such machines, properly used, are a leap ahead of the metal detectors used in most airports, and supporters say they are necessary to keep up with the plans of potential terrorists.
“If they’d been deployed, this would pick up this kind of device,” Michael Chertoff, the former homeland security secretary, said in an interview, referring to the packet of chemicals hidden in the underwear of the Nigerian man who federal officials say tried to blow up the Northwest Airlines flight.
But others say that the technology is no security panacea, and that its use should be carefully controlled because of the risks to privacy, including the potential for its ghostly naked images to show up on the Internet.
“The big question to our country is how to balance the need for personal privacy with the safety and security needs of our country,” said Representative Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican who sponsored a successful measure in the House this year to require that the devices be used only as a secondary screening method and to set punishments for government employees who copy or share images. (The bill has not passed in the Senate.)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Critics of H-P Software Soften Their Stance
By Justin Scheck
Two people named Desi and Wanda recently set off an uproar with a YouTube video claiming that Hewlett-Packard computers are racist, based on the performance of the company’s facial-recognition software. After a discussion with the company, they seem to be backing down a bit.
Desi is black and Wanda is white. Their video shows H-P’s software making a Web cam follow Wanda’s face, zooming in and out as she moved near or away from the computer. But when “black Desi gets in there, no face recognition anymore,” Desi says onscreen. Indeed, the camera does appear to stop moving when his face shows up.
In response, H-P issued a statement that “proper foreground lighting is required for the product to effectively track any person and their movements.” A spokeswoman for the company declined to comment on why lighting that was okay for Wanda was apparently insufficient for Desi.
After the uproar, a publication called The Grio tested the device for itself and concluded the software isn’t racist: “When our staff sat in front of the face-tracking camera, it responded effectively to people of all shades and colors.”
Through it all, we didn’t know who Desi or Wanda were. Now, it looks like they’ve come out.
A statement issued by Wanda to the Web site Mashable says that their names are Wanda Zamen and Desi Cryer, and they work in the sales department at Toppers Camping Center in Waller, Tex.
The statement says it was their intention “to provide a good natured chuckle to our fellow man,” and they did not imagine that so many people would watch and react to the video.
“We do not really think that a machine can be racist, or that HP is purposely creating software that excludes people of color,” the statement continues. “We think it is just a glitch.”
Somewhat more mysteriously, the statement adds: “H-P has been in contact with us about this matter, at this time that is all we are at liberty to say.”
How does the company characterize what happened? “We had a friendly conversation,” the H-P spokeswoman said. “We encouraged them to use better lighting.” ------From WSJ Blogs
---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Two people named Desi and Wanda recently set off an uproar with a YouTube video claiming that Hewlett-Packard computers are racist, based on the performance of the company’s facial-recognition software. After a discussion with the company, they seem to be backing down a bit.
Desi is black and Wanda is white. Their video shows H-P’s software making a Web cam follow Wanda’s face, zooming in and out as she moved near or away from the computer. But when “black Desi gets in there, no face recognition anymore,” Desi says onscreen. Indeed, the camera does appear to stop moving when his face shows up.
In response, H-P issued a statement that “proper foreground lighting is required for the product to effectively track any person and their movements.” A spokeswoman for the company declined to comment on why lighting that was okay for Wanda was apparently insufficient for Desi.
After the uproar, a publication called The Grio tested the device for itself and concluded the software isn’t racist: “When our staff sat in front of the face-tracking camera, it responded effectively to people of all shades and colors.”
Through it all, we didn’t know who Desi or Wanda were. Now, it looks like they’ve come out.
A statement issued by Wanda to the Web site Mashable says that their names are Wanda Zamen and Desi Cryer, and they work in the sales department at Toppers Camping Center in Waller, Tex.
The statement says it was their intention “to provide a good natured chuckle to our fellow man,” and they did not imagine that so many people would watch and react to the video.
“We do not really think that a machine can be racist, or that HP is purposely creating software that excludes people of color,” the statement continues. “We think it is just a glitch.”
Somewhat more mysteriously, the statement adds: “H-P has been in contact with us about this matter, at this time that is all we are at liberty to say.”
How does the company characterize what happened? “We had a friendly conversation,” the H-P spokeswoman said. “We encouraged them to use better lighting.” ------From WSJ Blogs
---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
HP Investigates Claims of ‘Racist’ Computers
By Brian X. Chen
December 22, 2009
The YouTube page -- The YouTube page-------- The YouTube page
WATCH THE VIDEO
The YouTube page The YouTube page
WATCH THE VIDEO
--A COMMENT A software problem with light and a missed opportunity for financial gain.
From wired.com GADGET LAB
December 22, 2009
The YouTube page -- The YouTube page-------- The YouTube page
WATCH THE VIDEO
The YouTube page The YouTube page
WATCH THE VIDEO
--A COMMENT A software problem with light and a missed opportunity for financial gain.
From wired.com GADGET LAB
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
US appoints Howard Schmidt as cybersecurity chief
The White House has appointed its cyber tsar, following a seven month search.
Howard Schmidt, a former eBay and Microsoft executive who advised President Bush, was appointed after others turned down the job.
Mr Schmidt has been set the task of uniting various disparate agencies and organisations to shore up the country's defence against cyber attack.
In May this year, President Obama pledged to personally appoint someone to the post.
In a letter posted on the White House website, John Brennan, assistant to the President for homeland security and counterterrorism said that protecting the internet was "critical to our national security, public safety and our personal privacy and civil liberties".
"It's also vital to President Obama's efforts to strengthen our country, from the modernisation of our health care system to the high-tech job creation central to our economic recovery."
Mr Schmidt would have "regular access to the President and serve as a key member of his National Security Staff", he said.
The White House's acting cyber-security head, Melissa Hathaway, stood down in August after complaining that the post did not allow her to implement necessary changes. --BBC NEWS
Howard Schmidt, a former eBay and Microsoft executive who advised President Bush, was appointed after others turned down the job.
Mr Schmidt has been set the task of uniting various disparate agencies and organisations to shore up the country's defence against cyber attack.
In May this year, President Obama pledged to personally appoint someone to the post.
In a letter posted on the White House website, John Brennan, assistant to the President for homeland security and counterterrorism said that protecting the internet was "critical to our national security, public safety and our personal privacy and civil liberties".
"It's also vital to President Obama's efforts to strengthen our country, from the modernisation of our health care system to the high-tech job creation central to our economic recovery."
Mr Schmidt would have "regular access to the President and serve as a key member of his National Security Staff", he said.
The White House's acting cyber-security head, Melissa Hathaway, stood down in August after complaining that the post did not allow her to implement necessary changes. --BBC NEWS
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Virgin Extends Government's Free Cell Phone Program
Sascha Segan - PC Magazine Sascha Segan - Pc Magazine – Wed Dec 9, 10:02 am ET
Free, government-funded cell phones may be the target of right-wing rage but they're real, they're out there and they're getting more free minutes.
Virgin Mobile on Wednesday announced Assurance Wireless, a government-funded program to offer Kyocera Jax phones with 200 minutes per month to poor or disabled people in New York, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. That's a big bump up from their major competitor, TracFone's SafeLink Wireless, which only offers around 60 free minutes per month, varying state by state.
Free phones and service are available to low-income families or folks participating in a range of government "welfare" programs, including Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
The free phones aren't a new, Obama-era benefit; they're actually part of a program that started back in 1997 called LifeLine which followed from the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The program was enhanced in 2005 during the Bush administration, and SafeLink started disbursing free phones in 2008. According to LifeLine's Web page, "similar programs have existed since at least 1985."
The program is funded by the Universal Service Fund, which you see as a surcharge on your phone bill. The USF used to subsidize landline service for low-income and disabled people. Now it's allowed to subsidize wireless service as well. That especially helps folks who move frequently, or are living in motels, bunking with family, or are homeless - in many cases, the most struggling folks in America.
Up until now, most cellular LifeLine service was provided through SafeLink, which operates in nineteen states. SafeLink's service provides fewer minutes than Virgin's, but their phones may have better coverage. Virgin, a subsidiary of Sprint, exclusively uses Sprint's network to make calls. Depending on where you live, TracFone may be able to use multiple networks to provide better coverage.
Other major cell phone companies all participate in LifeLine, but they provide discounted, not free service. Verizon Wireless, AT&T Sprint, Cricket and T-Mobile all offer discounted wireless service as part of the LifeLine program.
-From Yahoo News
Free, government-funded cell phones may be the target of right-wing rage but they're real, they're out there and they're getting more free minutes.
Virgin Mobile on Wednesday announced Assurance Wireless, a government-funded program to offer Kyocera Jax phones with 200 minutes per month to poor or disabled people in New York, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. That's a big bump up from their major competitor, TracFone's SafeLink Wireless, which only offers around 60 free minutes per month, varying state by state.
Free phones and service are available to low-income families or folks participating in a range of government "welfare" programs, including Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
The free phones aren't a new, Obama-era benefit; they're actually part of a program that started back in 1997 called LifeLine which followed from the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The program was enhanced in 2005 during the Bush administration, and SafeLink started disbursing free phones in 2008. According to LifeLine's Web page, "similar programs have existed since at least 1985."
The program is funded by the Universal Service Fund, which you see as a surcharge on your phone bill. The USF used to subsidize landline service for low-income and disabled people. Now it's allowed to subsidize wireless service as well. That especially helps folks who move frequently, or are living in motels, bunking with family, or are homeless - in many cases, the most struggling folks in America.
Up until now, most cellular LifeLine service was provided through SafeLink, which operates in nineteen states. SafeLink's service provides fewer minutes than Virgin's, but their phones may have better coverage. Virgin, a subsidiary of Sprint, exclusively uses Sprint's network to make calls. Depending on where you live, TracFone may be able to use multiple networks to provide better coverage.
Other major cell phone companies all participate in LifeLine, but they provide discounted, not free service. Verizon Wireless, AT&T Sprint, Cricket and T-Mobile all offer discounted wireless service as part of the LifeLine program.
-From Yahoo News
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Many people don"t like their cell service,according to Consumer Reports
December 3, 2009
Can you hear me now? Consumer Reports polled more than 50,000 readers and found that only 54% of its participants said they were completely or very satisfied with their cellphone service. I know you hear me now.
Almost two-thirds of respondents had at least one major complaint. The top gripe? About 1 in 5 readers cited high prices. As a result, relatively cheaper prepaid service contracts are becoming increasingly popular, the study reported.
Verizon received the nod for offering the best cellphone service, it received higher marks for voice connectivity, customer service, messaging and Web/e-mail service than T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T. But it's expensive.
T-Mobile ranked as the second-best overall service carrier. It offers some plans that are less expensive than Verizon's, which pleases many customers, but it received lower basic scores than its competitor.
Sprint and AT&T came in at the bottom. Sprint got a low score for customer service, while AT&T received complaints for its voice connectivity -- or lack thereof.
Ironically, even though AT&T is the Apple iPhone's exclusive service provider, the iPhone won top smart phone honors, with 98% of users saying they'd buy the phone again. Hmmm...a cellphone won top honors even though its voice connectivity is considered among the worst. My oh my, how the cellphone's purpose has changed.
-- Melissa Rohlin -LA Times - Tech
Can you hear me now? Consumer Reports polled more than 50,000 readers and found that only 54% of its participants said they were completely or very satisfied with their cellphone service. I know you hear me now.
Almost two-thirds of respondents had at least one major complaint. The top gripe? About 1 in 5 readers cited high prices. As a result, relatively cheaper prepaid service contracts are becoming increasingly popular, the study reported.
Verizon received the nod for offering the best cellphone service, it received higher marks for voice connectivity, customer service, messaging and Web/e-mail service than T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T. But it's expensive.
T-Mobile ranked as the second-best overall service carrier. It offers some plans that are less expensive than Verizon's, which pleases many customers, but it received lower basic scores than its competitor.
Sprint and AT&T came in at the bottom. Sprint got a low score for customer service, while AT&T received complaints for its voice connectivity -- or lack thereof.
Ironically, even though AT&T is the Apple iPhone's exclusive service provider, the iPhone won top smart phone honors, with 98% of users saying they'd buy the phone again. Hmmm...a cellphone won top honors even though its voice connectivity is considered among the worst. My oh my, how the cellphone's purpose has changed.
-- Melissa Rohlin -LA Times - Tech
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Power-guzzling TVs to be banned
Energy-hungry television sets will soon be banned across California in a landmark move by state legislators to reduce energy consumption.
The state will be the first in the US to impose a mandatory energy curb on TVs, an often-overlooked power drain.
Supporters say the move will help save California residents more than $8bn over 10 years in energy costs.
But some 25% of TVs currently on sale would not meet the minimum standards, an industry group in Virginia said.
The California Energy Commission will require that all new television sets up to 58 inches (147cm) be more energy efficient by 2011, consuming 33% less energy than current sets.
The standards will get even tougher in 2013, when regulators will require sets to be 50% more efficient.
"We have every confidence this industry will be able to meet the rule and then some," energy commissioner Julia Levin said.
"It will save consumers money, it will help protect public health and it will spark innovation."
Television usage currently accounts for 10% of home electricity use in California, according to the state's energy commission.
'Limit choice'
Environmental groups applauded the tougher standards, saying the new rules would help avoid the need for a new 500-megawatt power plant to be built and save nearly $1bn each year.
However, some consumer advocates and industry leaders opposed the move, saying it would limit consumer choice and increase the price of television sets.
"It could drive up costs," said Dave Arland, who represents the plasma television industry.
"The ones that are super energy efficient are the ones that are more pricey."
California has long pioneered environmental change, setting tough standards on everything from refrigerators to washing machines.
As a result, electricity use in the state has stayed level for nearly three decades, whereas it has risen elsewhere in the US. BBC News.bbc.co.uk
The state will be the first in the US to impose a mandatory energy curb on TVs, an often-overlooked power drain.
Supporters say the move will help save California residents more than $8bn over 10 years in energy costs.
But some 25% of TVs currently on sale would not meet the minimum standards, an industry group in Virginia said.
The California Energy Commission will require that all new television sets up to 58 inches (147cm) be more energy efficient by 2011, consuming 33% less energy than current sets.
The standards will get even tougher in 2013, when regulators will require sets to be 50% more efficient.
"We have every confidence this industry will be able to meet the rule and then some," energy commissioner Julia Levin said.
"It will save consumers money, it will help protect public health and it will spark innovation."
Television usage currently accounts for 10% of home electricity use in California, according to the state's energy commission.
'Limit choice'
Environmental groups applauded the tougher standards, saying the new rules would help avoid the need for a new 500-megawatt power plant to be built and save nearly $1bn each year.
However, some consumer advocates and industry leaders opposed the move, saying it would limit consumer choice and increase the price of television sets.
"It could drive up costs," said Dave Arland, who represents the plasma television industry.
"The ones that are super energy efficient are the ones that are more pricey."
California has long pioneered environmental change, setting tough standards on everything from refrigerators to washing machines.
As a result, electricity use in the state has stayed level for nearly three decades, whereas it has risen elsewhere in the US. BBC News.bbc.co.uk
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Sony Ericsson closes NC, other sites as HQ moves
By EMERY P. DALESIO (AP)
RALEIGH, N.C. — Cell phone handset maker Sony Ericsson will move its North American headquarters from North Carolina to Atlanta and close a half-dozen sites worldwide as it retrenches against what it expects will be a tighter market and cuts about 1,600 jobs globally.
The joint venture between Sweden's LM Ericsson and Japan's Sony Corp. will consolidate product development operations by closing sites in Research Triangle Park; Seattle; Miami; San Diego; Kista, Sweden; and Chennai, India, spokeswoman Stacy Doster said.
The site closures are new elements of a plan announced in April to cut worldwide staff of 10,000 by 20 percent at the joint venture between Sweden's LM Ericsson and Japan's Sony Corp., Doster said. About 400 jobs have been cut since then and about 1,600 remain to meet that goal by the middle of next year, she said.
The cost-cutting follows the loss of 2,000 jobs last year.
The 8-year-old company has about 425 workers left in Research Triangle Park after shedding hundreds of jobs in the past year. Operations include customer support, customers service, sales, finance and research and development.
Doster said she did not know how many were employed at other locations the company planned to close. She also did not know how many would be added in Atlanta when that site takes over North American headquarters functions.
"There's a project team looking at what makes sense in what areas of the business," Doster said. "We've got to figure all that out across the whole organization."
Atlanta was chosen in part because of its proximity to AT&T Inc., one of the company's largest customers, Doster said. The city also is desirable as a "gateway into Latin America" because of its international connections through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, she said.
Product development would be consolidated in Sony Ericsson operations in Redwood Shores, Calif.; Lund, Sweden; Tokyo; and Beijing, Doster said.
The company announced last month that its losses worsened to euro164 million ($245 million) amid falling sales in the third quarter, up from a euro25 million ($37.25 million) loss in the same period a year ago. Sales during the quarter dropped by more than 40 percent.
Sony Ericsson said its share of the global handset market came to around 5 percent in the third quarter, compared to 38 percent for market leader Nokia Corp.
-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
RALEIGH, N.C. — Cell phone handset maker Sony Ericsson will move its North American headquarters from North Carolina to Atlanta and close a half-dozen sites worldwide as it retrenches against what it expects will be a tighter market and cuts about 1,600 jobs globally.
The joint venture between Sweden's LM Ericsson and Japan's Sony Corp. will consolidate product development operations by closing sites in Research Triangle Park; Seattle; Miami; San Diego; Kista, Sweden; and Chennai, India, spokeswoman Stacy Doster said.
The site closures are new elements of a plan announced in April to cut worldwide staff of 10,000 by 20 percent at the joint venture between Sweden's LM Ericsson and Japan's Sony Corp., Doster said. About 400 jobs have been cut since then and about 1,600 remain to meet that goal by the middle of next year, she said.
The cost-cutting follows the loss of 2,000 jobs last year.
The 8-year-old company has about 425 workers left in Research Triangle Park after shedding hundreds of jobs in the past year. Operations include customer support, customers service, sales, finance and research and development.
Doster said she did not know how many were employed at other locations the company planned to close. She also did not know how many would be added in Atlanta when that site takes over North American headquarters functions.
"There's a project team looking at what makes sense in what areas of the business," Doster said. "We've got to figure all that out across the whole organization."
Atlanta was chosen in part because of its proximity to AT&T Inc., one of the company's largest customers, Doster said. The city also is desirable as a "gateway into Latin America" because of its international connections through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, she said.
Product development would be consolidated in Sony Ericsson operations in Redwood Shores, Calif.; Lund, Sweden; Tokyo; and Beijing, Doster said.
The company announced last month that its losses worsened to euro164 million ($245 million) amid falling sales in the third quarter, up from a euro25 million ($37.25 million) loss in the same period a year ago. Sales during the quarter dropped by more than 40 percent.
Sony Ericsson said its share of the global handset market came to around 5 percent in the third quarter, compared to 38 percent for market leader Nokia Corp.
-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Obama: Gunman in Fort Hood rampage to pay for crimes
Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:24pm EST
Continued from page one
Investigators tried to interview Hasan on Sunday at the military hospital where he was recovering from gunshots that subdued him during the attack but he invoked his right to speak to a lawyer, government officials said.
They declined to speculate about his possible motive.
The shootings took place at Fort Hood's crowded Soldiers Readiness Processing Center, where troops get medical checkups before deploying abroad. Authorities have decided to charge Hasan in a military court, officials said.
(Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by John O'Callaghan
-http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Continued from page one
Investigators tried to interview Hasan on Sunday at the military hospital where he was recovering from gunshots that subdued him during the attack but he invoked his right to speak to a lawyer, government officials said.
They declined to speculate about his possible motive.
The shootings took place at Fort Hood's crowded Soldiers Readiness Processing Center, where troops get medical checkups before deploying abroad. Authorities have decided to charge Hasan in a military court, officials said.
(Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by John O'Callaghan
-http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Know What Google Knows About You with 'Dashboard'
11.05.09
by Brian Heater
That whole "don't be evil" thing is all well and good, but when a company's whole goal is cataloging the world's information, it would--at the very least--be nice to know what Google knows about you.
The company has just launched Dashboard, which aggregates the different information its gathered from 20 different Google products, including Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Web History, Orkut, YouTube, Picasa, Talk, Reader, Alerts, and Latitude.
You'll need to sign in to view your own personal information. Users can also edit account information from the page, such as privacy settings. Of course transparency doesn't mean that you can't still pat yourself on the back.The scale and level of detail of the Dashboard is unprecedented, and we're delighted to be the first Internet company to offer this--and we hope it will become the standard," Google said in a statement.
Originally posted to AppScout.
by Brian Heater
That whole "don't be evil" thing is all well and good, but when a company's whole goal is cataloging the world's information, it would--at the very least--be nice to know what Google knows about you.
The company has just launched Dashboard, which aggregates the different information its gathered from 20 different Google products, including Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Web History, Orkut, YouTube, Picasa, Talk, Reader, Alerts, and Latitude.
You'll need to sign in to view your own personal information. Users can also edit account information from the page, such as privacy settings. Of course transparency doesn't mean that you can't still pat yourself on the back.The scale and level of detail of the Dashboard is unprecedented, and we're delighted to be the first Internet company to offer this--and we hope it will become the standard," Google said in a statement.
Originally posted to AppScout.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Google Voice lets users keep phone number
Tue Oct 27, 2009 10:06am EDT
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc has introduced a new feature that will allow consumers to use its Google Voice service without switching to a special phone number, potentially broadening the appeal of the nascent, and controversial, service.
Google said late Monday that new users of its service will be able to have the calls that they don't answer forwarded to a special Google Voice electronic mailbox, essentially bypassing the voicemail provided by their phone carriers.
Google Voice offers a variety of voicemail management features, including unlimited storage and text transcription of voicemail messages.
The service also allows consumers to make low-priced international calls by routing portions of the call over Google's infrastructure and the Internet.
Until now, using Google Voice required adopting a special Google phone number. The new feature allows people to retain their existing phone numbers.
Craig Walker, a group product manager for real time communications at Google, said the company will provide users with a special code to enter into their phone which forwards unanswered calls to a Google-maintained voicemailbox.
Walker said the call-forwarding feature did not require striking special deals with the phone carriers.
"Virtually all the carriers already allow this," said Walker.
He noted that cell phone operators generally approve of call-forwarding since the carriers charge airtime minutes even after a call has been forwarded to another phone number.
"It allows them to continue running the meter, they charge per minute while I'm on that diverted call," said Walker.
Google Voice, which was launched in March, is available to a limited number of people who have received invitations from Google or from other Google Voice users.
Walker said the company hopes to make the service open to the general public relatively soon, though he would not specify when. He also declined to say how many people use Google Voice, but said the company has been pleased with the numbers.
The product has earned positive reviews in the technology press as well as some degree of controversy.
Google has said that Apple Inc rejected the Google Voice application for the iPhone, while Apple has maintained that it is still studying the software. The dispute has drawn the attention of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
And earlier this month, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives called on the FCC to investigate reports, cited by AT&T Inc, that Google Voice was blocking costly calls to phone numbers in certain rural areas in order to cut down on expenses.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic Editing by Richard Chang)
-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogospot.com
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc has introduced a new feature that will allow consumers to use its Google Voice service without switching to a special phone number, potentially broadening the appeal of the nascent, and controversial, service.
Google said late Monday that new users of its service will be able to have the calls that they don't answer forwarded to a special Google Voice electronic mailbox, essentially bypassing the voicemail provided by their phone carriers.
Google Voice offers a variety of voicemail management features, including unlimited storage and text transcription of voicemail messages.
The service also allows consumers to make low-priced international calls by routing portions of the call over Google's infrastructure and the Internet.
Until now, using Google Voice required adopting a special Google phone number. The new feature allows people to retain their existing phone numbers.
Craig Walker, a group product manager for real time communications at Google, said the company will provide users with a special code to enter into their phone which forwards unanswered calls to a Google-maintained voicemailbox.
Walker said the call-forwarding feature did not require striking special deals with the phone carriers.
"Virtually all the carriers already allow this," said Walker.
He noted that cell phone operators generally approve of call-forwarding since the carriers charge airtime minutes even after a call has been forwarded to another phone number.
"It allows them to continue running the meter, they charge per minute while I'm on that diverted call," said Walker.
Google Voice, which was launched in March, is available to a limited number of people who have received invitations from Google or from other Google Voice users.
Walker said the company hopes to make the service open to the general public relatively soon, though he would not specify when. He also declined to say how many people use Google Voice, but said the company has been pleased with the numbers.
The product has earned positive reviews in the technology press as well as some degree of controversy.
Google has said that Apple Inc rejected the Google Voice application for the iPhone, while Apple has maintained that it is still studying the software. The dispute has drawn the attention of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
And earlier this month, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives called on the FCC to investigate reports, cited by AT&T Inc, that Google Voice was blocking costly calls to phone numbers in certain rural areas in order to cut down on expenses.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic Editing by Richard Chang)
-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogospot.com
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Verizon's Mystery Droid Takes Aim at Apple's iPhone
New Ad Campaign Targets iPhone With Tagline, 'Whatever iDon't, Droid Does'
By KI MAE HEUSSNEROct. 21, 2009
In an aggressive new ad campaign teasing a mystery phone with the potential to slay Apple's leading smartphone, Verizon Wireless appears to have thrown down the gauntlet.
Its Web and TV ad lists the iPhone's most notorious flaws, such as the lack of a physical keyboard, the inability to run several applications simultaneously and a camera that can't take shots at night, and then ends with the tag line: "Everything iDon't, Droid Does."
Verizon has not said anything about the phone outside of its ads, but some say the new device, which has the backing of Verizon Wireless, cell phone maker Motorola and tech giant Google, could shape up to be the iPhone's biggest threat yet.
The popular blog TechCrunch called it "the first phone that will pose a significant threat to Apple's iPhone" and the tech blog VentureBeat went even further, saying "it will likely have the glitz and power to bury the iPhone." --ABC NEWS Technology & Science
By KI MAE HEUSSNEROct. 21, 2009
In an aggressive new ad campaign teasing a mystery phone with the potential to slay Apple's leading smartphone, Verizon Wireless appears to have thrown down the gauntlet.
Its Web and TV ad lists the iPhone's most notorious flaws, such as the lack of a physical keyboard, the inability to run several applications simultaneously and a camera that can't take shots at night, and then ends with the tag line: "Everything iDon't, Droid Does."
Verizon has not said anything about the phone outside of its ads, but some say the new device, which has the backing of Verizon Wireless, cell phone maker Motorola and tech giant Google, could shape up to be the iPhone's biggest threat yet.
The popular blog TechCrunch called it "the first phone that will pose a significant threat to Apple's iPhone" and the tech blog VentureBeat went even further, saying "it will likely have the glitz and power to bury the iPhone." --ABC NEWS Technology & Science
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Pepsi apologizes for girl-getting iPhone app
(AFP) – 1 hour ago
SAN FRANCISCO — US soft drink giant PepsiCo has apologized for a free iPhone application crafted to help men seduce women and keep records of conquests but the program remained available on Tuesday.
Pepsi's "AMP Up Before You Score" iPhone application categorizes women into 24 types and then uses the Apple smartphone's Internet capabilities to link users to information about them and what they like.
AMP is an energy drink made by PepsiCo.
"Let's say you meet a girl who is way into being green and you need a vegan restaurant stat; we've got you covered," a voice-over maintained on Tuesday in an online Pepsi video about the AMP at YouTube.
"If you are anticipating a successful night, the Before You Score app gives you up to the minute information, feeds, lines and much more to help you amp up and talk to 24 different types of ladies."
Types of women listed in the application include punk rocker, bookworm, aspiring actress, artist, and sorority girl.
A "Keep a List" feature in the program reportedly prompts users to add women's names and encounter details to a "brag list" if they "get lucky."
People offended by the application shared their ire with PepsiCo, which fired off an apology on popular microblogging service Twitter.
"Our app tried 2 show the humorous lengths guys go2 get women," the message read in shorthand typical of 'tweets" which are capped at 140 characters.
"We apologize if it's in bad taste and appreciate ur feedback."
The AMP app remained available at the App Store, according to a check Tuesday by AFP.
Online commentary ranged from amused to outrage.
"It's just Pepsi trying to lighten things up in the world," a person maintained in a chat forum accompanying the AMP video at YouTube.
"Whether this is a joke or not... this is not cool," countered another member of the online exchange.
-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
SAN FRANCISCO — US soft drink giant PepsiCo has apologized for a free iPhone application crafted to help men seduce women and keep records of conquests but the program remained available on Tuesday.
Pepsi's "AMP Up Before You Score" iPhone application categorizes women into 24 types and then uses the Apple smartphone's Internet capabilities to link users to information about them and what they like.
AMP is an energy drink made by PepsiCo.
"Let's say you meet a girl who is way into being green and you need a vegan restaurant stat; we've got you covered," a voice-over maintained on Tuesday in an online Pepsi video about the AMP at YouTube.
"If you are anticipating a successful night, the Before You Score app gives you up to the minute information, feeds, lines and much more to help you amp up and talk to 24 different types of ladies."
Types of women listed in the application include punk rocker, bookworm, aspiring actress, artist, and sorority girl.
A "Keep a List" feature in the program reportedly prompts users to add women's names and encounter details to a "brag list" if they "get lucky."
People offended by the application shared their ire with PepsiCo, which fired off an apology on popular microblogging service Twitter.
"Our app tried 2 show the humorous lengths guys go2 get women," the message read in shorthand typical of 'tweets" which are capped at 140 characters.
"We apologize if it's in bad taste and appreciate ur feedback."
The AMP app remained available at the App Store, according to a check Tuesday by AFP.
Online commentary ranged from amused to outrage.
"It's just Pepsi trying to lighten things up in the world," a person maintained in a chat forum accompanying the AMP video at YouTube.
"Whether this is a joke or not... this is not cool," countered another member of the online exchange.
-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Friday, October 09, 2009
Twitter in Google, Microsoft licensing talks: report
Thu Oct 8, 2009 3:33pm EDT
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microblogging service Twitter is in advanced talks with Google Inc (GOOG.O) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) about licensing its data feed to the companies' search engines, a Web blog associated with the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Twitter's discussions with Microsoft and Google are being conducted separately and would allow each company to incorporate the 140-character messages, or "tweets," that Twitter is known for into their Internet search results.
The ability to cull through the flood of tweets as they are posted, known as real time search, is gaining popularity as an important new way to search the Internet for up-to-the-minute information on the latest news events and happenings.
The AllThingsDigital blog quoted unidentified sources as saying the companies are discussing several types of deals. Details could include Twitter receiving a payment of several million dollars and various types of revenue-sharing agreements to allow Twitter to benefit from the ad revenue that Microsoft and Google generate from search results.
Twitter has emerged as one of the fastest-growing Internet social media services. But the company has yet to generate any significant revenue from its free service. Twitter has cited advertising and premium features as two potential money-making plans.
Last month, Twitter received $100 million in new funding from investors including T.Rowe Price and Insight Venture Partners, based on a $1 billion valuation for Twitter, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Representatives from Twitter were not immediately available for comment. Google and Microsoft declined to comment.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microblogging service Twitter is in advanced talks with Google Inc (GOOG.O) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) about licensing its data feed to the companies' search engines, a Web blog associated with the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Twitter's discussions with Microsoft and Google are being conducted separately and would allow each company to incorporate the 140-character messages, or "tweets," that Twitter is known for into their Internet search results.
The ability to cull through the flood of tweets as they are posted, known as real time search, is gaining popularity as an important new way to search the Internet for up-to-the-minute information on the latest news events and happenings.
The AllThingsDigital blog quoted unidentified sources as saying the companies are discussing several types of deals. Details could include Twitter receiving a payment of several million dollars and various types of revenue-sharing agreements to allow Twitter to benefit from the ad revenue that Microsoft and Google generate from search results.
Twitter has emerged as one of the fastest-growing Internet social media services. But the company has yet to generate any significant revenue from its free service. Twitter has cited advertising and premium features as two potential money-making plans.
Last month, Twitter received $100 million in new funding from investors including T.Rowe Price and Insight Venture Partners, based on a $1 billion valuation for Twitter, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Representatives from Twitter were not immediately available for comment. Google and Microsoft declined to comment.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
Friday, September 25, 2009
Postponement for the Google books settlement
September 25, 2009 11:18 am
Today a New York judge postponed a scheduled hearing in the Google books settlement because of pending changes to the agreement. Our tech blog reports:
In response to concerns raised by federal antitrust regulators, the Authors Guild and the Assn. of American Publishers are likely to make "significant changes to the current settlement agreement," wrote Judge Denny Chin. Holding a hearing on the agreement as currently written, he concluded, would make little sense.
Earlier this week, the publisher and author groups requested a delay in the proceedings so they could address copyright and antitrust issues raised by the Department of Justice in a brief filed last week.
The Google books settlement would create a rights registry for books, much like ASCAP for songs. The registry would administer payments for usage -- downloading and printing -- to the authors of books that are out of print. That Google would keep the fees for those books that have no clear owner -- "orphan works" -- is one of the contested issues of the proposed agreement.
There are other, less book-focused concerns. The Justice Department is investigating possible antitrust issues And industry rivals Yahoo and Microsoft have banded together, organizing some more vested players like the New York Library Assn., to oppose the proposed settlement.
We'll be listening for news on Oct. 7, when the court has said it will discuss how to proceed with the case.
-- Carolyn Kellogg-----From Los Angeles Times -BOOKS
Today a New York judge postponed a scheduled hearing in the Google books settlement because of pending changes to the agreement. Our tech blog reports:
In response to concerns raised by federal antitrust regulators, the Authors Guild and the Assn. of American Publishers are likely to make "significant changes to the current settlement agreement," wrote Judge Denny Chin. Holding a hearing on the agreement as currently written, he concluded, would make little sense.
Earlier this week, the publisher and author groups requested a delay in the proceedings so they could address copyright and antitrust issues raised by the Department of Justice in a brief filed last week.
The Google books settlement would create a rights registry for books, much like ASCAP for songs. The registry would administer payments for usage -- downloading and printing -- to the authors of books that are out of print. That Google would keep the fees for those books that have no clear owner -- "orphan works" -- is one of the contested issues of the proposed agreement.
There are other, less book-focused concerns. The Justice Department is investigating possible antitrust issues And industry rivals Yahoo and Microsoft have banded together, organizing some more vested players like the New York Library Assn., to oppose the proposed settlement.
We'll be listening for news on Oct. 7, when the court has said it will discuss how to proceed with the case.
-- Carolyn Kellogg-----From Los Angeles Times -BOOKS
Monday, September 21, 2009
FCC Chairman Calls for Formal Net Neutrality Rules
Grant Gross, IDG News Service
Monday, September 21, 2009 7:30 AM PDT
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will move to create formal net neutrality rules prohibiting Internet providers from selectively blocking or slowing Web content and applications, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Monday.
Genachowski announced a notice of proposed rulemaking, a process to formalize a set of broadband policy principles that the FCC has embraced since August 2005. In addition to the four policy principles. Genachowski called for two additional principles to be included in a formal set of net neutrality rules.
"The Internet is an extraordinary platform for innovation, job creation, investment, and opportunity," Genachowski said in a speech before the Brookings Institution. "It has unleashed the potential of entrepreneurs and enabled the launch and growth of small businesses across America. It is vital that we safeguard the free and open Internet."
The notice of proposed rulemaking will look not only into net neutrality rules on traditional wired broadband networks, but also explore whether to impose new rules on broadband networks offered by mobile phone carriers, the FCC said. Genachowski said he wants all six principles to apply to all platforms that access the Internet.
Mobile broadband services offered by carriers such as Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile have not been subject to the FCC's net neutrality principles.
The FCC has enforced the existing broadband policy principles on a case-by-case basis, but it has never made formal net neutrality rules. Broadband provider Comcast filed a lawsuit challenging the FCC's authority to enforce the principles after the agency ruled last August that Comcast had to stop slowing peer-to-peer traffic in the name of network management.
The Comcast lawsuit was filed late last year, and a ruling is pending. Comcast argued that the FCC needs to create a rule or get authority from the U.S. Congress to enforce net neutrality. In addition to Genachowski's new rulemaking, a bill pending in the U.S. Congress would give the FCC that authority.
Several broadband providers have opposed formal net neutrality rules, saying they could hamper provider efforts to roll out new services and manage their networks, and to protect against attacks and bandwidth hogs.
But Genachowski said there have been examples in recent years of broadband providers blocking or slowing applications, including peer-to-peer software and VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) service. There has been one example of a broadband provider blocking political content, he noted.
"Notwithstanding its unparalleled record of success, today the free and open Internet faces emerging and substantial challenges," he said. "The rise of serious challenges to the free and open Internet puts us at a crossroads. We could see the Internet's doors shut to entrepreneurs, the spirit of innovation stifled, a full and free flow of information compromised. Or we could take steps to preserve Internet openness, helping ensure a future of opportunity, innovation, and a vibrant marketplace of ideas."
A Comcast spokeswoman said the company would comment soon. Representatives of AT&T, Verizon Wireless and CTIA, a trade group representing mobile carriers, weren't immediately available for comment.
There are four existing broadband principles that would be formalized:
-- Consumers are entitled to access the lawful Internet content of their choice.
-- Consumers are entitled to run applications and use services of their choice, subject to the needs of law enforcement.
-- Consumers are entitled to connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network.
-- Consumers are entitled to competition among network providers, application and service providers, and content providers.
In addition, Genachowski proposed two new principles. The first would prevent Internet access providers from discriminating against particular Internet content or applications, while allowing for reasonable network management. The second principle would ensure that Internet access providers are transparent about the network management practices they implement.
Genachowski will seek to launch a notice of proposed rulemaking during the FCC's October meeting. The notice will ask the public and interested companies for feedback on the proposed rules and their application, such as how to determine whether network management practices are reasonable, what information broadband providers should disclose about their network management practices and how the rules apply to differing platforms, including mobile Internet access services, the FCC said.
From PC WORLD
-http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Monday, September 21, 2009 7:30 AM PDT
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will move to create formal net neutrality rules prohibiting Internet providers from selectively blocking or slowing Web content and applications, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Monday.
Genachowski announced a notice of proposed rulemaking, a process to formalize a set of broadband policy principles that the FCC has embraced since August 2005. In addition to the four policy principles. Genachowski called for two additional principles to be included in a formal set of net neutrality rules.
"The Internet is an extraordinary platform for innovation, job creation, investment, and opportunity," Genachowski said in a speech before the Brookings Institution. "It has unleashed the potential of entrepreneurs and enabled the launch and growth of small businesses across America. It is vital that we safeguard the free and open Internet."
The notice of proposed rulemaking will look not only into net neutrality rules on traditional wired broadband networks, but also explore whether to impose new rules on broadband networks offered by mobile phone carriers, the FCC said. Genachowski said he wants all six principles to apply to all platforms that access the Internet.
Mobile broadband services offered by carriers such as Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile have not been subject to the FCC's net neutrality principles.
The FCC has enforced the existing broadband policy principles on a case-by-case basis, but it has never made formal net neutrality rules. Broadband provider Comcast filed a lawsuit challenging the FCC's authority to enforce the principles after the agency ruled last August that Comcast had to stop slowing peer-to-peer traffic in the name of network management.
The Comcast lawsuit was filed late last year, and a ruling is pending. Comcast argued that the FCC needs to create a rule or get authority from the U.S. Congress to enforce net neutrality. In addition to Genachowski's new rulemaking, a bill pending in the U.S. Congress would give the FCC that authority.
Several broadband providers have opposed formal net neutrality rules, saying they could hamper provider efforts to roll out new services and manage their networks, and to protect against attacks and bandwidth hogs.
But Genachowski said there have been examples in recent years of broadband providers blocking or slowing applications, including peer-to-peer software and VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) service. There has been one example of a broadband provider blocking political content, he noted.
"Notwithstanding its unparalleled record of success, today the free and open Internet faces emerging and substantial challenges," he said. "The rise of serious challenges to the free and open Internet puts us at a crossroads. We could see the Internet's doors shut to entrepreneurs, the spirit of innovation stifled, a full and free flow of information compromised. Or we could take steps to preserve Internet openness, helping ensure a future of opportunity, innovation, and a vibrant marketplace of ideas."
A Comcast spokeswoman said the company would comment soon. Representatives of AT&T, Verizon Wireless and CTIA, a trade group representing mobile carriers, weren't immediately available for comment.
There are four existing broadband principles that would be formalized:
-- Consumers are entitled to access the lawful Internet content of their choice.
-- Consumers are entitled to run applications and use services of their choice, subject to the needs of law enforcement.
-- Consumers are entitled to connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network.
-- Consumers are entitled to competition among network providers, application and service providers, and content providers.
In addition, Genachowski proposed two new principles. The first would prevent Internet access providers from discriminating against particular Internet content or applications, while allowing for reasonable network management. The second principle would ensure that Internet access providers are transparent about the network management practices they implement.
Genachowski will seek to launch a notice of proposed rulemaking during the FCC's October meeting. The notice will ask the public and interested companies for feedback on the proposed rules and their application, such as how to determine whether network management practices are reasonable, what information broadband providers should disclose about their network management practices and how the rules apply to differing platforms, including mobile Internet access services, the FCC said.
From PC WORLD
-http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Friday, September 18, 2009
Robotic arm fetches Japanese cargo ship at space station
Unmanned H-II spacecraft delivers supplies for station's Japanese laboratory
By Sharon Gaudin September 18, 2009 01:47 PM ET
Computerworld - An unmanned Japanese cargo spacecraft yesterday was plucked out of space by a robotic arm and attached to the International Space Station.
The cargo spacecraft, dubbed the H-II Transfer Vehicle, was launched a week ago on its maiden voyage from the from the Tanegashima, Japan, Space Center. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency spacecraft carried about five tons of supplies for the Japanese Kibo laboratory at the station.
The H-II arrived at the space station late Thursday afternoon, and Flight Engineers Nicole Stott, Robert Thirsk and Frank De Winne, part of the space station crew, teamed up to use the station's robotic arm to grab the craft as it hovered 30-feet from the station. The Canadarm 2 robotic arm pulled the cargo ship in and attached it to the station.
The cargo, which is being transferred onto the space station, includes several pieces of equipment for that will be used in experiments, such as the study of gases in the Earth's ozone layer.
The H-II Transfer Vehicle, which was designed and built in Japan, is about 30 feet long and about 14 feet in diameter.
The Canadarm 2 technology has been heavily used by astronauts on the station in recent months.
For example, the crew of the space shuttle Discovery used the robotic arm earlier this month to move replacement parts and supplies from the shuttle's cargo bay to the space station. They also used the arm to help them remove a spent ammonia tank from the outside of the space station and replace it with a new one.
And in July, three different robots, including Canadarm 2, were used to help the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour install the final pieces of a Japanese laboratory to the station. For the nearly 11 days Endeavour was docked with the space station, at least one, if not two, robots were at work almost every day.
--http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
By Sharon Gaudin September 18, 2009 01:47 PM ET
Computerworld - An unmanned Japanese cargo spacecraft yesterday was plucked out of space by a robotic arm and attached to the International Space Station.
The cargo spacecraft, dubbed the H-II Transfer Vehicle, was launched a week ago on its maiden voyage from the from the Tanegashima, Japan, Space Center. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency spacecraft carried about five tons of supplies for the Japanese Kibo laboratory at the station.
The H-II arrived at the space station late Thursday afternoon, and Flight Engineers Nicole Stott, Robert Thirsk and Frank De Winne, part of the space station crew, teamed up to use the station's robotic arm to grab the craft as it hovered 30-feet from the station. The Canadarm 2 robotic arm pulled the cargo ship in and attached it to the station.
The cargo, which is being transferred onto the space station, includes several pieces of equipment for that will be used in experiments, such as the study of gases in the Earth's ozone layer.
The H-II Transfer Vehicle, which was designed and built in Japan, is about 30 feet long and about 14 feet in diameter.
The Canadarm 2 technology has been heavily used by astronauts on the station in recent months.
For example, the crew of the space shuttle Discovery used the robotic arm earlier this month to move replacement parts and supplies from the shuttle's cargo bay to the space station. They also used the arm to help them remove a spent ammonia tank from the outside of the space station and replace it with a new one.
And in July, three different robots, including Canadarm 2, were used to help the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour install the final pieces of a Japanese laboratory to the station. For the nearly 11 days Endeavour was docked with the space station, at least one, if not two, robots were at work almost every day.
--http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Keeping Google out of libraries
The proposed settlement between Google and US publishers must be resisted, argues Bill Thompson.- BBC NEWS TECHNO
Wednesday, 2 September 2009 10:50 UK
Google is in the middle of a massive project to scan and digitise every book it can get its hands on, whether old or new, and if it gets its way then the US courts will soon endorse an agreement between the search engine giant and the US book industry that will allow it to do this without fear of prosecution for copyright infringement.
Authors and publishers will get some money in return, and we will all benefit from the improved access to digitised books that Google will provide.
The deal sounds like a good one, but not everyone is happy with it. The Department of Justice in the US has begun an investigation to see if it is anti-competitive, and last month a number of library associations got together with Amazon, Yahoo! and Microsoft to form the Open Book Alliance which argues that it should not go forward.
The details of the settlement are complex, and it is almost impossible to be sure what would emerge from it because many of the provisions involve setting up things like a Book Rights Registry, and we don't yet know what they will look like.
World's librarian
But whatever the detail there remains a fundamental problem. It is not that the settlement will give Google indemnity from prosecution should it be found to have scanned books that are in copyright without the copyright owner's position, nor even that it gives Google freedom to exploit scanned content commercially.
It is, rather, that the settlement gives only Google these privileges, and places one company in a prime position to become the world's de facto librarian instead of encouraging open access, open standards and a plurality of services and service providers.
Neither Google nor any other company should be entrusted with that responsibility, and nothing in the detail of the agreement or the funds that will be made available to authors as a consequence can change this.
If Google is given a monopoly, either explicitly in the settlement or implicitly because any other scanning project would be forced to negotiate its own multi-million dollar agreement, then the deal must be rejected.
If we let Google have its settlement we will all be the poorer
Bill Thompson
The proposed settlement came about after Google began a project to scan and index millions of books, including many that are still in copyright.
It was sued by groups representing authors and publishers who felt that scanning books, even if the text was only used to create a searchable index which then pointed readers to the relevant text, was an unlicensed use and therefore illegal.
The book trade was also worried that Google might scan the books under the pretext of creating an index and then start offering them online or even selling them, even though it was always absolutely clear that such behaviour would be a breach of copyright.
Instead of fighting the case through the US courts and winning a great victory for those of us who believe that three hundred year-old notions of copyright should not be used arbitrarily to limit new ways of making use of creative works, Google announced in October 2008 that it had reached a settlement with the US Authors' Guild and the Association of American Publishers that would allow it to continue scanning with permission.
At the moment the settlement hangs in the balance, waiting for what is quaintly termed a 'fairness hearing' in US District Court on October 7.
At this hearing of the questions raised since the settlement was announced will be debated, including the question of how the relatively small Authors Guild came to speak for all published writers in the US, living and dead, in negotiating with Google.
One of the arguments being made in favour of Google, most clearly by US industry analyst Jeffrey Lindsay, is that Google deserves to benefit from having taken the risk of digitising books when the project's legal status was uncertain and that Google, unlike Microsoft and Yahoo!, has invested millions of dollars in the project and is committed to pushing forward.
Microsoft did indeed abandon its own book scanning project, Live Search Books, in 2008, largely on cost grounds but also because the legal uncertainties clearly exposed the company to potential liability in what was never a core area of its activity.
Tribal lands
But Lindsay's view seems hard to accept. Pretending that the world's libraries are some unexplored continent to be opened up and claimed by the adventurers from Mountain View may appeal to the frontier mentality of US commentators, but it is not a metaphor likely to have much appeal elsewhere.
For one thing the bookshelves of the worlds are already inhabited, just like the territory of the United States, and those of us who remember the fate of the Native Americans may not be happy to see Google build its railroad tracks over our tribal lands.
Even without the dodgy analogy, the project of digitising the information held in the world's printed books is too important to be dealt with purely as a commercial venture between rights holders and a potential supplier of services.
We are at an inflection point in world history, and the transition we are making from analogue to digital is happening so quickly and offers so many delights that there is a temptation to let the past moulder in archive boxes and concentrate solely on the new and digital.
For those who take that view then letting Google pay to digitise books is an uncontroversial decision, one that can deliver more digital stuff to search through without apparently costing anything.
George Santayana wrote 'those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it', but it may also be true that those who do not care to digitise their own past will end up paying a high price to regain what they give up so thoughtlessly.
If we let Google have its settlement we will all be the poorer. Not for a while, perhaps, but one day we will need more from this new library of Alexandria than Google is willing to offer, and find that the price it demands is more than we can pay.
Bill Thompson is an independent journalist and regular commentator on the BBC World Service programme Digital Planet
-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Wednesday, 2 September 2009 10:50 UK
Google is in the middle of a massive project to scan and digitise every book it can get its hands on, whether old or new, and if it gets its way then the US courts will soon endorse an agreement between the search engine giant and the US book industry that will allow it to do this without fear of prosecution for copyright infringement.
Authors and publishers will get some money in return, and we will all benefit from the improved access to digitised books that Google will provide.
The deal sounds like a good one, but not everyone is happy with it. The Department of Justice in the US has begun an investigation to see if it is anti-competitive, and last month a number of library associations got together with Amazon, Yahoo! and Microsoft to form the Open Book Alliance which argues that it should not go forward.
The details of the settlement are complex, and it is almost impossible to be sure what would emerge from it because many of the provisions involve setting up things like a Book Rights Registry, and we don't yet know what they will look like.
World's librarian
But whatever the detail there remains a fundamental problem. It is not that the settlement will give Google indemnity from prosecution should it be found to have scanned books that are in copyright without the copyright owner's position, nor even that it gives Google freedom to exploit scanned content commercially.
It is, rather, that the settlement gives only Google these privileges, and places one company in a prime position to become the world's de facto librarian instead of encouraging open access, open standards and a plurality of services and service providers.
Neither Google nor any other company should be entrusted with that responsibility, and nothing in the detail of the agreement or the funds that will be made available to authors as a consequence can change this.
If Google is given a monopoly, either explicitly in the settlement or implicitly because any other scanning project would be forced to negotiate its own multi-million dollar agreement, then the deal must be rejected.
If we let Google have its settlement we will all be the poorer
Bill Thompson
The proposed settlement came about after Google began a project to scan and index millions of books, including many that are still in copyright.
It was sued by groups representing authors and publishers who felt that scanning books, even if the text was only used to create a searchable index which then pointed readers to the relevant text, was an unlicensed use and therefore illegal.
The book trade was also worried that Google might scan the books under the pretext of creating an index and then start offering them online or even selling them, even though it was always absolutely clear that such behaviour would be a breach of copyright.
Instead of fighting the case through the US courts and winning a great victory for those of us who believe that three hundred year-old notions of copyright should not be used arbitrarily to limit new ways of making use of creative works, Google announced in October 2008 that it had reached a settlement with the US Authors' Guild and the Association of American Publishers that would allow it to continue scanning with permission.
At the moment the settlement hangs in the balance, waiting for what is quaintly termed a 'fairness hearing' in US District Court on October 7.
At this hearing of the questions raised since the settlement was announced will be debated, including the question of how the relatively small Authors Guild came to speak for all published writers in the US, living and dead, in negotiating with Google.
One of the arguments being made in favour of Google, most clearly by US industry analyst Jeffrey Lindsay, is that Google deserves to benefit from having taken the risk of digitising books when the project's legal status was uncertain and that Google, unlike Microsoft and Yahoo!, has invested millions of dollars in the project and is committed to pushing forward.
Microsoft did indeed abandon its own book scanning project, Live Search Books, in 2008, largely on cost grounds but also because the legal uncertainties clearly exposed the company to potential liability in what was never a core area of its activity.
Tribal lands
But Lindsay's view seems hard to accept. Pretending that the world's libraries are some unexplored continent to be opened up and claimed by the adventurers from Mountain View may appeal to the frontier mentality of US commentators, but it is not a metaphor likely to have much appeal elsewhere.
For one thing the bookshelves of the worlds are already inhabited, just like the territory of the United States, and those of us who remember the fate of the Native Americans may not be happy to see Google build its railroad tracks over our tribal lands.
Even without the dodgy analogy, the project of digitising the information held in the world's printed books is too important to be dealt with purely as a commercial venture between rights holders and a potential supplier of services.
We are at an inflection point in world history, and the transition we are making from analogue to digital is happening so quickly and offers so many delights that there is a temptation to let the past moulder in archive boxes and concentrate solely on the new and digital.
For those who take that view then letting Google pay to digitise books is an uncontroversial decision, one that can deliver more digital stuff to search through without apparently costing anything.
George Santayana wrote 'those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it', but it may also be true that those who do not care to digitise their own past will end up paying a high price to regain what they give up so thoughtlessly.
If we let Google have its settlement we will all be the poorer. Not for a while, perhaps, but one day we will need more from this new library of Alexandria than Google is willing to offer, and find that the price it demands is more than we can pay.
Bill Thompson is an independent journalist and regular commentator on the BBC World Service programme Digital Planet
-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Saturday, August 22, 2009
What Is Broadband? FCC Wants To Know
The federal agency wants to develop accurate and uniform definitions for broadband to help in its development of a national broadband plan
By W. David Gardner
August 21, 2009 03:31 PM
The FCC has launched a campaign to define exactly what constitutes "broadband" and providers of the high speed service may not like how it is defined and how the FCC views their delivery of broadband.
In a notice Thursday, the FCC said it is seeking "tailored comment" on broadband in connection with developing a National Broadband Plan as it relates to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
"...Advertised throughput rates generally differ from actual rates, are not uniformly measured, and have different constraints over different technologies," the FCC noted in its posting and added that "it is unclear what the end points of the connection are over which throughput is measured or whether the performance of the end point is reflected in the stated throughput."
The FCC wants to develop accurate and uniform definitions for broadband to help in its development of a national broadband plan it expects to submit to Congress in February. The National Broadband Plan Notice of Inquiry has observed that "broadband can be defined in myriad ways."
U.S. broadband rankings have been slipping in recent years to the point that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found the U.S. was in the 19th place in the worldwide rankings with a 9.6 mbps advertised rate. Japan led the 2008 rankings with 92.8 mbps and Korean was second with 80.8 mbps.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has made the upgrade and spread of more robust broadband an important goal of his chairmanship.
From Information week
By W. David Gardner
August 21, 2009 03:31 PM
The FCC has launched a campaign to define exactly what constitutes "broadband" and providers of the high speed service may not like how it is defined and how the FCC views their delivery of broadband.
In a notice Thursday, the FCC said it is seeking "tailored comment" on broadband in connection with developing a National Broadband Plan as it relates to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
"...Advertised throughput rates generally differ from actual rates, are not uniformly measured, and have different constraints over different technologies," the FCC noted in its posting and added that "it is unclear what the end points of the connection are over which throughput is measured or whether the performance of the end point is reflected in the stated throughput."
The FCC wants to develop accurate and uniform definitions for broadband to help in its development of a national broadband plan it expects to submit to Congress in February. The National Broadband Plan Notice of Inquiry has observed that "broadband can be defined in myriad ways."
U.S. broadband rankings have been slipping in recent years to the point that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found the U.S. was in the 19th place in the worldwide rankings with a 9.6 mbps advertised rate. Japan led the 2008 rankings with 92.8 mbps and Korean was second with 80.8 mbps.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has made the upgrade and spread of more robust broadband an important goal of his chairmanship.
From Information week
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Google Steals Spotlight With Caffeine Boost
Tony Bradley, PC World Tuesday, August 11, 2009 1:35 PM PDT
Google announced this week a project it has been working on to develop a faster, more accurate, and more comprehensive search engine. The announcement of the project, code-named ‘Caffeine' (a clever play on words implying that the project will boost speed), seems a little out of character for Google which usually makes these sort of search engine tweaks under the radar. One thing that the announcement of Caffeine accomplished though is to divert attention away from Microsoft's Bing search engine and the Microsoft/Yahoo partnership news and put Google search back in the headlines.
I don't believe Google is feeling all that threatened by Microsoft's Bing, or even by the search/advertising coalition formed by the partnership between Microsoft and Yahoo. I think perhaps it should be, but I think that the hoopla around Caffeine has more to do with ego than paranoia. I think Google was tired of seeing headlines about Bing and Microsoft and Yahoo.
I also don't believe that Google launched the Caffeine project in response to Bing. A Google engineer, Matt Cutts, posted on his blog that Caffeine is simply part of the normal process of improvement that Google goes through on a regular basis. He clearly states that Caffeine is not a response to Bing and says "I think the best way for Google to do well in search is to continue what we've done for the last decade or so: focus relentlessly on pushing our search quality forward. Nobody cares more about search than Google, and I don't think we'll ever stop trying to improve."
Assuming that is true, it again illustrates that the public hoopla around Caffeine is more about getting attention than it is about rolling out any revolutionary change in the Google search engine. Matt claims in his blog that this is all just standard operating procedure at Google and the kind of thing that goes on all the time without generating any headlines.
That said, maybe Google is a little more concerned with Bing and the Microsoft/Yahoo partnership than they let on. Bing has garnered accolades and has been supported by one of Microsoft's more successful marketing campaigns. Experts and users alike concede that Microsoft seems to have gotten things right with Bing, and Bing has been slowly chipping away at web search engine market share. With Yahoo basically surrendering its share of the search engine pie to Microsoft, Bing could jump to 30% or even 40% market share. Google would still be in the lead, but Bing poses a reasonable threat to Google's established dominance.
Google is also spreading itself thin, taking on dominant players in multiple markets simultaneously. Google is now arch-rivals with its previous BFF Apple, and mortal enemies with Microsoft in almost every market the two operate in. The last thing Google needs is to have to defend its home turf of web search at the same time. Only time will tell how these battles will play out, but at least for now Google won the news spotlight back with Caffeine.
Google announced this week a project it has been working on to develop a faster, more accurate, and more comprehensive search engine. The announcement of the project, code-named ‘Caffeine' (a clever play on words implying that the project will boost speed), seems a little out of character for Google which usually makes these sort of search engine tweaks under the radar. One thing that the announcement of Caffeine accomplished though is to divert attention away from Microsoft's Bing search engine and the Microsoft/Yahoo partnership news and put Google search back in the headlines.
I don't believe Google is feeling all that threatened by Microsoft's Bing, or even by the search/advertising coalition formed by the partnership between Microsoft and Yahoo. I think perhaps it should be, but I think that the hoopla around Caffeine has more to do with ego than paranoia. I think Google was tired of seeing headlines about Bing and Microsoft and Yahoo.
I also don't believe that Google launched the Caffeine project in response to Bing. A Google engineer, Matt Cutts, posted on his blog that Caffeine is simply part of the normal process of improvement that Google goes through on a regular basis. He clearly states that Caffeine is not a response to Bing and says "I think the best way for Google to do well in search is to continue what we've done for the last decade or so: focus relentlessly on pushing our search quality forward. Nobody cares more about search than Google, and I don't think we'll ever stop trying to improve."
Assuming that is true, it again illustrates that the public hoopla around Caffeine is more about getting attention than it is about rolling out any revolutionary change in the Google search engine. Matt claims in his blog that this is all just standard operating procedure at Google and the kind of thing that goes on all the time without generating any headlines.
That said, maybe Google is a little more concerned with Bing and the Microsoft/Yahoo partnership than they let on. Bing has garnered accolades and has been supported by one of Microsoft's more successful marketing campaigns. Experts and users alike concede that Microsoft seems to have gotten things right with Bing, and Bing has been slowly chipping away at web search engine market share. With Yahoo basically surrendering its share of the search engine pie to Microsoft, Bing could jump to 30% or even 40% market share. Google would still be in the lead, but Bing poses a reasonable threat to Google's established dominance.
Google is also spreading itself thin, taking on dominant players in multiple markets simultaneously. Google is now arch-rivals with its previous BFF Apple, and mortal enemies with Microsoft in almost every market the two operate in. The last thing Google needs is to have to defend its home turf of web search at the same time. Only time will tell how these battles will play out, but at least for now Google won the news spotlight back with Caffeine.
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