What happens when the infrastructure of the net becomes oligopoly-controlled? Services become limited, prices go up. I’m hardly the first to point this out.
Larry Lessig wrote in his book The Future of Ideas about the possibility that given a few subtle changes to the Internet’s infrastructure it would be relatively easy for the cable companies or another small handful of telcos or other large businesses to take control of the Net, turning it into the kind of closed systems TV or the old telephone networks used to be. This dire prediction may be upon us.
Comcast has been progressively turning on functions to block VPN traffic for the last four or five months. If you fight through the Comcast site to find the terms of service you discover that’s only the beginning. Under their rules prohibiting you from using your Internet connection for ‘any business purpose’ you are arguably in violation if you so much as buy a book from Amazon.com.
Network blocking, business, cable, closed network, Comcast, DSL, infrastructure, Net Neutrality, Network, oligopoly, prohibitions, telecom, VPN
Ninth circuit court holds that the FBI can turn car help systems into roaming wiretaps. The details, however, remain a secret.
The technology involved, used by OnStar, ATX and others, combines a global positioning satellite transmitter with a cellular telephone. Drivers can use the services to seek information and emergency help.
Most of the court file in the Nevada case is sealed, and the appellate decision did not discuss the nature of the investigation or specify the brand of the system in question. But the court’s description of the system’s features is consistent with one offered by ATX, which provides telematics services for cars from BMW, Ford, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, among others.
The device discussed in the decision allows drivers to punch one of three buttons: for emergencies, general information and roadside assistance. The phone has a speaker and microphone, and it turns out that the microphone may be activated surreptitiously, allowing government agents to listen in on conversations in the car.
Devices, Policy automobile, car, cell phone, FBI, GPS, microphone, Ninth circuit court, satellite, spying, telematics, wiretap
Gamers are often the early adopters of technology that may develop into business applications. In this story, Reuters reports that virtual technologies (game rewards) can be won and lost as property. At least in China, a country not noted for their strong stance on intellectual property.
Li Hongchen, 24, had spent two years, and 10,000 yuan ($1,210) on pay-as-you-go cards to play, amassing weapons and victories in the popular online computer game Hongyue, or Red Moon, before his ‘weapons’ were stolen in February, the Xinhua news agency said on Friday.
Other recent news stories indicate that users (often gamers) have been busy creating new tools, extension environments, and add-ons to a formal program offered by a large company. Examples include new tools created for use in online games, and reprogramming Sony’s robot dog toy. This is not always met with approval by the big companies, but it should be expected given how much time some people put into using their tools.
Content China, gamer, games, investment, ownership, tools, virtual property, weapons
I tried to become a Vonage phone service subscriber, but too many of their problems got in my way. It’s still not ready for prime time.
First there was the wait. I ordered service on 4 Dec. 2003. They didn’t ship the voice-to-broadband connection box (called an MTA) until 8 Dec. It didn’t arrive until 15 Dec (today.)
Then there was the wait. And wait, and wait. On hold to tech support for over 40 minutes each. The third time I never got to talk with anyone–the recording said “Sorry we can’t help you. Please send email…”
About that wait… Being on hold with Vonage is its own special hell: the music (which doesn’t change) is much louder than the voices (like the “thank you for holding, someone will be with you in a minute” about every five minutes). In fact, the music is so loud that I couldn’t leave the phone to my ear for long. That made the voice recordings especially hard to catch.
In the end, the last tech support guy I spoke with never got my dialtone working. I powered down various pieces of networking equipment, including my MTA (9 times in one phone call). He said that he needed to run some diagnostic which would take a few minutes. I foolishly asked him to call me back. Right, like that ever happened (it did not).
I’ll be sending the MTA back to Vonage tomorrow. And looking for another alternative phone provider tonight. Anyway, now I don’t have to worry about potentially short-sighted FCC interventions into the VoIP space. (Think “communications applications,” not “telephone network.”
Devices, Life, Network phone, sucks, telecom, telephone, Vonage
What to do when computing gets too real? Warnings about the games you don’t know your kids are playing…
If pornographic is the ‘graphic depiction of sex,’ then killographic should enter our vocabulary to describe the ‘graphic depiction of brutal violence,”‘ David Walsh, the institute’s president, told a Capitol Hill news conference.
“Clever phrase,” Doug Lowenstein, head of the Entertainment Software Association, which represents computer and video game software publishers, replied when asked about “killographic.”
Content brutal violence, games, gaming, safety, violence
The battle heats up for alternative phone services (here, VoIP). While some cable companies are surprisingly slow to change, Time Warner is ready to knock on the doors of their cable customers.
Time Warner Inc.’s cable unit announced that it has inked arrangements with Sprint and MCI to offer VOIP service to millions of cable subscribers nationwide. The arrangements with the two long-distance carriers involve long-distance traffic, operator-assisted and 911 calls and voicemail. The deals also spell a direct assault on rival cable companies angling to use the Internet to handle calls and to Baby Bells that are losing market share to the growing technology.
Network SOHO nets
The Japanese, always vanguards in technology design and adoption, are modeling the curve on lower cost, transitional technology (for that truly mobile experience).
Japanese cell phone service provider NTT DoCoMo is urging its handset suppliers to build Linux-based cell phones, a milestone for the operating system’s acceptance by the wireless industry.
In related news, as reported by a Japanese colleague:
Yesterday’s news from Japan : DoCoMo will start dual mode services both 3G FOMA and wireless LAN VoIP mobile from spring next year. People can talk through VoIP when you are in the area of wireless LAN as an extention call. Outside of LAN, it connects to 3G FOMA network automatically. DoCoMo will try to extend the waiting mode life time as IEEE802.11b needs more battery than FOMA from here after to be applied to newer terminal line up.
Devices 3G, 802.11, cell phone, Japan, Linux, mobile, mobileTech